Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "Ya Pandering Bastards!"

Release Date: December 11, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty

Episode Overview

This episode blends the Armstrong & Getty duo's trademark mix of political commentary, cultural satire, and real-life anecdotes. The hosts take on topics ranging from Christmas song “updates” and health care subsidies, to China’s AI ambitions, shifting political alliances, and modern news coverage. There’s also a generous helping of sports tangents, holiday stories, and jabs at mainstream media.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Modernizing Christmas Traditions & Generational Humor

[03:03 – 04:11]

• The show opens with playful frustration at the trend of “updating” classic Christmas songs to fit modern slang.
  • Example parodies:
    • “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” becomes “It’s lowkey giving Christmas right now.”
    • “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” morphs into “Mommy and Santa are in a situationship.”
    • The “12 Days of Christmas” shrinks to “the 6, 7 days of Christmas.”
• Quote:
  • Jack: “Oh, the whole thing sickens me.” [03:46]
  • Joe: “I got groans and laughs.” [03:48]
• Joe recounts how he riffed on “6-7” jokes while working at a Christmas tree lot, mixing corny jokes with observations about generational gaps in humor.

2. Obamacare Subsidies & The Politics of Health Care

[04:11 – 09:34]

• The “most annoying” political story currently: debates over extending or ending the extra Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies granted during COVID.
  • The Democratic plan: Extend enhanced subsidies for three years.
  • The Republican plan: End extra subsidies, redirect savings to HSAs for those on low-cost plans.
• Hosts’ take:
  • The scale of change is often overstated—most Americans get employer healthcare, actual affected numbers are smaller than portrayed.
  • Media and politicians frame the rollback as cruel, when in fact it returns subsidies to pre-pandemic levels.
• Quote:
  • Jack (on messaging): “They are the New York Jets of messaging... you can communicate that. And if you can’t, we gotta give up on self-governance and get a king.” [08:03]
  • Joe: “Everything that flows to taxpayers is permanent, always.” [09:13]
  • Jack: “You can quite literally give people a benefit of some sort for a week... if you remove the benefit at the end, people will weep and tear their garments as if you’re stealing their children.” [09:13]
• References to Lindsey Graham and Ron Johnson explaining the issue.

3. Wholesome Anecdotes and Human Nature at the Christmas Tree Lot

[09:34 – 15:14]

• Joe shares heartwarming and humorous stories from working with his son at the Boy Scout Christmas tree lot.
  • Interactions with quirky customers: an elderly pair bickering (“Would you just listen to me for a second?” [11:16]), and a 93-year-old man who sold Christmas trees in the 1940s, still sharp and active.
• Quote:
  • Joe: “It was just, it was like out of a movie, it was so fantastic.” [10:04]
  • Jack (on the elderly customer): “He was... physically and mentally like a 70 year old... the blessing of good genetics, I guess.” [14:59]

4. China’s AI Power Play & Infrastructure Autocracy

[18:58 – 33:56]

• Discussion shifts to geopolitical tech competition.
• China’s massive investment in power grids is seen as a strategic move to lead in AI infrastructure, even as they lag in AI research itself.
  • “Between 2010 and 2024, China’s power production increased more than the rest of the world combined.” [28:54]
  • Surplus energy capacity is expected to vastly exceed data center needs.
  • Comparison of Western democracies and Chinese autocracy:
    • Jack: "So much intellectual freedom needed for developing new technologies... but in terms of building infrastructure... autocracies are really impressive." [30:47]
    • Joe: “I wonder who gets credit for this. Is it President Xi or one of his advisors? Pretty clever plan...” [31:18]
  • Jabs at environmentalism: “Bet there aren’t a lot of, I’m being sarcastic, environmental studies that go into [Chinese projects].” [31:35]

5. Canada’s Energy U-Turn & Climate Change Fatigue

[34:08 – 36:18]

• Canada pivots back toward traditional energy projects, as public support for climate change policy plummets.
  • Example: Only 4% of Canadians now see climate change as their top concern (down from 29% six years ago) [35:56].
  • The “cult” of climate change has waned; economic and energy needs are driving new pipelines.
• Quote:
  • Jack: “This is a country that has changed its mind... stomping on the gas—pun intended.” [35:02]

6. Fractures in the ‘Red-Green Alliance’ (Leftists & Islamists)

[36:18 – 40:12]

• UK politics: New leftist-Islamist alliance faces internal culture war—over leadership, values, and even music (John Lennon’s “Imagine” lyrics cause offense among Muslim delegates for “no religion” line).
• Joe: “The leftists and Islamists agree that the Jews are the root of all evil... but they don’t agree on almost anything else. Will they be able to make their unlikely love work...?” [38:52]
• Satirical riff on revolutionary alliances gone wrong (e.g., Iran).

7. Sports Follies: Drunk Football & Scandals

[20:07 – 23:18]

• Football coach at Michigan allegedly fired and arrested for workplace relationship and assault.
• Quentin Jammer (NFL) admits to playing eight 2011 games “hammered drunk” to cope with personal issues [22:11].
• Joe: “I don’t know how you could play football drunk. I just can’t even imagine how you can do that.” [22:29]
• Sports stories are used to springboard into larger points about coping strategies and cultural expectations.

8. AI & Disney: Copyright, Creativity, and Media Weirdness

[25:56 – 27:26]

• Disney grants permission for their characters to be used in OpenAI’s video platform.
• Speculation about the potential (and comedic dangers) of AI-generated content.
  • Jack jokes: “Could I create a video, a manifestation of the infamous joke about Mickey and Minnie and Goofy...?” [26:30]
  • Joe: “That’s gonna be one of the first things anybody does with the video generator on AI.” [27:04]
• Scepticism about AI as a creative “boon”: “No... you’re working too hard.” [27:26]

9. News Media Critique: From Viral Videos to True Information

[43:52 – 47:33]

• The duo mocks the state of TV news, which increasingly consists of viral videos and “fluff” stories at the expense of significant events.
• They dream up a daily 10-minute information service giving just “what you need to know”—comparing it to the concise, agenda-free news of the Cronkite era.
• Joe: “Most of us could count on them to try to bring us... here’s everything you actually need to know that happened today.” [45:08]
• Jack: “If you’re a grown-up network, you have to do good solid news. Otherwise it’s shameful. But we have no shame anymore.” [47:01]
• The episode title lands here as Jack riffs: “That’s no reason to show the video again, you pandering bastards.” [47:20]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you remove the benefit at the end of the week, people will weep and screech and tear their garments as if you’re stealing their children from them. It’s just unbelievable.” – Jack Armstrong [09:13]
• “I got groans and laughs.” – Joe Getty on his Christmas tree lot jokes [03:48]
• “You can communicate that. And if you can’t, we gotta give up on self governance and get a king.” – Jack Armstrong [08:03]
• “This is a country that has changed its mind... stomping on the gas—pun intended.” – Jack Armstrong [35:02]
• “If you are a grown up network, you have to do good solid news. Otherwise it’s shameful. But we have no shame anymore.” – Jack Armstrong [47:01]
• “That’s no reason to show the video again, you pandering bastards.” – Jack Armstrong [47:20]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Christmas Songs & Tree-Lot Stories: 03:03 – 15:14
• Obamacare Subsidies Explained: 04:11 – 09:34
• China’s AI Power Grid: 18:58 – 33:56
• Canada’s Climate Policy Pivot: 34:08 – 36:18
• Leftist-Islamist Alliance in UK Politics: 36:18 – 40:12
• Sports Follies: 20:07 – 23:18
• Disney, AI, and Media Riffs: 25:56 – 27:33
• News as Viral Videos & The “Pandering Bastards” Rant: 43:52 – 47:33

Tone & Style

The classic Armstrong & Getty voice: fast-paced, sarcastic, skeptical, and conversational, with hearty doses of satire. They blend policy seriousness (especially regarding healthcare and geopolitics) with light-hearted banter, keeping the discussion both engaging and incisive for listeners tuned in for both news and entertainment.

For listeners who missed the episode:
You’ll get a whirlwind tour of holiday humor, inside-baseball health care, global power struggles, sports oddities, media critique, and the hosts’ cultural flavor—serving up both laughs and sharp observations.