Two Missouri Gubernatorial Candidates Argue Hilariously While Scheduling A Meeting

El Taco10 years ago

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch released audio on Monday from a 10-minute long conversation between Republican candidates John Brunner and Eric Greitens. In the audio, you can hear the two are trying to schedule a face-to-face meeting. It does not go well:

JOHN BRUNNER: Eric, I told you, I’m free on…
ERIC GREITENS: Ohhhh Johhnnnnn. Ohhhh Johnnnn. Where can you meet tomorrow, John?
BRUNNER: Why, when we just agreed at 7 o’clock at Starbucks on Monday…
GREITENS: John, I have a flight on Monday morning. If you’re going to seriously pretend that you’re going to duck this. I’m calling it right now.
BRUNNER: I’m not ducking anything.
GREITENS: I want to meet with you.
BRUNNER: Oh, so you have a conflict in your schedule and then *inaudible* after you?
GREITENS: Oh John Brunner. My god. You are such a weasel.

My guess is whichever one is elected, the other won’t be selected to be a part of their cabinet.

About two minutes in, we finally get some context over what the animosity might about:

BRUNNER: Eric, why do you use names and terms like this? I mean, why do call people things like this?
GREITENS: Because, John, you refuse to answer a question on whether or not you’re responsible for this negative, cowardly attack. That’s weasley.
BRUNNER: Oh Eric. Eric. Eric, my friend.
GREITENS: Be a man, John. Be a man!
BRUNNER: You know what men do, Eric? You know what men do? They don’t call people names, they sit down and talk face to face. That’s what men do. They don’t get on the phone and yell and call people names and that’s exactly what you’ve done for the last five minutes.

The “negative, cowardly attack” Greitens is referring to appears to be an anti-Greitens website, ericgrietens.com, reportedly created by a former Brunner staffer. The site, which switches the “i” and “e” in Greitens name, disses the former Navy SEAL, calling him “not a conservative.”

The Kansas City Star first reported the site being linked to Brunner’s party on November 13. This conversation appears to have taken place around that time.

GREITENS: I’m going to meet you next Sunday on the 22nd.
BRUNNER: Can it be, let’s see here, on the afternoon? Late afternoon?
GREITENS: Yep. I can meet you on Sunday the 22nd at 3pm.
BRUNNER: That’d be perfect.
GREITENS: I’m going to meet you at the Starbucks at Euclid and Maryland.
BRUNNER: That’d be great. I’m looking forward to seeing you, Eric.

See? They’re going to meet face-to-face and work all this out in a nice, civil way.

GREITENS: I’m going to ask you one more time John…When we sit down next Sunday, the 22nd, at 3pm, I want you to look me in the eye and I want you to tell me the truth.
BRUNNER: Eric, you don’t need to tell me how to look in a person’s eye. Alright? Who do you think I am?

Or not.

The full audio, which can be found on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website, is worth a listen. Although my favorite part might come around the 8:35 mark. Someone on Brunner’s side, who seemingly is the one who leaked the conversation, whispers and tells him to deny it. That’s when you can tell Brunner is absolutely trolling Greitens.

BRUNNER’S AIDE: Deny it.
BRUNNER: Eric, listen. The truth will come out when you and I sit down and talk. I don’t take accusations over the phone. I don’t take people yelling at me. I don’t take people insinuating anything and, frankly, I think it’s disgusting the way you’ve handled this phone call and the way you’ve handled this whole situation. I’m looking forward to sitting down and hopefully you’ll be a gentleman and a person of honor and integrity when we sit down.

Now THAT is politics..

[via St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

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