Anything & Everything with Matt Reyna

America Is More Divided Than Ever | Marcus Cardenas on Politics & Community

• Matt Reyna

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In Episode 5 of our conversation with Marcus Cardenas, we dive into one of the biggest issues facing America today—division. From political campaigns and media influence to the importance of respectful dialogue, Marcus shares his experiences running for office while discussing what it means to truly represent your community. We also talk about South Side San Antonio culture, why community matters, and how real estate education can help families build generational wealth.

🎙️ In this episode:

  •  Why America feels more divided than ever 
  •  Campaign money and political influence 
  •  The importance of civil conversations 
  •  Marcus' experiences running for State Senate 
  •  Political polarization in today's society 
  •  The pride and culture of San Antonio's South Side 
  •  Why community still matters 
  •  Homeownership as a path to financial freedom 
  •  Educating families through real estate 
  •  Building generational wealth 

🧠 What you'll learn:

  •  Why respectful dialogue is disappearing 
  •  How politics affects local communities 
  •  The role money plays in elections 
  •  Why community relationships matter more than ever 
  •  How homeownership creates long-term wealth 
  •  Why education is the foundation of financial freedom 

⏱️ CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS
00:00 America Today
01:05 Money & Politics
02:40 The Loss of Civil Dialogue
05:05 Campaign Trail Stories
07:50 Why America Feels Divided
09:20 Marcus' Story & South Side Roots
11:00 What Makes the South Side Different
12:40 Real Estate & Financial Freedom
15:00 Helping Communities Through Leadership
16:30 Final Thoughts

📢 About the Podcast
Anything & Everything with Matt Reyna is where real conversations happen. From business and real estate to politics, current events, entrepreneurship, and life lessons, Matt sits down with guests from all walks of life for authentic, unfiltered discussions that educate, inspire, and challenge perspectives.

📌 Connect With Matt Reyna
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SPEAKER_01

What do you think of um the United States right now? What is your your your immediate thought?

SPEAKER_02

America. No, this man's liberty, pursuit of happiness.

SPEAKER_01

I'll tell you what, man, that UFC was badass, bro. Man, yeah. Did you see it next? Oh bro. As far as like the ambiance and everything that I pretty three though. Yeah, that was that was pretty that was pretty crazy. But anyway, you know, we're what is what is your thought of it right now? Me and Xavier talk about it a lot, man. And we talk about like our global positioning right now. And um I don't know. I mean it's uh you know, you can go though, you could go in every point in history, bro. And obviously we're like obviously a war-driven society and war-driven country or whatnot. We're always involved in a conflict or whatnot. And you can always fight for one way or the other, like we shouldn't be involved in that, we shouldn't do this and that. But what do you think overall? I'll ask you that too, X. What do you think about right now the kind of current state that we're in?

SPEAKER_00

I don't know. I feel like we just I don't know, like there's just um the lobbyist and stuff. I think they just they they run it now. That's what I think. You know, like we're just in a federal level, I don't think like it's about the people anymore.

SPEAKER_01

You know? You think that you think it's it's it's driven away from that, Mark?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it's it's corporations. It is. It is. Yeah, at the federal level, it's it's tough, man.

SPEAKER_01

When you're just coming out to the the dollar, yeah, with the big money.

SPEAKER_02

And like I say, they put it into these campaigns, they run TV ads, they run uh marketing on Facebook.

SPEAKER_01

Do you think it's that simple, bro? Do you think it's that simple? Whoever has the biggest machine behind them is probably gonna win most likely, being that you just have a machine.

SPEAKER_02

Well, obviously, the more campaigns, the more commercials, the more, you know, um Yeah, and that's what scares me on this race, because you know, the guy I'm running against has been in politics 25 years. So he has a machine behind him, he has that following that just follows him. It's like when someone says, uh, Mama Margi's is ugly, it's ugly food, and we're like, nah, we grew up on Mama Margis, it's the best. Get out of here. But someone outside tastes it and they're like, nah, you know what, this restaurant's better, or this one. But because we're so used to it, it's it's Mama Margis is the greatest magazine of food ever for us, you know.

SPEAKER_01

But that's the In N Out versus Whataburger, yeah. I take that very seriously, bro.

SPEAKER_02

Because we're from here, we had Whataburger our whole life, you know. Exactly. Yeah, so you can't tell us otherwise. It's like, yeah, and I agree, Whataburger is better than In N Out. But while we're on the subject, I know while we're on it. Thank you, What's sponsoring this podcast? Um, but yeah, no, and and to get to back of what I see America right now is just divided, you know, and hate is there's too much hate, and we're divided.

SPEAKER_01

That's what I don't that's that's exactly, bro. They kind of gave me the bad taste in my mouth that I'm just like, man, dude, I just kind of like all right, man. Like it, I I appreciate a difference of opinion. You know what I'm saying? And bro, I don't I'm proud of you, man, personally. I don't I it's not that I don't care, but it's just like it it doesn't matter to me if you're Democrat or Republican. I'm I'm proud of what you're doing and what you're trying, what you're trying to do, and what you what I believe that you eventually will do, bro. I'm proud that you're you know from exactly where I'm from. And this is one of the reasons why I made the podcast, man. So when something's going on that I can help spread, you know, spread your information and and exactly what you're what you're trying to kind of campaign for, then I I'm I'm happy to do that, you know. But man, I think we lost the art of like dialogue now. Oh, yeah. Nobody wants to sit down and have a conversation. No, you know what I'm saying? And I see that all the time. And it's just like nobody, nobody wants to, yeah, nobody wants to just talk, you know. And um, you know, I've heard people say, uh, you know, think whatever you want about Charlie Kirk, I mean, whatever side that you're on or whatever, but I agree with when he said, you know, whenever you stop having dialogue, that's when people get hurt. Yes. And I'm like, man, that's that's one of the truest things ever, you know. I know that, you know, he um, you know, um rage-bated people and stuff like that, you know. I and and I think it has a lot to do with you're on social media and this and that, and and I don't know, like that that's what that's what gets clicks and that's what gets whatever. But I appreciate the part that people wanted to get up and engage with him.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And I I appreciate that on all sides. I wish more people did that because it would just kind of instead of just being like, that side sucks, that side sucks, what this and that. I'd say, well, well, let's let's sit down and have a conversation of why, you know, why I think that you should be on my side or with me, or this is what I'm gonna do. And if it's uh somebody that appeals to you more on the other side, cool. No harm, no foul. But the fabric of our society nowadays, bro, it's almost like you're gonna get hurt if you're carrying. Yeah, for I carry my 45 everywhere. And that's unfortunately the society that we live in now, man. And it's just like I I don't understand why we're taking steps back sometimes.

SPEAKER_02

Matthew, I was at the early early uh voting location. My first poll location I ever worked, it was my first race ever running. I've never ran for office. Get up, 5 30 in the morning, get ready, polls open at 7. So I get to this poll location, I'm there, I'm saying hi to people. It's real slow. And I meet a candidate for judge. And I say, Hey, I'm Marcus, I'm running for state senate, district 19. And you know, I give her one of my cards, I say, Oh, I see you're running for judge, and then she looks at me, she goes, Are you a Republican? I say, Yeah, I am. Yeah, get away from me. I said, Why? I mean, what happened? Oh no, you're a Republican, and this lady's running for judge. A judge shouldn't be running as Democrat, Republican. Justice is blind, you should be bipartisan, nonpartisan, whatever you the heck you want to call it. But she had the audacity to say, Yeah, get away from me. Like, if I was like, I don't know, I mean, I don't know. I was like, okay. I mean, you want to talk about it? Yeah, for sure, right? Yeah, I said, I mean, she was like, Oh no, get away, get away. And I'm like, oh, get away, you scum. Yeah, no, and I was like, okay, I'm not gonna. Then I talk to another person who was running for state representative. He was a Democrat too. We had an open conversation. Hey, good luck, you know, this is that, this and that. And that's the way it should be. Sure. So then I go to my second location, you know, still thinking about that lady that was running for judge. And I get to the second location location around 11 o'clock in the afternoon, and I'm working the pose. I say hi to every every poll worker, whether they're working for a Democrat or Republican. And I see the lady, she's wearing that same t-shirt that the other judge was wearing, or the one running for judge. And she saw I started sneezing. You know, I was in the Holotus area, Cal Sale Road. I was sneezing, and she goes, Hi Miko, do you need a uh an allergy pill? I said, Yeah, I forgot to take mine in the morning. So she gives me an allergy pill, gives me a water. Are you Democrat or Republican? So she she here, but no water. No water. So she gave it to me. Choke on it. I take it. We we're talking more and goes to find out that was her daughter at the first location, running for judge. Oh, wow. So I was like, that's your daughter running, and I didn't tell her the story. There was no way I was gonna because now I just met the mother and she gave me an allergy pill because she saw that I was sneezing, I had to sniffle. Sure. I'm like, why? You would think one would be more, you know, and you know, we started talking, and then she was a wonderful lady, gave me an allergy pill, but her daughter did that to me at the first location. Me ever running for office. I'm like, what are they doing? Like, you know, lady, I could still probably vote for you if you weren't such a you know what to me. Because in November, you know, you could vote for both sides, whatever side, you know, no one's gonna know. So I'm like, what's wrong with you?

SPEAKER_01

What I'm you know, bro. You know what? I think it gets lost in the sauce that we all love our community. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, and in our own way, and we're all trying to kind of have the same kind of common goal in a sense, just going about it a different way. Yeah, but that doesn't mean that we're against each other in that sense. You know what I'm saying? Maybe just kind of see things differently or might may not agree with things, but doesn't mean like, you know, it kind of um when when I see that too, man, I'm just like I feel the division.

SPEAKER_02

There's division, yeah. We're divided, and like I say, there's a saying about divide people, okay. You can't, you know, unite, whatever that saying is divided and divide and conquer. Yeah, yes, so yes, I don't know. It's a philosopher. It's a philosophizer. Where'd you go? So no, but yeah, no, and it's true, man. We just we just get caught up in like whatever industry we're in, you know. I'm in this industry, I I want to help, you know, I you know donated money to different causes. You want to educate people of how to buy a home, how to, you know, build wealth. And some people are just against that. You know, you'll get that pushback, you won't get support. I've opened multiple businesses, I know how hard it is just to get a business up and running. And it sometimes it's better not to tell anybody what you're doing because you get that negativity, that jealousy. Um, but running for office, you got to let everybody know what you're doing, you know. So it's like you now you got to put yourself in front of the camera. Me, all these years, like nobody knew my business. Like right now, you were like, Oh, you have a kid, you didn't even know that. But now running for office is a good one.

SPEAKER_01

I know that I did, and I and I hit the sound pandejo.

SPEAKER_02

I know that I did, but I just I because my business isn't out there on social media. You don't see no I'm pushing it, pushing it, pushing it, pushing it. Nope. But now you do, and now you're gonna see and what I've built because that's part of my story. We're trying to give my story out so that voters see what kind of person I'm that I'm a blue-collar Southsider, hard worker going up against an attorney who moved into the district just to run for office, just to you know, bank on the people of the community and has done absolutely nothing for the community. And you take that personally, I do, brother, because these are my people. This, this, these are the people I live with still, I dine with, I shop at South Park Moss still, you know. And when someone tells me, hey, where do you want to go eat? I was like, I'm always saying, like, oh, somewhere in the south side. So we're in the district now. Dacre Mexico. Let's go. Shout out, baby. Let's go, DAC Mex, you know, you know. So I uh yeah, I I hold the Southside, you know, close at right here, close to my heart. Anyway, yeah. Anytime I traveled outside the district, they always ask me, so where are you from? And I always say Southside San Antonio. I don't say, Oh, I'm from Bear County. I'm from no, I'm from the South Side.

SPEAKER_01

Do you think, bro? I I think a lot of so whenever I uh so I was uh in the South Side all the way up until I moved to like Gulebra in 1620.

SPEAKER_02

Trader, yeah, trader. And I think it's still the district, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

No, well, it was crazy, man, because I was like a fish out of water over there, right? And I would always just like talk about the South Side, right? What do you think it is, bro? Why do you think it's such a different part of town? I try to explain it to people, and like it's funny, man, because I mean we've known each other over 20 years, right? Yeah, we're family at this point. Oh, yeah. You know what I'm saying? Our families know each other, every we all grew up together, right?

SPEAKER_02

We went to school, your brother went to school with my sister.

SPEAKER_01

It's like exactly, you know, and I'm like, bro, it it's uh it's it's its own thing. Yeah, and you would have to be there just to exactly you you would have to uh be grown up in in there to kind of understand. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? What is it? It's the people, right?

SPEAKER_02

It's it's the people, you know. We we get that oh, y'all are bad in the south side. Nah, we're good. All this military, all these knuckleheads, they're not from the south side, right? Yeah, you you know, one one game we were traveling down 35 and you saw the traffic coming in from 90, going down 35, exiting military. I'm like, oh, there you go. That's what they're from. Okay, now it makes sense, you know. Everybody migrates to party there, and then we get the bad rap and they, you know, leave trash on our streets and all that stuff. And you know, it's not the Southside way. It's not.

SPEAKER_01

I remember I was uh working with this girl, um, oh, older lady, and and um, and she was like, Man, I loved working down there because the clients were the best. Yeah, they'd come bring me tacos, they'd bring me a cake. You know what I'm saying? And we're just we'd have that community.

SPEAKER_02

You know, uh growing up, so I'm gonna go back to that. So, and you're right, growing up, and if we would do a job in the north side, they wouldn't even offer us a bottle of water. You do a job on the south side, they'll come out with tomales, tacos, sodas, hasta at three o'clock some beer, you know, and that was just uh just a culture, even working in the west side. Houses, you know, knocking, falling down, and we're replacing a sewer or doing a water line, they'll come out with food and wanting to feed you. You go do a job in Stone Oak or the you know, that's one of the big old houses, they won't even give you a bottle of water. Like, but that's the culture. That's that's what we that's why we love it so much, man. Definitely, bro.

SPEAKER_01

It really is uh I'm glad that you yeah, I'm glad that you touched on that as well, man. And um, I I really want to put you know, put a footprint uh for myself too that I want to represent my people as far as uh when it comes to real estate and real estate education. Yeah. Because I feel that it's uh one of the cornerstones of being able to put you know yourself in a good economic position.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Being able to borrow from your house, being able to get multiple houses, rentals, things like that. In my opinion, it's the best and easiest way to um kind of get yourself financial some financial freedom of somehow somehow. Because everybody has the dream of owning their own most people have the dream of owning their own businesses or or or um you know, owning multiple properties and things like that, creating generational wealth. And I think that's where it starts. Yeah. So whenever I'm selling real estate, I want people to buy the right way.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely, you know?

SPEAKER_01

So um, yeah, I want them to be educated and also just know exactly why they're doing it, not just because it's funny too, man, because sometimes there's um a school of thought that is just like, well, you know, like um convince me to buy or whatnot. And I'm just like, bro, it if you're not on that train of thought already, it's like it's I it's almost like um believing in something like uh I I I say the renting versus owning thing. I'm like, bro, if you're not already on that path of thinking, man, I don't even know kind of what to tell you. It's it's kind of like I I I equated to like a flat earther. I'm like, so I don't know what to tell you, bro. That you just think that the earth is flat, you know what I'm saying? But that's that's my belief, and that's what I want to help people with. And if you don't believe that, that's totally fine, man. I mean, you can rent all your life if you want. Totally cool. You're gonna make people like us money. That's the way that I see it, you know what I'm saying? And and if you have a different opinion, uh cool. Yeah, that that's totally fine with me. You know what I'm saying? But I'm you know, I'm not here to kind of I hope that I can convince you otherwise, but even if I can't, or if I if I can't, I'm here to help. Uh like for the ones that see it my way, I'm here to help you, dude, all the way through. Absolutely, you know, like from whenever you buy your first one to when you're buying your next next one, then also looking for commercial property.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, exactly. You know, I love that, man. And like you say, you're just educating the people. Our people. We try to educate our people. And same thing with this campaign, we're just educating, like, well, what does the senator do? What is this? What is that? We educate, we tell them, hey, okay, what do you do for a living? Like you just said right now. Oh, I have a license to the state to sell, state of Texas. What happens if you have a problem? Who can you go talk to? Yeah, you have Saber and that other stuff, but what if you have a direct connect to a a state senator that can make a phone call and say, hey, why are you bothering with this guy? What's going on? You know, relax.

SPEAKER_01

Let me call Marcus. Yeah. Let me call it.

SPEAKER_02

You know who I know?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, exactly. Right.

SPEAKER_02

No, but you know, y'all have that line of access because it it feels good. And, you know, when I when I go and talk to people about Social Security and the VA, you know, that's federal programs, but they got to have someone too, a congressman, a senator that they are they're able to talk to and to get the help they need. Because, you know, whether they served our military, you know, they still they earned that when that when they served our military. So uh yeah, a lot of uh, you know, we go to the VFWs and speak to people and they're like, yeah, we just you know, we need help, but we don't have well, I mean, you gotta vote for the right person. You you you have to. You don't vote because that same person has the same last name and it's a brother and sister running again. Or, you know, in the Southside, you we we see signs. We knew there was only the you know, the Rodriguez, the you know, some other names that they always ran, always ran. We you know, but it is what it is. You need new people out there. All right.

SPEAKER_01

All right, brother. I know you got to get out of here, man. I'm very, very proud of you, brother. Keep on doing what you're doing, man. Thank you for stopping in, man, and good luck to you. Oh, thanks. Uh District 19's uh newest center on the way, man. Thank y'all for tuning in. I think we got 185 subscribers now. So, guys, please subscribe, tune in, uh, like, share, until episode 16. Peace. Bye, brother. Thank you. Yeah, man, that was awesome, bro.