"Governor Tim Walz"

Summary

SmartLess Episode Summary: "Governor Tim Walz" Released on October 21, 2024

In this engaging episode of SmartLess, hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett welcome Tim Walz, the Governor of Minnesota and a candidate for Vice President of the United States. The conversation seamlessly blends humor with insightful discussions on politics, personal experiences, and societal issues.

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1. Welcome and Introduction (00:18 - 05:10)

The episode begins with lighthearted banter among the hosts about their day and the excitement surrounding the appearance of their special guest, Tim Walz. Jason Bateman introduces Walz as a multifaceted individual—ranging from his military background in the Army National Guard to his role as a teacher and coach. Bateman humorously refers to Walz as "the quintessential all-American dad I never had," highlighting his relatable and down-to-earth persona.

Jason Bateman (05:10): "He's many things. All of which we'll get into shortly. The Army National Guard teacher, congressman, governor... he's the quintessential all-American dad I never had."

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2. Personal Anecdotes and Daily Routines (05:11 - 12:15)

Tim Walz shares personal stories about his daily life, including his disciplined approach to running and maintaining his energy levels despite a demanding campaign schedule. Will Arnett and Sean Hayes engage in playful conversations about sleep hygiene, diet, and the challenges of balancing personal health with political responsibilities.

Will Arnett (06:37): "I've been using this saying, you know, it's kind of my catch thing. I'll sleep when I'm dead."

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3. Campaign Insights and Leadership Philosophy (12:16 - 25:34)

Walz delves into his campaign strategies, emphasizing servant leadership and bipartisan cooperation. He discusses the importance of focusing on facts over ideology and highlights his commitment to education and children's welfare.

Tim Walz (17:03): "It's a privilege to do it... You have to be pretty self-aware and pretty humble to teach high school for a lot of years."

Walz reflects on his experiences in politics, including his 2016 congressional race against Donald Trump, and stresses the necessity of addressing the wealth gap and advocating for middle-class families.

Tim Walz (28:05): "The wealth gap is staggering... when you see it in a graphic, people can't believe how truly bad it is."

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4. Education and Community Investment (25:35 - 46:54)

A significant portion of the discussion centers around education. Walz highlights his initiatives to provide free lunches in schools, improve school infrastructure, and invest in early childhood education. He argues that investing in education yields substantial long-term benefits, such as better student achievement and reduced future costs.

Tim Walz (45:00): "If you invest in early childhood, you get a 12 return on that."

The conversation also touches on the importance of public schools and the drawbacks of voucher systems, emphasizing the role of community investment in fostering strong educational systems.

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5. Women's Healthcare and Bodily Autonomy (41:10 - 43:18)

The hosts pivot to a more serious topic—women's healthcare. Sean Hayes underscores the critical nature of this issue in the 2024 elections, expressing frustration that it remains a topic of debate. Will Arnett and Tim Walz echo these sentiments, advocating for women's bodily autonomy and criticizing opponents who lack comprehensive healthcare plans.

Sean Hayes (41:28): "For me, it is number one this year, women's healthcare. And the fact that it's even up for debate is absolutely ridiculous."

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6. Election Strategies and Voter Engagement (34:09 - 35:34)

The discussion shifts to election strategies, with Walz emphasizing the need to reach out directly to voters through town hall meetings and media appearances. He advocates for messaging that focuses on common values and practical solutions rather than partisan divides.

Will Arnett (35:35): "Pete Buttigieg goes on Fox News quite a bit. He's one of our best spokespeople."

Walz also highlights the significance of policies that address economic concerns, such as child tax credits and job creation in renewable energy sectors, to appeal to a broader voter base.

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7. Addressing the Wealth Gap and Middle-Class Support (29:31 - 32:23)

The hosts and Walz engage in a robust discussion about the growing wealth gap and its impact on the middle class. Walz criticizes policies that favor the wealthy and emphasizes the need for tax reforms that support hardworking Americans.

Sepan Hayes (32:23): "The wealth gap has never been bigger... if people think for one minute that Donald Trump and J.D. Vance give two craps about the middle class, they're looking to do tax cuts to the richest Americans."

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8. Unity and Community Building (36:03 - 51:47)

A recurring theme is the importance of unity and community in overcoming political and social divisions. Walz draws parallels between team sports and national cooperation, advocating for a collective effort to tackle pressing issues.

Tim Walz (36:15): "If they could just get a little bit more into their local team and stop being so sort of tribal and competitive and just think about this unity a little bit more."

The conversation concludes with Walz urging listeners to participate actively in the democratic process, whether through voting, volunteering, or supporting policies that promote fairness and equality.

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9. Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts (51:48 - End)

In the final segments, the hosts express their admiration for Tim Walz's authenticity and dedication to public service. They reflect on the importance of having genuine leaders who prioritize the well-being of the community over personal gain.

Sean Hayes (56:22): "The one thing you can't knock is the guy's authenticity. He's just such an authentic real person and it's great talking to him."

Tim Walz thanks the hosts for the opportunity and reiterates his commitment to serving the American people with integrity and dedication.

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Notable Quotes

• Tim Walz (17:03): "It's a privilege to do it... You have to be pretty self-aware and pretty humble to teach high school for a lot of years."
• Sean Hayes (41:28): "For me, it is number one this year, women's healthcare. And the fact that it's even up for debate is absolutely ridiculous."
• Tim Walz (36:15): "If they could just get a little bit more into their local team and stop being so sort of tribal and competitive and just think about this unity a little bit more."
• Sean Hayes (32:23): "The wealth gap has never been bigger... if people think for one minute that Donald Trump and J.D. Vance give two craps about the middle class, they're looking to do tax cuts to the richest Americans."

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This episode of SmartLess offers a blend of humor and substantive dialogue, providing listeners with a deeper understanding of Tim Walz's values, policies, and vision for the future. Whether discussing personal habits or national priorities, the conversation underscores the importance of authenticity, community investment, and bipartisan cooperation in shaping a better America.

Transcript

[Jason Bateman]

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[Will Arnett]

Eat Sonic.

[Sean Hayes]

Guys. Quite a day.

[Jason Bateman]

Quite a day.

[Tim Walz]

Quite a day.

[Jason Bateman]

I woke up. I woke up really excited today.

[Sean Hayes]

I know you.

[Tim Walz]

I went through audio security that was really surprising. What is that like? Well, it was a lot of ear probing. So all the wax is out of my. Out of both ears. Right?

[Jason Bateman]

Finally.

[Tim Walz]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

Okay.

[Tim Walz]

Uh huh.

[Sean Hayes]

I was testing my connection testing my connection testing. So.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Tim Walz]

But I feel like there's something really special coming.

[Jason Bateman]

Well, it sounds like you guys are really cleaned up for today.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

What about you, Sean? Did you do anything?

[Jason Bateman]

No, I was just. I got up early because I was nervous about today.

[Tim Walz]

Well, you good right to be. It's a big, big day for us because of our listeners because we're a place that really important folks like the Tim Walz campaign think that this might be a worthy stop. So thank you to you listeners. You guys made this happen and we are really excited to talk to our next guest. So get ready.

[Sean Hayes]

We also want to say, I know that a lot of people, you know, come and listen to Smart List because it's a great place to kind of get away from all the noise and stuff.

[Tim Walz]

But we can giggle and snap.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, but jb, you were talking like this is also a really good time to remind people that they need to.

[Tim Walz]

Yeah, they don't need to vote, but they should vote. They could vote. We happen to have our own opinions that become pretty apparent and evident just because we're on the side of common sense. But just vote. A lot of people hurt or killed or whatever trying to secure that right for all of us. Let's just go use it. We only get to do it once every. You know.

[Sean Hayes]

And I think you're right. And again, it can't be said enough, which is, even if you don't agree with us, that's okay. But still, go down and vote. It's still important. We all have that right. And I respect your right to do it. And you should respect mine.

[Jason Bateman]

Did Jay, when you said common sense, do you think I have a lot of common sense?

[Sean Hayes]

It's an all new smart list.

[Tim Walz]

Smart less.

[Will Arnett]

Smart license. Smart less.

[Sean Hayes]

By the way, dinner was really good last night.

[Jason Bateman]

It was good, was it?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, it was really good.

[Tim Walz]

What did we have? Oh, I know what we had. Burgers, right?

[Jason Bateman]

Burgers.

[Sean Hayes]

Burgers.

[Tim Walz]

And did you bring a dessert, Sean?

[Jason Bateman]

I brought a ton of dessert.

[Sean Hayes]

You did?

[Will Arnett]

Did you really?

[Jason Bateman]

Listen, I'm not even kidding. I brought brownies, rice krispie treats, banana muffins.

[Sean Hayes]

I'm sorry, I just want to stop and say because. So you brought. I thought for you, Rice Krispie cakes were for breakfast.

[Tim Walz]

It's breakfast.

[Sean Hayes]

That was a breakfast.

[Jason Bateman]

This is true. Well, that's the great thing about them. You can eat them any time of the day.

[Sean Hayes]

That the great thing about them.

[Jason Bateman]

You're right.

[Tim Walz]

Thank you. So, Will, did you. Will, you tried each one of those things?

[Sean Hayes]

I did not have, no.

[Will Arnett]

How about that?

[Tim Walz]

He's pretty disciplined about the nerve sugar right now.

[Sean Hayes]

Yes.

[Jason Bateman]

And then I told you, Will, by the time I get home, I will have a bowl of ice cream. And I did.

[Will Arnett]

Oh, my God.

[Sean Hayes]

And I said to Sean, we were talking about sleep, you know, which has been a recurring theme for us. And he was talking about his poor sleep hygiene and waking up or not being able to go to bed. And I said, you're having. What are you having at night? He goes, nothing. This will be it. This will be my meal. And I go, and when I get home, I mean, I might have some ice cream. I go, well, there it is.

[Jason Bateman]

Anyway, let's get to our guest.

[Tim Walz]

Yeah, whose guest is this? I've not heard.

[Sean Hayes]

It's America's Guest.

[Jason Bateman]

It's America's Guest. There are only a few times, probably less than 5, I don't know. On this show, this thing that we do where the guest. All three of us know who the guest is, because they're a big freaking deal. And today is one of those shows. And I speak for all three of us when I say that this is a huge honor to have him come speak with us for a bit. He's many things. All of which we'll get into shortly. The Army National Guard to teacher, to congressman, to governor, to so many other things. But to me, he's the quintessential all American dad I never had. Oh, and he's also a coach. Something else I could probably use in my life. Currently running to be the next Vice President of the United States of America. Please welcome Tim Walz.

[Sean Hayes]

There he is.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Tim Walz]

Hello there. Well, hang on. How do you like to be addressed?

[Will Arnett]

Just him.

[Tim Walz]

Just Tim. So much.

[Will Arnett]

I will say this, though. We did a trade mission to London. And the, you know, the hello, Governor stuff, I just. Just lived on it for the entire week. Entire weeks.

[Sean Hayes]

Hello, Governor.

[Jason Bateman]

Hello, Governor.

[Will Arnett]

And it wasn't ironic. It was, like, real.

[Jason Bateman]

Yes, I know. That's. That's hysterical.

[Will Arnett]

It was better. Yeah. No, Tim is great.

[Jason Bateman]

Tim, I want to get. Because I saw Will last night. Jay, we missed you. You were at the Dodgers game.

[Tim Walz]

I know, I know.

[Jason Bateman]

That's okay.

[Tim Walz]

I should have skipped the Dodger game. They got waxed.

[Jason Bateman]

No, but we were talking about sleep. We always talk about sleep with these guys. Because I've always had trouble. And then I'm like, you got thrown into this campaign, obviously, lately.

[Tim Walz]

I can't hear where this is going.

[Jason Bateman]

No, I want to know. It's a very dumb Sean Smartless question. Is your sleep hygiene, like, you go 20. It seems like you go 24 hours a day, just going for this and this. You have to do all.

[Sean Hayes]

Sean's worried, Tim, that you're not getting enough sleep.

[Jason Bateman]

That's what I'm worried about. That's my question.

[Tim Walz]

When do the naps happen?

[Jason Bateman]

How do you get where the energy comes from in.

[Will Arnett]

Well, you know, the good thing is old men need less sleep or whatever, I guess. Look, I do not sleep that much. I've been using this saying, you know, it's kind of my catch thing. I said, you know, we'll sleep when we're dead. And I had a woman come up to me and goes, you're taking this too literally. You look like hell, man. She meant it well. But, no, I'm trying.

[Jason Bateman]

I'm always fascinated by that schedule. Like, just. The schedule's full all day, every day. It's amazing.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, no. Well, it's a privilege to do it. But you're right. My daughter keeps me on this. She got one of these rings, you know, monitor your sleep, whatever. She thinks I need one of those, but I think that will just tell me what I already know. I'm not getting any sleep. That's all.

[Sean Hayes]

It'll say, Tim, let me just. Tim, let me just say this as somebody. I haven't done the ring, but I've done the Apple Watch thing, whatever. And let me. And I will say the Great Apple Watch. Sorry, The Great Apple Watch.

[Jason Bateman]

Jason wants a free Apple Watch.

[Sean Hayes]

No, just because they're listening. Oh, don't worry, he already got it.

[Tim Walz]

I think it's really good stuff. I think these Apple folks are onto something.

[Sean Hayes]

It's great work, Tim, by the way. We are. We should be called Not Smartly. We should be called Shameless. And if there's any product out there you've got your eye on and just mention it and we'll have them set it up.

[Tim Walz]

That new 16 Pro. Guys, it's really working.

[Sean Hayes]

So. But I was gonna say about that watch those sleep tracking things. I got into it for a while and I think your daughter's right, because you go like, okay, well, where can I. But then at the end of the day, what ends up happening is you start feeling bad. So I wake up and I go, I think I did okay. And then I'm like, oh, my God, I only got three hours of rem and then I got sleep panic.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, yeah.

[Will Arnett]

It is just the thing, I think seeing the one thing about this is there is an end state, if you will, on November 5th. So you just kind of put your mind into it and say, look this. There will be a time when this ends.

[Tim Walz]

Oh, really?

[Will Arnett]

That's probably not true.

[Tim Walz]

You think things get calm after the 5th?

[Sean Hayes]

No, I don't.

[Will Arnett]

I don't. But it's the trick I play myself. Yeah, team is good. I. I'm surprisingly. And you wouldn't know it by looking at me, I'm. I'm a pretty dedicated runner. I run about five times a week.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, that's great.

[Tim Walz]

How far do you go?

[Will Arnett]

I go a 5k, usually between 3 and 5 miles. And I'm like, for an old guy, I'm kind of freakishly fast, you know, nine minute miles, little less or whatever, which is. And you know, people are like, oh, my God, that's a world record for a man your age.

[Tim Walz]

But now, Tim, now you can't. Well, as governor, you had security detail. Were you running with or were you on a treadmill?

[Will Arnett]

I do a treadmill quite a bit of the time, but you have to get outside. And my team knows, like, wherever we're anywhere. And actually, you know, here a while back, after we finished that debate, the next morning, I got to run in Central park. And it was nice. We ran that reservoir Route, of course, it's just stunning. And I'm still truly, you know, the small town guy. Enough. I have not spent much time in New York. It just blows me away when I'm there.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, he's nice.

[Tim Walz]

Incredible.

[Will Arnett]

And that morning, you know, so many great people. It was, you know, kind of good for the psyche. Oh, good job, Governor. And I'm like, oh, thank goodness. And they're, of course, super surprised I'm running too. So it was like a double positive.

[Sean Hayes]

I like the idea of you running in Central Port, looking around and really. Because you haven't been there a lot, taking it in, twirling around. Not unlike Mary Tyler Lamour did in Minneapolis.

[Will Arnett]

That is surprisingly close to how it was.

[Jason Bateman]

I think we'll make it after all.

[Tim Walz]

Now, Tim, when you're running, do you have like AirPods in? Are you listening to music? Are you listening to.

[Will Arnett]

Rarely. Sometimes I'm kind of Zen on that. I got into it, you know, and then I got into the Garmin Watch and then I got in on the timing and, you know, who's looking for a freebie now? But I kind of let that go and I kind of run by feel trying to get into it. And I do think there's something. And especially like when I'm in Minneapolis, you know, I got a state trooper, but just pretty calm. They're running behind or whatever. Right. Folks who run leave their. I'm convinced of this dog folks and runners, they leave politics out of it because they know it's your time. So it's really refreshing that people talk to you like a runner, not like you're the governor or something. So, like, you know, looking good or whatever.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Tim Walz]

Do you have a favorite subject that you do like to talk about that is not politics? Like, are you a sport? I know you're a sports guy, but like, do you love talking about the Vikings or the Corn Huskers or whatever it is or reality television or what do you like to talk about that's kind of nice and silly.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, I think cars. I grew up at a time, you guys, a little younger than me. This whole cars thing, we were much more into it, you know, the Pixar movie. I remember.

[Tim Walz]

I apologize for him, so.

[Will Arnett]

But I just think, like classic cars, I've never really owned that many, but, you know, the cars you have. I watched the cars I used to own. You know, I grew up in high school and had a beautiful Camaro, you know, at the time. And then I traded it for a Honda Civic. And now you watch these auction Shows. And I'm like, damn it, that car's worth $80,000 now. And I traded it for a Honda Civic worth two grand.

[Jason Bateman]

Exactly. I had. My mom gave me this. Like, I kicked and screamed in high school. I'm like, please, can I just have a car? She might be like, a $200 car. It had, like, rust all over it. And my friend Raina, you know Ra. These guys know Raina. She called it Greased Lightning. And she's like, you taking Grease Lightning to school today?

[Tim Walz]

Now, what about. Are you. Are you really into the sound of a combustion engine, or are you into the sound?

[Sean Hayes]

Electric engine.

[Tim Walz]

The clean power of electric.

[Will Arnett]

Look, Whole spectrum. The whole spectrum of this. I was in Phoenix for. It was a governor's event or whatever, and there's folks there displaying their wares, and the lucid folks were there with their fastest production car ever. You put any Lamborghini out there, this thing, and it was, like, inside a spaceship. Oh, this thing's, like 1.8 seconds in the quarter. I mean, it's 0 to 60. It's unbelievable. And it's like a whole new world. And I have never yet owned a fully electric, but they are. They're fascinating.

[Tim Walz]

So, yeah, I'm so excited that every single car brand now has a fully electric car. And. And I don't want to throw undue shade towards Mr. Musk, but I got to tell you, his politics is I got rid of my Tesla. I feel like I'm driving around a Trump sticker with that car. So it's gone. And I am now enjoying.

[Will Arnett]

You mean the.

[Sean Hayes]

I call it the crypto truck.

[Tim Walz]

It's just.

[Will Arnett]

Well, here's my thing. This is for me. And I said my thing. My prized possession is that I've had it for a long time. I got a 79 International Harvester. You know, they used to give these.

[Sean Hayes]

Things away like a Scout.

[Will Arnett]

Scout, too. There you look. Do you guys hear that? But yeah, these things are. You used to get it. If you bought a tractor, they threw in the Scout for you. It was original suv. Yeah, there was a. You know, back in the late 70s. So mine was right before they went out of business. It was 1979. I wonder.

[Sean Hayes]

They went out of business.

[Will Arnett]

They were the precursors of SUVs. But here's the deal. Forty years ago, at the end of October is when they closed. They were made in Fort Wayne, Indiana, so. So on that date this year, they're announcing the new Scout, bringing it back fully electric.

[Tim Walz]

Come on.

[Sean Hayes]

No kidding.

[Will Arnett]

So an International Harvester Scout, that famous name name tape is back. Volkswagen bought it and so they're launching that thing. So, I mean, that's the stuff I talk about. And yeah, it's the car stuff because it's such.

[Tim Walz]

You gotta go do Dax Shepard's podcast. Cause he'll talk to you. He'll talk to you for three days about cars.

[Will Arnett]

I love these guys. And the guys who are so smart. Tell me how to do it. Look, tinker on the edges. These are guys that can, you know, replace a transmission stuff. I love that. I said, when I get done with this, I'm gonna go back to like community college and learn, like, bodywork. You know, just a sense of accomplishment that you can fix your own vehicle. You can put on a new quarter panel, you can paint it.

[Sean Hayes]

Sean, you took bodywork in high school, right? Like a lot of Reiki and stuff like that.

[Tim Walz]

If you broke down on the side of the road, are you one of those guys that can. That can just pop the hood and look under there and. And kind of look around and see like, oh, there's the problem.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, some of it. Some of it I can. But look on these new ones. I don't even know how to open the hood. I will say that I sound like these. I'm the old guy, these new fangled. But the cars that you used to be able to do, my kids, it would blow their mind. Like, some of the stuff we could fix, like, my vehicle's overheating. I said, oh, it's the thermostat. And you'd show them how to take it out, put it in boiling water, pop the thermostat.

[Sean Hayes]

I was going to say kids don't know that stuff anymore. They don't. And there's some. Jason calls his agent if he gets a flat tire. So. So, I mean. And that's the truth, Tim. You need to know the truth about this guy. But I mean, he's a Hollywood elitist. Liberal elitist.

[Jason Bateman]

But I'm on the corner of Sunset.

[Sean Hayes]

But honestly, if me, like, if my car starts to go da dunk, da dunk, I'm pulling over and I'm like, I don't know. What?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, I have no idea.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, same makes you feel powerless. I said, I think showing my kids some of these things that you can try and repair, I like doing. Now, look, we all know that's also very, very dangerous because I don't know, sometimes and I start taking stuff apart and then you're like, well, here's six extra screws and there's no idea where they're going. There's a bit of that with me, so.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, for sure.

[Tim Walz]

Now, speaking of your kids, which one of them or you or your wife gets most pissed off when somebody calls you waltz instead of walls?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. My daughter, probably. Yeah.

[Tim Walz]

It's a whole new. It's a whole new wave of it now, right?

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Tim Walz]

Like what. What are people's problems? Walls.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

There's no tea.

[Tim Walz]

Yeah, there's no tea.

[Will Arnett]

It seems pretty easy that. But, you know, in all fairness, probably when, you know, when we immigrated from Germany, they probably dropped the tea.

[Tim Walz]

Well, this is the last wave of it. Like, you cannot get more famous than you are now. So everyone has now finally got it. I guarantee you. Yes.

[Jason Bateman]

Tell me what that. I know this is like a stock answer, but I really want to know what that feeling was like. And the reaction when you got the call from Kamala, I mean, that was so wild.

[Will Arnett]

Well, you know the story. In typical me fashion, I missed the first one.

[Tim Walz]

Sure.

[Will Arnett]

Well, it wasn't. I thought it was like, you know, a car warranty call coming in, so I didn't take it. And truly, no one knew, like, this was her decision. And that Tuesday morning, no one knew. And then I got another call and said, pick up your damn phone, and then called back.

[Sean Hayes]

Your warranty may be expiring.

[Will Arnett]

It was. It was overwhelming. It was incredible privilege. But I heard you guys talking, and I listened to the. The TED Dance and Woody Harrelson piece about, you know, imposter syndrome. Just trust me. When. When the vice President of the United States calls you and said, you're on the ticket with me. Yeah. It sinks in.

[Sean Hayes]

Pretty cool.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah. Fast.

[Will Arnett]

Fast.

[Tim Walz]

Have you allowed yourself to really imagine and start to build, like, a possible wish list of things that you would like to be given the reins to when you guys win?

[Will Arnett]

Well, this is one. And I think it's just your mental health of compartmentalizing things. Still focused on, you know, this final stretch that's ahead of us. Still thinking about that. I trust the vice president will make her decision on that. You know, I said I wasn't interviewing for a job when I talked to her. I said, use my skill sets. If you need to plunk me in Omaha to win one vote, send me there. Just what it would help. And I think she. And it feels really right to me. She talks about, you know, a kid from Oakland, a kid from Nebraska, middle class kids, kind of complimentary things. We've lived different lives, but we have the same. Same values. So I would assume she would know, you know, my passion is kids and teaching and education and that's it.

[Tim Walz]

We'll be right back.

[Jason Bateman]

So if you're anything like me, on my laptop, on my desktop, on my laptop, it's just full of open windows and like icons and stuff like that. And it gets really, really messy and it's hard to focus. Sometimes I need to get a little bit more organized because my time, like your time, I'm guessing, and expertise are valuable. And with professionals spending nearly half the work week on written communication, focus is one of the most important things to have at work. With Grammarly as your AI writing partner, you can stay focused and get through your work faster with relevant, real time suggestions. Wherever you write, it's awesome. Grammarly helps with any writing, from brainstorming to sounding more confident and persuasive at work. 90% of professionals say Grammarly has saved them time writing and editing their work. And four out of five professionals say Grammarly helps them gain, buy in and action through their communication experience. The gold standard of responsible AI with Grammarly for 15 years, Grammarly has helped professionals do more with their writing. You can trust that your data is secure and never sold. So I've used it because, look, this is called smartless. But Grammarly helps us begin tiny bit smarter because when I'm writing something, I'll use it to think of a smarter word that I'm not thinking of or can't think of. And just like that, voila. I'm like, I sound smarter than I am. Get more done with Grammarly. Download Grammarly for [e-mail] podcast. That's Grammarly.com podcast. This podcast is supported by the film Emilia Perez, Zoe Saldana, Carlos, Sofia Gascon and Selena Gomez star in director Jacques Odiard's audacious fever dream that defies genres and expectations through liberating song and dance and bold visuals. Cartel leader Amelia enlists Rita, an unappreciated lawyer, to help fake her death so that she can finally live authentically as her true self. Vanity Fair raves there is no other movie like Amelia Perez. And Awards Watch declares it's the best picture of the year, now playing in select theaters and on Netflix. You know what? I'm kind of known for my deep voice. I think Will's is a little high. Uh, mine's probably a little deeper, which can be useful for commanding respect from pets, making anyone a convincing superhero. But having a very deep voice can also be helpful for getting hired for advertising campaigns. But a deep Voice doesn't sell B2B. And advertising on the wrong platform doesn't sell B2B either. That's why, if you're a B2B marketer, you should use LinkedIn ads. LinkedIn has the targeting capabilities to help you reach the world's largest professional audience. That's right. Over 130 million decision makers all in one place. All the big wigs and medium wigs, also small wigs, who are on the path to becoming big wigs. That's enough about wigs. LinkedIn ads allows you to focus on getting your B2B message to the right people. So does that mean you should use ads on LinkedIn instead of hiring the man with the deepest voice in the world? Yes. Yes, it does. Get started today and see why LinkedIn is the place to be. To be. They'll even give you a 100 credit on your next campaign. Go to LinkedIn.com smartlist to claim your credit. That's LinkedIn.com smartless. Terms and conditions apply.

[Tim Walz]

And now back to the show.

[Sean Hayes]

We were just talking with somebody recently about this idea of, like, getting nervous when you're putting in a position like this and getting a call from the vice president saying, hey, you're on the ticket. Makes you. Probably makes you feel nervous. But I wonder if when something like this happens, it's almost like a thing that you can't even dream about. At least, certainly I couldn't. So it's almost like you can't get even nervous because it's so far beyond what you.

[Will Arnett]

That's great.

[Sean Hayes]

I can get nervous about things that I think about doing, but if something comes. That's new.

[Will Arnett]

No, that's a great. That's a great analogy. I mean, think of that day. This was a Tuesday morning. We got the call. Within 20 minutes, my life changed. Like, you know, I said, I'm minding my own damn business at home, and all of a sudden, it blows up.

[Jason Bateman]

It should be noted. It should be noted. Tim, I did turn it down. I was the first call, and then Tim was the second. Sean, I'm just. We're being honest.

[Will Arnett]

But they sweep in, you've got all these folks around you. They pack your clothes for you and tell you, you go in and get on a private plane, which is. I've never flown on a private plane to do this. So they fly you to Philadelphia.

[Sean Hayes]

That's funny because Jason's never not.

[Jason Bateman]

I wish I was waiting for it.

[Will Arnett]

Well, they take you to Philadelphia. And then I also. And I told them when they were interviewing me, I said, look, I'VE never given a speech off a teleprompter. I speak and it, look, it has its problems. And I told them, you'll get about 90% good, then you'll get 10 stuff you'll have to clean up. That's me, because that's how I talk. But they sent me there, they put me in the back of a college locker room and they had mocked up the stage. I was going to go on in about an hour and put the speech on the teleprompter. And so I practiced it a little bit. And then I'm standing at that door in Philadelphia. Oh my God, 12, 15,000 people waiting to see the vice president in this announcement. She understanding out on the curtain and she's like, you know, well, get this right. And so it opened up and that's what it was. But no, just you're right. I think your analysis is right. It was just too big to get nervous about it. I didn't have time to think about it.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, you didn't seem when you came out, it was so terrific and it felt like here we go. Honestly, Tim, it really felt like here we go. We are entering into a new age and thank God Tim is the guy and Tim is here. And there are a lot of other great candidates for sure.

[Tim Walz]

And that authenticity and that genuine joy and happiness and privilege that you must be feeling, it comes through and it's just so damn refreshing. Was it hard for you to maintain that down to earth personality which you clearly have when you got into politics where most of your fellow politicians either have to be or have learned to be overly polished and slick? Is it, is it disheartening for you to be around so many colleagues that are like that? It's just, you're so refreshing.

[Will Arnett]

Well, it's a different approach and I always say this, that I never. And honest to God, I never thought about running for office. I have a whole life before this, teaching National Guard in my community and things like that. But I think my life prepared me well. And so I approach like that. Look, you have got to be pretty self aware and pretty humble to teach high school for a lot of years. But it's also so gratifying. And I think one of the things is that I'm super, super sensitive to this idea. These are servant leadership positions. This isn't a special thing that you've been granted. Your job is to work for people. And I try and approach it like I was hired to teach kids in school. So I need to do my best job, you know, that I can puff up. And I've been hired to be a representative. And I took great pride that I was very bipartisan. You know, this idea that we can't figure things out. My staff, we always had a saying that, you know, if the facts dispute our ideology, we change our ideology. It's that simple. You're not married to it. So a lot of times, I don't have an ideological dog in a fight. It's just what the facts show. And I think trying to approach these things, like problem solving, you're working with people, you're trying to do your best. I'll be the first to admit, it has been really challenging with Donald Trump. I won a congressional race in 2016. Donald Trump won my district by double digits, nearly 20%. So thousands of people voted for Donald Trump and me on that. That. That was only a few years ago. Now, would that be true today? Probably not. They've continued to. But I think trying to focus on what the job is, that it's a humbleness and it's not your whole identity. I watch these folks try and hang on to these jobs and things like that, everything. If the folks don't want me to do it, they won't do it. But I'm telling you, here's what we can do. Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Tim, first of all, I hope, congrats, and I really do hope that your run, as you say, you were a high school teacher and a coach and you had no sort of political aspirations. I hope that you deciding to do it inspires other people like you, who are leaders in their community and who aren't looking to enrich themselves, who aren't looking for anything other than to serve. I hope that inspires other people to do what you've done, because that's what we need.

[Will Arnett]

I meet hundreds every day. They won't. They won't, though, because of the money and because of what they're afraid will happen if they get into it, and.

[Sean Hayes]

Because of things like social media and their lives will get upended and security.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. We were speaking of the overwhelming thing on this. Back during that debate, you know, they drove me through Times Square to see my picture up on those big screens. And so somebody said, you look nervous. No kidding. I'm sitting there freaking out on this thing, but I'm honest to God, before things went live, I'm standing there and I'm like, there's 345 million people in this country, and it's me and this dude that is just not right. And it's true. I Mean, it's kind of overwhelming, but that kind of got rid of my imposter too. Said, look, I know that. I know what's right. I know who I am.

[Jason Bateman]

I'm trying to just go back to your values. And if you leave.

[Will Arnett]

So Will's point is this, that I do hope people do this. I do hope they get out there because we need them. We need good people.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, so I was going to say. And then what do you think it was when you talk about having a guy like Donald Trump getting double digits in your district, what do you think it was that allowed people to convince themselves that he would be. When I see that these top unions are deciding like, well, we don't know if we can endorse an actual candidate this year because they're worried about their membership. Union, union member. Imagine this, union members who want to support Donald Trump, the guy who wants to do nothing but. Who has nothing but disregard for them. It's staggering. And I'm sure I could get a million comments back on this. Somebody on one of our social pages, people would say, AF you Arnett, you don't know what you're talking about. You've never, first of all, I have had lots of real jobs. So I say back at you. But also this is a guy who doesn't have any regard for the American family, doesn't have any regard for hardworking people, doesn't have any regard. Would bust a union quicker than you can imagine. So what is it about that? That they've been able to fool these people.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah. And rank and file union members. One thing. Look, the leadership in unions, that's more political than what I'm doing. They have to cover their butt on their things. And I'm as frustrated as you are on this, Will. But the one thing I do think about, you wonder what happened. The first thing I think of, there's not something wrong with my constituents. These are good people trying to go to work and do things. And like the New York Times sends somebody out every few weeks to interview a guy at a bar and figure out what happened to rural America. These are my family. I've lived there. I do think one of the things, I always said this as a teacher, if I would give an exam or something and a majority of students would not do well, probably had a little something to do with me in there. Was I not getting it across? And so I think some of it is how we message this. I don't think that's the full blame on it. Certainly Donald Trump is a master of manipulation, a master of what new media look like. But I do think there's some ways. What are we not doing to appeal to those rank? Look, I'm a union member. I think that's what I did. And I get a lot of union support. But I know there's some rank and file members, and so they're not monolithic. It's not their only issue. But I say this, and I'm kind of with you on this, Will, the rest of it is you don't have to worry about all the rest of that stuff if you're not in a union because you're not gonna get paid as well, you're not gonna have a pension, you may not have healthcare. You better focus on the things that matter. Stay in your lane. And so they've done a good job of distracting on things that are the cultural war stuff rather than the bread and butter.

[Sean Hayes]

Right.

[Tim Walz]

Well, you know, it seems like if those folks were slightly more sort of curious or discerning when it comes to news, information, facts, maybe they wouldn't make that decision and maybe they would be more prone to vote for you guys instead of him. Can you, as a teacher, attract that back or attribute that to something that we're not doing right in schools? Because I just feel like it's just common sense. To me, it seems like there's a clear choice for everyone in this country. If you just want to take just preserving democracy alone, who to vote for. But all these smaller issues, it does seem like pretty easy if you just look a little bit further than, you know, Fox News or whatever, you would see. Oh, all the facts are on the side of going this direction instead of that direction. And maybe. Does it start at schools?

[Will Arnett]

Well, this maybe, but this is where I think Vice President Harris is focusing really rightly. This idea of middle class doesn't sound like any. Anything so groundbreaking, but this idea of housing and down payment assistance, this idea of cost, now this idea of child tax credit, because the one thing I will say, Jason, on this is, is that these guys on the other side have created an economy which many of the people you're talking about are busting their ass just to get by. They don't have time to spend a lot on this. They're trying to figure out how to afford childcare. They're trying to figure out how to make things work. They see inflationary prices go up and we may say, look, inflation is higher everywhere else in the world. They don't care about that because that's impacting with them. They Hear a guy like J.D. vance say egg prices went up. Yeah. Because a bird flu, they don't care about bird flu. They just know egg prices went up. So I do think there's a part certainly discerning on media is something my wife used to teach a course on modern media language and logic, trying to think through that. But I think part of it is these guys have, as we were saying on this, they've shifted wealth to the point where the wealth gap is staggering. When you see it in a, when you see it in a graphic, people can't believe how truly bad it is. And what stuck on that is a whole bunch of people trying to get through their lives. And Donald Trump has told them, you know, where to put the blame rather than that.

[Sean Hayes]

So I think the gap, the gap, the wealth gap, the wealth gap has never been, has never been bigger. And, and I remember saying this 10, 20 years ago, how that gap was widening wide. And now we're at this place and if people think for one minute that Donald Trump and J.D. vance give two craps about the middle class, they're looking to do tax cut to the richest Americans, to these billionaires, to give tax cuts to those. When the people who need the tax cuts are the people right in the middle who drive this country, who have, who have made this country what it is.

[Will Arnett]

When you do that, Minnesota is listed as, you know, the Republicans always say it's a high tax data. We're home to many Fortune 500 companies, high concentration. But we have what's rated as the Ferris tax. It's a progressive tax system. If you don't make as much, you don't pay as much. If you make more, you pay more. Look what ends up happening. That top five business, state, top three place to raise kids, top place for health care, longest longevity. Look, we're not perfect. I mean, and it's cold as hell here in the winter, so there's, there's things that happen.

[Jason Bateman]

But, but I thought, I thought you controlled the weather. According to Marjorie Taylor Greene.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, if we did, it would not be 40 below up here. But you're right, this idea of making the case to people that this works and look, this isn't class. You know, they said, you know, you're engaging in class warfare. They already won the war almost on that the guys on the other side. But this is about sense of fairness. And it's stunning to me that I thought one of the, you know, my killer lines in this, that would, the middle class would say, do you think it's Fair. Donald Trump doesn't pay tax. That doesn't seem fair. And a lot of people are like, well, he's successful. He knows how to work the system. That's disappointing to me.

[Sean Hayes]

Work the system. I imagine if, put it this way, if my dad gave me $400 million, I'd be a hell of a lot richer than Donald Trump is.

[Jason Bateman]

I guarantee you would.

[Sean Hayes]

Absolutely.

[Will Arnett]

You could have put it in a CD percent Exactly.

[Jason Bateman]

And not touch it.

[Tim Walz]

What do you think would be the best way or easiest way to penetrate that bubble that they all seem to be firmly inside of as far as giving them the information that they need and could sway their vote? Do you literally have to go to town hall meetings in some of these deep red districts? Does it mean being on Fox News a little bit more often? How do you get to them?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, I think that's right. We have folks. Pete Buttigieg goes on Fox News quite a bit. He's one of our best spokespeople. Yeah, and go on and just talk to folks because I don't think we can assume that all of them are not there. Like the vice president making that case, getting out there, going into place. You know, we're going into some of these pretty red areas. And this is another one of the vice president's things that I think when they feel this and people can see it, we're getting off a bus tour in rural Pennsylvania and one side of the street has our supporters and the other side of the street's not. I said, they always make it easy for us. They're all in the same hat. So we can see. And we know they were. But she didn't blink and it wasn't performance art. The only people there were her husband and my wife and I. And she said, tim, don't ever forget we worked just as hard for folks on this side of the street is on the other side of the street. You start to see some of the results of that. And we're seeing it in Minnesota. It's pretty hard. Like the vice president's advocating for this child tax credit. We implement it on the state level. Lowers childhood poverty. Some of this stuff starts to make sense and you have to. I'm a schoolteacher, so I talk Maslow's hierarchy. You know, you can't get to self actualization about things if people are worried about their safety and their hunger and things like that show people that these policies help make them more money. People are willing to tackle climate change if their lights come on and their bills don't Go up. They don't care where the power comes from. In fact, most people would rather see it come from renewables. But I think sometimes we say, well, why can't you see we have to save the planet on this? How about we just create a whole bunch of new union jobs like they did with this proposal? A whole bunch of opportunities.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

That's so. Great idea. It's interesting. One of the things that I noticed about you and Vice President Harris is that the way that you guys talk, that sort of antidote you gave about the vice president talking about we work for all Americans. There is that sense on that. A lot of the people who vote Republican talk about red, blue, blah, blah, blah. You guys don't talk as much about that. You guys talk about all Americaness because. Yeah, you have to.

[Will Arnett]

Right.

[Sean Hayes]

I mean, we're all here, we all live here. We all, you know, and I think.

[Jason Bateman]

Secretly we all want to get along.

[Will Arnett]

Of course.

[Jason Bateman]

Of course we do. I think we all really want to.

[Will Arnett]

Human survival.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Tim Walz]

I mean, there is a sort of a function kind of this team, that team, sort of. I mean, just speaking to you as a coach, and I'm a big sports fan, too. Like, there's a lot of fun being on one side versus the other. And you kind of watch the scoreboard and then, like, you know, the standings throughout the year, like. But that people are bringing this now into politics is literally dangerous at this point. And so, like, if they could just get a little bit more into their local team and stop being so sort of tribal and competitive and just think about this unity a little bit more.

[Will Arnett]

I'll tell you, Jason, as a. I'm a geographer by training. I love maps. Except one. Whoever built the red, blue map did more damage than you would ever imagine, because you look at that map and you look at South Dakota and say, oh, South Dakota's all red, or whatever. That's not true. That is not true. There's a mix. Or even you look at an urban area and say, well, that blue. Everybody in there. That's not true either. And they created this false mind mindset for us because. Very visual. Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

It's a good note for the newscasters. They should, instead of having that big map during election time, they should literally split each state into blue and red justice and then show the percentages rather than color it.

[Sean Hayes]

I just want to go on the record as saying, just out of deference to you, Tim, in what you're doing in the office, that you're seeking, that I have withheld a really good joke because it was in really poor taste.

[Tim Walz]

We'll get it in the wrap up.

[Sean Hayes]

Will and do it in the wrap up. But I'll just. I just wanted you to know that that's how much respect I have for.

[Jason Bateman]

Is it about me?

[Sean Hayes]

Yes, of course. But. But, but it could be. But I could also make it about Jason too. I could. I could.

[Tim Walz]

There's plenty there.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, there's plenty.

[Jason Bateman]

We'll be right back. There's a lot to say when buying a new home or car, but only one thing to say that can help you protect them. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. And just like that, a State Farm agent will be there to help you choose the coverage you need. No matter where you are in life, when you need coverage options, your State Farm agent is there to help. On the phone or in person. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Our show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Ever hear people say that something is like therapy for them? Playing tennis is therapy for me. Listening to music is my therapy. Cooking is like therapy. Well, you know what's therapy for me? You guessed it. Therapy. Because when it comes to sorting out issues, figuring stuff out, and just making you feel better about yourself, you can't beat the real thing. BetterHelp Online therapy is the easiest way for you to try out therapy for yourself. BetterHelp is convenient, flexible and built around your schedule. Start by filling out a simple questionnaire to be matched with a licensed therapist who fits your needs and preferences. Connect with them via phone, video, text or chat. Whatever works for you at a time and place that works for you. It's surprisingly affordable too. So if you ever struggle with depression, relationship problems, social anxiety, or family conflicts, give BetterHelp a try. It's not a substitute for therapy. It is therapy. I talk about it all the time. I've benefited from therapy myself. As you all know. I've been in New York for almost three months now. Three months is a long time to be away from home and Ricky and all my familiar surroundings and stuff like that. So I talked about it in therapy last week. Not that earth shattering end of the world, but it just helped to talk it through. And that's what therapy does for me. You can visit betterhelp.com smartless today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp. H E L p.com smartless.

[Tim Walz]

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[Jason Bateman]

And now back to the show.

[Sean Hayes]

You know, for me, the one of the issues that I want to get to and sorry if this seems very abrupt, but I think the issue for me that needs to be taken head on and we need to talk about, and I can't believe that there's any debate in talking about it considering this 2024 is women's healthcare.

[Jason Bateman]

Yep, absolutely.

[Sean Hayes]

For me, it is number one this year, women's healthcare. And we. The fact that it's even up for debate is absolutely ridiculous.

[Will Arnett]

Well, I couldn't agree more. And I look, there's household names now of women who should have been able to have their own private healthcare kept to themselves, who are thrust into the national light because they had to go through horrific situations that should have been as simple as healthcare being delivered. And look, this is something that's taken a while and I think for all of us on here, men need to know how to talk about it. Men need to know, you know, how women's bodies work and how doctors understand that. And I think that's something that has changed. I agree with you. I said, you know, a while back in the debate, it took a long time for them to get around to two most important issues. The issue of women's bodily autonomy and the democracy. Seems like those would have been two questions to come out of the chute with.

[Jason Bateman]

What's that great quote or question from Kamala Harris to one of the Supreme Court people about can you think of a law that does the same for a male Body. And it's like, there it is. It's all in that question.

[Will Arnett]

It is that simple. And everything stems from that. And these guys are not gonna stop. I talk about it the whole, you know, they're all over us. I don't wanna have to talk with my wife and I. Infertility issues and trying to use iui.

[Sean Hayes]

And there isn't a person out there, there isn't a woman out there who's seeking healthcare, who wants to talk about it or is in a position, who feels good about doing it? Nobody' that's the other thing. It's like, you know, abortion, Right? Or whatever. Do you think people are. This is something that everybody's looking for, that this is a place that people are in, a great place in their life.

[Will Arnett]

I'm with you, Will. Who's asking for this agenda? Who's asking for tax cuts for billionaires? Who's asking to repress women on this? I said this, dude, you think they're bunch of men? So they go, well, you think they're sitting around in the bar in Wisconsin saying, you know what we really need to do? We need to ban Orwell's books and we need to give billionaires a tax cut and we need to repress women. Let's hope not. Let's hope not. I hope they're talking about, we need better jobs. We need to make sure I can't afford to pay for daycare. Tackle these issues. And I think we, as this is what Kamala's putting out, let's really tackle the issues and show them that we're going after these things. But, you know, when we start to do that, they don't want to talk about it because they got no plan. Listening to them talk about healthcare, listening to Donald Trump ramble about protecting preexisting conditions, it's terrifying to me. If you want to be President of the United States or vice president, you should at least have a working knowledge how insurance works and how healthcare works. And they don't.

[Sean Hayes]

You should have a working knowledge of how anything works.

[Will Arnett]

Yep.

[Sean Hayes]

It's absurd. If we ever wanted to have a real conversation and you. You had to remove the word salad and you were like, no, you had. The moment. You deviate from the question, you're out. It would be.

[Tim Walz]

Or that an injection of bleach is just not a real good remedy for anything that ails, you know, like that. That should be pretty simple.

[Jason Bateman]

But it is why I have alabaster skin. Listen, I want to ask you something. You know, just as a sidebar Tim, when you first came on the scene, you started talking about that program you started in Minnesota about free lunches in schools. Yeah, that blew my mind because my mom raised five kids by herself. I was the youngest, and I would go to school and I wouldn't have lunch. I just wouldn't eat. That's right. We didn't have the money. We didn't have to learn.

[Sean Hayes]

We sure made up for it.

[Will Arnett]

Pretty hard to learn. Pretty.

[Tim Walz]

You're all caught. Sean, pump it.

[Will Arnett]

It's just crazy. We don't come in and ask them, where's your money for the heat today? You know, we put new windows in the schools. Where's your money, kid? To have bags? You know, this idea. And look, it's that simple philosophy of the investing. Every dollar you invest in early childhood, you get 12 baths.

[Jason Bateman]

Yes, I love that. And where did you get all that growing up? Like, where did you get this drive to be this servant of, like. And by the way, thank you for all your service, your public service and.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, well, I think about it and I, you know, when you're older, it's a lot of things that come in, certainly from parents and small community. But I gotta be honest with you, I grew up Catholic, and at that time it was about service. And the Catholic nuns, you know, get the little thump in the back of the head thinking, you're too big for your own britches. And it really was New Testament to the least amongst us type of stuff. I don't talk about, you don't need people to give you a sermon in elected office, but try and live one a little bit, you know, try and do something. And I think it was from that I feel very blessed. And it's, you know, it's different now. My wife converted me to Lutheranism, which is basically Catholicism with more singing, but.

[Jason Bateman]

That'S about the difference I'm in.

[Will Arnett]

But it's the same. It's the same type of principle. So I think that's what it was. And again, we have a saying. We have a great senator who died way too early in Paul Wellstone, who said, we all do better when we all do better. And it's the sense of servant leadership, the sense of putting back in and you benefit. And we keep talking about this, the school meals piece of it. You get better achievement, you get better students in school. And so even if you remove the moral aspect of feeding a child, you actually save money. So if you're just heartless and don't want to pay higher taxes, you save. You get $12 return on that. And so I said, the simplification is you can buy school buses and school meals, or you can buy prison buses and prison meals. You make a decision where you want to invest, and it's much better. Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. Well, of course, it makes so much sense to invest in the future, to invest in ourselves, to invest in our kids. That's what's going to help us. And because otherwise, if it rots beneath it, you know, if that doesn't get supported, then there is no future.

[Tim Walz]

Right?

[Will Arnett]

That's right. And public schools for all of us are at. And I. This is in rural areas that I keep thinking about these folks who want to voucherize. So you're going to have your voucher. So here's your voucher. You get a small tax credit or whatever, but your public school closes. Where are you going to send them? Where's that private school when you're out in a town like I was a 400, the idea that the community invested, and I had wonderful public school teachers who were teaching in a small school with, you know, 20 kids in a class coming every day, prepared to do that. What a sense of investment they all made. And I think, you know, from that kind of servant leadership. But watching the people around me, you know, the old Mr. Rogers thing, when you need somebody, find the helper. The helpers were all over and they were doing this. There's some of that.

[Jason Bateman]

I love that. I used to, you know, just talking to you, like Jason said earlier, you're just. I can see you as a teacher. I mean, I didn't have you as a teacher, but you remind me of, like, I love you as a teacher. You seem like. You seem like the greatest teacher ever, where all the kids just effing love you.

[Will Arnett]

Well, it was. It's a privilege of my life. Now, my wife said, you know, I was the fun teacher, and she's the teacher that kids came back 10 years later and say, thank you for teaching me English. And so Mr. Walsh was a barrel of fun. But, you know, but I learned English.

[Tim Walz]

Do you guys have a similar. Do you guys have a similar dynamic in parenting? Are you. Is she the disciplinarian and you're kind of the fun guy?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, she's amazing. If you've seen her and she can do anything. She is just the quintessential Lutheran, Minnesota woman. Yeah. And she's great. We're partners in this. I feel blessed that we got together. But, you know, just to be clear, she was much more political than me early. She would Watch the convention. I'm like, I'm not watching the conventions. It's summer. I'm going golfing or something. She paid attention. She knew it all. I didn't. She knew who people were. I'm like, I don't know who the senator from North Carolina is. And she would know them all. So great.

[Sean Hayes]

So, Tim, let me ask you this. You're a coach, you're a teacher, but you're a coach. And I love the idea that you're coaching teams. And so I just think you'd be awesome. It's, you know, we're looking at the clock. We got two minutes left in this election, and the team, which is America's at the sideline. What are you saying? What are you saying to us? What do we need to do to kind of, you know, to get a W here for our country?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, I've been. I've been getting.

[Sean Hayes]

Not just in the election, but in general for America.

[Will Arnett]

Look, it's a privilege. I mean, I wish we weren't in this situation. I wish this thing were a blowout. It's not going to be. It's going to come down to the hard work, but the sense of privilege here. This isn't about the next four years. This is about the next 40. And you're hearing from your people, you know, around the world, the rest of the world's looking for to do the right thing here. And I think to be a part of that and everybody to be the little things they can do, whether it's door knocking, whether it's going on and giving what little they have, you know, donations that people give 10 bucks, that's a lot for a lot of people. They do something else and they give the help. I think it's this idea that you can be part of something bigger, and that's what people want. That's the whole thing about teams. Like the kids who enjoyed being on football teams were the most is the kid who got in on kickoffs because you were going to play everybody, he wasn't the best athlete, maybe, but that kid was there because he was with his buddies. He was with his team. And I think for Americans, this idea, we can be in this, we don't have to agree. And I'm not naive. This is tough. There's folks that don't agree on anything. But I think the vast majority of people realize it doesn't need to be this way. And I give Kamala Harris full credit. This idea of joy. And I watch the Wall Street Journal. Poo, poo. Joy. I'll take joy over being, like, crabby and awful and no one wants to be around you.

[Sean Hayes]

Me, too.

[Will Arnett]

That's what she's doing. And politics can be that. Look, Donald Trump wants to make it. It would be easier, I guess he's saying, is just elect one person forever and let them make the decisions. This democracy stuff is hard. It's messy, it's difficult and it's frustrating, but it's the best that's been devised. Yeah.

[Tim Walz]

And it's the best path towards community. And we'll let you go. But I want to ask you, sort of building on that notion of community and everybody coming together and after you guys win, what do you think might possibly be a big give that you and Kamala could possibly offer to the folks who didn't vote for you guys that would get them so happy or so comfortable that they would feel good about uniting with the rest of the country, getting back to a bit more.

[Sean Hayes]

Than they'll get more jobs and they'll save.

[Will Arnett]

Right.

[Tim Walz]

But that notion of kind of becoming one big happy family and not just a standard speech about I want to be president for all, but. But something maybe taken directly from the Republican platform or their agenda that would.

[Will Arnett]

That's right.

[Tim Walz]

Would be felt as that give or that offer that would come across and, you know, and have the effectiveness of like an olive branch, you know. Have you thought about that?

[Will Arnett]

Well, she said it, and I agree with her. She needs to appoint a Republican to the Cabinet. I do think it matters to a position of authority. And look, there's a lot of them out there, these folks who are coming out and speaking on behalf of these Republicans. I disagree with many of them. Their values are there. I served with these people, people like Jeff Flake, the senator from Arizona, super conservative. But that man is as honest as anything I've dealt with him. Jim Langford, who wrote the big piece of the immigration bill that they killed. I served with him. That guy is the most conservative person I ever met, but he's also one of the most honorable. Some of these people need to be put in a position where they truly have the ability to influence things because they are ethical and they care about this country. And I think. I think that's something that really sets her apart. To make a high profile appointment to.

[Tim Walz]

The OR 2 or 3.

[Will Arnett]

Yes. Bring them folks who care about the country and let us. Look, I don't want to be surrounded by people I. In my organization. My folks know that I'll say something. They say, you know, with all due respect, Governor, that is a horrible idea and we should not do it. And I'm like, okay, good. Thank you for stopping me from doing that. Horrible idea.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, yeah. I think I need to give like.

[Sean Hayes]

Giving away SUVs with every tractor. That was a horrible idea.

[Jason Bateman]

I need to know before you leave what kind of snacks are on the plane or the car or the.

[Tim Walz]

What settles you?

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, yeah, I. This just irritates and I don't do it to irritate my pescatarian daughter. A beef jerky is my thing. I'm a homemade beef jerky and Pete Buttigieg's in laws made some and he brought me some. And I like the idea of a friend bringing you homemade beef jerky and know that that pleases you more than anything. So that's my thing.

[Tim Walz]

That's great. All right, well, listen, we just can't thank you enough for the trust to sit with us and your time. We're such big fans and we wish you the best of luck and safety out there on the trail and bring us that w. We're going to do everything we can and just couldn't be thrilled. More thrilled that you thank all three of you.

[Sean Hayes]

We really honored and your authentic self is just shines through and we're. That that authenticity is just so refreshing and great.

[Will Arnett]

Yeah, this was big deal for me, you guys. Thank you for having me on. I'm big, big, big fan and appreciate all you're doing.

[Jason Bateman]

We really appreciate you guys. Thank you.

[Tim Walz]

Thank you, Tim.

[Will Arnett]

Thanks guys.

[Sean Hayes]

Bye.

[Tim Walz]

Have a great day.

[Jason Bateman]

That was great. Thank you.

[Will Arnett]

You guys are the best. Hey, I didn't get in on this. I heard you guys often when you're talking, you're talking the golf. This is a thing. Honest to God. I don't know if you know this. So I grew up in those. That really small town. Yeah. Sand green golf. Three buck green field. You know it?

[Tim Walz]

I know what is sand green golf?

[Will Arnett]

Oh, you gotta hear this.

[Sean Hayes]

This is so.

[Jason Bateman]

Wait, so set it up again so people know.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. So you grew up. You grew up in Nebraska.

[Will Arnett]

I did. Small town.

[Sean Hayes]

And you played golf there.

[Will Arnett]

Played golf. And like everybody played golf. Farmers, everybody. And it wasn't country club golf, it was sand green golf. And what it is is the greens are made out of sand and they're oiled with vegetable oil. Well, in the old case they were oiled with oil, which was not good.

[Tim Walz]

I think that's what they do in the Middle East.

[Sean Hayes]

In Australia you rake the green with.

[Will Arnett]

A path and then you putt and then you rake it again to put ridges in it and they're little like postage stamp sized greens, but it's a whole different game. But I hear you guys talk a lot about golf. You gotta get on a sand green golf course.

[Sean Hayes]

Listen, once you've won and you want to take a little break, Jason and I will meet you in Nebraska. Let's go play some sand green golf.

[Will Arnett]

I'm looking even harder now. We gotta work.

[Tim Walz]

We're gonna find you. We do it.

[Will Arnett]

Thanks, fellas.

[Sean Hayes]

Thank you, sir.

[Will Arnett]

Let's get her done.

[Tim Walz]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Sean Hayes]

Bye, Tim.

[Tim Walz]

Thank you, pal. Boy, that fella, I mean, he really cool. He gives politicians a good name. And in my opinion.

[Jason Bateman]

Yes, in my opinion.

[Sean Hayes]

I'm with you. I'm with you.

[Jason Bateman]

You immediately. He's the dad. I always want to.

[Sean Hayes]

And I know that there are a lot of people out there who don't want. And I. So I get you saying in my opinion, but you. The one thing you can't knock is the guy's authenticity. Yeah. He's just such an authentic real person and it's great talking to him.

[Tim Walz]

How can you not like that guy? I'm sure you cannot. You can disagree with some of his policies, I'm sure. But I've just. I'm so excited about the prospect of simply just having somebody represent me and the country. I love that. I'm not sort of worrying about them saying something mean, nasty, offensive. I just. He's just.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

To get ahead.

[Tim Walz]

A guy I like to call my representative. I'm just proud. I would be proud of that.

[Jason Bateman]

Same.

[Sean Hayes]

And also not a guy who's out there to enrich himself or protect himself and use the office as a way to avoid prosecution.

[Tim Walz]

Right.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. I mean, truly. Truly. It's just so not self serving. It's the opposite. It's s. It's public service. Right.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

And so. Yeah, it's pretty. I think the most jarring thing was seeing Mike Terry there at the end, who works with us, our producers.

[Tim Walz]

That he was actually in their room. Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

That he was there with him while.

[Tim Walz]

Yeah.

[Jason Bateman]

That's interesting.

[Tim Walz]

Interesting.

[Jason Bateman]

Interesting.

[Sean Hayes]

Right.

[Jason Bateman]

But I like him.

[Tim Walz]

Did you guys. Did you guys. Did you guys have. Have any questions that you didn't get to. That you wanted to.

[Sean Hayes]

I wanted to mention this thing that they. There have been some fake fundraising emails that were going on. That this is true.

[Jason Bateman]

Yes.

[Will Arnett]

Right.

[Sean Hayes]

That he was gonna.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, because we all get those. Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

But we get these fake ones that are coming from them and they wanted to address them. That they're. I think they're working on it and.

[Tim Walz]

Oh really?

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah. Huh.

[Jason Bateman]

It's gotta be hard to track.

[Tim Walz]

I want to know.

[Jason Bateman]

There's a lot of awful people out there.

[Tim Walz]

I want to know what like bad like TV shows he watches or I want to. I wanted to know like if he has like a little game on his phone that when he has a little quiet moment like like we do with like Wordle or something like I bet he's got something fun in there. Really something really silly crushes it.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, he's got a sound like he's got a pretty full plate.

[Tim Walz]

I know, but you got to like.

[Jason Bateman]

Two minutes to like, you have to be able to.

[Tim Walz]

Yeah, exactly. Like even if is just like going into the bathroom and like just sitting down, you know, like not even like taking your pants down, but just like hiding in a stall somewhere just to get some quiet.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, yeah, right, right. I know. Oh, I know how he feels. I can't go anywhere.

[Tim Walz]

I know it, sweetheart.

[Jason Bateman]

Oh, but isn't that a good idea though you guys to do to, you know, fox, cnn. It doesn't matter who you are to split. Instead of showing a map of this is all red, this is all blue state, just cut it in half and show us the percentages of each state.

[Tim Walz]

Well, they do actually. The great Steve Kornacki will go in there and he will zoom in and it will expand and you will see sort of the micro of each of these districts and states and you will see how it is sort of, you know, split up inside there.

[Jason Bateman]

All right, fine.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah, it's true. Also, those maps are so deceiving because when you look at when you put it up against population.

[Jason Bateman]

Yeah, it's where population is centered instead of the electoral college.

[Sean Hayes]

How are we going to get rid of that Electoral college?

[Tim Walz]

Yeah, we can't do it here from our stupid ass podcast. You know, we need folks government and we're on our way. Hopefully we'll.

[Jason Bateman]

You know what I want to say to the Electoral College?

[Tim Walz]

Uh oh, here it comes, Willie.

[Jason Bateman]

Bye bye bye.

[Sean Hayes]

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[Will Arnett]

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[Sean Hayes]

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