Jim VandeHei: Just the Good Stuff - No BS Secrets to Success

Jim, great to see you.

Great to be here. Appreciate it. First off, how did you find time in your schedule to write a book?

I don't know. I mean, a lot of it is just me kind of taking what I'm learning from running a company and having also been a journalist and trying to pass it on to other people. So a lot of it is just part of my daily flow. And then, you know, I could write quick because we've been writing for 30 or 40 years. And right to the point. He founded the playbook and then he founded Axios. And Axios is something you have to read. And once you read it, you become addicted to it. And if you want to quickly understand what's going on in the country, I always say get Axios because it gives you the fundamentals and then you decide what you want to click on or what you want to find out more about. So the name of your book is called Just the Good Stuff. No BS secrets of success, no matter what life throws at you.

And Jim, I want to get into that. But first off, put in perspective what you've been seeing on these with these campus uprisings and the fact that we have Jewish students in America in 2024 who are concerned for their welfare many campuses. Yeah, I think what you said at the end is what matters most. I think all of us have friends who are Jewish and then have kids on these campuses. And the number of friends I'm hearing from whose kids, one at USC, I've got a kid at Chapel Hill who are scared to go into their campus and are being frozen out because they're Jewish is insane.

Like there's no justification for it. And when I look at this, especially I look at a lot of these universities, it does come down to weak leadership, which I think is a real problem in the country. Like the lack of like clear moral leadership in terms of what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. Are you going to accept free speech? At what point is free speech become criminal behavior?

Places like the University of Chicago have kind of set it out and they haven't had as big of an issue. But when you have moral ambiguity, when you have leadership ambiguity, and these students are kind of encouraged sometimes by professors to have this behavior, you get what you're seeing at some of these campuses. And it's just not right. Like there's not, it's fine. You have whatever position you want on what's happening in the Middle East. But you can't damage buildings. You can't, you can't taunt people because of their faith or their origin. Like it's just wrong.

It's just wrong. And then when you make it impossible for other kids to go to school, you're a criminal, period. But it also factors into law enforcement, too, in your view of it.

So, for example, it's easy for a lawmaker like Elise Stefanik, the Speaker of the House, a new president at Columbia. And then you realize that Columbia's president got rebuked from their faculty, their board, because she invited the NYPD on campus to get rid of those encampments. So she was being too tough for the people that hired her. And on the outside was saying, you got to get tough for your students. And they don't even know that she probably in some degree actually feel bad for. She doesn't know which way to go.

And then finally, she had to call in the cops. But if you have, if you wind back the clock, if you have a clear philosophy on what type of behavior you're going to accept. We love free speech.

Everybody does. And we should have a vibrant free speech across on any topic, on any university. But the minute that it starts to drift into illegal behavior, then that's why you have law enforcement. But if you haven't laid that out clear for yourself, for your faculty, for your students, you get mayhem. And yes, like somewhat sympathetic is university professors are operating in extremely liberal environments. Like they have a lot of teachers. Like we know that most teachers are pretty liberal. A lot of them are quite sympathetic to the protesters. And so they're under tremendous pressure internally. On the other side, they're under pressure from politicians, the media, from donors. So, yeah, well, welcome to leadership.

Like you got the big gig and then when you get it, you darn well better have moral clarity. Yeah. Just to give people up for the most point, you hear these stories, they go, oh, that crazy New York and California. It's not happening in the Midwest.

Wrong. It's happening in the Midwest. University of Wisconsin. We just had video on. There were riots, huge protests today with an encampment.

Then you have University of Texas, Austin. Cops came in there two or three times. They finally were able to pull some people out and they look at the University of Southern Florida. That's when they were able to have a look at it. And it was a great moment. The people were able to do that. And then, you know, the President of the United States actually was able to end it.

But it doesn't mean the sentiment wasn't there and the sense of injustice for the Palestinians opposed to it. The Israelis I find interesting and I looked at some studies prior to October 7th. This was the 34th most important issue for college kids.

34th. How has it become number one where you're risking your college education? Definitely, you know, a lot more concentrated in New York and in California but it's undoubtedly spreading.

I don't know that it is bigger than the number 34 issue right now. I think for a very small number of people it's obviously like something they're quite passionate about and they're now protesting. I think there's always been a group of people who are in college who are kind of radicalized and ready to protest no matter what it is. It becomes somewhat contagious and you have a lot of people don't even really know what they're talking about, what they're even protesting, the words that they're utilizing and then it kind of takes off.

It takes on like a life of its own which you see across TV all this week. City College faculty is right there. They're talking to each other. Let's go support the kids. Columbia, we're out there. You saw them invest on. You saw them ringed around the campus supporting the kids so you can't even say even after the building was taken over there was still no outrage from the actual faculty itself. I find that somewhat disturbing especially because I mean this is they're trying to graduate in three weeks.

They're supporting people that have encampments that they were warned you have to pick up the encampments at two o'clock I think it was on Tuesday or you risked expulsion. Now they say they want amnesty from expulsion. So are all these kids gonna kicked out of school?

Are they gonna follow through with this? I have no idea but there are obviously seen universities take a hell of a lot tougher tone over the last 24 hours saying you're gonna get expelled and listen I yes you have you definitely have a lot of professors at some of these universities who are siding with the students. My guess is that most don't but there's a you're under so much pressure you're so worried about the backlash that you end up staying silent. I think most professors they just want to teach math or biology they're not necessarily activists by nature. There's certainly some people in the especially in like the political science area at a lot of these places that just kind of long for the heyday of the 60s and our protesters and anti-establishment by nature but I don't I don't know that that's most and that's I think that's the pickle that you see these administrators in like they're trying to figure out like how like how big is this movement inside their University and what's the backlash gonna be? Brown University reached an agreement with the student organizers on Tuesday to disband the pro-palestinian encampments on campus through the end of the year and bring divestment demands to a vote later this year. So in that way you could say they've they've won the students have won if they gonna have vote on what the university is gonna invest in right shouldn't that just be in your decision when you pick a college? I don't like what they're investing in I'll probably not go to Brown. I mean at least that is a peaceful solution at least like they've they've they've come to some kind of compromise between students and university I'm like that's their prerogative that's that university then if you go to that school you get to make a decision I think that's a lot different than someone smashing windows occupying buildings and making it impossible for somebody who's paying a tuition to go to school to go to school or these kids who don't get to have a commencement address because they're so scared about the backlash from from people on campus that's just plain wrong like and again like I just say towards like a moral clarity matters where what is the black and white for you as a university you as a university administrator using a university leader but you don't have that you get like some form of anarchy which you have. Are you surprised did you put your analyst hat on for a second are you surprised you haven't heard more from the White House are you surprised you haven't had more from Chuck Schumer's in New York and the most powerful Jewish leader ever as the majority leader in the Senate congressman Nadler also a New Yorker you think not saying much is is passable I listen just politically speaking they're in a hell of a pickle right you've got you've got a real issue that it's not a huge number but there's a decent number of people especially in swing states who are very very sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and who are saying we're not going to vote for for Joe Biden we're not going to vote for Democrats in a world where you have a House or Senate in a presidency that all could be determined control of Congress and who wins the presidency could come down to 10 20 30 40 50 thousand votes in seven different swing states it can and I think that's where they're that's where they're getting constipated right they're like ah man like even you know what Chuck Schumer probably wants to say I think you can I actually think I know what Joe Biden wants to say I don't know that they feel that they can say it so the White House yesterday comes out they have the spokesman I tell reporters that the other is outrageous in terms of the actual protests that are that are now trending into criminal behavior but the president's not saying that like you said a lot of Democratic leaders aren't when our reporters are asking Democrats they kind of want I don't want to talk about that topic they're in a jam they're in a jam we do my wrong to say that from the image we have of JFK of Reagan even George H or George W Bush that they would just be saying the right thing that they would not be that worried about it or silence wouldn't be an option I'm stunned by the lack of communication on the issue that is really roiling the country and I got up today I saw two and a half hours of outright outright unrest on the UCLA campus I thought it might wait a second is this still happening as we're getting ready for Fox and Friends so for two and a half hours I can't imagine being president and not addressing this just walking up to the reporters and just saying guys he's got to tell you this is where I stand right and like there's just to me there is a very clear demarcation zone I'm a big free speech person you're a big free speech person they should be able to protest they should be able to say what they want to say but when it when it crosses into blatantly and then damage damage a criminal behavior both like a both a great big dangerous racial or anti-semitic language that that should be a line and then the line is certainly of criminal behavior that has nothing to do with speech like you've now crossed into occupying a building you do not own you do not have a legal right to be there you do not have a legal right to prevent other students who just want to go to school and just want to go to their commencement so I think anybody could say that no yes he were they obviously the president's worried about a backlash from that I think Democrats are worried about a backlash from it but I think there's a real danger for Democrats in not being more forceful on it because if you look at the polls one of the things that voters especially swing persuadable voters seem to like Donald Trump on more than Biden would be on this idea of sightiveness decisiveness but decisiveness around criminality right you think about the border you think about crime and whether it's warranted or not like Joe Biden gets low marks on that and and and and Trump gets pretty high mark so well this is lawlessness in many of these not all of them but in some of these cases as we look at these monitors that it is lawlessness and some of it is criminal behavior I don't really care what somebody says as long as you you're doing it in a legal way I think most of us would think that that's great it's when you start when there's violence and there's occupation that is illegal that's where you've crossed a line Jim has got a brand new book out it's called just the good stuff no BS secrets to success no matter what life throws at you and we were not expecting to be talking about riots in the streets and college campuses I think there's gonna be like a lot of these campuses will calm down because they're just out of school for the year in a few weeks don't move both sides all opinions it's Brian kill me precise personal powerful is America's weather team in the palm of your hands get Fox weather updates throughout your busy day every day subscribe and listen now at Fox news podcasts calm or wherever you get your podcasts next week I am gonna be calling this motion to vacate absolutely calling it I can't wait to see Democrats go out and support a Republican speaker and have to go home to their primaries and have to run for Congress again having supported a Republican speaker a Christian conservative I think that'll play well I'm excited about it Marjorie Taylor Greene always thinking team first speaking out she's gonna have a motion to vacate she says she's gonna offer that up but it's a pretty clear Democrats are gonna save Mike Johnson they feel he's only got six months left anyway Jim van de hay is here CEO co-founder of axios also found a political playbook although author of a brand new book it's a positive book supposed to inspire you I'm giving it to my daughter as a junior in college just the good stuff no BS secrets to success no matter what life throws at you Jim before we get into it I just want you to comment on that story motion to vacate talk about unprecedented it looks like Democrats have committed to saving him should she bring it up do you think she's bringing it up right I mean she keeps saying she's going to and then she doesn't but let's assume she's gonna bring it up I mean listen the Republican decision to allow one person to force a vote on the fate of their leader was one of the most moronic decisions done in the history of leadership meaning how could you possibly take a job imagine like me as a CEO agreeing to take my job where any of my 550 people could could call a vote the minute that they don't like me and that that that I could get ousted like I you just can't do that was the rule but no one ever no one ever exercised it right nobody and then they made it then they basically took it and truly institutionalized and and unleashed it and and that's it's insane so like speaker Johnson's in an impossible position and like listen I thought listen I don't know that the speaker got enough credit for that package they got together you might like it might hate it a pretty impressive act of governance that they were able to bring the funding for the Middle East the funding for and the funding for together in the Senate bring it together and get it through in this divided Congress so like it actually is how government kind of should work again a lot of people don't like the policy itself but if you assume that a majority of each caucus does it's the way things should operate and and whatever he's I think he realizes like I'm either gonna like try to govern and and get a couple of things done and and my fate will be basically probably determined ultimately by do they keep the house if they don't keep the house he's out as leader if they do keep the house who knows right Jimmy your book you said um you weren't a fantastic student you weren't the most motivated precision but everything turned around for you yep you didn't have a perfect SAT score to get into college and you weren't as focused as you are now what changed and what message you try to bring out in your book yeah I mean a big message is like I grew up in Oshkosh Wisconsin I'm not a kid of privilege not a kid of money other than I had like two unconditionally loving parents and you know I was a partier like I just I had terrible grades I my scores were so bad I couldn't even get into a four-year college my guidance counselor said there's no chance you're going to college brought me to the military recruiters and I had contemplated one point going into the Air Force but I said no no I really want to get the school and what I benefited from being in a small town where two professors are like hey you're actually a really good writer and you seem really interested in politics and you know they put me in a position to go work for a daily newspaper and ultimately to do an internship out in Washington DC and once I found something I was good at it turned out all these things that made me really good at being bad badly behaved were pretty good for journalists like I was a mischief maker I really I was fearless I paid poker I go to dive bars and hang out with anybody from any walk of life so I could talk fluently with anyone and Republicans took control and I grew up and I'm here this kid from Oshkosh who went to Catholic schools and I'm working with all these liberal reporters and like I wasn't particularly political at all and I was just like interested and I'm covering an issue and next thing I know I was pretty good political writer and ultimately ended up becoming a founder of Politico and a founder of Axios and then taught myself to be a CEO but my point of the book is whether you're an aspiring professional in college or you're a manager trying to be a better manager or a leader trying to be a better leader I was in this unique position of starting two companies learning to be a CEO but also being a journalist who took close notes and I'm basically trying to pass on the wisdom of what I've been able to see and and basically what I've been able to learn from doing things the wrong way I make fun of myself a ton in the book about how bad I was at CEOing in the beginning but now I think I'm pretty good at it mainly because I think I'm humble enough to realize there's a couple things I'm good at some things I'm bad at if someone's better than me at something I just pay attention to them I try to absorb it in the book is my effort to pass it on in a very like blunt way and also in a very actionable way so that a kid or a manager a leader could pick it up and oh how do I deal with a bad boss how do I deal with a person who's a jerk how do I fire someone so they don't just feel like crap about themselves how do I how do I become a leader how do I how am I a leader in a wartime situation where it's really difficult and and I've been able to learn that I'm lucky so Jim don't move wanted to get more specific about your book and then we'll talk about well how you write because it's so brief and to the point in today's society it's so brilliant for the time in which you're born that's not a coincidence you worked at it more with Jimmy just a moment listen the brain kill me Jeff put the power of over 100 meteorologists and the worldwide resources of Fox in your hands with the Fox weather podcast 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