The Un-Elected Co-President!?

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: "The Un-Elected Co-President!?" Released January 7, 2025 | Host: Armstrong & Getty | Produced by iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction and Host Dynamics

The episode kicks off with the signature Armstrong & Getty banter, showcasing their trademark humor and chemistry. Listeners are immediately drawn into the dynamic interplay between Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty, setting the tone for an engaging and lively discussion.

Political Influence of Tech Billionaires

A central theme of the episode is the burgeoning political influence of tech magnates, particularly Elon Musk. The hosts delve into the ramifications of billionaires wielding significant sway over political landscapes, raising concerns about democracy and power concentration.

• Jack Armstrong highlights, “A tech billionaire who has inordinate political influence. How terrifying, right?” [02:26]

• Elon Musk responds, critiquing President Biden’s awarding of the Medal of Freedom to George Soros, questioning the implications of such honors bestowed upon influential billionaires [01:54].

The conversation underscores the tension between technological advancement and democratic integrity, questioning whether unelected individuals should hold substantial political power.

Fact-Checking and Social Media Policies

Mark Zuckerberg’s recent shift in Meta’s fact-checking policies becomes a focal point of discussion. The hosts analyze the impact of moving from third-party fact-checkers to community-driven notes, drawing parallels with Elon Musk’s approach to Twitter.

• Elon Musk observes, “It’s likely to please President Elect Trump and his conservative allies. What does that sound like? What model does that sound like he’s emulating right there? It’s exactly what Elon does on Twitter.” [02:38]

• Jack Armstrong underscores the controversy, noting Facebook’s struggles with perceived biases in fact-checking during critical events like the COVID-19 pandemic [03:17].

This segment critiques the reliability and impartiality of social media platforms in disseminating information, emphasizing the challenges in maintaining factual integrity.

Discussion on Fundamentalist Islam and Child Rapes

A poignant and controversial segment addresses the issue of child rapes by Muslim men in Britain, with the hosts examining the role of fundamentalist beliefs in these atrocities.

• Tom, a listener, provides a detailed critique: “Fundamentalist Islam is an incredibly bigoted religion of conquest that just is. It is undeniable.” [17:39]

• Elon Musk reflects on a misattributed Winston Churchill quote about minority rights, discussing its relevance to current societal dynamics [19:18].

This discussion delves into the complex interplay between religion, immigration, and societal safety, provoking thought on policy and cultural integration.

Government Policies and Centralization of Power

The hosts explore the centralization of governmental power, referencing historical perspectives from the Founding Fathers and contemporary political shifts.

• Jack Armstrong emphasizes, “Power wants to accumulate. It wants to centralize. And we the people have been seduced into letting that happen because we’ve been promised that a powerful central government will give us everything we dream.” [25:59]

• Elon Musk discusses the ongoing struggle to balance governmental authority, citing Madison’s opposition to the Bill of Rights as a historical example of political compromise [24:33].

This segment highlights concerns about overreach and the erosion of individual freedoms within modern governance structures.

Health News: Bird Flu and Screwworms

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to alarming health news, including the first reported death from bird flu in the U.S. and the resurgence of the New World Screwworm in Texas.

• Kamala Harris reports on the bird flu case, detailing its origins and the mutations that could facilitate easier human transmission [26:51].

• Jack Armstrong provides a dramatic recount of the Screwworm threat: “It is the worst insect on earth, bar none… It screws its way… Females can lay 200 to 300 eggs at once.” [29:08]

• Elon Musk expresses skepticism and concern, underscoring the urgency of these health crises [30:24].

The hosts discuss the potential impacts on public health and agriculture, urging listeners to stay informed and vigilant.

Future of Armstrong & Getty

Towards the episode's conclusion, the hosts reflect on their continued partnership and the future trajectory of their show.

• Elon Musk announces, “Gladys is going to be with us for the next several years. God willing.” [38:18]

• Jack Armstrong reminisces about historical political shifts, tying them into the current state of the nation and projecting future trends [38:18].

This segment reinforces the show's commitment to delivering insightful and thought-provoking content, maintaining its relevance in a rapidly changing political and social landscape.

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Notable Quotes

• Jack Armstrong [02:26]: “A tech billionaire who has inordinate political influence. How terrifying, right?”

• Elon Musk [25:59]: “Power wants to accumulate. It wants to centralize. And we the people have been seduced into letting that happen because we’ve been promised that a powerful central government will give us everything we dream.”

• Tom [17:39]: “Fundamentalist Islam is an incredibly bigoted religion of conquest that just is. It is undeniable.”

• Jack Armstrong [29:08]: “It is the worst insect on earth, bar none… It screws its way… Females can lay 200 to 300 eggs at once.”

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Conclusions and Insights

The episode of Armstrong & Getty provides a multifaceted exploration of contemporary issues, from the influence of tech billionaires on politics to pressing public health concerns. Through spirited dialogue and critical analysis, the hosts challenge listeners to consider the implications of power concentration, the reliability of information sources, and the societal impacts of cultural and religious dynamics.

By intertwining humor with serious discourse, Armstrong and Getty maintain an engaging narrative that not only informs but also provokes thoughtful reflection. The episode underscores the importance of vigilance in safeguarding democratic principles and public health, while also highlighting the enduring relevance of constitutional ideals in modern governance.

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Stay tuned to Armstrong & Getty On Demand for more in-depth discussions and insightful commentary on the events shaping our world today.

Transcript

[Cindy Crawford]

Wasn't that delicious?

[Joe Getty]

So good.

[Jack Armstrong]

Your bill, ladies.

[Elon Musk]

I got it.

[Joe Getty]

No, I got it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Seriously, I insist.

[Joe Getty]

I insisted first.

[Elon Musk]

Don't be silly.

[Joe Getty]

You don't be silly.

[Mark Zuckerberg]

People with The Wells Fargo ActiveCash credit card prefer to pay because they earn unlimited 2% cash back on purchases.

[Joe Getty]

Okay. Rock, paper, scissors for it. Rock, paper, scissors.

[Jack Armstrong]

Shoot.

[Elon Musk]

No.

[Mark Zuckerberg]

The Wells Fargo ActiveCash Credit Card. Visit wells fargo.comactivecash Terms apply.

[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 Arms Draw and Getty. Why the.

[Elon Musk]

From Studio C Senior, a dimly lit room deep within the bowels of the Armstrong and Getty community. I like the way I said bowels. I did too.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know what it was, but it was good.

[Elon Musk]

The Armstrong and Getty Communications compound. And today we're under the tutelage of our general manager, let's be honest, Elon Musk.

[Jack Armstrong]

You're talking space travel. Obviously it's Elon Musk. You're talking cars. Elon Musk. Tech often Elon Musk. You're talking to European politics. Today it's Elon Musk the transition Musk the doge.

[Elon Musk]

It's all.

[Jack Armstrong]

I expect him to become the offensive coordinator for the Chiefs. Next call the plays in the Super Bowl.

[Elon Musk]

So you're arguing that he is the unelected co president?

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't think I am. Oh, oh, a tech billionaire who has inordinate political influence. How terrifying, right?

[Elon Musk]

I know. I thought that when I heard that Biden gave George Soros whatever Medal of Freedom that is. Cuz your billionaire who's been influencing politics. By the way, he's the guy that got Alvin Bragg and what's his name in Los Angeles, Gascon and all those people elected and has let crime run rampant in these big cities. That has been rejected by Democrats also. But anyway, your billionaire Medal of Freedom on the right, you have a billionaire. Oh my God. It's the end of democracy. Whatever.

[Jack Armstrong]

So many. Virtually all of the arguments you hear that sound moral or sound like real concern, they're just a quest for power. The only proper response is yeah, whatever, your policies suck.

[Elon Musk]

This headline from today backs your Elon Musk argument. This is the New York Times meta. That's Zuckerberg's thing. I hate calling it meta. Can we go back to calling it Facebook or whatever? Anyway, meta to end fact checking program and shift ahead of Trump term. The subparagraph is the social networking giant will stop using Will stop Using third party fact checkers and instead rely solely on users to add notes to posts. It's likely to please President Elect Trump and his conservative allies. What does that sound like? What model does that sound like he's emulating right there? It's exactly what Elon does on Twitter.

[Jack Armstrong]

Having been absolutely humiliated for the overt bias that Facebook showed in their quote unquote fact checking through Covid and beyond. Good luck. Here's a headline for you. Elon Musk is roiling European politics. Trump ally is flooded X with posts criticizing Europe European politicians causing diplomatic conundrum for continents leaders.

[Elon Musk]

The only thing I don't like about that angle, and I just heard it on npr, is it's a. Instead of Republicans pounce, it's an Elon Musk pounce. Elon Musk pounces instead of the story itself. I caught the tail end of the story when I turned on NPR and got in my car today, but it was Elon Musk's latest obsession is the story that happened over a decade ago of girls being raped by Muslim men in England and Elon Musk, blah, blah, blah, Elon Musk. And it was all about how he's obsessed with this story rather than that story is real and occurred. And many people believe it's still going on, right?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, it's still occurring over a decade ago. That was. Oh my God, don't get me started. You know what's incredible is the depths of the amorality if children are being raped to death, but it's being called to our attention by somebody of the center right or admittedly on the Trumpian right now at this point, whatever that means, NPR will pooh pooh it. Children being raped becomes a nothing if there's somebody on the center right bringing your attention to it. The amorality is spectacular. It is satanic, it is evil.

[Elon Musk]

And one more Elon Musk thing, since we're being all in love with Elon Musk right now. I saw a Tesla the other day in my town that had a Elon Musk circle with a line through it on their Tesla. So it's like, I'm gonna keep driving my Tesla, but I gotta make it clear just because I'm driving a Tesla doesn't mean I'm up with Elon Musk. I was listening to the End of the year National Review podcast over the break and somebody made the comment that it's a good possibility that the only name currently in circulation that will be remembered 500 years from now is Elon Musk. Based around his space exploration stuff particularly, they were talking about how the rocket thing, you know, how he caught that rocket when it came back down with the chopsticks. And that's such a leap forward for space exploration. It might be like, Christopher Columbus is like the only name you know from 1492. Elon Musk could be that way now. And it's possible.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Yeah, certainly. That was an amazing achievement. Right? Yeah, I missed that podcast. I'll have to check that.

[Elon Musk]

We end up going to Mars. I was in something else.

[Jack Armstrong]

Who knows what, what other option might open up as the technology develops? And that's, that's the thing. And I've been harping on this for years. How often on the left, going back to the Apollo program, they're like, no, no, don't explore space. Don't develop science. Just spend the money on America's streets and give people money. You don't know what the result is. When you go boldly force to explore, to develop, to learn. You think you're on this path. Turns out you might be on another path that's ten times as great. That's why you always have to keep striving as a society. That's why the United States continues to kick the world's ass economically and, and innovation and all sorts of things. Because we have that spirit. We can't lose that spirit.

[Elon Musk]

Of course, we'll have full team coverage on our lead story today. Kim Jong Un has banned hot dogs in North Korea.

[Jack Armstrong]

What?

[Elon Musk]

They're too.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, now I am outraged. Before, I was just lazy.

[Elon Musk]

They're too Western. He said two things there. Either he wants all the hot dogs.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't need to hear choice two.

[Elon Musk]

Or he caught a look at himself and he was looking at a family photo and thought, wow, I've let myself go. And the only way he thinks he can stop eating hot dogs, hot dogs, is to ban them in the whole country. He has the power to do that. Be like, if I could ban donuts in the whole nation, I would.

[Jack Armstrong]

So that as a dictator, you can do that.

[Elon Musk]

So I'm not tempted by them.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Elon Musk]

So it's one of those two. Clearly he wants to eat them all. He wants none around him.

[Jack Armstrong]

Some candid picture of a fat boy at some New Year's Eve gathering where he's just turning to look, and he just looks like a moon on a stick. His head, his big head. And he thought, oh, my God, I've got to do something.

[Elon Musk]

A moon on a stick.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Elon Musk]

Let's start the show officially, because we Got a good one. I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty on this. It is Tuesday, January 7, the year 2025, where Armstrong and getting. We approve of this program.

[Jack Armstrong]

Let's begin exploring the outer reaches of the events of our time. Precisely according to FCC rules. Reg 0 go at Mark. Donald J. Trump of the state of Florida has received 312 votes.

[Joe Getty]

Kamala D. Harri.

[Elon Musk]

That's got a sting. She's like, I can hear you. God damn. It's like attending your own funeral. And even the mourners are like, woohoo. God. I watched the opening 15 minutes of the Daily show on the drive in and Jon Stewart is freaking brilliant. He's the best at that ever. And I know a lot of you can't handle it. The jokes run against your politics. But he is so good at crafting jokes. Anyway, one of the points he made, and I thought this was really good, is about how we all act like we've always known. January 6th with us, a big, important day in the whole process of the elite. Oh, we're only this many hours away from the certification. Like we all ever talked about the certification ever in our lives. Let's not act like this isn't brand new.

[Jack Armstrong]

I've studied this stuff in university and on my own, and I had either forgotten or was unaware of it or it was just a ceremonial thing of me. Jiggy happens, right?

[Elon Musk]

Right, right. Until four years ago, obviously.

[Jack Armstrong]

Here is the flower I will throw on the political grave of Kamala Harris. She quite clearly made it unmistakable to all of you who've mispronounced her name that her name is pronounced Kamari Kamala. Here's all you need to know about her. When Obama was hot back in the day, she told the Sacramento, California, the Capitol press corps, it's pronounced Kamala so it would sound like Obama. She actually did that and then later on went back to Kamala. That's all you need to know about that woman.

[Elon Musk]

Well, I'll say this, and I'm not supposed to say this, apparently based on the news I took in yesterday from the right. I thought it was really great the way she handled that and everything.

[Jack Armstrong]

Classic.

[Elon Musk]

And yeah, I thought that was absolutely fantastic. She didn't have to do that. She didn't. She. And. And, well, constitutionally she has to do that, but she didn't have to have the tone that she had and everything. And I thought that was fantastic. I thought that was really good for the country. We need more of that, not less of that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Was that bashed from the right. I missed that. Oh.

[Elon Musk]

All kinds of different examples of how awful she was. So.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay.

[Elon Musk]

Anyway, how does the mailbag look? It's.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's. It's. It's coming together.

[Elon Musk]

It's. Oh, yeah. As you said last year, it's a work in progress. Oh, here's what I need from you. The text.

[Jack Armstrong]

I also vowed yesterday, we're all. We're going to be honest. I'm going to be honest every single day this year. I'm going to tell you exactly what I think. No sugar coating, no pandering. Mailbag is coming together. Could go either way.

[Elon Musk]

So last year it was. Life will not be a boring 24. Do you have any ideas for 25? Text me at the text.

[Jack Armstrong]

Did you see my tweet? I had some. I had some pretty good ones.

[Elon Musk]

No, I did not. Off the check.

[Jack Armstrong]

We'll take a look at those later.

[Elon Musk]

Yeah, I don't look at our Twitter and neither does anyone else.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, settle down.

[Elon Musk]

Now.

[Jack Armstrong]

There was. There was one in particular that was pretty popular.

[Elon Musk]

There were just a couple hundred people away from 40,000 followers on Twitter. And it just. I really want to get there. So could you. Would you please. I don't know why that matters to me.

[Jack Armstrong]

You don't have to use it at all. Just go on Twitter. It comes called X.

[Elon Musk]

You don't have to.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty. It's effortless to find.

[Elon Musk]

Anyway, this is the text line for if you can come up with something clever that rhymes with five. The number is 415295 KFTC. Stay here.

[Kamala Harris]

Armstrong and Gettysburg.

[Cindy Crawford]

Wasn't that delicious?

[Joe Getty]

So good.

[Jack Armstrong]

Your bill, ladies.

[Elon Musk]

I got it.

[Joe Getty]

No, I got it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Seriously, I insist.

[Joe Getty]

I insisted first.

[Elon Musk]

Don't be silly.

[Joe Getty]

You don't be silly.

[Mark Zuckerberg]

People with the Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card prefer to pay because they earn unlimited 2% cash back on purchases.

[Joe Getty]

Okay. Rock, paper, scissors for it. Rock, paper, scissors.

[Jack Armstrong]

Shoot.

[Elon Musk]

No.

[Mark Zuckerberg]

The Wells Fargo ActiveCash credit card. Visit Wells Fargo.com ActiveCash terms apply.

[Cindy Crawford]

Hi, I'm Cindy Crawford and I'm the founder of meaningful beauty. When Dr. Sabah and I decided to do a skincare line together, he said to me, we are going to give women meaningful beauty. And I said, that's exactly right. We want to give women meaningful beauty, which means each and every product is meaningful. It has a reason to exist. It's efficacious. You're going to get results, and then you just go out and live your life. Meaningful beauty. Confidence is beautiful. Learn [e-mail].

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[Elon Musk]

Yeah, I just saw an interesting argument from Van Jones about Canada being our 51st state. He said, hey, Republicans, it would be a very blue state and it's about the size of California, so. That's a good point from Van.

[Jack Armstrong]

They're so worn out by the woke agenda. Woke Elvis. That's what Matt Taibbi calls Pierre Trudeau or Justin Trudeau.

[Elon Musk]

I saw a clip of Pierre Trudeau from years ago. I didn't realize he's been prime minister for 10 years.

[Jack Armstrong]

Justin Trudeau, the young guy? Yeah, just his old dad, right?

[Elon Musk]

Yeah, Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister. Ten years he's been Prime Minister. Anyway, I saw a clip of him where he's taken a question from somebody and the person used the term mankind in the question. He said, excuse me, excuse me, I prefer person kind like you got to be. You gotta be kidding me. And he lasted 10 years with that attitude. Yeah, that would be a very, very lefty blue state with as many electoral votes as California. So no thanks. LGDP, LGT, LBT, LGBT, LGBTQ2 plus.

[Jack Armstrong]

What an annoying weasel. I swear, don't get me started. I have already started. Here's your thought provoking quote of the day and I had a bunch of great Choices. Looking at a series of quotes about beginnings, Francis Drake, the explorer there must. Speaking of the spirit of exploring and expanding your horizons and going into the unknown.

[Elon Musk]

Drake, poor man's Magellan, in my opinion.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Don't, please don't get. He gets so militant about this. There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory. Yeah, yeah. Thanks for your input, Francis. Mailbag. So true, so true. Oh, the big splashy beginning, the ribbon cutting. Yeah, that ain't the hard part. Right, right. Let's see a number of people reacting to my getting a tick on Christmas Eve story. You can drop us a Note [e-mail].

[Elon Musk]

It's a good story when you present it that way with that sort of title. Remember the time I got a tick on Christmas Eve? Kids, gather around.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh yeah. Well, that was a good time. Let's see. Charlotte with a cute note. She went to the emergency room. The doctor walks into the room and says, do you have a tick or. And he starts like convulsing or a tick. It's like, that's not appropriate. That's not good humor. A tick, like a, like a twitch, like a seizure. Wow, that's not funny, doctor. Then, then this from Sean. While shooting a tick will always resolve the medical issue, one must aim the weapon so that the round strikes only the tick, not the person the tick is feeding on. I recommend a 9 millimeter round. If or if you don't trust your spouse's aim, you can always dump two mags or three California sized mags, rack the slide back and press the heated barrel against the T. It's a rather militaristic approach there, Sean. Thanks for the advice. Oh, and then he says, if performing either of these medical techniques indoors, say in a bathroom, be sure to wear ear protection. Don't risk your hearing.

[Elon Musk]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

What is the matter with you, Sean? Let's see. This is a very serious indeed from Tom about the British child rape story, the Muslim immigrants and the child rape rings and the COVID up by the British authorities who were embarrassed that their immigration policies were so miserable. And also they wanted to keep the Muslim votes in those beleaguered rust belt towns. He points out, you guys speculated as to why these rapists would not have committed these atrocities in the countries they come from. What's not being discussed enough about these crimes is a central role that religion plays. Their home countries have almost no unbelievers living in them. That is true. That is true. You Want to talk about a bigoted apartheid society? Look at every Muslim country on earth, virtually almost everyone, according to the tenets of their religion. It's forbidden. Even look at a covered Muslim woman other than your wife, much less touch or molest one. However, anything goes with an infidel woman or girl. It is perfectly acceptable to use and abuse them sexually. In fact, it is seen as a good thing to do. Infidels are considered less than human. And when people who adhere to this belief system are important, large numbers into a culture like the one Great Britain and has become, it is inevitable that poor, powerless young girls will be victimized wholesale. Again. This would not be happening in the absence of one particular religion. It is time for people to get honest about fundamentalist Islam. There are plenty of wonderful Muslim people living in the country. I have no quarrel with them whatsoever. But fundamentalist Islam is an incredibly bigoted religion of conquest that just is. It's undeniable.

[Elon Musk]

I saw a quote and I. I didn't verify it or not. It claimed it was from Winston Churchill saying Muslims, which was the term back in the day. When they are in the minority, minority rights are very important. When they are in the majority, there are no minority rights.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's correct.

[Elon Musk]

Which is interesting. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

The history of the world would. Would back that up. And then a note. I want to talk maybe more later from our old friend Camper, who says some very, very nice things about the way we were talking about a couple of topics, but then he said 60 years ago, we'd not only express outrage, but would also engage and make a collective and individual effort to fix things and make righteous s happen. And he's suggesting more. We have. We give you more avenues for getting involved, recommend groups to join or where a ballot initiative is going. We try to do that. We have a very small crew. And to get the show ready every single day and, like, give you your marching orders would be a challenge, but it's a great thought. We'll work on it.

[Elon Musk]

We got some more of the news of the day, and I hope you can join us. And I would like your recommendations for things that rhyme with 25 Armstrong and Getty.

[Cindy Crawford]

Wasn't that delicious?

[Joe Getty]

So good.

[Jack Armstrong]

Your bill, ladies.

[Elon Musk]

I got it.

[Joe Getty]

No, I got it.

[Elon Musk]

Seriously.

[Jack Armstrong]

I insisted.

[Joe Getty]

I said first.

[Elon Musk]

Don't be silly.

[Joe Getty]

You don't be silly.

[Mark Zuckerberg]

People with The Wells Fargo ActiveCash credit card prefer to pay because they earn unlimited 2% cash back on purchases.

[Joe Getty]

Okay. Rock, paper, scissors for it. Rock, paper, scissors.

[Jack Armstrong]

Shoot.

[Mark Zuckerberg]

No, The Wells Fargo ActiveCash Credit Card Visit wells fargo.com ActiveCash Terms Apply hi.

[Cindy Crawford]

I'm Cindy Crawford, and I'm the founder of Meaningful Beauty. Well, I don't know about you, but, like, I never liked being told, oh, wow, you look so good for your age. Like, why even bother saying that? Why don't you just say you look great at any age? Every age. That's what Meaningful Beauty is all about. We create products that make you feel confident in your skin at the age you are now. Meaningful Beauty. Beautiful skin at every age. Learn more@meaningful beauty.com.

[Elon Musk]

Okay, I just was looking at our Twitter feed and saw your tweet. It was right above my retweet of somebody saying people are too casual about the fact that parrots can talk.

[Jack Armstrong]

Amen to that. Since I was a kid, I've thought that. Wait a minute, we're just taking this in stride. Hang on.

[Elon Musk]

But anyway, your suggestions for the theme when we open the show every single day. Stay alive in 25. Just survive. Cut the jive. Will we arrive kicking the hive?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, Yeah. I will tell you that judging by the comments, and there were hundreds of them. Cut the jive, number one. Cut the jive in 25.

[Elon Musk]

Wow. Jive. Has anybody under 50 heard that term?

[Jack Armstrong]

And Kicking the Hive was pretty popular too.

[Elon Musk]

It's.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's draining the swamp.

[Elon Musk]

Ask News of the Day. As we mentioned, we'll hear from Mark Zuckerberg a little bit later. He's doing some interviews. He's changing Facebook from fact checkers to community notes, and he says specifically he modeled it after Elon Musk's deal on Twitter. So interesting. And I think it's a step forward.

[Jack Armstrong]

Has there been in recent American history a phrase more contemptible than fact checker?

[Elon Musk]

Yeah. And welcome to the party. Mark Zuckerberg, that fact checker to me means. Okay, here. I'm about to be spun one way or the other. One more thing I wanted to mention before we get to this news clip, we need to discuss. A friend of mine who works for the federal government said texted me this yesterday. President Biden just gave all federal employees Thursday off to honor and remember President Carter paid holiday. Thank you, dear taxpayers.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. What the hell? Get to please get Biden out of office. How soon can we do that? A week. That's pretty soon.

[Elon Musk]

Okay, please, someone. Two weeks. I'm sorry, someone explain to me how you justify that so that segment of society gets a day off. No big deal. It's all paid for by all the other people, which is the vast majority of us. Like almost all of us who are paying for it. And we have to go to work. Of course we do.

[Jack Armstrong]

Someday I will be recognized. Let's make this about me. And the. The. The Getty principle will be spoken of far and wide, and that is that the government, and more specifically, particularly in blue states, unionized government workers have become the most important lobbyist of government. They now run the government for themselves to a large extent. And that is perverted. Our politics in this country, I gotta believe.

[Elon Musk]

So I spent.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why else would Biden do that? Why? Name a single damn reason. Come on.

[Elon Musk]

I spent a lot of time thinking about the, The, The. The overall structure of our country. Over the break, I listened to a long podcast with some law professors about the Constitution and all that sort of stuff, then ended up going to Washington, D.C. and seeing documents in person and reading various quotes from the Founding Fathers. I gotta believe that universally, as much as they fought with each other and they. They solidly disagreed with each other on so many issues like you're gonna destroy the country before it even started. I mean, they really believe the other side was wrong, but I gotta believe that they would all be in agreement that it's completely too big and into too much of our lives at this point. I gotta believe every one of them.

[Jack Armstrong]

I think you're 100% right. Yeah. Because. And there are, I don't know, two, three, four central principles that informed everything that went into the Constitution. And one of those was power always wants to centralize. And the Constitution was built to resist that impulse. It's been true since the days of the cavemen. It was true through the Middle Ages. It's true now. Power wants to accumulate. It wants to centralize. And we the people have been seduced into letting that happen because we've been promised that a powerful central government will give us everything we dream. And paraphrase Jefferson, it is therefore powerful enough to take away everything we have. But we've been seduced.

[Elon Musk]

I got into the argument, and I won't get into it here, maybe later, that Madison was strongly against the Bill of Rights, just thought it was a terrible idea. Argued so strongly to try to convince all of his fellow voters there at the Constitutional Convention that the Bill of Rights was a terrible idea. But he lost the argument and then said, okay, I lost the argument, and here's. Here's how we ought to do it if we're going to do it. Which I just thought if we could. If we could do that now, where you just. You. You lost the argument. Okay, fine. Now I'm Going to get on board with. Let's try to make this the best it can be since this is what the majority of you have decided. We're so far from that now anyway. Another day. This could be the story that dominates the year. I hope it's not. Here we go.

[Kamala Harris]

Health officials reporting the first death from bird flu in the US the patient, who was over 65 with underlying health conditions, had been hospitalized in Louisiana since mid December after being exposed to the virus through a flock of birds in a backyard. The CDC analyzed the virus in that Louisiana patient and found concerning new mutations which could help the virus infect people more easily. But so far there has been no evidence of human to human spread. Health officials urging the public to avoid consuming unpasteurized dairy products. Public health officials are also warning not to feed your pets raw food after at least one cat in Oregon died from the virus.

[Elon Musk]

So is this an attempt by me to scare you by playing this? No, I just think you need to know that story is out there and the media is on it. And. And once again, having learned nothing apparently from the coverage of the whole Covid thing, this person with horrible health, who is also quite old and already in the hospital for a long time, died with bird flu. Not of bird flu, but with bird flu. There's a big difference.

[Jack Armstrong]

Great Scott. Dr. Anthony Fauci has issued a statement ordering everyone to wear mittens and begin all sentences with verbs, because that's the science. Go get some mittens, for instance, said the great doctor who represents science. All right, Bird first bird flu death.

[Elon Musk]

Somebody with really bad health who had gotten bird flu died, who, God rest.

[Jack Armstrong]

Their souls, could have withstood.

[Elon Musk]

Okay. Bird sounds.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, it's illustrative. Yes. Okay. Some. Some oldster who, God bless their souls, couldn't have survived any infection. Fair enough. You know, I'm not worried about the damn bird flu. I'm worried about the damn man eaten worm in Texas. Did you see this? The New World screw worm, which is a pretty good name. It's. Its Latin name, hominovorax, means man eater. And it's spreading up from Mexico. We eradicated it in the US years and years ago, 1966. It's horrific. It screws its way.

[Elon Musk]

Slow down.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm sorry. I'm a little excited about this.

[Elon Musk]

I. I'm just becoming aware of this. I need to take this in in a way that I can digest it. So there is a worm that can kill larva?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Yes.

[Elon Musk]

And it's in Texas and it's spreading.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes.

[Elon Musk]

Northward all right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, it's. And again. We eradicated it in 1966 after an extensive federal and state sterilization product. It's the larva of a fly. The. What's the name of the fly? Shoo fly. Don't bother me. I can't remember. Some damn fly. Anyway. It is evidence that God has forsaken us. It is the worst thing I've ever heard of. It is the worst insect on earth, bar none. Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine said. Hey, it's gonna. It could have devastating effects on the health of our livestock. But the screw worm begins its reign of terror when the female lays her eggs into the. Into an open wound or orifice. The female flies are drawn to the open wounds and orifices by the odors they emit. They can be as small as a tick bite, a nasal or eye opening, a navel of a newborn, or genitalia.

[Elon Musk]

I tend to keep my genitalia covered, so I think I'm okay there.

[Jack Armstrong]

We appreciate it. These eggs then hatch into dangerous larvae that burrow into the wound like screws. Females can lay 200 to 300 eggs at once. Oh, my God. I'm gonna faint.

[Elon Musk]

The country is on edge. So did you say somebody has died of it?

[Jack Armstrong]

No, no, it's. But it's. It's creeping its way north. It primarily affects livestock, but it can infect humans.

[Elon Musk]

Okay.

[Jack Armstrong]

Good God. Run for your lives.

[Elon Musk]

The fact that the bird flu death was one of the lead teases on all the evening national newscasts concerned me. Like, they get so excited about that sort of thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah, yeah. People don't tune out of being frightened. It's a ratings ploy to constantly keep you frightened. It works politically, too, as Menken said. You know, politics is trotting out an endless series of hobgoblins to terrify you into voting one way or another. We won't do it here. Except for the screw worm. It is terrifying. Be. Tell your children just before they try to go to sleep tonight about this worm that burrows its way into your orifices.

[Cindy Crawford]

Well, the country is on edge on the.

[Elon Musk]

Exactly. The country's on edge. I love that clip. The country is on edge on the bird flu thing. Now, I know some people on the right believe this is an effort. The government wants to get the bird flu thing going as a scare to try to really limit a lot of livestock stuff or take control of that because the government wants to have even more control over the food.

[Jack Armstrong]

Thank you. There you go.

[Elon Musk]

The food source that we have in America Particularly people that provide their own food, so.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, right. An excuse to take more control, isn't that. That needs to be the theme, I think. Cut. The jive in 25 might be the right theme. And Michael, the fabulous clip you keep playing. Go ahead.

[Cindy Crawford]

The country is on edge.

[Jack Armstrong]

The never ending drumbeat of trying to motivate us politically or. Or sociologically or whatever by these fake harem scarum things. All right. I'm on the. I'm on the beat. I'm on the hunt.

[Elon Musk]

You can only do that so many times, though, can't you? Before people start saying, ah, whatever. Bring it on.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, we're at like 4 billion, I think, and counting.

[Elon Musk]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

In this country.

[Elon Musk]

Okay, so we got Kate. No, we don't have. Katie's ill. She's got the. I heard her sneeze. She went. I think it might be the bf. The bird flu.

[Jack Armstrong]

Certainly hope not.

[Elon Musk]

But we've got more news of the day on the way. I really want to get into some of the stuff that went on yesterday around the big certification. Really?

[Jack Armstrong]

Constitutional box checking.

[Elon Musk]

Yeah, no kidding. No kidding. It was. It was all the drama of, like, you know, filling out your car rental agreement and other stuff on the way. So stay here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Cindy Crawford]

Wasn't that delicious?

[Joe Getty]

So good.

[Jack Armstrong]

Your bill, ladies.

[Elon Musk]

I got it.

[Joe Getty]

No, I got it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Seriously, I insist.

[Joe Getty]

I insisted first.

[Elon Musk]

Don't be silly.

[Joe Getty]

You don't be silly.

[Mark Zuckerberg]

People with the Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card prefer to pay because they earn unlimited 2% cash back on purchases.

[Joe Getty]

Okay. Rock, paper, scissors for it. Rock, paper, scissors.

[Jack Armstrong]

Shoot.

[Elon Musk]

No.

[Mark Zuckerberg]

The Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card. Visit Wells Fargo.com ActiveCash Terms apply.

[Cindy Crawford]

Hi, I'm Cindy Crawford, and I'm the founder of meaningful beauty. When Dr. Sabah and I decided to do a skincare line together, he said to me, we are going to give women meaningful beauty. And I said, that's exactly right. We want to give women meaningful beauty, which means each and every product is meaningful. It has a reason to exist. It's efficacious. You're going to get results, and then you just go out and live your life. Meaningful beauty confidence is beautiful. Learn [e-mail].

[Elon Musk]

Yesterday, during an event at.

[Jack Armstrong]

The White House, President Biden brought a young man up on stage to sing him Happy Birthday. And, well, just watch this.

[Elon Musk]

Happy birthday to you Happy birthday to you Happy birthday Happy birthday to you.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, well, he still got it, so that's good.

[Elon Musk]

I ended up in a situation like that over the break. Who was it? Obviously, it Wasn't my son his birthday? I was at some birthday thing and people started singing in about two lines into the song, I realized I. I do not remember this person's name. Happy birthday. You know, when he sang Happy birthday to my son who turned 13, I ended with here comes puberty. And. And I got bad looks.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, no wonder why I thought that was again. No, no, no, no. Too big a thing to.

[Elon Musk]

No, puberty's too big a thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, you don't throw in a witty line at the end of a song.

[Elon Musk]

My son's excited about puberty. He's constantly asking. He says, do you see any here on my lips? Any hair in my lip? Does my voice sound any deeper today? He's so wanted because he saw his brother go through it and his brother seems like a grown man and yeah, girls seem to dig it and all that sort of thing. So he wants. He's looking forward to it. Excellent.

[Jack Armstrong]

Actually.

[Elon Musk]

Yesterday, my 13 year old, he said, do you think I'm taller? And I said, I am. You might be. Said I was looking at my feet in the shower today and they just seemed further away as beautiful. A couple of things from my notes before I get to something somewhat serious and thoughtful. First, a quote from Albert Einstein that I thought was really good. Two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Elon Musk]

Which is pretty good. And I came across this, which is finding out stripper poles spin in place instead of strippers around the poles. Is the grown ups finding out Santa isn't real. I didn't know that.

[Jack Armstrong]

I didn't know that either.

[Elon Musk]

I didn't know that either. But now that I think about it, the few times I've seen strippers on stripper poles, which is not very many times, that's how you do it. The pool spins. You're not spinning around the pole. The pole spins, which is much easier to do hanging on the pole with it spinning. Much easier than I'm spinning around it with like my. I always wondered how you get your legs to not squeak. It could against the metal pole or your hands or whatever. So that explains it.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know, I hadn't given it a moment's thought. I'm kind of ashamed of that because now that you pointed out, yeah, it's. It's practically a physical impossibility to do what they seem to be doing. They're exotic dancers, by the way, growing.

[Elon Musk]

Up a Google and finding out sand isn't real. So there you go. I'm trying to be more Big picture in the year 2025 as opposed to some of the daily nonsense that gets so much attention in, in in some media and it's meaningless. Big picture. And this is a big picture thing. I remember how much time I got. Michael, I don't want to launch into a big picture thing. And I got no time.

[Jack Armstrong]

That'd be ironic, wouldn't it? Yeah, you got two and a half.

[Elon Musk]

No problem. Perfect. So I remember. Oh, Gladys. Gladys working in 25. Did we re because Joe and I renewed our contract. We're going to be around for several more years.

[Jack Armstrong]

What?

[Elon Musk]

What? But I didn't know if Gladys signed on too. Gladys signed on too. Cool. So Gladys is going to be with us for the next several years. God willing. I remember when Barack Obama was elected in 2008 and George Will sang on the TV. It's interesting that this sticks in my mind. Saying the treat. Got to get the line right. He said the retreat of the state is over. And I thought, wow, that is fascinating. So he was looking at when Ronald Reagan came into office through two terms of Reagan, Bush and even two terms of Clinton. When Bill Clinton ran on. The era of big government is over. The state was in retreat and it ended with Barack Obama. And it has been that way now for a couple of decades with just the growth of the government through Ds and Rs, bigger, more expensive everything. And then this article in the Wall Street Journal that I came across over the weekend. The progressive moment in global politics is over, at least for now. This past year showed that the progressive politics that have dominated most industrialized countries over the past two decades. So the period of time since Barack Obama, after, you know, several decades of a retreat of the state, the state has been growing. And in our face, the that dominated over the past two decades is more is shifting to the right because of working class anxieties, economy immigration, fatigue with issues from climate change to identity politics, all that sort of stuff. So it looks like we're it is flipped back to the other side again, at least for now and hopefully for a couple of decades at least.

[Jack Armstrong]

At the risk of being sounding smug, the Wall Street Journal could have saved some ink by just saying the backlash was because progressive policies yield miserable results.

[Elon Musk]

The problem is that a lot of that spending and growth is locked in.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, that is a huge problem.

[Elon Musk]

A lot. I mean, nothing is permanent, at least in, you know, a Republican democracy like we've got. But a lot of it would be really, really hard to undo. And of course, money spent is money spent. There's nothing you can do about that. You got to pay it back.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right? Right. Yeah. The great danger of democracy is that a. A benefit that wasn't imagined for the past 500 years, given on Tuesday. If you try to take it back the next day, realize you've made a mistake, people will howl like you're skinning them.

[Elon Musk]

So, to paraphrase George Will, it looks like the retreat of the working man is over. Which is good news. We've got more to come. Stay with us.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Gettysburg.