If you’ve been listening to this show for the past few months, maybe even since the 2022 midterms, you probably think I sound like something of a broken record when it comes to my advice for politicians today. Again and again, I’ve said the following: elections right now are Republicans’ to lose. Biden’s approval numbers are low—41.2 percent-—which is lower than every president at this stage of their term in the last 75 years, other than Jimmy Carter.
I'm one of those listeners who had never heard of Hurd. And I am impressed. He still hasn't won me over, and like several who have commented here before me, the CIA resume is a default turn-off. Still, I can give him the benefit of the doubt as a young man wanting to serve his country at the turn of the millennium, and the way he reflects back on that experience largely eases my discomfort. Of all the candidates you have interviewed to date, I think Hurd and Haley have distinguished themselves as the sharpest. I indeed would be very tempted by a Haley-Hurd ticket.
I like that Hurd is a strong, unapologetic interventionist in terms of American foreign policy, as unfashionable as that has become on both sides of the political aisle. Regardless of the major flaws of the preceding two decades, abandoning Afghanistan when we did was a grave strategic error, as well as a tactical disaster.
Bari, you are one of our best political interviewers today, and this was another top-shelf discussion. One question I wished you had asked, though, was this: what makes Hurd a conservative? You asked him about being a Republican, but I find the alternative question more interesting. He invoked his conservative identity repeatedly, yet he sounded more like a neo-conservative to me, which I long have seen as a very un-conservative mindset. When asked to steel-man opposition against bold U.S. support for Ukraine, for example, his answer was that opponents are worried about the monetary cost. For me at least, that's not my concern with U.S. support for Ukraine. Instead, my main worry about Ukraine is that it is a war we cannot win--especially not in the total-victory way that Hurd envisions. As much as I'd like to see Team Putin wiped off the map, I don't think that is as possible--or as geopolitically necessary--as Hurd seems to believe. While we live in a disturbing age of gerontocracy, there is a hubris of youth about Hurd that makes me a little nervous.
Still, godspeed to his candidacy. His is a very welcome alternative voice, and I will be paying close attention to him in the months ahead.
Anyone remember Evan McMullin? He's a CIA guy too.
I gave Mr. Hurd 80 minutes and here's my most positive takeaway I guess he'd make it easier for me to get my passport renewed. So that's cool.
The New Hampshire voter working in tech that doesn't know Trump is running for President. Yeah I think the spook got punked. This guy was an intelligence officer? Sad.
The former congressman clearly has no clue that CIA, FBI, and DOJ are rotten to the core. Reboot. Cute, but hardly sufficient to the task at hand.
A quick and very short reminder to the former spook.
- FBI behind the Russia collusion hoax
- CIA behind the Hunter Biden laptop Russia disinformation lie
- DOJ behind Hunter Biden sweetheart deal and shutting down IRS investigation
Either the congressman doesn't get it or doesn't care. I also would like an alternative to Trump. Hurd isn't the guy. Thanks for bringing him to my attention Bari. Now I can say I heard his pitch. No thank you. I'd say his current polling of .1% is about right.
Oh BW, this is what some people pay you for. But most of your customers need the Biden Crime Family, the killing of our young men with vaccines, and the stolen election of 2020. To mention the obvious, that Trump is running to avoid prison, unmasks this guy as a communist. At a minimum.
He is like the Red Team's Andrew Yang. :D Has solutions that are self-evident, and clearly expressed. Sounds frank about the tasks at hand and appears to have the energy to address them. And perhaps most importantly, sounded entirely sane despite the fact that he is indeed running for president. Like Yang I would wager good money the media and the party will never let him anywhere near a debate let alone a ballot. But after that conversation, if he manages such a feat I very well may be motivated to give a shit again, and toss a vote his way. Good Stuff.
I like to some of this but he totally lost me on the Ukraine subject. And his comments about Putin being a war criminal as if the United States isn't an enormous war criminal.... The Eastern parts of Ukraine should remain with Russia as they want to be and it is called self-determination. So yeah, I don't know if I can still make the rest of the podcast.
I wanted to like this guy, but after hearing him misrepresent the views of his republican competitors one too many times, I had to stop listening. I don't know who this guy's constituency is, because if he wants to pick off supporters from other candidates, he needs to stop insulting them with simplistic and dismissive remarks. For example, many candidates have expressed nuanced views about the war in Ukraine, but that doesn't mean they embrace and trust Putin. His attempts to be inspiring and unite the country were also quite bland compared to Vivek's rousing rhetoric.
Will cites that the Uvalde shooting, an incident where someone passed a background check process before buying a gun, as an example/reason why he changed his mind on universal background checks. That literally makes no scientific or logical sense, and makes me lose all trust in this guy making rational decisions when it comes to gun control. Hard pass.
I'm one of those listeners who had never heard of Hurd. And I am impressed. He still hasn't won me over, and like several who have commented here before me, the CIA resume is a default turn-off. Still, I can give him the benefit of the doubt as a young man wanting to serve his country at the turn of the millennium, and the way he reflects back on that experience largely eases my discomfort. Of all the candidates you have interviewed to date, I think Hurd and Haley have distinguished themselves as the sharpest. I indeed would be very tempted by a Haley-Hurd ticket.
I like that Hurd is a strong, unapologetic interventionist in terms of American foreign policy, as unfashionable as that has become on both sides of the political aisle. Regardless of the major flaws of the preceding two decades, abandoning Afghanistan when we did was a grave strategic error, as well as a tactical disaster.
Bari, you are one of our best political interviewers today, and this was another top-shelf discussion. One question I wished you had asked, though, was this: what makes Hurd a conservative? You asked him about being a Republican, but I find the alternative question more interesting. He invoked his conservative identity repeatedly, yet he sounded more like a neo-conservative to me, which I long have seen as a very un-conservative mindset. When asked to steel-man opposition against bold U.S. support for Ukraine, for example, his answer was that opponents are worried about the monetary cost. For me at least, that's not my concern with U.S. support for Ukraine. Instead, my main worry about Ukraine is that it is a war we cannot win--especially not in the total-victory way that Hurd envisions. As much as I'd like to see Team Putin wiped off the map, I don't think that is as possible--or as geopolitically necessary--as Hurd seems to believe. While we live in a disturbing age of gerontocracy, there is a hubris of youth about Hurd that makes me a little nervous.
Still, godspeed to his candidacy. His is a very welcome alternative voice, and I will be paying close attention to him in the months ahead.
No such thing as ex-CIA. No thank you I’ll pass on this one
Anyone remember Evan McMullin? He's a CIA guy too.
I gave Mr. Hurd 80 minutes and here's my most positive takeaway I guess he'd make it easier for me to get my passport renewed. So that's cool.
The New Hampshire voter working in tech that doesn't know Trump is running for President. Yeah I think the spook got punked. This guy was an intelligence officer? Sad.
The former congressman clearly has no clue that CIA, FBI, and DOJ are rotten to the core. Reboot. Cute, but hardly sufficient to the task at hand.
A quick and very short reminder to the former spook.
- FBI behind the Russia collusion hoax
- CIA behind the Hunter Biden laptop Russia disinformation lie
- DOJ behind Hunter Biden sweetheart deal and shutting down IRS investigation
Either the congressman doesn't get it or doesn't care. I also would like an alternative to Trump. Hurd isn't the guy. Thanks for bringing him to my attention Bari. Now I can say I heard his pitch. No thank you. I'd say his current polling of .1% is about right.
Oh BW, this is what some people pay you for. But most of your customers need the Biden Crime Family, the killing of our young men with vaccines, and the stolen election of 2020. To mention the obvious, that Trump is running to avoid prison, unmasks this guy as a communist. At a minimum.
He is like the Red Team's Andrew Yang. :D Has solutions that are self-evident, and clearly expressed. Sounds frank about the tasks at hand and appears to have the energy to address them. And perhaps most importantly, sounded entirely sane despite the fact that he is indeed running for president. Like Yang I would wager good money the media and the party will never let him anywhere near a debate let alone a ballot. But after that conversation, if he manages such a feat I very well may be motivated to give a shit again, and toss a vote his way. Good Stuff.
Zelensky isn't a Nazi but he has certainly surrounded himself with them
I like to some of this but he totally lost me on the Ukraine subject. And his comments about Putin being a war criminal as if the United States isn't an enormous war criminal.... The Eastern parts of Ukraine should remain with Russia as they want to be and it is called self-determination. So yeah, I don't know if I can still make the rest of the podcast.
I wanted to like this guy, but after hearing him misrepresent the views of his republican competitors one too many times, I had to stop listening. I don't know who this guy's constituency is, because if he wants to pick off supporters from other candidates, he needs to stop insulting them with simplistic and dismissive remarks. For example, many candidates have expressed nuanced views about the war in Ukraine, but that doesn't mean they embrace and trust Putin. His attempts to be inspiring and unite the country were also quite bland compared to Vivek's rousing rhetoric.
Will cites that the Uvalde shooting, an incident where someone passed a background check process before buying a gun, as an example/reason why he changed his mind on universal background checks. That literally makes no scientific or logical sense, and makes me lose all trust in this guy making rational decisions when it comes to gun control. Hard pass.