← Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
Trump to Address the Nation. Seth Bodnar: Independent Vet For Senate from Montana.
01:08:27
Independent Veteran vs MAGA Machine: Seth Bodnar’s Battle for Montana’s Senate. A Green Beret, Rhodes Scholar, university president and business leader, independent Senate candidate Seth Bodnar joins Paul Rieckhoff from Montana for a hard‑hitting, no‑BS conversation about taking on Trump’s MAGA machine, a rigged two‑party system, and the corrupt insider games that tried to handpick his opponent. From filing his campaign minutes before the party bosses pulled a fast one, to why he refuses to “put on a jersey” for either party, Bodnar lays out why Montana—and America—need an independent voice that answers to voters, not party leaders.
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- [00:00]
A
With Vrbal's last minute deals, you can save over $50 on your spring getaway. So whether it's a mountain escape with friends, a family week at the beach or sightseeing in a new city, there's still time to get great discounts. Book your next day now. Average savings $72 select homes only. These photos are salacious. The headlines will be salacious. But imagine if the Chinese got those photos. Imagine if the Iranians got those photos. Imagine if Putin got those photos and Kristi Noem was still head of dhs. Imagine the blackmail they could have put on her. Imagine how it could have endangered our national security. Imagine how it could have been endangered ICE and DHS and everybody who works there. Welcome to Independent Americans. Welcome to episode 481. I am your host, Paul Rykoff and It is Wednesday, April 1st. Happy April Fool's Day. I am coming to you from New York City, usa and there are no shortage of fools this year all across our government and all across our politics. But at least the weather here is pretty damn nice. It is sunny and warm and a good day for a rocket launch, we hope as the NASA Artemis mission is ready for blast off. By the time I drop this, I hope they are already in the air and on their way around the moon because we're going to need some inspiration and I'm going to try to bring it to you every single day and every single episode and bring you a different artist every day. I share an artist that I share with my boys in the morning and then I will share with you. Today's artist is Ryan Bingham because he's fantastic. The country music superstar. He's also a huge part of Yellowstone, the blockbuster show which is set in Montana. And coming up, our guest is going to represent for Montana and one of his top songs is Wolves. And in times like this, we're all wolves and we're all keeping the wolves at bay. I've often said that the American gray wolf is the spirit animal of our independent movement. The Democrats and Republicans have the elephant and the donkeys and we say leave the herds and run with the pack. That means the wolves. So Ryan Bingham is the spirit of that. He's also got south side of Heaven, which is awesome. Hallelujah, sunrise Nobody knows my trouble. If you don't know it, check it out. He was born in New Mexico, relocated to Texas, but his music is everywhere like this show is starting to be as well because we're going to bring you the five eyes in every single episode. Independence, integrity, information, inspiration, and impact. And our guest coming up is going to bring that and then some. We are continuing our Meet the Independent Candidate series with an independent veteran, and it's a good one. Seth Bodner is coming up. He has recently declared as an independent veteran for Senate from Montana. He's a Green Beret, a Rhodes scholar, a business leader and an outstanding independent voice. And maybe the best chance for an independent to win the Senate this fall. In the Senate this fall. It's a good one coming up. Stay tuned for that. We're going to roll into April. We're going to launch into April. But first, there's a lot you need to know about to help us all launch into a new month, into a new chapter and stay vigilant. All right. We're going to get to Seth Bodnar in just a second. We're going to continue our Meet the Candidate series. I'm going to dig into all of what you need to know. But first, a top topic that is front and center on all things. It's got to be Iran. All right. And here's the latest on Iran that has to be front and center. Tonight, Trump will address the Nation 9:00pm it's going to be on every single network the world and the country will be watching. It'll interrupt your baseball game or whatever else is happening because even in April, even in spring, even during spring break, there will be no nights off, America. There will be something happening that we need to focus on every single day. That is our new normal. And Trump will, will address the nation. Hopefully, it will be short, but there are a number of possibilities that we could expect from Trump on a time like this. Number one, he could just make the case for war in Iran again and boast about how great it's going in a feeble attempt to drive up public opinion from the abysmal current 12% approval rating. That's one. Option two, he could announce boots on the ground. Ground operations could be commencing by the time he gives the speech. So keep your eyes on that. As you know, if you listen or watch this show, we've got thousands of troops in the region, Marines, 82nd Airborne, Special Ops, they are all in place. And he could pull the trigger on ground operations at any time. Number three, he could just declare victory and the war is over. That's a possibility. Who knows with Trump? You really don't know. Number four, he could announce new operations in Cuba. Number five, he could announce new operations in Colombia. Number six, since he's deep into forever war, he can announce operations somewhere else That I didn't even mention number seven. He could just talk about his crazy library plan, a presidential library plan, and explain why the flag in the mockup of his library has 56 stars on it. Either they plan to add six more states, or they just screwed up like they often do. But anything is possible. So we'll tune in tonight, and I will likely have a very special live response on YouTube. So if you don't follow us on YouTube, be sure to hit that subscribe button. I will try to go live immediately after Trump finishes with immediate reactions and take your questions. Because especially in times like this, especially with this war unfolding in the Middle east and threats rising abroad and at home, we must all stay vigilant, Right? He could also announce tonight that he's pulling out of NATO. Indris Ali over at Reuters notes today that in an interview with Reuters, Trump says he will express his discussed tonight with NATO in his speech, and he said he's, quote, absolutely considering withdrawing from NATO. Leaving NATO has always been a Trump threat and a stated objective, basically a campaign promise. But that would be devastating for freedom. It would be devastating for NATO. It would be a victory for Putin. It would be a loss for Ukraine, and it would most of all have our enemies celebrating.
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B
Our enemies are celebrating,
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A
And it would impact our troops in harm's way. They would have less allies, they would have less support. They would have less air access. We've already seen Spain and Italy and other countries have refused American ships, American planes to go over their airspace, which could be a problem. But our troops are in harm's way right now. They are potentially dying. They are being wounded. They are being shot at, and they are being hit by missiles and drones. And this is what it sounds like and looks like. Play this one, Chris. Oh, there's. Oh,
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C
Y' all good?
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A
Everybody's good? Everybody over here is good? Yeah. Good.
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B
I saw that one coming in.
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A
You guys all right?
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B
Everybody okay?
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A
Yeah. All right. So that's footage showing an Iranian ballistic missile slamming into a US Base. It just a couple meters from our service members. That is what America's sons and daughters are facing right now. Even when the sun is out and spring is here and Passover and Easter are recognized. Our troops are spending the holidays under the threat of missile attack like that. We know the traumatic brain injury will be a. A top injury that they're going to have to deal with coming home. And although you've heard from Hegseth and Trump that they have a $200 billion request from the Department of Defense. What you haven't heard and you won't hear. Tonight is a request for the BA budget. How much money will they need to take care of a new generation of veterans coming home? We will find out. We will keep track. And you should stay vigilant. All right? You should also stay vigilant because as that video, whether you watched or heard it, will underscore, 2026 is going to be the year of death from above missiles, but especially drones. Chris, our fearless creative director and producer, said to me that this should be the year of the drone. 2026 may be the year of the drone. And I think that could be true. Americans are finally starting to understand what is the norm on the battlefields of Ukraine. But it's also a year of Trump's attempt to expand power. He's all gas, no brakes. The number one story in the world is still that Donald Trump can do anything he wants with the most powerful military the world has ever seen, and nothing can stop him. And he plans to expand across the world and across America. Never forget that. Play this clip, please, Chris.
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C
And really, Chicago should call and say, we'd like help. New York should call. They've had a lot of problems. We want help. Los Angeles should call and probably will. I think they have to. Now, we're going to have to do something when it comes World cup time, and we're going to have to force ourselves upon them, which we have the right to do, because we don't want to have any crime. We don't want to have any problems for the Olympics and the World cup and even for 250.
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A
All right, he says we're going to have to force ourselves upon them in reference to New York and Chicago. This is how a rapist talks. He's going to put troops in the streets whether those cities want them or not. He's already keeping troops in D.C. he has plans for others. And he keeps naming New York and Chicago. And now he's mentioning the World cup as a possible trigger. He is telegraphing his punches again. He keeps saying New York and Chicago, and you should believe him because that's always been the plan. And they are on plan. You have to respect the fact that they have gone farther and further than most people expected. There continues to be a failure of imagination. And the Republicans and the Democrats continue to fail to stop him. They're not a speed bump. They're not slowing him down. He's all gas, no brakes. That's why the American people need to step up. We need to speak out, and we need to stay vigilant. Now, I've said most Americans are actually uniting around their opposition to the Iran war. Only 12% of the country supports it. There's a lot of what Trump's doing that the country doesn't like right now. Republicans, Democrats, and especially independents. Today, Trump did another thing that probably won't sit well with most people. He attended the Supreme Court hearings on birthright citizenship. No American president has ever attended a Supreme Court argument, but he did it during arguments challenging his executive order, which seems to bar. Which seeks to bar children of undocumented immigrants born on U.S. soil from automatic citizenship. Now, this is adding pressure, it's adding a looming threat to have him sitting there across from Supreme Court justices. This is completely out of bounds. It crosses a line that no other American president in history has crossed. And most Americans like that. They think he's out of control. They think he's gone too far. They think he's lied too much, and that's why his base continues to crater, especially on Iran. I think we might have to come up with a new song here. But it spanned everybody from Steve Bannon to Sean Ryan to influential conservative talk show host Megyn Kelly, who has a very strong voice, who has a very big voice, especially among conservatives, and even she is now challenging Trump on Iran. Play that one, please, Chris.
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D
President Trump there saying, just like the ballroom, we're way ahead of schedule. I mean, like, this is. We're talking about American troops dying, like, putting their lives at risk. It's not just like the ballroom, like this is. And it's. It's not just like a fun little excursion into Iran. We've already lost 13 servicemen and women. We had another 25 injured over the weekend when Iran hit the Saudis and our plant, our base there. So we had another 25American service personnel injured there, many severely, severely injured. What does that mean? Lost limbs, severe head wounds. What's. They don't tell us that information has been largely censored from the American media. We don't know. We don't believe that we know the full extent of the deaths either. And we don't believe we know the full extent of exactly how all these planes have come down, that we're getting the full story.
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A
So she mentions the ballroom, which is also universally unpopular, almost universally unpopular. But now she's mentioning that we don't believe we know the full extent of the deaths and the wounded that have happening. She's focusing on the human cost of war, which is very, very important because across this country and across political lines, people are saying no to his war in Iran, to boots on the ground and forever war over eight countries and counting that he has hit with a potential for more on the way. Americans don't like regime change wars. They don't like overseas excursions that cost a billion dollars a day when we have many a problem, many problems here at home. And they don't like the shenanigans, including Kid Rock Gate or chopper gate, whatever you want, whatever we want to call it. But the viral video of helicopters of a helicopter over Kid Rock's house continues to swirl around. And Trump actually commented on it yesterday. Play that clip, please. Chris.
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B
There was a viral video this week. I don't know if you saw the army helicopters hovering near Kid Rocks house in Nashville. Did you see that?
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C
I didn't see it now, but I'm sure they had a good time.
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B
Well, so the army just said the crews of these helicopters have been suspended. What do you think of that?
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C
Well, it depends.
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A
Are they.
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C
Well, they probably shouldn't have been doing it. Yes. You're not supposed to be playing games. Right. But I take a look at it. They like Kid Rock. I like Kid Rock. Maybe they were trying to defend him. I don't know.
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A
Maybe they were trying to defend him from what? From what exactly was an Apache helicopter trying to defend Kid Rock from? And then Pete Heckseth never missing an opportunity to try to dunk on the liberals and insert himself in the situation in a way that is inappropriate. There was an announcement that the army was actually investigating this because you shouldn't be allowed to fly a helicopter for the government anywhere you want. And Pete Hegseth posted last night. Thank you, Kid Rock. US Pilots suspension lifted caps. No punishment, no investigation. Carry on, patriots. That's what Pete Hegseth wrote. No punishment, no investigation, no accountability for doing whatever you want with an attack helicopter that belongs to the US Government as long as it aligns with their extreme and partisan politics. That's what Trump and Hegset expects. Now, maybe Hegset signed off on it. If not, maybe somebody else did. But I'll tell you one thing. If they did a flyby at Tom Morello's house or a flyby of Bruce Springsteen's house, they'd be in Leavenworth right now. The more important issue is that the dangerous politicization of our military continues to expand. It's something that is deeply, deeply damaging to our military and to our democracy. It has our enemies celebrating our allies concern and our troops being stuck in the middle of it he continues to drive down the popularity of our troops with crap like this. That's another reason we all need to stay vigilant. All right. That's actually not the craziest thing that happened yesterday. If you were tracking late evening last night, we were having dinner with our family and some friends and I heard everybody in the room kind of gasp at the same time because there is now a report that Kristi Noem's husband has been living a cross dressing double life. They have asked for privacy. There are photos circulating of Mr. Noem wearing fake breasts. Here's the serious issue. These photos are salacious. The headlines will be salacious. But imagine if the Chinese got those photos. Imagine if the Iranians got those photos. Imagine if Putin got those photos and Kristi Noem was still head of dhs. Imagine the blackmail they could have put on her. Imagine how it could have endangered our national security. Imagine how it could have endangered ICE and DHS and everybody who works there. It's another reason we're lucky or we're glad that Kristi Noem is out, but it's another reason why we couldn't trust her. We don't know what else is out there. I don't think this is the last thing to come, but it definitely made us all less safe. It's another example of the sloppiness in the vetting that's happening at the White House. They should have seen this first. They should have gotten her out first. Maybe that's part of why they did. I'm sure we'll find out in the days to come. And Mark Wayne Mullen will be a person with no shortage of controversies. But as ICE continues to run rampant across our country and continues to be exceptionally unpopular, I'm going to talk to Seth Bodnar about the lack of popularity in Montana, specifically around the Iran operations and specifically among Republicans and independents and Democrats. That's coming up. But it's another reason we all need to stay vigilant. All right, Trump, August, no brakes. Nothing is slowing him down. He's still waging war on the free press every day. But veterans can lead the way in defending our democracy against authoritarianism against the two parties. Seth Bodnar coming up, I think is a great example of that. But as Trump continues to try to take over more of the world and more of the Western Hemisphere, Ukraine is Now facing day 1498 of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. We will all be watching the president's comments tonight to see if he makes any mention of Ukraine hopefully he will offer support for Ukraine and not support for Putin, who continues to see the benefits of rising oil prices along with the Iranians. But we've seen that the politics of our country are broken. The Republicans are bankrupt and lost. The Democrats suck and will not save you. But independent candidates are the people's champion. We're not just moving the needle. We are the needle and we are winning. We have a potential winner coming up in my conversation. But first, we're also winning on the ground game. Shout out to lots of folks who are working to make change, to empower independence, to give us an equal right to vote. Folks like Veterans for all voters, open Primaries and Unite America, who posted something yesterday that I want to bring your attention to. They wrote that we celebrated the successful push to open primaries in New Mexico last year, and now it's time for independents to have their voices heard in June. So coming up in June, the first time in New Mexico history, unaffiliated voters who are 1 in 4 New Mexican voters will be able to cast a ballot in the June primary without having to jump through a bureaucratic hoop. The state is getting ready for its inaugural semi open primary June 2, which allows independent voters to have a say in a Democrat or Republican primary without having to change the registration to either party. All they have to do is request the ballot of their choosing, whether in person or by mail. The Santa Fe New Mexican also covered this. You can find out more at Unite America and I will link to it in the show notes. But open primaries, as primaries continue to unfold in June, should be front and center if Americans really do value the equal vote of independents and unaffiliated, like me and like many of you, we need to be able to vote in open primaries. Public funding is going toward private primaries, public money, public schools, public election workers. Public machines are being used to fund primaries that many of us, millions of us, can't vote in. That's wrong. It needs to change. It's un American. That's another reason we need to stay vigilant. Vigilant.
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B
Vigilant.
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A
Vigilant.
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B
Stay vigilant.
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A
All right, let's go to Culture, Sports and then Seth Bodner's coming up. Culture. Let's talk about somebody who's meeting the moment and staying vigilant. If you haven't heard Bruce Springsteen, the Boss is going on tour and it has got people excited. I mean, Springsteen may be able to run for president at the end of this and he'd probably crush everybody, especially if he ran as an independent. But he Kicked off his new tour in Minneapolis and delivered a powerful message to all Americans. He had Tom Morello. He had a guitar to Prince Patti Smith. He did an Edwin Star cover. The E Street Band came out, and it was a really inspiring concert for all the folks that have attended. There's lots of great videos online, but I want to focus on this because Bruce Springsteen has a tremendous appeal to all kinds of people, especially white, working class people that Trump has really owned. In the last couple of years, the Democrats have struggled to gain. I think independents could be uniquely positioned. People say independents can't win. Well, I'm going to introduce you to a guy in just a minute who I think can but run, run this model. What if Springsteen ran for president? What if the Rock ran for president? You know, people might dismiss that, like they dismissed Jesse Ventura before he won as governor of Minnesota, like they dismissed Ronald Reagan before he became governor and ran for president, like they dismissed Donald Trump. We've seen what's happened there. And like they dismissed another celebrity, Zelensky, who has gone on from being a comedian to being potentially one of the greatest leaders of our time. But culture and politics are intersecting in powerful ways. We will see that there may be independent leaders that come out of that community, and they could also come out of sports. I think we will see more athletes stepping up to run, to meet this moment. They will have unique power and celebrity and. And many of them will be independents. We heard a couple months ago that an increasingly high number of professional athletes are independents, and I encourage them all to run for office. But baseball is picking up. It's a great time for baseball all across the country here in New York. Friday is the home opener for the Yankees, and my kids, my family, all of us are excited. Little League starts in a week and a half, and it may be already started in your area, which is a really good time for Americans to come together. Please remember to respect and appreciate your coaches and the umpires. They are doing a very hard job, a thankless job. They're often unpaid, but especially in times like this, we need people who can bring the temperature down and who can umpire not just our Little League games, but our democracy. And yesterday I talked about March Madness coming up and the men. Today I want to talk about the women, who have also been awesome. If you're not tracking. There is a really epic duo of clashes happening on Friday. Number one, UConn, the Titan that is UConn, will be facing number one, South Carolina, in a fantastic matchup that will be 7 o' clock. And then in the late game, number one UCLA versus number one Texas. All four number ones are into the final four, and they're all winners. This is going to be exciting. If you don't watch women's basketball, now, is it time to do it? Because they've been as or even more exciting than the men. All four of those teams are winners. They've been perennial winners, and they've shown what it's like to win. Those teams can win. Every one of them can win. So can independence. And you're going to hear from a guy today that I think, when it comes to the Senate, has the best chance to do it. He will inspire you. He will. He will motivate you. And if he wins, we all win. So as we launch into April, as we launch into orbit, and as we launch forward through some very perilous times, we need leaders who are willing to meet that moment. And he's one of them. It's time for us to all hear what he has to say and stay vigilant. Independent Americans around the country and around the world. Welcome to our latest installment of the Meet the Independent Candidate Series. Meet the Independent Veteran Candidate Series. I am Paul Rykoff, and we've got a very good one today. A man who I am very excited to talk about. I am very excited about his candidacy. You've heard me talk about him before on this show, if you are a regular listener. He is an academic administrator, a veteran, a business executive, a leader for his community, and hopes to be a leader for the Senate. He was the 19th president of the University of Montana. He is a graduate of West Point. He is a Rhodes Scholar. He is a Green Beret. He is a father. And he is now the independent candidate for Senate from the state of Montana. The great and powerful Seth Bodnar is on Independent Americans. Welcome, my friend.
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B
It's great to be with you, Paul. Thanks for having me.
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A
It is awesome to have you here. I am very excited to get into your candidacy to hopefully introduce you to more people around the country, especially independents. Congratulations on the launch, man. It's been a while. March Madness is in full effect in Montana, huh?
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B
It sure is, man. Yeah, we've had a good launch. 3 1/2 weeks in, actually. Actually, today's four weeks to the day. Great start getting around the state. Tons of excitement. People are hungry for a new approach out here. Lots of people volunteering, lots of people donating, good fundraising numbers in our first four weeks of this thing. So we're off to a great start.
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A
Excellent. I'm excited to dig into it. For folks that are new here, you're probably like our third dozen. Starting off a third dozen of independent candidates we've spoken to, we've spoken to a lot of the independent veterans who are running for Senate. Ty Pickens, Brian Bangs, Dan Osborne, Todd Achilles, maybe more to come, but I think you've got a real opportunity to break through and lead those guys to a next level. But let me back up and ask you the question I ask everybody. Where are you and how are you, my friend?
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B
Well, today I'm in Missoula, Montana. I was out on the road all week and traveling around the state. Just got back late last night here today and doing a few things in town today and back out on the road. But I'm doing great. Look, I'm energized. Like I said, it's been a great first four weeks. Tons of excitement and we built some good momentum here. We'll talk about the dynamics of the race but. But we have a wide path to victory here and we're really excited.
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A
It's also gotta be a damn nice time to be in Montana. For folks who are watching on YouTube. Can you tell us about the sweatshirt you've got on and what's behind you on the wall?
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B
Oh yeah, no, this is a sweatshirt from dive school. This is where you part of the commanded a dive team in Special Forces. You know, our method of insertion was underwater. So this is the sweatshirt from the six week dive course. Kind of three weeks of forced drowning in the pool to make sure you're calm and collected underwater. And then, then you get out into big blue and learn, learn how to launch off of subs and infiltrate undetected to enemy held territory. So it's the hardest course I ever did, but the best course, best course for me mentally that I've ever done in the military. Yeah. And behind me, just what do I got there? I got a flag that talks about the importance of giving back. It's got a quote from JFK there about our obligation to serve others. And then a command flag for my special forces team. And then a picture actually from my inauguration as president where I had one of our tribal elders here in Montana do a blessing as part of, you know, me taking the helm at the University of Montana because it was a big, big priority for me to serve our tribal communities here in this state effectively as president.
- [28:15]
A
Excellent. I'm excited to go deeper on all of these elements of your experience that I think are going to well, position you for, for a senate run. And to kind of meet this moment. You know, you and I have been touched over the last couple of months. I told you I was excited for your candidacy. I'm glad you're jumping in this race. We're going to go deeper on your race in a second. But I think especially given your Special Forces background, your voice now for the community, especially on national security issues. We got to get to the top topic today, Which is obviously unfolding war in Iran and the region. We're recording this before the President's address to the nation tonight. We don't know what that's going to be. He's now talking about formally trying to leave NATO. He appeared at the Supreme Court today on the birthright citizenship issue and he's talked about boots on the ground. So this could be an announcement of ground operations. We know they're in the region, but just as a, as a Green Beret, as a combat veteran, as somebody who's a voice especially for the veterans and national security community. What's your latest take on what's unfolding in Iran and throughout the region?
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B
Yeah, look, and we should make no mistake right there are, there are real threats to our security. You and I have both served. We've seen that, we've lived it. And make no mistake, Iran has been the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism. That, that regime and its proxies has been responsible for the deaths of friends of mine. So I take that threat very seriously. That said, when you're going to commit America's sons and daughters to go and spill blood on foreign soil, the American people damn well better know why this was an imminent threat. What is our strategy, what are we trying to accomplish and what is our exit plan so we don't get entangled in yet another war protracted conflict in the Middle east. And, and we haven't seen that yet. And I'm deeply disturbed by what's happening. You know, we, we found out, our generation of veterans found out the hard way that wars are a lot easier to start than they are to finish. And I've been on the ground in the aftermath of an ill planned regime change and, and I don't want to see today's generation of, of service members dealing with those same challenges that, that we dealt back in the early 2000s.
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A
So right now I think that the overall approval rating for ground operations is 12%. This feels like a unifying moment where an overwhelming majority of the country is against the war in Iran and against boots on the ground specifically. This is where we've got, you know, 13 killed in action so far, a couple hundred casualties. Those numbers are continuing to unfold. But can you talk about what you're seeing on the ground in Montana? I mean, I was out at the protest this weekend. I've been all around and I'm seeing, you know, MAGA hardcore folks and super liberal AOC Mamdani people both in the same position on this war right now. And it feels like it has the potential to be a unifying moment. Right. There might be an opportunity in this crisis, but especially Montana where you've got such a high per capita rate of service members of casualties. Talk about what it feels like and what you see on the ground for the people of Montana.
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B
Yeah, I mean, I think two categories of things, right? First and foremost, we think about, again, you mentioned it, Montana's second in the country in terms of the proportion of our population that are veterans. Veterans know more than anybody the costs of war. They know that war is not a game. War is not a something you send video game memes about. You're taking human life. It is a very, very serious endeavor. It's not being entered into lightly. And I think, you know, we talk about 13 killed and those are tragedies. Over 300 wounded. And we say wounded, right? You know what wounded looks like. When I walked through Walter Reed for an appointment 20 years ago and I saw a classmate of mine who'd lost both his legs. I see classmates that have lost arms. And so those are wounded, those are life changing injuries. So, you know, we talk about the 13 as we should, those Gold Star families. But those 300 service members who have been wounded, that is not a small number. So there's the cost of the war itself and then there's the impacts that we're all feeling as Americans. You know, we talk about gas prices. I filled up my truck a month ago, 289 a gallon. I just filled it up again. It was a dollar more. Look at Diesel prices nearing $5 a gallon. And these are hidden farmers in Montana who have already seen their export markets crushed by an ever changing tariff regime. They've seen fertilizer prices skyrocket. Now diesel prices skyrocket. I just heard a stat this morning. Nationwide bankruptcy bankruptcies among farms up 46% last year over 2024. We have a crisis in our family farms here in Montana and all Montanans who are struggling to make ends meet. You know, I had a woman in an event the other day that came up and said, you know, 75% of my Social Security check Is next year going to be going toward rent? Right. And that's a whole nother issue. Housing costs. But you layer on now gas prices and all of the cost pressures that we're seeing. Farmers are feeling it. We're going to see it in our food prices. And it's. It's at a time when Montanans are already struggling to make ends meet.
- [33:41]
A
So I've. I've been honored to be able to get a better understanding of Montana because of my work in veterans and understanding how important the veterans communities, they are working with representatives from Montana. But for a lot of the country, Montana is, you know, a postcard or a Yellowstone episode. Right. It can feel far away, but this Senate race has an opportunity to be a real tipping point, I think, for our independent movement, but especially on national security. If you get elected in November, you know, you could be there in January. It is likely that this war will still be underway in some capacity. I would love to think they can pull the plug on it and it's all gone. But, you know, wars are easier to start than they are to finish. Senate hasn't even been a speed bump. The War Powers act has been blown through. If you go into the Senate, what are you gonna do about the war and potentially more war in Cuba? He's talking about Cuba. He's talking about Columbia. We've talked a lot on this show and in the veterans community about forever war. It seems like he's all gas, no brakes, and the Senate hasn't even been a speed bump. And I've been critical of the Republicans especially, but also the Democrats. You're going in as an independent. That gives you a unique aperture. But what can you actually do if you get there that. That other folks might not or can't? Well, you get.
- [34:56]
B
You get Congress to step up and do its job. Frankly, the Constitution makes very clear that it's Congress's job to declare war. And part of the reason that we're in this is we've gone to this mode in this country of hyper partisanship where we see, I mean, last year I saw a study that last year was the most partisan year in the history of Congress. The percentage of party line votes highest ever. And why do I bring that up? Because people go to Washington, they put on a jersey that says a blue one with a D, a red one with an R. That's how they vote. And they cede the power of the legislature to the executive. And we have executive overreach, we have federal overreach, and we have the legislative branch of the federal government at a critically important check and balance that's not doing its job. And it's in part due to the hyper partisanship. And that's why we need more independence. We need that sensible center, that centrist caucus to say, hey, the U.S. senate, the U.S. house of Representatives. There is a key role that our legislature plays in making decisions for this country. Whether that's war powers, whether that's tariff policy. The legislature was designed by the framers to have a very important role. And the hyper partisanship has led to a massive increase in executive power that needs to be checked by both parties. And I think an independent can help the Senate step up and do its job.
- [36:19]
A
If anybody just heard your answer there, they can understand why it could be a real advantage for Montana and for America to have a Rhodes scholar who's also a Green Beret in the Senate. Right. I mean, we need someone with perspective and intelligence and experience to be able to meet this moment. I want to get to your campaign in a second, but I want to touch on something we talk about in this show a lot. The crisis of leadership in this country. We talk about how many bad examples are coming out of Washington for our children. The anti role models. I talk about hegseth a lot, obviously. I think the president continues to be a shameful role model. The way he talks to people, his attitude, the way he treats people. And there's a culture of ignorance and cruelty and America's starving for leadership. This is one reason why I'm so excited about independent veterans meeting the moment you're also a dad. Can you talk about the difference in the kind of leadership you can provide not just to the Senate but to the country if you're elected as a senator from Montana?
- [37:15]
B
Yeah, I'll tell you, you mentioned my kids. I have 15 year old twins, a boy and a girl and a 12 year old daughter. And those three kids are the reason why frankly it was really hard to think about jumping into this fray because I know the cost that they'll bear for this. They're also the reason that I felt compelled to. I could no longer stand aside and watch this country descend into chaos, dysfunction, all out partisan warfare. And we're on the path to hand a country off to our kids that is less prosperous, less secure, more divided, more in debt and in which they have less rights than the country we grew up in, the country we fought for. And you know, when I think about leadership, you know, there's so many examples. Just this week. Just this week, right. We still have A DHS shutdown. We have people in the Coast Guard, people in fema, people in the Cyber Infrastructure Security Administration who are out on the front lines keeping us safe. Oh, by the way, while this country's at war, these people are showing up to work. They're not getting paid. Some of them are taking second jobs. And we have members of Congress who said, you know what? We're going on recession. I'm going to Disney World. I'm going to Disney World. While we've got people in the federal government working without pay. It is shameful. That is the only word for it. You know, you learn on day one in the military as a platoon leader, you learn that you never, ever eat before every single one of your soldiers has been fed. And if there's not enough food, guess who doesn't eat? The lieutenant. The leader. Leaders eat last. You learn that on the day one of military leadership. And we see our leaders in D.C. who are saying, you know what? You don't need paid. I'm collecting my paycheck. I'm going to. I'm going to. I'm going on vacation. We'll be back in a couple of weeks. I hope you can make rent. It is unbelievable, and it is unacceptable. I'll no longer stand for it. And that's why we need dependent independent leaders to say, look, this isn't working. We need leaders who are going to lead by example and lead in a spirit of service, not a spirit of privilege.
- [39:22]
A
The service piece, I think, is so important because across our community, we're looking for, and I say, I mean the veterans community. We're looking for servant leaders. And there are a couple of folks that are meeting this moment that are answering the call. One great validator for you is how many friends we have in common that I've gotten notes about your campaign, right. West Point graduates, combat veterans who are excited about you meeting this moment, but also as an independent, which is really kind of a proof of concept for a lot of the work we've been doing here for over five years, the work with Independent Veterans America. So let's go what I call below the radar, but go under the hood and talk about your campaign. I think you've got an opportunity to be the proof of concept. You maybe have the best chance of all the independent veterans who are running for the Senate this year. And let me go through some of the questions I ask all the candidates right when they come on this show in our Meet the Independent Candidate series. Most of all, we've learned about who you are Usually I ask that, but why are you running? You know, you don't need this job. You had a great job as the president of University of Montana. You can do a lot of stuff in the private sector. You know, you're going to be jumping in the maelstrom of politics. Why are you running right now, Seth?
- [40:30]
B
Because we deserve better. Our kids deserve better. Our buddies that gave the ultimate sacrifice for this country, they deserve better. You know, I spent eight years at the University of Montana, you know, in addition to my military service. And I was really passionate about our mission there. And I just used to distill that mission to just two words, inclusive prosperity. What did I mean by that? Well, our job at the end of the day was to make sure every single Montanan had the opportunity to reach their full potential. You know, we were never a university that said, hey, you know, we're going to, we're going to turn away 95% of the people that want to come here, and we're going to make that a brag point about why we're high quality. Think about that, right? Colleges brag about their selectivity and say, oh, our admission rate's only 5% and we must be good. It's baloney. It's garbage. We said, we're going to expect 95% of the people to come. We're going to charge them one tenth of what an Ivy League school charges, and we're going to still produce Rhodes Scholars and Truman Scholars. We're still going to have an acceptance rate and we're still going to have third of our students who are Pell eligible, third of our students that are, that are the first in their family to go to college. And I tell you that because I believe our mission at the university was fundamental of the American dream. The idea that if you're willing to show up and work hard, that you have a path here, you have an opportunity. And I see a country today in which, you know, by the by, depending on what survey you look at, three quarters of Americans think the American dream's dead. They see an American set of institutions have been captured by an elite select few. They see leaders who go to D.C. and spend time working to distract us, to divide us, then working to bring us together for common sense solutions. And, and I believe we can, we need to revive the American dream for every single Montana. And that's why I'm running to be a leader that works across partisan divides and who has one boss and one boss only, the people of the great state of Montana.
- [42:21]
A
So the next Question I always ask everybody, and I think this is going to be an important one for you as we define what independent means for a new generation. As 45% of this country now is independent, unaffiliated, thousands more by the day are leaving the Democratic and Republican Party. But, Seth, why are you running as an independent? Why are you an independent? And how do you define independent? This has become kind of a malleable word right now. But why are you an independent? And how do you define independent?
- [42:50]
B
Well, I'm an independent because it's authentic to who I am. It's authentic to how I've always served. You know, when I raised my right hand at the age of 18 and swore an oath to the Constitution of the United States, not to a political party, you know, I led at the University of Montana over the course of eight years, working very closely with a Democratic governor, with a Republican governor, with Republican legislators, Democratic legislators. And we got stuff done because we focused on our mission. We said our job is to open opportunity for every Montanan and spur the growth of Montana's economy so our kids can grow up and get a job here without having to leave the state. We united around a common mission, and. And that's been lost. You know, we see people who go, like I said, go to D.C. they put a jersey on. That's the team they fight for. That's who their allegiance is to. And we need. We need politicians who. Who know that their allegiance is to the voters who send them to do these jobs, not to the party leaders and what they tell them to do. And so that's why I'm running it as an independent, and Montanans are an independent people. You know, when a. When a car goes into a ditch in Montana, we don't sit around arguing about whose fault it was or who's going to get credit for pulling it out. We get to work, we get things done. That's how Montana works. That's how D.C. should work. And that's the type of U.S. senator I plan to be for this state.
- [44:08]
A
You know, former Senator John Tester's been on the show a couple of times. I worked with him a lot when he was the head of the Veterans Affairs Committee. I think he's a really honorable guy. He came on this show a couple years ago, and I told him he needed to run as an independent or he was going to lose, because that's where the country was going and people wanted folks who would stand up to both parties. He did lose. Right. And he ran a pretty tough race. I know he'll continue to find ways to serve. But let's talk about who you're running against. Right. There's going to be a primary I think on June 2nd. The Democrats have, I think five candidates right now. Alaney Bankhead, Michael Wolf, a couple of others. And then the sitting senator, in a last minute move just right after you declared, dropped out, said he's not going to run for reelection. And now you've got looks like the odds on favorite is Kurt almi, the former U.S. attorney Attorney for the District of, Sorry, Attorney General for Montana. Right.
- [45:01]
B
U.S. attorney appointed. Thank you.
- [45:04]
A
Who now already immediately got Trump support and looks like he'll be backed by the MAGA movement. So you may have a Democrat in the race. You, you will likely have a MAGA president. Trump supported Republican. Talk about that landscape. I mean this is another reason why
- [45:18]
B
I race likely as well. Sorry, say it again. There'll be a Libertarian in the race as well. But you know, look, I filed on March 4 and that same day, it was the last, it was the filing deadline at 5pm that day. I filed in the morning, went around, started talking about our campaign and why three minutes before the filing deadline at 5pm, two term incumbent Steve Daines withdrew and he withdrew with three minutes to go. So that nobody else on the Republican side could get into the race. Nobody else, that is, except for his anointed or wannabe anointed successor. You know, it's wrong. This is the exact type of corrupt party insider games that is the reason I'm running. Steve Daines and the insiders basically just said, Look, Montana, you don't get to choose who your next U.S. senator is. We do. It's wrong. You know, that didn't work 125 years ago in Montana when the Copper Kings were trying to buy U.S. senate seats. You know, we have direct election of U.S. senators in the United States of America in part because of political corruption in the state of Montana. Montanans wouldn't accept that back then. They're not going to accept it now.
- [46:34]
A
So Gaines was an incumbent, probably a vulnerable incumbent. Now you've got, you know, Kurt Almi, who it seems like Trump is gonna lean behind. You know, Trump had a huge influence on the Tester race. Ronny Jackson, the former VA secretary, you know, made it like his personal mission to come after Tester after he, I think importantly provided oversight on his confirmation hearings. He ultimately didn't become VA secretary, but they came hard after Tester, who is a Democrat. But it looks like Trump's gonna come hard in this race as well. So how are you gonna deal with the Trump factor? How are you gonna deal with him potentially targeting you, really trying to hang on to that seat? I think what you reveal about the Republican Party is important. I think that provides an opening, especially for Republicans who are kind of fed up with the extreme nature. A lot of Democrats are fed up with the extreme nature, but you're gonna be in the crosshairs of all of this. And how do you intend to deal with Trump specifically, who's probably gonna get very involved in this race?
- [47:33]
B
You know, look, I'm going to keep focusing on the people that matter. Those are Montanans. I'm going to get around this state over the next seven months to every nook and cranny and spend every minute that I possibly can outside of fundraising, which you have to do that and talk to Montanans, you know, talking about what we're doing, why we're doing it, hearing their concerns, learning from them, and showing that, you know, there's only one candidate in this race who, you know, each and every day has one boss and one boss only, the people of this great state. You know, my Republican opponent, we know he was put in place by party insiders and party elites. He's going to do their bidding. Whether it benefits Montanans or not. I am going to fight every single day. I'm going to be a soldier for the people of this state, not a soldier for either party. And why that matters is I'm willing to work with either party when it benefits Montanans, and I'm willing to stand up to either party when it doesn't. That's the main difference. And that's the distinction that we're going to talk about every single day between now and Election Day, that Montanans deserve an independent voice who is fighting for them every single day.
- [48:44]
A
So if you're elected, you have an opportunity to potentially be the most important member of the U.S. senate. People can remember when Joe Manchin had so much power, when Kirsten Sinema had so much power. But a critical question I ask all the Senate candidates in particular. Are you going to caucus with either side or are you going to refuse to caucus with either side like some other candidates have said they're going to do? What's your answer to who you're going to caucus with?
- [49:06]
B
You know, I'm not putting on a party. I'm not putting on a jersey for either of these parties. I've said that loud and clear. I'm going to go to my. I'm going to go to the US Senate with a jersey that has an M on it that says, look, I'm here for Montana, I'm here for this country. That's how I'm going to vote. That's who I'm going to work with. I'm not going to be a foot soldier for either of these parties. I'm going to work my tail off to get to D.C. over this next seven months. When I get there, I'm going to be very clear. I think we need new leadership in the U.S. senate. I also am going to work to negotiate for a role that allows the loudest and most impactful voice for the great people of this state.
- [49:47]
A
If it's an extremely divided Senate, you can make a case, and you're coming as an independent, you could run for Senate Majority Leader. I mean, like that, that might be a way to unite people and put somebody with integrity in a position of trust. I don't know if you've considered that, but I'll throw it out there to the, into, into the, into the stratosphere.
- [50:03]
B
You know, I'm working on, I'm working on getting to the Senate. But, but your point, though is a good one, that I think there are a lot of, of people, you know, you learn this in manufacturing, like I worked in a. Selling locomotives. And you learn very quickly when you're producing something, when you're in a business, right? You learn about quality and you learn that a bad system will defeat good people every single time. And right now we have a bad system. We have this extreme partisanship and good people go to Washington and a bad system, a divisive, very polarized system defeats those good people from doing the work that this country needs them to do. One of the roles that I think independence can play is to form really maybe a critical mass and what I call the sensible center to be a platform for collaboration, for, for, for, you know, working across those partisan divides to start chipping away at some of the massive challenges we face as a country. So, look, I, I think if I get out there and win this race, I can have a big impact, not just for this state because I have a lot of leverage, but for the, for the direction of this country. That's what I intend to do.
- [51:14]
A
So let's talk about how you're going to win, right? Because I think this is really important because a lot of folks will dismiss independents and say they can't win. I think you've got, again, an opportunity to show you can run a truly independent campaign without support from The Republicans or Democrats be independently viable and successful. You know, you're trained in counterinsurgency as a Green Beret. You're a force multiplier. You have an opportunity to be a force multiplier for this movement. But you've also got unique challenges as an independent on everything from ballot access to fundraising to media attention. Talk about how you're gonna run a campaign that can win and frankly, why folks across the country should be focused on you as a proof of concept. And obviously a leader from Montana, but a leader for all Americans. We've seen Mayor Yemi Mobilotti, I wanna remind everybody about him in Colorado Springs, we've seen Mayor Tim Kelly in Chattanooga. Independents can win, but you've got an opportunity to maybe be the best proof of concept. Talk about how you're going to do it and what your plan is.
- [52:13]
B
Well, you know, look, you've said it Nationally, 45% of Americans, and look, different surveys, you can assess where we land on that, our independence. So you start from a place of a lot of people in this country saying, look, this isn't working. The system's not working for us. You know, we see power bounce back and forth between these two parties, yet working class Montanans continue to see costs increase, opportunities decrease. The system's broken. Leaders in D.C. are saying it, People on the street are saying it. So you start from, you know, a place where, look, I say to voters, if you think things are working really well right now, if you think you're being well served by your leaders in D.C. well, then maybe I'm not your guy. Right? But if you think there's a better way, let's have a conversation. And, and you're speaking to a large proportion. And we're going to build a coalition. We're going to build a coalition of those independents, we're going to build a coalition of Republicans, and we're going to build a coalition of Democrats who believe there's a better way. So you start from that 40%. And then, you know, you've talked about people like very centrist people like Senator Tester. You know, one of the very vocal supporters of my campaign at this point is Governor Mark Roscoe. Governor Roscoe is one of the most successful governors in the history of our state. One of the more popular Republican governors ran the RNC, chaired George W. Bush's reelect in 2004, and said, hey, this is the, this is the type of leader we need in the U.S. senate. And we have a lot of Republicans who are frustrated by a broken system, frankly, who see the. The dirty insider games played at the filing deadline, replacing the candidate, and they say, that's not how it's supposed to work. And I'm getting a lot of support already from Republicans. People, you know, five people within the last day said, you know, I've never voted for a non Republican. I've never given money to a non Republican, but I'm gonna. I'm gonna max out my contribution to you. I'm gonna vote for you. I believe there's a better way. And I've heard it again and again, you know, story. I. Guy in a coffee shop, I had my. When I, when there was speculation that I might run, came up to me and he said, hey, are you Seth Bodnar? And I, I said, yeah, I am, and I have my daughter with me. So I'm like, oh, where's this going? You know? And he said, I just want to tell you, this guy's probably about 40, early 40s. He said, I'm an independent. I'm really excited about what you're doing. I want to vote for you. I talked to my brother last night. You know, he's a moderate Republican. He's in the same boat. He said, this is what we need. And we were curious. We called our dad, who's a staunch conservative, staunch Republican, up in Great Falls, and we were curious, say, hey, dad, what do you think about this Bodnar guy? Maybe run it? And they said, our dad said, I hope he does it. I want to vote for him. You know, I hate my own party just slightly less than I hate the other one. And there's a lot of people out there who are hungry for a better way. And that's the coalition we're building.
- [55:04]
A
Yeah, this is the opportunity. I mean, people often say, you know, independents just vote for Democrats and Republicans. It's because they often don't have an option to vote for an independent. Right. We gotta get you and others like you on the ballot. Let me, let me ask you to. I give this to every candidate. I'll give you the mic for 30 seconds here. You know, speak to independent Americans around the country and around the world. Why should they support you and your campaign now? And how can they do it?
- [55:28]
B
Yeah. So to people in Montana, I'd say, look, we don't have to accept the politics of D.C. as the way that Montana has to work. What we, as Montanans ought to do is tell DC this is how Montana works. We work together. We may disagree. Right. We're gonna, we're gonna debate we're gonna treat each other civilly, but we get together and we solve problems. And Montanans deserve a senator who's gonna fight every single day for them. To people around the country, I'd say this. We have a real chance to win this race. There's a lot of Senate races right now. One of the differences in Montana is we're a state of a million people. A little over 600,000 people voted in that last election. You do the math. The number of votes that I can win with a contribution to this race has maybe 10x the impact of a Senate race in Texas or Ohio or North Carolina. It's still one Senate seat. And that's my pitch to people across the country. Contribute to this race. Help us show that there is a better way. All those people who say, oh, independents can't win. Well, that's right. If you don't try. And we're going to prove all those doubters wrong, and we're going to make history this November. And I'm looking for everybody to be a part of this campaign.
- [56:48]
A
Outstanding. We'll link to your campaign in the show notes. A final question, then we'll get to something good. I think you're in a really important position to inspire others to run. You're showing what's possible. A lot of folks are right now thinking, I don't know what to do in this moment. But at Independent Veterans America, we're trying to recruit 100 candidates to run this fall, all the way down to school board. A lot of folks are considering running locally. You've done it. You've crossed the Rubicon. You're in the arena now. And I've said, you know, we've got the fighters. We need the fuel, but we also need more fighters. So can I ask you to talk to other independent veterans? You know, you've led troops in combat. This is a different kind of fight for the soul of our country and the future for our kids. Can you talk to other independent veterans out there and maybe give them a pitch for why they should come into this. This maelstrom right now?
- [57:35]
B
Hey, look, especially those independent veterans out there. You went into the line of fire. You put your life on the line for this country and this country still needs you. Your work is not done. You know, John Quincy Adams, there's a. There's a famous letter that he wrote to his son. And to paraphrase, he said, the work of the public will be done if good people refuse it. If honest people refuse it, others will not. So it's Just like in the military, somebody's got to step up and do that hard mission. Somebody's got to step into the breach for others to follow. The only way that this country can get back on the right track is if we have a mass movement of people who say, what? Enough is enough. I'm going to jump in. I'm going to take action. And you have to have a. Veterans have a bias for action. This is a chance to exhibit that bias for action and step up and take back this country.
- [58:38]
A
Outstanding. For folks that are interested, if you need help, if you want to join the movement, Independent Veterans of America is recruiting, supporting, and working to elect independent veterans, especially at the local level. I'm hearing from folks that want to run for school board, they want to run for county seats, want to run for mayor. You know, shout out to Travis Endicott, who ran as mayor of Ridgecrest, California, and won. You know, it's happening, and you're going to be in the forefront there.
- [59:03]
B
I want to just say thank you for those local races, those low, you know, those. Those races matter, you know, just as much as these federal races. That's where the rubber meets the road. And we need good community first people running in those races. So I'm so glad that you're emphasizing that. And it's easy to pay attention to U.S. senate races. We need people on school boards. We need people on city councils. We need county commissioners that are out to serve the public. And veterans are a fantastic community group to go after that. So thank you for pushing that, Paul.
- [59:38]
A
Well, you know, leadership's about sacrifice. It's not just all rank and high pay and glory. A lot of it's about what you said. Leaders eat last. We need more leaders who eat last and who serve for the public good. And. And you're representing that in a powerful way. I just. It's a moment for Montana. I mean, you also had a hell of a football season in Montana, right? I mean, he did. For football fans, it was. Became close, but the energy and the. I think the potential. This is a moment for Montana, right? And I think it's a moment for important leadership that can take us forward. And Montana can lead for all Americans. And that's really something I want to celebrate. But let's get to something.
- [60:15]
B
Something good.
- [60:16]
A
Oh, something sweet. Feel the fire. Good. I talk about this in every episode. I'm gonna go first, then I'll come to you. I mean, first of all, I'm just gonna say Montana is something good. You know, folks have seen that. I Think you're gonna see the spirit of America that is being led by the spirit of Montana. But today especially I want to celebrate NASA and the Artemis crew. Now they're expected to lift off today. Hopefully it won't get scrubbed. Whether it does or not, by the time this drops, this is a really historic, courageous moment. And as a kid who grew up watching shuttle lounges, we've had both Kelly brothers on this show. It's something that sparks the imagination of our children especially, it shows a positive vision to the world. These brave astronauts, four of them are going to go around the moon and I think, I hope, spark a new generation of interest in what America can do. It's a time when America's brand has been beaten up pretty badly lately. But this is a moment for us to shine. So I just want to celebrate all the crews and my friend Mark Wiese, who's a rocket scientist down at NASA. We grew up together. To Mark and his whole crew, everybody involved in the Artemis launch, I want to thank you for your leadership and for your inspiration, especially in this moment as we launch into April. You all are something good. All right, Seth, over to you. We always end with something good. I give it over to you. What do you got? What's something good?
- [61:36]
B
I love it. And you know, it's funny, I was going to actually mention a similar thing and I want to piggyback on it a little bit because over the course of this past month, it's easy to be pessimistic about the direction of this country. It's easy to be pessimistic about the world getting out and meeting hard working Montanans. Hearing their hunger for a new way, hearing their ability to, or their eagerness to try a new approach and hearing their passion for this country. You mentioned the Artemis launch. It's great to see America reaching for the frontiers once again. And I've talked a lot about what previous generations did for us. You know America's response to Sputnik back in 1957. Right. Less than a year later. Right. We didn't, we didn't, you know that, that was a, that was a terrifying moment for the country. Right. Soviets were ahead of us. We could hear that beep heard around the world. Sputnik transmitting down to, to people across the United States sent fear and terror. What did Americans do? They got together and said, look, we're going to go win this thing. Less than a year later, Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, great West Point grad by the way, signed into a law, signed into law a bill passed by a democratically controlled Congress, the National Defense Education Act. That act invested in education and research and stem. It allowed us not just to win the space race, but to win the Cold War and set the stage for 75 years of economic and technological superiority for this country. We can still do these things. We can go win. We just have to get past the toxic, divisive, partizan rhetoric that's holding us back, that's turning our guns inward. And we need to pull together and go fight and win. And I love to see us on our front foot out there, back headed toward the moon. We need to do more of this. We need to invest in the future of this country. America is still the best country on Earth. We just got to get back to fighting and leaning forward and having a confident can do attitude.
- [63:37]
A
Hear, hear, folks. His name is Seth Bodnar. He is the independent veteran candidate for the great state of Montana. I think it's a good parallel because we're in a space race for the soul of America, too. Folks said you couldn't land a man on the moon. Folks said you couldn't put a rocket in orbit. Folks are saying you can't get an independent in the Senate. And I think Seth Bodnar is going to show that it's possible. I think you will inspire a new generation. I thank you for your leadership, for your family's leadership, for your sacrifice. I hope you'll come back, man, often, and we can keep track of your race as this unfolds. But we tell folks all the time, leave the herds, declare your independence. You're doing that and setting an example. So congratulations on the start of this launch. We're going to be tracking and supporting you and wish you all the best. Man, go get them.
- [64:21]
B
Thanks, man. I'm honored to be a part of the movement. Keep up the fight.
- [64:25]
A
All right, the great and powerful Seth Bodner, folks. Check the links in the show notes and stay vigilant. All right? I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Seth Bodnar. There's more information linked in the show notes. If you're watching on YouTube, be sure to hit that subscribe button at Sound Off. If you're a subscriber, let me know what you thought of this conversation with Seth Bodnar. And go back and check out all our episodes with independent candidates. We've been doing this for years. If you're new here, I've spoken to dozens of independent candidates, veterans and non veterans, who are stepping up to meet this moment. I will talk to a lot more in the next couple of months to come. If you want to be an independent veteran who supports them, go to independentveteransofamerica.org, if you're not a veteran, you want to donate, you want to spread the word, you want to volunteer, go to independentveteransofamerica.org, and if you want to follow Seth's lead, whether it's for U.S. senate against Lindsey Graham or John Fetterman or in your local community for school board, go to independentveteransofamerica.org, it is linked in the show notes. We're looking for some American gray wolves who will leave the herds and run with the pack. All right, speaking of running, I will be on News Nation today for my weekly segment with Connell McShane. Shout out to Connell. Thank you there. Those clips will be either in a special episode or on our YouTube page. Also, I'll be on Ms. Now with Nicole Wallace. This might post before or after that. I'll be on defiance.org with Miles Taylor and Xander Schultz to give an update to the Defiance community. And tonight I will be on CNN again with Aaron Burnett for my weekly hit there leading up to the president's address tonight. And afterward, we're going to try to go live on YouTube. So check out our YouTube page. Be sure to subscribe so you get an alert. I'll have immediate reactions and I'd like to take your questions coming up later this week. Tomorrow we will have Representative Ro Khanna, who could be a presidential candidate who's been outspoken on Iran and ice and much more. He represents Silicon Valley. And we also found out today that SpaceX will be going public. I will ask him about that and much more coming up soon, I hope. We will also have Commander Scott Kelly, Mark Kelly, senator's brother, who is also an astronaut. I'm going to get his reaction to the Artemis launch if it happens and on all things including politics, Ukraine and whether or not we can get him to run for office, which I hope we can, but we are daily now. So follow independent Americans everywhere on all social media and subscribe for free, especially on YouTube and Apple. You can go to IndependentAmericans US where you can also get the merch. Makes a great Mother's Day gift, Father's Day gift. And you can join our Patreon community because our independent movement is rising to meet this moment. And the country has been divided, but that's changing and we at Independent Americans are working to make that change light, to contrast the heat of all the other political shows especially and to fight back against the parties and the corporate media. So if you're now among the 45% of Americans who are independent, this is your show and a place to learn about independent leaders like Seth Bodnar. Because our independent movement is hope for the future. Country over party, people over politics, light over heat, disrupting the status quo and fueling a new movement that spans across our country. And that movement is growing and it is the hope that is the oxygen of our democracy and bringing forward leaders who eat last. True servant leaders. If you enjoyed this episode with Seth Bodner, share it far and wide and invite others to declare their independence. And stay vigilant, my friends, because eternal vigilance is the price of freedom, especially as we launch into a new month and a new era. But no, you're not alone in your vigilance. We're all vigilant and we're all in this together. I'm your host, Paul Rykoff. Thank you for tuning in to independent Americans, huge shout out to our NASA team and especially to our astronauts. To all of you, I will see you either later tonight on YouTube, live on TV, or I will see you tomorrow with a brand new episode. Happy Hump Day. Happy April. Stay vigilant America Stay vigilant Tells me the left and right are dreams for those without a clue and when you wake it's time to grow and it's not cool to believe in school but
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if I can say one thing I've seen the children of the revolution and the good trouble they can bring he
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says the red and blue I edited
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and it is an attitude
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an island
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in the sea of rhetoric and I
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can probably go he tells me to
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left and right Our dreams for those
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without a clue and when you wait it's time to grow Powered Power by Righteous Media if you like the show,
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please take a moment to rate review and subscribe. It really does help the show to grow. Thank you for listening.