France Is A Failure At Life

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand Episode: France Is A Failure At Life Date: October 22, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty tackle the theme of institutional decline, both in America and abroad, with a special focus on education, discipline, and societal standards. The conversation covers a range of topics from the effects of cell phones in classrooms, cultural shifts around discipline and "gentle parenting," to issues facing France and Europe more broadly. The hosts also dig into recent political news, including the state of US healthcare, demographic changes, and high-profile media moments related to the Biden administration.

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Key Topics & Insights

1. The Crisis in American Schools: Cell Phones & Declining Standards

[00:55–10:24]

• Comprehensive Study on Banning Phones in Classrooms

  • Jack describes recent coverage on a study in Florida where banning phones improved test scores and increased library book checkouts.
  • Disciplinary actions rose initially but then dropped after year two as students adjusted.
  • Jack and Joe are incredulous that the benefit of phone bans is even up for debate.
    • "What are you talking about? ...Our media is dominated by half wits." — Jack & Joe, [02:54]

• Cultural & Ideological Shifts in School Discipline

  • Joe blames the “feminization of America,” arguing that consensus-building and gentle approaches have replaced old-fashioned discipline.
    • "We need far fewer PhDs in our schools and far more common sense." — Joe Getty, [03:10]

• Teacher Voices & the Limits of Enforcement

  • Jack wonders aloud: Are teachers forbidden from taking away students' phones? How do they cope?
    • "I couldn't do it...I'd walk over, give me your phone...And if I get fired over that, I need a new career." — Jack Armstrong, [04:57]
  • Both hosts emphasize that allowing students to watch videos in class is “insane” and erodes any possibility of real education.

• Wider Cultural Implications: Erosion of Standards

  • Joe connects lax enforcement in schools to broader issues, including tolerance of homelessness and a broader unwillingness to uphold any standards.
    • "Kids are bringing a television set into the classroom with them...That's so effing nuts." — Joe Getty, [07:09]
  • Jack points out that today’s smartphones are far more compelling than the old TVs they grew up with.

• Personal Experience with Technology Limits

  • Jack shares a recent story about restricting his own child's cell phone use, noting it only required minor logistical adjustment.
    • "We managed. It just takes a slight bit more planning...The argument of 'I can’t get a hold of my kid' is just dumb." — Jack Armstrong, [09:31]

2. France, Europe, and Demographic Decline

[10:24–11:48]; [27:23–30:54]

• Paris Crime & French Decline

  • Jack and Joe reference a $102 million jewel heist and use it as a metaphor for broader problems in France and Europe—a sense of decay, irrelevance, and cultural malaise.
    • "France is the guy you see at the 20th high school reunion who’s gone downhill...France is a failure in life." — Joe Getty, [11:10]
    • "Missing a tooth, sleeping in its car..." — Jack Armstrong, [11:39]

• European Demographics vs. Africa

  • Joe shares a jaw-dropping statistic: Nigeria will have more births this year than all of Europe combined.
    • "Nigeria wins by 7 million to 4 and a half million [births]." — Joe Getty, [29:38]
  • Host commentary ties declining fertility rates in Europe to its fading cultural influence.
    • "Western civilization...decided to stop having kids and we'll go away." — Jack Armstrong, [30:51]

• Ominous Warning on Genocide

  • Joe briefly highlights ongoing religious violence in Nigeria, underscoring that, despite demographic growth, human rights issues remain severe.

3. US Politics, Biden, and Media Narratives

[12:06–26:28]

• Healthcare System Critique

  • The hosts play a Bernie Sanders quote and strongly agree with his criticism of insurance companies profiting under Obamacare.
    • "That's Bernie Sanders being 100% correct...Obamacare has been a windfall to insurance companies." — Joe Getty, [12:11]

• KJP’s (Karine Jean-Pierre) Book Tour & Biden’s Fitness

  • Discussion about White House Press Secretary KJP’s tell-all book and her media appearances, especially with Stephen Colbert.
  • Colbert and KJP both indirectly acknowledge Biden’s decline, with Colbert admitting he saw a different Joe Biden behind closed doors.
    • "No one ever said he hasn't aged...he would make jokes about it." — KJP, [22:51]
    • "What are you people clapping about?" — Jack Armstrong, [23:32]
  • The hosts blast the media for covering up Biden’s cognitive struggles and mocking public rationalizations.
    • "Why didn't you [KJP] give me permission to say that? Which was plainly true." — Joe Getty, [24:50]
  • KJP's excuses (travel, nerves about family, a cold) fuel the hosts’ criticism.
    • "If you're that weak, you are not fit to be president." — Joe Getty, [26:06]

4. Headlines Roundup & Social Trends

[14:15–17:48]

• Current Events
  • Ukraine/Russia: Coverage of renewed Russian attacks and Trump’s refusal to pursue further talks while Russia escalates violence.
  • Education: Test scores for California students stagnate below pre-COVID levels; debate if college degrees are still necessary.
  • Tech & Youth: New app Whiz described as "Tinder for kids" raises alarm over child safety.
  • Generational Trends: “Velcro kids” glued to parents; discrepancy in when men vs. women are most affected by music in adolescence.
    • "Men peak at 16, women at 19. Gender shapes when music hits us the hardest." — Katie Green, [17:18]
  • Satire: Babylon Bee pokes fun at the ongoing White House cocaine saga.

5. Pop Culture & Persona Management: Bruce Springsteen

[19:31–21:50]

• Joe analyzes Springsteen’s career and artifice as an entertainer, claiming his “blue-collar hero” persona was carefully crafted.
  • "He's so funny, so well crafted as an entertainer. But part of his act is: I'm not an entertainer, I'm a vagabond poet from the street." — Joe Getty, [21:02]
  • Jack acknowledges this is consistent even in Springsteen’s memoir, where he admits he wasn’t truly the tough guy he portrayed.

6. Listener Interaction & Mailbag Segment

[32:11–38:26]

• Economic Philosophy

  • Quoting Bastiat on wealth redistribution, underscoring their skepticism of government taxing and spending.

• Personal and Lighter Moments

  • Listener questions about Jack’s “Ukrainian girlfriend” scammer, Katie Green’s pregnancy update (sharing candidly about morning sickness), and banter about Fauci and peanut allergies.

• Cynicism about Democracy

  • Responding to political ads and ballot measures, the hosts express frustration at manipulative messaging and the effectiveness of democracy.
    • "Democracy doesn't work, man. It just doesn't work." — Jack Armstrong, [38:16]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On declining standards in schools:

  • "What normal grandma and grandpa would say, yeah, I don't know, jury's still out whether or not it's okay to have your kid sitting there watching videos and with the earbuds in." — Jack Armstrong, [03:18]
  • "It's so insane, it makes you think: am I missing something here?" — Jack Armstrong, [05:22]

• On France and cultural decay:

  • "France is stumbling, fumbling, bumbling its way to complete irrelevance." — Joe Getty, [11:10]

• On media coverage of Biden:

  • "Did Colbert just admit that he saw the doddering, dementia ridden Biden behind the scenes and kept his mouth shut about it?" — Jack Armstrong, [23:46]
  • "If you're that weak, you are not fit to be president...How do you not comprehend that?" — Joe Getty, [26:06]

• On demographics and the future:

  • "Picture...what the world’s going to look like in 50 years, politically speaking...Nigeria wins by 7 million to 4 and a half million (births)." — Joe Getty, [29:38]

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Important Timestamps

• [00:55–10:24]: Discussion on banning cell phones in classrooms; cultural and disciplinary collapse in schools.
• [10:24–11:48]: The France/jewel heist metaphor and critiques of modern France.
• [12:06–13:54]: Healthcare system critique, Bernie Sanders agreement.
• [14:15–17:48]: Headlines roundup with Katie Green—schools, tech, society.
• [19:31–21:50]: Bruce Springsteen, the artist vs. the persona.
• [22:51–26:28]: KJP’s book, Biden’s fitness, media cover-ups.
• [27:23–30:54]: Europe's declining birth rates, Nigerian demographics, religious violence.
• [32:11–38:26]: Mailbag, philosophy, listener questions, and democracy skepticism.

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Tone and Language

The hosts' tone oscillates between sardonic humor, exasperation, and a deep cynicism about modern culture, institutions, and public discourse. Frequent ribbing, blunt language, and a conversational style engage listeners but underscore deep frustration with what they view as obvious, unaddressed societal failures.

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For listeners seeking a critical, no-holds-barred discussion of cultural and political trends (anchored with irreverent humor), this episode offers a thorough, if at times bleak, survey of declining standards in education, the changing global order, and media hypocrisy.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Announcer]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln radio studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center. Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

And now, here's Armstrong and Getty live.

[Joe Getty]

From Studio C. Senor.

[Jack Armstrong]

Crap, I forgot. What? Thanks for walking him in, Anton. It's Wednesday. So you got a camel in studio. Whose idea was this originally to have a camel in studio over hump day? Oh, I mean, it's cool and it made, you know, good Instagram pictures or.

[Joe Getty]

Whatever, but the traditions need to be left behind, Jack. Time's changed. 21st century.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, it's overwhelming. Although we bought the camel on payment cent, we own it. I mean, what, do we could list it on ebay, I guess.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway, deep within the camel meat. Just asking.

[Jack Armstrong]

Don't say it out loud. He can hear you. We're gonna slaughter you and eat you. Today. We're under the tutelage of our general manager, Trump's Ballroom. All right, well, okay. I thought we. I thought we covered that yesterday. Isn't that all taken care of? No. Still think they're.

[Joe Getty]

The left is still trying to flog it, but they're desperate. They're casting about for something to be. To. To rally around, I guess.

[Jack Armstrong]

So I've seen this story twice in the last two days, and it's. It's a bur in my saddle, and I got to get the burr out of my saddle because it's starting to cause all kinds of chafing and whatnot.

[Joe Getty]

Sure.

[Jack Armstrong]

There's been a story two days in a row, once on News Nation and then once on cnn, about this first comprehensive study out whether banning phones in classrooms is a benefit to students. And a. This study that came out of some school district in Florida showed that test scores went up and more books were being checked out of the library and a variety of other positive things. Now, they emphasize both days, actually, disciplinary actions went up, detentions and that sort of thing for kids who wouldn't give up their phone. Yeah. No freaking kidding. You have a new rule.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

And it just makes me grind my teeth listening to that. And then they have conversations back and forth. Yeah, I could see some positives here, but you also have the. What are you talking about? What are you talking about?

[Joe Getty]

Our media is dominated by half wits.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, in our school, that is one.

[Joe Getty]

Of our greatest problems.

[Jack Armstrong]

And our schools, apparently, that this is even a question, I don't know. I guess I'm waiting for more studies to come in, more comprehensive studies to see if it would benefit students to not let them stare at their phones during class.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, we need. We need far fewer PhDs in our schools and far more common sense.

[Jack Armstrong]

What normal mom and dad, Grandma and Grandpa go. Mom and dad maybe go Grandma and Grandpa. So you can go back a generation. What normal grandma and grandpa would say, yeah, I don't know. You know, jury's still out whether or not it's okay to have your kid sitting there watching videos and with the earbuds in because my son says that's what happens in his science class, how that's going to affect their education. How. How crazy is that?

[Joe Getty]

There are plenty of progressive crazy guys involved. But I think this is another example of our giant topic from yesterday, the feminization of America. As women have taken over the leadership roles in school districts and schools, the idea of, no, that's a bad idea. You can't do it. I don't care if it makes you unhappy, we're not doing it. Dad has gone. And the consensus building, not wanting to hurt anybody's feelings. Maybe we should do another study. PhD holding theory, book learning, but no street smarts, academic female crowd has taken over.

[Jack Armstrong]

So I've been wondering this for a while, since my. Both my kids have talked about it before. Now my son is in a private school where they don't allow this, but my other son in the public school, would he take in one public schoolroom class. And there's a couple girls in there that sit in there with earbuds in, watching videos on their phone. And the teacher allows this. So I want to hear from teachers. Are you told you're not allowed to take their phones away from them? And then how do you keep doing your job? Is it just a. I made this career choice. This is where I live. I'm kind of stuck here sort of thing. Because I couldn't do it. I couldn't sit up there.

[Joe Getty]

If test scores are down, you will be blamed.

[Jack Armstrong]

I could stand up there trying to teach biology or American history or whatever and look it out and see kids staring at their phones. I couldn't do it. I'd walk over, give me your phone. What? Give me your phone. You can have it back in the class and then walk up there and sit on the desk and then I go back to talking. And if I get fired over that, then I need. I guess I need a new career or new school district, because that's insane. It's made it so insane, it's making me crazy. It's.

[Joe Getty]

It's so interesting, isn't it, that something that insane and out there Kids allowed to essentially just watch TV during class is allowed. It's so insane. It makes you think, am I missing something here?

[Jack Armstrong]

That's why it's making me crazy. It's a cognitive dissonance thing. It's. It's. Yeah, this can't be happening yet. It is happening. Where? Do things not match up here?

[Joe Getty]

Am I wrong?

[Jack Armstrong]

No, I know I'm not wrong, but.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. Wow, again.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's why I'd like to hear from a teacher. Do they make you do this? And how do you swallow that? I could not swallow that.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, again, I love and value women in every aspect of life, but America needs a whole lot more. Dad, this is a whole.

[Jack Armstrong]

I was going to say this is a male teacher in Henry's class, by the way, but.

[Joe Getty]

And a whole lot less restorative justice. Gentle parenting. Is that what that. That trend was called, Gentle parenting? You remember that? Never use the word no. You never say no. And you say. All right, let's talk about what's making you kick the dog in the head.

[Katie Green]

Yeah, I'm saying. I'm saying gentle parenting.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We need a hell of a lot less of that. My God, we're a soft society. I. Caramba. I don't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's just. So is that emblematic? I think feel like it's emblematic of other things. Just that we just ignore obvious solutions to things.

[Joe Getty]

Right, Right. We've been dragged so far away from sanity where we're not sure what it looks like anymore.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. I suppose it fits in with the. No, of course. People can't just put a tent right here in front of this store and live it right. That's great.

[Joe Getty]

You can't live on a sidewalk. Get off the sidewalk.

[Jack Armstrong]

People can't live on the sidewalk.

[Joe Getty]

It is all related, the question of standards and whether you enforce them or not. Kids are bringing a television set into the classroom with them. Don't tell. Just because it's a small screen doesn't make it less a television set for us oldsters who need to conceive of it, you know, in. In old timey terms. That's so effing nuts, it's hilarious that anybody would put up with it for 10 seconds. I know.

[Jack Armstrong]

And it's.

[Joe Getty]

What is the matter with us, America? Well, it's probably not with us, it's with them.

[Jack Armstrong]

What's the matter with them?

[Joe Getty]

Americ.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's actually significantly better than the television set people like you and I grew up with because of the options. We had three channels and Nothing on they give it the world at their fingertips for entertainment. That I guarantee is more interesting than what the biology teacher is talking about.

[Joe Getty]

Well, it's more endorphin inducing.

[Jack Armstrong]

So crazy. So crazy. Okay, well, maybe you'll hear that study. Initially there were discipline issues and they went up. But the second year the discipline issues went down.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I'm sure they did because the kids got used to those rules. Maybe. I swear we need to gut our government schools, empty them of children. Find. So I want to win one of those billion dollar lotteries so I can give 150,000 scholarships to good kids from good families who don't have the money to go to private schools. Oh, I wish I had Elon Musk's money. That's what I do. I'd open up a. I would. You know, I might not open up a new one because there are some great schools that. That do exactly what we're talking about and avoid the insanity. They exist. They just cost a few bucks to run because they're not getting taxpayer money. And oh my God, I would love to find a way to finance those.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, no kidding. So last week, I probably shouldn't talk about this on the air, but my. My oldest lost his cell phone privileges for academic reasons briefly. Grades have to be at a certain level if you want to have your cell phone.

[Joe Getty]

So he didn't have standards again.

[Jack Armstrong]

And it was, it was. It was a slight adjustment to not be able to like text him immediately or him text me. We got over it fast because we all remember it wasn't that many years ago everybody went to school and got picked up and sports practice and band and this and that and everything without cell phones.

[Joe Getty]

It was fine.

[Jack Armstrong]

We managed. It just takes a slight bit more planning of, you know, you have banned today. I'll pick you up at 5:15 in the normal lot as opposed to you wait till that afternoon and text them. But I mean it took like a day to get back to figuring that out. It's not that hard. So the argument of why I can't get a hold of my kid, blah, blah blah, is just dumb. And. Well, especially if the.

[Joe Getty]

If.

[Jack Armstrong]

If the if that is a. So therefore they need to be able to start their phone in class. That doesn't add up to a positive anyway.

[Joe Getty]

We are too tolerant in this society. Too tolerant of stupid ideas for one thing. Stop being tolerant, folks. You have our permission. I will speak for Jack and myself. You have our permission to call stupid ideas stupid. Have fun. Once you get used to it, it's great.

[Jack Armstrong]

The Louvre opened back up a day today. How about people who went to France on vacation and they're planning to go to the Louvre and it was closed for several days and it was just, it's kind of a ridiculous closing, acting like you're doing something situation anyway. But I just heard the flag around.

[Joe Getty]

Lock the windows or, you know, total.

[Jack Armstrong]

Value in US Dollars. Hundred two million.

[Joe Getty]

Oof.

[Jack Armstrong]

And it turns out there is no private insurance on that stuff, so it ain't going to be an insurance deal.

[Katie Green]

Oh, wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

$102 million. And most experts think they probably within hours melted that stuff down or carved out the diamonds so that they could get them set out. That's a lot of money, man. You're wondering why you just didn't hit a couple of jewelry stores. It'd be hard to hit $102 million in 15 minutes anywhere.

[Joe Getty]

Was it that at the beginning of the show yesterday that I made my, my metaphor about France? France is the guy you see at the 20th anniversary, 20th High School reunion who's clearly just gone downhill, just not good. And you try to be cheerful and hey, it's good to see you turn things around. France is a failure in life. France is stumbling, fumbling, bumbling its way to complete irrelevance.

[Jack Armstrong]

Missing a tooth, sleeping in its car.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Till he gets repossessed.

[Joe Getty]

Got some nice architecture, but embarrassing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Let's start the show officially. I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Gett on how did it get to be already Wednesday?

[Joe Getty]

The freaking gamble.

[Jack Armstrong]

October 22nd, the year 2025. We are Armstrong and Getty and we approve of this program.

[Joe Getty]

Let's begin then, officially, according to FCC rules and regulations. Here we go. Calling out the dumb ideas at Mark obviously.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

It is a system designed to make huge profits for the insurance companies and the drug companies.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

Period. That is Bernie Sanders being 100% correct. He's talking about Obamacare and how it has been a windfall to insurance companies but has done nothing to make affordable care affordable. Remember, it's called the Affordable Care act and it's just completely broken down. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

A lot of attention has been paid to. Even the Washington Post last week said the Affordable Care act or Obamacare, which was never affordable. Even they said that in the Washington Post. That's interesting.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

We got a lot on a lot of different news fronts to get to. We got Katie's headlines coming up, hoping stick around.

[Announcer]

Armstrong and Getty.

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[Jack Armstrong]

Yo, yo, yo. So we finally know what was going on in the Biden White House at the end because the White House press spokesman KJP has put out a new book and she is revealing all. We will have that for you coming up in a little bit.

[Joe Getty]

Has she broken her silence?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, she broke her silence.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, boy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Tell them truth. Speaking truth to power or something.

[Joe Getty]

All right. Speaking of powerful woman spitting truth, there she is with the headlines today. Who's reporting what? It's the league story with Katie Green.

[Jack Armstrong]

Katie, this is bad news, Katie. A friend of mine was abducted by a troop of mimes. Yeah, they did unspeakable things to him.

[Katie Green]

See, that's what I'm looking for every morning.

[Joe Getty]

Thank you, Jack.

[Katie Green]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

You child like sodomy. No, no, no.

[Joe Getty]

You're not supposed to follow up with a tag.

[Jack Armstrong]

I shouldn't have said that.

[Joe Getty]

Unspeakable.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. What? Whoa. I went. So I shouldn't have done that. No, no, no.

[Joe Getty]

It was good before.

[Jack Armstrong]

Quick.

[Joe Getty]

Katie, start. Yes.

[Katie Green]

NBC Trump puts Putin talks on hold as Kremlin launches deadly new attacks on Ukraine.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Big attack on Kiev and a bunch of other towns. And not in any way military institutions, installations or anything that just trying to kill civilians.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Trump saying that another summit would be a waste of time.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes.

[Joe Getty]

Correct.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. So some people are seeing that as he's backing off, trying to come up to a solution. Other people, I think, I would think. Okay. He's not once again going to go through that whole rigamarole for no point.

[Katie Green]

You guys were just talking about schools. This one from Katie Grimes at Cal Globe. Failure is a choice. California students still testing below COVID 19 pandemic scores in math and English.

[Jack Armstrong]

How does this not get more Attention. How does it always turn into. But we need more money for schools. That's so mad.

[Joe Getty]

It's as if teaching the kids isn't even close to their top priority.

[Katie Green]

In the same vein from the New York Times, colleges face a reckoning. Is a degree really necessary?

[Commercial Voice]

No.

[Jack Armstrong]

No.

[Joe Getty]

Is it worth a crap?

[Jack Armstrong]

Any company that still makes it mandatory? You have a degree. God, you gotta stop. Unless, you know, obviously it's scientist, engineer, doctor, whatever, but just entry level positions. And you still think a four year degree means something? It does not. And you're encouraging the whole charade. What was it I heard the other day? A buddy of mine, I think he's in the radio industry, he said his first radio job, it was required to have a fourth, a four year degree, before they'd hire somebody. That's so nuts.

[Katie Green]

From the New York Post. Whiz is like Tinder for kids. As teens are using the app to hook up with each other and adult predators.

[Joe Getty]

Whiz how spelled how W I Z. Z.

[Katie Green]

And they're selling it, like, as a way for kids to meet friends. Come on.

[Jack Armstrong]

The children's Tinder.

[Katie Green]

From USA Today. Millennials might be raising Velcro kids.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay. The helicopter parents and their Velcro kids and their lawnmower grandparents. What is a Velcro kid?

[Katie Green]

A Velcro kid is a kid that like, cannot go without physical touch and has to be with their parents at all times.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay?

[Katie Green]

This one from Steady finds. Men peak at 16, women at 19. Gender shapes when music hits us the.

[Joe Getty]

Hardest, when we enjoy music the most.

[Katie Green]

And when it really starts to affect us. When you hear it and start taking in the message.

[Jack Armstrong]

Men 16, women 19. Is that what you said?

[Joe Getty]

Okay, that sounds about right. That's funny.

[Jack Armstrong]

So many of my favorite albums are from roughly when I was 16, when music really started to impact me, I guess.

[Katie Green]

And finally, from the Babylon Bee White House Construction crew finds 1357 more cocaine stashes.

[Joe Getty]

Ah. Oh, speaking of music, can we stop with the boomer rock hero biopics, please?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, no kidding. I have a Bruce one coming out.

[Joe Getty]

With your guy from the Bear.

[Jack Armstrong]

I zero interest in seeing that. For some reason I'm. I've been on a Springsteen kick. I do not want to see that movie. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it. KJP breaks her silence about what it was like in the Biden White House. You're going to be shocked.

[Announcer]

Armstrong and Getty.

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[Jack Armstrong]

How are you doing?

[Joe Getty]

Before we get into the main dish this segment, I had one more thing to say about Bruce Springsteen.

[Commercial Voice]

All right.

[Joe Getty]

And. And you must keep in mind that I have been well since I was a teenager. We were talking about when you pique your interest in music. A huge fan of his songwriting and I stand by that. I think he's a wonderful songwriter and lyricist, musical songwriter and lyrics lyricist. He's also an insufferable prick. Ooh. And a bit of a phony. But. But I, I don't need to love the artist to love the art. I think that's a good practice. But. So I was getting sucked into the YouTube vortex after I watched my newss the other night. And generally I relax by watching music stuff. And I was watching a Bruce show from 1975 in. Was it in New York? I can't remember, but it was absolutely fantastic. As you've said many times, don't watch or don't listen to what they do when they're a legend, check out what made them a legend. And this was just a crazy show, but I completely figured him out watching that show. Here is Bruce Springsteen for you, particularly in his heyday. I'm a vagabond artist with a floppy hat on off the streets.

[Jack Armstrong]

But wait.

[Joe Getty]

I'm a master showman and entertainer and I can barely croak out these songs because they affect me so much. But wait.

[Jack Armstrong]

My band is incredibly well rehearsed and.

[Joe Getty]

I am clearly their leader. So enjoy the show, folks. He's so funny, so well crafted as an entertainer. But part of his act is I'm not an entertainer. I'm a vagabond poet from the street.

[Jack Armstrong]

Working class I'm just. I can barely sing up here. I'm so tired from being in the factory all day. In his memoir, which I've been listening to, he actually mentions how he was a wussy, poetic artist, artistic kid who got picked on a lot because that's just who he is. It's not the tough, working class, leather jacket, cool car guy. He was. He was. He got everything he wanted from his grandma and was a wussy little poet kid.

[Joe Getty]

Right, right. Which is fine.

[Jack Armstrong]

Which is absolutely fine. He then he crafted an image.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. All right. So speaking of public figures, initially I kind of wanted to pass on this KJP making the book tour for her hotly awaited by No1 Book about her days in the White House. But she is indeed doing interviews and it's not going terribly well.

[Jack Armstrong]

Who buys these freaking things? Why do publishing companies still give out so much money to these books that whoever reads any of them, I don't know. It's gotta have something to do with. You put them in the bookstore at the airport and it'll bring more people in and you'll sell them with gum or something. I don't know what it is.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I don't know. Is it just sails inside the beltway. I don't know. But she was talking to Stephen Colbert the other night. We've got some clips of that. Let's just start with 100 and see how it goes.

[Michael]

Michael, I saw a guy who I had not seen backstage at the benefit that I did. It seemed like a dramatically different person. And at 81 years old, that's not entirely unexpected. You can imagine why people got so worried.

[KJP]

So a couple of things. I got to see Joe Biden almost every day. And this is a question that I take very seriously. I never. No one has ever said he hasn't aged. No one ever said that. He would make jokes about it, he would acknowledge it, and he would say, yes, I know I don't speak as well as I used to. I don't walk as well as I used to. No one is saying that he didn't age. I'm talking about was he. Did he have the questions that I was getting? The mental acuity? Was he able to govern? And the man that I saw nearly every day was someone who was engaging, understood policy, and was always putting the American people first. And it showed.

[Jack Armstrong]

What are you people clapping about? We love you, dude.

[KJP]

Able to get done.

[Jack Armstrong]

What are you people clapping about?

[Joe Getty]

Right, Right. Boy, nobody buys that. Colbert follows up right here. Go ahead.

[Jack Armstrong]

Did Colbert just admit that he saw the doddering, dementia ridden Biden behind the scenes and kept his mouth shut about it.

[Joe Getty]

Right. Right. I'll go ahead and play the next clip then. I've got a point to make.

[KJP]

I remember I saw him.

[Michael]

I don't think anybody questioned his heart or his policies. But it takes more than that to be the President of the United States. And in a moment of great pressure on stage, we saw someone shock us and worry us, and nothing could assuage that worry. So I don't think it was necessarily a betrayal of Joe Biden as other people saying, we don't think we were shown Joe Biden that you saw.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's so wild that there's that. I don't, I don't even understand what's going on there.

[Joe Getty]

So she's claiming Biden was betrayed by the Democrats.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, I don't even get the Stephen Colbert angle. So now he's like Jake Tapper. I knew he was mentally, you know, challenged and shouldn't be president, but why, why didn't you come out and tell everybody so I could say it? Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Why didn't you give me permission to say that? Which was plainly true. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

And everybody knew.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's so weird.

[Joe Getty]

One more clip. 102. Michael.

[KJP]

I saw every day a really ugly assault.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[KJP]

On someone who had 50 plus years of experience and who again, objectively had done a good job as President of the United States. And it was heartbreaking to see that type of behavior.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

What ugly assault are you talking about? The media entirely covering up what was right before everybody's eyes.

[Joe Getty]

Right. And then if my, my closing argument, and I'm sure the jury will be persuaded by this, then in other clips we've heard she's made multiple excuses for why Joe Biden was utterly incoherent in the debate, including. Well, he'd traveled some. Well, you don't get to be president then. Oh, he was nervous about his son's trial. Well, then you don't have the stuff to be president. Uh, what was he. Oh, he'd had a cold the previous week or something. No, if you're that weak, you are not fit to be president. Kjp. How, how do you not grok that? How do you not comprehend that?

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Because China could invade Taiwan when you've got a cold or you just got back from France or you're son got in trouble with the law. All those things can happen. You'd still have to make a decision. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Our shortstop made three errors because he'd had to run to first base the previous inning.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, then he's not fit to be.

[Joe Getty]

A professional ball player.

[Jack Armstrong]

That did.

[Joe Getty]

No, you can't say that. Kjp, you little twit.

[Jack Armstrong]

Ooh, wow. With an eye.

[Joe Getty]

Yes, clearly. Wow. Just sad. Even the Stephen Colbert's of the world are like, dude, come on.

[Jack Armstrong]

But the crowd backing up her. Yeah, you do.

[Joe Getty]

Kjp.

[Jack Armstrong]

Don't let him try to tear down Joe Biden. We love you, Joe. Institutions. I hear you.

[Commercial Voice]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. Just amazing. All right. What else? Can we avoid ever doing that again?

[Jack Armstrong]

I wonder if we can.

[Joe Getty]

I don't know if we can. What's that specifically?

[Jack Armstrong]

You know, maybe it fits in with the whole cell phones in classrooms thing we were talking about earlier. Just IGN what's obviously true before our eyes for political reasons or convenience reasons or whatever. I don't know.

[Joe Getty]

Right, Right. Oh, here's Joe Getty stat of the day. I grabbed this.

[Jack Armstrong]

I was.

[Joe Getty]

I was hoping I would remember and here I have to my surprise. Picture. What? Excuse me. Dang coffee. Mine.

[Jack Armstrong]

Picture.

[Joe Getty]

What. What the world's going to look like in 50 years, politically speaking.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know, I have no idea. I don't have any idea what it's.

[Joe Getty]

Going to be in five years.

[Jack Armstrong]

No idea.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Yeah, no kidding. Here's your stat of the day. Nigeria this year will have more births than all of Europe combined. Wow. One country in Africa.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't have the slightest idea how big Nigeria is, but it doesn't really make any difference. That's still amazing.

[Joe Getty]

It's. It's a very big country. Here are your fertility rates in Europe, keeping in mind that 2.2 is generally considered replacement rate. 2.2 children per mother because the dudes aren't having any babies, in spite of what the left would tell you. So you gotta have a mommy and a daddy out of a mommy to keep the thing going. And point two has to do with infant mortality and just blah, blah. Monaco is the champion of Europe. It's tiny little country at 2.1.

[Jack Armstrong]

They're not almost replacement. So the leader is below replacement rate. That's not good.

[Joe Getty]

Then you got Montenegro 1.8 down the line. I'll just pick some of the biggies. If you include Russia's at 1.5, Germany's at 1.5, Russia.

[Jack Armstrong]

And they're killing off their young men like crazy for no good reason.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. Poland 1.3. Spain 1.2. Malta 1.1. Ukraine, 1.0.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oof.

[Joe Getty]

Well, that's kind of a special case, but wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

But those countries are half of replacement rate.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well then, so then the we're allowing too much illegal immigration and it's going to change our culture thing. At that point that argument's kind of moot in that there ain't going to be any Polish people left. So unless you want it to be empty, you might as well let people from another country come in and have their run of the country with their food and songs and government because you ain't got no people.

[Joe Getty]

Specifically, Nigeria has about 7 million live births per year. Europe as a whole, which is in the 40s depending on your definition of what's a Europe, but has about 4 and a half maximum million births per year. Nigeria wins by 7 million to 4 and a half million.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. The world will look so much different in several decades because of that. Regardless of what happens politically or anything, it doesn't make any difference. There will be major, major changes just because of those demographics.

[Joe Getty]

One final note, and I hate to interrupt the fun that we've had, but there is a actual genocide going on right now by Nigeria's Muslims against Nigeria's Christians actually being rounded up and slaughtered for their religion in the fastest growing country on earth perhaps.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sorry. That was heavy.

[Joe Getty]

I apologize.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is heavy. And the Western civilization that had conquered that sort of division to where you slaughtered each other over your religion or race or whatever.

[Joe Getty]

Enlightenment. We became enlightened. Correct.

[Jack Armstrong]

Decided to stop having kids and we'll go away.

[Joe Getty]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, we got a dark age is coming. Good luck everybody. I'll be dead, so don't matter. Long dead. I probably got till this weekend. So we got. We got Mailbag on the way and a whole bunch of other stuff. Stay here.

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[Jack Armstrong]

I have no interest in the shutdown, but this whole argument around Obamacare or the Affordable Care act and whether or not we're just going to decide to go full socialized medicine is a pretty big story.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, 100%. Yeah. And, and healthcare, my goodness, is there anybody assembled here today who isn't constantly shocked at the cost of insurance and then co pays and drugs and then.

[Jack Armstrong]

The start of every year, how long.

[Joe Getty]

It takes to hit your deductible and the mystery charges? Want to talk about that later on? Yeah. Anyway, so we'll, we'll talk about that at some point coming up. Also next hour. Follow up on our hour almost yesterday about the great feminization. That discussion will share a lot of you good folks emails to us which are very, very interesting and full of real life examples and thoughts. So please do stay tuned. Here is your freedom loving quote of the sent along by alert listener Aaron, who's really been enjoying Frederick Frederic Bastiat's the Law, great philosopher, writer, etc. If you don't know it, it's worth a read. Here's your quote. When a portion of wealth passes from the person who has earned it without his consent and without compensation to one who has not created it, whether this is by force or fraud, I say that property is undermined and that there is plunder.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, that happens a lot. So if Mom Donnie's plan goes through in New York, if you made a million dollars, you would keep 450,000 of it.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

It would go to one or another different kind of government.

[Joe Getty]

The Journal editorial board was taking a look at some of his plans and how utterly impossible they are financially including. A lot of them depend on the state raising income tax significantly. And the governor who's running for election now is a jackass, Kathy Okal. But she's saying, no, no, I'm not going to do that as I try to run for reelection. It is completely hollow promises. Anyway, mailbag, drop us a Note [e-mail] so again, the great feminization stuff next hour. Here's some other fair. Here's your meme of the day sent by Deb. How do we expect a group of people who don't know the difference between a man and a woman to know the difference between a king and a president? Ah, that's a bit of a shot.

[Jack Armstrong]

One of them's got a penis. No, it doesn't.

[Joe Getty]

Work for that one. Yeah, it's. No, not with the. No. Moving along. Let's see. Joseph writes. Hey, guys, what's the update on Jack's Ukrainian girlfriend?

[Jack Armstrong]

I know she dropped off and she must have found another. She must have found another.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, no.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wasn't getting back to her fast enough. Remember, she said, our love can't continue if I don't start answering her questions and emailing her more.

[Joe Getty]

God, your love died of neglect.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yep, Yep. I didn't water the love, and it died.

[Joe Getty]

You put your career first, didn't you?

[Jack Armstrong]

Huh.

[Joe Getty]

Let's see. How about Case? Oh, actually, as long as we're getting personal, somebody wrote and asked Katie, how you're feeling in these early days of your pregnancy.

[Katie Green]

It's. It comes in waves.

[Joe Getty]

Yes.

[Katie Green]

Yes. Tired, hungry, and in pain in certain times.

[Joe Getty]

No, you got.

[Katie Green]

I'm eating. I'm eating everything.

[Jack Armstrong]

There you go.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that's. That's fun. Any morning sickness or anything? They were asking.

[Katie Green]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

You know, this is none of our business. Unless you want to, you know.

[Katie Green]

No, I'll share. It hits in waves every now and then. A couple times during the show, I've had to take off, but we're good.

[Jack Armstrong]

Some women love being pregnant, and those women should probably keep their mouths shut because other women. Women hate hearing that. That's been my experience. It can.

[Joe Getty]

It. Well, it's. There are times that it's a bit of a rough road, but it's the.

[Katie Green]

People that go, oh, just wait.

[Jack Armstrong]

Shut up. Yeah, yeah. Don't do that with. This is a tip to me now that I've had two kids that are now teenagers. Don't do that with any aspect of anybody starting out their family. Let them enjoy the whole. The whole thing. Wait till this happens. Wait till that happens. No, no, no. Not cool.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah. People enjoy being the. The wise and old sage. Oh, yeah. You just wait. Don't. Again, that's.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's not cool.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway, moving along on the topic of Dr. Fauci and peanuts, Casey writes, the fact that they interviewed Fauci, on what network was it?

[Jack Armstrong]

Do you remember CBS yesterday? They were talking to him about the peanut allergy, and I saw his face and thought, who the hell wants to see Dr. Fauci's face?

[Joe Getty]

Well, Casey points out the fact that they interviewed Fauci about the peanut allergy epidemic created by bad advice from healthcare professionals is beyond ironic.

[Jack Armstrong]

No kidding.

[Joe Getty]

Not just because of COVID but going back to HIV in the 80s. She says the book. Or it could be Case. Casey with a case probably a woman, right? The the book I first read about the peanut allergy epidemic was Blind spots by Marty McCary after hearing him on your show. Also highlighted in that book is the HIV epidemic and how it spread through the blood supply because they were paying people for blood donations at the time. Fauci was the head of the National Health Institute at the time and strongly denied that it was spreading it all through blood donations. And the chances were one in a million when they were much, much higher. He later later admitted that it was a problem.

[Jack Armstrong]

Fauci's probably working on gain of function research to develop a peanut that will kill us all.

[Joe Getty]

You know, he's. His whole career is I am so wise. I know what is best. And if I have to pull the wool over the eyes of the simpletons, I will do so. For I have decided if I have.

[Jack Armstrong]

To tell a noble lie because people aren't smart enough to handle the truth, I will do it right.

[Joe Getty]

He ought to get together with James Comey and just open up a consultancy for hubris. Anyway, California's redistricting. Prop 50. Ben writes on this topic. Ads run on a station we happen to be on, paid for by the teachers union, states that people of color's rights will be taken away if you don't vote yes on Prop 50 starts with we are under attack. I about fell out of my chair. Wow. Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Democracy doesn't work, man. It just doesn't work.

[Joe Getty]

Not anymore. Monarchy now. No kings. Yes kings.

[Jack Armstrong]

We got so much good stuff coming up. An hour too, if you don't get to get the podcast. Armstrong and Getty on demand.

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Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an I heart podcast.