Data Centers & Corruption with Bale Dalton & Jimmy Bierman

**Al Hunt** (0:10)
Hello, and welcome to Politics War Room with James Carville and I'm Al Hunt. This week, our guest is a congressional candidate in the Florida 7th District, Bale Dalton, a former naval aviator and chief of staff at NASA, and Jimmy Bierman, a Fairfax County, Virginia, a counselor who is an expert on data centers. Now remember, we love taking your questions, so write to politicswarroom at gmail.com or email us for next week's show. We'll get to as many as we can, but don't forget to tell us where you're from. You can also get text updates about what's next for Politicon and Politics War Room by signing up at politicon.com. So tell your friends about us and remind them to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. And please check out the link to our sponsors, Hers WL and our episode, Show Notes. We thank you for supporting our sponsors because it really helps make this podcast happen.
James, it's time to pull out your attendance book because the Trump Republicans are having a mini convention in Dallas next week. And we want to know how many Republicans in competitive races want to go and embrace the MC Donald Trump eight weeks before the election. Susan Collins may vote with Trump when it matters, but she's headed for the northernmost part of Maine, as far away as she can get from Dallas.
Michigan's candidate Mike Rogers and Ohio's John Husted say they're scheduled to go, let's check and see if something really urgent prevents them from going, you know, a haircut appointment or a bargain day at Walmart.
And let's report next week on who was there and who was not there. One who will be there is Texas Attorney General and Senate candidate Ken Paxson. I really hope he's the keynote speaker, posters everywhere. We all know about his indictments and his bribery charges and everything else. My favorite story, which was recycled this week, was he was going through a checkout line at an airport security office and someone had left a $1,000 fountain pen there and Paxson looked to his left. He looked to his right, no one there, and he picked up and he pocketed the pen.
So anyway, Ken, we'd love to hear from you next week. I think most every Republican in a tough race, Mike Lawler, the Scandler Ridden, Max Miller, Zach Nunn, Jan Kiggins, they're not going to be anywhere near Dallas next week. Trump still has clout in most primaries. MAGA is a huge part of the Republican base. But with 36% approval, his coat tails are much smaller than the legendary Eisenhower jacket. He is a liability for many of these Republicans in tough races.

**James Carville** (3:02)
Well, I think you're right to start on this. And I think this should be blown up into a really, really big event. And I'm happy to hear that a lot of the news organizations are going and going to have to turn and say, you know, as you know, I've been giving paid speeches since 1993 And I've never, ever been tempted to cancel one. And goddamn it, I got to be at bail during that. I could knock against it, but shit, I wish I could put that thing off. I would love to go to that. And everybody that can should go and you're right. We should take, whoa. And who's there, who's not there? And so they're charging $88,400 for photo. I don't know how they came up with that number. And the admission ticket is $250,000. You could go to 10 US Opens and sit at courtside, but would it take you to go to that fiasco?
The mind can't quite get around what exactly they're up to, but thank God they're doing it.
We didn't need this to win, but it certainly helps.

**Al Hunt** (4:13)
It helps. Two other quick things. Speaker Mike Johnson said, This was the most productive Congress since Harry Truman, back in 1948
Speaker Johnson's expertise does not extend the history. That was the do-nothing Congress, Mike Johnson. I think you may be right. I think the parallels are very much there. The only thing you really passed that was big was the big, beautiful bill, which most Republicans are running away from. So, yeah, talk about this Congress a lot, Speaker Johnson, candidates out there, because it may not be as bad as talking about Trump at 36 percent, but it ain't going to be very good.

**James Carville** (4:52)
You know, I used to detest Mike Johnson. All right. And now, actually, and I really, by genuinely means, I feel sorry for him. He is so in over his head. He's been so manipulated. He's been so beat up. He's been so exploited and hadn't even know it. And I think, I think, he's starting to break through. Now, the interesting thing in front of the show, we've had him as a guest, is doing something, is G. Eliot Morris. And he's going to say, he's doing an episode today, he says something that I've thought, and other people have, is Trump trying to lose? Okay, we know people lose elections, and most politicians kind of want to win.