An Unethical Sham!

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "An Unethical Sham!"

Date: July 13, 2026
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into several timely topics, with extensive discussion on the late Senator Lindsey Graham’s political career and legacy following his sudden death. The hosts also explore the current state of American economic sentiment, the issues of aging leadership, shifts in dating culture, and notable contemporary political maneuvers. The show’s signature blend of pointed commentary, humor, and philosophical reflection shapes the episode’s tone.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Economic Sentiment and Survey Methodology

(03:23–09:05)

• Consumer Confidence at Historic Lows:
  The hosts reflect on the University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index which polls Americans about the economy. Current readings are notably low, even compared to past recessions and the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • “It's low. Right now, we don't feel good about the economy. ...We're despondent.” — Joe Getty (03:58)

• Debate Over Survey Accuracy:
  They discuss critiques of recent methodology changes — from phone to online surveys in 2024 — possibly skewing results negatively, as people tend to be more negative online than when talking to another human.

  • “In 2024, Michigan, the University of, moved to conducting its surveys via the Web rather than via cell phone…” — Joe Armstrong (04:24)
  • “People are so much more negative being online than if you're asked on the phone… we've trained our brains as soon as we go online to immediately have a bad attitude.” — Joe Getty (06:29)

• Partisan Skews:
  They highlight that survey outcomes can be deeply partisan, with the political party in power heavily influencing how people feel about the economy, regardless of fundamentals.

  • “The skew in partisan attitudes is as big as it's ever been.” — Joe Armstrong (06:52)

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2. Patriotism vs. Negativity in Public Discourse

(07:34–09:05)

• Concern About National Self-Perception:
  Reflecting on patriotic celebrations, Jack asks if the country has gotten too negative (including themselves) and expresses anxiety about increasing anti-American indoctrination in education.

  • “All of those things are true... about the United States being great and all that... But this whole educating the young people to hate their own country… K through PhD is new and real.” — Joe Getty (07:34)
  • “If you believe those things and if you don't, you're an idiot. Yeah, this is a serious, serious problem...” — Joe Armstrong (08:28)

• Impact of Algorithms on Public Mood:
  The hosts note the unpredictable influence of digital algorithms and the online information environment on public opinion and outlook.

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3. Aging Leadership in America

(10:11–12:25)

• Mitt Romney and Brain Shrinkage:
  The episode briefly recaps Mitt Romney's public statement about not seeking the presidency in 2028, referencing how the human brain shrinks about 20% by age 80—a reason Romney gives for why elderly candidates may not be ideal.

  • “He said, I'm not running for President in 2028. ...According to Mitt Romney, the human brain shrinks by about 20% by the time you're 80.” — Joe Getty (10:49)
  • “That's horrifying.” — Joe Armstrong (11:25)

• Longevity of Political Careers:
  They muse, half-joking, that some seem to retain mental sharpness, while others clearly do not.

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4. Modern Dating Culture & Technology

(13:33–21:26)

• App-Based Dating Trends:
  The hosts analyze a new dating app (purportedly from Stanford), which matches users based on interests rather than photos or physical attraction, and their skepticism regarding its effectiveness.

  • “It's about interest and that sort of stuff… astounding 90 plus percent level of let's do a second date. ...And I don't [believe it].” — Joe Armstrong (13:33, 17:08)

• Friendships and Relationships:
  Both reflect critically on the assumption that common hobbies/interests are essential to attraction and long-term connection.

  • “I've never found that to be true.” — Joe Armstrong (17:40)
  • “It's not even true with my male friends…” — Joe Getty (17:42)

• Loss of Proximity:
  Commentary on the decline of in-person romantic connections:

  • “Virtually all romantic connection was proximity based… now we never brush up against real human beings anymore. We're all on our screens.” — Joe Armstrong (19:20)

• Office Romance in the Contemporary World:
  A brief mention of a New York Times piece arguing for a realistic stance on dating coworkers, since work is nearly the only setting people meet today.

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5. Lindsey Graham: Political Life & Legacy

(24:13–37:35; 31:31–34:02 for Kavanaugh hearing)

• Reactions to Lindsey Graham’s Death:
  The hosts critique superficial media responses, defend Graham’s pragmatism, and explore the difference between having a policy-based through line and mere opportunism.

  • “Lindsey Graham had certain beliefs... he was gonna work with Trump. ...He wasn't gonna stomp off and take his toys and go home.” — Joe Armstrong (24:42)

• Tributes from Across the Aisle:
  Multiple tributes from political allies and opponents (including Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar) are highlighted. Graham’s ability to work across the aisle, and his infectious energy and joy, are repeatedly praised.

  • “Lindsey had a zest for life in the Senate that made you want to get to work on a bill with him or at least debate him.” — Amy Klobuchar via hosts (29:58)
  • “There aren't enough politicians who are policy based, on who gives a crap what party anybody is...” — Joe Getty (30:17)

• Notable Quotes: ‘An Unethical Sham’
  The title phrase emerges from Graham’s impassioned defense of Brett Kavanaugh. The hosts play and discuss what they call his “hero moment” at the hearings:

  • “This is the most unethical sham since I've been in politics. And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn't have done what you've done to this guy.” — Lindsey Graham (Kavanaugh hearing audio, 33:17, 45:23)

• Senate Succession:
  Discussion of Graham’s sister being appointed to fill his seat temporarily, with both skepticism and practical recognition of the realities of political legacies.

  • “I’m not a fan of family lineage for our politics... That is not what we should be doing.” — Joe Getty (36:10)

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6. Political Tactics and Alaska’s Senate Race

(40:20–42:16)

• Trickery in Alaska’s Senate Race:
  The hosts recount how Democrats are allegedly exploiting Alaska’s ranked choice voting system by encouraging another “Dan Sullivan” (with identical name as the incumbent Republican senator) to run as a Republican, hoping to split the vote and enable a Democratic win.

  • “It’s so obvious what's going on here, but all's fair in love and politics.” — Joe Getty (41:32)

• Critique of Ranked Choice Voting:
  They mention local backlash against Alaska’s “experiment” with this voting system and its unintended consequences.

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7. Personal Anecdotes & Reflections

(43:19–44:51)

• Joe Getty’s Vacation to Alaska:
  The hosts crack jokes about wildlife encounters in Alaska and muse on the illusory allure of vacation destinations.
  • “On vacations... it is very difficult not to contemplate moving to wherever you are.” — Jack Armstrong (43:58)
  • “What you're really in love with is the way you feel right now… because you're on vacation.” — Joe Armstrong (44:16)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Survey Negativity:
  “We've trained our brains, as soon as we go online, to immediately have a bad attitude.” — Joe Getty (06:29)

• On Patriotism in Education:
  “All of those things are true... but this whole educating the young people to hate their own country, K through PhD, is new and real and is going to bear fruit for a long time to come.” — Joe Getty (07:34)

• On Aging and Politics:
  “According to Mitt Romney, the human brain shrinks by about 20% by the time you're 80… That seems like a lot.” — Joe Getty (10:49)

• Kavanaugh Hearing, Lindsey Graham:
  “This is the most unethical sham since I've been in politics. And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn't have done what you've done to this guy.” — Lindsey Graham replayed (33:17, 45:23)

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Timestamps & Key Segments

• 03:23 – University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index and survey skepticism
• 07:34 – Patriotism, pessimism, and indoctrination concerns
• 10:11 – Mitt Romney, aging, and the brain shrinkage factoid
• 13:33–21:26 – Modern dating apps and the loss of proximity-based connections
• 24:13–37:35 – Lindsey Graham: tributes, legacy, and "An Unethical Sham" hearing
• 40:20–42:16 – Alaska “Dan Sullivan” voting trick; critique of ranked choice voting
• 43:19–44:51 – Alaska travel anecdotes and the emotional effects of vacation

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Overall Tone & Closing

Armstrong & Getty combine critical engagement with today’s hottest political topics, their trademark humor, and moments of sincere reflection. The episode’s eponymous “unethical sham” becomes both a soundbite and a lens for considering ethics, hypocrisy, and purpose in public life.

Listeners come away with substantive insights into politics, culture, and even a few laughs—whether or not they experienced this news cycle firsthand.

Transcript

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[Joe Getty]

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[Jack Armstrong]

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[Joe Getty]

When did we become the Lingokids house?

[Commercial Announcer]

No idea. Last week it was Dinosaurs.

[Jack Armstrong]

This week it's Lingokids.

[Joe Getty]

Why Lingokids?

[Jack Armstrong]

Because it's the best thing ever. We can play games with astronauts, wild animals and superheroes. With more than 4,000 interactive games, songs and shows, LingoKids is the number one entertainment platform for young kids.

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[Joe Getty]

Kids download it for free. Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast center

[Joe Armstrong]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty. And now he's Armstrong and Getty. Mitt Romney announced over the weekend. Well, he didn't announce. Somebody asked him. Mitt Romney, Romney said when asked, no, he's not running for president in 2028. And he quoted a statistic about the human brain and age that I want to pass along to you because I've been thinking about it since I heard it, find it annoying.

[Joe Armstrong]

Wow. Wow. Okay. I will stay tuned. This is, this is, this is makes you wonder what we're doing. Do we really feel this lousy about the economy? University of Michigan consumer confidence, consumer sentiment index, much discussed. It's been going on since the 1940s. The Michigan Survey of Consumers is the poll for how Americans have felt about the economy now for generations.

[Joe Getty]

And it's low. Right now, we don't feel good about the economy. More than more than ever, we're despondent.

[Joe Armstrong]

A key survey of American consumers is scraping bottom, showing they've never felt this lousy about the economy, even at the height of the recessions or when the COVID pandemic. COVID pandemic raged. We were talking about this a couple of weeks ago. What could possibly explain that? We're they're so anti Trump. Some people are.

[Joe Getty]

Price of gas, price of gas.

[Joe Armstrong]

When inflation is high, nothing else matters. It's the survey itself, according to a growing number of critics, including several economists. They've pointed to methodology, methodology changes in the University of Michigan's consumer Sentiment index as bugs in the machine, saying they're skewing the results. Now the polling people are saying no. Low sentiment likely reflects a profound shift in mood since COVID struck, according to survey director. But it shouldn't be too surprising. People felt differently about the world, including the economy, after the pandemic. It hit its lowest mark in May. May lowest ever. The low readings, they make the point in the Journal seem at odds with an economy that appears decent, if not stellar. The country's adding jobs and consumers are continuing to spend despite worries about inflation and affordability. And I would point out increasing credit card and car loan defaults and higher and higher level of debt. Maybe you shouldn't be spending that. But anyway, in 2024, Michigan, the University of moved to conducting its surveys via the Web rather than via cell phone, a response to the problem, the ongoing problem everybody knows surveyors face in getting anybody to answer the damn phone because everybody's being spammed all the time. So a couple of years ago, they made that transition to Online polls and some critics think that made the sentiment index more downbeat in part because has shown that when people are surveyed online for some reason, they tend to be more negative than when they're speaking to a human being. 2024 analysis. Couple of economists you'd never heard heard of estimated that this survey methodology shift shaved about 9 points off the Michigan Sentiment Index. 9 points. Recent analysis from the Chicago Fed also took issue with the survey switch.

[Joe Getty]

I think it's interesting that people are so much more negative being online than if you're asked on the phone. So. Sure, because of the algorithms feeding us depressing stuff constantly. We've trained our brains as soon as we go online to immediately have a bad attitude. Probably.

[Joe Armstrong]

I wonder. Or it could just be if there's another human being, you don't want to appear too negative and bitchy because it's not considered an attractive quality. I don't know. There's. There's also the fact, and this is undeniable, that the. The skew in partisan attitudes is as big as it's ever been. You ask a Republican, right now, Republicans control the White House as if the White House runs the economy, for God's sake. People shouldn't anyway. But you ask Republicans, they say it's just freaking fine. You ask Democrats, they're like, it's horrible.

[Joe Getty]

We talked about this. I talked about this last week coming out of 4th of July, and I took in a ton of 250th anniversary founding stuff and up with America tweets and books and TV shows and speeches and all the different sort of stuff. And I was feeling pretty rah rah about America and actually thought, Joe and I need to be less negative. We are too negative. But I did want to push back on all the rah rah with just a little bit of the. All of those things are true structurally, historically, everything about the United States being great and all that force for good, etc. Etc. But this whole educating the young people to hate their own country, K through PhD is new and real and is going to bear fruit for a long time to come.

[Joe Armstrong]

Oh yeah. If you believe Reagan, that we're never more than a generation or two from losing our liberty, or Jefferson, that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. Was it. Jefferson said that he might as well have. If you believe those things and if you don't, you're an idiot. Yeah, this is a serious, serious problem, as I'm always saying.

[Joe Getty]

And then you throw in a dose

[Guest or Caller]

of

[Joe Getty]

online information algorithm stuff that is all Brand new to the world. Also, I'm not as optimistic going forward as a lot of the rah rah speeches were.

[Joe Armstrong]

Yeah, it's funny because, you know,

[Guest or Caller]

we're

[Joe Armstrong]

conducting a for profit enterprise here and if we're too downbeat and discouraging, arguably, you know, if we're too downbeat and discouraging, it's not going to work. But from a purely patriotic standpoint, and this is distasteful and inappropriate, but I also don't want to be the guy telling Lindsey Graham, oh, it's probably indigestion. Don't worry about the chest pains, you know, when, when there is a serious, serious threat, and that is the successful perversion of our education system to become not a system of education, but a system of indoctrination to Marxist ideals. The. The woke, the current woke, postmodern version of it. So I, to me, you know, and, and I care as deeply as I do, and I know you do too, because I'm so positive about the United States of America and love it so much. I mean, it's danger, Danger, Will Robinson.

[Joe Getty]

Okay, I promised you some information about the brain that I learned from Mitt Romney. Yes, that was interesting.

[Joe Armstrong]

Would have made a great president, I probably heard.

[Joe Getty]

Yes, he absolutely would have. Well, you talk about an anachronism to today's politics. Mitt Romney, he was the left's version of Hitler back in 2012. Give me a break.

[Joe Armstrong]

Every Republican is the left's version of Hitler.

[Joe Getty]

It goes with. But Mitt Romney.

[Joe Armstrong]

Oh, I know, I know. Are you serious?

[Joe Getty]

Anyway, so Mitt Romney didn't announce he wasn't running for president. He wasn't out there talking about it. Somebody, he was doing an interview and somebody asked him and he said, I'm not running for President in 2028. He said, we need to do something about our move toward really, really old people being in government all the time. The human brain, according to Mitt Romney, the human brain shrinks by about 20% by the time you're 80. The size of your brain is a fifth smaller by 80. That seems like a lot.

[Joe Armstrong]

That's horrifying.

[Joe Getty]

Yes, I'd say so. That's one of his reasons why he didn't think people his age, because he's 80, should be president. Trump's 80. Mitch McConnell's 206. Lindsey Graham was a mere. Yeah, Biden, Lindsey Graham care. Lindsey Graham was a mere 71. Does so does everybody's brain shrink, but some people just deal with it better, or is that like an average and some people's brains don't shrink to explain Henry Kissinger's or whoever of the world that they get to a really old age and still their brains seem to work fine.

[Joe Armstrong]

I would guess it's some shrink a little, some shrink a lot.

[Joe Getty]

Boy, mine's. Mine's like the size of a golf ball right now.

[Joe Armstrong]

It's like 50% of what it once was.

[Joe Getty]

I can tell. It's just like. I can shake my head and it's like. No. Bouncing around

[Joe Armstrong]

like a golf ball in a bathtub. That's just unfortunate.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Joe Armstrong]

Oh, that's chilling. Absolutely.

[Guest or Caller]

It is.

[Joe Getty]

The great shrinking brain.

[Joe Armstrong]

At some point, well, we were gonna. We were gonna talk about a couple of philosophical issues. At least we discussed it. I'm all for one being having taken the. My having taken the longest vacation of my adult life thinking about retirement. And also our discussion about the hot new dating app for youngsters developed. I think it's Stanford, but it doesn't matter. That uses a questionnaire. It's not about animal lust or looks. It's about interest and that sort of stuff.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, those are interesting topics. I'm going to get a fresh, hot cup of coffee.

[Joe Armstrong]

I also have some really cool tributes to Lindsey Graham, the kind of guy he was.

[Joe Getty]

Okay, I'm going to take my tiny little brain down to the coffee maker. We'll be back in just a second.

[Joe Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Dad, Disney activities are on Lingokids.

[Guest or Caller]

What?

[Jack Armstrong]

Moana and Elsa and Marvel's Spider Man.

[Joe Getty]

All of them on Lingokids.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, dad, on Lingokids. That's pretty cool. I know.

[Commercial Announcer]

You just lost them for the rest of the afternoon.

[Joe Getty]

Worth it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Full of fun activities inspired by Disney's Moana, Frozen, Zootopia, Marvel's Spider man and more. Lingokids is where little ones discover more about favorite characters. Lingokids, Everything kids love.

[Joe Getty]

Download it for free.

[Jack Armstrong]

The first ever X Games League Championship is going down live. And New Orleans has the call. Three days of elite Action sports, a season's worth of competition coming down to one final weekend. Watch July 24 through 26 on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, or stream on the ESPN app, X Games, YouTube, Kick Roku sports channel and Amazon. The championship starts July 24. Don't miss the moment. It becomes history.

[Joe Getty]

Every week, the Snap Judgment podcast drops you inside someone's biggest decision. The kind of decision you can only make once. With everything on the line.

[Joe Armstrong]

What do you believe? What do you want?

[Joe Getty]

And what would you risk to get it? Find out. Snap Judgment new episodes every Thursday. Wherever you get your podcast. Michael Malice is. He calls himself an anarchist and he's. He's a troll. He just likes to. He just likes to get attention and provoke people. He's also a super interesting guy. He had Mark Halpern on his podcast and they were talking about Mark Halpern believes Bernie Sanders absolutely could be the Democratic nominee for president, despite the fact that he's currently 84. He'd be 80. He turns 85 in a couple months. He'd be 87 on election day. But he's as sharp as he ever was. I should have used him as an example of his brain must not have shrunk. He's as sharp as he ever was. And that's the momentum of the party right now. And he's the best voice of it out there. Anyway, Michael Malice, I just came across

[Joe Armstrong]

a retweet of his hilarious.

[Joe Getty]

It's Lindsey Graham in heaven at the St. Peter's at the gates, being hugged by a robed George Floyd with Hulk Hogan in the background, fist pumping.

[Guest or Caller]

What?

[Joe Armstrong]

It's so stupid, right?

[Joe Getty]

It doesn't mean anything. It's just designed to provoke.

[Joe Armstrong]

Oh, I love that. I really love that.

[Joe Getty]

Oh my God.

[Joe Armstrong]

Boy, I also love my wife. So we were talking about earlier how this the hot thing in California college campuses is this dating app. Is it got a clever name? I don't remember. It doesn't matter that instead of like flipping through pictures, you fill out questionnaires of your interests and your favorite things

[Joe Getty]

and AI matches you up.

[Joe Armstrong]

Amazing. And they are claiming an astounding 90 plus percent level of let's do a second date. Which is pretty good measure of success if you believe the numbers. And I don't. Although, you know, it's probably a pretty good system. But my immediate reaction when I first read about this, and I think the writer writing about it said the same thing, is there's this funny assumption that you need to have like hobbies and interests, musical tastes in common to Fall in love with.

[Joe Getty]

I know. Where does that come from?

[Joe Armstrong]

I've never found that to be true.

[Joe Getty]

It's not even true with my male friends.

[Joe Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

Why we become friends and enter into personal relationships doesn't seem to have anything to do with that. Sometimes it's because you both play golf, but you might hate each other's music or whatever. I mean there's, there's some overlap, but they just kind of accidental. It's usually not why you're close.

[Joe Armstrong]

Yeah. And you know, I've. I've been with Judy now for 40 years. We just took a couple of weeks off to celebrate it. I remember in the early days, I mean, we had some common interests. We met doing Gladys. Are you quiet? Quitting there. It was 1983, believe it or not, when we met and, and we were both doing musical theater. She was in the cast, I was in the band. But beyond that, it's. She had no interest in golf. So it plays a little now. Did not like most of the music I liked. Had no interest in sports in general. And I was obsessed. You know, I could go on down the line, sure. But we hit it off as friends, found each other to be attractive, made each other feel safe and made each other laugh. And I couldn't have given a crap whether she liked gardening or opera.

[Joe Getty]

But an online dating, which I did for like six months. If you're not into. If you're not a foodie who wants to do stand up paddleboarding, well then why would I want to date you? Okay, well, that denies all your friends who are happily married who don't necessarily have those things in common.

[Guest or Caller]

Right.

[Joe Armstrong]

For all of human history. And anytime anybody says that, you really ought to think about it. For all of human history, virtually all romantic connection was proximity based. And what we're trying to do now and oh man, Roland Fryer wrote a great piece about this and friendship. But anyway, what we're trying to do is, okay, we never brush up against real human beings anymore. We're all on our screens. So let's, let's figure out. Let's try to figure out what attracted people to each other without like the circumstance where it always took place that you rubbed it. You brushed up against them, you were in the same room with them, you saw them across the room, blah, blah, blah. Or he asked you if she, you knew where the, the number three bus ran or whatever. Let's remove all proximity and actual contact and try to figure out how people get. And I think we've done a poor job of it.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I actually like any of those things. Whatever that's called. That speed dating thing where everybody gets together in a room and you sit down two minutes and talk to each other. That seems like a way better idea than that. Whatever that magic is, whether it's pheromones or something in the brain we don't understand or whatever, where you show interest in a person based on something other than just looks, that makes more sense to me.

[Joe Armstrong]

I think you're right. I remember when the speed dating thing first came out, it seemed like, well, why are you in such a hurry? Seemed kind of silly. But yeah, I think compared to the online thing is probably a way, way better idea.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I suppose we'll have to figure this out since we don't interact with the people anymore and it's getting less so. Unless. Oh, there was a piece in the New York Times the other day, it's okay to date your co workers. There was a thing somebody wrote, a guest in the New York Times about how, let's be realistic. This is where, like, everybody meets. It's your best opportunity to meet somebody. It's crazy that we've decided that's a no go zone since it's the only place you're going to meet anybody, which I've always thought was true.

[Joe Armstrong]

That's funny. That's what we've been saying before, during and after the whole me too madness and. And ever since.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah. You got some good Lindsey Graham stuff for us.

[Joe Armstrong]

Yeah. Some of the things that are being said about him from both sides of the aisle and just the kind of guy he was, really, really an admirable

[Joe Getty]

human being as he's up in heaven. George Floyd with his arm around him with Hulk Hogan looking on.

[Joe Armstrong]

So that says it all to me. That's America and heaven. I guess heaven is America.

[Joe Getty]

Okay, we got more on the way. If you missed the segment, podcast Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Commercial Announcer]

Armstrong and Getty summer is here, which means we all want to look and feel our best. A GLP1 may be right for you. Visit orderlymeds.com to learn more about which GLP1 you could be eligible for. Getting started is fast, easy, and happens virtually through telemedicine from licensed professionals. Check it out for yourself. Go to orderlymeds.com podcast. That's orderlymeds.com podcast. Taking care of yourself feels great. Compounded medications are not FDA approved. Eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Jack Armstrong]

Dad, Disney activities are on Lingokids.

[Guest or Caller]

What?

[Jack Armstrong]

Moana and Elsa and Marvel's Spider Man. All of them on Lingokids. Yes, dad, on Lingokids. That's pretty cool. I know.

[Commercial Announcer]

You just lost them for the rest of the afternoon.

[Jack Armstrong]

Worth it. Full of fun activities inspired by Disney's Moana, Frozen, Zootopia, Marvel's Spider man and more. Lingokids is where little ones discover more about favorite characters.

[Joe Getty]

Lingokids.

[Jack Armstrong]

Everything kids love.

[Joe Getty]

Download it for free.

[Jack Armstrong]

The first ever X Games League championship is going down live. And New Orleans has the call. Three days of elite action sports. A season's worth of competition coming down to one final weekend. Watch July 24 through 26 on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. Or stream on the ESPN app, X Games, YouTube, Kick Roku sports channel and Amazon. The championship starts July 24. Don't miss the moment. It becomes history.

[Joe Getty]

Every week, the Snap Judgment podcast drops you inside someone's biggest decision. The kind of decision you can only make once. With everything on the line.

[Joe Armstrong]

What do you believe? What do you want?

[Joe Getty]

And what would you risk to get it?

[Jack Armstrong]

Find out.

[Joe Getty]

Snap Judgment. New episodes every Thursday. Wherever you get your podcast. I never thought I'd be in this position. Yeah, I thought Lindsay was going to be living forever. I never thought.

[Joe Armstrong]

I never.

[Joe Getty]

I said, lindsey, you're going to live forever. And he was going to have a big victory. You know, he was. He was scheduled to win by a lot. He had my support and he was scheduled. He was going to win by a lot. He was going to have one of his best elections ever. And now he's got, he's got this terrible. One of the most influential senators in the country over the last quarter century dropped dead over the weekend.

[Joe Armstrong]

I mentioned this earlier. I think it's worth repeating. Stupid people are unleashing stupid analysis for other stupid people saying that Lindsey Graham was a hypocrite and a sycophant of Trump and had no principles. You could tell because he criticized Trump, then was with him, which is just so dumb. Good Lord. Lindsey Graham had certain beliefs. And if Trump became president and Lindsey was utterly dedicated to bringing those beliefs to fruition, they had a lot to do with a robust foreign policy and using American armed force and defending freedom and pro life and the rest of it, he was gonna work with Trump. Cause he had to. He wasn't gonna stomp off and take his toys and go home. And he also, just by disposition, he likes people. He's definitely the sort of guy who brings people together and shakes the hand of his opponents and smiles and means

[Joe Getty]

it's, it's, it's interesting. I couldn't do it. I just don't have the personality to, like, cozy up to and spend lots of time with people that, like. I just really have no respect for them. I would find that really hard to do. Like, if I think you're a lying grifter. I couldn't play golf with you twice a week. And that's what Lindsey Graham thought about Trump. Guarantee you he certainly did back when he started running. But anyway, I understand the point of if you have certain things you want to get done, you need to be relevant enough to, you know, be in Trump's ear and have an effect on foreign policy, which I guarantee you he did. I guarantee he got more of what he cared about done in office than he had been out of office. The difference is people who flip flop and go with the wind, who don't seem to have either, because, like, I don't know who would be a good example. But, like, I use the example of Biden. I hate to use him.

[Joe Armstrong]

Perfect.

[Joe Getty]

I hate to use Biden just because he's the other party. And it sounds like I'm picking a Republican to, you know, venerate and a Democrat to attack. But if you can think of a good Republican, that would be fine. Who, who flip flops and changes gears and, you know, all that sort of stuff, but doesn't seem to have a through line. If your through line is health care for everyone or foreign policy like Lindsey Graham or abortion or whatever, and you do whatever you got to do to stay in office to keep fighting the same fight, you always say the same thing about your core mission. I get that. Even though I couldn't do it.

[Joe Armstrong]

Yeah. Yeah. It's the difference between wanting to stay involved and relevant to accomplish something or wanting to stay involved and relevant just to profit from it or be relevant.

[Joe Getty]

Be on tv.

[Joe Armstrong]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And I think it's Jim Garrity, perhaps in the. Yeah. In the National Review, makes the point that though he was seen as some sort of Reaganite holdover and a relic of the past and a loser, he sure seemed to win a lot. The America first president is in office, but he kept selling arms to Ukraine. Well, stopped for a while, but I think we're back. Put Nicolas Maduro in jail, made Marco Rubio the de facto viceroy of Venezuela, Bombed the heck out of the Iranians throughout the year. Scared the Cuban government so badly it keeps emphasizing it's willing to negotiate to avoid a U.S. invasion. And next year's defense appropriation is going to be at a minimum $100 billion more than last year, if not 500 billion more. Graham figured out he can get more done with Trump as an ally and developed a genuine friendship with the president. And he was, he was a pragmatist. He, you know, he was also eloquent and hilarious. Is defense of Brett Kavanaugh was a hero moment. We played that earlier today. We should play it again. But he was a pragmatist. He thought I need to get done what I want to get done. If I've got to work with X, Y and Z, that's who I'm going to work with. And a bunch of people are pouring out tributes, including Trump, of course, to Lindsey Graham. Here are some of my favorites. John Fund remembers an interview with the senator last year, writes, Graham looked back on his career with satisfaction and gratitude. I thank the Lord my parents that have done pretty well for being just a cracker named Graham. Jay Nordlinger shares a story of, well, that's kind of, it's a dry joke, but he was very, very funny. Michael Brendan Dougherty, who's a real kind of America First Trumpian conservative, says, I met Lindsey Graham while he was campaigning in New Hampshire for a profile piece for my questions. He quickly figured out my foreign policy perspective was Buchananite. He relished debating it out, made honest emissions against interest. When we got deep in the weeds on the Houthis and had far more in room charisma than I expected. He was funny, magnanimous and extremely effective as an advocate for his views, especially where I disagreed with him. May you rest in peace. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar wrote, what can't be forgotten is the reason why so many people he worked with from senator to staff will mourn his loss. Lindsey had a zest for life in the Senate that made you want to get to work on a bill with him or at least debate him. He brought joy to his job. He was one of the few who was willing to work with me when so few would on helping the Afghan refugees. And she goes on with several other stories of them working together. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Cory Booker put out a great video yesterday. The Democrat from New York. Where's he from?

[Joe Armstrong]

Jersey.

[Joe Getty]

New Jersey, right. Yeah. Great video. Talking about working with Lindsey Graham on a couple of different things and how similar to the things you just said. Part of it was he if he was really into something, he would work with anybody. Again, to the, you know, working with Trump, working with Cory Booker. Here's something. There aren't enough politicians who are policy based on who Gives a crap what party anybody is or what their personal lives are like or whatever else. If you can get. If you've got a policy you care about and you want to get it, you know, legislation passed, I don't understand why there isn't more of that. But Cory Booker saying that if you want to get something passed, and he was on your side, he was like, the best at trying to get stuff to actually happen, plus bringing the joy to it. He mentioned that, too. He just got you fired up about working on it because he brought so much energy to the project.

[Joe Armstrong]

Right, Right. Yeah. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

And we've all been around people like that that just. Man, they. There's just something about the. The energy they bring that makes everything move forward more.

[Joe Armstrong]

Oh, yeah. And that sort of person is absolutely invaluable to any effort. Michael, play 60 for us. We made reference to this. It's great.

[Guest or Caller]

Did you know that her staff had already recommended a lawyer?

[Joe Armstrong]

You know, I'm sorry. Go ahead and stop it. I'm going to set this up briefly like I did before. It's the Kavanaugh hearings. At the last minute, the Democrats had brough Dr. Ford gal who had vague memories of being sexually assaulted by some teenage boys decades ago in high school, said Brett Kavanaugh was one of them. There's no corroborating evidence, no contemporaneous accounts of it. It just came out of nowhere. And they did not go through the, hey, let's get this investigated and see if it's substantive procedure. They just threw it out at the last minute. And Kavanaugh had blasted them. He'd finally said, all right, that's enough. I'm not going to sit here like a nice boy and be accused of being a gang rapist in front of my family in the nation. This is horrifying. And then some people said, oh, he doesn't have the temperament to be a justice. They came back from a lunch break, and Lindsey let loose.

[Guest or Caller]

Did you know that her staff had already recommended a lawyer to Dr. Ford?

[Joe Getty]

I did not know that.

[Guest or Caller]

Did you know that her and her staff had this allegation allegations for over 20 days?

[Joe Getty]

I did not know that at the time.

[Guest or Caller]

If you wanted an FBI investigation, you could have come to us. What you want to do is destroy this guy's life, hold this seat open and hope you win in 2020. You've said that, not me. You've got nothing to apologize for. When you see Sotomayor and Kagan, tell them that Lindsey said, oh, because I voted for them. I would never do to them what you've done to this guy. This is the most unethical sham since I've been in politics. And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn't have done what you've done to this guy. Are you a gang rapist? No. I cannot imagine what you and your family have gone through. Boy, y' all want power? God, I hope you never get it. I hope the American people can see through this sham that you knew about it and you held it. You had no intention of protecting Dr. Ford. None. She's as much of a victim as you are. God, I hate to say it because these have been my friends, but let me tell you, when it comes to this, you're looking for a fair process. You came to the wrong town at the wrong time, my friend.

[Joe Armstrong]

Wow. That's the all time quote. And it hasn't gotten any better.

[Joe Getty]

No.

[Joe Armstrong]

As Garrity points out in the National Review, Lindsey Graham cast his votes for Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan in the closing days of an era where senators believed that if a judicial nominee was sufficiently qualified, then they should get the vote, even if they disagreed with the nominee's philosophy. In announcing his vote for Kagan, Graham said Obama chose someone who is qualified to serve on this court and understands the difference between being a liberal judge and a politician. At the end of the day, it was not a hard decision. She would not have been someone I would have chosen. But the person who did choose, President Obama chose wisely. It's worth noting, in 2022, he voted against Ketanji, Brown Jackson and said, and I quote, not, I'll bet she is a gang rapist. He said her record is overwhelming in its lack of a steady judicial philosophy and a tendency to achieve outcomes in spite of what the requires or common sense would dictate. And he said, with respect, I can't vote for her.

[Joe Getty]

She's an idiot.

[Joe Armstrong]

That's true. That's not true. She's very bright, but utterly ideological. What was I going to say? Oh, it's important. You distracted me with the idiot thing.

[Joe Getty]

We do have breaking news around Lindsey Graham, the governor who gets to appoint someone to fill the spot until the election November, has announced they are going to choose Lindsey Graham's sister, his younger sister, who he adopted and took care of when both of their parents died 15 months apart when Lindsay was 19. God dang it. That's a rough situation. All of a sudden you're taking care of your sister and you're the breadwinner

[Joe Armstrong]

as a college student.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Joe Armstrong]

With no money.

[Guest or Caller]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Then he went into the military where he was for 30 years. But anyway, she is going to. She has been at his side throughout his political career. I didn't, I didn't know anything about his sister, mother of two works helping people with disabilities find jobs. She has been part of his every campaign he's ever had. So she's certainly familiar with his thinking on all that. But I don't know.

[Joe Armstrong]

I wonder if she's going to run for the seat in November because this is just a caretaker role to hold a seat until the election.

[Joe Getty]

I know she might be fantastic. I have no idea. But I'm not a fan of family lineage for our politics. I mean, that is not what we should be doing.

[Guest or Caller]

Right?

[Joe Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Joe Armstrong]

I'm a little uncomfortable with it, too. Although, was it a former senator or former big wheel in South Carolina politics immediately jumped up. I mean, the ambulance hadn't yet delivered poor Lindsay's body to the funeral home. This guy said, I'm willing to take the job. He's 78 years old. And he announced, I will be running for another term as well. No, no, no.

[Joe Getty]

I'll bet she, she. Well, I wouldn't be surprised. She doesn't end up being U.S. senator represent, holding that seat for the next 20 years.

[Joe Armstrong]

She wants it.

[Joe Getty]

That happens all over the country where somebody dies and their wife ends up being the person or vice versa. I just, I don't have any.

[Joe Armstrong]

I don't like that. It feels stupid to me. And again, I know nothing about Ms. Graham, if that is her name or whatever her last name is. But at the same time, as a conservative South Carolina voter, are you going to say, well, this Republican is a legacy hire. I mean, it's a family lineage thing. I'm going to go ahead and give the office to the Democrats for six years while we come up with a better candidate. It's tough.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. I will finish strong.

[Jack Armstrong]

Next Armstrong and Gettysburg.

[Commercial Announcer]

Summer is here. At Orderly Meds, we know this time is a reminder that life is full of new beginnings. Whether you're celebrating the nice weather, starting a new chapter, planning a vacation, or simply looking ahead to what's next, this season can be the perfect time to invest in yourself and your health. If you've struggled with weight loss and are curious about GLP1 medications, orderly meds can help you learn about your options. Through a simple virtual process, you can connect with licensed medical professionals who can determine whether treatment may be appropriate for you. Getting started is fast, convenient, and happens Online from the comfort of home this summer, consider a new approach to feeling your best. Visit orderlymeds.com podcast to learn more. That's orderlymeds.com podcast orderlymeds.com podcast because every new season is an opportunity to take the next step forward, Compounded medications are not FDA approved. Eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Jack Armstrong]

Mom, can I have Lingokids? Dad, Lingokids, please.

[Joe Getty]

When did we become the Lingokids house?

[Commercial Announcer]

No idea. Last week it was dinosaurs.

[Jack Armstrong]

This week it's Lingokids.

[Joe Getty]

Why Lingokids?

[Jack Armstrong]

Because it's the best thing ever. We can play games with astronauts, wild animals and superheroes. With more than 4,000 interactive games, songs and shows, LingoKids is the number one entertainment platform for young kids. So no dinosaurs and dinosaurs.

[Joe Getty]

Everything kids love, download it for free.

[Jack Armstrong]

The best skaters, BMX riders and moto athletes in the world don't compete in leagues. Until now. The X Games League championship is live From New Orleans, July 24 through 26. Three days of elite action sports, plus performances From Metro Boomin, JID, Subtronics and Bar Watch on ABC, ESPN and ESPN 2. Stream on the ESPN app, Roku Kick, Amazon and X Games YouTube. The inaugural champion gets crowned this July.

[Joe Getty]

I'm Glenn Washington, host of the Snap Judgment storytelling podcast from kqed. Every week, Snap deals a new card. Like the San Francisco girl selling weed brownies after school who uncovers a secret. Or the open man who invented the wave and never got his credit. Or even the actual Lake Merritt moc.

[Joe Armstrong]

What?

[Joe Getty]

Pick a card, any card. Snap Judgment with kqed new episodes every Thursday. Wherever you get your podcasts. Authorities found a man living hermit style and off grid in an Arizona forest

[Joe Armstrong]

surrounded by a thousand pounds of trash.

[Joe Getty]

Police are asking the public if anyone has ever heard of a man named Keith Olbermann. Wow. It's an interesting style of comedy he has. So Joe is back from his vacation in Alaska. You probably saw that video of him being flipped up in the air by a bison. But he. He's okay and he's bounced back.

[Joe Armstrong]

He had successfully dodged a moose. So imagine my disappointment when the bison took up the chase.

[Joe Getty]

You had a good plan running behind those trees, but that bison just knocked those trees down.

[Joe Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. I was thinking, boy, I got a good lead on him now. Finally, up I went, head over ass. Yep, yep.

[Joe Getty]

But while you were in Alaska, did you catch on to. We talked about this last week, but I wanted to bring it to your intention in case you didn't know about it. The what the Democrats are doing up there. Allegedly running against Senator Dan Sullivan.

[Joe Armstrong]

No, I don't think I caught that.

[Joe Getty]

Another guy named Dan Sullivan is running as a Republican against Dan Sullivan who is the currently sitting Republican. As a Republican as a Republican to try to split the vote because of the way they do their voting.

[Joe Armstrong]

I could see that working.

[Joe Getty]

Yes, because of the way they do their voting in Alaska. So splitting the vote between the two Republicans so the Democrat, this woman named Peltola could win. And so the Republicans tried to like get this stopped in the courts and everything like that. But it's actually the guy's name. It's his actual name, Dan Solo. He just has a different middle initial and he's claims he's a Republican and he's just always run to run for governor. It's just a coincidence. Even though he's only donated money to Democratic causes and throughout his life and he hired a Democratic campaign person to help him with his campaign. His colors are the same and his motto is almost exactly the same. Oh my. And it's so obvious what's going on here. But all's fair in love and politics.

[Joe Armstrong]

Yeah, that's actually kind of funny. It's incredibly troubling, but funny. I did not see that. What I did see was in a couple of towns big signs saying end round rank choice, voting now.

[Joe Getty]

Ah yeah. Alaska's the biggest experiment in that. And they a lot of people are not happy with the way it's turned out. As you saw with Democrats in California where a cup of coffee there where you thought there was going to be two Republican governor candidates liked it when it was only going to be Democrats ever winning. You can't stop a guy whose name is Dan Sullivan for running just because the current senator has the same name.

[Joe Armstrong]

Obviously it's terrible and hilarious. What are you gonna do?

[Jack Armstrong]

You know you wanna happy ending. I'm Jack Armstrong and Jo get.

[Joe Getty]

The haunting echo. Here's your host for final thoughts back from vacation Joe Gettin.

[Joe Armstrong]

Let's get a final thought from everybody on the crew to wrap up the show for the day. Michelangelo will lead the way from the control room. Michael, final thought.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm glad you enjoyed your vacation, but I'm glad you returned. I was really worried because you were sending the staff these beautiful pictures. I thought we may never see him again. He'll just send us a note and

[Joe Getty]

that's gonna be it.

[Joe Armstrong]

I'll jump in with my final thought here. In the dead of summer, there was not a high temperature above 60 degrees for two weeks.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Joe Armstrong]

It was fantastic. And yes, I considered moving to Alaska. Jack, a final thought for us.

[Joe Getty]

I had one, but I'll change it to this. It is very difficult on vacations to not contemplate moving to wherever you are. That's. That is just like, I know somebody who almost bought a condo. And Croatia, I think, oh, like, really, really came close.

[Joe Armstrong]

Like, I want to live here the

[Joe Getty]

rest of my life, you know, Then you get back home and you think, I'm gonna live in Croatia or Key West. Like, I was looking at real estate there.

[Joe Armstrong]

It took me a while to figure out, yes, this is a nice place. But what you're really in love with is the way you feel right now. The reason you feel that way right now is you're on vacation. If you're slogging to work and run into the grocery store and, oh, crap, I forgot to mail this bill in that place, it's gonna feel a lot like the old place.

[Joe Getty]

Or even if you just. If you're not working but you're not there just temporarily, you're there permanently. They have a different feeling.

[Joe Armstrong]

It does indeed.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty wrapping up another grueling four hour workday.

[Joe Armstrong]

Don't buy a timeshare. So many people. Thanks a little time. Go to armstrongandgetty.com for the hot links. Drop us a line [e-mail] and subscribe to the podcast. For love of all that's holy. That's Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Joe Getty]

Cool, man. The war in Iran could really explode into a real war at any moment. And I know that's been true for quite a few months now, but more true today. We'll see you tomorrow with the latest God bless America.

[Guest or Caller]

When you see Sotomayor and Kagan, tell them that Lindsey said hello because I voted for them. I would never do to them what you've done to this guy. This is the most unethical sham since I've been in politics. And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn't have done what you've done to this guy. You're looking for a fair process. You came to the wrong town at the wrong time, my friend.

[Joe Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Commercial Announcer]

Summer is here at orderly meds. We know this time is a reminder that life is full of new beginnings. Whether you're celebrating the nice weather, starting a new chapter, planning a vacation, or simply looking ahead to what's next, this season can be the perfect time to invest in yourself and your health. If you've struggled with weight loss and are curious about GLP1 medications orderly meds can help you learn about your options. Through a simple virtual process, you can connect with licensed medical professionals who can determine whether treatment may be appropriate for you. Getting Started Started is fast, convenient, and happens online from the comfort of home. This summer, consider a new approach to feeling your best. Visit orderlymeds.com podcast to learn more. That's orderlymeds.com podcast orderlymeds.com podcast because every new season is an opportunity to take the next step forward, compounded medications are not FDA approved, eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Joe Getty]

This is Tony Ayo from the Real Report with Tony Ayo and Uncle Murder. You ever notice how everything keeps going up? Rent, streaming, even extra Sosa at your favorite burrito spot? But with Boost Mobile, you don't have to play the Willis Go up soon game. Boost Mobile offers an unlimited talk, text and data plan at a price that'll never go up. It's the same price you'll pay for life. Switch now for unlimited wireless at a price that'll never go up. Only at boost mobile after 30 gigabytes, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan.

[Jack Armstrong]

Mom, can I have Lingokids? Dad, Lingokids, please.

[Joe Getty]

When did we become the Lingokids House?

[Commercial Announcer]

No idea. Last week it was dinosaurs.

[Jack Armstrong]

This week it's Lingokids.

[Joe Getty]

Why Lingokids?

[Jack Armstrong]

Because it's the best thing ever. We can play games with astronauts, wild animals and superheroes. With more than 4,000 interactive games, songs and shows, LingoKids is the number one entertainment platform for young kids. Kids.

[Joe Armstrong]

So no dinosaurs and dinosaurs.

[Joe Getty]

Everything kids love. Download it for free.

[Jack Armstrong]

The best skaters, BMX riders and moto athletes in the world don't compete in leagues. Until now. The X Games League Championship is live From New Orleans, July 24 through 26. Three days of elite action sports, plus performances from Metro, Boomin, JID, Subtronics and Bunt Watch on ABC, ESPN and ESPN 2 stream on the ESPN app Roku Kick, Amazon and X Games YouTube. The inaugural champion gets crowned this July.