Looking just like he did ten years ago, the now-former Congressman spent two hours behind the microphone at WKBN Radio sounding at times like he's never left town.
He told his audience recent interviews with national media are aimed at convincing lawmakers to support local Delphi retirees.
He even promoted those paintings of his that are now being sold on E-Bay, saying, "I'm not a great artist," but adding, "some of my work was fairly decent."
But it wasn't until after the show that Traficant sat down together with us, and we asked with all the time he had to reflect in prison, what he might have done differently. He says nothing, telling us, "Jesus Christ couldn'ta won that trial."
Traficant insists he would have lost even if he'd had high-powered legal help, claiming the government was on a mission to get him once and for all. He claims "they had 200-agents, spent $15-million," to investigate and prosecute him while "terrorists were blowing up Twin Towers and the Pentagon."
Throughout the show, callers praised him, one after another, many urging him to get back into politics. He seemed genuinely surprised there were no negative calls, admitting, "that humbles me."
In the end, it was the same Jimbo his supporters know and love, signing-off the show with the familiar "Beam me up! There's no intelligent life down here."
While the topics Monday morning covered the gamut from the price of gasoline to what he thinks of health care reform and government control of our lives, he also spent some time talking about high school football of all things, specifically this week's big game between Harding and Mooney.
He says the teams and their schools have done a lot to bring positive attention to the area over the years and that they should be supported.
