How Bad Will the Dem Civil War Get?

Summary

Ruthless Podcast – “How Bad Will the Dem Civil War Get?”

Date: November 13, 2025
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook

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Overview

This episode of the Ruthless Podcast dives into the unfolding chaos and internal divisions within the Democratic Party following a government shutdown debacle. The hosts—Holmes, Smug, Duncan, and Ashbrook—provide their trademark irreverent conservative analysis, focusing on Chuck Schumer's faltering leadership, the intense fallout among Democrats, and the looming generational and ideological civil war shaking the party from top to bottom. The episode is an energetic blend of political dissection, sharp-witted banter, and satirical commentary, peppered with notable political soundbites and their popular “King of the Hill” Twitter take showdown.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Democratic Party in Disarray

Timestamps:

• [00:00–03:00] National Nightmare & Schumer’s Failure

• [07:42–09:54] The Roots of the Shutdown and Fake Conditions

• [13:54–16:16] Family Feuds as a Symptom

• The hosts argue Democrats are deep in a “civil war,” sparked by Chuck Schumer’s miscalculated strategy in the government shutdown, which resulted in embarrassment rather than leverage for his party.

• Schumer’s motives are painted as purely self-preservation, particularly his fear of being primaried by AOC from the left.

• Democrats articulated a set of demands (reversing DOGE cuts, Medicaid reforms, restoring Obamacare subsidies, funding PBS/NPR), only to quickly abandon them—exposed as theater, not principle.

"This is amazing because not only does it highlight this Democrat civil war that's going on, because their party is now at war with itself 100%. As a result of the stupidity from Chuck Schumer, the Democrat party is in a civil war." – John Ashbrook [00:20]

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2. Media’s Complicity & Narrative Management

Timestamps:

• [03:49–04:13] Mainstream spin (“shutdown loss is actually a win”)

• [23:00–23:40] TV Applause for Schumer's Downfall

• Mainstream outlets (NYT, NBC, etc.) are accused of acting as Democratic stenographers, trying to reframe losses as wins.

• Media is mocked for presenting a united Dem front, with Holmes sarcastically referencing headlines like “What if Democrats' shutdown loss turns out to be a win?”

“It was like, Democrats think this is a big win. And it's like, why, Judy, the fact that you even put pen to paper on the stenography is hard. I don't know how you can look yourself in the mirror.” – Josh Holmes [03:54]

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3. Dissension in Democratic Ranks—Clips & Soundbites

Key Segments:

• [05:08–07:42] Andy Kim’s disappointment (Obamacare as rallying cry)

• [12:54–16:16] Senator Shaheen vs. Daughter (intraparty, intrafamily rifts)

• [16:19–18:04] AOC targets Schumer (“coordinated effort… in exchange for nothing”)

• [22:11–25:05] The View and NPR pile on Schumer

• Emotional clips from Andy Kim and other Dems suggest real disillusionment and ideological confusion, with the hosts laughing at their conviction about issues (like protecting Obamacare subsidies) they see as misguided or naïve.

• Inter-family disputes, like Stephanie Shaheen publicly disagreeing with her mother Senator Shaheen, are quoted as proof that “family means nothing” when power is at stake within the party.

• AOC is portrayed as openly gunning for Schumer, using public statements as platforms for a wider insurgency on the party's left.

• Even progressive strongholds and left-leaning media (The View, NPR) turned against Schumer, now a punchline for his perceived weakness.

"If nepotism can't bridge a divide, nothing can. ...They want the power no matter what. So like, you can be for me, you can be against me, whatever it takes to win, no problem." – Josh Holmes [14:39]

“She’s not letting him walk away from the crime scene without blood on his face.” – Michael Duncan on AOC's attacks on Schumer [17:27]

“Your career has become an applause line for people asking you to resign. Think on that.” – John Ashbrook [23:31]

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4. The Schumer Dilemma: Party Leadership Vacuum

Timestamps:

• [18:11–21:18] Schumer as a failed “heat shield”

• [28:27–31:21] Mark Kelly and the lack of cover

• The hosts dissect Schumer’s failures, arguing true leadership in Congress requires absorbing blame to protect colleagues, which Schumer avoided in his efforts to keep favor with the party’s activist base. Consequently, both moderates and radicals blame him.

• Vulnerable Dems (like Mark Kelly) are now exposed, lumped in with radicals and devoid of protection.

“What happens when you mortgage the leadership component of a leadership job in pursuit of the good graces of the fringes of your party is that you wind up with neither... And that is what has happened to Chuck Schumer. It is cowardice at its core.” – Josh Holmes [19:13]

"You are not electing a leader of your conference to do that very thing, there's no reason to have leadership in the first place." – John Ashbrook [31:10]

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5. The Broader Democratic Civil War: No 'Sane' Faction Left?

Timestamps:

• [32:05–33:39] Is there hope for a moderate resurgence?

• The possibility of a centrist resurgence akin to the “Democratic Leadership Council” era is dismissed; the hosts believe the party is now irreversibly controlled by its activist, left-most elements.

“The DLC ain't walking through that door.” – Josh Holmes [33:11]

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6. Satirical Interlude: The Talarico Instagram Fiasco

Timestamps:

• [37:14–46:14] Texas Democrat Candidate's Instagram Follows

• The hosts riff on Texas Senate candidate James Talarico’s social media scandal: following (and liking posts of) adult film performers and escorts while running a faith-focused campaign.

• Much laughter ensues over the campaign's hapless defense ("the team doesn't check backgrounds... he engages with supporters who have large followings") and the absurdity of the optics.

“So we just got an article about how he's liking and subscribing to... well, whores. Essentially alleged whores. I mean, they're escorts. ...What a hilarious... That is such a good. They're smearing them for clickbait articles.” – Josh Holmes [46:03]

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7. King of the Hill: Twitter/X/Bluesky Madness

Timestamps:

• [47:14–57:38] Ruthless's signature social media content contest

• Sherry Jacobus and Jennifer Rubin go head-to-head for the best “unhinged” left-wing social media take.

• Notable winning entry: Rubin’s comparison of Senate Dems reopening the government to “Neville Chamberlain betraying thousands...” [57:13]

• General hilarity about obsessive, performative online liberalism.

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8. Closing Banter & Commentary

Timestamps:

• [58:07–60:56] China’s Bridge, Listener Comments, Future Questions

• The episode closes with ridicule of China's rapidly collapsing infrastructure and contemplation of shifting Democratic power centers (who replaces Schumer? Murphy? Schatz?).

• Listener comments about Schumer’s fate are read (“dead carcass swinging in the breeze”), and the central question posed to listeners: Which side will win the Democratic civil war?

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "The theater kid syndrome... having a fake little charade. They were willing to shut down the government to the point that air travel was becoming unsafe." – John Ashbrook [06:29]
• "This plan had no strategy for success. It was about showing fight to a base that had lost it over the fact that they got their asses kicked by Donald Trump." – Josh Holmes [00:10]
• "It's even dumber than you think." – Josh Holmes [11:50]
• "She is working it... She’s running something, dude. That was her announcement." – Host on AOC's targeting Schumer [16:49–17:04]
• "Democrats only get criticized by the media when a second Democrat stands to benefit." – Michael Duncan [25:57]
• "Going after the photo-liking habits of a Texas Senate candidate... He's a faith-based Democrat, allegedly." – [Summary, 37:14–46:46]
• "The DLC ain't walking through that door." – Josh Holmes [33:11]

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Flow & Tone

• The episode is quintessential Ruthless: energetic, acerbic, relentlessly mocking Democratic strategies, leadership, and media narrative management.
• Hosts gleefully highlight and lampoon Democratic dysfunction, often through pop culture and irreverent analogies (“theater kid syndrome,” “heads I win, tails you lose,” “go get your shine box”).
• Running gags around open season for health insurance (“it’s the holiday season—your premiums are going up”), family breakups over political strategy, and the all-consuming quest for power.

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Timestamps for Major Segments

| Time | Segment | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Opening Analysis: Schumer’s Miscalculation and Dems’ Civil War | | 03:49 | Media Narrative: “Shutdown Loss is a Win” | | 05:08 | Andy Kim’s Obamacare Lament | | 07:42 | Schumer’s Real Motives & Dem Infighting | | 12:54 | Shaheen Family Feud on Shutdown | | 16:19 | AOC vs. Schumer – Direct Targeting | | 22:11 | The View/NPR Audience Turns on Schumer | | 28:27 | Mark Kelly’s Awkward Pivot on MSNBC | | 37:14 | Talarico/Instagram ‘Faith Forward’ Candidate Segment | | 47:14 | King of the Hill: Social Media Showdown | | 58:07 | China Bridge Segment / Listener Q&A / Outro |

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In Summary

This episode offers a biting, humorous, and detailed look at the fissures in Democratic leadership (centered on Chuck Schumer's repeated failures and existential job insecurity), the ruthless ambition and cynicism within the party, and the broader cultural and political impacts of the devolving situation. The hosts delight in puncturing the idea of Democratic unity, use real soundbites for comic effect, and ultimately leave listeners with the key question: Which faction will win the Dem civil war—with the implication that the Republicans will happily watch the fireworks.

Transcript

[Josh Holmes]

Man, we are in a dark place in the Democratic Party.

[Michael Duncan]

Our national nightmare may be over, but unfortunately for the Democrats, theirs is only beginning.

[Josh Holmes]

This is a plan without a strategy for success. It was about showing fight to a base that had lost it over the fact that they got their asses kicked by Donald Trump.

[John Ashbrook]

This is amazing because not only does it highlight this Democrat civil war that's going on because their party is now at war with itself 100%. As a result of the stupidity from Chuck Schumer, the Democrat Party is in a civil war.

[Josh Holmes]

Our nation is standing up for American workers, restoring the pride of making products here at home. That's what we do every day. We're America's beverage companies, making American products with American workers in America's hometowns, delivering brands that have been enjoyed for generations. Creating good paying jobs, the kind that require only a strong work ethic.

[Michael Duncan]

Because we believe in the promise of.

[Josh Holmes]

America and the people who make it great.

[Announcer/Producer]

Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please.

[John Ashbrook]

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

[Announcer/Producer]

It's time for our main event.

[John Ashbrook]

Good Thursday.

[Josh Holmes]

Welcome back to the Ruthless Variety Program. Ladies and gentlemen, your government is over.

[Announcer/Producer]

Open.

[Josh Holmes]

I am Josh Holmes along with comfortably smug Michael Duncan and John Ashbrook, left to right across your radio dial. As always, it has been a hell of a thing here in Washington D.C. over the last 42 days. But our long national nightmare is over, buddy. Civil war has erupted, fellas.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, yeah, our national nightmare may be over, but unfortunately for the Democrats, theirs is only beginning. You get the sense through all of this that they're still working through the stages of grief?

[John Ashbrook]

Yes.

[Michael Duncan]

You know, and trying to figure out what went wrong and who is responsible. And we get to enjoy all of that.

[Josh Holmes]

We do. What's so amazing about going through something like this is that, well, the Democrats have a position, they articulate it. And right from the very beginning, we covered this last episode. We saw here at the Ruthless Variety Program exactly what was happening. We had guests on to explain exactly what was happening. Not only how it was going to work, but how it was going to end. Because the whole thing had no strategy whatsoever. But the media has to go through the paces, right? They have to pretend that there is a disagreement and they're actually fighting on principle over some, which is, of course, absolute bullshit. This was about Chuck Schumer's political career from the jump. And then at the end they're like, well, there's a bipartisan accord, a big deal. They've decided that they are brokering together different pieces to come up with something that both parties now, they just caved, right? They just fully just caved. And what happened through all of this is you get to a point where Democrats can't, they have to just acknowledge the fact that they've caved and they're not happy about it. The media, they don't have to acknowledge anything. Right? They don't have to. They just keep on keeping on. So when you're covering dutifully about the very principled stand the Democrats have taken and shutting down the government, and it turns out everybody becomes aware of the fact that there was no principle in it whatsoever. Well, you can't stop there. You've got to just sort of shift this somehow. So you turn to the New York Times. Graphic 1 what if Democrats big shutdown loss turns out to be a win.

[John Ashbrook]

Incredible.

[Announcer/Producer]

Only they could write something.

[Josh Holmes]

Are you kidding me? There was something absurdly similar to that on NBC News as well. There was like, Democrats think this is a big win. And it's like, why, Judy, the fact that you even put pen to paper on the stenography is hard. I don't know how you can look yourself in the mirror.

[Michael Duncan]

What if the real shutdown win was the friends we made along the way?

[Josh Holmes]

It's the climb.

[Michael Duncan]

That's a great song, by the way. I love that song.

[Josh Holmes]

I like to work Miley in when I can.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

You know, but that's okay. So that's, that's, this is all a very big win. So, okay, Democrats and media says you all agree everybody's still united. This was a principled stand. We still win in the long run, despite the fact that everybody with two eyes and ears understands it's a loss. What do you have you to say about this? CLIP 1 well, what just happened in the Senate chamber was an absolute disgrace. I can't stress it enough. It was very profoundly disturbing to be there in that chamber where Senator McCain.

[John Ashbrook]

Famously was able to stop the Republicans from gutting the Affordable Care Act. That's what got me to step up to run for Congress. Like I literally ran for Congress in 2018 to protect the, our health care, to protect the Affordable Care Act.

[Josh Holmes]

And I just, I'm really gutted right now. There's so much here.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, there is so much.

[Josh Holmes]

There's so much here in that. So that's Andy Kim.

[Announcer/Producer]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

A new member of the United States Senate.

[Announcer/Producer]

And what he's describing as a disgrace once again is reopening the government with a document that was written by Democrats and signed by Joe Biden on Multiple occasions. That's the disgrace.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, but I find it hilarious, not just for that, but also he's quickly pivoted into. This was about Obamacare. Right. Which was the talking point that surfaced at some point along the line. Remember, there were four components that Chuck Schumer articulated going into the shutdown that all need to be satisfied in order for them to open up the government. Right. It was like reversing DOGE cuts. It was reversing Medicaid reforms and bbb. It was that. The Obamacare component. And then it was restoring funding to pbs.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Announcer/Producer]

And npr.

[John Ashbrook]

Let's not.

[Josh Holmes]

And they quickly found out that the three of them, they didn't sell well.

[John Ashbrook]

I mean, the thing is, is that it had gotten to the point where for this charade, because it was all just a bunch of theater kids having a fake little charade. They were willing to shut down the government to the point that air travel was becoming unsafe.

[Announcer/Producer]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

That's how ridiculous it was. And you're 100% right, Holmes. This was 100% because of Schumer's ambitions of trying to save his own job. That's all it is. He tried creating these reasons, and very quickly, they fell by the wayside, every single one of them. They reopened the government without any of those fake conditions being satisfied because they saw we are doing all this for nothing.

[Announcer/Producer]

Right.

[John Ashbrook]

There is no gain for any of this. It's pathetic. And again, this is theater kid syndrome. They're all going up there and they're like, I ran for Senate because I saw John McCain. Like, they're having to come up with these crazy little stories to tell themselves and tell each other when they've accomplished nothing except make life worse for Americans. Because Chuck Schumer is scared AOC is gonna primary him. This is how far they went. Because Chuck Schumer's fear and the beauty of it is he did all this shit to try to save his job, and now everyone's blaming him for it. They're like, schumer must resign. This is Democrats being like, schumer must resign. Unreal.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, part of what I find so fascinating about the Andy Kim thing is he's been a senator for a cup of coffee, right? He's been there for, like, two minutes. So he might have a little idealism left, right? If you've been there for, you know, a few years, you understand this was cynicism from the jump. This was. This is a plan without a strategy for success. It was about showing fight to a base that had lost it over the fact that they got their asses kicked by Donald Trump, and Donald Trump was running over them on a whole bunch of policies, things. And so they needed to do something. Regardless of whether that something would succeed or not, they needed to do something. But for a guy like Andy Kim, like, he looked sincerely disappointed about the Obamacare thing. And I kind of find it sweet at some level because, like, he actually, I think in those eyes, believes it's about that. Like, I think he. I think that that guy thinks he buys Schumer's line. I think he actually believes that they shut down the government for 42 days over Obamacare subsidies, nevermind the fact that they don't expire till the end of the year. And it was a different debate whatsoever than a CR that his party wrote the previous year. I think he actually thinks that's what this was about. And, like, nobody has tapped him on the shoulder and been like, hey, dude, that's not about this shit at all.

[John Ashbrook]

And even if it was, like, first off, he needs to get his head right. Because anyone who has to pay for health insurance or realizes what a disaster Obamacare has been, the costs keep going up, the care keeps getting worse. And Republicans warn them again and again, hey, guys, what's gonna happen is that it's gonna become wildly expensive. And now Democrats are like, why is healthcare wildly expensive? Let's pump more money into this system that's just bloated and dying and killed.

[Josh Holmes]

There's so much to this clip.

[Michael Duncan]

But, I mean, that's what I find most hilarious about this, is Andy Kim having this, like, mythology about, like, this is why I ran for Congress was the protection of Obamacare. And at no point has there been any introspection by him or any of these other Democrats.

[John Ashbrook]

Bingo.

[Michael Duncan]

That the thing still requires subsidies 15 fucking years later in order to be operative. And maybe that means it's not so great and shouldn't be protected.

[Josh Holmes]

I ran to protect the shitty system that I'm now running to try to supplement because it's failed the American people. Yeah, I mean that. But there's so much there. And there's like this idealism that is today's Democratic Party that can't unpack one cylinder at a time. Like, they're just like, yes, we hate Donald Trump. Yes, we're gonna do this. Yes, we care about Obamacare. Yes, we're ostensibly for healthcare, except for, like, we created the healthcare system. We decided to sunset the subsidies. We now understand that the subsidies didn't work to try to keep your premiums down. But we wanna do it again. Like all of these things are illogical. If you have breath in your lungs, two eyes, two ears and a somewhat functioning brain, you would come to the conclusion that the system that they created fucking sucks.

[John Ashbrook]

Horrible.

[Josh Holmes]

It is the absolute worst thing that's ever happened to any sort of entity that controls any aspect of American life. It is horrible. And they are saying, well, thank God we have Obamacare so we can subsidize it. And by the way, what we mean by that is that we take money, more money out of your pockets, borrow from the Chinese to do it, and then we send it to the insurance companies. You never see a thing.

[John Ashbrook]

It's insane.

[Josh Holmes]

And then you'll be surprised by the amount that we sent to the insurance companies is the amount that your premiums rise next year.

[John Ashbrook]

And it's not just lack of introspection, it's willfully malicious at this point that they broke the health care system in this country. It gets more expensive for everyone. It gets less effective for everyone. And they're like, the problem here is we need to pump more taxpayer money into this field fire of a healthcare system. It's like this bonfire that they've started and they're like, no more taxpayer money on it. More taxpayer money on it. It's unbelievable but smug.

[Josh Holmes]

It's even dumber than you think. It's even dumber than you think. If you are enrolled in insurance, if you're part of an exchange, or if you get employer related health insurance coverage. You know, open season is already upon us. Yeah, the rates that were presented to you over the last three weeks are already in your inbox.

[John Ashbrook]

You know, whatever it is that they're.

[Josh Holmes]

Doing by this catastrophic, you need the subsidy in order to bring those things down type like argument. It's already done.

[John Ashbrook]

You know how I know it's the holiday season, dude. I start getting the emails. Hey, your premiums are going up. It's that time of year.

[Josh Holmes]

I've gotten that.

[John Ashbrook]

Y' all get the emails. You've gotten the emails. Guess what? Your premiums are going up. Oh, wife, we gotta get all our friends addresses. Cause it's time to send out Christmas cards. I've gotten the your premiums are going up email.

[Josh Holmes]

Here comes Santa Claus.

[Announcer/Producer]

The season.

[John Ashbrook]

Your premiums are going up. Here's the email.

[Josh Holmes]

Catastrophic coverage.

[John Ashbrook]

It is.

[Josh Holmes]

No, it's unbelievable. So, all right, so this civil war is erupting, right? And I'm not sure that there's anything that better illustrates that than this clip in clip two. Caitlin, thank you and this fight is getting personal for some lawmakers. Speaking with our sister station wmur, New Hampshire Senator Jean Shaheen's daughter says she's not pleased with her mother's role in this family, has differences of opinion and views. And here we just have very different views about the best way to approach this. Stephanie Shaheen is running for New Hampshire's 1st congressional district. She says she's not convinced the House will honor an agreement to vote on health care subsidies. And I think my mom and Senator Hassan did what they believe was right. I'm doing what I believe is right. So Senator Shaheen says by her decision, but added her daughter is very independent and would make an excellent, excellent congresswoman.

[John Ashbrook]

So this highlights when I found this clip I've been telling about. Oh my goodness, this is amazing because not only does it highlight this Democrat civil war that's going on, cuz their party is now at war with itself 100% as a result of this stupidity from Chuck Schumer, the Democrat party is in a civil war. The beauty of this is not only is this the Dem civil war, this is beyond cynical. Beyond cynical. That party, that family, they only want power so they can be in a situation where the senator mom is like, of course I voted to reopen it. We know there's no goddamn reason that we should stay shut down. But my daughter disagrees with me. But she's still principled and I think she's still elect her like, what? She's on the opposite side. You people believe in nothing but power.

[Michael Duncan]

It's heads I win, tails you lose.

[John Ashbrook]

Bingo.

[Michael Duncan]

Right? And that's how they operate there.

[Josh Holmes]

If nepotism can't bridge a divide, nothing can. I mean, this is an amazing construct that I think perfectly illustrates where Democrats are. They want the power no matter what. So like, you know, you can be for me, you can be against me, whatever it takes to win, no problem. But when it's a family, the daughter is like, yeah, my mom made a grave error when she voted to open the government because I steadfastly as a principled progressive liberal oppose opening the government. And it's like, man, we are in a dark place in the Democratic Party. When you can criticize when you are, what would it take, by the way? You know, I mean, like thank goodness our parents aren't in politics. But like, say you're in any lot in life and I mean, there's a reasonable place to land for an individual to be like, yeah, I don't. I kind of think our troops should get paid It's Veterans Day. I kind of think, like, I don't know, people should get SNAP benefits if they're starving. And the daughter being like, my mom is an idiot, dude.

[John Ashbrook]

Can I also say that's become very central to the Democrat Party is this level of cynicism and hunger for power. That family means nothing.

[Michael Duncan]

There's no loyalty.

[John Ashbrook]

That's the whole reason why these people will. Like, if you're unfortunate enough to have liberals and Democrats in your family, you've probably experienced how these people are such monsters, they'll even try to make Thanksgiving miserable for you. We'll go into that in our next few years.

[Josh Holmes]

You got that coming up.

[John Ashbrook]

But these people, they have zero belief in family. Like, you are a unit of the Democrat Party, comrade. And that's what you believe in.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

Even if it means attacking your mother.

[Josh Holmes]

Get me on that. Top of the ticket. Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

Unbelievable.

[Josh Holmes]

So we got one more clip. 2A, please.

[John Ashbrook]

I think it's important that we understand.

[Josh Holmes]

That this is not just about Senator Schumer, but that this is about the Democratic Party. Senator Schumer. There's no one vote that ended this shutdown. We are talking about a coordinated effort of eight senators with the knowledge of Leader Schumer voting to break with the.

[John Ashbrook]

Entire Democratic Party in exchange for nothing.

[Josh Holmes]

And now people's health care costs, even.

[John Ashbrook]

Cut her off food. Get him aeoc.

[Announcer/Producer]

She is working it.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Announcer/Producer]

I mean, the idea that she's not gonna run against him or not gonna run for president or something.

[Josh Holmes]

She's running something, dude.

[John Ashbrook]

That was her announcement. That right there was her announcement. She's got her issue, her platform to run on in that five seconds.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, remember that when Bernie Sanders and AOC did that CNN town hall and this discussion came. All right, so what are we really doing here? Do you think you end up going to primary Chuck Schumer and, like, she freaks out and it's like she's speaking in tongues. And she's like, it's not about that. It's not about that. And then the first opportunity to put the knife in and twist it on Chuck Schumer, she does it.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

You know, because Chuck's line and what a lot of the media are saying is like, look, he neither blessed, no curse this thing. It happened. He didn't force it to happen. But these moderate members of his caucus have decided to reopen the government. She's not letting him walk away from the crime scene without blood on his face.

[John Ashbrook]

Straight up, dude. She's like, he had knowledge, and this was a coordinated Event. Bro, she's cooking. Get him.

[Announcer/Producer]

Who's she saying it to but longtime Senate reporter Manu Raju at cnn. She knows that that guy.

[Josh Holmes]

She picked her target.

[Announcer/Producer]

Exactly. She knows that that guy is better wired in on the Senate than any other reporter who's walking around working for a major media.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, she found.

[Announcer/Producer]

And she found him.

[John Ashbrook]

I know he's your friend, but he's soft. He blocked me on Twitter because he can't handle the criticism.

[Michael Duncan]

Hold him accountable. Smug.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, listen, I think there's a. Before we go, get to the next segment. I think there's a larger component of this that is just how weak Chuck Schumer actually is. And, like, he's lived a pretty charmed life. He lived underneath Harry Reid, where he could make a bunch of political decisions, never really have to take the heat for it. When he became leader, it was primarily in opposition. And then he had a Biden administration where his job was basically usher in $5 trillion of spending, something Democrats do fairly regularly. Like, it's a pretty charmed life. This is the actual first test that this guy's ever had. He had it twice. March, failed, called for his ouster, had it again in September. Failed, called for his ouster. Right. And at some point, people need to understand that party leadership is different than being an elected representative, an elected senator. Party leadership. You can't be liked. You know, you can't be liked.

[John Ashbrook]

I've said it a million times. Your job, if you want to be an actual leader, is you act as a heat shield. You provide cover for your members, and you earn their trust. That's how you do it. And I know this.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, no. Smug. Your experience would tell us that. But what happens when you mortgage the leadership component of a leadership job in pursuit of the good graces of the fringes of your party is that you wind up with neither. And that is what has happened to Chuck Schumer. It is cowardice at its core.

[John Ashbrook]

Yep.

[Josh Holmes]

Tell that up to all the people who had a tough time flying, getting food, getting paychecks. I mean, good God, there's at this point, millions of people out there who rely. At some point, he just did this for him. And everybody knows it now.

[John Ashbrook]

And everyone knows it. Dude, you're right.

[Announcer/Producer]

You know, and every left wing reporter who's calling his office, the press secretary is saying, no, you don't understand. Schumer voted against this deal. You have to put that in your story. He voted against it.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Announcer/Producer]

Nobody.

[John Ashbrook]

It doesn't.

[Josh Holmes]

It doesn't matter.

[John Ashbrook]

Everyone knows.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, it doesn't matter, because the end of the day, the best you can hope for in that position. There are a couple of things that come through every year that you have to do. And your party's not gonna hate it, but you gotta keep the lights on and you gotta pass debt ceilings and things like that. You gotta do it and everybody's gonna hate it, but you have to lead the way in making it happen. And when you don't, all you've done is communicate to everybody that nobody's following. The best you can do is a begrudging respect for your effectiveness. And once you've lost that, you're done. Chuck Schumer's done. Folks, we're coming back. The rest of the media not as charitable as the New York Times as it comes to all of this. We're gonna get to that and a lot more right after this.

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[Josh Holmes]

So it's very normal times in the progressive liberal universe. I'm sure that everybody is taking this quite well. As the New York Times said, it's a big win.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

For all of Democrat. Let's check in on the ladies of the View, shall we? Clip 3. Even commitment to have a vote. So the bottom line is the Democrats went into this after a blue wave out of the American people saying, we do want the opposition. The working people want the Democratic Party to fight for them. And now they just caved and surrendered. I think Chuck Schumer, his days are over. He cannot the applause.

[John Ashbrook]

He cannot keep his caucus together. He cannot keep his caucus together.

[Josh Holmes]

He needs to go. He needs to be.

[Announcer/Producer]

I mean, you gotta think they taped this in New York, right where Schumer is the senator. And it's just instant applause when she says it's careers.

[John Ashbrook]

The premise is my favorite part. She's like, Democrats just had a blue wave In New Jersey and in New York City.

[Michael Duncan]

Imagine that tells us what the country wants.

[Josh Holmes]

Noted political consultant Sunny Hostin. She's got her finger on the pulse of what's happening out there.

[John Ashbrook]

Good strategist like New York City. Spoke loud and clear with the blue wave.

[Josh Holmes]

I do find it funny that these so called like network shows when they have live studio audiences are all just left wing for the lunatics. It's very funny. You watch Colbert, you watch Kimmel. Like the View here. Every time they say something that is genuinely bonkers, Seal claps.

[John Ashbrook]

Also like Chuck Schumer. Your career has become an applause line for people asking you to resign. Think on that. Think on that.

[Michael Duncan]

I think the only way it could be improved would be an act Blue link for AOC on screen whenever they do it.

[Josh Holmes]

And remember you can change that right here. Yeah, totally true as well. So npr who had a dog in this fight.

[Announcer/Producer]

Sure did.

[Josh Holmes]

If you remember, he had a financial interest. So recall the four things included. We gotta reverse all the cuts to national public broadcast. Because of course. Very nonpartisan purveyor of news and information the American people relied on. Not partisan at all. Well, they've decided to surface some commentary that we find absolutely hilarious in clip 3A. Some Democrats are so unhappy with the.

[Michael Duncan]

Deal to end the government shutdown. We cannot play all of their words on the radio. Peggy Flanagan, Lieutenant governor of Minnesota talking on Facebook.

[Josh Holmes]

We deserve so much more than this amounts to a campaign slogan because Flanagan is running for U.S. senate in 2026. So let's listen to a slightly longer clip from her remarks. Is not okay. So it is time for you to pick your fighter and pick accordingly because we deserve so much more than this. Was dismayed that some Senate Democrats broke.

[Announcer/Producer]

With the rest of the party and.

[Josh Holmes]

Joined Republicans to pass the bill. Even after Democrats dominated last week's elections. Especially when we saw victories up and down the ballot all across the country, people were with us and them than this. For example, Mikey Sherrill won the New.

[Michael Duncan]

Jersey governor's race in that election. She called the agreement malpractice. Democratic Congressman Richie Torres of New York.

[Josh Holmes]

Was on this program on Monday and.

[Michael Duncan]

Said he's voting against the Senate bill.

[Josh Holmes]

When it gets to the House because it's not a deal.

[Announcer/Producer]

It's an unconditional surrender that abandons 24 million Americans.

[Josh Holmes]

We're about to see their premiums more than double honest system you created, you dumb fuck. I mean this is the most amazing thing. And they're all sort of aspirants.

[Announcer/Producer]

Well, I think That's, I think that's a very important point, dude. Especially the first person who's running for Senate in the state of Minnesota. And what do we always say on the show? That the media will only criticize a Democrat when a second Democrat stands to benefit. And so they are criticizing the Democrat establishment and giving voice to a woman who is running for Senate in front of an audience that is a left winning, left leaning audience in the state of Minnesota who they want to raise her name ID with. So they are putting her on a pedestal at the expense of Washington and hoping that she benefits from a throw the bumps out mentality in their party.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, well, it's a Seth Moulton is another one that was in Massachusetts that came up and said like Schumer's got to go. He's got to go. So like all of these candidates and not to mention the dude up in Maine that we covered last week, platinum. That guy's like, get him the hell out of here. Of course, he's been taking it to the face from the whole Schumer operation all along.

[Announcer/Producer]

Yeah. The first quote in the New York Times story about the deal was from Roy Cooper in North Carolina expressing his displeasure with the deal. And they put him at the top because of course he's running for Senate in North Carolina.

[Josh Holmes]

But what a hilarious juxtaposition where he's got he lives in a military state.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

A lot of vets in North Carolina. And the place that's the safest for him to land in order to get to where he wants to go is to keep the government shut down.

[Announcer/Producer]

It's familiar territory for a guy like him because he kept FEMA shut down when everybody from the hurricane was hoping for a little bit of help. He wants to do the same thing to the rest.

[Josh Holmes]

Amazing left wing lunacy that's going on in the Democratic Party to the point where you can completely alienate the entire electorate but hold onto this fringe element and think that's the safest place for you to be. Civil war is upon us. All right, Kelly?

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Mark Kelly in Arizona, right. He's like the he's a sensible center, votes off the left hand side of the map, but he's like the guy who's just, you know, does a lot of media gets out there, but he's supposed to be somehow seen as a centrist. Well, he went on MSNBC, here's what he had to say. Clip 4 you're in the majority, obviously, among Senate Democrats. Chris Murphy called the defection by eight Democrats That's a mistake. Bernie Sanders called it a very bad night, and he had some other more colorful things to say, including some disturbing statistics. But I wonder if, as a result, you believe Chuck Schumer's leadership is in jeopardy and should it be amazing?

[John Ashbrook]

What a premise.

[Announcer/Producer]

Well.

[John Ashbrook]

As I've said, we are dealing with an irrational president.

[Michael Duncan]

It's like playing hard pivot, Right?

[John Ashbrook]

It is hard pivot. So first off, she's, like, laying out the premise straight up. She's like, okay, so you have to go as far left as possible. Many people are saying Chuck Schumer is absolute garbage and Democrats have stabbed everyone in the back. What are your thoughts?

[Josh Holmes]

And he goes.

[John Ashbrook]

That was amazing. Well, Trump bad.

[Josh Holmes]

It's like the third wave of constipation coming out of Aniston anesthesia.

[John Ashbrook]

I mean, you know what I mean?

[Josh Holmes]

Like, he's just in pain.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, you got to remember that the media has treated this man with kid gloves.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

All his entire career because the left wing media desperately wanted him to be a United States senator from a swing state like Arizona.

[Announcer/Producer]

Yes.

[Michael Duncan]

So they ignored all of his failures. They ignored a lot of the scandals and refused to print them the entire time he was running as a candidate. Now he finally gets to Washington, the energy is no longer with the establishment. It's on the grassroots and the outside. Now he finally has to answer an uncomfortable question for the first time in his political career, and he is wholly unprepared to do so for, like, a decade.

[John Ashbrook]

Wait.

[Announcer/Producer]

Mark Kelly, the Breitling spokesman? Surprised he didn't give that answer in Chinese or.

[John Ashbrook]

They're like Chinese supplements, dude.

[Announcer/Producer]

But.

[John Ashbrook]

But that's the thing. And Duncan's 100% right, dude. He was never asked about any of that.

[Michael Duncan]

Nihau.

[John Ashbrook]

None of it.

[Josh Holmes]

Shit. Shit, dude.

[John Ashbrook]

His ads are just objectively hilarious.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, it's just. But again, this goes to the secondary component of why Chuck Schumer is done. And the secondary component is beyond leadership in getting your party through what is objectively difficult things. It's to provide a heat shield. It really is to provide a heat shield for the rank and file of your party not to have to expose themselves to hostile electorate, particularly people like Mark Kelly in swing states where they could lose at some point if they were seen as too partisan. But now Schumer, out of just completely advocating his responsibility, that conference, and then selling eight members who aren't running for reelection down the river, what he's created is a dichotomy between eight people who in the state of Arizona would Be seen as pretty responsible human beings for keeping the government open. And the rest of his conference, which now includes Mark Kelly, are people who are aligned with AOC and the radical left. And Chuck Schumer provided no air cover for any of that.

[Announcer/Producer]

They're not gonna forget that if you.

[Josh Holmes]

Are not electing a leader of your conference to do that very thing, there's no reason to have leadership in the first place.

[Announcer/Producer]

What you just said is the reason why. He's toast.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Yep, that's it. You made his job harder. That's the first hard question this is one of a bitch has ever had. And he doesn't know what to do, doesn't know how to handle it. And it's because of what Chuck Schumer is saying.

[Announcer/Producer]

So Chris Murphy is taking him out to drinks and saying, look, I can raise the same amount of money, and I'll never do that to you. Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, that's exactly right. Or, you know, maybe Sheldon Whitehouse is sitting there talking about his leverage.

[John Ashbrook]

Leaf rich.

[Josh Holmes]

Leaf rich.

[Michael Duncan]

That's a really good impression.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, he's got a lateral. It's not. It's just as simple as a lateral. Lisp. Yeah, it's like there's an extra. It is like the tongue doing the combination.

[Announcer/Producer]

There's some sort of a collapse on the voice box. Look at the way he holds his head.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, no, you're right. It's both a projection and a formulation of words. Neither one of them's working out. And then you got that effete New England thing on top of it. Neither one of them. Anyway, I don't care for it. It leads to our question of the day. Which is which side will win the Democratic civil War? Let me just tell you, I wish to high heaven, and I'm a partisan Republican. I hope we win every time, but I wish to high heaven that some sort of. What was it called? The D. The Bill Clinton thing.

[Michael Duncan]

Dlc.

[Josh Holmes]

Dlc.

[Michael Duncan]

Democratic leadership.

[Josh Holmes]

High heaven that there was an element of like, a Carville type, generally reasonable part of the Democratic Party that was like, hey, maybe we shouldn't be Marxists.

[John Ashbrook]

Right?

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, I don't think that exists anymore.

[Announcer/Producer]

Seems like a pretty easy thing to say.

[Michael Duncan]

Like, Carville's like, good for a soundbite and we'll play him all day because it's funny.

[Josh Holmes]

It's funny.

[Michael Duncan]

But I think he has a very tenuous grasp on any power in the party that's left.

[Josh Holmes]

The DLC ain't walking through that door.

[Michael Duncan]

I mean, the only person is probably the Delusional Rama man who somehow thinks that the party will turn back to him. And I think he's an incredibly talented political operative, but I don't think the party's there at all.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, if we had to run against Rahm in Rahm's. Not necessarily Rahm himself, but Rahm's formulation of a Democratic party be tough, tough stuff.

[Michael Duncan]

Cause he'd be getting, you know, former quarterbacks like Heath Shuler.

[Announcer/Producer]

Yeah, yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

You know, he'd do well.

[Josh Holmes]

He did.

[John Ashbrook]

He did.

[Josh Holmes]

That's what he did.

[Michael Duncan]

That's what he did.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. No, I know. Well, so that's our question of the day. When you like and subscribe to the Ruthless Variety program, we read every single one of your answers and we get back to you the very next episode. In this case, which side will win the Democrat civil war. When we come back, your comments from last episode. When we asked, how long will Chuck Schumer last? Seems like those two are coincidental. Yeah, and we'll get to them right after this.

[John Ashbrook]

Every year corporate insurers get richer while.

[Josh Holmes]

Americans pay more and get less.

[John Ashbrook]

Their greed has broken the system, even.

[Josh Holmes]

Shutting down our government to protect their taxpayer funded profits.

[John Ashbrook]

And now their schemes are finally being exposed.

[Josh Holmes]

Big Insurance and their Democrat allies have rigged health insurance against hard working families.

[John Ashbrook]

Government bailouts, record profits, rising premiums.

[Josh Holmes]

America can't afford to ignore it any longer. Conservatives must do more than hold the line.

[John Ashbrook]

We must fix it.

[Josh Holmes]

Paid for by American Resolve Action. Okay, your comments when you like and subscribe. We read every single one and this question was, how long will Chuck Schumer last? To do that, we always start with a voice.

[Announcer/Producer]

First one comes from Lady Saw who writes, Schumer isn't going anywhere. He's that one lane old bridge between the sane and loony factions of his party. I don't think there are enough Marxist Moonies in the Senate to oust him.

[Michael Duncan]

I like that. Marxist moonies. Comment number 2 here from Bill Fareless. Bill writes, sometimes you find a quote that fits the moment. This one fits Schumer's current position. What we have got is a dead carcass swinging in the breeze. But nobody will cut it down to replace him. Former Australian pm dead on.

[John Ashbrook]

Wow, that's a good one.

[Announcer/Producer]

That's a good one.

[Josh Holmes]

That is a really good. That's right on the button.

[Michael Duncan]

I like it.

[Josh Holmes]

No question. All right, smug, what do we got?

[John Ashbrook]

Comment 3 is from Jeremy Kincaid. Jeremy writes, schumer knows he's done. He's savvy enough to fold to Murphy and let him take the heat. Fortunately for Murphy, it'll be just like Joe Pesci walking in thinking he was the main man. Dude, wow, that is excellent. I figure somewhere close to the new year, using the holidays for cover. Dude, that is great.

[Michael Duncan]

It was like Pesci.

[Announcer/Producer]

Perfect. AOC is gonna tell him to get his shine box.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, 100%. That's gonna be the way it's gonna work for a while.

[Announcer/Producer]

That's the picture of the Dem party right there.

[Michael Duncan]

I don't know if they can actually do that. I don't think you can switch horses midstream.

[Josh Holmes]

No, they're not gonna do that. No, no, they're not gonna do that.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, Schumer. Schumer. I think he lasts until 20 midterms.

[Announcer/Producer]

Yeah, you think so they do the replacement after that.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, I think what's happening is that Schumer's gonna try to keep a lower profile. Like he'll band together and be vocal when like 100% of libs are on board with something and he'll try to get some stuff back. But really the whole play is to try to stay as non controversial as you can until 26 and hope you win the midterms. And then the hope is if you, if Democrats were to win, they'd forget about all the transgressions and be like, well, we won, so let's not switch horses.

[Michael Duncan]

I took you to the promised land.

[Announcer/Producer]

And so what you gotta watch is people like Chris Murphy headed to the different states where they're running Senate races.

[Josh Holmes]

There you go.

[Announcer/Producer]

Fundraiser. Is he appearing?

[Michael Duncan]

What's his leadership pack doing?

[Announcer/Producer]

And who else is doing the same thing? Because he's probably not the only one with his eyes on the, you know.

[Josh Holmes]

The other one to watch.

[Announcer/Producer]

Brian Schatz.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, yeah. Shat, shat. That's a young man in a hurry.

[Announcer/Producer]

I feel like Murphy's got more access to resources out of Connecticut than shots. I totally agree. However, Oprah lives in Hawaii and so does Barack Obama.

[Josh Holmes]

Barack Obama. Oh, yeah. Well, thanks for the help there, system Phil. Anyway, coming up next, a prominent dick Texas Democrat. This guy's running for Senate. Sort of held himself out as this sort of pious religious type, which you don't find a lot in the Democratic Party these days. Anyway, the media has stumbled across a few things in his closet, so to speak. We have the details right after this. Okay, so we teased on the back end of last segment about this Texas candidate, Senate candidate, high aspirations, this guy. And when Democrats can't win a state, what they try to do is manufacture some psychopath that has some sort of external presence where it makes him look like a decent individual. You can't run Mum Donnie in Texas. They'd love to, and they'll act like Mandani when they're here, but they got to have some kind of a profile.

[Announcer/Producer]

Yeah, they learned their lesson on Beto o'. Rourke. You can't run a furry in a statewide office in Texas. As Smug pointed out many times, it was a bad idea.

[Michael Duncan]

It's a bridge too far.

[John Ashbrook]

I mean, they wouldn't run any more degenerates after fatal, would they?

[Michael Duncan]

Would they?

[Josh Holmes]

Our next segment. So Alex Thompson tweeted out a link about a faith forward Texas Senate candidate who follows porn actors and escorts on Instagram.

[John Ashbrook]

That's a bit much.

[Josh Holmes]

So this guy is named James Tallarico. He's a Texas Democrat running for the US Senate who has put his faith at the forefront of his campaign. He follows several adult film performers, escorts, and only fan models on his Instagram.

[Michael Duncan]

I'm sure he follows them for the articles.

[Josh Holmes]

It's according to an Axios review. Yeah, I mean, look, there's a lot to it. There's voter demographics to obtain on that. The big picture, according to Thompson and axios, is he's 36, a seminarian and a state House member. He's become a sensation in Texas politics by talking about how his Christianity is the basis of his Democratic politics. That is somewhat unique. I mean, usually at this point in time, it's like radical Islam.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, it's favored by the Democratic Party over. It's amazing. It's amazing that they're like, guess what? He's a Democrat and Christian. Like, that's become a novelty. They're like, no, he's not devil worship for like the rest of us guys. This one's a little unique.

[Josh Holmes]

So, like, you know, Democrats have been doing this for a while where they're trying to promote something that's unknown nationally as their next big chance to turn Texas blue.

[Announcer/Producer]

Well, they always do it in Texas, by the way. Remember Wendy Davis with the tennis shoes?

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, the tennis shoes.

[Announcer/Producer]

And of course, we talked about Beto o', Rourke, but they've been doing this for generations.

[John Ashbrook]

Wait.

[Michael Duncan]

And he sort of rose to national prominence that last time the Dems, the state Dems in Texas, absconded to not allow quorum in the state legislature. Remember when they came to D.C. and then they were, you know, begging for toiletries and stuff?

[John Ashbrook]

Did they all catch, like, Covid?

[Michael Duncan]

They all caught Covid and had to be quarantined.

[Josh Holmes]

100%.

[Michael Duncan]

Tellarico was one of those state House members or whatever. He was a part of this and.

[Josh Holmes]

He kept talking about how none of this corresponded with his biblical values. Don't worry, we're gonna provide some illustration here shortly, so stick with us on this. Talarico spokesperson J.T. ennis said in a statement that the social media team, including James, follows back and engages with supporters who have large followings and does not investigate their backgrounds. Oh, interesting. Okay, so they just follow. Apparently he just follows anyone who has got following. Well, that's a discerning way for a politician.

[Michael Duncan]

I mean, maybe some of these women were just small business owners, community leaders, you know, you want to stay engaged with them.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, well, they're entrepreneurs, no question.

[Announcer/Producer]

And you know, some of these accounts were a full scale investigation. To be able to figure out what.

[Josh Holmes]

They'Re about, you have to actually put an eye to all of this stuff. We're about to show you that shortly. The Instagram accounts Talarico follows typically have 50,000 followers. According to them, Talarico and his campaign team both use his account and he has 1.7 million followers, but follows only 3,700 people. Oh, that's interesting. So it doesn't seem to totally correspond with following only people who have a lot of followers.

[Michael Duncan]

There seems to be something he's discerning. He's looking for something in his followers.

[Josh Holmes]

Like what is it?

[Michael Duncan]

Yes, he just wants to find some followers with some assets. Listen, you know, when you're running a political campaign, as the Bible tells us, Right.

[Josh Holmes]

You know, biblically speaking, you look for not only the amount of followers, but what can they bring to the table?

[Michael Duncan]

The bounty.

[Josh Holmes]

Let's check out graphic two. There she is. Jacqueline Arthur.

[Michael Duncan]

Come on.

[Josh Holmes]

So earlier this year he liked separate photos of the. See, this isn't even a following thing. He liked the photos, bro.

[John Ashbrook]

He's based Instagram liking photos. Dude, that's so out of pocket.

[Josh Holmes]

He likes the likes.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Austin based Instagram account holder who also as an OnlyFans account and a page on escortbook.com.

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, come on.

[Josh Holmes]

Yes. In addition to all.

[John Ashbrook]

I think that's the next one is the one who.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, this we're. Hold on. We don't want to rush things here.

[John Ashbrook]

But that description is for the next one. Well, not the first one. I don't know.

[Josh Holmes]

I don't think it is. I think this isn't. No, this is this one. It's a site that claimed EscortBook.com claims to be the number one content management system in the escort industry. And as you know, you just take them to dates and proms and functions, you know, like galas.

[Michael Duncan]

I thought maybe it was like an escort, like a police escort between campaign events.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, maybe that was a security.

[Michael Duncan]

Maybe this was a security person.

[Josh Holmes]

Hold on, hold on. Can we get Jacqueline? There she is.

[Michael Duncan]

Let's get her up there.

[John Ashbrook]

Wait a minute.

[Josh Holmes]

She's providing security for the candidate.

[Announcer/Producer]

I need to go back.

[Michael Duncan]

She's doing escorts.

[Announcer/Producer]

I need to go back. You take them to proms. Can you.

[Josh Holmes]

Can you imagine if you showed up.

[Announcer/Producer]

To prom with one of these girls?

[Josh Holmes]

I'm not sure. I think you'd get attention. No question about that. That calls for a white tux. No question about that. All right, Graphic three. Here's another young lady escort, Allie Pence. She's got a definitive American flair to her.

[John Ashbrook]

I think that'd play well in tight.

[Josh Holmes]

She's a patriot for our audio only listeners. She's wearing a bikini that is red, white and blue. Just as a audio only listeners.

[John Ashbrook]

This is why you go to YouTube video. I mean, so this is. He is way out of pocket here. As I'm reading these notes, it says he also follows Instagram accounts of adult film actors who have 250,000 followers. Some accounts with matching usernames of the Instagram he follows appear on sites such.

[Josh Holmes]

As dating porn star.com escortstate.com OnlyFans.

[John Ashbrook]

This is a bit much.

[Josh Holmes]

They've made sure to clarify in the article though, that James has never subscribed to OnlyFans or an escort service. Interesting. He just follows closely. He wants to make sure that he understands the business model so as to protect their interests when he gets to the United States Senate.

[Announcer/Producer]

Yeah, yeah, Big following.

[Josh Holmes]

While James was unaware of how these women make money, the spokesperson, remember, he liked the photo. It wasn't just the following. He liked the photos. He's unaware of how they make money. He does not judge him for it, and he will not play in an effort to smear them. They're smearing them.

[John Ashbrook]

That's what it is.

[Josh Holmes]

What a hilarious.

[John Ashbrook]

What an approach.

[Josh Holmes]

That is such a good. They're smearing them for clickbait articles.

[Michael Duncan]

It sounds like you are doing the clicking.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, hear the clicking.

[Michael Duncan]

You're the clicker.

[Josh Holmes]

That's exact. Dude, this is the fuck. Actually, what's the name of this comms person?

[John Ashbrook]

JT Ennis.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

Good comms work, jt.

[Josh Holmes]

Honestly, dog, like, your business is not our business, but I will write a letter of recommendation because the last sentence here is precisely what you would do if you had a rudderless ship in your head. That's exactly what his Christian faith calls him to do. Oh, my goodness.

[John Ashbrook]

Incredible.

[Josh Holmes]

So we just got an article. We just got an article about how he's liking and subscribing to, well, horrors. Essentially alleged whores. I mean, their escorts. I assume that, like, that's why we call them escorts. You can't say, like, prostitution dot com. Yeah, right.

[John Ashbrook]

Although JT Ennis will neither confirm nor deny that he visits prostitutes.

[Announcer/Producer]

But there's a deeper problem here that a lot of Democrats have right now, and it's the lack of authenticity.

[Michael Duncan]

Okay?

[Announcer/Producer]

The guy was looking at these babes online and he clicked, like, why doesn't the press secretary say, yeah, he likes.

[Michael Duncan]

Babes, he likes babes, he likes babes.

[Announcer/Producer]

End of story. And then it's like, oh, okay, yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

Maybe he likes babes.

[John Ashbrook]

And to try to pirouette, he's like, as a Christian, he does nothing right.

[Announcer/Producer]

Like, come on. No, no, no.

[Josh Holmes]

That's exactly what his Christian faith calls.

[Michael Duncan]

Him to do, is to like their photos on Instagram and.

[Josh Holmes]

How dare you for bringing all this up.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

What a great story. I love that. God, it's so good. All right, it's game day. It's Thursday, in time for our signature game here, King of the Hill. I think I'm a champion, am I not?

[Michael Duncan]

You are the champion. And you have Sherry Jacobus, right?

[Josh Holmes]

I do.

[Michael Duncan]

And I'm bringing the challenger this week.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, gosh.

[Michael Duncan]

Jennifer Brainwash Ruben. It's gonna be the clash of the titans.

[Josh Holmes]

It's for the queen crown. Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

This is like King Kong against Godzilla.

[John Ashbrook]

It is, dude. Judge Ashbrook and I will be the bailiff.

[Michael Duncan]

All right, well, let's go ringside.

[Josh Holmes]

Ladies and gentlemen, your attention.

[Announcer/Producer]

Attention, please. It's time for King of the Hill. In the red corner, fighting formally from the Washington Post, and former champion of the world, Jennifer Brainworms Ruben. And now, in the blue corner, fighting from her own Blue Sky Accounting and. And current champion of the world, Jerry the Commie Jacobus.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, I'm so excited. Yeah, it's been. It's. There's just a world of content out here, so I'm expecting a very good game. I'm going to start one with that. Frankly. Blew the top off my head. Exhibit five, if you don't mind. Dominion Voting Systems is the new Cambridge Analytica. Dominion is now owned by a MAGA Republican. Dems need to crack tech team together ASAP to find a way to monitor this and get in front of it.

[John Ashbrook]

Incredible.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay. For those who don't follow this, like, granularly, Dominion was the. When we're dealing with the Rudy Giuliani's. And what was that lady's name?

[Michael Duncan]

Sidney Powell.

[Josh Holmes]

Sidney Powell, who said that, like, Dominion had rigged the 2020 election. They were all indicted, they were all litigated against and like, it was ugly, ugly times for people who were doing that. Everybody sort of took as a lesson on that, that, like, you don't. Unless you've got the there there on voting machines. Like, don't start to get into that situation because that's ugly business. Well, Sherry has followed the ownership structure of Dominion. I have not, candidly. So I don't know what the situation she's referring to is, but what she's saying is it's the new Cambridge Analytica. Recall, that was what Democrats blamed the loss of Hillary Clinton on in 2016, of course, was blown out of the water by facts. And knowing that it had nothing to do with $150,000 worth of Facebook ads in the context of a $2 billion election. But Democrats blamed Cambridge Analytica for the loss and therefore tried to destroy the Internet as a result, like, demonstrably proven. So this is now the same as that because you have to look forward to the next election because Dominion is going to actively rig it against Democrats now that it is a MAGA owned thing. This, my friends, is a masterpiece that I could not conjure up in my head in a million years.

[Announcer/Producer]

Okay. Smug.

[Michael Duncan]

Nope.

[Announcer/Producer]

Or Duncan.

[John Ashbrook]

Oh.

[Michael Duncan]

I feel like maybe the bailiff should have enforced some sort of timing on that.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, I happen to think this court runs a tight court.

[Announcer/Producer]

Go ahead.

[Josh Holmes]

I think they're smart and thoughtful.

[Announcer/Producer]

Go ahead, Michael.

[Michael Duncan]

Listening to War and Peace over there. Okay, well, you know, rigged elections, Dominion voting machines. That feels. Feels like a Sherry.

[Josh Holmes]

My Sherry on the other side of it.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, yeah, right. But that feels like her alley. I think I can raise it one here. Exhibit 14. Jen Rubin writes, the ballroom is the most visible, easily explained and visually disgusting evidence of Trump's destruction of our democracy and the public's ownership of our institutions. A ballroom, a ballroom that the White House desperately needs is, quote, the most visible and easily explained and visually disgusting evidence of Trump's destruction of our democracy. I mean, it's a take. I know a lot of people have done a lot of ballroom takes. I don't think there's one that I've seen from a competitor on King of the Hill that rises to the level that Jen Rubin just did.

[John Ashbrook]

I mean, again, I think we've said it before. The funniest part of this is it's the most, like, altruistic thing Trump has ever done because he will never get to enjoy the ballroom.

[Michael Duncan]

All he gets is the noise of the construction.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Announcer/Producer]

Let me just say that as. As good as Cherry's first play was, Jen Rubin takes.

[Josh Holmes]

No.

[Michael Duncan]

Let's go.

[Josh Holmes]

I cannot believe I lost to a ballroom take.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, you did. Maybe pick a new take.

[John Ashbrook]

Second. Second round challenger.

[Announcer/Producer]

Third challenger.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay.

[Michael Duncan]

This is an incredible appeal. Okay, this is Jen Rubin on Blue sky exhibit number eight. And then she tags Pelosi's official government Blue sky account, which is just funny in. And that's also funny. Yeah, yeah. You helped sideline Biden to save the party from a 2024 wipeout. Might you chat with Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin asking for 7 million friends?

[John Ashbrook]

It's an incredible take.

[Announcer/Producer]

Oh, man.

[Michael Duncan]

Please, Nancy, save us. I like it for a variety of reasons. Like, number one, Nancy Pelosi just decided she's not running for reelection. Like, she's trying to get the hell out of Dodge and manage her hedge fund portfolio. She gives a shit about any of this. Number two, the idea that she is the single orchestrator of this entire coup against Joe Biden, that somehow Jen Rubin can tweet at her at Blue sky and get her to do it again is even funnier.

[John Ashbrook]

Dude, this is awesome.

[Announcer/Producer]

Okay, champion.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay, so this one's gonna hit a little close to home because we attended this situation, and the depiction that she is retweeting is our very own guest on Funtime Friday last week. But exhibit three, please. This is a tweet about the. The Patriot Awards, which we're happy to attend. And Sherry's comment is, every one of these people are liars, traders, and sellouts. Every single one. And I've. And. And I've some old. I mean, this is.

[Michael Duncan]

I have some old.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, but she had. But that's. I've some old. Yeah, I have some old DMS from some expressing how much they hated Trump until they were ordered to support him or else. Now, one hilarious. The crossfire that's getting taken here by our friends over at fox. But secondly, the entire Patriot Awards is honoring veterans.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, it was like, heroes, veterans, police first respond. It was like, the highest concentration of, like, veterans and police officers finally getting recognized. And she's like, every one of them is a traitor.

[Josh Holmes]

It had literally nothing to do with Trump. They've done it before Trump, they're doing it after. Trump had nothing to Do. It was just simply a fox gala honoring real American heroes. And she said, traitors.

[Announcer/Producer]

And for that reason, cherry, my cherry, takes round two.

[John Ashbrook]

So it's round three.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay. So I think I'm gonna lead round three with the thing that encapsulates Sherri Musheri. The best to understand who is Sherri Musherrie, you must understand this next exhibit in Exhibit 7. There it is. It's a glass of wine. And more importantly, the timestamp is 1:03pm November 8, 2025.

[John Ashbrook]

Amazing.

[Announcer/Producer]

And what is that? What view do you suppose? Is that a train?

[Josh Holmes]

It looks like some kind of a lake house, maybe a cottage of some point. It's hard to tell where it is.

[John Ashbrook]

Afric's 900 years old, bro. He thinks this is the train. Look at him.

[Michael Duncan]

It's clearly a body of water. And I gotta say, like, Sherry, I was unfamiliar with your game. Like, I would have expected to be an alleyway full of cats.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, right.

[Michael Duncan]

You know, that would've been my guess.

[Josh Holmes]

But dropping the full glass of chardonnay.

[John Ashbrook]

Dude, the 1:00pm at 1:00pm she was like watching the cl.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, it is just good for her, though. It's good.

[Michael Duncan]

Good for her.

[Announcer/Producer]

Jen Rubin.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, this next one that I'm going to play I think is an instant knockout. And I know that because my opponent here thought the same thing when they mentioned it on Twitter. Exhibit number 13, please. Jen Rubin. Oh, the eight Neville Chamberlains betrayed the thousands of government workers who have held out, the SNAP beneficiaries who have faced starvation, and the millions of Democrats who supported this fight. And then she links to her crazy substack article about all of these things, which is incredible. I don't know if I really have to explain this other than the idea that somehow these like SNAP beneficiaries who couldn't feed their families were like willing soldiers in this fight for the Democrats to hold out and shut down the government. But apparently Jen Rubin thinks, though, and I think that's why I'm going to win.

[Announcer/Producer]

Yeah, the Chardonnay in the window is a very, very good play from Cherry. But again, what Jen Rubin was describing was reopening the government by passing a continuing resolution that was written by Democrats.

[Michael Duncan]

Neville Chamberlain. Neville Chamberlain, because of that.

[Josh Holmes]

So that's. I can see that that was a great play.

[Announcer/Producer]

For that reason, Jen Rubin recalled.

[Josh Holmes]

I think she's going to be tough to do that, dude.

[John Ashbrook]

It's been a while. It's been a while.

[Josh Holmes]

You know, she is around the holidays too.

[John Ashbrook]

It only amps up loneliness and drinking. I mean, that's tough. Tough around the holidays, it is. But it can inspire greatness when you're terrible.

[Josh Holmes]

That's exactly right. Smile. That's exactly right.

[Michael Duncan]

We count on it.

[Josh Holmes]

The emotions run high. Tis the season to be awful when you feel lonely.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. It's the most treacherous time of the year.

[Josh Holmes]

And that's when it gets good. For King of the Hill, the ruthless Friday program. Anyway, thank you, new champion. One more bit of variety. You know, if you any of the kids that are looking at TikTok over the last few years, it's like, well, China's doing this and China's doing that, and they can build a hospital in 48 hours and do all this stuff. And it's like people are like, oh, look at how great China is, or whatever. Well, there is a piece of competing evidence here. Crazy footage in clip seven. So that is a bridge. A 2500 foot bridge. Oh, wow.

[John Ashbrook]

Oh, Charmatillo Chalmatillo.

[Announcer/Producer]

Doesn't look like an old bridge either.

[Josh Holmes]

In fact, it's not.

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, my gosh.

[John Ashbrook]

The whole thing.

[Michael Duncan]

The whole thing's falling over, so you can't even see it anymore with the wreckage and the smoke.

[Josh Holmes]

So. So that's the Hong Ki bridge, and it was completed this very year.

[Announcer/Producer]

Oh, wow.

[Josh Holmes]

To create an easier connection between Sichuan and the Tibetan plateau.

[John Ashbrook]

Bro, you get your bridge from Temu. What you think is gonna happen?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, that's exactly right.

[John Ashbrook]

That's it.

[Josh Holmes]

Who is the teemu?

[John Ashbrook]

You know, you're the contractor. You're like, listen, we can build this ourselves or we can hit up Temu. They'll get it here in about 27 days. It's got to go through like 19 different airports. God knows where it is. It'll arrive someday.

[Michael Duncan]

It is interesting, though. That's sort of the conundrum when it comes to China because there's clearly a lot of areas where they are a legitimate threat, you know, and a competitor in the United States on things like AI and technology and things like that. And then you do see these, like, weird examples of, like, the failures of central planning and their whole Maoist ideology where you see these like, ghost cities, literally like skyscraper cities that are completely undeveloped and they end up just like bombing them all down and destroying them because they can't fill them up.

[Announcer/Producer]

Right, right.

[Michael Duncan]

And so, like, you see this strange dichotomy between. Between China's strengths and its weaknesses.

[Josh Holmes]

It's true. And it's, you know, look, it's tough making a bridge out of chopsticks. It's difficult. That's the failures, apparently. Anyway, that didn't work out for them. We wish all of them the very best, but just wanted to provide a.

[John Ashbrook]

Little bit of money. I don't wish them the best. That's what you get. You have a horrible, corrupt government. That's evil. This is what you get.

[Michael Duncan]

But they make a succulent meal.

[Josh Holmes]

A succulent Chinese meal. Yeah, and they sure do that. Anyway, remember our question of the day when you like and subscribe to the Ruthless Variety program. We ask you a question and we ask for your response when you do. We read every single one of them. We compile them. Get back to the very next episode. Our question this very day, which we'll get back to you on Funtime Friday tomorrow, is which side will win the democratic civil war. Like and subscribe. Check out a little merch while you're there. Enjoy it. Thanks for joining us. And with that, fellas, I think we did it.

[John Ashbrook]

I think so. Absolute banger of an episode. Gentlemen, remember, just like Homestead, go to the YouTube hit that. Subscribe because it's more fun in video. So until next time, minions, keep the faith, hold the line and own the libs. We'll see you on Friday. Stay ruthless.