In this episode of The Weekly Standard's new podcast, host John Avlon and Senior Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Caller, Peter Bergen, discuss all the latest in the Arizona primary, including the latest on the voter integrity decertification process. Plus, a look ahead to Tuesday's primary, and a preview of the midterms.
00:15:52.800Well, look, I think we all know that there are the great free states like my home state of Florida
00:15:59.400and as well as Texas, where you've seen the leadership, you've seen strong leadership coming from the state level to put the federal government in their place.
00:16:10.260What Texas has had to endure when it comes to the chaotic border crisis with little help from the federal government, what they've been able to do to ensure that Texas stays red, that more companies, more corporations are fleeing blue states and going over and moving over to Texas because it has a better economic environment.
00:16:32.100I mean, those are the success stories of when you have governments that run well, state governments that run well, that push back against the, I think, the burdensome authoritarian type of federal government that we see under President President Biden.
00:16:48.060And obviously for Texas, it's a great place for people to come easily across the country.
00:16:54.280As we know, CPAC not only brings folks from across the country, but from across the globe, we always have folks, conservatives coming from Europe.
00:17:03.900We obviously just finished CPAC Israel, and we'll have individuals also coming representing folks from the state of Israel, from the country of Israel.
00:17:12.840So I think that, Steve, what we're looking at right now is that, as you were mentioning, 90 days to the midterm elections, making sure that we're connecting the right people, making sure that Republicans are energized, focused with the right messaging to go into the midterm elections so that we're able to have a red wave, not only at the federal level.
00:17:34.180I know we always talk about the congressional races and the Senate races, but also at the local and state levels.
00:17:39.380I can't tell you how many individuals I've spoken to at CPAC who are so inspired after CPAC, and then they go and run for school board, and they really take these risks of saying, my voice matters.
00:17:51.840I want to be part of this dialogue, and now I know how to build the right coalition, the right grassroots to get it done.
00:18:00.160And we do do a boot camp, a grassroots activism boot camp, to get individuals prepared so that we know what we're looking for when it comes to election fraud, to make sure people get involved and become precinct captains or poll watchers.
00:18:13.480All very much an important part of ensuring election integrity as we move into the midterm elections.
00:18:21.120Let me play. If I can ask Denver. I want to play this spot again, and I want to ask Matt a specific question about this spot. Let's play it.
00:18:26.720The countdown to the midterms begins at CPAC Texas. Join President Trump, Sean Hannity, Steve Bannon, and a packed house of conservative all-stars.
00:18:36.160With your help, we will take back the House. We will win the Senate.
00:18:40.040A big red wave is coming. It all starts at CPAC Texas. Fire Pelosi. Save America.
00:18:46.480And then a Republican president will return to the White House. Who, who, who will that be?
00:18:53.220The American Conservative Union is responsible for the content of this advertising.
00:18:56.720Oh, so in that, and by the way, people are focused on, as Mercedes just said, this buildup, the work, people coming together, school boards, election boards.
00:19:09.520Clearly, the state legislature is vitally important, and obviously the House and the Senate.
00:19:14.020But it's a two-part thing there, Matt. Fire Pelosi. Save America.
00:19:18.720You're also going to talk about the agenda, because I'm telling people, this can't be like the Tea Party in 2010.
00:19:25.400It can't be like 2016. When we get it this time, there has to be fundamental change.
00:19:31.380Are people, they're going to give us an opportunity. They're listening to our message.
00:19:35.580They're prepared to back us. But the second part of the equation, Matt, I know you're going to have the Fire Pelosi part.
00:19:40.600Everybody coming together, the messaging, what you need to do to run a campaign.
00:19:43.960Ninety days are going to come together. What's the second part of the equation, the Save America?
00:19:48.360What are we going to see at CPAC that's going to lay out the agenda starting in January 2023?
00:19:55.240Well, it's a little bit of a veiled threat here. I mean, you know, we've gotten away from this idea.
00:19:59.980You know, I'm a proud conservative. You're a proud conservative. Mercy is.
00:20:03.420But the word conservative isn't – it's a type of American you are, right?
00:20:07.360And we're fighting just for America. It's broader than just what type of America you like.
00:20:13.280They don't believe in America. We do. We think its founding is important.
00:20:17.060And our vehicle to get power and to save America is the Republican Party, which has – as you said, you said 1862 at the beginning of the show.
00:20:24.860What a proud tradition we have with the reason for the Republican Party's creation was to save the union.
00:20:31.820Well, this is our call once again. So our call to the Republican Party is know why you're there.
00:20:38.940And what you're there to do is to save the country by fighting, fighting, fighting for the principles we share.
00:20:45.000And too many times the Republican Party has been, at least in the legislative sense, has been way too soft and way too accommodating.
00:20:52.460And we give up everything. We've given up so much. We've got nothing. We've got no ground left to give up.
00:20:57.720So there's no more time for these stupid compromises. Now they have to compromise with us.
00:21:02.060And one of the things that Republicans have to decide when we get this power in the House and the Senate,
00:21:06.940and I believe we will get it in both, even though the Senate looks a little dodgy right now,
00:21:11.820we have to decide what's the most important principle that we fight in that very first budget battle, Steve.
00:21:16.580Because what has happened with these Senate Republicans is they've destroyed these Republican speakers because they say the Senate will only go along this far and no further,
00:21:26.000which basically means the Senate is willing to accommodate with whatever that Democrat president wants.
00:21:31.580And if the Senate Republicans decide to do that again and give Biden essentially what he wants in that first budget battle,
00:21:37.980because, or that first budget vehicle, because we don't really believe in fighting,
00:21:41.700I think it's going to be so demoralizing for the people who we're meeting with around the country that I think the need for the Republican Party is going to ebb.
00:21:49.840And so part of this message at CPAC is, is like, we're with you guys, but you've got to, you know, this is a line in the sand.
00:21:57.480You've got to defend these principles because we're not going to have a country anymore.
00:22:01.160Wow. Mercedes, one of the things that Matt and you guys have done under your watch is that you understand that they're like-minded people throughout the globe.
00:22:11.340And so whether it's been Japan or Brazil taking, I know CPAC just got back from Israel,
00:22:17.340this monumental event you had in Israel with all the young people, the, the, the watching it was incredible.
00:22:25.840You're going to have Victor Orban. And I believe, I don't think, I think the mainstream media, even with Bannon and Trump and other people showing up,
00:22:34.260their, their, their heads, their heads are exploding now and wait till after you talk.
00:22:37.820So what is the task and purpose of first off expanding and taking CPAC throughout the world?
00:22:45.740I think you go to Mexico right in early September.
00:22:49.380And why, why bring a Victor Orban that's going to bring down the wrath of the, of the pearl clutching virtue signaling legacy media, ma'am?
00:23:02.540So look, I, you know, I've not done a lot more of the traveling, uh, around the world and has these really remarkable stories.
00:23:09.680I've kind of had to stay back and be home with the kids, but, uh, and, but we did have a chance to go to CPAC Israel.
00:23:16.300And I think one of the things that I'm learning as we're going across the globe is that this cry for freedom is not just an American phenomenon.
00:23:27.320It's a, it's a phenomenon of the world.
00:23:31.440We had a chance to, uh, to basically interview Natan Sharansky, who was a former political prisoner in the Soviet Union.
00:23:40.440Um, and he has this amazing book called the case for democracy.
00:23:44.120And I got to tell you, he talks about the critical moments, the critical, uh, moment of knowing that a free society is critical, is important for, uh, strengthening individuals.
00:23:56.880Uh, you know, where authoritarian governments destroy the human spirit.
00:24:02.520And, and if you do, you want to be in a society where you're able to basically debate each other and have critical views and be able to, uh, you know, know that, that no one, no government's going to shut you down.
00:24:16.320And so the left, what they want to do, Steve, they want to do everything they can to label all of us as far, right.
00:24:37.760And so what we find is that when we're traveling across the globe, they are going through similar problems that we're having here in America, whether it be fake news, whether it be trying to destroy you because you are conservative and you stand for the family and you stand for, uh, loving your country and loving freedoms.
00:24:56.060And so part of it is how do we exchange these ideas and how do we make sure that we build strong conservative movements and they're going to be different in different parts of the world.
00:25:05.120But the fact is that they are able to build their own coalitions to then, you know, run effective governments.
00:25:11.880Let me jump in on this thing in Israel.
00:25:14.120What Nathan Sharansky said is BDS, this movement to, you know, boycott Israel and to destroy Israel and take up the cause of the Palestinians.
00:25:55.860They don't all work well within an American context.
00:25:58.760And he's trying to figure out how he explains what he means.
00:26:01.260Here's how I just put a thumbnail on it for everybody who's, even friends of mine who have texted me saying, what the hell are you doing?
00:26:07.520This is George Soros' arch nemesis, a man who grew up in George Soros' backyard.
00:26:15.020He, from George Soros' home country, is leading a charge against Soros' destruction of gender and the family and all the things that make civilization.
00:26:26.080And that is a very, very, very important voice.
00:26:30.000Look at what the major themes are around this world.
00:26:34.000And you find those themes being, one of the most important battlefields is Hungary.
00:26:39.580And Americans better wake up to the fact that these things have to be protected.
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00:41:59.040Whether it's Arizona or Colorado, you got Tina Peters up in Colorado, and the Warren Posse had her back, that crusade, and they are in a throwdown up there to get that hand count, physical hand count redone.
00:42:10.360They're down in Fincham and Lake, or down in Arizona in court on the machines and getting the machines ripped out.
00:42:45.180I'm going to get to this thing on Tuesday in Arizona, the primary.
00:42:47.800But what everybody wants to know is I hear what you guys and, Marshawn, you guys got a great plan post-November 8th.
00:42:55.520What are you going to do to ensure that, particularly, let me throw out a random state, Arizona, on November 8th.
00:43:03.060This is not being stolen like it was stolen in 3 November of 2020.
00:43:08.600We're in the process of fighting every day to get those electors decertified.
00:43:12.700What commitment does Mark Fincham, whose word is money good, have to say to the, not just citizens of Arizona, but to the citizens of this country that understand how important this election is, sir?
00:43:26.580Steve, that's a great segue into something that I meant to cover with you in the past.
00:44:35.280But Votify Now, when people put that app on their phone, they're able to take a picture of that so that we have a memorialized record to see the names of the people who are on the vote cast record.
00:44:47.060What that means is we want to measure the number of fictitious ballots that are coming into the system, which gives us a cause of action to demand a hand recount and to identify those ballots that don't have signature envelopes.
00:45:00.800So that's just one fraud vector that we're working on.
00:45:03.900Now, the other one, I sent you something about earlier today.
00:45:06.960I think it's interesting that the Colorado County failed the logic and accuracy tests.
00:45:14.140I think that was yesterday or the day before.