1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:04,120 Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Molly John Fast and this is Fast Politics, 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: where we discussed the top political headlines with some of 3 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:11,280 Speaker 1: today's best minds. And Kevin McCarthy has already said he 4 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:17,760 Speaker 1: won't allow Representatives Swallwell, Schiff or Omar to have committee assignments. 5 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 1: We have a thrilling show today. Former Congressman Mondar Jones 6 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: stops by to tell us all about the funeray. Then 7 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:32,240 Speaker 1: we'll talk to Semaphores political reporter Dave Weigel about more 8 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:36,560 Speaker 1: funeray in Congress. But first we have Washington Post columnist, 9 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:41,840 Speaker 1: the one, the only, the Great, George Conway. Welcome too, 10 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:46,600 Speaker 1: Fast Politics, my friend and yours George Conway, thank you 11 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: for having me again. Molly. I don't think you're a 12 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:51,879 Speaker 1: going to have me on again, really, because after you 13 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 1: went down to Washington for your secret project that you 14 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: wouldn't tell me about, don't tell anybody when I clean 15 00:00:57,080 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: down to Washington why I can't tell you, and then 16 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 1: be interviewed the Vice President, I figured out that I'm 17 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:04,560 Speaker 1: off the list forever and you just go back to 18 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: your liberal roots and no, are you kidding me? You 19 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 1: know we had to have you back. So George Man, 20 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,319 Speaker 1: what the fund has happened to your Republican Party. They 21 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 1: were like a little better and then they got worse again. Oh, 22 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: they're getting worse. They're going to continue to get worse. 23 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: And they hand help themselves. Why are they getting worse? 24 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 1: I mean they had this mid term, they had their 25 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 1: asses handed to them. They barely performed because you're not 26 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 1: focusing on the incentive structure for these people. The people 27 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 1: who are running the show now are essentially threatening to 28 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:42,200 Speaker 1: blow everything up if they don't get their way, and 29 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:45,760 Speaker 1: they don't care. They don't care what happens in these 30 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:49,080 Speaker 1: other districts. They don't care if they get anything passed. 31 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: They just want to create a ruckus and to get 32 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 1: on TV and solicit money, and no normal incentives apply 33 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: to them. And as the Republican Party becomes more beholden 34 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: to these people, it chases off for reasonable people, you know, 35 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: really and including with some real conservatives, and you get 36 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: more of the same. And it's basically it's like they're 37 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 1: distilling the party down to the you know, the Marjorie 38 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:24,119 Speaker 1: Tailor Greens in the world. And that's you know, you've 39 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: seen this has been happening for a number of years. 40 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:30,399 Speaker 1: You see it in all of these congressmen who are 41 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 1: pretty good, who don't run anymore, or who get turned 42 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:37,840 Speaker 1: on by the right. You're boiling the Republican Party down 43 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:40,399 Speaker 1: to the bare men. Was what's gonna happen? And they're 44 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 1: not gonna you know, it's re later, they're not gonna 45 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:43,919 Speaker 1: get a majority, and then they're they're going to dirt. 46 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: Incentives are going to get even worse because if they 47 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:48,960 Speaker 1: can't govern, who I bother even trying to appeal to 48 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: the people who aren't voting for It's this weird downward spiral. 49 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: So let's talk about Donald J. Trump. He's still you know, 50 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 1: what I saw with this leadership contest was whether or 51 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:03,399 Speaker 1: not he was involved. He was presented as having mt 52 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 1: G called him on the phone, held the phone up 53 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:10,240 Speaker 1: so they could take the picture, and everybody waved them off. Again, 54 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: that was probably performative. Who wants to talk to the 55 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:19,679 Speaker 1: president and you know, no one, no good thing to 56 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 1: come from it. I don't think there's much to be 57 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 1: drawn from that. I don't think really in his standing. 58 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: He is who he is, and they're just you know, 59 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:32,800 Speaker 1: they genuinelect to him, but they don't really take him 60 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:35,839 Speaker 1: that seriously. He has some legal problems. Can you talk 61 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: to us about these legal problems? Yes, apparently. Again, well, 62 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: his legal problems are the same legal problems we've talked 63 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: about before. They're just getting closer and closer to their culmination, 64 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: although it's you know, it's gonna be another year or 65 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 1: two before a lot of this stuff works itself out. 66 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 1: The Georgia grand jury, the Fulton County grand jury, the 67 00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: special grand jury that was convened at the request of 68 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 1: Fulton County d A. Fannie Willis has apparently prepared a 69 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: report and submitted it to the court, and then the 70 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 1: only question is when and how it gets released, and 71 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: then whether Fannie Willis takes that report and brings it 72 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:15,840 Speaker 1: to a regular grand jury, which would have the power 73 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: to indict people, including Donald J. Trump. So that's you know, 74 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:22,279 Speaker 1: that's something that we can look forward to happening in 75 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:24,719 Speaker 1: the next few weeks to see see how that plays out. 76 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:27,799 Speaker 1: You know, we've got the special counsel, Jack Smith, who's busy, busy, 77 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 1: busy apparently, and he's hired a bunch of new people. 78 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 1: He's hired a bunch of new people. He seems to 79 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:37,000 Speaker 1: be on the job, on on the ball, and Andrew 80 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 1: Weisman has called him aggressive. And Andrew Wisman was himself 81 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 1: an aggressive prosecutor. So you know, we'll see what comes 82 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:45,279 Speaker 1: of that too. I think that, you know, the documents 83 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 1: of Marilago documents case is pretty strong, and the other cases, 84 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: we'll see what happens with the January six cases that 85 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: he's got that there. He's gonna work his way through 86 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:58,160 Speaker 1: that too. So what about the people who say, well, 87 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:03,279 Speaker 1: Trump had all these documents, but Biden also had documents 88 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 1: twelve documents in a Biden foundation. There's the volume of 89 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 1: the documents, there's the location of the documents, but the 90 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 1: most important distinguishing factor is what these men did with 91 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:20,359 Speaker 1: their documents. When Biden's lawyers found these documents, apparently in 92 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 1: the beginning of November, they called up the White House 93 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 1: Council's office and the next day they were delivered to 94 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:28,720 Speaker 1: the National Archives where they belonged. And you know, that's 95 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:33,680 Speaker 1: in stark contrast to the behavior of the former president, 96 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 1: who was he was told that he was believed by 97 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 1: the Archives that he had documents, He stole all them 98 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:42,599 Speaker 1: for a period of time, gave them some documents back, 99 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:45,040 Speaker 1: was told again that they thought he had some documents. 100 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:47,720 Speaker 1: He gave some more back, but not all of them. 101 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:50,160 Speaker 1: He moved someone around in the basement of his golf 102 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:54,000 Speaker 1: club in golf club, but his little resort in Florida, 103 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:56,800 Speaker 1: and had people moved the boxes around and went through 104 00:05:56,839 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 1: the boxes himself. Then he was subpoenaed and just a 105 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,039 Speaker 1: few more documents, and then had somebody issue a false 106 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:05,640 Speaker 1: certification that he produced all the documents, which turned out 107 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: to be a lie, which we found out when the 108 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 1: Justice Department, after showing a federal magistrate judge, probably cause 109 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: that a crime was committed by someone, got a search warrant, 110 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 1: and that's how we found out about that. And that's 111 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:20,599 Speaker 1: a that's you know, that was a long I mean, 112 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:24,800 Speaker 1: if Donald Trump had done what Biden had done, or 113 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:27,920 Speaker 1: what Biden's people did for him, you know when when 114 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:29,839 Speaker 1: he was told, hey, we think you've got some stuff, 115 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 1: he says, oh, well, let me go look and give 116 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:34,479 Speaker 1: it all back, even though the volume was much greater, 117 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:36,600 Speaker 1: we would be talking about any of this right now. 118 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:40,160 Speaker 1: It's a much more serious situation with with Donald J. Trump. 119 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:42,200 Speaker 1: And you know, on top of that, who do we 120 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 1: trust on this? You've got one guy who makes a 121 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:48,279 Speaker 1: few mistakes here and there, and then you've got one 122 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:51,359 Speaker 1: guy another another guy who, with all due respect to 123 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:55,719 Speaker 1: Congressman Santos, is the biggest pathological liar we've ever seen 124 00:06:56,279 --> 00:06:59,520 Speaker 1: in this nation's politics and can't be trusted on anything. 125 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 1: It is a big difference. And then look, but that's fine, 126 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:05,440 Speaker 1: it's fine. I think it's appropriate that the Justice Department 127 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:11,120 Speaker 1: investigate the circumstances behind the finding of these Biden vice 128 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:14,920 Speaker 1: presidency documents, see who had them, how they try to 129 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:17,520 Speaker 1: figure out, if they can, how these limited number of 130 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 1: documents found their way into this storage closet in Washington, 131 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 1: and see what people knew about it, if anything, but 132 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:27,080 Speaker 1: chances are it was, you know, inadvertent. And if you 133 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 1: say oops, you know, it's like anything else. If you 134 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:32,440 Speaker 1: find something in your house that doesn't belong to you, 135 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 1: either because you picked it up somewhere or somebody left it, 136 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:37,480 Speaker 1: you know, you call them up and you return it 137 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 1: to them. And that's what seems to have happened in 138 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 1: the Biden situation. You don't go and sit and hide it. 139 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 1: And when somebody comes up to your door and said, hey, 140 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 1: we think we might have left our wallet here, say, oh, 141 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 1: I don't know, here's a credit card and slammed the 142 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:51,560 Speaker 1: door and then went from the bang on the door again, 143 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:53,560 Speaker 1: said what there was some other there's money in there, Oh, 144 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:56,400 Speaker 1: here's a dollar and then and say there isn't anything 145 00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: more when the cops come, and then you know have 146 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: the issue of search warrant to get into your house. 147 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:06,520 Speaker 1: That's a lot different, I think, right right, But you 148 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 1: know you're not going to hear that on Fox News. 149 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 1: And Trump is he does still have other you know, 150 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 1: there's the fake electors he's got, well, the fake electors, 151 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 1: the whole January sixth thing, the January sixth investigation is 152 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:22,200 Speaker 1: a is a number of fake electors. The pressure on 153 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 1: like Pants, which was, you know, an attempt to get 154 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:28,560 Speaker 1: him to commit fraud. The call to Rathlnsburger is a 155 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 1: potential federal offense as well as a state offense. I mean, 156 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 1: there's so many aspects of that that can lead to charges. 157 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:37,080 Speaker 1: He's got a big problem there. You ignore Trump at 158 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 1: your own peril. Yeah, you shouldn't ignore Trump. Do you 159 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: think he ends up being the candidate? Possibly? I mean 160 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:47,160 Speaker 1: you've got people like Asa Hutchinson talking about running for president. 161 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:50,400 Speaker 1: You've got Mike Pompeo. I know you're excited for this. 162 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 1: I think we need to have a special podcast. His 163 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:55,920 Speaker 1: book is coming out on January. I'm sure it's going 164 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:57,800 Speaker 1: to be a best seller. You know we're gonna end 165 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:00,160 Speaker 1: up talking about that nothing NonStop for a month than 166 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:02,360 Speaker 1: you know. You've got him gonna run, you've got to 167 00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: talk about the santis. I don't know he's actually gonna run. 168 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:07,240 Speaker 1: But you've got a lot of people who think they 169 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:10,840 Speaker 1: should be president, and they're sensing weakness. But the problem 170 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:13,160 Speaker 1: is they're all going to split the vote, you know, 171 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:16,280 Speaker 1: so you can win. It's quite possible to win with 172 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 1: I don't know the vote. The thing is, I mean 173 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:24,480 Speaker 1: we all sort of know that probably Trump won't get 174 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 1: re elected, but he still could. No, I don't think so. 175 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:31,440 Speaker 1: I mean, I think the Democrats would have to. I 176 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:35,720 Speaker 1: think they'd have to nominate someone so horrible that people 177 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: will just stay home. And I don't think they're going 178 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:40,160 Speaker 1: to do that. I don't. I think people would take 179 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:43,160 Speaker 1: their shot chances with any number of people over Donald 180 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:45,760 Speaker 1: Trump before they would go back over Donald Trump. People 181 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:49,840 Speaker 1: will still crawl on broken glass to vote against Donald Trump, 182 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: which is what happened in two thousand, notwithstanding the pandemic. 183 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 1: And I think also that in four he's going to 184 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:02,040 Speaker 1: be much more insane than he's ever been. So say 185 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:04,520 Speaker 1: more about that, Well, you could just see, I mean, 186 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:07,760 Speaker 1: you see his statements. He's more detached from reality, he's 187 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:12,200 Speaker 1: got fewer people around him to check his impulses, and 188 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:17,160 Speaker 1: he's you know, he's more and more obsessed with the 189 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:21,120 Speaker 1: stolen election, and he's he's going to get worse. These 190 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:25,079 Speaker 1: people who have this, these personality traits, these malignant narcissists, 191 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:29,000 Speaker 1: these psychopaths, they get worse over time, and they don't 192 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:32,200 Speaker 1: get better, and he's continuing to get worse. I know, 193 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 1: it's sorry, it's hard to fathom how he could possibly 194 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:37,400 Speaker 1: get worse, But I mean, the one thing that we 195 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:40,280 Speaker 1: have consistently seen what Donald J. Trump is but he 196 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 1: does get worse. There is always a lower depth to 197 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:46,840 Speaker 1: which he can sink, and he will do that. The 198 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 1: problem is it's still not going to be enough to 199 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:55,480 Speaker 1: turn away the last thirty of the Republican Party that 200 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:57,880 Speaker 1: still is going to support him no matter what. So 201 00:10:58,120 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 1: you know, he can get he can he could probably 202 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:02,640 Speaker 1: get the nomination. Are you still a Republican? No? Like 203 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: we've done thing. I left the Republican Party in March 204 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:09,840 Speaker 1: of when I concluded that the Republican Party had become 205 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:13,320 Speaker 1: a personality called and boy was I right. Yeah, I 206 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 1: mean it wasn't even it wasn't even a third of 207 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:19,000 Speaker 1: what it is today. It seems like every time Republicans lose, right, 208 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 1: I mean they lost the mid terms, they lost, every 209 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:24,319 Speaker 1: time they lose, they just they won the House. You have, 210 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:27,960 Speaker 1: we have Speaker McCarthy. But I mean every time they lose, 211 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:30,560 Speaker 1: they kind of they don't ever learn a lesson. They 212 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:32,719 Speaker 1: just want to do it again again. But that's the 213 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:35,240 Speaker 1: dynamic I'm talking about, is that the people, you know, 214 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:38,800 Speaker 1: you've got these districts where this stuff flies in their 215 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:43,320 Speaker 1: safe districts, and you you know, those people are ready 216 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:45,720 Speaker 1: to blow up the party, blow up the House if 217 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:48,960 Speaker 1: they don't get their way. So they have an inordinate 218 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:50,959 Speaker 1: amount of power. I mean, you know the Democrats were 219 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:55,920 Speaker 1: complaining for two years about Senators Cinema and Mansion. Well there, 220 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:57,440 Speaker 1: you know, they have a lot. They had a lot 221 00:11:57,480 --> 00:11:59,880 Speaker 1: of power because they made the difference between you know 222 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:05,320 Speaker 1: and fifty and you needed Kala Harris to make it. Well, 223 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 1: these people, you know, just just a few of them. 224 00:12:08,679 --> 00:12:13,600 Speaker 1: As we saw with the fifteen speakers votes um basically 225 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:17,280 Speaker 1: shut down the House's ability to function at any time, 226 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:20,120 Speaker 1: and one of them can at any point can make 227 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:22,319 Speaker 1: a motion under the new rules of the House to 228 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 1: vacate the chair and throughout the speaker. The speaker is 229 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:28,520 Speaker 1: completely beholden to them. I mean, the more moderate Republicans 230 00:12:28,559 --> 00:12:32,720 Speaker 1: could also do that. They could, but there are not 231 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:35,560 Speaker 1: that many of them left, but some of them, I mean, 232 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:37,959 Speaker 1: the only way they could they could make a difference 233 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,000 Speaker 1: is they got to vote with the Democrats. That would 234 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:42,040 Speaker 1: be fatal for them. I mean, it might be fatal 235 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:45,240 Speaker 1: in a primary, you know, in one of those tight districts. 236 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:49,120 Speaker 1: It's fatal in a primary. Then that's it. Primaries are 237 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 1: huge threats to them, right Their object is to not 238 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:56,480 Speaker 1: get burned from the right and try to get by, 239 00:12:56,679 --> 00:12:58,599 Speaker 1: but it doesn't work. So who do you think this 240 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 1: sort of of the of the House caucuses right now? 241 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 1: I don't think there is a head, but you can 242 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:08,320 Speaker 1: see that some people have. Matt Gates has come out 243 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:11,120 Speaker 1: of this states he clearly lost a lot of friends, 244 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:14,040 Speaker 1: but you know he's got his He's got his younger friends, elsewhere. 245 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:17,640 Speaker 1: You know, I didn't say anything on tour, and i'n't 246 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:20,240 Speaker 1: saying what he did with him. He hangs out with him, right, 247 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:24,120 Speaker 1: certainly not. We haven't heard anything more about any of 248 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:27,559 Speaker 1: that either. No, No, No, I think I think that 249 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:29,680 Speaker 1: I think they're not. I mean, I think the last 250 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:32,079 Speaker 1: I heard is that they're not going in that direction 251 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:34,800 Speaker 1: of Justice Department. But even though they did a plea 252 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:38,440 Speaker 1: deal with his wingman. Yeah, but you know that, you know, 253 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:40,920 Speaker 1: they may be that the witnesses aren't all that great. 254 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 1: Who knows right on the particular things that they were 255 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:45,439 Speaker 1: investigating him about, which I don't really want to talk 256 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:49,720 Speaker 1: about it. You see Marjorie Taylor Green walking around like 257 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:52,840 Speaker 1: she owns the place. Yeah, because she does. She sort 258 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:55,760 Speaker 1: of does. It's unbelievable. So you think they shut down 259 00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:58,679 Speaker 1: the government, it's only going to get worse. Yes, it's 260 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:00,760 Speaker 1: only going to get worse. It's only gonna get worse. 261 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:03,040 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, you've got the deat ceiling issues, 262 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:06,320 Speaker 1: You've got the next budget that they have to put 263 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:10,320 Speaker 1: through next. With these appropriations bills, there's so many trigger points, 264 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:13,240 Speaker 1: so many places where things can go off the rails, 265 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:15,520 Speaker 1: and a lot of it's going to be performative, So 266 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:18,880 Speaker 1: don't plan any National Park vacations. No, I would not 267 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:22,040 Speaker 1: do that. George Conway, thank you so much for joining us. 268 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:31,600 Speaker 1: Mandara Jones is a former congressman from New York seventeenth District. 269 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:36,840 Speaker 1: Welcome too Fast Politics, Mandara Jones, thanks for having me back. 270 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:39,320 Speaker 1: I feel like a regular at this point. Well, I 271 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:41,160 Speaker 1: I don't know if you know, but I tweeted earlier 272 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:44,800 Speaker 1: today that you have to become a regular until you're 273 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:48,160 Speaker 1: back in Congress. In fact, I almost liked that tweet, 274 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:50,880 Speaker 1: but I didn't want people to think that by virtue 275 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:53,040 Speaker 1: of liking it that I was announcing my intention to 276 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:55,520 Speaker 1: run in four I've still not made a decision on that. 277 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:58,400 Speaker 1: What the hell is going on over there? You were 278 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:01,400 Speaker 1: in Congress? Yeah, in and what you're referring to happened 279 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:05,960 Speaker 1: in the one seventeenth Congress in January of two thousand 280 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:10,520 Speaker 1: twenty one, as shortly as you'll recalled. Before January six 281 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:13,440 Speaker 1: really opened a new chapter for us in Congress. But 282 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:16,280 Speaker 1: you know, prior to that point, prior to January six, 283 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:19,000 Speaker 1: we were going through the process of the first order 284 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:21,720 Speaker 1: of business electing a speaker. It was something that was 285 00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:25,000 Speaker 1: not controversial. There were a few people who had expressed misgivings. 286 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:29,280 Speaker 1: Some people had, you know, previously run on not intending 287 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:32,600 Speaker 1: to support Nancy Pelosi, but she was able to cobble 288 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:37,200 Speaker 1: together a true majority in the House. And contrast that 289 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:41,720 Speaker 1: with Republicans having to go to a fifteenth ballot, which 290 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:45,080 Speaker 1: broke all records except for those set in the eighteen 291 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:49,440 Speaker 1: fifties in this country, to simply name the next Speaker 292 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:51,640 Speaker 1: of the House. And I think it was really an 293 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:55,280 Speaker 1: invitation into what we're going to be seeing for the 294 00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 1: next two years. Unfortunate and in utter incompetence and utter 295 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:03,200 Speaker 1: inability to get things done. On vote, he did win. 296 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 1: No one knows what he's promised. I think some people 297 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:12,880 Speaker 1: know what he's promised discussed. I think the most powerful 298 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:18,440 Speaker 1: people in the House, GOP Caucus no what Kevin McCarthy promised. 299 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:22,600 Speaker 1: And by most powerful people, I certainly mean Matt Gates, 300 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:27,880 Speaker 1: Lauren Bobert, Matt Rosendale and others who were part of 301 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: that twenty to twenty one that became a whole bunch 302 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:34,960 Speaker 1: of people who voted present at the end, who couldn't 303 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:37,520 Speaker 1: vote for him, but who also didn't want to vote 304 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:39,960 Speaker 1: against him so that they could finally get on with 305 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:44,360 Speaker 1: that process. I have been a little uncomfortable on behalf 306 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:49,720 Speaker 1: of some of my former Republican colleagues, because just today 307 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:53,000 Speaker 1: I've heard a number of Republicans new interviews with the 308 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:56,280 Speaker 1: networks in which they said that Kevin McCarthy did not 309 00:16:56,360 --> 00:17:01,160 Speaker 1: make promises to put people on specific committees. Well, you know, 310 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:04,359 Speaker 1: you should only say things that you have actual knowledge of, 311 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:07,639 Speaker 1: and and other things you may just want to hedge, 312 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:13,120 Speaker 1: because frankly, it's common to make promises to appoint people 313 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:15,720 Speaker 1: to specific committees, and I feel quite confident that Speaker 314 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:17,920 Speaker 1: Pelosi did that in the past, and she's a much 315 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:21,159 Speaker 1: better county than Kevin McCarthy is um. I think the 316 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:25,679 Speaker 1: issue is that this rules package really gives the keys 317 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:28,399 Speaker 1: to the extremists in the party. And you will not 318 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:31,720 Speaker 1: hear me use the word moderate on this podcast. As 319 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,120 Speaker 1: someone said on Twitter a few days ago, there are 320 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:38,080 Speaker 1: no moderates in the House. Gopcock is there. There are lunatics, 321 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:41,640 Speaker 1: and there are cowards, even the members from from Biden 322 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:44,800 Speaker 1: districts congressional districts that Biden one of which there are 323 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:48,320 Speaker 1: many on the Republican side. This cycle. They all voted 324 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:52,240 Speaker 1: for a rules package that would allow just one of 325 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:56,399 Speaker 1: them to make a motion to replace the Speaker of 326 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:59,840 Speaker 1: the House too. In this rules package gut the Office 327 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:02,760 Speaker 1: of Congressional Ethics, which is a deep concern to me 328 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:06,160 Speaker 1: as someone who cares about ethics and who recently completed 329 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:08,639 Speaker 1: a term on the Ethics Committee, and who knows that 330 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:12,040 Speaker 1: fifty of the case work that the Ethics Committee deals 331 00:18:12,119 --> 00:18:15,639 Speaker 1: with is casework that was initially referred by the Office 332 00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:19,399 Speaker 1: of Congressional Ethics, which does the preliminary legwork on those cases. 333 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 1: So I am deeply concerned by by those provisions and 334 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:26,760 Speaker 1: other provisions like putting members of the Freedom Caucus on 335 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:29,360 Speaker 1: key committees like the Rules Committee. But this is a 336 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:33,840 Speaker 1: recipe for dysfunction and disaster these next two years. And 337 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:37,200 Speaker 1: all of these Republicans, the so called moderates, they all 338 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:39,879 Speaker 1: voted for it, with the exception of Tony Gonzalez. And 339 00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:44,000 Speaker 1: get this, Tony gonzalez Is objection isn't even a good one. 340 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:45,840 Speaker 1: Like I'm glad he voted against it, but like his 341 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:48,439 Speaker 1: objection is that they're going to cut the defense budget 342 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:51,840 Speaker 1: by seventy billion dollars, which he alleges will make us 343 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:54,040 Speaker 1: weaker as a country. Not true at all, because the 344 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:57,080 Speaker 1: defense budget is, you know, it's full of lobbyists giveaways, right. 345 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:00,960 Speaker 1: The one thing that any of us would agree with 346 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:04,640 Speaker 1: is the reason why he you now, it's the it's 347 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:07,600 Speaker 1: that meme of the worst person, you know, right, having 348 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:10,639 Speaker 1: a good idea like cut the you know, cut the 349 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:14,359 Speaker 1: defense budget. Don't threaten me with a good time. So 350 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:18,960 Speaker 1: it does seem like it's just they are in there. 351 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:24,040 Speaker 1: They are going to go full Benghazi all then I 352 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:29,439 Speaker 1: think that's right. You'll see investigations into Hunter Biden's private parts. 353 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:36,440 Speaker 1: You will see a false inquiry into the various federal 354 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:42,600 Speaker 1: agencies that happened to be investigating people like Jim Jordan's 355 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:45,240 Speaker 1: and Scott Perry. I did not believe that that is 356 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:48,000 Speaker 1: a coincidence. I don't believe that they're trying to get 357 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:51,920 Speaker 1: the Office of Congressional Ethics after the January six committee 358 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:54,840 Speaker 1: just refer people like Kevin McCarthy and Jim Jordan's to 359 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 1: the Ethics Committee. I don't believe that they're trying to 360 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:03,399 Speaker 1: embarrass the FBI and the Department of Justice. But after 361 00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:08,760 Speaker 1: the FBI seized Scott Perry's cell, phone last August pursuing 362 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:10,879 Speaker 1: to a warrant and is investigating him for trying to 363 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:15,000 Speaker 1: overturn the election. This is all part of a plan 364 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:20,880 Speaker 1: to keep bad actors from being investigated and from causing 365 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:24,720 Speaker 1: further embarrassment to the Republican Party. And we haven't even 366 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:30,040 Speaker 1: said the name George Santos. Talk to me about the fabulous, 367 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:35,679 Speaker 1: the talented Mr Santos. I first met George in November 368 00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:39,879 Speaker 1: of two thousand. If that's his real name, right, he 369 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,919 Speaker 1: does not seem to answer to it, which makes me 370 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:45,840 Speaker 1: think it might not be. I first met George in 371 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:50,679 Speaker 1: November because we were an orientation and at the time, 372 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:53,639 Speaker 1: because of the delay with which New York State was 373 00:20:53,760 --> 00:21:00,439 Speaker 1: counting votes by mail. Uh, he hadn't been elected. He was. 374 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:03,440 Speaker 1: It could have been right, the race had not yet 375 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:05,680 Speaker 1: been called for Thomas Wiser. We all knew that Tom 376 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:07,600 Speaker 1: was going to win that race. But in the meantime, 377 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:11,320 Speaker 1: George Sandos went down to Washington and he was part 378 00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:14,920 Speaker 1: of our freshman orienta. Well, why, I mean he does 379 00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:17,560 Speaker 1: that's kind of how he rolls. I mean, he might 380 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,400 Speaker 1: have just stayed in Congress if he could have, I think, 381 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:22,960 Speaker 1: until they told him he had to leave. He would 382 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:28,199 Speaker 1: have absolutely stayed for the full extent of orientation. He 383 00:21:28,359 --> 00:21:31,920 Speaker 1: was ironically one of the people, if not I think, 384 00:21:31,960 --> 00:21:34,760 Speaker 1: the person who asked the most questions, who stood up 385 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:37,240 Speaker 1: and until the microphone the most, and we're all like, dude, 386 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:42,880 Speaker 1: you're not even gonna be part of At some point 387 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:46,399 Speaker 1: he approached me to tell me that he is a 388 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:51,040 Speaker 1: gay Republican, which I imagine is something that he did 389 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:54,679 Speaker 1: because he knows that I'm gay. I'm sure he loved it. 390 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:57,720 Speaker 1: Many of these people are pleasant. They will say how 391 00:21:57,760 --> 00:21:59,520 Speaker 1: do you in the hallway? I mean, Mary Kayla Green 392 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:01,440 Speaker 1: was in my all in the basement of long Worth 393 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:04,720 Speaker 1: last term. And you know, people are friendly, but you 394 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:07,639 Speaker 1: just gotta remember how terrible they are in terms of 395 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:11,439 Speaker 1: in terms of their policies. So and I remember, you know, 396 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:14,720 Speaker 1: after George said that to me, speaking of my colleagues 397 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 1: and asking did you know that there was a gay 398 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:20,479 Speaker 1: Republican and the caucus and and everyone was surprised. And 399 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:26,720 Speaker 1: so I have to believe that George is actually Gary 400 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:32,840 Speaker 1: or something, even though I don't want to. And now 401 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:35,760 Speaker 1: he is in Congress. I thought that that what school 402 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:37,680 Speaker 1: he said where he said he's going to sit down 403 00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:42,600 Speaker 1: and talk to him was pretty good. I mean, it's like, 404 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:45,080 Speaker 1: what are they going to say to him, like, don't 405 00:22:45,119 --> 00:22:48,720 Speaker 1: be a sociopath. I'm really looking forward to seeing what 406 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:55,600 Speaker 1: the federal agencies do with respect to these really troubling things. Right, UM, 407 00:22:56,560 --> 00:22:59,639 Speaker 1: I will tell you, I am and have been increasingly 408 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:02,960 Speaker 1: concern learned with the politicization of the Ethics Committee. UM 409 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:06,679 Speaker 1: specifically concerned by the behavior of my Republican colleagues on 410 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:11,080 Speaker 1: that committee. But the Department of Justice, specifically the U. S. 411 00:23:11,119 --> 00:23:14,240 Speaker 1: Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of New York is probing, 412 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:20,639 Speaker 1: uh several of the allegations against Mr Santos, and I 413 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:24,520 Speaker 1: think it's untenable that that he would remain in office 414 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:27,399 Speaker 1: for these next two years. But Kevin McCarthy would love 415 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:29,359 Speaker 1: to have him for as long as he can because 416 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:31,840 Speaker 1: it's a district that you know should be represented by 417 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:34,720 Speaker 1: a Democrat when you look at Bliden's marginal victory and 418 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:36,880 Speaker 1: you know it's a district frankly that I believe Tom 419 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:39,080 Speaker 1: Swazie could win all over again. I think they were 420 00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:43,359 Speaker 1: a special election well, and also Republicans have decided or 421 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:45,679 Speaker 1: at least they made the macin nations that they are 422 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:49,880 Speaker 1: going to try to kick from committees, kick out Eric 423 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:54,400 Speaker 1: Swall while Adam Schiff and Johan Omar as a sort 424 00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:59,280 Speaker 1: of payback for Marjorie Taylor Green. I mean that says 425 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:03,119 Speaker 1: everything you need to say when you talk about this 426 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:09,280 Speaker 1: one Congress. When you look at the criticism of Adam Schiff, 427 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 1: for example, who has been one of the democracy champions 428 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:16,679 Speaker 1: that we've had, someone who has been taking Donald Trump 429 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:21,160 Speaker 1: won and Maga extremism, it really reveals that a number 430 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:24,760 Speaker 1: of the objections don't have met I think, you know, 431 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:31,160 Speaker 1: the stuff about Ilhan Omar is rooted in Islamophobia and racism. 432 00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:34,199 Speaker 1: I mean, look, you can absolutely take people to the 433 00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:37,919 Speaker 1: mat when it comes to disagreeing with their policy positions, 434 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:42,240 Speaker 1: but the idea that you know, some of these people 435 00:24:42,280 --> 00:24:45,840 Speaker 1: should not be allowed to serve on their committees is extraordinary. 436 00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:50,679 Speaker 1: And again, this is about partisanship. This is not about 437 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:55,000 Speaker 1: concern for anything, but to be able to say, look, 438 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:59,399 Speaker 1: you took Marjorie Tyler Green off something, we took Adam 439 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:02,080 Speaker 1: Cheff up something. That's right. You know, some of us, 440 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:04,959 Speaker 1: myself included, thought that people would be taken off of 441 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:08,960 Speaker 1: all committees. So this is actually more of a modest 442 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:12,520 Speaker 1: reprisal than I than I expected from the Republican Party. 443 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:15,320 Speaker 1: Will you explain Margae Taylor Green was taken off all 444 00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:18,560 Speaker 1: of her committees, same thing for Paul Gosar. I have 445 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:22,320 Speaker 1: not heard Kevin McCarthy say that Adam Ship cannot serve 446 00:25:22,359 --> 00:25:24,680 Speaker 1: on any committees in the Congress. I've heard him say 447 00:25:24,680 --> 00:25:27,080 Speaker 1: he'll be taking out the Intelligence Committee. I've heard him 448 00:25:27,119 --> 00:25:29,640 Speaker 1: say that Ohani will be taken off the Foreign Affairs Committee. 449 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:33,199 Speaker 1: Do you have any sort of thoughts on how the 450 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:37,800 Speaker 1: Biden administration should handle this continual Benghazi I mean, do 451 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:40,080 Speaker 1: you think they should fight back? Do you think they 452 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:43,080 Speaker 1: should ignore it? Do you think I mean, you know, 453 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:46,560 Speaker 1: what's the calculus in your mind? I think they have 454 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:52,639 Speaker 1: to fight back. I think that not taking the Benghazi 455 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:58,000 Speaker 1: investigation seriously a few years ago did great harm to 456 00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:01,680 Speaker 1: Hillary Clinton in the general election, and it wasn't fair 457 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:06,080 Speaker 1: and it was not based in any merit. But you know, 458 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:08,119 Speaker 1: you have to make that case to the American people 459 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:12,720 Speaker 1: because increasingly we have a splintering in our media such 460 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:16,560 Speaker 1: that a large segment of the American population will believe 461 00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:21,240 Speaker 1: that somehow Joe Biden is responsible for the conduct of 462 00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 1: his son and potentially, you know, hold that against him 463 00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:28,760 Speaker 1: when when voting in in two thousand twenty four. It's 464 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:34,200 Speaker 1: such an insane, insane and and also incredibly stupid time 465 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:37,480 Speaker 1: to be alive. Yeah, the House is pretty raggedy these days. 466 00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:46,399 Speaker 1: Do you think that McCarthy will be speaker? Do you 467 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:50,960 Speaker 1: think he'll last the whole hundred No? I do not. Um. 468 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,280 Speaker 1: I think that Kevin McCarthy will be lucky to get 469 00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:57,680 Speaker 1: through the year of two thousand twenty three as Speaker 470 00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:01,040 Speaker 1: of the House, because what's going to happen been is 471 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:07,080 Speaker 1: that because any person can create a you know, can 472 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:11,320 Speaker 1: can require a vote to replace Kevin McCarthy, you're going 473 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:14,440 Speaker 1: to have a bunch of Democrats waiting to vote with you, 474 00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:18,440 Speaker 1: with five or so other Republicans on the other side 475 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:22,440 Speaker 1: of the eye, to replace Kevin McCarthy. So it's it's 476 00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:26,600 Speaker 1: a very fraud straight jacket to use a word that 477 00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:30,200 Speaker 1: Macates and others have have you used with respect to 478 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:34,520 Speaker 1: Kevin McCarthy, You heard it here first. Thank you, mon 479 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:38,960 Speaker 1: dare I hope you will come back to cover this 480 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:44,239 Speaker 1: before you start running again. No pressure, Well, thank you, 481 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:48,000 Speaker 1: I appreciate it. Still have to make a decision. I 482 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:51,840 Speaker 1: know you, our dear listeners are very busy and you 483 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:54,280 Speaker 1: don't have time to sort through the hundreds of pieces 484 00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:58,159 Speaker 1: of punnentry each week. This is why every week I 485 00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:02,760 Speaker 1: put together and use of my five favorite articles on politics. 486 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,440 Speaker 1: If you enjoyed the podcast, you will love having this 487 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:09,320 Speaker 1: in your inbox every Friday. So sign up at Fast 488 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:12,680 Speaker 1: Politics pod dot com and click the tab to join 489 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:19,520 Speaker 1: our mailing list. That's fast politics pod dot com. Dave 490 00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:24,480 Speaker 1: Wigal is a political reporter at Semaphore. Dave, welcome to 491 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:27,720 Speaker 1: Fast Politics. Thanks for having me. It's good to be here. 492 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:30,680 Speaker 1: I don't even know where to start here. This gop 493 00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:34,640 Speaker 1: house seems kind of incredible to me. I mean, you've 494 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:37,200 Speaker 1: been doing this a long time. What is your take 495 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:41,160 Speaker 1: here as this starts? Well, it was both odd to 496 00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:45,240 Speaker 1: cover and inevitable. And Michael, last weeks with Semaphore was 497 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:47,960 Speaker 1: really the first time a bunch of us who joined 498 00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:52,280 Speaker 1: the publication were out in the house giving people, grabbing them, 499 00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:55,760 Speaker 1: interviewing them, irritating them. I was not pulling my hair 500 00:28:55,760 --> 00:28:58,040 Speaker 1: out over what a crazy thing was happening. Was interesting 501 00:28:58,160 --> 00:28:59,920 Speaker 1: that this had not happened in a hundred years but 502 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:03,040 Speaker 1: it was exactly the thing that conservative media had been 503 00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:06,160 Speaker 1: mitigating towards for a long time. I mean, if you 504 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:11,080 Speaker 1: paid attention to Turning Point usas sort of parallel conservative 505 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:13,120 Speaker 1: conferences they've been having. I mean I've watched them in 506 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:16,520 Speaker 1: December when Carry Lake was the special guest and getting 507 00:29:16,560 --> 00:29:18,560 Speaker 1: most the attention. And you've been to a lot of 508 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:21,440 Speaker 1: these too. Well, that one I was just watching remotely. 509 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:24,320 Speaker 1: So that's that's if somebody. If somebody is going to 510 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:26,000 Speaker 1: put the whole thing up on a stream, I'm gonna 511 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:27,880 Speaker 1: watch the stream and then get something else done. But 512 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:29,280 Speaker 1: I've been to a lot of it too. Yeah, I've 513 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:31,280 Speaker 1: heard a lot of this. This happening in things got 514 00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:33,360 Speaker 1: less less coverage in this. I think what got ignored 515 00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:36,320 Speaker 1: was Gates and other incumbents who showed up. We're talking 516 00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:39,760 Speaker 1: about challenging Kevin McCarthy, talking about not just the demands 517 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:42,160 Speaker 1: that make but really in personal terms, saying that this 518 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:44,800 Speaker 1: guy was was a schmuck who couldn't be trusted and 519 00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:49,080 Speaker 1: was never gonna do what conservatives sent Republicans to Washington 520 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:52,120 Speaker 1: to do. Like this was very hard hardened. It wasn't 521 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:54,760 Speaker 1: just because I've seen a lot of comparison by people 522 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:57,920 Speaker 1: on the left to what they wanted their representatives to 523 00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:00,600 Speaker 1: do when there was a similar narrowed ever credit majority 524 00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:02,920 Speaker 1: in one like why didn't you guys get in there 525 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:05,560 Speaker 1: and protest her? And a big reason is that even 526 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:08,240 Speaker 1: left wing Democrats who were left to Congress respect Nancy 527 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:10,480 Speaker 1: Pelosi and thinks she thinks she I a should say 528 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:12,520 Speaker 1: it was good at the job you You did to 529 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:15,600 Speaker 1: hear this drumbeat for years and Republicans saying, one, we 530 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:17,640 Speaker 1: don't think this guy is very good at this, and 531 00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:19,560 Speaker 1: two in the in the last few weeks, there's a 532 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:21,360 Speaker 1: lot we want. We want that we think the guy 533 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:23,840 Speaker 1: is so weak he can't deliver on. So I I 534 00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:25,720 Speaker 1: was looking at it saying, Okay, what are they going 535 00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:28,080 Speaker 1: to pull out of this? Like the chaos of having 536 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:30,040 Speaker 1: to wait a couple of days to figure out who's 537 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:32,479 Speaker 1: the speaker, that's not really affecting most people. And it's 538 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:35,320 Speaker 1: not like the debt limit where you're you're really worried. Okay, 539 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:38,040 Speaker 1: I'm getting advice from my broker about what Congress is doing. 540 00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:40,320 Speaker 1: I wouldn't say no one cared, but this did not 541 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:42,959 Speaker 1: have a huge impact on people's lives. It was kind 542 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:45,400 Speaker 1: of a free game to play for for right wing 543 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:47,560 Speaker 1: members of Congress who said so much on the record 544 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:49,480 Speaker 1: you can barely read it all about why they why 545 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:52,120 Speaker 1: they wanted to do this. So it was inevitable, but 546 00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:55,040 Speaker 1: it wasn't inevitable. It was inevitable. I didn't treat it 547 00:30:55,120 --> 00:30:58,040 Speaker 1: like a crazy event that was gonna impact the Republic 548 00:30:58,080 --> 00:31:00,560 Speaker 1: for generations that to come. It was just they saw 549 00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:04,240 Speaker 1: a bargaining tactic and they used it. And unlike people 550 00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:07,200 Speaker 1: on the left were pretty happy with Nancy Pelosi respected her, 551 00:31:07,840 --> 00:31:10,560 Speaker 1: people on the right, we're pretty blatant about how little 552 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:12,960 Speaker 1: they respected to Ket McCarthy and didn't think he was 553 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:15,880 Speaker 1: gonna gonna be worth worth it in the job. So 554 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:18,880 Speaker 1: I was interested in what they're going to extract from 555 00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:21,880 Speaker 1: the guy, which which we're only now learning about and 556 00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:25,240 Speaker 1: we still don't really know. Right yesterday, I saw reporting 557 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:29,240 Speaker 1: Nancy May saying she didn't know. I saw a Democratic 558 00:31:29,240 --> 00:31:31,120 Speaker 1: compress people saying they don't know. They don't really know 559 00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:34,160 Speaker 1: because it's not in the rules package. Right, Yeah, that's right. 560 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:37,560 Speaker 1: I mean the stuff that is most important in terms 561 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:39,200 Speaker 1: of an effect to a normal person who don't care 562 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:42,200 Speaker 1: about politics, was okay, what are they going to demand 563 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:44,160 Speaker 1: exchange for the debt limit? What are they going to 564 00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:47,720 Speaker 1: demand exchange for passing normal appropriations bills? And that's still 565 00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:51,200 Speaker 1: kind of opaque. I mean, we've seen some some screenshots 566 00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:53,920 Speaker 1: of things that they've told members, we don't have something 567 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:55,920 Speaker 1: on paper the rest of this and the rest of 568 00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:59,080 Speaker 1: the rest of the rules that they were passing who 569 00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:01,920 Speaker 1: served on committee. I don't think that that materially changed 570 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:03,880 Speaker 1: a lot. They were saying before the election they were 571 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:07,080 Speaker 1: going to use this email. Yeah, so it sounds like 572 00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:10,840 Speaker 1: a lot of these people think that Kevin McCarthy is 573 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:13,640 Speaker 1: a moron. And and actually, I'd love to go into this. 574 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:16,320 Speaker 1: I know there was a really interesting piece in political 575 00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:19,880 Speaker 1: last year about how Kevin McCarthy is a moron, but 576 00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:23,720 Speaker 1: people don't really reporters don't really report that, even though 577 00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:27,680 Speaker 1: it is sort of a baked in in the Kevin 578 00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:33,160 Speaker 1: McCarthy experience. Yes, and that was another strange externality with 579 00:32:33,240 --> 00:32:36,160 Speaker 1: this whole fight last week is if you polygraphed one 580 00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:39,200 Speaker 1: of reporters covering and asked them, did you think if 581 00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:41,680 Speaker 1: somebody told you a couple of years ago, Kevin McCarthy 582 00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:43,880 Speaker 1: will be the Republican leader at a time they have 583 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:45,520 Speaker 1: a narrow majority. Do you think it will go well, 584 00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:48,320 Speaker 1: they would say no. And it's it's not I don't 585 00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:50,360 Speaker 1: like to get into like i Q testing because I 586 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:51,640 Speaker 1: don't think I would. I would beat a lot of 587 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:54,320 Speaker 1: people I cover. Um. It's more that he's a very 588 00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:59,880 Speaker 1: glib and friendly leader who who never says no to 589 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:03,360 Speaker 1: anyone and has been very blatant in the past to 590 00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:05,920 Speaker 1: his to his detriment about what his strategy is. And 591 00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:09,360 Speaker 1: he just has never shown the ability took her al 592 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:12,480 Speaker 1: a difficult conference the way that Nancy Pelosi did, the 593 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:15,360 Speaker 1: freak of the way that Pelosi, like alone among recent 594 00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:17,440 Speaker 1: Republican leaders, been able to Paul Ryan could do it 595 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:20,520 Speaker 1: for a little while. Remember Paul Ryan become speaker because 596 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:23,600 Speaker 1: McCarthy bumbled those way out of contention. Doesn't have the votes, 597 00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:28,160 Speaker 1: right there was the second time that McCarthy did that, 598 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:32,000 Speaker 1: right this, and and so that experience lasted for a 599 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:33,800 Speaker 1: lot of people. But but a lot of I mean, 600 00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:36,080 Speaker 1: I think any Republican leader, and you saw this with 601 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:38,280 Speaker 1: some of the members. We were all grabbing in the halls, 602 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:40,760 Speaker 1: like Dan Bishop and Matt Gates. A lot of these 603 00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:44,040 Speaker 1: guys just said, even a different candidate, if they were 604 00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:46,920 Speaker 1: part of their public Republican leadership, if they were Steve Scalise, 605 00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:48,840 Speaker 1: there at least offended. If they've been part of the 606 00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:51,800 Speaker 1: leadership over the last few years, they thought that leadership 607 00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:53,840 Speaker 1: was so weak and incompetent that they didn't want any 608 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:56,840 Speaker 1: of them to take charge. Because I think Gates would 609 00:33:56,840 --> 00:34:00,240 Speaker 1: say this, can you imagine Kevin McCarthy going into negotiations 610 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:02,160 Speaker 1: with the White House and trying to get anything done. 611 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:04,120 Speaker 1: I think that that is compelling to a lot of 612 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:06,280 Speaker 1: people who cover Congress, and that was compelling to a 613 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:09,399 Speaker 1: lot of Republicans. They just said, Okay, we this guy 614 00:34:09,520 --> 00:34:11,880 Speaker 1: is going to be the leader. We're going to extract 615 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:14,200 Speaker 1: whatever we can from him because we know how weak 616 00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:16,440 Speaker 1: he is. That was their approach, and I think, again, 617 00:34:16,440 --> 00:34:18,560 Speaker 1: we're waiting for the rules. We're not sure exactly what 618 00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:20,360 Speaker 1: they got, but that was the strategy, and it was 619 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:24,800 Speaker 1: a smart strategy. It's interesting I'm thinking about this reporting 620 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:27,680 Speaker 1: we saw come out of Congress at the end of 621 00:34:27,680 --> 00:34:30,600 Speaker 1: the week from the Washington Post that talked about the 622 00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:35,200 Speaker 1: idea that actually Mark Meadows was whipping votes against Kevin McCarthy, 623 00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:39,400 Speaker 1: that seemed pretty incredible. Yeah, he just does not somebody 624 00:34:39,440 --> 00:34:42,279 Speaker 1: who has accrued a ton of I wouldn't say good will. 625 00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:44,960 Speaker 1: I would just save respect in the conservative movement. I 626 00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:47,359 Speaker 1: was looking at, you know, CBS is pulling that came 627 00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:50,200 Speaker 1: out over the weekend with their with their Sunday shows. 628 00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:52,799 Speaker 1: Like one of the questions they asked people was what 629 00:34:52,840 --> 00:34:55,439 Speaker 1: did you think of this House leadership fight? Obviously most 630 00:34:55,640 --> 00:34:58,680 Speaker 1: maybe not obviously, but maybe you can guess most Americans said, oh, 631 00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:01,640 Speaker 1: I didn't like it. I think fifty forty five No, No, 632 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:04,839 Speaker 1: didn't approve most Republicans. And and like this, a huge 633 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:07,120 Speaker 1: minority of Trump voters did approve of it. They really 634 00:35:07,160 --> 00:35:10,319 Speaker 1: did like the process there of the mind that there 635 00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:13,719 Speaker 1: is a existential threat to America really every day that 636 00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:16,399 Speaker 1: Joe Biden is in office, that Republicans should be using 637 00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:19,640 Speaker 1: every tool they have to stop what Biden is doing, 638 00:35:19,840 --> 00:35:21,960 Speaker 1: and that McCarthy is going to give up, give up 639 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:24,240 Speaker 1: on stuff. And when I was talking about the members 640 00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:26,600 Speaker 1: who had no faith in the leadership, every time a 641 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:29,200 Speaker 1: deal is cut, they would blame the Republican leadership for 642 00:35:29,239 --> 00:35:32,879 Speaker 1: cutting that deal. So Brian mass from Florida, who put 643 00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:34,800 Speaker 1: this to me first, I think he was kind of 644 00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:36,719 Speaker 1: repeated when he want on some some TV shows was 645 00:35:37,360 --> 00:35:41,200 Speaker 1: the base did not like the leadership in either house, 646 00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:44,320 Speaker 1: and not because they had a plan in mind that 647 00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:46,400 Speaker 1: those guys should have executed. They just didn't like to 648 00:35:46,440 --> 00:35:49,440 Speaker 1: watch them lose. They had I think a substantive disagreement 649 00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:51,920 Speaker 1: with how Mitch McConnell handled the last year. I mean 650 00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:55,080 Speaker 1: McConnell's approach to the Senate was to block the big 651 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:57,400 Speaker 1: things at the left wanted, which you could do that 652 00:35:57,520 --> 00:35:59,800 Speaker 1: because the filibuster exists. That wasn't that hard, and to 653 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:02,880 Speaker 1: had a few things through to help his members lower 654 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:05,600 Speaker 1: the salience of some of these fights. Right so here, 655 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:09,440 Speaker 1: the infrastructure bill passes because in McConnell's mind, if you 656 00:36:09,520 --> 00:36:11,359 Speaker 1: could pass infrastructure bill, there's not going to be another 657 00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:13,160 Speaker 1: spending bill. He looks like a genius for a couple 658 00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:15,399 Speaker 1: of months, then he doesn't. And what Mass is saying 659 00:36:15,520 --> 00:36:19,480 Speaker 1: is our base is angry with Mitch McConnell. Paul Ryan, 660 00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:22,360 Speaker 1: it's not angry with Ken McCarthy. Just blumps him in 661 00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:25,399 Speaker 1: with those people. And the opponents knew that they knew 662 00:36:25,400 --> 00:36:27,640 Speaker 1: who Ket McCarthy is, and they knew that who did 663 00:36:27,719 --> 00:36:30,160 Speaker 1: what they just said, this guy is a nonentity who's 664 00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:31,640 Speaker 1: going to get rolled the same way as the other 665 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:34,880 Speaker 1: guys we don't like. And so that's McCarthy is speaker. 666 00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:37,200 Speaker 1: So far, I think has he put this down by 667 00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:39,800 Speaker 1: giving Rebels a lot of stuff that we don't know 668 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,680 Speaker 1: all the details of, but also by promising to be 669 00:36:42,880 --> 00:36:46,080 Speaker 1: just a conservative speaker. He's not doing I mean, he's 670 00:36:46,120 --> 00:36:48,839 Speaker 1: not introducing himself the way that Baynard did, the way 671 00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:50,880 Speaker 1: that that Ryan to an extent did, the way that 672 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:53,480 Speaker 1: something he he came in said. He came in basically 673 00:36:53,560 --> 00:36:56,960 Speaker 1: as the leader in tandem with a caucus that's as 674 00:36:57,040 --> 00:36:59,440 Speaker 1: much power as he did, just of of saying, Okay, 675 00:36:59,840 --> 00:37:01,680 Speaker 1: we didn't have very good twent twent two elections, but 676 00:37:01,719 --> 00:37:03,640 Speaker 1: we see see a mandate for what we're running on. 677 00:37:03,680 --> 00:37:05,840 Speaker 1: So we're going to pass House versions of all the 678 00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:08,279 Speaker 1: conservative stuff that wasn't that popular in the mid term. Yeah, 679 00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:11,479 Speaker 1: so that actually gets to our next question. We're gonna 680 00:37:11,600 --> 00:37:14,400 Speaker 1: pass House versions of the stuff that wasn't that popular 681 00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:18,000 Speaker 1: in the mid term. They barely eked out when he 682 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:21,839 Speaker 1: has a four seat majority. The mid terms obviously are 683 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:24,960 Speaker 1: not the presidentials, but we saw, you know, the general 684 00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:28,839 Speaker 1: feeling was that none of Trump's swing state candidates one. 685 00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:32,520 Speaker 1: They only one in these very red states where you know, 686 00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:34,160 Speaker 1: it was kind of baked in that they were going 687 00:37:34,200 --> 00:37:36,840 Speaker 1: to go red. So I think it's interesting that the 688 00:37:37,040 --> 00:37:40,360 Speaker 1: Republicans didn't have a moment of like, well, it seems 689 00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:42,680 Speaker 1: like some of this isn't so popular. I mean, if 690 00:37:42,719 --> 00:37:45,320 Speaker 1: you think about the House, like someone like Nancy Mace, 691 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:48,239 Speaker 1: you send a Nancy Mace to the suburbs, she can 692 00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:52,120 Speaker 1: sell this Republican party too in a way that Trump couldn't. 693 00:37:52,440 --> 00:37:55,239 Speaker 1: But they don't seem to be interested in that. Not 694 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:57,800 Speaker 1: that I'm a fan of anyone in this, but just 695 00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:02,000 Speaker 1: more that they're just going full Trump Agan. What is 696 00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:04,640 Speaker 1: it that people say they want? I mean, the Democrats 697 00:38:04,719 --> 00:38:07,400 Speaker 1: did lose the House by not as many votes, not 698 00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:09,399 Speaker 1: as many votes as they thought. I mean, they really 699 00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:11,920 Speaker 1: came within like eight thousand votes of holding onto the thing. 700 00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:14,719 Speaker 1: So what did voters say that they they were voting 701 00:38:14,719 --> 00:38:17,840 Speaker 1: Republican for. It was concerns about the economy, it was 702 00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:21,000 Speaker 1: concerns about inflation. There's a lot of issues where Biden 703 00:38:21,160 --> 00:38:23,759 Speaker 1: is not popular, where most people think he's not doing 704 00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:27,040 Speaker 1: a good job. They're most economic, the immigration it has 705 00:38:27,080 --> 00:38:29,520 Speaker 1: been weak. So they have a few areas where not 706 00:38:29,719 --> 00:38:31,840 Speaker 1: just the Republican pub position, but where the where the 707 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:35,399 Speaker 1: incumbent Democratic position is unpopular and voters say they're they're 708 00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:38,080 Speaker 1: willing to see a difference there. What what the they 709 00:38:38,080 --> 00:38:40,799 Speaker 1: attack first though, is the stuff that like Fox News 710 00:38:40,840 --> 00:38:43,920 Speaker 1: talks the most but most about, which is I R. S. Agents. Well, 711 00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:45,360 Speaker 1: I mean that's a dead letter. That's so that's this 712 00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:48,560 Speaker 1: bill that pastor House they allowed to celebrate. They passed it. 713 00:38:48,840 --> 00:38:50,439 Speaker 1: It's not gonna get picked up by the Senate. They're 714 00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:52,560 Speaker 1: they're in the same position that House Democrats were in 715 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:55,000 Speaker 1: twenty nineteen, where you can pass the bill, it will 716 00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:57,160 Speaker 1: get laughed out of the Senate. You have no no show, 717 00:38:57,280 --> 00:38:58,680 Speaker 1: no shot. They're gonna do that a lot of that, 718 00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:02,200 Speaker 1: and so they're not coming in as they could have 719 00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:04,799 Speaker 1: come in with some ideas that answer would voters say 720 00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:06,640 Speaker 1: they're worried about and Democrats kind of do do this. 721 00:39:06,840 --> 00:39:09,359 Speaker 1: Like Democrats had a very weird twy n t because 722 00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:11,720 Speaker 1: they came in with a shutdown underway, and their position 723 00:39:11,800 --> 00:39:13,200 Speaker 1: was would like to shut down to be over and 724 00:39:13,239 --> 00:39:15,680 Speaker 1: get back to normal government without the border wall. They 725 00:39:15,800 --> 00:39:19,200 Speaker 1: usually come in with an agenda of positive stuff they 726 00:39:19,239 --> 00:39:22,359 Speaker 1: want to pass. Republicans didn't put this that together even 727 00:39:22,560 --> 00:39:25,440 Speaker 1: and I'm not trying to be too pupijorative to smug 728 00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:27,280 Speaker 1: about what they what they ran on to get McCarthy 729 00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:29,680 Speaker 1: liked it. But they had mentioned we're gonna with the 730 00:39:29,760 --> 00:39:32,600 Speaker 1: party of the commitment to America. I read the Commitment 731 00:39:32,600 --> 00:39:34,640 Speaker 1: to America. There's not just there's not details in it. 732 00:39:34,760 --> 00:39:37,080 Speaker 1: There are a few things that the party has has 733 00:39:37,200 --> 00:39:39,719 Speaker 1: included bills before, but it is not like a as 734 00:39:39,719 --> 00:39:42,320 Speaker 1: an alternative agenda that they can deliver on. They're not 735 00:39:42,360 --> 00:39:45,920 Speaker 1: really even attacking that. Like the It's these big, big, 736 00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:49,960 Speaker 1: big themes about economic recovery, the first one being I 737 00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:53,000 Speaker 1: R S agents. They're obsessed, as I talked to you, 738 00:39:53,200 --> 00:39:56,520 Speaker 1: about what they can investigate from Biden in the Biden Zone, 739 00:39:56,600 --> 00:39:59,160 Speaker 1: whether it whether they can investigate something related to the 740 00:39:59,239 --> 00:40:02,080 Speaker 1: vice president having some classified documents in a in a 741 00:40:02,440 --> 00:40:04,680 Speaker 1: file where they shouldn't be. They're just behaving as as 742 00:40:04,719 --> 00:40:07,680 Speaker 1: a normal opposition party that that believes if you drag 743 00:40:07,880 --> 00:40:11,680 Speaker 1: down the president and his party, then there'll be a 744 00:40:11,680 --> 00:40:14,680 Speaker 1: presidential election and you can win that. Because the weekend, 745 00:40:14,680 --> 00:40:17,919 Speaker 1: which is the one the one strategy that McCarthy has 746 00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:20,000 Speaker 1: talked about executing. Remember, this is the reason how he 747 00:40:20,040 --> 00:40:22,960 Speaker 1: wasn't speaker years ago is because he he said blatantly 748 00:40:23,080 --> 00:40:25,520 Speaker 1: the Big Gasi Committee was great because it was hurting 749 00:40:25,560 --> 00:40:27,800 Speaker 1: Hillary Clinton and making her easier to beat. Like, that's 750 00:40:28,320 --> 00:40:30,560 Speaker 1: kind of like they're not really doing much to contradict 751 00:40:30,640 --> 00:40:32,520 Speaker 1: this idea that that is what they're going to do 752 00:40:32,600 --> 00:40:35,759 Speaker 1: with the majority right now. I mean that I think 753 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:38,839 Speaker 1: that's what they're gonna do with the majority. I mean, 754 00:40:38,920 --> 00:40:43,600 Speaker 1: I think that's pretty clear. Any rising stars you're seeing 755 00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:47,160 Speaker 1: come out of this, well, Yeah, the the way that 756 00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:51,120 Speaker 1: the McCarthy team ended up closing out its floor speeches, 757 00:40:51,200 --> 00:40:54,479 Speaker 1: lose mandatory floor speeches that clue you into the people 758 00:40:54,560 --> 00:40:56,680 Speaker 1: they would like everyone to pay attention to is the 759 00:40:56,719 --> 00:40:58,800 Speaker 1: future of the party. And and as as it went on, 760 00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:02,120 Speaker 1: it was most Lee non white members who were elected 761 00:41:02,160 --> 00:41:06,399 Speaker 1: fairly recently, Juancascamani from South Phoenix like the old guy 762 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:09,600 Speaker 1: to Gifford's district which has been recovery drawn, uh, Mike 763 00:41:09,680 --> 00:41:14,000 Speaker 1: Garcia from from l A County, John James from Macomb County, Michigan. 764 00:41:14,560 --> 00:41:17,000 Speaker 1: That was who the party was promoting and saying they're 765 00:41:17,040 --> 00:41:19,760 Speaker 1: there are people who are you know, they're under fifty, 766 00:41:19,880 --> 00:41:23,480 Speaker 1: they they have had real careers, they're they're not like 767 00:41:23,560 --> 00:41:27,040 Speaker 1: born white guys. And you had this with Byron Donald's 768 00:41:27,040 --> 00:41:28,840 Speaker 1: who I think also fits in that zone although he 769 00:41:28,960 --> 00:41:31,319 Speaker 1: was on he was on the conservative side. That's who 770 00:41:31,360 --> 00:41:33,840 Speaker 1: they wanted to introduce. And a theme there was we 771 00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:36,480 Speaker 1: know that we are as Republicans, this is going for years, 772 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:39,719 Speaker 1: that we are varnerable, if not vulnerable, at least irritated 773 00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:43,920 Speaker 1: by Democrats like saying that we're all doing the bidding 774 00:41:44,120 --> 00:41:46,239 Speaker 1: of rich white guys. Look at us. We're obviously not 775 00:41:46,480 --> 00:41:48,040 Speaker 1: you guys. Are you guys would be worried about how 776 00:41:48,120 --> 00:41:50,520 Speaker 1: much you're getting. So those are the most immediate stars 777 00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:53,759 Speaker 1: who got elevated. I think within every one of the 778 00:41:53,840 --> 00:41:57,200 Speaker 1: twenty not everyone. So the twenty one Republicans who kept 779 00:41:57,239 --> 00:42:00,080 Speaker 1: causing problems I think victorious parts who who end the 780 00:42:00,200 --> 00:42:02,840 Speaker 1: voting present. I'm not sure what where she goes with that. 781 00:42:03,080 --> 00:42:06,640 Speaker 1: She encouraged the Gates faction without really doing much to 782 00:42:06,680 --> 00:42:09,480 Speaker 1: win over the McCarthy faction, or maybe I mean her 783 00:42:09,600 --> 00:42:12,520 Speaker 1: her point was that it looked like McCarthy had lost 784 00:42:12,560 --> 00:42:14,000 Speaker 1: the confidence of the caucus. So she wasn't going to 785 00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:18,439 Speaker 1: vote him. Not much there. She's Ukrainian too, right, Yes, yeah, 786 00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:22,480 Speaker 1: she's Ukrainian American. She has been uh first a supporter 787 00:42:22,760 --> 00:42:25,960 Speaker 1: of whatever it takes support Ukraine, a little more recently critical. 788 00:42:26,160 --> 00:42:28,480 Speaker 1: But I don't think her her stock rose because of this. 789 00:42:28,600 --> 00:42:31,520 Speaker 1: I think I do think most of the conservatives UH 790 00:42:31,920 --> 00:42:34,840 Speaker 1: working on on this, their their stock within the movement increase. 791 00:42:34,840 --> 00:42:38,000 Speaker 1: Remember I was pointing that poll. Both conservatives looked at 792 00:42:38,080 --> 00:42:40,160 Speaker 1: this and said, great, I think you can you can 793 00:42:40,360 --> 00:42:42,640 Speaker 1: draw a line from there to say, if you're a conservative, 794 00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:45,960 Speaker 1: your opinion of Matt met Gates is higher now than 795 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:48,000 Speaker 1: it was a month ago because he actually went to 796 00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:49,839 Speaker 1: the mat and did something delivered on And these guys 797 00:42:49,920 --> 00:42:52,880 Speaker 1: are also using conservative media very effectively to talk directly 798 00:42:52,920 --> 00:42:54,600 Speaker 1: to those people and make fun of how the media 799 00:42:54,680 --> 00:42:56,400 Speaker 1: covers this. I think that helped them a lot. So 800 00:42:56,560 --> 00:42:59,040 Speaker 1: you think the winners here are like a Matt Gates 801 00:42:59,200 --> 00:43:01,640 Speaker 1: and a Lauren Bow. Yeah. I think the stars were 802 00:43:01,760 --> 00:43:04,760 Speaker 1: some people elevated by the leadership to to say, okay, 803 00:43:04,960 --> 00:43:07,200 Speaker 1: the media is paying attention to the house floor. These 804 00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:10,280 Speaker 1: new young, diverse stars are are are in the forefront 805 00:43:10,320 --> 00:43:13,640 Speaker 1: of our party stands for UH and the people who 806 00:43:13,680 --> 00:43:17,080 Speaker 1: want more immediately are are are the holdouts, not all 807 00:43:17,120 --> 00:43:20,040 Speaker 1: of them, I mean, but like Paul Gossar being somebody 808 00:43:20,080 --> 00:43:22,520 Speaker 1: that McCarthy has to deal with, that's new for Paul Gossar. 809 00:43:22,840 --> 00:43:25,800 Speaker 1: He went from somebody that um Bayner and Ryan just 810 00:43:25,960 --> 00:43:28,040 Speaker 1: kind of were annoyed by and didn't didn't have to 811 00:43:28,120 --> 00:43:30,560 Speaker 1: genuflect too, to somebody who can go into a room 812 00:43:30,600 --> 00:43:32,560 Speaker 1: and they can peel off his vote. He's more relevant now, 813 00:43:32,640 --> 00:43:36,279 Speaker 1: who just objected more more relevant. Marjorie Taylor Green is 814 00:43:36,320 --> 00:43:39,440 Speaker 1: more relevant in the process. I think has not a 815 00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:42,080 Speaker 1: ton yet. I mean, just in my monitoring conservative media, 816 00:43:42,440 --> 00:43:45,239 Speaker 1: I'm seeing people full fully rebelling against her for dealing 817 00:43:45,280 --> 00:43:48,960 Speaker 1: with leadership. But she she now has the selfies with 818 00:43:49,040 --> 00:43:52,760 Speaker 1: her and McCarthy and lots of coverage of how she's 819 00:43:53,040 --> 00:43:56,319 Speaker 1: responsible for settling this in this fight with inside the party. 820 00:43:56,400 --> 00:43:59,480 Speaker 1: That is an enhancement of her role which McCarthy signed on, 821 00:43:59,640 --> 00:44:02,200 Speaker 1: signed off on. So I think they were enhanced a 822 00:44:02,239 --> 00:44:04,680 Speaker 1: lot by this. A lot of the new members who 823 00:44:04,760 --> 00:44:07,920 Speaker 1: I think were the Republicans were happier to deal with 824 00:44:08,040 --> 00:44:09,640 Speaker 1: and talk about. A lot of these guys got elected 825 00:44:09,719 --> 00:44:12,360 Speaker 1: in you know, the New York New York City suburbs, etcetera, 826 00:44:12,680 --> 00:44:15,000 Speaker 1: were just annoyed. I mean, they spent the whole week 827 00:44:15,080 --> 00:44:17,320 Speaker 1: just giving quotes to people like me about how irritating 828 00:44:17,360 --> 00:44:19,239 Speaker 1: this all was. I don't think they have gained much 829 00:44:19,280 --> 00:44:22,920 Speaker 1: from it yet. So McCarthy has tacked real maga. Right, 830 00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:27,360 Speaker 1: he was already maga whatever with whatever spinelessness he believes, 831 00:44:27,480 --> 00:44:30,760 Speaker 1: but he tacked even more maga. But here's a question 832 00:44:30,840 --> 00:44:33,920 Speaker 1: for you. Now, some of these are more middle of 833 00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:37,839 Speaker 1: the road congressmen who are Republicans, but you know, one 834 00:44:38,239 --> 00:44:42,799 Speaker 1: in the New York City stuff suburbs and in California 835 00:44:42,960 --> 00:44:46,440 Speaker 1: those guys. Is this, you know, a kind of West 836 00:44:46,520 --> 00:44:49,320 Speaker 1: wing witch casting? Or do you think that there's a 837 00:44:49,360 --> 00:44:53,800 Speaker 1: world in which McCarthy gets out there enough that these 838 00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:58,600 Speaker 1: more centrist Republicans decide on a unity candidate or do 839 00:44:58,640 --> 00:45:00,880 Speaker 1: you think that will never happen. Are you talking about 840 00:45:01,080 --> 00:45:04,040 Speaker 1: in the future, In the future, yeah, or if that 841 00:45:04,239 --> 00:45:06,880 Speaker 1: just if it sets up, or if there's some if 842 00:45:06,920 --> 00:45:09,360 Speaker 1: you feel like there's some, or if that's just complete 843 00:45:09,440 --> 00:45:12,960 Speaker 1: witch casting. I think it's possible because the numbers are 844 00:45:13,080 --> 00:45:15,360 Speaker 1: so tight and you'd only need I mean, I'm just 845 00:45:15,480 --> 00:45:18,640 Speaker 1: to give the math, not of the psychic psychology. The 846 00:45:18,719 --> 00:45:23,320 Speaker 1: members were tight, you had in twenty two. You you 847 00:45:23,440 --> 00:45:25,359 Speaker 1: had no change in special elections for us the year, 848 00:45:25,360 --> 00:45:27,719 Speaker 1: but you did have vacancies and things that made the 849 00:45:27,760 --> 00:45:29,880 Speaker 1: margins closer. I feel like you need you need an 850 00:45:29,920 --> 00:45:32,840 Speaker 1: insighting event for this. You need some sort of some 851 00:45:33,040 --> 00:45:35,759 Speaker 1: sort of absolute stasis over the debt limit for that 852 00:45:35,880 --> 00:45:38,520 Speaker 1: conversation to start again. But what happened is there is 853 00:45:38,600 --> 00:45:41,880 Speaker 1: a vote and the chair is vacated, vote to vacate 854 00:45:42,000 --> 00:45:44,120 Speaker 1: the chair and McCarthy doesn't have the support because of 855 00:45:44,200 --> 00:45:46,880 Speaker 1: some crisis going on. That's much easier for to imagine 856 00:45:46,920 --> 00:45:50,640 Speaker 1: for McCarthy right now it is for any recent modern speaker. 857 00:45:50,680 --> 00:45:52,600 Speaker 1: I mean this. There was a motion to vacate the 858 00:45:52,719 --> 00:45:55,399 Speaker 1: chair when Bayner was Speaker over over much less over 859 00:45:55,480 --> 00:45:57,319 Speaker 1: some of these issues over we don't trust this guy 860 00:45:57,520 --> 00:46:00,680 Speaker 1: is going as hard as we would preventing deal from 861 00:46:00,719 --> 00:46:03,560 Speaker 1: being cut to raise raise spending. We know what tools 862 00:46:03,640 --> 00:46:05,719 Speaker 1: exist and these and everyone in the House now knows 863 00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:08,160 Speaker 1: what tools exist to drag this out. And that's not crazy. 864 00:46:08,200 --> 00:46:10,440 Speaker 1: I don't think it would be McCarthy. The problem is 865 00:46:10,520 --> 00:46:13,640 Speaker 1: in a in a presidential cycle, Republicans who were will 866 00:46:13,719 --> 00:46:16,960 Speaker 1: be willing to vote for some compromise speaker who's not McCarthy. 867 00:46:17,280 --> 00:46:20,080 Speaker 1: They'd have to look back at their districts and think 868 00:46:20,080 --> 00:46:23,360 Speaker 1: about what's coming to them in primaries. If they ditched 869 00:46:23,440 --> 00:46:25,719 Speaker 1: this speaker in favor of one who's going to deal 870 00:46:25,800 --> 00:46:28,600 Speaker 1: with Democrats and let's say, for example, raise the debt 871 00:46:28,640 --> 00:46:30,640 Speaker 1: limit without a ton of concessions, I feel like that 872 00:46:30,680 --> 00:46:32,279 Speaker 1: would be a huge crisis for the party. But I 873 00:46:32,280 --> 00:46:34,960 Speaker 1: wouldn't rule it out because there are I mean we identified, 874 00:46:35,360 --> 00:46:37,919 Speaker 1: not not just me and my colleagues, but everyone around 875 00:46:37,960 --> 00:46:41,440 Speaker 1: the Hill identified. You know, a couple dozen Republicans who 876 00:46:41,520 --> 00:46:43,480 Speaker 1: are so exhausted by the holdouts that they were at 877 00:46:43,520 --> 00:46:45,840 Speaker 1: least open to this, Like guys like Don Bacon Omaha, 878 00:46:46,280 --> 00:46:49,400 Speaker 1: who keep winning their elections and running well ahead of Trump. 879 00:46:49,640 --> 00:46:51,480 Speaker 1: They don't have people on a short leag but they've 880 00:46:51,520 --> 00:46:54,319 Speaker 1: they've they've said, here are here's what I would love 881 00:46:54,400 --> 00:46:57,600 Speaker 1: for this majority, for the speakership that are ageda to 882 00:46:57,680 --> 00:46:59,560 Speaker 1: look like. I think some of this is can be mollified. 883 00:47:00,280 --> 00:47:02,560 Speaker 1: The committee investigations, the things of the party actually is 884 00:47:02,600 --> 00:47:04,800 Speaker 1: delivering on. I think they're they're feeling better because it 885 00:47:04,880 --> 00:47:06,759 Speaker 1: was so embarrassing last week for them to go through this. 886 00:47:07,320 --> 00:47:11,000 Speaker 1: But yeah, the conditions are there for some crisis to unfold. 887 00:47:11,320 --> 00:47:13,440 Speaker 1: People say, what about these tools we put down when 888 00:47:13,480 --> 00:47:15,319 Speaker 1: we let McCarthy become a speaker. Let le's pick them 889 00:47:15,400 --> 00:47:18,200 Speaker 1: up and do it again, right exactly, Dave, Thank you 890 00:47:18,400 --> 00:47:20,520 Speaker 1: so much. I hope you'll come back. I think there's 891 00:47:20,520 --> 00:47:23,600 Speaker 1: gonna be a lot of ship going down every day. 892 00:47:24,239 --> 00:47:26,719 Speaker 1: I think so. Yeah, And I really, I really think 893 00:47:26,760 --> 00:47:29,640 Speaker 1: it's good to not like hyperventilate about this and say, like, okay, 894 00:47:29,640 --> 00:47:32,160 Speaker 1: actually are in disarray, like what is the disarrayed driving 895 00:47:32,200 --> 00:47:35,759 Speaker 1: towards Because the reason this happened is because Gates had 896 00:47:35,760 --> 00:47:38,680 Speaker 1: all understood you could you could create a problem for 897 00:47:38,719 --> 00:47:40,440 Speaker 1: the leadership and get a lot of what you wanted. 898 00:47:40,719 --> 00:47:42,320 Speaker 1: So I think the question is all right now that 899 00:47:42,360 --> 00:47:44,480 Speaker 1: everyone knows that what happens next so with they will 900 00:47:44,520 --> 00:47:46,879 Speaker 1: be stuff for us to talk about in this zone. 901 00:47:47,160 --> 00:47:57,879 Speaker 1: Thank you very much. Yes, thank you very much. Molly, 902 00:47:57,960 --> 00:48:02,239 Speaker 1: Junk Jesse Cat and in so Molly, as you know, 903 00:48:02,719 --> 00:48:04,800 Speaker 1: we haven't had a moment of fuckery on this podcast 904 00:48:04,840 --> 00:48:07,000 Speaker 1: for the last two weeks, and some people may have 905 00:48:07,080 --> 00:48:09,560 Speaker 1: suspected this is because there was a vacation, but I 906 00:48:09,640 --> 00:48:11,240 Speaker 1: really like to think of this as we were sitting 907 00:48:11,280 --> 00:48:14,160 Speaker 1: shiv up. Since we lost a reoccurring character on our 908 00:48:14,239 --> 00:48:19,000 Speaker 1: podcast together, your favorite Congressman, Louie Gomert, sometimes known as 909 00:48:19,120 --> 00:48:21,880 Speaker 1: my Louis by you, is no longer with us. How 910 00:48:21,960 --> 00:48:24,000 Speaker 1: are you feeling. I've been meaning to do a wellness check. 911 00:48:24,400 --> 00:48:28,120 Speaker 1: I'm very conflicted because there are a lot of very 912 00:48:28,320 --> 00:48:32,400 Speaker 1: stupid new members of Congress. There are some very stupid 913 00:48:33,120 --> 00:48:37,560 Speaker 1: returning members of Congress, like Lauren Boebert and MTG. There 914 00:48:37,600 --> 00:48:41,120 Speaker 1: are some very stupid people who are now committee chairs. 915 00:48:41,640 --> 00:48:44,840 Speaker 1: So I'm very conflicted because I do feel that the 916 00:48:45,000 --> 00:48:50,320 Speaker 1: moron quotation has not dropped in that way. I'm relieved, 917 00:48:50,480 --> 00:48:55,080 Speaker 1: but I also feel a little bit sad because my 918 00:48:55,800 --> 00:49:02,239 Speaker 1: incredibly racist Texas judge, who is a fucking moron, is 919 00:49:02,320 --> 00:49:05,560 Speaker 1: no longer in Congress. Well, I'm glad you're handling it okay, 920 00:49:05,640 --> 00:49:07,640 Speaker 1: But I thought it was nice since the Republicans are 921 00:49:07,680 --> 00:49:09,680 Speaker 1: so napt you've got a few extra days with them, 922 00:49:10,040 --> 00:49:11,800 Speaker 1: since none of the new Congress can get sworn in. 923 00:49:11,920 --> 00:49:14,520 Speaker 1: But since this is our first moment of fuckory since 924 00:49:14,600 --> 00:49:17,400 Speaker 1: the swearing d and of officially being gone I prepared 925 00:49:17,440 --> 00:49:20,520 Speaker 1: for you today A twelve gun salute to Louise dumbest moments. 926 00:49:20,640 --> 00:49:24,840 Speaker 1: Are you ready? I was born ready for this. Okay, First, 927 00:49:24,840 --> 00:49:27,080 Speaker 1: I'd like to start with when he thought the Obama 928 00:49:27,120 --> 00:49:30,359 Speaker 1: administration was staffed by the Muslim Brotherhood. I mean, who 929 00:49:30,400 --> 00:49:34,640 Speaker 1: among us? Who among us didn't think that, Yes, this 930 00:49:34,840 --> 00:49:39,960 Speaker 1: administration has so many Muslim Brotherhood members uh that have 931 00:49:40,320 --> 00:49:45,520 Speaker 1: influence that they just are making wrong decisions for America. 932 00:49:46,120 --> 00:49:50,680 Speaker 1: I'm telling you, if only. How about the time he 933 00:49:51,000 --> 00:49:54,319 Speaker 1: very accurately predicted that socialized healthcare would make kill less 934 00:49:54,440 --> 00:49:59,880 Speaker 1: for seniors. Been battling the social healthcare, the nationalization of healthcare. 935 00:50:00,320 --> 00:50:03,880 Speaker 1: It is gonna absolutely kill seniors, said as soon as 936 00:50:03,880 --> 00:50:06,520 Speaker 1: they'll put him on a list and and force them 937 00:50:06,640 --> 00:50:12,600 Speaker 1: to die early. We call that death panels for cuney. Now, 938 00:50:12,719 --> 00:50:14,320 Speaker 1: this is what I can't play a clip. But my 939 00:50:14,440 --> 00:50:16,880 Speaker 1: lovely girlfriend Lord would never forgive me if I didn't 940 00:50:16,920 --> 00:50:20,400 Speaker 1: mention her favorite luism when his two spell out mid 941 00:50:20,480 --> 00:50:24,440 Speaker 1: press conference shortly after the election. But next we have 942 00:50:24,640 --> 00:50:27,160 Speaker 1: the time he said bestiality and necrophilia. So I'd like, 943 00:50:27,840 --> 00:50:35,319 Speaker 1: among us, if you're oriented toward animals beastiality, Uh, then 944 00:50:36,080 --> 00:50:38,719 Speaker 1: you know that that's not something that could be used 945 00:50:38,960 --> 00:50:42,200 Speaker 1: held against you, or any bias be held against you 946 00:50:42,320 --> 00:50:44,920 Speaker 1: for that, which means you have to strike any laws 947 00:50:44,920 --> 00:50:49,560 Speaker 1: against beast reality. If you're oriented toward corpses towards children, 948 00:50:50,520 --> 00:50:53,600 Speaker 1: you know they are all kinds of perversions what most 949 00:50:53,680 --> 00:50:57,120 Speaker 1: of us would call perversions. Some would say it sounds 950 00:50:57,160 --> 00:51:06,000 Speaker 1: like fun, nice, nice. I mean, it's it's good because 951 00:51:06,120 --> 00:51:09,000 Speaker 1: you never think of Congress. You you really want your 952 00:51:09,200 --> 00:51:12,719 Speaker 1: local congressman to weigh in on necrophilia. That's one of 953 00:51:12,840 --> 00:51:18,520 Speaker 1: the mean things you want Congress working on. How about 954 00:51:18,560 --> 00:51:21,040 Speaker 1: what he told us all how he used to handle 955 00:51:21,120 --> 00:51:23,640 Speaker 1: outbursts at his court when he was a judge. I 956 00:51:23,719 --> 00:51:26,360 Speaker 1: had one guy that was particularly out of line and 957 00:51:26,760 --> 00:51:29,359 Speaker 1: warning three times, and then we du taped his head 958 00:51:29,440 --> 00:51:31,560 Speaker 1: and we didn't hear from him till it was his 959 00:51:31,680 --> 00:51:34,040 Speaker 1: turn to talk. And when that was when I was 960 00:51:34,120 --> 00:51:37,960 Speaker 1: a judge and fell in the court. I'm sorry. Imagine 961 00:51:38,080 --> 00:51:42,719 Speaker 1: having Louis Gohmert to decide your future and duct tape 962 00:51:42,760 --> 00:51:45,920 Speaker 1: you up to shut you up. Stuff doesn't sound fun. 963 00:51:46,200 --> 00:51:48,640 Speaker 1: But who could forget what He wouldn't stop banging on 964 00:51:48,719 --> 00:51:50,879 Speaker 1: the desk because he didn't like a witness sing bild 965 00:51:50,880 --> 00:51:53,600 Speaker 1: bar lies and they had to ask to remove him 966 00:51:53,640 --> 00:51:56,560 Speaker 1: from the committee. Either we have rules or we don't. 967 00:51:57,360 --> 00:51:59,600 Speaker 1: This chairman, there's not order in the room. There's a 968 00:51:59,760 --> 00:52:08,360 Speaker 1: a Mr Carvin, would you have Jane Cooper removed? The gentleman? 969 00:52:08,640 --> 00:52:12,040 Speaker 1: The gentleman, the witness will conclude. Then there was the 970 00:52:12,120 --> 00:52:14,239 Speaker 1: time that he harasked Peter Struck while he was on 971 00:52:14,320 --> 00:52:17,680 Speaker 1: the witness stand. How many times did you look so 972 00:52:17,960 --> 00:52:21,640 Speaker 1: innocent into your wife's eye and lied to her about 973 00:52:22,280 --> 00:52:30,000 Speaker 1: Mr Sherman. It is outragebility of a witness. Shame how 974 00:52:31,000 --> 00:52:34,319 Speaker 1: Mrs Inspowerable harass me the way that you need your 975 00:52:34,440 --> 00:52:40,279 Speaker 1: medication that many Congressmen have been told they need their 976 00:52:40,320 --> 00:52:43,440 Speaker 1: medication while in the middle of a hearing. You know, 977 00:52:45,000 --> 00:52:49,200 Speaker 1: I want to as we say goodbye to this incredible 978 00:52:49,520 --> 00:52:53,319 Speaker 1: racist idiot who never should have gotten as far as 979 00:52:53,400 --> 00:52:57,640 Speaker 1: he did, a testament really truly to a culture that 980 00:52:57,880 --> 00:53:02,759 Speaker 1: honors white man above all else. I would like to 981 00:53:02,920 --> 00:53:08,160 Speaker 1: say goodbye, sweet more on, goodbye. Well, I'm glad you 982 00:53:08,280 --> 00:53:10,160 Speaker 1: did that, because we have one last one that I'm 983 00:53:10,160 --> 00:53:12,319 Speaker 1: gonna get four shots too, because it was so dumb 984 00:53:12,840 --> 00:53:15,680 Speaker 1: when he asked Eric Holder to not cast aspersions on 985 00:53:15,760 --> 00:53:20,480 Speaker 1: his asparagus. The best, the the Gentlemans. If the chair 986 00:53:20,560 --> 00:53:24,400 Speaker 1: Ms supposition I'm on my asparagus, that's the chair Ms supposition, 987 00:53:24,480 --> 00:53:29,759 Speaker 1: I'm on my asparagus. Well, I think what's important about 988 00:53:29,840 --> 00:53:33,720 Speaker 1: that is Louie Gomer got the laughs, just not intentionally. 989 00:53:36,000 --> 00:53:39,239 Speaker 1: That's it for this episode of Fast Politics. Tune in 990 00:53:39,360 --> 00:53:42,520 Speaker 1: every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to her the best minds 991 00:53:42,560 --> 00:53:45,759 Speaker 1: and politics makes sense of all this chaos. If you 992 00:53:45,920 --> 00:53:48,560 Speaker 1: enjoyed what you've heard, please send it to a friend 993 00:53:48,680 --> 00:53:52,160 Speaker 1: and keep the conversation going. And again, thanks for listening.