← Raging Moderates with Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov
Raging Moderates with Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov
Trump Voters Love this Democratic Governor (ft. Gov. Andy Beshear)
00:39:22
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This usually shocks people. I have run 27 marathons plus a few ultramarathons, all while fueling my body with plants. Yes, I get plenty of protein. I'm Robin Arson, VP of Fitness Programming and head instructor at Peloton, and this week on my podcast Project Swagger, the fundamentals of a plant based life with nutritional takeaways for you to apply to your own life no matter what your preferred diet is. Follow Project Swagger wherever you get your podcasts.
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B
Megan Rampino here this week on A Touch More, Juju Watkins joins us to talk about her year off of the court, but definitely not on the sidelines. We're also looking at the upsets coming out of the SEC tournament and how that might impact Selection Sunday and the intergenerational span of US Players on display at the she Believes Cup. Plus, we have a surprise guest. You won't want to miss it. Check out the latest episode of our podcast to Touch More Wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube.
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A
Bare Walls, Clear Surfaces. The minimalist aesthetic is having a moment and for some it's a form of resistance.
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C
I think a lot of people have
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a sense that like, we live in this very consumerist society and feel kind of a desire, a need to like push back against that. How to live with less. That's this week on Explain It To Me New episodes Sundays, wherever you get your podcasts.
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D
Welcome to Raging Moderates. I'm Scott Galloway.
- [01:38]
C
And I'm Jessica Tarlev.
- [01:40]
D
Today we're joined by Governor Andy Beshear, who has been the governor of Kentucky since 2019. Governor Beshear, thank you so much for making the time to be with us today.
- [01:48]
E
Happy to be on. Thanks for the invitation.
- [01:51]
D
Before we start, if you aren't already, please make sure to subscribe to our YouTube page to get up to date coverage on everything happening. All right, so let's bust right into it. The US has spent over $11 billion in the first week of fighting with Iran. Gas prices are nearing a four year high. The US is releasing 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Israel is bombarding Lebanon, and Iran continues to retaliate against US and its allies across the region. And just a few days ago, we Learned that the seventh U.S. service member to die in this conflict was Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, a Kentucky resident. He died Sunday after sustaining injuries during an attack in Saudi Arabia. Governor, what are your views here? So should the US Be in this war or is there a different scale of operation you would have supported?
- [02:39]
E
Well, let me first say we're thinking about the family of the soldier from Glendale, Kentucky, the seventh fatality. The other six were not from Kentucky, but they were under the command of a group out of three, Fort Knox. And so we grieve for them. As I think about this conflict, I always start with the thought that, first, the US Military is exceptional, and even if we disagree with the decision makers, we need to support those troops. And the second piece, that the Iranian regime had murdered tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people and fostered terrorism all throughout the world. But with that said, if you are going to put American troops in harm's way, the first thing you have to have is a clear justification. And the justification of the Trump administration has changed, what, four times over 10 days, and it keeps changing. The second is you need an imminent threat to move from diplomacy to use of force. It appears Donald Trump wants to start with force and then maybe get to diplomacy. The third, and Iraq and Afghanistan should have taught us this is you have to have a plan for day two. What does winning look like? What is the result? You know, we hear Donald Trump now saying unconditional surrender after he previously said regime change. And then he says, but we're killing anyone who might be able to surrender. There is no clear plan by this administration for what winning looks like. And then the last piece is you've got to conduct it in a way that gives time for our troops to prepare so that we can reduce or eliminate casualties, as well as for people to get out of the region, which did not happen. So what is clear here is that Donald Trump, you know, ordered these strikes without doing the preparation, without doing his homework. He's talked about wanting it to go like Venezuela did. That means he didn't take the time to understand the Iranian society and this Iranian regime because they are very clearly different.
- [04:40]
D
So given. Given we are where we are here and now, if the administration were to call you and say, what would your advice be for the war moving forward? If you were President Bashir right now, they inaugurated you tonight, how would you handle this, this war? What would you do?
- [04:58]
E
Given where we are, I think that the. The. What winning looks like has to be the elimination of the Navy and the missile capacities, elimination of an ability to make a nuclear bomb. I believe that the aim of regime change is not realistic, and we do not know what we get on the other side right now. What we have is the son of a leader that we killed that is likely more radical even than his father. They should have identified who might be able to step in and fill the gap to make sure that we could, in the end, have at least a regime that we could work somewhat better with.
- [05:41]
D
And before I toss it back to Jess, of those objectives you outlined, how far along do you think we are against those objectives? And in your view, based on what you've seen so far, how much longer would we need to be engaged in this war to achieve those objectives?
- [05:54]
E
Well, I don't get the briefings that Congress is supposed to, but I don't think is actually getting. And remember, Donald Trump told us that he previously destroyed all the nuclear capabilities. I think he used the word annihilated. So it's pretty interesting to hear him talk about it. Now. We ought to be close, if not potentially there, with the impact that this is having on American families that are already struggling with his refusal to justify it to the American people directly. I will say he was in Hebron, Kentucky, yesterday. He very briefly, very briefly mentioned the fact that we are at war with another country, and he did not mention the casualties whatsoever, with Fort Knox being what, 30 minutes away in Glendale, which lost a son of Kentucky being about an hour away. And that's just wrong. It concerns me about his view of human life.
- [06:52]
C
Yeah, I actually, I wanted to touch on that because I was watching the rally and something that was conspicuously missing was Donald Trump did not name check you. And when he goes to the state with a Democratic governor, he loves to talk about them and insult them. But that is not what happened here. So, yes, he ignored talking about the soldiers. We've even seen Pete Hegseth do that. And the chairman of the Joint Chiefs is usually the one who does the right thing. But you are in a very interesting position as a Democrat that leads a red state. You are also the most popular Democratic governor in the country, Josh Shapiro, just below you. How do you manage keeping your voters and your constituents supportive of you and the way that you govern and the fact that you are in opposition to a lot of them and to the president that many of them deeply love?
- [07:45]
E
Well, what we see in Kentucky is people voting both for President Trump and for me. And when I look at my job, I don't view it as being the best Democratic governor I can be, but the best governor of Kentucky. And so when this president does something that hurts Kentucky, I stand up to him. I've sued him at least a dozen times that have been very vocal about it when his administration does something good. Their FEMA response after our floods last year was actually very good on the ground. And I found it ironic that he wants to eliminate fema and it was the best performing part of his administration that I could see. But for my own credibility, if I don't talk about this president in a positive way when he does something good, then I don't think I can talk about him in a negative way when he does something bad. I'm not sure they know exactly how to take that. I think they're used to direct adversarial relationships. But I'm pragmatic. My job is to create the most jobs, to expand healthcare, to build safe roads and bridges. And so when I need to work with this administration, I'm going to, because that's what my people expect. But why do I think I continue to have the support of about 65% of the people of Kentucky while suing Donald Trump? They know I'm not doing it because I'm a Democrat. They know I'm doing it because I think it's the right thing to do.
- [09:06]
C
I like that a lot. And another example where I think you've toed the line really well is the investment from Apple. So now all of our iPhone, all our screens are produced in Kentucky. And that investment came under the Trump administration, which he loves to brag about.
- [09:22]
E
That is the gorilla glass that is made by Corning in a facility in Kentucky in Harrodsburg. That's going to lead to more jobs. And what I always say in Kentucky is there ain't nothing Democrat or Republican about a good job. I will take the investment from anyone who wants to make it. We actually have a really big project in Western Kentucky that has a lot of investors and Peter Thiel is one of them. And I even pointed this out in my, my state of the commonwealth in that there have to be some things that aren't partisan or aren't even bipartisan, but are nonpartisan. And so a new investment that creates jobs for our people where they're not going to check their political registration when they come in, if they pay good wages, if they have good benefits, that's something really good for my people. And I just wish that before we argued about the 20% of things that people probably disagree on, we would work on those bread and butter issues, that 80% that we should be able to come together on and move a country not right or left, but just move it forward for most of our people.
- [10:26]
C
I totally agree with you. And you mentioned that you're suing the Trump administration and do that regularly. Right now, the Department of Justice is suing 30 states for their voter rolls. Kentucky is one of them. We are all kind of five alarm fire over the integrity of our elections and what they are plotting since we saw Tulsi Gabbard popping up in Fulton county, et cetera. Can you tell us about what's going on there and how Kentucky is protecting the integrity of their elections?
- [10:54]
E
Yeah, our board of elections is pushing back and I'm proud of them for that. But this isn't the only area. This administration is trying to get my residents individual personal confidential data, the same thing that you try to protect so that people can't steal your identity. That's what the government, the Trump administration, is asking for. And we've already seen at least one of those tech bros that worked for Doge ran off with a whole bunch of Social Security numbers of US Citizens. It is my job to protect that information in the broader sense. When we look at elections coming up, it's amazing how this president says the quiet thing out loud. First he says we should redistrict because otherwise we're going to lose. So let's just cheat. And now the bill he's trying to push through Congress, he's saying if we just change the rules and reduce the number of people that can vote, then we'll win. I mean, how wild is it that he's willing to say we should rig an election out loud when he falsely claims one was rigged in the past? I do think though, that this administration grossly underestimates the American people in so many ways. If they try to send ICE agents around polling stations, if they try to intimidate voters, I think we will see longer lines than we have ever seen. I think people will be singing in those lines. I think hardcore Republicans will vote Democrat because you don't mess with somebody's individual polling place in their community and threaten people that they know. I believe that if they really want to take that and push that, we will see this welling of democracy and people's commitment to it.
- [12:40]
D
So I want you to imagine that you're running for president.
- [12:43]
C
Can you imagine that, Governor Beshear?
- [12:46]
D
Well, let's.
- [12:47]
E
I'll try.
- [12:48]
C
Okay. Think about it really hard.
- [12:51]
D
Your two or three signature issues. Unfortunately, in the campaign, it gets distilled down to some very disciplined and kind of limited messaging. What would a President Beshear's core signature issues and policies be?
- [13:04]
E
It'd be the American dream. We've gotta be more than just against Donald Trump. We have to be for the American people. I think the two biggest concerns I have for the country are the level of division. So whoever's next has to not only win, they've got to be able to heal this country. But the second piece is the number of people who no longer believe that if you work hard and play by the rules, that you can get ahead. If we lose that American dream, if that flame is extinguished in the minds of our people, our country will suffer. So what does that mean? It means working towards jobs with better wages. In Kentucky, we've had five of our best years ever on record. Our average new wage last year was almost $30 an hour. That's the idea that you can not only pay your grocery bill at the end of the month, but you ought to be able to take your kids on the same vacation that you went on. If the American dream starts with a job, it lives in a home. And right now, the average age of new homeownership is 40. So we have to make an aspirational investment in housing all over the United States because we can't let multiple additional generations go by without that ability for homeownership. You know, the American dream is supposed to be a long life where you raise your kids and spoil your grandkids. But that's not going to be possible with the cuts from the big ugly bill. What that's going to do is devastate not only rural health care, but it's going to devastate rural economies because the hospitals it's going to close are the largest payrolls in their community. And if you do that, then the local coffee shop, bank, insurance company, restaurant, all close as well. And the American dream is one where you feel safe.
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A
Safe.
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E
You know, in Kentucky, we have pushed actual long term policies, not stunts like Donald Trump that make people safer. We are teaching a skilled trade in every one of our prisons right now. And what has that done? It's reduced our recidivism rate. Future crimes that were going to occur are not occurring. And thus there's no traumatized family, there's no lost individual. And so what I think you would see from me is, is a focus on people's everyday lives, knowing that it is way too hard to get by right now, but wanting more than just you thinking that life will be a little bit easier. I want to make sure that we've reinvigorated that American dream where you believe your life can be much better and you can leave your kids better off than you had it.
- [15:34]
D
So, Governor, along the lines of making people's lives better, data reflects, and this is something we talk a lot about here on the show, that young men in Kentucky are falling behind across several key indicators. Men ages 25 to 34 are significantly less likely than women to have college degrees. Male labor force participation has declined as coal and manufacturing jobs have gone away. Men account for roughly 3/4 of overdose deaths. And many rural counties in Kentucky face persistent underemployment and rising social isolation among young men. What specific policies is your administration pursuing to address these interconnected challenges that face your young men, Particularly in education, workforce opportunities and addiction recovery.
- [16:23]
E
So in many of these areas we are seeing significant if not dramatic improvement. Our manufacturing mid last year was at the highest it had been since 2006. While most of the country is bleeding manufacturing jobs, we're adding a number of them and thank goodness our drug overdose deaths have gone down three straight years. And for the first time last year or the last data we had, it was a 30% drop. And it was across all different demographics because sadly those first two years we had seen decreases in overdose deaths but not in our African American community, which we now are at the same level. I think what it is is whether it's young men or others, it's being intentional, it's listening to the specific concerns and then putting the right type of policies in place. It's personal to I have a 16 year old son who's navigating this world first. On the education side I want as many kids who want to to go to college. But in this world that we live in now and especially as it's impacted by AI, I believe that there are important paths that don't include college as well. What we've done is invest about $300 million in our career and technical education centers Knowing that advanced manufacturing is entirely different, knowing that building EV or storage batteries is entirely different and renov to modern standards. So we have robotic students and nursing students and welders all working together and all supporting each other because that welding job makes as much as a blue as a white collar job. Right now on the overdose side we have this, this program called Recovery Ready Communities where we are certifying every area of the state once they get up to the very best of services that they can. It's those wraparound services, it's, it's ensuring that there's second chance employment. But I will say the big ugly bill and the devastating cuts it's going to have to Medicaid are going to make treating addiction that much more difficult. But we are seeing headway and I think for me it's just that young men need to feel included and heard our young people are facing a tougher world today than I think most any generation has seen. The toxicity of social media, where I remember growing up, if somebody said something negative about you, you thought everybody knew. Well, now they can put it out there for everybody to know. And so, on my podcast, the Andy Beshear Podcast, we actually have had multiple panels of high schoolers, of university students, of folks in their 20s. And I try to sit there and listen to make sure that I know what those main challenges are. And what I'm hearing from so many is some of the answer is community, a closer relationship, bringing more of those young men into community. But to do that, we also have to be inclusive, to ensure that there is a place at the table for them.
- [19:28]
C
I want to stay on that theme of community and inclusivity and talk about it in reference to the future of the party. Since Donald Trump won in 2024, there's been a lot of progressives and moderates or centrists or whatever yapping at each other and fighting like, this is the way forward. You know, it's Mom, Donnie, it's Spanberger, it's Talarico, it's Mikey Sherrill. Where do you think the party should be going in order to not only win elections, but to deliver the goods, which is really what matters the most and why you have a 65% approval rating. And as someone who is viewed as more centrist, certainly, you know, if you are going to run for president, you'll be up on stage with, like, an aoc, right? And you're going to look pretty conservative on a relative basis. So how are you thinking about the future of the party?
- [20:23]
E
Yeah, I wouldn't describe myself as. As progressive or moderate. I'm pragmatic. You know, my goal is to better the lives of the people of Kentucky. And the approach that I'm gonna take is one that gets the best results as quickly as possible. If I can give one criticism to our entire party at different times, it's a lack of urgency. If we believe that Internet is the infrastructure of today and that everyone deserves access to it, how do we create a program that takes six years and there isn't a single inch of fiber in the ground? The idea that we believe that we need new and better jobs, but we might have so many regulations in place that the construction of a facility would take two and a half years instead of one and a half. So for me, it's about how do I deliver that better life and do it with the level of urgency that we need in eastern Kentucky, we are engaged in what I think is the most ambitious rebuild after a natural disaster the country's seen. So that's Appalachia. And what we've seen is flood after flood after flood. So we're moving people out of the hollers, which is the valleys up on top of former coal mines that had flattened the mountains. We are putting brand new infrastructure up there. We're putting broadband. We actually have solar panels on all the houses. So it's not just an affordable home to buy, but the average utility bill is going to be about $50 a month. That's true affordable housing. But what we've learned is if the government does that first part, which is really the utility work, that we can do it much faster than the private sector. And so now we're looking at, well, what could that look like in other housing development across our state and across the country? Very similar to what we do for infrastructure if we're trying to encourage a new factory to come to Kentucky.
- [22:20]
D
Okay, let's take a quick break. Stay with us.
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F
Hey, Kara Swisher here. I want to let you know that Vox Media is returning to south by Southwest in Austin for live tapings of your favorite podcast. Join us from March 13th through the 15th for live tapings of today explained Teffy Talks, Prof. G Markets and of course your two favorite podcasts, Pivot and On with Kara Swisher. The stage will also features sessions from Brene Brown and Adam Grant, Marques Brownlee, Keith Lee, Vivian Tu and Robin Arzon. It's all part of the Vox Media Podcast stage at south by Southwest presented by Odoo. Visit voxmedia.comsxsw to pre register and get your special discount on your innovation badge. That's voxmedia.comsxsw2register. Really, you should register. We sell out and we hope to see you there.
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G
Ambassador Rahm Emanuel served as President Obama's chief of staff, an administration that had to deal with its fair share of global conflicts. He dealt directly with Israel's prime minister and thought plenty about the threat from Iran. But Emmanuel told me that the pace of action from this president in the Middle east is giving him whiplash.
- [23:42]
E
In 15 months, this president has taken military action against eight countries. Just in 15. Now we got three more years to go. In 15 months, Iran twice. But you have Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Venezuela.
- [24:00]
G
I'm losing Nigeria Today explained in your feed every weekday and on Saturdays too.
- [24:11]
H
This week on Version History, our chat show about the most interesting and important products in the history of technology we're talking about the hottest toy from 1998.
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E
That's right, of course.
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H
I mean the Furby. The little thing that sat on your desk and didn't have an off button and didn't speak English and annoyed everyone you knew, but you loved it to pieces. Anyway, it turns out there is a fascinating technology and even AI story behind what happened with Furby and why it took off. That's the story this week on Version History. Wherever you get podcasts,
- [24:46]
D
Welcome back.
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C
There is an area and I totally respect the pragmatic approach, but you have been a test case for the party in terms of how to deal with culture war issues pretty effectively, especially when it comes to the LGBTQ community. There was an anti trans bill about gender affirming care that you vetoed a few years ago and suffered no political blowback from it and became a talking point across, you know, the Democratic national consensus. Can you talk about your approach to these culture war issues that I feel at least, you know, working in a conservative media environment, it dominates, like they would rather talk about trans issues than they would talk about the economy or how immigration enforcement is being carried out. So what do you think is the right approach there?
- [25:40]
E
Yeah, for me, it's a three part approach. I will always stand up for my convictions. I will always push back against discrimination. I veto not just every anti LGBTQ plus bill, but every anti. I vetoed anti choice bills, but the people of my state know that I spend 80% of my time on things that matter to 100% of the people of Kentucky. It's that idea that they could disagree with me on a culture war issue, but they know 80% of my time is about creating better jobs, better wages, is about expanding healthcare so they can see a doctor in their own community, is about having the safest roads and bridges that they drive every day to work and to church and drop their kids to school. It's about making the very best education, education available in our public schools and ensuring that people are not only safe in their community, but feel safe. It's that idea that the day after I vetoed that anti trans bill, I was opening a factory because the next day we've always got to be opening a factory. But that's that, that 8100 rule that people know that I'm focused. And I think about that ad at the end of the last presidential election and I'm not sure it moved people because they were anti trans. If they were, they were probably already with Donald Trump. I think it made Democrats look Distracted, not focused on your everyday life, and instead focused on health care for prisoners. The second thing I try to do when I talk about what I'm doing and why is talk like a normal human being. We got to push out some of this advocacy speak that makes it sound like we're talking at people instead of to them or down to them. Where I'm from, where we're worried about overdoses, we talk about addiction, not substance use disorder. When there are cuts to snap, we talk about hunger and not food insecurity. So making sure that we are actually talking to the American people like we would talk to family or friends. But the third piece is, I think, the most important, and that's that Democrats are really good at the what. We get down in the weeds on policy, but we rarely talk about the why. Why do we do what we do? Why do we make the decisions we do? And for me, that's my faith. I believe in the Golden Rule that says we love our neighbor as ourself, and the parable, the Good Samaritan that says everyone is our neighbor. And I believe that everyone's a child of God. And that's exactly what I said after vetoing that bill. I said, if all children are children of God, I don't want our General assembly picking on them. If they're going to show them judgment, I'm going to show them acceptance. If they're going to show them hate, I'm going to show them love. That's me trying to live my faith. And I'll never forget the next day at that factory opening, a guy makes a beeline towards me, and I think I'm about to get an earful. But he says, governor, I'm not sure I agree with what you did yesterday, but I know you're doing what you think is right. He patted me on the back and walked away. So I think that having the respect to voters to explain not just our what but our why, whether they always vote for us or never vote for us is so important.
- [28:37]
D
I just want to highlight that under your leadership, Kentucky has set multiple records for economic development projects and capital investment. 2025 was the state's second best year on record for announced private sector investment at about $11 billion. And the state ranked eighth nationally for future economic growth potential in 2025 according to a business index. So we have $7 trillion in expenditures, our federal government, 5 trillion in receipts. We can either raise taxes, cut spending. I think the answer probably would say the answer is yes. So as a President Bashir, do You believe we need to take real action against that type of spending. That I would argue is reckless spending. And if so, be as specific as you can around how we raise revenues and where you would want to cut expenditures.
- [29:30]
E
So as a governor of a state, you have to balance your budget. You have to. It is the law, and you cannot print money. And so I've had a number of good budgets because we're growing so fast. In fact, Moody's, what, several months ago, put out a study saying, if every state was its own country, where would they be? And this is with the federal headwinds that are hitting all of us. About half of the states would be in recession, a third would be flat. We're still growing. And that's really exciting. In Kentucky, Site Selection Magazine's had us top five in economic development per capita all six years I've been governor. We've had our first, third, fourth and fifth best years for wages. We just broke our export record in spite of Donald Trump's tariffs, not because of them. And so I have had to firsthand, in years that we have had growth, been able to look at what other programs we might want, but we've also lowered taxes in different areas when we can afford what we need, what government needs to provide, but at the same time provide a little relief. So I'm very pragmatic about it. What I would want to see first on the federal level is what is the growth rate? Right. Because if we grow our economy, obviously that raises revenue, but controlling spending is absolutely critical, especially where we are right now. And so that means that if you're going to put a new program in place, you probably need to look at an old program and whether it is necessary anymore. I've always felt that you've got to look at pruning in all of your cabinets, because over time they creep out. Would USAID have been fully cut if some of the programs they had reviewed over time and said, well, maybe this isn't the best expenditure. So I believe that there is both that that could start. But also holding the line on spending while growing the economy could significantly reduce the deficit and hopefully start impacting the. You know, there was another Southern governor that was able to do some of that.
- [31:45]
D
So just. Can you be more specific around where you think there's opportunities to control expenditures? Would you cut entitlements?
- [31:52]
E
Oh, I think we've. I think that there has to be a safety net. I believe people have to have enough to eat. I believe that healthcare is a basic human right. But there are different ways to reduce the expenditures inside of that. Pharmaceuticals is one. When you look at the growth in health care costs, so much of it is being driven by that. The U.S. government, through Medicaid and Medicare, is one of, if not the single largest purchaser of pharmaceuticals in the world. Yet we allow those prices to go up. Right. They can't afford not to be on our formulary. So I think that there is a way to decrease government spending or at the very least to decrease the rapid increase in healthcare costs simply by negotiating the way that any other buyer in the private sector would. Given that position you're in and how much market share there's in. We also cannot subsidize the rest of the world in the cost of pharmaceuticals. You know, at one can't cost eight times, nine times here what it does in, in Europe. I understand that that the United States is and should be a leader of the free world and, and we should ensure that that certain healthcare reach different parts of the world, but not at a dramatic increase.
- [33:12]
D
Jess, last question,
- [33:15]
C
last question. Are you running for president?
- [33:18]
E
I am solely focused right now on being the best governor of Kentucky I can be and the best chair of the Democratic Governor's Association I can be. 26 is really important. It just is. I mean, if we don't flip the House, if we don't make a run at the Senate, then Congress doesn't do its job. But then if you want to look at 28, I do. What I'm focused on right now is wanting to have a map that's not five states with zero margin of error. And if we want to change that map, yes, I want to win the House seat in Des Moines, but I really want to win the governor's race in Iowa. That opens up better possibilities. It puts Democrats in a better spot. And my concern is that the Republicans are going to put someone up who is as scary, perhaps more scary and damaging than President Trump himself. So this is a must win. So my work this year is hopefully to put anyone in the best spot to win. I will say it should be a Democratic governor.
- [34:14]
C
I love that. Quick additional. Even though you won 26 before 28, would you rather run against your alleged fellow son of Appalachia or whatever? JD Vance, our hillbilly elegy vice president, or Marco Rubio?
- [34:29]
E
Hey, no one would work harder against J.D. vance than me. A guy who made his money talking down about people in Kentucky that he doesn't fully understand. He called us lazy. He said addiction was our fault. He is wrong and he should not be judging us or anyone else. He is the most conceited elected official that I've ever heard speak, and that's incredibly dangerous because if you think you know it all, you're going to make some really bad decisions because you're not listening to some smart people you should put around you.
- [35:03]
D
Andrew Graham Beshear is an American politician and attorney serving since 2019 as the 63rd governor of Kentucky. He is the son of former Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, who served from 2007 to 2015. Governor, very much appreciate your time and good work.
- [35:19]
E
Thanks for having me on.
- [35:22]
D
Jess, what do you think?
- [35:24]
C
I think that he has made huge progress in interview styles since the 2024 election. Remember when he was being vetted by Kamala and he did a few interviews and he came off as very stiff and he has the results to back up everything, but every, you know, a lot of it is about how you communicate and how you connect. And I thought he felt really relaxed. I mean, he obviously has the markers he wants to hit and he wants to talk about what policies have worked and why Kentuckians like him and his faith and family, et cetera. But I felt more of a vibe, and I liked it. What did you think?
- [36:04]
D
Yeah, he's. I mean, he's kind of out of central casting on paper. An attorney general, popular Democrat in a
- [36:12]
C
red state, dynastic family in the state.
- [36:15]
D
You know, he's good looking. He faces many of the. His state faces many of the biggest issues that, you know, Middle America is struggling with. And he's got a lot to run on and be proud of. You know, it's not an economic miracle, but he's. His exports are up, his jobs are up, he's doing well. He's got a lot he can point to. I think he would be really well served kind of going behind enemy lines and getting out and talking to people because I think he struggles or will struggle with. The thing I think he has going for him, in addition to his qualifications and achievements, is that people don't really know him well. People know him well enough. The problem is we're all waiting for a Jesus like character to descend and lead us to the promised land. And what we find out is they're all imperfect. And people know him well enough to know that he's running for president and he has a lot of positive qualities, but they don't know him well enough yet to, quite frankly, shitpost him.
- [37:13]
C
Yeah.
- [37:13]
D
And so when people are struggling for their candidate, like, I like Newsom, but maybe not or Shapiro. I hear a lot of people go, governor Bashir. And then if you ask them, what specifically do you like about the governor? They really don't know that much about him. And quite frankly, that's one of his biggest attributes right now. So he's clearly running. My guess is he's got a book coming out in the next year, but
- [37:33]
C
he does in September about the.
- [37:35]
D
That's what we should ask.
- [37:36]
C
I was gonna add, if we had more time, I wanted to ask him about it, but that, you know, Talarico and Bashir are vibing on the religious front. And religion was a big current in Josh Shapiro's memoir as well.
- [37:47]
D
It felt like he was cosplaying Talarico a little bit. I don't know who was first. Who.
- [37:51]
C
Or is Talarico cosplaying Bashir?
- [37:53]
D
Well, that's, that's a fair question. But the whole integration.
- [37:56]
C
Or they're just both religious guys who
- [37:58]
D
are good communicators or that they're, or that they're being earnest and genuine. Yeah, that's, that's, that's, we haven't met
- [38:04]
C
a lot of those, so it can't be that.
- [38:05]
D
It'll just be very interesting to see what happens. I think he would really benefit from. And it'll be interesting to see. Well, you tell me, does he go on Fox often?
- [38:15]
C
Not often, but he goes on and, you know, it's hard to go at him. It's not only his demeanor and his delivery style, but it's also the results. And most people are smart enough to know if the Guy has a 65% approval rating and he has ruby red Republicans who wear MAGA shirts cozying up to him at, you know, the local fair or wherever they're seeing them, that he's got something special going for him. How that translates to our completely insane media environment that's going to be surrounding the 2028 presidential. That's an open question at this point. But it's clear, you know, Newsom, and he was forced into it a little bit with the gerrymandering fight and Prop 50 and ended up being a big win. But he's had to expose himself completely and it's also his personality. But share to your point, he's, you know, he's still Clark Kent, so we don't know yet what lies beneath the suit. Is that the right way to talk about it?
- [39:17]
D
I don't want to be inappropriate. Who's the Batman? I think, I think being the better analogy is he's Bruce Wayne, but actually you know, it might be more interesting or illuminating or better. Battle testing is if he was in a moderated discussion with Senator Warner or Sanders. Okay. To see how he responds to, you
- [39:34]
C
know, should we host it?
- [39:35]
D
Well, it'd be interesting. I'd love to. I would be interesting to see if his team would agree to that.
- [39:39]
C
They're being more adventurous. They came to rage. We'll see.
- [39:42]
D
There you go. All right, Jess. Thanks.
- [39:43]
C
See ya.