Hey, they're both seating cats and dogs, So execute the baby. Israel not gonna be around in two years, and transgender surgeries on illegal immigrants in prison. And we are barely now scratching the surface of the first and maybe only presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Robes. You still have it up. The headline you just saw? Was it the hill? You just told me the headline
they already have. As we're kind of summing up here what we just witnessed, you said they were kind of harsh. Yes, this might be the way, it might be the consensus, but they were the first to say it out.
Just questioning whether or not Trump could have done himself in in the same way Biden did with his performance at tonight's debate, and it was a head scratcher. I think for a lot of people watch. I've never said what is he talking about? More than I've ever asked myself when watching a debate. It just it went into so many different bizarre and unexpected places that it did leave me perplexed, and I think a lot of people watching were also confused. In moments by what was actually happening.
Well, obviously you weren't alone, because, like I said, we noticed one of the top trending topics, I think number one or number two all night was what is he talking about? Donald Trump had a bad night? And I think it's not just us saying that. It seems to be and we keep several screens up and it's the consensus. And when we see Fox News lead with he had a bad night, off night, missed opportunities. She was strong.
When they're saying that, then you know what kind of night it was, and she did what she had to do tonight. I mean it's hard to it was almost like she was beating up on the guy. Were used to seeing beat up on people, right.
I think you know the thing I've seen come out about Kamala was, you know, some people liked it and some people felt distracted by it, and some people were concerned it could come off as condescending. But we always look at how the other presidential candidate is looking or reacting to Because the mics were turned off when the other was speaking, but she also looked confused, and from what I just said, that might have been a fair reaction to some of the things he was saying, but
she was smiling a lot and looking a lot. So there have been memes already made all across the internet, and I'm sure throughout the day of her confusion or I'm sorry, sir, what are you saying? So the memes are abound. That's one of the big headlines coming from her in reaction to Trump.
But she was feeling what we were all here.
Correct, correct, So it was a shared experience, I think for a lot of folks. And then the other commentary and Fox News, we did watch some of what they had to say was and this isn't surprising at all, but they did go on the offense against ABC News, saying that there was not enough follow ups. Kamala was asked about her flip flopping on several issues. She didn't answer or at least explain her switch and position, and
ABC didn't hold her accountable. So there was a lot of finger pointing in that direction that they were holding Trump accountable and they were harsh with him, but weren't giving Kamala Harris the same treatment.
Well, that's that is true. That is undeniable, and we maybe need to hit on that because we well more than most hogues have insight and know the two moderators, yes, who have been longtime friends of ours, so we can give some insight into that. But let's go back and ask you actually before I get to go back to the top and just them coming out. Yeah, you just mentioned that you saw some reaction and some people are taking issue with her mannerisms or how she was speaking to him. What was it?
No, it was just the memes, like you know, her facial expressions when he was talking. They're there, are they're everywhere, and there a lot of them are positive, they're they're they're commiserating where they're saying. This is what I This is what my teacher looked at me when I told her, you know what happened to my homework last night. You know, So it's it wasn't negative towards her, just reacting to her reaction throughout the debate.
The folks are so savvy these days, and everybody has someone on their staff these days that's under twenty three years old just to I know what's going on online. I wonder she knew exactly what she was doing, and she had been told and been coached to do this thing.
When he starts rambling to where when you feel like you don't understand what he's saying, the country also is looking at him, and just do and you you start something like that that goes that kind of viral and gets people talking that stuff might be a fact these days.
To your point, the Harris team had asked that the microphones not be turned off, that there could be a real debate, that there could be interruptions and people could see how each candidate was reacting to the other. Well, that she lost that the rules were in place that she wouldn't be able to talk or react to him verbally. So she kind of nailed it visually her you know, she didn't have to say anything. She was saying it with her face, she was saying it with her eyes.
And in a way, those pictures, those lasting images, are being spread across the internet. In a way, perhaps if she were able to have said what she was thinking, it wouldn't have had the same impact.
I don't there were times I almost felt like I was saying, oh, come on, VP, Harris, give him a break, like to the point it was almost like a knockout, like he's like there was a TKO at some point I said it to you. Are we watching? I really want this to end. I just this needs to stop. You felt almost sorry for him, the way you felt sorry for Joe Biden. And it's a different way, like she gave him a look that my sister I'm used to her saying sometimes just bless his heart, like she
it was almost just I feel bad. He's rambling. He was all over the place, and there's some stuff about him we're used to seeing. He was just he fell for everything she baited him into.
He took the bait, and he then and then he went, and he went so much further with it. For me, I have to say, initially, I felt like Kamala Harris was leading a little bit too much with emotion, too much of a deliberate attempt to pull on the heartstrings of America at times, and that was I was thinking, oh no, please don't go there, Please don't do that. And Trump actually seemed very measured and very much in control, and so I thought, Okay, here we go. This is
going to be interesting. And pretty quickly for me, Trump went off the rails when he started talking about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, stealing and eating dogs and cats and other pets, and and.
It was that long.
He completely lost me. At that point, I actually was like, am I what am I hearing right now? And what am I listening to? And how was this a presidential debate? And but it went from bad to worse like that was where for me, like it just completely started to unravel. And he did not. He didn't regain his composure after that.
I never did. He never seemed to get his footing. And we've seen him ramble, we've seen we're almost used to him being a certain way. I'm not sure I've seen him this off, and.
It's true, and I have to say, Kamala, you know some of these lines were clearly rehearsed, and we obviously the candidates go into a very intense practicing mode, and we heard she actually had the stage replicated and really was prepared, and you could tell she had some doozies that I wrote down. And I think probably one of my favorites was he was fired by eighty one million people people, and clearly he's having a hard time processing.
I mean, she just landed a lot of planes at his expense, and it's almost he knew it he's a smart man. He felt it, and I think it was just it wasn't his night. You know.
I don't know how high the bar was for her tonight, like what she needed to necessarily do. There's all these polls out that still a third of the folks think they need to know more about her before they vote for They're still getting to know her. She hasn't done a one on one sit down interview, she hasn't done a press conference, all these things where people are trying to learn something about her tonight. So I don't whatever the bar was, she exceeded that sucker with his assistance, right,
he both some of them seemed going in. It's coming from the camps that the strategy was let the other one do most of the talking, and that is going to be beneficial for our camp. Just let the other one talk, and tonight he was the guy she just let talk and she never did. Look the prosecutorial background we talk about, they are trained, they know what they're doing, they know how to handle all kinds of folks and
almost I mean, this was a knockout. I don't know what else to say here, Robes, this is not it's not even a policy This is just on optics, and this is just on handling the moment. He wasn't up to the task and to all that's going on in the world. He's talking about people eating dogs. Were you looking at the screen like what, yes, how is this relevant?
Yes? And then saying if Harris is elected president, Israel will be gone in two years. He absolutely blamed Kamala Harris for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. I mean, it was, it was. It was. It's one thing to be able to point your finger at at what a candidate has done or contributed, but to make outlandish claims like that. And yes, we're used to some of those types of comments from Trump, but this actually was. It exceeded what I had heard from him before. It didn't work, It
didn't land, It wasn't believable. It was almost laughable. And that's where you started to, as you point out, maybe even feel sorry for him, because that's not that it didn't work, and you know he Look, we see politicians on both sides of the Aisle fear monger. That is a huge part when you see any campaign ad. This is this has been going on since the beginning of time.
It's gotten worse. But tonight, get Trump played off of that handbook where he was absolutely saying, you know, the world's basically going to end if he is an elected president, and we saw Kamala Harris take on a much more positive It was a little at times was it felt a little too cheerleader esque, but she did stay positive for the most part, and she was building, you know, a new vision. Let's not go back in time, and
that's been their campaign strategy. But tonight on the stage it worked, you know, and I don't know how much into policy we even got, or any real substantive answers we got from any of the questions asked, So it wasn't really about policy or substance, but in terms of style and temperament, yes, and reaction and the ability to pivot and to not get rattled that you know, I
think sadly that's where we are in these debates. Almost it's less about even learning anything and more about observing and watching, and I guess that is an important part of leading a country and being president and trying times you have to have the right temperament.
You know. With what we saw in the debate and the news alert that just came across. The election is probably settled. Just came across as we are recording this, that Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris.
Well, I don't think that's a big surprise. This is for anybody's done. She saying that, in fact, seeing Tonight's debate is what has convinced her to weigh in publicly. Wow, Taylor Swift has two hundred and eighty plus million Instagram
followers and she just told all of them how she feels. Now, you could argue, right robes that maybe this will mobilize and young folks will be engaged because Taylor Swift, but you got another segment of the population that will be also just as motivated to be anti anything that Taylor Swift does. The problem is, anytime any entertainer or actor makes a statement, it usually ends up backfiring in said
entertainer's face. However, Taylor Swift is a completely different entity altogether, so I will withhold judgment as to how she may fare or the impact of her endorsement.
They go well to your point. Yes, it's not a surprise there, but it's funny that just came across. But I wanted to go back for you at the top. We should have played some kind of a game as we were watching tonight.
And missed opportunity. Apparently there were bingo cards and drinking games set out for so many There are a lot.
Of prop bets that were available, but the first one would have been for me, will they shake hands? Yep, honestly, what do what would your answer have been? We know what they did. They did shake hands, but well.
Kamala Harris walked straight over to uhpace former President Trump. She did. She was a yeah, she she went for it. She wanted I think to be on record obviously as doing so, because I have to say, I don't know. I must have been just not paying attention. I did not realize that those two had never physically met before ever, which is remarkable and kind of hard to imagine. That's strange.
But this was the first time they ever met face to face in person, and it was awkward and actually she you know what this is when you could really tell she was nervous. She she tried to say, well, what did she try to say?
She said Harris at first, right, and then she tried something.
Nice to meet you, but yeah, and then she just stopped. But that was like, oh, no, how's this going to go? But that is a nerve wracking thing to do. And then of course at the end, he just walked off the stage. There was no handshake, there was there was no there was nothing. I don't think there's going to be a second date.
Okay, how it started to your point, at the beginning, we were also saying, like, somebody please get this this lady a glass of water. She seemed nervous.
Yea, she had that dry mouth. We know what that's like in broadcasting. I have been nervous many many times, and you just need a glass of water. I think of Marco Rubio as well. I feel for anyone like you get nervous, immediate dry mouth, and so yes, I kept My daughter was watching in an apartment nearby, my twenty one year ol daughter, and I was like, get that woman a glass of water. She needs some water.
We started out with the like, oh, she's nervous and she's going to be off. And then they started out with talk about the economy, and that's where Trump felt strong at least, and he actually made a decent the run spot run line he had about the economy, and that was good, I'm gonna get you a I'm gonna get a maga hat like you all are riding my coattails kind of a thing. He started out strong. It kind of went downhill after the first ten fifteen minutes
for sure, after that, but that was his strongly. I said, wow, he were about to have a fight night. And it didn't develop after that.
It was it was a complete reversal. It wasn't about face from what the first five minutes and then it Yeah, it did not go well for the former president after that. And you know everyone was saying, and you know, his advisors were telling him, do not take her bait, do not take her bait. And he couldn't resist. He he was very much trying to defend his position. But then he would just take it into tangents where I forgot
what the original conversation or question or reaction was. I actually forgot how we got there or how he brought us to a place of no return. In many moments, it was very confusing.
Oh look about doad here. You remember what he called the prosecutors at in Georgia Fawnny, Yes, Fannie Willis.
That was that was a square on the being go Barr. It was actually not the mispronunciation of her name, but just that he would bring her up.
Oh yeah, Central par I gotta text from a friend who was watching a very keen political observer and she just sent a funny text that I did not have
the Central Park five on my Bengal card tonight. That there were things that just came out of like what is happening at times and look and part of that, and I think we need to address here and that we would never dream of trying to be critical of our friends and former colleagues, but they are going to get some criticism that they already are getting for not holding I guess Vice President Harris's feet to the fire, and I guess it perpetuates his notion robes that folks
feel that the media is left leaning and a supportive of Democratic candidates, and tonight didn't do a whole lot to help people who have that criticism that notion already.
There is already and we know this having been in and being a part of those newsrooms. I've been in network news for twenty plus years and certainly was aware of the criticism. And I think many people behind the scenes, not just the two. Moderators are also very aware of that, and I've been a part of political interviews where you do your due diligence to make sure. I always felt like the measure of a good interview. I think the
biggest one I probably had was Hunter Biden. And if I had people on the left and the right both angry at me, both thinking I didn't do my job right, then I figured I did do my job right. That was always the measure of success. But you're going to be hearing and we've already seen it three against one that ABC News was there to promote and to lift up and make and help make Kamala Harris look good. And it's true I didn't see or hear tough questions.
The only tough one I heard was when Lindsay Davis asked Kamala Harris about how she shifted positions dramatically, and I think and then Kama said, I'm going to go through all of those and explain them, and then she never did. That's when the moderator has to follow up. You know, we always say it's not the initial question, it's the follow up. And so that's where you're trained and hopefully prepared and prepped, and you have to hold
not yes if there's an outright lie. Of course, and I know that Lindsay did a great job fact checking President Trump about something he said about abortions, which we can get into. But you have to be able to if someone doesn't answer the question, even if you don't have time to force them to, you try to get them to acknowledge. Well, you never answer the question, just at least have that button on it. So people listening remember,
wait a minute, Yeah, they didn't answer that question. That didn't happen tonight.
That was the most important and maybe one of the most important questions of the night, was about her Vice President Harris changing her position on several items, including most importantly fracking.
Cracking was there in Pennsylvania, which is a huge issue there.
It was really important. That was a really important question, and it was asked but never answered, and when it wasn't answered, it an answer wasn't insisted upon by the moderator. Well, that is that we have seen. We have seen both of these folks prepare. We have been there with them as they prepare for these the job. This is an
enormous and almost impossible job. But you you know, in a stage this big, with the stakes this high, with as heated as things are, you don't want people to you don't want to give anybody any more fuel to criticize that you're leaning one way. And unfortunately this didn't help. And I hate some of the heat that's going to come. But you know, they're good folks, and we know they're good folks.
And they're solid journalists, and we both know them well and know that their intention was to be fair and to ask the tough questions. But that is a whole lot of pressure, especially when you know, you saw the impact of the last debate with President Biden former President Trump, the impact that had, and then the pressure of doing this on September tenth, just obviously and probably most likely the one and only debate between these two. That's a
tremendous amount of pressure. I know Fox News is trying to get a second debate in October, but and I'm sure President Trump is probably very happy to oblige, or maybe not after this. I don't know he had said before he would.
Yeah, but her campaign apparently has already come out now kind of jokingly maybe, but say hey, let's do it again in October. Okay, we'll see. Do they need to does she need to? No, she hasn't done a press commerce and she has not done a one on one interview since she became the nominee. And she's doing just fine. So is that going to come back and bite.
No.
I mean she nailed it tonight.
So and but the right will say she nailed it because the left leaning press allowed her to.
And you make a very good point.
And because she hasn't done Sorry, no, she hasn't done that one on one interview where it's just been her and someone who is going to hold her feet to the fire, where there isn't, you know, another candidate to deflect or to you know, try and put something on them, but instead having to truly answer for your record. This is somebody who's been in the White House for the past four years and certainly was a senator before that attorneyship.
There's plenty to talk to her about where she stands on things and how her positions have evolved over the years.
I think that was the she had a couple of knockout lines. I thought one to your what you were just saying there. She when she's said, quote, I am not Joe Biden. Yes, I'm not Donald Trump. I bring a new generation of leadership. She lumped those two guys to yether. It was insulting in a certain way when it was a nod, and it's like she she gave it. She responded to a lot of groups, we're just tired of seeing a bunch of old white men in office, and she lumped them together. I'm not either one of
those guys. I'm something else. She almost says, I'm not a Republican or a Democrat. I'm something else. That I thought was a great line. She delivered that thing perfectly, and it landed for me.
It did. It landed for me too. I wrote that down, and you know what, I didn't think about it in terms of saying I'm not an old white man. I actually but but that is she she did put that in your brain without actually saying it, which was pretty pretty brilliant on her part. And you know a couple of times she she started, she backed away from it. But I think she talked about her being from a middle class family a little bit too much for me.
You know, I don't think any of us at this point, you know, we want to hear someone who's just going to answer a question authentically, I don't need That's great when you were taking you had your an acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, tell your story, that's great. But I was happy to see she backed away from that a little bit because that becomes it feels pandering, It feels too prepared and too packaged in a way. So and that's something that Trump's always, you know, been
good at. He just shoots from the hip, and you know, whatever he's saying, you know, it's not some carefully prepared thing that an advisor told him to say, because that's not him. So at least what you see is what you get. And that's part of what people like about him, that he is somebody who seems to be authentic. At least he says what he feels in the moment, whether you like it or not, whether it's offensive or not,
he says what he thinks. So, yes, she started to go down that road, and I think got off it pretty quickly.
But he was not sharp. He was not on message tonight. And okay, something I think everybody's She started blowing up when he made the comment having with she is allowing or is in favor of transgender surgeries for illegal immigrants in prison. Yeah, now that sounds completely wild and far fetched, and it sounds completely like, where did that come from? It does come from a place, and in fact, it comes from a place of fact. He didn't deliver that
message well, so it sounded like a crazy thing. But this is from a I think it was an ACLU questionnaire she filled out when she was first running for president, and there was a question about care for non binary folks who are in the prison system, including illegal immigrants, and a part of that care could include anything having to do with gender, having to do with transgender care
and surgeries, and it was lumped in there. Her response was, yes, it's based in fact, right, But the way he delivered it out of nowhere, I'm not even sure what the question he was asked. And then out of nowhere he says something like that, which without context just sounds absolutely bonkers. Right, And there's no evidence that anybody who's been held in
the detention center is teaching any of these services. But it was that kind of thing to where there's a lot of what he said, and he has like a lot of history and facts and numbers about the account on his side, but the way he's delivering the message sounds so erratic and wild and at times just confusing.
Yeah, and exactly, And he did the same thing in the abortion conversation that they had, because you know, he started off describing and talking about how he wanted it to be, you know, in the power of the states, and that's clearly you know, in line with most Republicans. They want the federal government to have less power, the states to have the right to decide what's best for
their people and let them vote what they want. So he was on the right track, but then he starts talking about how Democrats want to execute and he used the word execute babies, referring to a late term abortion or a partial birth abortion. And Lindsay Davis, this is what I referred to earlier, nailed it when he finished it. She just said to him, there is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby
after it's born, which ended that. But it was just a statement where he just he took it too far. And then even if you were with him or you know, what he was saying was true and what he wanted to do with Roe V. Wade and what he was able to accomplish, but then takes it to a point where it's just it becomes I hate to say ridiculous when it comes to a stern statement like that, but it was just false. And Lindsay Davis rightfully corrected him on that.
And again that was I don't know how he I don't know what happens now, I don't. I don't think the reaction we've seen so far is similar to what we saw from after President Biden's performance at that debate. We haven't seen that necessarily to that that for alarm type situation for Republicans. But it was a bad night. It was a really really bad night. And they're not going to get a lot of opportunities to go after Vice President Harris on this type of scale, with this
type of viewership. They just aren't. She has proven with her speech, with the interview with CNN with her running mate, and now on stage with Donald Trump that she's up to the task.
Now what, Yeah, I don't know. And then do do we see do we see how does Trump do damage control tomorrow? I mean, what what do we what do we see or do we anticipate? It's hard to know. I also do want to point out that something else that Kamala Harris was also perpetuating that she wasn't called on.
I mean, Donald Trump called her on it, but she kept bringing out Project twenty twenty five, and I think we have to She knows good and well as to the Democrats, and President Trump has said it over and over again that he had nothing to do with the document.
In fact, tonight he said he'd never even fully read the document, and yet they constantly, in a fear mongering way, pin that on him and make people very concerned about what could happen if he's elected president and constantly bring up Project twenty twenty five even though they know that's not true. And I didn't hear. I didn't hear the moderators reiterate that or call her on it, or say that is in fact not true. He defended himself, yes, but I did not hear the moderator or.
Was she brought it up at least twice that question.
I heard it twice as well, And that was something I want to point out too, because they did not call her on that, and that was outright false.
All in all, we had anticipated this moment for the past couple of weeks. We've been planning our time around it. What did you think?
You know? What it was? I was thinking about it, even from someone who lives somewhere else, who doesn't live in this country, and it was kind of embarrassing because it just it just felt I mean, it could have been worse. I'll say that much. It could have been worse. I was happy to see there wasn't as much name calling or there was There wasn't the petty and maybe that's because of the mic situation that they weren't allowed to interrupt and so they were allowed to cool down
a little bit before they decided to speak. So I was at least that was It could have been worse. And I guess that's sad to say that that's where the bar is for me, But I just I think a lot of people saw the temperaments of these two and I think that can help in making a decision policy. I don't think I got anywhere with either one of them. I don't think I learned anything new, and in fact, if anything, I was more confused, which is not the
point or purpose of these things. And they've become theater, and they've maybe they've always been theater, but that theater was on full display, and I too wanted it to end. It just felt icky at times, and it just felt like bizarre in a lot of moments. And I didn't walk away feeling good about our political process, but I haven't in a long time.
That is a good way to put it. At some point, yes, we talked about who the two people are, the history that's there, but at points I feel like I'm hearing the same old speeches. I'm hearing the same old lines, I'm hearing the same old stuff. I'm hearing nothing new. I see different people, but I'm not hearing a lot
that's necessarily new. I know we have history on one side of the ticket that a lot of people are excited about, and then a lot of people excited about maybe turning the page, a lot of people citing it, maybe about going back to what they feel were better times at economic times with Trump, I.
Don't know, did you even hear anything about the economy that much like taxes?
It was the first ten minutes when he was doing well, and.
Yeah, shifted, but like you know, the truth is, it's the economy stupid. That's always what people say. That's traditionally why people they vote with their wallets. In a lot of ways, you might have a social issue that you're impassioned about. But oh my god, wait, I forgot this. When one of the last questions was about climate change, neither one of them talked about climate change or it was I was confused. I forgot we were talking about
climate change because it turned into Ukraine. I believe at one point.
Doesn't it feel didn't it feel like it was a throwaway question we have to ask about climate change?
It?
Yeah, we run out of time. We got to get this in just to say we're on the record with it.
Yeah, that is how it felt, and that's exactly how the candidates treated it as well. You know, it's it is just this. It's just you know, it's it's I heard, as I have in so many other debates and all the campaign commercials that most of us are subjected to these days. But it's all about if this other person's elected, your life is going to be in hell. And that
is basically that's what we heard tonight. Is what we hear every time, and it's why we all become so I think we just even disassociate from it because it just is. It's bs and we all know it. We're all smarter than we're treated. I think in these moments, I think we're treated as I don't know, easily manipulated when I if you, if you go and look on the internet, no one's buying it. So I don't know how we choose who we vote for these days, because
it's it is a minefield. But if you vote for the other candidate, you're gonna step on a land mine. I mean, like, that's where we are, well, Venezuela on steroids, this is where we're headed. Then I did just pop back in my head. We're Venezuela on steroids. Oh it's tough.
All right, Well, you know, And I want to say in defense one more time of Lindsay and David and even of ABC News. Hey, you and I spent a long time a networks and I think I speak for you. Correct me if I'm wrong. But there's never been a single meeting I have ever been in, or a single boss that's ever had a conversation with me about doing something favoring one side or another when it comes to politics, to favor democrats, to lean left has never ever occurred.
So people always think there's a concerted effort. And now, don't get me wrong, there are a lot of folks in the building, and I have been in meetings where I got twenty people in there and seventeen of them think the same way. And maybe you have to get them out of that sometimes liberal thinking. But they're not doing that intentionally. But there is not a concerted robes
And if you've seen it, please let me know. A concerted effort by networks or media companies at least I've been associated with that are trying intentionally and a concerted effort to shift a narrative.
Now, that is absolutely true. And I've always said that I've never felt pressured or even nudged or a suggestion even made that I don't ask a question or I go live or on someone because of their political affiliation. That's never happened. And in fact, I feel like there was almost even a pressure to do the opposite, to make sure we are aware of any potential bias and and and make sure we go in the other direction.
And I'll you know, I've always appreciated this too, just with my upbringing, and I can speak for myself that knowing and loving people who have different political beliefs than myself. Has always helped guide me. And I've always leaned on those folks in my life who I love and respect to know, Hey, is this a fair question? Is this taking it too far? Is this not going far enough? And I think a lot of us journalists absolutely do what we can to make sure that we try to
be as fair as possible. And and that goes without saying. I know David, I know Lindsay, and I know both of them hold those same standards for themselves and each and every day. I mean, David and I have had conversations about it, so I know that they prepared and did their best. And anytime you're put in that position, in that big of a seat, in that where the stakes are as high as they are, you're always going to get criticism always, and it just comes with a job.
And that's part of that's part of what we do. And it's not easy. It's not easy when the world's watching.
If those two were on the podcast for debate, won't be your first question to.
Him, Oh, that's a good question. My first question.
To the two of them sitting in an intimate studio doing a podcast, not in that, not in that environment. But but to be able to sit across the table from them, I think that studio with them sitting next to each other.
I think I would ask them, you know, assuming have you watched the debate back, what's the question you wish you had asked that you didn't? What would you ask them?
Wait? What's two people you're talking about? I'm talking about the candidates?
Oh, I thought you're talking about David and Lindsay. We're talking to them about Carol.
We can text them right now and ask them a couple of questions. You damn about those two.
Oh? As I thought you were asking me like journalists to journalists.
As everybody know that it was really late as we were going there, so we're a little off. Yeah, the candidates Trump and Kamala Harris our guest. We're doing the debate on our podcast.
You're asking me to do that without any prep or any first question. First question, I mean, the first thing that pops in my head would be, you know, tell me why I should vote for you. But that's so generic. I don't you're asked. You're putting me on the spot right now. I would want to do a lot of prayer. Do you have your first question to both of them, Well, I've had.
A long time to think about it now, because go ahead. You know what I would ask both of them, would you two be willing to go to dinner tonight together? I think I would.
And what do you think they'd say?
I don't know, and you don't either. Right, that's a good question, but no, I say it because we talked about them shaking hands. We were wondered if they would even shake hands. I want two candidates on stage or three or whatever that will step out there, hug each other, look at each other and that, ah, how is your family doing? Now, let's go out here and argue about
some shit and then we're still good people. That's what I hate, hate that all of our political candidates, I could never imagine them just standing around being cordial to each other, being nice to each other, like everybody hates each other. If those two could sit down and have a dinner, just talk nobody, no cameras around, no aids, y'all just go sit in chat. Not to work anything out. I just want to know that we got decent people
who can be decent to each other. And I'm having to decide between those two folks.
I actually think if the cameras weren't rolling, I think they would and could because I think that's this is how unfortunately, elections are won and lost in this country, and it's by who can scare the you know, their base into voting against the other person more versus here's why you should vote for me, And that's just where we are. And so because you have to operate in
that way, and if you don't, you lose. Then in terms of public appearances, you have to put up a fight and you have to make it look that us versus them mentality is what works unfortunately. But yeah, if the cameras were gone, I think they probably would have a lot in common. They know what it's like to be in the situations they're in and all this bullshit and all these games they have to play. That's why I think, you see, think about it all the former presidents.
Once they've done their service, it doesn't matter how politically opposed they were, or how different their policies or their beliefs may be. They all have this shared experience and they have this friendship. Don't you love seeing Clinton hanging out with the Bushes, hanging out with the Obamas. It gives you hope, like, oh, maybe they didn't all actually hate each other. We didn't, and it was political theater and that's what sucks and now it.
Never if we were doing a debate on national television, I would never lead with that question. But sitting in a studio in a in an intimate space like we have in the podcast world, I see them as human beings versus two.
You could ask each of them to say three nice things about the other.
Oh man, how about that? Oh wow, Okay, you play the role of Trump.
But you know, like and you can't do some you know little. You actually have to say three genuine things that you believe that are kind and good about the other person.
You know what, Everybody out there, challenge yourself to do that about the candidate that you're not supporting. Think of three things you can say nice about that candidate that you're not supporting. Just curious how that would go.
It's your homework for the day, all.
Right, folks, who appreciate you as always Amy and TJ. Here you know where to find us official show page, that Amy and TJ podcast. We'll talk to yall sooner.