It's night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio.
Thank you so much, Thank you very much, Nicole, And of course we're going to be chatting about it before the debate and after the debate. Good evening, everyone, and welcome on into the October first, twenty twenty fourth edition of Nightside. My name is Dan Ray. I'm the host
of the show. Normally I don't mention the date at the host when I introduced the show, but I am tonight because tonight marks the beginning of our eighteenth year here on WBZ in this legendary seat, the nighttime weeknight talk show host position sort of the equivalent in my mind of playing left field for the Red Sox Show. You had Ted Williams, you had Callya Streemsky, Jim Rice, Mike Greenwell, and well, it's sort of you know it.
A lot of other guys have played their sets, but those were the people who sat there for a long time. Dad Williams, call you Swremsky, Jim Rice, and in this chair. There haven't been a lot of talk show hosts. I
succeeded Paul Sullivan back in two thousand and seven. I was doing the show after Paul was diagnosed with a horrific form of cancer which took his life in September of two thousand and seven, and my news director at the time, Peter Casey, was WBZ still WBZ, but it was owned by CBS at the time, and Peter said, I want to name the show, and I said, you name it whatever you want. He named it Nightside with Dan Ray. I'm glad he said, Knightside with Dan Ray.
But I've been here now, done this show for seventeen years. I have made a lot of friends on this program, are people who I've interviewed, people who have called in. I've really been fortunate knowledge to do the show, but to have as many friendships come out of the show, the folks, the advertisers that have supported the program over the years. So with just that quick acknowledgment of the evening and this is the beginning of year eighteen, I
just wanted to say thank you to the listeners. Thank you especially to the callers, because when you run a talk show, the currency of the talk show is talk people calling and expressing their opinions. And we've always tried to make this as welcoming a place as possible for all points of view. I don't like people who try to talk over me. That's uncomfortable for me. I try not to talk over people. I do try to get
into a conversation, and a conversation. I think most of you understand that I'm pretty patient, so I hope that we'll continue. I don't know that I have seventeen years left, but we'll see, taking a year at a time. And I just again want to thank you for your loyalty. Please tell your friends about this program. We're in the midst of a presidential race, which frankly has the potential to be very corrosive depending upon the results of the election.
I think that whichever candidate wins, either former President Trump or Vice President Harris, I am apprehensive that there will be a certain segment of that side of the isle that doesn't win. And not that they'll be violent, That's not what I'm concerned about, but they won't at least give whomever is elected president a chance. And I think we have had well several presidential elections in which that
that's been problematic for this country. And tonight we're going to preview a very important part of any presidential election, and a particularly important part of this presidential election because there apparently will only be that one presidential debate between
president former President Trump and Vice President Harris. And tonight we're going to listen to the vice presidential debate, which I think is going to be extremely important, extremely important this year, much more so than any other year, for a couple of reasons. For a couple of reasons in both the candidates, and we talked about that last night. Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have some pretty high negatives and that is that's what the American people feel,
so none of us can change that. But tonight we're going to be introduced to two vice presidential candidates, JD. Vance and Tim Walls. And we've had some impress each of us have impressions. Maybe you like some, maybe you don't like one. You like one, you don't like the other, you don't like either of them. I don't know. I'd like to know in this first hour what you're looking to hear from either Jdvan Senator Jdvans or Tim Walls,
Minnesota Governor Tim Walls. I'm going to open up the phone lines and when the debate is over at ten thirty, we'll have an opportunity for people to weigh in and tell me who they think prevailed in the debate. Maybe it's a draw, Maybe both of them will do really well and there'll be no big mistake, or maybe there's a faux pat I don't know. A lot of it is clearly subjective, subjective. That's the thing about debates. Unlike
a sporting event. They're very much a sporting event, but unlike a real sporting event where they count the points on the score board, or the runs on the score board, or the number of goals, and you can come away from a sporting event and say, my team was better tonight, but they lost tonight. Whatever you think is important. So what I'm going to do is just do a quick little introduction, because some of you may not know much about either of these gentlemen. We will learn a lot
about both of them. I think between now and election Day, November fifth, which is now five weeks from tonight, five weeks from right now, polls will have been closed in the East Coast. There will be states that will have been decided at this point, you know, the states Massachusetts will vote for Vice President Harris. I suspect that Florida
will vote for Jdvince. Now the non battleground states and they will be called very quickly, but of course the focus will be in the east, on North Carolina and Georgia, Pennsylvania, in the midwest Michigan, Wisconsin, and then out west Nevada and Arizona. Now, I would love to see a more decisive election because I think we need a decisive election, but we may not get a decisive election, So I will pick a break. Thank you for allowing me to go on about the importance of tonight to the Night
Side team and to myself. But I want to mouth now focus of the importance of this night to America. Can you listen to this debate between these two individuals who would be a heartbeat away one of them will be a heartbeat away from the office of the Presidency, And can you listen with an open mind. I know that you're going to bring you a point of view, but can you listen and can you say guess what
I think. I'm surprised, pleasantly surprised. Maybe the Republican will better than I thought, or maybe the Democrat was better, or maybe they both were better than I thought. You don't have to conclude either one of them. You might conclude they both were horrible. We'll have to see how it plays out. I want to go into this with
as open a mind as possible. When I listened to the debate between former President Trump and Vice President Harris, I called that debate immediately at ten forty five when we got the microphones back open here at WBZ. Vice President Harris won that debate without question in my mind. Now, not all of you agreed with me, but I guarantee you I will give you an honest assessment come ten thirty, and I hope you'll give me an honest assessment. But for now, I'm going to ask you to join me
and tell me. Tell me what do you expect, what do you hope for. You can tell me that you hope one of them falls flat on their face, or you can tell me that we're going to be surprized and Tim Walls will come across much more likable than anyone can imagine, or JD. Vance will come across much more informed. I mean, one's a senator, current Center. The others are former congressman and mayor. We can get into their backgrounds in a moment, but we're going to take
a break. Here are the numbers six one, seven, two, five, four ten thirty, six seven, nine three one ten thirty, also triple eight nine to nine, ten thirty. We're about forty three minutes away from the moment in time that CBS will take over the broadcast. You do not have to leave this radio station. We will provide you every every word, every question, every answer. That's our job. Your job will be to listen and then participate. I'd love to have some of you tell me what you hope for,
what you expect. If you're a first time caller, that's great. If you're a longtime caller and listener, that's great too. My name's Dan Ray. This is Nightside. We are now officially in year eighteen. I hope you'll join us. I wonder who'll be the first caller in year eighteen. The lines are open.
Dive away now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World to night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Okay, so we're going to hear tonight a lot we're going to know an hour and a half from now, a lot about Tim Walls, and a lot about jd Vance. More than probably we know now Vance to keep it simple, is the United States Senator from Ohio. He was elected to the United States Senate in the election of twenty twenty two. So he's a relatively well, he's a junior senator. It's as simple as that. He's a Republican. He and his wife, we're married in twenty fourteen. They have three kids.
He went to Ohio State University and Yale University Law School. He is written a book which turned into a very amazing movie, He'll Billy Elegy. The book was published in twenty sixteen and was adapted into a film in twenty twenty. He won his election in twenty two, twenty twenty two, defeating an incumbent Democrat. No me a Democratic nominee, not an incumbent. Tim Ryan and he he is, he's pretty has military service sir for four years in the US Marine Corps. Got to the rank of corporal. He was
in Iraq. He received several awards Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal. And he is a pretty smart guy. Tim Walls interesting forty first governor of Minnesota, Democrat, incumbent. He's been in politics for a long time in office. He was a member of the House of Representatives, first elected in January of two thousand, took office in January two thousand and seven. Served in the House for twelve years, and he became governor of the forty first governor of
the state of Minnesota in twenty nineteen. He was born in Nebraska, West Point, Nebraska. He also served in the military. Joined the National Guard in high school. Was in the National Nebraska National Guard the Minnesota National Guard served from nineteen eighty one to two thousand and five. His rank was a command Sergeant major, so he was of a much higher rank than JD. Vance and he received several
awards as well. Army Commendation Medal, Operation Enduring Freedom, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War and Terrorism Service Medal. That's just the that's just scraping the surface. I want to know what you expect to hear out of these individuals. Waltz was a high school football coach at some point. He is a very effusive individual. You've seen him on the campaign trail. He has not answered
many questions. Vance on the other side, on the other side of the coin, seems to be a pretty serious guy. Served as a it was, had a career in the high tech inter industry as a venture capitalist. He seems to be more serious. And he was born He actually was born James Donald Bowman his mom. He was adopted by his mother's third husband, and his name was changed to his last name, James David hammil And now he has the name j D. Vince. So of tough childhood
growing up. Let's get to the phone calls and see what other people have to say. And the first caller in our eighteenth year is Stu from Cape Cod. Hi, Stu, how are you on?
Kind?
Not see Dan? Stu here?
Well? Did it really? Well? You're the first caller of our eighteenth year on the radio, Stu? What are you looking for tonight? What do you expect?
Well, I'm not exactly sure that. Historically, the debating record has always proven to be the clear opening of our discovery of people's abilities.
We go back.
Nixon had his debate in the kitchen with Khrushchev. Then Nixon dropped the ball with lazy shave against Kennedy, and then really can't remember too many other debates amongst presidential candidates, but in the last debate with former President Trump and President Biden. I was extreme disappointed because of the lack of dignity that each displayed with calling each other a liar, and it just got into a gutter snipe and it
sort of disappointed me. And in this situation, the lack of prestige for the office, to me is the one thing that I hope if they debate.
Tonight, that they retain some sense.
Of dignity because of the fact that it's always been trending toward a lack of class.
And I think.
I'll make one prediction. I will bet you that these two will shake hands before the debate. The president. And again, when you talk about the debate where there were all sorts of inductive going back, that was twenty twenty. When President Biden and former President Trump debated in late June, the mics were turned off and so there wasn't that possibility. And that was the night that President Biden had a horrible night that night and Donald Trump really behaved himself,
maybe because the mics were turned off. And now Donald Trump had a bad night when he debated Vice President Harris. He couldn't control himself. So I suspect vance will be a much more disciplined debater than President Trump has ever been, So that'll be an interesting I think. I don't know if you agree with any of that, but that's what I'm looking for. I think Walls will be probably more effusive than Vance, and I think stylistically they're going to be different.
Oh, I don't think that that's going to be necessarily too far off from the reality that we're about to see.
I think what I'm expecting and I'm hoping, is that in this election, ultimately, regardless of who wins, that there's some type of dignity as far as it's similar to when the two teams shake hands at the end of the Stanley Cup. I mean, you expect some type of sportsmanship and class, and I hope one two of them.
Yeah, I agree that. I hope the two of them shake hands before the debate, and I hope they shake hands after debate. It'll be interesting to see.
Very good. Well, listen, it's always good talking with you and listening to you, and we'll certainly see you somewhere soon.
Still, let me ask you where you're driving tonight. I know exactly who this is, but you're out and about here in New England. I assume somewhere I.
Was given a talk to a young hockey team at Breakaway Ie Center, and then I'm headed back to the Cape. And whenever I have an opportunity to to speak with young people, I always try to take it because I can't give back in my community, but I can share what I have well.
For those who don't know, this gentleman played not only hockey as a player. Do you mind if I identify you a little bit or no?
Go ahead.
Paul Stewart played at the University of Pennsylvania and played for the Quebec Nordiques UH and he was one of the toughest guys in the league. And then he went on to become a referee and refereed over a thousand games, if I'm not sure, if I'm not mistaken, and at the time also dealt with a battle of cancer, and he gives back tremendously, tremendously to the to the community. And the next time you're down the Cape, give me a call. We'll grab lunch.
I'm looking forward to it, and I'll tell.
You one interesting thing.
I always appreciate you. I heard your your initial speech or you're talking about your eighteenth year. And I think everyone one who listens to WBZ and goes back to all of the great radio personalities that have been on the station, and BES has always been a fixture, even going back to Christmas.
When they would have it at the Washington's.
Crossing and Dave Maynard and so on. I just I just always think that you've kept the traditional live of giving dignity to.
Both sides of the coin. And that's why I enjoy listening to you, because you know.
Once you're out of school, you don't necessarily always have the opportunity to listen to people that actually have a handle on what's going on.
Paul, as I always do, as we will say, but whatever you want again, I really I'm I'm going to be in your neck of the woods for a few more weeks. So give me a yellow grab lunch of breakfast some morning. Okay, I'm looking forward to it as well.
You've got mine.
Give me a call.
I'm around all week.
Thank you, all right, Good health to you right back there.
I know a great guy, a tough hockey player, trust me, trust me, and a tough referee too, by the way, didn't take any guff from anyone, Okay, going to take a break bottom of the hour. We got Kathleen in New Jersey, Claire in Pennsylvania, and I got room for you. I got one at six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty, and I got a couple at six one seven, nine three one ten thirty. Light them up. I'll get you all in between now and nine o'clock. I want
to know what you're looking for. I'm looking for a handshake between these two gentlemen before the debate and after the debate that to me, will make it a successful debate for both of them. I hope, I hope uh and they can do that because remember the vice president and the former president did shake before the debate on September tenth. They did not shake hands after the debate, which was disappointing. There. This is an important time. We saw what happened today in Israel with Iran. We have
to stand together as as a nation. Join the conversation. Coming right back on Nightside.
You're on night Side with Dan Ray. I'm telling you Boston's News Radio.
Back to the phones we go. Let's go to Kathleen in New Jersey. Kathleen, welcome. I'm not sure I've had you on my show before, if I had.
Hi dance, congratulations on eighteen years, and I have actually talked to you before. Normally I'm traveling on the Garden State Parkway and the Bass Pike going between my Massachusetts home and my New Jersey home.
All right, so what do you tonight?
I get to tonight, I get to listen to you, and I think what you're talking about is very important. So what I would like for the candidates to do is stop calling each other's names, treat each other with respect, and answer the.
Questions pretty simple.
During the They're just very simple band. Didn't we all learn that in high school? Right and during our debate classes? How to answer questions? Ye, So I think what's happened, unfortunately, is these debates now have turned into vitriol and name calling and no substance. So I would like to know more about what they're going to do to help us financially. I don't know about the rest of you, but every time I go to the grocery store now, the prices are outrageous.
My electricity bills, grocery store shopper in my family, and you are right on the money. It's amazing. Everything has gone up, nothing has come down.
Nothing correct. So and I keep hearing everyone say, well, they're doing, they're doing, they're doing, and I don't see that happening. And I'm tired of being told, well, if you vote for me, then they'll be changed and then I'll do well. I need to see more substance now, and quite frankly, between the two candidates, I'm not too pleased Dan. So I have to go into the polls and I've got to close my eyes and point because I don't like either of them. But we have to choose someone. And I get.
Are you voting in Massachusetts or New Jersey Massachusetts?
Because my legal home is still in Massachusetts. So I'll be voting in Massachusetts, and I'll be doing an absentee ballot or actually an early ballot. I think that I'll probably walk in and do it.
Yes, But but the thing that's good about it going to vote because you and I know what the result will be in Massachusetts. Yeah, Republicans happened one Massachusetts since Ronald Reagan carried this stage twice. Yes, for a long time, forty years. Uh, And I don't think that that street is going.
To be broken this what's interesting is I go back to Massachusetts and I realized the majority of people from Massachusetts are Democratic. I come down to South Jersey, the majority of the people are Republican. So I get to see the two different party systems Dan and and and sometimes what happens with that is just like those you know, the way that they take over. And so I don't
always see the best of both worlds. And sometimes I just want to stand in the middle and say, I don't know where the hop you know so well, you know.
The funny thing about it is when you think about it, Actually about fifty percent of the voters in Massachusetts are registered as unenrolled, which means independent. Yeah, the Democrats have about thirty five or so six percent of the election about one third remain Democrat and the Republicans maybe have about twelve percent.
So but yeah, in New Jersey they're not allowed to be unenrolled. You have to pick a party one way or the other.
Yeah, So I.
Think I think I don't like that because I think there's a lot of people who feel the strange from both parties like I do. Greattimes, Kathleen, I'm so happy that you called, and I hope you'll call more often. I enjoyed the conversation and I'm with you one thousand percent on everything that you said.
Thank you, Dan very much, and congratulations on eighteen years.
We just look, we got seventeen, and we got seventeen down and eighteen starts tonight. Thanks Kathleen.
All right, take care Buck sooner, right.
Good night, Let's keep rolling here. Let me go to Claire in Pennsylvania. So we're the Massachusetts. Call is Hi, Claire, how are you?
I'm fine, Dan, How are you tonight?
I'm doing just great. What's your What do you expect? What do you hope for tonight? By the way, I didn't mention this, but the moderators or the panelists nor O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan obviously CBS News veterans, and it's going to be interesting. The the ABC moderators Lindsey Davis and David Muir got roasted for the way they handled the last debate. I think the pressure is going to be on O'Donnell and Brennan as much as it's going to be on jd Vance and Tim walltz.
Well. I just hope that they let the both candidates speak and don't interrupt them, and and uh, I hope that. I'll tell you, I'm going to vote for Trump, and I don't like the way Trump acts, but I do like his policies. And I hope that mister Vance not only answers the questions. But I don't understand through this whole campaign, why why none of the Republicans point out Trump's accomplishments, because they I hear all the time that
he mishandled the pandemic. Well, he had Operation Warp Speed to get the vaccine created, and he sat hospital ships to New York City and I won city in California. I'm not sure which one.
Had some help in that regard, but yeah, New York, and I don't think New York ever took advantage. New York was where they put people into nursing homes.
They didn't they didn't use the ships. And he also puts I don't know whether it was Central Park or where somewhere they hospital tents.
It was Central Park, yes, it was.
What And he got the Abraham record started in the Mid East or Middle East, and the Republicans don't ever talk about that. They they just want to fault Biden, which I I can find a lot to fault Biden about, but you should take credit for your own accomplishments.
Yeah, I mean, well he criticized President Trump for that. I mean he's debating Vice President Harris the other night. He became well prepared on September tenth, well prepared. She knew exactly what she wanted to say and how she wanted to say it. And all of a sudden, former President Trump was talking about people eating dogs in in a small time, you know, Springfield, Ohio. It's like, where did that come from?
And yeah, I don't know. Like I said, Trump, Trump goes off, goes off the wall so much. But I just hope mister Bratz is a little better prepared and answers the questions.
And well he's he's he's a lawyer by training. He's a pretty sharp guy. We'll have to see how he looks compared to Tim Waltz. I think Tim Waltz is is a is a is a Democrat who enjoys the political the politics of it all. I don't know that that Vance is a natural politician, but I think he'll he'll be pretty good in his feet. Don't go you don't get out of Yale Law school without learning how to how to how to dance, and I think he'll
do pretty well in his feet. It'll be interesting. And now it might be that that Walls comes out to be a charming guy and and Vance comes out as being stiff as a board. We'll see. I don't know. I want to be an open minded person here, and I will call the I will call the debate as cleanly as I can. Both O'Donnell and Brennan have the ability to, I guess, fact check this debate. I don't
know how they're going to do it. Remember Mure and Davis and the ABC debate fact checked President Trump five times, never fact checked the vice president once. And one of the things that I think she should have been fact fact that.
The moderators are not going to fact check the candidates. They have to fact check each other.
I heard that differently because uh, the microphones are open. Well, we'll see. If you're right, then you've paid more attention to it than I have. We'll see.
Okay, before I go, I don't want to take up any more of your time. But I've been listening to WBZS since I think the early seventies, when Larry Glick was on.
A night yep, Larry Glick and Jerry Williams were the tandem at night. Yeah sure.
Sometimes I work night chefts where I couldn't listen, and sometimes I'm not able to get it very well here on the radio. When I can, I listen to it and I enjoy it much.
Do you have a computer or a tablet or anything like that, because you can.
You can have an iPhone, and tonight I was listening to it on the iPhone to make sure what subjects you're talking about.
I hope you'll you know, you can listen to it if you have a difficulty listening, to listen to the debate from nine to ten thirty and then come on back after ten thirty and listen to what people have to say. Okay, where about it? Whereabouts in PA? Are you located, Claire?
Well, I live in a little bitty town called Herrickville. But you know where Scranton is?
Oh sure, yeah, absolutely, scrat Wilf Spurrey. Yeah sure.
I'm probably about sixty miles northwest of Scranton, getting up toward the New York State Boarder, about thirty miles from the New York State boarder.
Yeah, you're up by Binghamton probably, Yeah.
I'm about probably forty miles from Binghamton.
Yeah, I know exactly where you are. Pleasure to meet you. Is this your first time or no? Have you called before?
No, I've called two or three times before.
Well, come on back more often because I want to, you know, get to know you guys a little bit better. I gotta make some more friends than year eighteen. Okay, thanks.
When I get a chance. My wife's already impatient for me to get off the phone, so I better let you go.
That's okay, I gotta go. I gotta read some commercials here. Thanks to talk to you soon. Have a good one, all right, thank you, Thanks very much. I appreciate We're gonna take a quick break. Charlie and Shirley will be next, and if you want to jump in here, tell me what you want to see. I want to see handshakes at the beginning, at the end, because I don't think there's any reason why these two candidates can't shake hands at the beginning of the debate and when it's over.
It's as simple as that U NFL quarterbacks shake hands at the end of a football game. They should be able to shake hands before and after the debate. Let's see, We'll see it's going to be I think an interesting night. We will be back on night side with a couple more phone calls at least, and then we'll get to the debate right after this.
Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World Nights Sight Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Let me go to Charlie and Shirley, Massachusetts up on Route two. Hey, Charlie, welcome. How are you tonight, sir?
Good Dan? How are you? I used to call you on Friday nights on my way home from bowling when I lived in little ten years ago.
Remember that we haven't heard you.
Go ahead, Yes, it's been a while. Well, if you ever heard of James Calmer, who does all the investigations to work in the Congress congressman from Tennessee. Yep, yes, finding out about about campon Tim being related to the CCP. Yeah, absue to.
Be a favorite favor. The nicknames don't work, okay, because let's it's it's Governor Waltz or Tim Waltz, whatever you want. But yeah, I just we can get into issues. Want to want to keep it on a higher plane tonight as we go into this, and I'm hoping that they'll shake hands, they'll they'll have a good conversation, it'll be clear whatever your point of meaning, you or me, the person that you like, and that we can come out with a clear winner. And we can come out with
a clear winner. And and I do know that he's had a lot of trips to China. That's what you want to talk about.
Go ahead, yes, yes, Well, James Calmer actually just came out I think two days ago, and he has all the information on all the connections. He has the communist China, and he's got it all. He's got all the information. And it's like, I don't even think the guy should be allowed to run for vice president he's so connected to China.
Well, I think that his argument would be, Hey, i'm a I'm a governor in Minnesota and I want to get over there, and I want to get our products exported to China and I want to import I want to get any governor. All these governors do these trips. Now, I will tell you that thirty seems to be a pretty big number of trips to one country.
But yeah, yeah, and his honeymoon Atman square there and.
Square they're saying that that you know that he was not there at that time, you know of the Yeah, so I'm familiar with what you say, and I'd rather lead that for another night between now and the election. I want to basically take the high road tonight. Give them both a clear shot of the runway. Let them both try to to perform and do well. And as we would say in the Olympics, I hope they both can stick their landing. Okay, if you know what I'm saying.
I know what you're saying him, But can I also say his wife opening up the windows when they were burning his city down so that she loved the smell of the burning tire.
Some of that.
I don't know how much of that, To be honest with you, I'm gonna let it go. Charlie. Thanks, good luck and bowling. We'll talk again. Okay, thank you so much. All Right, all right, so we're about to step aside for the CBS News vice presidential debate that you're gonna hear right here on WBZ. It's also streaming in the iHeartRadio app if the signal doesn't work, but stick with us and we'll be back for your reaction to this debate right when it concludes at about ten thirty. Stay with us, folks,