[speaker001:] [Clicking] So interesting political trends or events, huh?
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] Well, [LAUGHTER] I guess the, uh, most interesting one that's, uh, going on right now, from my perspective, is this, uh, phenomena of, uh, uh, Ross Perot. Uh, caught his interview last night with David Frost and it was
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] the, the first time I had, you know, heard, uh, his views expressed by himself. I had heard other people talk about what they thought he believed in.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] But the whole phenomena of him coming out of, uh, literally nowhere and no party. Uh, at least, no apparent party support on either side [swallowing] is
[speaker002:] Huh.
[speaker001:] pretty interesting.
[speaker002:] Yeah, I have not even heard, believe it or not, of that person.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I'm not kidding. When you, when you said it, it was kind of like a surprise.
[speaker001:] Like out of nowhere? Yeah.
[speaker002:] Yeah. I think mainly because I haven't been watching what's politically going on.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Uh, in that at-, you know, in that aspect. I, as far as like now, the new house bill that went to Minnesota, uh, being that it is their neighboring state and that I lived in Minnesota, I'm more familiar with the politics that involved with that, and that being passed.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] But, uh, as far as politics in the grander, uh, part of it as if you want to look at, uh, election type things, I'm not quite sure even if I'm going to vote. Uh
[speaker001:] Uh-huh. Yeah.
[speaker002:] it gets harder and harder each time an election comes up like that, to make the decision on who would be the best to run. Uh,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh. Well, it seems that the decision, so far, has been filtered
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] by, uh, you know, party politics so much that
[speaker002:] Sure.
[speaker001:] when the candidates finally get party approval, party support and therefore get presented to the public, the, the
[speaker002:] Exactly.
[speaker001:] candidates are already beyond what, uh, most public, uh, feels is acceptable behavior.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] You know, the, one of the common criticisms of Clinton is, uh, gee, he'll say or do anything in order to get to the White House.
[speaker002:] Sure.
[speaker001:] And, and, up and to the point of, uh, Perot being a serious candidate, it seems like that, that was a requirement of being a, a contender within the party is to have done all those things.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh. Sure.
[speaker001:] I mean, here's, here's a guy who for twenty years has been working toward, you know, getting the party nomination and, and preparing himself for the presidency and now it seems like both he and the incumbent President are, you know, pretty seriously threatened by somebody who comes out of a whole nonpolitical arena.
[speaker002:] He might be a, a one of those, sure. Uh, it, it's kind of when you think back of the old politics where a dirt farmer, uh, when you think of some of the best presidents we've had, in the past, have been people that have struggled to get to the top. I mean, they were not rich in
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] in any means and it has been kind of, in the past, uh, I don't know, maybe fifty years that in order for a person to get involved with politics, they've had to have money.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And you had to have the views of the people that were going to be paying your way.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Uh, so it makes the common person, uh, not to say that a common person couldn't run for government and do a fabulous job because he's got people that are quite intelligent and I don't know if we'll ever see that you know. Where a common person could ever get in there that has good moral standings and, uh, has, uh, you know, you think of Abraham Lincoln and, you know, just the background of
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Abraham Lincoln. You know, teaching himself to read. He didn't go to college. He didn't, you know, do all the other things that, uh, you know, you would think that was real popular to do and to get po-, politically involved in and have money. He didn't come
[speaker001:] Uh-huh. Yeah.
[speaker002:] from money. Uh, and now it's,
[speaker001:] And, and yet even he was a, a consummate politician in the sense that, uh, not only did he, uh, fail in business twice with bankruptcy and failure
[speaker002:] Uh-huh, sure.
[speaker001:] but he lost some eighteen elections before he finally won one.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] And the first d-, and the first and only election he won was, uh, the presidency [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Yeah [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] He, he had lost every other office that he had, you know, he was appointed a couple of times to, like, uh, uh, state legislator.
[speaker002:] So you really know a lot of his background.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Yeah. Then, then when he finally, you know, did win an election, uh, you know, it was the presidency. Yeah.
[speaker002:] It was the big one. It's the one that everybody wants. Yeah.
[speaker001:] Yeah. But,
[speaker002:] Whether or not I, you know, you look at all these candidates that want to become president. I really have to ask them why, you know.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Yeah [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Uh, it's the toughest job in the world to do. And not only that, you don't have that much freedom to make choices. I mean you
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] have to go through so many different, you have to go the House, the Congress, and all of the o-, other things
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] to get a bill passed. And sure you can veto [mispronounced], veto it at the last minute but then it's not like you have all that power and I think long time ago presidents did have a lot of power.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.