Caning & Dueling - Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "Caning & Dueling"

Date: March 19, 2026
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty

Episode Overview

This episode centers on recent political fireworks in the U.S. Senate—specifically, the contentious nomination hearing of Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to become Secretary of Homeland Security. The hosts dig deeply into the erupting feud between Mullin and Senator Rand Paul, springing from comments Mullin made about justifying violence in politics (including referencing historical incidents like the caning of Charles Sumner and the broader idea of dueling). Armstrong & Getty also discuss the wider implications for political discourse, the normalization of inflammatory rhetoric, and how these patterns reflect changes in both media and American society.
Later segments pivot to the breaking news regarding Cesar Chavez’s legacy, in light of recent allegations, and a brief look at international affairs with Trump meeting the Japanese Prime Minister.

1. Senate Hostilities: Mullin vs. Paul and the Specter of Political Violence

Key Segments:

Background & Opening Shots

[00:59–03:19] The show recaps Mullin’s recent Senate confirmation hearing, where hostilities between Mullin and Paul reached a boiling point over remarks Mullin previously made about the violent assault Rand Paul suffered at the hands of a neighbor.
Joe Getty notes:

“We met Senator Mullen in Milwaukee and really liked him. But what he should have done yesterday and what he should do is say, you know, I was just... It was a crowd-pleasing sort of thing to say. I can understand why your neighbor attacked you. I didn’t mean it. I don’t. Violence is wrong. We live in an era where we say hyperbolic things. That’s what I did. I shouldn’t have.” (03:21)

The Rhetoric of Violence

[02:19–03:19] During the hearing, Paul confronts Mullin about his past comments justifying violence through references to “caning and dueling.”
Notable exchange:

Interviewer: “Is it today your opinion that the caning of Charles Sumner was not only justified but argues still for resolving our political differences with violence?”
Sen. Mullin: “What I was simply pointing out is some of the rules that still apply to this body. For instance, dueling with two consenting adults is still there..."
Interviewer: "Do you realize that the man that beat Charles Sumner with a cane... kept beating him until he crushed his skull? That’s what you’re insinuating is the precedent of the Senate, and that’s what you live by. That is a very, very, very dangerous sentiment.” (02:38–03:19)

No Apology, No Regret

[06:37–07:27] Paul presses Mullin for an apology. Mullin refuses, distinguishing “understanding” an attack from “supporting” it.

Mullin: “I did not say I supported it. I said I understood it. There’s a difference.” (07:10)
Interviewer: “What do you think most people would interpret 'completely understand' to be — support for or a condemnation of the violence?” (07:15)

The Current Political Era

Armstrong reflects:

“We need to just fully move into the period of American history where you say, I was pandering to the base, and everybody goes, oh, okay, sure. I mean, because everybody does it. Everybody knows they're doing it. ... In the world of podcasting, where you got a particularly pugnacious host or whatever, and the red meat is flying around like it’s feeding time at the lion enclosure.” (03:47)
On refusing to apologize as the new political norm:

Joe Getty: “Trump doesn’t like people who apologize for anything. He is a you-stick-to-your-guns-no-matter-what guy. And he chose Mullen to be his nominee. ... You don’t ever back down and say, I shouldn’t have said that.” (04:33)
Armstrong: “In the quiet of a Senate hearing, [podcast-style rhetoric] sounds ridiculous. And I’m not approving of anything Mark Wayne Mullen said at all. ... Which is crazy and probably unhealthy, but here we are.” (04:19–04:33)

The Takeaway: The State of American Politics

Armstrong & Getty see these exchanges as symptomatic of a deeper civic malaise:

Armstrong: “We need to hold a séance and apologize to the Founding Fathers because it’s over. It lasted almost precisely 250 years. But we’re done. We’re through now.” (08:31)
The hosts lament that the hearing focused on personal gripes instead of meaningful discussion on core DHS/ICE policy issues:

“The most important part of that is we didn’t really have a hearing and discussion how DHS and ICE are going to move forward in a different way from ICE Barbie. We didn’t do that.” (11:21)

2. The Chavez Scandal: Legacy, Revisionism, and Political Ironies

Key Segments:

Breaking News

[18:10–22:14] Joe Getty: "The New York Times going big with outing Cesar Chavez as a child rapist."
They discuss the evolving legacy: Chavez’s history, his role as a civil rights icon, and new revelations that threaten his place in American public memory.

Chavez’s Contradictory Beliefs

Chavez’s strong stance against illegal immigration, including having his union physically patrol the U.S. border, is aired:

Armstrong: "He used brutal violence against scabs, strikebreakers or illegal immigrants who he considered strikebreakers.” (22:52) Getty: "His organization actually manned the border and physically repulsed illegals trying to come into the country. I mean, made ICE look like nothing.” (23:13)
Email from a listener:

"We estimate that 60 to 70% of the farm workers in California are out of a job because of the wetbacks. The border patrol was not doing their jobs, so we're going to have to go out and do it ourselves." -- Chavez, 1974 (attributed, 24:44)

The Politics of Memory & Cancellation

Multiple correspondences and hosts’ reflections highlight the awkwardness for progressives who lionized Chavez, now confronted with his anti-immigration, violent, and abusive history.
Armstrong: "The left is quick to demonize and distance as it doesn't fit the presentism that guides the current progressive narrative ... the parties haven't just switched talking points, they've switched heroes.” (24:44)

Reaction to the News and Revisionist History

Listeners recall brutal tactics attributed to Chavez's movement, question the wisdom of naming holidays and streets after fallible figures, and speculate on what the next round of cancellations might look like.
Getty: "I do agree with you guys and think the U.S. is blazing toward the path of destruction due to the Marxist America-hating teaching even when some of these teachers probably don't even realize that's what they're doing." (29:49)

Institutional Denial & Image Maintenance

Jack Armstrong observes that the University of San Diego’s official page still paints Chavez as a complete saint:

"No ugly incidents detracted from his reputation. No misappropriation of funds, no extramarital affairs undermined his reputation as a family man..." (30:59)

3. Lighter Bits & Other News

The Red Carpet Salvager

[14:14–17:14] Fun story: Young woman salvages a chunk of the Oscars’ red carpet from a theater dumpster for her apartment, prompting the hosts to muse about waste, Hollywood, and the silliness of “equity” in the industry.

Armstrong: “The whole Hollywood crowd is so beneath contempt. I literally can’t even work up contempt for them...they’re just too dumb and silly for me to even work up any real emotion.” (17:20)

International Affairs: Trump & Japan

[32:52–36:03] President Trump’s meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister is referenced, with Jack and Joe riffing on the unusual meeting setting and discussing a possible new coalition regarding the Strait of Hormuz crisis.
Notable quote from the Japanese PM’s interpreter:

"I firmly believe that it is only you, Donald, who can achieve peace across the world.” (34:40)

Miscellaneous

Side comments about magazine litigation (Vogue vs Dog magazine), headlines about Cesar Chavez Day, Oscars ratings, and the quirks of historical memory and political symbolism.

4. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Joe Getty on political apologies:

“Trump doesn’t like people who apologize for anything. ... You don’t ever back down and say, I shouldn’t have said that.” (04:33)
Armstrong, channeling despair over modern politics:

“We need to hold a séance and apologize to the Founding Fathers because it’s over. It lasted almost precisely 250 years. But we’re done. We’re through now.” (08:31)
Senator Mullin’s razor-thin defense:

“I did not say I supported it. I said I understood it. There’s a difference.” (07:10)
On historical revisionism:

“The left is quick to demonize and distance as it doesn’t fit the presentism that guides the current progressive narrative.” (24:44)
Listener’s (summarized) take on Chavez:

"Cesar Chavez was a terrorist…Chavez guys would drive by shooting guns and throwing explosives into the farm area because they weren’t hiring the right type of laborers. He was certainly no peaceful MLK figure.” (25:01)

5. Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Content/Theme | |-----------------|----------------------------------------------------| | 00:59–03:19 | Paul & Mullin feud; caning & dueling references | | 03:47 | Armstrong on “pandering to the base” | | 04:33 | Trump era: apologizing viewed as weakness | | 07:10 | Mullin: “I understood it” defense | | 08:31 | Armstrong laments the state of American politics | | 11:21 | Hearing fails to address DHS/ICE policy | | 18:10 | NYT breaks Cesar Chavez allegations | | 22:52 | Listener emails: Chavez’s violent tactics | | 24:44 | Chavez’s anti-immigration quote & the left’s pivot | | 29:49 | The politics of cancel culture & revisionism | | 30:59 | University portrayal of Chavez exhausts denial | | 34:40 | Japanese PM: “Only you, Donald, can achieve peace” |

Summary

This episode delivers classic Armstrong & Getty: a blend of sharp political analysis, historical anecdotes, listener interactions, and satirical asides. The looming question is whether America’s political culture has so normalized combative rhetoric and “pandering to the base” that meaningful policy discussion is almost impossible—especially when personal vendettas take center stage. The second half, on Cesar Chavez, reframes historical “heroes” in the harsh light of newly-discovered (or finally acknowledged) truths, with all the awkwardness and anger that entails, and raises essential questions about how modern political identities are constructed and demolished.

All of this, as always, comes in Armstrong & Getty’s signature mix of candor, humor, and exasperation—making the episode both a time capsule of 2026 American politics and a wry commentary on how easily the nation slips into the absurd.

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "Caning & Dueling"

Date: March 19, 2026
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty

Episode Overview

1. Senate Hostilities: Mullin vs. Paul and the Specter of Political Violence

Key Segments:

Background & Opening Shots

[00:59–03:19] The show recaps Mullin’s recent Senate confirmation hearing, where hostilities between Mullin and Paul reached a boiling point over remarks Mullin previously made about the violent assault Rand Paul suffered at the hands of a neighbor.
Joe Getty notes:

“We met Senator Mullen in Milwaukee and really liked him. But what he should have done yesterday and what he should do is say, you know, I was just... It was a crowd-pleasing sort of thing to say. I can understand why your neighbor attacked you. I didn’t mean it. I don’t. Violence is wrong. We live in an era where we say hyperbolic things. That’s what I did. I shouldn’t have.” (03:21)

The Rhetoric of Violence

[02:19–03:19] During the hearing, Paul confronts Mullin about his past comments justifying violence through references to “caning and dueling.”
Notable exchange:

Interviewer: “Is it today your opinion that the caning of Charles Sumner was not only justified but argues still for resolving our political differences with violence?”
Sen. Mullin: “What I was simply pointing out is some of the rules that still apply to this body. For instance, dueling with two consenting adults is still there..."
Interviewer: "Do you realize that the man that beat Charles Sumner with a cane... kept beating him until he crushed his skull? That’s what you’re insinuating is the precedent of the Senate, and that’s what you live by. That is a very, very, very dangerous sentiment.” (02:38–03:19)

No Apology, No Regret

[06:37–07:27] Paul presses Mullin for an apology. Mullin refuses, distinguishing “understanding” an attack from “supporting” it.

Mullin: “I did not say I supported it. I said I understood it. There’s a difference.” (07:10)
Interviewer: “What do you think most people would interpret 'completely understand' to be — support for or a condemnation of the violence?” (07:15)

The Current Political Era

Armstrong reflects:

“We need to just fully move into the period of American history where you say, I was pandering to the base, and everybody goes, oh, okay, sure. I mean, because everybody does it. Everybody knows they're doing it. ... In the world of podcasting, where you got a particularly pugnacious host or whatever, and the red meat is flying around like it’s feeding time at the lion enclosure.” (03:47)
On refusing to apologize as the new political norm:

Joe Getty: “Trump doesn’t like people who apologize for anything. He is a you-stick-to-your-guns-no-matter-what guy. And he chose Mullen to be his nominee. ... You don’t ever back down and say, I shouldn’t have said that.” (04:33)
Armstrong: “In the quiet of a Senate hearing, [podcast-style rhetoric] sounds ridiculous. And I’m not approving of anything Mark Wayne Mullen said at all. ... Which is crazy and probably unhealthy, but here we are.” (04:19–04:33)

The Takeaway: The State of American Politics

Armstrong & Getty see these exchanges as symptomatic of a deeper civic malaise:

Armstrong: “We need to hold a séance and apologize to the Founding Fathers because it’s over. It lasted almost precisely 250 years. But we’re done. We’re through now.” (08:31)
The hosts lament that the hearing focused on personal gripes instead of meaningful discussion on core DHS/ICE policy issues:

“The most important part of that is we didn’t really have a hearing and discussion how DHS and ICE are going to move forward in a different way from ICE Barbie. We didn’t do that.” (11:21)

2. The Chavez Scandal: Legacy, Revisionism, and Political Ironies

Key Segments:

Breaking News

[18:10–22:14] Joe Getty: "The New York Times going big with outing Cesar Chavez as a child rapist."
They discuss the evolving legacy: Chavez’s history, his role as a civil rights icon, and new revelations that threaten his place in American public memory.

Chavez’s Contradictory Beliefs

Chavez’s strong stance against illegal immigration, including having his union physically patrol the U.S. border, is aired:

Armstrong: "He used brutal violence against scabs, strikebreakers or illegal immigrants who he considered strikebreakers.” (22:52) Getty: "His organization actually manned the border and physically repulsed illegals trying to come into the country. I mean, made ICE look like nothing.” (23:13)
Email from a listener:

"We estimate that 60 to 70% of the farm workers in California are out of a job because of the wetbacks. The border patrol was not doing their jobs, so we're going to have to go out and do it ourselves." -- Chavez, 1974 (attributed, 24:44)

The Politics of Memory & Cancellation

Multiple correspondences and hosts’ reflections highlight the awkwardness for progressives who lionized Chavez, now confronted with his anti-immigration, violent, and abusive history.
Armstrong: "The left is quick to demonize and distance as it doesn't fit the presentism that guides the current progressive narrative ... the parties haven't just switched talking points, they've switched heroes.” (24:44)

Reaction to the News and Revisionist History

Listeners recall brutal tactics attributed to Chavez's movement, question the wisdom of naming holidays and streets after fallible figures, and speculate on what the next round of cancellations might look like.
Getty: "I do agree with you guys and think the U.S. is blazing toward the path of destruction due to the Marxist America-hating teaching even when some of these teachers probably don't even realize that's what they're doing." (29:49)

Institutional Denial & Image Maintenance

Jack Armstrong observes that the University of San Diego’s official page still paints Chavez as a complete saint:

"No ugly incidents detracted from his reputation. No misappropriation of funds, no extramarital affairs undermined his reputation as a family man..." (30:59)

3. Lighter Bits & Other News

The Red Carpet Salvager

[14:14–17:14] Fun story: Young woman salvages a chunk of the Oscars’ red carpet from a theater dumpster for her apartment, prompting the hosts to muse about waste, Hollywood, and the silliness of “equity” in the industry.

Armstrong: “The whole Hollywood crowd is so beneath contempt. I literally can’t even work up contempt for them...they’re just too dumb and silly for me to even work up any real emotion.” (17:20)

International Affairs: Trump & Japan

[32:52–36:03] President Trump’s meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister is referenced, with Jack and Joe riffing on the unusual meeting setting and discussing a possible new coalition regarding the Strait of Hormuz crisis.
Notable quote from the Japanese PM’s interpreter:

"I firmly believe that it is only you, Donald, who can achieve peace across the world.” (34:40)

Miscellaneous

Side comments about magazine litigation (Vogue vs Dog magazine), headlines about Cesar Chavez Day, Oscars ratings, and the quirks of historical memory and political symbolism.

4. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Joe Getty on political apologies:

“Trump doesn’t like people who apologize for anything. ... You don’t ever back down and say, I shouldn’t have said that.” (04:33)
Armstrong, channeling despair over modern politics:

“We need to hold a séance and apologize to the Founding Fathers because it’s over. It lasted almost precisely 250 years. But we’re done. We’re through now.” (08:31)
Senator Mullin’s razor-thin defense:

“I did not say I supported it. I said I understood it. There’s a difference.” (07:10)
On historical revisionism:

“The left is quick to demonize and distance as it doesn’t fit the presentism that guides the current progressive narrative.” (24:44)
Listener’s (summarized) take on Chavez:

"Cesar Chavez was a terrorist…Chavez guys would drive by shooting guns and throwing explosives into the farm area because they weren’t hiring the right type of laborers. He was certainly no peaceful MLK figure.” (25:01)