Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "Where Are The Patriots?!"

Date: October 28, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

Armstrong and Getty tackle the increasingly toxic landscape of American politics, focusing on gerrymandering, partisanship, and what’s missing—a new generation of genuine patriots. The conversation spans the self-serving maps drawn by both political parties, California’s controversial Prop 50, national ramifications on redistricting, social contagion among youth, and even a healthy dose of baseball talk. The tone is irreverent, sharp, and sometimes personal, as the hosts mix serious policy critique with their trademark side commentary and humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Gerrymandering “Arms Race”

• Both parties are guilty: The hosts emphasize how both Republicans and Democrats participate in aggressive gerrymandering to gain unfair representation—each justifying their moves as merely reacting to the “evil” of the other.

  • Jack Armstrong [00:28]: “Democrats are gonna push back aggressively to make sure that we have fair maps across the country, not partisan gerrymandering which Republicans have initiated in state after state after state.”
  • Joe Getty [00:41]: “The great race to the bottom of gerrymandering with each side saying this makes us sad, but we're only doing it because we have to, because the evildoers on the other side have done it first.”

• Where are the patriots?

  • Joe Getty [00:59]: “How are patriots not in charge?”
  • Jack Armstrong [01:01]: “We need to stop saying Republicans and Democrats and look for patriots.”

• Case study—California: Despite a supposedly independent commission, the state remains gerrymandered in favor of Democrats, reducing Republican representation far below their share of the vote.

  • Jack Armstrong [01:41]: “Republicans represent about 40% of the votes in California, they only have about 18% of the representation in Congress... California's gonna take it another step and get it down around 5%.”

Notable Quote

“Somebody put that on the Internet or tattoo it on your chest... Put it next to Armstrong, with this statement of the day.”
— Joe Getty [02:48]

Crossfire & Political Hypocrisy

• Arnold Schwarzenegger’s take:
  Schwarzenegger, interviewed by Jake Tapper, debunks the notion that only Republicans started gerrymandering and urges performance over finger-pointing.

  • Arnold Schwarzenegger [06:13]: “There is such extreme gerrymandering going on that in a state like Massachusetts, it has like 40% of the people voting for Trump. They only had zero representatives. The Republican Party has zero representatives sent to the House.”
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger [07:49]: “This whole thing about finger pointing... that's not really the way to go. The one party should outperform the other party. It should be performance.”

• Media criticism:
  The hosts poke fun at Jake Tapper for either not knowing or ignoring the long bipartisan history of gerrymandering.

  • Joe Getty [07:01]: “Jake Elbridge Gerry signed the effing Declaration of Independence. It's named after him... Jake, you blank and ignoramus.”
  • Jack Armstrong [07:13]: “Hey, Jake Tapper, you just lost a debate to an Austrian bodybuilder.”

Policy Fallout and Political Theater

• California’s Prop 50 & National Backlash:
  The hosts discuss theories (from a plugged-in listener) that Gavin Newsom’s Prop 50 may be triggering increased GOP gerrymandering elsewhere as a retaliatory move.

  • Joe Getty [16:19]: “Gavin's proposition is triggering Republicans in other states, like Indiana, to do way more redistricting... leading to a very large GOP gain, thus backfilling firing on Newsom.”

• Gavin Newsom’s “hyperbole”:

  • Jack Armstrong [11:33]: “Yeah, you're trying to be honest about it by claiming there might not be a 2028 presidential election.”
  • Joe Getty [11:39]: “God, he's so full of crap.”

Digression: Baseball Marathon & Cultural Commentary

• 18-inning World Series game:
  Extended discussion on the marathon baseball game, its exhaustion factor, and quirks like Shohei Ohtani’s helmet issues and alleged “radiation-fueled” durability.

  • Jack Armstrong [23:10]: “I think it's similar to Godzilla and Mothra. I think he came in contact with some sort of nuclear thing.”
  • Joe Getty [25:50]: “I've always loved it when a team runs out of pitchers and they've got, you know, like their, their center fielder's got a really live arm and he pitched in college...”

• Celebration of underdog athletes:
  The story of Alejandro Kirk, the short, portly catcher from Tijuana, purchased for $7,500 and defying all athletic stereotypes.

  • Jack Armstrong [27:51]: “He is a guy. He's one of those people that like if he worked into your work, walked into your workplace, you wouldn't want him on your softball team. You'd think that guy is not an athlete.”

Social Contagion & Identity

• Nellie Bowles on the decline in transgender identification:
  The hosts quote Bowles’ commentary attributing the drop in young people identifying as transgender to the fad-like nature of teen identity struggles, and discuss medical overreach.
  • Joe Getty [17:12]: “There have always been a small number of people who feel truly dysphoric in their sex... The last thing you want is a horde of depressed teen girls latching onto your situation as a way to rage against their bodies.”
  • Jack Armstrong [18:07], quoting Bowles: “I say, scram, kids. Get outta here. I'm putting up a border around gay territory and saying, no more may enter...”

Immigration Enforcement Shakeup

• Trump Administration overhauls ICE leadership:
  Multiple ICE chiefs are being replaced with Border Patrol officials to push for far more aggressive deportation, especially in progressive cities.

  • Bill Melugin [19:54]: “They're removing up to 12 ICE chiefs from around the country... in an effort to boost deportation numbers, which are already at more than half a million since President Trump took office.”
  • Joe Getty [21:37]: “It's just who's who's down to the plan and who's not.”

• Labor market disconnect:

  • Joe Getty [21:17]: “There are apparently roughly 2% of the construction workers in America who speak English, which is odd given how those are pretty good jobs.”

Socialism & Class Critique

• Jon Stewart interviews Zohran Mamdani, NYC progressive:

  • Jack Armstrong [31:29]: “He doesn't have that overly consulted, scared to answer question thing that most losers have, which is one of the reasons he's winning.”

• Matt Taibbi’s class analysis:
  The hosts discuss Taibbi’s critique of privileged, progressive socialists who “disdain their own good fortune.”

  • Joe Getty [33:05]: “This country has problems, even serious ones. But it’s not like gangsters are setting up freelance toll booths on I-95 or the Strip steak you ordered at Ponderosa has a good chance of being cat meat... The only people who think the system that produced the richest, safest empire in history is essentially unfixable are America's own wealthy, whose current disdain for their own good fortune is like a political version of heroin chic.”

Middle East Update

• Urgent Israel news:

  • Jack Armstrong [34:55]: “Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, has instructed the Israeli Defense Force to immediately carry out powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip. I don't know if that means the ceasefire is over...”

• Big picture:

  • Joe Getty [35:19]: “Hamas never had any intention of coming to peace... The Arab nations, which had stood up and said, yeah, we'll be part of imposing the peace...it's like, yeah, we're with you in spirit.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|--------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:59 | Joe Getty | “How are patriots not in charge?” | | 02:48 | Joe Getty | "Somebody put that on the Internet or tattoo it on your chest... Put it next to Armstrong, with this statement of the day." | | 06:13 | Arnold Schwarzenegger | "There is such extreme gerrymandering going on that in a state like Massachusetts, it has like 40% of the people voting for Trump. They only had zero representatives." | | 07:01 | Joe Getty | “Jake Elbridge Gerry signed the effing Declaration of Independence. It’s named after him.” | | 17:12 | Joe Getty (reading Bowles) | “There have always been a small number of people who feel truly dysphoric in their sex... I say, scram, kids. Get outta here. I'm putting up a border around gay territory...” | | 33:05 | Joe Getty (quoting Taibbi) | "...The only people who think the system that produced the richest, safest empire in history is essentially unfixable are America's own wealthy, whose current disdain for their own good fortune is like a political version of heroin chic." | | 34:55 | Jack Armstrong | "Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, has instructed the Israeli Defense Force to immediately carry out powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip." |

Timestamps of Major Segments

• Gerrymandering Hypocrisy & “Where Are the Patriots?” – [00:28–04:21]
• Arnold Schwarzenegger Interview & Tapper Critique – [05:04–08:19]
• California’s Prop 50 & Backlash Theory – [15:25–16:30]
• Social Contagion and Trans Identity (Nellie Bowles letter) – [16:41–18:45]
• ICE Shakeup & Immigration Policy – [19:54–22:41]
• Baseball Marathon & Athlete Oddities (Ohtani, Kirk, etc.) – [23:03–28:39]
• Socialism, Class, & Matt Taibbi's Perspective – [31:04–34:26]
• Israel-Hamas Breaking News – [34:55–36:14]
• Final Thoughts & Wrap up – [36:14-end]

Takeaway

This episode was a blend of pointed political critique and the show’s signature irreverent commentary. Armstrong and Getty argue for a return to patriotism and integrity in leadership—above party loyalty—while highlighting the absurdities and consequences of hyper-partisan behavior, flawed election reforms, and the radicalization of American discourse. From mockery of media ignorance to scathing analysis of coastal elitism, the episode delivers an entertaining yet urgent call for accountability, practicality, and—above all—national interest over tribal politics.