Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: A&G Replay Tuesday Hour Two

Date: November 25, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty

Overview

This replay episode of Armstrong & Getty centers on current political and cultural debates in America and the West, delving into skepticism about climate policy, critiques of political privilege (notably Gavin Newsom), the real roots of the homelessness crisis, and the ideological shift in elites who champion radical reforms, sometimes disconnected from everyday realities. The hosts—often with biting sarcasm—expose hypocrisy, disagree with mainstream narratives, and highlight significant trends via anecdotes, guest commentary, and cited journalism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Green Energy & Climate Policy: Profit, Hypocrisy, & Futility (03:29–13:10)

• Green Energy Skepticism:
  Jack Armstrong highlighted an editorial by Holman Jenkins, criticizing the U.S. climate policy as a "for-profit scam" justified by bureaucratic maneuvering rather than science ([03:29]).

• Shadow Banning Michael Moore:
  The hosts were surprised that Michael Moore’s 2019 film Planet of the Humans was suppressed by left-leaning distributors—not for denying climate change, but for exposing the ineffectiveness of current climate policies ([06:03]).

  • Quote – Joe Getty:
    “Michael Moore, one of the most revered documentary filmmakers of the left ever, gets memory-holed for telling that truth.” ([07:10])

• Lack of Honest Metrics:
  The show compared climate activism to California's homelessness spending: vast sums are spent without mechanisms to measure effectiveness ([07:25]).

• Global Taxation & Democratic Deficit:
  Armstrong warned listeners about a new United Nations proposal to "impose what amounts to a global tax on carbon emissions," calling it “taxation without representation” as the details emerge via the International Maritime Organization ([09:08]).

• Cultural and Economic Impacts:
  The conversation moved to Britain’s economic malaise caused partly by “net zero” policies, and broader European dissatisfaction ([11:05]).

  • Notable Stat: 75% of Britons agree “Britain is broken” ([11:23]).

• American Prosperity:
  The hosts juxtaposed Germany’s economic struggles with U.S. economic dominance, connecting it to issues of liberty and overregulation ([12:11]).

  • Quote – Joe Getty:
    “Mississippi’s per capita income is almost the same as Germany’s. So the most powerful economy in Europe, Germany, is roughly the same as our poorest state.” ([12:07])

• Push for Nuclear:
  The Army’s new plan to power bases with modular nuclear reactors was praised as a return to sanity ([13:08]).

  • Quote – Jack Armstrong:
    “Hey, hippies with your no nuke crap and your climate change bull—your day is done, man.” ([13:10])

2. Gavin Newsom: Challenging the "Self-Made" Narrative (13:51–20:13)

• Newsom’s Biography & Contradiction:
  The hosts ridicule Governor Gavin Newsom’s self-portrayal as a struggling “latchkey” kid. Katie Grimes' investigation revealed Newsom was labeled “Children of the Rich” in a 1991 article and leveraged significant family connections, notably via the Getty and Pelosi families, to launch his wine business ([14:55]).

  • Quote – Katie Grimes via Jack Armstrong:
    “In 10 of Gavin’s first 11 businesses, the primary money came from the Getty family.” ([16:04])

• Political Inauthenticity & Moral Failings:
  Newsom is called out as “inauthentic, phony, and specious,” with examples of flip-flopping and personal scandals, such as his affair with his campaign manager’s wife ([17:29], [19:47]).

• Democratic Disconnect with Working Class:
  The segment questions whether Newsom could connect with blue-collar or minority voters, given his elite background ([17:29]).

  • Quote – Marcus Breton (via Armstrong):
    “He is the living embodiment of privilege. And people seem to be okay with that. He has white male privilege, class, privilege...all creates a Teflon exterior, protecting Newsom’s horrendous lapses of judgment and character.” ([19:19])

• Potential Republican Counterattack:
  The hosts broach how Republicans could portray Newsom as the “out of touch elitist,” especially given optics like the infamous French Laundry dinner during COVID ([20:13]).

3. Elite Radicalism, Self-Loathing, and Societal Fragility: Matt Taibbi’s Take (23:47–35:07)

• Matt Taibbi’s “Brilliant” Critique:
  Armstrong praised journalist Matt Taibbi’s argument that only societies prosperous and stable enough allow their wealthy to indulge in self-loathing and radical social theories ([23:47]).

  • Quote – Taibbi (via Armstrong):
    “In the rest of the world, rational social planning...results in fewer kids studying pure theory... [there’s less] denouncing their home countries as forces of historical evil.” ([25:17])

• Marxist Mindset & Political Trends:
  The hosts examine Zoran Mamdani—a New York candidate emblematic of ideologically rigid progressivism, with slogans like “queer liberation means defunding the police,” and question whether such views are widespread or media-shielded ([29:20]).

  • Quote – Armstrong:
    “Marxists lie all the time because people don’t expect somebody to lie so clearly to their face.” ([29:09])

• Danger of Undervaluing Stability:
  Taibbi’s “Burkean” warning: American society’s stability is hard-won, and radical reformers threaten to upend it without understanding the personal and historical cost ([34:19]).

  • Quote – Armstrong:
    “If you have created a safe, stable society, don’t take that for granted. It is really, really, really hard to do and you start messing with it and it could come apart quickly...” ([34:19])

4. Homelessness: The Real Problem is Addiction (38:18–44:48)

• Reframing Homelessness:
  Both hosts advocate for a shift from the term “homeless” to “transient drug addiction” (TDA), based on messages from listeners working in the field ([38:18]).

  • Quote – Emailer (read by Armstrong):
    “85% of the folks I work with are battling drug addiction. 10% are mentally ill because of drug addiction. Only 5% are just mentally ill.” ([40:42])

• Tiny Homes as a Red Herring:
  The hosts and mailers are critical of policies promoting small/“tiny” homes as solutions; without addressing addiction, they become “drug camps” ([41:39]).

  • Quote – Listener:
    “Drug addicts don’t obey rules very well. Politicians love the optics...but addicts end up right back on the street.” ([41:39])

• Rehabilitation Realities:
  Forced rehab is mostly ineffective (94% failure rate first try), and most long-term addicts will not seek help or succeed in recovery under current models ([42:56]).

• Call for Accountability:
  The solution, the hosts argue, must be legal accountability—restoring drug courts, consequences, and distinguishing between the truly homeless and predominantly addicted ([43:51]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jack Armstrong:
  “The whole green energy climate change thing was a for-profit scam.” ([03:29])
• Joe Getty:
  “None of these things are doing any good. So what are we doing it for?” ([08:31])
• Jack Armstrong:
  “You can’t be cynical enough about this. What government does is it identifies problems, real and imagined, and then spreads money out to buy votes and influence.” ([44:48])
• Matt Taibbi (via Armstrong):
  “The only people who think the system that produced the richest, safest empire in history is essentially unfixable are America’s own wealthy, whose current disdain for their own good fortune is like a political version of heroin.” ([27:15])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Climate Policy & Michael Moore: 03:29–08:55
• Global Carbon Tax & European Discontent: 09:08–12:44
• Nuclear Power in the Military: 12:44–13:10
• Gavin Newsom's Privilege & Authenticity: 13:51–20:13
• Taibbi on American Elites & Socialism: 23:47–35:07
• Redefining Homelessness as Drug Addiction: 38:18–44:48

Overall Tone & Final Thoughts

The episode’s tone is acerbic, irreverent, and sharply critical of political hypocrisy, especially among elites and left-leaning institutions. The hosts champion evidence-based reform, transparency, and a return to practical policy—often with humor and mockery aimed at those in power or shaping media narratives. Listeners are encouraged to question prevailing wisdom and look deeper than headlines or political platitudes.