And very happy Monday to you.
At twelve oh six in the West Eats the Giant at Phillips Show, mister Randy Weggs in Culver City. John, Here we are the day before election day in the state of California. The June primary is tomorrow, and as of nine minutes ago in the state of California, with twenty three million ballots that were sent out, three point six million got sent back a return rate of sixteen percent. And we have a big show for you today. That's a little bit complicated, so let's go ahead and go
through the schedule so you know what's coming up. At twelve thirty five, Professor Barbara Stone is going to join us from cal State Fullerton. At one o'clock, right at the top of the fixed California hour, Spencer Pratt, candidate for mayor of Los Angeles. He's going to be here and weigh in on his race running against Karen Bass, who once another four years as mayor of the nation's second law largest city. And then at two o'clock we're
going to open up the phone lines to candidates. I know there's a lot of people running for various offices. The state legislature, Congress, City Council, Board of Equalization, school board, whatever the case may be, who haven't had an opportunity to come on the show and pitch their campaigns. We obviously can't make time for every candidate in every office. So what we're going to do the two o'clock hour
is we're going to open up the phones. So if you are a candidate for office and you want to pitch your campaign, we'll give you a few minutes to do that and make your case to voters the day
before the election. So if you're a candidate, or you know someone or support someone who is running for office, and you want them to be able to use this platform to make their pitch to voters, let them know that at two o'clock we will open up the phone lines at eight hundred two two two five two two two one eight hundred two two two five two two two and allow them to make their pitch. This works for southern California, northern California. I know there are many
of you who listen out of state. We're not taking out of state candidates, but anyone whose name will appear on a ballot in the state of California is allowed to call in and pitch their campaign.
Now, all of.
That being said, Randy, we got some doozies of emails over the weekend.
John, there are a few people that are a little upset with you. Let me read this email from Mark and San Diego. I have enjoyed the show, but unfortunately, when the gambling talk show Captain went all in on a red wing dominance strategy, it concerned me. If the Republicans are left out of the general election for governor of California, I will end up blaming John Phillips. This will make it impossible to listen in. Loved your show, Mark and San Diego, all.
Right, and there were others that were similar in tone correct Dave writes in it, Johnny, don't like show. At gmail dot com, I believe you were wrong about voting for Bianco. It looks like it'll be two Democrats were screwed. Okay, So I have already cast my ballot. I cast my ballot for Chad Bianco for governor. If I had not voted, and I were voting today, I would cast my ballot for Chad Bianco for governor.
I'm not changing.
My picks on the website, and I'm not changing how I think on this, and I'll tell you why.
There was a poll that was released.
Today showing what a head to head matchup of Steve Hilton versus Xavier Besserra and Steve Hilton versus Tom Steyer would look like in November. The poll found that Tom Steyer would win with fifty five percent and Steve Hilton would lose with thirty four percent. That would be a twenty one point Styr victory. If I head to head matchup between Steve Hilton and Javier Besserra was on the ballot, Biserah would have fifty eight percent and Hilton would have.
Thirty five percent.
That would be a twenty three point Javier Besserra victory. Meaning if it is a Republican versus a Democratic matchup, it is almost certain the result will be a double digit Democratic victory, probably by north of twenty percent. That means the Republican candidate would lose and the Democrats would control the governor's mansion for another four years and you go John Well. Chad Bianco, according to the betting markets right before the show started today, only has a five
percent chance of making the runoff. Five percent that means ninety five times out of one hundred he won't make the runoff. Yes, I know, but at least you have a chance. At least you have an opportunity to win the seat. What is the goal? This is the question that I asked to people. What is the goal? Is the goal to lose with dignity or is the goal to give yourself an opportunity to win the seat. If the goal is to lose with dignity, that do whatever it is that you want to do. If the goal
is to win the seat, you have one path. That's it, and that is a democratic lockout in November. Now it became a lot more difficult to achieve after Trump endorsed Hilton. Whoever is giving him advice in California is giving him her riff advice. I realize that he's paying attention to a run right now, so he's relying on his people in California. We shot ourselves in the foot on this one by convincing him to get involved and to pick
a candidate. Because the moment he picked a candidate, Steve Hilton's number is shot through the roof and Steve Hilton will likely make the runoff. Now There are some polls that say he may not, but most of them, including the betting markets, say.
That he will. Odds are Steve.
Hilton is going to make the runoff, in part in large part due to the Trump endorsement. But if you don't win the seat, what's the point. And I know there are people who are out there and they say, well, it's going to do damage to downballot candidates. If the Republicans take a swing and miss and they don't get a Democratic lockout, and they get locked out often November ballot, that's going to be bad for down ballot candidates.
Well, guess what.
Look at the statewide constitutional offices. You know, the last time a Republican won one of those was two thousand and six when it was Arnold Swarzenegger at the top of the ticket.
And Steve Poisoner for insurance commissioner.
It is highly unlikely that any of those candidates are going to win. Look at what's going on with the congressional districts prior to Prop fifty. Maybe you would have a point. Maybe you could say, look, here's the deal. If there's no Republican on the top of the ticket, the Democrats could win control of Congress. So therefore those races are important, and it is important to have a Republican on the top of the ticket, even if you're
sacrificing that office to save control of Congress. Okay, but now we have a jerrymanderd map, where there or what three races that are being contested. Everything else is a foregone conclusion. One of them's in San Diego, one of them's in the Central Valley, and one of them's in Sacramento.
That's it.
If Republicans get locked off the top of the ticket, that's not going to determine who controls Congress. Okay, how about the state legislature. Democrats currently have a super majority in the state Senate. They have a supermajority in the State Assembly. What you're arguing over is whether or not their super majority has X number of seats or why number of seats. But you're not going to break the supermajority, and you're not going to get Republicans control of the
State Assembly or the state Senate. That is not on the table. They're not playing in enough seats, Which leads me to the question, what do you have to lose? Why not go for broke and do everything you can to win. I do not understand this loser's mentality of trying to lose a certain way.
And it's so important to lose a certain.
Way because it'll look bad if we don't.
That is an awful attitude to have.
You look at teams, athletic teams that go into matches, that go into games with the working assumption that they're not going to win. Guess what happens they lose. If you want to give yourself an opportunity to win this seat, there is one play for Republicans and that is a democratic lookout.
That is literally it.
If the object is to lose a certain way, then fine, But I don't understand while you go into a game with that mentality, what do you get if it's a Republican versus a Democratic matchup in November and you lose by twenty three points? What is it that you got out of that? What value do you have? Is it going to determine who controls the state legislature? No?
Is it going to determine who controls the Congress?
No?
What does it matter? The answer is it doesn't. So my attitude is do what you can do with the hand to cards that you've been dealt to get the best possible outcome, because that's the only thing you can do. You can wish that things weren't a certain way. You could wish that things were something that they earned, but you're just lying to yourself. You have to deal with reality.
You have to deal with the electorate as it stands right now in California, and what is possible because let me tell you, Eric Swalwell is.
Out of the race right now.
He dropped out some time ago, and at one point in time he was the Democratic leader in the primary. Let's just play along for a second and assume that the stories involving alleged sexual rape and sexual harassment didn't break until after the primary, and let's say it was Eric Swalwell versus one of the Republicans. I am here to tell you the Democratic voters in California would vote for Eric Swalwell, an accused rapist, over a Republican. I
don't think that would change their vote. I really don't. The people I know who are Democratic voters in this state would prefer an accused rapist Democrat over any Republican. Maybe the people you know are different that's the attitude
of the Democrats I talked to. Take Javier Bessera, whose chief of staff just cut a deal with the Feds, and Dana Williamson just cut a deal with the Feds or is alleged to have done so, or is trying to do so, And then you have a third person too, and you go, okay, well, Besarah could get indeted for money laundering, but Sarah could get in dieted for tax evasion. Tom Steyer has an ad out right now suggesting that that could happen, and Besarah has asked him to pull
the ad, which he's not going to do obviously. I think it's entirely possible that could happen, because either Besarah was in on it or he's the dumbest man on planet Earth. Either way, it's not good for him. But I don't see Democratic voters changing their mind over alleged money laundering. I don't think they care because, let me tell you, if they would be willing to vote for Eric Swalwell, an accused rapist, they're not going to have
a problem with money laundering. They're just going to say it's Trump out to get him and he's being targeted because he's a Democrat and he could be the next governor in California, and it is a political prosecution. And even if he did it, who cares. He's not a Republican. That's the attitude that they're going to have. And maybe he won't win by twenty three points, but he's going to win by double digits. It's not going to be
a close election. And then he's going to be a horrible governor because the guy doesn't have the intellect or abilities to do the job. And we're reminded of this time and time again. But the point is, you're not going to beat him if it's him versus a Republican. The way to beat him is in the primary. The way to beat him is to deny him real estate on the November ballot. That's it. Is it a log shot and a hail Mary, Yes it is. But it's
the best play you have. And when you don't have great options, you have to take the least bad one. Is there risk, Yes, there's risk in everything in life. That's the way it works. If you're scared, call the police. But with the options that you have, it is the only option that gives you an opportunity to win the seat.
That's it. This is it.
So you can do whatever you want with your vote. I don't tell you how to vote. I tell you how I'm voting, and I explain why I'm voting that way. But as we approach the election one day before the election, although it's not really election day anymore, it's election season because we vote for a month, at least consider that argument, because let me tell you, if we end up with Javier Besserra or Tom Steyer as governor, it is not going to get better from where things were with Gavin Newsom.
In fact, Tom Steyer is to the left of Gavin Newsom, and Javier Bessera has a room temperature IQ. So he's going to be the Joe Biden of California. It's going to be some group of people you don't know running the state. Why not give yourself a chance? Remember with Donald Trumpp said when he went and he went to I forget which black group it was, into BLACP or someone. He went to a group that doesn't typically support Republicans, and he pitched himself. He went there and he asked
them for their vote. And after he asked them for their vote. He said, what do you have to lose? And you know what, he did better with the black vote than Mitt Romney did, and he did better with the black vote than John McCain did because he went in there and asked them for their vote, and people liked to be asked for their vote. It's a sign of respect. And he posed a question that was a legitimate question. After voting for the Democratic Party in lockstep
for decades and generations, what do you have? What do you have to lose to try something different? What do you have to lose to role the dice on someone who belongs to a party that you typically don't vote for. And the answer was they had nothing to lose, and many of them took the leap and voted for him. They rolled the dice and they said, all right, Biden and the Democrats or Hillary and the Democrats at the time, they've done nothing for me, so why not give someone
else a chance? And they roll the dice. And that's what I did in this election. Eight hundred two two two five two two two is jelephone number one eight hundred two two two five two two two If you'd like to email the show. You can do so at Johnny don't Like show at gmail dot com. That's Johnny
Don't Like show at gmail dot com. If you'd like to listen to the podcast edition of this program, Let's say that you want to hear Spencer Pratt's first appearance on the show that we just replayed on Memorial Day, Randy, that's easy to do. All you got to do is search for the John Phillips Show wherever you get your podcasts, and that could be on the Apple podcast app. About a third of our listeners use that one iHeartRadio, about
a third of our listeners use that. There is Spotify, you can search for the John Phillip Show, hit subscribe, download all the episodes. More and more people every single day are getting their podcasts on the YouTube, so you can do a gascono on YouTube. You can also get the free KABC app, the free KSFO app, or the KMJ now app because we're on that station every single
Saturday at noon. So many different ways to listen live to what we're doing here every single day from noon to three wherever you are thanks to streaming, and you can download the podcast, listen to them on your time and listen to them in the background of whatever else you're doing, while you're working on busy work, while you're cooking, while you're exercising, or while you're watching two professional hockey players go at it on HBO?
Why do you have to watch porn in the living?
And if you'd like to take a peek at my ballot choices, you could do so at KABC dot com and KSFO dot com. And tomorrow night, Randy, we're doing double duty tomorrow night. So tomorrow we're here from noon to three. As always, I'm here from five to six on seven ninety KABC for my Newsblitz show, and then from seven to nine we're going live and statewide. We'll be here from seven to nine pm on KABC in Southern California, KSFO in the Bay, and KMJ and Fresno.
Be joined by our buddies Frank Motech of KABC and Phil Dressi of KMJ.
We will give you all.
The results for all the races that we can give you results when the polls close at eight o'clock.
All right, we have Spencer Pratt coming up after the news at one, and we're also going to be taking calls from candidates to two o'clock hour. If you're a candidate for office, if you support someone who is on the ballot, you want to let them know that they can call all in and promote their campaign. We're going to do that at the two o'clock hour at eight hundred two two two five two two two. All right, it is our pleasure to welcome our next guest to
the program. She is the professor of Political science and meritis at California State University at Fullerton.
Professor Barbara Stone.
Welcome, hi, John. So what's your read at this point on the governor's race?
What's my read? Actually a couple three things of By the way, I hope if only to try to understand that your listeners listen to your first half hour because you explained your position as clearly as anybody could, including the downsides. And since your program's not supposed to be for dummies, all those people are voting for Javier Binsera that they don't have to agree with you, but they
should hear what you said, and i'd lead in. It's funny because you made the case for Republicans should have focused from the beginning on getting two Republicans in the runoff. That was your only chance. Historically, that certainly true. The funny thing is I talked to lots of people on both sides of the aisle, and as soon as Donald Trump made his endorsement, Republicans stopped talking about that. That just simply didn't enter in to their thinking. Who paid
attention were the Democrats. If you will recall the original thing going that up to twenty five percent chance two Republicans could get in the runoff came from Democrat consultants, and every Democrat I have talked to appears to believe that that was and still is. They don't know we tanked it, that that was a real possibility. So like I had lunch a couple of days ago with a couple of ladies died in the world, Democrats, they're exactly
the people you're describing. They don't care if he murdered somebody. He's a Democrat, other guy's a Republican. They're voting Democrat. At least one of them really really truly wanted to be a Katie Porter voter, but she really really really
didn't want two Republicans in the runoff. So a person who votes almost immediately when she gets her ballot had not yet voted as of actually this last Saturday, and it was because she was waiting to make sure how it played out, because she was going to vote for whichever Democrats showed ahead. And she is not stupid far as I can tell. She doesn't. I mean, Bessarah would not be her choice, but he's going to keep the Republicans from sweeping, so that's how she was going to vote.
We may have dropped the thought, but they didn't, So I think that means you're going to get but Sarah in the runoff, probably, although not for sure for sure, but I think probably. And most of the polling shows Hilton in Styre quite close. In fact, it's all within the margin of error pretty much, except the last Emerson
poll on the top person. And listening to the other numbers you were reading off like about how much Hilton would lose to Besarah by Interestingly enough, I'm quite confident that he would lose, but I don't think by that margin. What was his name, Cox, that had the bear and that was his campaign Oh dear lord, he did better than thirty three percent, So I actually suspect without knowing that the polling you're looking at at least on the
margins under represents Republicans. And therefore, if you made me bet, and I don't bet on anything except horses and sure things, if you made me bet, I would bet that the runoff will be be Sarah and Hilton.
And what do you think happens in November? If it's that?
If that's the case, John John, I told you your program is not for dummies, and I don't want to be on the program for dummies. So if you have somebody who honestly thinks Steve Hilton can win, that fine. We all believe what we believe, but there are no numbers anytime that would support that.
Now, Chen who ran for Controller did about as good of a job as you could do as a Republican statewide candidate. That was in what twenty twenty two when he ran for controller he ended up with forty four percent. That's with all of the newspaper endorsements, that is, with certain high profile Democratic donors getting behind him, and Democratic influencers and all of the Republican influencers and elected officials, and forty four percent appears to be the high water mark right now.
Yes, and I think is far and away the high watermark. And the funniest thing. Your next guest is going to be Spencer Pratt, who is going to bring in some votes because some people know him from his reality TV show. I guess if you don't watch Fox News, you have no idea who Steve Hilton is, so he doesn't see I would go well on he people didn't know him, blah blah blah. But he had everything you could ask for a Republican to have going for him, plus an
ethnic vote behind him. And I don't see Hilton coming anywhere near that, not because there's anything wrong with him, just because he doesn't have anything to put He's not arnold. Heuts up.
All right, let's shift gears here and talk about the LA mayor's race, because last week I opened up the phone lines and asked the question, of all of the candidates on the ballot, which one excites you the most? And the answer almost to a person with Spencer Pratt, including people who live in the city of La people who live in Orange County, people who live in cities in La County that aren't La City, the Bay area,
out of state. He has captured the attention of a lot of people paying attention to this election, at.
Least part of it. John, I mean, it's well, I think La is ungovernable, so I won't really try to be an expert on them. But we live in a certain way, and we get our information from social media, we get our information from many non traditional sources, and let me tell you that boy knows how to work them. I absolutely can't believe it. But he is clearly a
national star. He is the only Republican remotely of that sort I can remember where the national media is covering him, because he just has a feel for what you do to get attention. And you go, well, no, honey, he's getting attention, and in something like he's running for that's worth a pile of money. Actually, it's a wonderful show to watch. By the way, just to comment, and if you have any explanation for it, I'd like to hear it.
I've decided that maybe either the polling is terrible, which is perfectly possible, or her La is even further weirdo less than I think, because virtually every poll I've seen John shows Raman statistically tied with Pratt for the pleasant second spot. And I'm just going, seriously, you've got Karen Bass and what she pulls off. And then you've got a socialist who says she's a socialist may or may
not be in the runoff. I I don't recommend your listeners live in City of LA if they can avoid it well.
And then you have another socialist candidate, that reverend lady, who's pulling pretty decently. And if you add what she has up with what Nythia Rahman has, the socialist vote is doing better than Karen Bass.
Oh well, by the way, what poll did I just see? And John, it's so hard to pull this thing. First of all, you have to determine who's actually going to vot and that's a problem. And then you have to determine whose ballots not getting burned up at drop boxes in so in South Los Angeles, you saw that one of those happened, so that I'm good to think the polling's off. But let's assume the polling is halfway accurate. Karen Bath may not make the runoff. How would that
be crazy saying? Anyhow? And if she cannot make run offs, at least theoretically, Spencer Pratt can be mayor at least theoretically, I think that's fun but what he is a fracted nationwide in terms of attention blows me away.
What happens if he doesn't make the runoff where he, to my eye and it sounds like to your eye, has done everything right. The guy has a story, The guy has a reason for running. The guy was great in the debate, is good in the interviews, is doing everything that you want a candidate to do on social media? If that turns out not to be enough as LA just a lost cause politically, yes.
Now I say that, I say that was it four years ago? Rick Caruso came close. Now, Rick Caruso had registered as a Democrat, and they had to bring out the sitting president and vice president and all those people in order to beat him. So I probably shouldn't say what I just did, but put it together with how well socialists at least in the polling or running, and that place has deteriorated in ways that are unbelievable. Who was it somebody was recently talking about not that many
years ago, LA was seeing the renaissance. Businesses were growing downtown, people were moving downtown. It was the coming place. And look what liberal democrats have managed to do to the city. You'd think somebody would wake up, But of course what happens is people take our advice and just move out. So that doesn't make it any better. It's a real pity.
Why do you think so many Democratic voters have such a high tolerance for very bad government? Because when you talk to them one on one, at least the ones that live in the big cities, they're aware that these cities are run very poorly. They're aware that they shouldn't have to wring the button for the in assistance of an associate to buy their shampoo. They're aware that they're homeless encampments right outside their kids' schools, yet they continue
to vote for it. Every time they're given an opportunity. They complain about it, but they don't change their behavior at the ballot box.
I can think of two or three different explanations, and maybe they're all subservient to something else. John, You act as if people understand that if you elect these kinds of people, they will do what they say they're going to do, and that will result in these policies which will affect you badly. By the time you go through one, two, three, four, people have lost the thread. They don't They look at a field running and they go, oh, I like her. I have a friend who actually, if it's female she's
voting for. That's as far as she's going to go. You have I like this person, or oh, look she's good on this that I like most of it, very performative. They don't put that together with this person will appoint these people, These people will do this, This will result in something very bad for you. I honest, honestly believe it's a very low level of conceptualization among the public. And if you pin the public down on it, they would go, no, no, no, you're implying I'm stupid. I'm
not stupid. I just don't care. And that's what you're up against. Now I can make that excuse for the public. I guess it's an excuse. What do we have with Silicon Valley? Those idiots who over the years, they certainly should know more than just Sally a citizen, And they've been giving money to left wing Democrats for years and years and years, so they've been supporting this. I get on them way before I get on the voters, because their money could change things, not just overnight, but it could.
And it's funny I have good Republican friends who are looking at the billionaire's tax, aren't going to be on the ballot, and who think it's horrible, but thinks all those guys deserve it because they've been supporting these day Democrats who are the ones who, of course have given us the problems.
What do we do to bring Silicon Valley along and educate them on the politics of California and what they need to do to make the state a normal place again.
How's this, John? We could start by instituting a billionaire's tax that will hit them. Oh, I guess that's what the Democrats are doing.
That really is playing with fire for them, because if they wake them up and get them engaged and get them I guess acting rationally politically with their money and their support and their technology, that could really pose a problem for the Democrats in California.
I think that that's true, and there are there are some things actually what has to happen. You have to have the We have decent people who are still willing to live in the state, who are still willing to be Republicans, who are willing to put in the time they have to do, and even more than we do basic grassroots organizing if that sounds right, not because in and of itself that will accomplish anything. It won't. But
you have the troops ready. If in fact, the idiots with I mean the very rich people with all the money, decide that maybe they've been wrong, and maybe after they pour the money in in November, which by the way, is when they're going to that, maybe they should be thinking about at least trying to make the state competitive. And they need they can move out of it. A lot of them have, but if they'd meant it, they
could make a difference. And that's the only place I can find it, because you've got to have huge bucks over a period of time.
Professor Barbara Stone, Professor of Political Science Emeritus at California State University at Fullerton. And you're gonna be with us on election night tomorrow from seven to nine.
Yes, And by the way, you know, I know you have to get off, but you know how dangerous that is because today I say this is gonna happen, and then tomorrow night you go, well, all.
Right, well we'll check in tomorrow night. Professor Barberstone, thank you. It's the John Phillips Show. We have one more hour to go. Spencer Pratt joins us next at two o'clock. If you're a candidate for office and want to pitch your campaign, we'll give you the time to do so at eight hundred two two two five two two two. It's the day before election Day right here on The John Phillips Show.