Epoch Times columnist Roger Simon joined The Tennessee Star Report’s Michael Patrick Leahy in studio Thursday to update listeners on his newest film project covering the raucous 2024 presidential election.
TRANSCRIPT
Michael Patrick Leahy: Now here’s Michael Patrick Leahy, 7:06 AM we’re broadcasting live from our studios on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. It is Thursday, June 29th, 2023, almost halfway through 2023 in studio. My very good friend, my former boss at PJTV; an Academy Award nominated screenwriter, mystery writer, novelist author, and depending on the day, the lead columnist at the Epoch Times, and now the Woody Allen of political cinema verite.
Roger Simon: Well, not quite on a lot of levels, but–
Michael Patrick Leahy: But Roger, so you did this cinema verite film, if you will with Epoch Times that was released last week and doing very well, I think, got lots of, lots of coverage on it.
This is you, in real time, with Vivek Ramaswamy. On the campaign trail played a little tennis with him. It was a fun event.
Roger Simon: Yeah. Well, thanks. It was fun to make.
There’s an old phrase, I think it comes from Robert Frost:
No tears in the eyes of the author, no tears in the eyes of the reader.
You know, and the same thing goes for pleasure and happiness. If you don’t get laughs doing it, the audience isn’t gonna get any laughs.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Exactly. And boy, in this political season, we sure need some. Humor, some fun, some laughs. It’s just so dreadful.
Roger Simon: No kidding. Oh my God.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Now you wanna do a series of these cinema verite films.
Roger Simon: So we’re trying, we’re dealing now with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
I mean, the three people who could really do this kind of a cinema verite style, the person himself has to be a little bit loosey-goosey because otherwise – I’m a little frank, I’m not gonna name them now, but the numerous candidates are very buttoned up, as you may have noticed.
And therefore I’m a little scared of what it’ll be like with this technique.
But Bobby Kennedy is not.
Trump is not, obviously.
Michael Patrick Leahy: I would say looking at the entire field, the only three on either side that I think are not buttoned up are genuine, authentic, and in all instances are Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Roger Simon: Unfortunately, I agree with you entirely.
Which is gonna make my task hard.
Michael Patrick Leahy: You go for the easy ones first, right?
Roger Simon: Yeah.
And, it’ll be more theatrical and then people will wanna to see more.
Michael Patrick Leahy: So the big question.
Ready?
You played tennis because you’re a good tennis player.
Vivek was a good tennis player, a great player, right?
And you played a little tennis with him.
Roger Simon: Only a couple of moments, but–
Michael Patrick Leahy: Okay. But here now I, the big question are you gonna have this sort of personal connection with these candidates and what’s a hallmark of them?
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. astonished many people on the internet, me in particular, and others.
He’s apparently hanging out with his cousin’s former husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger out there in L.A. and he may have influenced him. He has been, I think probably, you know, a dozen years or so lifting weights.
Roger Simon: He looks it.
Michael Patrick Leahy: So he had this video of pumping iron on Venice Beach and shirt off in jeans. He he looks, you know, pretty pumped up. Looked pretty ripped.
Roger Simon: Well, yeah.
I’ve been in training for this video.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Now hold it. Let’s talk about this. It’s interesting now. You’re what, in your late seventies now, right?
Roger Simon: Very late.
Michael Patrick Leahy: And, and you are a big fitness buff. You play tennis a lot. You work out.
There was this video of Robert F Kennedy’s Junior, not just the pump and iron, but doing some pushups.
Roger Simon: Well, that’s what I’m gonna do.
Waking up is some ungodly hour that I’m forced to do on Thursdays.
I did 105 pushups.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Are you gonna challenge Bobby to a pushup contest?
Roger Simon: I’m gonna challenge him. And he’s – forewarned is forearmed – he better get out there to Venice again and, you know–
Michael Patrick Leahy: I think he’s, you know, I think he’s gonna be up for it.
Roger Simon: I think he’ll kill me.
Michael Patrick Leahy: I think he’s up for the pushup.
Roger Simon: I think he’s more than up for it.
Michael Patrick Leahy: But I think now the question is now he did it with like the shirt off and just jeans, right?
Roger Simon: Yeah.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Are you gonna go with the shirt off and jeans thing too?
Roger Simon: Yeah.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Well there we go.
So this will be the visual imagery of Roger Simon and Bobby Kennedy in a Venice Beach style.
A pushup contest will be something.
Roger Simon: I hope so. You know, for a guy my age, I don’t look that bad with my shirt off.
And here I think, I would have a little message to listeners who are getting up there in years, and that is, a few years ago a guy sent me an article with the title, ‘Don’t Let the Old Man In.’
Michael Patrick Leahy: Yes.
Roger Simon: And that title. I didn’t have to read the article. I knew exactly what the author meant. You know, nature intervenes unfortunately, however–
Michael Patrick Leahy: You wanna sit at home in the couch and watch television, but don’t do it.
Roger Simon: Don’t do it.
Don’t do it.
I mean, even 20 minutes a day is a huge difference.
Michael Patrick Leahy: A huge difference.
So, I can’t wait to see.
You’ve made the connection to the Kennedy campaign, and so I think it’s gonna happen. I think all around the world, they’re waiting to see the pushup contest between Roger Simon and — of course, Roger.
It’s because you’re just a tad younger than Joe Biden.
Like, a year or so younger.
But for the Kennedy campaign, the contrast between, well, here’s somebody about Biden’s age, who’s with it.
I think Bobby will probably end up challenging Joe Biden to a pushup contest.
Roger Simon: Good luck with that, it won’t happen, I don’t think. But who knows what even Biden hears.
Michael Patrick Leahy: Good point. We’ll have more when we get back.
We’ve got a, a judge’s decision on this transgender law. You won’t believe the decision. We’ve got something to say about it – back after this.
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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. toThe Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahyon Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “Robert F. Kennedy Jr.” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “U.S. Capitol” by Martin Falbisoner. CC BY-SA 3.0.
