Hour 2 of Rush to Reason dives headfirst into one of the most uncomfortable questions in today’s political climate: why is it so hard for some to clearly condemn violence?
John Rush continues the discussion surrounding the weekend’s shocking events, focusing not just on what happened—but the reactions that followed. The conversation centers on accountability, asking why certain voices hesitate to speak out, and what that silence reveals about the broader political culture.
Listeners hear a direct breakdown of:
The mindset behind political extremism
Why clear condemnation matters—and what happens when it’s missing
The role of media narratives in shaping public reaction
How belief systems
SPEAKER 16 :
This is Rush to Reason. You are going to shut your damn yapper and listen for a change because I got you pegged, sweetheart. You want to take the easy way out because you’re scared. And you’re scared because if you try and fail, there’s only you to blame. Let me break this down for you. Life is scary. Get used to it. There are no magical fixes. With your host, John Rush. My advice to you is to do what your parents did. Get a job, sir. You haven’t made everybody equal. You’ve made them the same, and there’s a big difference.
SPEAKER 02 :
Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life, that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there. It is this feeling that has brought you to me.
SPEAKER 16 :
Are you crazy? Am I? Or am I so sane that you just blew your mind?
SPEAKER 05 :
It’s Rush to Reason with your host, John Rush. Presented by Cub Creek Heating and Air Conditioning.
SPEAKER 12 :
Okay, hour number two, Rush to Reasons. Rush to Reason, I should say. Reasons, I got plenty of reasons. KLZ 560, thanks for listening. I appreciate it very much. And just to continue on some things that were coming in on the text line, something that Charlie and I were even talking about a moment ago is, you know, did this shooter, this particular shooter, which he traveled, by the way, from California all the way to D.C. on a train, spent the night in Chicago. And I’m guessing a train because driving takes longer. And, I mean, you could have driven, but… Didn’t fly, I’m guessing, because of having weapons and so on that he’s transporting from coast to coast. And then on top of that, did he think he’d get by with actually killing the president? I did read where this particular individual felt like security was fairly weak and wouldn’t be as strong. And I mean, did he think in his own mind that he would somehow actually get to the president and be able to get a shot off and carry out what he was intending to do? And folks, again, I don’t have these answers and we may never know some of these answers. Now, keep in mind, this is an individual that is in the education system. And I think even Andy posted over the weekend on his Facebook, this is a guy that has influence upon your kids. I don’t know what age group he taught. Don’t care. Kids are kids are kids. And this is the lunatic that’s teaching them. Who has no issues running all the way across the country to try to kill the president of the United States. I mean, again, you just keep have to ask yourself, you know, why does the left behave this way? And I know I got a text message in earlier that said, you know, President Obama did in fact condemn this, although not the way he should have. Sorry. No, not the way he should have. Like I said last hour, he’s soft peddled. That big time. And I have not heard much from any other prominent Democrats on this. And typically you don’t. It’s crickets. And here’s my belief as to why. Because they want this to happen. Trust me. They would be jumping up and down for joy if this actually had come to fruition. They’d love it. They would love it. So, again, at the end of the day… We’ll see how this all pans out for this particular individual when it comes to his trial and all of that, but he’ll not see the light of day from this point forward for quite some time, if at all. These are serious things that have serious consequences, rightfully so. They should have. And again, it’s funny. Even the person that texted from the left, I’ve had one, one texter today. Multiple, multiple others from others out there listening, of course, but only one from the left. And this one comment was, here’s the quote from Obama, and yes, indeed, he did condemn it. Why aren’t you, though, Mr. Texter? Or Mrs., maybe it’s a Mrs., maybe it’s a Ms., I don’t know. Why aren’t you condemning it? I don’t understand that. It’s like, okay, time out. You’re giving me a quote from Obama, but why aren’t you condemning it yourself? You’re on the left. Why aren’t you condemning it? Why didn’t you put that in the text message? You know, President Obama said this, and by the way, I am not somebody on the left that thinks this is right. I condemn his actions. Why can’t you say that, those of you that are on the left? I would say it. If this were somebody from our side that had done anything remotely close to this, I’d condemn it right off the bat, be the first thing I’d talk about on air. You guys all know that. But why can’t you guys on the left do this? Are you that demented? Are you that mentally ill that you can’t do that? You can’t say it? And by the way, if you can’t, you need to really check yourself. I’m dead serious. You need to check yourself. If you can’t out and out say, I condemn what this individual did, shame on you. Shame on you. You prove who you are. And you really need a gut check. If you’re somebody from that side that can’t condemn the actions of this individual, shame on you. And by the way, say it publicly, i.e. a text line to me. If you can’t say that, shame on you. But here’s my fear. Most of the left can’t do that. They can’t say that. In fact, what I would say is most of the left are cheering it on. And I know that because Jersey Joe sent me some things, because he follows all the lefty websites and all the forums and different things. And he was saying yesterday, he sent me a message early in the morning yesterday as to how many of these sites are condoning, not condemning, condoning these actions and why didn’t it come to fruition. And then, of course, those that won’t condemn it, they’ll actually come out and say that, well, we didn’t do this. This was a setup from the right. This is what the right did to make Trump look good. Which, man, guys, that is just such a stretch. Holy cow. You are as loony as some on our side get when it comes to different things that I won’t get into because they’re just loons. And we have loons on our side, and I call them out all the time. And that’s okay. They can believe what they want to believe. But I call them out constantly and will continue to do so, people that believe the earth is flat and so on. And, yeah, there’s folks from both sides of the aisle I get. But, unfortunately, most are on our side. And I call those people out all the time. They’re lunatics. They’re nutjobs. The earth is round. Totally round, as proven with the last Artemis spaceship that we sent around the moon and back. So, yeah, will I condemn people on our side for the things they believe in and say? Absolutely. Why doesn’t the other side do that, though? And I think that’s something that, you know, is a genuine question that should be asked continually. Why doesn’t the other side condemn its own actions? They don’t. And frankly, they never will. If we’re expecting them to do that, it’s not going to happen. It’s a belief system. It’s an illness. It’s a mental illness. I say that all the time. It is. It’s a mental illness. I learned that from one of our listeners up in Thornton, Bill. Being on the left means you have a mental illness. It’s that simple. Veteran Windows and Doors, 45% off doors right now. Talk to Dave Bancroft. You can find him by going to klzradio.com.
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SPEAKER 10 :
putting reason into your afternoon drive. This is John Rush.
SPEAKER 12 :
Okay, really quick, just to show you that we do have some wackadoodle listeners. Every radio show does, but I have some doozies. If Trump wasn’t a pedophile and on the Epstein list, there wouldn’t be a reason for anyone to feel the need to harm him. And I just have to laugh. First of all, first of all, If there was ever anything in the Epstein list that would prove Donald Trump did anything wrong, I guarantee you the Democrats would have released it by now. That alone shows you how stupid of a comment that is. Literally, that’s got to be one of the dumbest comments I think I’ve ever heard. And calling him a pedophile? Oh, my word. Really? Where’s your proof? Where’s your proof? Other than you’re just sticking with the narrative the left throws out on an ongoing basis. What a wackadoodle, by the way. If you really believe that, you need to go look in the mirror and check yourself. What a nut job. Conrad, you’re next. Go ahead. I got to laugh sometimes, Conrad. Sorry. If I didn’t, I’d cry.
SPEAKER 06 :
I tell you what, man. First of all, I agree with you. Every time you say it, they are insane. They have mental disease. That’s exactly what’s wrong with them. But I’m going down to Burlington with one of our dog staff.
SPEAKER 12 :
I’m sorry to hear that.
SPEAKER 06 :
Anyway… What I wanted to say is, you probably heard about this too, that worthless piece of crap Jimmy Kimmel saying that Melania was a going future widow the other day.
SPEAKER 12 :
Conrad, he’s just a piece of trash. Jimmy Kimmel is nothing more than trash.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes, and why is he still on TV? I thought they took him off, and now he’s back on there again.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, because the left owns all of those outlets, and that’s what they do.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah. Well, the first lady is livid, as you can imagine, and the president is too. Rightfully so. They could put some heat on him. He is scum. There’s nothing but pure scum.
SPEAKER 12 :
I agree. Well, let me go one step further, Conrad. Let me go one step further. If you’re watching him, you’re just as big of a scumbag.
SPEAKER 06 :
That’s right. That’s exactly right. I mean, he sits there and acts like he thinks he’s so cute and funny all the time. I’d punch the scumbag in the face.
SPEAKER 12 :
I cannot stand the guy. He is the biggest loser on the planet, Conrad.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yep.
SPEAKER 12 :
And Trump is right for calling him that because he is one.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yep.
SPEAKER 12 :
So, Conrad, man, I love you. Appreciate you. Sorry about your dog, man.
SPEAKER 06 :
Sorry about that. Take care. Take care. Bye.
SPEAKER 12 :
I love you. And it’s never fun to lose a pet. So, Conrad, heart goes out to you. Somebody texted in, too, and said that this hotel is the same hotel Reagan was shot at. And, yes, that is a correct statement and hasn’t been much talked about that. And, again, I mean, it is what it is. I mean, it’s a very famous hotel. They do a lot of things, presidentially speaking, have for eons. And, by the way, have for eons because of what Donald Trump is trying to fix right now. which he’s getting flack from the left all the time for, and that is build a ballroom where you don’t have to go anywhere. Stop going places where we should be on site anyways. That’s Donald Trump’s view. And by the way, that’s mine as well. Why as a country, the biggest, best country in the world, why do we not have this handled and why didn’t we have this handled years and years and years ago, decades ago? Should have. Dumb for us to be having to take the president any other place to do these kind of functions. To be the country that we are, the biggest superpower there is. Why haven’t we handled this long before now? And by the way, why are we taking flack for doing this now? Again, I go back to folks, please hear me when I say this, just goes back again to the core belief that the left has. Why would anyone in their right mind be against building this at the White House? Why? Why would you be against this? Especially knowing Trump’s not even going to get to enjoy it. It won’t be done by the time he’s finished being president. His term will end, and this thing will still be under construction. So why does anyone on the left care? They’ll get to enjoy this, and it’s not costing the taxpayers anything. And while we’re at it, we’re building bunkers and doing other things that will help with security when it’s all said and done. Why does the left care so much? Because they’re evil. They’re evil. It’s as plain as day, folks. I’m sorry. It’s just plain as day. Joe, you’re up. Go ahead.
SPEAKER 15 :
Hey, John, your comment about why the people on the left just can’t admit that violence on the part of people on their side, I think that’s why so many people, I’m talking the overwhelming percentage of them that comment, are clinging to this delusion that it was an event staged by the Trump White House. Because if you cling to that delusion, then you don’t have to acknowledge or admit. Yeah, then you have to admit you’re evil. You have to admit, yeah.
SPEAKER 12 :
Good point, Joe.
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, good point. Oh, yeah. So that’s their way of, and the rationality. So what was, I say, well, what was the motivation for this guy to participate in this, which will get him, which would get him either, you know, life and present or maybe killed? Why would anybody voluntarily participate in something like that? And they come up with these wackadoodle, you know, scenarios why he would participate in such a thing. But if they don’t cling to that delusion, then they have to admit that there’s evil people on their side of the aisle.
SPEAKER 12 :
And really quick, if I hear one more thing about these Epstein files, Joe, from I don’t know which side, ours, the other, it doesn’t matter. They are a nothing burger. They’ve been a nothing burger. And why do certain people continue to hold on to those things, Joe? I mean, that was part of Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue as well. They’re a nothing burger.
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, it’s a fixation. They’re, you know, the old saying, grasping at straws.
SPEAKER 12 :
I mean, believe me, Joe, we’ve said this before. I’ve said this. Andy said it. I’ve had interviews with folks. If there was something there, the other side would have released those things unredacted. His name would have been all over the place. This is a nothing burger, Joe, because had there been something there, the other side would have used it for their advantage.
SPEAKER 15 :
During the 2024 election.
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, my word, Joe. These things. I mean, and the other thing people keep forgetting about is this didn’t happen yesterday.
SPEAKER 15 :
No. And they had it. You know, you had the Biden White House. Trump was running against Kamala Harris in 2024. If there was any time they would have if there was anything there, they would have released it.
SPEAKER 14 :
Absolutely.
SPEAKER 15 :
Summer of 24 to help knock Trump out of the race. And if they didn’t release it, then you got to ask yourself, why not? Now, by the way, you know, Comey has read the entire file. Merrick Garland has read the entire file, and people are saying, well, you know, they’re hiding Trump’s name. Well, if they were hiding Trump’s name, wouldn’t you expect Merrick Garland or James Comey to go and meet the press at one of these Sunday morning shows and say, no, it’s there, you know, I read it, it’s in the file, you know, they’re saying, well, the Trump DOG has deleted it. Well, Merrick Garland and James Comey could both come out and say no, you know, credible evidence was there. And by the way, yes, Trump rode on Epstein’s plane back and forth between New York and Florida because they both had homes there. Unlike Bill Clinton, there is no record. Trump’s name never appears on a manifest on Epstein’s jet going to the island. Right. They say, yeah, well, Trump’s name appears, you know, 137 times. Yeah, back and forth because they were at parties together. They flew back and forth.
SPEAKER 12 :
Correct. I mean, we’ve explained that so many times on this program, Joe, about how the rich, you know, catch rides with one another and do different things and so on. That is not uncommon ever.
SPEAKER 15 :
John, I’ve done that. I’ve caught rats, and I’ve got a neighbor. We’ve got a good friend in Denver who’s got a place in Mexico, and he’s got a private jet that he keeps at Centennial. Hell, I’ve done that, John. If you’ve got a friend with a private jet, and he’s going down to Puerto Vallarta for a couple of days, hey, can I go with you? Sure. That’s kind of like the lifestyles of the rich and famous, so it happens all the time. But again, unlike Clinton, by the way, when Clinton went, He told the security detail, you don’t need to come. You don’t need to come with me.
SPEAKER 14 :
Right.
SPEAKER 15 :
And he went to Epstein’s Island. That’s documented fact because Clinton’s name is on the manifest to the island. None of his security detail were listed on that passenger manifest.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yep. Yep. Again, Joe, these people that have this fixation upon the Epstein files, number one, they drive me crazy because and there are some on our side, by the way, that are fixated on it as well. And I don’t really consider them to be true conservatives like you and I are, because if they were, they would be fixated on something that’s a nothing burger.
SPEAKER 15 :
It is. And if you want to see these delusional people. You know, Axios, you don’t have to go to a liberal website. Go to Axios, which is, you know, supposedly middle of the road, nonpolitical. And they’re running these stories about, you know, the shooting at the correspondent’s dinner. John, the comments are overwhelming, overwhelmingly from these left-wing wackos claiming that it was staged by the White House. Just go to Axios. You don’t have to go to a left-wing website. It’s all there on Axios. They’re all claiming it was staged by the White House, but none of them can explain why this individual would have voluntarily participated in an event.
SPEAKER 12 :
And wrote a manifesto and took the train from L.A. to there. I mean, Joe, again, there’s so much overwhelming evidence that it’s not staged, and yet these individuals get fixated on something just like the Epstein files, and they just won’t let go.
SPEAKER 15 :
Because, John, if they let go, they have to admit that there’s evil on their side. That’s why they can’t let go.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah. You know, Joe, you are spot on. That’s 100% correct, and they will never admit that.
SPEAKER 15 :
Yep, and that’s the way it is. For that newscaster, Walter Cronkite, and that’s the way it is.
SPEAKER 12 :
And that’s the way it is.
SPEAKER 15 :
And that’s the way it is.
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s how he’d sign off. I always loved listening to him when I was a kid.
SPEAKER 15 :
You and me both. All right. Take care, John.
SPEAKER 12 :
Joe, appreciate you. I got a comment from somebody texted a moment ago that says they always enjoy hearing Joe call in. He’s a wealth of wisdom. And he is. And, folks, again, this whole Epstein thing. And there are those of you that are on our side that wish these things would be released. And, by the way, they have been. And as Joe said a moment ago, there’s been many a person on the inside that have read those, including those on the left. And trust me when I say this, folks, if there were something there – And the left could have used any of it at all, even a minutia of it, if they could have used that against Donald Trump. Don’t you think they would have? Folks, you’ve got to have some common sense here. This isn’t rocket science. I mean, I’ve said this over and over again. I’ll continue to say it. I’m not a smart man. I’m not. I don’t have a master’s degree, don’t have a Ph.D., don’t have a college degree of any kind. I’m not that. But you don’t have to to figure some of this stuff out. It’s not that difficult. Common sense tells you that if there was something in those files that could be used against Donald Trump, they would have. They have had ample opportunity to do so. Those of you that think that what happened even over the weekend is just a dodge for the Epstein files and that the Iran war is a dodge for the Epstein files, you are a loon. Literally, you’re a Looney Tune. You’re mentally ill. You have a problem. You need to get fixed. You should go to the doctor now, quickly, and figure out what’s going on in your noggin because you’re not right up there. I’m serious. You’re not right upstairs. You have a problem. You are fixated on something you shouldn’t be. That’s a mental illness. Get it fixed. Folks, I’m not joking about that. I’m being very, very, very serious. If that’s what your fixation is on, either you have Trump derangement syndrome or you’re fixated on the Epstein files or any number of other things, if that’s your problem, you need to go get mental help now, sooner than later, because you have a problem and you really need to get that fixed. And talk to a psychiatrist or somebody in the mental health world that can help you overcome the things you’re going through because you’re not right in the head. And my heart goes out to you because you’re not right. And you really need to get that fixed. And I’m being very serious. I’m not saying this off the cuff. I’m not trying to be, you know, rude or coy or anything along those lines. I’m simply telling you mentally speaking what you need to go do to fix yourself because you’re not right. Folks, please, those of you that are in that world, I don’t fixate on things on either side. I don’t have that fixation because I’m stable. I’m a mentally stable person. I don’t fixate on those things. In fact, I’m the opposite. I poo-poo a lot of those things. There’s nothing there. There’s nothing worth fixating on. It’s a non-issue. It’s a nothing burger. But yet some of you are so fixated on that that every single time I talk about something, that’s the first thing you’ll comment on. You have a problem. An honest-to-God problem that you need to go get fixed. Talk to a professional now, sooner than later. Golden Eagle Financial. Where you need help, professionally speaking, is finances as well. Talk to a great financial planner. That is Al Smith, Golden Eagle Financial. Find him at klzradio.com.
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SPEAKER 04 :
Putting reason into your afternoon drive. This is John Rush.
SPEAKER 12 :
Okay, we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Appreciate you all joining us. And Richard joining us now. Richard, are you there?
SPEAKER 04 :
Richard, are you there?
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, Richard. Richard. There we go. Are you there? There you go. Is your phone working now?
SPEAKER 13 :
It is working now. My headphones went out. You know, got to love technology.
SPEAKER 12 :
Okay, really quick before we move on, because I just got to say this, because somebody sent in on the text line, what is my thought behind the theory that the Israel and the Mossad are behind what happened Saturday night? And my answer back was, that’s the most lunatic thing I think I’ve ever heard in all my word. People, Richard, will grasp at anything.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, that is the new thing these days is there’s the hidden agendas behind everything, right? The Mossad is responsible for this and the CIA is doing this to you and the government. Folks, sometimes… Bad things just happen. We do live in a fallen world.
SPEAKER 12 :
Really quick, bad things happen when you have the left pushing the agenda that they have. Let’s get back to the core issue of what’s going on. The left hates Donald Trump, and they would love nothing more than to see that guy assassinated, and it rubs off on their followers. It’s that simple, Richard.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, in the case of Saturday Night, absolutely. I mean, that’s what you – from the dude’s manifesto, it was very clear that that’s what it was.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 13 :
Side note, we can discuss, if you want to talk about conspiracies, the Secret Service is a hot mess right now. Now, I know that they haven’t been funded in – they haven’t been paid in like two months or whatever it is. I don’t know how they’re doing it because the left is keeping them closed and all of that. But the latest, I guess – I don’t want to call them rumors, but the latest – rumors are that basically this dude ran in and the five shots that you hear in the videos are the five Secret Service agents shooting and supposedly they miss him. They potentially hit another Secret Service agent with their own bullets and the guy basically falls down and that’s how they catch him. Well, I don’t know.
SPEAKER 12 :
I haven’t heard any of that, so I don’t know.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, but my point is that if we’re going to have these conspiracy theories, let’s talk Mossad. And no offense, folks, I don’t think Mossad wants Trump to go down because the alternative in J.D. Vance, and I’m not saying he’s anti-Israel, but in his views on war in general in the Middle East is quite opposite of the president, to be honest with you.
SPEAKER 12 :
You probably wouldn’t have the same things going on there with somebody else in the White House outside of Donald Trump. So no, folks, the Mossad and Israel are not going to take out Trump. That would be stupid on their part.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, and just, again, Dan, it kind of just falls into the greater conspiracy theories. And my nature is on everyone kind of wants a reason for everything. And at the end of the day, on Saturday, there is a reason. It’s the lefty who’s just a lunatic, lefty California teacher person. And at the same time, bad people do bad things. At the end of the day, that can still remain true. You’ve always said that, that we do live in a fallen world. And so sometimes the easiest explanation, and it is the right one, is people are just not good. You know, like some people are just, they said it in Batman, right? I think it was the Joker or whatever, Charlie’s going to correct me. But some people just want to watch the world burn.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 13 :
And they really do.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, you’re right. Yeah, can’t argue that. Okay, switching gears. We’ve got to go to sports. Let’s get that in. Lots going on. The poor Nuggets are struggling. We’ll see how they do tonight. If they don’t play well tonight, they’re done. Hockey, on the other hand, Avs swept, of course, their series, and we’ll move on. I’m not sure what team is next. Maybe you can inform us of that. It’s not over with yet, although the Avs, if they continue to play well, could actually be the Stanley Cup champs if they continue to perform well.
SPEAKER 13 :
Dad, I will say this. The Avs and the Nuggets could not be in more polar opposite situations than it currently stands. On one hand, you have – we’ll go to the Avalanche first because the Nuggets are going to take more time. The Avalanche had a very workmanlike series. Overall, see, they’re the president’s trophy champion, which means they had the most in the entire NHL. They had the most what?
SPEAKER 12 :
Sorry, you broke up. They had the most what?
SPEAKER 13 :
The most points, so the NHL goes off a point, not necessarily wins, but the most points in the NHL and the most wins. But they had the most points, which means they were the best team in the NHL during the regular season. And what’s funny about that is usually the President’s Trophy team doesn’t win, and sometimes they actually get beat in the first round. Well, the Avs took the Kings. They played their game for a while. They beat them at their game. They then forced the Kings to open up their game to match the Avs. and you saw what happened. So now their next opponent is going to be one of either the Dallas Stars or the Minnesota Wilds. That series is currently deadlocked at two games apiece. It has a very high likelihood of going to seven games, which means the Avs likely, as of right now, they’re not going to start until Saturday at the earliest, and if it goes seven games, they likely wouldn’t start until Monday or Tuesday, actually maybe even Wednesday. And so they’re really going to have almost ten days off. Okay. Some would say that that’s not good, Dad, but I think that this team is.
SPEAKER 12 :
I think when you talk about the rest that you get in this team is really good no matter what. I mean, and trust me, they’ll be practicing and doing other things. No, they won’t be playing games, but that rest is huge, as you know.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, here’s the deal, Dad. You have a veteran team. You’ve got a lot of guys that have played a lot of minutes. One of your defensemen is a 41-year-old guy, Brent Burns, who played fantastic. You’ve got several other guys that are nursing injuries. And so I think this team, yeah, game one may be a little bit rusty for them, especially coming against a team that’s playing potentially a seven-game series. What I would also say, though, Dad, is the other team, the Wild or the Stars, also do have to play. They’ve got to beat each other up. for seven games, right? And so I think there’s something in that. And for what they will potentially save in their, I guess what you could say in their, I guess their cohesency, right? You know, and how cohesive they are as a unit from playing consistently. I feel like what they’re going to lose is maybe just the wear-down factor, and that will show its head later on in the series. But ultimately, the Avs are well-equipped to do this. There’s potentially an upset on the other side of the bracket. The Oilers going – lots to get into that way. I would just say this. The Avs are very well-equipped to move on. On the other hand, you have the Nuggets, who arguably have the best player in the world and one of the top ten players of all time on their team, ever in Nikola Jokic. And they can’t seem to get out of their own way.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, what is their slump? Why are they struggling so much?
SPEAKER 13 :
Dad, there’s lots of stuff as far as the players that this team has got. The core players, as far as Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon. Aaron Gordon’s hurt, and he’s one of your big three guys. He traded away Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson. That guy hasn’t played well this year.
SPEAKER 12 :
Should have kept Porter, sorry. That was a bad trade if you ask me.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, based on the current results, you’re probably correct. And then they also paid Christian Brown a contract, which you could argue he earned, and now he’s looking like he’s not deserving of that contract. And you also have Jamal Murray, who I think is a really good player, and I think he had a really good run when the Nuggets won the championship a few years ago. I just don’t know if he’s quite there, and that’s my concern. And Jokic is not playing his best right now for whatever reason, whether it be injury, whether it be disinterest. I don’t know what it is, and it’s just really frustrating that if the Nuggets don’t win tonight, and mind you, the Timberwolves are down two of their top five players. And they’re down their best player in Anthony Edwards. So if the Nuggets don’t win tonight, or if they don’t win this series, there are going to be, in my opinion, massive changes coming to the Nuggets. And by massive, folks, I quite literally mean massive. That to the point that they could… I guess break up this team and maybe everyone’s gone except for Jokic or they do something drastic. I mean, just because you can’t go into the playoffs against a team like the Timberwolves where the Nuggets, yeah, you can say they’re not healthy and then they have another guy out in Peyton Watson who’s really good defensively. But the Timberwolves aren’t healthy either now. They lose two of their guys early in that game four on Saturday night, and they still beat you. We still can’t beat them. And they beat you handily. I know.
SPEAKER 12 :
And I get it. The bench comes off. They’ve got a point to prove. I understand the theory and all of that, and that’s exactly what they did. Will they do it tonight? Well, we’ll find out at about 8.30.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, and that’s my – I guess that’s my – I don’t know, Dad. I’ll be honest. I’m to the point where I can’t even watch them anymore because it’s just so frustrating. And honestly, it feels like the Broncos before they got Peyton or even in between Peyton and now where they just were so frustrating. They were talented enough to beat teams and they weren’t. But in this case, again, you have arguably a top 10 player of all time, not to mention a top three player in the world right now, there should be no question.
SPEAKER 12 :
But can’t hit a basket sometimes.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, and that’s what’s going on right now is he’s in a little bit of a slump. And don’t get me wrong, Dad.
SPEAKER 12 :
Everybody does that. I get it.
SPEAKER 13 :
Michael Jordan had slumps. Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant. All of these guys have slumps. But it’s happening at a bad time in the playoffs. I said this today. I actually just said this to Walt. One thing about Joker, and it’s just his personality, I think he has some of the killer instinct that the greats have in them, but at times it doesn’t come out enough. You look at Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods in golf. These guys, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, they don’t want to just beat you. They want to slaughter you. They do. They want you to not come back for anymore.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, they want you begging for mercy at the end of the game.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah. And sometimes with Joker, I don’t get it. I’m not saying that it’s impossible because I think that that’s also what makes him so great is he’s pretty.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, let me chime in because this is and I’m not an expert on sports like you and Andy and others are. But here’s my feeling on the personality and that I do pretty well at when I look at people and analyze and so on. I look at Joker. as somebody that that killer instinct comes from the folks that are around him. So, for example, he and Brown work together a lot. You can see that when they play, especially when you’re watching them live and so on. And when Brown’s got that killer instinct, so does Jokic. I mean, so does Joker. They feed off of one another. In other words, I don’t see, and he is a leader, and I think he does fairly well most of the time, but he’s a leader that feeds off of those around him. And if the rest of the team doesn’t have that killer instinct, he doesn’t either. Am I right or wrong?
SPEAKER 13 :
I would say that Joker, what makes him so great is he is arguably one of the best offensive all-around games. Not just scoring, not just passing, not rebounds. All-around offensive games of the greats. He’s not as great of a scorer as some of these others, but he also facilitates way more. He rebounds and he directs the team and he focuses the team. Even defensively, he’s not near as stout as some of these defensive guys. But to your point, It’s the, I think he does feed off of that. And he wants, you know, Jamal Murray, when he gets into a mode, right? You know, he gets into this, they call him a blue arrow, right? And so he gets mad and then he kind of goes off and Joker’s happy to let him do that. And I actually think that’s a great trait because you can let other guys do it. But in the case of this year, no one’s sort of coming along with him. And I think he’s, he kind of is trying to turn it on. and unfortunately it’s just not turning on right you know it’s like he’s like he’s like short circuiting right at times and i just i really like this team dad honest i’m so excited i got to see a championship i still think they can win a championship even this year even with everything going on but i’ll they gotta win tonight actually if yeah they don’t win if they don’t win this series not even tonight dad if they don’t win this series that they’re 10 point favorites tonight After what happened, even on Saturday, they’re 10-point favorites.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, and for those that don’t understand why, that’s because you’re coming back home. You’ve got the home crowd. The other team is injured. Those guys from the bench will not, I highly doubt, they’ll play as well tonight as they did Saturday night, Richard, for lots of reasons. And I can get into the psyche of why and so on. And no, they won’t play as well tonight as they did Saturday night. And you’ve got home court advantage with your fans.
SPEAKER 13 :
You are correct, but at the same time, the Timberwolves are probably, this is their Super Bowl, Dad. They know that the next round for them, they’re likely going to lose, even if they get Edwards back, because they’re going to play a better team that’s a little bit better, I’ll say it better mentally, because right now, I think the Nuggets are the better team.
SPEAKER 12 :
The biggest thing that they lack, and this goes back to what you were just talking about a moment ago with Jokic, and I’m sorry to say this, but you Minnesota fans, I’m going to say it anyways. You’ve got a bunch of thugs that play on your team, and it’s the thuggery right now, Richard, that’s winning, and that has to stop. The Nuggets have to stop the thuggery.
SPEAKER 13 :
I was going to say, honestly, Dad, we need some of that on our team. We do. When the guy at the end of the game goes to do it, and you’ve got your best player running over to stop the guy. Again, basketball etiquette says you don’t really score at the end of the game like that. Have some fight. You know, what happened to the, you know, you go up for the, I know they call flagrance these days, but, you know, when they go up, give them a hard foul. You know, make them earn it.
SPEAKER 12 :
Right. I agree.
SPEAKER 13 :
Put a little bit of fight into the team.
SPEAKER 12 :
I agree.
SPEAKER 13 :
And that’s just what I have.
SPEAKER 12 :
And that’s what we’re lacking right now in a team, if you ask me.
SPEAKER 13 :
I would totally agree. Again, the mental aspect, Dad, the Timberwolves have thoroughly beaten the Nuggets mentally, and that’s why the series is where it is.
SPEAKER 12 :
Okay, before we go to break, we know we don’t have a lot of time, but how did the Nuggets, or how did the Nuggets, how did the Broncos come out in the draft?
SPEAKER 13 :
You know, they made some trades back. They kept some of their picks into next year, which Andy and I talked about a little bit last Thursday. They got some good pieces, Dad. And really, the team where the Broncos were at as far as their depth and just their overall talent, that’s what they needed. They needed to add some key pieces, some key depth to take some snaps. There are some exciting pieces that we’ll have to see how, you know, kind of preseason and training camp and such goes. But I’m excited. I mean, for where they were picking that, I really like the players that they got.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right. We’ll come right back. We have a car review to do as well. Ridgeline Auto Brokers coming up next. And Ridgeline will take care of you. Your vehicle needs what you’re looking to buy. If you want to sell a vehicle, they can help you with that as well. They’ve got financing. They can trade. Whatever you need. Ridgeline Auto Brokers is the place to go. RidgelineAutoBrokers.com.
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SPEAKER 07 :
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SPEAKER 12 :
All right, we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. That time of the week where we do new car reviews, so it’s a Drive Radio slash Rush to Reason segment. You just drove, Richard, a 2026 Lexus RZ550E, which is a mouthful.
SPEAKER 13 :
They say the mouthful, Dan, but basically this is Lexus’s, I guess, fully electric, I guess I’m going to call it their flagship performance variant in their RZ lineup. So the RZ is new. Again, it’s an all-electric. Dad, they’ve got differing trim levels, right? They’ve got a 350E, 350E Premium, all sorts of different mouthfuls, all the way up to this, which is the 550E. And this has got the F-Sport package on it as well, which basically, biggest thing, Dad, is performance. brings you up to 402 horsepower which is really fantastic gives you um the big i guess it gives you performance tuning m mode which is something that’s new and i haven’t experienced before maybe you have which basically takes an electric car and kind of makes it manual in a way because it kind of gives you many shift points that you can utilize with paddle shifters okay um and really what it does is as you kind of go up through it just kind of tap the brakes a little bit It makes it feel like you’re shifting and it does kind of limit your speed. But if you wanted to kind of buy a electric vehicle that and feel like you’re still driving a conventional kind of transmission, they have that mode for you here. It’s got 20 inch aero covered wheels, exclusive black exterior accents. It’s got a black ultra-suede trim that I’m looking at right now on the interior that looks beautiful. A dynamic sky roof, they call it, Dad, which is a panoramic opaque roof. And so, folks, what that means is basically you push a button and it turns the roof from opaque to clear. It’s not a full sunroof, Dad. It’s more of the moonroof, right? It’s got standard Lexus safety system 3.0. I will say it does have the nanny driving on here. So you’ve heard us talk about that a little bit more to where if you take your eyes off the road for it seems like half a second, even to check your blind spots, it’s going to yell at you. So either way, still great as far as that goes. 14-inch touchscreen dad, heated and ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, heated second row seats. You can fit two booster seats in the vehicle. That part is nice. Outside of that, Dad, my biggest negative on this car is something they’ve improved for this year, but that is simply the range on this vehicle, Dad. The lower level trims, as I mentioned, the 350E can get about 300 miles based on perfect conditions. The vehicle that I’m driving, Dad, again, as we kind of mentioned, Maybe 212 miles or so. I don’t have the exact figures in front of me. Just not a whole lot. And not that that’s a huge difference or a huge concern, Dad. Just something we want people to know. It advertises that it’s 228 miles. Just know that you’re not quite at that 300. That’s kind of the barometer, right, Dad, that a lot of these electric vehicle makers and cars want to be at is that 300 miles, this car doesn’t get you there. I think they’re improving it. They’ve actually increased the battery size. I don’t have it on me, but I think it’s right around 72 kilowatts, if I’m not mistaken, which is really nice. They’ve also upgraded the charger. They’ve given you an 11-kilowatt onboard charger, which reduces your level 2 charging times. I don’t have those exact in front of me, Dad, but I’ll tell you this. One thing with it having a little bit lower of a range, you can pretty much charge this thing up overnight on a level 2 charger, right, as long as you’ve got the proper connections at home pretty easily, right, pretty quickly, I think, overnight without too much issue. One other positive, Dad, it’s got the NACS. which is the Tesla-style port on it, and that just makes it easy, right?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, you go to a Tesla charge station that way.
SPEAKER 13 :
Correct. They do give you adapters, so if you’ve got another station or you’re going to another station.
SPEAKER 12 :
You’re on level two at home or whatever, sure.
SPEAKER 13 :
Exactly. You can adapt to it. But I’ll be honest, that Tesla plug is really, really nice. It’s just sleek. It’s smooth. It’s not as heavy as some of the other alternatives out there. Outside of that, Dad, my favorite thing of this vehicle is the performance. This thing flat out gets up and goes, especially this being the all-wheel drive variant. It’s got all the capability in the world. You literally smash on the gas on this thing, and you’re up into traffic, and there’s no delay, there’s no nothing. It really is nice that way. It’s got really nice, again, soft-touch materials, suede materials on the inside. Really enjoy this, the 360-degree camera system. Again, outside of the range, Dad, which, again, for you, you’re just going to kind of have to be the judge. And a lot of these manufacturers, I think Lexus included, kind of have a thing where you put your zip code, right, Dad? And it basically draws a circle. It kind of tells you how far you can kind of go so you can kind of see, okay, I can go here and go there. And honestly, folks, for most of you on your everyday driving, probably not going to be that big of a concern. But if you are looking to take a longer trip, Definitely would consider that. Last thing I’ll say, Dad, as far as cargo room in the backseat, this is, again, this is kind of a compact SUV. In terms of the Lexus styling, I would put it, or the Lexus size, I would put it kind of, Dad, between that MX and that RX. Right. Not as not quite as big on the interior, but more than enough cargo room to be able to store soccer bags, sports bags, Costco run, whatever you need to to kind of handle that piece of it. And I know you’re you may get into the car yet this week, too. And I think you’ll experience that as well. And your experience on the electric side of things is is fantastic. And you can kind of attest to that as well. So. overall i would highly encourage people get out check this vehicle out because again it is kind of new i think it was new last year and they’ve improved upon it this year and i think they’ll continue to do that um get yourself in it get your friends and your family in it and when you do again this is the 2026 lexus rz 550e all-wheel drive this has got the f sport package on it and when you check it out let them know that john and richard rush from drive radio and rush to reason sent you
SPEAKER 12 :
Yep. And again, folks, don’t forget, we’ve got plenty of reviews. We’ve been doing these for a very, very long time. If there’s a question you have on a car, new or used, which I get this question a lot, please, by all means, reach out. You can either send me an email. You can go to the text line. Either way. And we’ll do our best to help you. And again, Richard, we have got, gosh. Hundreds, hundreds of reviews. We’ve been doing these things all the way back since about 2008. So a very, very long time. So chances are, even if you’re looking to buy a used car, we can inform you of what that car is like, what to look at, even on the used side of the fence and so on. And appreciate all your efforts in doing this. And especially from your perspective with kids and so on, it helps out a lot.
SPEAKER 13 :
No, absolutely. And like you say, we have reviews there, but also just feel free to email you, right? And ask away, because like you say, we’ve driven a car, whether it hasn’t been in the past few years, maybe it was five years ago. We’re happy to, again, kind of provide our insight on it and maybe what they’ve done or haven’t done. And yeah, we’re at least happy to give you our opinion.
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s exactly right. Richard, I appreciate it. Have a great night. Thanks, Steve. All right, we’ll do this. Cup Creek Heating and Air Conditioning coming up next. Again, don’t forget, they can help finance whether it’s a repair and or a replacement of an entire unit. It could be your AC unit, which we talked about doing some of the heat pump stuff with Hunter at the 3 o’clock mark. Or you could be looking at doing a furnace upgrade. Whatever it is, Hunter is there to help you. Give him a call today. Find him at klzradio.com.
SPEAKER 05 :
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SPEAKER 04 :
Now back to Rush to Reason on KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right, closing out this hour. Another full hour, of course, coming your way. And for those of you out and about, not any rain yet. Hopefully we’ll get some, but you should be smooth sailing when it comes to driving around without having any of the wet roads, which makes things really slow down. So you should be in good shape for right now. All right, another full hour coming your way. Don’t go anywhere. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 1 :
Thank you. I’m a rich guy
