ron kirk. (applause) we'd love to have you join us in the studio. visit our website at klru.org/overheard to find invitations to interviews, q&a's with our audience and guests, and an archive of past episodes. - everybody loves to beat up on the koch brothers, in the context of citizens united. before we knew what the koch brothers were they had done their damage. because in 2008 they realized, "we don't care about washington. "we care about the governorships. "because what's going to happen is "we're getting ready to have the decennial, "and we're going to gerrymander the hell out of "these congressional districts." it isn't an accident, in texas, in alabama, in ohio, they've all followed the same play book. - [voiceover] funding for overheard with evan smith is provided in part by: mfi foundation, improving the quality of life within our community. also by hillco partners, a texas government affairs consultancy. and by the alice kleberg reynolds foundation. (fanfare) garrison keillor: after serving in the united states navy, galway kinnell was a f

he's ambassador ron kirk. this is overheard. (upbeat music) let's be honest. so is this about the ability to learn or is this about the experience of not having being taught properly? how have you avoided what has befallen other nations in africa? i don't mean to say that he'd made his own bed, but you caused him to sleep in it. you saw a problem and over time took it on. let's start with the sizzle before we get to the steak. are you going to run for president? i think i just got an f from you. (upbeat music)

. >> kirk: i don't know about that. oh. there's his brother ron. ronnie made it in. out of youngstown. >> chris: he works for bo pelini at youngstown state. taylor breaks free. and fights hard out near midfield. >> kirk: and bob took the headphones out. ue-oh. sterling shepard there. zack sanchez. dominique alexander. look out. head on the swivel! hey! they got him. only 25 degrees out. >> chris: that's got to be a great feeling for bob stoops who -- you know, 17 years is a long time at one school in the modern climate of this sport. already had a championship, lost urban meyer and the gators. came back and got reenergized. feels better physically than he did a year ago. tell coach -- didriley, did he allude this? the quarterbacks couldn't get their oc. >> kirk: incompletion. lincoln riley's got to play along here. >> chris: cowboy down on the field. mike stoops has come down out of the press box with the carry-on luggage slung over the shoulder. home. all smiles for oklahoma. 25-point victory over their rivals from stillwater. and 11-1 season, feeling very, very good

i don't know if it's time for >> kirk: i don't know about that. oh. there's his brother ron. ronnie made it in. out of youngstown. >> chris: he works for bo pelini at youngstown state. taylor breaks free. and fights hard out near midfield. >> kirk: and bob took the headphones out. ue-oh. sterling shepard there. zack sanchez. dominique alexander. look out. head on the swivel! hey! they got him. only 25 degrees out. >> chris: that's got to be a great feeling for bob stoops who -- you know, 17 years is a long time at one school in the modern climate of this sport. already had a championship, lost another championship game to urban meyer and the gators. came back and got reenergized. feels better physically than he did a year ago. tell coach -- did riley, did he allude this? the quarterbacks couldn't get their oc. >> kirk: incompletion. lincoln riley's got to play along here. >> chris: cowboy down on the field. mike stoops has come down out of the press box with the carry-on luggage slung over the shoulder. getting set for the charter home. all smiles for oklahoma. 25-point victor

. >> kirk: i don't know about that. oh. there's his brother ron. ronnie made it in. youngstown. >> chris: he works for bo pelini at youngstown state. taylor breaks free. and fights hard out near midfield. >> kirk: and bob took the headphones out. ue-oh. sterling shepard there. zack sanchez. dominique alexander. look out. head on the swivel! hey! they got him. only 25 degrees out. >> chris: that's got to be a great feeling for bob stoops who -- you know, 17 years is a long time at one school in the modern climate of this sport. already had a championship, lost another championship game to urban meyer and the gators. came back and got reenergized. feels better physically than he did a year ago. tell coach -- driley, did he allude this? the quarterbacks couldn't get their oc. >> kirk: incompletion. lincoln riley's got to play along here. >> chris: cowboy down on the field. mike stoops has come down out of the press box with the carry-on luggage slung over the shoulder. getting set for the charter home. all smiles for oklahoma. 25-point victory over their rivals from sti

. >> kirk: i don't know about that. oh. there's his brother ron. ronnie made it in. out of youngstown. >> chris: he works for bo pelini at youngstown state. taylor breaks free. and fights hard out near midfield. >> kirk: and bob took the headphones out. ue-oh. sterling shepard there. zack sanchez. dominique alexander. look out. head on the swivel! hey! they got him. only 25 degrees out. >> chris: that's got to be a great feeling for bob stoops who -- you know, 17 years is a long time at one school in the modern climate of this sport. already had a championship, lost urban meyer and the gators. came back and got reenergized. feels better physically than he did a year ago. tell coach -- did riley, did he allude this? the quarterbacks couldn't get their oc. >> kirk: incompletion. lincoln riley's got to play along here. >> chris: cowboy down on the field. mike stoops has come down out of the press box with the carry-on luggage slung over the shoulder. getting set for the charter home. all smiles for oklahoma. 25-point victory over their rivals from stillwater. and 11-1 se

. >> kirk: i don't know about that. oh. there's his brother ron. ronnie made it in. out of youngstown. >> chris: he works for bo pelini at youngstown state. taylor breakaks free. and fights hard out near midfield. >> kirk: and bob took the headphones out. ue-oh. sterling shepard there. zack sanchez. dominique alexander. look out. only 25 degrees out. >> chris: that's got to be a great feeling for bob stoops who -- you know, 17 years is a long time at one school in the modern climatef this sport. already had a championship, lost another championship game to urban meyer and the gators. came back and got reenergized. feels better physically than he did a year agago. tell coach -- didriley, did he allude this? the quarterbks couldn't get their oc. kirk: incompletion. lincoln riley's got to play along here. >> chris: cowboy down on the field. mike stoops has come down out of luggage slung ove the shoulder. getting set for r the charr home. all smiles for oklahoma. 25-point victory over their rivals from stillwater. and 11-1 season, feeling very, very good as they hit the r

. >> kirk: i don't know about that. oh. there's his brother ron. ronnie made it in. out of youngstown. >> chris: he works for bo pelini at youngstown state. taylor breaks free. and fights hard out near midfield. >> kirk: and bob took the headphones out. sterling shepard there. zack sanchez. dominique alexander. look out. head on the swivel! hey! they got him. only 25 degrees out. >> chris: that's got to be a great feeling for bob stoops who -- you know, 17 years is a long time at one school in the modern climate of this sport. already had a championship, lost another championship game to urban meyer and the gators. came back and got reenergized. feels better physically than he did a year ago. tell coach -- didriley, did he allude this? the quarterbacks couldn't get their oc. >> kirk: incompletion. lincoln riley's got to play field. mike stoops has come down out of the press box with the carry-on luggage slung over the shoulder. getting set for the charter home. all smiles for oklahoma. 25-point victory over their rivals from stillwater. and 11-1 season, feeling very,

. >> kirk: i don't know about that. oh. there's his brother ron. ronnie made it in. out of youngstown. >> chris: he works for bo pelini at youngstown state. taylor breaks free. and fights hard out near midfield. >> kirk: and bob took the headphones out. ue-oh. sterling shepard there. zack sanchez head on the swivel! hey! they got him. only 25 degrees out. >> chris: that's got to be a great feeling for bob stoops who -- you know, 17 years is a long time at one school in the modern climate of this sport. already had a championship, lost another championship game to urban meyer and the gators. came back and got reenergized. feels better physically than he did a year ago. tell coach -- didriley, did he allude this? the quarterbacks couldn't get their oc. >> kirk: incompletion. lincoln riley's got to play along here. >> chris: cowboy down on the mike stoops has come down out of the press box with the carry-on luggage slung over the shoulder. getting set for the charter home. all smiles for oklahoma. 25-point victory over their rivals from stillwater. and 11-1 season, feeli

. >> kirk: i don't know about that. oh. there's his brother ron. ronnie made it in. youngstown. >> chris: he works for bo pelini at youngstown state. taylor breaks free. and fights hard out near midfield. >> kirk: and bob took the headphones out. ue-oh. sterling shepard there. zack sanchez. dominique alexander. look out. head on the swivel! hey! they got him. only 25 degrees out. >> chris: that's got to be a great feeling for bob stoops who -- you know, 17 years is a long time at one school in the modern climate of this sport. already had a championship, lost another championship game to urban meyer and the gators. came back and got reenergized. feels better physically than he did a year ago. tell coach -- driley, did he allude this? the quarterbacks couldn't get their oc. >> kirk: incompletion. lincoln riley's got to play along here. >> chris: cowboy down on the field. mike stoops has come down out of the press box with the carry-on luggage slung over the shoulder. getting set for the charter home. all smiles for oklahoma. 25-point victory over their rivals from sti

you look at kirk in illinois, good guy, but if he got reelected it would be an enormous upset. ron johnson in wisconsin would be an unset, i think. and you look at other republicans that would not be upset but republicans in states that obama took have challenges. portman in ohio, we have pennsylvania, the new hampshire senator and rubio's open seat in florida finally. six republican seats that are a-prime vulnerable versus harry reid's open seat in nevada. ... like florida, ohio, new hampshire, nevada, so that it is not necessarily true that as it goes presidentially it will also go in the senate, but keep in mind, whatever the turn of dynamics, whatever the issue agenda, whatever is going on. we are looking at a heck of a race for the senate underneath what is obviously one of the weirdest and most fun presidential races we have ever seen. i know we have some microphones here. i'm told there is a way to tweet questions in. questions, comments, accusations, and i think state your name and the organization your representing are with did i answer -- zero, you have some? these are tw

kirk in illinois, good guy. but if he got re-elected it would be an enormous upset. frankly, i think ron johnson in wisconsin would be something of an upset. then you look at some republicans, it wouldn't be in those that have significant challenges. rob portman in ohio. pat toomey in pennsylvania. kelly ayotte in new hampshire. and then finally rubio's open seat in florida. so six republican seats that are a prime vulnerable versus harry reid's vulnerable seat in nevada, the only one on the democratic side. in my mind, i would bet you if you went to mitch mcconnell or -- and you gave him a shot of sodium penethal and you gave him a choice, you want to take a two-seat senate loss or do you want to take your chances in the election? i bet you he'd take that two-seat loss and run like a thief. at would be i think pretty realistically best for republicans, dropping from 54 to 52. i think a three-seat loss is more -- is more plausible. it would take republicans down to 51. wow, that starts getting close. and four seats is entirely possible. that's 50/50. and, you know, which way is the presi

you look at mark kirk in illinois -- good guy, but if he got reelected, it would be an enormous upset. frankly, i think ronsconsin would be something of an upset. then you look at other republicans where you would not put it in the upset category, but republican incumbents that are in states that are in obama and have significant challenges, rob portman in ohio, pat toomey in pennsylvania, kelly ayotte in new hampshire, and finally marco rubio's open seat in florida. six republican seats that are prime vulnerable versus harry reid's open seat in nevada. that's the only one on the democratic side. now in my mind, i would bet you that if you want to mitch -- went to mitch mcconnell and you gave him a shot of soaking -- sodium chemical and you gave him a choice, you want to take a two seat senate loss or take your chances in the election. i bet that he would take that to wo seat loss and run like a thief. i think that is realistically the best case scenario for publicans, dropping from 54 to 52. i think a three seat loss or more is plausible. it would take republicans down to 51. that starts getting close. fo

you look at mark kirk in illinois -- good guy, but if he got reelected, it would be an enormous upset. i think ron johnson in wisconsin would be something of an upset. then you look at other republicans where you would not put it in the upset category, but republican incumbents that are in states that are in obamacare and have significant challenges, rob portman in ohio, pat toomey in pennsylvania, kelly ayotte in new hampshire, and finally marco rubio's open seat in florida. arerepublican seats that prime vulnerable versus harry reid's open seat in nevada. that's the only one on the democratic side. , i would bet you that if you want to mitch gave him and you shot of soaking in powerful -- sodium chemical and you gave him want to take it to see the senate lost or take your chances in the election. i bet that he would take that to seat loss and run like a thief. realisticallys the best case scenario for 54 toans, dropping from 52. i think a three seat loss or more is plausible. it would take republicans down to 51. that starts getting close. four seats is entirely possible. that is 50-50. which wa