The We Be's. Katy Grimes Talks to Armstrong & Getty

A very special guest, and I'm deeply in love with her intellect. It's Armstrong and Getty extra.

Large because it's two hours. Luckily, this is Armstrong and Getty extra large.

I just I feel like that was too much. I've said that on the air before. Yeah, but I'm very open. It's different in person. Now with her in the room. Are you to feel her ass? HR is right down the hallway?

Oh, you don't know that I was an HR director for twenty years.

He violated like five different California laws, didn't he.

It's okay, I was the meanest HR director alive.

Really, you just say to him, get over it.

That's exactly pretty much what would happen.

Katie Grimes of The California Globe joins us. Katie, I don't know if this ever gets back to you, how many times we've said how great you are and how great the California Globe is.

Thank you.

It is.

It is a beacon of light in the darkness of the non coverage of how crazy California politics are.

Thank you. That is exactly what we want to do. Be is to not only do state House coverage, but cover the stuff that the mainstream media won't I think we are well.

And again we'll get into some of the details of that sort of stuff in a second. But it's amazing how much of just what anybody can see with their own eyes if you just like go to the mall or drive down the street, doesn't get covered much in California.

Yeah, it doesn't fit certain agendas, even if reporters have the intellectual curiosity to do it. Sometimes their editors nix it or take things out of the articles or add things in. It's a very frustrating place to be right now. And news coverage well.

And it's funny of the many comments that we get a lot or have gotten a lot through our careers. People say, wow, you guys have been really really successful in like all blue areas, liberal area states and that sort of thing, although we're all over the country now. And I always tell them, Look, if you lose every election, even fifty five forty.

Five, that's a landslide. You got murdered.

You have no chance electorally if you can only get up to forty five percent. But you got forty five percent of the population that feels completely unrepresented and like they're getting kicked constantly. And then they watched this incredible, gorgeous state get ruined, and I think they enjoy hearing somebody who says, no, you're not crazy, You're right.

Yeah, exactly. They we get told a lot. Oh, I feel I'm so alone. You know, I live in like, I live in a liberal bastion just south of downtown Sacramento, and my views aren't very popular in that neighborhood. And so I know what a lot of people feel like in the state.

Yeah, they don't dare pipe up at work or whatever. Which is it's a bad way to be.

Yeah, it is. It's it's also very unhealthy. I mean, I actually believe in the balance of a two party system because people are fairly represented. There's give and take, there's compromise, which is the only way you can get policy passed. And in our state we don't have that, and so it's pretty dangerous place right now.

Yeah, I I've experienced it both ways. When we're in North Carolina at the time it was basically a one party system Republicans. But it allows for excesses the other direction.

Yes, it does, exactly. And I tell people who some people introduce me as a conservative journalist, and I say Actually, I'm just a journalist. I report the news. I report the truth. If it was all Republicans in the California State Capitol right now, I'd be covering it pretty much the same way because there'd be a lot of jerks. There'd be some good ones, but it would be kind of one sided policy getting passed, and that's not.

Healthy, right, not to mention just the manipulation of the arms of government to make yourself and your cronies rich. Yeah, I mean, I guess I'm more hot to trot for the ideological stuff because it makes me insane and it affects people in their lives and that sort of thing. But yeah, I mean, you could just focus on the graft and dishonesty and be busy all the time.

Yeah, I wish I had a reporter I could assign just to that.

Yeah I did.

We're going to get to the topics you want to get to. But how do these various people not come to Sacramento. Like you get an elected assemblyman way far away or wherever, and you know, and you come to Sacramento and then like you're driving around Sacramento and you see all these tents and everything everywhere, and you don't think whoa Things are out of control here.

Unfortunately, right now, I've been quoted as saying on air, the stupid people are running everything, and unfortunately a lot of stupid people are also getting elected. And they don't care. They just want to hold elected office. They want the love from the groupies. They want to have staff, people who chase them around all day and make them feel important. And they're very happy to do the business of the special interests that paid for them to get into office.

Yeah, they're either delusional, stupid or cynical.

Is it a pretty good life to be just a like run of the mill Democrat assemblement? I mean, do you make good money eventually.

Or yeah they do.

They get adoration, probably go out to eat a nice restaurants every.

Night, yep, yep, and you get to go to fundraisers yours and other. As I said, people follow you around, they drive you everywhere.

Yeah, yeah, I could see get into used to that.

Some of them have their staff pick up their dry cleaning and clean their apartments. So yeah, it's lovely.

And then one of the many unions promises you a high paying consulting gig when you get out, so you're.

Said, exactly a good way to be.

That's at works.

So we're dabbling in the article you wrote. We quote you all the time. But when I read a piece you put out, I guess a couple of weeks ago, California's capital has a deep state. I thought it was super interesting about California, but just interesting about the way legislatures work. Yes, and I learned a lot from it. You can start wherever you want. What would surprise people most about who has the power and or how the money flows through the capital of a big rich state.

Well in California, without getting two into the weeds, this is what we have today is the result of term limits. And term limits always strengthen the power of the full time staffers. And so, as I put in the article, I knew a fellow who was appointee back in Washington, DC years ago, and when he went into his brand new office and met his brand new staff, some people were a little hostile to him, and so he pulled them into his office quietly and said, Hey, what's the problem.

Wow, It's so counterintuitive because you know, we all think the way to fix government is to get these people out of here term limits they are there forever. But this is the way it really works.

Yeah, and unfortunately, intellectually, it is the right way. You need fresh blood. You can't have the same people, you know, dictating policy for decades. But as we were warned, and I voted for term limits, as we were warned ahead of it, the politicians would just figure out how to manipulate the system. That's why we have them, you know. We finally do turn them out, but then they go back and they take up a city council seat in

And I'm told that not only the staffers who support the attitude you're describing, but the lobbyists get enormous power too, Yes, because the newbies have to have them explain.

The issues exactly.

And that's kind of the other part. The Third House is running an awful lot. And that's the whole lobbying community. Not to say lobbyists are bad people. Some are, some aren't, some are, Some represent small businesses, some represent big oil. You know, you have them from every imaginable industry, and those industries do need them, there's no doubt about that. But they do wield an awful lot of power. The balance of power is definitely off as capital.

This just popped in my head. Is there any limit onlike how much a lobbyist can give to staff people in terms of taking them out to eat and putting them up at a hotel or anything like.

Guess staff do also have to file the farm seven hundred every quarter.

But smart people probably find a way around it, I'm sure more or less.

Yeah.

Yeah, the stuff you had to say about the current state of the Republican Party, aside from being pathetic, the whys were pretty interesting to me. What's going on with the Republicans?

Too many of them see themselves as managing the decline and they're happy to have the seat to do it. And that's just the hard, cold reality. I do think that they get elected and they have good intentions. They want to come up to Sacramento and hopefully, you know, make a name for themselves as that Republican who fought hard. But as we just described the state of the Capitol, they get there and the staff quickly whisk them aside and say, do not talk about abortion or do not

And these are Republican staffers who presumably have at least some Republican values, And how does that help them manage the decline?

That's just it. I think it's to me, it's like Stockholm syndrome. They're not managing anything at all if they wanted to manage something. And I've been asked by a lot of them when they first get elected, you know, what do we do? We know we're the minority party, but what do we do? And to me, it's easy, you know, stand up and scream and yell about what your Democrat colleagues are doing, the kinds of policies they're passing that are just anti parent, family business, you know,

I don't quite understand that because you're if your number one goal is to stay in office, going along to get along doesn't seem like the best way to do it.

It's kind of like musical chairs somebody's you know, most of them are still going to get a chair left when the music stops, but there's usually somebody that's kind of kicked out.

Now I know this. This was many years ago when we weren't near at political on this show, and I wish I'd remembered the name and everything like that. But I'm coming back from Las Vegas, I'm half drunk, and I end up sitting in the back of the plane with this other guy that was beyond half drunk, who is one of the high staffers for one of the big well known Republican names, and I don't remember who it was at the time, but he told me that

Yeah, And that's what was shocking to me. I think I'm idealistic enough to believe they go up there with fight right, and it doesn't translate.

You know, another aspect of your article about California's deep state that was totally not intuitive to me, and I had no idea.

I'll just read you.

Ah, you're talking about people fleeing California for red states, et cetera. The Democrats have caused this mass migration. What have California Republicans done? As we reported recently, quote, California GOP leadership are completely beholden to the McCarthy mafia and kept everyone in line because they control the flow of money.

What's that all about.

A lawmaker told me that that's why it's in quotes. Okay, And yeah, obviously a lawmaker who didn't get any Kevin McCarthy money to get elected.

Okay, So what do you take the McCarthy maffey to be.

Well, Kevin McCarthy, you know, used to be a state legislator. As you know, he's been in politics a long time and controls a lot of money. It's one of the reasons he ended up as speaker. And unfortunately, prior to Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy becoming speaker, which the qualifications were just you have to be a good fundraiser. There were other qualifications. Yeah, he's just a great fundraiser and everybody wants a piece of his pie.

So what line does he want? Did he want?

I assume he's still pretty powerful, but yeah, so what line does he want them to tow to get the money?

And it's it's And the reason I included that with a link to an article I wrote not long ago about that is the California GOP a few years ago was kind of taken over by the Moderates and we've only lost seats since then. It's only become worse and worse. But he's part of that. He helped fund the debt payment that the GOP needed the state political party, and there are a lot of politicians who are just beholden to him. It's a big power position.

So he helps them get re elected in there, and.

They don't dare speak their minds unless.

Yeah, exactly. To me, it's just as bad as the other party.

Yeah, yeah, well that's discouraging.

We moved to California ninety six when Pete Wilson was was he about to serve a second term or was in the middle of it, I can't remember, but it was a purple state.

Yes, it was, and not that long ago.

The transition's been astonishing. I mean, we've gone from Purple State to like El Salvador.

Seriously, I agree. Yeah, I'm a native, so I've watched this also from a front row seat. Yeah, it's it's there's an interesting phenomenon. I think that happened. And again, it happened kind of in the lobbying consultant community some years ago. You've probably you've heard of Richie Ross that, you know, kind of the famous king maker in California. Willie Brown's consultant and he's been you know, many many other major players consultants. He figured out and had the

It seems to me, it's becoming more clear to me at the federal level, and then the state stuff is just most people in politics just want to stay in office, yes, And to stay in office, you have to win the next election. And it takes a lot of money to win an election. And so your I have to be beholden to somebody because where's that money coming from? Sure, And that's just the way the whole thing works. H. L.

Menkin was writing about that damn near one hundred, well one hundred years ago, about you got three three jobs. One get power to retain power, and three, if you have time, do something for your poor constituents.

But it's third place at best.

Do you have any idea how much money you need to run for an assembly person in California or state senator.

Actually, I don't know.

I'm glad. You know, we've all heard the numbers at the betteral level. It's astounding.

I know.

I'm sure it's higher than it ought to be in California.

Well, if you if you're in one of the very few competitive districts, yeah, it's going to be super expensive.

But good point.

You know, I almost said something, but I'm determined. I almost told you a little story. But I'm determined to hand this question to you. Tabula rasa as a blank slate for people listening to this podcast around the country, please do explain Kamala Harris's rise.

Oh you're gonna make me wow, because I've followed her a long time. I'm starting It all started with sex, really with Willie Brown. Everybody knows it. It's the story. Yeah, it was the casting couch audition that landed her in politics.

Just being the girlfriend of the most powerful man in California politics for like the last seventy five years is a good career.

Well what was she doing when she caught the eye of Willie Brown.

Showing cleavage? I don't know, that's pretty funny. Literally, I think she was I don't know, you know, crossing her legs. I think she was a young lawyer in you know, hanging out with politicians in San Francisco, caught Willie Brown's eye, and you know, the rest is history. She truly is one of those people who's failed up similarly to Gavin Newsom, because think about it, if you're a Democrat in San Francisco,

As far as you can tell, and you know, be completely honest about this. Do you know anybody who like respects her judgment and inelect?

Nope?

Nope. I attended her swearing in for Attorney General. And this was so wild because it was let's see twenty ten, I believe eleven, and so Obama had been president for two years. Up to that point, she'd been known as Kamala. At the swearing in, people her people were walking around telling everybody make sure, you call her Kamala gotta sound like Obama.

Oh that's okay.

Well, wow, that's how shallow these people are.

Wow.

Yeah, So that was the one takeaway I think.

Because she she doesn't seem that bright, and she doesn't seem to have any particular skills like you know, people's skills or anything like that.

She the one thing she's good at is that superior tone.

You need to answer the question she is good at that?

Yes, yes, a bit of one yes trick? Can I say?

I feel like there's gotta be something missing me? You can't just be attractive and have a superior tone and a Democrat.

In a one party state. Yes, are you gonna run somebody against Willie Brown's girlfriend? But aren't there other Democrats that wanted her jobs that?

Oh? I'm sure. Yeah, But she also has just as Gavin Newsom has the backing of Silicon Valley and nobody can penetrate that.

And the Pelosi family and everything else. So the story I wasn't gonna tell, and Jack's heard this, but I have a couple of friends, a handful who were or are in very high levels of law enforcement and worked on state federal task forces and that sort of thing, and regularly met with the Attorney General and we'd be playing golf or something and they would say, Joe Kamala Harris is a dope, and I would I would be like, all right, fellas.

I'm conservative, you're a conservative.

I know it's Willie n She's not a she can't be a dope, Joe, she's a dope.

They met with the regular Yeah.

And so finally when she became vice president and began with the it is time for us to do what we have been doing nonsense, they would text me and harass me.

Believe me now, believe me now?

So good. Yeah, and there are so many of those stories. When she was DA, she was a nightmare, absolute cluster, you know what. Nightmare?

Yeah?

Yeah, and then she was tough on crime, and then she comes a g and she's soft on crime, so she'll do or say whatever is necessary.

Okay, So she's not only not particularly bright, but she's not principled either.

Correct, you're kidding, I know, you're shock.

Yeah. I had another question. Well, she doesn't pull well even in her places where back now, places where people know where she pulls worse than Oh.

Yeah, yeah, I think she probably when it comes down to it has obnoxious personality disorder. In my family, we call that OPD.

Yeah, I heard it described as a charisma bypass operation. So Gavy Newsome is fully aroused by the idea of walking into the Oval Office as president. I mean he's he's fevered with desire for the office.

Yes, he is.

The knock on him is obvious. The ads right themselves, the videos are already recorded. Is he smart enough because he's a He is a good spinner of bull crap, like I've seen him on Hannity and all of his The high cost of living is given California this problem with homelessness, and we are attacking it on every front. I am serious. We need accountability and I have called for accountability. He's pretty good at that crap. Is good enough, you know.

I was kind of surprised that Hannady didn't call him out on that. I was pretty disgusting.

I wanted that bait to happen on his shirt.

Huh. I think there was an edict that came down from the Murdochs. Just make it happen.

Let all you know what the viewership is going to be on Handity's show for Newsome dissantis, it's going to be one of the most watched things in recent memory, right.

Well, and Hannity's no fool.

As Jack pointed out the next day, they were great foils for each other and you could tell they'd agreed that, Hey, we're going to keep this gentlemanly. You're going to please the crap out of your side. I'm going to make my side happy, and this is great for both of us.

Yeah, I remember, if it bleeds, it leads, So that's all they care about. And that's so frustrating to me. It's not a debate, it's a it's not a hardcore, hard hitting interview with tough questions. I mean, Hannity really didn't ask him tough questions. All he'd have to do is Peru's some California media reports on Newsom to have done a better job.

But so if if Biden, you know, wanders off the stage and falls in the Potomac or something like that, aren't Gavin and commonly going to have to compete against each other at some points.

Which could be delicious. But I also have heard via some DC sources that Gretchen Whitmer's in the running.

Also, I keep hearing Josh Shapiro's name too from Pennsylvania. But so my hair brain theory is that the Democratic Party elders are going to go to Kamala, Kamala Kamala and say to her and it'll be It'll be like when the Republicans confronted Nixon, all the heavies went into the ovalops. They're going to go to her and say, we are going to allow you to be humiliated in a manner no politicians ever been humiliated. You will be beaten like a rented mule, or you can accept going

I don't think it's kookie at all. I'm not so sure she wants to work that hard. She may just require like a vacation home in Lake Cuomo or something. I think she's kind of got that Michelle Obama thing, you know, she loves the fame and glory but has the lazy streak and doesn't want to work that hard.

Interesting.

Interesting, who's a favorite of the California powerful though, between Newsom and kam laugh you can only have one.

I would think they would go for Newsom, okay, Oh, because he is a more effective politician sadly.

Yeah yeah, huh. Well we're screwed, I think, is the takeaway.

Yeah, I know, we can hope for a miracle. I can't imagine anybody else though, given the international chops Newsom's been trying to burnish. Yeah, as well as the national child, it seems.

Like such a kind of like tired easy knock to go at Kamlin say she was sleeping with Willie Brown, but you think that actually was That's how it started the key to her get launching.

Yeah, I do. I was a young intern with a lobbying association in the mid eighties and you know, back and forth to the Capitol every day and watched this kind of stuff happen. It was gross, but it's pretty common. And that was back during Willy Brown's era too. Yeah, and he was oh powerful kingmaker.

Oh and even after he left office. See that's the thing to remember this, Like I said, the idea of I'm going to run against Willy Brown's girlfriend and maybe I'll lose, but I'll still be doing fine in democratic circles in this in this state. That's not the way it works. He'd cut you off, he'd at the knees, he'd murder you politically.

One of the great things. We got to do a lot of radio shows with Willy Brown, and it was great to get to do that. Just so I because I've always read about people with you know, good politicians, with charisman all that sort of stuff, but I've never really been around one. Getting to be around him, Okay, I get it, I get it. So this is what built Clinton's probably like, this is what you know. So that's what it feels like to be around because he's amazing.

Yeah he was. He was a fascinating fellow. Obviously a very successful and talented politician too.

Well, Like he walks in the room and somehow he makes me feel better about myself.

Oh yeah, what the hell is that?

That doesn't even make sense. It doesn't matter what you disagree on. He is completely focused on you making you feel important.

That's a weird genetic thing that some politicians have.

Have you noticed that's missing from politics today?

Yeah?

Most of them are so boring. You're going, you know, how can I get out of here?

Fast enough Ron De Santis, for instance. Yes, I mean on paper, on paper.

Yeah, please, I know.

Yeah, it's a shame.

Willie Brown an excellent politician, but a better real estate investor.

Look it up, folks.

Yeah, yeah, it's funny how he bought that property just before the state announced the contract too.

Well, yeah, it works there, it is.

Yeah, definitely.

Katie Grimes, who are such big fans, we appreciate you. In some time, I hope we can do it again. And folks, if you're listening, well, if you're not listening, you're not going to hear this. What the hell kind of thing is that to say? As you listen? You gotta be checking the California Globe constantly if you're a Californian or just interested in California politics.

It's fabulous.

I got one more question. We saw the polling that Biden is now upside down in California. Is that about Israel?

I'm sure it is, yes, and yeah, and the Arab voters and Muslim voters are very unhappy with him, and we have them here in California too.

I don't think there's any getting out of that.

I don't either.

Of course, he's you know, he's gonna be with God soon so it doesn't really matter, but geez, it's a no win situation for the old fellaw Definitely yeah, extra large