Weekly Review With Clay and Buck H1 - Be a Normal Bro

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Weekly Review With Clay and Buck H1 - "Be a Normal Bro"
Date: March 21, 2026
Host: Clay Travis & Buck Sexton
Main Theme: The episode dives into major political stories of the week, focusing primarily on the contentious Senate hearing for the new DHS Secretary, the Republican infighting around the nomination, the fate of the SAVE Act, and the broader issues of political authenticity and party identification in America.

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Overview

In this episode, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton provide a sharp, sometimes humorous, and always opinionated look at the latest headlines, including:

• The heated Senate confrontation between Rand Paul and Markwayne Mullin (the nominee for DHS Secretary)
• Republican party divisions and the perceived dangers of focusing on internal disputes
• The likely defeat of the SAVE America Act, a key piece of GOP election security legislation
• Broader commentary on the struggle of Democrats to "speak the language" of regular Americans, particularly men
• Criticism of the Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico for being out of touch with mainstream Texas culture
• Debates over the historical assignment of red/blue labels to Republicans and Democrats

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Capitol Hill Drama: Rand Paul vs. Markwayne Mullin

Topic: The Senate DHS Secretary Confirmation Hearing
Timestamps: [03:58], [08:14], [11:58]

• The hearing for Markwayne Mullin's confirmation as DHS Secretary turned personal and heated, highlighting tension within the GOP.
• Backstory: Rand Paul, long known for his independent streak, invoked the near-fatal assault he endured by a neighbor, accusing Mullin of justifying or making light of it.

Notable Exchange:

• [03:58] Rand Paul:
  "You have never had the courage to look me in the eye and tell me that the assault was justified. So today you'll have your chance. ... Tell the world why you believe I deserve to be assaulted from behind, have six ribs broken and a damaged lung."
• [08:14] Markwayne Mullin's Response:
  "I could understand why your neighbor did what he did... I don't think anybody should be hit by surprise. I don't like that. But if I do have something to say, everybody in this room knows. I'll come straight to you."

Analysis by Clay and Buck:

• Buck: "It's not an apology, that's for sure." [08:57]
• Clay: "I don't think it's fake. Rand Paul and Markwayne Mullin don't like each other... It kind of reflects what's going on with media." [06:13]
• The hosts emphasize that 'these guys have real beef', contrasting this with the sometimes theatrical, performative nature of political disagreement due to social media.

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2. Republican Infighting & Its Consequences

Topic: Is internal GOP fighting counterproductive?
Timestamps: [10:38], [11:18], [13:07], [14:25]

• Both hosts express frustration that, in a time when major policy objectives need urgent attention (border security, SAVE Act), Republicans are distracted by highly public internal feuds.

Quotes:

• Buck: "We are trying to save the country from the communists. I just don't like getting into stuff with people that I agree with on 80, 90% of things." [11:18]
• Clay: "Sometimes when you're in power, you have the luxury to feud over things that aren't as significant as when the other party is in power." [13:59]
• Buck: "We need the best people in the important positions for the Trump agenda, and we need to get on this. The previous Secretary of Homeland Security was a mistake, and nobody wanted to hear that at the time..." [14:25]

Takeaway:
The hosts urge the GOP to prioritize unity and focus on core objectives rather than indulging in public, intra-party squabbles.

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3. The SAVE America Act: On the Verge of Failure

Topic: Election Security Legislation
Timestamps: [01:30], [15:03], [32:29]

• The much-touted SAVE America Act, aimed at election security, appears poised for defeat, which sparks strong disappointment from the hosts.

Quotes:

• Buck: "It looks like [the SAVE Act] is on the way to defeat, my friends... That's it. It's not going to pass." [01:30], [32:29]
• Clay: "If Republicans don't retain the House and or the Senate, then we're in significant, just basically gridlock for the next two years. Nothing is going to happen." [31:41]

Takeaway:
The window for significant Republican legislative victories is rapidly closing, and if the SAVE Act fails, little else of substance may pass before election fever and gridlock set in.

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4. The “Be a Normal Bro” Thesis

Topic: Democrats’ Disconnect from Mainstream American Masculinity
Timestamps: [21:57], [25:10]

• The hosts lampoon Texas Senate candidate James Talarico for running a vegan campaign and taking what they describe as culturally out-of-touch positions.
• Clay proposes a thought experiment: "Who on the Democratic side could just sit at a bar and be a normal guy, have a beer, and watch a ball game with regular Americans?"

Quotes:

• Buck: "James Talarico makes Beto O'Rourke look like Conan the Barbarian by comparison." [21:57]
• Clay: "They don't understand heterosexual men. ... How many Democrats right now could just sit at the bar and be normal at that bar with all of these normal dudes...?" [25:10]
• Buck: "A normal representation of a standard American heterosexual male is offensive to many parts of the Democrat Party coalition right now." [24:00]

Takeaway:
The Democrats’ elite culture and perceived performativity on social issues, say the hosts, have undermined their appeal to regular, apolitical, patriotic American men.

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5. Red vs. Blue: Party Color Controversy

Topic: Symbolism and Political Branding
Timestamps: [19:14], [34:43]

• Both Clay and Buck argue that it’s an upside-down historical accident that Republicans are identified as "red" and Democrats as "blue".
• They tie this into the discussion of party identity, with Clay whimsically suggesting a network could simply swap the colors back (Republicans as blue, Democrats as red, swapping the supposed "commie" color).

Quotes:

• Buck: "We basically let... TV decide that we're going to have red and blue. And the Democrats, who are clearly the reds, the commies, the Marxists... they are blue, which is my favorite color. So this always annoys me." [19:19]
• Clay: "What would happen if one station just flipped it?... Because the Democrats are the commies. They should be red." [35:42]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rand Paul (addressing Markwayne Mullin):
  "If that's what you believe, tell it to me today. Tell the world why you believe I deserve to be assaulted from behind..." [03:58]
• Markwayne Mullin:
  "I don't think anybody should be hit by surprise. I don't like that. But if I do have something to say... I'll come straight to you." [08:14]
• Clay Travis:
  "They don't understand heterosexual men. ... Who's the Democrat that could sit at the bar and actually hang out with these guys and be normal?" [25:10]
• Buck Sexton:
  "A normal representation of a standard American heterosexual male is offensive to many parts of the Democrat Party coalition right now." [24:00]
• Clay Travis:
  "Sometimes when you're in power, you have the luxury to feud over things that aren't as significant as when the other party is in power." [13:59]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:58]: Rand Paul confronts Markwayne Mullin about his comments related to the past assault.
• [08:14]: Markwayne Mullin responds to Rand Paul's accusations.
• [11:58]: Intense back-and-forth on what constitutes "character assassination" and the ethics of political violence.
• [15:03]: Clay reads live Rand Paul tweet vowing to vote against Mullin’s nomination.
• [19:14]: Discussion on why the GOP is “red” and the Dems “blue.”
• [21:15-21:57]: Replay of Talarico's vegan campaign pitch; hosts mock its Texas appeal.
• [25:10]: "Be a Normal Bro" segment: Can any Democrat just sit at a bar and blend with everyday men?
• [32:29]: Hosts confirm the SAVE Act is "not going to pass" and reflect on legislative urgency.

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Episode Summary: Takeaways for Non-Listeners

• The episode is dominated by the genuine animosity and political theater surrounding the Markwayne Mullin DHS nomination, with Rand Paul vocalizing a personal and policy-based opposition.
• Clay and Buck are critical of GOP infighting at a moment when, in their view, urgent issues (border, election security) require focus and unity.
• They declare the SAVE Act’s defeat as all but certain, expressing frustration over missed legislative opportunities.
• The “Be a Normal Bro” thread criticizes Democrats for alienating everyday men with culturally fringe or elitist messaging—epitomized by James Talarico’s vegan, meat-free platform in Texas.
• There’s a playful, recurring argument that Democrats, being "the real reds," should take the red color on electoral maps, not Republicans—a point made with tongue-in-cheek historical references.

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Tone:
The episode is filled with irreverent humor, sarcastic asides, populist appeals (“normal guys at the bar”), and pointed criticism of both political enemies and sometimes, their own party. Both hosts alternate between mockery (often at Democrats or left-leaning media), candid frustration, and policy seriousness.

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For first-time listeners or those catching up:
This episode is a perfect showcase of the Clay and Buck style: mixing hot-button political news with snark, cultural commentary, and insider Republican perspective—anchored by a preference for unity against perceived Democratic overreach and a nostalgia for authenticity in American life and politics.

Transcript

[A]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Welcome in, everybody, to the Wednesday edition of the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton show. Starts right now. A lot of stuff going on up on Capitol Hill. We're going to be getting into some of that with you for sure, given the fact that the Iran war is getting a whole lot of attention for obvious reasons. The Tulsi Gabbard testimony before Congress on global threats, touching on things that we will want to discuss. So we'll get into that. We have some of the aftermath of the Joe Kent resignation speaking of national security from Director of nctc. More updates on Iran. The Save America act, which we have tried to bring up as often as we can here because we get a tremendous amount of people saying that we should be discussing it more. So we go, okay, we'll talk about it. We'll talk about it. It's very important. We want election security, too. It looks like it is on the way to defeat my friends. So I guess we'll continue to have this discussion. But Thune is the majority leader. The people in his state elected him to the Senate to represent the Republican Party. And they seem to rather the Republicans seem to be on a pathway here to not passing the SAVE Act. So that is where it is. If that changes, we'll let you know, but we'll give you some updates on that. Something that is a little bit of a surprise to me, and perhaps it shouldn't have been, was how things were going up on Capitol Hill for the Mark Wayne Mullen confirmation as DHS secretary. Now, Clay, one thing that I think is quite clear at this point is given what just happened at dhs, which was leadership failure at all levels, let's just be honest, about looked buffoonish, unethical and screwed things up in the way Minneapolis was handled with messaging. Kristi Noem had to go and Trump told her time to go and now she's on some advisory security committee or something that no one's ever heard of before. So that was a appropriate move by the Trump administration. This is maybe the single most important thing. Deportations might be the number one promise of the Trump administration for this second term. It's happening, but it is not happening at the rate that was promised. Let's be honest about this. And there needs to be a whole lot more going on between now and the midterm election. With all that, I thought that DHS secretary's confirmation would be a pretty straightforward partisan issue. I knew Democrats were gonna push Mark Wayne Mullen on this. Senator Mullen, I knew that. But things got testy with Senator Rand Paul, who I might add, is joining us live on this program in a little bit. He wants to talk about this. I'm gonna give you some sense of how this went. Let's start with so a little bit of background here. As you, many of you will recall, perhaps all of you, Rand Paul was assaulted by a Democrat neighbor and almost beaten to death. His lungs filled up with fluid. He was in the hospital. It was horrible. He got infections. It was terrible. Rand Paul is an older guy and he was jumped and kicked and beaten on the ground by a maniac neighbor, almost killed. It's a really horrible thing. Now this comes after Rand Paul was almost shot, by the way, by a Bernie Sanders supporters screaming, this is for health care at a baseball field. So Rand Paul's been through some stuff, so let's just be fair about that. I can understand he doesn't have a sense of humor about this because it's not funny. And here's what he said to Mark. He says that Mark Wayne Mullen has taken the position that this stuff is funny. This is cut to listen to how this exchange went.

[B]

You have never had the courage to look me in the eye and tell me that the assault was justified. So today you'll have your chance. Today I'll give you that chance to clear the record. Tell it to my face. If that's what you believe, tell it to me today. Tell the world why you believe I deserve to be assaulted from behind, have six ribs broken and a damaged lung. Tell me to my face why you think I deserved it. And while you're at it, explain to the American public why they should trust a man with anger issues to set the proper example for ICE and Border Patrol agents. Explain to the American public how a man who has no regrets about brawling in a Senate committee can set a proper example for over 250,000 men and women who work at the Department of Homeland Security.

[A]

Clay, I don't think Rand Paul's a yes vote that I will say I don't think that's happening. But we'll talk to the senator, the other senator, not Senator Mullen, later on in the program.

[C]

Yeah, they don't like each other. And sometimes people don't like each other. And it is theatrical because they can go hang out afterwards and they have political disagreements. But personally they get along quite well. And there's still a decent amount of that, I think, on Capitol Hill, not as much as there used to be. And honestly, I think that's an interesting Question why people got along better on Capitol hill in the 60s, 70s, 80s. It seems like the 90s and the early 2000s. My argument would be social media, which has to a large extent created a lot of performative outrage that pays off. And so some people take it very seriously, even though for others it's still a form of kabuki theater, it feels like at times. But this is, this is real. Rand Paul and Mark Wayne Mullen don't like each other. And usually you get, as we talked about when this nomination basically was put forward, when Christine Ohm was let go, when we said, oh, Mark Wayne Mullen, he'll get confirmed relatively easily because the United States Senate tends to take care of its own. And I think that might factor in here a bit. Buck. I think that Rand Paul would feel more pressure to not get into a fight effectively over this if it were going to be a borderline situation. Right. Pete Hegseth, for instance, needed the overall tie breaking vote of JD Vance, if I remember correctly, in order to be confirmed as Defense Secretary. So if we're going to be in a situation like that, I think maybe things would be different. I think Mark Wayne Mullen will get multiple, probably Democrat votes. Certainly we know he's going to get betterman, so it's not going to be particularly close. But man, I'm interested to hear from Rand Paul at the, at the next hour. You know, his basis for this, this perspective. We, we've had both those guys on. I'm in a spot where I feel like it kind of reflects what's also going on with media argue, Buck, where I tend to kind of like most people. And so when I see people that we're friends with throwing elbows at each other on social media, I kind of just wish that they weren't. That's my overall perspective here too. I like Rand Paul and I like Mark Wayne Mullen. So I wish that they weren't, you know, engaged in verbal combat here in the Senate hearing. But I don't think it's fake. I think that Rand Paul and Mark Wayne Mullen don't like each other. And I think Mark Wayne Mullen came on our show a while back and said that too. So that, that's just the reality.

[A]

I, I think that the not liking each other thing, but we said this as well one time, I remember that was quite clear. Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy do not like each other. It was a different thing on that

[C]

stage in the, in the debate. There was venom associated with both of them. It Wasn't just a disagreement.

[A]

Right. It was. I mean, you can think about this with Democrats. Like, Kamala basically said to Joe Biden, you're an old white racist. And then she became his vp. Like, she just said it because she had to, she had to get some attention. And Biden was probably asleep with his eyes open. And so who cares? No, these guys, look, they have, they have personal beef. Mark Wayne Mullen addressed Rand Paul's comments. We have to play the other side of this for sure. This is cut three. Listen in.

[D]

I simply addressed that. I said I could understand because of the behavior you were having, that I could understand why your neighbor, why the neighbor did what he did. As far as my terms and snake in the grass, sir. I work around this room to try to fix problems. I've worked with many people in this room. Seems like you fight Republicans more than you work with us. I did address those remarks. I did explain your gimmicks by the amendment you put forth. And as far as me saying that I invoke violence, I don't, I don't think anybody should be hit by surprise. I don't like that. But if I do have something to say, everybody in this room knows. I'll come straight to you. I'll say it publicly and I'll say it privately, but I'll never say it behind your back.

[A]

It's not an apology. It's not an apology, that's for sure.

[C]

It's kind of, I think he was making what he considered to be a joke.

[A]

Right.

[C]

If I were analyzing this, like, I don't think that Mark Wayne Mullen is actually in favor of random acts of violence. I don't, I think he was making a joke based on his relationship. A little bit of a cutting joke. Yes. And I also understand why if you're Rand Paul, you're like, hey, I got attacked by a crazy left wing lunatic. I don't think that that should be something that is joked about. Right. So that's where I kind of think they are. If I, I always say this. If I were in the Senate, I would vote for Mark Wayne Mullen. And I think I would enjoy working with Rand Paul too, because I like both these guys. Does it surprise me that they have a dislike for each other? Not really. Right. Because I, I, I can see them being incredibly different individuals. Right. You, you know how the jocks and the nerds sometimes don't get along, but if you're a little bit in the middle between the two, you get along with both people. I, I think that that is this version of the, of the Senate. And I just look, my general perspective, Buck, and we talked about this off air, is there's so many people that are truly putting forward awful decisions and have truly bad ideas for the country that I think sometimes fighting with people who have subtle degrees of difference on how to get to better places is not a beneficial way to spend your time. Right. There's so, to me, there are so many people throwing crazy things out there in terms of political. On the left right now that whether somebody has a bit of a different perspective on Iran than I do, I'm not willing to, like, put on boxing gloves and try to take them out over their perspective on that being wrong. When there's so many people that are not even in good faith engaging in, in, in arguments on the left. Does that make sense? And I think a lot of you kind of get that. It kind of echoes the Ronald Reagan thing, which is, you know, thou shalt not fight with another Republican. And clearly that's being violated here. Yeah.

[A]

Clay and I try to have no enemies to the right because we're trying to save the country from the communists. I mean, that's a pretty. That's how we honestly feel like. I just don't, I don't like getting into stuff with people that I agree with on 80, 90% of things. When I say, again, I'll disagree with them, but attacking them, saying they're a bad person or I impugn their motives or whatever, we just, this isn't something we've coordinated. We just both have similar personalities in this respect or similar approaches. That's just not really who we are as individuals or as a show. Rand Paul still pretty ticked off. This is cut. I mean, I'm just telling you guys, it was fiery up there. This is cut five. And Mullen said that there was character assassination going on Play five.

[B]

In the days after the fight, you said, and I quote, sometimes people just need to be punched in the face. Is that still your opinion, that political disputes can sometimes and often only be resolved by violence?

[D]

No, I, I don't, I don't always agree with that. I don't believe in political violence. I've made that very clear. But sometimes people do need. Theoretically speaking, that's. Sir, I get it. It's about character assassination for you. That's the way this game is played. I understand it. And you are making this about you, which is fine, but that doesn't keep me as safe nation.

[B]

When you were the one lauding the assault. Who do you think started that character assassination? I'm just repeating what you have done in character assassination. I'm repeating your support for the assault. So that's somehow something I started.

[D]

No, sir, what I'm saying is you're adding a lot to it.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

You know, it's not very cool when

[A]

you kick somebody when they're down. You never know. You do be careful when you kick somebody when they're down because they may be up at some point and have an opportunity to kick back. And that's what's going on here.

[C]

I will say two things. Can you remember Democrats going after Democrats in hearings like this?

[A]

Oh, I know a lot of Republicans are about to come after us and say, like, but this is so terrible. This is what, this is what your Republican senators are doing right now in the hearing, everybody. This is what is going on. I mean, we're just presenting to you. This is the back and forth that you're getting where we're trying to put the most important after Secretary of War, maybe Secretary of State, treasury, like, top five position in the government. It should be all about the mission, Clay.

[C]

So there. Kristi Noem lost her job not because of Democrat criticism, but because John Kennedy, who was on this show, asked her a question about $200 million in advertising spending, and she answered it different than President Trump did. And that was it.

[A]

Right? Well, she, she. People alleged that she lied, and people are alleging that she lied under oath, and she lied in a way that actually impugned President Trump. It was an incredibly stupid thing to do.

[C]

But it was a Republican, basically, who got her on that issue. It was John Kennedy. And he said, hey, I'm going to go after him. My point on this is the knives are out, right? And now you got Rand Paul going after Mark Wayne Mullen. I think what this is symptomatic of, Buck, is sometimes when you're in power, you have the luxury to feud over things that aren't as significant as when the other party is in power.

[A]

Let me say this. My takeaway from all this, Clay, is, guys, we are. The save act is about to fail. We are running out of time. We need the best people in the important positions for the Trump agenda, and we need to get on this. The previous Secretary of Homeland Security was a mistake, and nobody wanted to hear that at the time because it was all, oh, but Trump knows what he's doing. Yeah, he knows what he's doing, but he's not perfect. You need to have the best people in the best places, and that should be what the focus of this hearing is instead of. I mean, it was. It was nasty. It was feisty up there.

[C]

I mean, Senator Paul just tweeted. I mean, I'm assuming he's not voting for him. Senator Mullen tried to justify a violent attack on me. Now he wants to lead ICE and Border Patrol. You can't restore law and order with someone who has an anger problem. America deserves better. So that's a tweet that he just sent five minutes ago. So he's going to be on with us, Senator Rand Paul next hour. We'll talk about it.

[A]

Yeah, stay with us, guy. And send in the questions. What questions do you want to ask of the senator? If we have a couple that are really powerful and we'll try to get to a couple of them. We've done that before. All right, put yourself in the wayback machine for a minute. Go back 20 years. If you had $20,000 from your savings account, you put it into gold, you would now own 33 ounces, which would be worth about $150,000. All right, forward thinking. Americans have been diversifying into gold for a long time. Gold's value shot up more than 65% last year. And gold is good, my friends. Gold over the last 20 years is up over 700%. There's so many great ways to get into gold. One is to just buy it with Birch Gold Group. That's what I do. I go to Birch Gold, I give them my budget, they send me gold, gold coins, gold bullion. But there's also getting gold in an IRA or 401k. All you have to do with Birch Gold Group to get this process in motion is text my name, Buck to 9898 98. To receive your free info kit on gold, text Buck to 9898 98. Text B U C K to 98. 98 98.

[C]

Clay Travis and Buck Sexton mic drops. That never sounded so good. Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back in Clay Travis, Buck Sexton show. Sad to see Venezuela beat the United States last night in Miami. Great game, fun event. But there's other sad news. Buck probably didn't even know the results of that one. Buck, I'm surprised that you were even able to get out of bed and come on the show today. Your boy Joe Scarborough had one hour of his show Morning Joe taken away. How are you going to be able to recover as MSNBC is panicked? Nobody's watching. And your boy Joe Scarborough is getting demoted.

[A]

I had to pour out a little Crockett coffee for my home slice. Joe Scarborough this morning in in memoriam of the hour of the show that has now been chopped down. It is, it is a deeply sad experience. I, I really, those of you, there's only a few of you, and by a few, I mean probably I could count you on one hand who were rolling with me and rolling with Joe and Mika going into the 24 election. It was amazing TV, guys. It was like a constant reality show inside of an insane asylum from like, you know, centuries past. Like, it was crazy town. Great watching, great watch.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Oh my gosh, the Nazis are taking over. Anyway, all right, when the FBI puts out a report says that burglars are still out there and they're still breaking into homes, you got to pay attention because the data is what the data is. And twice a minute nationwide, there's a break in twice a minute. If it happens in your home, what do you do? Look, this isn't something that you want to be thinking about all the time. You just want to take the time now to be prepared. And that's where sabre and their whole line of home defense products comes in. The saber home defense launcher delivers seven powerful impactor pepper projectiles. Clay and I both have these. We've both been out the range. We've tried them out easy and actually kind of fun to use and train with. To be honest with you, use the inert ones. You don't have to obviously shoot the stuff that has the pepper in it. But once you do that, you know how it operates. The saber pepper gels, pepper projectiles, pepper sprays, all incredible non lethal home and self defense. Sabre is how you spell it. Go to sabrerradio.coms a b r e radio.com or call 844-824 safe. Welcome back into Clay. Anne Buck. I want to talk about communists for a second because we were just talking about red on red fighting. Actually I get on a little rant about this sometimes. It is, it is absurd that the Republicans are the red party and the democrats are the blue party.

[C]

I really, this is such a dirty take, but it is accurate. Historically, yes.

[A]

The Republicans should be blue, Democrats should be read. This all comes from TV news in like the 70s when they would just for election time put up different colors for the different parties and I think at one point yellow actually even represented and then it just stuck. So we basically let you know, CBS news and ABC News and whatever decide that we're going to have red and Blue. And that the Democrats who are clearly the reds, the commies, the Marxists, the collectivists, they are blue, which is my favorite color. So this always annoys me. They should be red and instead here we are. But speaking of reds and commies, James Talarico is running for Senate in Texas. Now, I have a lot of faith in the great people of Texas, wonderful state, that they're not going to elect this guy. But there also needs to be a message sent. It is a flat out absurdity that this is the candidate that they would run. I would go so far as to say that James Talarico is more absurd as a possible Senate representing Texas than Beto would have been, which is this is, this is taking a real swing.

[C]

I think that's 100% correct. And I don't know that Democrats really knew what they were getting into when they put him forward.

[A]

You know, Beto looked good in his Wrangler jeans and he had the cowboy boots at the campaign stops and, you know, he could kind of fake it a little bit. And he was like, yeah, like I just, just look, want to do great things. And you're like, what does this guy even stand for? But then he was like, I'm going to take away your AR15. And Texas was like, no, I don't think so. So here we are with James Talarico. There's a flashback to 2022. I want you to listen to the words of this Senate Democrat candidate and just enjoy play 29.

[D]

We have, I think, heard more and more issues of animal welfare. I think not just because it's the right thing to do and the moral thing to do, but also it's, as all of you know, necessary to fight climate change. It is now existential that we try to reduce our meat consumption and that we try to respect animals in all aspects of society. And so I, I am proud to say that our campaign has officially become a non meat campaign. So we have, we are, we are only buying vegan products from, from our local vegan businesses. The point is that I think all of us, not just policymakers, but, but everyone has to take personal responsibility in this effort.

[A]

Clay, the entire audience, all the guys felt their estrogen levels rise. This guy Talarico makes Beto o' Rourke look like Conan the Barbarian by comparison.

[C]

It is crazy. What do you think the odds are of anybody getting elected in statewide office in Texas who doesn't eat steak? Like has this would be a great like.

[A]

And not just doesn't eat steak has a moral ethical problem. With the eating of steak, this guy might as well say cowboy hats look stupid. Like this guy is out of his mind.

[C]

I, that's, that's a really important point. But I just think in general, I don't think maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there has been a statewide elected official who would refuse to eat steak. Like, I don't even think Texas would elect a vegetarian, much less someone to your point who actually believes that you have a moral obligation not to eat steak. This guy, I feel as if Republicans played total possum on him. Because as much as you want to say about Jasmine Crockett, and we have said a lot of negative things about Jasmine Crockett, I think Jasmine Crockett is more masculine than this guy. I, I, I think that she is more of a, and, and that's not an indictment on her, that's an indictment on him. I think that she is more of a normal Texan and she's way out of the normal band, but I think she is actually more of the normal Texan than Talarico. They really, it feels to me like Democrats talk themselves into the idea that he would appeal to people. And again, it comes back to the Tim Walls impact. Democrats so don't understand heterosexual men that they can't even comprehend what they could do to put forward someone to appeal to a heterosexual man. And it's like Walls, it's like Talarico, they don't speak the language and it actually is worse than if they didn't know anything at all.

[A]

I want to offer you a theory on this as the author of Balls. So I feel like there's, there's expertise that has been clearly established on this matter. I think that, I'm not saying that what you're saying is in any way untrue. I agree with it. I think there's maybe another layer though, and it's this, that a normal representation of a standard American heterosexual male is offensive to many parts of the Democrat Party coalition right now. And so on the one hand they don't get it, but on the other hand they can't even really do it because to be a normal bro, you're going to upset the purple haired nose ringed lunatics who are the street brigade of the Democrat Party and the online banshees trying to convince everybody that they're bigots and they're bad people if they're Republicans. You see what I mean? Yeah, I don't even, I think even if they knew what it was, they would worry about the depiction because it will upset People.

[C]

I think that's totally true. I also think the analogy here would be, you know, how sometimes when you think you speak the language, you actually end up in a worse place than if you just ask somebody to try and speak English with you. I don't know if you guys have ever been in this situation. I speak French very poorly. And when I was in France, when I would attempt to speak French, I would get in worse position than if I just asked them to speak English with me. And so they have this inability to speak the language to such an extent that when they try to speak the language, they actually are in worse position than if they just said, hey, you know what? We really don't understand this. I was thinking about this last night, Buck, because the US Lost to Venezuela. Congrats to Venezuela. But the entire bar that I was at, I was at a sports bar. I took my kids, I was with a couple of buddies and they had their kids. And we were all sitting around watching the game last night. Entire bar was going crazy for the US during the course of this baseball game. There was a guy, I'm in Florida right now. There was a guy who wore an American flag cape to sit at the bar last night where we were. Okay, tire bar is going crazy. I went in to go to the bathroom. You know, we're out on the patio and I, you know, kind of walk through and I look at everybody there and I just think, who's the Democrat that could sit at the bar and actually hang out with these guys and be normal? It's all dudes just wanting to watch a baseball game and root for America. How many Democrats right now could just sit at the bar and be normal at that bar with all of these normal dudes who may not even be particularly political at all? Right? They're probably not paying attention to the SAVE Act. They're not paying attention to the day to day mechanics of politics. But ultimately they have to be spoken to. I don't know that there is a Democrat. Maybe it's Wes Moore, right? Maybe it's Gavin Newsom. It's certainly not aoc. We know it's not Kamala. It's not Gretchen Whitmer. It's not JB Pritzker, right? Like you can act, not Andy Beshear. You can run through and just be like, that guy can't have a beer at the bar and be normal. That's an issue, right? If you're. Look, if you wonder how you lost men, how many normal Democrat elected officials could have a beer at the bar and root for the US to win a sporting event. I think they are out to lunch. I think they are totally lost on this. And until they recognize that they don't speak the language, they're actually going to be in a worse place. They're going to be like me trying to speak French where I'm actually worse off than if I just ask them to try to speak English to me. And they won't even recognize that they have the problem. And so I do think the result is you end up with Talarico. And I think that Republicans played possum on this because the minute Talarico won, you suddenly saw that they had all of this opposition research that they just poured out there. And I actually think it's a little bit of an indictment of Jasmine Crockett that she wasn't able to get her team to uncover all this craziness. Now maybe her team decided actually our base wants a lot of this craziness and that was the reason they had it and they didn't feel like they could play it. Okay, let me tell you, I want all of you to know that rapid radios can make a huge difference for you. Have you been paying attention to all the different tornadoes that have been coming through? We've lost life. We've had a lot of different major damage that's taken place all over the country. And we're soon going to be into heavy thunderstorm season. Amount of you that are going to be losing power, it's going to be through the roofs. If you need to get hooked up with a reliable 5 hour plus charge, 5 day charge. 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Check them out today. It's a great plan. You're going to love it. We've done it. You'll be glad that you did it as well. Rapidradios.com code radio want to be in the know when you're on The Go the Team 47 podcast shrub highlights from the week, Sundays at noon Eastern in the Clay and Buck podcast feed. Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back in Clay. Travis BUCK SEXTON SHOW Senator Rand Paul going to join us in the next hour as on Capitol Hill, the discussion about whether Mark Wayne Mullen will be the next DHS secretary, which we believe he will be, is currently underway in earnest.

[A]

Can I just be clear, though? It's really important. This is a really important job. So and unfortunately, this was this is among a lot of you would say the way the Epstein files were handled, the Epstein files have now come out. As far as I understand it, there was mishandling of that, too. For me, I think the, the leadership of DHS may be the single biggest whiff of the first 12 months. Because, guys, Minneapolis, we pull back. Minneapolis is now all you're hearing about from these Democrats. And this is what, you know, the whole thing, it was a bit, it was a blunder. It was a blunder from the people running that, running that shop. And we need new leadership, Clay, that gets the job done. Is there a more important thing than deportation, securing the border and changing the trajectory of illegal immigration in this country? I don't think so. I don't think there is something that's more important as a Trump agenda item than that.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So I'm, I'm pretty frustrated with how it's gone up to this point. I the border securing, amazing that that was something that we got done the first 90 days.

[C]

So if we want to talk things that are alarming, there are a lot of them out there. What I would say is particularly alarming to me is we're now into mid to late March. Soon we will be into early summer and Congress will just shut down for the campaign season. And if Republicans don't retain the House and or the Senate, then we're in significant, just basically gridlock for the next two years. Nothing is going to happen. So if Republicans don't get through things now, then basically I'm just being honest with you all. Nothing's going to happen for two years

[A]

and the 2028 election starts in December, my friends.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Think about that. The 2020 action begins at the end of this year. So this is really important. It is time sensitive, the agenda and people are like, we got a VIP email from Matthew. Please ask Senator Paul what are you doing to get the SAVE act passed? We'll ask him. It's not going to pass. That's it. There's no, there's because the way that it have to get passed is they get rid of the filibuster. They're not willing to do that. It's not going to pass. I think that's, I can sit here and complain about it and we have. But we're not senators. We're certainly not 60 senators.

[C]

Yeah. And, and I think that just ties in with what are they going to do. We know what Democrats are going to do if they win the House. I was looking today on Polymarket. Fuck. There's a 70% chance Trump is going to be impeached again. If Democrats win the House in lockstep, they are going to go impeach President Trump and we're going to have the multi month charade. And you may say, well this is a total joke and it is and we agree with you, but they're going to shut down the House and the Senate to have another trial on President Trump. They're going to shut down everything. And again this, this is why I say, look, the House is important. The Senate is to me. It has got to be the, has got to be the ultimate, you know, Maginot line, so to speak. That didn't go well, although that didn't

[A]

work out so great as we know historically.

[C]

Did not. But we've got to have what is the most successful.

[A]

The Great Wall of China.

[C]

Wall of China.

[A]

We gotta have also, by the way, kind of a fabrication after the fact. Not really that successful. The Mongols kick.

[C]

That's what I'm saying. What is the most successful defense line ever? That's a good military history question. May, maybe, maybe it. They need to have a Cemetery Ridge third day Battle of Gettysburg, Bulwark, which used to be a good word before those crazy people took it over in order to rebut a charge. And this is why I've said a lot of people, supreme court, Clarence Thomas, 75, Justice Alito 74. We may not have the ability to have a president of the same party as the Senate for another four or five years. You saw what happened with Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

[A]

We told you guys, to enjoy that first year of Trump's incredible wins and just running up the scoreboard and all that stuff, because it does not last. There will be the fight ahead, that is for sure. Clay got me excited about history there for a second. Some of you writing in about this to be clear, for much of US History on the red blue phenomenon, blue was of course, the color of the Union during the Civil War. Blue represented the Union. Blue was the color of the Republican Party more often than not, although there was no standard system. It was color TV that changed this. In 1976, Ford versus Carter. Blue was suddenly for Republicans. Red was for Democrats. And this followed the older convention. But then guess what? They changed it. Some of you pointed this out. 2000 election, red states on the screen after the disputed election. Republican George Bush, blue states, Al Gore. And then all the networks followed suit. Clay. And that's how we got red state, blue state. The Democrat Party should be the reds. I'm just saying maybe I don't know

[C]

what would happen if one station just flipped it. Like if Fox News just said, hey, you know what? Red, blue, we're going back to the historic.

[A]

They went full Department of War on this. I kind of like that idea because the Democrats are the commies. They should be red. Blue is the greatest color in my opinion. And blue is what the Republican Party has always stood for. So there you go.

[C]

When we come back, we'll give you updates on Iran. We will also continue to talk about the Mark Wayne Mullen hearing. We've got Senator Rand Paul scheduled to join us. Some good news. Murder rate hit 125 year low. I think we should continue to hammer that home DC Crime murder rate has collapsed. I'll hit you with some of those numbers if you want something positive. We'll also jump back into a conversation we've been having, which I think is very significant. Kathy Hochul is now begging rich people to move back to New York. Did you see this buck? As the overall budget is collapsing in New York State and in New York City. City. And our good friend Joy Behar says Trump is doing to Europe the same thing that Adolf Hitler did to Europe. That's real. That's the view. We'll have some fun with it. Thanks for hanging with us on Clay and Bob.

[A]

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