WEBVTT - Leighton Smith Podcast #245 - July 3rd 2024 - James Bovard 0:00:09.133 --> 0:00:12.013 You're listening to a podcast from news talks it B. 0:00:12.413 --> 0:00:16.213 Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio. 0:00:16.813 --> 0:00:19.813 It's time for all the attitude, all the opinion, all 0:00:19.853 --> 0:00:24.933 the information, all the debates of this now the Leyton 0:00:25.053 --> 0:00:27.733 Smith Podcast powered by news talks it B. 0:00:28.093 --> 0:00:31.653 Welcome to podcasts two hundred and forty five for July third, 0:00:32.133 --> 0:00:36.853 twenty twenty four. Speaking of dates, nineteen ninety four saw 0:00:36.893 --> 0:00:40.213 the publication of a book with the title Lost Rights, 0:00:40.893 --> 0:00:44.533 The Destruction of American Liberty. It was the third book 0:00:44.573 --> 0:00:48.333 by libertarian journalist James Bouvart, who is now, by the way, 0:00:48.373 --> 0:00:52.773 written eleven books. Then in nineteen ninety nine came Freedom 0:00:52.773 --> 0:00:55.893 in Chains, The Rise of the State and the Demise 0:00:56.093 --> 0:00:59.613 of the Citizen. And I recall referencing this on properly 0:00:59.653 --> 0:01:02.653 quoted a bit. In fact, here's an example of what 0:01:02.733 --> 0:01:06.533 the book contained. Paternalism is a desperate gamble that lying 0:01:06.613 --> 0:01:09.933 politicians will honestly care for those who fall under their power. 0:01:10.813 --> 0:01:15.253 The night watchmen state has been replaced by highway robber states, 0:01:15.733 --> 0:01:19.213 governments in which no asset, no contract, no domain is 0:01:19.333 --> 0:01:23.773 safe from the fleeting whim of politicians. So much of 0:01:24.053 --> 0:01:28.853 political philosophy throughout history has consisted of concocting reasons why 0:01:29.013 --> 0:01:32.933 people have a duty to be tame animals in politicians' cages. 0:01:33.373 --> 0:01:36.933 The surest effect of exalting government is to make it 0:01:36.973 --> 0:01:40.613 easier for some people to drag others down. The growth 0:01:40.613 --> 0:01:43.293 of government is like the spread of a dense jungle, 0:01:43.573 --> 0:01:46.213 and the average citizen can hack through less of it 0:01:46.493 --> 0:01:51.613 every year. And trusting governments nowadays means dividing humanity into 0:01:51.653 --> 0:01:54.933 two classes, those who can be trusted with power to 0:01:55.013 --> 0:01:57.973 run other people's lives and those who cannot even be 0:01:58.013 --> 0:02:02.173 trusted to run their own lives. Now, I got feedback 0:02:02.173 --> 0:02:06.213 from somebody who told me that I was wrong. The 0:02:06.253 --> 0:02:08.973 book was wrong. There was no truth to it, and 0:02:09.493 --> 0:02:12.653 I suspected at the time, and I think eventually time 0:02:12.693 --> 0:02:17.373 has proven that James Bouvard was right on target, that 0:02:17.493 --> 0:02:22.293 the loss of rights doesn't matter whether it's America, Australia, 0:02:22.413 --> 0:02:26.773 New Zealand, Britain. The loss of rights, the invasion if 0:02:26.813 --> 0:02:29.653 you like, of more and more of what is now 0:02:29.693 --> 0:02:34.613 called the authoritarian state, has succeeded in doing what he 0:02:34.733 --> 0:02:39.613 suggested it would. So let's get to the year of 0:02:39.893 --> 0:02:43.853 twenty twenty four. His latest book, Last Writes, The Death 0:02:44.093 --> 0:02:47.453 of American Liberty. The other books that I've got of 0:02:47.493 --> 0:02:50.333 his are all hardcover, so therefore there are cover flaps 0:02:50.373 --> 0:02:54.533 that I can refer to. The trouble with paperback is 0:02:54.813 --> 0:02:58.693 that there are no cover flaps. So from the West 0:02:58.733 --> 0:03:01.853 Coast Review of Books three hundred and thirty five well 0:03:01.893 --> 0:03:05.853 packed but easily read pages of condemnations. Seldom, if ever, 0:03:05.893 --> 0:03:09.293 I have so many egregious acts of government and officers 0:03:10.093 --> 0:03:15.053 been presented so succinctly as in this book at a 0:03:15.053 --> 0:03:20.493 Wall Street Journal. Remarkable, astonishingly, broad, excellent. Mister Bouvard's unrivaled 0:03:20.533 --> 0:03:25.373 research has resulted in a virtual encyclopedia of modern government abuse. 0:03:26.413 --> 0:03:29.093 And I think that we can relate to that in 0:03:29.133 --> 0:03:32.973 this country, or any country, but particularly English speaking countries, 0:03:32.973 --> 0:03:36.173 which seem to becoming more and more prolific in their failings. 0:03:36.653 --> 0:03:38.933 So in the conversation to be had in a few moments, 0:03:39.493 --> 0:03:42.733 I can promise that you'll be impressed with his ability 0:03:42.773 --> 0:03:47.733 to cope with an unstructured interview, my favorite kind, his 0:03:47.813 --> 0:03:52.413 retention of events and details, and his sometimes intentional humor, 0:03:53.453 --> 0:03:56.293 sometimes not. We had a lot of fun, and I 0:03:56.293 --> 0:03:59.613 hope you enjoy it now a little bit of domestic housekeeping. 0:04:00.413 --> 0:04:05.413 Mister producer is enjoying herself in London. She'll be back 0:04:06.093 --> 0:04:08.853 in two weeks time, but she's having a great time 0:04:08.893 --> 0:04:13.013 with her girls and meeting up with old family and 0:04:13.053 --> 0:04:16.093 friends and what have you. I get two reports today 0:04:16.253 --> 0:04:19.173 and there's always a smile on her face. Well, the 0:04:19.173 --> 0:04:21.293 reason I mentioned that is because she's not going to 0:04:21.293 --> 0:04:24.693 be here for the mail room. But I've grabbed two 0:04:24.773 --> 0:04:28.813 or three letters that I wanted to share, and I 0:04:28.853 --> 0:04:33.813 will follow that with an opinion piece by a highly 0:04:33.973 --> 0:04:38.453 esteemed law professor with regard to the Supreme Court's historic 0:04:38.653 --> 0:04:44.733 presidential immunity decision. Everybody is talking about it. If they're 0:04:44.733 --> 0:04:47.173 not talking about it, it's only because they're writing about it. 0:04:47.653 --> 0:04:50.613 And I've never seen anything quite like it. So many frustrations, 0:04:50.693 --> 0:04:54.613 so many opinions of varying kinds, and the unwillingness of 0:04:54.653 --> 0:04:58.653 some people to understand exactly what the Supreme Court is 0:04:58.693 --> 0:05:02.213 there for. And I'll quote you that after the letters, 0:05:10.093 --> 0:05:13.293 there are essential fat nutrients that we need in our diets, 0:05:13.453 --> 0:05:16.573 as the body cart manufacture them. These are Omega three 0:05:16.693 --> 0:05:20.613 and Omega six fatty acids, Equisine is a combination of 0:05:20.653 --> 0:05:24.253 fish oil and virgin evening primrose oil, a formula that 0:05:24.333 --> 0:05:27.493 provides an excellent source of Omega three and Omega six 0:05:27.493 --> 0:05:31.373 fatty acids in their naturally existing ratios. The Omega six 0:05:31.453 --> 0:05:35.093 from evening primrose oil assists the Omega three fish oil 0:05:35.133 --> 0:05:38.173 to be more effective. Equisine is a high quality fish 0:05:38.213 --> 0:05:41.973 oil supplement enriched with evening primrose oil that works synergistically 0:05:42.133 --> 0:05:46.413 for comprehensive health support. Source from the deep sea sardines 0:05:46.493 --> 0:05:50.653 Anchovisa magrol provide essential Amiga three fatty acids in their 0:05:50.693 --> 0:05:54.893 purest form without any internal organs or toxins. Every batch 0:05:54.973 --> 0:05:57.613 is tested for its purity before it's allowed to be sold. 0:05:57.933 --> 0:06:01.653 Equisine supports cells to be flexible, so important to support 0:06:01.773 --> 0:06:07.173 healthy blood flow and overall cardiovascular health. Equisine can support mood, 0:06:07.213 --> 0:06:10.773 balance and mental clarity and focus in children, all the 0:06:10.813 --> 0:06:13.973 way to supporting stiff joints, mental focus, brain health, and 0:06:14.093 --> 0:06:16.813 healthy eyes as we get older. It was in as 0:06:16.813 --> 0:06:20.253 a premium, high grade fish and evening primrose oil to 0:06:20.333 --> 0:06:23.413 be taken in addition to a healthy diet and is 0:06:23.613 --> 0:06:26.933 only available from pharmacies and health stores. Always read the 0:06:26.973 --> 0:06:30.613 label and users directed and if symptoms persist, seeing your 0:06:30.613 --> 0:06:48.653 healthcare professional. Farmer broker Auckland James Bovard. James is the 0:06:48.693 --> 0:06:52.573 author of eleven books, including the nineteen ninety four bestseller 0:06:52.813 --> 0:06:56.733 Lust Writes The Destruction of American Liberty Now just so 0:06:56.853 --> 0:07:02.493 happens when I made contact with Jim to do this podcast, 0:07:02.853 --> 0:07:06.013 because we spoke first of all, back in twenty twenty one, 0:07:06.493 --> 0:07:09.093 and we will make mentions of that, I'm sure in 0:07:09.173 --> 0:07:12.053 a moment. But I got in touch with him as 0:07:12.133 --> 0:07:17.053 the debate of last Friday Our Time was about to 0:07:17.093 --> 0:07:20.613 get underway, and I invited him on to the podcast, 0:07:20.653 --> 0:07:23.453 and after the debate was over, he sent me an acceptance, 0:07:24.613 --> 0:07:26.213 and one of the first things he said to me 0:07:26.493 --> 0:07:29.733 was I've got a new book out, and I thought, well, 0:07:29.773 --> 0:07:34.173 that's great. The new book is called Last Rites, and 0:07:34.253 --> 0:07:39.573 it's published thirty years after a book called Lost Rights 0:07:40.173 --> 0:07:43.733 that we discussed with James the first time we spoke. 0:07:44.333 --> 0:07:46.893 And I'm looking at it now and I've got green 0:07:47.053 --> 0:07:49.053 ink all over it where I have marked it for 0:07:49.093 --> 0:07:54.093 that particular interview. Thirty years between those two books, Lost 0:07:54.173 --> 0:07:58.453 Rights and Last Rites. Jim Bovart, it's great to have 0:07:58.533 --> 0:08:01.013 you back on the podcast. I'm thrilled that you were 0:08:01.013 --> 0:08:02.053 able to do it, and thank you. 0:08:03.173 --> 0:08:05.733 Hey, thanks so much for having me back on. I'm 0:08:05.773 --> 0:08:09.293 just glad that since we talked loud fun, that you 0:08:09.373 --> 0:08:12.373 were able to persuade your Prime minister to leave the country. 0:08:12.653 --> 0:08:16.013 I think that she got persuaded by all and sundry 0:08:16.053 --> 0:08:16.973 to be honest. 0:08:16.973 --> 0:08:19.573 Yes, yeah, she's certainly left a void in the hearts 0:08:19.573 --> 0:08:20.893 of people like you. 0:08:23.533 --> 0:08:27.533 Yeah, there's no room in my heart. I'm afraid. But 0:08:27.613 --> 0:08:30.133 she but she she claimed that she had run out 0:08:30.133 --> 0:08:33.093 of gas and didn't have enough to carry on at 0:08:33.133 --> 0:08:36.613 the time, something which I think proved itself to be incorrect. 0:08:37.453 --> 0:08:39.333 That was the reason that she gave, and that's what 0:08:39.693 --> 0:08:43.693 that's what they accepted, well, most people. But I think 0:08:43.733 --> 0:08:47.413 I think we've seen otherwise. I would I would prefer 0:08:47.453 --> 0:08:50.693 to suggest that because of the policies that she followed, 0:08:50.693 --> 0:08:52.733 the price of petrol went so high that she couldn't 0:08:52.733 --> 0:08:55.053 afford it to fill it up anymore. 0:08:56.093 --> 0:08:58.053 That's a good line. That's a good line. 0:08:58.213 --> 0:09:04.253 Now, Lost Rights and Lost Rights, the second book, which 0:09:04.293 --> 0:09:08.253 is new, was based as a follow one to the 0:09:08.453 --> 0:09:10.493 first book, Lost Rights, Was it not. 0:09:10.573 --> 0:09:15.453 It's fairly obvious to me. Yeah, well, you know, it's funny. 0:09:15.533 --> 0:09:18.253 Back when Last Rites came out in nineteen ninety four, 0:09:18.853 --> 0:09:22.093 people thought I was cynical, But you know, here we 0:09:22.133 --> 0:09:25.853 are thirty years down down the road, and the nineteen 0:09:25.973 --> 0:09:29.773 nineties looks like practically a golden era for American liberty 0:09:29.813 --> 0:09:33.213 compared to nowadays, because so many things have gotten so 0:09:33.333 --> 0:09:37.693 much worse. It was like it was like the politicians, 0:09:37.733 --> 0:09:41.093 both parties, presidents see so much power after the nine 0:09:41.093 --> 0:09:45.533 to eleven attacks, starting wars, setting torture loose around the world, 0:09:46.613 --> 0:09:49.733 and then then we had COVID, and it was a 0:09:49.773 --> 0:09:53.853 sign that the politicians could destroy far more rights and 0:09:53.933 --> 0:09:57.893 liberties than they ever thought possible. And there are so 0:09:57.973 --> 0:10:01.373 many dangerous precedents from that. There are me biting Americans 0:10:01.373 --> 0:10:03.133 in the backside for a long time. 0:10:03.533 --> 0:10:07.933 The other book that I have enjoyed of yours, not 0:10:08.093 --> 0:10:13.373 that there aren't more, I was or is Freedom and Change, 0:10:13.453 --> 0:10:16.853 The Rise of the States and the Demise of the Citizen. 0:10:17.533 --> 0:10:20.813 So this was ninety nine from memory that you published 0:10:20.853 --> 0:10:23.933 that twenty five years ago, and I look across to 0:10:24.013 --> 0:10:27.213 my bookshelf and I see won by Victor Davis Henson, 0:10:27.613 --> 0:10:31.533 The Dying Citizen. So we've got the rise of the 0:10:31.573 --> 0:10:34.933 States and the demise of the citizen, the dying citizen. 0:10:35.773 --> 0:10:39.173 Twenty five years later, how much of things changed in 0:10:39.213 --> 0:10:41.733 that twenty five years. 0:10:41.893 --> 0:10:45.173 Well, things have gotten a whole lot worse. And part 0:10:45.213 --> 0:10:48.413 of what's frustrating to me is here I am top 0:10:48.533 --> 0:10:52.253 thumping on this issue going back forty years now. But 0:10:52.773 --> 0:10:56.253 what's striking to me is that there was at the 0:10:56.293 --> 0:10:58.733 time I was coming of age in the seventies, maybe 0:10:58.733 --> 0:11:02.093 the eighties as well, there was still it was like 0:11:02.133 --> 0:11:05.013 a trade market of Americans. They were proud of their 0:11:05.053 --> 0:11:08.733 love of freedom and independence and basically telling the government 0:11:08.813 --> 0:11:13.053 to go screw itself. I mean that it was almost 0:11:13.053 --> 0:11:16.333 an American trademark. Maybe it was already fading a lot 0:11:16.373 --> 0:11:19.933 by that point, but nowadays folks have got a lot 0:11:19.973 --> 0:11:24.813 more docile attitude. There was a survey, a recent survey 0:11:24.933 --> 0:11:31.333 showed that over a recent survey that showed around thirty 0:11:31.373 --> 0:11:37.693 percent of young adults support mandatory government surveillance cameras inside 0:11:37.693 --> 0:11:41.733 the home to prevent domestic violence or other violations of 0:11:41.773 --> 0:11:45.813 the law. Now, if someone is so boneheaded that they 0:11:45.853 --> 0:11:48.773 want to have a government surveillance camera in their own home, 0:11:49.293 --> 0:11:52.373 they are lost souls. I mean, I guess I try to. 0:11:53.293 --> 0:11:57.133 I try to use intellectual triage in this sense. There 0:11:57.133 --> 0:12:00.013 are some people who can recognize this, or some people 0:12:00.093 --> 0:12:03.333 have got the instincts or the values. But when someone's 0:12:03.373 --> 0:12:06.373 in favor of having government surveillance cameras in their own 0:12:06.413 --> 0:12:09.213 home just to make sure that they don't don't misbehave, 0:12:09.693 --> 0:12:12.133 it's like, I mean, this is this is like a 0:12:12.173 --> 0:12:15.493 parody of a free society, of a free citizen. And 0:12:15.573 --> 0:12:17.973 it's interesting to see how this came out. During the 0:12:17.973 --> 0:12:22.613 COVID pandemic, I followed the government advisories closely, and I 0:12:22.733 --> 0:12:25.973 got a lot of laughs. And thanks to Anthony Fauci, 0:12:26.533 --> 0:12:29.253 I never had any rust build up in my cynicism. 0:12:29.653 --> 0:12:32.213 It was always out there. But something which I would 0:12:32.253 --> 0:12:35.453 do almost every weekend during the pandemic. I was out 0:12:35.533 --> 0:12:38.853 leading hikes because hey, we're outside. People need to get 0:12:38.853 --> 0:12:42.093 out and breathe and banter and joke and scoff at 0:12:42.093 --> 0:12:44.853 the government. And so there was a there was an 0:12:44.853 --> 0:12:49.813 old canal towpath from the eighteen twenties nearby here along 0:12:49.853 --> 0:12:55.493 the Potomac River, the scene now canal towpath, and so 0:12:55.493 --> 0:12:57.533 so I'd be leading hikes out there, and you know, 0:12:57.653 --> 0:13:01.013 I'm outside, and so I wasn't wearing a mask. And 0:13:01.373 --> 0:13:04.533 I literally had people screaming and cussing at me because 0:13:04.533 --> 0:13:08.173 I wasn't wearing a mask. And this is a towpath. 0:13:08.573 --> 0:13:11.133 There was wide enough for a team of mules, so 0:13:11.173 --> 0:13:13.493 it was basically wind enough for an eighteen wheel truck. 0:13:13.533 --> 0:13:16.973 And there was there was one guy. Actually it was 0:13:17.013 --> 0:13:19.813 about three years ago. I was walking along with the 0:13:19.853 --> 0:13:21.733 group and I was in front of the group and 0:13:22.333 --> 0:13:24.933 guy points at me like he'd seen Dracula and he 0:13:25.413 --> 0:13:28.493 holds his coat up above over his face and points 0:13:28.533 --> 0:13:31.373 at me. He says, you're not wearing a mask. And 0:13:31.493 --> 0:13:35.013 I felt like saying good one, sherlock, and I just 0:13:35.053 --> 0:13:38.413 said yep, and then just kept walking. And then he 0:13:38.493 --> 0:13:41.893 turns and shouts, you know, so you think your beard 0:13:42.013 --> 0:13:44.773 is a mask? And I just kind of shrugged and 0:13:44.853 --> 0:13:47.453 kept walking and then he shouts, your beard is ugly. 0:13:49.053 --> 0:13:51.773 So here I am. I'm walking along, there's simping to 0:13:51.773 --> 0:13:55.013 doing a hike, and I'm getting heckled for my beard 0:13:55.173 --> 0:13:58.093 because I'm not wearing a not wearing a COVID mask. 0:13:58.533 --> 0:14:02.493 But the mask didn't work. You're outside, your sunshine there's when. 0:14:03.093 --> 0:14:07.653 But it was like it brought out the cravenness and 0:14:07.733 --> 0:14:11.413 so many people, uh there was there were so many, 0:14:11.973 --> 0:14:15.853 So many governments were encouraging people to become narcs, to 0:14:15.893 --> 0:14:19.533 be phoning in reports of violators. A favorite example mine 0:14:19.653 --> 0:14:23.453 came from Massachusetts. Somebody went to a strip tees bar 0:14:24.013 --> 0:14:26.253 and filed a complaint that the stripper did not have 0:14:26.293 --> 0:14:27.093 a face mask. 0:14:27.413 --> 0:14:29.933 Did any of these people get put through i Q tests? 0:14:31.133 --> 0:14:32.893 You know, you could have You could have come to 0:14:32.933 --> 0:14:35.013 New Zealand. You could have spent you could have spent 0:14:35.093 --> 0:14:39.013 a couple of weeks in a hotel, and then you 0:14:39.053 --> 0:14:42.173 could have gone walking on some of our beautiful tracks. 0:14:42.333 --> 0:14:45.253 They're world famous, and you could have caught the same abuse. 0:14:45.853 --> 0:14:49.333 Really yeah, wow. I would have thought people in New 0:14:49.413 --> 0:14:53.373 Zealand would have been more reasonable, But obviously I'm ignorant. 0:14:53.573 --> 0:14:57.253 Well you've never been here, so you can be excused 0:14:57.373 --> 0:15:00.973 for being underinformed. I want to go back now and 0:15:01.053 --> 0:15:03.773 start with the because this was the reason, and then 0:15:03.773 --> 0:15:07.453 we'll come back and we'll spend plenty of time on 0:15:07.733 --> 0:15:14.813 last rite, the death of American liberty. But come back 0:15:14.813 --> 0:15:17.653 to to what I said at the beginning, and this 0:15:17.813 --> 0:15:22.733 was all about the debate. You watched it, I would imagine, Oh, 0:15:22.853 --> 0:15:26.733 how I suffered, didn't we all? I had to get 0:15:26.773 --> 0:15:29.413 up and walk around from time to time, which sort 0:15:29.453 --> 0:15:33.493 of relieved the shortness of breath that I was experiencing. 0:15:34.333 --> 0:15:37.053 But out of that And I don't want to spend 0:15:37.053 --> 0:15:38.493 too much time on this because I had plenty of 0:15:38.533 --> 0:15:43.413 discussion already. But what was your take once it was over, 0:15:44.013 --> 0:15:46.613 or if you prefer soon after it began? 0:15:48.053 --> 0:15:51.853 Well, actually I enjoyed watching it, so it was cat 0:15:52.053 --> 0:15:55.293 nep persnics. People have attacked me for the last couple 0:15:55.333 --> 0:15:57.813 of years because I've written a bunch of articles for 0:15:57.933 --> 0:16:01.053 New York Posts and other places pointing out that Biden 0:16:01.173 --> 0:16:04.253 is losing it, pointing out that Bien can't walk across 0:16:04.253 --> 0:16:08.053 the stage without falling over, sometimes pointing out that Bien 0:16:08.093 --> 0:16:11.533 did us UH five hours of interviews with the Special 0:16:11.613 --> 0:16:19.413 Council over his U five hours over the his crimes 0:16:19.693 --> 0:16:25.053 with federal documents were classified, and the Biden administration is 0:16:25.093 --> 0:16:28.453 fighting tooth and nail to prevent Americans from hearing the 0:16:28.493 --> 0:16:32.733 audio tapes of those interviews because they show how incredibly 0:16:33.413 --> 0:16:35.533 out of it is. But there were there were there 0:16:35.533 --> 0:16:38.893 were a lot of comments in there, which which I found, 0:16:39.093 --> 0:16:42.573 you know, fascinating. I mean, Biden was at one point 0:16:42.693 --> 0:16:46.893 was was attacking Trump for his position on abortion, and 0:16:47.253 --> 0:16:51.293 Biden talked about the huge problem with the young women 0:16:51.333 --> 0:16:54.653 who were raped by their sisters and therefore would need 0:16:54.693 --> 0:16:58.653 to have access to abortion. And this is not a 0:16:58.693 --> 0:17:04.813 problem I'd heard of before. So there was it was interesting. 0:17:05.293 --> 0:17:09.613 It was interesting Biden. Twelve years ago, Biden was a 0:17:09.693 --> 0:17:15.453 vice president, he debated Senator Tim Congressman Paul Ryan, who 0:17:15.533 --> 0:17:19.093 was the nominee for the Republicans. Biden was very quick. 0:17:19.493 --> 0:17:22.533 Biden put on one of the best performances of any 0:17:22.653 --> 0:17:26.613 president or vice president in debates, uh, since since the 0:17:26.693 --> 0:17:29.373 turn of the century. Very good, but I mean, he 0:17:29.573 --> 0:17:35.173 was Biden was. Biden in that debate was just kind 0:17:35.173 --> 0:17:38.133 of pawing and he wasn't able to fall up. And 0:17:38.253 --> 0:17:40.333 the worst news that he got from the host at 0:17:40.333 --> 0:17:44.253 one point is you still have eighty seconds left, and 0:17:44.253 --> 0:17:47.613 it's like he's this and he's just kind of struggling. 0:17:47.813 --> 0:17:52.653 And it was, I mean, and it was he was 0:17:52.693 --> 0:17:55.973 so badly couch a coach by the his White House 0:17:55.973 --> 0:17:59.933 staffers campaign team. Uh, there was there was a line 0:18:00.613 --> 0:18:03.253 he was doing his closing statement, he suddenly starts talking 0:18:03.253 --> 0:18:06.533 about lead pipes, and I'm thinking, you know, not a 0:18:06.533 --> 0:18:08.773 good idea to bring a lead pipe to a closing 0:18:08.813 --> 0:18:10.333 after how you performed tonight. 0:18:10.973 --> 0:18:15.213 It was a surprise, so it appears, so they claim 0:18:15.653 --> 0:18:21.013 to many many people Democrats specifically, I wasn't surprised in 0:18:21.093 --> 0:18:22.173 the slightest, were you. 0:18:24.693 --> 0:18:28.333 I was expecting Biden to do a little bit better. 0:18:28.453 --> 0:18:30.813 I was. I was thinking that they'd be able to 0:18:30.813 --> 0:18:33.373 get him, you know, pumped up like they did for 0:18:33.413 --> 0:18:35.813 the City of the the for the State of the 0:18:35.933 --> 0:18:39.093 Union address. Uh, I guess four or five months ago, 0:18:39.533 --> 0:18:43.533 when he actually performed much better than expected. I wasn't 0:18:43.573 --> 0:18:47.373 surprised that Biden did badly. Uh. And but it was 0:18:47.413 --> 0:18:49.853 clear from the first five minutes that he just wasn't 0:18:49.973 --> 0:18:50.773 talking well. 0:18:51.333 --> 0:18:51.533 Uh. 0:18:51.573 --> 0:18:53.693 There was there was someone who was kind of saying, 0:18:53.693 --> 0:18:58.733 well that Biden had actually Biden had Biden had won 0:18:58.773 --> 0:19:01.653 the debate if you looked only at the transcript, Well, 0:19:01.653 --> 0:19:04.053 it's hard to have a transcript when the guy's mumbling 0:19:04.573 --> 0:19:08.133 and just simply not enunciating well at all. So it's 0:19:08.133 --> 0:19:10.373 just it didn't make any sense. I mean, there was 0:19:10.613 --> 0:19:12.693 there was an answer he gave it about roe versus 0:19:12.733 --> 0:19:16.813 weight and the rules for the final trimester, final trimester 0:19:16.933 --> 0:19:19.613 of abortions, that that he just pulled it out of 0:19:19.613 --> 0:19:22.453 his backside. It was just there were so many things 0:19:22.453 --> 0:19:25.213 that were just completely wrong. He was claiming that that 0:19:25.693 --> 0:19:30.213 no US soldiers had died abroad during his term of office, 0:19:30.253 --> 0:19:34.413 and tell that to the widows of the Afghanists, the 0:19:34.453 --> 0:19:38.333 Americans killed in the Afghanist ce withdrawal. It was just, 0:19:38.533 --> 0:19:41.533 it was so out of touch, and it's it's actually 0:19:41.573 --> 0:19:44.373 kind of amusing to see the anguish of folks who 0:19:44.453 --> 0:19:48.013 have been covering for him. But there are so many folks, 0:19:48.253 --> 0:19:51.013 so many of these pundits and these big donors. They 0:19:51.053 --> 0:19:54.933 aren't upset by how Biden did. They're upset that Americas 0:19:54.973 --> 0:19:57.573 now saw it because it had been covered up. 0:19:58.253 --> 0:20:01.253 I want to I want to ask you about lies, 0:20:02.253 --> 0:20:05.573 the lies that we've lived through. Actually it's a Victor 0:20:05.613 --> 0:20:10.413 Davis Hanson Peace from from July, which is well for us. 0:20:10.453 --> 0:20:14.173 It was yesterday after last Thursday's debate, Biden himself laid 0:20:14.213 --> 0:20:17.133 to rest the Democratic lie that he was that he 0:20:17.213 --> 0:20:20.533 was robust and in control of his faculties. In truth, 0:20:20.573 --> 0:20:22.813 he demonstrated to the nation that he is a sad, 0:20:23.013 --> 0:20:27.373 failing octogenarian who could not perform any job in America 0:20:27.533 --> 0:20:30.613 other than apparently the easy task of presidents of the 0:20:30.693 --> 0:20:33.133 United States and the commander in chief in charge of 0:20:33.133 --> 0:20:37.013 our nuclear codes. Everybody is accusing everybody else, and this 0:20:37.093 --> 0:20:42.133 has been a growing plague of lying. He's a liar, 0:20:42.253 --> 0:20:44.813 He's a liar. Now you're a liar. How did it 0:20:44.853 --> 0:20:50.413 get to this point where people fail to understand who's 0:20:50.493 --> 0:20:51.333 lying and who's not. 0:20:51.973 --> 0:20:55.453 Well, perhaps the real problem is that people ever expected 0:20:55.813 --> 0:21:01.453 politicians not to be liars, because it's possible turn back 0:21:01.493 --> 0:21:05.773 the clock twenty five hundred years to Aristophanes and ancient 0:21:05.933 --> 0:21:10.053 Athens making jokes about paulicians just being the biggest liars 0:21:10.053 --> 0:21:15.253 and scant scoundrels scoundrels around And that's certainly that's our 0:21:15.333 --> 0:21:18.933 experience in this country. I think it's the experience in 0:21:18.933 --> 0:21:23.653 most countries where they have fairly open elections. Contested elections 0:21:23.733 --> 0:21:26.213 might be a better term. There was a There was 0:21:26.253 --> 0:21:31.733 a piece I did in October twenty twenty one month 0:21:31.813 --> 0:21:35.733 before the when Biden was first elected. He run against Bush, 0:21:35.773 --> 0:21:39.333 and I said Americans had to choose your liar election. 0:21:40.093 --> 0:21:44.253 Because both both Trump and Biden were just lying up 0:21:44.293 --> 0:21:47.373 and down and back and forth. It's still the same thing. 0:21:48.333 --> 0:21:51.973 Trump is not as dishonest as Biden, but I mean 0:21:52.053 --> 0:21:54.013 a lot of his ideas, a lot of the things 0:21:54.013 --> 0:21:59.053 he says are simply not accurate. But Trump can sound coherent, 0:21:59.693 --> 0:22:02.453 and that's you know, that's a big advantage when you're 0:22:02.453 --> 0:22:04.013 trying to con voters. 0:22:04.013 --> 0:22:09.653 Want to give you my opinion. Trump actually doesn't lie. 0:22:10.613 --> 0:22:12.613 You touched on it then and now and now I've 0:22:12.653 --> 0:22:17.453 forgotten already what you what you said. But Trump exaggerates, 0:22:17.893 --> 0:22:22.213 he embellishes, but I don't think he sets out to 0:22:22.253 --> 0:22:26.413 tell a lie, whereas others, and Biden's one of them. Obviously, 0:22:26.973 --> 0:22:29.413 go back to that first debate and that that question 0:22:29.613 --> 0:22:33.973 was regard to the to the to the laptop. Lied 0:22:34.053 --> 0:22:37.733 through his teeth and did it again and again, and 0:22:37.773 --> 0:22:41.533 it's only one example of thousands of them. Would you 0:22:41.573 --> 0:22:45.853 agree with you with with with my definition of each? 0:22:48.053 --> 0:22:50.573 I would I would agree with your definition. On Biden, 0:22:51.053 --> 0:22:55.093 I mean, folks forget and the final debate in October 0:22:55.093 --> 0:22:59.133 twenty twenty with Trump, Biden insisted that his family had 0:22:59.133 --> 0:23:03.293 never gotten any money from China, and this is just 0:23:03.333 --> 0:23:06.933 the biggest load of crap. I mean, at that point 0:23:07.013 --> 0:23:09.853 it wasn't a question of bribe or kickbacks or anything 0:23:09.853 --> 0:23:12.733 like that, but there was all kinds of money flowing 0:23:12.733 --> 0:23:16.453 from Chinese companies to various members of the Biden family, 0:23:16.493 --> 0:23:19.773 perhaps Joe himself. I'm not sure, but you know, Trump 0:23:19.893 --> 0:23:26.733 is okay. Back in the nineteen nineties, Back in the 0:23:26.813 --> 0:23:29.973 late eighties early nineties, I wrote a lot about agriculture 0:23:30.013 --> 0:23:33.053 policy and trade policy, and that was where I first 0:23:33.333 --> 0:23:36.373 learned that the things were special, and that in some 0:23:36.453 --> 0:23:39.853 ways New Zealand was one of the world leaders as 0:23:39.893 --> 0:23:43.013 far as moving to free market agriculture. I'm not sure 0:23:43.053 --> 0:23:45.493 if it's still the case, but they were doing far 0:23:45.573 --> 0:23:50.253 better than the US agriculture policy makers were Trump's comments 0:23:50.293 --> 0:23:53.973 about tariffs. So Trump wants to have a ten percent 0:23:54.013 --> 0:23:57.413 across the board tariff, which is just the dumbest damn 0:23:57.493 --> 0:24:01.893 idea around, because if you put a tariff on products 0:24:02.053 --> 0:24:06.253 which the US never produced and never will produce, it's 0:24:06.253 --> 0:24:10.693 simply attacks which multiple would multiplies as it's passed through 0:24:10.733 --> 0:24:15.613 the economy, and it cost it costs businesses and consumers 0:24:15.973 --> 0:24:18.933 far more than a benefits government and if you look 0:24:19.013 --> 0:24:22.133 at the impact of Trump's tariff policies in his first 0:24:22.213 --> 0:24:26.813 term in office, they were a disaster. But it's it's 0:24:26.853 --> 0:24:30.893 it's almost and it's sad because there's a big swath 0:24:30.973 --> 0:24:34.933 of conservatives now in America who are who are basically 0:24:34.973 --> 0:24:39.413 going back to you know, John Maynard Keynes as a 0:24:39.453 --> 0:24:43.293 guide for the economic policy. And and it's the same 0:24:43.333 --> 0:24:48.013 people who have no faith in politicians in general, somehow 0:24:48.093 --> 0:24:50.933 think that the US Commerce Department should be able to 0:24:51.373 --> 0:24:55.093 set prices for practically anything in this country by controlling 0:24:55.093 --> 0:24:59.013 and penalizing imports. And most of these folks have never 0:24:59.053 --> 0:25:02.693 even been to the Commerce Department. Uh, I was, you know, 0:25:02.813 --> 0:25:06.453 I spent I did a book on early nineties, and 0:25:06.613 --> 0:25:08.533 so I spent quite a bit of time there. There 0:25:08.533 --> 0:25:11.773 we was just all these bureaucrats walking down the hallway, 0:25:11.853 --> 0:25:15.173 and you could tell that it was possible to tell 0:25:15.253 --> 0:25:17.573