Another Bad Week for Democrats & Left-wing Violence Is On The Rise

Summary

Ruthless Podcast Episode Summary
Title: Another Bad Week for Democrats & Left-wing Violence Is On The Rise
Release Date: July 11, 2025

---

1. Introduction: Setting the Stage

In this episode of the Ruthless Podcast, hosts Josh Holmes, Michael Duncan (Comfortably Smug), and John Ashbrook delve into the escalating tensions within the Democratic Party and the surge in left-wing violence across the United States. Balancing serious discourse with moments of levity, the hosts aim to provide listeners with a comprehensive analysis of the current political climate.

---

2. Democratic Strategies Against Trump

Key Discussion Points:

• Ad Campaigns Targeting Trump: Michael Duncan highlights how Democrats have intensified their advertising efforts against former President Donald Trump, employing harsh labels such as "fascist" and "Hitler."

  Notable Quote:
  Michael Duncan (00:00): “The Democrats are pulling all ads against Trump. Stop calling him a fascist. Stop calling him Hitler.”

• Influence of the "Hamas Caucus": Josh Holmes introduces the controversial notion of a "Hamas caucus" within the Democratic Party, suggesting it influences key decisions, including vice-presidential candidate selections.

  Notable Quote:
  Josh Holmes (00:22): “They have the Hamas caucus literally living in the base of their party.”

• Impact on Democratic Leadership: The discussion touches upon Josh Shapiro's high approval rating in a pivotal swing state and the internal conflicts arising from attempts to balance party loyalty with broader electoral strategies.

  Notable Quote:
  Josh Holmes (00:24): “They chose a vice president, presidential candidate exclusively because he wouldn't offend the Hamas caucus within the Democratic Party.”

---

3. Mocking Democratic Rhetoric

Key Discussion Points:

• Washington Post's Coverage: The hosts critique a Washington Post article titled "Donald Trump is not a Clown," penned by an actual clown affiliated with "Clowns Without Borders." They ridicule the earnestness and perceived absurdity of the piece.

  Notable Quote:
  John Ashbrook (04:23): “It feels like we're opening up the term, first term time capsule to some of this content. But no, it's here today. Washington Post is sending in the clowns.”

• Clowns Without Borders Satire: The conversation mocks the organization's serious approach to defining clowns and their historical significance, juxtaposing it with the absurdity of applying such a definition to political figures.

  Notable Quote:
  Michael Duncan (06:45): “He goes on to write clown, and I guess you don't write clowning or clowns. It's just the word clown.”

---

4. Rise of Left-wing Violence

Key Discussion Points:

• Assassination Attempts and Violence: The hosts discuss a series of violent incidents targeting ICE agents and other officials, attributing the rise in aggression to unrestrained left-wing activism and lack of accountability within the Democratic leadership.

  Notable Quote:
  Josh Holmes (26:00): “Assaults on immigration enforcement officers are up almost 700% when compared to the same time last year.”

• Lack of Denouncement from Democrats: A significant portion of the episode focuses on the absence of strong condemnation from Democratic leaders regarding these violent acts, contrasting it with the expected accountability following such events.

  Notable Quote:
  John Ashbrook (36:14): “They can't denounce globalize the Intifada. Right. They can't do that because those are their voters.”

• Impact on Law Enforcement and Public Safety: The discussion highlights how Democratic policies have undermined respect for law and order, leading to real threats against federal agents and creating an environment where violence is more likely to escalate.

  Notable Quote:
  Josh Holmes (35:36): “It's a total lack of respect for law and order one way or another, and they're not saying a fucking thing about it.”

---

5. Fun Time Friday: Viral Golf Fight

Key Discussion Points:

• Viral Video Clip: Transitioning from serious topics, the hosts introduce "Fun Time Friday," featuring a humorous video of a golf fight where one participant is repeatedly thrown into a lake by his opponent.

  Notable Quote:
  Josh Holmes (55:27): “He's eating it like a Snickers walker’s bar. Every punch goes directly into his mouth.”

• Humorous Commentary: The hosts provide running commentary on the absurdity of the fight, blending physical comedy with witty observations.

  Notable Quote:
  John Ashbrook (57:30): “You're not scaring anybody.”

---

6. Interview with Kevin Keane, CEO of the American Beverage Association

Key Discussion Points:

• Zero Sugar Initiative: Kevin Keane discusses the American Beverage Association's commitment to producing zero sugar products across various categories, emphasizing innovation and consumer choice.

  Notable Quote:
  Kevin Keane (60:20): “Our companies listen to their consumers and they respond to their consumers. And so consumers want balance, so we've created meaningful choice.”

• Transparency and Innovation: Keane highlights the industry's efforts to enhance transparency through the "Good to Know" initiative, providing detailed information about product ingredients to empower consumer decisions.

  Notable Quote:
  Kevin Keane (61:58): “We've created meaningful choice. These products taste good, too. That's why people are buying them.”

• Alignment with "America First" Policies: The interview underscores how the beverage industry aligns with the administration's "America First" agenda by fostering domestic production, supporting local economies, and creating well-paying jobs.

  Notable Quote:
  Kevin Keane (62:18): “We're delivering on that in ways I just mentioned, you know, the jobs that we produce, the products we make, the workers we employ.”

---

7. Listener Comments and Engagement

Key Discussion Points:

• Audience Feedback: The hosts engage with comments from listeners, addressing their perspectives on recent political events and the ongoing investigations into figures like James Comey and John Brennan.

  Notable Quote:
  John Ashbrook (50:07): “Nobody deserves it more.”

• Encouraging Interaction: Emphasizing community involvement, the hosts invite listeners to submit their thoughts on stopping left-wing violence, promising to feature selected comments in future episodes.

  Notable Quote:
  Josh Holmes (47:42): “We give them back to you on Tuesday. It's gonna be a big week next week.”

---

8. Conclusion: Looking Forward

As the episode wraps up, the hosts reiterate the significance of addressing left-wing violence and the importance of accountability within political leadership. They also highlight upcoming segments and encourage continued listener engagement through comments and subscriptions.

Final Notable Quote:
Josh Holmes (76:03): “Stay ruthless.”

---

Overall Insights and Conclusions

• Escalating Partisanship: The episode underscores a deepening divide within American politics, with Democratic strategies against Trump becoming increasingly aggressive and divisive.

• Rise in Political Violence: There's a pronounced concern about the surge in left-wing violence, particularly against law enforcement, and the perceived failure of Democratic leadership to adequately address or denounce these actions.

• Impact on Democratic Integrity: The discussion suggests that internal party conflicts and external pressures are weakening the Democratic Party's cohesion and public perception.

• Importance of Transparency and Innovation: Through the interview with Kevin Keane, the podcast highlights the value of transparency and consumer-focused innovation as essential elements for industries to maintain relevance and trust.

• Community and Engagement: The hosts emphasize the role of listener interaction in shaping the discourse, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose among their audience.

---

This summary encapsulates the key themes and discussions from the July 11, 2025 episode of the Ruthless Podcast. Listeners are encouraged to tune in for a detailed exploration of these topics and more.

Transcript

[Michael Duncan]

Two or three hours after that where, you know, you got this news that, like, the Democrats are pulling all ads against Trump. And then there's this very quick discussion about, like, okay, yes, it's very clear that the dialogue against Trump's been ratcheted up too much. Stop calling him a fascist. Stop calling him Hitler. And that lasted like 20 minutes.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, yeah, and they just.

[Michael Duncan]

And the Dems went right back to it.

[Josh Holmes]

They have the Hamas caucus literally living in the base of their party. They chose a vice president, presidential candidate exclusively because he wouldn't offend the Hamas caucus within the Democratic Party. They're the most talented guy in the entire Democratic side on the ledger, sitting in this one swing state that they had to win.

[John Ashbrook]

The one that they had to win. Josh Shapiro, who had a 70% approval.

[Josh Holmes]

Rating in that state. And they were like, ah, no, no, no. The Moscow is gonna be pissed off about that. You can't have a Jewish guy.

[Michael Duncan]

Your consolation prize is one of our activists is gonna set. Your.

[Josh Holmes]

Hardworking Americans know when it's time to roll up our sleeves and get the job done. Now is the time to unleash our nation's energy, to create jobs, secure our future, and make life better, more affordable, and full of opportunity for all Americans. That's the power of America's oil and natural gas. Learn [e-mail] paid for by the American Petroleum Institute. Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please.

[Michael Duncan]

Keep the faith, hold the line, and own the lids.

[Josh Holmes]

It's time for our main event, Fun Time Friday. A neat new tradition here on the Ruthless Variety Program. I'm Josh Holmes, along with comfortably smug Michael Duncan and John Ashbrook. Left to right across your radio dial as always. Hey, fellas. You know, we did a pretty serious episode yesterday. Yeah, we took on some weighty.

[Michael Duncan]

We took on the deep state.

[Comfortably Smug]

Sure did.

[Josh Holmes]

And you know how, like, Wolf likes the meat up front, so I'm sure he was pleased with it, but I like a lighter fare from time to time. We promised everybody we're gonna get into democratic violence and, like, the real issues that are giving rise to all of this. But we gotta have a little fun.

[Michael Duncan]

I mean, it is Friday.

[Josh Holmes]

It's Friday, so, I mean, that's a dark topic. I think we ought to start with some fun making.

[John Ashbrook]

Yes, well, they may be crazy and violently crazy, but they're also buffoonishly crazy. And they do it for our enjoyment.

[Josh Holmes]

Every once in a while. Here on the Ruthless Variety Program, we're scrolling through our various news feeds and you come across something that, well, it sort of stands out.

[Michael Duncan]

I think it was like 7:00am I, when I texted you guys, I was like, this is, I want you to know this is real.

[Josh Holmes]

And I couldn't believe it. I actually did think it was like a Babylon Bee or something type thing. But the Washington Post, the esteemed Washington Post, you know, they only solicit the highest minded of opinions at the Washington Post. You know, they've worked on. Weren't we told, by the way, that it was just going to be like the economy?

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, Bezos was like, oh, yeah, time to tighten it up here.

[Josh Holmes]

This isn't economic in nature.

[Comfortably Smug]

These guys didn't get that memo.

[Josh Holmes]

Today's edition is not economic in nature. Well, there's a clown, literal, if we can pop up graphic one just so you can all see what it is that we were looking at when we first saw this. The title of this particular submission is Donald Trump is not a Clown. I should know. It is written by an actual clown.

[John Ashbrook]

An actual clown. What I love about this piece in the Washington Post is there's an insanity and an earnestness to it.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, that's my favorite blend.

[John Ashbrook]

It feels like something from the archive from the first Trump administration where, where these lefties had these, this very earnest opposition to Donald Trump, where they hated him so much to a core, they were willing to embarrass themselves in service of that, you know, so it feels like we're opening up the term, first term time capsule to some of this content. But no, it's here today. Washington Post is sending in the clowns.

[Josh Holmes]

It's either like genius in that they know everybody's making fun of it and probably clicking on it, but I don't suspect that's the case. I think that they were. This is like the kind of coalition building that you often get off the left hand side where they're like, well, everybody's calling Donald Trump a clown. Let's find some clowns. It's not like, dispute that.

[John Ashbrook]

I want to think they're smart enough to do that, but I swear, it's too earnest, too technical. Let me just read, I gotta read the lead in here. The lead to this. This piece is so hilarious.

[Josh Holmes]

Give the people some flavor, okay?

[John Ashbrook]

Allegations that President Donald Trump is a clownish figure are not hard to come. Political strategist James Carville referred to Trump's administration the clown show. Lawrence o' Donnell called the President a humiliated clown. And when the President made himself the focal point of laughter in June by hosting a birthday military celebration of lackluster crowd in D.C. hundreds of demonstrators across the country participated in Kick out the Clowns protests. I feel like that's sort of a reach. I thought it was the no Kings protest.

[Josh Holmes]

I thought so, too. But they got to stay on brand.

[John Ashbrook]

Hey, when you're a hammer, everything's a nail, right?

[Josh Holmes]

Let the clowns speak, Michael.

[John Ashbrook]

But the turn here at the open of the article, none of this qualifies Trump for such a title.

[Josh Holmes]

Clown.

[John Ashbrook]

I am a clown and board president of the nonprofit Clowns Without Borders.

[Michael Duncan]

Dude, he's doing clown stolen valor. And a serious. He's being serious.

[John Ashbrook]

He's dead serious. He's like, he's. Donald Trump has not served with us.

[Josh Holmes]

It reminds me, he's not put in the time at the birthday parties that we all have. No, but it reminds me. Remember when we did that bit a couple of years ago about big tree, Big Christmas tree. There was an association in D.C. that represented Christmas trees. And it turns out there's something in D.C. for everybody. It doesn't matter how minute, your professional interest, you're represented by somebody, right? And big Christmas tree. The big clown lobby is incredible. This is like a big land. You imagine the PR shop at the big clown lobby in D.C. they're like, we finally made it.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, look, I'm sure Clowns Without Borders does good work. No, but that whole lead up is a new level of sniffing your own farts.

[Comfortably Smug]

It doesn't stop there. Yeah, it only gets better. It only gets better. He goes on to write clown, and I guess you don't write clowning or clowns. It's just the word clown. I guess that's plural.

[Josh Holmes]

Or wait, hold on. Is that right?

[Comfortably Smug]

Possessive.

[Michael Duncan]

This person's claiming it. This person's claiming it.

[Josh Holmes]

You're telling me this is the voice plural of clown is clown, like deer?

[Comfortably Smug]

According to this spokesman for the movement who goes on to say clown demands years is not a lifetime of study.

[Michael Duncan]

I mean, this guy even says that clown, capital C, capital.

[Comfortably Smug]

He makes that point. He goes on and he adds, clown is not an invention of the modern era. Several ancient indigenous cultures.

[John Ashbrook]

Come on.

[Comfortably Smug]

Revere a sacred clown figure.

[John Ashbrook]

We're doing land acknowledgments for clownery on.

[Comfortably Smug]

The subject of land acknowledgments. For example, the Sioux. And he's got the. I guess the Sioux language description. The Sioux people celebrate Heyoika. An honorable community member who uses humor to shed light on societal problems.

[Josh Holmes]

Can I pause you just for a minute, please? You weren't making that up when you said Clowns Without Borders.

[John Ashbrook]

He's actually a part that is a serious. Yes.

[Josh Holmes]

Clowns Without Borders is a thing.

[Comfortably Smug]

No, he explains one of their. One of their things they did. Just before the 2010 Haiti earthquake, clowns Without Borders was invited to perform in a communal section of Port au Prince called Martasante.

[Michael Duncan]

So here's the thing is, I think their efforts are far better and their interests are far better served doing the Clowns Without Borders thing than doing the like. I will now relate the history, the proud history of the ancient order of clown and how Donald Trump is not welcome.

[Josh Holmes]

Except I don't even think that's what's happening here. Like, I think this is the most cynical. And Smash knows what I'm talking about because we both got started in PR where you had to pitch unimaginably boring stuff.

[John Ashbrook]

You're just looking for an angle.

[Josh Holmes]

Like, no serious publication would take what it is that you wanted. And this guy wants a firm defense of the ancient history of clowns, right? And he's like, I don't know, maybe if we just went at Trump and said, like, he's no clown, then we can get it across the finish line, right? Because he goes on. I mean, they gave him, like, 800 words to talk about clowning.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, the work that they do abroad. He has a word for it here. This is more from the article. This area of clown, again, not no s clown is called humanitarian clowning, which Clowns Without Borders have specialized in for more than 30 years.

[Josh Holmes]

I want a ruling from the audience. You clown out there. For those of you who have time and participated in this particular industry, tell me if that's correct. Clown. I just. It doesn't feel like. It doesn't feel like it.

[John Ashbrook]

I just want to know the reaction when they show up to some place that has had some unimaginable disaster happen, and they're like, I'm gonna make you a balloon dog.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, my God.

[John Ashbrook]

You know, like.

[Michael Duncan]

Your family has died. Here's a balloon.

[John Ashbrook]

All I'm saying is, if we're doing cuts at usaid, I hope there are no grants going to Clowns Without Borders.

[Josh Holmes]

I don't know, man. It might do a lot better than trans studies in Tanzania.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's possible.

[Josh Holmes]

I'm just telling might from a world perspective. You're right.

[John Ashbrook]

You're right. There's actually a lot worse.

[Josh Holmes]

There is no better soft power than the moving clown.

[Michael Duncan]

I wonder, like, on a psychological level, like, let's say you've experienced some, like, tremendous earthquake. Your whole family dies. You're like a child and a clown. Walks up to you in that moment of like horror and grief and loss and hands you a balloon dog. That'd be like my supervillain origin story. Like, I hate you, clown. You're literally clowning my moment of tragedy.

[Josh Holmes]

You'd have to choke him out.

[Michael Duncan]

I will never forgive clowns.

[John Ashbrook]

I don't know. Patch Adams had a good career, right? You know, in the children's cancer wards.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, now they've made Donald Trump an enemy of the clown. And how dare Donald Trump try to stolen valor of a clown anyway, that we had to do that because there's only so often that you get something just this absurd. But you recall on, I guess it was Tuesday, we talked about leader Jeffries, Team Jeffries.

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

In the House. And there was like this fun. This fun little vignette that was going on online about a picture that he posted, which was positively bizarre. I mean, look, this is a serious person supposedly, and supposed to have a pretty serious role. I mean, he's literally the biggest, like highest elected Democrat in the land.

[John Ashbrook]

Right?

[Josh Holmes]

Right. He's number two in a house separated by like three seats. He takes pictures of himself, which in and of itself was hilarious. It's like selfie. But it wasn't a selfie. It was like stage. Somebody had taken pictures of him, like.

[Comfortably Smug]

A press secretary or something.

[Josh Holmes]

Like he was trying to do a Vogue cover.

[Michael Duncan]

But, like, what a horrible job.

[Josh Holmes]

Right. And then it got funnier in that the thing we highlight on Tuesday and that it was very obviously photoshopped to make it look like he had like a skinnier waist.

[Michael Duncan]

And that job's so much worse.

[Josh Holmes]

Would you like process that for a minute? Right? I mean, like, what. And it's his personal thing, right? It's his personal Instagram or whatever, man.

[Michael Duncan]

The staffer, if, if you're listening, just reach out.

[Josh Holmes]

But I don't know. But there's.

[Michael Duncan]

Staffer. Because this is probably habitual.

[Josh Holmes]

It turns out, folks, this was not a one time occurrence. This is something our friend Julie Grace had flagged on the Twits on X. That this is apparently an epidemic with Mr. Jeffries where he has taken many a photo solo in nature, as one does when you're a leader of a Democratic party.

[Comfortably Smug]

Natural.

[Josh Holmes]

Right. You just want people to see you hanging out and stuff. So let's put up. Can we put up these, These big.

[John Ashbrook]

Oh, my God.

[Josh Holmes]

So he. Everybody needed to see him in a ball cap and a workout shirt.

[John Ashbrook]

He looks like Turtle from Entourage.

[Josh Holmes]

That's a. That's a good. What.

[Comfortably Smug]

What are they doing on the shoulders. Is he just like.

[Michael Duncan]

I need a bigger delta for look for the folks on audio only, you really first off should go to the YouTube subscribe so you can see it because it is better in video. But you can see how like the background is now morphed because he's trying to thin himself.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. So I mean, for those of you who don't know how to do this and I don't, I don't blame you if you don't. I don't know how to do it either. But apparently you can adjust your filter and adjust the image that you're trying to put up before you do. And when you do that, there are some telltale signs. Yeah. And one of them is that the whole background of the photo changes irreconcilably with what it is that they originally took a picture and like the walls get curvy or the fence get curvy. And in each one of these pictures we have more, Right? Yeah. Look at this. He's back in a Yankees outfit, but he did something to the biceps there.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

What was the concern? They looked too small maybe.

[Josh Holmes]

He's a man that's apparently very, very concerned about his own physical image.

[Michael Duncan]

And it looks like with the highlighting is. Is he tried to give himself more of an hourglass.

[John Ashbrook]

I mean. Yeah, that's. That is. That is very strange.

[Michael Duncan]

Tough look, dude.

[John Ashbrook]

He has like an hourglass in these photos. He has more touch ups than like a Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. It's unbelievable.

[Josh Holmes]

All I gotta say is that Democrats have been very vocal about wanting a fighter.

[Comfortably Smug]

Okay.

[Josh Holmes]

Maybe that's what that goes by is a little bit.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

You know, the busy man, he can't just go do curls all day. He can do it on the filter.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Nobody will ever know the difference.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think you put your finger on it until now.

[Josh Holmes]

And now, dear Lister, you know what's up to everybody. You should probably. We'll keep you updated if there's more. God bless him if he keeps going on this. But there's a real treasure trove. One of our favorite hobbies. We led this show for, I don't know, three years, probably with one of two things. Either Joe Biden literally unable to speak in spitting out the most ridiculous stuff, or Kamala Harris. We used to play a game called Veep or Veep on this show. And if you're a new listener, you never got to hear it because we ran out of Veep quotes from the HBO show.

[Michael Duncan]

The actual vp, Kamala kept saying boneheaded stuff.

[Josh Holmes]

They did like what, like seven seasons of that show. But she was so prolific at saying dumb shittery that we couldn't actually can't conduct the game.

[John Ashbrook]

You've run out of material from the fictional show that is literally comedy. The real life had more comedy because.

[Josh Holmes]

The game was, is this Selina Meyer from the Game or from the show Veep or is this your vice president? Veep or Veep? And we ran out of Selina Meyer quotes. And anyway, so we had to shelve all of that. Well, it turns out the time off is not done particularly well and she's probably had to repackage a bunch of things. You saw her come out like one once or twice or whatever.

[Comfortably Smug]

Well, speaking of repackaging, and I hate to interrupt you, but did you see the picture she Posted on the 4th of July? Yeah, it was her overlooking a White House balcony. And the original picture had Joe Biden in it. Oh, she just dropped Joe Biden out of the picture and then had this like line that, oh, things are changing now. Some like ridiculous, stupid tagline.

[Josh Holmes]

Democrats just figured out how to edit pictures. Right.

[Comfortably Smug]

They're all into it.

[Josh Holmes]

They're like, oh, we got a good idea. We're going to say fucking shit. We're gonna fight in the streets and then we're gonna edit the hell out of our pictures to make it look sure that we look good. Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

And the way that she looks better is to get rid of Jill.

[Josh Holmes]

It's terrific.

[John Ashbrook]

It's like the Stalin photo.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, he's gone.

[Josh Holmes]

Before she had any image conducting when she was running for president, she. If you haven't seen the story, it's fantastic. She sat down with a podcaster and I recall they were trying to be pretty judicious about her image because, well, frankly, every time she opened her mouth, it became problematic.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

And so they were selecting, picking and choosing left leaning outlets.

[John Ashbrook]

Things that call her daddy.

[Josh Holmes]

Right, right. Things that they knew wouldn't give her a hard time until she went to the View. Like the most sympathetic audience of all time tanked her whole election and like that was the end of it altogether. Well, somewhere between the time that they opened the floodgates on letting her talk to people and when they shut it off with the View, she talked to a progressive podcast. I haven't heard of this guy, but his name's Kareem Rama.

[John Ashbrook]

I think it's the Subway Talks is the name of the podcast.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, yeah, okay, all right. Haven't heard of it, but apparently he's very popular with the progressives and urged him to do an interview with her. And that fits in the mold. And so this guy says, well, let me just play. Let's, let's. Can we put clip 1? Emailed me.

[John Ashbrook]

They emailed, like an email from the.

[Josh Holmes]

The dnc. Okay. And they said, hey, Kamala Harris and Tim Walls are really interested in being on your show. I said, that sounds cool. Okay, I'll at least get to tell my daughter that I met the potential President of the United States. And so I said yes, based on. On the fact that it would be a good story. And also, they both had good takes.

[John Ashbrook]

What happened with Kamala?

[Josh Holmes]

Her take was really confusing and weird.

[Kevin Keane]

And so mutually agreed that we shouldn't.

[Josh Holmes]

Publish it because I didn't want to.

[Kevin Keane]

Be blamed for her losing.

[Josh Holmes]

The cake was that bad? It was really, really bad. It was like, didn't make any sense. Bacon is a spice. Bacon as a spice.

[John Ashbrook]

Bacon is a spice. Wow.

[Michael Duncan]

Can I also say that is so incredibly instructive because he was like, I didn't want it getting out there because I didn't want to get blamed for her losing her entire run. Everyone was on eggshells being like, I don't want to be the person who gets blamed for when this ship goes down.

[John Ashbrook]

It's so funny you say that smug. It's. It's like they all knew.

[Michael Duncan]

They all knew.

[John Ashbrook]

They all knew she couldn't do the job. She had no business being the nominee. The only way she became the nominee was a backroom deal between Barack Obama and all these henchmen to force out Joe Biden. It's the only way she end up being the nominee with no actual primary or election. Right? And so, like, and the same way.

[Michael Duncan]

That she got the nomination from Joe.

[John Ashbrook]

Biden, it's like the entire left wing media was this apparatus, like taking a little kid and lifting him up so they could dunk the ball.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

Dunk the basketball.

[Comfortably Smug]

You know what? They. They did their level best.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

They. They tried. She was the nominee. She. She did whatever she could do. I think now is the time for this podcast to release the.

[John Ashbrook]

Release the tapes.

[Josh Holmes]

But, dude, I mean, just think about this, right? I mean, he may be very big in the progressive world or whatever, but I don't think it's like, if I've never heard of it, it can't be huge. It's an opportunity of a lifetime, right? I mean, look, our little podcast that could like, imagine if JD Showed up to go fishing with us last fall. We were like, oh, shit, we can't Release this.

[John Ashbrook]

It's literally that bad.

[Josh Holmes]

It's going to. It's going to. We're going to be blamed for taking down the whole election. Like, of course not. But also, like, as a podcast, you've been like, well, I mean, it's gonna be a hit. Like, people will watch it. So you get this once in a lifetime opportunity to talk to somebody in the waning weeks of a 24 election who hasn't even odd shot at that point of becoming President of the United States. And you come to the conclusion you're so dogmatically committed to her team. Like, you are in. Like, this is your livelihood is what you believe. You are so in that you're like, nobody can hear this.

[John Ashbrook]

Nobody.

[Josh Holmes]

Can you imagine how bad.

[John Ashbrook]

It couldn't be bad.

[Josh Holmes]

They couldn't even do the 60 Minutes routine.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

Also, here's another thing. Is the election. You heard all this discussion around how, like, oh, boy, this was the podcast election. And it seems like Americans have all turned to these, like, right wing podcasts, and it's a searing indictment on the left wing podcast that they're trying to do.

[Josh Holmes]

Even that's produced. Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

That they're like, well, we can't release this. Like, what do you think of your audience at that point? You're like, I'm hiding this. I'm knowingly hiding how horrible our candidate is from my audience.

[Josh Holmes]

You.

[Michael Duncan]

You don't feel any. Like, this is a betrayal of my integrity?

[John Ashbrook]

Well, and I agree with Ashbrook. It's all upside now.

[Comfortably Smug]

Dude, just release the tape.

[John Ashbrook]

You know, we will play it and we will laugh.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, yeah, totally.

[Comfortably Smug]

So will everybody else.

[Josh Holmes]

Right?

[Comfortably Smug]

That's good in the podcast business.

[Josh Holmes]

Everybody likes it. It's good entertainment. Listen, when we come back, we're going to talk a lot more about what we teased for you yesterday, which is a left wing violence gotten totally out of control. There are reasons for it, though. It's not just that they're insane, which they are. There are people fanning the flame here who have absolutely no business doing that, and it's irresponsible. We can give you a little perspective of when we were sort of in leadership roles, how you deal with these kind of things and the huge lack of an effort by Democratic leaders to do anything about it. Right after this. Hardworking Americans know when it's time to roll up our sleeves and get the job done. Now is the time to unleash our nation's energy, to create jobs, secure our future, and make life better, more affordable, and full of opportunity for all. Americans. That's the power of America's oil and natural gas. Learn [e-mail] paid for by the American Petroleum Institute. All right, so we had talked and look, if you're anywhere in the world, you've noticed there's just this huge proliferation of violence on the progressive left in the United States. It's been totally disgusting. We're gonna play you some clips and we're gonna walk you through a chronology of things, and then we're gonna break this down by what we think is happening beyond the fact that people have lost their minds. But that's an easy answer, Right. We've always had leaders, even when we disagree with them, that figure out a way to be responsible. Democrats don't have that.

[Michael Duncan]

Nope. There's no guardrails. There's no adults left in the room. There's nothing stopping them. As we've seen from their furthest left wing, maniac ranks are now front center.

[Josh Holmes]

It's sad, to be honest with you. I mean, it's ridiculous. All right, so look, we're coming up on a year basically since the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. And I think that opened a lot of people's eyes, and now it opened our eyes and did, you know. But I think you were hopeful internally that maybe this is just like one off, like, paranoid schizophrenic. Maybe this isn't emblematic of a new leftist.

[Michael Duncan]

There were like two or three hours after that where, you know, you got this news that, like, the Democrats are pulling all ads against Trump. And then there's this very quick discussion about, like, okay, yes, it's very clear that the dialogue against Trump's been ratcheted up too much. Stop calling him a fascist. Stop calling him Hitler. And that lasted like 20 minutes.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

And they definitely right back to it.

[Josh Holmes]

And then you had another assassination attempt. But, you know, I was sort of heartened by the fact that Election day wasn't a complete disaster. You know, that there wasn't. I feared the worst.

[Kevin Keane]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

In terms of.

[Michael Duncan]

I mean, they've shown how crazy they've.

[Josh Holmes]

Gotten because you could kind of feel a little bit of this. So I was like, all right, well, maybe. Maybe we're back. Maybe we're like, there's some level of cohesion. Clearly there was a mandate given by the American people. Perhaps the craziest amongst us will, like, take a pitch. And then Louis Mangioni shows up and you watch what happens online.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

And people like Taylor Lorenz.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. The justification for assassinations.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. So this is the cat, remember that shot and killed the United Health Healthcare CEO in broad daylight. And then there was a celebration on the left.

[Michael Duncan]

They turned him into like a boy band kind of guy.

[Josh Holmes]

Yes.

[Michael Duncan]

Like, oh, he's great.

[Josh Holmes]

A young father. Right. Zero remorse whatsoever. And you're like, okay, well, hopefully this can be bottled back up. But then you see this Cody Allen Ballmer guy who is the guy who attacked the governor's mansion. Governor Shapiro.

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh, yeah, right, right.

[Josh Holmes]

And Pennsylvania firebombing. A firebombing. And it's all about the Free Palestine thing. Right. At the same time, you've got a mainstream press that is going out of its way to print Hamas spokespeople's point of view on what it is that's happening in the Middle East. Then you have these people who are consuming that content and they're just becoming more and more psychotic. And you can see it on campus and everywhere else. Well, now this guy's firebombing a governor's mansion. That. I mean, we're in different territory when you start talking about that. And then you deal with like all of this ICE stuff that has showed up, by the way. The shooting of the Jewish couple.

[Kevin Keane]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

In D.C. in DC.

[Comfortably Smug]

Outrageous.

[Josh Holmes]

Absolutely outrageous. So like, you gotta be blind, deaf and dumb not to recognize a consistent pattern here. Right. Recall that Joe Biden, there were two, like, paranoid, schizophrenic or mentally disturbed people back in like 21 or 22. That horrific crimes of mass shootings against people, which immediately prompted him to go to Howard University Historically Black College and proclaim that white supremacy is the number one threat to homeland security as president.

[John Ashbrook]

Outrageous. Outrageous.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, by the way, when the whole all the makings of what it is that we're seeing still exist within the Democratic Party. So you'd think that there was some sensitivity. You're going to pull a trigger on a charge that domestically we are growing the largest threat to homeland security. You'd think you'd have some sensitivity to what's happening here. Not the case. You get to where we're at now. Ice. Ice clearly, look, it's a divisive issue. On the left happens to be an organization that is entirely tasked with following the law. And as written, Joe Biden had four years to even propose a change. His answer was just not to enforce the law. Right.

[Michael Duncan]

And to demonize ICE himself.

[Josh Holmes]

Barack Obama had eight years to change the law on ice. He actually did kind of enforce the law. Certainly not like Donald Trump, but he actually deported people. Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

I don't remember Judges around the country, you know, stopping Barack Obama from deporting people. I don't remember when Barack Obama was president, you know, ICE agents or border patrol being demonized and talking about, you know, whips, you know, on horseback.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

Remember all these sorts of things. It's weird. It's only when a Republican is trying to enforce the law that suddenly the left gets super animated and violent about this.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, when you spend four years having a president of the United States that has no interest in enforcing the law and is allowing 22 million people to cross unabated into the American border and actually giving them a plane ticket to NYC or Chicago or the destination of their choice to sit in a five star hotel, I can understand why it's a jarring change. Yeah, right. But where that has landed is incredible amounts of consistent attacks against ICE agents. These are men and women law enforcement people. They didn't sign up for a social cause or a social movement. They're law enforcement officers trying to do.

[Comfortably Smug]

Their job, keep us safe.

[Josh Holmes]

That's it. Like they're just doing their job, you know. And now you get this. Welcome back. So there's been a series of really disturbing attacks against immigration officers lately.

[Comfortably Smug]

Some of them described by officials as, quote, planned ambushes. According to DHS, assaults on immigration enforcement officers are up almost 700% when compared to the same time last year.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay, so, and by the way, Fox is the only one that's ever covered any of this. Malujian and everybody else, Malluchin's incredible. They were on it from the very beginning. Beginning and understood what the American people were seeing. Everybody else, remember the whole MSNBC crowd for the better part of three years. There's no border crisis.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

They're making all this stuff up. Not the case. So if we can go to the next clip and start actually seeing what it is that these people are doing. This is good. Yeah. So for our audio only listener, what you're seeing is a line of protesters basically assaulting, armed and masked, throwing all kinds of whatever. But fire involved, there's smoke involved. They're just full on attacking people.

[Michael Duncan]

And as you'll notice, like Dems, who are always very mad that why is ICE having to wear masks? Well, the people attacking ICE are wearing masks.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Well, Portland, Oregon, by the way, you'd be surprised to find out that doesn't have its head squared on straight. This is. That was a month ago. Also last month. Clip four, please.

[John Ashbrook]

They're throwing rocks at cars, going moving cars.

[Josh Holmes]

They're throwing large rocks, pieces of the street cobblestones into the windshield of police cars to the windshield of police cars. One after another. Right. So again, there's a permission structure that has to be accepted within a city, Democrat run cities. I don't think this is a coincidence that allows somebody to stand on the side of the street and throw boulders into federal officers cars. Like stop the car. They can't because they got a job to do. They're ice. Where's the locals? Like, they've, they've created a permission structure at some level that they're not going to do this. They're not going to enforce anything.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, they kind of announce it when they call themselves a sanctuary city.

[Michael Duncan]

Bam.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

You know, it's like a gun free zone.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

It's like I'm just going to invite people to be, you know, lawless.

[Josh Holmes]

So where do you think this goes? Think it de escalates when there's no consequences for this kind of thing? Of course not. This is also last month. Clip five, please. They didn't expect it. So this of course was in la as at a bridge.

[Michael Duncan]

They're throwing rocks from the top of like a boulder to hit a cop in the head.

[Josh Holmes]

Which if you're in that car, could easily be killed. Could easily be killed. Again, what did you hear? Did Hakeem Jeffries take a break from editing his Instagram waistline to say, hey, we ought not to express ourselves this way?

[Michael Duncan]

Also, did you get a bunch of reporters being like Hakeem Jeffries? It seems like a lot of left wing activists seem to be committing violence against police officers. Do you think that's good?

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. I don't remember reporters chasing Democrats through the hallways of the U.S. capitol about how they need to denounce this violence. I remember that.

[Comfortably Smug]

I wonder why they didn't do that. I mean, could it be because weird. They're Democrats? Just a thought.

[Josh Holmes]

It's weird. It's weird. So again, let's go to the next clip. Clip 6 this is in San Francisco. This is just last week, right, Wolf? Or is it this week? Last week.

[Michael Duncan]

This is this week. Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

There's just screaming, people fighting and they're.

[Josh Holmes]

Just like full on out of nowhere attacking people.

[Michael Duncan]

An entire mob is surrounding and attacking assaulting officers.

[Josh Holmes]

It's just out of control. And the fact that you could live in a society where it is not only not. I'm not saying that they're actively encouraging, but they kind of are. But they're certainly not discouraging. No. You know, and if you thought you could get away with there wasn't that many people. There's maybe 20 people on that thing. If you thought as 20 people, you could just be lawless somewhere and you have this sort of left wing agenda, you're probably gonna do it. And it probably keeps escalating the more that you get away with things. So where does that lead us? You saw the story where 10 were charged after an ambush at a Texas ICE detention center. The Department of Justice filed a criminal complaint Monday against 10 people who allegedly organized in an ambush. You recall this is where they actually shot at ICE agents. I mean.

[Michael Duncan]

You see the escalation and the escalation, the escalation. And then you see there's no attempt on the part of any of the leaders of the Democrat Party or on the left to try to denounce this or tell folks, stop this. Meanwhile, you had like endless times. Donald Trump's being asked, they're like, do you condemn right wing violence like every interview? And you don't see any of that, any of these questions being asked of like, Hakeem Jeffries, aoc. None of these folks.

[Comfortably Smug]

You know what, Smug Democrats have said something about this. They have said that ICE agents shouldn't be allowed to wear a mask. Why? So that the left wing lunatics can identify them.

[Michael Duncan]

Bingo.

[Comfortably Smug]

And can find them where they live.

[Josh Holmes]

Think about that for a second. So, okay, you're elected to represent, you know, congressional districts all across this country. You have a responsibility at some level not only to represent their interests, which obviously huge to the left, but most people, at least in the history of this country, also think that they have a responsibility for citizenship, humanity, the country, all these kinds of things. And, you know, being in this line of work for a long time, we've encountered situations where you gotta let air out of way, the balloon. And it's never popular with an energized angry base. But you gotta do it because that's a job as a leader. That's the difference between somebody holds an office and somebody who's an actual leader. Somebody who deserves respect. Their answer to all of the attacks on ICE agents, shooting them, throwing rocks at them, like trying to kill them. That's not hyperbole. That's what it is. Their answer is, take your mask off, I wanna see your face.

[Michael Duncan]

Yep.

[Josh Holmes]

What do you think the message is to law enforcement on that? You wonder why it is that Democratic policy has led to years of police departments across this country not being able to recruit anybody to do the job? That's it. The whole defund the police, what's the difference?

[Michael Duncan]

Bingo.

[Josh Holmes]

It's a total lack of respect for law and order one way or another, and they're not saying a fucking thing about it.

[John Ashbrook]

They can't say a thing, Holmes, because they're captive. They're captive to it. It's like you said, you know, back after October 7th, where you said the Democratic Party has a constituency in Hamas.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

They can't denounce, globalize, the Intifada. Right. They can't do that because those are their voters. They can't call out left wing violence against ice. Their voters want them to do violence against ice.

[Michael Duncan]

And that's the thing. So I just want to say, like, after election day, they were at a crossroads because it was so clear that the Dems have a massive problem when Trump wins, not just the electoral, when he wins the popular vote. There was this opportunity where Dems could be like, okay, clearly we went too far. We have the right ideas here. We gotta go and try to figure out why the center of the country has completely.

[Josh Holmes]

And initially there was a few that were like, hey, you know what I mean? It turns out like 80% of people don't want men playing women's sports. Like, maybe we should got over our skis on that. Turns out like with the existing law, we probably should have enforced the border at some point. And like, oh, that whole inflation thing, maybe pumping 6T into the economy was not good for your average.

[Michael Duncan]

And that's the thing is they could make the choice of like, door number one, realize that our policies are unpopular and try to appeal to enough voters to win. Door number two was where's all the energy in our movement? And let's just roll with that. And that's where all the energy is, right here. It's the violence, it's the, it's the activist, far left activist base that's willing to get out there and commit violence. And like, I guess that's our folks, that's our energy.

[Josh Holmes]

Now just open the door and Bozo the Clown, that's it. I mean that, that is literally.

[Michael Duncan]

But you have to be careful with that turn.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, you know what? I don't want to have the International Brotherhood of Clowns, Clowns Without Borders coming after us.

[John Ashbrook]

Don't you dare steal the valor from our friend at the top of the show.

[Josh Holmes]

Big clown comes for you.

[John Ashbrook]

He does.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. So look, to put a fine point on it, we just illustrated our thoughts on how they actually tell you. They actually tell you. In Axios this week, there is a story called Democrats told to quote unquote get shot.

[Michael Duncan]

Shot.

[Josh Holmes]

For the anti Trump resistance.

[John Ashbrook]

There it is.

[Josh Holmes]

Voters want blood.

[Michael Duncan]

Straight up.

[Josh Holmes]

Holy cat. I mean, this is. Let me just read a couple of graphs just so you get a flavor. At town halls in their districts and one on one meetings with constituents and activists, Democratic members of Congress are facing a growing thrum of demands to break the rules, fight dirty, and not be afraid to get hurt. They're talking about physically here.

[Michael Duncan]

Yep.

[Josh Holmes]

To get hurt. Why it matters. House Democrats told Axios that they see a growing anger in their base that has in some cases morphed into a disregard of American institutions, political traditions, and even the rule of law. For months, Democratic lawmakers have fumed that their bases demands to fight harder misunderstand the lack of legislative and investigative power afforded to a minority party. That is a bad answer.

[Michael Duncan]

Okay, hilarious.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's especially wild on the heels of four years of Democrats telling us that words are violent, that if you dead name someone, that's violence, that if you're an old lady praying a rosary outside of an abortion clinic, that's violence. And now all of a sudden, they want blood.

[Josh Holmes]

Literally.

[Comfortably Smug]

Talk about a sea change.

[Josh Holmes]

Pretty tough heel turn right.

[John Ashbrook]

It also reveals the theater of their politics. Right. And smug always says, this is like they believe in nothing. The only thing they care about is power. And these are people who for years live lectured us about the importance of these institutions that they're willing to throw away in a second when Donald Trump becomes president.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, I mean, but just look, they're crazy. I mean, I'm a firm believer this progressive left, there's a lot going on there. Right. I mean, there may very well be some serious mental health issues associated with just coming to the positions that many of these people have come to.

[John Ashbrook]

Oh, you think?

[Josh Holmes]

But just take, you know, in the last 10 years, every time there is some component of. Let's take white supremacy. We were talking about that earlier, white supremacy, where there is some bigot, some known white supremacist that all of a sudden says they like the Republican Party or they like a candidate, or they, like Republicans, go out of their way to stumble over themselves to be like, we're building a coalition, that's not it. And they're very clear about it. We're like, we don't want that. They don't have the capacity to do it. And, like, I think the Democratic Party is much, much weaker than everybody understands. It's not that they can't win elections. I mean, look, we're gonna find out what a turnout model for a second term. Trump looks like in, you know, probably 15 months. But they're so weak. There's nothing that they can actually do, believe in, or even represent what it is that their cause is supposed to do. Like, take the example I just put with the white supremacists. They have the Hamas caucus literally living in the base of their party. They chose a vice presidential candidate exclusively because he wouldn't offend the Hamas caucus within the Democratic Party. They're the most talented guy in the entire Democratic side on the ledger, sitting in this one swing state that they had to win. The one.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, they had to win Josh Shapiro.

[Josh Holmes]

Who had a 70% approval rating in that state. And they were like, ah, no, no, no. Boscock is going to be pissed off about that. They're like, you can't have a Jewish guy.

[Michael Duncan]

Your consolation prize is one of our activists is going to set your house on fire. That's a problem.

[Josh Holmes]

But, like, we laugh, but that's literally the reality that these people are living with. And so you see Hakeem Jeffries out editing his Instagram, like, trying to make his legs look small and his arms look big. Or you hear Chuck Schumer when he's like, dot, go Trump. Dot, go Trump. And he's got like. These talking points are so hollow. Even the most committed establishment Democrats, like, get this guy the fuck.

[Michael Duncan]

I remember a month ago, they tried to, like, all do coordinated videos online.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, yeah. I mean, it's just. It's so inauthentic and ridiculous, but they're all just, kay. Fobbing some sort of level of leadership that they think that these people will be satisfied by. They can't actually speak to this stuff. And it's led us to a point where you got House Democratic lawmakers on the record in Axio saying, my, you know, my constituents, they want me to get shot.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

And they're like, anyway, back to the caucus room. I mean, nothing to do about that.

[Comfortably Smug]

There is a quote in this Axio story that really caught my attention. It's near the end with it's a Democrat lawmaker. He said, actually, I said in a meeting, when they light a fire, my thought is to grab an extinguisher. But somebody at the table said, have you tried gasoline?

[Michael Duncan]

Think about that.

[Josh Holmes]

Wow.

[John Ashbrook]

I don't feel bad for him.

[Josh Holmes]

And all he's doing is crying to Axios.

[John Ashbrook]

One fucking second. I don't feel bad for him for one fucking second. All these elected Democrats created this problem.

[Michael Duncan]

Yes, they did.

[John Ashbrook]

When they say Donald Trump is a fascist and this is the end of democracy. And Joe Biden, who was supposed to be the healer in chief that was gonna bring our country back together after all this division, first big thing he does when he becomes President, United States is attack Georgia for reforming their election laws and saying It's Jim Crow 2.0. That these people, these Republicans down there in Georgia are irredeemable racists. I mean they have divided this country. Just look at nauseam, look at the big beauty, right?

[Josh Holmes]

The big beauty essentially kept your tax rates the exact same as they were last year. And then they had the audacity to suggest that you should have some kind of a work requirement. If you're getting, if you're an able bodied adult with no dependents, no kids, no, like anything that you know, you should probably have a work requirement also. You can satisfy it with like 10 hours of community service. You don't really need a job if you're opposed to that. We can still pay for it. And their answer was to show up on the floor of the House and the Senate and say, you're killing people.

[John Ashbrook]

You'Re gonna kill people.

[Josh Holmes]

You're killing.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, I mean they said that when we got rid of net neutrality. I mean like that's the thing is these people don't actually have anything they believe in.

[Michael Duncan]

And that's the other thing is the whole projection and the media has run with this hog wild is like when that neutrality here, Republicans are gonna kill people. Don't mind that we have our activists lighting governors houses on fire. Opening fire on ice.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. If you wann to death, you just start hanging out with some of these guys. Those town halls sound like a real hoop. Yikes. And these are people who agree with them, right?

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

You show up to a town hall, you're like, okay, Constantio, what can I do for you? They're like, die.

[John Ashbrook]

It's so funny. I mean these Democrats are going to have to go to their own fundraisers wearing a bulletproof vest at this point, you know, because they're not doing it. Their own people have gone insane and it's their own fault.

[Josh Holmes]

You cannot, you cannot turn the volume to 11 on everything you do and leave it there and not expect some mental health ramifications. You just can't. Donald Trump doesn't, he frequently talks about cooling things off.

[Michael Duncan]

It's very simple. I mean these people have spent close to a decade now telling their base that Donald Trump is Adolf Hitler.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

And so if you've drilled that into these people's heads, you get these kind of like mentally deranged people, which now it's like a significant portion of the party who think, well, I have to act, I'm gonna stop Hitler. You know, Nancy Pelosi says, this is how I have to stand up and do the right thing. Then I'm gonna do it. And you get this crazy kid who tried to kill President Trump.

[John Ashbrook]

I'll tell you, the moment for me, where it really hit, like the hardest is after the assassination attempt in Butler, and Democrats in leadership and stuff tried to come out and say, you know, our condolences and our prayers for Donald Trump.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, and they shouted him down.

[John Ashbrook]

And all of their grassroots rose up in opposition. Wait, what? Yeah, you're telling me I have to have thoughts and prayers for Hitler?

[Josh Holmes]

And a bunch of memes on X about like, I wish he didn't miss and stuff.

[John Ashbrook]

So which is it?

[Josh Holmes]

That's the thing.

[John Ashbrook]

Is he Hitler or is he not Hitler?

[Michael Duncan]

That exposed so much. Because then in the minds of these activists, they're like, wait, what? For years you told me this is Hitler. How can we say thoughts and prayers for Hitler? That doesn't make sense.

[Josh Holmes]

But I think the point SMASH was making, they're not gonna do it on their own. They're not gonna take any political risk because they're just at such a weak political place. They're not gonna do it themselves. But you'd expect a press corps to do their job and ask, why isn't it that somebody is not going to Hakeem Jeffries or Chuck Schumer and be like, what are you saying to the base of your party, who wants blood, who wants your members to be shot, who are actually shooting at federal agents, who are following the law and doing their job. No one's asking them that. Or if they just like, even if you throw in, even if you throw in, like, as a good journalist, you throw in the question and they just ignore it and there's no follow up.

[Comfortably Smug]

The framing of this entire story tells you everything. The framing is here is what Democrats are dealing with right now. Oh, yeah, they're dealing with poor Democrats.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, my gosh.

[Comfortably Smug]

Not taking a leadership position. So sympathize with them. Their base is so activated. They're so worked up.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, gosh, of course.

[Comfortably Smug]

These Democrats cannot be against their base.

[Josh Holmes]

Shoot, shoot. I hate that for them.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, I hate that.

[Josh Holmes]

They're so.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's the exact opposite of how they'd write the story if it was a Republican situation.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. They would be saying, what are you doing to stop this?

[Comfortably Smug]

Exactly.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. They don't care. So anyway, that leads us to our question of the day.

[Comfortably Smug]

Well, they do care. They're Democrats.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, right.

[Josh Holmes]

I think. Yeah, they're vested interest. Yeah. And they'll be in, they'll be in full Palestinian garb by the end of the week, I'm sure. Listen, the question of the day, you got to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel. And when you do and you leave us a comment to this, we read all of them, we summarize them, we pick three or four of them, and we give them back to you the next show. This question for today is on that segment, how do you stop left wing violence at this point? We gave you our opinion on it. My, my hunch is you probably have more colorful views than we have shared, but I'd like to read them. I mean, you guys have great stuff.

[Michael Duncan]

We're gonna need a bigger Gitmo.

[Josh Holmes]

That's a fair point. That's a fair point. When we come back, we're gonna read your comments from last episode when we talked about the Brennan and Comey investigation. Hopefully indictments, hopefully conviction. We have strong feelings on this. We think you did, too. Right after this. America is built on hard work and powered by American energy. Chevron has spent $44 billion with local businesses across all 50 states since 2022, fueling infrastructure and communities, all while strengthening local economies. Last year, Chevron increased U.S. production nearly 20%, powering communities and businesses from the heartlands to the coasts. We're helping to fuel America's energy advantage, building a brighter future right here at home. Visit chevron.comamera to discover more. Okay, so your comments from last episode. We got a little wound up about the announcement that the FBI had referred to the Justice Department, some investigations into Comey and Brennan. You heard all of that and we asked for your opinions on all of that and you gave them. Turns out you gave them to read your opinions. We always start with a voice.

[Comfortably Smug]

Okay, first one comes from John Ferry. And once again, John Ferry's comment is here because he liked and subscribed. And so John Ferry is opining. John writes, if Trump gets Brennan and Comey, he's the intergalactic champion. When I went to the MAGA rally before inauguration, everybody said, I just hope he starts throwing these fools in jail.

[John Ashbrook]

I love it.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, John Ferry.

[John Ashbrook]

Nobody deserves it more.

[Josh Holmes]

Nobody, Nobody. We differ about who should be first in line, Brendan or Comey. But other than that, we're good.

[John Ashbrook]

I just hope Jim Comey writes another book from prison.

[Josh Holmes]

All right, second comment. We go to dunks, runks.

[John Ashbrook]

This is from Chris in atl. Brennan and Comey will never face accountability for their actions. The Democrats and their voters hate Trump so much, they'll delude themselves into thinking he's a Russian agent forever. The same media that covered up Biden's infirmity, the biggest presidential scandal ever, isn't going to give this hearing airtime. It is up to the alternative media on the right to keep pumping truth into the airwaves and play the long game. The tide is shifting. America is waking up and moving. Right. Keep up the good fight, fellas.

[Josh Holmes]

I just.

[John Ashbrook]

I love that.

[Josh Holmes]

It's great, Great.

[John Ashbrook]

We're gonna stay on it.

[Josh Holmes]

We are gonna stay on it.

[Michael Duncan]

Smuggles Common threes from Lisa Marie, 1987. Great front of the. The program.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

Lisa Marie writes, my inner cynic says there will be no convictions, but they probably have enough to convict. Exposing them and creating an environment where the facts are exposed to sunlight is crucial to hinder this shit from happening again. If they get convicted, there'll be no serious jail time. That's my greatest fear, is I, you know, I hope this isn't just like a step in the right direction. I feel that in and of itself is necessary of exposing the. I mean, we talk about what a terrible thing these people did to the country.

[Josh Holmes]

There needs to be a real dissuading impact because, look, God hopes that we have generations of Americans, long after we're dead and gone, they're going to have to grapple with evil people, people with the wrong motives in positions of power and not having to deal or having a significant dissuasive effect on people, becoming heads of things like the intelligence agency or the FBI and using that platform for political purposes, like, if you can dissuade that, nip that in the bud, you ought to do it. Because that's how a country ends. Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

I mean, they need to be put behind bars, not get book deals. It's not that difficult.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, it's the difference between that and like every evil civilization you've ever read about, you know, everyone that ultimately ends and falls in on itself because it uses the people's government against its people. Right. And that's what this was. We got a fourth comment special. Fourth comment today.

[John Ashbrook]

Look at that. Three episodes, four comments.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Our Bridges U9M writes, please do three episodes a week in perpetuity. Ah. I've got good news for you, pal. Real good. I think that's what's going to happen here. We love it. Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

You know what why not make a wish come true?

[Josh Holmes]

Well, it gives us a nice little weekly roundup. You know, we've always missed that. And we did it last fall and now we got it back. It's great. I had trouble sleeping last night and didn't know what I was gonna watch and then suddenly realized it was Thursday. You guys are so awesome. Perpetuity is the answer. Gentlemen. Ah, it's great news.

[Michael Duncan]

Awesome to hear that.

[Josh Holmes]

It's really great news. I know we've gotten. Listen, we tried to ignore you for years, if we're being honest. This has been like a request, a frequent request, but like, you know, we got day jobs and it's always just sort of stretching thinner and thinner and thinner. But as the show has gotten bigger, your voices have gotten louder about adding some stuff. And honestly, we love you. You're the audience. This is like how we choose to spend our time. Honest. If the microphones weren't here, this is what you'd get anyway. And being able to share another episode deeper into the week where we have another couple of things. Like, we wouldn't have been able to do that ice thing today if we didn't have this show.

[Michael Duncan]

And we did three episodes a week during the close of the election. No one could have anticipated that. The content giveth just as much after the ice, actually.

[Josh Holmes]

But I feel like it's more at that point where we're doing horse race type stuff. This is something. A new little Easter egg every day for us boys. We have got. This is a. Maybe we should make this a tradition. I hope there's the content to support it. But the thing every week, I think all of us, when we talk about this internally, we're now going to share it with you. Like, what's your favorite thing that you saw this week? Like, what's. Is it either a video or a meme or something that just like blows the doors off the whole deal? And I think for all of us, we have a favorite this week. If you haven't seen the golf fight, you gotta see the golf fight. Can we. Can we put that up? Let's just go right. Let's go right through that. You. I'm a try avoid it.

[John Ashbrook]

I bought it aboard it.

[Josh Holmes]

This is like me in Canada. A like badly Good. Let's go, man. I'm not filming this. I'm not stopping. No, you. You guys need to get off the golf course. No, now.

[Kevin Keane]

Like back up.

[Josh Holmes]

Go now and go.

[John Ashbrook]

I don't know what you're doing.

[Michael Duncan]

You're not scaring anybody.

[John Ashbrook]

You're not scaring anybody.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, no. Come on, man. Hip tosses him into a lake.

[John Ashbrook]

Into a lake.

[Josh Holmes]

Right in off the good start, buddy. Off to a good start, buddy.

[Michael Duncan]

And he didn't learn yet. And for audio only, every punch that he's being given, the dude is going bang. He's. He's hitting him while saying bae.

[Josh Holmes]

He's eating it like a snicker walker's bar. Every punch goes directly into his mouth.

[John Ashbrook]

Stay down.

[Josh Holmes]

There it is.

[John Ashbrook]

Oh, tossed again.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's effortless for that guy.

[Josh Holmes]

Get him the out of here.

[Michael Duncan]

Which is sounded.

[Josh Holmes]

It's not. Okay. Take him home. Get moving. I said stop looking like an idiot. Get out of here. Stop looking. All right, so what you were watching and this went viral this week. Basically everybody had it. But it combines so many things that we love about the variety program. First of all, everybody on that talks exactly like, where it is that I grew up.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Let's go, buddy.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh. Grab your stuff. Let's go.

[Comfortably Smug]

Don't cry about it.

[Josh Holmes]

Don't cry. What are you to cry about it? And then, like, the full toss. There's a few rules of thumb. If there is ever an encounter that you get into, a few things you should look to at the outset. And then there's definitely one that you should look to as this is escalating. First is if you're in the upper Midwest and you see a dude whose seams on the sides of his pants look like they're going to rip because they are so tight. And it's not because he's fat. Chances are he plays hockey. Chances are of him having a pretty good center of gravity and having had to engage in a tussle or two pretty high. You're going to want to think a lot about escalating that to the next step. That's just sort of step.

[Michael Duncan]

I mean, they're helpful, you know, context clues. If you think you're about to get into a fight. Is the guy like 7ft tall with a Canadian accent and missing teeth already?

[Josh Holmes]

So that guy that he was fighting, the guy who just, like, fed punches.

[John Ashbrook]

Fed punches, like, narrated everything he was going to do and then did it.

[Josh Holmes]

And then the guy. And then did it. His name was Nick Tarnaski. Played 245 games in the NHL, racked up 297 career pedal penalty minutes during that time. He also. I also saw you, like, a long AHL career where he was a plus minus, minus 76. He wasn't out there to score goals, folks.

[Michael Duncan]

And so he was a staggering 881 penalty minutes is.

[Comfortably Smug]

Did you tell me this guy played in Russia?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. So I had also heard. I didn't confirm this independently, but he'd played in the khl, which is the Russian League, and had, like, the most penalty. This dude goes to play in Russia and beats ass. So now you're confronting him on a tee box. On a tee box. And that brings to the second rule.

[Comfortably Smug]

Bad idea.

[Josh Holmes]

If you start a fight and someone begins providing sound effects.

[Michael Duncan]

As they're beating you.

[John Ashbrook]

Bang.

[Josh Holmes]

To the administration of a beating.

[John Ashbrook]

Stay down, stay down, stay down.

[Josh Holmes]

Do not, under any circumstances, stand back up. The poor guy. Wouldn't you love. I mean, hats off to him for. For trying to, like, stand up and save face about that whole thing. But, like, can you imagine what that dude's face looked like?

[Michael Duncan]

That's what I mean. Like, there's saving face and then there's literally save your face.

[Josh Holmes]

It probably looks like an old catcher's mitt.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, I'm just gonna say, like, another rule should be if the fight starts and the guy throws you in a lake and you get out and your whole body's soaking wet, you just walk off. You just walk off.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Yeah, I love that part.

[Comfortably Smug]

He's like, oh, off to a great start now.

[Josh Holmes]

His buddy. Oh, off to a good start, eh?

[Michael Duncan]

That's so good.

[John Ashbrook]

The thing I love about the upper Midwest and Canada is the. The shit talking is so polite, but.

[Josh Holmes]

It'S also very vocal. It's not a scream. Like, they're. They're actually giving you the full. Yeah, there's full sentences there. They're explaining how humiliating this is going to be for you. Oh, it's so good. All right, we got one interview. This good friend of the program, Kevin Keane, CEO of the American Beverage association, very special guest here. Excited to hear from him on a whole range of topics. Every once in a while, you encounter people downtown, D.C. you got big jobs. They're always busy, but when they come in here and they're able to talk to us about all these things that they've been working on, I just absolutely love it. The American Beverage CEO. How are you, Kevin?

[Kevin Keane]

I'm great, Josh. How are you?

[Josh Holmes]

I'm great. Kevin Keene, ladies and gentlemen. So listen, I understand you may have brought us some things.

[Kevin Keane]

We did. We brought you some of our products. So, you know, part of what we're trying to educate people on is. Oh, yeah, we make a.

[Comfortably Smug]

Thank you.

[Kevin Keane]

Wide range products. And our companies have really been developing.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Kevin Keane]

The zero sugar products. And most People, when you say zero sugar, they kind of automatically go to, like, the. The diet sodas and the zero sugar sodas. But it is way broader than just the sodas. It's the. It's the sparkling waters, like polar. It's the still waters. It's the hydration drinks, like a body armor or a body propel. Yeah. It's the zero sugar sports drinks. It's the teas, and it's the energy drinks, which I understand you guys have a particular favorite.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, so, like Celsius, you know? Yeah. We probably drink far more than we should.

[John Ashbrook]

I like the Arctic vibe. There's also a new one that they brought out that has coconut in it. It's delightful.

[Kevin Keane]

Everyone is liking that.

[John Ashbrook]

It's really, really good. I feel like I'm on a beach.

[Josh Holmes]

Yes.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Kevin Keane]

But. But, you know, that's one of our. We were proud to have them as a member. And so that's the innovation this industry has been producing. And so that's part of what we're proud of, too, and want to talk about. And it relates to the issues because our companies have done this intentionally, you know, consumers or have been concerned about calories and sugar in the marketplace. Yeah, we're an industry. Did something about it. And with this intentional innovation, 400 of our products are zero sugar.

[Josh Holmes]

That's interesting.

[Kevin Keane]

And again, that's more than just the sodas. That's all of these new, innovative products.

[Josh Holmes]

It's fascinating because I think, you know, there's a stereotype out there when we're talking about, you know, soft drinks or whatever. Right. It's like it's the old bowl of sugar situation. But it sounds like the innovation has been long underway.

[Kevin Keane]

Yeah. And look, the ones with the sugar.

[Josh Holmes]

Great products.

[Kevin Keane]

They're great products. They're Americana. But look, our companies listen to their consumers and they respond to their consumers. And so consumers want balance, so we've created meaningful choice. These products taste good, too. That's why people are buying them.

[Comfortably Smug]

I am a Dr. Pepper fan. Never tried zero sugar. Dr. Pepper just for the first time, tried it right now. It's uncanny. Yeah, it tastes the exact same.

[John Ashbrook]

From Waco, Texas.

[Josh Holmes]

Our great president would like my selection.

[Kevin Keane]

He's a big fan. And so, you know, that's part of what we're proud of, is that because of this innovation, we've actually reduced calories in the marketplace by 42%. Yeah, you know, there's. I don't think there's another food and beverage industry that can say that they've done that type of change and put marketing dollars behind these products too, which is helping people take advantage of them, raise awareness. Another important factor. I mean, just think about this. 60% of the products we sell now, the beverages that people actually put a dollar down and buy have zero sugar in it.

[Josh Holmes]

Huh. I didn't realize that's a big number. I would never have bet that.

[Kevin Keane]

Yeah, exactly. And that's part of why I appreciate coming on a show is we're trying to educate Americans about the work we've been doing and our companies have been doing to answer some of the questions being raised, including by some of the leaders in the current administration.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, I mean, well, look, one of the things that we absolutely love and we see this in your advertising is just the American footprint behind all the companies that you represent. I mean, look, we're all in for trying to drape everything in the flag and this program. And I know this administration is, is sincerely interested in that. Obviously, that's a story you want to tell, right?

[Kevin Keane]

We believe. Well, we know we're a great American story. We're the epitome of America first. I mean, we're literally American companies that make American products with American workers in America's hometowns. We've had that on our wall at the office for, you know, more than a decade now. But it's not, it's not a saying. I mean, it truly is who we are. A lot of people don't realize that we're actually made up of a system of family owned bottlers across the country. You know, more than 200 bottlers across the country. And they're the ones who actually package the products, manufacture the products and take them to market. So if you see a, a Coke or Pepsi Dr. Pepper truck out in front of your store loading it, that's most likely from a family owned bottler in your neighborhood or in your near your hometown. So you think, you know, I think some people think they're just three big companies and they're actually systems of companies.

[Josh Holmes]

It's fascinating. Well, you and I would say every trade association anywhere in this country that represents anybody with two nickels to rub together over the last three months has had a lot to talk about, a lot to work on. The big beautiful bill. A time of great stress for those of you who, who don't understand or haven't been to D.C. during one of these big debates. They've written books about Gucci Gulch and the things that people talk about, all the lobbying that goes into it and trying to tell your story and make sure. Everybody sort of understands what it is that you're up to in a condensed amount of time. Like the one that we just went through is a challenge. Seems to me like this is a challenge that you all met and were able to sort of punch through and educate people on.

[Kevin Keane]

We are. You know, I think really what, what the President's done is create a platform that is ripe for our industry in particular to take advantage of. You know, he wants a strong America first economy. We're delivering on that in ways I just mentioned, you know, the jobs that we produce, the products we make, the workers we employ, you know, even the type of workers the President talks about, obviously a big part of his base that he won with were non college educated Americans, blue collar jobs. These are the type of jobs that our bottlers provide and deliver and they're great paying jobs. You could have a college degree, but you don't need to have a college degree. And people spend their entire careers in these jobs because they are good paying. Our companies treat them well. You know, teamster jobs in there too. So. So that's what I'm talking about with the companies and with the agenda that the President's put forward. I think we really meet and are helping to drive that challenge in growing America.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, I mean, there's an awful lot of industries that have to turn themselves into pretzels to try to figure out how to get on the right side of what the President's trying to accomplish. It seems to me this is a baseline for where you all are at.

[Kevin Keane]

It's who we are, it's who we've always been, it's who we're always going to be. You know, so, you know, taking advantage of the, the trail that the President's creating.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, well, also seems, I mean, we were talking about this earlier. No industry is immune from, from critiques. I actually you opened up with. I think one of the things that more Americans are, are tuning into just health and, you know, trying. Yeah, I mean, that's a huge component of the Trump coalition. Obviously RFK is a big piece of that. So naturally there are questions about your industry and whatnot. Sounds like what you're talking about from the innovation standpoint is you hear this, right?

[Kevin Keane]

And look, you mentioned Secretary Kennedy. He wants, you know, make America healthy again, make children healthier. Absolutely. Totally agree with that and totally embrace that mission. We just walk through one way that we're doing that as an industry. So applaud the Secretary for his mission and goal. Want to continue to educate him on what we're doing because we think we can be a model of free market solutions to achieve the goals that they're looking for. So along those lines too have been calls by the President and his team and the Secretary for greater transparency as well. So along with this choice that we've provided, we're providing more information about the ingredients in our products. We just launched this week an initiative called Good to Know. And at the core is a website called goodtokknowfacts.org and if you go in there, you'll find information in one place about all of our ingredients. And it's core information, it's the information on what, what types of products it's used in, including foods, what other names it might be called. Including in Europe and in Canada.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, interesting. That's really, that's.

[Kevin Keane]

And then it's regulatory status here in the US and in Canada and in Europe. And we intentionally made this a very fact based, straightforward site. So there's, there's no opinion in it. There's no perspective. We're not trying to push people one way or another because we know there are apps out there and other websites that you can get opinions on our ingredients. Plus we're industry, so we have a high bar. So it's a straightforward information on those ingredients. We think actually its greatest value is going to be a great first stop, a reliable first stop for a consumer who wants to learn more about the ingredients in our products. Interesting.

[Josh Holmes]

This is where Kevin Kee and his team get it right. Because anytime you get into a political discussion where there are millions of Americans that are sort of arriving at a new movement like Maha, and this happens in all various different industries, there's kind of two ways to confront it. I've noticed being in this town a little while, you can either figure out how to be a partner in achieving what it is that people are looking for, or you can just be an antagonist and fight it every step of the way. And it seems like you all took a sort of wrapped your arms around the concern type approach where the President, Secretary and others can come to you and expect a partnership in trying to achieve what it is that they want.

[Kevin Keane]

Well, that's what we hope. First of all, we hope we're set in a strong standard and a strong example because we listen to our consumers. And really when you think about it, I think the President and the Secretary and even Secretary Rollins, they're listening to those same consumers. Right. And the Americans out there.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Voters are your consumers.

[Kevin Keane]

That's right. And our consumers are their voters. And so this is an opportunity for us to not just talk about the strong things we believe we've already done, including providing that incredible new choice of zero sugar products, but embrace the challenge they're also putting down there for more transparency. That's why we developed the site. So now you think it's a power. Think about it. It's a powerful combination. You have all this Choice, more than 400 products that have zero sugar in them. Now we're going to give you a tool to make sure you fully understand what's in each of those products, what ingredients are in there. Then you can make a more informed decision as an American and as a consumer on what's best for you and what's your family. And that's what, you know, Republicans are about, right? Freedom, choice, free market solutions. Free market solutions. And that's what we're providing.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's really a model of an approach for every other. I mean, if you have that kind of transparency, we're in the era of authenticity. That's the new coin of the realm. And if you're not transparent, you're not. You're not sharing what's actually happening, then you almost miss the ante into the game.

[Josh Holmes]

Right.

[Kevin Keane]

And we get it. We're industry, too, so we've got a higher standard. I mean, our consumer holds us to a high standard, and we work hard to meet that.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, you got to sell the product.

[John Ashbrook]

I think Holmes has shown remarkable restraint in this interview that he has not mentioned the fact that you are a Vikings fan.

[Kevin Keane]

I am, proudly for you.

[John Ashbrook]

It's unbelievable.

[Josh Holmes]

From Wisconsin.

[John Ashbrook]

I can't believe we've waited this long.

[Michael Duncan]

To talk about it.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, it is remarkable restraint. I was trying to get. Get. You know, there's like, important stuff people get to know before you get to just sort of like work off what I want to talk about.

[Kevin Keane]

Yeah, it's like some football.

[John Ashbrook]

But you're from. You're from the Chicago area and you also lived in Wisconsin. So how does somebody from. From those, you know, fandoms end up being a Vikings fan?

[Kevin Keane]

Now, if anything tells you how loyal of a person I am, it's that I'm still a Viking fan. So I was born in Chicago to a bunch of Bear fans.

[Josh Holmes]

Don't we to it, fellas?

[Kevin Keane]

We moved to Michigan where my buddies were Lions fans, but they stunk, so who cares? Yeah, now they're good, though. And then we moved to Wisconsin where they're all Packer fans, but they're really easy.

[Josh Holmes]

Easy. Oh, I was going to Say they're easy to hate, but it sounds so.

[Kevin Keane]

The Vikings only have to win two games each year. They got to at least beat the packers and the Bears once. But I think last year they beat them both twice.

[Josh Holmes]

There you go.

[Kevin Keane]

Yeah, we.

[Josh Holmes]

And J.J. mcCarthy's coming in to be our savior.

[John Ashbrook]

Do you think so?

[Josh Holmes]

Really?

[John Ashbrook]

You guys think that?

[Kevin Keane]

Yes, I think the other JJ will help make that happen.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, I think that's probably.

[John Ashbrook]

I have my doubts.

[Josh Holmes]

We don't have any.

[Kevin Keane]

Just roll the ball up.

[John Ashbrook]

This is what we're talking to a Colts fan. We don't have any good options either.

[Josh Holmes]

And that's a Bengals guy down there. So you know, you know that sob.

[Comfortably Smug]

Story, our quarterback is proven.

[Kevin Keane]

My daughter in law likes your quarterback. Yeah. And I don't think he plays football.

[Josh Holmes]

So you. So before we let you go. Look, you get into these lines of work because life leads you in that direction. You were at hhs.

[Kevin Keane]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean you're, you, you had a core job function of trying to improve health of Americans. It's. I imagine how you approach your job now is sort of formulated at some point. You're always interested in politics. So did you?

[Kevin Keane]

I. I was. You know, look, I'm a sports geek.

[Josh Holmes]

We kind of think it's almost a one to one.

[John Ashbrook]

It is, it is.

[Kevin Keane]

That's exactly where I went from. You know, my goal in life was at the time when I was younger was to cover the Cubs for the Chicago trip.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh yeah.

[Kevin Keane]

You know, then I realized, okay, that wasn't going to happen. I didn't really want to stay in journalism. So politics and got into government and you know, it's, it's, it's competitive. It's a game too. They just keep score a little different.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Kevin Keane]

But it's, it's been great. And seriously, I mean you've been in it. You get to make a difference, you know. And at hhs, you really get to make a difference. So that's Right. That's why I do appreciate the secretary's passion and the mission. If you're secretary of hhs, of course you want to make America healthier. We do too. We think we're doing a lot of good things right now to help that. Cause we're building on that through more transparency and even more innovation. So stay tuned. You know, you're going to see more good products.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Kevin Keane]

Keep us, keep us informed and you know, are going to continue to keep our eye on the ball too.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Kevin Keane]

For our consumers.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, one of the really good guys in this line of Work. Kevin Keane, thank you for coming in. Listen, keep us updated on all this stuff. And look, I appreciate you coming in. I mean, I learned something, and I think our audience learns it too, because, you know, people just sort of. When you live online and you get batted around back and forth in terms of, you know, who the good guys and the bad guys are, sometimes you need a little texture for it to understand what it is that's happening here. And I think sounds to me like you guys are headed in the right direction. Great.

[Kevin Keane]

Which is why I appreciate you guys having us on.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, you got it. Thanks so much for spending time with us.

[Kevin Keane]

Thank you.

[Comfortably Smug]

Very interesting guy. Super glad he came in. And at a good time, too. I mean, obviously there's a lot of conversation on these issues going back and forth in town, so very informative stuff.

[Josh Holmes]

I think it's good. I mean, look, there's been a lot of rabble rousing online in the MAHA movement and everything else about what certain organizations are doing to sort of help follow what is now a gigantic movement of people wanting to be healthier, their children to be healthier, and their government basically emphasizing all of that. And this is somebody who I think he just explained that's what we wanted to do. Give everybody an opportunity to hear what it is that they were doing. Because we saw some of it, like, they've heard you. They want to be a partner in some of that stuff, which I think is interesting. He's an interesting guy and it's a. It's a good organization. So I'm glad we had him on. Remember our question of the day? How do you stop left wing violence? And I want your colorful stuff. Anything you've got, you gotta like and subscribe in order to leave the comment. But once you do, we read all of them, we summarize them, and we give them back to you on Tuesday. It's gonna be a big week next week. Yeah, I can feel it. I can feel it. Gentlemen, I think we did it.

[Michael Duncan]

I think so. Absolute banger of an episode. Gentlemen, thanks so much, Kevin Keane, and thank you to the minions. Remember, if you have not yet, like and subscribe to the YouTube. It's more fun in video. So until next time, minions, keep the faith, hold the wine, and own the libs. We'll see you Tuesday. Stay ruthless.