TRANSCRIPT:
SCOTT - I have been doing talk radio since the early 90's. Been on the radio since I have been 12 years old, (in a) little radio station in Montevideo, MN KDMA. Lot of things I could put up there as tops of my career list, but today our next guest is right up there, because I grew up viewing this man: Hall of Fame Quarterback, Minnesota Viking legend Fran Tarkington on the Common Sense Club right now. Fran it is an honor sir, how are you?
FRAN - Scott, I am very well and thank you for those nice remarks and I'm glad to be on your show.
SCOTT - You are along with being a football legend a hall of famer, a business icon, and I tell you it's been so fun to watch your career since I am just dying to get your take on where we are at in this country and what's going on with businesses very concerned about the direction this country is going in. But before that I have to tell you, I remember like it was yesterday, being in my uncle's living room in Canby, MN. Laverne Tilgess, with a bunch of cousins huddled around the TV, 1977, knowing the Minnesota Vikings were going on to a string of Superbowl Victories, once they got passed the Dallas Cowboys---long ball Hail Mary from Roger Starbuck to Drew Pearson. You help me remember ---(we were) absolutely robbed of the Super Bowl. Scars me to this day. Do you remember that moment?
FRAN - I remember it all too well and every Viking fan does. We had such a great run in the early years of the Super Bowl we were an expansion team in ' 61. I played on that team this is the 50th anniversary of that team and guess what the present ownership of the Minnesota Vikings are doing to celebrate that 50th anniversary? Little or nothing.
SCOTT - Come on! Ziggy, get with it buddy. You want a new stadium to celebrate some of the Viking's history.
FRAN - I mean here we have probably 25, 30 players that played on that first team 50 years ago and they're doing little or nothing to celebrate that team. That team should be celebrated and they are ignoring it. It is awful! The tradition of the Vikings is grand, but keep in mind since we went to the Super Bowl, we went to 4 of the first 11 Super Bowls and I think the last Super Bowl that we went too is about ' 77 and they haven't been back since.
SCOTT - I know, I mean you want a new stadium. Remind us of the Fran Tarkington's and the Alan Page's.
FRAN - That is now a great franchise it is the pulse of the state of Minnesota, it's the heartland of the Minnesota Vikings. But it wasn't that way in the beginning (when) I played an exhibition game, the exhibition game that the MN Vikings played was played in Sioux Falls, SD against the Dallas Cowboys. Can you imagine that? Back in 1961 we had about 5,000 people at whatever stadium you had there in Sioux Falls, and then we played the Chicago Bears that same year in another exhibition game in Iowa. That's what we started with, and now it's grown to be just a great, great franchise with a great name and a great history but that history was built in the first 20 years. They've done nothing since then.
SCOTT - No they haven't. It’s kind of sad quite honestly, but I have some great memories. Remember from where you came; it would be a good message to Ziggy and crew down there now because of the heritage, the history, the quality, the character (and) the grit. You know, the Bud Grant era and the Fran Tarkington era--- it is something to be celebrated. It's what makes this part of America awesome. It represents it so well. I wanna talk a little political shop with you, the reason why I wanted to talk to you. I don't know how many people know what (a) business legend you are, now leading Tarkenton Financial. First a little plug on your empire... tell us about these websites and what you’re doing?
FRAN - Yeah, what we're doing is I built 20 companies from the dirt. We work with hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs there with information, and now web-based tools that now help them to have a better chance to make it...our latest ones that we have built (is) a CRM product which is "Customer Relations Management" and they can go it and download it free and take a look at it. Here it is www.startercrm.com and what this product allows an entrepreneur, it allows you to expose your message to other people, organize your marketing, your sales, and get you one more customer. Go there, download the software free. We use all this cool technology and that is really what I wanted your listeners to go to. I think we can help that entrepreneur to get one more customer.
SCOTT - God love ya! Because they are swimming up a tide right now against their government are they not?
FRAN - I've listened to your programs...you’re spot on. The truth has to be told to the silent majority, and that is the American people that are taxpayers…that are workers out there paying an unfair amount of taxes compared to the rest of the people. If we don't create a sense of desperation, change never happens and the silent majority has started its moving from the tea parties to other things going on. We're building momentum to November 2, to change the course of this country because we have a president and an administration that's inept. This president has no background for leadership. We have been afraid to really tell the truth: he has no background in leadership, no background in decision making. He has run nothing in his life. Harvard Law School: you don't learn how to make decisions in Harvard Law School. You learn how to make decisions and solve problems by running businesses every day. He's never had that, so therefore he has no ability to weigh in on the terrible spill out in the Gulf. He didn't contact the Chairman of the BP until 38 days after the spill. You know what his excuse was? “I didn't contact him because I knew he would tell me just what I wanted to hear.”
SCOTT - You’re absolutely right! You know what else, not only is it him, it's everybody around him---the lowest amount of private sector experience of any administration in modern history. I mean they have nobody that has done a darn thing around this guy. Now, you said something that caught my attention: we've been afraid to say it---why has business in general---you see the US Chamber a little more forceful now…there's this round table. Why are you afraid to say what you believe is the truth about what they mean for businesses and the economy in this country?
FRAN - I think that he has been getting a free pass. He's our first black president. He's an attractive guy. He's a great speaker, we wanted him to work but he hasn't. We didn't look at the signs; the signs are very clear. This young man does not have any background, what he does (is) he reads the teleprompter. You're right, he has people around him who come from the progressive side of the Democratic party. Which means they think that they’re smart and that we're dumb.
SCOTT - Bunch of academics, I mean everything's in theory. Theory is amazing. If I said I were to arrange a meeting with Fran Tarkenton and President Barack Obama with global office doors shut, what do you say to him?
FRAN - I would say to him, he needs to involve business people in his inner circle, he needs to go out and cut taxes, he needs to go out and promote entrepreneurship-building and take these barriers that we have as small business people that makes it more difficult for us---not only too much taxing but we have regulations upon regulations which makes it more difficult. But our problem is really this: at the end of the day you talk to anybody on the inside of Washington---Democrats or Republicans---this guy is a socialist. This guy is left of left. That's just what he believes, he does not believe in what we are and what has built this country. He is never going to be a promoter of business. He wants to redistribute the wealth.
SCOTT - If he was in that meeting with you he would tell you, "Wait a minute Fran, I'm pro-business. I got Bill Clinton running around saying, "No, no, no he's pro-business.” When he came up with that talking point what would you say?
FRAN - You are what you do, not what you say. Your words ring hollow to me because what you’re doing is not pro-business, it's not pro-job growth. It is bigger government. The government harm with people spin ourselves into oblivion. The spending that he has got us in. We will be in the same state of Greece, of Spain, of Russia. Big government has never worked.
SCOTT - Amazing! I saw you with Neil Cavuto the other day, and right after that was a buddy of mine, Steven Moore from the Wall Street Journal, I don't know if you stuck around long enough with your ear piece in, enough to hear what he said. You made some similar comments, but I'm in full agreement with Steven Moore from the Wall Street Journal: “Fran Tarkington for President.” Are you up for that?
FRAN - No, I am not up for that, but I tell you what, the strength of our country has always been in the people and now the people have to get out and we have to be heard. It's a simple thing. Right now there is twice as much cash in businesses as there was a year ago today. We understand.
SCOTT - Obama would call you greedy for that. He would say, “See, bunch of greedy businesses hoarding their cash."
FRAN - Yeah were hoarding our cash, here's what he's promised us: higher taxes, more regulations. Health care costs have already gone up, making it harder for businesses. So we understand something that he doesn't: you cannot spend more than you make. So we have already adapted, we are being more efficient spending the money. We are doing more with less because that is the American culture. That we understand you cannot go and spend money that you don't have. The state of California is bankrupt and let me say this: Minnesota, Wisconsin are broke because they spent more than they had.
SCOTT - Government should try it on for size; you know, just tighten the belt. That's what lit the match in my view of this Tea Party movement. I call it a sleeping giant of the American people that have been awakened, that have said “enough already.” I agree with you. We will be fine because of the American people and because of good folks and entrepreneurship and worrying about the mouths we gotta feed, the families---that's what makes this country great and we will be fine because of it. Fran what a pleasure this was. Can we do this on a more regular basis my man?
FRAN - Will do, whenever you like.
SCOTT - I really, really, enjoyed it. All the best to you take care.
FRAN - Thank you.
Posted on 7/21/10 04:57 AM by
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