I Prefer One Armed Push-Ups With A Clap

Summary

Podcast Summary: Armstrong & Getty On Demand – "I Prefer One Armed Push-Ups With A Clap"

Release Date: January 14, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts
Podcast Title: Armstrong & Getty On Demand

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Introduction

In the January 14, 2025 episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into pressing national and international issues, including President Biden's Afghanistan withdrawal, China's tightening grip on its financial sector, the exacerbation of California's wildfires due to policy missteps, and the upcoming Pete Hegseth confirmation hearing. The episode features an insightful conversation with Congressman Tom McClintock, offering a comprehensive analysis of these topics.

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U.S. Foreign Policy and President Biden's Afghanistan Withdrawal

Discussion Points:

• President Biden's Afghanistan Strategy:
  Biden's efforts to expand NATO, support Ukraine, withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, and address challenges posed by China are scrutinized. The focus is on the sudden end to the Afghanistan mission, particularly the tragic suicide bombing at Kabul airport that resulted in the loss of 13 U.S. service members.

• Impact on Biden's Presidency:
  The Afghanistan withdrawal is highlighted as a significant factor that led to Biden's plummeting approval ratings, marking a pivotal downturn in his administration.

Notable Quotes:

• Jack Armstrong [00:33]:
  "And horribly undermined his foreign policy goals too, as America was displayed as weak and feckless."

• Tom McClintock [01:00]:
  "Watch what people do, not what they say. Well, he's already done it, so he can say anything he wants. It's just kind of sad and useless, in my opinion."

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China's Financial Crackdown and Global Implications

Discussion Points:

• Xi Jinping's Purges:
  The Wall Street Journal reports on China’s crackdown of its financial sector, with Xi Jinping targeting skilled bankers who previously contributed to significant investments and profits. This move aims to consolidate Xi's power but risks destabilizing China's economy.

• Economic Consequences:
  Economists express concerns that China's actions may dampen investor confidence (“animal spirits”) and lead to conservative financial practices that could reduce returns and increase economic stagnation.

• Sociopolitical Challenges:
  China faces a shrinking population, a massive property bubble, and increasing sociological issues, including a lack of job prospects for the youth and widespread dissatisfaction.

Notable Quotes:

• Jack Armstrong [03:13]:
  "They have trillions of dollars worth of off the books local government debts. They have the biggest property bubble in the history of mankind and a shrinking population."

• Tom McClintock [05:42]:
  "China could do the whole how did you go bankrupt gradually, then suddenly thing just collapse one of these days."

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TikTok and Propaganda Concerns

Discussion Points:

• TikTok's Influence:
  The podcast examines TikTok's algorithm and its role as a propaganda tool for the Chinese Communist Party, highlighting the platform's significant influence on public perception and information dissemination.

• Content Analysis:
  A major study cited in the discussion reveals that TikTok maintains a relatively lower percentage of negative content about China compared to platforms like Instagram and YouTube, indicating a possible agenda to shape narratives favorably.

Notable Quotes:

• Jack Armstrong [10:16]:
  "It's unquestionably a propaganda wing of the Chinese Communist Party. It's owned by a hostile foreign power."

• Tom McClintock [11:15]:
  "That's where it gets complicated, that it's a complicated business ownership who gets to do what, how do you stop them Thing for the Supreme Court to deal."

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California Wildfires: Policy Failures and Political Impact

Guest:
Congressman Tom McClintock – Member of the Natural Resources Committee and author of a Wall Street Journal piece on California wildfires.

Discussion Points:

• Historical Context:
  McClintock outlines how proactive land management practices in the 20th century successfully reduced wildfire acreage from 4.5 million to 250,000 acres annually.

• Policy Missteps:
  Recent stringent environmental laws have impeded essential land management activities, leading to the resurgence of wildfire incidents to historic levels.

• Political Priorities:
  The conversation critiques California’s prioritization of progressive policies over pragmatic land and resource management, contributing to the state's vulnerability to wildfires.

• Sanctuary Policies and Crime:
  The discussion extends to how sanctuary city policies have exacerbated crime rates, linking them to broader issues of law enforcement and public safety.

Notable Quotes:

• Tom McClintock [18:12]:
  "Throughout all recorded history, California lost about 4 1/2 million acres a year to catastrophic fire... fire losses declined throughout the 20th century. But the environmental laws that we passed have made the permitting for these practices... ended fire losses have increased again."

• Jack Armstrong [22:32]:
  "I know in your piece in the Wall Street Journal, you also touched upon how Mayor Karen Bass in LA, who's cutting tens of millions of dollars from the fire budget, seems to have unlimited money for bums, junkies and illegal immigrants."

• Joe Getty [23:01]:
  "This is an admission by Newsom that these laws not only have not worked, they've been counterproductive."

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Upcoming Pete Hegseth Confirmation Hearing

Discussion Points:

• Hegseth's Vision for the Department of Defense:
  Pete Hegseth emphasizes restoring the "warrior ethos" to the Pentagon, focusing on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, and readiness.

• Critique of Previous Secretaries:
  Hegseth criticizes past Department of Defense leaders for lacking practical military experience, advocating for a more hands-on approach.

• Gender Roles in Combat:
  The hearing includes debates on the effectiveness of integrating women into combat roles, with Hegseth advocating for performance-based standards.

Notable Quotes:

• Pete Hegseth [29:28]:
  "This hearing is for you. Thank you for figuratively and literally having my back."

• Jack Armstrong [30:46]:
  "Has any soldier in a firefight ever... wished there were more women here fighting? Or is their entire focus effectiveness?"

• Pete Hegseth [35:06]:
  "It's time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm."

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U.S. Politics and Fiscal Conservatism

Discussion Points:

• Incoming Trump Administration:
  The conversation touches on the potential policy shifts with a Trump-led administration, particularly in addressing national debt and border control.

• Fiscal Conservatism's Relevance:
  Despite perceptions, McClintock argues that fiscal conservatism is gaining traction as Americans become more aware of the national debt crisis.

Notable Quotes:

• Joe Getty [24:56]:
  "The greatest threat to our country is the national debt."

• Jack Armstrong [25:51]:
  "There is no constituency for fiscal conservatism. You can't get a round of applause anymore for it."

• Joe Getty [26:26]:
  "Countries that bankrupt themselves can't survive. Congress is going to bend over backwards to get him what he needs."

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Conclusion

The episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand provides a robust analysis of current geopolitical tensions, domestic policy failures, and the potential shifts in U.S. governance with the incoming Trump administration. Through informed discussions and expert insights from Congressman Tom McClintock, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of the interconnectedness of policy decisions, economic stability, and national security.

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Note: This summary focuses solely on the substantive discussions within the episode, excluding advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content segments to provide a clear and concise overview for those who have not listened to the podcast.

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's Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

President Biden claimed the country's stronger of.

[Jack Armstrong]

His work to expand NATO, support Ukraine, withdraw US Forces from Afghanistan, and take on China.

[Joe Getty]

In his remarks on Afghanistan, the president.

[Jack Armstrong]

Only briefly mentioned the 13 U.S. service.

[Joe Getty]

Members who died in the suicide bombing.

[Jack Armstrong]

At the Kabul airport during the withdrawal of US Forces. Widely seen as one of the darkest moments of his presidency.

[Tom McClintock]

Yeah, I'd say so. And also just factually, it's when his ratings tanked and never recovered. It basically ended his presidency. So I realize the president is trying to shape history with his speech. Good luck with that.

[Jack Armstrong]

And horribly undermined his foreign policy goals too, as America was displayed as weak and feckless. Yeah, I was just going to say the whole, you know, the great saying, which is so true. Watch what people do, not what they say. Well, he's already done it, so he can say anything he wants. It's just kind of sad and useless, in my opinion.

[Tom McClintock]

And according to the Bob Woodward book, it was a real indication to Putin, oh, this administration does not have its act together in terms of pushback to invading Ukraine when he saw the pullout of Afghanistan.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Tom McClintock]

Poorly.

[Jack Armstrong]

That was done more or less undisputed outside of Morning Joe. A lot to get to this hour, including a chat with Congressman Tom McClintock about the wildfires in California that absolutely are to a large extent caused by politics or exacerbated by politics, not climate change.

[Tom McClintock]

Policy matters.

[Jack Armstrong]

It absolutely does. But first, let's take a look in the China Cabinet, which is admittedly China. China. A dopey name for a handful of. That's. I'm sorry, Michael, I'd forgotten that guy. Do you have the. China's a hole guy. China is asshole. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, sir.

[Joe Getty]

True.

[Jack Armstrong]

But Har. I thought this story was so interesting. The Wall Street Journal reporting that China is reining in its once freewheeling finance sector with purges and pay cuts. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is bringing the country's financial sector to heel one banker at a time. And they go through the list of these guys who are often Western educated, who are very skilled, brought in enormous levels of investment and profit to China, which then finance Xi Jinping's goals for consolidating power and growing China's, you know, global influence and that sort of thing. But he is killing the golden goose. It.

[Tom McClintock]

It is clear.

[Jack Armstrong]

And I remember when you first brought us this story. Some communications had been leaked. I can't remember the exact outlines of the story. But this guy is a real communist.

[Tom McClintock]

Right? I think that's what I was saying to Ian Bremmer when he, when he said I was over egging the pudding. But there were reports that based on things she was saying and reading and doing, here's the big story. He's actually a communist. He's not just pretending to be a communist so he can be a dictator. He actually is a communist.

[Jack Armstrong]

I think you were one of the few commentators who took that story as seriously as it should be taken. And it's, which is good news for.

[Tom McClintock]

Us because communism doesn't work.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh no, it's miserable in every way, by every measure. So many economists and bankers fear that the shakeup is going to dampen what they call the animal spirits. One of my favorite Wall street expressions, when everybody's feeling positive, it's the animal spirits. Haven't we all felt the animal spirits Friday night? Who knows, maybe a drink or two in us, the animal spirits. Anyway, financiers and regulators are becoming much more conservative to avoid mistakes that could get them in trouble. So they're starting to play a very, very safe game, which if any, you know, if you have any sophistication as an investor whatsoever, and the more safe you play it, the lower your returns are going to be. China is also losing bankers and regulators with international experience and technical knowledge at a time when it faces complex financial risks that require more sophisticated oversight. And animal spirits, not less. They have trillions of dollars worth of off the books local government debts. They have the biggest property bubble in the history of mankind and a shrinking population. And they're jailing or purging anybody who has any experience and any, any verve in dealing with this sort of thing.

[Tom McClintock]

I was looking at some of the videos over break of those cities. I mean, there's chunks of cities with all these giant buildings and they're all empty, just building after building after building and house after house after house that they threw up. I don't know where they thought these people were coming from. But anyway, they built all this stuff and now they're just empty. And they, like you said, a shrinking population and a shrinking economy. China could do the whole how did you go bankrupt gradually, then suddenly thing just collapse one of these days.

[Jack Armstrong]

And they have horrific sociological problems too. The young people don't have job prospects, they don't have hope, they don't have families.

[Tom McClintock]

There ain't no girls.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, right. And then so many people have invested virtually their entire self worth in the property bubble which is now burst. And so they have their life savings invested in an apartment, say that may, may never exist. Let's see, there's one other aspect of this I wanted to get to. Where'd that go? Oh, that's all right. We'll move along and come back to it later. Uh, let's see this story. Trump and Xi face off. Expect u. S. China tensions as the two leaders pursue opposing agendas. That's absolutely true and it's appropriate and it's good. Any sort of. You can't woo China. You can just offer them cards at the poker table of international relations that they will exploit. They are not going to be nice guys, they are not going to help us, they are not going to do anything that isn't. Is not in their naked self interest. And, and to wit, I like this John Ratcliffe who's a Rare holdover from Trump 1's national security team. Ratcliffe is Trump's CIA pick and he is expected to push for bare knuckle spycraft against China. Ratcliffe is not screwing around, which I absolutely love. He's likely to push for more aggressive spying operations targeting Beijing. And America says about to take the gloves off in its shadow boxing with Beijing.

[Tom McClintock]

Well, good. They took their gloves off a long time ago.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. You know, the part that I was trying to find in the analysis of China and becoming more and more communist.

[Tom McClintock]

Is take the gloves off. We've discussed this before. A boxing thing, like I'm taking off the soft gloves and hitting with my bare hand. Or is it a taking off the glove, slapping in the face duel thing?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh. Or is it, you know, as a former hockey player, it's like a hockey thing to me. I don't know what the origin is. Everybody understands what it means. But. Yeah. What sort of gloves are we taking off? Katie, do you have the answer? Yes.

[Tom McClintock]

It comes from the practice of boxers removing their gloves before a fight to inflict even more damage. Okay.

[Jack Armstrong]

Regardless, knuckle boxing.

[Tom McClintock]

I teased yesterday the upside of dueling and how we should bring it back and it's really interesting. So I hope I get to that today.

[Jack Armstrong]

So anyway, what, what the article that I can't find. They're making the point that as these headwinds grow and the challenges within China grow and confront Xi Jinping and the communists, they're going further down the road of aggressive nationalism, hostility toward outside threats. Up with China, we're the best, et cetera. The problem with that is the international community from, you know, the Western world to even the Third World is like, whoa, China is getting weirder and meaner and more nationalistic. And they're no longer talking about how they want to help everybody. So it's going to exacerbate their woes. So I'm telling you, their internal political situation is unstable. And that's a quick look inside the China Cabinet.

[Tom McClintock]

China.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is China.

[Tom McClintock]

This is related to China. Chinese officials have discussed options for TikTok's US operations, including a possible sale to Elon Musk. I have no idea if Elon has any interest in buying TikTok, but he certainly got the money. I was listening to one of my favorite pundits yesterday, Harvard lawyer, sort of person that you see on TV now and then explaining to people who haven't done TikTok, like a lot of us grownups, how incredibly addictive it is, saying that if you, if you're like, comparing it to YouTube or Instagram or Facebook or anything like that, it's a completely different, different world of engagement and how it lures you in, which I found fascinating and almost makes me want to download the Tick Tock app just to have had the experience. But I. I know that if you download the app there all of a sudden inside your phone and have. Have all your information. But. But it's just a com. It's makes Instagram look like nothing in terms of guessing what you'd be interested in to waste your time. And that algorithm is worth something.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it absolutely is. My goodness, it's. It's indisputable how successful it's been, to the point that because people are willing to overlook statistics like this, according to a major study done on TikTok. More TikTok. More than 80% of the content generated in an Instagram search on the WERS was negative toward China. On Instagram, if you, if you search on the WERS, it's 80% negative. It's 11% on TikTok. 1 in 10 mentions of the Uyghurs are negative on TikTok. Search for Tianmen on YouTube generated Tiananmen Square, the massacre, et cetera, generated content that was 65% negative, 20% on TikTok. It's unquestionably a propaganda wing of the Chinese Communist Party. It's owned by a hostile foreign power. There are laws about that. It's not, it is not a complicated First Amendment argument in my mind.

[Tom McClintock]

No, I don't think it is. That's where it gets complicated, that it's a complicated business ownership who gets to do what, how do you stop them Thing for the Supreme Court to deal.

[Jack Armstrong]

With, especially in the computer age.

[Tom McClintock]

Right, Exactly. Internet's the way Internets cross boundaries and all that sort of stuff. Yeah, exactly.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't understand. Where are their factories would be the question asked by every single Supreme Court justice up until roughly the current crop because these challenges did not exist.

[Tom McClintock]

Yeah. So it looks like there might actually be an Israel Hamas peace deal, which would be a huge win for Trump. Among other things we got coming up, including a congressman that we're friends with. Tom McClintock wrote a piece in the Wall Street Journal about how California policies to blame for a lot of the disaster. We'll get to that here this hour too.

[Jack Armstrong]

Stay around Armstrong and Getty. At Kamala Harris's home in Brentwood, California, police responded to an alleged burglary, but the suspects were instead det for violating curfew. And thanks to Doug Emhoff, both of them are now pregnant.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Tom McClintock]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Gut felt works. Edgy he does.

[Tom McClintock]

So this on kind of that angle. Thought this was interesting. Julia Roberts says fu uses the actual word in an interview to looters as her $10 million home continues to be robbed during the LA fires.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Wow. What a beautiful example of the protected class and the unprotected class. More on that to come.

[Tom McClintock]

Right. And it was pointed out by someone online that Roberts did ads for Kamala, who of course Kamala wouldn't even take a stand on whether theft under a thousand dollars should be a felony. Wouldn't even make a comment on that policy. She was so freaking weak. And that was your hero, Julia Roberts. And now the sort of people that have been trained that crime isn't a crime are stealing from you. So I don't even know what to say.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, middle class people, working class people, really everybody but the elite has already been battered by crime and junkies and the awful results of progressive policies. And now that it's hit the Hollywood elite, they're like, oh, crime hurts. Crime makes me sad. Yeah. Wow. Thanks for your perspective.

[Tom McClintock]

So I'm not, I don't know if it does us any good to bring up these stories or not. Does it convince anybody? I mean we do it on a regular basis. Maybe it's just good to be reminded. Maybe if you get reminded enough at some point. The original science backed 7 minute workout to get fit fast. Research shows. And you brought up this sort of thing the other day. Research. Research shows that a very simple little bit of exercise can rapidly increase your health and how you feel and all sorts of different things. It takes so little to be better than nothing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Don't be sedentary.

[Tom McClintock]

Anyway, this seven minute workout that they're touting in the New York Times today, and there's no arguing that this wouldn't be a great idea compared to nothing, it's super simple. You don't need to join a gym or buy any equipment or do anything. It's push ups and jumping jacks and sit ups and stuff like that. It's basically the idea of you do as many jumping jacks as you can in 30 seconds, then you take a little rest and you do as many push ups and you can do cheap push ups if you have to. Whatever, whatever you can do at this point, you just do as much as you can for 30 seconds and you take a little break. Then you do and you just do it for seven minutes. If you did that every day, it goes with the percentages of heart, health and tonality and blah, blah, blah, and less injury and all the things, the benefits that you would get out of it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow, we need to post that at Armstrong and Getty on, I'm sorry, Armstrongandgetti.com under hot links. I prefer the one armed push ups with a clap in between.

[Tom McClintock]

Yeah, I do a lot of those.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's the style I prefer.

[Tom McClintock]

There is a great benefit to. It helps to be older because when you're young, especially as a man, it's tough. But there's a great benefit to letting go of how much weight are you lifting or how many of these are you doing or how fast you're running? None of it matters.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah, yeah. You're not trying to get babes, you're trying to stiff arm the grim reaper.

[Tom McClintock]

Well, I actually.

[Jack Armstrong]

Completely different game.

[Tom McClintock]

I actually am trying to get babes. It depends on your situation.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, you're gonna be busy, but I'm gonna stiff arm the grim reaper at the same time.

[Tom McClintock]

But I'm past the age of comparing myself to other people and thinking that makes any difference. That's not what I'm trying to accomplish. I'm trying to be as fit as I can. I'm not trying to beat you.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Tom McClintock]

That's where it breaks down.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tom McClintock]

So run as fast as you can, do as many push ups as you can, all that sort of stuff, which might be very slow and very few, but it's so much better than nothing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. I was never a gym guy per se. I, I worked out a lot to play baseball and then golf to some extent, believe it or not. But I was never enough of a gym guy. I never felt that sort of competition because it was useless. It was like, you know, speaking of golf is like a guy who can't break a hundred showing up and saying, who wants some of this? You can't beat anybody. So that was my point, point of view in the gym.

[Tom McClintock]

Yeah. Well, it's different in the gym than, like, playing golf. You can be out on the golf course and people see you. They don't really know how good you are or not. But in the gym, it is very clear. How many plates are on your bar?

[Jack Armstrong]

Few. Supposed to be plates on this bar. This bar is heavy.

[Tom McClintock]

Few and small is the answer.

[Jack Armstrong]

I can barely lift the bar. Are you kidding?

[Tom McClintock]

Tom McClintock is a congressperson from California. He know a lot about the policy over the years that may have led to these fires. Well, did lead to these fires and disasters.

[Jack Armstrong]

Longtime member of the Natural Resources Commission, too. He understands timber and water and infrastructure. Tom McClintock and much more to come. Stay with us. Armstrong and Getty show. Armstrong and Getty. Is the buck stop with you?

[Joe Getty]

I mean, you're governor of California. Inviting it will be the mayor of California. We're all in this together. We're all better off. We're all better off. We're all better off. And we're working together to take care of people.

[Tom McClintock]

There wasn't a yes in there. Does the buck stop with you? To Gavin Newsom and humming. A humming. Hum and a humming. Yesterday we mentioned the Mark Halperin line of health. Hell hath no fury like a celebrity scorned. Maybe that's what it takes to drive policy changes. Celebrities are upset. I don't know. It's sad that that's the case, but it might be.

[Jack Armstrong]

Congressman Tom McClintock represents California's 5th congressional district, longtime friend of the Armstrong and Getty show, member of the Natural Resources Committee and significantly, author of absolutely terrific piece published the other day in the Wall Street Journal. Bad policy served as kindling for California's wildfires. Tom McClintock joins us. Tom, how are you, sir?

[Joe Getty]

I'm doing fine. Thanks, guys.

[Tom McClintock]

Yeah, well, lay out the long and short of your piece in the Wall Street Journal.

[Joe Getty]

Well, it's not altogether complicated. Throughout all recorded history, California lost about 4 1/2 million acres a year to catastrophic fire. The this is nothing new. What is new is Beginning in the 1900s, we established land management agencies to do a little gardening. You know, we auctioned off excess timber to logging companies that paid us to remove that excess before it could choke off the forest and burn, we leased public lands to cattle and sheep ranches to suppress brush growth through grazing. We cut fire breaks to contain fires. We used herbicides to keep brush away from residential areas. We put out fires before they could explode out of control. And fire losses in California declined from about four and a half million acres a year to about a quarter million acres a year throughout all the 20th century. But the environmental laws that we passed have made the permitting for these practices endlessly time consuming, ultimately cost prohibitive. So we stopped doing them. And in 2020, fire losses were back up to guess what? About four and a half million acres a year. That is not a new normal. That is the old normal returning because the environmental laws changed. Policies that were working to keep fires at a minimum.

[Jack Armstrong]

Tom, I know you as we value the environment, quote, unquote, clean air and water and the beautiful landscapes of California, et cetera. But who is this far left environmental cabal in California and how much power do they wield?

[Joe Getty]

Well, it's not just California, it's national laws as well. It's the National Environmental Policy act, the Endangered Species act, the Wilderness Act. Then you have in California the California Environmental Qualities Act. These were all passed with the promise that they would improve the forest environment and public lands management. Well, I think after now living with these laws for 50 years, we're entitled to ask, how's the environment doing? And the answer is absolutely damning. Our forests are now carrying four times the timber density the land can support. And so we're losing to disease, pestilence, drought, and ultimately catastrophic wildfire. I mean, all of that excess timber and growth is going to come out one way or another. Either we're going to carry it out or nature's going to burn it out.

[Tom McClintock]

Well, a number of people have made this point. So Gavin Newsom is dropping a lot of the environmental restrictions with some sort of emergency, you know, declaration, so people will make it, it'll be easier to rebuild. And of course, the reaction for a lot of us to that is. So what's the logic there? If they can be done away with these environmental restrictions for this emergency, why ever have them?

[Joe Getty]

Well, exactly right. I mean, this is this, this, this is an admission by Newsom. I don't think he realizes it, but it's an admission by him that these laws not only have not worked, they've been counterproductive. And if this doesn't prompt a wholesale revision of them, I don't know what will.

[Tom McClintock]

Well, you're right. You're Right. Obviously it is an admission because it's saying this will make things a lot easier and faster to rebuild. Oh, really?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. And at the same time, these laws have hampered our ability to deliver water projects for the next generation, as well as to manage our lands to keep them healthy and fire resilient. I mean, look, this is the way nature guardians gardens. And nature's a lousy gardener. If you don't believe that. Just leave your own garden alone for a few years and you tell me what it's going to look like. That's why we had these land management agencies to come in and do a little gardening. The environmental laws of the 1970s stopped them from doing that. And now nature's coming back to do gardening her way.

[Jack Armstrong]

You mentioned the inability of California to build water storage over multiple generations. Now, in spite of the people passing billions of dollars in bond already talked about the state imposed price controls on homeowners insurance and how that's utterly perverted the market. But I know in your piece in the Wall Street Journal, you also touched upon how Mayor Karen Bass in la, who's cutting tens of millions of dollars from the fire budget, seems to have unlimited money for bums, junkies and illegal immigrants.

[Joe Getty]

Well, again, it's a question of priorities. And this is where people say, well, we should recall Karen Bass. We should recall Gavin Newsom. Well, I'm all for that, but simply replacing one left wing ide with another is not going to change these policies. This is a result of deliberate policies that have been placed into federal, state and local laws over many decades now at the choice of voters. And they're the wrong policies because they're the wrong people.

[Tom McClintock]

I know your, your piece is all about the, the resources, the environment, all that sort of stuff with the fire, but you also have this angle of we got looting and crime going on right now in a state that has made crime legal for the past, you know, quite a few years and created a culture where, of course, people feel like they can go loot.

[Joe Getty]

Yep. Again, nothing, nothing strange about that. If you stop prosecuting crimes, you're going to get more crime. And that's exactly what the policymakers in California have done. This is what the sanctuary cities is all about. Sanctuary cities is specifically designed to shield criminal, illegal aliens under federal law. When an illegal alien has committed a crime, has been sentenced for that crime and jailed for that crime, when they're about to be released, ICE is supposed to be notified so they can be deported out of this country. The sanctuary laws stop that from happening. So I mean, these are, again, deliberate policies. You know, if you voted for people like Karen Bass and Gavin Newsom, this is what you voted for. And if that surprises you, you weren't paying any attention. Maybe this has been a wake up call that can't be ignored.

[Tom McClintock]

I'm hoping you're right. About? I was in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago and the city's already looking cleaner. People have had enough. Maybe that's gonna happen for the LA area or the entire state.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, let's expand. Go ahead, Tom.

[Joe Getty]

I was gonna say, we saw that in New York. It was crime ridden and decaying. Rudy Giuliani took over and cleaned it all up. Policy matters, and the people that we elect matter because they determine policy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Congressman Tom McClintock is online. Tom, I was just going to say, let's extend the conversation to the nation at large. What are you most excited about? Energized about with the incoming Trump administration, majorities in both houses.

[Joe Getty]

Well, I remind people the American people didn't save our country on election night. They gave us the tools to save our country. We still have to do it. As I see it, there are two monumental threats to our country that we're staring straight at. History is screaming a warning at us that countries that bankrupt themselves, themselves, or countries that cannot control their borders simply aren't around very long. Those are the two crises that have to be immediately addressed. I am very confident that Trump is fully determined to address them. And I think that the Congress is going to bend over backwards to get him what he needs.

[Jack Armstrong]

So the border thing, I don't dispute for a moment, but I'm going to hit you with a statement that is actually pretty damn close to true. Respond however you want, Tom McClintock. There is no constituency for fiscal conservatism. You can't get a round of applause anymore for it.

[Joe Getty]

I think that's changing because I think our country people are starting to awaken to the fact that our country is entering a debt spiral. You know, before you can provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare, you've got to be able to pay for it. And countries that bankrupt themselves can't. That's why many years ago, Mike Mullen, the former chief of the joint of staff, said that in his professional military judgment, the greatest threat to our country is the national debt. And that's when the national debt was about a third of what it is now.

[Jack Armstrong]

Congressman Tom McClintock, 5th District of Cal Unicornia Tom, you keep beating that drum and we will, too. Well done. Good to talk.

[Joe Getty]

Thanks. Good to talk to you guys.

[Jack Armstrong]

Thank you.

[Tom McClintock]

It's amazing. Conservatives win any elections because we're the no fun people. The Democrats get to say let's go to Hawaii on vacation and eat nothing but desserts. And then we have to say no, no, let's stay home this year for vacation and save the money because I think we're gonna have some tough times ahead and we better not eat dessert. So, I mean, there's work to be done.

[Jack Armstrong]

And eat your vegetables. Yes. Right.

[Tom McClintock]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. And yet if the dessert hoarding Hawaii vacationers. And I've done both. Hello, hypocrisy.

[Tom McClintock]

Went to Hawaii last summer and ate nothing but desserts.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a metaphor, though.

[Tom McClintock]

Come on.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a metaphor. You get the metaphor right, you've got to do the right things or you will die or go away as a country. Tom's absolutely right. You cannot court fiscal disaster and throw open your borders and survive as a country. End of screed. There's no disagreeing with it. Quick word from our friends at prize picks. As the playoffs heat up in the futsball and the basketball season is getting more and more interesting, you want to get in on fantasy sports action, but you know, want to spend all season putting together a team and blah, blah, blah. Prize picks. Great way to do it.

[Tom McClintock]

I should should have looked into prize picks on the more or less of how often the quarterback for the Vikings would be on his back because it.

[Jack Armstrong]

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[Tom McClintock]

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[Tom McClintock]

So I got this brand new fire in the Ventura area they're calling the auto fire for some Reason. Anyway, very windy today. 70 plus mile an hour gusts. We'll keep our eye on that. Also, the Pete Hegseth confirmation hearing going on in Washington, D.C. right now. We've got some highlights from that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it's gotten off to a wacky start. Multiple protesters bellowing and carrying on. They can't even do the hearing.

[Tom McClintock]

Awesome. All on the way.

[Pete Hegseth]

Armstrong and Getty officers enlisted, black and white, young and old, men and women, all Americans, all warriors. This hearing is for you. Thank you for figuratively and literally having my back.

[Jack Armstrong]

You are a misogynist. Not only that, you are a Christie sinus.

[Tom McClintock]

All right, protester interrupting the Pete Hegseth hearing, as they always do.

[Jack Armstrong]

Protester. Old crackpot bellowing about Vietnam. Please, what do you want to do about it?

[Tom McClintock]

So I'm looking up at the tv. It looks like a lot of the questioning that I've been watching so far has been around about the whole women serving in combat roles, which man, I feel like is a. I don't know. I'll have to watch the hearing to see how the conversation is going. I don't understand why this is so difficult. It. Does it make a stronger and better fighting force? Yes or no? Then go with that at the end. I don't understand why it's even an issue, but.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, right. You know, I hate to steal my thunder from a discussion of LA's firefighter corps, because it's more or less the same idea, but has any soldier in a firefight ever, in the history of warfare, going back to swords and shields and hurling rocks at each other, ever said, you know, the fight's going well, but I wish there were more women here fighting?

[Tom McClintock]

I mean, they're getting.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or is their entire focus effectiveness?

[Tom McClintock]

He's getting into a conversation with Tom Cotton. As I'm looking at the TV Senator Military Guy Hegseth, and they're talking about women's strength versus men's strength. So, I mean, they're getting into the nitty gritty of this.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, good. And they should. That's absolutely appropriate. And that's part of the reason that Pete, I think, would be a breath of fresh air. He is not absolutely, you know, steeped in the conventional thinking of the last 25 years, much of which has been terribly misguided in my mind. Hit 77, Michael.

[Pete Hegseth]

As I've said to many of you in private meetings, when President Trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense. He, like me, wants a Pentagon Laser focused on lethality, meritocracy, war fighting, accountability and readiness.

[Tom McClintock]

All right, more truck.

[Jack Armstrong]

Babe starts screaming taser. Tase the old guy too. Tase them both. Tase them till they wet themselves. If they're under hydrated, give them a good drink of water, then tase them again.

[Tom McClintock]

So we're on the air while this is happening. So I don't know what's driving these various arguments, but if I'm the Democrats, do I want it to be about the things he's said about women in combat? They do. They think that's the winning issue. I think the better issue, if I'm a Democrat, is him not being qualified to be Sec Def. It's such a giant organization. You've Never run anything 1 1000th this size who has, you know, that sort of thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

And my purpose in playing these clips for you is that everything he's said is, from certainly our perspective, more than defensible. It's great. Hit 78 briefly, Michael, you may proceed.

[Pete Hegseth]

To bring back war fighting. If confirmed, I'm going to work with President Trump and this committee to one restore the warrior ethos to the Pentagon and throughout our fighting force. In doing so, we will re establish trust in our military, addressing the recruiting crisis, retention crisis and readiness crisis in our ranks.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, so that's three. You can fade that out, Michael. That's three protesters. Like in the first few minutes of his opening statement, which is ridiculous, he accused, by the way he opened his statement, or at least of it was a what was described by the National Review as a scorched earth attack on the media, a coordinated smear campaign.

[Tom McClintock]

Ah, that's from the Kavanaugh book.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Which was decried by the idiots in the media as being somehow unhinged or inappropriate. It was one of my favorite moments in observing government and public life.

[Tom McClintock]

So Tom Cotton just explained it how our standards are so low that the requirement for the two mile run is can you do it in 22 minutes? And he said, that's not running. That's barely jogging. That's a fast walk.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that's a really good paced walk as a guy who takes power walks. Yes.

[Tom McClintock]

Anyway, so they're, like I said, they're getting into the nitty gritty of the requirements, which I'm fine with that angle. I just thought it'd be nuts from a Republican. Maybe he wants to put it on this where they're pretty solidly in the right as opposed to the is he qualified stuff.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Whether Hegseth is the guy or not is an open question. I'm glad we have these hearings. But to push back against the the military is a social experiment and a jobs program attitude that has infected Washington, D.C. and I have some very good accounts from highly placed people who I know personally saying that is unquestionably the case. I love that. Or to put it as Pete Hegseth put, please, Michael.

[Pete Hegseth]

Now, it is true and has been acknowledged that I don't have a similar biography to defense secretaries of the last 30 years. But as President Trump also told me, we've repeatedly placed people atop the Pentagon with supposedly the right credentials, whether they are retired generals, academics, or defense contractor executives. And where has it gotten us?

[Tom McClintock]

That's a good argument.

[Pete Hegseth]

He believes, and I humbly agree, that it's time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm.

[Tom McClintock]

That's a pretty good argument.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a damn good argument.

[Tom McClintock]

The reason we lowered the standards in a lot of cases is because we aren't getting enough recruits. And so we're widening the net to get more people to join. Now, our friend Mike Lyons says part of the reason you aren't getting enough recruits is it just doesn't have the, the challenge. You know, I want to be part of an elite unit thing that it used to have. He thinks, you know, having higher standards, making it seem like, wow, you're really something. You were in the Army. You were in the military, brings in more people, which you might be right.

[Jack Armstrong]

As opposed to just another job. Flabby people can do reasonably well.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, exactly.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I served in the Army. So what a lot of America response, not us. Don't get me wrong, but I see his point. I think it's a great one.

[Tom McClintock]

We'll have more of that hearing if any interesting stuff happens. Of course, if you missed a segment, you can grab the podcast. It's Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Gettysburg.

[Tom McClintock]

It.