1 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: Hello there, Happy Monday, and welcome to another episode of 2 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:13,119 Speaker 1: the Chuck Toodcast. Today. I hope you've enjoyed your first 3 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 1: full double dose of football Week two, of college football 4 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,959 Speaker 1: Week one of the NFL football football football. I'm not 5 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:23,960 Speaker 1: footballed out. I really never get footballed out unless I'm 6 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: watching some version of the UFL. And even then I 7 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 1: find myself watching one quarter of that in March when 8 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 1: I'm missing college and pro football. You know, it's interesting. 9 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,559 Speaker 1: I also my guest over the weekend for my new 10 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:43,559 Speaker 1: sphere show is Chris Murphy, Democratic senator from Connecticut, somebody 11 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: who wants to go harder at Donald Trump pre twenty 12 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:53,159 Speaker 1: twenty five was I think if some people were watching him, 13 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: they say he wants to move to the left. He 14 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: wants to be a bit more to the left of 15 00:00:57,480 --> 00:00:59,959 Speaker 1: left of center wherever the party is. If the main 16 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: if you know, if you just put a number on it, right, 17 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:06,759 Speaker 1: one hundred is sort of Joe Mansion on the scale 18 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: of Democrats. Zero is Bernie Sanders. Chris Murphy wanted to 19 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 1: be somewhere close to the fifty yard line, but closer 20 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:16,320 Speaker 1: to Bernie rather than closer to Mansion. And I say 21 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: this and that the Chris Murphy I encountered as a 22 00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 1: guy who clearly is interested in trying to improve the 23 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:25,400 Speaker 1: Democratic brand, would like to be a leader of the party, 24 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:28,000 Speaker 1: is looking to see if there's an appetite for him 25 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: to run for president. He did not sort of shy 26 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: away from any of those questions. But what was interesting 27 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: was how he really said, Look, the Democratic Party's got 28 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: to figure out how to win voters that are much 29 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: more conservative on cultural issues, that there is more of 30 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 1: a common bond on economic issues, and something you'll hear 31 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: from Abdul say ed that's else I ed, that's an 32 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: argument he's making. It's an argument he made in his 33 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: first candidate campaign for office in twenty eighteen. Same argument 34 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: he's making there, that the economic pain is shared sort 35 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: of on the ideological spec and that one way to 36 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:06,520 Speaker 1: sort of put Democrats and independent voters and maybe even 37 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 1: some skeptical working class Republicans is to focus on economic 38 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: issues and also security issues. Don't shy away from the 39 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:19,640 Speaker 1: security issues. What do I mean by the security issues, 40 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: Whether it's the border and get a little tougher on immigration, 41 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,919 Speaker 1: or it's law and order in the cities, And it's 42 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,800 Speaker 1: all about whether how are you careful not to take 43 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: the bait that the White House clearly is setting up 44 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 1: here at the White House absolutely does not want to 45 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: have a discussion about the economy right now, doesn't want 46 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:42,920 Speaker 1: to have a discussion about tariffs in particular, doesn't want 47 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: to have a discussion about Epstein, doesn't want to have 48 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: a discussion about Ukraine and Russia. What they do, what 49 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 1: they would love to do, is continue to sort of 50 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: bait Democrats into pushing back at the White House on 51 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: the issue of how aggressive should these should these tactics 52 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 1: when it comes to the cities, how aggressive is too aggressive? 53 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: What is And there's no doubt that the ridiculous social 54 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 1: media memes that the President has already retweeted, sort of 55 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: him doing an Apocalypse Now parody when it comes to Chicago, 56 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: it got the intended response, right, which was it got 57 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:28,119 Speaker 1: the entire sort of Illinois pushback, whether it was JB. 58 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 1: Pritz Or as governor or others that it was the 59 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 1: intended pushback that they wanted, which was this was over 60 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:37,800 Speaker 1: the top. And there's no doubt the public does not 61 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: like the tactics. We continue to see polling that says 62 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 1: they don't want to see the National Guard go in. 63 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 1: But when you look at the two parties and you 64 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 1: say which party seems to be more concerned about law 65 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: and order, the Republicans are winning this argument, and they're 66 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: winning it big time. And that's why it is interesting 67 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: to watch how the different mayors handle this. Right I'm 68 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: intrigued by what they're doing in Mayor Maryland, where I 69 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: or the governor said, hey, we don't want any federal reinforcements, 70 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 1: but we're going to help Baltimore and we're going to 71 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 1: help with some state reinforcements. You've got a Mariel Bowser 72 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 1: who was saying, Hey, I welcome the federal intervention. I 73 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 1: don't like the masked ICE agents because that's pretty undemocratic 74 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:18,840 Speaker 1: and un American. But for the most part, I appreciate 75 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: the extra resources in order to allow the police to 76 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: focus where they need to focus, versus other cities that 77 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: are thinking about a wholesale pushback on this. And I 78 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 1: think you know, there is nothing the administration wants more 79 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:37,920 Speaker 1: than a showdown in Chicago. Now, does that mean rolling 80 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: over on civil libertarian issues. I don't think anybody is 81 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 1: suggesting rolling over on these issues. The question is can 82 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:47,200 Speaker 1: you take the issue away from it's like, look, we're 83 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:49,760 Speaker 1: focused on this too. We're trying to do it within 84 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 1: the constitution, rather than only fighting the constitutional grounds and saying, hey, 85 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:59,719 Speaker 1: everything is fine and saying, look at how great these 86 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:05,280 Speaker 1: trends are. There's got to be sort of somewhere in 87 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: between here because when you look at it, that perception 88 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 1: and reality are blurred here, and it's going to be 89 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:18,040 Speaker 1: really hard to win that larger argument. And it is Look, 90 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 1: at some point, it may be they use a tactic 91 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:24,240 Speaker 1: that goes too far and it will implode on them 92 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 1: both politically and then some and I do think that 93 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:30,839 Speaker 1: that in the long term they're a I mean, just 94 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:37,240 Speaker 1: look at their trial balloon on trying to attack transgender 95 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: Americans and take away their rights when it comes to 96 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:45,159 Speaker 1: two guns created a fascinating coalition that said you can't 97 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:48,480 Speaker 1: do that, that that's unconstitutional, that that essentially the gun 98 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: rights groups going that that's a slippery slope. But it's 99 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:55,920 Speaker 1: also an acknowledgment that this idea of trying to label, 100 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:59,720 Speaker 1: I mean, I think the two most dangerous things rhetorically 101 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 1: that we've heard from some on the right are the 102 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:06,839 Speaker 1: attempt to label transgender Americans and lump them in with 103 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: mental illness. That's what clearly the Justice Department was trying 104 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:12,679 Speaker 1: to do in order to get at that issue of guns. 105 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 1: That's going to be a losing argument. I like to 106 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:22,479 Speaker 1: think that there's given that there is zero accepted science 107 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:25,279 Speaker 1: on this. And then the second is who you designate 108 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:28,560 Speaker 1: a terrorist organization? And who do you designate as terrorists? 109 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:32,160 Speaker 1: And you hear Stephen Miller's rhetoric increasingly tries to call 110 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:35,719 Speaker 1: sort of people that disagree with them on the left, 111 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 1: equate them, uses the T word and terrorists and it 112 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 1: doesn't take much. I mean, if you look at the 113 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:46,200 Speaker 1: rationale that's being used by the administration and targeting that 114 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 1: ship outside Venezuela, it all began with the State Department 115 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:56,280 Speaker 1: designation of the cartel designating at a terrorist. That isn't 116 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:59,200 Speaker 1: It's not an Act of Congress that makes that decision. 117 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 1: It's essentially an an interpretation of the current administration. How 118 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:06,120 Speaker 1: far are they going to go with that? Right? How 119 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 1: much are they going to go with that? And this 120 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: is going to get and I want to get at 121 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: this debate here in a minute, but this gets at 122 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 1: the when it comes to these law and order issues, 123 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 1: and when it comes to these immigration sort of aggressive tactics, 124 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: the White House is not going to back down, especially 125 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:28,880 Speaker 1: since it is the only thing they're doing, the only 126 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:32,360 Speaker 1: thing they're doing where there is positive poll response from 127 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 1: the public. The base loves it and is more devoted 128 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:40,320 Speaker 1: than ever, and the goals themselves are seen as goals 129 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:42,920 Speaker 1: that the public wants and those want to see. Again, 130 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: it's the tactics that are disagreed with, but when political 131 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:52,920 Speaker 1: opponents read that disagreement, they sometimes interpret it that it's 132 00:07:52,920 --> 00:07:56,120 Speaker 1: the policy as well. Is also unpopular when it appears 133 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:58,720 Speaker 1: to be just the tactics. And this is why I'm 134 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:01,760 Speaker 1: intrigued by how Governor more has been handling this versus 135 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:05,080 Speaker 1: some of these versus Governor Pritzker, and I think it's 136 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 1: it absolutely is worth a twenty twenty eight comparison. There. 137 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:15,880 Speaker 1: There's no doubt the base wants some fight, right And 138 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:17,680 Speaker 1: this is something I talked with Chris Murphy. This is 139 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: why a government shut down is almost a given right 140 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:26,040 Speaker 1: now it given everything that's going on in Washington. So 141 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:30,320 Speaker 1: and Pritzker certainly sees what Gavin Newsom is doing. There's 142 00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:33,120 Speaker 1: no doubt if you show some fight the base is 143 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: going to reward you to a point. The question is 144 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:38,200 Speaker 1: how do you tactically do it without also keeping yourself 145 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:43,840 Speaker 1: electable In twenty twenty eight with swing voters and Pritzker 146 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 1: is coming across a bit in denial about the problem 147 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 1: in Chicago versus A Wes Moore saying, look, we know 148 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:51,240 Speaker 1: there's more work to do. We just don't think you 149 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:55,319 Speaker 1: should use unconstitutional means to do it. That is politically 150 00:08:56,440 --> 00:09:03,959 Speaker 1: a much smarter place to be. But I understand you 151 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:06,080 Speaker 1: sort of need to do both. You need to fight 152 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:08,760 Speaker 1: on the civil libertarian grounds, make sure all the stuff 153 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:11,120 Speaker 1: gets forced through the courts. I think I'm one of 154 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:14,840 Speaker 1: those people that you know, that's what these interest groups 155 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:17,920 Speaker 1: are good at doing, and sort of forcing judicial review 156 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:22,080 Speaker 1: over controversial policies, and forcing judicial review is something that 157 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:25,000 Speaker 1: I think if you have a weak legislative branch, which 158 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: we do right now, the only really recourse that you 159 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,840 Speaker 1: have besides protests in the ballot box is judicial in 160 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:35,520 Speaker 1: some sort of judicial review. So you can do that 161 00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:41,280 Speaker 1: and at the same time accentuate policies that respond to 162 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:45,240 Speaker 1: what the electorate is seeing. But it sort of takes 163 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 1: me to I guess the which is an eternal challenge 164 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:53,360 Speaker 1: with the Trump administration is that, you know, if you 165 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:58,000 Speaker 1: look at everything that's that sort of front and center 166 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:03,840 Speaker 1: right now with the administration, any one of those stories 167 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 1: could be the dominating story for an entire week, and 168 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:10,120 Speaker 1: it would make everything else sort of disappear. We've seen this, right, 169 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 1: the Epstein Files being the best example of a story 170 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:19,600 Speaker 1: that can just totally consume everything. Well, we're in the 171 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:23,320 Speaker 1: middle of apparently launching a war against Venezuela, right, We've 172 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:27,280 Speaker 1: stationed F thirty five's in the Caribbean. We've already blown 173 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:29,120 Speaker 1: up a ship, and I'm going to get to that. 174 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:33,840 Speaker 1: Because that debate, I think it opened up and gave 175 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:36,839 Speaker 1: us a preview of what could be a fascinating debate 176 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:40,520 Speaker 1: on the right in twenty twenty eight between the Rand 177 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:42,960 Speaker 1: Paul wing of what's left of the libertarian wing of 178 00:10:42,960 --> 00:10:48,280 Speaker 1: the Republican Party and the JD Vance and the rhetorica. 179 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:51,040 Speaker 1: He used that basically, the ends, what I'm calling an 180 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 1: ends justifies the means ideology, which borders on authoritarianism. If 181 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:58,000 Speaker 1: the goal is to destroy these cartels, then so what 182 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: if you bomb them? So what if we don't due process? 183 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:02,679 Speaker 1: So what if we don't make the case to the 184 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:07,960 Speaker 1: world what we're doing. You know, once we start ignoring 185 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 1: international norms that the United States helped set, that the 186 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:18,959 Speaker 1: United States over decades has helped champion, when we want 187 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:20,800 Speaker 1: to set those aside, we're just going to blow up 188 00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:24,480 Speaker 1: a ship. I mean, why we didn't board the ship. 189 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:27,000 Speaker 1: There's a whole bunch of things to go with the 190 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:31,360 Speaker 1: story with Venezuela. One. If you're going to designate them 191 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:33,680 Speaker 1: a terrorist organization, get out there and make the case. 192 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:35,800 Speaker 1: The administration has not made a public case about this 193 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:42,200 Speaker 1: sort of When you think about all the criticism of 194 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:45,320 Speaker 1: the Bush administration, of the second Bush administration during the 195 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 1: first decade of the century over the Iraq War, you 196 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:50,800 Speaker 1: know what they did do. They went in front of 197 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:52,920 Speaker 1: the United Nations to make the case. They went in 198 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:56,360 Speaker 1: front of the American people to make a case. Multiple times. 199 00:11:57,679 --> 00:11:59,760 Speaker 1: They put out the evidence that they claim that they have. 200 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:02,839 Speaker 1: Now now it turned out to be wrong. It turned 201 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:07,000 Speaker 1: out to be bad intelligence. And we've had a debate 202 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:10,719 Speaker 1: about whether it was intentional miss you know, whether the 203 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:16,800 Speaker 1: public and the and Congress was intentionally misled, or if 204 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 1: it was just simply bad interpretation of intelligence. Regardless, he 205 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:26,200 Speaker 1: just didn't go into a rock before getting a vote 206 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:30,120 Speaker 1: in Congress. This is you know, you know, it's interesting 207 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:33,600 Speaker 1: and I can't help but looking at his what's going 208 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:36,000 Speaker 1: on here with Venezuela here in the moment and sort 209 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:38,240 Speaker 1: of see it as sort of, you know, Trump just 210 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:41,080 Speaker 1: glorifies the eighties, right, he glorifies sort of two decades, 211 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:43,200 Speaker 1: the fifties, in the eighties, right, he kind of wishes 212 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:46,160 Speaker 1: all energy. He's trying to turn the Kennedy Center into 213 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:50,439 Speaker 1: some sort of combination of the two. Right, that that 214 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:56,319 Speaker 1: sort of glorifies those decades. But in the eighties there 215 00:12:56,320 --> 00:13:01,920 Speaker 1: were sort of two. There were two sort of moments 216 00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:04,679 Speaker 1: where the United States played bully a little bit with 217 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:10,080 Speaker 1: a small country. Right. We had Granada, where where Reagan 218 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:14,000 Speaker 1: went there in a sort of overnight deal. It was 219 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:19,520 Speaker 1: seemed to be a bit over the top, some loose 220 00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:23,360 Speaker 1: connection to communists in Cuba, but it was a pretty 221 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:27,880 Speaker 1: aggressive action for but it was almost it was quote 222 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:30,400 Speaker 1: unquote sending a message and it was in and it 223 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:34,880 Speaker 1: was out, and it was a quick success, so fast 224 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 1: before Congress could really belch clear their throat. And then 225 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:43,240 Speaker 1: there was George H. W. Bush and the and the 226 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 1: essentially the seizing of Noriega. And I guess you could 227 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:50,920 Speaker 1: kind of put this what is going on here in 228 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:54,880 Speaker 1: Venezuela with what was done with Panama, where Noriega was 229 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:58,880 Speaker 1: appeared to be a part of the drug trade. We 230 00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:02,120 Speaker 1: were trying to crack down down on various ways that 231 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:05,520 Speaker 1: drugs were getting into the United States, and here was, 232 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:09,960 Speaker 1: you know, a puppet in Panama who was once sort 233 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:12,120 Speaker 1: of a puppet for the United States or for the West. 234 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:14,280 Speaker 1: And I'm being a little over the top with the 235 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:16,040 Speaker 1: use of the word puppet here, but the point was 236 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:19,520 Speaker 1: there was a time he was our ally and then 237 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:23,080 Speaker 1: he got himself engrossed in the drug trade. And so 238 00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 1: we sort of did a military ish operation, right to 239 00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:34,560 Speaker 1: go get noriek and hold them and hold him to 240 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:38,560 Speaker 1: account for his role in the drug trade. So Trump 241 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 1: sent followed the war powers. You know, he's got to 242 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:46,440 Speaker 1: send within a quick period of time. He's got to 243 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:50,200 Speaker 1: send within twenty four hours his justification for the attack. 244 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 1: And here's and he writes the Senate President pro ten 245 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:56,120 Speaker 1: which in this case is Juck Grassley in the Speaker 246 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:58,840 Speaker 1: of the House, which is Mike Johnson, And here's the 247 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:01,080 Speaker 1: letter because the letter's not got enough attention, because I 248 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:03,880 Speaker 1: right to apprise you military action taken on September second, 249 00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:06,440 Speaker 1: twenty twenty five in the Caribbean Sea, and of the 250 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:09,800 Speaker 1: potential for further such actions. And then he writes this 251 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels that the United States is 252 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:17,200 Speaker 1: designated as terrorist organizations. Again, the United States has designated 253 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 1: as terroist organizations have wrought devastating consequences on American communities 254 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:23,520 Speaker 1: for decades, causing the deaths of tens of thousands of 255 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:26,040 Speaker 1: United States citizens each year and threatening our national security 256 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:28,440 Speaker 1: and our foreign policy interests both at home and abroad. 257 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:31,960 Speaker 1: These organizations have evolved into complex structures with the financial 258 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:36,120 Speaker 1: means and paramilitary capabilities needed to operate with impunity, engaging 259 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:38,920 Speaker 1: in violence and terrorism that threaten the United States and 260 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:42,640 Speaker 1: destabilize other nations in our own hemisphere. Friendly foreign nations 261 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 1: have made significant efforts to combat these organizations, suffering significant 262 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:49,440 Speaker 1: losses of life due to organized violence at the hands 263 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:53,440 Speaker 1: of the groups designated as terrorist organizations. But these groups 264 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:57,280 Speaker 1: are now transnational and operate throughout the Western hemisphere. In 265 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:00,000 Speaker 1: the face of the inability or unwillingness of some state 266 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:02,920 Speaker 1: in the region to address the continuing threat to the 267 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:07,440 Speaker 1: United States and its persons and interests emanating from their territories. 268 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:10,080 Speaker 1: We have now reached a critical point where we must 269 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:13,360 Speaker 1: meet this threat to our citizens and our most vital 270 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:20,000 Speaker 1: national interests with the United States military force in self defense. Accordingly, 271 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:22,400 Speaker 1: at my direction, on September two, twenty twenty five, the 272 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:25,360 Speaker 1: United States Forces struck a vessel at a location beyond 273 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:28,520 Speaker 1: the territorial seas of any nation that was assessed to 274 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:31,720 Speaker 1: be affiliated with a designated terrorist organization and to be 275 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:35,000 Speaker 1: engaged in illicit drug trafficking activities. It is not possible 276 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:37,840 Speaker 1: at this time to know the full scope and duration 277 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:41,320 Speaker 1: of military operations that will be necessary. United States Forces 278 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:45,400 Speaker 1: remained postured to carry out further military operations. I am 279 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:47,800 Speaker 1: providing this report as part of my efforts to keep 280 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:50,960 Speaker 1: the Congress fully informed. Well, I'm not sure there was 281 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:53,760 Speaker 1: much fully informed there. If you look any any signs 282 00:16:53,760 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 1: at Donald J. Trump again, So you take this this gang, 283 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,680 Speaker 1: they've they've taken this Venezuelan national gang of a lot 284 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:06,800 Speaker 1: of Venezuelan national gang and they've designated a terrorist organization. 285 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:14,000 Speaker 1: And then because it's a terrorist organization. Essentially, you see him, 286 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:16,360 Speaker 1: he's making the case, Hey, they're beyond this is They're 287 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:20,240 Speaker 1: not a nation state, They're not one nation. He's not. 288 00:17:21,320 --> 00:17:24,400 Speaker 1: It's fascinating that he does not mention the word Venezuela here, 289 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:29,240 Speaker 1: because if if he was talking about a country, he'd 290 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:33,880 Speaker 1: have to go to Congress. But they're trying to make 291 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:36,520 Speaker 1: the case that this is this is not about a 292 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:39,200 Speaker 1: specific country, but a specific country hasn't done any work, 293 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:41,920 Speaker 1: and therefore there's a threat to the United States and 294 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:46,840 Speaker 1: taking out this ship, not boarding it, not sending the 295 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:52,080 Speaker 1: message that way, not arresting these individuals or boarding the 296 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:56,479 Speaker 1: ship or frankly, to make sure you know what you know, 297 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:01,119 Speaker 1: they quote just decided to send message. This is what 298 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:05,840 Speaker 1: Secretary Review said. And again, I know politically this is 299 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:08,560 Speaker 1: going to seem popular and justifies the means we're getting 300 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:13,200 Speaker 1: rid of these bad Narco traffickers. This is good Venezuela. 301 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:19,000 Speaker 1: If Maduro's upset, this is good. But we have a constitution, 302 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:25,800 Speaker 1: we have a process. We're sitting here behaving no different 303 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:31,600 Speaker 1: than Putin's been behaving in his region. He designated Ukraine 304 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:34,919 Speaker 1: is essentially a threat like this. They were not he 305 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:38,280 Speaker 1: used the word Nazis, and all of this has been 306 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:43,520 Speaker 1: his rationale for invading this country in their own sort 307 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:49,359 Speaker 1: of again claiming some version of self defense. This is 308 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 1: the same crap that Putin's pulling, except he's not in 309 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:57,280 Speaker 1: a democracy. And we are show us your evidence that 310 00:18:57,359 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 1: you knew what was on that boat before you blew 311 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:02,600 Speaker 1: it up. You just decided to blow it up. Are 312 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:05,240 Speaker 1: they going to share this intelligence when we have a 313 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:09,040 Speaker 1: Congress that's acting as if it is an equal, coequal 314 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:13,080 Speaker 1: branch of government, there'd be some immediate hearings. I haven't 315 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:18,040 Speaker 1: heard anything. It's been crickets on this, and it appears 316 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:23,640 Speaker 1: we're going to do more. And it's interesting, you know, 317 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:27,800 Speaker 1: you see the political fallout from this was, you know, 318 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,720 Speaker 1: Jade Vance is sort of the social media defender, mainstream 319 00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 1: social media defender. Trump does this crazy truth social posts 320 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:36,040 Speaker 1: that you make it into sort of mainstream social media 321 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:39,239 Speaker 1: with retreats and all this stuff. But Vance is the 322 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:44,200 Speaker 1: one he actively is on there, and he basically said 323 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:46,520 Speaker 1: he thought this was the highest and best use of 324 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:50,159 Speaker 1: the military. And he had this back and forth with 325 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:56,120 Speaker 1: an anti Trump, a guy named Brian Crassenstein and who 326 00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:58,560 Speaker 1: denounced the strike. Then called it a war crime, and 327 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:00,560 Speaker 1: then Vance just simply wrote back, I don't give a 328 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:04,320 Speaker 1: shit what you call it. Well, what's interesting about that statement, 329 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:10,200 Speaker 1: because again, what we did and our lack of rationale 330 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:14,240 Speaker 1: and our lack of justification before we did the attack 331 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:16,560 Speaker 1: and just waiting until after the fact, because we have 332 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:20,160 Speaker 1: to take the Trump administration's word for this. His word 333 00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:22,920 Speaker 1: is not good with the American people. At best. It's 334 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 1: forty percent of the country that accept accept things he says, 335 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:29,440 Speaker 1: a face value majority does not. Certainly a majority of 336 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:35,720 Speaker 1: the world does not. So Vance basically says, I don't 337 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:39,040 Speaker 1: give a shit. And that's when Rand Paul jumps in, 338 00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:43,360 Speaker 1: Republican senator from Kentucky, who's, of course more of a libertarian, 339 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:49,040 Speaker 1: and he's certainly somebody who believes that Congress has a 340 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:52,840 Speaker 1: lot more authority to exert when it comes to military decisions, 341 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:58,800 Speaker 1: and he called that statement, what a despicable and thoughtless 342 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:04,800 Speaker 1: sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial. 343 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 1: And that was the point he even said, it was 344 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:11,639 Speaker 1: really interesting. He goes, I should read you the whole tweet. 345 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:13,280 Speaker 1: Some of you may have seen it, but let me 346 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:16,320 Speaker 1: read you the whole tweet. JD. I don't give a shit. 347 00:21:16,359 --> 00:21:19,600 Speaker 1: Advance says, killing people he accuses of a crime is 348 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:22,480 Speaker 1: the quote highest and best use of the military unquote. 349 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:25,480 Speaker 1: And then Paul goes here, he goes, did he ever 350 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:27,879 Speaker 1: read to kill a mockingbird? Did he ever wonder what 351 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:32,040 Speaker 1: might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial 352 00:21:32,119 --> 00:21:36,359 Speaker 1: or representation? And then the next sentence, which has gotten 353 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:40,520 Speaker 1: some mainstream play. What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it 354 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 1: is to glorify killing someone without a trial. So look, 355 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:49,960 Speaker 1: I don't expect this current makeup of Congress to engage 356 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:52,280 Speaker 1: in this, right, I mean part of the problem. Again, 357 00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:54,800 Speaker 1: this is the whole. The Trump administration does five or 358 00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:57,840 Speaker 1: six things that deserve extra scrutiny. In messing with the 359 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:00,520 Speaker 1: independence of the FED is another one. The use of 360 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:04,399 Speaker 1: the military as domestic police officers is one. Then there's 361 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:09,479 Speaker 1: this and essentially conducting military action against a foreign country. 362 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:13,800 Speaker 1: We didn't say it here that it's Venezuela. Venezuela sees 363 00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:16,159 Speaker 1: it as an attack. So are we at war with Venezuela? 364 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:18,240 Speaker 1: Are we about to go to war? Are we about 365 00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:20,959 Speaker 1: to do regime change? Now? Trump was smart enough some lawyer, 366 00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:23,440 Speaker 1: his White House Council got to him. He did not 367 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:25,679 Speaker 1: go down that road. He can be very sloppy with 368 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:28,560 Speaker 1: his argument with his statements sometimes, but he did not 369 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:31,800 Speaker 1: say anything about that. He said no, no, no, because 370 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:34,879 Speaker 1: the minute he says that, then he essentially lied in 371 00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:37,560 Speaker 1: in the statement of Congress when he informed them based 372 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:41,320 Speaker 1: on the Warpowers Act. So this is one of those stories. 373 00:22:41,359 --> 00:22:46,080 Speaker 1: It should be consuming Washington in a world without social 374 00:22:46,119 --> 00:22:50,520 Speaker 1: media algorithms that are more obsessed about Jeffrey Epstein. And 375 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:53,040 Speaker 1: I sit here and I understand this, But when you 376 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:56,080 Speaker 1: look at all the stories that we're all dealing with 377 00:22:56,200 --> 00:23:02,159 Speaker 1: right now, it's still Jeffrey Epstein that seems to be 378 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:06,679 Speaker 1: where traditional media is trying to go because it trends better, 379 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:10,000 Speaker 1: or because social media algorithms report it. Whatever it is. 380 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:13,560 Speaker 1: This has totally warped the news cycle a little bit. 381 00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:17,440 Speaker 1: This issue with Venezuela should be first and foremost right now. 382 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:21,479 Speaker 1: The economy is right there, and law enforcement in our cities, 383 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:27,240 Speaker 1: these sort of collectively here, this is sort of challenges 384 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:31,280 Speaker 1: to the constitution right in front of our face, right 385 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:35,920 Speaker 1: in front of our face, and most of the obsession 386 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:40,080 Speaker 1: and the coverage and even political attention elected leaders, where 387 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:44,080 Speaker 1: are they gravitating to? They're not gravitating towards many of 388 00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:50,760 Speaker 1: these stories on this anyway. But what have we learned 389 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:54,320 Speaker 1: from sort of all of this? Over the weekend, we'll 390 00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:56,800 Speaker 1: say this a vance Rand Paul primary is going to 391 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,160 Speaker 1: be fascinating, it's going to be interesting, and it's going 392 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:03,200 Speaker 1: to be nasty. We'll see how far we get there. 393 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:10,240 Speaker 1: We'll see whether Rand Paul his what his political standing 394 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:15,160 Speaker 1: looks like in two years. But he's now. It's interesting 395 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:19,160 Speaker 1: to me watching him. He is been a bit more 396 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:21,920 Speaker 1: combative with the Trump administration. He doesn't do it as 397 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:25,280 Speaker 1: much sort of on the floor of the Senate, and 398 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:29,359 Speaker 1: he's not really been you know, it's not like he's organic. 399 00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:30,800 Speaker 1: It's not like he went out of his way to 400 00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:33,160 Speaker 1: try to get more people to stop the one Big 401 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:34,880 Speaker 1: Beautiful Bill, even though he wasn't a fan of it. 402 00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:41,480 Speaker 1: But he does seem to be carving out a place 403 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:43,359 Speaker 1: he's trying to He's going to try to make an 404 00:24:43,359 --> 00:24:46,719 Speaker 1: ideological argument. Now, the question is whether the party is 405 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:49,120 Speaker 1: interested in an ideological debate or this is a cult 406 00:24:49,119 --> 00:24:53,000 Speaker 1: of personality debate. And I think, you know, Rand Paul 407 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:55,359 Speaker 1: was hoping to have this ideological debate in twenty fifteen, 408 00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:57,520 Speaker 1: and a guy came down the escalator and turned it 409 00:24:57,560 --> 00:25:00,600 Speaker 1: into a cult of personality debate and the rest his history. 410 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,800 Speaker 1: All Right, I told you before I get to my 411 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:20,679 Speaker 1: little sports page for the week, I'm day viewing a 412 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:24,040 Speaker 1: new segment, and I am calling this segment this Week 413 00:25:24,040 --> 00:25:26,879 Speaker 1: in History, basically your history and Chuck Todd's history lesson. 414 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:33,120 Speaker 1: One of the things that I find shocking is how 415 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:36,920 Speaker 1: often I see, really, you know, this current generation, whether 416 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:40,520 Speaker 1: it's political reporters, elected officials, sometimes how little they know 417 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:45,600 Speaker 1: about information about things that happen in the twentieth century. Now, 418 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:47,080 Speaker 1: not everything I'm going to do is this going to 419 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:50,520 Speaker 1: be twentieth century. But each week I'm going to be 420 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 1: looking for an event that happened in that week sometime 421 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:59,480 Speaker 1: in the last one hundred years, and we're going to 422 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:05,200 Speaker 1: do a quickly explainer about it and go from there. 423 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:09,600 Speaker 1: So this week, and by week is September eighth through 424 00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:13,040 Speaker 1: the fourteenth. That's the window. And each week it'll be 425 00:26:13,119 --> 00:26:15,359 Speaker 1: Monday through the Sunday. That's the window. I'm going to 426 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:18,800 Speaker 1: choose each week. Well, September eighth, nineteen seventy four is 427 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:25,080 Speaker 1: one of the more momentous occasions in the history of 428 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:29,000 Speaker 1: American of the American legal system. On October eight, nineteen 429 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:33,560 Speaker 1: seventy four, just one month after Richard Nixon's resignation, the 430 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:36,919 Speaker 1: new President Gerald Ford issued a full and preemptive pardon 431 00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:40,600 Speaker 1: for all federal crimes that Richard Nixon quote committed or 432 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:44,639 Speaker 1: may have committed during his presidency. The decision at the 433 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:49,160 Speaker 1: time was unprecedented, it was controversial, and it was probably 434 00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:53,919 Speaker 1: the defining moment of Ford's very short presidency. My longtime mentor, 435 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:57,520 Speaker 1: Doug Bailey may rest in peace. I don't think he's 436 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:02,080 Speaker 1: I worry sometimes he sees what's happening right now. It's 437 00:27:02,119 --> 00:27:05,639 Speaker 1: not a he's not at the piece he would like 438 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:10,560 Speaker 1: to be at. But Doug Bailey was Gerald Ford sort 439 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:13,840 Speaker 1: of chief, one of his chief media strategists in that 440 00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:19,119 Speaker 1: seventy six campaign. And when you look at all of 441 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:22,120 Speaker 1: the baggage that Nixon was carrying into that campaign, inflation 442 00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:28,720 Speaker 1: was a big one, right, Stagflation. Being Nixon's vice president, 443 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:31,679 Speaker 1: it was the part. It was the part, and they 444 00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:33,399 Speaker 1: came with it. Look, when you only lose by a 445 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:36,920 Speaker 1: percentage point in the national popular vote. It's pretty easy 446 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:39,760 Speaker 1: to look at anything and say, oh, jeezs Bob Dole 447 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:42,400 Speaker 1: hadn't accused the Democratic Party of starting World War Two, 448 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:47,280 Speaker 1: that would have maybe that was worth a point, maybe, 449 00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:52,960 Speaker 1: but that the umbrella issue that was hanging over the head. 450 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:55,320 Speaker 1: Why did Jimmy Carter end up the nominee not somebody 451 00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:58,160 Speaker 1: else in the Democratic Party because he was completely from 452 00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:03,400 Speaker 1: outside Washington of faith right, So it was Nixon informed 453 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:08,320 Speaker 1: the entire political environment at the time, and he lost 454 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:09,960 Speaker 1: for the part. Now here was the case for the 455 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:14,119 Speaker 1: part at the time. Ford made the argument for national 456 00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:17,639 Speaker 1: healing right, our long national nightmare, although that was mixing 457 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:20,199 Speaker 1: my speeches there, but essentially that was the message. He 458 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:23,359 Speaker 1: argued the country needed to move beyond Watergate focus on 459 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:25,920 Speaker 1: the economic and the Cold War challenges that were very 460 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:29,199 Speaker 1: real in the seventies. This country was very We had 461 00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:33,800 Speaker 1: really crappy economy, so that was a problem, and there 462 00:28:33,840 --> 00:28:36,679 Speaker 1: was a real belief that a war with Russia with 463 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:39,440 Speaker 1: the Soviet Union wasn't it if it was simply a win. 464 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:47,320 Speaker 1: Another case for it was that the there would have 465 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:50,160 Speaker 1: been endless trials. And this is the political reason for 466 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:52,080 Speaker 1: if you're Ford or you're the Ford White House. It 467 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:55,160 Speaker 1: would have been a complete utter distraction. The prosecution would 468 00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:58,560 Speaker 1: have dominated his presidency, and it would have probably destabilized 469 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:03,400 Speaker 1: our politics. How well did the Trump trials? How did 470 00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:05,560 Speaker 1: the country handle that he wasn't a city in as 471 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:12,840 Speaker 1: a former president. Accepting the pardon meant that Nixon sort 472 00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:16,640 Speaker 1: of confessed that that was one of the other arguments 473 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:20,520 Speaker 1: that the pardon worked. By accepting the pardon, Nixon implied 474 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:24,440 Speaker 1: guilt under Urdick versus the United States in nineteen fifteen, 475 00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:27,200 Speaker 1: which is as if you accept the pardon, essentially you're 476 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:34,040 Speaker 1: accepting you committed some crime. Now the quest and it's 477 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:36,680 Speaker 1: and in two thousand and one he got the Kennedy 478 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:41,080 Speaker 1: family gave him the Profile and Courage Award because it 479 00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:44,280 Speaker 1: has been interpreted as if that it was politically courageous 480 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:48,760 Speaker 1: because Ford did it even though he knew would hurt 481 00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:52,560 Speaker 1: him politically, but he acted for what he viewed was 482 00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:56,840 Speaker 1: the greater good. I think you could easily look at 483 00:29:56,840 --> 00:29:58,360 Speaker 1: it as that he was trying to do what was 484 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:01,640 Speaker 1: in the best interests of the Ford presidency, which was 485 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:06,320 Speaker 1: to get all things Nixon behind him. So I think 486 00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:09,240 Speaker 1: it's sort of I really think It depends where you 487 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:13,560 Speaker 1: sit on whether it was a courageous argument putting country 488 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:17,280 Speaker 1: over party, or did you put his presidency over the 489 00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:21,040 Speaker 1: rule of law as well? Right, But that to me's 490 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:24,480 Speaker 1: debate points now, well, the arguments against the pardon, both 491 00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:27,160 Speaker 1: at the time and today are pretty much the same. 492 00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:31,760 Speaker 1: The pardon meant you're going to lose accountability, right, that 493 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:35,240 Speaker 1: it undermined the principle that no one is above the law, 494 00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:39,200 Speaker 1: even the president, and that by issuing this pardon we 495 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:43,640 Speaker 1: essentially said political leaders are immune from the basic laws 496 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:47,520 Speaker 1: of prosecutions because of who you know. Right. I certainly 497 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:51,200 Speaker 1: think that over time this isn't aged. Well, I'm giving 498 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:53,840 Speaker 1: it away where I sort of lean on this, And 499 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:55,560 Speaker 1: there was a time twenty years ago I might have 500 00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:59,800 Speaker 1: argued that I might have accepted the historical verdict that said, oh, 501 00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:01,160 Speaker 1: this was the right thing to do. It he of 502 00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:08,160 Speaker 1: the country allowed us to move on. But it's set 503 00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:13,400 Speaker 1: a dangerous president, and I think now, in hindsight, we 504 00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:18,320 Speaker 1: have decided that trying to get political accountability is too hard. 505 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:22,640 Speaker 1: Right now, Look, I do think the founders were right 506 00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:25,400 Speaker 1: that the best place to put a president on trial 507 00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:29,840 Speaker 1: was in the United States, Senate, the Democrats, not just 508 00:31:29,880 --> 00:31:33,480 Speaker 1: the Democrats, Republicans obviously in the second one that was 509 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:37,040 Speaker 1: attempted with Trump twice, and he was acquitted in that 510 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:40,840 Speaker 1: court twice. Now I could argue that that should have 511 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:45,960 Speaker 1: probably preempted that when you know, that was the where 512 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:50,800 Speaker 1: the Founder said a president, an elected president, is held accountable. 513 00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:59,640 Speaker 1: And I could make the case in hindsight that all 514 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:02,680 Speaker 1: those other independent jurisdiction sort of laid down their arms, 515 00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:06,560 Speaker 1: if you know, that was the most appropriate place to 516 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:08,640 Speaker 1: try to hold them accountable was in the United States. 517 00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:16,320 Speaker 1: But had Ford never pardoned Nixon and we'd had a 518 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:21,160 Speaker 1: trial and he had been convicted and had served time, 519 00:32:22,480 --> 00:32:24,840 Speaker 1: Here's what we don't know, right there was an assumption 520 00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:29,640 Speaker 1: that somehow it might have it might have created, it 521 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:32,880 Speaker 1: might have turned him into a political martyr in some cases. 522 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:38,360 Speaker 1: I guess we're seeing an alternative universe here in Brazil 523 00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:46,120 Speaker 1: right where instead of letting it go with Bolsonaro, the 524 00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:49,160 Speaker 1: current administration is deciding to go ahead with a prosecution 525 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:53,640 Speaker 1: on Bolsnaro and banning him from the ballot and all 526 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:57,160 Speaker 1: those things that come with it. Perhaps that's what could 527 00:32:57,160 --> 00:33:02,160 Speaker 1: have been done with Nixon, was our system strong enough 528 00:33:02,160 --> 00:33:06,880 Speaker 1: to handle it. Ford's decision implies that he didn't think 529 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:09,520 Speaker 1: the country was going to be able to handle it. 530 00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:14,080 Speaker 1: But this was one of those cases where if you know, 531 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:18,120 Speaker 1: and I go back to if you don't trust the voters, 532 00:33:18,160 --> 00:33:20,520 Speaker 1: and what are we doing with this experiment anyway? Right, 533 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:23,320 Speaker 1: like the argument about the Constitutional convention. Oh no, if 534 00:33:23,360 --> 00:33:26,520 Speaker 1: you do that, there might be some people who who 535 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:29,680 Speaker 1: may have some wacko wacko ideas that they introduce. Yeah, 536 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:34,880 Speaker 1: welcome to America. Okay, we we have people on every 537 00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:38,280 Speaker 1: single notch of the political spectrum. Of course, there's going 538 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:41,600 Speaker 1: to be all sorts of but there's a process, and 539 00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:43,760 Speaker 1: there's there's a process that should make it so that 540 00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:50,680 Speaker 1: it's fairly mainstream. But the minute you start making decisions 541 00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:55,320 Speaker 1: that take away the ability of the American voter or 542 00:33:55,360 --> 00:34:01,680 Speaker 1: the American system to do its thing, to essentially usurped 543 00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:05,960 Speaker 1: the democratic process, which is what Ford did. I think 544 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:09,040 Speaker 1: it turns out, especially given what we've gone through over 545 00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:15,239 Speaker 1: the last decade, that despite what was over time and 546 00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:19,200 Speaker 1: what's interesting pulling over time right at the time, a 547 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:22,839 Speaker 1: majority of the country, including according to an exit poll 548 00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:25,400 Speaker 1: in the seventy six presidential race, a majority of the 549 00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:28,120 Speaker 1: country thought the pardon was wrong. Fifty five percent thought 550 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:32,160 Speaker 1: it was a mistake. By the early eighties, it was 551 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:35,759 Speaker 1: sort of a split decision. In eighty six, it was 552 00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:38,280 Speaker 1: the first time any pole ever showed a majority support 553 00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:41,520 Speaker 1: for the part. Part of that may have been sort of, 554 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:44,120 Speaker 1: you know, Reagan's popularity helped the country had sort of 555 00:34:44,719 --> 00:34:47,960 Speaker 1: moved sort of into center right situation. Maybe that is 556 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:52,720 Speaker 1: why Nixon had sort of rehabbed himself, had become mister 557 00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:56,560 Speaker 1: foreign dignitary, if you will, writing books, mister foreign policy advisor. 558 00:34:56,840 --> 00:35:00,000 Speaker 1: A few months later, Bill Clinton, you know, I remember 559 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:02,719 Speaker 1: when Bill Clinton made the trek to visit with former 560 00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:09,839 Speaker 1: President Nixon before he died. But I think when you 561 00:35:10,040 --> 00:35:12,799 Speaker 1: think about the situation we're in now, where it's not 562 00:35:12,920 --> 00:35:15,000 Speaker 1: clear there's a rule of lawe where we've now had 563 00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:18,160 Speaker 1: a president, we've had a fear that presidents would issue 564 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:23,200 Speaker 1: preemptive pardons, and out of fear of a president weaponizing 565 00:35:23,239 --> 00:35:26,840 Speaker 1: the legal system, a president went ahead and issued a 566 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:30,400 Speaker 1: preemptive pardon for a bunch of his family members. And 567 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:33,360 Speaker 1: I'm referring, of course, to Joe Biden. Does any of 568 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:36,239 Speaker 1: this happen without the initial decision by Gerald Ford to 569 00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:41,759 Speaker 1: pardon Richard Nixon. Some of you may say, obviously the 570 00:35:41,800 --> 00:35:46,480 Speaker 1: best I think the best outcome would have been. I 571 00:35:46,520 --> 00:35:48,480 Speaker 1: don't think the former president of the United States should 572 00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:51,600 Speaker 1: serve time. I might have drawn the line on that. 573 00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:57,359 Speaker 1: You commute the sentence, but you let you make him 574 00:35:57,360 --> 00:36:00,560 Speaker 1: go under on trial, you go through that whole process. 575 00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:08,360 Speaker 1: Then you commute the sentence. You see if he's guilty 576 00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:12,759 Speaker 1: or not. He should have his due process. Nixon never 577 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:19,640 Speaker 1: got his due process. So I think it. You know, 578 00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:26,560 Speaker 1: it's interesting the Ford pardon for the longest period of time, 579 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:30,959 Speaker 1: aged very well, and I think when we look back 580 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:33,320 Speaker 1: on it, and I look back on it and everything 581 00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:38,680 Speaker 1: I did when you it is just this. This was 582 00:36:38,719 --> 00:36:42,600 Speaker 1: the wrong action at the wrong time, in the wrong country. 583 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:49,560 Speaker 1: You know it just it is if if you believe 584 00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:53,120 Speaker 1: in the rule of law, you should have let it 585 00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:58,920 Speaker 1: work its will. That everything about our system is supposed 586 00:36:58,920 --> 00:37:05,560 Speaker 1: to make us different, including that, but instead that pardon. Essentially, 587 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:09,040 Speaker 1: what we've done is that was the beginning of treating 588 00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:12,880 Speaker 1: the presidency like a monarchy where they're kind of untouchable. 589 00:37:14,160 --> 00:37:17,960 Speaker 1: All right, there's your history lesson. It was September eighth, 590 00:37:18,480 --> 00:37:23,080 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy four that this pardon was issued, and fifty 591 00:37:23,080 --> 00:37:26,279 Speaker 1: one years later, Let's just say I think it's now 592 00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:30,680 Speaker 1: a stain unpresidential decision making. Joe Ford was a good man, 593 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:36,560 Speaker 1: no doubt about it. This was a patriot, but they 594 00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:40,080 Speaker 1: made the wrong call. All right, my quick little Before 595 00:37:40,080 --> 00:37:44,439 Speaker 1: I get to a few questions, you gotta understand how 596 00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:48,600 Speaker 1: how I viewed college football. I mean, is it is 597 00:37:48,719 --> 00:37:52,200 Speaker 1: for me? It's everything. So I watched every second of 598 00:37:52,239 --> 00:37:55,400 Speaker 1: the Miami Bethune Cookman game. Here are things that made 599 00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:58,640 Speaker 1: me extraordinarily excited. First of all, they unleashed the offense 600 00:37:58,680 --> 00:38:02,080 Speaker 1: a little bit. Carson had zip on his ball. It 601 00:38:02,160 --> 00:38:05,200 Speaker 1: now makes me think that the Notre Dame game plan 602 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:08,440 Speaker 1: was very conservative, was very careful, and this is an 603 00:38:08,440 --> 00:38:12,600 Speaker 1: offense that is very likely to get better as they 604 00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:15,000 Speaker 1: keep adding more things. So let's just say I am 605 00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:19,480 Speaker 1: cautiously enthusiastic. Miami plays at the University of South Florida 606 00:38:19,560 --> 00:38:25,360 Speaker 1: next week, which is just upended poor Sunbup Billy Billy Napier, 607 00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:26,960 Speaker 1: the coach of the Gators. I just find that they'd 608 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:29,359 Speaker 1: be the funniest nickname for it. That's one of those 609 00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:31,120 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna explain if you know, you know, but 610 00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:34,880 Speaker 1: sunbout poor sunbup Billy losing to a group of five teams, 611 00:38:34,880 --> 00:38:37,080 Speaker 1: and South Florida may be the best group of five teams. 612 00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:40,880 Speaker 1: Maybe not? Is Boise State any good? You know? The 613 00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:43,359 Speaker 1: thing that I had to remind my own son right, 614 00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:46,840 Speaker 1: is LSU any good? Clemson was losing to Troy. We 615 00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:50,680 Speaker 1: don't know who's good or not yet. I think Miami's good. 616 00:38:51,680 --> 00:38:56,640 Speaker 1: I think Florida State's good. I think Ohio State's good. 617 00:38:56,680 --> 00:38:59,359 Speaker 1: I think Penn State's good. Looks like Texas is going 618 00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:03,239 Speaker 1: to be pretty good. What about Alabama? Alabama? Man, they 619 00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:05,680 Speaker 1: they certainly got their act together. And yes, it was, 620 00:39:05,920 --> 00:39:09,719 Speaker 1: you know, against the little sisters, you know, and there's 621 00:39:09,840 --> 00:39:11,600 Speaker 1: week two has a lot of little Sisters of the 622 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:15,439 Speaker 1: poor games. It's amazing how many, how many, how many 623 00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:18,360 Speaker 1: teams the Little Sisters play. It's one of my favorite 624 00:39:18,360 --> 00:39:20,879 Speaker 1: cliches to use in college football. So you're gonna hear 625 00:39:20,880 --> 00:39:26,680 Speaker 1: me do it a lot. But I uh. The couple 626 00:39:26,719 --> 00:39:28,920 Speaker 1: other things that jumped out of me from over the 627 00:39:28,920 --> 00:39:34,960 Speaker 1: weekend was I was bummed to see what happened with Duke. Financially, 628 00:39:35,600 --> 00:39:37,560 Speaker 1: I had I had a good week that would have 629 00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:40,640 Speaker 1: been fantastic had my my friend Manny Diaz, the head 630 00:39:40,640 --> 00:39:43,720 Speaker 1: coach of the Duke Blue Devils, had showed up. But man, 631 00:39:43,840 --> 00:39:45,919 Speaker 1: every time I turned around, they were turning the ball over. 632 00:39:47,040 --> 00:39:51,920 Speaker 1: That is one of the biggest misleading finals of the weekend. 633 00:39:51,920 --> 00:39:55,560 Speaker 1: Be very careful, assuming you know for sure that Illinois 634 00:39:55,680 --> 00:39:59,360 Speaker 1: is good and is the new Indiana they were. Duke 635 00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:04,440 Speaker 1: gave away so many possessions in that game, So be careful, 636 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:07,280 Speaker 1: be very very careful. And then I have to close 637 00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:09,759 Speaker 1: with the disappointment of my one of my new teams. 638 00:40:09,800 --> 00:40:11,080 Speaker 1: The way we look at it, anytime I have a 639 00:40:11,160 --> 00:40:13,520 Speaker 1: family connection, that becomes one of my teams that I 640 00:40:13,600 --> 00:40:15,239 Speaker 1: keep an eye on and I try to root for 641 00:40:15,280 --> 00:40:17,600 Speaker 1: as long as they're not playing Miami. So Florida State 642 00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:20,759 Speaker 1: is now back in there. That's my wife, Alum. I 643 00:40:20,760 --> 00:40:24,600 Speaker 1: have now family connections to Auburn, So I'm i'm I'm 644 00:40:24,640 --> 00:40:26,640 Speaker 1: trying to be nice and not say bad things about 645 00:40:26,920 --> 00:40:30,600 Speaker 1: coach Freeze. Obviously I've got I'm paying money over at 646 00:40:30,640 --> 00:40:35,080 Speaker 1: SMU these days that oh can't blow it to score lyad. 647 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:38,000 Speaker 1: As I said to my son, SMU has the offense 648 00:40:38,040 --> 00:40:40,680 Speaker 1: of a playoff team, But the defense of a group 649 00:40:40,719 --> 00:40:45,239 Speaker 1: of five teams, so that but fear not, SMU fans, 650 00:40:45,880 --> 00:40:48,759 Speaker 1: they're spending real money. They're going to be in the 651 00:40:48,760 --> 00:40:52,160 Speaker 1: top tier. They lost a whole bunch of great defensive 652 00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:56,719 Speaker 1: linemen to the NFL, so that's why they were so 653 00:40:56,840 --> 00:40:58,560 Speaker 1: poorous and it was so easy to run on them. 654 00:40:59,040 --> 00:41:01,840 Speaker 1: They'll fix this, maybe not this season, maybe not in 655 00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:04,400 Speaker 1: time to be playoff contender, but still don't sleep on 656 00:41:04,480 --> 00:41:08,359 Speaker 1: them because they can score a lot of points and 657 00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:11,040 Speaker 1: it can be an exciting game. By the way, my 658 00:41:11,080 --> 00:41:13,960 Speaker 1: favorite game might have been the Kansas Missouri game, the 659 00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:17,720 Speaker 1: old border war. Speaking of history lessons, I would encourage 660 00:41:17,719 --> 00:41:20,799 Speaker 1: you to take a look at the history of that. 661 00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:24,120 Speaker 1: I mean, it really was. When they first started playing, 662 00:41:25,040 --> 00:41:28,319 Speaker 1: blood was really bad. It was Civil War blood, like 663 00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:32,759 Speaker 1: the actual Civil War type of disputes. Still that was 664 00:41:32,800 --> 00:41:36,040 Speaker 1: still lingering when that rivalry began. So always fun when 665 00:41:36,080 --> 00:41:37,880 Speaker 1: you see a rivalry that hadn't been going on for 666 00:41:37,920 --> 00:41:41,279 Speaker 1: a while come back like that. That's what makes college 667 00:41:41,280 --> 00:41:44,080 Speaker 1: football great. That's why I love college football so much, 668 00:41:44,120 --> 00:41:46,439 Speaker 1: and that's why I wish the two major conferences weren't 669 00:41:46,440 --> 00:41:49,120 Speaker 1: trying to squeeze everybody else of this all right, I'm 670 00:41:49,160 --> 00:41:52,279 Speaker 1: off my quick sports soapbox. So with that, let's take 671 00:41:52,280 --> 00:41:56,440 Speaker 1: a few questions, sneak in some mess chuck ass chuck. 672 00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:03,640 Speaker 1: All right, I've gone all along with my little history 673 00:42:03,640 --> 00:42:07,719 Speaker 1: thing today, so I'll probably do the lion's share of 674 00:42:07,960 --> 00:42:11,600 Speaker 1: question answering for the Thursday episode, but let me sneak 675 00:42:11,640 --> 00:42:15,040 Speaker 1: in a couple here this week. First question comes from 676 00:42:15,080 --> 00:42:19,840 Speaker 1: overseas Dublin, Ireland. Comes from Danny Oh, Danny Boy from Dublin, Ireland. 677 00:42:19,840 --> 00:42:22,000 Speaker 1: Thank you very much, love the podcast. I don't think 678 00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:24,680 Speaker 1: Putin could handle Trump the way you suggested. He knows 679 00:42:24,719 --> 00:42:27,680 Speaker 1: Trump would spin even a short CeaseFire's proof of his influence. 680 00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:30,439 Speaker 1: Putin granted a ceasefire because I asked him, and Trump 681 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:33,719 Speaker 1: would never stop boasting about it. That would quickly become magadogma, 682 00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:36,439 Speaker 1: which would be excruciating for Putin, worse than any short 683 00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:38,600 Speaker 1: lived credit he'd get for the ceasefire. Thoughts, keep up 684 00:42:38,600 --> 00:42:40,680 Speaker 1: the good work. It's an interesting way to look at it. 685 00:42:40,680 --> 00:42:44,000 Speaker 1: But here's the other thing Putin has made him look ridiculous. Right, 686 00:42:44,320 --> 00:42:46,520 Speaker 1: look at what Putin is doing now with Ukraine. He 687 00:42:46,640 --> 00:42:49,960 Speaker 1: is being more aggressive. He is going after government officials, 688 00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:52,960 Speaker 1: he's gone after European officials, He's gone after places in 689 00:42:53,160 --> 00:42:56,440 Speaker 1: Ukraine that haven't been touched before. He's doing it with impunity, 690 00:42:56,440 --> 00:43:00,319 Speaker 1: and the United States is sitting here in silence. And 691 00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:06,160 Speaker 1: that I mean, look, I go back. I think, you know, 692 00:43:06,800 --> 00:43:10,560 Speaker 1: I am surprised that Putin didn't try to strengthen Trump, 693 00:43:11,120 --> 00:43:13,919 Speaker 1: the perception of Trump by giving him a short cease fire. 694 00:43:13,960 --> 00:43:16,120 Speaker 1: That's why I think this is one of those if 695 00:43:16,120 --> 00:43:21,520 Speaker 1: you're the if you're the KGB operative portion of Putin's brain, right, 696 00:43:22,280 --> 00:43:26,080 Speaker 1: you give a little something so that the Europeans are 697 00:43:26,120 --> 00:43:30,839 Speaker 1: of no choice. But now by totally snubbing, he is 698 00:43:30,880 --> 00:43:36,000 Speaker 1: potentially making it. It's making it harder for Trump to 699 00:43:36,120 --> 00:43:40,239 Speaker 1: somehow defend Putin and serve as this buffer that he's 700 00:43:40,280 --> 00:43:43,680 Speaker 1: been serving as against the West. And I think, I mean, 701 00:43:43,719 --> 00:43:46,680 Speaker 1: you're going to have h Look, you've a whole bunch 702 00:43:46,680 --> 00:43:49,600 Speaker 1: of Republican senators who are spineless about going up against 703 00:43:49,640 --> 00:43:52,920 Speaker 1: Trump on all these other things, but they are willing 704 00:43:52,960 --> 00:43:56,520 Speaker 1: to to to get tough on Russia, and I'm Putin. 705 00:43:57,360 --> 00:44:00,680 Speaker 1: I think it's inevitable that this is coming. Uh, But 706 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:02,960 Speaker 1: I do think this has been what what when you 707 00:44:03,040 --> 00:44:05,600 Speaker 1: just look at it as far as you know, people 708 00:44:05,640 --> 00:44:07,320 Speaker 1: like to say, oh, Putin is such a chess player. 709 00:44:07,400 --> 00:44:11,440 Speaker 1: It's not a chess move. This is sort of dumb checkers. 710 00:44:12,120 --> 00:44:14,839 Speaker 1: He's just counting on Trump being weak and right now 711 00:44:14,880 --> 00:44:18,680 Speaker 1: Trump is extraordinarily weak, and that's a you know, and 712 00:44:18,719 --> 00:44:24,560 Speaker 1: that has emboldened that weakness is emboldened Putin. Now, if 713 00:44:24,560 --> 00:44:28,560 Speaker 1: you want to talk about political messaging, I don't know 714 00:44:28,600 --> 00:44:31,560 Speaker 1: where the where the opposition to this is in the 715 00:44:31,640 --> 00:44:34,200 Speaker 1: in in you know, it's it's it's sort of there. 716 00:44:34,480 --> 00:44:36,360 Speaker 1: But the way to go after Trump on this is 717 00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:40,440 Speaker 1: he is weak. Putin has spit. He is He has 718 00:44:40,600 --> 00:44:43,480 Speaker 1: done what Jalen Carter did to Dak Prescott. He has 719 00:44:43,680 --> 00:44:51,400 Speaker 1: literally spit on Trump's red tie. And Trump's not can 720 00:44:51,440 --> 00:44:55,879 Speaker 1: do anything about it, not a thing, all right? Next 721 00:44:55,960 --> 00:44:58,880 Speaker 1: question Sandro from Italy. Wow, we have a we have 722 00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:01,320 Speaker 1: a theme today. Hello check Sandro, a listener from Italy. 723 00:45:01,840 --> 00:45:04,240 Speaker 1: The reason Epstein File's discussion made me think about public 724 00:45:04,280 --> 00:45:07,560 Speaker 1: trust in victims. Watching the Depth versus Herd trial at seventeen, 725 00:45:07,640 --> 00:45:11,439 Speaker 1: I saw how misogynistic attacks and online trolling dehumanized Herd, 726 00:45:11,800 --> 00:45:14,600 Speaker 1: turning serious abuse allegations into jokes and fueling a one 727 00:45:14,600 --> 00:45:17,840 Speaker 1: sided narrative. I worry Epstein's victims could face similar treatment, 728 00:45:17,880 --> 00:45:21,320 Speaker 1: defamation suits, tax and credibility, and a loss of political support. 729 00:45:21,600 --> 00:45:24,360 Speaker 1: Why do female victims and even female politicians face this 730 00:45:24,440 --> 00:45:27,360 Speaker 1: dehumanization while Trump has avoided the same level of scrutiny 731 00:45:27,520 --> 00:45:33,080 Speaker 1: from the media. Thanks well, I think he's gotten I 732 00:45:33,080 --> 00:45:35,240 Speaker 1: don't know if I agree that he hasn't gotten scrutiny 733 00:45:35,239 --> 00:45:37,640 Speaker 1: from the media. I think he's gotten scrutiny from the media. 734 00:45:37,680 --> 00:45:42,120 Speaker 1: That's not the issue. The question is why doesn't it stick? Right? 735 00:45:42,320 --> 00:45:45,080 Speaker 1: Why do these things stick to others but it doesn't 736 00:45:45,120 --> 00:45:48,200 Speaker 1: to him? Now, in part, he's got all sorts, you know. 737 00:45:48,960 --> 00:45:51,440 Speaker 1: Part of it is, you know he's he is mister distraction, 738 00:45:51,880 --> 00:45:53,960 Speaker 1: and everybody always thinking, so this is a distraction for 739 00:45:54,040 --> 00:45:58,080 Speaker 1: this there's no one thing that's a distraction specifically for 740 00:45:58,120 --> 00:46:01,680 Speaker 1: another thing. It is this is how he wants. He 741 00:46:01,719 --> 00:46:05,480 Speaker 1: wants seven things, seven balls in the air, so that 742 00:46:05,560 --> 00:46:09,319 Speaker 1: it looks like he's there's always something going on, and 743 00:46:09,440 --> 00:46:11,600 Speaker 1: you know he can do is and and and it 744 00:46:11,640 --> 00:46:14,640 Speaker 1: has allowed them what what what second term Trump is? 745 00:46:14,840 --> 00:46:20,040 Speaker 1: Guys like to Stephen Miller and others have figured out 746 00:46:20,040 --> 00:46:22,919 Speaker 1: how to use the fog of Trump set a fog 747 00:46:22,960 --> 00:46:26,600 Speaker 1: of war, right, using the fog of Trump to sort 748 00:46:26,600 --> 00:46:30,440 Speaker 1: of manipulate and take advantage of him and get him 749 00:46:30,480 --> 00:46:35,080 Speaker 1: to do things in extraordinarily aggressive actions, like what he's 750 00:46:35,080 --> 00:46:40,080 Speaker 1: doing right now in Venezuela. But I would argue, I mean, 751 00:46:40,239 --> 00:46:45,800 Speaker 1: my goodness, I mean the singling out Trump's misogynistic behavior 752 00:46:45,800 --> 00:46:50,480 Speaker 1: and his character. I mean the entire Access Hollywood tape. 753 00:46:50,520 --> 00:46:52,759 Speaker 1: I mean, we had a And I think that's the 754 00:46:52,800 --> 00:46:55,120 Speaker 1: problem sometimes with our politics. You know, you have such 755 00:46:55,160 --> 00:47:01,480 Speaker 1: a high profile moment like that, and it dominates a 756 00:47:01,600 --> 00:47:05,000 Speaker 1: couple of weeks of the final four weeks of that campaign, 757 00:47:06,680 --> 00:47:08,440 Speaker 1: and then there's this sense so we got by it, 758 00:47:08,560 --> 00:47:11,560 Speaker 1: so don't ever worry about using it again. Like there's 759 00:47:11,600 --> 00:47:15,360 Speaker 1: this weird mindset in political campaigns that once you survive, 760 00:47:16,480 --> 00:47:20,759 Speaker 1: if you get elected, and the attacks thrown at you 761 00:47:20,880 --> 00:47:24,040 Speaker 1: don't stick enough to cause you enough to win that election, 762 00:47:24,160 --> 00:47:26,120 Speaker 1: to cause you to lose that election, and you win 763 00:47:27,080 --> 00:47:30,240 Speaker 1: for whatever reason, political opponents stop using the same material 764 00:47:30,239 --> 00:47:32,560 Speaker 1: they think, well, we can't like. And there is an 765 00:47:32,600 --> 00:47:37,280 Speaker 1: old news thing, right that has been effective for Corpa 766 00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:39,279 Speaker 1: politicians in the past've been able to say, oh, that's 767 00:47:39,280 --> 00:47:44,279 Speaker 1: old news. I don't know why we're bringing that up. Well, 768 00:47:44,320 --> 00:47:46,120 Speaker 1: I know why you're bringing it up, because it deserves 769 00:47:46,120 --> 00:47:48,440 Speaker 1: to be brought up. But the point is is that 770 00:47:49,360 --> 00:47:53,360 Speaker 1: because it's it's part of trying to figure out what 771 00:47:53,480 --> 00:47:57,480 Speaker 1: makes these politicians stick. But you're right, I mean, this 772 00:47:57,560 --> 00:47:59,720 Speaker 1: hasn't gotten the same and I think in some ways, 773 00:47:59,760 --> 00:48:03,000 Speaker 1: you know, so those that don't like Trump have their 774 00:48:03,000 --> 00:48:06,200 Speaker 1: point of view. Those that do have decided to compartmentalize this. 775 00:48:07,280 --> 00:48:09,080 Speaker 1: You know, it goes to it's sort of like why 776 00:48:09,080 --> 00:48:13,280 Speaker 1: did the character attacks. It's funny they never worked against Clinton, 777 00:48:13,360 --> 00:48:15,279 Speaker 1: the Democrats when Clinton was in office, but when he 778 00:48:15,320 --> 00:48:18,760 Speaker 1: was leaving office, the sort of the character stuck, stuck 779 00:48:18,800 --> 00:48:21,200 Speaker 1: a little bit the gore, and he had to figure 780 00:48:21,200 --> 00:48:23,600 Speaker 1: out a way to distance himself from it. Right, it 781 00:48:23,640 --> 00:48:24,880 Speaker 1: was like the country was like, we're not going to 782 00:48:24,960 --> 00:48:28,440 Speaker 1: do it again. And that's why I am skeptical of 783 00:48:28,560 --> 00:48:31,080 Speaker 1: behaving like Trump. That the answer that I think the 784 00:48:31,120 --> 00:48:35,640 Speaker 1: next president wins because they're they have higher they have 785 00:48:35,680 --> 00:48:38,600 Speaker 1: a higher they have perceived higher character than Trump. I 786 00:48:38,600 --> 00:48:41,000 Speaker 1: say perceived, because you can have people that can hold 787 00:48:41,000 --> 00:48:45,080 Speaker 1: themselves up as high character and they're they're hiding low character. Tendencies. 788 00:48:45,719 --> 00:48:49,120 Speaker 1: But my assumption is the public doesn't want this kind 789 00:48:49,200 --> 00:48:53,080 Speaker 1: of self enrichment, amoral and immoral behavior out of their 790 00:48:53,160 --> 00:48:56,520 Speaker 1: chief executives. I just I don't buy that. All right, 791 00:48:56,560 --> 00:49:00,680 Speaker 1: I'm gonna steak in one more question here, uh, and 792 00:49:00,719 --> 00:49:02,880 Speaker 1: this one comes, We're going to go stateside here, Adam 793 00:49:02,880 --> 00:49:05,440 Speaker 1: in Minneapolis, he said, I love hearing your discussion on 794 00:49:05,480 --> 00:49:08,239 Speaker 1: the best comedy Satirical writers a while back and was 795 00:49:08,360 --> 00:49:10,680 Speaker 1: very excited to hear you conclude with Trey Parker and 796 00:49:10,719 --> 00:49:12,960 Speaker 1: Matt Stone in South Park. Curious to hear if you 797 00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:18,360 Speaker 1: have tuned into the current season a spoiler alert. I have. Personally, 798 00:49:18,440 --> 00:49:20,440 Speaker 1: I had to spit out my drink moment when I 799 00:49:20,440 --> 00:49:22,399 Speaker 1: saw Trump with the classics that I'm cut out face 800 00:49:22,440 --> 00:49:25,480 Speaker 1: and voice. Love to hear any thoughts on the political 801 00:49:25,520 --> 00:49:33,160 Speaker 1: salience of the direction this season best, Adam, Well, it's 802 00:49:33,200 --> 00:49:36,839 Speaker 1: interesting because you know, they're they're they're to me, they're 803 00:49:36,880 --> 00:49:42,000 Speaker 1: calling card. Over the last decade has really been on 804 00:49:39,800 --> 00:49:49,000 Speaker 1: on trying to sort of call out cultural hypocrisy from 805 00:49:49,000 --> 00:49:54,040 Speaker 1: both from the woke left and the grievance right, and 806 00:49:53,680 --> 00:49:58,360 Speaker 1: Andy they've so effectively, I think culturally still even in 807 00:49:58,400 --> 00:50:03,279 Speaker 1: these episodes I think have mocked both quite well. You know, 808 00:50:03,320 --> 00:50:07,080 Speaker 1: It's funny. What I've noticed is that the coverage of 809 00:50:07,760 --> 00:50:11,000 Speaker 1: each South Park episode is almost done exclusively through the 810 00:50:11,040 --> 00:50:15,759 Speaker 1: prism of Trump. But I thought I thought the uh 811 00:50:18,560 --> 00:50:23,520 Speaker 1: I thought the last episode or no, I think it 812 00:50:23,520 --> 00:50:25,760 Speaker 1: was two episodes ago, the one that featured Tim Cook 813 00:50:27,920 --> 00:50:29,960 Speaker 1: was as much about the tech world and the sort 814 00:50:29,960 --> 00:50:31,920 Speaker 1: of the bowing down. Anyway, the point is is that 815 00:50:32,000 --> 00:50:35,799 Speaker 1: I think, what's I again, They're They're not They're not 816 00:50:35,960 --> 00:50:41,279 Speaker 1: late leaving anything untouched here at all. But it is 817 00:50:41,320 --> 00:50:44,360 Speaker 1: a direct There's no doubt this is a direct response 818 00:50:44,440 --> 00:50:47,320 Speaker 1: to sort of what I would say is almost maga 819 00:50:48,000 --> 00:50:53,600 Speaker 1: and and sort of a morality of Trump. But look, 820 00:50:53,640 --> 00:50:58,160 Speaker 1: it's been let's just say, they've done things that I 821 00:50:58,200 --> 00:51:01,360 Speaker 1: can't even feel like I can repeat. Obviously I could. 822 00:51:01,400 --> 00:51:04,200 Speaker 1: There's you know, this is the world of independent media. 823 00:51:04,280 --> 00:51:08,280 Speaker 1: We can do what we want, but it feels next 824 00:51:08,600 --> 00:51:12,720 Speaker 1: level over the top. But then I could also argue 825 00:51:12,719 --> 00:51:14,680 Speaker 1: that in this day and age, in order for anything 826 00:51:14,719 --> 00:51:19,520 Speaker 1: to break through the algorithms and break through in some ways, 827 00:51:20,160 --> 00:51:23,680 Speaker 1: do you have to go that far. So there's there's 828 00:51:23,680 --> 00:51:26,400 Speaker 1: a there's a part of me that you know we have, 829 00:51:26,600 --> 00:51:30,399 Speaker 1: really I don't think we have fully appreciated how much 830 00:51:30,440 --> 00:51:34,280 Speaker 1: we've sort of gotten rid of every guard rail possible 831 00:51:34,320 --> 00:51:38,600 Speaker 1: when it comes to sort of political satire and commentary. 832 00:51:39,280 --> 00:51:42,879 Speaker 1: There's pretty much there's no line, there's no guardrail, there's 833 00:51:42,880 --> 00:51:49,440 Speaker 1: no norm, and some of it is funny, but we're 834 00:51:49,480 --> 00:51:52,600 Speaker 1: actually doing what I would say is real satire, because 835 00:51:52,640 --> 00:51:55,359 Speaker 1: the best satire should make you a little uncomfortable before 836 00:51:55,360 --> 00:51:59,319 Speaker 1: it makes you laugh. And I think this season South 837 00:51:59,400 --> 00:52:04,840 Speaker 1: Park is making you a little bit uncomfortable just before 838 00:52:04,880 --> 00:52:10,399 Speaker 1: you laugh. All right with that, I think we can 839 00:52:10,440 --> 00:52:13,359 Speaker 1: put a pin in this episode. Appreciate you out there. 840 00:52:13,360 --> 00:52:16,920 Speaker 1: We've been by the way, response has been terrific, and 841 00:52:17,480 --> 00:52:22,040 Speaker 1: people are out of their August doldrums. That's exciting. I'm 842 00:52:22,040 --> 00:52:27,759 Speaker 1: having the I'm enjoying this, enjoying this medium, appreciate the 843 00:52:27,960 --> 00:52:31,320 Speaker 1: opportunity it gives me to sort of complete whole thoughts 844 00:52:31,360 --> 00:52:34,000 Speaker 1: and to sort of do, as Trump likes to say, 845 00:52:34,000 --> 00:52:36,560 Speaker 1: my own little weave about sort of how I'm watching 846 00:52:36,560 --> 00:52:41,359 Speaker 1: the current American political system as it potentially unravels in 847 00:52:41,360 --> 00:52:45,279 Speaker 1: front of our very eyes, and so I feel like 848 00:52:45,480 --> 00:52:48,440 Speaker 1: chronicling this almost on a daily basis is necessary as 849 00:52:48,440 --> 00:52:51,560 Speaker 1: we figure out how we can navigate our way out 850 00:52:51,640 --> 00:52:55,000 Speaker 1: of this mess, and so with that, I will upload 851 00:52:55,040 --> 00:53:00,360 Speaker 1: again in approximately forty eight hours. Y