1 00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:08,559 Speaker 1: I'm Josh Hammer, and this is the Josh Hammer Show 2 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:12,040 Speaker 1: you've all livin of national affairs. Will join us momentarily 3 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: for a deep policy wonker dive on healthcare, political economy, 4 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:18,759 Speaker 1: and much more. Be sure to stay tuned for that. 5 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:22,239 Speaker 1: But for now, the big story continues to be Venezuela 6 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:26,440 Speaker 1: protests and Iran and all sorts of global affairs that 7 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:28,960 Speaker 1: are really shaking up the geopolitical chess board in the 8 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:33,559 Speaker 1: year twenty twenty six. Just earlier today, a Venezuelan tanker 9 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:37,600 Speaker 1: putting on a false Russian flag trying to escape the 10 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: naval blockade They're off Venezuela, and the United States military, 11 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: not wasting any time, not mincing any words, they promptly 12 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: went ahead and boarded and apprehended the vessel. So tensions 13 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: continued to play out. When it comes to Venezuela. The 14 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 1: big question there in that particular country still is Delus Rodriguez, 15 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: this socialist communist loombag who was Nicholas Muduro's former vice preser. 16 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 1: Is she going to be up for doing anything other 17 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: than just running this poor, grieving country into the ground, 18 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:10,679 Speaker 1: much as her two predecessors, Hugo Chavez and Nicholas Muro 19 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: have been doing for decades. So that is what is 20 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:17,039 Speaker 1: going on in Venezuela. By the way, the polding on 21 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:22,279 Speaker 1: the Venezuela Operation Operation Absolute Resolve somewhat mixed at this time. 22 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: I don't particularly buy much into that, but for what 23 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: it's worth, Trump has very very strong Republican support within 24 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,760 Speaker 1: his own flank when it comes to what the administration did. Again, 25 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: all this talk of all this foreign policy debate, there 26 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 1: you have the hardcore Lindbergh Ron Paul isolationist wing that 27 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:43,679 Speaker 1: is ready to cry anything whatsoever when it comes to intervention. 28 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: Even Megan Kelly, even Megan Kelly on her show on Monday, 29 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: was saying how she is lukewarm at best on this. 30 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 1: But in terms of actual Republicans, in terms of the 31 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 1: elected official class, they are very very, very very much 32 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 1: behind President Trump. For instance, here Senator Rick Scott of 33 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: my state of Florida on Fox Business. 34 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 2: Proud of what the President did, and Marco Ruby and 35 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:10,919 Speaker 2: Pete headsef than everybody, our military, Maria Corina Machago and 36 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:13,799 Speaker 2: what they did in Venezuela is going to change Latin America. 37 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 2: This is the start of changing Venezuela. Then we're going 38 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:19,640 Speaker 2: to fix Cuba. Nicaragua will get fixed. Next year, We'll 39 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 2: get a new president in Columbia. We're going to start 40 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 2: the democracy is coming back to this hemisphere. 41 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: So your minds mad various to what exactly to make 42 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:32,000 Speaker 1: of that statement. Now, this rhetoric of democracy coming back, 43 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:33,480 Speaker 1: I think will probably give a lot of people the 44 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: hebgbs when it comes to the memories of the Middle 45 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: East boondoggles in Iraq and the mountains of Taliban ridden 46 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: overrun Afghanistan, things like that. I submit to you that 47 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: when it comes to the Western Hemisphere, when it comes 48 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 1: to Latin America, things fundamentally actually are quite a bit 49 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: different because it is quite literally on our doorstep, and 50 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: we do have a greater interest in a country like 51 00:02:55,919 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: Venezuela and not being used as a launching pad literally 52 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:02,839 Speaker 1: and proverbially, as the case may be, for America's arch 53 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 1: geopolitical enemies, for Russia, Iran, and for China. There were 54 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 1: Hesbola money launching operations, Iranian military facilities. That was all 55 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 1: happening in Venezuela, in our own hemisphere backyard. During the 56 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: presidential tenures of Chavez and Nicholas Maduro. So is it 57 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: gonna be the beginning of all these totalitarian dominoes falling 58 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 1: throughout the Western hemisphere? Is the Castro regime in Cuba 59 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 1: going to be next? Certainly Center Scott's of Florida would hope, 60 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: so that'll be very popular here in Florida, where I 61 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: live as well. I'm not totally sure, but at a 62 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 1: bare minimum, what's happening in Venezuela augurs positively for these 63 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: United States. Meanwhile, I mentioned Iran, and the protests in 64 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 1: Iran are really just frankly going to the next level. 65 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 1: Some of these images, some of these videos are utterly astonishing. 66 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:55,560 Speaker 1: They are taking over parts of cities, they are taking 67 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 1: over parts of town squares. At this point, this is 68 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:05,120 Speaker 1: probably the largest scale uprising against the Iranian regime, probably 69 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 1: since the regime came to power in nineteen seventy nine, 70 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:11,560 Speaker 1: in the very tail end of the Jimmy Carter presidency. 71 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: You could talk about the two thousand and nine Green Revolution, 72 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: which Barack Obama famously failed to support. But these images 73 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:21,480 Speaker 1: that were images and videos that we're seeing now from Iran, 74 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 1: which is very much part of this axis of totalitarian 75 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: thuggery along with their allies in North Korea, China, Russia 76 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 1: and formerly Venezuela. I guess now we shall see. Look, 77 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 1: Iran is a complicated country. Persian culture goes back many millennia. 78 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 1: It's very proud country, very proud civilization. In fact, the 79 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 1: exiled Shah, the exiled crown Prince putting out a very 80 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:51,360 Speaker 1: fascinating video in the Farsi language calling for exiled Persians 81 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 1: to pray for what happens, and teasing that there might 82 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:56,679 Speaker 1: actually be some sort of special announcement actually coming sooner 83 00:04:56,760 --> 00:04:59,920 Speaker 1: rather than later. So you take that, you combine it 84 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:03,160 Speaker 1: with what the British newspaper The Times of London has 85 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:05,760 Speaker 1: been reporting, which is that the Supreme Leader or the 86 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:10,760 Speaker 1: Ayatollah Khamene apparently allegedly has an escape patch planned to 87 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:13,479 Speaker 1: grab his twenty person inner circle and then high tail 88 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 1: it to Moscow to pull a Boscher alssade, and then 89 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 1: ultimately live out the rest of his probably fairly few 90 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 1: and limited years there under the protective embrace of lamyr Putin. 91 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 1: If you put two and two together, you're looking at 92 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:32,680 Speaker 1: a potentially potentially very serious situation in Iran. Now, it's 93 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:34,600 Speaker 1: not like the United States is going to be directly 94 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:38,000 Speaker 1: involved in getting in sending in one hundred first airborne 95 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:40,359 Speaker 1: or likely even getting to the point where they are 96 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:45,719 Speaker 1: trying to vet and select individual dissident individual protesters, things 97 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:48,840 Speaker 1: like that. But certainly, when you look at Venezuela, when 98 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:50,480 Speaker 1: you look at Iran, when you look at some of 99 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: the other pieces of the geopolitical chessboard, the fact that 100 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:57,000 Speaker 1: Russia and China and America's various other foes seem to 101 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 1: be very much on the defensive. This has been nothing 102 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:03,359 Speaker 1: short of his historic, a truly historic first year for 103 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:07,119 Speaker 1: his Secretary of States, Mark or Rubio. In fact, Chris 104 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:10,560 Speaker 1: van Holland, one of the biggest adults of the generally 105 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:14,120 Speaker 1: doult Field Senate Democratic Caucus, Chris van Holland was actually 106 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:17,159 Speaker 1: just on CNN where he was talking about Marca Rubio 107 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:19,280 Speaker 1: as mister Maga. Go ahead and watch this. 108 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 3: I said, probably way back in March of last year, 109 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:27,480 Speaker 3: that I regretted deeply voting for Mark Rubio as Secretary 110 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 3: of State, because as soon as he took that position, 111 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 3: he became the dear leader man. He became mister Maga. 112 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 3: And he used to give these speeches on the floor 113 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 3: of the Senate about an American foreign policy based on 114 00:06:41,839 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 3: our values, based on human rights, based on freedom, based 115 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:50,279 Speaker 3: on democracy. But ever since he's gone into the Donald 116 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 3: Trump orbit, he's thrown all of that out the window. 117 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 3: And we saw the proof of that again in their 118 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:59,040 Speaker 3: National Security Strategy document from a couple of weeks ago, 119 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:02,680 Speaker 3: where they essentially through American principles overboard, and in its 120 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:07,720 Speaker 3: place they've put this gunboat, you know, New Monroe doctrine, 121 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 3: where the United States, by you know, stint of its 122 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:15,280 Speaker 3: military power can just go do what it wants throughout 123 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,120 Speaker 3: Latin America. That story doesn't end well for people in 124 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 3: Latin America, nor for Americans. 125 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:22,040 Speaker 1: First of all, the notion in that Chris van Holland 126 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: knows anything whatsoever about American principles is so utterly foolhardy 127 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 1: as to make you want to pinch yourself to make 128 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: sure that you're still sitting there listening seriously. But also 129 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:34,600 Speaker 1: the fact that Chris van Holland is referring to Mark 130 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:37,440 Speaker 1: Rubio trying to belittle him as the dear leader as 131 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:40,240 Speaker 1: mister Maga. Frankly, that just means that Marca Rubio is 132 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:44,320 Speaker 1: over the target. But the twenty twenty six midterms this 133 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 1: fall are not necessarily going to be contested solely or 134 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 1: perhaps even predominantly, on the terrain of foreign policy. Look, 135 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: foreign policy is definitely important. I care about it quite 136 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 1: a bit. I think that many American voters care about 137 00:07:57,400 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 1: it quite a bit, especially above all when it comes 138 00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 1: to situations and countries like Venezuela, given the fact that 139 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:05,040 Speaker 1: it's in our hemisphere, given the fact that they are 140 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 1: complicit in shipping drugs right through our southern border, given 141 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 1: the energy interests and other interests as well. But overall, 142 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:15,240 Speaker 1: the twenty twenty six mid terms of this November, which 143 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 1: now are getting really really close, they will be contested 144 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 1: primarily on domestic issues, on issues like immigration, on issues 145 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 1: like crime, on issues like healthcare, and on issues like 146 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:30,200 Speaker 1: the economy. Eve all in our guest will join us 147 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:33,240 Speaker 1: just a few minutes here to break down some of 148 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:35,480 Speaker 1: the angles and some of the train on which this 149 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 1: midterm election will will be contested. But our working theory 150 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 1: here on the Josh Hammer Show is that Jimmy Carvill 151 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:43,640 Speaker 1: did indeed have it right. Back in nine ninety two, 152 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 1: back when he was running the Bill Clinton presidential campaign, 153 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 1: Carvill famously said that it's the economy stupid. Now, Carville 154 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: himself may ironically be quite stupid these days, and some 155 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:54,840 Speaker 1: of the things that he has said, but his quip 156 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:58,679 Speaker 1: from thirty four ish years ago has largely held up. 157 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:02,400 Speaker 1: It indeed still is the economy stupid? What exactly are 158 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:06,400 Speaker 1: Republicans going to do when it comes to healthcare, when 159 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 1: it comes to affordability, when it comes to inflation. Is 160 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:12,200 Speaker 1: there going to be another government shutdown coming at the 161 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:15,000 Speaker 1: end of this month? Both sides are talking like there's 162 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:17,240 Speaker 1: going to be a viable off ramp coming up here 163 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,000 Speaker 1: and we're not looking at another shutdown. Recalled that the 164 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:22,959 Speaker 1: shutdown from just a few months ago ends up being 165 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:25,320 Speaker 1: the longest shutdown in the entire history of the United States. 166 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:28,400 Speaker 1: No one wants to repeat that debacle. How is that 167 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 1: going to unfold? There's a lot of questions. Meanwhile, there 168 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:34,559 Speaker 1: was a tragic passing, a terrible, terrible passing at just 169 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:38,920 Speaker 1: the tender age of sixty five, just yesterday of Congressman 170 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:42,880 Speaker 1: Doug LaMalfa of California. Congressman Jim Baird, also in the 171 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:45,840 Speaker 1: Republican Caucus, is now recovering from a serious car accident. 172 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:48,959 Speaker 1: There is a jungle primary special election coming up for 173 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:53,040 Speaker 1: Marjorie Taylor Green seat in northwest Georgia. Meanwhile, Thomas Massey 174 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:55,720 Speaker 1: is basically a vote for her King Jefferys and House Democrats. 175 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 1: So Mike Johnson's margin in the House to do anything 176 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:02,480 Speaker 1: this year any of this is shockingly, shockingly small. And 177 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:04,439 Speaker 1: by the way, don't think for a second, don't think 178 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:07,360 Speaker 1: for a second that if Democrats don't retake the House 179 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:11,280 Speaker 1: this November, that they will not move immediately, literally immediately 180 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:15,360 Speaker 1: to impeachment. For instance, here was Congressman Jason Crow talking 181 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:17,400 Speaker 1: about this very topic on CNN. 182 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:19,360 Speaker 4: Well, impeachment is something that I haven't been to know 183 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:22,080 Speaker 4: a lot about because I was a prosecutor in Donald 184 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:26,240 Speaker 4: Trump's first impeachment trial, one of two. So that is 185 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:29,680 Speaker 4: a tool that Congress can use. But there are other 186 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:32,480 Speaker 4: tools that Congress can use. I am not holding my breath, 187 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:36,200 Speaker 4: but a Democratic controlled Senate and I'm sorry, Republican controlled 188 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:39,600 Speaker 4: Senate and ablic Republican controlled House, Jim Jordan or others 189 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:42,800 Speaker 4: are going to move and do anything on an initiated 190 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:45,600 Speaker 4: impeachment proceeding right now, which is why the midterms are 191 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:46,240 Speaker 4: so important. 192 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:50,240 Speaker 1: So the translation is very simple. If Democrats retake the 193 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:54,640 Speaker 1: House of November, race yourself for more impeachment theater, raise 194 00:10:54,679 --> 00:11:00,160 Speaker 1: yourself for more manufactured jin Dove Fox controversies similar to 195 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:05,720 Speaker 1: that laughably, laughably insignificant Vladimir Zelenski phone call in two 196 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:08,599 Speaker 1: thousand nineteen. I had to think about the year was 197 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:10,280 Speaker 1: for second year because it was so insignificant, I just 198 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:12,959 Speaker 1: forgot about it. Do you all remember that this five 199 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:16,360 Speaker 1: to six page transcript of a nothing burger phone call, 200 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 1: and that led to dontrmp's first impeachment. That's what will happen. 201 00:11:22,679 --> 00:11:26,160 Speaker 1: The rest of Danton's presidency will be gone unless Republicans 202 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:28,920 Speaker 1: keep the House. Now, look, you can have your equipmals 203 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:31,880 Speaker 1: with Republican party. Lord knows, I have many, many of 204 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:35,079 Speaker 1: my own objections, many of my own quibbles. But for 205 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:38,000 Speaker 1: the midterms this fall, but again will be primarily contested 206 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:42,439 Speaker 1: on domestic issues. The key point is this, who'se hands? 207 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 1: Whose hands should the House remain in. On the one hand, 208 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:49,600 Speaker 1: you have a shot at reforming social Security, at helping healthcare, 209 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:52,400 Speaker 1: helping affordability. On the other hand, all you're gonna get 210 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:55,320 Speaker 1: is impeachment theater. I know it's way, I'll be voting. 211 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:57,680 Speaker 1: We'll be right back after the break with Evan Levin 212 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 1: of AI and National Affairs. Welcome back. So there's really 213 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:07,360 Speaker 1: no one that we'd rather bring on to talk about 214 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:10,600 Speaker 1: all things midterm elections related, as well as the broader 215 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:12,520 Speaker 1: conversation that you may or may not have been paying 216 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:14,720 Speaker 1: attention to as to what the heck is going on 217 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:17,600 Speaker 1: on the American rite at this time. That man is 218 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:20,600 Speaker 1: you've All Levin. Y've all Levin is a very smart fellow. 219 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:22,640 Speaker 1: I highly recommend that you check out all of his work, 220 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:25,600 Speaker 1: all of his writings, but for present purposes, you've all 221 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:28,400 Speaker 1: is a senior fellow as well as the director of Social, 222 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 1: Cultural and Constitutional Studies at AEI, the American Enterprise Institute. 223 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 1: He's also the editor of National Affairs, one of the 224 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:38,280 Speaker 1: most air udite journals on the American rights. I'm honored 225 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:40,920 Speaker 1: to have been published there a number of years ago. 226 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:43,120 Speaker 1: Now probably overdue for another submission at some point, but 227 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:45,040 Speaker 1: in any event, you've all thanks so much for joining 228 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:46,840 Speaker 1: the Josh Hammer Show. We really do appreciate it. 229 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:48,520 Speaker 5: Thanks for having me, Josh. She took the words out 230 00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:51,360 Speaker 5: of my mouth. So yeah, anytime, look forward to it 231 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:51,880 Speaker 5: very much. 232 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:54,560 Speaker 1: So, Look, there's a lot to get to you've all, 233 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:56,559 Speaker 1: and I want your thoughts in a few different topics, 234 00:12:56,600 --> 00:12:58,120 Speaker 1: but I think the number one reason I really want 235 00:12:58,200 --> 00:12:59,719 Speaker 1: to bring you on the show you You are one 236 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:02,640 Speaker 1: of the fairly rare people on the right of center 237 00:13:02,679 --> 00:13:05,400 Speaker 1: who I think of as being something of a healthcare 238 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:08,280 Speaker 1: policy want. It's somewhat of an arcane topic, to be clear, 239 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:11,040 Speaker 1: your wankery extends to a lot of different areas, but 240 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 1: I definitely think of you, among other things, one of 241 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:17,200 Speaker 1: the foremost Obama era critics of Obamacare. You've done a 242 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:21,319 Speaker 1: lot of the intellectual legwork putting forth alternatives to Obamacare, 243 00:13:21,880 --> 00:13:24,160 Speaker 1: and we're currently in the midst of this continued fight 244 00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:27,920 Speaker 1: as to the extension of Obamacare subsidies. Potentially there's going 245 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:31,000 Speaker 1: to be even another brinksmanship shut down fight in Congress 246 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:33,600 Speaker 1: later this month. I keep on hearing from sources on 247 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:37,600 Speaker 1: Capitol Hill, including unlimited to congressmen themselves, the Republicans are 248 00:13:37,679 --> 00:13:41,160 Speaker 1: working on a healthcare plan or some sort of alternative. 249 00:13:41,679 --> 00:13:44,800 Speaker 1: What is that? Perhaps more accurately, you've all, what should 250 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:45,120 Speaker 1: it be? 251 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:49,839 Speaker 5: Well, thank you, Yeah, I've suffered and labored for a 252 00:13:49,880 --> 00:13:53,360 Speaker 5: long time and the vineyards of Republican health care policy, 253 00:13:53,559 --> 00:13:58,720 Speaker 5: and it's a very, very challenging issue for the Republican Party. 254 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:02,360 Speaker 5: It has been for a long time. The basic challenges straightforward, 255 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:05,440 Speaker 5: it is that ideas that make sense economically and healthcare 256 00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:08,360 Speaker 5: tend not to make sense politically, and Republicans have never 257 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:12,760 Speaker 5: gotten themselves out of that thicket. Democrats have solved it 258 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:16,679 Speaker 5: by advancing ideas that don't make sense economically, and Obamacare 259 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:20,040 Speaker 5: is one of those. It drove costs up and not down, 260 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:24,480 Speaker 5: exacerbated the problems rather than addressing them, and here we are, 261 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:29,160 Speaker 5: so many years later, essentially still stuck with its consequences. 262 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:32,600 Speaker 5: The ideas that Republicans advance on this front tend to 263 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:35,680 Speaker 5: be ways of making the health system more market oriented, 264 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:41,200 Speaker 5: allowing more of a consumer market to form around purchasing insurance, 265 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 5: and so that means allowing people to have more choice, 266 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:48,440 Speaker 5: allowing people to exercise more consumer power to face real prices. 267 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:50,560 Speaker 5: At the center of that for a long time have 268 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:55,720 Speaker 5: been ideas like health savings accounts, and ways of enabling 269 00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:59,520 Speaker 5: people to enter consumer markets with some subsidies that they 270 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:02,480 Speaker 5: can chew how to use, rather than have those markets 271 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:06,320 Speaker 5: replaced by government systems like Obamacare or like Medicaid. In 272 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:08,240 Speaker 5: a way, the debate we're having is very much a 273 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 5: traditional left right debate now. But I would say the 274 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:14,200 Speaker 5: problem with it is that it's driven by a short 275 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:19,280 Speaker 5: term problem, which is the temporary extension of the Obamacare subsidies, 276 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:23,120 Speaker 5: which it's really important to stress was a COVID era 277 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:26,840 Speaker 5: emergency measure. It was intended to last for one year 278 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,480 Speaker 5: to begin with, and then ultimately extended for another three years. 279 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:34,120 Speaker 5: Republicans the whole time, we're saying this is a trap, 280 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:36,200 Speaker 5: We're going to end up having to renew this forever. 281 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:39,240 Speaker 5: The Democrats said, no, we're not, and here we are. 282 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:42,560 Speaker 5: We're going to have to renew it forever. That short 283 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:45,960 Speaker 5: term problem is a significant political problem for Republicans because 284 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:49,560 Speaker 5: really for two reasons. One, it drove up enormously the 285 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:52,640 Speaker 5: number of people in the Obamacare exchanges from about eleven 286 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:56,320 Speaker 5: million to almost twice that now at twenty one to 287 00:15:56,320 --> 00:16:01,000 Speaker 5: twenty two million people. And secondly, the changing electorate of 288 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:04,320 Speaker 5: the Republican Party, the fact that Republicans really are more 289 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:07,680 Speaker 5: of a working class coalition now means that a lot 290 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:11,600 Speaker 5: more Republican voters depend on these subsidies than was the 291 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 5: case during the Obamacare debates, and so Republicans have to 292 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:17,000 Speaker 5: take this seriously, have to have something to offer on 293 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:19,920 Speaker 5: this front, and they've been stuck in a tough place, 294 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:22,680 Speaker 5: getting dragged around by the Democrats in this debate. 295 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 1: And I think a lot of folks sympathize with the 296 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:29,160 Speaker 1: need for the government to do something that the everprising question, 297 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:31,840 Speaker 1: of course, is actly what that something is. And this 298 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 1: conversation is not limited to healthcare. I think back to 299 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:38,160 Speaker 1: the off off year elections a couple months ago and 300 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:40,880 Speaker 1: now in New York City, in Virginia, New Jersey, and 301 00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 1: pretty much all of the exit pollsters that I saw 302 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:48,080 Speaker 1: were unanimously reporting that the number one, two, three, four 303 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:52,160 Speaker 1: issues for American people in those jurisdictions was inflation, cost 304 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:54,720 Speaker 1: of living, affordability. Healthcare is a big part of this. 305 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:57,520 Speaker 1: Housing certainly is a big part of this as well. 306 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:01,720 Speaker 1: What should the administry and their allies in Congress, and 307 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:06,080 Speaker 1: I think also crucially their allies in the States. What 308 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:08,200 Speaker 1: are some concrete things that you think that they should 309 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:10,520 Speaker 1: be working on and addressing in these next few months 310 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:13,000 Speaker 1: as we start to get ready for the midterms this fall. 311 00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:14,480 Speaker 5: I think this is the right way to think about it, 312 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,600 Speaker 5: which is part of a larger cost of living challenge. 313 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:22,560 Speaker 5: And the way that the way that I'd least have 314 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:24,960 Speaker 5: been talking about this for fifteen years since the kind 315 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:28,359 Speaker 5: of reformicondas is that it's worth Republicans thinking about this 316 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:32,240 Speaker 5: problem in terms of the three ahs, healthcare, housing, higher education. 317 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:35,399 Speaker 5: Those are three areas where a lot of middle class 318 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:40,280 Speaker 5: families face costs that are exorbitant, unreasonable, and unconnected to 319 00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:43,399 Speaker 5: the quality of what they're buying in ways that it 320 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:46,280 Speaker 5: is possible for public policy to help with. And the 321 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:47,679 Speaker 5: way in which it could help, first of all is 322 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:51,080 Speaker 5: by recognizing the ways in which public policy is causing 323 00:17:51,119 --> 00:17:55,000 Speaker 5: the problem. And I think that's fundamentally about the Democrats' 324 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:59,200 Speaker 5: basic approach to social policy, which is to restrict supply 325 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:03,840 Speaker 5: subsidizing demand, and so you set strict rules about what's 326 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:06,399 Speaker 5: allowed to be sold, and then you give people the 327 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:09,280 Speaker 5: money to buy the things they're being allowed to buy, 328 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:12,639 Speaker 5: and the incentives that kind of system creates as an 329 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:15,960 Speaker 5: incentive for higher and higher costs and lower and lower quality. 330 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:19,680 Speaker 5: That's what's happening in every regulated sector, and it's very 331 00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:23,480 Speaker 5: much the case in healthcare, and so the solutions look 332 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:30,120 Speaker 5: like deregulating supply while allowing consumer pressures to drive demand, 333 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:33,800 Speaker 5: so giving people more options and the real power to 334 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:37,280 Speaker 5: make choices. This is a problem in healthcare. It's not 335 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:40,200 Speaker 5: a simple matter. Healthcare is a complicated market. What you're 336 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:43,600 Speaker 5: buying is something you need in an emergency, when your 337 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:47,480 Speaker 5: kid is sick, when your elderly parents need care. This 338 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:49,959 Speaker 5: is not a simple choice, and we shouldn't pretend it is. 339 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:53,400 Speaker 5: But that's why what's sold in that market is insurance 340 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:57,359 Speaker 5: more than care in the moment, and it's important to 341 00:18:57,359 --> 00:19:00,480 Speaker 5: give people real options, to let them make choices among 342 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:04,400 Speaker 5: genuinely distinct and different options in healthcare we've really seen. 343 00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:07,119 Speaker 5: I mean, this is this is essentially what Obamacare is. 344 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:09,640 Speaker 5: It restricts supply, It says you're only allowed to sell 345 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:13,000 Speaker 5: these three kinds of products, and then it subsidizes demand. 346 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:15,800 Speaker 5: It says, whatever this cost, the government will pay for it. Well, 347 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:18,000 Speaker 5: what's going to happen in that kind of market is 348 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:22,400 Speaker 5: insurers have a reason to increase prices rather than reduce costs, 349 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:25,399 Speaker 5: and so over and over, that's what we've seen, and 350 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:28,600 Speaker 5: Republicans know in the abstract what the solution looks like, 351 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 5: but they've never really had the nerve to propose a 352 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:34,600 Speaker 5: major reform along these lines. John McCain did it to 353 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:37,159 Speaker 5: his great credit in two thousand and eight, and it 354 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:41,560 Speaker 5: was used to undermine his presidential campaign. Republicans have been 355 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:44,520 Speaker 5: afraid of it ever since, and so when they have to, 356 00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:47,320 Speaker 5: when they're pressed, like right now, you hear them talking about, 357 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:52,000 Speaker 5: you know, various kinds of consumer measures. It's not their priority. 358 00:19:52,119 --> 00:19:54,320 Speaker 5: It's not what they do most of the time, and 359 00:19:54,359 --> 00:19:55,760 Speaker 5: I think we're seeing the effects of that. 360 00:19:56,960 --> 00:19:59,800 Speaker 1: You've all. Levin is a senior fellow at AI in 361 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:02,800 Speaker 1: the editor of National Affairs, highly recommend that you check 362 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:05,640 Speaker 1: out all the National Affairs publishes on a quarterly basis. 363 00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:07,439 Speaker 1: You've all just a couple of minutes left here before 364 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:09,959 Speaker 1: our first break. We'll hold you over until the next segment, 365 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:13,600 Speaker 1: but for now, on a related topic, speaking of affordability, 366 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:17,800 Speaker 1: it seems to me that our seemingly annual trillion dollar 367 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:21,639 Speaker 1: plus deficits are not necessarily helping the matter when it 368 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:24,679 Speaker 1: comes to the pinch that the federal government find itself in, 369 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:27,240 Speaker 1: and all then the secondary tertiary effects when it comes 370 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:31,399 Speaker 1: to inflation, federal Reserve Monetary policy twenty twenty six, this 371 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:33,840 Speaker 1: is the first year that a US Senator could be 372 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: elected that will then face reelection twenty thirty two, which 373 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:40,080 Speaker 1: is the year that some say Social Security actually is 374 00:20:40,119 --> 00:20:41,960 Speaker 1: looking to go bankrupt. So it's kind of a long 375 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:44,320 Speaker 1: winded way of teeing up this question for you, which 376 00:20:44,359 --> 00:20:47,000 Speaker 1: is is there any chance that we see something when 377 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:49,640 Speaker 1: it comes to entitlements here or is that just ever 378 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:50,399 Speaker 1: a pipe dream? 379 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:53,400 Speaker 5: Well, look, I think it would take a broad bipartisan coalition, 380 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:55,680 Speaker 5: which is probably in this moment another way of saying 381 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:59,080 Speaker 5: that it feels like a pipe dream. I think the again, 382 00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:03,160 Speaker 5: the political pressure all push in the opposite direction, and frankly, 383 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:07,680 Speaker 5: Republicans have become much less interested in advancing solutions on 384 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:10,639 Speaker 5: the entitlement front than they used to be. Democrats have 385 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:12,840 Speaker 5: never been interested in advancing them, and so if there's 386 00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:16,080 Speaker 5: a bipartisan coalition, it's in the other direction. There's now 387 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:19,879 Speaker 5: very broad agreement that we should basically do nothing about 388 00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:24,520 Speaker 5: this enormous oncoming train. I do think it's connected to 389 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:29,320 Speaker 5: the healthcare debate. The biggest entitlement challenge is Medicare, much 390 00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:33,680 Speaker 5: more than Social Security. It's growing more quickly, and you 391 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:36,119 Speaker 5: know that's an area where the kinds of reforms you 392 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:38,640 Speaker 5: need are again to allow people to use some consumer 393 00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:42,440 Speaker 5: power to reduce costs. Republicans have had these ideas. They 394 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:44,879 Speaker 5: know really how to solve this problem. Paul Ryan was 395 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:49,080 Speaker 5: advancing this fourteen years ago, and he was right. The 396 00:21:49,119 --> 00:21:51,000 Speaker 5: fact is if we had done that, then we would 397 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:52,680 Speaker 5: be in a much better place on this front. 398 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:55,520 Speaker 1: He no doubts right about that. You've also sorry, we're 399 00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:57,440 Speaker 1: going to take a quick break here. Stage tuned. Folks 400 00:21:57,440 --> 00:21:59,840 Speaker 1: are much more with evolven and AI on the other 401 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:07,040 Speaker 1: Welcome back, So we're continuing our conversation with you've all 402 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:10,800 Speaker 1: events senior fellow at AEI and editor of National Affairs. 403 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:13,600 Speaker 1: You've all may just take us just a minut or 404 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:15,400 Speaker 1: two just to finish up what you were saying before 405 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:18,439 Speaker 1: the break about Social security Medicare, which frankly is an 406 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:21,920 Speaker 1: issue for me that I think that the ECONI populists 407 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 1: are totally out to lunch on. I myself have some 408 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:28,000 Speaker 1: national's populous instincts on some of these economic topics, but frankly, 409 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:29,840 Speaker 1: when it comes to the notion of intilent reform, it 410 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:31,920 Speaker 1: seems to me to be pretty pretty black and white. 411 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:34,119 Speaker 1: These things are going bankrupt, and they're going to go 412 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:36,360 Speaker 1: bankrupt probably in our lifetimes. 413 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:40,040 Speaker 5: I think there's actually an argument for reform that is 414 00:22:40,119 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 5: fundamentally a populist argument, which is the way these programs 415 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:47,159 Speaker 5: are structured now is as a wealth transfer from the 416 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:50,200 Speaker 5: young to the old, and in America, that also means 417 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:53,000 Speaker 5: it's a wealth transfer from the less wealthy to the 418 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:56,720 Speaker 5: more wealthy, and that doesn't make sense, and so there 419 00:22:56,800 --> 00:23:00,760 Speaker 5: is room for public programs that may make sure that 420 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:04,680 Speaker 5: Americans are not in poverty when they are older. That 421 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:09,119 Speaker 5: makes sense, But the way these programs now work creates 422 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:13,280 Speaker 5: an enormous burden on younger generations. And they can be 423 00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:16,840 Speaker 5: means tested, they can be reconceived in ways that would 424 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:19,960 Speaker 5: even better address the problem of poverty in old age, 425 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:23,280 Speaker 5: which has not been solved by sober security, but do 426 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:25,920 Speaker 5: so in a way that poses less of a burden. Look, 427 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:28,480 Speaker 5: we're a wealthy society. We can afford to help older 428 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:31,240 Speaker 5: Americans stay out of poverty, but we're doing it in 429 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:36,200 Speaker 5: a very profoundly foolish way. And the idea that politics 430 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:37,960 Speaker 5: means you can never change that, I think is just 431 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:39,920 Speaker 5: something that we have to get beyond. It's not true. 432 00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:43,800 Speaker 1: That's very well said. It's certainly not true. And this 433 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:47,560 Speaker 1: moment calls for a statesmanship, as many moments do, and we'll, 434 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:49,680 Speaker 1: I guess we'll find out sooner rather later whether we 435 00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:52,040 Speaker 1: are going to get So you've all among the things 436 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:54,159 Speaker 1: that you are. You're not just a policy walk. I 437 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:58,080 Speaker 1: think of you also as being a genuine conservative intellectual. 438 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:02,480 Speaker 1: So I imagine at times that you've found yourself as 439 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:06,719 Speaker 1: I've found myself as well, sometimes kind of wanting to 440 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:09,159 Speaker 1: pull your hair out when it comes to some of 441 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:12,199 Speaker 1: the extreme rhetoric that we hear in certain parts of 442 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:15,760 Speaker 1: what is typically the very online parts of the so 443 00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:18,600 Speaker 1: called right, but increasingly it seems is starting to seep 444 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:22,040 Speaker 1: out into the moment as well. I kind of want 445 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:24,440 Speaker 1: to just turn over to you a pretty broad question. 446 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:28,680 Speaker 1: Much to your great credit, you're actually not on social media, 447 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:30,719 Speaker 1: and to be clear that that is much to your benefit, 448 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:32,119 Speaker 1: and those of us who are on social media are 449 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,679 Speaker 1: suffering on a daily basis. But you've been in this 450 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:38,880 Speaker 1: game for some time now. You're really quite formidable during 451 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:41,200 Speaker 1: the Tea party days, the Obama era and so forth. There, 452 00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:44,520 Speaker 1: how do you assess the current state of the right. 453 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:46,640 Speaker 1: I mean, I mean, maybe for those of us who 454 00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:49,119 Speaker 1: are so online, is easy to kind of get lost 455 00:24:49,119 --> 00:24:50,600 Speaker 1: in the weeds a little bit. But do you think 456 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:55,240 Speaker 1: that there is is ultimately sufficient intellectual heft and policy 457 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:58,600 Speaker 1: seriousness that can get us through this very difficult moment 458 00:24:58,680 --> 00:24:59,280 Speaker 1: that we're often in. 459 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:03,400 Speaker 5: Well, look, I think the right today is certainly not 460 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:07,720 Speaker 5: focused enough on governing, which is a particular problem when 461 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 5: the right is in power and is not focused enough 462 00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:13,440 Speaker 5: on policy. But what that really means is that we're 463 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:16,119 Speaker 5: not focused enough on how to make the lives of 464 00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:19,400 Speaker 5: the American people better. For a political movement to succeed, 465 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:22,600 Speaker 5: you have to offer a vision, fundamentally, a vision of 466 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:25,240 Speaker 5: peace and prosperity. You have to offer people a sense 467 00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:28,399 Speaker 5: of what you propose to do to make their lives better. 468 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:31,400 Speaker 5: And there's no hope to win. However much we might 469 00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:33,800 Speaker 5: be worried about the terrible things the left wants to do, 470 00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:36,960 Speaker 5: we can't hope to succeed unless we offer that kind 471 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:40,800 Speaker 5: of vision. And for conservatives in particular, that vision begins 472 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:43,840 Speaker 5: from what we love in American life, not what we hate. 473 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:45,960 Speaker 5: It has to start by what we're trying to defend, 474 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:49,159 Speaker 5: but what we're trying to conserve, and that's always a 475 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:51,400 Speaker 5: powerful way to speak to people, because what we mean 476 00:25:51,440 --> 00:25:54,040 Speaker 5: by that is we want to conserve the preconditions for 477 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:59,880 Speaker 5: flourishing life, for family, for religion, for community, for real education, 478 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:03,639 Speaker 5: for meaningful work. That's what conservatives are for. That's what 479 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:07,000 Speaker 5: we want to conserve. When we become too obsessed with 480 00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:09,960 Speaker 5: what's dangerous about the left, and it is dangerous, but 481 00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:12,040 Speaker 5: when all we have to say to the public is 482 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:15,160 Speaker 5: what we're against, what we're opposed to, and especially when 483 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:20,879 Speaker 5: in doing that we fall into these kinds of dangerous 484 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:24,720 Speaker 5: internal squabbles where frankly, we just take the margins much 485 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:28,720 Speaker 5: too seriously and we imagine that the fringes of the 486 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:32,000 Speaker 5: left and the right are really what matter in political life. 487 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:34,679 Speaker 5: We lose sight of what we're trying to achieve and 488 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:36,679 Speaker 5: of how we might be able to achieve it. And 489 00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:40,320 Speaker 5: so I think conservatives need to reconnect with the purpose 490 00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:43,199 Speaker 5: of a conservative movement in a free society, which is 491 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:47,440 Speaker 5: to sustain the preconditions for that free society, to preserve 492 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:49,919 Speaker 5: what's necessary for us to be able to be a 493 00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:53,159 Speaker 5: free people. Right now, frankly, we're not doing a good 494 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:55,479 Speaker 5: enough job of that, and that means that we do 495 00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:58,720 Speaker 5: have to reconnect with those core objectives, with those core principles, 496 00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:01,040 Speaker 5: remind ourselves of them, as you have to do in 497 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 5: every generation, and we can't expect the younger generation on 498 00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:07,040 Speaker 5: the right to do this on its own. There has 499 00:27:07,080 --> 00:27:11,119 Speaker 5: to be a reconnection with those foundations that reach us 500 00:27:11,119 --> 00:27:11,760 Speaker 5: to everybody. 501 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:15,560 Speaker 1: You know, you've all, if I'm mistaken, you reread the 502 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:19,160 Speaker 1: Federalist papers in their entirety every year. I think, right, 503 00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:19,680 Speaker 1: It's true. 504 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:23,040 Speaker 5: It's a strange, it's a strange hobby, but yes, I do. 505 00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:26,480 Speaker 1: Well, I'm probably one of the rare folks out there 506 00:27:26,640 --> 00:27:29,880 Speaker 1: who genuinely deeply appreciates that about you. Actually, in fact, 507 00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:33,600 Speaker 1: that's something that I've long admired about you so very much. 508 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:38,560 Speaker 1: Staying on this note of trying to reimbue and reconnect 509 00:27:38,560 --> 00:27:42,439 Speaker 1: those who are somewhat lost from the great titans of 510 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:46,320 Speaker 1: this American experiment, there, what are one or two nuggets 511 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:49,000 Speaker 1: of wisdom from the Federals papers, or perhaps if you 512 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:51,439 Speaker 1: would like, from other sources as well, whether it's Lincoln 513 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:55,760 Speaker 1: or elsewhere, But a couple of nuggets of wisdom, perhaps 514 00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:59,760 Speaker 1: above all, on prudence and statesmanship for a moment like 515 00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:01,719 Speaker 1: the current American rights pass. 516 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:05,480 Speaker 5: Well, it's a wonderful question, thank you. I think that 517 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:08,240 Speaker 5: a lot of what is most wise in our political 518 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:12,720 Speaker 5: tradition begins from the premise that politics is hard, that 519 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:18,159 Speaker 5: in a free and therefore also divided society, it is 520 00:28:18,359 --> 00:28:22,040 Speaker 5: difficult to bring people together and to act on the 521 00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:26,360 Speaker 5: problems that we confront together, and therefore that what's required 522 00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:30,800 Speaker 5: is politics, which is to say, engagement across lines of difference, 523 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:36,040 Speaker 5: actually directly confronting people you disagree with, exercising whatever leverage 524 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:38,920 Speaker 5: you have, and fighting over what needs to be the 525 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:42,600 Speaker 5: direction of our society. That does start by seeing our 526 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:45,040 Speaker 5: fellow Americans as part of one society, and they can 527 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:47,800 Speaker 5: be hard when we're divided as we are, but it 528 00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:50,800 Speaker 5: has to begin from that sense that when we talk 529 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:54,160 Speaker 5: about America, we're talking about us. The constitution. The first 530 00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:58,200 Speaker 5: ward of the Constitution is we, not they, and that 531 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:01,800 Speaker 5: means that our politics requires us to be in constant 532 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:04,960 Speaker 5: engagement with people we don't agree with. And the way 533 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:07,760 Speaker 5: in which that engagement can become practical for us is 534 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:11,400 Speaker 5: by letting the structures, the systems we've got in place 535 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:14,520 Speaker 5: work and force us into negotiation. Ultimately, politics in a 536 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:18,080 Speaker 5: free society is negotiation. The reason for that is the 537 00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:21,280 Speaker 5: basic principle of the Declaration of Independence. Because we're all 538 00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:24,320 Speaker 5: created equal, we can't have a politics of coercion in 539 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:27,440 Speaker 5: this country. We can only have a politics of negotiation. 540 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 5: And that's a demanding kind of politics. That means you've 541 00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:32,360 Speaker 5: got to be willing to engage with people you don't 542 00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:34,680 Speaker 5: agree with. It means you've got to be willing to 543 00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:38,040 Speaker 5: build coalitions, to make some concessions in order to make 544 00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:41,520 Speaker 5: some gains. I think not enough of us approach politics, 545 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:45,880 Speaker 5: but that practical prudential mindset. Now we think it's more 546 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:50,000 Speaker 5: pure to say, well, only accept everything we want. But 547 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 5: that's not more pure. That's stupid. That's a way to lose. 548 00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:56,960 Speaker 5: That's not a way to engage in a stronger kind 549 00:29:56,960 --> 00:30:01,400 Speaker 5: of politics. And ultimately, I think to cover the knack 550 00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:04,200 Speaker 5: for coalition building, the sense that I could win this 551 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:06,479 Speaker 5: guy over, I do need to offer him something, but 552 00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:08,040 Speaker 5: in return for that, I can get something that matters 553 00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:10,560 Speaker 5: to me. That's what it takes for the politics of 554 00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:13,160 Speaker 5: a free society to function. And I think over and 555 00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:15,880 Speaker 5: over that's the core insight that we can draw out 556 00:30:15,880 --> 00:30:19,920 Speaker 5: of the American political tradition. It's not a failure to 557 00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:23,480 Speaker 5: engage in a politics of bargaining. That's actually what politics 558 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:26,560 Speaker 5: is all about. And that doesn't mean compromising your principles. 559 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:29,680 Speaker 5: It means achieving something practical in the world in the 560 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:32,720 Speaker 5: name of those principles. I think seeing that we have 561 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:36,480 Speaker 5: in a sense confused strength and weakness. We think strong 562 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:38,680 Speaker 5: as weak and weak as strong. We think it's strong 563 00:30:38,720 --> 00:30:41,560 Speaker 5: to stand outside and say these people are all failing. 564 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:43,440 Speaker 5: I don't want any part of it, when in fact 565 00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:46,360 Speaker 5: it's strong to stand inside and drive the process in 566 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:48,920 Speaker 5: a direction that achieved something for what you care about. 567 00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:52,440 Speaker 1: That's extraordinarily well saided. Look, I think it was Aristotle's 568 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:55,600 Speaker 1: politics who refers to prudence as being the queen of 569 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:58,880 Speaker 1: the virtues. And in my mind, there's really no statesment 570 00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:02,720 Speaker 1: in American history who most exudes the virtue of prudence. 571 00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:05,360 Speaker 1: Then Abraham Lincoln, my son of those, favorite leader in 572 00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:08,760 Speaker 1: American history, and I think that at times to this 573 00:31:08,800 --> 00:31:13,240 Speaker 1: twenty twelve Republican presidential primary debate where they ask hypothetical, 574 00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:15,640 Speaker 1: if there's every ten dollars a spending card for one 575 00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:17,920 Speaker 1: dollars of taxes raised. I think I think it was 576 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:20,800 Speaker 1: only John Huntsman of Utah raise his hands. I mean 577 00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:24,160 Speaker 1: that's that's not prudential. That is ideology, and frankly, our 578 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:27,160 Speaker 1: current politics, as you correctly note, could use a lot 579 00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:30,800 Speaker 1: less zealous ideology and a lot more prudence and statesmanship. 580 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:32,880 Speaker 1: So one final time, folks, you've all live in as 581 00:31:32,920 --> 00:31:35,840 Speaker 1: a senior fellow at AEI and the editor of National Affairs. 582 00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:38,840 Speaker 1: Check them out at National Affairs dot com. All you 583 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:41,160 Speaker 1: are a wonderful, wonderful scholar on the right. I thank 584 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:43,000 Speaker 1: you mosted by the Josh Hammers Show. We really do 585 00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:43,680 Speaker 1: appreciate it. 586 00:31:43,720 --> 00:31:45,520 Speaker 5: Thanks very much, Shosh. It was a. 587 00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:48,720 Speaker 1: Wonderful conversation and there's a lot to chew on there, 588 00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:50,680 Speaker 1: a lot of chew on there, folks, when it comes 589 00:31:50,680 --> 00:31:52,480 Speaker 1: to prudence, when it comes to what the rest of 590 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:54,880 Speaker 1: this legislative year is going to look like, Republicans are 591 00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:57,440 Speaker 1: down on the account. There lots to unpack for the 592 00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:00,480 Speaker 1: months ahead. Stay with us, we'll be right back after break. 593 00:32:04,560 --> 00:32:08,760 Speaker 1: Welcome back, great stuff there from Yevlovin. Always appreciate him 594 00:32:08,920 --> 00:32:12,880 Speaker 1: stopping by. In related news, this we'll tie back to 595 00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:17,479 Speaker 1: our conversation with Yvlllevin here momentarily in related news. Today, 596 00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:21,080 Speaker 1: January seventh is the one year anniversary of the Pacific 597 00:32:21,120 --> 00:32:24,040 Speaker 1: Palisades Fire. You might have forgotten about the Pacific palis 598 00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:26,320 Speaker 1: Ads Fire. You might have forgotten about the fact that 599 00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:30,680 Speaker 1: much of the initial reporting and the internal investigations and 600 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:33,280 Speaker 1: the assessments as to what the heck went so egregiously 601 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:37,760 Speaker 1: catastrophically wrong much those conclusions seemingly have been memory hold, 602 00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:41,400 Speaker 1: they've actually gone away. You might have forgotten about all 603 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:44,720 Speaker 1: of the DEI controversy there in the Los Angeles County 604 00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:46,719 Speaker 1: Fire Department, in terms of who the fire chief was, 605 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:50,360 Speaker 1: where the protocol was fired, and this and that. Frankly, 606 00:32:50,480 --> 00:32:53,720 Speaker 1: I think back as well to the Maui, Hawaii fire. 607 00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:58,000 Speaker 1: That fire was in twenty twenty three. It was two 608 00:32:58,080 --> 00:33:01,760 Speaker 1: and a half years ago. Now have we got accountability 609 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:06,120 Speaker 1: for either of these horrific conflagrations that burned up countless 610 00:33:06,160 --> 00:33:11,400 Speaker 1: homes and killed tragically thousands, yes, thousands, of innocent Americans. 611 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:16,240 Speaker 1: This is now part of a long, long and very 612 00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:20,480 Speaker 1: sad trail of unfortunate events. When it comes to lack 613 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:25,320 Speaker 1: of political accountability for lack of justice, I personally start 614 00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:29,080 Speaker 1: this trail at least as far back as the Russia 615 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:34,720 Speaker 1: Gates hoax, the Russia collusion delusion, the hoax back in 616 00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:38,160 Speaker 1: twenty fifteen, this notion that Donald Trump was a Manchurian 617 00:33:38,200 --> 00:33:41,360 Speaker 1: candid running on behalf of Lammer Putin. Let's not forget 618 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:45,200 Speaker 1: about the Steele dossier, This bought and paid for dossier 619 00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:48,960 Speaker 1: by the Hillary Clinton campaign, laundered through the shady political 620 00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:53,200 Speaker 1: consulting firm Fusion GPS with the hoity toity white shoe 621 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:56,240 Speaker 1: law firm Perkins Koolie. They're paying for it all long, 622 00:33:57,080 --> 00:34:00,719 Speaker 1: and how that dossier did make its way into the 623 00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:06,040 Speaker 1: infamous January twenty seventeen presidential Transition era Intelligence Community assessment, 624 00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:09,360 Speaker 1: therefore justifying the spying on the campaign leading to the 625 00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:13,239 Speaker 1: Crossfire Hurricane investigation, the Molar probe, and all and all 626 00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:16,160 Speaker 1: that ended up engulfing half of the first Trump term. 627 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:19,440 Speaker 1: I think a lot as well about the infamous year 628 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:22,640 Speaker 1: of twenty twenty COVID nineteen. Are you kidding me? There's 629 00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:27,520 Speaker 1: been no accountability whatsoever for all that this nation, frankly 630 00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:31,560 Speaker 1: the world endured when it came to the lockdowns of 631 00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:35,239 Speaker 1: the COVID nineteen era. We will not know the full 632 00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:39,360 Speaker 1: cost of many of these children who went an entire 633 00:34:39,520 --> 00:34:42,200 Speaker 1: year or more of their lives not going to school, 634 00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:48,600 Speaker 1: whose social skills, whose elementary education was retarded, was set backwards. 635 00:34:48,800 --> 00:34:50,279 Speaker 1: We're not going to know the full cause of this. 636 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:54,920 Speaker 1: For years, perhaps even decades. Have we faced any accountability 637 00:34:54,960 --> 00:34:57,839 Speaker 1: whatsoever when it comes to that. Have we faced any 638 00:34:57,880 --> 00:35:01,840 Speaker 1: accountability whatsoever when it comes to to the Hunter Biden laptop, 639 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:05,640 Speaker 1: and the FBI and the Deep States, all of them 640 00:35:05,719 --> 00:35:09,960 Speaker 1: working in collusion with big Tech. The laptop comes out 641 00:35:09,960 --> 00:35:13,440 Speaker 1: there a month before the election, in October of twenty twenty. 642 00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:16,680 Speaker 1: The very next day, you have this infamous letter the 643 00:35:16,719 --> 00:35:19,600 Speaker 1: fifty one Deep State spooks. You have Brandon Clapper and 644 00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:23,080 Speaker 1: the rest of the whole clown brigade linking arms with 645 00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:25,920 Speaker 1: Jack Dorsey formerly of Twitter, and Zuckerberg and all the 646 00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:29,560 Speaker 1: rest of them, and saying that this is Russian misinformation. Therefore, 647 00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:32,120 Speaker 1: you can't even share the link on social media. I 648 00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:34,200 Speaker 1: am are trying to DM that link to send a 649 00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:36,960 Speaker 1: direct mess on Twitter. You could even DM it. How 650 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:41,239 Speaker 1: we face any accountability whatsoever for that? How we face 651 00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:45,600 Speaker 1: any accountability whatsoever for the myriad, the myriad scandals of 652 00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:49,960 Speaker 1: the horrific presidency known as the Joe Biden tenure, arguably 653 00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:53,120 Speaker 1: the worst four presidential years in history, at least in 654 00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:56,880 Speaker 1: my book. In my ranking of this, the Biden presidency 655 00:35:56,960 --> 00:36:00,760 Speaker 1: ranks below even the Jimmy Carter presidency. How about the facts, 656 00:36:01,080 --> 00:36:05,480 Speaker 1: most obviously, that the Democrats had a mental patient running 657 00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:09,120 Speaker 1: the country, someone who was not even aware of the 658 00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:12,399 Speaker 1: executive orders, of the clemencies, of the pardons, of the commutations, 659 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:14,640 Speaker 1: of the bills, of anything that he was doing. Dude 660 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:16,319 Speaker 1: probably didn't even know what day of the week it was. 661 00:36:17,320 --> 00:36:18,880 Speaker 1: You could ask him on a Wednesday, what day the 662 00:36:18,880 --> 00:36:22,120 Speaker 1: weekn is? Oh, I don't know some day Indian Why 663 00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:27,640 Speaker 1: he wasn't there? This is not an ageous thing. People 664 00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:30,560 Speaker 1: get old. I have old grandparents. We all do. But 665 00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:34,840 Speaker 1: in no world whatsoever was that man fit to run 666 00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:39,280 Speaker 1: the nation in that particular state. Have we gotten any accountability? 667 00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:43,560 Speaker 1: Do we even know who for large swaths of those 668 00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:47,040 Speaker 1: four years was actually running the country on an effective 669 00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:49,279 Speaker 1: data basis? I have my own thoughts on that. I'm 670 00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:51,440 Speaker 1: not sure we know the answer. In fact, I'm pretty 671 00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:57,240 Speaker 1: sure we don't know. How about the lawfair Attorney General 672 00:36:57,360 --> 00:37:00,600 Speaker 1: Merrior Garland and by the way, Thank god, Raric Garland 673 00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:02,520 Speaker 1: did not end up on the United States Supreme Court. 674 00:37:02,760 --> 00:37:05,440 Speaker 1: Recall that that was who Barack Obama nominated after Anthony 675 00:37:05,480 --> 00:37:08,400 Speaker 1: Scalia passed away in February twenty sixteen. In one of 676 00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:13,600 Speaker 1: the great all time Senate procedural maneuvers, Mitch McConnell and 677 00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:17,799 Speaker 1: Shuck Grassley linking arms to block Merrick Garland from even 678 00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:22,800 Speaker 1: getting a hearing on the Santurtiary Committee. Thank goodness that 679 00:37:22,800 --> 00:37:26,560 Speaker 1: that wildly, wildly zealous partisan did not end up on 680 00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:29,480 Speaker 1: the United States Supreme Court, but as Attorney General and 681 00:37:29,640 --> 00:37:34,319 Speaker 1: Joe Biden, Merrick Garlands presided over the most egregious use 682 00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:39,480 Speaker 1: of lawfair in this nation's history. So called Special Counsel 683 00:37:39,640 --> 00:37:43,240 Speaker 1: Jack Smith, so called because he's actually not a legitimate 684 00:37:43,239 --> 00:37:46,840 Speaker 1: special council as Clarence Thomas correctly deduced, and is concurring 685 00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:49,600 Speaker 1: opinion to the Trump versus the United States Presidential Communiy 686 00:37:49,640 --> 00:37:51,640 Speaker 1: case a year and a half ago at the High Court. 687 00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:56,880 Speaker 1: But regardless, so called special Council Jack Smith attempting with 688 00:37:57,080 --> 00:37:59,560 Speaker 1: Merrick Garland. They are cheering him along, as was the 689 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:02,239 Speaker 1: President himself, Joe Biden, when he actually was able to 690 00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:05,000 Speaker 1: pay attention and be convenident of what was happening before him. 691 00:38:05,120 --> 00:38:10,000 Speaker 1: They were all cheering on the prosecution and attempted bankruptcy 692 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:14,440 Speaker 1: and incarceration of the then former and also as a 693 00:38:14,480 --> 00:38:19,680 Speaker 1: casement be then future President of the United States Donald J. Trump. Folks, 694 00:38:20,239 --> 00:38:23,680 Speaker 1: we have never seen this level of vindictiveness, of petty 695 00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:28,960 Speaker 1: vindictedness in our nation's history. How Jacksmith has not already 696 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:32,840 Speaker 1: had charges filed against him, as my colleague got the 697 00:38:32,920 --> 00:38:36,040 Speaker 1: Article three project Mike Davis has been clamoring for for years. Correctly, so, 698 00:38:37,560 --> 00:38:40,520 Speaker 1: there's at least one charge that stands out eighteen US 699 00:38:40,560 --> 00:38:44,520 Speaker 1: Code Chapter two forty one for a conspiracy to deprive 700 00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:48,520 Speaker 1: your fellow American citizen of his or her constitutional rights. 701 00:38:49,840 --> 00:38:53,160 Speaker 1: That is exactly but Jack Smith working hands in glove 702 00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:56,600 Speaker 1: with Fannie Wills in Fulton County, Georgia, with Alvin Bragg 703 00:38:56,640 --> 00:38:59,560 Speaker 1: in Manhattan, and with Tis James in Albany, New York. 704 00:38:59,640 --> 00:39:03,080 Speaker 1: That's what all of them did together. I wait patiently 705 00:39:03,160 --> 00:39:06,759 Speaker 1: for eighteen US Code Chapter two forty one to be 706 00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:11,760 Speaker 1: invoked and ideally for Jacksmith to be prosecuted on those grounds. Folks. 707 00:39:11,800 --> 00:39:13,520 Speaker 1: Zooming off for a second here, whether it's the one 708 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:17,920 Speaker 1: year anniversary of this horrific confagation in the Pacific Palisades 709 00:39:17,960 --> 00:39:20,080 Speaker 1: in Los Angeles County. Whether it's the Maui fire, whether 710 00:39:20,080 --> 00:39:23,000 Speaker 1: it's Russia Gates, whether it's COVID nineteen, whether it's the 711 00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:26,000 Speaker 1: twenty twenty election in general, but especially the whole Hunter 712 00:39:26,080 --> 00:39:29,440 Speaker 1: Biden laptop and the Deep State spook letter dismissing its 713 00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:36,680 Speaker 1: rush disinformation. We don't have accountability. We don't. A free 714 00:39:36,719 --> 00:39:40,239 Speaker 1: republic can only long endure to take us back to 715 00:39:40,239 --> 00:39:42,920 Speaker 1: where conversation is a promise due with evol evant. A 716 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:46,520 Speaker 1: free republic can only endure when there is some notion 717 00:39:47,480 --> 00:39:51,000 Speaker 1: of understanding your fellow Americans, as indeed your fellow Americans, 718 00:39:51,080 --> 00:39:53,759 Speaker 1: that we have more in common with them than we 719 00:39:53,840 --> 00:39:57,360 Speaker 1: do not in common with them. That means that at 720 00:39:57,480 --> 00:40:00,880 Speaker 1: least to some extent, we have to consume and process 721 00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:06,200 Speaker 1: the same information. We cannot be incredibly deeply euremically siloed 722 00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:09,759 Speaker 1: in our own silos where we consume different information we 723 00:40:09,760 --> 00:40:15,080 Speaker 1: process information, then we deduce wildly differing, perhaps even irreconcilable 724 00:40:15,120 --> 00:40:19,080 Speaker 1: conclusions as to what to do for the country. In 725 00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:22,000 Speaker 1: other words, we have to have some level of baseline 726 00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:26,880 Speaker 1: trust in institutions, in narratives, and so forth. The corporate 727 00:40:26,880 --> 00:40:30,920 Speaker 1: press has done more work than we could possibly elaborate 728 00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:34,000 Speaker 1: on this show to discrete itself and the ability of 729 00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:36,239 Speaker 1: American people to take the core press at their word. 730 00:40:37,040 --> 00:40:40,839 Speaker 1: But this is our very difficult, arduous task, is to 731 00:40:40,880 --> 00:40:44,080 Speaker 1: try to get some justice for the great gas lightings 732 00:40:44,080 --> 00:40:46,200 Speaker 1: of the American people that we have endured now for 733 00:40:46,360 --> 00:40:49,239 Speaker 1: years and years. Only with some kind of juice, only 734 00:40:49,280 --> 00:40:54,480 Speaker 1: with some kind of accountability, can we begin to trust 735 00:40:55,560 --> 00:40:59,640 Speaker 1: the ruling class again, to trust media elites, to trust 736 00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:03,120 Speaker 1: elites in both the public and the private sector. And 737 00:41:03,280 --> 00:41:07,319 Speaker 1: only then by it once again having some baseline level 738 00:41:07,360 --> 00:41:10,200 Speaker 1: of trust in elites and some baseline level of acceptance, 739 00:41:11,200 --> 00:41:14,320 Speaker 1: can we work together in this quid pro quo style 740 00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:17,160 Speaker 1: negotiation or the deal style negotiation that you've all lived 741 00:41:17,160 --> 00:41:21,279 Speaker 1: in was so correctly describing as being one of the 742 00:41:21,320 --> 00:41:27,000 Speaker 1: great inherited inheritances of the American political tradition. There is 743 00:41:27,080 --> 00:41:30,000 Speaker 1: really really a lot of work to go to get 744 00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:33,400 Speaker 1: us back to that there. But we need accountability. The 745 00:41:33,440 --> 00:41:38,360 Speaker 1: American people are thirsting, they are thirsting for accountability. I 746 00:41:38,360 --> 00:41:40,120 Speaker 1: don't pretend that's going to happen tomorrow. I don't pretend 747 00:41:40,120 --> 00:41:43,000 Speaker 1: it's going to happen after that. But you want to 748 00:41:43,040 --> 00:41:45,319 Speaker 1: shut up the conspiracist kooks. You want to get this 749 00:41:45,440 --> 00:41:49,360 Speaker 1: nation back to work in a meaningful, earnest sense. Accountability 750 00:41:49,360 --> 00:41:53,400 Speaker 1: and justice, folks, that's what we need. I was always 751 00:41:53,400 --> 00:41:55,680 Speaker 1: hoping you enjoyed today's episode of The Josh Hammers Show. 752 00:41:55,719 --> 00:41:57,719 Speaker 1: Make sure to subscribe to our show everywhere to get 753 00:41:57,719 --> 00:41:59,839 Speaker 1: your podcasts, and watch it every evening on the Sale 754 00:41:59,840 --> 00:42:02,239 Speaker 1: New Channel until tomorrow. I'm Josh him 755 00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:08,319 Speaker 3: M hm