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Ever Onward Podcast
The Ever Onward Podcast is your go-to business podcast, offering engaging discussions and diverse guests covering everything from business strategies to community issues. Join us at the executive table as we bring together industry leaders, experts, and visionaries for insightful conversations that go beyond the boardroom. Whether you're an entrepreneur or simply curious about business, our podcast provides a well-rounded experience, exploring a variety of topics that shape the business landscape and impact communities. Brought to you by Ahlquist.
Ever Onward Podcast
Charlie Kirk, Kanye, AI & The Future of America’s Next Generation with Kevin Miller | Ever Onward - Ep. 100
For our 100th episode of Ever Onward, Dr. Tommy Ahlquist sits down with Boise radio legend Kevin Miller for one of the most wide-ranging and relevant conversations we’ve ever released — a deep dive into Charlie Kirk, Kanye West, AI, Idaho politics, college sports, and what the future looks like for the next generation of Americans.
The episode opens with never-before-told stories from the early days of Turning Point USA, when Charlie Kirk was still mostly unknown — including a wild trip Tommy took with Charlie and Candace Owens to Kanye and Kim Kardashian’s home in LA. Tommy shares what Charlie was really like behind the scenes, how TPUSA made conservative ideas culturally “cool” again on college campuses long before it hit mainstream politics, and why the response to Charlie’s recent death has revealed so much about today’s online world.
From there, the conversation moves into conspiracy culture and why so many people — especially young people — are getting pulled into increasingly extreme narratives. Tommy and Kevin talk candidly about online influencers, polarization, and how a vacuum in culture has created space for voices that don’t always lead people in the healthiest direction. They also explore what the counter to that should be: grounded mentors, real conversations, faith, context, and slowing down enough to offer the next generation something deeper than algorithms and outrage.
The episode also goes inside Idaho politics, including Tommy’s brutally competitive governor’s race — complete with the moment when two attack ads against him ran simultaneously on two TVs inside Kevin’s radio studio. They unpack what running a major campaign is actually like, why losing hits differently than anything else in life, and how much influence donors, media, and timing really have on the political process.
Then the conversation shifts into one of the most pressing topics of our time: AI. From Terminator references to Sam Altman’s confirmation that real humans decide AI’s moral guardrails in back rooms at OpenAI, they explore why the coming years will redefine how people learn, how truth is filtered, and why the next generation will desperately need mentors, scripture, grounding, and real-world wisdom to navigate what’s coming.
Sports fans will get a deep look at the future of Boise State, NIL, and college athletics — including why schools like Ohio State have $40 million NIL war chests while mid-majors like BSU fight uphill battles. Tommy shares insights on stadium upgrades, leadership under Jeremiah Dickey, and whether Boise State can still compete in a landscape changing faster than anyone expected.
They also cover Idaho’s rapid growth, infrastructure delays, and the possibility of Idaho drifting toward the same gridlock problems Austin experienced when it was too late to catch up. From Cuna to Star to I-84, Tommy explains why planning and bonding decisions made now will shape Idaho’s quality of life for decades.
And woven through the episode is Kevin’s quiet but powerful personal story — a seven-second heart pause, nearly needing a pacemaker, and the disciplined routine that helped him lose 93 pounds. It’s not the headline, but it adds a human and hopeful thread to everything else they
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Today on the Ever Onward Podcast, we have a very special guest and we are celebrating our hundredth episode. Can't believe it's been a hundred episodes. It's been very fun doing this. I very much enjoy it. The reason I do it is because I love talking to people. I love hearing their stories and love understanding more about what they do and what they mean to our community. And I think there's a lot I've learned, and certainly it's like anything else in life. The more you do for other people, you end up uh getting more out of it. And I certainly have gotten a lot out of these podcasts. So I want to celebrate the 100th episode, and I think it's very timely. You know, uh a couple years ago, uh one of my uh first co-hosts uh on this episode um uh or podcast that we we had was Kevin Miller of KIDO. Kevin Miller is literally a legend here in the Valley. Um although his day job is uh four hours a day on KIDO as a talk show uh host that's still uh one of the most popular uh radio shows around, um, his real love is the nonprofits of this valley. Uh Kevin is known for working um unstoppable in his work with the Boise Rescue Mission, uh Miller's Mission, which is coming up every year. Uh he celebrates that around Thanksgiving. He also does work for the West Valley Humane Society, Idaho Veterans, Idaho 2 Fly, Camp Ray Mogold, and many others. He is an award-winning broadcaster, uh, has an incredible resume, but more importantly, he's a great friend and one of the best Idahoans and guys you'll ever meet. So it's appropriate today. Uh we go back to one of our first co-hosts, Kevin Miller, for our hundredth episode. Hope you enjoy it.
SPEAKER_01:Kevin, Tommy, good to see you. You look great. Well, thank you. I appreciate that. 93 pounds. Yes. I'm trying. A lot of redemption, a lot of repenting. A lot of that going on here.
SPEAKER_02:93 pounds is a big deal. You look great. Well, another 100, and I'll be okay. So you've had a uh what what is Jelly Roll's quote?
SPEAKER_01:I was so fat, I'm still fat. Yes. I would agree with him. Yes, I would agree with Mr. Roll on that one. In fact, when he was in town, I looked like a mini me because I had that whole hair thing with him. And I go up to him and go, hey man, and he goes, Hey, you got a good look. I said, Thank you, Jelly. And security.
SPEAKER_02:Hey, uh, what led to this? Let's talk about it.
SPEAKER_01:Sure. Um, you know, I uh it goes back to you, Dr. Perront, and Kristen Armstrong. I always maintained my relationship with St. Alphonsus.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Dr. Perant called me. I was in New York for the Marconi's and said you had a seven-second pause overnight. And you had a heart monitor on. No, uh, I didn't because my why and I go, so I go to St. Alphonsus. Okay, I got it. Meet a nice per person, gives me a Holt for a month. Okay. It says, hey, dude, this is what's going on. Then I go, the other lady, and she's not the greatest. See, I love how you're warming me up here. This is wonderful, and doing sound checks and all sorts of things. And um, you know, then Dr. Noonan said, you might have to get a pacemaker, but let's try a Holt monitor and see what happens. And so I have that, or not a Holt monitor, a loop. And so I got the loop, and uh and you can appreciate this. I was a little baby. I was more worried about being claustrophobic when they got me and he's sticking it in, the remnants of pectoral muscles. And I'm like can't breathe. Please, please. And um, as you know, I mean, you you have certain doctors that are like fighter pilots, and and that's Dr. Noonan. So good dude.
SPEAKER_02:So, how long was that?
SPEAKER_01:Uh almost a year. Almost a year ago.
SPEAKER_02:So then you're like, okay, this is it.
SPEAKER_01:Uh salmon six times a week, uh, chicken breast, chicken thigh.
SPEAKER_02:Hey, let's go through it. Yes, sir. Because you've tried this before.
SPEAKER_01:I know. I know. The last time I was on it, uh look, I feel uh honored. I'm like third, third time. I don't think anybody's been on three times. If they have, please don't break my heart because I'd like to say, but let's let's talk through this.
SPEAKER_02:So so you've tried before, it's been hard.
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_02:And you haven't been able to do it. And now you're sitting here today 93 pounds down. Right. How did you do it?
SPEAKER_01:Uh, because I was gonna die.
SPEAKER_02:Well, how? Like let's talk about the specifics. So you're doing salmon, right? So high protein, yeah, low fat, low carb.
SPEAKER_01:Uh low, yeah, low carb, high fiber. Okay. So what kind of carbs do you eat? I eat uh fiber one, okay. Make sure you get through uh your 30 grams of fiber, oatmeal, and then I have an aloha bar because it has zero grams of sodium. Okay. So I'm very cognizant of sodium, very cognizant of everything else. And uh I do that. I'll have three chicken thighs or three chicken breasts, uh, low sodium uh barbecue and uh broccoli, lots of broccoli. And it doesn't sound very exciting, but uh you really have kind of reformed your whole way you eat and you consume food. It's like Polly would say it's it's fuel, uh not uh reward anymore. Live to eat or l eat to live. Yes.
SPEAKER_02:It's totally and has that been I mean, has that been that's hard. It is. It's very hard. Because you know my thing. I had my open heart surgery and I I hired a full-time dietitian. I had my primary care doc. Uh she was awesome, Dr. Poignet.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And they were saying, you have got to change. Yeah, you gotta change the way you have stress, you gotta change the way you eat. I went vegan for six months. You I may have told you this, and I gained like 20 pounds. My man. Because I found out uh I found out Oreos were vegan. Oh, dude. So it's not just but you see, plant-based. It's got you gotta you gotta be how many calories are you sticking to? Uh between 1,500 and 2,000. But it's the right calories.
SPEAKER_01:It it is, and it's tough for me sometimes to actually get up because I'll I'll have like uh again, I had my salmon before I got here. So I have my uh my fiber one, and then I'll have my oatmeal and my aloha bar, and then my my meal, and I'm usually full. So I have to struggle to get to 2,000.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Which is a uh it's a it's a founding principle of diet. If you eat the right stuff and you have enough protein, it satiates you.
SPEAKER_01:But let me just say this to you, bro. Okay, all kidding aside here. A, I'm a huge fan of yours, always have been, always will be. But I remember the talk that we had after your heart incident at the Godless Broadcast Center.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And I said, I want to do this documentary. He said, You need to go see Kristen Armstrong. Yeah, you need to go see Dr. Poignier, your doctor, who made me cry. Yeah. In a good way. Was she mean to you? She was honest. She was very honest. Old Annie Poignet never pulled punches. Oh, yeah. Crying right in front of my wife. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's okay. We're gonna send you to a place in Arizona, they'll fix you. True story, anyway. Um, but it was that relationship and then Saint Alphonsus that my heart situation was to continue to monitor. Yeah. So if I never had that, I would have never gotten the read, read, read. And who knows? So I and look, all kidding aside, I credit you saying, hey, Kevin, before you go Rocky 18, go get yourself checked out, and that's so important as you know.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Um, well, you know, how old are you now, Kev? 57. Yeah, we're I think we're the same age.
SPEAKER_01:We are. You're like a month ahead of me.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. And so what happens too is you start looking at this going, I want to be around. Well, I didn't want to be around, but I do now, yes. Yeah, actually. I want to be around. I mean, I gotta I gotta make this thing work. Well, congratulations. That is not that's not easy stuff. And uh I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you that it's sticking. Uh it's hard to do it for a long time. I I uh I've I'm last year, I've tried a lot of different things. And um But you look good. You're fed. What I've done what I've done is I'm eating as well as I have, doing kind of intermittent fasting, kind of not as strict as you, but high protein, lower carbs, the right carbs, and trying to keep my diet around 2,000. Yes. So that's kind of it. But then I've added sauna three to four nights a week, and I'm faithful, faithful. And I do it's a dry sauna, and then I have a red light in there too. And then I've been doing cold plunge now. I'm really happy to say I'm like, I am six months, and I've only missed days when I have been traveling where I haven't had it. I've otherwise been 100% faithful. So I do three minutes every morning and I get up and I stretch and work out. I do my cold plunge, I do my sauna at night, I'm eating right, and guess what? It kind of works. Right. I've I've stable I've stabilized. I've drive I dropped when I started doing it the first few months. I dropped 25 pounds. Um, and now I'm just kind of I haven't lost any more weight. I'm kind of there, but I feel good. I feel great. You ever cold plunged?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, you're gonna love this one. Uh throw HIPAA out the door here. So not only do I have the pausing, but we have Well, I think a patient can talk about it. Sure, sure. It's just like you're your doc. Yes, let's talk about it. Right. So you're familiar with the term uh bradycardia, right? Oh yeah. Oh yeah. So for somehow I've gone from, you know, and again, uh bradycardia is a slow rate. Yes, which is odd because my heart rate is very slow, and that wasn't always slow, but that's another issue. So I can't cold plunge because you go too slow. Hey, man. So but I do I do do the sauna. And I do do uh I I work out like an hour and a half a day.
SPEAKER_02:What what let's talk about your cardio? Okay. What are you doing?
SPEAKER_01:Pre-core. Pre-core. Mm-hmm. Elliptical. And you're it saves my life, man. Uh uh, because it's easier on my joints. I highly recommend that one. Um uh pre-core, um elliptical, uh, 50 minutes. I try to get in it, it's important you get up to I'm trying I'm up to zone two now in your heart for 20 minutes. Uh what's what's that heart rate for you? That is anything over 117.
SPEAKER_02:Wow.
SPEAKER_01:So you go 117, and my wrestling heart rate is like in the 40s, bro. So to be able to pop that up and you're going, are you going to the right cardiologist, Kevin?
SPEAKER_02:I actually don't know I've been any prouder of anyone in my life. I can't believe you're I mean, I I listen, if we were sitting here a month into it, you were down 15 pounds, I'd go, okay, Kevin, can you do this? But you're 93 pounds in.
SPEAKER_01:That's your goals. Uh another hundred at least.
unknown:Okay.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. So that would be 274, that'd be 174. And uh it's like a part-time job. Uh, you know, I I have my I bought a pre-court home, brand new, so I I have to pay for that. What do you do to pass the time on on your thing?
SPEAKER_02:I was gonna ask you that too.
SPEAKER_01:Uh I listen to a lot of old uh music of our time, the music of our life. Old Van Halen. Old Van Halen, classic rock stuff. Yes. I love it. And I sing rush. Yes, and and then I sing to myself, and it I have the door shut so Dorothy doesn't hear me. And then I go to the gym and I do my pretend work out.
SPEAKER_02:I was gonna let you bring up Dorothy. She's still putting up with you.
SPEAKER_01:Thankfully, yes. As of the time of this broadcast, but you know, situations change and develop all the time, sir.
SPEAKER_02:That is one of the best things about getting to know you is once you meet Dorothy is saying it was over for me then. Yeah, yes, she's wonderful. Yeah, thank you, sir. She's wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. That's great. Still doing her flowers.
SPEAKER_01:We moved to Cuna, but yes, you know, I covered that on the radio because I was so hurt. You know, I said, Tommy moved to Cuna. What's with Eagle's over? Eagle's over, yeah. Cuna's the new place. Don't tell anyone.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, well, like I've got a couple neighbors out there, and they're like, Don't tell anyone. Oh, yeah. It's a wonderful, wonderful place. Great people.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. So eagle is great too. But uh, you know, by the way, I you know, I I've missed you. I've missed you too. And I, you know, congratulations on Reno and everything else. I'm still a fan. Yeah. Well, but you know, I know that Tommy, you're busy doing things, broadcasting, magazines, buildings. I'm just a humble broadcaster.
SPEAKER_02:So I don't uh we need to spend more time together. Yeah. Let's let's talk about some stuff. Sure. Your your heart for the nonprofits in this it's it's becoming legendary as you get older. You're 57. Yes. The best age ever, right? Best age, yeah. Until you're 58, but we've got we've got hopefully we've got some time left, but but your your commitment is so genuine and so real. Let's talk about how many years it's been, talking about the rescue mission, talking about I I looked at your bio. Uh I'll read it before we start this, but here they are Boise Rescue Mission, West Valley Humane Society, Idaho Veterans, Idaho 2 Fly, Camp Rainbow Gold, and others. I mean, this is your heart, Kevin. I know I know what you do to make a living, but um you spend more than half your time with nonprofit work.
SPEAKER_01:Well, and I've always thought that if I lost my job because of it, so be it. Yeah. Um you know, when you meet Bill Roscoe, when you meet the people at the West Valley Humane Society that are motivated by saving animals, saving people, you're like, they're doing God's work, so the least we can do is help. Idaho 2Fly helps men with cancer. We've kind of been known as if if you have a cause, please call us. Because we have four hours a day to fill, plus blogs and everything else. But I mean it's really inspiring when you have people that are destitute and now they own businesses. And um, why not highlight that? We don't get enough of that anymore. And and and you know, a person that you were very close to and I was, who inspired us locally was Larry Gebbert. Oh yeah. Which didn't have the same fortune we have.
SPEAKER_02:Now, could he take you in the low post or could you take who was taller? Uh he, you know, he was uh, you know, I'm I'm a little wily. I'm I'm like I'm I would have taken him. Right. I mean, come on, Kevin. Right. I mean, he might have he might have had me in the low post, but I would have I would have beat the hell out of him from outside my range over the top of him. Right. Yeah. Larry wouldn't have a chance.
SPEAKER_01:See, guys blessed guys with blessed with height, they don't think of it like us, uh uh other folks, but you and Larry, oh yes, guys.
SPEAKER_02:No, but you talk about Larry. Like, here's a guy that, my gosh, as good as they come and didn't have the chance we have of a second life with our hearts. Anyone out there that's listening to this, let's uh go get checked. Go yes, go, go see someone, get a stress test, talk to someone who knows. Take it seriously. Yeah, well, and and I and and I think um the the American diet and the poison that has been allowed to enter our food systems over the last uh 30 years um is designed to get us addicted to sugar. It's designed to get us addicted to fast food with low nutrient stuff that basically causes this problem, right? Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, and it's because of this. And I think um I do I love it's so funny for for me to watch uh you know Kennedy get just slaughtered by everyone. You know, here's a guy that was a Democrat, gets pulled over, and and and you know, he says some controversial stuff. I I'm not I mean, as a physician, sometimes I'm like, oh, is that true? And then you know what? I'll go dig into it, and most of the time I'll dig in and go, oh man, he's teaching me something. Right. But I love the fact that he's exposing these these industries that have been devastating our populations with food addiction for a long, long time. And you look at heart disease, you know, uh you may think you may not have family history, you may not be in a high stress job, you may not smoke, but make sure you don't have any plaque in your arteries, make sure you don't have stuff because uh you know, as you get older, you you need to you need to check because you're you're set up for failure in the current way we eat.
SPEAKER_01:One thing that uh that I've noticed, and I don't know if this is the same for you, but you know, obviously we would eat and you know as a reward, but if I'll have some type of carbohydrate now, I I get depressed. It's really weird.
SPEAKER_02:It's like I don't like that's a weird thing to say. Yeah, but once you get off sugar, it's hard you taste it again, and one, you're like, I feel different. Right. But you feel uh and and maybe it's maybe it's when we're a little bit more catotic. I think I like being in ketosis. I like that intermittent fasting. I think I think clearer, I feel better, and I know a lot of people don't, but I think once you're off, and I would recommend this to anyone, try to do a sugar fast for like a week and see how you feel. And and I promise you, you're gonna feel better. You're gonna feel better, right? Yeah, now are you on 16, 18, or what are you on with intermittent fast? I I I used to be really strict. I'd have the app on my phone and I try and I try to not do it. But now now I just now I just don't eat anything till noon. And and I try to not eat anything after seven.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So it's kind of it's kind of just like, and it depends a little bit. Last night I got home later and I'll I'll try to eat something healthy. That was my other big thing. I mean, I was this I classically would come home late, and I remember like some clear memories for me is we used to have a TV in our kitchen, and I'd get home from like a late evening or night shift, and and sometimes I would go turn on Sports Center, right? I'd go to the fridge, I'd grab whatever leftovers there, then I would get grab a bowl of cereal, and I'd stand in front of the TV watching Sports Center, and a couple of times I'd go, Holy crap, it's starting again. Because you know how sports vendor. I'd watch the whole thing sitting there eating, and so I had really bad habits. Stressful job, tons of carbohydrates, tons of diet coke, tons of just not thinking about your body, thinking it's gonna last forever, and it doesn't.
SPEAKER_01:You, though, sir, are a classic lesson, and this is why one of the reasons why I'm a big Tommy Alquest fan is okay, so you're a doctor in the emergency room, most stressful job in the world, and then you have this dream of what we see today. So getting people to buy in, coming up with the plans, working with your family. So those are two stresses. Then you have a functional, thriving, dynamic family. What we fail to understand is, dude, you were burning it. You're burning it. And eventually it catches up. Eventually it catches up. But you and I were taught at our age, that's what you do.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that's what you do. And and in in that hierarchy of all the things you're doing, food, feeding our body appropriately is at the bottom of that, the bottom of that chart. You're just not gonna think about it. Right? I'll grab something, what's quickest, what's easiest. I will say, comment on this. It's it it is not it, you have to be thoughtful and intentional about how you eat, and it's not easy. It's not supposed to be. Meal prep, yeah. Meal prep, the broccoli, it it takes some effort and routine to get into. Once you get into it, you're okay. But there's not a whole lot of food that's easy to eat that's good for you.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I I would agree with you on that. Uh again, but you think to yourself, my goodness gracious, um, you a big fan of colonoscopies. Okay. I will tell you one of the things, if you tell me you're a fan of colonoscopies, this is gonna be a this will be a this will definitely be the clip we put on the internet. I'm a fan of colonoscopies, and the reason why I'm a fan of colonoscopies is first of all, you um, as you've talked about, and I've never done a 24-hour fast, but you fast for 24 hours and the clarity, and then you see the propaganda by you're watching Sports Center, you're watching football, you're watching your beloved NBA, and what do we see? Food, Uber, eats, this, this, and the other. It's propaganda. But you get the mental clarity by not eating, and then of course, then we're taught, oh, feast, feast, let's come eat. But really, what it does to your mind of not eating for that period of time is amazing.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it is. Oh man, I could sit and talk to you all day. Let's go back to uh what you're doing this month. Sure. For the big Miller's mission.
SPEAKER_01:Miller's mission.
SPEAKER_02:Let's let's plug the heck out of this. Sure. Can you find this on here? Uh Miller's Mission. How many years now?
SPEAKER_01:Uh 15, 15. Holy smokes, cow. Dressing up as a turkey at the Walmart with my people. You know. Give a turkey, don't be a turkey. Yes, yes, and I still have the physique uh of a turkey, yes. And for some reason, men seem to like me in that turkey outfit. I don't know why. It's going away.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, thank you. Yeah. Uh so Miller's mission. Um, 15 years. Tell tell us about the date you'll be out there. Uh, we will be there the 17th through the 22nd of November. Through the 22nd of November.
SPEAKER_01:You camp in the parking lot. Well, Mrs. Miller put an end to that. So I uh I'm literally there for 13, 14, 15 hours a day. Somebody wants me home. I don't know why, but I'm grateful. I told you at the start of this, one of the great mysteries of the world. Yes.
SPEAKER_02:I would say, sir. Yes, I would say. Don't screw that up, Kev. Yes. That's right. Yes. I'm glad you're going home because we're we're wanting to keep you on the rails here. Uh, but so you're there, you're there in the parking lot taking donations. Can be uh cash, right? Can be food and talk about the cause.
SPEAKER_01:Uh the Boise Rescue Mission, uh, for holiday banquets, uh, people need to be fed Thanksgiving and Christmas nap in Boise. Uh it doesn't really matter where you're from, what you believe, everybody needs a home. I can't give you a hug, but the rescue mission through Reverend Bill, through Gene Lockhart, always provides it. You've been a big supporter of the mission for years. I know that you've done a lot behind the scenes that you don't talk about. So thank you, thank you, thank you. And you always have, brother. And uh that's important to recognize people that have made a difference. And we just ask people to come out and make a difference. And you know, again, like we talk about men liking me in the turkey outfit. I'm a big Tommy Alquest fan, so I say, stop it, Tommy. Everybody like, okay, guy, let's see you later.
SPEAKER_02:Uh man, it's been it's been a big deal for our family. I think I don't know how many years we've gone, and and it's it's also volunteering, so you can go out and serve. Yes. And to your point, it's uh it's it's also beautiful uh to see people. Um I need Reverend Bill and that guy. Yeah. Good dude. It's like not stop, go, go straight to heaven for that guy. Yeah. We want to get on his coattails. We'll never be that guy, Kevin. So we're gonna need to be on the coattails. I would agree. But uh what an inspiring guy. He just I love him. Um and uh, you know, also non-demon non-denominational, just Christ-like love, man. Uh, and and uh we've we've been out with our family and and uh volunteered and served, and um, it's been it's been amazing.
SPEAKER_01:Well, and and again, enough about me, but I mean you guys do so much with Seven Cares with all the charities. You're gonna host it again. Um, I can remember uh Tommy Alkos with his pickup truck a few years ago uh with donuts giving uh you know, feeding people, no one, you know, without any recognition, and you know, that goes to your heart and the heart of people here, and of course, in the Treasure Valley.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and um yeah, no, I I don't want to talk about any of that. I just I think we live in the best community there is. I think uh But it's important to give back. Seven Cares Idaho Shares, that's the other thing, they benefit uh safety net organizations. It used to be, I I hope I don't misquote this. Do you want to pull that one up? Because Kevin's there for that too. So Seven Cares Idaho, Seven Cares Idaho Shares Day is coming up. Uh we'll host one here at our parking lot, uh Eagle View Landing next to Top Golf, um, where you can come drop off donations. A lot of people really get into this. They do, they get into it. Yes. Um uh we've we've some years have brought a front loader with stuff, and you know, we've we always try to do our part in this, but uh Boise Rescue Mission is one of the one of the beneficiaries. It's all safety net organizations here in our community, and and it goes back to the legacy of of Channel 7 and Doug Armstrong.
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_02:Uh Doug's still around. He's on the board of the mission now. Oh, he is? Yes. That's a great find right there. Doug, if you if you have he'll listen to this because you're on, but we love you. What a what a great example. Uh unbelievable guy. I remember the first, very first time I went in his office. Remember that old KTVB office you just sit down with him in? And about two minutes into the conversation, I'm like, this guy is not like all the others. He's the real deal. Um what a what a wonderful guy. So he started this. Um, what day is it on? Uh Matthew, let's make sure we get some good information out on this.
unknown:December 1st.
SPEAKER_02:December 1st, Saturday. Uh, there's locations around the valley. You can go to their website and look where you can go donate. Um, this is a great thing uh if you ever want to take your kids. Uh, you know, that's what my kids would do when they were little. They used to save their save their pennies and would make them put money off their allowance into a jar and then they'd go donate it and tell them where it goes to. What an amazing thing. Uh December 1st. So it it runs December 1st through December 13th. What's the big day? So we don't get that wrong. Make sure you get the right the right thing. Do you know, Kev? I'm sure it's that Saturday. That Saturday. So I don't know if it's the maybe it's the 13th. Yeah, probably the 13th, I would say. Because I think it culminates. Uh we'll look this up for those of you that are interested. Um uh can we talk politics?
SPEAKER_01:Whatever you'd like, you know. I'm still want to be your press secretary, bro. I still remember that.
SPEAKER_02:I've never, Kevin. I you know so so so so. Let me let me just tell you, like uh when I dip my toe in, uh, it was not fun. In fact, I I often tell one of my one of one of the stories that was an aha moment for me, what happened in your studio. Really? Hold on. Uh oh. It happened in your studio. Okay. So it's not fun. I mean, it it's in you end up enjoying the people. Right. But it's not fun. It's a different world. And and and you know, once you once you put your name in and you say, Hey, I want to I want to go do this, like all you know, gloves are off, Katie barred the freaking door, it's over. Everything's game, and you're getting attacked from everywhere. And and I was in a pretty heated race. You were, and so I would come on your show quite a bit, but there was the most competitive race in state history, I would say. I think so. Bar none. I think so. Um now I think I can't wait to hear what you think about the one coming up because I think 2030 is gonna be I would agree. I think 2030 is gonna be a knockdown dragon and replace mine for the most money spent and everything else. But I'm sitting in your I'm sitting in your studio and you have two TVs in there. I think you've probably remodeled since then, but you used to have two TVs. Right. And you get there a little bit early, you wait for your segment. I was always nervous, man. I was always You? I was so nervous. You were always nice. Now, what what's the other guy that that the guy that's a total freaking shellman? Oh my gosh, that guy? We're cutting this part, aren't we?
SPEAKER_01:We can say anything we want. You think he holds back? No, he doesn't, but I I pray for my enemies, so I geez.
SPEAKER_02:Anyway, that's a different story. But um I'm sitting there and I'm sitting there, and uh we just say what you get in trouble all the time, but right I'm sitting there in your studio and I'm tired and I'm thinking, why in the hell am I doing this? And I look up and an attack ad comes on. Right. Because it was right during the middle of the campaign. And so here's an attack ad. And they were those dark. My my 22-year-old daughter, daughter Chloe, still randomly will come up to me sometimes laughing, and I'm like, what are you laughing at? And she'll be on an old YouTube ad and playing my attack ads, and she thinks it's just the funniest thing ever. Right. She's like, Remember this one, dad. And so she still shows them to me. So there was this dark one, like Tommy Alquist supported Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama, and you know, anti-Trump and and all this stuff. And I'm thinking, oh, that's great. And then literally over here, I look, and another one came up. Right. So it was the it was the super PAC attacking me uh from Raul and Brad's attack add on at the same time. And I'm like, okay. And that was the moment I'm like, what the hell? What am I doing with my life?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And then I did your show.
SPEAKER_01:Well, but but you were there for other people.
SPEAKER_02:And uh people don't know. And you know what, Kevin? You you're there are a lot of there are a lot of wonderful politicians out there, wonderful people. Yeah, they're I mean, once you get in it, we need good people. Um, and and you know some of the best, right? We're we're we're blessed. We have a lot of really good people, and you and you get to see them all come through um your show. And you do a really nice job of of uh highlighting and giving people a voice to to talk and and tell what they believe in. But I guess one of the great fruits of it is getting to know you during it.
SPEAKER_01:Such a blessing, yeah. No, it was such a blessing. And and like I said, um, people give me a hard time, but I voted for you, I'd vote for you again, and that's just how it is. I'd say that on the air all the time. I go, I love Tommy. Tea Party Bob, another they all yell at me and stuff.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, he is so shit. He's that guy. He's still rolling. Oh my gosh. Yeah. I remember I went to breakfast with him because I I'm I'm the eternal optimist, Kevin. Right. I am like, hey, if someone hates my guts and wants to gut me and my family, I'll go to breakfast with them and see what kind of guy they are. Right. I go to breakfast with T Barb Party Bob. It didn't go well. It was right. To this day, he's still mad at you for what I don't know. Oh, you want to you want to know why he's mad at me? Is he was he was ripping into me about how much he hated me and this and that and the other and the government we spend so much, and I had done a little research on the guy.
SPEAKER_01:Right.
SPEAKER_02:And and you know, I had some means to be able to do some research. He did some opera research on the bottom. I did some research on the guy. A tea party bomb. So the second you start asking him some of the government subsidies he's participated in his life and the way he's taken advantage of the government, um, boy, it doesn't go well after that. But and I waited like half half my time into the meeting, but hoping it was gonna turn. There's a lot, there's just a little bit of hypocrisy in life. It is. I think we're all hypocrites to a degree. I think we are. Yeah. I think we listen, there's um uh there's a great book called Bonds That Set You Free. It's a great book. I've given it out, I don't know how many hundreds of times in my life, but it tells a story. We all tell ourselves a story that fits us. They call it being in the box. You want to you want to live in a box with an reflection that tells you your story is true. That's just true. Uh, we all do it. Yeah, I do it, you do it, we all do it. And so we're in that box, and it feels good because what we're telling ourselves is true. We we surround us, we surround ourselves with people that tell us the same story. We listen to things that tell us that what we tell ours is a true story. Yeah. And and that's the world we live in. And and and it's very uncomfortable for sometimes for you to push out of that and go, is it true?
SPEAKER_01:But that's the danger that we have. And we saw this with the election, we saw this during the pandemic. I saw with members of my family and friends that they would watch one source. Yeah. And the people in the media aren't there to uh inform you, they're in there to scare you to bring you. You back. Now, me, I'll watch CNN all the time because I'll disagree with folks, but I, you know, I grew up with Chris Matthews on Hardball. I love that. I remember that now. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:But he got kicked off.
SPEAKER_01:He did. Now he's back a little bit.
SPEAKER_02:He's coming back a little bit, right?
SPEAKER_01:85 or 83-year-old Chris Matthews man.
SPEAKER_02:I saw him. I saw a little clip of him like last week, and I'm like, hey, yeah, he's still around. You had a pretty good relationship with him, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:I did. I was on that show uh several times, and uh, you know, I had a small resemblance to him. And uh but I what I loved about him is he would engage with people and he'd totally disagree with him, like Tim Russert, and you would get a diversity of views. You know, I may not agree with Caitlin Collins, but I'll watch her show and see how she plays things. You know who I'm loving right now? Who? Jennings. Really? Oh yeah. Scott Jennings. Yes, yes. He's in the moment.
SPEAKER_02:I like I follow that guy, and then and then it's like literally one of my daily routines. I love to see what he how he flamed him like the day before because he's so good at it and it gets so calm. He doesn't get fired up, he just kind of uh what else? I I want to ask you some questions, but man, the Charlie Kirk thing is really still tearing me up.
SPEAKER_01:You know, um a lot of people didn't know this, and it was me and the statesman that brought this up. You knew Charlie Kirk very well, came to your home. Yeah, he was a big part of your campaign, inspiring you.
SPEAKER_02:And yeah, he was a he was a huge part of my campaign, and it was back when before he was famous, but yeah, we can you tell me about that though? Because again, you knew Charlie Kirk before he was Charlie Kirk. Yeah, and what I will tell you is that guy is as authentic as they come. That Charlie Kirk didn't change. Now, I think fame. What I mean by that, I think Charlie Kirk, the person, the motives, the kid that started this in his garage, um, what he saw for America, what he wanted to do, what he was about, what he was about with dialogue, that that stayed consistent through the whole thing. I don't think there's any way on God's green earth when you become as powerful as he became that you don't, you know, it changes you a little.
SPEAKER_01:It's got to, right? But but but I mean you've built businesses. I mean, he built this incredible empire that can't help but change you. So you have people now.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, you have people now, and you have and um but but like his what he was about was authentic. It's it's frankly been I had some crazy stories with Charlie. I mean, it it we were he campaigned, we spent time together. Uh I I uh I just I I love that guy. And um it was so hard. It was so hard. Um uh it was just so sad um to watch such a brilliant uh mind and good heart be extinguished right before your eyes. It was just it was just I I mean, I was in a meeting when it happened, and Ryan Cleverly came right in. He's like, You gotta come out here. He pulled me out and he showed me the video, and I knew as an ER doc, I mean, like, okay, he just was assassinated right before us, and I'm like, I don't know. And then now to watch all the stuff happening since that's been sad for me. It's been sad for me to listen to people celebrate um his death. Uh it's been sad for me to watch some of the some of the fighting, infighting that's happening even within TPUSA afterwards and some of the stuff going on. And you know, I watch I follow what Candace is saying because they were together when I knew him well.
SPEAKER_01:No, I I was gonna say that. I didn't know if I should bring up Candace Owens because you know you mentioned Candace Owens and all of a sudden you're internet famous. So I mean you had them both in your home.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and it it and she was incredible, incredibly talented, just an incredibly smart and talented person, and it's been interesting to watch how their you know careers. And I went to the student action summit uh three times. Weren't you a little old for that? No, I went as a leader. But I mean, you know what I'm saying, though. You see all these kids and no, nobody, but you think about listen, you don't like people, it's so crazy to talk to people right now because you you know the Charlie Kirk and the movement now. This was in 20, this is 2016, 2017, down in West Palm Beach at Student Action Summit, when it wasn't cool to be able to talk about conservatism on a campus. This is when you were walking, when I was running for Gunner, you'd you'd go on campus and they had safe spaces everywhere. And if you said you were a conservative, you said you were Republican, you got that was like you're racist, you're a bigot, you're whatever. That would, that's where we were in 2017. Yeah. The pendulum of what you could and couldn't say, and this is the this is where he grew up in was this no, I can talk about families and traditional values, I can talk about Jesus Christ, I can be Christian, and that doesn't make me a bad person. That you couldn't do that back then.
SPEAKER_01:There was an innocence about him.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and and and you think about he he billed it to something that it was okay to say that stuff. And and and and I remember, I remember a line um when I came back from the student action summit, and uh and uh and and and frankly, he took me into Mar-a-Lago and I got to meet the you know, the Trump family with Charlie in 2017. Who inspired you to run for governor?
SPEAKER_01:And look how that turned out.
SPEAKER_02:Old Trump got you involved in that one. So uh it uh but um I remember coming back and someone saying, How was it, Turning Point USA, the event? And I said, This kid will single-handedly, this was my quote, make conservatism cool again amongst the youth of this country. And that's what he did. In one sentence, watching the movement from the, you know, this is Charlie 2017, eight years, you know, you go back now, almost nine years ago, and he single-handedly made it, made it cool again to embrace capitalism and freedom and the things that this country was built on that had fallen out of favor for things like socialism. Like, and now you see some of the stuff happened in New York City, and you like, but it's okay to talk about. And I love how podcasts and mainstream, and that's the other thing, is mainstream media has been proven. Like you've you you were on the inside of that, but but they were so one-way and liberal, and and and and I think now there's another way to consume what truth is, and it's not mainstream media.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, no, I would agree with you on that. A lot of people aren't happy with the media, but you know, I I had a chance to meet him twice when he came here, and he was just such an innocent kid, but so powerful. And then he would inspire old people like us, uh, cynical people. And and his death impacted people, the White House that grew up with this kid.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. One of the coolest stories. I I I don't tell this story very often, and and I certainly haven't told it to anyone, but I'll tell you, it's it's uh it's still one of the craziest days. So we're campaigning together, and he says, Hey, I've got to go to Kanye West's house. And it's when he was uh married to Kim Kardashian.
SPEAKER_00:Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_02:And I'm like, How do we do that? Like he's like, and it was with him and Candace, they were both there. So he's like, Well, can't you figure out a way to fly us private down there? Sure. To and and to their house. And I said, I said, we're gonna go, we're gonna go to Kanye and Kim's house, and and and I, and and if you remember the whole thing, this was still back when, you know, he was doing his thing, he's not terribly famous yet, and he's been called to Kanye's house to to meet with him, and and I'm like, okay, we'll make it happen. So I got to fly with Candace Owens and Charlie Kirk. We went straight down and landed at a at an FBO close to their house. On the way down there, I thought, hey, maybe I can tag along, but that didn't happen. I gotta tell you the other funny part. Wait a minute, they left you on the plane? No, the other other funny funny part of the story. So I call, I call one of them, I call another friend, and I'm like, hey, I'm gonna be in LA while he's going to Kanye's house. Is there any big hitting uh uh, you know, is there any big uh donors I can talk to down there that are Republican donors I might be able to meet with? Well, I might as well, I'm gonna be down here. So I got lined up to meet with a gal um in downtown LA while he went to so we pull in, we land. Right. They get in a you know, black SUV comes up, takes me to Kanye's house. Right. And and I I get in an Uber and I go down and meet with this. Why I tell you this part of the story, it's what's hilarious, is I the uh it was all lined up, and they're like, oh yeah, if you go down and you're you know, you give a good pitch, they're gonna write you a big check for your campaign. I'm like, great, this is awesome. Well, while I go in there to write the big check, I'm like sitting there having dinner with this lady, and it was just me and her, and and I'm like, okay, there are strings attached to this.
SPEAKER_00:Right. And about halfway through, I'm like, uh, hey, just so you know. Right, right. Uh you know, anyway, right.
SPEAKER_02:It's one of the funny parts of the story because when I got done to the dinner, I called up Todd and I'm like, Todd, what the heck was that? Right. He's like, Did you get any money? I said, No, I didn't get any money. How bad did you want it? Yeah. So uh anyway, and then we went back and and then they drove back and and uh it was shortly after that where he was, you know, became kind of more conservative and became influential. I mean, yeah, you say what you want about the guy. He was influential as one of the first guys to come out. Changed the world. Change the world. And uh anyway, yeah, so I spent a lot of time with them. Um, and they both, I think, uh, I think what when you go back to those days now, and as we get older, it's 20, you know, 2017. Um what what sticks out to me, Kevin, is authenticity. Yeah, it was real, you know, it was it was about it was out about a movement, it was about truth, it was about being able to talk about your Christian faith, talk about freedoms for this country, talk about capitalism. I mean, I you'd go to the student action summit in 2017, and you know, the stickers you came back with were, you know, socialism sucks, you know, you know, big government sucks. You know, these were the stickers these young kids were going home with, and you know, making making being conservative cool again.
SPEAKER_01:And a big uh Oregon Ducks fan. Huge Oregon Ducks. He loved the Ducks, love the O.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Anyway, I didn't expect to get into that.
SPEAKER_01:That's okay, little buddy. I'm a good listener. What was that like for you though to like ask people for money?
SPEAKER_02:Oh, it's hard. You know, uh when I when I ran, um uh I was warned how personal it was. And what I mean by that is it's one thing to me to sit with you and say, hey Kevin, you know, I really really would I'm asking for your vote, but here's the things I believe in, and you know, ask me any questions you want. It's another thing for me to say, hey Kevin, take five grand of your hard-earned money that you make and give it to me to go spend in a way that I think is fit to try to win this thing. The amount of loyalty and just I do not want to let you down either way, I don't want to let you down. But the when you lose, you just feel so it's not um you know who told me, uh who who warned me, uh Mitt told me, he said, Hey, if you lose, when you lose, you'll have feelings that you never have felt before in your life. It's not shame, because you're not ashamed of what you did. It's not guilt because you did the best you could, but it's something like that where you just feel sad that you lost, that you let someone down. Um I didn't like that feeling. It's a it's a it's uh it's a feeling I haven't felt any other way. Probably because in other areas of my life, um, you kind of are self-made. And in this area, you're asking people for stuff. Like if you think of my businesses, we just kind of we grind and we got our team and we're all in it, and we're kind of making it happen, and you're doing it to you you don't have that same thing where you're reliant on someone else's money to help fuel this thing, and I don't know. And they want control. And then there's some of that.
SPEAKER_01:Like that lady with the dinner. Hey, man. I understand. I remember the 80s. Not so much anymore, but I remember the stories to tell. None that I can recall, sir. I can recall, Tommy. I'll tell you. Nothing you will recall. Yeah, that's right.
SPEAKER_02:I uh no, but I think uh I I I didn't never I didn't never experience the control thing. I I think um I think people do.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Um what's your take on Israel right now?
SPEAKER_01:I love Israel. All about Israel. I'm a big bench Shapiro guy. Uh Israel's fighting for its life. I think the the president has done a tremendous job, obviously, though. The the uh my brother, who is involved in the government in some way, I don't know what he does. Like my dad, I didn't know what he did either. Um but uh obviously what is going on in in Gaza with the tragedy with the loss of life, that that's not acceptable. But what are what are the Israeli people supposed to do?
SPEAKER_02:It's polarized people in a way that I haven't seen for a long time.
SPEAKER_01:Well, you and I grew up where uh no one questioned Israel. We were uh and you have young people, old people questioning Israel, backing Palestine, backing Hamas, backing all these other folks. Again, the world in you the you and I grew up in, that was It's so weird to hear it, isn't it? Yes, it is.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Yeah. I and I I wondered where your take was. I I I think uh, you know, I think uh I hope they I'm glad it's over. Yeah. I'm really glad Trump was. Disruptor disruptor in the history of the planet. And I think uh most of what he's disrupted needed to be disrupted, and I think it's been a lot deeper than I thought it was. I think the deep state, if you would have gone back to 2016 and said, hey, tell me what the deep state is, right? And I would have given you a definition, Kev, I think the deep state in 2025 to me means something totally different. And I still don't know that I understand it. I think it's deeper than what we thought, and I think having someone back there that says, Hey, screw you, we're doing stuff for America, America first thing, I I think it's great. Uh I think it's great.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Gear, if I ask you a question. Oh. Okay. Um, there is a danger though, and back to your good friend Charlie Kirk, of how people have used what happened to him to further themselves, conspiracies. And then we have this Fuentes character. I I mean, I've been there are young men on the right that follow this guy. And you're thinking, again, back to the world that you and I grew up in, Generation X, um, Hitler and Mussolini are bad people. And we we have young people that are being influenced by this social media.
SPEAKER_02:Have you listened to some of his latest stuff?
SPEAKER_01:I I caught the Ben Shapiro breakdown of it. Yeah. I try not to give those people voices.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so I I I listened to the Tucker interview.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I did that too. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:I listened to the whole thing. Um, I I I was I was shocked when I listened to the Tucker interview for one reason. I felt like the the things he says that are just vile and disgusting. And and listen, how much of it is just for entertainment and shock value, and to get likes and follows and and money? How much of it is that and how much of it does he really believe. But you gotta live with yourself. You gotta live with yourself, right? But there's certainly the entertainment aspect of it, right? The shock jock, you know, part of it is is part of it. Um but the vile, disgusting, horrible takes are just they are. But but what I worried about when I got out when I got done with the Tucker hour and 20 minutes or whatever it was was it it he came across for the youth of America way too normal and rational. And I hated that.
SPEAKER_01:See, I would agree with you on that. And you know, I gotta tell you, I'm a big Ben Spiro homer now because okay, why didn't Tucker do what he did to Ted Cruz, to Mr. Fuentes? He destroyed Ted Cruz.
SPEAKER_02:I I would uh the Ted Cruz, well, first of all, I don't like Ted Cruz. But I'm with you, but he just I can't stand Ted Cruz. So part of me as I was listening to Ted Cruz get eviscerated was just loving it. And then the part of me, I'm like, okay, you have now Nick Fuentes on, and that's your interview? Yeah, but there's that that that's not those those things are discongruent to me. Those don't those don't make any sense to me. So here's the question. I have the deeper, I mean, I'm getting I'm becoming, you know, I'm becoming a conspiracy theorist. I'm getting that vibe. Like, what's underneath all this? Who's paying who? Who's who who are the if we if you and I today knew the dollars behind stuff, right? Then maybe this would make sense.
SPEAKER_01:Well, we wouldn't be around because we'd know the secrets. We wouldn't be around.
SPEAKER_02:We'd be we'd be, yeah. Yeah. But so you're a conspiracy theorist now, too.
SPEAKER_01:Anything with you, Tommy. I'm follow you to the end, sir. Famous last words.
SPEAKER_02:No, I think I think the deeper you go, the more you go. I don't know. How does all that make sense unless there's big money behind it all?
SPEAKER_01:I go back to your friend Charlie. The guy was a beautiful young man that died horribly, and now we have people going, I'm gonna take up for Charlie. I'm gonna like, hey, bro, do your own thing. Don't be trying to get on his coattails. And then the the irresponsibility of the conspiracy theory is about he was assassinated. Come on, man. Not exactly. It was a it was a conspiracy by the and then again we talk about Israel by the Jews, and you're going, come on, dude. Really?
SPEAKER_02:No, I think it's so dangerous. I think it's so dangerous. Yeah, I would agree with you. It's just horrifically dangerous. And and the irony is when they bring the religion thing into it, it's just uh, I don't know. I I think it's I think it's dangerous. Um, man, how long are we gone? We got some more time. We're good. Look, I'm here for you. We're still you still good? Yeah, I'm good. Look, I gotta be careful a little bit because we've been talking for 50 minutes. I don't even know, I haven't even started to ask you a question yet. Oh no, this is the best ever. I'll just ask you questions.
SPEAKER_01:I'll do the Jedi on you that work for me, Tommy. I didn't say anything.
SPEAKER_02:Uh well, I've I I've been dying to ask you about the Israel thing because I think it is one of the questions of our time, this shakes out, um, and how uh I uh let me say a couple more things about Nick Fuentes. I think he's super talented. I think he uh I think a guy that can orate like he does, uh unscripted, and how he resonates with some of the the youth of our country really worries me.
SPEAKER_01:On the other hand, how tough is it or how challenging is it to just say these inflammatory things without a lot of facts to back them up? But you're right, I agree he is talented. But what scares me is I had someone who is very close to powerful people uh tell me that people, these gripers, it's a real thing with young men. Oh yeah. And why is that?
SPEAKER_02:If you think about that. Well, so then let's get into that. Sure. So you can sit and say, hey, so we've created this vacuum for young men. We have. You know, we've we've we have. And so at some point, where does what manhood should mean, where does that example come from? Where does the rational or counter idea to a Nick Fent Fuentes come where like, no, it's not that, it's this. Well, and instead of bitching about what the guy's doing, where is the counter to that where we're like coming out and saying, that is not it, guys? It's this, and here's your example. That's what I would focus on if I were king of the world, I'm not. But that's what I think we need to do because there is a void, there is a vacuum, especially in young men in this country of where we're heading. Well, they've been vilified for so long. They've been vilified forever. Yeah, they've been vilified forever, and this vacuum's been created, and this void's now filled, and now you've got people all over the place, regardless of political ideology, saying, Well, what's going on? How do we fix this? The way you fix this is the way you always fix it, is by authentically having examples of how we could live our life that's better.
SPEAKER_01:Well, you know that. You know, we talk about and your grandparents, very important in your life. My grandparents were, and now you're at that level and you're a role model, and you understand the standard, and you get that, and you you have to you you have to restore what was given to you, uh, to your people. And we need to do that for young men today.
SPEAKER_02:It's gonna sound corny to say this, but I'm gonna say it. Um, I I uh I look at because we've talked about this before, how much our grandparents met, and the just the example of work and heritage of what it was to be an American, what it was to love this country and work hard and provide for your family and be upstanding and help your community and bless the Bill Roscoe's of the world and the people out there. I mean, that that that's that's that's to me what America is. And I think of how that was taught to me. Times were slow, Kev. Man, you were you were able to sit and talk. Think of those conversations that you've had in your life that were life-changing to you, and how slow time was and where you were sitting. And I mean, I've I've got I've got specific memories, and they're probably conf they're probably conflated in my life because I I loved my grandpa so much. But what he meant to me and what he would talk talk to me and teach me, now I've got grandkids. It's right, it's funny.
SPEAKER_01:Like last that's living on in you, man.
SPEAKER_02:It is, but but here's my I'm getting to my point. Yeah, my worry is like last night, um, I was I had Shanna had uh shoulder surgery Monday, so she's down and out for a few days. So uh I got to go tend all three of my grandkids last night for about three hours, just me. Yes, it's five-year-old, a three-year-old, and a one-year-old. Dude, I was a man. I did great too. Yeah, everyone was doubting. Like, one thing that made me upset yesterday is I'm going into this three-hour session here. Right. And like I had like all my kids, hey, you gonna be okay? Kind of like, hey, full court, you're good. I mean, I get to my daughter's house and I get like a full list of, hey, here's all the things you need to do. They're acting like I haven't done this before. Right. There were doubters out there. Right, yeah. I killed it. Yeah, exactly. I killed it. Yeah. Got them to bed, no problems, fed them, all right, bottle, the whole thing. Right. But do I create enough of those times with my grandkids? That's what really matters. Are we too busy now? Are we are we thoughtfully thinking about how to create moments, not not artificially manufactured, but but genuine moments in time where we can be as effective in helping them and mentoring them and teaching them as we had?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:That's the question for you, Kevin Miller.
SPEAKER_01:Well, you remember have you seen the new social media thing, uh, the 80s are calling you and be there was no cell phones, there was no this. Yeah. But that's how we communicated. And when, you know, my grandmother, God bless her, uh, would take time for me to um, we would go somewhere and she would listen to me. It meant the world. Nothing, no disrespect to my parents, but grandparents have that magical thing of that they give you credibility because here you have people that are so well thought of, so uh high, and that they're they're treating you like an adult, and it's the neatest thing in the world.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:So, I mean, you can't do it on the phones, you can't do it all this. You have to do it, be an old school, you know, learn how to play Uno, I would uh I would say.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. You know, here's my take, and I'm and I'm I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna I'm gonna make it part of my weekly kind of planning to not I don't want these to feel artificial or manufactured, but for the rest of my life till I breathe my last drop of air, I want to make sure I'm creating those moments of quietness and thoughtfulness, hopefully under stars, hopefully out on walks, hopefully where it connects and not electronic, so that I can try to help and be what I need to be.
SPEAKER_01:What a great blessing, though, that is.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, it is. Yeah, it is. It's it's uh it's so wonderful. So that's that's one thought is we got we gotta somehow help these. I I think everything I'm gonna look at till I die is gonna be through the lens of those three. Um what what does this world what does it look like for them 10 years from now? That well, that's the scary part. What what what's AI gonna do, Kev?
SPEAKER_01:Bro, you know, uh I should ask you that. I uh, you know, I'm in an industry that people say it's over, it's this, that, and the other. I feel like last of the Jedi Knights and the practicer of the ancient faith of of talk radio. And uh I, you know, you have to be, you have to, and you're gonna love this, you have to be an optimist. And I think that one-on-one communication that we do each and every day has to matter for things. And um, as far as AI goes, I mean it's kind of you know, like electric vehicles. I guess that's the way things are going, but you don't have to accelerate your demise. And I have to have faith in humanity. Go back go back to our Savior Christ Jesus. I don't think that he's going to uh have an algorithm get us out of out of existence, at least I hope not.
SPEAKER_02:And man, I think that's why I love being with you. I think you just said like where I'm where I'm at. I I'm worried about it, but I believe I believe that I got a savior, and I believe that I got a redeemer, and I believe there's more to this, and it's gonna be okay. Yeah, but and if I didn't, I would worry. Because I I think once this becomes what it's gonna become in the next five years, and once it has its own thing, and and and and it's and the morals of what it responds is based on what the owner of that company does in a small did you yeah, I don't want to get too deep into this because I I'll go down a rabbit hole here with the.
SPEAKER_01:Well, look, look, we we you and I grew up in '84 with Terminator. We we warned of this with Skynet. It's true. And it's true. Yes. It's true. And and like like I said, you know, and again, you know more about AI, but now they have like uh they're working on the customized AI. Now, again, you Tommy Altwist is a businessman. It's interesting because we could go back to the dot com. A lot of these companies aren't making any money, but they say they're AI and they're just inflating the stock market through the roof.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and there's a lot of that, right? But the companies, these these large language models, where someone uh, you know, there was a uh the chat GTP guy, Sam Altman. Yeah, uh, when he was interviewed recently, someone asked him uh uh what I thought was a very thoughtful question, which is okay, because Chat GTP is around the world, when someone asks a question, a moral question about God or ethics, and they're in Africa or they're here or they're wherever, who's the one that's responding? And he said, and I never thought he'd admit to this, just blame me, because I don't want to dox my employees. But there are conference rooms of people that are making those value judgments and building it into the algorithm. Right. That's where truth's gonna come from, Kev.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. But that's where the Bible matters, that's where your faith matters, your morals value, your mores, what is given to you through parents, through hard work, uh, through sacrifice, through a concept our grandparents knew called deferred gratification.
SPEAKER_02:It's gonna be more important than ever. Yeah. That you got someone going to someone and looking them in the eyes and saying, What do you think? than pulling up your phone and saying, What is this? Right, read a book. Yeah. Yeah. Amen. Love that. I love that.
SPEAKER_01:I've missed you. You know, but uh, by the way, not to get too fanboy on you, but you know, I knew you were conscious uh, you know, conquering the world, but that Shields thing, again, I caught the Reno thing, dude. That was amazing. That's how I sent you that text when Shields opened. That was huge.
SPEAKER_02:I love that store.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:The nice thing about that place, you just if you need a gift, you you only have to go one place. Right. You do all your Christmas shopping. It's great. Hey, um, let's talk about uh state politics. Sure. So Brad, Brad's back in for this next one. Yes. Governor. Gonna, yeah. What's gonna who who who what what's uh what's Dorothy gonna do?
SPEAKER_01:Dorothy Moon is not a fan of Kevin Miller. She's not? Oh no, no, she's with the other guy. They ran me out of the Republican Party. She is? Who's the other guy? You know that guy you don't like. He? Oh yeah, he's like the the the I find that hilarious.
SPEAKER_02:Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I find that like I find that like yeah really funny.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Oh yeah, dude. Well, you know, you are worried about me, the crazies taking over. No, I w I wasn't crazy enough for them, so yeah. Um look, the governor, whether you like the governor or not, whether you agree with the governor or not, no one's gonna beat the governor. No. And as you know, no one will outwork the governor. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And and and the ironies of iron ironies in my lifetime is the guy I ran against has become the guy I I really love Brad. I think he's got the right heart for this place. I think he is as he is as Idaho in heritage as anybody.
SPEAKER_01:Was that tough for you? Because I remember when you built the the the first buildings, you had him out there, the first thing you did was put him over. I remember that groundbreaking. Yeah. Remember that? Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. No, I uh I uh I uh uh you know I I thought I could win, and I thought I had good leadership skills for the things that mattered to me education, infrastructure, stuff, you know, just stuff that no one cares about, Kevin. No one gives a crap about infrastructure. No, no one cares about how we bond for our future. Well, Kent Goldthorpe would disagree with that. Kent Goldthorpe would disagree with that. But very few people out there really care about like the kind of nuts and bolts of being the CEO of a state and figuring out infrastructure and housing and homelessness and those sort of things. And that's why I ran. So I I shouldn't have run because those things.
SPEAKER_01:If you would have been elected, would we have the traffic delays that we have today, sir?
SPEAKER_02:Uh you you probably would have, because it would it's going to be really hard to fix. We need to figure out in Idaho how what is the best way to pay for future improvements in infrastructure with the current. Constitutional uh hurdles we have on general obligation bonds. And I know that's a really boring answer to for people out there, but if you think about how we pay for things that are expensive, like a bypass. Right. Like just a bypass. Just paying as you go probably doesn't happen. So then do we have the wherewithal to figure out from a state government level and our current legislature how to tackle big problems versus becoming paralyzed? And my concern is no matter who is in that position, we're gonna become the next Austin. But but Austin's not a bad place, bro. Not a bad place. But if you drive around there, they got behind on infrastructure and they didn't plan appropriately, and and you can't travel. I mean, it's it's you it's used as the example just from a transportation perspective. It's a beautiful place. But from transportation, they got behind, and I think that's where we're headed. Oh, I would agree with you on that. I think I think you're gonna get I think and I don't as much as we talk about this, I think until three to five years, six, seven years from now, when it's complete gridlack on that I-84 right out our window right here, and then everyone's gonna lose their marbles, and you're and then all of a sudden it's like, okay, what are we gonna do? Well, the problem with that is right away 10 years ago would have been a fraction of what it will be then. Uh the cost of construction, but planning, and I don't think we have the mechanisms to do the bonding we need to with the public input that needs to happen to be able to get there. We're we're involved in a little group, uh Garrett Loft and I called Keep Idaho Moving. It's an effort. Uh we actually just put it within the the Chamber of Commerce, which is a right place to be with Bobby Joe Muleman, who's have you had her on your show?
SPEAKER_01:No, I I was friends with the other guy, the older guy. The guy that was there before.
SPEAKER_02:Uh Bill.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, Bill was there forever.
SPEAKER_02:Bill was there forever. She's she is spectacular. So uh hopefully we can do some good things through that and kind of maybe be a little proactive from a business side of things, but who knows?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I mean, you look long long answer to your question. But you look at CUNA, man. I mean, you have those two lane roads in and out to the beef processing plant. I know that all the time, man. Go get my beef there. I love the beef. Um, CF beef packers.
SPEAKER_02:But I mean, that you know I live out there now, and it it's uh as even though it's amazing, it is gonna be gridlocked. It's already gridlocked.
SPEAKER_01:Right. The the infrastructure isn't there in CUNA. Well, no. Or star. Or star. Yeah. We're hosed in Star. I didn't so who likes you right now in politics? Nobody. Nobody likes me. You like me. I like you, Kevin. Yeah, I got no one. Uh you know, I I uh it's funny. I got into this to be like the next Rush Limbaugh, and Idaho has changed me that I really love just doing the nonprofit stuff where you make a difference. I love uh talking to people and hearing their stories and elevating them, honestly. And I'm also fascinated about your boy Jeremia Dickey, huge fan of that guy.
SPEAKER_02:He's gonna talk about that guy.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I've reached out to him and he's come back and forth. He's uh he's a and I I love your interaction with him as well.
SPEAKER_02:Have you have you had him on? Mm-hmm. Yeah, he's uh are you the next president of Boise State? No. Um that's what I heard. But I know there's some great, there's no. I'm on the I'm uh I'm helping him. You're on the committee. Yeah, there's some great candidates. I think that'll get worked out relatively soon.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Relatively soon. And I think and I think their short list is very, very, very good.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, so let me put you on the spot. Yeah. From a business point of view, because I'm fascinated by this. Here you have uh you know Paul Feinbaum, who I used to work with, now saying group of five shouldn't be in the group of oh yeah, I I worked for Paul Fein. I didn't know that connection. Oh yeah, yeah. Oh yeah. I uh he he got booted from ESPN when he said he was gonna run for governor, right? Well, no, he's still there. Paul Paul is the most brilliant person when it comes to media. I love that guy. Um we helped him with his statewide network, and I worked with him and Pat Smith. I I took a lot away from those guys. I was technically their boss, but I was never their boss. Well, those guys were great. But Paul's saying group of five people shouldn't be in the college football playoff. Then you have a guy by the name of Jeremiah Dickey who continues to raise money, and Boise State has to win, and you know the the revenue pool is very limited here, and Boise State may have two million in the NIL, Ohio State has 40 million. So, from a business point of view, how do you compete?
SPEAKER_02:So, a a couple things. Um, I'm glad we got to this because I'd I'd love to talk about it. Um I think in my lifetime, of all of the leaders I've been around in education, healthcare, politics, business, I don't know that I've ever met anyone as talented. If you looked at what do you want in a leader and you started from A to Z and you started checking boxes and rating people from one to ten, Jeremiah Dickey is as close to as perfect of a leader as you would ever get around. The guy's unbelievable. He is drive, energy, effort, passion, man of faith, connectman, connection, man of faith. I mean, everything. So uh my money's on him. Now, with that said, I cannot imagine the challenges he's facing right now on every single stinking level. NIL is a disaster, Kev. It is. It's a disaster, and yet you have to deal with it, right? Uh somehow this idea that the money that is being garnished because of my name, image, and likeness needs to come back to me. When when is the last time you've heard that any uh any media company is sharing funds back to these athletes? It's the same donors that are donating to build to build the buildings or support the programs or give scholarships, right? But are now just paying the athletes at these schools. And I I don't know how that goes. There's not a contract, it's just it's it's I don't know how that goes.
SPEAKER_01:I don't over I don't know how it's sustainable. Well, and then you take a look at the stadium funding and uh let me go back to Tommy Alquist, okay. Tommy Alquist, Inspire Excellence, first season of the podcast, love it. When you were talking to uh Caves and Prater, and we're talking about, hey, I'd go to Salt Lake and I'd see this, this, and this, but I go to Albertson's and it's not there. Now, you and Jeremiah Dick and others have brought those improvements up, but still it's a ways to go, comparatively speaking.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so a couple things. Um, I think I think in the environment we're in, watching what he's doing on the North End zone has been incredible, incredible. There's an effort that I'm actually helping a little bit with, just a little bit with, but helping with some guidance to try to develop out more of the stadium and get the amenities you need. So I think that's important. And I think again, if anyone's gonna do it, it's gonna be him. My point though is it's not just the stadium, it's not just the programs, it's not just the scholarships, it's NIL. And now let's talk about conference realignment. Yeah. If you would have told us, old guys, right, that that that Utah would have gone from the whack to the PAC to the big 12, like just none of this stuff makes sense. And I think what we're headed streaming towards is to these super conferences, and I I think the works is already in, and you got the SEC that you love, and I mean you are the guy. Just means more.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:It does. And you got the SEC that dominates everything, but I don't know about this year because I think I think don't you think the SEC is down this year?
SPEAKER_01:Oh no, we're we've got several full. We've got 25 teams of the top 25, Big Ten's overrated.
SPEAKER_02:So full the Big Ten is kicking.
SPEAKER_01:Ohio State is lucky that that our great coach Nick Saban left to give him a quarterback, Julian Sayon, just saying. Uh but sports is really but here's here's something fascinating, though. Back to Boise State, because you and I could go for endlessly about sports. Um I think the greatest one of the greatest challenges is a new basketball arena close to your heart.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, let's talk. Yeah, so I think uh um I don't know that we need a new one, but I think a new one. I think oh yeah, I just that one I think it could be remodeled. Well, I think it could be remodeled. Um listen, I'm there. I'm uh you're a hoops guy. I'll I'm sure I'm there all the time. And I and I and I think it uh I I think but listen, before we criticize it, think like a complete remodel, because it was built in 83, right? It was built in 83, but you look back to where we were with the basketball program before Jeremiah and just students and engagement.
SPEAKER_01:No, I was a Greg Graham guy, man.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, but but it's it's it's good now. Yeah, the product is great.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. He's gotta win, though. He's gotta, he's gotta get over the whole. I know. He's a great guy, incredible community guy. He is winning. He hasn't got made it to the dance in a while. No, he's been to the what do you mean? My boy Gordy now. I love Gordy.
SPEAKER_02:Listen, we've been to the dance, we've been to the dance two. We need to win a game. We need a game. Right. But uh, we need to win a game, but we're gonna win, we're gonna do this year. I I'm actually I know this team this year's getting a bunch of grief, but that we're gonna be fine. I think this year they've got five guys that can score at any time.
SPEAKER_01:They don't have a pure shooter. Tommy Alquist, my man Tommy Alquist, basketball player, loves the game, last dance. You would never go to big noon kickoff dressed up as a Ute if you played for Boise State. No, yeah, let's talk about that. Yeah. Now, because I'm a Ute, I thought it was funny. I'm uh I I I I love that program. I think it's one of the most underrated in college football. I've always had a f fascination with they shouldn't have dressed up like that.
SPEAKER_02:But I but I thought but I thought the fact that it was Utah was funny to me. But but I I text Prater because he's a Ute too. Oh, yes, and I'm like, hey, Prater, and then no one else thought it was funny.
SPEAKER_01:Right.
SPEAKER_02:Well Prater and I thought it was funny. Well, yeah, well, you're with Prater. Kev, yeah, this has been awesome. Can we do this again?
SPEAKER_01:Can we do it like every I'm here? We got to do this routinely. I would love to be back. Maddie, it's a privilege. This has been good. And you know, by the way, before you give me the boot, um, you know, you're always welcome to come on the crazy show.
SPEAKER_02:You don't invite me anymore.
SPEAKER_01:I do because you always turn me down. You know, I will come.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I'll I'll come, but I think this every once in a while. And um, before we leave, uh Miller's Mission, Idaho Share 7, CARES Idaho Share is coming up, all this rescue mission stuff can it's the holidays, right? This is the time to give. Boise RM.org. Why don't you why don't you close us out with if you wanted if you wanted the listeners out there to give during this time, right? Close out with something that inspires us to do so.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I'm just inspired by everybody. And if you think you can't give, think of the person that has nothing. Think of the person on uh the corner, think of the person that has a family, think of the person that is trying to take care of their dog and the uncertainty and the scarcity and the idea of not having anywhere to go. The Boise Rescue Mission other than nonprofits are there to help you, and uh they do that all throughout uh the year, and of course, without government funding, so please help. BoiseRM.org. Kevin Miller, you were a tremendous example. No, bro. You're the example. I love you, man.
SPEAKER_02:Thanks for coming on.
SPEAKER_01:No, I love you, and I, you know, it's not easy to admit that I'm a Robin, but I I'd like to be your Robin. I know you have a lot of robins. Everybody wants to be Batman, but around you, I've got to be Robin or Robin Jr. You're the best.
SPEAKER_02:Thanks.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you, sir. Thanks, everybody.