The NARN Closer's playlist - 10/4/2026

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I've had enough of scheming and messing around with jerks....

We're exactly 30 days from Election Day, so a lot to get to on today's edition of my radio show The Closer. The 2-hour blitz will get started at 1:00 PM Central Time. 

Right at 1:00, Republican candidate for MN House Leslie Larson will be on to discuss her campaign in House District 32B (Lexington, eastern & southern portions of Blaine). 

At 1:30, Republican candidate for MN Attorney General Ron Schutz will check in to update us on his quest to unseat the deplorable Keith Ellison. 

In the non-guest segments, I'll talk about the scary shooting incident at Eden Prairie High School and how it reflects the fecklessness among certain elected officials. Also, per a certain Minneapolis City Councilman, driverless cars are (**checks notes**) murdering cats?????

So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

 

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page, where we also conduct a "Live Stream" of the broadcast.

Until then.....

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The struggle to re-gain lost relevance is real

Some people want all the adulation of being a public figure without any of the downsides, which often includes virulent criticism. That was the plight of Jesse Ventura after he shocked the political world by being elected Governor of Minnesota in 1998. While he basked in the glow of his highly improbable victory while also enjoying high approval ratings early on in his gubernatorial term, the shine on his star wore off within in a year a two. And when that happened, gone was the lovable oaf, replaced by a thin-skinned bully. As legitimate criticism was conveyed by local media, it was met with hostility by ol' Jess, often turning typical press scrums into a war of words between a member of the executive branch of government and the press corps (sound familiar?).

Seeing how Donald Trump hijacked his formula of appealing to a disaffected electorate by providing a non-traditional candidacy for office, it wouldn't be much of a stretch for Ventura to want to have a medium to take on the current President. And sure enough, he allegedly offered a modest proposal to do so. 

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura apparently has his sights set on Washington, according to Garage Logic host Joe Soucheray, who said Ventura had an unusual proposal for U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar to help him get there.

During a Sept. 24 episode of Garage Logic, Soucheray said Ventura told him he met twice with Klobuchar and made his proposal during their second meeting.

“Then he had a second meeting with Klobuchar and told Sen. Amy Klobuchar, ‘I will not run if you, prior to the election, say that if you win the governor’s race in Minnesota, you will name me as the senator to fill in your two remaining years,'” Soucheray said.

What I wanna know is how Ventura thought he could derail Klobuchar's bid to win this election. Was he going to make another third party run, one which could siphon off vote's from Klobee, thus putting her opponent Lisa Demuth in a more advantageous position? Or was he planning on running as a Dem in an attempt to thwart a clear path to the nomination? While that part isn't clear, I think it's utterly hilarious that this self-important jackass believes he's in a position to have that kind of impact on a gubernatorial race. 

If by some bizarre occurrence Ventura is appointed to the Senate, the idea he'd have even marginal impact in his desire to "take on Trump" shows that the head injuries he suffered as a professional wrestler are staring to manifest in clownish ways,

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Quick Hits: Volume CDXXIV

- National Republicans are likely to get shellacked this election cycle. Given the party had a trifecta in D.C. (President, House and Senate) for 21 months, they'll be made to pay for the affordability crisis they ran on in the 2024 campaigns but seemed to make worse once elected. And while Democrats are rightly pointing out that gas prices are spinning out of control due to the direct actions of President Trump (i.e. waging war in Iran), have they indicated how they plan to mitigate the issue? No, they haven't, simply because they see high fuel prices as a feature, not a bug. 

Erick Erickson lays it out. 

Democrats want higher gas prices. They want smaller cars. They want you out of your car and into public transportation. You may be unhappy about gas prices, but remember Democrats want them even higher so that you are forced to give up your SUV. They want farmers driving battery powered combines too heavy for fields. They want truckers to drive battery powered 18-wheelers.

Gas prices will come down, but not if the Democrats get power back. Just remember that.

Another thing to remember: the government makes a significant amount of money in tax revenue on gasoline. They could literally slow the proverbial bleeding almost immediately. But they don't. Now ask yourself why. 

- A scary scene aboard a passenger flight in the Middle East skies. 

• Disaster averted: A pilot on a Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight has been arrested after he stabbed the other pilot in the cockpit during an apparent attempt to crash the plane, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

• Heroism on board: Despite being wounded, the attacked pilot — identified as Captain Smit Machchhar — fought back and “managed to prevent a 9/11 disaster,” Netanyahu told CNN. A passenger described how he put the alleged assailant in a chokehold before grabbing the plane’s controls to stabilize the flight. But it is unclear who ultimately landed the plane.

• Terrifying moments: The incident caused the aircraft to plummet 17,400 feet in less than two minutes, according to flight tracking data. The plane was diverted to Saudi Arabia and passengers have since returned safely to Israel. Flydubai has launched an investigation into the incident, an airline spokesperson said.

Let's call this what it is: an act of terrorism. Israeli citizens have lived under the threat of death for decades now, and even more so over the past three years. 

Here's what took place upon the flight making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. 

After FlyDubai emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, Saudi medical teams offered care to the 150 Israeli nationals on board.
Saudis should be proud of these teams. Arab tradition teaches that “rescue of the distressed” comes before anything else. This was a great time to show it. pic.twitter.com/tZAWQlQiHb

— Hussain Abdul-Hussain (@hahussain) September 30, 2026

Has anyone pondered if this kind of relationship (i.e. the Saudis collaborating with Israelis) would have even been possible without the first Trump presidential term mediating the Abraham Accords? We can certainly bank on approximately zero media outlets broaching that possibility. 

- In late April 2024, the podcast Purple Daily hosted a Vikings watch party on the first night of the NFL draft. The excitement was palatable as the team was looking to draft a franchise QB, something which hadn't been done successfully since arguably 1999 when they drafted Daunte Culpepper. 

So when the Vikings made their selection that April evening in '24, the roof practically came off The Fillmore in Minneapolis. 

#Skol nation has been anticipating this for more than 16 months. pic.twitter.com/sGWo7aOOAX

— Brad Carlson (@Brad_Carlson) September 10, 2025

A mere 29 months later, the Vikings are, once again, back at square one. 

BREAKING: The #Vikings are trading QB JJ McCarthy to the #Giants for a 5th-round pick, per @JayGlazer. pic.twitter.com/p9yJ5BI5ev

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 28, 2026

This news didn't surprise me in the least given how McCarthy and head coach Kevin O'Connell have seemed to have developed a rift over the past year. However, I admit to being disgusted at this franchise's continued ineptitude at successfully developing a quarterback they acquire via the draft. 

Whenever the Vikings have jettisoned a player in the past, my hope was that player would bust so as not to make my favorite squad look bad. However, in this instance, it is my sincere desire that McCarthy has a long, productive career. The Vikings organization deserves to have this be the proverbial exploding cigar in the face. But if indeed it's determined that McCarthy is not even a serviceable NFL quarterback, this is still a blemish on O'Connell given this would turn out to be a wasted top 10 draft pick, a selection which the head coach was all in on. Yeah, I have no tolerance for those hellbent on throwing former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah under the bus for actually calling in the pick. No way did he usurp the so-called "quarterback whisperer."

Of course, O'Connell can redeem himself if he actually tailors an offense to the skill set of his current starting QB Kyler Murray, thus increasing his chances of succeeding. That, along with a top tier defense, would go a long way to helping the Vikes win their first playoff game since January 2020. But if they once again go one-and-done in the postseason or miss it altogether? I'm guessing KOC will, at minimum, be on double secret probation going into 2027. 

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Box Score of the Week

The Hall of Fame career of Justin Verlander concluded with his final appearance this past Saturday. 

Pittsburgh Pirates at Detroit Tigers - September 26. 2026.

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In this game, Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander faced Pirates batter Konnor Griffin. What was notable about this matchup is Griffin was born nine months after Verlander made his MLB debut. 

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The NARN Closer's playlist - 9/27/2026

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I'm only pretty sure that I can't take any more.....

Another Sunday means yet another edition of my radio show The Closer. Today's 2-hour blitz begins at 1:00 Central Time. 

It's another guest intensive show on the broadcast today. 

1:00 - Jessica Johnson, GOP candidate for MN House District 33B (Stillwater, Oak Park Heights, Scandia, Bayport). 

1:30 - Andrew Hattaway, GOP candidate for MN House District 56B (Rosemount, eastern Apple Valley, southwestern Eagan). 

2:00 - Amanda Peterson, geopolitical wonk talking Iran war, relations with China, assassination attempts by Kremlin assets inside the U.S., etc. 

So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

 

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page, where we also conduct a "Live Stream" of the broadcast.

Until then.....

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Who run the world?

 I've been hearing variations of this statement for years now. 

Obama: "If you put women in charge of every government for two years... I have a strong belief that things would be better. I'm confident about that." pic.twitter.com/H6hs5ZjZFV

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) September 24, 2026

Barry apparently didn't believe this in 2008 when Hillary Clinton was his chief rival their party's nomination for President. It was only after near completion of his two full terms as POTUS that Obama made public his belief that Hillary was the most qualified candidate to run for President, like, ever!

My favorite riff on the "women need to run things" chanting point came from Drew Carey during a White House Correspondents' Dinner during the George W. Bush years. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Decker Watson (@beringc)

And here's an excerpt from a now defunct blog (written by a gal, BTW) when blogging was the thing back in the aughts. 

 

I'm so sick of people saying things like "If mothers ran the world there would be no wars". Seriously, ZZzzzzzzzzzzzz. Because mothers are what, all a bunch of passive, docile negotiators?

Good God, what if every world leader were a pregnant woman? There would be wars for the worst reasons you've ever heard.

"This dress makes me look like a buffalo! I bomb you!"

"Why is my hair so greasy? Why does your mother hate me? Talks are over! Send in the tanks!"

On second thought, we might have been done with the Iran conflict in a much more expedited time frame. 

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Quick Hits: Volume CDXXIII

- Regrets. California Gov. Greaseball Gavin Newsom has had a few, specifically the way he handled the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Newsom agreed when CNN's Jake Tapper suggested: "There needs to be like a 9/11 Commission on COVID -- what we did right, what we did wrong."

"Everyone's a genius in hindsight. Coulda-woulda," Newsom said. "I was running around doing price-gauging legislation against Purell -- everyone was thinking it was a Purell-based crisis."

And who could forget that while the Golden State was locked down while also under a draconian mask mandate, Newsome could be seen dining at the swanky restaurant French Laundry.....while maskless? 

"(J)ust a bone-headed decision."

"I was just dialing it in. We were exhausted, friend's birthday. It was a restaurant that was open the night before, open the night after. But it was against the spirit of the rules I was promoting, and I went. I had a mask on when I went in, when I went out -- but not while I was eating."

"I was up there promoting mask on in between bites," he laughed. "Which in itself is curious."

"It was a completely legit condemnation," Newsom said. "I got a recall, and I almost lost -- talk about humility."

"My politics changed after that."

Did they really? Because I remember a mere 4-1/2 months after surviving his September 2021 recall election, Newsom was seen at the Super Bowl in Inglewood's SoFi Stadium  *not* wearing a mask. Meanwhile, elementary age kids were still mandated to don face coverings while outdoors. 

Yeah, that snake had clearly not shed his skin. 

- This clip from last Sunday featuring Taylor Swift cheering on her husband (and Kansas City Chiefs TE) Travis Kelce has, not surprisingly, gone viral. 

“THATS MY HUSBAND” 💍 pic.twitter.com/BPvOxNlGEq

— Taylor Swift Updates (@TSUpdating) September 21, 2026

When arguably the most famous person on planet Earth does anything in full view of millions of TV viewers, it's going to garner massive attention. 

In our politically and socially polarized world, every action by a celebrity tends to be scrutinized to death. But I would hope we'd be able to agree here that this is a tremendous example of a successful partnership, where each member of the couple passionately supports the other in their chosen endeavor. 

There is some debate over whether or not TSwift is a proper role model for young ladies. While I couldn't possibly care less about that back and forth, I can't deny that Tay's excitement over her husband's success is something every man should long for from this bride. And it should be reciprocated. 

- With an approval rating hovering in the 30s and his political party facing the prospects of a midterm election that could rival the 2006 "thumping," President Donald Trump is seemingly radioactive among many GOP Congressional candidates. 

Jim Geraghty at National Review compiled a list. 

• Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds scrubbed references to Trump from his campaign website.
• Donalds is following in the footsteps of GOP Representative Young Kim, who often faces tough reelection bids in her R+1 southern California district.
• Michigan GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers is running an ad that begins, “The war in Iran needs to end, to bring costs down.”
• Iowa GOP representatives Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks joined in a vote to limit Trump’s war powers last week. Both lawmakers represent competitive districts, and this marked the first time either one had voted to rein in Trump’s Iran war powers. Nunn wrote on X, “With the negotiating window closed, sustained combat operations now require congressional authorization. Having deployed multiple times and flown over 700 combat hours in the Middle East, I will not support another open-ended war.”
• Ashley Hinson, a GOP representative who’s running for governor in Iowa, wrote on X Monday, “Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran.”
• Wisconsin GOP candidate for governor, Representative Tom Tiffany, on rising gas prices and Iran: “I just believe we should be exiting Iran, it’s time to move on. We’ve degraded their nuclear facilities, we’ve degraded their military, most of their ships are at the bottom of the ocean. Time to come home, take care of business here in America.”
• In a meeting with voters, Colorado GOP Representative Jeff Hurd “talked about where he disagrees with the Trump administration. Hurd said he opposes Trump’s sweeping tariffs against Canada and a Republican push to sell public lands. He voted to extend healthcare subsidies.”

I've always maintained the GOP would lose the House given they only have a razor-thin majority to begin with, but hang on to the Senate. However, with such reliable Republican seats like Texas, Kansas, South Carolina and Iowa suddenly in play this cycle, even that is far from a sure thing.  

On a somewhat related note: if either SCOTUS justice Sam Alito or Clarence Thomas are considering retirement, they may well have their letters in the "Drafts" folder right about now. 

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