I Clapped Back At My Own Brain

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand
Episode: I Clapped Back At My Own Brain
Release Date: February 11, 2025
Host: Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty
Published by: iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction

In the February 11, 2025 episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into a spectrum of pressing political and social issues. From the challenges within public education to the intensifying culture wars and international relations involving figures like Donald J. Trump and Elon Musk, this episode provides a comprehensive analysis of the current socio-political landscape. The conversation is laced with sharp insights, anecdotal reflections, and noteworthy exchanges that encapsulate the hosts' perspectives.

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Conservatism vs. Status Quo

Timestamp: [01:57] - [07:50]

Joe Getty opens the discussion by contemplating the nature of conservatism, distinguishing it from mere resistance to change. He reflects on his internal debate about opposing the status quo, which he initially perceives as contrary to conservative principles. Getty muses:

"I clapped back at my own brain" ([01:57]).

He challenges the efficacy of maintaining systems that are evidently failing, using public education as a primary example. Getty argues that despite increased funding over the decades, public schools are underperforming, raising the question of why such ineffective systems are preserved.

Jack Armstrong concurs, emphasizing the issue of public awareness:

"If people are aware of the miserable failure of our government schools, they are in enormous numbers in favor of some serious reforms" ([02:36]).

The hosts explore the philosophical underpinnings of conservatism, referencing Burkean gradualism versus outright systemic overhaul. Armstrong introduces the concept of Chesterton's Fence to illustrate the importance of understanding why a system exists before dismantling it.

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Government and Institutional Critique

Timestamp: [03:51] - [10:35]

The conversation shifts to critiquing governmental and institutional inefficiencies. Getty cites an ABC report highlighting an Elon Musk ally's overly rigid reforms at the Department of Treasury, which led to staff demoralization:

"You might be demoralized in fear for your job if you're not needed or you're doing a sucky job" ([04:27]).

Armstrong expands on this by discussing the broader implications of overregulation and unnecessary bureaucracy within schools and other institutions. They lament the focus on emotional responses over practical solutions, noting:

"If something is clearly not working, it's fine to get rid of it" ([03:51]).

The duo criticizes the prevalent mentality that associating negative emotions with necessary reforms indicates that the reforms are inherently wrong, citing examples from parenting to government programs.

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Culture Wars and Political Polarization

Timestamp: [10:59] - [19:18]

Armstrong and Getty navigate through the escalating culture wars, referencing Rich Lowry's analysis in the New York Post about the right experiencing a significant surge in cultural conflict. They discuss the Democrats' lack of cohesive strategy, as highlighted by Victor Davis Hanson, portraying the party as divided and ineffective in finding common ground.

Getty references a CBS poll indicating Trump's 53% approval rating, suggesting that mainstream media may be adjusting its portrayal of him:

"I felt like I could hear that 53% approval rating in David Muir's voice" ([25:27]).

Armstrong critiques Democratic leadership, pointing out the party's intransigence and refusal to collaborate, which he believes is detrimental to societal progress.

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International Relations and Technological Battles

Timestamp: [33:02] - [34:36]

The hosts briefly touch upon international tensions, specifically between the US and China. Getty highlights JD Vance's statement at the AI summit in Paris, criticizing China's strategy to build an economic fortress against US pressures:

"China Xi is building economic fortress against US Pressure as Trump turns up the heat on Beijing" ([33:25]).

Armstrong adds context by acknowledging Xi Jinping's strategic acumen, labeling him as "incredibly strategic and evil," and underscores the importance of the US fostering an economy resilient to external pressures.

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Elon Musk and OpenAI Conflict

Timestamp: [34:10] - [35:22]

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around Elon Musk's $97 billion bid for OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. The hosts speculate on Musk's motives, suggesting concerns over AI's potential misuse:

"Elon's afraid it's going to take everything evil and he wants to buy it and stop that from happening" ([34:40]).

They contrast Musk's aggressive acquisition strategies with Sam Altman's counteroffer to purchase Twitter, illustrating the fractious relationship between the two tech moguls.

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Public Sector and Labor Unions

Timestamp: [15:55] - [17:23]

Returning to the topic of public education, Armstrong and Getty scrutinize teacher union contracts, particularly criticizing overly lenient disciplinary procedures. They cite Michigan's teacher union contract, which stipulates that teachers must be caught drunk five times before termination:

"You have to be caught selling drugs a second time to get fired" ([16:28]).

The hosts argue that such policies prioritize protecting teachers over ensuring quality education, pointing out the inefficiencies and misplaced priorities within union-driven bureaucracy.

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Satirical and Personal Interludes

Timestamp: [11:22] - [24:02]

Interspersed within the political discourse are humorous exchanges and personal anecdotes. The hosts mock public figures and share light-hearted banter about age differences, birthdays, and celebrity birthday counterparts like Jeb Bush and Sarah Palin.

Jack Armstrong humorously reflects on his 60th birthday, downplaying its significance and expressing a desire to focus on present activities rather than milestones:

"Let's have fun. Let's do this show. Let's play some golf. Let's enjoy a nice glass of wine." ([21:13]).

This segment serves to humanize the hosts and provide a respite from the intense political discussions.

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Closing Remarks

Timestamp: [35:22]

As the episode progresses towards its conclusion, Armstrong and Getty reiterate their commitment to addressing critical issues like education reform and political strategy. They emphasize the necessity of raising public awareness to drive meaningful societal changes:

"We can arouse the awareness of the population and help them understand how miserable the current state of things is." ([32:18]).

The hosts wrap up with a blend of mockery towards political hypocrisy and a reaffirmation of their roles as commentators dedicated to uncovering truth and challenging ineffective systems.

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Notable Quotes

• "I clapped back at my own brain" - Joe Getty ([01:57])
• "If people are aware of the miserable failure of our government schools, they are in enormous numbers in favor of some serious reforms" - Jack Armstrong ([02:36])
• "If something is clearly not working, it's fine to get rid of it" - Jack Armstrong ([03:51])
• "I felt like I could hear that 53% approval rating in David Muir's voice" - Joe Getty ([25:27])
• "Elon's afraid it's going to take everything evil and he wants to buy it and stop that from happening" - Joe Getty ([34:40])
• "We can arouse the awareness of the population and help them understand how miserable the current state of things is" - Jack Armstrong ([32:18])

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Conclusion

The February 11 episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand offers a robust examination of the interplay between conservatism, governmental inefficiency, cultural polarization, and international dynamics. Through incisive dialogue and candid exchanges, Armstrong and Getty provide listeners with a nuanced perspective on contemporary issues, advocating for informed reform and strategic political engagement.

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For those interested in the full conversation and additional insights, tuning into the episode is highly recommended.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now here, Armstrong and Get it live from Studio C, Senor.

[Joe Getty]

A dimly lit room deeper than the bowels of the Armstrong and G communications compound. And today, we are under the tutelage of our general manager, Donald J. Trump.

[Jack Armstrong]

His world, we're just living in it.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, no doubt, no doubt. I got a philosophical question for you that you're perfect to answer.

[Jack Armstrong]

I hope so.

[Joe Getty]

I was arguing about in my head as I was driving, but I can't do it over this music.

[Jack Armstrong]

Nice groove. This is a fine groove, Michael. Thanks for playing.

[Joe Getty]

How y'all doing? So two of our lead stories today we'll be talking about is Trump threatening all hell breaking loose in Gaza if they don't turn over the hostages? That's a good one. We'll talk about that today. The AI conference that's going on in Europe and all that sort of stuff. But, you know, plenty of Doge stuff still going on, roiling the country, D.C. and everything like that. And I was thinking about the power of status quo, how it's just. Just the momentum of status quo is just so amazing. And then I thought to myself, but wait a second, dude, I'm arguing my. Like I'm really putting a finger in my chest, say, hey, wise guy, your anti status quo. I thought that's what conservatism was, you know, conserving things, hanging on to things. Then I shot back at my phone, you owned yourself.

[Jack Armstrong]

I owned.

[Joe Getty]

I clapped back at my own brain.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes.

[Joe Getty]

Trying to figure out this. So the idea of conservatism is you hang on to things that are working. The status quo, though, that we're trying to disrupt are things that aren't working. So that's, that's the. That's where status quo becomes a problem. Why would we hang on to things, continue doing things that don't work? For instance, public schooling. We're spending multiples more money than we were spending 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago, for less results. Why wouldn't you want to disrupt that in a major way? I mean, like, in a major way where people going, my God, what are.

[Jack Armstrong]

We gonna do now?

[Joe Getty]

I don't know, something different because this isn't working.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sure. Yeah. I think the fundamental problem is awareness. If people, if people are aware of the miserable failure of our government schools, they are in enormous numbers in favor of some serious reforms, even if they're not quite sure what those should look like. But I think a huge percentage of the population assumes that their school experience is continuing on today. That's roughly the same with roughly the same effectiveness.

[Joe Getty]

There's gotta be a word for that though. The difference between status quo for things that aren't working versus conservatism, which is, you know, moving slowly in a Burkean way. Because if you got a functioning society, you don't want me jerking it around too much because you're not exactly sure why it's functioning.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sure, yeah, that's, that's a good distinction. A really interesting topic. I just think it has to do with, with realism and continually, you know, the, the Chesterton's fence is. You don't remove the fence unless you know 100% why it was there. Well, I think that's all about understanding effectiveness, of always appraising whether things are working or not. That's kind of the other side of the coin. If something is clearly not working, it's fine to get rid of it.

[Joe Getty]

Here's another example of the power of status quo. Let me grab this. This is from abc looking at their tweet. An Elon Musk ally hired to overhaul the Department of Treasury has an under. Has an undertaking hardline has a record of undertaking hardline reforms in the private sector that demoralized staff and made them fear for their jobs, according to interviews with several former employees. Well, you might, you might be demoralized in fear for your job if you're not needing, needed or you're doing a sucky job.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why?

[Joe Getty]

I don't, I don't even understand the conversation. It's hard to have an argument with people when I don't even understand your point of view. I guess my point of view is so freaking. What? So what?

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. I think we may be better positioned than some to, to understand and feel what you're talking about because media has changed so vastly in the last 30 years and, and you know, radio ranches that none specific come to mind, but that had employed 98 people 15 years ago, now employ 15, 20, maybe three. Well, it depends. Yeah, it depends where you're talking about. So the idea of, well, the world has changed and now they want to make changes at the company and that's unfair. It's just. I don't know what world you live in that's immune to change.

[Joe Getty]

Well, yeah, if ABC's point is losing your job sucks or industries changing and becoming more efficient in a way that they don't need you sucks for you. Yeah, I understand. But acting like it's just a Horror.

[Jack Armstrong]

In general or that something unfair has been done.

[Joe Getty]

Right? Yeah, exactly. That's it. That's. Something unfair has been done. No, it's just, you know, we're going to do things differently now because this wasn't work. We found a more efficient way to do it. Now, of course, this all hinges on the fact that it actually is going to accomplish something and be more efficient. But in the case of the public schools, for instance, I don't, I don't know how it could get worse. Really.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. I. It might be as simple as. And this seems just so dopey, it can't be true, but I think it is. And there are a bunch of different examples of this, bunch of different contexts. We've had a very similar conversation. If it makes someone feel bad, it must be wrong.

[Joe Getty]

There you go. That is a lot of the coverage.

[Jack Armstrong]

Of this, and it extends to all sorts of things from parenting to government reform, to ending programs that don't work, to reforming schools, to, you know, the, the teachers union head who, who would have made just a great Nazi seems upset, therefore this must be wrong. Someone is upset. This must be wrong.

[Joe Getty]

I guess that gets to that difference in philosophy of looking at individuals as opposed to the whole group. I'm sad for all the kids in school across the country who have so many layers of middle management that aren't needed that they can't get the sort of education that happened decades earlier. That makes me sad. You get sad for the individual middle management person that didn't used to exist and everything was just fine if they're gonna lose their job, but not for the kids.

[Jack Armstrong]

Is it just the practical versus the emotional? I mean, anything somebody of our mindset is involved with, you ask, what are we doing here? Why are we here to educate children? How are we doing? Very poorly. What is standing in the way of educating those children and then addressing it? And absolutely, people are gonna be upset by those answers and by the solutions you, you decide upon. But that's, that's. Not only is that fine, it's absolutely necessary, but there's a significant chunk of the population that can't get past, oh, somebody's upset. It must be mean. I don't know, Republicans or whatever, just being jerks.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. If this education week where Doge is really looking at education, I wish Elon could get somebody at a high position, teachers union or something like that to answer that question of why, if the student population has gone up, you know, single digits present, the number of middle management people in schools has gone up. 180%. Why? And this is just in the 2000s, not even going back to like the 80s or something like that. Why, why, why do you need that many more people in a school where all the money is going than you used to to do what, what would their answer be?

[Jack Armstrong]

On the left? Yeah, their, their political answer or the truthful answer?

[Joe Getty]

I think. Well, truthful answer. It's a jobs program. It's pretty simple but.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, right, yeah, I was going to say the, the political answer would be we need experts to solve these problems. So we have added more funding, we've got more folks involved who are going to get to the bottom of this, blah, blah, blah. But no, the, the honest answer is no. We're just. We know we can count on their votes. We are buying our power through government schools.

[Joe Getty]

The pushback on the political answer seems pretty easy though. But we're getting less lower results, we're getting worse results. So it hasn't worked.

[Jack Armstrong]

We're getting really philosophical here. Here's the head butting that makes me uncomfortable. Every civilization, every society, every culture has its myths. And myths doesn't necessarily mean inaccurate or fictional. They are stories we all tell that help us understand the way our culture works. And in the United States, one of the most critical ones is that we have a system of self governance. We the people, for the people, by the people, etceter. And, and that we all participate in. And it's a beautiful thing. And it is a beautiful thing. It's one of the most incredible things that's ever been done on the face of the earth by humankind. On the other hand, the honest truth is there's only a little truth to that and there's a whole lot of self serving greed and lust for power and that we the people, you know, it's funny that that's not, it's not contradictory. I think we the people just need to be smart enough to know, like the founding fathers did, that evildoers will exploit that system as much as they can all the time. But we've lost our cynicism about politicians because the government does everything all the time now. And so we're dependent. It's practically Stockholm syndrome. We dare not displease our captors.

[Joe Getty]

Well, we got the latest list of recommended or actual doge cuts from a whole bunch of different places. There was a lot yesterday. Some of you agree with, some of you might not. I don't know. We should start the show officially. I'm Jack Armstrong, he's Joe Getty on this. It is how did it already get to be Tuesday, February 11th, the year 2025? We are Armstrong and Getty, and that ain't no jive. And we approve of this program.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, let's begin officially then, according to FCC rules and regulations, Here we go at Mark. Elon Musk, where are. Bring your ass over here so you can see who's here. People with an IQ between 75 and 85 deserve a congresswoman, too.

[Joe Getty]

Bring your ass over here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Maxine Waters.

[Joe Getty]

Elon might walk over. He's that kind of guy, and say, okay, let's have a conversation here on the microphones in front of everybody. What do you want to talk about?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

The penny.

[Jack Armstrong]

As. As Maxine and Chuck and Hakeem bravely stand up for bureaucrats and against the American people. Good strategy.

[Joe Getty]

Elon Musk, bring your ass over here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Things are getting weird, and they're getting weird fast.

[Joe Getty]

You're right, you unelected dictator. How does Mailbag look? Oh, that's right. We've moved Mailbag. The listeners must be adjusting poorly, because I know I am.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes.

[Joe Getty]

Move Mailbag. Two different segments.

[Jack Armstrong]

This Jack considers this Chesterton's tease. We don't want to remove this tease until we fully understand why Mailbag was in the second segment.

[Joe Getty]

Man, JD Vance gave quite a statement about AI in Europe yesterday in front of the world leaders of AI Controversial, among other things. Stay with us.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

The Eagles scored 24 points in just the first half. 24.

[Jack Armstrong]

24.

[Joe Getty]

Or in football terms, one full Bilbe girlfriend. You could tell the game was over when the Eagles dumped Gatorade on their.

[Jack Armstrong]

Coach halfway through the second quarter.

[Joe Getty]

We still got a lot of game left. That's interesting, that whole Bill Belichick. He's a famous coach if you don't know who he is. But the key to the story is his super hot girlfriend was a cheerleader while he was a Coach. And he's 50 years older than her.

[Jack Armstrong]

50.

[Joe Getty]

48, actually, but I mean, close enough. 50 freaking years. And the way he flaunts it is just so interesting. Interesting and like a. No, I'm not, like, a little uncomfortable with this. I may. I know you're. I know you're jealous of me. I make. I don't make her. But she dresses as skimpy as possible to accentuate the fact that she's 50 years younger than me.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Your Honor, I've got to stand up for the defense here. Mr. Belichick isn't flaunting anything. It's his girlfriend. He Goes places with her and she's a lovely young gal who dresses like lovely young gals. I'm hearing a lot of prejudicial talk out of the prosecutor here.

[Joe Getty]

50 years.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I know.

[Joe Getty]

I would think you'd have literally nothing to talk about in terms of reference.

[Jack Armstrong]

Really into, you know, the blitz and defensive backs. Yes, Katie, Their play.

[C]

Oh, it's simple. They love each other.

[Jack Armstrong]

Thank you.

[Joe Getty]

Exactly.

[Jack Armstrong]

Joe Biden's long lost daughter. Yeah, I. I prize the. The right for people to make their own choices in life and follow their own paths, and I totally get the lifestyle. Must be fantastic. But I just. I don't know, darling, maybe she thinks. You know, it's funny, I had a conversation with a youngish person the other day and it was so well reflected with your discussion of Henry, your son, who was talking about serving in the military and having a good long career and then saying, hey, when I get out, I'll only be X years old. I'll have plenty of life in front of me. Which is incredibly insightful for a lad of his years. I think maybe the young gal on Bill's arm is thinking, you know what, when he croaks, I'll be like, 33 and still hot. So. And I've got a verbal contract that he'll, quote, unquote, support me. We're working on firming that up. Everything's going beautifully.

[Joe Getty]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Michael, Maybe they're both Milton Berle fans. Oh, boy.

[Joe Getty]

Well, I'll make a controversial statement. I don't know where the cut, if cut off is because I don't think this for, you know, all age gaps, but I think at 50 years, if she's in love with him, she's got some psychological problem.

[Jack Armstrong]

I believe that would be correct, yeah. I mean, I have a handful of relationships with much younger people than me and they are entirely friend, mentor, sounding board, which is a beautiful thing. But if it turned romantic, I'd be like, what the hell? And I'm many years younger than him. Well, several. A few, anyway, wanted to get to this.

[Joe Getty]

It's simple. They love each other. Exactly. Just like Joe Biden's dad fancifully told him in 1940 or something about gay men kissing on the sidewalk. Another.

[Jack Armstrong]

And how that was perfectly fine. It's simple. They love each other. Good Lord. Is the mummy still kicking? She's still around as far as. Yeah. So I wanted to get to this. Gosh, we don't really have time. How much time do we have, Michael? Barely a minute. I don't know if we can get. We're talking about teachers unions and schools and how bloated they are and how they're not educating anybody. And they recently reported in the Free Press the miserable test scores. You've probably heard them. But they're highlighting a teacher's union contract from Michigan that reveals that to be fired, you have to be caught drunk at school five times.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I saw that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Five times. Caught drunk. Which means you have an unlimited pass if you can keep it on the qt. So who knew there was such attractive jobs?

[Joe Getty]

I know, to me that's just. That's just a giant billboard for we're all about protecting teachers, not about making sure your kids are educated in the best way. That is our number one.

[Jack Armstrong]

If you as a teacher get caught literally selling drugs, your punishment is three days without pay. You have to get caught selling drugs a second time to get fired. Then they mentioned that the entire flowchart of the Fairfax county schools flows through their DEI office. Everybody reports to DEI more or less alongside the head of the school district.

[Joe Getty]

There you go.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's insane. Has nothing to do with educating the kids. That's an afterthought.

[Joe Getty]

Mailbag's on the way. And a bunch of other stuff. If you missed a segment, get the podcast Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Gettysburg.

[Joe Getty]

The great Rich Lowry writes in the New York Post today that we, the right, have had our best three weeks in the culture war in half a century, at least. And goes through the examples, which is pretty interesting. I think he's right then. That's something, though. That is something. Here's my favorite doge cut from me that was announced yesterday. $9 million cut from Central American Gender Assessment Services. Gender assessment. So down in Central America, I was paying with my taxpayer money to assess what gender you are. Hey, you look like a chick to me. Next.

[Jack Armstrong]

And if there's any doubt, we'll drop your pants. I mean, it's a little intrusive, but yeah, yeah, it's just crazy. And just strategically speaking, read a couple of sages talking about how the. The Democrats. And we'll get into this in detail in a little bit. But. But they seem to be going with hair on Fire all the time as the strategy directed in various, you know, directions and kind of varying messages just about theft and constitutional crises and unelected this and. But it. That. It's a horror and everything's terrible and God help us all. And I find myself wondering what if you'd just lay low for a little bit. Just wait for Trump to do Something wrong? Maybe the tariffs. I'm concerned that the tariffs are really going to screw up the economy, for instance. Just wait for that. But I guess you don't raise money that way. Maybe that's it. Anyway, here's your freedom loving quote of the day.

[Joe Getty]

Well, I know, I know that Mark Halperin writes and quoting a lot of Democratic strategists. They're at a complete loss at how to do this. It's like a whirlwind has hit them hard and fast with what looks to be a lot of public support and they just have no idea what they should do at this point to fight back and are just flailing.

[Jack Armstrong]

They seem to be divided 50, 50 between those who are screaming we need to move further to the left and oppose everything Trump does. And then the sane branch of the Democratic Party that's saying no, why don't we work with them when we can and shove our lunatic left wing aside because they're killing us here. Right, but I mean there is no accord there. Anyway. I thought this was so interesting. Stephen sent this along. Did the God fearing founders of America arrive at the three branches of government from the Bible? This is from Isaiah 33rd chapter 24th verse. For Jehovah is our judge, Jehovah is our lawgiver, Jehovah is our king, he is the one who will save us. I see judicial, legislative and executive right there in Scripture. I think you know, that reflects the ancient reality that when human beings associate, they need someone to make up the rules, then figure out how are we going to enforce these rules and what if there's a disagreement? I think it's as simple as that. But yeah, it's interesting indeed that it goes way back to the Old Testament. The Bible. That's right, sir. That's what we're talking about. Mailbag. You can drop us a note anytime you like, Michael. Always appropriate. Drop us a note. Mailbagarmstrongandgetti.com this first email references the fact that today is indeed my birthday. Not only that, it is my 60th birthday. I know you're thinking, Joe. You seem so youthful and clever.

[Joe Getty]

That can't be true.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I know.

[Joe Getty]

Have you checked the math on that?

[Jack Armstrong]

I know, I know. Jack and I first connected in our mid-20s.

[Joe Getty]

We were 25.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

That seems.

[Jack Armstrong]

I only remember like three things between then and now. Two of them were brothers of children that. Sorry, Delaney.

[Joe Getty]

That seems like. And I know if you're 40, this seems weird. Maybe. Or certainly if you're 25, that seems like six years ago?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, roughly.

[Joe Getty]

Seems like about six years ago.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it's crazy.

[Joe Getty]

It's nuts.

[Jack Armstrong]

And I've received a lot of well wishes, which is lovely and very, very much appreciated. And it's funny. It's Tuesday. It's a work day. I've got my kids arriving in town this week, which is big fun.

[Joe Getty]

That is awesome.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it is awesome. And I'm looking forward to reconnecting in various ways. My son and I. I picked him up at the airport, give him a big hug, and then we philosophized the entire way home from the airport, which is what we do. My eldest, my youngest daughter and I spar and joke and kid each other. And so it's. It's just fun reconnecting. It's been great. But happy birthday, Joe. Thank you, Michael. Appreciate it. Hopefully Hanson and Katie will get you something. And as to the whole, you know, I don't need anything. As to the old 60 thing, which seems like such a milestone. You know, it's funny. I was so miserable, like, a year ago because of my back problems, and I feel so much better now. I. I feel like I'm de. Aging or something. I'm not, Lord knows, but. So I don't feel old. I feel younger than I used to. So I don't know. I just. Let's. Let's just keep doing what we're doing. Let's have fun. Let's do this show. Let's play some golf. Let's enjoy a nice glass of wine. And just as opposed to not big on milestones.

[Joe Getty]

As opposed to what? Lay down in front of a train? I mean, is that the other option, or.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, no, no, no. I'm just. I've never been huge about milestones. It's like when I graduated from college, I was like, all right, what's next? I just. I didn't weep. And maybe I lack the ability to reflect properly on things as they pass. But. But certainly when my kids moved out, that was a big thing, but I'm like, yeah, okay, thanks. Great. Let's. Let's get on with life. Anyway, so this is from David Reno, with whom I apparently share a birthday. In fact, here are some other famous people that we share a birthday with. I was aware of some of these people, not all of them. Jeb Bush. I'm sorry. That's Jeb with an exclamation point. Sarah Palin lipstick. How old is she?

[Joe Getty]

You guys are probably about the same age, aren't you? You and Sarah Palin?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Yeah, we could date, but Just gonna remind Judy that now and again, Sarah Palin and I, we got a connection. Anyway. Alex Jones. Oh, great, the Thomas Edison. What order is this?

[Joe Getty]

This is a good list you've got.

[Jack Armstrong]

Good in a way.

[Joe Getty]

Alex Jones. Well, sharing. Sharing day with a big. With your birthday, with other people. Thomas Edison. That's a big one.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is a big one. Although, you know my great. Well, I'll, I'll finish some of the list.

[Joe Getty]

Your mom's fault.

[Jack Armstrong]

It is, I know, just always in a hurry and I'll explain that in a moment. But Leslie Nielsen, the great Burt Reynolds, Jennifer Aniston and other people who don't matter. But I've always been resentful that I was one day short of sharing a birthday with my great hero, Abraham Lincoln, which would be cool. Instead, I get Burt Reynolds. Traded the beard for the mustache, I guess. What are you gonna do? Moving along. Moving along with Mailbag, the question of the Democrats going crazy. And JT read an interesting Victor Davis Hanson piece about that. But to put it bluntly, the left has abandoned this common sense approach of finding middle ground, working together. Ever since Trump came down that escalator, they've abandoned any effort to seek common ground. The result is what VDH writes about in his article, Anti Americanism, anti rule of law, anti equality in favor of equal outcomes, and even anti reality. If Trump was for opening schools based on the science, they were against it. When Trump wants to control the border, they want to leave it wide open. When Trump wants to report illegal aliens guilty of terrible crimes, they want to fight to keep murderers, rapists and gang members in the country. When Trump wants to save taxpayers billions or trillions of wasteful government spending dollars, they want to fight for the wasteful government spending. There is no common ground to be found in a party that's hell bent on opposing everything Trump wants to do. It's, it's a bizarre sort of politics, just dumb.

[Joe Getty]

I like your strategy of I would hang back and wait for something to go wrong because inevitably will on the world stage, domestically something and then take your shots. The, the trying to turn what's going in right now into something bad. You ain't gonna do it. There's too much public support. I felt like there was a different tone on the evening newscasts last night, and I blame Slash credit it to that CBS poll that came out Sunday with Trump having a 53% approval rating. I felt like I could hear that 53% approval rating in David Muir's voice as they were covering Trump yesterday at the beginning of the evening newscast, much more treating him like a regular president. I mean, maybe he has a point sort of tone. I, you know, maybe I'm making that up, but I really feel like that. And they should be. They should be. There should have been somebody in that news director meeting and all of those newscasts saying, hey, look, people, he's got a 53% approval rating after all of this craziness has happened. So maybe other people don't think it's as crazy as we do. Maybe we ought to look at it slightly different. I mean, they'd be, they'd be nuts if they weren't doing that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. I don't have any great admiration for politicians brains and wisdom and the rest of it. I think most of them are hacks and greedheads. But I would think they would at least perceive a what you just said and be that the frantic, the sky is falling. He's a Russian agent. He's going to kill millions of people with COVID I don't trust his vaccine. Now that it's our vaccine, jab it into yourself whether you like it or not. I mean, just the systematic. He wants the borders closed. Open up the borders. Let rapist in. Having seen how miserably all that failed, I would think they would at least say, hey, let's talk about this for a couple of weeks and figure out what to do. But instead they're, I mean, full speed ahead. That moron Maxine Waters screeching at security guards at the Department of Energy and Chuck Schumer bellowing, we will fight in the streets. What are you going to fight in the streets? Exactly. Anyway, we're kind of getting off on a tangent away from Mailbag, which is fine. A number of people have sent the screenshot. House votes on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. Republicans 216 to nothing. Yay. With two Democrat votes joining them. But Democrats were 206 to two against protect. Protecting girls in sports.

[Joe Getty]

I didn't know that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, in the caption is imagine being the party that accuses the other party of hating women, then voting against women. The hypocrisy's breath. Wow.

[Joe Getty]

They're so scared of the nutty left that they were that uniform. And being against that.

[Jack Armstrong]

My. Wait a minute. Bone is a humming. I want to check those numbers to verify them. Don't take that to the back.

[Joe Getty]

Okay. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Because that strikes me as I've received it from a bunch of people. It says it appears to be a screen capture from Fox News, but it's easy to make things appear to be something they're not.

[Joe Getty]

Definitely, Definitely.

[Jack Armstrong]

That'll do for now. Sprinkle in some more later.

[Joe Getty]

Copper is already up 2 1/2 percent. This was yesterday. I haven't looked today because of the announcement of ending the penny. That's almost 15% so far this year. And it's early February, so the return on keeping pennies in a jar is beating interest earned by keeping cash in the bank, currently, at least for pennies.

[Jack Armstrong]

I shouldn't have chucked them away all these years.

[Joe Getty]

You actually throw them away or.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Leave them. Well, no, no, no.

[Joe Getty]

First of all, that's a federal offense and I would call the fence.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, good Lord.

[Joe Getty]

I know it's your birthday. I can't have you destroying currency.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, no, I just leave them places for people to find them.

[Joe Getty]

Well, that's nice.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'll leave them on counters or whatever.

[Joe Getty]

I can't tell if that's nice or just like, super, the opposite. Here's a penny to the proletariat. I hope they have a good day. I left them a plenty.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't address them to their face like that. I just leave it. And fellow oligarchs like me will pass it by and say, I'm not picking up that filthy piece of copper. But the poor might appreciate my all.

[Joe Getty]

I feel like that's the way that. We'll take a break for Katie's headlines. I've said for years that's the way they should judge whether or not we should keep currency. Get a hundred random people, maybe do it in an airport or bus station or something like that. You leave a penny on the ground, a nickel on the ground and the dime on the ground. What percentage of people bend over to pick it up? Almost nobody's going to bend over to pick up a penny, which is proof that it is worthless. I don't know about the nickel. Almost everybody, I think, would pick up the dimension, but nickel? I'm not exactly sure.

[Jack Armstrong]

You're, you're.

[Joe Getty]

You're sour on the nickel. I still think a nickel is something, but practically nobody's going to bend over to pick up a penny, which I think is.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't think I've spent 27 hours in the last year with any change in my pocket.

[Joe Getty]

Well, no and no. If you're under the age of 40, you don't. You haven't spent an hour with any money in your pocket at all in the last year. Younger people, I know, just the idea of having money in your pocket seems insane. Why Would you do that? Yes. Katie.

[C]

Another big indicator are the numerous shops on Etsy of people drilling holes in pennies and turning them into keychains.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[C]

When that penny jewelry everywhere.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, really?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

When that's happening, your currency is no longer how did it take till now for Trump to say we nobody, we don't need the penny.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's that weird clinging to what is status quo, whether it's a government program or the schools or whatever. We just were terrified by the idea of reexamining things and asking the only question that matters is this working right?

[Joe Getty]

But then we adopt as a country or get scared into adopting. All of a sudden dudes can participate in girls sports and there's no such thing as men's and women's restrooms. I mean, so how does that sweep the nation? At the same time, we're unwilling to, you know, do away with the time change that we all hate or the penny, which is worthless.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's bullying. That's how bullying, I guess by radicals.

[Joe Getty]

Katie's headlines on the way. Stay here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Have we had the best three weeks in the culture war in a half a century? As Rick Lowry writes of the National Review, maybe the there's some new polling out about people's attitudes towards the whole trans thing. Kind of interesting, man. It's moved a lot the correct direction, in my opinion, in the last couple of years. I mean, a lot. So we'll get to that next hour. Among other things, the next great challenge.

[Jack Armstrong]

Schools, American government schools. We can arouse the awareness of the population and help them understand how miserable the current state of things is. I think we could really change the society for the better. Anyway, more on that to come. But right now let's figure out who's reporting what. It's the lead story with Katie Green.

[C]

Katie, thank you, guys. NBC Trump threatens, quote, all hell is going to break out if Hamas delays the hostage release.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, we'll get into a couple of statements he made yesterday, one on the plane and one from the Oval Office. He ain't kidding either. I don't think kind of a long.

[Jack Armstrong]

Neither we nor Hamas nor Israel really knows what the shape of that might be. To Bring it on.

[C]

Breitbart.com nearly 1/3 of Gazans wanted to leave before the war.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm not shocked. It's if you lived in a society governed by Hamas, how much would you enjoy it?

[C]

From the business standard, FBI uncovers 2400 secret records on John F. Kennedy's assassination.

[Joe Getty]

My.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know what's the significance?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I'm making my skeptical face.

[Jack Armstrong]

Then Mr. Jones interviewed Mr. Smith, who had nothing of interest to say. Is that one of the records? I don't know.

[C]

From the Wall Street Journal. China Xi is building economic fortress against US Pressure as Trump turns up the heat on Beijing.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, we got to get into JD Vance's statement at the big AI summit in Paris from yesterday. And it was all directed at China as the world is attempting to hamstring us around AI when China is going to ignore those rules, similar to the climate change stuff.

[Jack Armstrong]

And Xi Jinping, while evil is smart as hell and he's understood that. All right, so the US tries to pressure us in this way, that way and that way. We need to build an economy in a society that can't be pressured in any of those three ways. So they're working at it like crazy. He's incredibly strategic and evil.

[C]

For the Washington Post. Elon Musk and group of investors launches $97 billion bid for chat GPT maker Open Air.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

To which Sam Altman immediately replied. How about I buy Twitter for $9 billion?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. I don't have time to figure out that. That whole rift between those two guys, it's like Kendrick Lamar and Drake to me. I'm aware they hate each other, but I'm not sure why.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, well, Elon is concerned about the fact that OpenAI is about to go private when the whole the reason it's called Open AI is originally was, you know, this is going to be open and people can see it and it's not going to be evil. And Elon's afraid it's going to take everything evil and he wants to buy it and stop that from happening. I don't know.

[C]

And finally, the Babylon Bee house doubles in value after being egged.

[Joe Getty]

There you go. Being egged is a good thing. Now try to scrape it off. You can catch it in a cup.

[Jack Armstrong]

If you get a slick it off like Rocky eat it Raw.

[Joe Getty]

Egg heists.

[Jack Armstrong]

All across the country.

[Joe Getty]

We have more on more on that. There's quite a bit of news to talk about today, so our two could be juicy.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't appreciate that choice of words, but I agree it will be action packed. Armstrong and Gettysburg.