A Conversation with Congressman Mike Haridopolis

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All right, well, we have the professor,

professor Herodopoulos in the studio,

better known as Congressman Herodopoulos.

How you doing?

Doing great, doing great.

Great to see you as always, Rhett,

and the Mayor of the Airways.

I walk in today and I see the great parking lot,

science proof I got, I love it.

He was impressed.

I took a picture and everything.

I'm like, I'm with the Mayor of the Airways today.

I love it, yeah.

One time I was at a stop sign here in Tanya.

He's been on my show a number of times

from America's most wanted John Walsh.

So at that time, it had one of those big Mercedes,

it's like a station wagon.

And I was in the back seat while my cow was driving the front.

He was at the red light, just I rolled down the one

and said, hey, Johnny goes, wow, impressive.

You got your own driver now, huh?

I don't know if you're one of those gray poo parkers.

Pardon me, do you have any gray poo parkers?

I just need to make another gray poo park for me for you, is that?

Fairfick, yeah.

So the last time I was with you was one face to face.

You've been on the show a number of times lately.

Thank you very much for making consistent appearances here.

But you were the, what was the president of the Senate?

The president of the Senate.

And then you took a little time off after that.

I'm glad that you got back into the ring.

I opposed.

You made a great choice.

I don't know how this all works,

but we're all glad you're in there.

And you're doing a bang of job.

You just came from the county commissioners.

So for Viral Beach people, what was discussed?

What are the concerns?

Well, look, it's very important.

Most importantly, I listen to what's going on in the community.

We don't want to be detached like too many of these politicians

become in Washington, D.C.

So I'm consistently down here in anywhere of our county,

listening to county commissioners,

city commissioners, going to a lot of meetings,

holding town hall meetings.

We've had one just recently in John's Island.

I mean, it's just really important to keep your ear to the ground.

And what we've asked the county and the cities to say,

look, if you've got some funding projects,

you need some help on, let's be a teammate.

Let's work together.

It shouldn't all come from Washington or all come from the locals.

It should be a win-win situation.

And so while they had a need for a library, we took care of that.

We also had, of course, all of us worried about the anywhere of the lagoon.

We're able to get record funding or $14 million to help clean up the lagoon.

It's just a quality of life issue.

And when you stay close to those people who are elected locally,

it gives you a better perspective on how you can help from Washington.

Wonderful.

So how did you first get into politics?

Where was the C?

Was it a parent or an uncle?

Well, my dad was actually an FBI agent, undercover, right?

And he was one of the people who went after the bad guy, so to speak.

And I had some great history teachers as well.

And you can't help but fall in love with the story of America, right?

The Underdork story and now the world power

and how we arrived where we are today,

standing on the shoulders of giants.

And it was always just very appealing to me.

And so I became a history teacher, as you know.

And eventually, people convinced me to run for office

and serving first in the legislature.

And I took some time off in between, of course,

a professor at University of Florida, wrote some books.

But I've always had a passion for public service.

And I'm honored to be now at the congressman from our area.

Yeah, well, you're doing great job.

So tell me something.

What did you teach at the college?

I taught history and political science.

Oh, one.

And what was great about it, what I really liked

about after I got elected,

is that it's so much different than the book version, right?

You have these political science teachers

who only understand the book.

Well, I was the guy who was actually in office.

And I was able to tell him kind of the real world

of what a campaign's like, what it's like to be in office.

And one of the programs, a Democrat,

and I actually worked on Bob Graham,

remember the former governor, US Senator.

And he hired me at the University of Florida

because he wanted real world experience

for the students at University of Florida.

So I would teach on campus in Gainesville in the fall

when I was in the legislature.

And then in the spring, we had about 100 applicants.

15 got selected.

They came to Tallahassee with me.

They would actually take classes with me from seven

to eight in the morning.

And then they'd work in the capital in Tallahassee

for a legislator or for a lobbyist, for the governor,

or for the press, wherever their career interest might be.

And they got to do that job first hand.

And I loved it because I got to interact with the students

before I'd engage with everybody else.

There was a great hands-on program.

And now a lot of those students are in state

or local government because they had that real world experience.

It's amazing how they can change their life.

Doris Kern's good one, the very famous historian.

She's been on my show a couple of times.

We had some great conversations.

Maybe sometime in the future, I mean,

we could sit down together and maybe spend some quality time

on those things on history.

I know as you get older, as I am,

have a keen appetite for history.

Yet you're a young guy.

How old do you now?

55.

55.

So you're about 17, 15 years, whatever it is younger than me.

I would like to ask you this.

Because every see, I wonder, I know you want to say

you're focused on what you're doing now.

And thank you that you are.

You're doing a bang-up job.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

Do you want to be a senator?

Do you want to be the governor?

I think it's one is, I love what I do now.

I mean, I love being in the house.

What do you love about it?

Well, it's just the action that takes place in the house.

Senna's a lot slower moving body, as you know.

One of my favorite books is called Master of the Senate.

Robert Kera, a fantastic book about LBJ.

I'm not a big fan of his policies,

but he's a remarkable politician.

And one of the books I use at the University of Florida.

But what I love about the house is they're so dynamic.

And we have such a small majority right now

to get things done.

It's really challenging.

So one of my goals is to move up in the leadership

and the House of Representatives.

I'm very fortunate as a freshman.

I remember I actually chair a committee already

that being the Space Committee,

which is so important in our community here.

And I'm also what's called the Financial Services Committee,

which is what they call an A committee.

There's four A committees, ABCD, where we are the ones

who do have the stock market, the bond market,

the crypto market, the insurance market,

the banks, all the big financial drivers.

And so I'm on that committee.

And they already named me what's called the whip of the committee.

My job is to make sure we get the votes

to pass certain legislation.

So I love what I do.

And I think it's like, my kids always ask me,

you know, what do you think, Dad?

What do you think of this?

I'd like, if you go to work happy,

you're going to be really successful.

The money eventually comes.

But when you go to work happy, like you've done

for over 30 years here, you're like psyched to go to work.

I've never tired since I was 40.

Yeah, yeah.

Remember Tommy Lasorta, the manager of the one of the first interviews

I did with him right on the field.

And at the end of it, he said, you know,

if you're not doing what you want to do,

you're doing a disservice to yourself and to others,

don't be a chef just for money,

because your food is going to taste terrible.

If you love to cook that love will be in it.

If you're a mom, your dad, your grandma,

you love to cook the love will be in it.

Whatever you do, love it.

And that's the smoother pass.

What do they used to say?

The smoother path to use of your path,

the leaster resistance.

The path leaster resistance, that's right.

Look, and I'm the same way.

I love being in the classroom.

And I love what I do now.

And my wife's like, this is great.

You wake up in the morning happy.

This is fantastic.

And you're excited to take on these challenges every day.

And they'll say there's a lot of challenges

in this country right now.

And I'm interacting with the president.

Of course, the leader of the house, the leader of the Senate.

And look, there's, I even get along with the Democrats

on issues that are non-partisan.

There are some issues like space, AI,

some environmental issues, transportation issues.

I can't get the debate with them about

Republican versus Democrat thing.

You already kind of spoken for.

But as the chairman of the Space Committee,

I'm always trying to find that common ground

because we're all Americans.

And as gets frustrating with everything becomes partisan.

So I was one of the first people to get behind Trump

in this area.

I'm not about to add the, from the sheriff

who wasn't in his corner first,

from other people that are very well to do,

and influencers.

And they were all, nah, nah, you know,

they're going for the guy from Texas or whatever it was.

So one of these days, I might hit you up.

I'd like to have a, I want to meet this guy, Trump, you know.

He's one of our good Carter.

I got four.

I got the, the bushes.

I want to meet this guy.

He's such a colorful guy.

There's going to be all kinds of books written

about this guy when it's over, you know.

And rightfully so lucky, he's changed America.

And I think we're in a much better,

better, we're in a much, that's a great point.

We're in a much better position, we were a year ago.

I mean, think about it.

The border secure, people have more money in their pockets,

because it's finally a tax cut for the middle class,

where we have respect abroad, like we did not have a year ago.

And you're seeing like a dynamic change happening.

And when I love about Trump, I was talking with her

at one of the Fox reporters yesterday,

because they were there with the president yesterday.

And it was her chance to, for the first time,

to fly an Air Force one.

And I've had that honors as well.

And I said, isn't Trump the most remarkable guy?

She said, you know, he did, he bought us food for the plane

so we could all hang out.

And I wouldn't, I wouldn't call him a matriety,

but I would say he's the guy who understands

the hospitality business.

What can I get for you?

When I was an Air Force one with him,

he must ask me if I said, can I get you anything, Mike?

I'm like, I'm good, Mr. President.

I'm really okay.

You know, I have noticed that.

Well, Jesus said, the greatest among you

shall be the servant of the rest.

Right.

And I've noticed that about certain people,

like Mick Jagger, you're sitting there,

the guy's doing an audition.

And we want to take a break.

Can I get you a cup of tea?

This is the kind of attitude they have.

And actually we're happier when we're serving each other,

you know, I think it's the law in Florida.

But I know it's the law.

I spend some time in the summers of Vermont.

And when you step off the curb, you know,

you stop for those people.

And usually my life, like everybody else,

it's me, me, me, mine, I'm in a rush.

I got to get to the dentist, I'm late.

But in Vermont, when somebody steps out,

this little lady, you know,

no rent doesn't matter if you're late to the dentist.

She's first, she's a pedestrian.

And you know, then the other lady who has a baby

and then the old man, you wait patiently.

And I think it's birthed something in me that,

I think it's the law in Florida.

But I want to see that enacted even more and more

that we stop for pedestrians

and become more pedestrian friendly.

What do you think of that?

One of the things we try to do,

especially on the beach side.

I mean, we actually put up those different areas

because, again, people are not anxious to get to the beach.

We got their surfboard or their bookie board

or maybe their chair to get some sun.

And that's, you got to be really eyes open.

And that's why we actually reduce some of the speed rates

on the state level.

That's why they control A1A.

And it's one of the things they do.

But to your point, what I love is,

people think that politicians are selfish.

And that's a very common thing

because you see some selfish politicians

like Schumer's, like one of them,

but I've always worked from mentality,

the more unselfish you are, the more power you acquire.

Meaning that if you're helping other people get elected,

you're for raising money from,

if you elevate them when there's a story,

it's a good thing.

And I think that's when mentality,

I think we need to have more and more of this.

Or unselfish our, the better things are.

And it is, it's not a cliche,

but it's better to give them, receive.

Because it's pretty exciting when you see someone else light up

and they get that president or that gift or that elevation.

Yeah.

And, you know, I remember there was a doctor in town here.

He couldn't get his Medicare or Medicaid number,

whatever it is.

And I made a call to the Congress office,

your predecessor.

And he and his wife were concerned.

She's from Italy.

I forget where he's from in the two boys.

And they couldn't get paid for nine months.

I call the congressman.

The next day, she invites me,

she gives me hugs and kisses and said,

we got the number we needed.

You know, so you can call your congressman again.

What are the, what defines the responsibility

of a congressman like you,

a congressman here?

It's almost called your Senator here, Doppler.

Well, I tell you, it's, it's that sense.

We're first of all a question of how you vote.

And I'm very transparent, however,

every week there's email updates,

I voted on this and this is why I voted for it.

I think it's really important that you are transparent.

The other one is that you just brought up, you know,

it's frustrating with the bureaucracy,

sometimes it's hard to access it.

Even when you've earned the benefit,

like you have a Social Security or Medicare,

there's benefits you earn out of after a lifetime of work.

So one of the things we'd take great pride in,

you got of course one of my folks here today

with me on my staff is that we want to make sure

people have earned benefits from the military,

Social Security, Medicare, whatever it might be,

that they get the service they deserve.

And so last year we returned over 12 and a half million dollars

to people who are entitled to certain things

that they've earned.

And this year we're on that even better pace

because we're meeting the needs of the individual.

But what is frustrating and amazing,

it shouldn't have to ever come to me,

the bureaucracy should be running smoothly enough,

they don't need to call my office,

but I'm that backstop to make sure they get it.

And then the other thing as we briefly talked about is,

there are needs in this community

that we can't afford with this current tax base, right?

That things that locals would like to have,

but they can't afford.

So they'll come to me and say,

hey, we need more money for the Inu River Lagoon

or we need more money for the Felsmeyer Library

or we need more money for beach restoration.

So what I say is, hey, I'll help,

but everyone's got to put some in.

It can't all come from me.

There's some skin in the game.

Exactly.

And that's what we try to do.

Now, of course the popularity of a Florida is exploding,

especially with what happens in New York.

So you know, I'm a former New Yorker.

Me too.

Me too.

Were you born in Huntington by a group in Garden City?

Really well.

I'm from the Kipsey River.

I was sure.

Then lived in Olvina's Connector Detroit game down here,

been down here 33 years, fell in love with the state.

Of course, I was here before Indian River Boulevard existed.

There was no wall, there was nothing.

So anyway, there's a real influx.

How are we going to handle that as far as roads

and the overpopulation that's coming our way

with all these storage units going up

on every corner, these smart guys,

these billionaires who are building these things,

they know the floods about to come.

Well, especially with the craziness in New York City,

of Miami, et cetera.

And people are voting with their feet.

I did the same thing with that.

It used to be you vote with your feet

because it was warmer down here than the winter.

Now you're come down here because there's no state income tax.

There's no crazy amount of money being spent by the government.

I mean, think about it.

New York spends as much as the entire state of Florida.

And for that matter, the state of New York,

which is actually a smaller population, yeah.

And then the other part is that here's New York state

has a lower population than Florida.

Their budget's twice as large as a Florida budget.

But we've got, we don't have the crime problem

like they do in New York and some of the challenges,

the little and the traffic of New York.

This is where everybody wants to live.

What the good news is, as these new folks

are coming down as a conservative,

you've seen the number of people who are registered

Republican has gone up dramatically

to give you a little stat, right?

When Ron DeSantis was elected governor back in 2018,

there were 400,000 more registered Democrats in our state.

That's shocking, right?

Because we're pretty Republican state now.

Now, roughly eight years later,

there are one and a half million more registered Republicans.

That's a two million versus two million.

That's amazing.

That's good news.

Thanks for that.

Yeah, yeah.

I think it's good news.

I was afraid they were going to bring down the dumps here, you know.

That's the thing is, people are voting with their feet.

The people who are more liberal are state in New York.

The people who are more conservative,

so I'm going to get the heck out of you,

especially with the realities of COVID.

And don't we have a great state?

Oh, yeah.

This is just a fabulous state.

So what's up or most on your mind, Luffer?

So of course, I don't know,

we want to talk about current, current events.

We're all a little nervous about what's going on in the Middle East.

I think we finally, you know,

I mean, you and I have hung out with a lot of the other people,

the predecessors to the current president.

And now they sort of pale in comparison,

as far as being assertive.

I mean, we all know that Trump can come off kind of bombastic.

For instance, I interviewed General Colin Powell.

And we had a great time with you and I are having.

And I liked him.

And I said, I'll stand on the street corner

for you if you want for the presidency.

Well, he decided not to because, you know,

his wife had been in a mental institution.

They're afraid the press was going to drag her over the calls.

He was a gentleman.

But had he been the president?

But, you know, when he died, the next day, Trump, you know,

his things, something awkwardly, kind of not that great about him.

You know, I don't know why he does these things.

And yet, privately, everybody says like you do he serves people

who get up and get you a fork and get you your food.

He's, he's a real giver.

He really is.

What is this contentious side?

You know, I think that's the New Yorker in him that everything's,

everything's got to be a fight or a haggle, right?

I mean, you see, at all the time makes this big statement.

And then he works to negotiate it down.

It's kind of like, I'm not going to pay one nickel over

X amount for this car and then you adjust, right?

And it seems like he does the same.

But getting to this modern situation for almost my entire lifetime,

we've had a problem with Iran.

They chant death to America.

They killed thousands of Americans, even more, of course, Israelis.

And we all know about October 7th, that horrific, barbaristic attack.

And finally, the chickens have come home the roost where these people

who are pressing their own countrymen, remember this,

this regime before this war began, killed over 30,000 of their own citizens.

And these citizens don't enjoy the second amendment rights that we have,

which is right to bear arms.

So it's one way slaughter.

And these folks who have fueled all of this terrorism in the region,

they're the ones who are doing all these and the fariest things in the region.

And finally, we realize that they're going to do even more

if we don't stop them now.

And it's going to be a challenging weeks or months,

whatever it takes to knock down the ability to create havoc.

But we are doing it and look what's happened.

The nations around Iran have had enough of Iran.

They're siding with the United States because they know they're a terror state.

And then you've got to question this other faction of the Democrats,

the liberals that are like little puppies.

They're nipping at the heels of the person who's walking.

I don't know what that is.

It's always got to be somebody out there contesting it.

But he's doing a great job where he came out of nowhere.

It's like amazing.

I don't know if he had plans all his life or it's just fell this way.

But he seems to be God's choice.

Now, Harry Doppler, you know, my wife, of course, is Greek.

And you're Greek, right?

And so Greek orthodox and you're bringing it up, bringing it up.

So don't you feel like see that the Lord's hand has been

in Donald Trump becoming our president?

I think I see his man slowly converting, too.

He said, you know, religion is awake again.

Well, of course, you know, well, anyway, what do you think of all that?

Well, look, I think that he recognized

some of the mistakes he's made in his past.

Like, we all have, right?

And who's without sin?

Exactly.

And that's why we're blessed by the grace of God, right?

You think about it.

I've made so many mistakes as well.

And I've been very blessed throughout my life.

And I think that he's looking back.

What can I give back?

Clearly, he has put his life in the line for this job,

as we literally found out, almost in Pennsylvania.

And we know about the attacks where they

try to put him in jail for a very long time, as well,

the heavy hand of government.

Like we've never seen.

And so here he is said, I'm going to do a few things as present.

I'm going to secure this border.

They're 10 million people at KM cross border.

That's nonsense.

He said that we're going to remove all these criminals,

not just with a came here, but people who

did these dastardly things once here.

And then he said, you know, I saw what happened in Israel.

We're going to rectify that situation.

And we see this evil dictator down in Venezuela.

We knocked him out.

And he said also what is primary to me

is the big differentiator between a Republican

and Democrat, my mind is this.

And I'm watching it firsthand now in Washington,

not just as a historian.

The Democrat's basic philosophy, in my opinion,

is give us your money and your power.

We know it's best for you.

It's very parental.

There it is.

Self-righteousness.

And so my take on it is, let's give people more of their own money

back that they earned so they can take care of their needs.

I don't know what your individual needs are right, but you do.

And so you have the resources to kind of handle those.

You'll do it.

There's some things you can't do for roads

or maybe try to clean up their waterway on your own.

That's my job in the government.

But let people keep more of their own money

and they'll make some good decisions

and with that country's responsibility.

We can't PR getting $500 million.

Not anymore.

Well, no, that's right.

You got it anymore.

Because here I am working 31 years out,

schlepping, trying to sell ads on my shows.

Been very successful.

Thank God above.

But I mean, I'm going, why should they be given all this dough

and me not, you know?

And look, we said there's enough TV stations

and radio stations to go and compete.

There's a different world when NPR and PBS begin,

but that the world has changed.

Okay, so anything that's upper, upper on your mind

right now that you want to discuss?

Well, one of the things that I think is just such common sense

and I can't believe the Democrats are fighting.

Why are we not passing the SAV Act

which says only Americans vote in America elections

and you have to show it an ID before you vote.

You have to have ID to drive to get on a plane, anything, right?

And they say it's racist or sexist to do this.

They're saying that married women can't vote.

You're telling me our African Americans

won't be able to vote.

I mean, that is a sexist and racist comment.

That's actually a racist comment.

They're saying that they're on whatever.

Yeah, and so I do like 14 states right now,

you don't have to show an ID to vote.

And some states, you can vouch for other people.

I mean, the fact that the basis of our democracy

is the legitimate election, right?

Well, you have somebody with you today

from the sheriff's office outside that door protecting you.

And you know, I believe in law and water.

Otherwise, we're gonna have mayhem, right?

Congressman here in Dopolis, I presume.

I don't know.

I have my phones.

I don't even know what time it is.

But listen, you're great for stopping in here.

I love, I love how you're like,

what I love about your show too,

and we need more of it in media is you're positive.

You're uplifting and that's the way

because too much politics is as this knife fighting.

Let's elevate the conversation

and empower the individual again, not government.

And that's why I got back into politics.

It was either I was gonna yell to TV

or I'm gonna go out and get engaged again.

I'm so excited to be back in politics.

Now, I'd like to ask you this.

You know, we have Vera's voice magazine.

Oh, yeah.

And of course, my wife is Greek as you are.

Oh, yeah.

So I like to push this.

I was just thinking, I was thinking, wouldn't it be great?

I don't know if you have the time

or how it could work it out,

but to have a small little piece that was in every month

that maybe Mike Herodopoulos' take on this historical factor,

that historical factor, something.

I don't just think about it

because that's your thing.

I mean, you're a professor.

Well, one of the things I like actually do in the most, Brett,

is when people come to visit me in Washington,

if I've got a little gap in time,

I'll give them a personal tour of the Capitol

and tell them the story of the Capitol.

And why this, and to me that's interesting.

When we come up there and I'll hire a cameraman

or something and do a video

and we'll take a video tour, would that be cool?

I would be fancy.

I would love that.

And one of my favorite, what we'll do,

we'll do it after hours, so it's really quiet.

It's a different feel after the place shuts down,

after votes and take place around seven o'clock.

And you have this presence like,

you're really standing on the shoulders of giants.

You're in the building,

we're all these amazing Americans.

Let's do that.

Yeah, that'd be awesome.

That'd be great.

It's a date, let's do it, we'll figure it out.

So Congressman Herodopoulos, you're doing a great job.

Five stars, you don't get any more 10 stars.

Where are some of these stars you want?

Well, anyway, I'd love that if you think so.

I love it.

You know, you're Greek, I love it, I love it.

Oh, I love, I fell in love with the Greek people.

I would suggest anybody, if you get a vacation,

I waited till I was in my 50s to go.

I went and went to Minkino's, went to Santorini, went to,

okay, I'm flying back into America.

And these hot tears are just rolling down my cheese.

And I'm like, what happened?

I fell in love with these people.

Absolutely.

And the water there, it's just so blue and vibrant

and the food is so unique.

I love it.

That's wonderful.

God bless you.

It was great to see you.

God bless America.

Enjoy your ways.

Let it be here.

All right.

Thanks, Father.

Thanks very much.

Hey, this is the mayor who loves you, baby.