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Very good afternoon to you on Tim Beverage. Welcome to the show. This is the Weekend Collective for Sunday, the twenty first of July. You can text your feedback on nine two nine two, And if you ever missed any part of the show and you want to catch up, but you can go and have a look at our podcast on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. Just all the News Talks a b website in facts and just look for the Weekend Collective. So just let you know what's coming up in the show. For the rest
of the other hours, just a moment Politics Central. But from from four o'clock for the Health Hub, we're joined by Carl MacDonald. We have a chat about the five stages of grief and it's not just about grief when it comes to being bereaved following the death of someone, but just what does grief look like and how do you cope through it? And you know what helps you get through it? So what are you having a chat
with Kyle about that? Among other things of course, and possibly have a little bit of a chat about the seasonal effective disorder. Is there such a thing as the winter blues? Well, I guess there is, because there's an expression called the seasonal effective disorder of the winter blue. So yeah, we're being a chat about that. I love winter myself. I love a nice clear blue sky day
and winter of course not miserable gray, I guess. Anyway, For smart money, at five o'clock, Hamish Pepper from Harbor Asset Management joins us to discuss issues around well money essentially, but of course there's talk about the lowering of the Reserve Bank has pivoted and it's rhetoric which points to lower interest rates ahead. We're going to have a chat about
that and what are all means at five o'clock. But right now it is time for what is it eight minutes past three and time for Politics Central, So what we're going to be doing this there In just a moment we'll be having a chat with Dan Mitchison, but after that we'll be having a chat also with the mayor elect. I guess if that's the right expression, Mahe Drysdale. But of course, if we look out at the States, the Republican what's been going on in the States with
the Republicans have been having their national convention. But of course, just this time last week, somebody tried to assassinate Donald Trump and the course of the US election took something of a turn. And now, of course, as I mentioned, the Republicans have wrapped up their national convention this week with Ohio Senator JD. Vance being announced as Donald Trump's running mate, and pressure continues to mount on Joe Biden
to step down. Willie, won't he? And when? Anyways? Give you the latest live from the Live on the United States? Is US spun? Dan Mitchison, who's with me?
Now? Good? I?
Dan? Hey?
Good eight? Jim.
So, firstly, how's Donald Trump doing after his appearance? And they you can mention how are his prospects?
Well, I think he's doing a lot better. I mean today he held the you know, first campaign in Michigan that he has had since that assassination attempt, and he was joined with his his VP pick JD. Vance, and they immediately, you know, took on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. And what was interesting is, you know, the theme owing into this whole event, especially after the assassination attempt, was going to be unity.
But for Trump.
I think it's safe to say that unity means aligning with him. You're with him or you're against him. And I third, I think we heard him talk, you know, about trying to do bring people together as part of this convention before he went on a standard really rampage again. Still a lot of Democrats claiming, you know, that he's a threat to democracy, and he says, I'm the one who's saving democracy.
Yeah, Well, how do you think the Pennsylvania is shooting? What do we know about how it's impacted the polls?
Well, I mean, I think it's a little too early to really gauge that. I mean, you had, you know, instant polls that show that his numbers were up slightly over Joe Biden. And of course now everybody's wondering, well, will he be going up against Joe Biden or will he be going up against Kamala Harris And they're pretty much even in the polls. Both are not particularly strong candidates for the Democratic Party. In fact, the Democrats don't really have a.
Deep bench right now.
I mean, if you look ahead to four years from now, I think you're going to have a much better bench. Pete Buddhaj Edge, who is a transportation ahead of the US Transportation Department here and ran and failed, you know several years ago. I think he could throw his hat. Governor Gavin Newsom, who's the governor of California, he's he is definitely going to be running. He's one of the people that they've already talked about if Joe Biden were
to step aside, might he step into his shoes. But right now, those that were around Trump, I think have have circled the wagons and they're they're stronger than ever and more sure that he is going to be in the White House after November.
So what is in terms of the effects of the shooting. Does it just shore up his base? Are there are undecided aviters that are thinking, oh, you know, seeing the imagery of him, you know, saying fought and holding his fist to the air and talking about unity. Has it made a difference to undecided?
I don't know if it has or not.
It's it's really interesting because you know, after surviving this attempt, I mean, he has emerged, I think, looking stronger than ever in the minds of a lot of his supporters, and his son Eric has attributed his survival to divine intervention. But the interesting thing is the more that comes out against him, He's like teflon and that I hate using
that analogy, but it really is. It seems like every whether he's on trial, or he has a sexual allegation against him, or you get something like this.
That happened to him.
A week ago, I think his base of supporters just tighten around him even more.
Now.
There's still a lot of independence out there, and you're really not going to change the mind of a lot of Democrats or a lot of Republicans at this point. And unfortunately, what we need in this country is a third party, and that just is not going to happen, not in the foreseeable future. I mean, we are very black and white. There used to be a gray here in the US when it came to politics, but now it's an extreme left or an extreme right.
It seems like tell us about his Trump speach to the convention. I saw it was about ninety minutes long, Bud, and said what tweited something like, what the hell was that? But I couldn't put myself through it, to be honest. So that's why I'm glad we've got you.
Well it was.
I mean, he started out in the first few minutes, I think, trying to trying to get people together. He paid the respects to the fireman who was killed while trying to save his family, and you saw him go over and sort of kiss the helmet of.
The fireman.
But I really think that the women in Trump's orbit were trying to humanize him. I think that was something that they were trying to do, and we didn't see four years ago. I mean, his daughter in law, who's co chair of the Republican National Committee, was up there. He had a grandchild speak of the convention. You saw cutaway shots of him hugging some of his grandchildren. So it really was a different field than it was four
years ago. But then, even though we were told he was not going to go off script, he went off script, and about fifteen or twenty minutes later into the speech, it turned into something just like a rally where he was just sort of rambling on about Joe Biden and about the Democrats and how he is going to be the savior of the Republican Party.
And I think.
He was trying to go after I mean, you look at Hulk Hogan, who was there and Kid Rock. I mean, Republicans know that gen Z voters don't feel especially beholden to Democrats or Republicans right now, and they sort of see an opening right now.
And you know, JD.
Vance is only thirty nine years old, so he's the first millennial to be on a major party presidential ticket.
I think they're going after that a little bit.
But yeah, it started out fairly strong, but I think it kind of rambled on a bit for the president.
The former president.
Tell us about J. D.
Evans, Well, I mean he's somebody I think we're going to get to know a little bit more. I mean, obviously, he wrote a best selling book. He is fairly young. That book has been turned into a movie that has now shot back up to the top of the streaming charts on Netflix right now. I mean, he had he grew up in Ohio, his family struggled, and really he is you know, he was somebody who was against Donald Trump. But like so many other people, as we saw the convention,
they kind of turn that around. It's like, Okay, he's the Godfather. Now you have to kiss the ring of the Godfather. It doesn't matter what you said, it doesn't matter that you look at Nicki Haley, who was a adamant that that Trump was never going to be the White House again and that she would never have anything to do with him. But you know, she was up there on stage singing his praises, saying, we have our disagreements, but you know, not so much that I'm not going to back him.
Wow.
Okay, Well, let's looking on the Democrat side of things. How much public pressure? What do we know about the public pressure and maybe the behinds the Saints pressure that is mounting on Biden to step aside.
There's a lot of pressure.
And I'll tell you, Tim, I have interviewed some of the top Democrats I would say over the last maybe eighteen months on air, and I've talked to a few off air. Publicly they said nobody would ever speak out against President Biden. But even a year ago, even eighteen months ago, privately, they were saying that this is not the candidate that we want. We know that if he goes up against Trump that he would probably lose. There's
very little confidence in Kamala Harris. But if Biden were to step aside, I mean, she's the what are you going to do? Ask her to take the number two role. Again, You've got somebody who is a minority, who is a female, who the Democrats are going after, and they've lost a lot of the support in the black community. So who does that leave for them to bring up? Gavin Newsom, who has sworn that he has no interest in running
for president, but everybody knows that he is there. He's been out campaigning for President Biden, but often it sounds like he's sort of laying the groundwork for his own campaign.
In four years. Barack Obama has.
Been called in by top Democrats, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to say, you've got to tell him to step down, and nobody's answering the phone right now. Donors are just even though David Letterman has announced he's going to be hosting a big event in Hawait in a couple of weeks, donors are just sort of waiting and seeing who are we going to give our money to because they're just not confident that that's going to be Biden.
At this point.
I guess that in terms of public pronouncements, they're going to be all in until they're not all in it, aren't. I because as soon as it's and same with Biden. He has to say he's in until he's not, because if he shows any chinks in the honor, then that city's gone.
Yeah.
And the frustrating thing is you've got a man who has served what forty fifty years or more in public service, and you know, if you're a Democrat, you're going to say, hey, Joe Is, he's done a great job for the country.
It's your time to step aside.
You know, you didn't need to run that you were supposed to be a transitional president.
And he even said that himself.
You know it was everybody I think was under the impression I'm just going to do this for four years. I'll lay the groundwork for my successor, and I'll step aside. But we know that if you admit that going into an office, you're a lame duck president because nobody wants somebody that's going to be around for just four years to start things and not finish it. And that's what Biden is saying, Well, I have to finish my job here.
But his wife should have been, you know, there saying you know, it's time for you.
To step aside.
His closest age and advisors should have been doing that, but apparently Joe Biden is very stubborn when it comes to that, and there are a lot of people who are scared about saying that to his face.
What's your money on? Do you think he will last the distance to the election, because I reckon, it's just a matter of time till the public pressure just gets to and the polls and everything. It's going to catch up with them, isn't it.
What do you think it is?
I would have said maybe a month ago, I couldn't see somebody dropping out. Something like this has certainly not happened, And in my lifetime a couple of days ago, I would say maybe by tomorrow, maybe by Monday, early this next week, we're going to hear that he has decided for health reasons or something. I mean, and that's another thing. How are you going to bow out gracefully without losing face? I mean, he says he's going to be back out campaigning.
He said, he's now considering. You know, if something bad were to happen to me, he said, you know, with my health, then I might consider stepping aside.
Well, he catches COVID. I mean, is this the door that's opened to him?
Right now saying I just I just don't think I can put myself or my family through this. I'm not willing to risk my health or my life to do this and sort of open the door for Kamala Harris to step in and continue to run for November.
I guess, look, given that there has been the susassination and attempt, and there are certain rules around if you change almostmid straim, it's bad news. But is there any chance that if he did step down that the Republicans might seize the agenda for a bit and have a chance of getting the man and woman into the White House.
I think there's a there's a very good chance that the Republicans will win. I can't see anybody that the Democrats can put up right now that would at this late day be able to.
You know, to be Donald Trump.
I just can't, like I say, looking down the road, I can certainly see Democrats taking the White House in.
You know, in four years.
But there's a lot of people right now that don't want to vote for Donald Trump or Joe Biden. I've got two teenage kids, twins that are voting in their first presidential election in just a few months. And both have come out and said there's nobody in the party that I want to vote for, and I know a lot of their peers have said the same thing. And those are the voters that the Democrats and the Republicans
are going to have to go after. Two are those younger voters, and right now they're just not appealing to them.
Yeah, I guess that's why I thought, if they did have a change, is there any possiblity have a game in change?
But oh well, yeah not at this point. Not to mention this drags out for so long. My dad, who's you know, from the UK, says, wouldn't it be nice in this country if we could just have it like they do for a prime minister in the UK you get five weeks, you don't spend a lot of money, you hit the road, and then it's over and done with and they're in number ten, you know, on the next day. But here it's you know, it's a good
eighteen months to two years of campaigning. So as soon as whoever gets in the White House does in November, eighteen months after that, we'll be talking about twenty twenty eight.
Good stuff. Hey, Dan, I really appreciate your time this oftenoon. You're insight, Thanks so.
Much, my pleasure.
Yes, that is Dan Mitchison. Mitchinson. He is a US correspondent, and we're going to be back in a moment talking politics a little more local, well I hell of a lot more local. Actually, we're going to be being a chat with the new mayor elect of Taranger who joins
us shortly, Mahi Drysdale. It is twenty two minutes past three News Talk Said B. By the way, you can text your feedback on nine two nine two, and we're going to be doing a little bit of talk back after I've had a chat with Mahi as well, just about well, a couple of questions as a teaser, will throw you out later, throw it out to you later.
Back in the moy For more from the weekend collective, listen live to News Talk Said B weekends from three pm, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.