Why Are Democrats Such Losers? + California's "Gay Certification" Program

Summary

Ruthless Podcast: "Why Are Democrats Such Losers? + California's 'Gay Certification' Program"

Date: June 19, 2026
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers classic Ruthless banter and analysis, targeting the latest headlines around Democratic candidates' backgrounds, accusations of elitism and disconnect in the modern left, and a deep-dive into California’s controversial “Gay Certification” contractor program. Laced with skepticism, comedy, and trademark jabs, the hosts dig into why Democratic political culture produces such “losers,” the ideological and personal contradictions of left-wing elites, America’s declining national pride, and—pivoting to the lighter side—the quirks of Obama’s presidential library and America 250’s celebration of American innovations.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Why Are Democrats "Such Losers?"—Case Study: James Talarico

• Timestamp: [00:00] – [08:57]
  • The show opens with ridicule directed at Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, 37, for sharing a checking account with his mother and receiving parental campaign donations into his late 30s.
    • “He leeches off his parents and he's sort of a loser at 37 years old.” — Michael Duncan [00:37]
    • Discussion of Talarico’s background in DEI consulting and allegations that his career is emblematic of a “fake job in the fake DEI economy.”
    • The hosts note a pattern of lefty politicians with privileged backgrounds who nonetheless cast themselves as working-class advocates.
    • “All these people that are pushing communism are just spoiled rich kids and then who couldn't hack it.” — John Ashbrook [10:49]
    • The crew contrasts this with the biography of J.D. Vance as a self-made man.
    • “America is the land of opportunity, right?” — John Ashbrook [12:35]

2. Left-Wing Elitism and American Decline in Patriotism

• Timestamp: [12:53] – [18:42]
  • Responding to polling that shows only 29% of Democrats are proud to be Americans, the hosts theorize that left-wing elites are fundamentally disconnected from everyday Americans.
    • “Even less Democrats wanna display an American flag. It was 27%, which is just crazy to me. It's the American flag.” — Michael Duncan [15:42]
  • The group blames DEI, Critical Race Theory, and negative media narratives for this pride gap.
  • “It's part of their party platform now.” — John Ashbrook [17:39]

3. The Crumbling Democratic Midterm Advantage

• Timestamp: [18:42] – [21:44]
  • Review of polling and historic context shows that Democrats' midterm generic ballot lead is unusually weak compared to past cycles.
    • “This is the weakest lead you're seeing from a party having in a midterm when they're out of power.” — John Ashbrook [20:58]
  • The consensus: if Republicans run on being the “party of normal,” odds are in their favor.

4. California's "Gay Certification" Program for State Contracts

• Timestamp: [24:10] – [31:22]
  • Laughter and incredulity as the hosts detail California’s new system requiring contractor applicants to prove LGBTQ status for preferential public utility contracts.
    • “How does one prove they are gay? That's what California is asking contractors.” — Michael Duncan [21:44]
  • “Show up with three letters saying you’re gay.” — John Ashbrook [26:10]
  • The group lampoons the bureaucratic requirements, from reference letters to media coverage, to physician/attorney attestation, warning about the ease of fraud and the patronage opportunities.
    • “You’re gonna be the gay certificate monitor full time. Here’s 85k plus benefits. You just sit in the office and you check the box that says this guy's gay.” — John Ashbrook [29:15]
  • “If you’re a gay person, don’t you kind of find this entire thing condescending, I would think, and weird.” — Michael Duncan [30:44]

5. Obama Presidential Library & "Me" Moments

• Timestamp: [31:22] – [38:19]
  • The gang roasts Michelle Obama's “me” answer at a rollout event and the library's brutalist design.
    • “It’s the Michelle Obama Presidential Library.” — John Ashbrook [35:14]
  • Comparison of cost and aesthetics between Trump’s shiny skyscraper and Obama’s “monstrosity.”
    • “No, it’s cool when it’s ugly.” — Michael Duncan [33:41]
  • They mock the high ($30/head) admission for locals.
  • Side riff: “Do you think Obama will have his gay certification in his library?” — Michael Duncan [38:19]

6. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On privileged leftist candidates:
  “All these people that are pushing communism are just spoiled rich kids and then who couldn't hack it?” — John Ashbrook [10:49]
• On Democratic pride in America:
  “It is troubling to see that breakdown where so many Democrats feel that way... The east and west coast elites are so far removed from regular life in our society, they don’t even understand what makes America great.” — Comfortably Smug [15:08]
• On California's DEI bureaucracy:
  “The rolling blackouts will be fabulous.” — Michael Duncan [27:35]
• On Michelle Obama:
  “If it was my wife’s birthday or something like that, and I say, like, today’s about me—it’s such a dick move.” — John Ashbrook [32:49]
• On the Obama Library:
  “There aren’t even windows on Obama’s library.” — Michael Duncan [34:40]

7. Listener Q&A and Variety

• Timestamp: [42:00] – [47:11]
  • The team revisits fan responses to “which host of The View is the worst?” and lauds J.D. Vance’s combative appearances.
• Bantering about American food culture (Skyline Chili vs. NY pizza) and tourist fascination with “mundane” US staples like Bass Pro Shops and ranch dressing.

8. Special Feature: America 250 and the "One Small Step" Campaign

• Timestamp: [51:08] – [65:28]
  • Interview with Ken Strang (AFP) about grassroots efforts for America’s 250th birthday, tying national spirit to everyday actions and American innovations.
    • Strang shares his “Red, White & Dew” project—doing authentically American things like planting corn, building a Telecaster guitar, and championing American music.
    • “America has such a great legacy in music and in culture. And for people who say that we don't have culture, try again.” — Ken Strang [63:28]
    • Strong push to read the Declaration of Independence on July 4th.

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Important Timestamps

| Time | Segment | |-------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–08:57 | Roasting Talarico & the “failson” left | | 12:53–18:42 | Decline in Democratic patriotism, pride polls | | 18:42–21:44 | Generic ballot polls & Democrat weakness | | 24:10–31:22 | CA’s “Gay Certification” program | | 31:22–38:19 | Obama library, Michelle’s “me” moment, elitism | | 42:00–47:11 | Listener Q&A, J.D. Vance & The View, Bass Pro Shops | | 51:08–65:28 | America 250, “One Small Step”, Ken Strang interview |

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Tone and Style

Classic “Ruthless” tone—irreverent, biting, skeptical, heavy on ridicule of the left, and peppered with camaraderie, Midwestern nostalgia, and in-jokes about food, sports, and Americana.

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Useful for New Listeners

• This episode showcases Ruthless’s fusion of satirical right-wing analysis and internet banter, with a focus on political hypocrisy, cultural divides, and the absurdities of contemporary liberalism.
• The lighter second half, featuring food debates and the America 250 campaign, demonstrates the show’s variety format and appreciation for grassroots American culture.

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Memorable Sign-off by John Ashbrook [66:08]:
"Absolute banger of an episode... Minions, keep the faith, hold the line, and own the libs. We'll see you on Tuesday. Stay Ribliss."

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Listen if you:

• Enjoy right-of-center, punchy political humor
• Want to keep tabs on conservative grievances about Democratic culture, media, and institutions
• Appreciate behind-the-scenes looks at political organizing—grassroots and cultural

Skip if you:

• Seek neutral or left-leaning analysis
• Are uninterested in satirical or scathing takes on the Democratic party or progressive politics

Transcript

[Michael Duncan]

Look over at the Democrats right now and you have to ask yourself, why are they such losers? Texas. James Talarico, 37, shares his only checking account with his mom.

[Comfortably Smug]

This is going to be the first of many, many stories that they put out on this guy because, you know, it's a treasure trove of information that has never been revealed.

[Michael Duncan]

Like he doesn't really know how to adult on his own at 37 years old, which is crazy.

[John Ashbrook]

Okay, little Jimmy wants to be a senator now. So I guess now we have Schumer clear the way for him and mommy's gonna give him a donation through their checking account.

[Michael Duncan]

He leeches off his parents and he's sort of a loser at 37 years old.

[John Ashbrook]

This is the weakest lead you're seeing from a party having in a midterm when they're out of power.

[NCTA Representative]

When your child gets sick, time is everything. Getting treatment sooner means more options and a real chance at getting better. And because of strong American leadership, we get new medicines three years faster than other countries. But that can change fast in other countries. Many are told to wait or go without. If Washington copies other countries policies, we'll have to wait too. It's time to tell Washington. Keep America in the lead.

[Michael Duncan]

Learn [e-mail] paid for it by pharma.

[Ken Strang]

Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please.

[Comfortably Smug]

This program has become one of the most influential podcasts in America.

[Ken Strang]

I love the program personality. You guys are killing it. I just saw your number one.

[John Ashbrook]

So congratulations.

[Tunnel to Towers Representative]

It's an honor and a pleasure to welcome the great Sean Hannity.

[Guest or Audience Member]

Guys, I love you. Congratulations on all your success.

[John Ashbrook]

This is why you listen to the Ruthless Podcast, because nobody else would ask that question. The only political podcast worth listening to is the Ruthless Podcast.

[Ken Strang]

It's time for our main event, the Ruthless Podcast.

[Michael Duncan]

Fun time for Friday. I'm Michael Duncan. Welcome back to the Ruthless Variety program. Joining me is Comfortably Smug and John Ashbrook. Just a wonderful Friday.

[John Ashbrook]

I mean, this is going to be a really amazing show. The content that we have to work with today is, I mean, it's five star all the way. I'm excited.

[Michael Duncan]

It's the beginning of a great weekend. It's Father's Day weekend. Shout out to all the fathers out there. Father's here. New father. Yeah, Comfortably Smug away from your child. Right now though, I'm. I'm getting ready to start playing cats in the cradle in the s. I'm

[John Ashbrook]

gonna jump on a plane. I'm gonna go home to my baby boy. But you know, for our audience, it's worth it. And I'm thrilled to be here, especially for this show.

[Michael Duncan]

I have something I want to share with you. I want to give you a picture into your future. And. And this is why you do all the hard work you're doing right now raising your baby boy. And that is. I got this great happy Father's Day card from my son Joey. Of course, in classic little boy fashion, he, like, made this at school and then he, like, crumpled it up and 100 times folded 100 times. And he gave it to me like this.

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh, man, what a great game.

[John Ashbrook]

I remember when I would do that. Yeah, it makes sense. Just folding things a hundred times.

[Michael Duncan]

And then he's got the. The heart on the back.

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh, yeah, that's.

[John Ashbrook]

That's awesome.

[Michael Duncan]

Love, dad. And then the inside's pretty funny too. If I could get the thing open. Dear father calls me Father. Dear father, we like you so much. You are the boss. To Daddy from Joseph. And then he writes the end.

[John Ashbrook]

Did you make sure your Mrs. Saw that one?

[Michael Duncan]

Of course. Yeah. When he wants to get under my wife's skin, he'll go, daddy's the boss.

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh, dude. And it's the kind of thing he's already pre folded. It's the kind of thing that you can keep in your wallet for the rest of your life.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So great episode yesterday, going through all the ins and the outs of the MoU and the Iran deal. And, you know, obviously there's a lot of, like, Republican infighting on this whole deal right now as the administration makes their case and everything. And like, look, there's we got our problems on the Republican side, but then you look over at the Democrats right now and you have to ask yourself, why are they such losers? I read this Talarico piece. Did you guys see this? It's incredible what's coming out, you know, now that he's the nominee down there in Texas. And the headline here from the Free Beacon, Texas's James Talarico, 37, shares his only checking account with his mom. His mom, 37 years old.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, that's just.

[John Ashbrook]

That's who you want running, being your senator from Texas. Definitely.

[Michael Duncan]

It's like one of the largest economies in the world. He wants to be senator representing millions of people. And he has a checking account with his mom. Here from the article. Texas senate candidate James Talarico, 37, has a single checking account that holds up to $50,000, and he shares it with his mother, a frequent contributor to his political campaigns. Talarico's personal Financial disclosure lists a single Wells Fargo checking account with a balance between 15 and $50,000. Though Talrico is unmarried, the disclosure indicates that the account is owned jointly. A filer comment provided clarity. The account is jointly held by the filer and the filer's mother. God, that's embarrassing.

[Comfortably Smug]

I don't. You know, I think when I was like 15 years old, got my first job at Kroger's, I had to open a checking account so I could deposit the paycheck somewhere. I didn't have a joint checking account with my mother then. Yeah, why is. He's 37 years old.

[Michael Duncan]

It's kind of like a failure to launch situation. Like he does. He doesn't really know how to adult on his own at 37 years old. Which is crazy, dude. But also very Midwest of you to call it Kroger's with the S on the end, by the way.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's what it's called.

[Michael Duncan]

I know. It's really not. It's understood, but everybody does it.

[Comfortably Smug]

S is understood. You know, the Washington Free Beacon doesn't miss a trick. You know what I mean? Like, this is going to be the first of many, many stories that they put out on this guy because, you know, it's a treasure trove of information that has never been revealed. He's never chosen to do it. And nobody was ever interested in what James Talarico was trying to do until he forced his way into a position where he's asking them to replace, represent them.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, it's. I mean, I think this also furthers the whole kind of like what people understand about Talarico. It says here that, like, his mother is a frequent contributor to his campaigns. And we all know that Chuck Schumer essentially gave him this nomination. He got all his donor network activated to make sure that he didn't lose to Jasmine in the primary. He wanted, you know, Tal Rico to be his little golden boy. And that's the thing. It's like he's basically just being handed these things. It's like, okay, little Jimmy wants to be a senator now. So I guess now we have Schumer clear the way for him and mommy's gonna give him a donation through their checking account.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. Interesting. Here, more from the article. His parents contributed $5,000 each to his campaign for state rep in 2021. The records show the same year Talarico reported an in kind campaign contribution of $1,437.84 from his parents for, quote, moving expenses. He was 32 years old. the time.

[John Ashbrook]

But I think this, that the Free Beacon found is actually the most interesting and important thing to know about Talrico, is it says Talrico has supplemented the modest salary he earns as a state lawmaker with consulting income from the equity focused education firm Maya Consulting, which he joined in 2019 and which developed diversity, equity and inclusion plans for public school districts in Texas during the height of BLM in 2020. Like Texas, when you think about what you want in a senator, do you want a guy who was infecting public schools with dei Because. Yeah, I think it's embarrassing that, like, he's a mommy's boy and, you know, mommy has to support him or whatever.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

Clearly he wasn't gonna be a consultant for personal finance curriculum. Yeah, he's like the opposite of what you're supposed to do.

[John Ashbrook]

But of all the things for him to do with his time, especially in Texas of all states, to try to infect public school systems with dei, which we've all now seen over the years, is basically a recipe for plummeting test scores and turning teachers into activists and essentially ruin any chance your kid has of getting an actual education. That's what he did. And like, that, I think, should be a centerpiece of going after this guy.

[Guest or Audience Member]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

Because it's not just the fact that he leeches off his parents and he's sort of a loser at 37 years old. It's like his, his, like, job he has is just like a fake job in the fake DEI economy.

[Ken Strang]

Yep.

[Michael Duncan]

You know, and there's many such cases of this in Democrat politics. If you look around the country, look at the Graham Platner situation. He's an oysterman. Everybody keeps saying he's an oysterman, and his client in his company is his mother's restaurant.

[John Ashbrook]

Dude, dude, you're right. This is a pattern. It's a pattern. It's like a fail son thing.

[Comfortably Smug]

Bought his house.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, that's the thing.

[Michael Duncan]

And the story back is he used to tell, oh, well, you know, I got the, you know, the vet's benefits to purchase this home. And then they find out his dad, like, loaned him the money.

[Comfortably Smug]

Right. $200,000.

[Michael Duncan]

$200,000.

[Comfortably Smug]

So there's been real hard Scrabble guy, that Platner.

[John Ashbrook]

It's not really an aside, but there's been a lot of discussion online that I think is really interesting, talking about why there is so much of this, like, strain of Democrat socialism among this generation of left wing candidates. And it's not like these are people who Are like, oh, you know, I've been working class my whole life. Like, they may try to, like, larp and fake and lie to you that, like, oh, you know, I've always been an oysterman and that they're working class. These are almost without exception, children of people who were very well off, who did very well for themselves, who had high incomes, and they are embittered because they're not able to do anything with their lives to improve where they are. It's like they had everything handed to them. Their parents paid for their college, and they got a degree in, like, communist theory. You know what I mean? Like, an absolutely worthless degree. Then they get into the real world and they're like, turns out the job market for communism is not too hot. You know what I mean? Like, you cannot support a family of four with a degree in communism. And so it makes them mad. And they think, I'm not the problem. I didn't make the mistakes. The problem here is America. America is the problem here. And that's what's turned these people against the country. And it's. You see, it's like all those Chapo guys, like, all their parents are rich. All their parents are rich. And they're making. Now they're rich, too, by having a podcast talking about how communism's the only way we have to overthrow capitalism, which enriched their families. But it's like case after case, Platner, Talarico, even aoc, who grew up in, like, an amazing neighborhood, expensive houses and such, is like, oh, you know, I was a. A bartender, just pull myself up by bootstraps and realize that communism is the only way. All these people that are pushing communism are just spoiled rich kids and then who couldn't hack it?

[Michael Duncan]

And then contrast that.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's why they're so comfortable with universal basic income, because that's what they've received for their entire lives.

[Michael Duncan]

And then contrast that with, like, the life story of J.D. vance.

[John Ashbrook]

Yep.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

You know, who came up in a very rough part of. Of Appalachia and had a rough childhood and made something of himself. You know, he graduated from college, started a business. He went and fought for this country. He did all of those things. And he didn't come back and be like, you know, what we actually need is communism in America.

[John Ashbrook]

And they tried to be like, he's weird.

[Michael Duncan]

He's the weird guy.

[John Ashbrook]

Making something yourself is so weird. Having a family, that's extremely weird. And that's why they really hate him, because he's an example of everything they're Pushing is bullshit, right?

[Comfortably Smug]

He's proof, he's living proof that everything.

[John Ashbrook]

America's still the land of opportunity, right?

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. Yeah, you're right. America is the land of opportunity. I'm proud to be an American. We have Ken Strange from Great in here later for an interview to talk about America 250 and the One Small Step campaign that AFP is doing.

[Comfortably Smug]

He's got a great spin on American history that people are going to like.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, and it's different than some of the other stuff that we've talked about as part of that campaign. And he brought a lot of props, so you really are gonna wanna see that. I'm not gonna spoil it, but it brings me to our next story here, and that is from CNN. Only 29% of Democrats are proud to be Americans. Let's play that clip. What about the slogan earring about proud

[John Ashbrook]

to be an American?

[Guest or Audience Member]

Okay, what about this idea? Are you proud to be an American? Extremely or very proud to be an American. Again, look at this divide, a growing divide on this question. Back In January of 2001, 90% of Republicans, 85% of Democrats. This was after a very contentious 2000 election. Keep in mind, right, with George W. Bush coming into the White House, you come over to this side of the screen in 2026. Look at this again. The Democratic percentage absolutely plummets to just 29% of Democrats say they're extremely. Are very proud to be an American.

[John Ashbrook]

My God, that's insane.

[Comfortably Smug]

It is insane. And you know, it strikes me that we were talking about Graham Platner earlier, and I think one of the things that makes this such a reality for these out of touch rich kids is that when you go to a school that costs $75,000 a year, Hotchkiss boarding school, where he went, you, you, you don't grow up with an appreciation of, of what's required to earn $75,000 a year that goes into tuition. Because most people who have a 75,000, actually, nobody who makes $75,000 a year is sending their kids to Hotchkiss. Their kids, maybe if they're lucky, they're going to like a Catholic school or they're going to a decent public school, right? And so they're part of society in a way that these kids who grow up super rich never have been. And so they're so out of touch with actually what's going on. And I'm not saying that it's. It is, it's very troubling to see that, that breakdown where it's so many Democrats feel that way. Because the third. What was the number on, on Democrats who don't feel that was like 30%

[John Ashbrook]

maybe it was at 29. That still remained. Yeah, right there. Yeah, it's 29% that say they're extremely or very proud to be American.

[Comfortably Smug]

Like I'm happy to see that number. You know what I mean? And those, those are people who have different political views than us, but they still understand what's required to earn $75,000. And they're not just thr into some loser's boarding school education year in and year out, who's gonna turn out to be a communist, you know what I mean? I think that, that is, I think that there's. The east and west coast elites are so far removed from regular life in our society, they don't even understand what makes America great.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, even less Democrats wanna display an American flag. It was 27%, which is just crazy to me. It's the American flag.

[Comfortably Smug]

And remember during the Biden years, during the Obama years, when people would put up their flag like around, I mean year round, around the holidays and the homeowners association run by some lunatic lady who's telling them you're not allowed to display the American flag. It makes people uncomfortable. Think about that.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, that's the thing is I think this, that number, can you pull that up again? I think that explains so much about what the modern Democrat party, what the modern left is like. Because for the past decade and a half, really, when Obama showed up, it got supercharged. The idea that America has actually been an evil country. And the whole it was a 1619 project, all of it is basically pushing

[Michael Duncan]

the idea that critical race theory and all that stuff.

[John Ashbrook]

Actually America is bad. Yeah, America is a horrible place. America is awful. And the left was like, okay, I guess this is right. And then at the same time they're pushing the idea of like every other country in the world is great. America is actually terrible. Meanwhile, I mean just, you can just look at the clips from like Europeans who are here for the World cup, who are like, this is like Shangri La, this is Candyland. This is the most amazing country on earth. But for decades now, the left has been trying to tell people America is awful, there's no hope for America. And that's what they start doing things like now they elect Mamdani, a guy who's been a citizen for like 16, 17 minutes, is now the mayor of New York City. And you have left wing activists across this country who burn the flag, who Whenever. And it always struck me whenever they were having these like, no Kings protests. It's like there's Mexican flags all over the place. Like, what is going on here?

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, there's Palestinian flags, American flags.

[John Ashbrook]

And I think that number, I mean, it's accurate and it's extremely believable because we've seen it for ourselves. The way that Democrats essentially do everything they can to say America is awful. It's crazy. It's part of their party platform now.

[Michael Duncan]

It's crazy how quickly things can change. I mean, I know it's been 25 years or whatever since the before and after in that poll, but like, you know, that was 2001 in January. That's before 9 11. Right. So it's not like just rah, rah, patriotism bringing the country together after 9 11. Like, that was like he, like Harry Entin said at the beginning of that clip. That was right after a very contentious election, the Florida recount and everything, and George W. Bush becomes President of the United States. And Democrats still were proud of this country. And we've just totally lost that in 25 years.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think the other thing we've had over the last 20 years is a mainstream media who has seen their market share slipping away, and they've done absolutely everything they can to get people to tune in. And what have they used? Division. Like, they constantly are driving racial division, political division. Constantly, constantly. 20 years of that has an impact.

[John Ashbrook]

You're not wrong.

[Michael Duncan]

Speaking of market share, the Democrats, typically in a midterm when they're out of power, have a lead in the generic ballot. Right. This is very typical, you know, as you come into election year, that the party out of power will have a ballot lead when it comes to the generic, particularly when Democrats are out of power. They've had a maintained here for the first six months of the year, a pretty large margin on that generic ballot. Well, things are changing. Let's go to clip three.

[Guest or Audience Member]

I think the warning sign is this. Democrats have an edge, but compared to what we see historically, it's really not that big of a lead. I mean, just take a look here. Okay? This is Congress National June polls, Dem leads. And this is NBC News midterm years with the GOP Prez. Look at this. They're up by five points. But that's half the lead they had back in 2018 when it was 10 points and less than half the lead they had back in 2006 with 11 points when Democrats took back the House in both of those years. And now the Democratic lead is on a single hand. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 points. So this is not just one poll in which we are seeing this. There is this group of pollsters that are out there that are just not showing the wave you might expect given where the president's approval rating is. Okay, what are we talking about? We're talking about NBC, Marquette University Law School in Ipsos. Look at where they were January and February. And look at where they are May and June. NBC down a point. MU Law down three points. Ipsos basically staying the same. So the Democrats hold these leads, but again, you have this group of pollsters that are out there where this lead, simply put, is not matching what you might expect. If you're expecting a Democratic wave, it's

[Comfortably Smug]

because their message is bullshit. Yeah. You know, that's because they're saying we hate America. That's because they're saying that. No, no, you're wrong. If you don't like it, it. It's a contributing factor.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

That's the thing is, I know the media has been really trying to portray every day that, like, wow, seems like there's a lot of Republican infighting and everyone hates Republicans and Donald Trump is losing, and it seems like people are mad about ufc. And this media expert says that the UFC fights the same as lynching and all that bullshit and no results in the polling.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

That this is the weakest lead you're seeing from a party having in a midterm when they're out of power. It's incredible.

[Michael Duncan]

We've said it a lot here in the ruthless variety program. And I'll reiterate it again. If Republicans are the party of normal in this midterm, I like our odds a heck of a lot better than if we're dysfunctional like the Democratic Party is each and every.

[John Ashbrook]

I think that's a. That's a great place to be. And I think that should be part and parcel with the message is Republicans are the normal people here. I mean, Dems tried to flip it, like I said, with the JD Thing. JD is weird. And it didn't work because everyone saw on the other side is people with purple hair and dudes and bra. You know what I mean? Like, they saw the whole they want transgender surgeries for children, and that doesn't appeal to a wide voter base.

[Michael Duncan]

This is our greatest tease ever written. Thank you, Wolf, for this. Coming up, how does one prove they are gay? That's what California is asking contractors. Asking contractors who want to work with the state. We have the details of a stunning DEI program in the Golden State right after this. America is in a technology race with China. And WI Fi is one race we're winning. That didn't happen by accident. Under President Trump, America opened the full 6 GHz band for WI Fi, giving innovators room to build, compete and lead. Today, wi fi carries 90% of US mobile data. It powers remote work, connected classrooms, American farms and factories. As AI reshapes the economy, WI Fi is the critical infrastructure that will keep America ahead. The payoff is huge. WI Fi is projected to deliver $2.4 trillion in economic value by 2027. China would love to see America lose this advantage by stifling WI Fi's future. So let's not run China's playbook. Smart Spectrum policy that expands access to shared and unlicensed spectrum will fuel WI fi's future. Because when WI Fi wins, America wins. Learn [e-mail] WIFIWINs for over two decades,

[Tunnel to Towers Representative]

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[Michael Duncan]

okay, this story is wild. This from the City Journal inside California's Gay Certification Program. This is from Chris Rufo and Austin Hufford. Okay, and you're like gay certification program? What? What is this? In California state, Democrats have embraced another kind of favoritism, contracts for state certified gay owned businesses. The scheme operates through the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates privately owned utility companies. California utilities spent more than $43 billion in 2024 on contractors.

[John Ashbrook]

That's an insane amount of money.

[Michael Duncan]

Insane amount of money. So that's just on contractors. So the state of California wants a vetting program for these contractors, a sort of DEI program if those contractors happen to be gay.

[Comfortably Smug]

Okay.

[Michael Duncan]

Which begs the question, how does someone prove that fact?

[Comfortably Smug]

Okay.

[John Ashbrook]

Seems like a tough situation.

[Michael Duncan]

The story story goes on that CPUC faced activist pressure as it implemented the gay expansion. The state's legislative LGBTQ caucus suggested in a 2021 letter that even considering lower gay procurement, procurement targets was, quote, an insult to the LGBTQ community. Okay, so they're good that pressure's on. These activists want them to verify and select contractors who are gay. This is how it works. There's an application process. This is serious, Ashbrook.

[Comfortably Smug]

They're like, no more money. We want more money.

[Ken Strang]

Yes.

[Michael Duncan]

You can have three letters of reference from personal contacts on their company letterhead or stationary who have known owner for over one year and can vouch attest to LGBT status.

[John Ashbrook]

Okay, so this is so wide open for pranks. Just like, I mean, in college, if something like this had existed, I wouldn't even have people who would be like, here's a certificate. Yeah, bro, you're gay. You know what I mean? Like, they're like, show up with three letters saying you're gay.

[Michael Duncan]

That wouldn't even be hard. They would do it. Like, you wouldn't even have to pay your friends. They would do it for free. As a goof. You're telling me you don't have three buddies who'd call you gay for fun?

[John Ashbrook]

This is 43 billion doll of money being allocated, and they want gay certificates. Think about this. Take a step back and be like, how are we going to decide to allocate $43 billion that's going to contractors? This is for, like, utilities and stuff. And, like, California's suffering through, like, blackouts and shit. And they're like, okay, we gotta make sure that, like, people don't die, because, you know, it's too. It's 100 degrees out and they got a baby and the AC's out. What are we gonna do? And someone in the room's like, okay, so let's make sure that all the electrical wiring we have is functional for neighborhoods. And one guy's like, we gotta get gay people to do it. Like, that's not solving the problem. And it's $43 billion. Like, this is just like, when people talk about how California is not a serious place. This is the shit that they're talking about.

[Michael Duncan]

The rolling blackouts will be fabulous. Yeah, they must be all right. But that's not it. Not just the letters of reference proving they're. They're gay. You could also get proof of media coverage, including publications, newspapers, or articles explicitly stating LGBT status of owners. Huh?

[Comfortably Smug]

Media coverage?

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

So, like, somebody does. Makes a speech at a gay seminar, and then the media covers that, and

[Michael Duncan]

maybe you get, like, interviewed at a pride parade or something.

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh, yeah. Okay.

[Michael Duncan]

You just. You download that video clip and you send it into the state and they give you money.

[Comfortably Smug]

Okay, this one.

[John Ashbrook]

So the next one seems kind of odd. It says physician or attorney letter establishing LGBT status of owner. The doctor said you've tested, you're gay. You know, like the blood works back are gay. You tested positive. Like how, like how that tells you how stupid this is.

[Michael Duncan]

I, I, as his physician, I would like to attest I have personally mutilated this man and he's transgender.

[John Ashbrook]

And, and, and like the lawyer be like, okay, my lawyer claims I'm gay. This is just insane. This is so ridiculous. It's just like jumping through hoops to check boxes to make themselves feel better, thinking that they're doing something to help some like downtrodden upon group and all. It is.

[Comfortably Smug]

And it's meanwhile it was like the wealthiest cohort in America.

[John Ashbrook]

But also this is just furthering bureaucracy. It's creating jobs for people who like, it's a patronage system.

[Comfortably Smug]

This is how it works.

[John Ashbrook]

You know, like if you're some like state senator now you're gonna try to get a supporter a job is you're gonna be the gay certificate monitor full time. Here's 85k plus benefits. You just sit in the office and you check the box that says this guy's gay. Full time, full time job.

[Michael Duncan]

You could also, apparently you could get a certificate award recognition of owners outstanding membership in the LGBT community. That could also qualify, I guess, for, for the gay money. Corporate officials who falsely represent their business as gay, they face up a year to a year in county jail.

[John Ashbrook]

You know, I have an idea and I almost don't want to put it

[Comfortably Smug]

out there, but pretty stiff penalty. I don't think they put the violent criminals away that long in California.

[John Ashbrook]

I don't want to put this idea out there because it'll probably end up just happening. Is if you're a member of the Somali community in California trying to find an easy way to get some cash flow, start an office that just says gay certification.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

And like, dude, you know business is gonna be booming for you. That's the thing is like the second and third hand effects of like this government bureaucracy shit creates more jobs to leech more money. It's just like it ends up being just a Rube Goldberg machine.

[Comfortably Smug]

They're gonna sell videos walking people through exactly how they a business like that, that's it.

[John Ashbrook]

I mean it's how to start your gay business.

[Michael Duncan]

It's definitely, it's California. It's definitely a new spin on gay for pay. But in all seriousness, like, if you're a gay person, don't you kind of find this entire thing condescending, I would think, and weird.

[Comfortably Smug]

And I feel like Scott Besson's done pretty well for himself, right? I mean, and I feel like when

[Michael Duncan]

we were coming up, like, most gay people just wanted the government to stay away from them.

[Comfortably Smug]

Right.

[Michael Duncan]

And. And, and now it's like, no, we need explicit programs for you that are extremely condescending about how we're going to give you preferential treatment over other people for providing something as simple as, like, the lights turning on.

[Comfortably Smug]

Right?

[Michael Duncan]

It's a weird thing. Very, very weird. Speaking of weird, Michelle Obama, guys, I don't know if you saw these clips that are out there. Very weird, lady. So they're doing this whole rollout for Obama's presidential library on Thursday. Weird that he sort of preempted Juneteenth for this thing and made it about himself. But whatever, that's fine.

[Comfortably Smug]

What he's doing, he's done is about himself pretty much.

[Michael Duncan]

It pales in comparison to what Michelle is doing. Let's play clip number two.

[Ken Strang]

One word to describe your next chapter. One word.

[Comfortably Smug]

Funny.

[John Ashbrook]

Me.

[Ken Strang]

That's wild.

[Michael Duncan]

Drop the mic.

[Ken Strang]

Me. You seem to be grading her higher.

[John Ashbrook]

Me.

[Michael Duncan]

Me. It's his presidential library.

[John Ashbrook]

Insane.

[Ken Strang]

That's the thing.

[John Ashbrook]

It is his presidential library. One word to describe. He's like, fun Me. What now?

[Comfortably Smug]

I wonder if those two things. You know, there's a history with that couple. A lot of rumors out there. Those two things might be mutually exclusive. Can we hear once again what Obama said versus what Michelle?

[John Ashbrook]

That's hilarious.

[Ken Strang]

One word to describe your next chapter. One word.

[Guest or Audience Member]

Fun.

[Comfortably Smug]

Me.

[Ken Strang]

Yeah, he wants.

[Comfortably Smug]

He wants to have fun. Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

He's like, freedom.

[Ken Strang]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

She's like, no, it's about me.

[John Ashbrook]

That's just, like, so out of pocket. Like, I don't care, like, like if it was my wife's birthday and. Or something like that. And if I say, like, today's about me, like, such a dick move.

[Comfortably Smug]

Here's the guy's presidential library. Sure, the building looks like shit. I think we're going to get to that in a minute. He's raised $1 billion or however much money, and every video he's posted. He's basically a docent for the place, walking you through and showing you all the exhibits. But, like, this is the rollout, and the only thing she thinks about is herself. That is why that really kind of sums her Persona up in a nutshell.

[Michael Duncan]

It does. Let's put up that graphic of Obama's library. Graphic Five.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

Look at this monstrosity.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, it looks like a communist hellhole.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, the thing is, is, I mean, this, yet again, is just a statement on the left of, like, even the architecture, the brutalism and stuff is just

[Michael Duncan]

like, make it ugly.

[John Ashbrook]

Make it ugly. Make everything ugly.

[Michael Duncan]

No, it's cool when it's ugly. We found this architect nobody's heard of, and he's the thing that's happening. So we have to use him rather than just putting together a beautiful building that people want to look at. That's inviting. No, it has to be this ugly monstrosity from the ice planet Hoth.

[John Ashbrook]

And so, like, last year, I was actually in Chicago, and when you go around that city, there's, you know, the skyline is noticeable. There's one building that's exceptionally noticeable in Chicago. It's right there on the water. And I saw someone post this comparison. Can I get graphic 5A?

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, yes, Trump's building. Oh, to the Trump building.

[Ken Strang]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

And here's the thing.

[Comfortably Smug]

Look at it shine.

[John Ashbrook]

Someone posted this and it said both buildings cost approximately $847 million.

[Michael Duncan]

Really?

[John Ashbrook]

Dude, I actually fact checked it. The Trump tower cost 847 million. Obama's library, 850.

[Michael Duncan]

How is that. There aren't even windows on Obama's library.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think that's the point. They don't want you to see the outside world once you're inside. They tell you what to think, they tell you what it looks like.

[John Ashbrook]

Maybe they don't want people to be able to see what's hidden inside there.

[Michael Duncan]

Okay, well, we have some of that as well. Here's the portrait inside this shitty Presidential Library. Graphic 6. Yeah, I noticed Michelle's front and center.

[John Ashbrook]

That is insane.

[Comfortably Smug]

She wasn't wrong, dude. That is about me.

[John Ashbrook]

This is so out of pocket. This is out of control.

[Michael Duncan]

Do you think you might get a portrait? You know, where he's behind the Resolute desk?

[John Ashbrook]

Or it's the Obama Presidential Library, but the full name is. It's the Michelle Obama Presidential Library.

[Comfortably Smug]

Do you think she's going to run for president? No, I mean, is that. Is it. Is that, like, her announcement with Robin Roberts? Like, she's. Yes, me. This is about me. I'm about to run for president.

[John Ashbrook]

No, I think. I think they got what they wanted out of the presidency. They've got houses in, like, Martha's Vineyard, Hawaii. They've got Netflix deals. So they got what they wanted.

[Comfortably Smug]

You were telling me earlier about, like, public access to this library.

[John Ashbrook]

This is the other funny thing. When I was Reading, I think it was the Journal which reported this last month is, you know, how Obama, especially when it came to health care, was all about having access for everybody, you know, oh, you know, just because you don't have a lot of money doesn't mean you shouldn't have access to things. Well, how do you get access to that library? You have to pay. It's 30 bucks. And I think they said that that's the highest entry fee being charged to a presidential library. And 30 bucks per person. So if you're going like a family for that's 120 bucks just to get

[Michael Duncan]

in there, they have roller coasters or something.

[John Ashbrook]

That's what I'm saying, you know, to

[Comfortably Smug]

go and read a politician's bullshit on

[John Ashbrook]

a plaque and it's paid for by his donors. You know what I mean? Like, and, and it gets even better is because they're like, oh, well, you know, they had like a focus group on, on this and, and, and, and Valerie Jarrett and Obama and his advisors and his bag manager, Colder, all like, how do we, you know, we still have to be able to say this is like, affordable. And there's like coupon Tuesdays where, like, if you're a resident of Illinois, you have, you can like, apply to put your name in a hat.

[Michael Duncan]

Like a lottery.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. To secure like one ticket on a Tuesday. And it's like a month ahead. And the Wall Street Journal is like, they've already been booked for the next month. So it's like, if you're just like a normal person who wanted to visit and especially in Chicago because, like, they would always make a point of being like, well, you know, Barack, he was in the south side of Chicago. It's kind of rough. And, you know, people don't have a lot of money. And he was a community organizer there. And so all the surrounding area of this presidential library is now, like, super gentrified. The locals are mad because it's driven the rent prices through the roof.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, I bet.

[John Ashbrook]

And that's the thing is because it's always been about Obama Inc. And his billionaire donors and his money and his production companies, his Netflix deal.

[Comfortably Smug]

Listen, to qualify for the Obama Tuesday, you have to be a resident of Illinois.

[John Ashbrook]

That's right.

[Comfortably Smug]

So the Chicago Bears will not qualify in a couple of times.

[Ken Strang]

That's hilarious.

[Michael Duncan]

That is hilarious.

[Comfortably Smug]

They better get in while they can.

[John Ashbrook]

That's pretty good.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, to qualify for that gay loan in California, you could use proof of media coverage. And Obama has some of his own. Let's put up Graphic seven.

[John Ashbrook]

Folks may have forgot about this. Yeah, it was Newsweek who said, for our audio only, who said, Obama the first gay president. And they have, like, a rainbow halo.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

So listen, I mean, maybe you get one of those loans and the tickets can go down to 20 bucks.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

Do you think Obama will have his gay certification in his library? You think it's hidden in there? Maybe that's why there's no windows on the place. Well, that brings us to our question of the day. What do you think they're hiding in the Obama library?

[John Ashbrook]

That's an incredible question. That's an incredible question.

[Michael Duncan]

Look forward to reading those comments. We read every one, so make sure you like and subscribe to the YouTube. Please leave us a comment. I look forward forward to reading all of those. You guys ready for some variety?

[John Ashbrook]

Always.

[Michael Duncan]

Okay. Smug. You. You flagged this. Amanda Seyfried had to use a bodyguard.

[Comfortably Smug]

This is the actress, according to Variety.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. After calling Charlie Kirk hateful, ignited MAGA outrage. I'm allowed to effing voice my feelings. She said. Let's put up that graphic of her. Graphic 4. Yeah, she was in like, Big Love and Mean Girls. Remember the movie Mean Girls That. That writer from SNL is Big Love

[Comfortably Smug]

about dating fat people or what's that? I've never.

[Michael Duncan]

No, no, it was. I think it was HBO series. It was about, like, the FLDS and like, like, this Mormon multiple wives.

[Comfortably Smug]

Okay, got it.

[Michael Duncan]

You know, it's actually a pretty good show. Yeah. So apparently here from the article. She revealed in a British GQ profile that she had to hire a bodyguard after she called Charlie Kirk hateful shortly after the Turning Point USA co founder was shot and killed last year. Seyfried's comment ignited outrage from conservatives on social media. This is her quote. I'm allowed to fucking voice my opinions and be. I guess she said, aa. I'm allowed b. Do it in a way that's not unkind, necessarily. But there's just an outsized fear and hatred and impulse to bash and tear down. And I expect a lot of eyes in here. I experience a very small fraction of that. I want my kids to be able to feel safe. I'm sure Charlie Kirk would love to see his kids.

[John Ashbrook]

That's the thing.

[Comfortably Smug]

Great point.

[Michael Duncan]

Voice their opinions. As long as they're not harmful. I mean, this.

[John Ashbrook]

That's the thing. So she said. Seyfried originally commented on Kirk's death by writing, quote, he was hateful. And the. This just.

[Comfortably Smug]

This is in the wake of his death.

[John Ashbrook]

That's the Thing is, is she says that as soon as he's been murdered and she's like, I want. She's like, why am I not allowed to voice my opinion? That's not unkind. She thinks that's not an unkind thing to do. Is as soon as someone's been murdered, we'll never get to see their kids again. She's like, he was hateful. And she's like, she did not take a step back and realize she is the least self aware human on earth because she's calling an individual hateful. Who was murdered for voicing his opinion, for wanting to have a dialogue with people. Charlie was murdered because he wanted to talk to people. And point blank, he was murdered because he wanted to talk to people. And she's like, he was hateful. And why do I have to worry about my safety? For voicing he was murdered for his. Take a step back and don't make everything about, I, I, I, I, I,

[Michael Duncan]

I, I just like Michelle Obama, it's about me. They can never, like, they can never think, think outside themselves and then they don't understand how hypocritical they sound.

[John Ashbrook]

Right?

[Comfortably Smug]

That's right.

[Michael Duncan]

All right, we got to get to our question of the day from the last episode. Which host of the View is the worst?

[John Ashbrook]

Incredible.

[Michael Duncan]

We got some good comments on that. And to start, we always go to the Voice.

[Comfortably Smug]

Okay, first comment from Ann Henry Anne writes, asking who is the worst host on the View is like asking when you had the flu, which was worse, the vomiting or the diarrhea,

[Michael Duncan]

which is the worst? You guys have any opinions on that?

[Comfortably Smug]

It's all bad.

[John Ashbrook]

All bad.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think that's her point. Yeah, it's all terrible, man, but JD really crushed it.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, well, that's the thing is, I think as he's been doing this, like, media tour, he has a new book out. He's been doing an incredible job of like, like, there's probably no group more hostile to J.D. vance than the View. And he went there and like, the clips you see of, like, when. Especially the one of like, Whoopi Goldberg being like, don't you realize this administration is erasing black history? And he was like, well, how? And she's like, there's, you know, all the examples of, you know, there's so many. And like, the audience is like, clapping to try to save her. And he's like, you know, can you just give me, like, one example of it? And that's the thing is he has the ability. He'll go anywhere, he'll Talk to anyone. And he'll just be direct and he'll be like, we can have a discussion. Let's just talk about facts here. And that's the problem, is that on that ground, they can't win.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

And so that's when they have to fall to their thing of like, oh, well, don't you know that it's erasing black history? It's absolute bullshit. And he's been doing a terrific job.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, absolutely. So comment to smuggle.

[John Ashbrook]

Comment two comes from Coach Apollo. Question of the day. It is by far Anna Navarro. She sounds like a female version of Ricky Ricardo when he got pissed off and started going off in Spanish.

[Michael Duncan]

It's true. She just sort of like screams so quickly at people. We saw there in that clip. And Whoopi has to stop.

[John Ashbrook]

It's like when Whoopi's having to be like, will you please just shut up? It's like, well, I mean, I think that's a good pick. That's a pretty good sign that maybe it is, Anna.

[Comfortably Smug]

And you read some of the stories about before the interview behind the scenes, and JD had disarmed all of them. You know, they had. Apparently they had conversations backstage before he went out. And people are saying, like, well, they had a nice conversation. JD had that very funny line in his press conference yesterday about how Joy Behar is now his new best friend and she's tougher than the Iranians. Whatever. Very, very funny.

[John Ashbrook]

And that's, again, it goes back to, like, folks, if you haven't seen that Ron Howard movie, Hillbilly Elegy, based on his book, that first book that JD Wrote. The problem with the left trying to deal with JD Is when they did things like brand him is like, weird. Like he's out of touch. It's like he has actually lived being dealt the most difficult hand you probably can be dealt at birth in this country.

[Comfortably Smug]

Right.

[John Ashbrook]

But the thing is, it's in this country, in America, the opportunity is still there. What he was able to overcome, how he's thrived, how he's. I mean, they don't. The experiences he's had. And to come out the other side, not only having succeeded, to be filled with so much joy is incredible.

[Comfortably Smug]

What the media doesn't realize is they're the ones who are out of touch. And they. Under no circumstances or very few circumstances will you get major publications like the New York Times to. To look kind of past what they. Their preconceived notions about America actually are. I mean, there was an article in the Times this week about those Germans who are, you know, having a great

[John Ashbrook]

time and amazed America.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah. Having the best time. And, you know, they wrote it as if these Germans are observing zoo animals. You know, like, they want to go to BUC EE's and they want to go to Bass pro Shops. And the Germans are witnessing the mundane aspects of America. And it's like, wait a minute. New York Times. You guys are the animals in the zoo that everybody looks at and talks about. Like, they think it's the other way around. And they are sorely.

[John Ashbrook]

Honestly, which Bass pro did they go to?

[Comfortably Smug]

It might have been the Pyramid.

[John Ashbrook]

I've been to the Pyramid in Memphis. It is not mundane. It is awesome. It's incredible.

[Comfortably Smug]

I don't remember if it was that one, but they did post a picture with all the trophies and stuff on the inside, and they were just amazing.

[Michael Duncan]

Hell, yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

And they were like. And guns.

[Michael Duncan]

The Memphis one is incredible. You've been there?

[Ken Strang]

No, it's like.

[Michael Duncan]

Like, I've seen all the pictures. It's like a. It's like the Giza Pyramid.

[John Ashbrook]

So I. I have not only been there, I stayed there because it is a hotel as well as Bass Pro Shop. And it's. It's amazing. And, like, the story of that building.

[Michael Duncan]

Don't they have, like, ducks that walk around by the hotel and everything?

[John Ashbrook]

They have all that. Well, that's. That. That's more famous in not Memphis. What's the other? Other. Nashville. Nashville had that hotel, but they have live animals in there. They've got, you know, fully stocked pond in there. And the story of that pyramid is it was like, it was not always a Bass Pro shop. It used to be like a, like, civic convention center, like, arena. And, like, that was where the fight happened, where Mike Tyson bit the dude's ear.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, I remember that.

[John Ashbrook]

It's insane.

[Michael Duncan]

Vanderholek.

[John Ashbrook]

And now look at it. It's one of the greatest. It's one of the wonders of the world we have.

[Michael Duncan]

In addition to this other great variety. We went through a cold variety thing for our friend John Ash Brook. Sorry to tell you. It involves skyline chili. Let's play that clip.

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh, I saw this.

[Guest or Audience Member]

Oh, as good as you remember it.

[Ken Strang]

Oh, can you see the pink?

[John Ashbrook]

Can you see that?

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, my.

[Ken Strang]

Guys, I'm not trying to be hyperbolic. I'd rather have a vending machine burrito just bend over and spit it out.

[John Ashbrook]

So describe for the. I don't know. Who is that?

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, so that's Steve Gelbs. He's the field reporter for The Mets. The New York Mets and I, were they in Cincinnati for. For a swing, maybe, or second biggest

[Comfortably Smug]

payroll in the majors. And the team stinks.

[John Ashbrook]

Okay.

[Comfortably Smug]

And their announcers aren't much better. I will not be lectured about Skyline chili by a guy who eats from a street where rats are running over all over the place.

[John Ashbrook]

Skyland. Is that the spaghetti?

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, it is.

[John Ashbrook]

So they put spaghetti on a hot dog and then the.

[Comfortably Smug]

Just the chili sauce. It's like a chili dog.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, chili dog.

[Comfortably Smug]

But he wants one from Coney Island.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, so I've heard that Skyline chili is actually just, like, horrendous and disgusting, and they put it on spaghetti. People don't believe this is real. Like, we've had people in the comments when we talk about this stuff because this is a Cincinnati thing. And like everything in Cincinnati, it's like something tragic and sad.

[Michael Duncan]

It's like a depression meal, struggle meal

[John Ashbrook]

that then they turn into their whole idea. Like the Bengals, like, oh, we lose a bunch. Let's make our whole personality that we just, like, lose a lot. Like, they find comfort in, like, horrors. And that's the same thing as the Skyline chili.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's delicious. It's one of the most delicious things on the planet. Some people hate it.

[Michael Duncan]

They do.

[Comfortably Smug]

They just do.

[John Ashbrook]

It's disgusting. I think everyone who's had it has said pretty much disgusting. Unless you're from, like, Cincinnati and then compare to New York.

[Comfortably Smug]

I know. I know some people.

[John Ashbrook]

I'll put New York pizza against Skyline chili.

[Michael Duncan]

Although smug, I do appreciate. I love our friend John Ashbrook is like, we attacked him in Skyline Chile, and so he immediately went on offense against the New York Mets. He made it about the Mets.

[John Ashbrook]

About the Mets. Good for him. And I tried him.

[Comfortably Smug]

Dude, the Mets stink.

[Michael Duncan]

Is true.

[John Ashbrook]

Steve Cohen's just, like paying an arm and a leg for that team. And they can't put up a W. He really is.

[Comfortably Smug]

And Skyline's just out is just. Just outstanding. You got to try it. I know some people very close to me who will never admit that they love it, but they do love it. And it's just such a great, great meal. I mean, you can get filled the cheese, all the food groups on one plate.

[Ken Strang]

Groups.

[Michael Duncan]

I didn't see a vegetable.

[Ken Strang]

Dude.

[Comfortably Smug]

The cheese is cold and fresh shredded. The oyster crackers they provide on the side are outstanding. Perfect amount of salt on those things. Well baked, perfect temperature.

[John Ashbrook]

I think the only way you could enjoy, like a Skyline chili is if you're had way too much to drink.

[Michael Duncan]

That's absolutely true. Whether it's a meal with friends or maybe you're at a ball game like our friend the field reporter, start your big night with Zbiotics.

[John Ashbrook]

That's right.

[Michael Duncan]

That's a good seg right there. This is a game changing product we've used. It's a critical part of our nights out here in town. Smug is probably the greatest advocate for Zebiotics I know, and I truly am.

[John Ashbrook]

And like whenever we're on the road, I always make sure I have some to hand out to people because I. You should go back to the product, let people see the product. There it is. So the reason we like Zbiotics is pretty simple, is because it works. For so long you've been told that, okay, if you have a big night out, you gotta come home, you gotta have like four glasses of water, you gotta chug a Gatorade and then everything will be okay. And then you wake up in the morning, you still feel terrible. And that's because it's not about dehydration. What happens is when you drink alcohol, your stomach breaks it down. There's these toxic byproducts and in your gut, and that's what's making you feel awful. When you have a Zbiotics before you go out, before you have a few drinks, it knocks it right out and you feel terrific in the morning.

[Comfortably Smug]

It was developed by PhD scientists, so it's backed by science and it's why we always say there is no tomorrow without Zebiotics today.

[John Ashbrook]

That's right.

[Michael Duncan]

Remember to make pre alcohol your first drink of the night. Drink responsibly and you'll feel your best tomorrow. Go to ZBiotics.com Ruthless to learn more and get 15% off your first order when you use Ruthless at checkout. ZBiotics is backed by 100% money back guarantee. So if you're unsatisfied for any reason, and you won't, they'll refund your money, no questions asked. Remember to head to ZBiotics.com Ruthless and use the code Ruthless at checkout for 15% off. We gotta get to this interview with ken Strang at AFP who tells us about America 250 and everything he's doing with their One Small Step campaign. Let's go to it. Well, I want to welcome to the program ken Strang from AFP joining us to talk about America 250 and the One Small Step campaign. How are you?

[Ken Strang]

I'm doing great, thanks for having me.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, well, you know, it's important time of year. We got the 4th of July coming up. And I know AFP is doing a ton around America 250 educating America's about, you know, about our founding and about everything that's important in our history here ahead of July 4th. So why don't we just sort of start there?

[John Ashbrook]

Sure.

[Ken Strang]

Our country is great because of our founding principles. When you look back at what makes us, because of limited government, because of dignity, because of freedom, and when we think about all the things that we have been for 250 years, it comes from those founding principles. And I think of America, I think about all the great innovations that have happened and how we've grown over the years. And we want people to take one small step to be a part of this great nation and make the next 250. And so that can be as simple as maybe you take action and you let your representative know what you feel about an issue. Maybe you run for school board, maybe you wave the flag at an Independence Day party, or you light up some fireworks, but it can be something meaningful that means something to you. And so it's a great time to celebrate 250 years of the greatest country on earth.

[Comfortably Smug]

One of the things I love so much about AFP is not only is everybody out there hitting the doors, biggest organization, more doors hit than any other organization in the country, but everybody who works there takes the mission not only very seriously, but very personally. And I know that you have taken it upon yourself to do your own thing for this one small step program. I wonder if you could talk a little bit about that.

[Ken Strang]

That's right. I feel like I've taken a lot of steps for freedom over the years. I've been involved in politics since I was a little kid. My dad was always running for school board or county board. And so I've been walking in parades and knocking on doors and making phone calls for candidates for a long time, and certainly working in politics all of my professional career. And I thought, you know, what can I do to take a small step that's a little bit different? And I was having a conversation with Daniel Basale, who is a friend of the show, and we were joking around about one small step and what could I do? And I thought to myself, you know that George Washington guy, I bet I could cross the Delaware frozen or not, I could do it. And I thought about cowboys, and I thought I could ride a bull. And I thought, you know, I could be Lewis and Clark and I could go out on the Missouri and navigate the waters. Probably not right? And this idea just kind of like Snapped into my head of like, yeah, that's what I'm gonna do. What if I could be a professional wrestler and I could get thrown through a table and I could do these amazing American things? Because what we want to let people know is that these are not statues that we may see on the mall in Washington, D.C. but George Washington and the Wright brothers and all these legendary figures were ordinary people who did extraordinary things. And so my thought process was this project that I'm calling Red, White and Dew. And can I find the people who are keeping Americans traditions, histories, and our culture alive and what they do every day? Can I step in their boots and can I give it a go? And so I've been doing this project for a couple months now and filming it with an iPhone because it's scrappy and it's gritty, just like America. And it's been such an amazing experience because initially I thought this is going to be me doing stupid stuff for laughs that the Internet might find appealing. And it has really brought this refreshing love of Americans and people whose stories we don't tell. Talking to auctioneers, talking to people who share American history, talking to songwriters, talking to amazing Americans who are doing these things every single day. Stepping into it. Some of the things I'm able to do, a lot of the things I fail miserably at. And I've learned a lot about America. I've learned a lot about our culture, and I've learned a lot about myself in it and have an even new appreciation for America. And I would say that I am somebody who loves America.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. Yeah, look, us too. I mean, Ashbrook and I climbed the Freedom Tower in. In New York two weekends ago, which was really fun. That. I guess that's sort of our one small step.

[Ken Strang]

Took more than one small step to climb the Freedom Tower.

[Michael Duncan]

Two thousand and some. Yeah, no, it was. It was fun. But I. I can appreciate what you're saying about you do something like that and you get an appreciation for things in our history, like 9, 11. Right. Where it really does make you think, but it connects you back. Physically doing something connects you back to that moment in time in a way that thinking about it alone maybe doesn't as much. Right?

[Ken Strang]

Well, that's right. And one example is farming. Farming isn't unique to America, but we think of American farming, which is a big part of our culture. And I think a lot of people think of farming as beer commercials and pickup trucks and wide open land. And there's some truth to that. Well, my dad farms, but there And I grew up being a part of that and doing a lot of the chores on the farm. But there's something that I had never, ever done, never trusted to do, and that was plant corn. Because if you're a farmer, it's about straight rows. And when you drive down that highway, you better darn well have straight rows or the other farmers are going to look down upon you. And so he let me plant corn for the first time in my entire life. And kind of in a emotional moment. I get emotional here today, but like, I pulled out of him that the first time he had ever planted corn was when his dad passed away. He had never done it either. And I thought that was such a fascinating moment. So there are times when we're doing a lot of fun things that are exciting and things that are ultimately American. And then having these. Also these kind of personal moments with dad about like, yeah, I can plant corn. But in true dad fashion, I said, dad, you know what, if I put a bow in one of your rows? He's like, oh, I can fix it. And so it true to the American spirit, like, Kent, if you screw it up, I'll fix it. And so it was a good kind of moment, but it's been a lot of fun being out there and meeting Americans and meeting people where they are and keeping history and American culture alive.

[Michael Duncan]

That's awesome.

[Comfortably Smug]

In the category of fun things that you're doing to remember the greatness of America, you have brought your project in to show us. And I wonder if you could just tell us a little bit about this guitar.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, this guitar.

[Ken Strang]

This is a work in progress. This is not a finished project. America is not a finished project. But I'm building a Telecaster. So the first mass produced guitar in America was a Fender Telecaster. He may not always share my politics here, but most famously, the person who wields a Telecaster is Bruce Springsteen. And it's played a lot in rock music and it's played a lot in country music. And so I thought that's a great place to start in Americana. And so it comes from a guitar kit. I did not cut the wood and I did not fret the guitar. That is well beyond my abilities. But it comes raw wood. It's mahogany. And so we've stained.

[John Ashbrook]

We.

[Ken Strang]

I've stained the wood, sanded it down, and you wait. And then picked the dark walnut on the side, if we can see that. And then on the front it's barn red. Because I think there's nothing more American than barn red. So it doesn't come with any instruction manual either, much like American America. And I'm going to figure out how to solder. I haven't soldered since I was 16 or 17 years old. And do all the wiring and put it together and lacquer it and play it on stage. Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

If you are audio only. This is why you got to go to the YouTube so you can check out all this hard work. Kented, how many layers of stain you got to put on this thing before you.

[Ken Strang]

There are only two layers on the walnut, but the front, there are three layers. And there's going to be another layer because it turned out like salmon pink. That's not what you're going for. No, but you've got to be careful because what you don't want to happen is for. For the grain.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Ken Strang]

To leave. It's not Kent paints a guitar. It's going to have that American craftsmanship look and feel and so.

[Michael Duncan]

And then you lacquer over that. Is that the point?

[Ken Strang]

Then once we get done, we've got to go and we've got to use a. A lacquer, a clear coat.

[Tunnel to Towers Representative]

Yeah.

[Ken Strang]

And then I'm going to go do all the wiring, which I am not good at at all. And we're going to figure out how to wire it. We're going to put the pickups into it. And then the goal is I'm going to take this thing. I played in a rock band, So I was 16 or 17 years old, but I'm a terrible guitar player. I can play some of the cowboy chords, but nobody wants to hear me. Nobody wants to hear me play the guitar. And I'm going to try to play this thing live in front of a real live audience and make that part of Red, White and Dew. Because the do is not just building it, it's. You got to play it. They're not here to sit on.

[Michael Duncan]

Maybe you could do an awesome rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Like a Jimi Hendrix style thing on here for the fourth. That's not a lot of time.

[Ken Strang]

That's well beyond my capabilities, but I can dream big on it.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, that's awesome. Awesome. But you also brought some other stuff here. Bourbon, which, you know, that's. We're easy to bribe with with bourbon. What's this here?

[Ken Strang]

You're easy to bribe, but it's not just any bourbon, you know, I came. I came prepared for rock and roll today with guitars. This is Metallica's Bourbon.

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh, yes.

[Ken Strang]

Great American rock and metal band that creates thrash metal and So I love Metallica and thought you guys would enjoy the rock and roll feel today with a Telecaster and some Metallica bourbon. What.

[Michael Duncan]

What sort of music do you play in your band? Do you do Metallica covers? What do you do?

[Ken Strang]

So I have two different bands. One, we have a bar band that plays songs. If you know the chorus, we probably sing it. Anything that you know the chorus to is probably where we are. And then. I can't believe I'm gonna admit this on air, but I do a full costume. 80s hair metal.

[Michael Duncan]

No way.

[Ken Strang]

Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Poison, Whitesnake, the full nine Yards. Wow. We'll get you some T shirts and some stickers next time I come on the show.

[Michael Duncan]

What's the name of the band?

[Ken Strang]

Hair Metal. It is a play on the Scorpions. And big arena rock, full costume.

[Michael Duncan]

Wow.

[Ken Strang]

It's a good time play in the D.C. area. So come out and check out Hair Metal.

[Michael Duncan]

That's amazing.

[Ken Strang]

Yeah.

[NCTA Representative]

Wow.

[Comfortably Smug]

And we've got Father's Day coming up. We were talking before the show. You get three boys, and what your wife does for you every year is gets you the Metallica T shirt club.

[Ken Strang]

Yeah, yeah. You can see there's a theme here. But my wife is the best. You know, most wives are getting their. They're maybe getting their husband's grilling tools. And that's cool, and that's amazing. But, yeah, my wife is amazing, first of all. Yeah, she's a great mom. Three boys, and she gets me part of the Metallica T shirt club. And so every couple months, I get a new Metallica shirt in the mail. And so normally when I'm not wearing this, I'm adorning a Metallica or some sort of heavy metal T shirt. Nice.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, there's nothing more American than heavy metal.

[Ken Strang]

I mean, rock and roll.

[Comfortably Smug]

Nothing more American, that. And, you know, when we're talking about America 250, oftentimes it's like, oh, the Founding Fathers did these important documents. You know, a lot of people have traditions on the 4th of July. They read, you know, the Declaration of Independence, or they say the Pledge of Allegiance, or they sing the national anthem like my wife's family. Everybody's gonna get around and sing, like, America the Beautiful or God Bless America or something. That's just what they do. But music is such an important part of America. You know, it's not just. It's not just the Continental Congress.

[Ken Strang]

That's right.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, our country is so great and so has offered so many things. And I love that you are bringing music to America 250 because it is such a important part of our history.

[Ken Strang]

And what your wife is doing is amazing too. But America's responsible for jazz and the blues and country and rock and roll, and we should celebrate that too. And it's a great. America has such a great legacy in music and in culture. And for people who say that we don't have culture, try again. Look at what's happening. And all the folks visiting for the World Cup. I know we have great culture and people love it.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. I mean, those Scottish fans sing in Country Road. That's amaz. Music brings people together.

[Ken Strang]

It is. My favorite has been the new love affair with ranch dressing Midwestern. Here we put ranch on everything. Yes. Welcome to the club. It's amazing.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, yeah. It's the Midwest toothpaste, basically. It's the best stuff.

[Ken Strang]

I love that TSA is telling people like, hey, don't, don't put ranch in your carry on bag. And it's like, hey, tsa, can you take the regulatory burdens off for a little bit? Just allow people to carry on the ranch. Anybody?

[Comfortably Smug]

Right. What am I going to dip these airplane pretzels?

[Michael Duncan]

If people want to get involved with America 250, with everything AFP is doing in one small step, make their pledge, their declaration to get involved. Where do they go?

[Ken Strang]

Go to a250toolkit.com and this month we're really encouraging people to read the Declaration of Independence. It only takes you six to seven minutes to do it. And everybody knows the famous part, the life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. But it's so much more than that. So take a minute with your family, those six, seven minutes. Read it with your family, read it with your friends and enjoy this wonderful breakup letter. Like a great country song. It's time to break up with King George and the Brits because it's so powerful. The language is amazing because that's what it's really about. I love the hot dogs, I love the fireworks. I love the grilling, I love the partying. But what is this day really about? Independence Day is exactly that. Its independence from an overreaching government who wanted to tax us into oblivion. And we should absolutely celebrate that. So take a few minutes out of your day and read the Declaration. And we're urging people to do that.

[Michael Duncan]

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining us.

[Ken Strang]

Absolutely. Thanks for having me.

[Comfortably Smug]

Thanks, Ken.

[Ken Strang]

Appreciate it.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, interesting conversation. And like I said, it's a unique spin on America 250 because usually we're talking about founding fathers and there's old black and white footage from Pre World War II time or the golden age whatever he's talking about the guitar he's talking about rock and roll music and what better history does America have than history of music?

[Michael Duncan]

Great culture it's true and he's got a hair metal band he's got a hair metal band which I. I gotta say I didn't see coming I didn't either but it's pretty incredible well fellas, great episode I think we did it

[John Ashbrook]

I think so Absolute banger of an episode Gentlemen, thank you so much to Kent String and thank you you to the listeners Remember if you have not yet go to the YouTube and hit that subscribe because it's more fun in videos so until next time minions, keep the faith, hold the line and own the libs. We'll see you on Tuesday Stay Ribliss.

[Michael Duncan]

Sam.