In the latest episode of my podcast, I sat down with Mike Murphy in Los Angeles. Known for his political insight and colorful commentary, he didn’t disappoint.

The famed Republican political strategist opened up on a lot of issues, including a possible Mitt Romney 2020 presidential run, and his hope the GOP will return to the days when party elites chose presidential nominees.

“Oh, yeah, I think so, if he wants to run,” Murphy said when asked if he thinks Romney, who is reportedly considering a run for Senate in Utah and whom Murphy guided into the governor’s mansion in Massachusetts, is a viable presidential candidate in 2020.

Murphy sees the 2020 field as wide open because he doesn’t believe Donald Trump — who he says has been “beyond awful” — will ultimately run for re-election. And if voters always vote for the opposite of what they did last time, as Murphy believes, Mitt seems perfectly positioned.

“Trump seemed like a bumbling incompetent in many ways, so what’s the opposite of that — who is a comfortable Republican, super-confident, safe, no drama choice? It’s Mitt,” he declared.

Murphy, who ran Jeb Bush’s Super PAC during the 2016 presidential race, also made the case for returning to the days of “smoked-filled rooms” to choose Republican Party presidential nominees.

“The old smoke-filled rooms were mostly about how do we win and move the ball forward. They were professional politicians, which is the art of getting policy victories for a point of view by organizing and persuading,” he argued.

“People say, ‘Oh, it’s anti-democratic,’” he continued. “No, that’s what the general election is for. I like the idea of party elites making rational choices in the primary.”

As for the political aides who he sees as enabling Trump’s presidency, he warned (I think at least half-jokingly), “It’s not like we’re not keeping a list of all these guys.”

Listen to the full episode here. Even if you hate what he says, you’ll love the way he says it.