1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: The Armstrong and Getty Show. Jim Crow laws are just 2 00:00:12,039 --> 00:00:15,400 Speaker 1: anothetical to who we are. This makes Jim Crow look 3 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 1: like Jim Eagle. Most people don't know. You walk into 4 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: a store and you buy a gun, you have a 5 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:24,279 Speaker 1: background check, but you go to a gun show you 6 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: can buy whatever you want, no background check. Yeah, it's 7 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 1: just not true. Um, And they walked that back later 8 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:33,920 Speaker 1: in the day, which leads to a number of questions. Anyway, 9 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:37,519 Speaker 1: thanks for joining us today. Yeah, the Jim Crow tweets 10 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: are not only untrue, but they're utterly repugnant to say. 11 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:44,199 Speaker 1: Let's discuss that in a number of different topics with 12 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: Lan he Chen. My computer has frozen, so I'm gonna 13 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 1: try to do this from memory. Lan he is the 14 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:54,080 Speaker 1: David and Diane Stephy Research Fellow in American Public Policy 15 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 1: and the Uver. It's it's the proud son of David 16 00:00:56,720 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: and Diane Steffie. They don't leave, that's correct, and also 17 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: the the director of Domestic Policy Studies at Stanford University. 18 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:10,200 Speaker 1: How did I do, Lony? You? You know, you got 19 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: about there and then and then you and then you 20 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,640 Speaker 1: said this thing about being the kid of thee that 21 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 1: was Jack. Did please see what I have to deal 22 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: with every day. So hey, first good, First of all, 23 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: thank you very much for being here. We really look 24 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: forward to these chats. So the Biden quotes whether it's 25 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 1: the Jim Crow stuff, which again is repugnant and totally inaccurate, 26 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: or or deciding in kneed your fashion to support a 27 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: boycott of Atlanta, heavily black city, the stuff about the 28 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: gun show, is Joe Biden confused? Is he misinformed or 29 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 1: has he embraced really hardcore rhetoric? Be it true or not? 30 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: Do you have any idea? I think it is the 31 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 1: classic example of you do what you get away with, 32 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: and there is very very little effort to hold the 33 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: president accountable when he says things that are false. Now, look, 34 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: the reality is we all know politicians have a tendency 35 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 1: to try to stretch the truth a little bit. But 36 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 1: in this case, you guys have played just a couple 37 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: of examples of when he just he just says things 38 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: that aren't that just flat aren't true. Um, you know, 39 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 1: nowhere has that been more apparent than when he's talking 40 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: about this Georgia elections law. You know, he keeps repeating 41 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 1: this example that he says, look, it's people can't even 42 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: get water when they're waiting in line and it's a 43 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: hot day to vote. Uh you know which, multiple establishments, 44 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 1: both left and right, have said looking, actually, that's not 45 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: really true. As it turns out, if you're a poll worker, 46 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 1: you can give someone in line water, But if you're 47 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: an employee of a union, let's say, or you're a 48 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 1: member of Q and on, you can't walk up and 49 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:54,360 Speaker 1: hand someone water when they're in line. That makes a 50 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: lot of sense. We don't have electioneering in California. We 51 00:02:57,560 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 1: don't have it. They don't have it in New York 52 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 1: and now they don't have it enjoy So these are 53 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: the kinds of things where I just think he does 54 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 1: it because he can get away with it. You know 55 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: that the the renaissance with Joe Biden has not ended, 56 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 1: and he's gonna take advantage of that. And that's really 57 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:15,079 Speaker 1: what this is. Just to to focus on the All 58 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 1: Star Game thing for a bit. We're talking earlier about that. 59 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: There are now, i mean top to bottom Democrats in 60 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: Georgia are a ghast that the All Star Game got yanked. 61 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 1: They're piste off. Do you think that was just an 62 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 1: in artful move or it seems to me he's just 63 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: he's slowed down to the point he doesn't even have 64 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 1: the ability to punt anymore. He just spews out an answer. Yeah, 65 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: I mean, I don't I don't think there's a lot 66 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: of thought necessarily given to what he's going to say 67 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: before he says it. Uh, you know, the All Star 68 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: Game thing. Look, I think that is a classic example 69 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: of quick trigger reaction that we see from corporate America, 70 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: I include Major League Baseball and corporate America. They feel 71 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: like they were under a tremendous and out of pressure 72 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: and so they did something which you know, in retrospect, 73 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: I think they probably I don't know that they'll regret it, 74 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: but I think there's elements of it that they regret. 75 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 1: And also, by the way, the folks in Georgia, Democrats 76 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: and Republicans, they realize that when the All Star Game goes, 77 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 1: that means a lot of revenue for local businesses and 78 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 1: the local economy. They mean the tension for Atlanta and 79 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:23,479 Speaker 1: for for the ballpark they've got there. So you know, 80 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: the people in Georgia have reason to be upset. Is 81 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:29,039 Speaker 1: there any chance he's playing three dimensional chess like the 82 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:32,840 Speaker 1: people are always talking about with Trump in that he's thinking, 83 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:35,040 Speaker 1: you know, if people are talking about the All Star Game, 84 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:38,200 Speaker 1: if people are talking about, you know, what I said 85 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:42,160 Speaker 1: or didn't say about guns, but they aren't discussing this 86 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:47,160 Speaker 1: couple trillion dollar change in the way we structure society. 87 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: I'm fine with that. Call me stupid on guns all 88 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: day long. Will pass the two trillion dollar completely change 89 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: America into France thing, and then I'll be happy. Yeah. 90 00:04:57,440 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: You know, I'm not sure if it's three dimensional chess, 91 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:01,320 Speaker 1: but I do think it's clever in the sense that 92 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 1: he recognizes he is going to get about as as 93 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: long as a leash from the media as any president 94 00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:09,960 Speaker 1: ever has in history of this country. And so he's 95 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:11,960 Speaker 1: gonna take advantage of that. He's going to do everything 96 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:15,599 Speaker 1: he can to make sure that, you know, he tells 97 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 1: his story and he gets his point of view out there, 98 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:21,479 Speaker 1: and if there is something that's potentially a bad story, 99 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:24,080 Speaker 1: he's going to figure out how he can distract people 100 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:26,840 Speaker 1: from it. And he has that, and he has that opportunity, 101 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 1: uh and and he takes advantage of it. So in 102 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:30,919 Speaker 1: that sense, I don't know about three dimensional chess. I 103 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:33,880 Speaker 1: just think he knows what he has, and he's using 104 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 1: the assets that he has. Let's have pivot just a 105 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:38,920 Speaker 1: little bit, although it has a great deal to do 106 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:43,279 Speaker 1: with the giant Restructuring America plan. Uh. Joe Manchin with 107 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 1: some strong statements about never ending or altering the filibuster. Uh. 108 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:50,320 Speaker 1: There are more and more noises that well Democrats are 109 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:52,760 Speaker 1: willing to compromise on some of the aspects of this plan. 110 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,919 Speaker 1: How does this Senate feel to you right now? The 111 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:01,200 Speaker 1: Senate feels to me to be completely bogged out oun Uh. 112 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: And I think one of the things, and one of 113 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,560 Speaker 1: the reasons why Joe Mansion made the statement he did, 114 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:08,520 Speaker 1: is because he's trying to figure out how can we 115 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:10,720 Speaker 1: make things more functional? Now. He's not some you know, 116 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: patron saint of policymaking. He's just doing this because he 117 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:20,159 Speaker 1: realizes that for West Virginia, for his home constituency, he's 118 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,240 Speaker 1: elected by a relatively conservative state and he's a Democrat, 119 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:25,880 Speaker 1: and if he's going to get re elected, he needs 120 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:28,039 Speaker 1: to show that he's going to get something done. He 121 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:29,919 Speaker 1: needs to be able to bring something back to the 122 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 1: people of West Virginia the show that he's been productive, 123 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 1: and he cannot do that with the Senate being the 124 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 1: way that it is now, which is completely partisan, completely 125 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 1: uh in apt, and unable to really move legislation unless 126 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 1: it's done on a party line basis. And he's saying, look, 127 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:47,839 Speaker 1: that's not good for the Senate, and frankly, it's not 128 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 1: good for him. So I'm glad Mansion said it because 129 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:54,360 Speaker 1: he actually has some sway in terms of how these 130 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:57,040 Speaker 1: things are going to go. But look, at the end 131 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 1: of the day, it's very difficult for me to envision 132 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: the Senate getting anything done at all in a productive fashion. 133 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:06,159 Speaker 1: And some of that is because of the Senate, but 134 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:08,880 Speaker 1: some of that, frankly, is because Biden's made the decision, Hey, look, 135 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 1: if I don't have to work with Republicans, why would I. 136 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 1: I'll just do whatever I need to do and and 137 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: toward my agenda, as I see said, And and that's 138 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 1: basically the decision he's made. To some states politics. The 139 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 1: biggest state in the country, California, gonna have the first 140 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 1: ever trans governor in Caitlyn Jenner. Well, you know, it's 141 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 1: funny that a lot of Republicans have been saying, oh gosh, 142 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 1: you know what, what what what Republicans need to win 143 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:38,680 Speaker 1: in this recall race is like another Arnold. I'm not 144 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:41,280 Speaker 1: sure Caitlyn Jenner is another Arnold, but I think it 145 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:46,080 Speaker 1: responds to the reality that this recall race it's such 146 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 1: a jump ball guys that I think you've got a 147 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:50,800 Speaker 1: bunch of people who think, why don't I just get in? 148 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 1: You never know what's going to happen, and I think 149 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 1: that's one of the things that's driving you know, whether 150 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 1: it's Caitlin Jenner or anybody else is thinking about this race. 151 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 1: So I think the first interesting moment, of course, will 152 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:04,880 Speaker 1: be when a Democrat decides to get in. That will 153 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:06,920 Speaker 1: be the moment to pay attention to. And that moment 154 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:09,160 Speaker 1: may never come, but if it does, that's when the 155 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: race really gets interesting. Well, if a Democrat gets in, 156 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: they better sleep with one eye open, I mean, because 157 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:20,000 Speaker 1: the knives are going to be out for him. Literally, really, yeah, 158 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:22,560 Speaker 1: you know, I mean, it's it's yeah, it's And that's 159 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 1: why all the Democrats so far have been, you know, 160 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:26,960 Speaker 1: very nicely nodding and saying we support Gave and Jessom, 161 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:29,320 Speaker 1: we support Gave Jes. But look, the reality is they 162 00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:31,560 Speaker 1: can wead Poles as well as anybody else can. If 163 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:34,200 Speaker 1: they see that Gavin Newsom for some reason begins to 164 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 1: sink and his numbers, you know, continue to fall, then 165 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 1: the natural political marketplace will take over, and you know, 166 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:42,319 Speaker 1: folks with decide all of a sudden they have an 167 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 1: interest in it. I think interesting. So we'll finish up 168 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:49,079 Speaker 1: with a little fill in the blank, lony, with your indulgence, 169 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:51,360 Speaker 1: with all the respect of the to the tragedy and 170 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:54,960 Speaker 1: sadness of the couple of recent shooting incidents. Uh fulfill 171 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:58,520 Speaker 1: in the finished the sentence. The current discussion about gun 172 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:07,200 Speaker 1: laws will uh not lead to any significant changes anytime soon. Yeah, 173 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:09,880 Speaker 1: it's it's it's you know, I mean, it's just there's 174 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 1: both both sides of the argument try to posture in 175 00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:15,880 Speaker 1: their own way, and it really prohibits us from having 176 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:18,280 Speaker 1: a bigger conversation about what we need to do. Well, 177 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 1: do you what do you think we need to do? What? 178 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:23,439 Speaker 1: Because when when there are shootings, I'm horrified. I wish 179 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:25,840 Speaker 1: there were less of them. Um, But then I hear 180 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:28,920 Speaker 1: people propose gun laws that I don't think either they're 181 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:32,080 Speaker 1: either not constitutional or they wouldn't help. Do you have 182 00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:34,839 Speaker 1: an idea of anything that could bring us to less 183 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:38,720 Speaker 1: of these shootings. Well, what I would say is, you know, 184 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:41,800 Speaker 1: I do think that there is targeted legislation to your 185 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 1: point that is constitutional, that you know, things that need 186 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:47,520 Speaker 1: to be looked at that Congress has talked about. Even 187 00:09:47,559 --> 00:09:49,320 Speaker 1: President Trump talked about some of these things when he 188 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:51,600 Speaker 1: was in office. But beyond that, one thing I'll say is, 189 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:54,880 Speaker 1: I do think we need to address some of the 190 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:57,560 Speaker 1: mental health issues that we have in this country. And 191 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:00,840 Speaker 1: we don't do nearly enough to fund mental health. We 192 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:05,200 Speaker 1: don't do nearly enough to identify situations before they get 193 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:09,520 Speaker 1: to the point where people are unfortunately doing things because 194 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:11,480 Speaker 1: they're they're not in their right mind. I'm not proposing, 195 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:13,760 Speaker 1: by the way that all of these situations are described 196 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:15,719 Speaker 1: by people not in their right mind, but I will 197 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:19,120 Speaker 1: tell you I believe there's a significant correlation between those 198 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:22,680 Speaker 1: who have mental health issues and those who are, you know, 199 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:26,280 Speaker 1: unfortunately engaging in some of these kinds of crimes. And 200 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:28,360 Speaker 1: I do think it's important for us to take a 201 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:31,360 Speaker 1: good hard look at how we can improve and better 202 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:34,320 Speaker 1: address mental health issues in this country. There's no doubt. 203 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:37,080 Speaker 1: Lani Chen David and Diane Stiffy, fellow in American Public 204 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:40,959 Speaker 1: Policy Studies at the Over Institution, Director Domestic Policy Studies 205 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:44,079 Speaker 1: at Stanford Lani. Great to talk to you, Thanks a million, 206 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:46,400 Speaker 1: thanks guys. All right, you got it.