Sound On: NRA Convention, Uvalde Shooting Police Response

Bloomberg Sound On with Joe Matthew on Bloomberg Radio. The n r A convention kicks off in Texas as police in Vivaldi admit they made the wrong decision at the scene. Welcome to the fastest hour in politics, as we seek rational thought again at the end of a harrowing week. And we start this hour in Houston, where former President Donald Trump is to address members of the National Rifle Association a few hundred miles from the scene of this

week's school massacre. We're gonna get an update from Bloomberg's Joe Carroll. He's in the room right now covering the convention, and we'll get analysis from our panel today. Adam Goodman, Republican strategist. Edward R. Murrow, senior fellow at Tusk University Fletcher School, is back with us along with Jim Davis, former Democratic Congressman from Florida. It's going to be an

interesting conversation today. We'll also update efforts on Capitol Hill to find some compromise on gun legislation, if that's even possible. A conversation ahead with Bloomberg's Steve Dennis will have the latest and thanks for being with us this Friday edition

of Bloomberg Sound On. It's going to be a little bit different this hour because we're following a live event in progress, with one eye on the n r A convention that's kicking off in Houston, and our other eye, of course, on what's happening in Uvaldi, where Governor Greg Abbott is spending his time instead of attending the meeting. And we've got news on both ends here of the state of Texas. I'm Joe Matthew and Washington. The n

r A kicking off the convention today in Houston. As I mentioned, even after the mayor of that city you might remember, urged the group to postpone because of this week's events, The n r A CEO Wayne Lapierre spoke to members once again, kicking things off once again against the backdrop of gun violence in America. Here he is these tragedies caused gut wretching, unimaginable pain that too many are being forced to go through right now. It's not right.

It should never happen again. If we as a nation we're capable of legislating evil, how do the hearts and minds of criminals who commit these heinous acts? We would have done it a long time ago. He wrapped his speech by asking that police officers in the room stand up. Law enforcement officers, they've got a big round of applause us. He then followed that with firefighters, they too got applause, and then went through a long list of other occupations,

a lot, you know, a lot of everyday jobs. Contractors stay plumbers or their plumbers, stay at home moms until the whole place was up, and what he called the heart of the nation who believe in the right to self defense. Now, as we've reported, some have chosen not to speak at this meeting, including the aforementioned Governor Abbott.

He instead went to Vivaldi, although he sent the video that addressed gun laws and the massacre here he is there are thousands of laws on the books across the country that limit the owning or using of firearms, laws that have not stopped madmen from carrying out evil acts on innocent people and peaceful communities. In New Vality, the gunman committed a felony under Texas law before he even

pulled the trigger. So you get a sense of the messaging coming from the Exhibit Hall in Houston that we just got a breaker on the terminal right now with Bloomberg reporting. Governor Greg Abbott, again in Uvaldi, not at the n r A convention, says he is quote absolutely livid unquote that he was given inaccurate information about details of the shooting holding a news conference, says he was

misled a new wrinkle here in the story. And we're gonna walk you through some of the stuff we heard earlier from police in Uvaldi, an extended briefing that we brought to you live on Bloomberg Radio. It was during balance of power, as a matter of fact, and the timeline was stunning. Back to Houston, also not in the hall, Texas Senator John Corny, and remember he said personal reasons kept him in d C. This time couldn't make it.

Some musicians, including Don McLean, have canceled, but South Dakota Governor Christy Nome spoke told members now is not the time to cave to the Woka jen to Ted Cruz is speaking. We're waiting to hear from Donald Trump. We also would love to hear from Joe Carroll, who's in the middle of all this right now in Houston reporting for Bloomberg from the n r A convention. Joe, the the feeling must be energetic for the members, knowing the

former president's about to speak. What's it like there, Yeah, it's a it's a it's a festive crowd down on the exhibit floor. The estimate was about eighty thousand people would show up. It's a truly massive convention center. Uh. The exhibit floor, you know, is uh vendors talking everything from silencers to American made a K forty seven's to switch blades. It's uh, there's gun raffles at every other booth.

The mood here is that, uh they expect gun control activists to uh to sort of capitalize on the valdi as they would say, to push their agenda, and and so it's sort of a defensive, defensive approach at this So it is in the air, though it's not like if if if you just were sort of parachuted into this convention, would you know that that a massive shooting so place a few hundred miles ago, a couple of days ago. You know, as soon as you spoke to somebody,

like I said, it's a festive crowd. People have been shinned up for this for for a couple of years because the pandemic canceled the last two NY conventions. Um. But as soon as soon as you speak to people, obviously with all these the person that comes up, Trump is the headliner here, right. Do you have a sense of what this crowd wants to hear. I think they want to hear the president of a former president, UM defend this. You know, it's not a new position for him.

He's very posulibly crowd. He's a trust these events before, and uh, it would seem that they want to hear us a sort of a stout defense of the Second Amendment. Again, we've got a sense of that from Christie Gnome. Now is not the time to cave for the woke agenda. We need to press harder than ever, Ted Cruz, Now you're delivering a very similar message. Uh. The events of this week have certainly not watered down the messaging here, Joe, and we were curious what the tone would be. But

to your point, is it one that's defensive? Is that the best word? It really is? And you know it was it seemed like there was a chink in the armor last night when when we all heard that the governor Greg Abbott had had canceled plans to attend. It doesn't appear that was the motivation, as we have learned, Uh, you know, as the day progressed today, he's got an unfold He's got an unfolding police candal on his hands.

I mean, is Will his state police chief? Uh? And the resigning I mean that that that seems like it may be in the card. So so he's really got his hands for it. Is pretty remarkable for him to now say that he is misled on what happened, because a lot of us, Joe and I'm sure you're included, have been trying to connect the dots between a lot of the stuff we've heard in these few police briefings and none of it seems to add up. Is that getting attention in the room as well, or is that

a separate story. It really is because because of if among this crowd, in this culture, law enforcement, law enforcement, just like the military, is expected to perform, to do what they're trained to do. And so there's a lot of disappointment. You know, the thing is, in the past couple of days, the timeline of what it unfolded anuvality

from the law enforcement perspective, never really added up. There were gaps, there are contradictions, and so you know that really came to a head today when they came out and said, yeah, we we waited too long, right, It was a pretty remarkable moment. We'll bring that to our listeners in just a moment. But while you're with us, Joe, a lot of us have never attended an inn R

a convention. Bring our listeners inside. I mean, this could this be any industry convention or are you surrounded by paraphernalia and and guns and cannons And I have no idea what you are surrounded by those things? This is Texas. This is part of the culture here. Um, it's it's gleaming. It's glossy, it's it's it's it's totally professional. Um, but it's just I think if you transplanted somebody from outside of a of a gun culture, I guess he'd say

it might be a little shocked. Interesting. Where where was Don McClean in a player that is this part of the event in the hall or their parties after or something. Yeah, they do concerts every night and lots and lots of stars. I hate to admit it, I didn't know Don McLean was still alive. As much a fan as I am. Well, I didn't know he was a conservative. I mean, did he hear he was going for crying out loud? It shouldn't be a surprise. Joe, thank you very much for

for checking in. I didn't know what kind of surroundings you'd be in, and it's great to be able to hear you. Joe Carroll from the n r A convention in Houston, reporting from Bloomberg. Look for him on the terminal if we can get that sound from Stephen McCraw Handy. I do want to walk you through this is the other big part of this. I want to walk you through this briefing earlier today. This is the Texas Department of Public Safety and its director, Stephen McCraw, clearly having

a tough time. He got emotional while he was talking. But I'll tell you what the timeline that he rolled out here, this is what people are talking about because it's shocking. At eleven seven am, that is the first time we see the door being cracked open. The door had been propped open by a teacher. We learned that today. Then this guy was the shooter. Ramos crashed his vehicle into a ditch, and this is when the firing started. The first nine one one call at eleven thirty A.

M Okay, so we're at eleven thirty in the morning. Here, the suspect gets into the school at eleven thirty three am. Not much later, UH officers begin arriving round eleven eleven fifty. They get inside the school by noon, right, and so a half hour has gone by. They get inside the room by noon and they're in the hallway. They don't actually breach the door until twelve fifty PM. And there have been a series of nine one calls during this time.

Listen to UH Stephen McCraw, the director, explaining the ration for why they did not run in. When they got there, a decision was made that this is a barricaded subject situation. There was time to retrieve the keys and wait for a tactical team with the equipment to go ahead and breach the door and take all the subject at that point.

That was the decision, that was the thought process that particular point in time, and he called it the wrong decision a moment later when he was asked for the benefit of hindsight where I'm sitting now, of course there was another right decision. Was a wrong decision period. There's no no excuse for that. Now, the governor of Texas says he was misled on what happens, and I suspect we've got a big investigation coming and to Joe Carroll's point,

maybe some resignations will assemble the panel. Next, Adam Goodman is coming in. It's been a while since we've heard from Adam, along with former Congressman Jim Davis, former Democratic Congressman from Florida. The conversation next on Sound On, I'm Joe Matthew. This is Bloomberg. You're listening to Bloomberg. You Sound On with Joe Matthew on Bloomberg Radio. The idea that police were waiting to breach the door. Well, kids repeatedly called nine from the cell phones their parents bought

for them over the course of an hour. It's even more than that. When you look at the timelines, it's horrifying. Everybody's feeling this, everyone's talking about it. Nobody can believe it now. Governor Greg Abbott says he was misled about the events at the scene. This just transpired since we got on the air at the top of the hour. Listen to the Governor of Texas. The information that I was given turned out, in part to be inaccurate, and

I'm absolutely living about that. What is going on. He's in Uvaldi instead of Houston, where the n r A is holding its convention just kicked off. We heard from Joe Carroll in the room for Bloomberg short time ago, and members are waiting to hear from their headliner, Former President Donald Trump, will be speaking. Abbott decided to go to Uvaldi, and now we know why. Uh, he was

actually supposed to be there in person. We've heard from Senator Ted Cruz and several others of course, including Wayne Lapierre. It's been the n R A convention that you would have expected, but everyone has also been acknowledging what's been going on this week in Uvaldi. Let's assemble our panel today.

Great to have Adam Goodman back, National Republican media strategist, columnist partner at Ballard Partners in Washington, and the first Edward R. Murrow Senior Fellow at Tufts University's Fletcher's School. Were also joined by former Florida Congressman Jim Davis, was in the House for a decade representing the great City of Tampa portions of St. Pete Hillsboro County. It's great

to have both of you with us. Congressman, I'm going to start with you here because we're really trying to focus on the policy side of this whole story here, and we keep hearing repeatedly that that none of the ideas being floated in Congress would have stopped what happened this week. Ted Cruz just said as a matter of fact that this s O B as he put it past a background check. I don't know if that's actually true or not. But are we just nibbling around the

edges here? Are we going to have a conversation about something that might actually matter. Well, we have to, and it's not just about the tragedy in Texas. I mean these massacres are increasing in frequency, in scale and savagery, and we do need to learn from each and there's lots of mistakes that are made, but it's getting worse and it's a crisis. And I think that's where you have to start, is whether the people we in trust represent a state and federal agree that this is a crisis.

And if we don't act, not only is it not going to change, it's gonna get worse. And I think the public has to demand change. I know the FBI is there, it's not just local and state police. Congressman to do or this is going to lead the hearings on Capitol Hill right to actually what took place at the scene here. There's this has to affect protocol nationally well it should, and unfortunately that there has been plenty.

I mean Buffalo was another example, and this is going to continue, and I do think a hearing is important because what we need to have is an open and honest debate about what works and what doesn't work. There is no panacea here and everything should be on the table and we shouldn't be afraid to have that discussion. And it's rare those discussions occur. Normally, these bills are killed in the dark of night or their disgust in the back room. Adam Goodman, are you surprised the n

r A continued with the convention? The mayor refused and asked them to postpone. Maybe that never seemed like a realistic idea. But to have this convention and balance it with what's going on and you've aaldi making that a component of all the speeches. Was this the right move? Uh? It's very debatable. I mean, personally, I think it should have been rescheduled. But what first of all is as a parent, if not just as a human being. We're

all just shaken by everything we're learning. And when you recounted Joe the timeline earlier in the show, I mean, I'm listening to you and I'm just like, I'm feeling something um as everyone would feel, of mixture of anger and helplessness. Unfortunately, what this is going to create is as a showdown between the incompetence of decisions of law enforcement versus the inadequacy many feel is inherent to current gun law and because of the incompetence that we're now

hearing about, call it incompetence. The the police chief said, mistake, it's incompetent. Uh. And you can hear, you know, the governor of Texas kind of teen off on that. So that, unfortunately, is going to weigh against a free and open exchange at Jim Day of US was talking about a few minutes ago on gun laws. But on that, if you really want to do something, if you really want to make a difference here instead of saying and I think

it was the word that Jim use, pantacea. There's no panacea if you say, let's put on the table a number of things for a discussion. Which, by the way, Donald Trump, when he was president, he was pushing for background checks. Uh. He was in favor of red flag laws. Uh. He pushed the bump stock band. So he even Donald had a meeting with the n r A. I understood, understood.

But if you put everything on the table and say, let's at least make a start, and yes, a background check might not have prevented this, but damn if we don't try to do something to start feeling we're making progress, in a situation where the world's grow more dangerous. They are now four and a million guns on the streets of America, a hundred million or so our gun owners in America. We got to take this seriously. It's not just a freedom and a right, it's a responsibility. I've

got a great panel here. I love this. I want to thank you both for coming in. Jim Davis, Adam Goodman, stay where you are. They're gonna be with us for the hour. As we introduce as well, Stephen Dennis to the conversation coming up, Bloomberg's legendary congressional reporter who's been

following the very debate. We're discussing what's realistic? What are we talking about here, because, by the way, lawmakers have gone home, they're gonna do all this on the phone after they meet with constituents at the Memorial Day Parade. I don't know. We'll ask Steven about it, and we'll reassemble the panel for their take on the fastest hour in politics. I'm Joe, Matthew and Washington. This is Bloomberg as Senate Democrats signal potential for compromise. We talked about

this column yesterday. Stephen Dennis shares the byeline and he's with us right now. Stephen, it's great to have you here. As lawmakers, I guess, prepare for a long week after they go to the Memorial Day parades and get yelled at by constituents, a law own week on the phone trying to find some common ground. You talked to so many of them on such a regular basis. Are you hearing talk of reality or is this uh as someone pointed out, I think it was Chris Murphy to you,

the part where Lucy pulls out the football. Yeah, I think there is a There is real potential for a sort of a very narrowly crafted package that would include incentivizing states potentially to enact red flag laws. Something like nineteen states already have these laws that allow courts to take guns away from people um that to say, police officers or mental health professionals, deem or or danger um. And so the that that there's a Democratic proposal in

the House to make a federal red flag law. You can go to a federal district court, for example, in those states that don't have their own red flag laws. But Republicans say that's sort of a nonstarter, that's sort of maybe the lynchpin of maybe coming up with some kind of a deal. There's also talk of doing some kind of funding for school upgrades. This is something that Republicans have been interested in. We've been hearing a lot

about that. Today at the n r A convention, Ted Cruz was going so far as to suggest we replaced all school windows with bulletproof or a lockable windows and bulletproof doors, I believe is what he said. That would cost an enormous amount of money, wouldn't it. Uh, you know, we just spent forty billion dollars on Ukraine and their defense. Uh. You know, we're pretty rich country. So I mean, I think if if, if people can sort of say here's

something that actually would help. Um, I think that getting the votes to do something significant would not be all that hard in the wake of this situation. But you know, I think there's also just a a demand from Democrats that there'll be some some element that looks at the

gun issue in particular. Um. You know, there were a number of gun reforms or change laws that were passed in, for instance, Florida when then Governor Rick Scott was the governor after the Parkland massacre, One of the things they passed was a red flag law that has a support of Rubio and Rick Scott in the Senate. They also passed a law saying that you had to be twenty

one years old to buy a firearm. Right now, we have a federal law it says you can't buy a pistol, you can't buy pistol ammunition from a firearms dealer and federally licensed firearms dealer um until you're twenty one, But you can buy all the air fifteens you want and

all the air fifteen ammunition you want. And what we're learning in this case, uh, is this particular individual they found fifty eight high capacity magazines on the school grounds and they said that he had purchased one thousand, six hundred and fifty seven bullets to go in those magazines. Um,

that's a lot. And so you know, I think there are a lot of Democrats who are now asking questions about whether they can have some more restrictions for these younger men in particular, who seemed to be the ones who are committing a lot of these mass shootings, whether it be Buffalo here, Parkland, a lot of a lot of these mass shootings are young men um and so I think that's something that Chris Murphy I talked to

him about yesterday. He said that there's a lot of already a lot of discussion among senators of how do you reach these young men, how do you identify them and prevent them from getting dangerous weapons? And that's part of what this red flag law idea is about. What's the timeline, Stephen, while you're here, Chuck Schumer said yesterday, you know, I'm gonna give this a minute, but once we come back, we're gonna bring something to a vote

with or without Republicans. Is that we're talking weeks here, So we're going to have a vote, and we're gonna have a vote in about two weeks. Chris Murphy said that Schumer told him that when they come back, he wants to set up a vote on either a bipartisan compromise bill or one of the House passed bills on

background checks. And you know, so they basically have a ten day sprint to try to come up with something while they're away and have negotiations over the phone and with staffers, and you know, I think that that does put some pressure on them to come up with something. The key guy I think in all of this is Texas Senator John Cornyn. John Cornyn is an A plus

rated n r A member. He is also the author, with Chris Murphy and some others of the only Signal If Again gun legislation I can remember, which was after after the Sutherland Springs murder. Yeah, we talked about that yesterday and played his his comments on the floor and indeed after Mitch McConnell gave him the green light. I mean, this is gonna be really interesting with Cornyn and Murphy. Stephen Dennis, thank you for coming on to talk to

us about it late on a Friday. Bloomberg Congressional reporter Stephen Dennis is roaming the halls of Congress talking to the people that you're hearing about on a daily basis. I don't know if we can bring Jim Davis back in quickly, the former congressman from Florida, but Parkland came up there and uh if if, if you can hear me, Jim, I just wonder how difficult was it to pass a red flag law to the extent that you were following

this at the time in the state of Florida. How much how much support and how much opposition was there. I mean there was opposition, but you have to give the Governor Rick Scott now the US Center for Florida from credit because he supported. There's been a lot more opposition since it passed because it happened so quickly and it was the heat of the moment. But it is an excellent example where Florida did do the right thing

after way too long because of the pressure. And I think that's the opportunity in the Senate they get the details right while the public is very transfixed on this and the need for something. I totally agree that Chris Murphy is looking very hard to find the middle ground right now, and so it's center coryn and there four other senators who have openly said there. We'll talk more about that conjum and when we just wanted to check, I covered the red flag being passed in Massachusetts. That's

a lot different than Florida. We'll have our panel next on sound On. This is Bloomberg. You're listening to Bloomberg Sound On with Joe Matthew on Bloomberg Radio. The Governor, Greg Abbott, Senator John Corny, and we're not the only ones to miss this nr A convention, having been scheduled to speak originally. Daniel Defense also chose not to attend. That's the maker of the gun used in the Vivaldi

School massacre. This week, the company issued a statement saying it dropped out of a planned appearance quote due to the horrifying tragedy in Uvaldi where one of our products was criminally misused. Unquote, signed by a spokesman for the company, which is based in Georgia, entered the House Oversight Committee now demanding info about the marketing of assault weapons from gun manufacturers, including Yes, Daniel Defense. We reassemble the panel here.

Adam Goodman is with US Republican strategist along with former Congressman Democratic Congressman from Florida Jim Davis. Thanks to both of you for being here. Where is this gonna go? Adam Goodman? This is gonna be hearing is the rest of the summer. Maybe we don't have Adam with us? How about Congressman Jim Davis. I'm so sorry, Joe. I was gonna I was gonna compliment you, and I'm gonna have to say it again. Uh, you were very sharp and bringing Joe cornin into this conversation because a lot

of eyes are gonna be on him. Uh. But to hear Chuck Schumer talk about we're gonna do this with or without Republicans is not what the parsiple body want to hear. It's not what the parents of America want to hear, it's not what anyone wants to hear. We want to get something done. And as I said earlier in this show, I think, unfortunately the incompetent decision making among some in leadership and law enforcement in this particular issue is going to be the way that a lot

of people are gonna go on this. The governor is already on top of that, and you better believe he's gonna press the pedal to the metal. When you talk about the gun reform that Steve Menis was talking about having to move very quickly in Washington, it's gonna be slowed down by all this focus on law enforcement what

they should or shouldn't have done. And in the Florida situation that you mentioned earlier and that Jim Davis commented on, it was all about protecting and safeguarding and strengthening our schools. That has a bigger majority opinion and support base than does whatever their respective position you have, maybe on guns.

And I think that's going to be the big push by Republicans and by Americans as we started moving into and through this unconscionable strategy, uh, tragedy that we just have to you know, kind of learn something from and do something from hardening schools uh, Jim Davis? Is that is that a better time spent, a better debate to have knowing that something might pass than dragging gun manufacturers to Capitol Hill for hearings. Are they both important to you? Well?

I think I think acting is more important than the hearings and when we can always learn. But I don't think fortifying schools is nearly enough, and I think it will be used as a diversion or excuse for the fundamental issues in Florida. They did not only do that, they changed the law from eighteen to twenty one to buy a tiful and they did put in the red flag we talked about earlier. So I think it's going to have to be both. But you can't turn our

schools into prisons or fortresses. There are things we can do. We will learn from this terrible tragedy, but you're going to have to do all of these things. And I think it's very important to get something past, to start building a governing group of people to move forward in this because there'll be more to be done. Do you

get kind of a chilling feeling there, Adam Goodman? Maybe it doesn't matter, but the idea of turning schools and the fortresses is, as the congressman put it, I mean, if that's what we're deciding to do here, we are we saying, you know, let's let let the bullets fly as long as the school building is impenetrable. Wants to go that far. And I think that's that's a that's a bit of viperbole because, uh, you know, there was an open door at that elementary school that should not

a bit. There was a decision that was made that probably costs a lot of lives that should have been made for a by that individual on the way it was made. Uh, that's the tragedy of this. But if you're a parent, the first thing you're asking in the morning when you send your child to school, uh, even not asking, you're thinking, that's in the depths of your soul, are they gonna be okay? Today? When you look at

a tragedy like this, that is priority number one. Whatever we can do to reassure parents that tomorrow will be safer than yesterday will be progress. I Adam, I understand. I had to force my freshman in high school, fourteen year old to go to school on Wednesday morning because we all watched the president on Tuesday night and it scared the hell out of them. Uh, Congressman, is that something that the White House signs onto now knowing their support for it? Is this going to be a movement

going into the midterms. I think the movement's gonna come in Congress. I mean, elections produce accountability. I think, um, members of Congress are gonna feel pressure to go home and say they did something. Um. And I think that's why this summer is a critical time. And I also, thinking this was alluded to earlier, the states are very

important partner here. The federal government cannot solve this, and so the federal government needs to do something that causes the states down because each state's gonna do this a little differently, but they all fundamentally need to move in direction of gun safety and protecting schools. The president former president speaking, Uh, at the n r A convention Donald Trump, and Uh, it's clear the side that he's coming down on here rejecting tighter gun control as I'm reading from

the Bloomberg. Uh, the quote of the existence of evil in our world is not a reason to disarm law abiding citizens. Adam, is this gonna be a real fault line in the campaign, not just midterms? What twenty four We've got ro v Wade and we've got this gun issue. Now, these are massive issues that turn people into single issue voters in many cases, and fault lines have been drawn in any normal political year. Um, Joe, Yes, the answer to that is yes, this is not a normal year.

We have massive inflation, we have a very scary situation over with Ukraine and Russia. Um, people are really focused on the economy. The market, despite today's great news, has been relatively uncertain in times. That is the number one issue. Uh, and the lack of leadership still it kind of goes hand in hand with that is why the midterms aren't

going to reflect either one of those. However, I think moving forward into two two thousand, twenty four that cycle, they could have dramatic impacts on winners and losers as we move into another world. Uh, let me get there, Jim Davis, what is the Republican majority, assuming there is one come fall? As I keep being told do with all of this, I think it's a real problem if the Republicans take back UM the House, and this is something Adam and I would agree on right now that

the odds are in favor of that. UM, it is very easy to do nothing. And if they win the House, they're going to validate the election is supporting their agenda. UM. I think the Senate will stay very mixed, and that's where the action is now. So I think the key is watching some of these Republican centers we've talked about and whether they're willing to lead. And I think if they're willing to lead, it will put pressure on the House representatives. But I think that's where it has to start.

What's your thought on that, Adam Goodman, Kevin McCarthy, I don't think his weight in here the House has been gone. Uh this week. It's a very different worlds in the House than it is in the Senate. What does that mean post November? Well, the reason he's been relatively mute on recent in recent times is because everything's kind of

coming their way. I mean, George of the Republicans doing something really ontoward or something unexpected, becoming a major definer of political fate in the fall, I think the die is cast there. Uh, it's a little different, And I think Jim was kind of suggesting this in the Senate. Sounds gonna be very interesting. Uh. There are a lot

of very close races. Uh. I happen to think though, that this this is a cycle, as a wave cycle, It's going to be determined not by personalities but bipartisanship unfortunately, and I think the Democrats have a much harder sell than Republicans this time, but that again could change by the next cycle. Jim, the President is going to Vivaldi on Sunday with the First Lady. Uh. This is the consoler in chief job. But is that is that really

what he needs to do? Or is does he need to go there show some anger, try to rally the troops nationally it's what he needs to do. We we need to remember this isn't about the governor of Texas being mad. It's not about senders. It's about these people that just lost their children. And I think every one of us on this call, and many people around the country listening have children, and just it's hard to fathom the horror of waking up and your child has gone

at the start of their life. So I think we need to focus on the family and the victims and healing. And Lord knows, this president has had his own and it's one of his strengths to empathize and to console, and we need to listen to them. We need to hear their voices. Going forward, many of these parents, regardless of their politics, will become advocates for change, and we should listen to them. And we should listen to the law enforcement to I think they should be our guides

and where we go. He needs to play this carefully, of course, Adam, maybe he I'm by the way, I don't know anything about a speech. He could be very under the radar here meeting you know privately, no cameras with victims families. Is that which you expect or would prefer, That is what I would advise. I mean, this is not a place for speeches. Uh. I know the governor of Texas is trying to do his best in a

very tough situation. But the fact that Jim just said it the fact he's angry that that means nothing to the parents who lost their loved ones. Okay, you're angry, right, we need something that's more legitimate, authentic would be great. The President uh and personally came and they were there and not for pressed, not with press releases and generating headlines, but real commiseration and human empathy. And then go back to Washington and get one thing done, don't go for

the whole checklist of all. Going to try to find one thing that we make movement on so that people are going to get a sense that we're not only able to get to make change happen with something that really requires change on this front, but we can do it across the board. And I think that's the missing thing right now in America, getting stuff done. What a note to end on a great conversation with a great panel, Adam Goodman, Jim Davis. I look forward to the next

time here on sound On. I'm Joe, Matthew and Washington. If somebody a hug, somebody you love this weekend, We'll see you back here next week. This is Bloomberg