A City View with a Movie Star

00:00:00:04 – 00:00:03:27
David Martin
This is the good government show.

00:00:03:32 – 00:00:14:01
Christopher McDonald
Anyway, I walked in the room and they. And they went shut up and started doing the guns. I was like, oh my God. Pinch me now. I’ll never forget that moment.

00:00:14:06 – 00:00:21:10
Christopher McDonald
I was a president in my high school class for three years, so kind of a big deal.

00:00:21:15 – 00:00:33:41
Christopher McDonald
If you don’t really hear about it too much, then they’re doing a great job. But when it gets to be messy, that’s when there is blasted on all the all the television stations and it’s rough.

00:00:33:45 – 00:00:50:01
Christopher McDonald
Good government is listening to who your constituents are and doing the best you can possibly do in those areas they’re asking you to fix, because it ain’t easy. And that’s why they were elected to see if they can get everybody on the same plane.

00:00:50:06 – 00:00:54:23
Christopher McDonald
Just let’s all get together and then let’s do good.

00:00:54:27 – 00:01:14:55
David Martin
Here in the Good Government show. We’re really excited to be working with our new partner, Hello Nation. This is an online video magazine that showcases the best of cities around the nation. On this show, I get to sit down with their national spokesman, the actor Chris McDonnell. Welcome to the Good Government show. I’m Dave Martin. First, help us share the message of good government by liking us and sharing us where we are on social media.

00:01:14:57 – 00:01:32:54
David Martin
Make sure if you are a show and share us everywhere. We all need to talk about good government today. Show us a little different. My guest is shooter McGavin. That’s the character Chris played when he lost a Happy Gilmore in the Adam Sandler comedy. We could have just talked about golf and movies, and we certainly covered that. But we do talk a little bit about government and Hello Nation.

00:01:32:54 – 00:01:52:34
David Martin
So there is some good government here. We met at the Conference of Mayors, Washington, D.C. conference. We talked about what most impressed the actor who said he played both and a president. So again, there is more government discussion and a note of explanation. I have a friend who’s a Hollywood movie producer. He invited me up to Boston when he was shooting the movie Celtic Pride, starring, among others, Chris MacDonald.

00:01:52:34 – 00:02:07:25
David Martin
So here we are about 20 years later talking about the movie. If you haven’t seen Celtic Pride, check it out. It’s a fun sports comedy. So coming up, actor and Hello Nation spokesman shooter McGavin. I mean Chris MacDonald.

00:02:07:30 – 00:02:34:14
David Martin
We have a new partner here in the Good Government Show, hello Nation. This is a new digital magazine that showcases the best of cities across the nation. We’d all prefer if Good News traveled faster and Hello nation. Positive stories don’t just get told they get amplified. Hello nation helps businesses, leaders and communities share positive stories that matter building trust, credibility and meaningful connection through professionally produced podcast, digital features and targeted distribution.

00:02:34:14 – 00:02:58:39
David Martin
Hello nation positions you as the answer regular folks are looking for, while expanding and scaling your digital footprint across the platforms that people trust. Good news deserves momentum. Your city or your business can help spread the word of good news across the nation. At Hello Nation, they don’t just have advertisers, they have advertisers. Editorial content from trusted community leaders and cities that are helping spread the good news.

00:02:58:42 – 00:03:07:43
David Martin
Let Hello Nation lift you up and lead the conversation. Visit Hello Nation to learn more.

00:03:07:48 – 00:03:26:26
David Martin
Once you wrap up this episode of The Good Government Show, give a listen to our friends over at Good News for lefties. This daily podcast highlights news stories that show there’s more good news out there. Other people in government are really trying to do the right thing. That’s good news for lefties. Listen where you’re listening now.

00:03:26:30 – 00:03:38:34
David Martin
Welcome to The Good Government Show and welcome to my guest. A bit of a departure. We have a movie star with us. You’re not a mayor, you’re not a president, you’re an actor. But you’re here at the Conference of Mayors. Chris McDonald, welcome to the show.

00:03:38:37 – 00:03:41:10
Christopher McDonald
Nice to be here. I’ve played mayors. I’ve played presidents.

00:03:41:13 – 00:03:45:32
David Martin
You’ve played mayors and presidents. All right. Good, good, good. Where were you a president? Where did you play.

00:03:45:32 – 00:03:58:04
Christopher McDonald
A president? And Robert Rodriguez movie? Okay, you know how he does all those great kids movies. And this one was was a classic. And then I got to redo that same presidential part when he did the next series of it. So.

00:03:58:07 – 00:04:01:09
David Martin
Okay. And what was the other role you played?

00:04:01:14 – 00:04:07:59
Christopher McDonald
I was a mayor. Okay. Well, you know, like Mayor Andy of Mayberry. Okay. So but I was this was in a play, so it was all fun.

00:04:08:01 – 00:04:10:13
David Martin
All right. So so you’re well familiar with politics.

00:04:10:13 – 00:04:13:49
Christopher McDonald
And so I’m like, right up to here. Politics.

00:04:13:51 – 00:04:18:54
David Martin
Well, listen, you fake it til you make it right. Exactly. There you go. I’m not a lawyer. I just play one on TV.

00:04:18:56 – 00:04:19:30
Christopher McDonald
Exactly.

00:04:19:32 – 00:04:24:15
David Martin
You are here as a guest of an organization called Hello Nation. Yes. And you are their spokesperson?

00:04:24:17 – 00:04:24:46
Christopher McDonald
Yes.

00:04:24:46 – 00:04:27:55
David Martin
So let’s just talk about Hello, Nation. What are they doing? Who are they?

00:04:27:58 – 00:04:52:13
Christopher McDonald
What are they? Hello, nation started out with my friend Bob who’s who’s who’s just a great guy, a bright mind and a very forward thinker. He’s got this group that he started about 25 years ago called CGI. What they did is they expanded the whole program and made it with their CGI base, and took AI pictures of every city town in the United States.

00:04:52:16 – 00:05:10:50
Christopher McDonald
Right. And what they do is they can you can go to this, this board that they have up there in our display area and push in your town and see who’s up on this level of getting things done, like say you need a good car repair guy. And so you imagine putting that all together. This is what they do.

00:05:10:50 – 00:05:25:57
Christopher McDonald
And then they make this great chance for you to be the guy that’s doing, paying it forward to for the good. Because a good guy, if you’re going to go to a mechanic and you know this guy is the go to guy to go to in town, you want him on the top of the list. So that kind of thing gives it.

00:05:25:57 – 00:05:28:13
Christopher McDonald
I’m not doing the best description of it.

00:05:28:13 – 00:05:41:05
David Martin
But do it better than I do. So, and I saw it once. You seen it more than me. But but it is a giant board. And he said, pick a town. And I picked the town I grew up in. And he focused in on that town and then found like a real estate agent. Right. That’s the process.

00:05:41:05 – 00:05:59:19
Christopher McDonald
That’s the process. So finally finding the good people in that area that are making changes, paying it forward, doing the right thing. And he puts them on the list and it works out as a symbiotic relationship. And people just love it right now. So it’s kicking off this now there. Yes. He’s in a whole year now and it’s blowing up.

00:05:59:19 – 00:06:03:16
David Martin
So and let’s just add that Bob is a big guy and a big personality.

00:06:03:19 – 00:06:17:48
Christopher McDonald
That he is a very bright guy. I just just kind of like really getting to know him. And as I go to these things, only my second time going out with him. But, you know, he knows that he’s very well read. He knows things. He’s funny, he’s a beast. Like, he’s like he’s like, you know, he’s a good guy.

00:06:17:52 – 00:06:22:51
Christopher McDonald
He’s like an outside linebacker. You don’t wanna mess with him. He’s a he’s a big guy. No. So he’s a great dude.

00:06:22:53 – 00:06:24:15
David Martin
And and your golfing buddies.

00:06:24:17 – 00:06:25:36
Christopher McDonald
And golfing buddies. Absolutely.

00:06:25:39 – 00:06:26:05
David Martin
So how’s your.

00:06:26:05 – 00:06:27:10
Christopher McDonald
Golf game? Like golf game.

00:06:27:11 – 00:06:31:24
David Martin
Pretty good. There was some movie you did where you played a lot of golf. I can’t remember the name of it.

00:06:31:29 – 00:06:32:14
Christopher McDonald
That was a while ago.

00:06:32:29 – 00:06:33:50
David Martin
Happy something. Happy something?

00:06:33:53 – 00:06:52:23
Christopher McDonald
Yeah, something like having something. Yeah. Happy Gilmore and Happy Gilmore is a blast. Especially the first one for shooter McGavin to have come into the. He was the guy to beat and. Oh, my God, we had laughs doing that. Dennis Dugan directed and I was I almost turned it down. And I said, Good God, thank you for making me come back and and do this.

00:06:52:23 – 00:07:08:00
Christopher McDonald
But it what it led to was I couldn’t do it because I was doing another film at the time, and I had just finished and I had wife and kids at home, and I’m a terrible father. If I don’t go home and see my kids when I left Toronto. And but I had one more thing. I had to go to a golf tournament in Seattle, went into the golf term.

00:07:08:00 – 00:07:13:24
Christopher McDonald
Seattle, my team won. I went, gosh, I wonder if that golf movie still around, called up and sat down with Adam.

00:07:13:26 – 00:07:20:19
David Martin
See, this is the thing about golf. I think your last hole is your best hole, because the gods of golf want you to come back and play, no matter how the other 17 holes were.

00:07:20:23 – 00:07:24:28
Christopher McDonald
Absolutely. You know it. Yeah, that’s the truth, man. It’s when you when you hit it and it’s like.

00:07:24:30 – 00:07:26:49
David Martin
So you got you got the fever. You thought you could play golf.

00:07:26:52 – 00:07:27:25
Christopher McDonald
Yes, indeed.

00:07:27:28 – 00:07:29:28
David Martin
So how much golf did you play on Happy Gilmore?

00:07:29:30 – 00:07:39:27
Christopher McDonald
I played all my own shots, except for the one where they wanted me to dunk it in the water, and I couldn’t do it. I tried like 4 or 5 times. I would bring in the stunt double and pull it down, and he plopped it right in because he was a professional.

00:07:39:27 – 00:07:40:49
David Martin
You guys just playing golf every day.

00:07:40:49 – 00:07:54:36
Christopher McDonald
Every day. That’s what I did. And what’s so great about this, Dave, I got to tell you, you know, they set these shots up. There’s a whole bunch of things to get the lights right and all that kind of stuff. And I’m sitting there with with a golf pro and we’re chipping the ball in. I’m getting my short game.

00:07:54:36 – 00:07:55:31
Christopher McDonald
Got sick.

00:07:55:45 – 00:07:56:12
David Martin
For a while.

00:07:56:19 – 00:08:12:01
Christopher McDonald
I was like, oh yeah, you think I’m bad off the tee, but watch me a short game. So yes, because Gilmore had that rocket ship of that was his gimmick, right? That right. He hit it 400 yards. But but it was it was a joy to do the first one and an absolute treat and a blessing come true.

00:08:12:01 – 00:08:26:10
Christopher McDonald
And I kept them begging. Adam, the fans, the minute we got to make a sequel, people stopped me all the time. We got to make a sequel. It goes, yeah, yeah, yeah. He asked me, asked me for for a few years, and then he finally sat down with his with his a writer and they got a really funny script and people love it.

00:08:26:10 – 00:08:41:11
Christopher McDonald
So and I got to meet Legends of golf and legends and training. And I got to say it was one of the most fun. And I walked into the room one day where they were, you know, between scenes, and I wasn’t I wasn’t shooting that day, but I wanted to see because Jack Nicholson said the Tribune was there, you know, all these great, great golfers.

00:08:41:11 – 00:08:42:09
Christopher McDonald
And as soon as I turned the.

00:08:42:09 – 00:08:45:16
David Martin
Corner, you turned me for being an actor and started believed to be a good golf fan.

00:08:45:23 – 00:08:46:21
Christopher McDonald
Exactly.

00:08:46:33 – 00:08:46:59
David Martin
Okay.

00:08:47:01 – 00:08:55:39
Christopher McDonald
All right. Anyway, I walked in the room and they and they went shut up and started doing the guns. So I was like, oh my God, pinch me now. I’ll never forget that moment. It was wild.

00:08:55:42 – 00:09:00:20
David Martin
Yeah. Did your golf game improve after the result of Happy Gilmore one and two?

00:09:00:22 – 00:09:06:29
Christopher McDonald
I would say yes because I was invited to play everywhere and it was a joy. And I really enjoy doing now as playing at the.

00:09:06:32 – 00:09:11:10
David Martin
So are they. Does shooter show up or does crispy throttle show up a little bit of both.

00:09:11:14 – 00:09:32:08
Christopher McDonald
Yeah. They demand the shooter out of me. So I you know I do something I had a big, you know, putt off with with a legendary golfer slash football player. And he was retired now and, and he said you’re not going to make this. And he said I’ll give you 500 bucks if you make this putt. And I literally watched everybody else do it because it’s, you know, it’s a scramble.

00:09:32:08 – 00:09:41:41
Christopher McDonald
And the ball went in and he threw it, crumpled the money up and threw it on the ground and said, no, no, right here, right in the palm of my hand. He’s all these moments like that make me turn me into the shooter and people eat it up.

00:09:41:49 – 00:09:45:15
David Martin
It’s pretty fun. You were just Adam Sandler, one on one golf. Who’s winning?

00:09:45:20 – 00:09:54:31
Christopher McDonald
That’s a pretty good thing because he’s he’s he’s a very good athlete and he’ll get off the tee well but I will putt for dough baby. So I think it’s I think I got.

00:09:54:31 – 00:09:59:09
David Martin
That one. Well I live in New York City and he always turns up playing one on, you know playing basketball.

00:09:59:14 – 00:10:14:18
Christopher McDonald
He loves the game. He loves the ball game. And I tell you what I, I got to say he’s he’s good at that too. Got a lot of great shots behind the back. Kind of like passes and stuff. And he and Timothy just did it when they did one of these things for the, you know, for the Oscars, trying to get that, you know, attention for your team.

00:10:14:18 – 00:10:31:41
Christopher McDonald
And I think it’s really a shame he’s such a good actor. What he does and everybody loves him as his comedies. But when he’s a really, really in it and he’s amazing and the movie he’s called Jay Kelly and he played George Clooney’s manager and and it was really a hard, hard moving experience.

00:10:31:41 – 00:10:32:07
David Martin
To me.

00:10:32:10 – 00:10:33:38
Christopher McDonald
Because I was I watched the whole thing.

00:10:33:38 – 00:10:39:36
David Martin
So Uncut Gems and really, you know, these two movies he’s done, it’s like, who is this guy? You know, he.

00:10:39:47 – 00:10:57:52
Christopher McDonald
He has a great range and I’m so happy he’s embracing all that stuff now. And, you know, he’s got a you got a great deal at Netflix. So they you know, they said we got to crank them out here. So all right right after we finish Happy Gilmore two, he directed both his daughters in separate movies. Really in new Jersey okay, now that’s a good father.

00:10:58:06 – 00:10:59:32
David Martin
I tell you, that’s a good dad.

00:10:59:34 – 00:11:02:08
Christopher McDonald
He’s a good dad. And he puts his friends and everything, which is great.

00:11:02:10 – 00:11:05:46
David Martin
One other movie we got to talk about because we have a mutual friend, Celtic Pride.

00:11:05:48 – 00:11:06:31
Christopher McDonald
Oh, classic.

00:11:06:40 – 00:11:17:14
David Martin
Classic. I don’t know, I don’t know about classic, but the script was hilarious. Yeah it was. And we both actually did something that not many people get to do. We played basketball in the parquet floor. Yeah. Exactly right.

00:11:17:16 – 00:11:34:42
Christopher McDonald
I, I was out there, I was telling you yesterday with a red arbor, and it was like standing midcourt and smoking stogie because he’s the only one is allowed to smoke a stogie. And I thought, I’m not going to pass this up. So it was brilliant. You were the guy, the last guy that probably won by horse on the parquet floor, which.

00:11:34:42 – 00:11:54:41
David Martin
Is fantastic. Oh, I lost, by the way. I lost, but you, you won. You were. So basically, this is a movie that was out several years ago. I think it was Dan Aykroyd and Daniel Stern play rabid Celtic fans, and they decided it’s a good idea to kidnap the Utah Jazz star player. And I can’t remember exactly what happens, but somehow they have to wind up being Celtic Utah Jazz fans.

00:11:54:43 – 00:11:56:57
David Martin
Exactly right? Right. And you were the coach of the Utah Jazz?

00:11:56:58 – 00:12:01:11
Christopher McDonald
Yes, I was the last winning coach on the parquet floor. Then they moved right from there to downtown Boston.

00:12:01:11 – 00:12:15:35
David Martin
Well, thank you, Charlie Schlissel. You brought us all together. Here we are. Here we are 20 years later talking basketball. So you are here with Hello Nation. And this is the good government show. We can’t completely avoid government. What drew you to work with Hello Nation? What moved you?

00:12:15:35 – 00:12:35:53
Christopher McDonald
I just thought when I saw the template of it that it was a something to for the good. Because we need more good. We need more humor in life. We need more good in life. And and this is something it’s helping so many people who just want to get their platform off the ground with a great viewing and the great pictures and people that are kind of blown away.

00:12:35:53 – 00:12:39:54
Christopher McDonald
Like you said, you look at yours, that’s my town. That’s what I say. And then. But they have every town.

00:12:39:57 – 00:12:41:09
David Martin
Did you look up your hometown?

00:12:41:19 – 00:12:57:58
Christopher McDonald
All three of them. It was great. Yeah. So yeah. So I believed in it, and I believed in Bob. And I was happy to help. I said, if I. If I’m not working. I’ll be happy to come and join you. Yeah. So that’s exactly why I did it. And I like the people he works with. So that’s basically it.

00:12:57:58 – 00:13:01:38
Christopher McDonald
And I learned I mean, I was talking to a lot of mayors. We’re at this mayor convention, amazing.

00:13:01:41 – 00:13:03:15
David Martin
Conference of mayors here in Washington.

00:13:03:17 – 00:13:23:23
Christopher McDonald
And I’m and I’m well, it’s not it’s something that is the hardest thing to fix. And then I run into this and it’s about the homeless there. There in California. It is it is a terrible, terrible problem. And it’s you can’t help them if they’re sick. And if they have a drug problem, they’re they’re going to sleep outside in the cold, which is terrible.

00:13:23:23 – 00:13:44:36
Christopher McDonald
So I’m meeting these mayors. And this guy from named Joe is a mayor of Manhattan Beach. Okay. Nice spot, nice spot. No homeless. I said no, I heard you say you. I mean homeless and Manhattan Beach man. He’s one of the most beautiful spots in the west West coast, just north of San Diego, which is another gorgeous spot.

00:13:44:39 – 00:13:47:07
David Martin
Right. And I’ve actually served in Manhattan Beach.

00:13:47:10 – 00:13:49:15
Christopher McDonald
Yeah. Wow. That’s it’s a beautiful place.

00:13:49:15 – 00:13:49:51
David Martin
It is a beautiful.

00:13:49:51 – 00:14:06:33
Christopher McDonald
And I had just been there. So I said, yeah, I noticed that. So how do they do it? What programs they do to make it happen. How much money they extend to that to put these people off the street into housing till they can get better, so they can get a job so they can move on with their lives.

00:14:06:33 – 00:14:23:53
Christopher McDonald
And then the other one, they really he has to resist. On said he ran into two women who were saying, I can’t find my husband. They were German. Yeah. And they’d been there looking and they were mentally challenged. He got them on a plane, sent them back once he tracked down the family and sent them back to Germany.

00:14:23:56 – 00:14:50:08
Christopher McDonald
I mean, this guy gets the job done. So I was very impressed. And but it’s an issue that is not easily solved. And every time I travel a great deal and every time I’ve been to there’s always underneath the, the, you know, the freeways every once back in there. And it’s tragic people on the corner, you know begging and it’s, it’s it’s not the, you know, it’s it’s something that can be fixed as I’ve saw with, with Joe and what he did down in beach town and beach and beach.

00:14:50:08 – 00:14:58:25
Christopher McDonald
And so that’s, that’s something that it can be done. And he put his people on it and he’s winning the day.

00:14:58:25 – 00:15:06:43
David Martin
Well, you jumped in before I got to ask you the question. You you said this is the second time you’ve been to a government conference. Were you a government guy? You politics guy? Were you a political guy?

00:15:06:46 – 00:15:12:17
Christopher McDonald
Were you? I was a president of my high school class for three years, so you’re kind of a big deal.

00:15:12:22 – 00:15:13:05
David Martin
You’re kind of a big deal.

00:15:13:19 – 00:15:20:28
Christopher McDonald
Kind of a big deal in New York. But. But no, I never kind of sick away as an actor. One has to be sort of Switzerland. Yeah. So.

00:15:20:33 – 00:15:25:52
David Martin
But no, but, I mean, was just something that you always interested in. Was it something you always paying attention to you? Yeah. Three papers a day.

00:15:25:52 – 00:15:46:34
Christopher McDonald
I pay attention to the government. I pay attention to the choices and the people elected and how they got elected. And I think that’s interesting. I, I’m very serious about my voting. But other than the fact that if you don’t really hear about it too much, then they’re doing a great job. But when it gets to be messy, that’s when there is blessed on all the all the television stations and it’s rough.

00:15:46:36 – 00:15:59:02
David Martin
So you talked about the Manhattan Beach. You impressed you. What is your sort of take away? What have you picked up and what have you learned here at the Conference of Mayors talking with mayors? You know, everyone’s coming up and meeting you. I’m sure you’re hearing some great stories.

00:15:59:02 – 00:16:16:58
Christopher McDonald
I heard some great stories. I had lunch yesterday and watched The Great. There was a great speech. I don’t remember his name, but then I it was so intense and great. Very bright guy. And I feel embarrassed. I don’t remember his name, but I haven’t written down someplace. And then we spoke again last night after the whole shebang was over.

00:16:17:06 – 00:16:42:57
Christopher McDonald
Great. Great storyteller. No knows what he’s doing. Fearless on both sides of the the voting, as it were, and just a really, really intense and great speaker. So he had a lot, a lot to say about how how to think about these way. He had charts set up, up on top of the DSN of words, how you should frame the word, the words, and how you should change this.

00:16:42:59 – 00:16:44:50
David Martin
And we’re talking about Frank Luntz.

00:16:44:54 – 00:16:45:26
Christopher McDonald
That’s him.

00:16:45:28 – 00:16:48:33
David Martin
Frank loves the pollster. Yes. He brought all the West Point cadets with him. He did.

00:16:48:40 – 00:16:54:15
Christopher McDonald
He did. And what a great guy he is and a great a great regulatory. He told Big So. Oh, you know him well.

00:16:54:20 – 00:16:55:44
David Martin
Yes I do. Yes, yes I do.

00:16:55:47 – 00:16:57:46
Christopher McDonald
You must have had him on this program because he’s he’s a lot.

00:16:57:49 – 00:17:15:55
David Martin
You know what? I have not been able to get Frank. Where hopefully he’s listening. You’re going to work on this. Good good good. I have his number here. I keep calling him, and every time I see him, he’s like. I’m too busy. Yeah. Are you hopeful? Do you feel like, you know, when you come to the Conference of Mayors and when you’ve interacted through Hello Nation with people in government, do you get a good feeling?

00:17:15:57 – 00:17:31:16
Christopher McDonald
Absolutely. I find very sharp the mayors that I’ve met and I’ve met probably most of them. Okay. They all come over and they love the shooter, that they shake their hand. They take the it’s selfie and yes, and it’s all good. And I spent a few minutes talking with them and they’re just, you know, hardworking. Got the job to be happy.

00:17:31:16 – 00:17:40:44
Christopher McDonald
They have the gig second and third term are a little bit more like, oh, I’m trying to really work this issue here and there. So it’s there. They don’t stop and I have nothing but respect for him.

00:17:40:46 – 00:17:45:20
David Martin
Can you give my listeners and your audience a reason to be hopeful, based on what you’ve seen here at the conference?

00:17:45:22 – 00:18:08:11
Christopher McDonald
Yeah, I think that when they get somebody in there that is as a qualified and be like, for example, the women, they said, oh, she’ll never get elected as a woman and no one likes, you know, whenever this is a man’s thing and she won by, you know, many, many, many votes and made a huge difference. And so and still does and outworks that man because he’s still in politics.

00:18:08:11 – 00:18:25:10
Christopher McDonald
So that kind of thing is like very, very hopeful. I think that when they come, they do. They all come together and they all share their information and deal with them. I only talked about, you know, the things that are brought in my mind because I see it so much with the homelessness and but they just do everything.

00:18:25:10 – 00:18:30:10
Christopher McDonald
And I’m just I’m really jazzed about it actually, how well they worked together.

00:18:30:12 – 00:18:33:38
David Martin
All right. Well, that’s so that that’s a good reason to be optimistic then.

00:18:33:41 – 00:18:33:55
Christopher McDonald
Yes.

00:18:33:57 – 00:18:40:04
David Martin
I agree. We’re going to come back. We’re gonna ask you a couple of questions.

00:18:40:09 – 00:19:03:58
David Martin
The Good Government Show is sponsored by our. That’s. Oh, you are for our community. Get involved. We hear that all the time from government leaders. Our co brands with your government’s name and logo, your staff and the people you serve are connected and part of your community. From any device. Your members provide reliable data and meaningful feedback. Ask a question like do we want more parkland or better homeless services?

00:19:03:58 – 00:19:15:41
David Martin
More engaged conversations come through the our app. Visit our code that’s Cocom and book a demonstration.

00:19:15:45 – 00:19:45:03
David Martin
After you get done with this episode. Hear more good government stories with our friends at How to Really Run a City for memories, Kasim Reed of Atlanta and Michael Nutter of Philadelphia, and their co-host, journalist and author Larry Platt talk with guests and other mayors about how to really get stuff done in cities around the nation. Check them out where you’re listening now or through their nonprofit news site, The Philadelphia Citizen.

00:19:45:08 – 00:19:54:29
David Martin
We have a good government show questionnaire. We ask all the mayors this. So this is going to be a little tough because you’re not a mayor. However, you have played a merit, a president. So this is going to be this is going to be a breeze.

00:19:54:31 – 00:19:55:26
Christopher McDonald
And a lawyer. So.

00:19:55:29 – 00:20:03:04
David Martin
Oh so you can just talk talk her out. All right. What is good government. How do you define good government. What’s your definition of good government.

00:20:03:07 – 00:20:21:34
Christopher McDonald
Good government is listening to who your constituents are and doing the best you can possibly do in those areas. They’re asking you to to fix because it ain’t easy. And that’s why they’re elected to see if they can get everybody on the same plane. Unless not having these these horns going at each other all the time. So that’s what it feels like anyway.

00:20:21:37 – 00:20:32:02
David Martin
Have you ever gotten involved in a local issue in your hometowns? I think you said you had three of them. Have you ever gotten involved and done stuff, and what would you tell people to do? How should they get it?

00:20:32:17 – 00:20:50:18
Christopher McDonald
I find it, and I live in a small town in California, but it’s on a lake. It’s how I grew up in upstate New York, and I recreated that to grow my the, you know, to have a family up there and, and there’s there’s a lot of, I got to say, fraud. I’ll say it out loud. I, I’ll spell it for a fraud.

00:20:50:20 – 00:20:51:37
Christopher McDonald
And it happens.

00:20:51:47 – 00:20:53:04
David Martin
Goodbye, Switzerland, by the way.

00:20:53:06 – 00:21:10:46
Christopher McDonald
Yeah. See? Exactly. So. Well, I just got to say, I mean, that’s that’s something that’s really. I do it, but I can’t do too much of it because I’m an actor. And I got to be the Switzerland guy. Yeah, but when it’s that prevalent right in your face, they wanted to take our water rights and sell it, okay?

00:21:10:48 – 00:21:30:11
Christopher McDonald
And and it’s not right to do that. And so but it was all about there was a lot of greed and then all these, these things were behind closed doors and no one was invited. And so there’s no transparency at all. And and then when you find out what really happens behind closed doors, you go, oh man, we got to just step up and do something here.

00:21:30:11 – 00:21:42:10
Christopher McDonald
So I have a couple of friends and I, I know they have time and a couple of lawyers up there that really go after him. I really expose what’s going on behind the closed doors. So that’s the part I deal with mostly in my personal life.

00:21:42:13 – 00:21:49:22
David Martin
There are actors who have been, you know, quite outspoken about politics and about government. Have you had any conversations with those guys.

00:21:49:22 – 00:21:55:05
Christopher McDonald
And I haven’t. They’re not working anymore. We’ll be right back after these messages.

00:21:55:09 – 00:21:56:50
David Martin
You are a working actor, sir.

00:21:56:57 – 00:21:58:02
Christopher McDonald
I am indeed, yeah.

00:21:58:04 – 00:22:00:50
David Martin
Who is it? Is anyone in government or in public service inspire?

00:22:00:50 – 00:22:02:45
Christopher McDonald
You owe. A lot of people inspire me. I mean.

00:22:02:47 – 00:22:04:26
David Martin
Other than the mayor of Marion Beach.

00:22:04:28 – 00:22:08:22
Christopher McDonald
Well, he’s number one right now because he’s he’s the latest one. But I.

00:22:08:35 – 00:22:11:13
David Martin
Let’s let’s be fair. That beach is beautiful, truly.

00:22:11:13 – 00:22:19:10
Christopher McDonald
And he keeps it beautiful. It does. Which is a beautiful thing, which is, you know, just two, two towns away. It’s not so much the same. There’s a lot of.

00:22:19:15 – 00:22:22:05
David Martin
Hermosa, El Segundo, different sides, different cities.

00:22:22:08 – 00:22:26:03
Christopher McDonald
Right, exactly. Okay. But what was your question? It was very.

00:22:26:03 – 00:22:34:24
David Martin
Important idea. I have no idea who inspires you other than the other than the mayor of Manhattan Beach? Who are there politicians or people in government that inspire you?

00:22:34:26 – 00:22:49:12
Christopher McDonald
Well, yeah. I mean, there are there are so many wonderful people doing a great job out there. And like I say, I keep involved with it. I vote, but at the same time, I’m not I can’t really talk about how I vote because that’s the thing. Yes, but.

00:22:49:16 – 00:22:52:20
David Martin
But that’s why we have privately at a booth exactly.

00:22:52:25 – 00:23:12:12
Christopher McDonald
That we’re doing that. And I was happy to I also have switched off my voting to the East Coast because I live in New York City as well, and I spend more time there when I when I’m working on shows and things like that. So voting on that thing very, very, very, very interesting how people are really, really vocal about.

00:23:12:14 – 00:23:14:48
David Martin
Did you vote in the last mayoral election? Indeed, yes. All right.

00:23:14:50 – 00:23:20:50
Christopher McDonald
Good man. Yeah, yeah. And then they’re very passionate about it too, which is just great.

00:23:20:52 – 00:23:30:35
David Martin
You said three years student government president. Did you ever consider a career in politics? No, no. Acting in politics sometimes go together. I don’t know if you’ve heard.

00:23:30:49 – 00:23:33:44
Christopher McDonald
I think you’re right there, Dave. Yeah. Yes, I it’s not my thing.

00:23:33:49 – 00:23:34:08
David Martin
No.

00:23:34:13 – 00:23:38:15
Christopher McDonald
That’s a no. No. It’s a no. And my wife would agree to keep me out of it.

00:23:38:15 – 00:23:44:36
David Martin
So is there anything you can do? And what can we all do, do you think to restore faith in government?

00:23:44:39 – 00:24:00:28
Christopher McDonald
Pay it for it. Be. Go out there and do something good. Do something that has talked about their doing, but get a leg up on them. Come on, let’s try this and that. So you want transparency. You want that kind of open door policy if you will, so they can say, look, I’ve got some time on my hands.

00:24:00:28 – 00:24:17:15
Christopher McDonald
I’d like to help you do this and make it happen. I think that’s one of the most important things about it. Just let’s all get together and then let’s like, do good, which is what? Know what this whole thing. That why I’m here today, that’s doing good for people in these small towns and making a difference and that kind of stuff is we want a good life.

00:24:17:15 – 00:24:21:13
Christopher McDonald
We want to be a happy life. All those charts that we’re talking about, that as Dave was putting up.

00:24:21:13 – 00:24:21:41
David Martin
There.

00:24:21:46 – 00:24:37:57
Christopher McDonald
Like was putting up there. Yeah. Really cool. People want to live a good, healthy life. And it’s not about all the kind of other stuff that we were taught for years. I have the things in here. I could almost read them off. I was, I was, I was really taken by him. No good voices like that are very, very important.

00:24:38:00 – 00:24:39:14
Christopher McDonald
He’s brilliant. Yeah. He’s brilliant.

00:24:39:14 – 00:24:40:33
David Martin
What do you love about being an actor?

00:24:40:33 – 00:25:00:44
Christopher McDonald
I love the people. I love the I love the words. I love the locations. I’ve been all over the world. Thank you. Thank you God for for doing great stuff. I spent two and a half great weeks in Ireland, which I was my mother country, and took their family there earlier in the summer and then got a job that went over there and I was thrilled.

00:25:00:46 – 00:25:06:36
Christopher McDonald
I’ve been in many, many countries and, you know, from Italy to, to Romania to, you know, all over that stuff.

00:25:06:41 – 00:25:11:14
David Martin
So if a script comes your way that says Opening Ireland Night, you say, I’m in.

00:25:11:17 – 00:25:32:52
Christopher McDonald
I’m in. I have to read it. Yeah I’m in. Yeah. It’s one of the, it’s one of the perks that I love the most. And I learned skills. I learned I can drive a tractor trailer truck, you know. Yes, I can drive, I ride motorcycles, I can go in balloons. Now, I’ve done all these crazy, wonderful things. And you don’t get that kind of opportunity with a regular.

00:25:32:56 – 00:25:34:11
David Martin
With Jack Nicklaus.

00:25:34:15 – 00:25:52:41
Christopher McDonald
But with Jack Nicklaus, I swear to God, it was. That was one of the pinch me moments. Just sitting and talking to him for two hours was incredible. And talking to lead and talking to these guys who know each other all these years. And they just, you know, they’re they’re they’re like together. They they’re sewn together. Now that they had this tremendous.

00:25:52:41 – 00:26:11:01
Christopher McDonald
But who was better than Jack? Jack was like, I don’t know. I can’t do all his. It was great because he’s had so many records broken. But anyway, I just I just I think that’s one of the greatest things about the people you meet, the at, the stories you tell and the locations that you can live in while you’re making it.

00:26:11:01 – 00:26:11:18
Christopher McDonald
It’s kind.

00:26:11:18 – 00:26:29:46
David Martin
Of I think I read somewhere Steve Martin got the script for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and said, exterior South of France. He said, yep, yep. What else makes sense? What what what did they pick me up? Yeah. Well, listen, there’s this is a question I asked. I’m going to ask you all the places you’ve been. What’s your best meal you’ve ever had?

00:26:29:51 – 00:26:35:14
David Martin
Usually I asked the mayor, what’s their favorite place in the city? But you just talked about traveling the world. So what’s the what’s the best dish?

00:26:35:17 – 00:26:41:07
Christopher McDonald
I’m going to have to go with Italy. Yeah, in Rome and in one of those side streets.

00:26:41:09 – 00:26:45:40
David Martin
You are, you are, you are. Irish. So that makes you Italian. Exactly.

00:26:45:45 – 00:27:00:10
Christopher McDonald
That’s that’s good. But the battalion, the Italian food is just so hands above all these things that the time they spent on the sources and then the pasta and then the beautiful breads and then the little glass. Alvino. Pretty much heaven.

00:27:00:13 – 00:27:01:20
David Martin
Where do you get your news?

00:27:01:29 – 00:27:18:01
Christopher McDonald
Television, basically. Watch it on, you know, watch the things I don’t try to do, not before I go to bed because, you know, get getting your head to much so but I do it during the day in between you know set ups everybody’s going to do goes back to the trailer and they, you know, you have your lunch and stuff and then you can tune it in like that times.

00:27:18:02 – 00:27:35:37
David Martin
Chris McDonald, it is a pleasure to talk to you and to to have met you, although apparently we probably met about 20 years ago. And so good to see you again. You haven’t been, by the way, you have an Easter bit. It’s a pleasure having you on to talk about government, having been an actor and a president, and they’re right up your alley.

00:27:35:39 – 00:27:36:44
David Martin
So thanks for coming on.

00:27:36:44 – 00:27:37:42
Christopher McDonald
Thank you for having me.

00:27:37:44 – 00:27:38:15
David Martin
David. Good.

00:27:38:16 – 00:27:41:56
Christopher McDonald
Matthew. Cheers.

00:27:42:01 – 00:28:03:28
David Martin
The Good Government Institute has a new partner, the Charles F Kettering Foundation. I really like their podcast, The Context, and I bet you will too. They have a new series called Democracy Under Construction. The show is hosted by historian Alex Lovett, and he looks back at the first 250 years of U.S. history. Alex digs into the moments that have pushed us towards an inclusive democracy.

00:28:03:30 – 00:28:12:01
David Martin
You can find it where you’re listening right now, or visit Kettering and give them a follow.

00:28:12:06 – 00:28:29:58
David Martin
Want to hear more about good government? Check out another show I host Leading Iowa Good Government in Iowa cities. I host the show with Brad Kavanagh, mayor of Dubuque, Iowa, and the immediate past president of the Iowa League of Cities. Together, we talked to leaders in Iowa cities. We talk about what works and what good government looks like in Iowa.

00:28:30:00 – 00:28:49:30
David Martin
Join us right here. We’re listening. Now that’s leading Iowa. Good government in Iowa cities. That was a fun conversation. And we got in some good government discussion too. First, Chris McDonnell is really excited to talk about city government. And as a political outsider, he was really impressed with some of the mayors he met and hear them talk about how they govern their cities.

00:28:49:30 – 00:29:04:22
David Martin
When you hear that from someone who’s not working in government every day. That’s a great outside perspective. As we continue to work with Hello Nation to spread the word of good government, it’s great to have a spokesman like Chris McDonald working with us now. I guess I better go work on my golf game, because who knows around.

00:29:04:22 – 00:29:26:21
David Martin
His golf may be required in my future. Well, that’s our show. Thanks for listening. Please like us and share with your friends and review us right here where you’re listening, and check out our website. Good Government show for extras. Help us keep telling stories of good government and action everywhere. Join us again for another episode right here. I’m Dave Martin and this is the Good Government show.

00:29:26:26 – 00:30:05:18
David Martin
The Good Government Show is produced by the Good Government Institute, a nonprofit organization promoting civic engagement and civic education. All donations to the show help promote trust in government. You can donate at Good Govt Institute. That’s good govt institute. Executive producers are Jim Ludlow, Dave Martin, that’s me and David Snyder. Jason Stershic is our editor and producer. Join us again to hear good stories about our government right here on The Good Government Show.

00:30:05:23 – 00:30:08:28
Narrator
This podcast is part of the democracy Group.

**This transcription was created using digital tools and has not been edited by a live person. We apologize for any discrepancies or errors.