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Ted Cruz
Welcome. It is Verdict with Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you as well today. So nice to have you with us, Senator. I know you're really excited about this idea that was put out there a couple days ago entitled in the Atlantic, let's declare a pandemic amnesty and let's focus on the future and fix the problems that we still need to solve. I'm not buying it. I'm not going forward. Maybe you want to do this, but.
Ben Ferguson
I say I have two words in response. Hell no. Look, this is, you know, a leftist writing this article saying, let's just forgive and forget everything that happened on Covid. It's all okay now. And it actually, that article in turn, was then tweeted out by Randy Weingarten, who is the, you know, the head of one of the big teachers unions. And she said, I agree, we ought to have a Covid amnesty. And basically what she's saying is, okay, look, my policies were an absolute disaster. They hurt tens of millions of kids because I was a shameless partisan hack. I got Democrats and the Biden White House to support school closures for over a year. We now have national reading scores. We now have national writing score or math scores that our kids scores have plummeted because Democrats shut down schools because the teachers union and Randy Weingarten in particular, pushed it. We also know that the racial gap, the gap on test scores between black kids and white kids grew by the largest amount in the last year of any time in history. All of that was predictable. And it wasn't just predictable. It was predicted. Many of us, myself included, were screaming from the mountaintops when this was happening. Last year, in the middle of the school shutdowns, I forced vote after vote after vote to try to stop it. I forced a vote on the Senate floor to cut off new funds to schools if they were still shut down. Every single Democrat voted no. Just a couple of months ago, I forced a vote on the Senate floor to stop the District of Columbia schools from enforcing a COVID vaccine mandate, which would result in throwing out of school 20% of the kids and 40% of the African American kids. Once again, every Democrat voted no. After two years of unbelievably abusive policies and abusive policies running the gamut from shutdowns that destroyed stores and small businesses and jobs to people being fired for making their own choices about whether or not to take the COVID vaccine, to shutting down schools and damaging kids, in all likelihood for the rest of their lives, with the educational loss that was inflicted, these Democrats now want Everyone just forgive and forget. Never mind they ignored welfare. I don't think anyone's willing to do so. And we've talked about why this election is going to be such a big red wave. This is a big part of it. People are furious. People who are not engaged in politics are furious about the policies these petty tyrants put in place that hurt them. And the idea that there should be no accountability, that is absolutely wrong. When we take the majority, there needs to be real accountability. I don't want a Covid amnesty. I want everyone who hurt people and did so because of politics. I want them to be held accountable for those decisions.
Ted Cruz
You know, there's some decisions, Senator, that obviously we should learn from, right? Mistakes that were. That were genuine mistakes early on in the pandemic that we would learn from. But as you mentioned, many of the mistakes that were made were 100% a political decision where people got drunk on power. People decided that their lives and their livelihoods they should get paid from working from home. They didn't want to educate kids. They didn't look at the harm they were doing to children. And that's the part we should never say. You know, let's just hit pause and move on from. We need to make sure there's accountability so that never happens again. Because even right now, we have seen Democratic candidates running in different parts of the country over the last week who have said they would even Remas children. This happened in Florida recently where one of the Democrats said, hey, I will listen to the scientists. They tell me to Remas the kids in the schools. I'll do it.
Ben Ferguson
Well, one of the things we learned is that many of our institutions have become hopelessly politicized and rendered corrupt. You know, you look at someone like Anthony Fauci, who has described himself, says, I am science. I embody science. When people are criticizing me, they are criticizing science. That, number one, delusional grandeur is really bizarre. But number two, I don't know of an individual in modern times who has done more to lessen the credibility of. Of scientists and doctors and the medical institutions that Anthony Foushee, because he deliberately said things he knew were lies, and he's admitted he knew they were lies. He said, at first, masks don't work. Then he said, you got to use them. He went back and forth and back and forth. He insisted, no, the COVID virus was not, did not escape from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. It did not escape from the lab. It was not man made the then. Oh, well, maybe it did Nope. The US Government did not fund gain of function research that. That may well have created the COVID virus in that Chinese lab. Then the NIH puts out, well, yes, we actually did fund that research. The repeated lies and also the correspondence that has come out between the Biden administration and the teachers unions, where the teachers unions were the ones who drove the school shutdown. It wasn't based on. On studies about infection in kids. It wasn't based on fatality rates, which we know that the COVID virus was much, much, much less serious among kids than it was with the very elderly or people with severe additional health issues. It wasn't science at all. It was a political decision. And I got to say, going forward, we're going to need to talk about, you know, we will have some other health crisis at some point in our lifetimes. And it could be, you know, last time it was Covid. Maybe next time it's, you know, God forbid, something like Ebola or something, something that, you know, really horrific. Our institutions now, I don't know what the answer is, how you actually get an institution to focus on science once it's been politicized. And I think the damage that was done, it may be permanent.
Ted Cruz
I worry that it's permanent, Senator, because there's so many people now that if there is something that happens in the future that maybe is less complicated, maybe much more straightforward, are just not going to trust the health officials of the United States government. And the reason why is because the way that they tried to divide this nation into two groups of people. And I want to play a clip of Fauci for you in a moment. Before I do that, I want to remind you about our good friends over at Patriot Mobile. If you've got a cell phone, this is one of the coolest companies I'm ever going to tell you about. It is a conservative Christian mobile phone provider that has become a force in the conservative movement because every time that you pay your bill, a portion of your bill goes to fund conservative causes and candidates that believe in the sanctity of life, freedom of speech, the Second Amendment. And this is where you can have an impact. Literally every time you use your cell phone, they can also save you money over what you're spending right now. Patriot Mobile use the same cell towers that your phone's using at this exact moment, so you don't have to worry about a coverage issue, nationwide coverage. And every time you make a phone call, you're standing up for what you believe in. Check them out. Go to patriotmobile,.com verdict patriot mobile.com verdict use a promo code verdict and you will get free activation plus other amazing deals. Whether it's for you, your family, or even your small business or your big business, they can help you save money on your cell phone and make a difference. Patriot mobile.com verdict or 972patriot that's 972patriot promo code verdict center I want you to listen to. And this is just a reminder of how Fauci wanted to divide this country into two groups of people. This was last Christmas. He said this.
Ben Ferguson
If someone in your family isn't vaccinated, should you ask them not to show up?
Anthony Fauci
Yes, I would do that. I mean, I think we're dealing with a serious enough situation right now that if there's an unvaccinated person, I would say I'm very sorry. But not this time. Maybe another time when this is all over.
Ted Cruz
Senator, that wasn't based in science. That was based in dividing this country into two groups of people. You're either with us in a vaccinated individual that is indoctrinated by the government, or you're an outcast and an outlier in society where you're not welcome.
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, look, these people got drunk on power, and Fauci was. Was the drunkest of all, and it was whatever he decreed. Now, mind you, we also saw the videos of him going to the Nationals game and happily taking his mask off right when he was ordering everyone else, you must wear your mask at all times. Listen, the hypocrisy. Senate Democrats routinely, behind closed doors when they were insisting everyone must be masked to show their virtue, would take their masks off and they would yuck it up, and it was no big deal. You know, I remember. I remember going to Bob Dole's funeral, and Bob Dole's funeral was in the national cathedral in D.C. and I went, and I was sitting with other senators, and I didn't wear my mask because I was idiotic. It was stupid. And I was one of very, very few people who didn't wear their masks. All the other senators, all the Ds were ostentatiously wearing their masks. And sadly, most of the Republicans were wearing masks as well. And the corporate media had a field day saying, you know, Cruz is endangering the lives of his fellow senators. How dare he do this? Now, here's the ridiculous part, Ben. The senators all rode to that funeral in a bus together. We rode back in a bus together. In the bus, everyone took their mask off 100%. Every Democrat, every Republican. Nobody, not a person, had their mask on in the bus. When the bus arrives and their TV camera, suddenly the senators all dutifully put on their mask and, and I'm like, I'm sorry, there is no science that justifies that. It is more dangerous in a cathedral where the roof is 70ft high than it is in a closed in bus where I'm sitting next to senators Democrats with no mask. But once a TV camera is there, then the virtue is strong. This was always about power.
Ted Cruz
There's a question that I get asked a lot on the road and I'm sure you've gotten asked this question a lot. How is it that Dr. Fauci and I believe based in facts that he has clearly lied under oath before Congress on gun of function research on Wuhan Lab. On different issues like you just mentioned with masking, some of your colleagues have gone after him, Senator Paul, really hard and believe that he flat out lied to them. Number one, do you believe that he lied? And number two, why is it if he did lie, there's no accountability for lying, especially when you're highest paid member of the United States government. He makes more than the President, United States of America does.
Ben Ferguson
There is no accountability because this Biden administration is fundamentally corrupt and partisan and political. I have repeatedly called on the Department of Justice to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Anthony Fauci for lying under oath to Congress. He came in and he testified flat out that the federal government did not fund gain of function research in the Wuhan Institute for Virology and subsequently the NIH admitted in writing, yes, it did fund gain of function research at the Wuhan Institute of virology. The two statements are 180 degrees contradictory and it is a felony, a federal offense, to lie under oath. I will say much to my great frustration, I've never had the opportunity to question Dr. Fauci because none of the committees I sit on choose chaired by Democrats have ever called him in. They don't want him in. So you're right. Rand has had some great back and forth because he's on the health Committee and that's the only committee he testifies before. I very much hope, when we have majorities, I hope that he comes before the Judiciary Committee, I hope he comes before the Commerce Committee and he needs to testify under oath. And I believe he should be investigated. And unless there is an explanation that is not evident on the face of the words, he should be prosecuted for lying under oath to Congress and to the American people vicariously.
Ted Cruz
And I want to be Clear. This is one of the things that I think we need to be very, very clear about. We're not asking for political revenge. We're asking for accountability for actually breaking the law. And that's the difference between Republicans and Democrats, especially when they're in power, as Democrats abuse their power and wanna lock up anybody that was connected to Donald Trump on lies of Russian collusion. All we're saying is there are laws. When you raise your right hand, you know that you're under oath, you say you're going to tell the truth. And when you deliberately lie to the United States government and to Congress, there should be accountability for that.
Ben Ferguson
Well, and there's a reason that it is a felony, a federal criminal offense, to lie under oath to Congress, because when Congress is having a hearing, it's not just senators asking questions, because we're kind of curious about some stuff. We are doing so in our constitutional capacity of representing our constituents and asking on behalf of our constituents. And particularly, look, it's one thing if someone says something by mistake. If you say something by mistake, that's not a crime. Making an error is not a felony. And it's even another thing if someone says something that is wrong. But it's a matter that is not of terribly high consequence. In this instance, the matter on which it appears that Fauci lied is incredibly consequential, I hope and believe, when we have Republican majorities. I want multiple hearings on the origins of the COVID virus, where this came from, what the culpability of the Chinese Communist government was. I'll tell you this podcast, the Verdict podcast. Early on, right at the beginning of this pandemic, back in, like, March and April, when things got started, we did multiple podcasts laying out the evidence that this had escaped, this virus had escaped from the COVID Institute of Virology. It was at a time when social media was banning anyone who dared say such a thing. I don't know how this podcast ended up escaping that censorship, but this was one of the very few places where you could get that information. Now, subsequently, we learned that not only was that research going on, but that the US Government was actively funding it and gain of function research where you take a dangerous virus and you go in and you genetically manipulate it to make it more infectious, to make it more deadly, to alter it, to make it a hell of a lot more dangerous. Well, that research is, by its way, nature incredibly dangerous. And if Fauci chose to deliberately lie, he was concealing it from the American people. The culpability that he personally might have had in the creation of COVID 19. Now, in discussing this, I've several times said potentially and maybe because for it to be a criminal offense, he has a chance to explain himself. I'm not a scientist, so maybe there is some explanation he can marshal. But on the face of it, the statements are blatantly contradictory. And the ridiculous thing is Merrick Garland and this Department of Justice simply won't enforce the law. They don't care at all. And by the way, I will say Fauci did enormous damage under Biden. But let's be clear. Fauci should have been fired in the Trump administration. And it was a mistake of the Trump administration not to fire Foushee early on because he very quickly began abusing his power and the media elevated him. I understand why they didn't. Because the pandemic media crucified him. Right?
Ted Cruz
I mean, the real reason why Trump didn't fire him is because his advisers saw that the media would absolutely destroy Donald Trump and it would ruin his chances of a reelect, to be honest, because they would say this is how psycho he is. He fires the guy that's been there for as long, you know, as long as anybody's been in Washington and he's so trusted by the world, how on earth could you possibly get rid of him?
Ben Ferguson
Well, and I'm sure that was the reasoning and there's some force to that. The media would have done that. Now, I would say they're doing that anyway. And removing him from having the power to inflict harm on millions of Americans would have been the right thing to do. But I think there needs to be accountability. Whether accountability for Fauci, whether accountability for the teachers unions, whether accountability for the military that fired soldiers and sailors and airmen and Marines who declined to get the COVID vaccine, accountability for the Biden administration these Democrats want to escape. Accountability for the decisions they made that were knowingly inflicting harm and that they did so for purely political and partisan reasons.
Ted Cruz
You mentioned a moment ago about you talking about the Wuhan lab and how did it not get silenced or censored by Big Tech? There's been a bombshell story and I want everybody that's listening right now to verdict. Please share this podcast with your family and friends. Hit that subscribe or auto download button so you get our show three days a week. This is going to be huge. This bombshell report that came out sender is showing that Twitter and Facebook, not only did they have regular meetings with the Department of Homeland Security to Discuss censorship. But the Intercept is now reporting that, according to a draft copy of the Department of Homeland security's review, the DHS's capstone report outlining the department's strategy and priorities in the coming years had this listed, the department plans to target, quote, inaccurate information on a wide range of topics, including the origins of the COVID 19 pandemic and the efficiency of the COVID 19 vaccines. Also racial justice, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the nature of the US support to Ukraine. Translation, the Department of Homeland Security basically said, what are the biggest weaknesses of the Democratic Party going into the midterm elections or in the next presidential election? We will go out there to Facebook and to any other big tech company and we'll tell them to silence. These stories that make the Democrats look bad in our tax dollars apparently have been used to do this now for years, dating all the way back to 2016.
Ben Ferguson
This office needs to be shuttered. The people in charge of it need to be fired. The Department of Homeland Security is badly, badly off the rails if they believe their job is censoring Americans to prevent them from criticizing the government. The last I checked, we haven't stepped into George Orwell's 1984 yet. But if these guys have any say in it, that's where they want us to go. It is not a thought crime to disagree with the Biden White House. You know, Biden was gonna nominate this loony woman, I don't remember her name anymore, the one who was like sang all the time and was this hardcore partisan, was gonna be in charge of this Office of Disinformation and empowered to silence you and me and anyone else that she disagreed with, she was such a loon that they actually backed off and decided not to appoint her. But the fact that this was institutionalized, that this was set up as a regular portal for government officials to go to Big Tech and say, silence this, silence this, silence this, silence. This is incredibly dangerous. This is nowhere in DHS's actual job function of protecting our safety and security from terror attacks. And interestingly enough, Ben, this also intersects with a topic we discussed over a year ago on this podcast as well, which is, as you know, Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against Big Tech alleging that its censorship violates the First Amendment. Now, the challenge with that lawsuit is the First Amendment does not apply to non governmental entities. So the First Amendment begins with, congress shall make no law. And the fir. The First Amendment applies to censorship by the federal government or through a doctrine called incorporation by the state or local government. But a Private company is not the government. There is, however, a Supreme Court doctrine that has extended that that says a private entity can be liable for a violation of the First Amendment if it is acting as an instrumentality of the government. In other words, if it is acting at the behest of the government, if it is acting, if it is the means by which the government is exercising its censorship powers. And what we talked about in the podcast well over a year ago was the email exchanges that came out between Dr. Fauci and Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO and owner of Facebook at the time, where Foushee was asking Zuckerberg to take things down from Facebook and to block them. And it actually the same topics we're talking about. One of the things that he was asking Facebook to take down was discussions about the origins of COVID 19. So not only was he not furthering the interest of science, of knowing where in fact this disease came from, he was actively stifling science, fighting science, saying, no, we don't want any discussions of that. And Zuckerberg saluted and said, sir, yes, sir, happy to help. And I noted on this podcast over a year ago that that email exchange made Trump's lawsuit much, much stronger and would feed centrally into the argument that Facebook was acting as an instrumentality of the government. We subsequently learned that the FBI requested a Facebook and Twitter that they block stories about Hunter Biden's laptop right before the election. Again, that that was done at the behest of the government. Government censorship. We now know those stories were true. So you literally had big tech censoring and silencing true stories that were politically harmful and inconvenient to the Democrats at the behest of the deep state. And now this latest piece, Ben, that you just referred to, which is this process was institutionalized with a formal portal and a much broader ambit where, where some of the stuff like now you know, disagreeing with Joe Biden and the Democrats on Ukraine, now that is subject to censorship at the request of the government, disagreeing with the catastrophe of Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan and surrender to the Taliban. Now apparently that is subject to censorship. This is, you're right. This is a big, big story. It is, it is a topic I can promise you, when we have majorities next year will be front and center for congressional hearings. And if there was one Democrat in Congress who gives a flip about free speech, he or she ought to be outraged at this. And sadly, my prediction is that Democrat doesn't exist, at least doesn't exist in The United States Senate, no Democrat anymore in the Senate cares one whit about the threat to free speech from government censorship.
Ted Cruz
You know, even getting rid of the senator, the lady who's supposed to be the, you know, the disinformation chief, right, the, the, the decider of, of what is real and what is not in the US Government. Obviously we finally got rid of her. But behind the scenes, this is clearly still going on. And from this new report it says, quote, there is a formalized process now and it's been there apparently for years for government officials to directly flag content on Facebook or Instagram and request that it be throttled or suppressed through a special Facebook portal portal that requires a government or law enforcement email to use. At the time of writing, the content request system at Facebook was still live. DHS and Meta who the new name of Facebook, did not respond requests for comment. And the FBI has also declined to comment on this because they're the ones that basically asked to be setting it up. But what we do know is in a March meeting an FBI official warned that the threat of subversive information social media could undermine support for the US Government. Therefore they need to have this. There something else that's very weird and I want to get your take on this is at this meeting that happened in March with this FBI officials warning of this threat of this information. Right. This submersive information that could, quote, undermine support for the US Government. In attendance were senior executives center from not only Twitter, but also JP Morgan Chase. Why would a financial institution like JP Morgan Chase be in on this type of meeting? That scares the hell out of, I think a lot of people that have bank accounts with JPMorgan Chase or financial accounts with them.
Ben Ferguson
Well, we are unfortunately seeing corporate America more and more becoming the enforcers for the woke left. And we're seeing that with the Fortune 100. We're seeing that with, with big banks where they're trying to cut off customers that they disagree with their politics, whether they happen to be a gun store and supporting our second amendment rights or whether they happen to to have political views that are out of favor with the current White House. And I think the left is all about power and using power to extort to force you to comply. And I will say it is deeply concerning. Look, when we talk about energy, Wall street plays a big part in cutting off the cash for U.S. energy production. And they do so at the active urging and at the behest of the Biden administration, whether it's the banking regulators or the sec. We're seeing these green New Deal radicals trying to cut off all the debt they can and all the equity they can for new oil and gas production. They're doing this on multiple fronts because if they can't get it through legislation, they're willing to use power and power over your livelihood, power over your ability to earn revenue if it's demonetizing a tech platform or power over your ability to, to, to have banking services. And all of that, I think is a complete abuse of power.
Ted Cruz
Ever since you went on the View, they seem to have really been unhinged by your appearance, Senator. And now Sunny, hosting on the View, has said something today that I think is racist. I think it's disgusting. She equated white suburban women Republican voters as roaches. I want to play this for everybody. This was a real conversation on the View Republicans.
Sunny Hostin
But what's also surprising to me is the abortion issue. I read a poll just yesterday that white Republican suburban women are, are now going to vote Republican. Why, it's almost like roaches voting for raid, right? It's insulting. A voter voting against their own self. Gilead okay, so do we love it in the hands.
Ted Cruz
Do we love democracy or not? Because just saying that it's, it's insulting to the voter.
Sunny Hostin
People make up decisions on what's right for their family.
Ted Cruz
And the idea that, well, you should have a safe. I mean, Senator, when you equate white Republican suburban women voters as roaches voting for raid, not only I think is that a bigoted, racist statement, but the fact that it's still not been condemned by anybody on ABC or the View, this is even a new low for them.
Ben Ferguson
Well, I guess it's the new war on women. Look, the View, they are all rich, they are all hard leftists, and they are utterly out of touch with people in this country. Sonny unfortunately says nasty, offensive, insulting things on a daily basis. But if you look at this comment, so she's saying, all right, if you're a woman, you're not allowed to be concerned about inflation, that you can't afford to put food on the table anymore, you can't afford to fill your car, your truck or your minivan, you can't afford to pay your bills. You're not allowed to be concerned about crime, even though you and your family are at greater risk and you're seeing outside your door, perhaps crime rates going up and up and up. You're not allowed to be worried about that. You're not allowed to be worried about nearly 5 million illegal immigrants under Joe Biden coming in and over 100,000 fentanyl overdoses. Nope, nope, you're not a woman. If you're worried about the people, your kids dying of a drug overdose, that's, that's. Your woman card is revoked. According to Sunny and the elite leftist. The only thing you are allowed to care about if you're a woman according to the View, is you must be an abortion maximalist. You must believe that abortion should be legal in every instance, no matter what, up until the ninth month of pregnancy. Anything else be damned. And that has to be the only thing you care about. That. Look, there's a reason why across the country we talked about on the last podcast that suburban women have moved 26 points away from Democrats and towards Republicans because the policies coming from Democrats are hurting suburban women, they're hurting suburban men, they're hurting, they're hurting just about everybody. And the approach of the Democrats is not, oh yeah, I can see how not being able to pay your bills and provide for your family and keep your kids safe would be a problem. Maybe we should do something about it. No. What do they do? They insult you. You're a cockroach. That's their answer. You're a cockroach unless you obey us. Now, look, personally, I think the Democratic National Committee ought to take Sonny's comments and pay to run them on every TV station in America because I think that's really a great political strategy. Just call the voters you want to get, call them all cockroaches and they'll clearly understand that you have their best interest in mind and vote to keep you in power for that.
Ted Cruz
You know, it's amazing, I think, how bad the closing argument has been for Democrats. You saw the president give his speech in prime time. This was something that obviously was very important to the President. They said to come out and kind of give this closing argument. There were a lot of lies in that closing argument. Make no mistake about it. Him claiming that the deficits drastically down. Him claiming that people were better off now than they ever were before. But even Biden's chief of staff, Ron Klain said that Biden, his speech last night was quote, a final warning. Take a listen.
Ron Klain
The President decided a few days ago that it was important to issue one final warning on this issue to make very clear, to leave no doubt that we have people out there still peddling the big lie. People now raising the issue of election denial in this election.
Ted Cruz
I mean, he's still going back to January six, obviously still going back to election denier denial and trying to make the entire election about something from several years ago. This was a terrible closing argument for him, which is the reason why I think a massive red wave is coming. New Herschel Walker numbers have just come out. Walker is leading the Democrat Raphael Warnock now over the 50% threshold, which is needed. You and I talked about not wanting to have a runoff there, which is very important. And now look at where we are.
Ben Ferguson
Well, listen, I will say in defense of the Biden White House, they demonstrated that they are capable of learning that they did one thing right, which is from their previous speech. This time they didn't bathe Biden in red light and have him do his impression of the Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars. So I guess that's an improvement that they avoided. Actually, the Palpatine lighting would have been better if they had Kamala Harris just laughing in the background. Her cackle would have made it really frightening. Or. But look for a closing argument. Nationally, if you look at the polling, the number one issue in the country is inflation. What did Biden say about inflation? Not a damn word. The number two issue in the country is crime. What did Biden say about crime? Not a damn word. The number three issue in the country is illegal immigration. What did Biden say about illegal immigration? Not a damn word. Instead, what did he do? To use Ron Klain's language, he gave one final warning. Look, this is Biden doing the same thing Sonny did, calling the voters cockroaches. And it's a really troubling shift in political rhetoric. It is not uncommon for politicians to attack each other. Biden attacks me frequently. It's not uncommon. We shouldn't be surprised that Biden calls Trump an SOB and that Trump calls Biden an sob. That, that as long as we've had elections, one candidate has said nasty things about the other candidate. That that's to be expected. What is new is demonizing the voters. You know the Palpatine speech where Biden stood up and said, half of America, anyone who voted for Donald Trump, anyone who voted Republican is a semi fascist. Normally, you don't go after the voters. You don't attack the voters. You may attack your opponent. My opponent's a big jerk. But. But it is a strange new threshold where the voters are the bad guys. And that's what Sonny was saying. If you vote, you're a cockroach. You're a semi fascist cockroach. You know, Kathy Hockel, the. The Democrat governor of New York, her comment a couple of months ago where she said, if you vote Republican if you vote for Trump, get out of the state. You're not a New Yorker. I mean, that's a bizarre statement I don't know of. Look, I've been actively following politics pretty much my entire life. I literally do not know of another analog of any elected official telling a big chunk of his or her voters, get the hell out. You do not belong in my state. Listen, I say this as a person who is elected to represent 30 million Texans. There are a lot of liberal Texans. There are a lot of Democrats. There are millions of Democrats in the state of Texas. Thankfully, they're more Republicans. But I represent both the liberal Democrats in Texas. It's my job to represent them. Now, that doesn't mean that I agree with them on every issue. That's why we have elections. I lay out what I believe and the voters can decide if they want a representative that follows through on those beliefs. But it is my job every day, Ben, to fight for the rights of the Democrats in Texas, Fight for their liberties, fight for their free speech, fight for their religious liberty, fight for their safety, fight for their security, fight for their ability to educate their kids, fight for their ability to be able to get a good job. All of that. That is my job. I cannot imagine saying what the Democrats are saying, which is, you people are cockroaches. Get out of the state. If you don't agree with me, if you don't comply, you are other ized. And you know, this goes back to Dr. Fauci and you're not welcome to come to Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner either.
Ted Cruz
Yeah, it is truly shocking that this was their closing argument, but it is their closing argument. Center that we'll have one more show before election day. Want to let you know we're going to be doing a live show on election night. So make sure you plan for that. You'll be able to to listen to that. It's going to be really, really fun. Don't forget to tell your family and friends about verdict. Hit that subscriber auto download button and we'll have one more episode that will drop on Monday before election day. So make sure you listen to that and we will see you back there, back here on Monday.
The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson Episode: NO AMNESTY FOR COVID, ACCOUNTABILITY FOR FAUCI, & It's Time To Fire The DHS Misinformation Office Release Date: November 4, 2022
In this intense and revealing episode of The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson, host Ben Ferguson engages in a spirited discussion with Senator Ted Cruz, delving into contentious issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of key public figures, and government overreach in information management. Released on November 4, 2022, the episode addresses the proposed COVID amnesty, accountability for Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the controversial Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Misinformation Office. Through sharp exchanges and compelling arguments, Ferguson and Cruz lay bare their perspectives on political accountability and the erosion of trust in public institutions.
Timestamp: [00:29] Ben Ferguson opens the dialogue by vehemently rejecting the idea of a COVID amnesty proposed in an article by The Atlantic. He criticizes the notion of "forgive and forget" policies, emphasizing the detrimental impact of Democratic-led COVID measures on education and public trust.
Ben Ferguson: "I have two words in response. Hell no. Look, this is a leftist writing this article saying, let's just forgive and forget everything that happened on Covid."
Ferguson highlights the consequences of prolonged school closures, citing plummeting national test scores and widened racial achievement gaps. He underscores the lack of accountability among Democrats, asserting that policies were driven by partisan motives rather than public welfare.
Timestamp: [04:46] The conversation shifts to the role of Anthony Fauci and the broader politicization of scientific institutions. Ferguson criticizes Fauci for his inconsistent statements and perceived manipulation of scientific credibility for political ends.
Ben Ferguson: "I don't know of an individual in modern times who has done more to lessen the credibility of scientists and doctors... Fauci was, was the drunkest of all..."
Ferguson argues that Fauci's contradictory statements about mask efficacy and the origins of COVID-19 undermined public trust in scientific guidance. He warns of the long-term damage to institutional integrity, making future health crises harder to manage due to diminished credibility.
Timestamp: [20:42] A critical segment of the episode unveils the DHS's clandestine operations to influence Big Tech platforms. Ferguson and Cruz discuss a bombshell report revealing the DHS's strategy to suppress information detrimental to Democratic interests through direct collaboration with companies like Facebook and Twitter.
Ben Ferguson: "This office needs to be shuttered. The people in charge of it need to be fired."
They expose how the DHS formalized processes to flag and suppress content on social media, targeting topics such as COVID origins, vaccine efficacy, racial justice, and foreign policy decisions. The discussion highlights the alarming extent of government involvement in content moderation, blurring the lines between state authority and private enterprise.
Senator Ted Cruz: "They can also save you money over what you're spending right now."
The duo emphasizes the threat this poses to free speech and democratic discourse, predicting congressional hearings and advocating for the dissolution of the DHS Misinformation Office.
Timestamp: [29:16] The episode takes a turn towards media bias as Ferguson and Cruz dissect a controversial statement made by Sunny Hostin on The View. Hostin equates white suburban women Republican voters to "roaches," a remark they condemn as racist and dehumanizing.
Senator Ted Cruz: "When you equate white Republican suburban women voters as roaches... this is even a new low for them."
Ferguson expands on the broader implications, arguing that such rhetoric alienates a significant voter demographic and contributes to the shifting political landscape where suburban women are moving away from the Democratic Party.
Ben Ferguson: "The policies coming from Democrats are hurting suburban women... and the approach of the Democrats is not... Maybe we should do something about it. No. What do they do? They insult you."
They critique the Democratic strategy of vilifying voters instead of addressing their concerns, framing it as a tactic that fuels political disenfranchisement and backlash.
Timestamp: [33:20] In the concluding segments, Ferguson and Cruz analyze President Biden's closing argument in a recent speech, labeling it as flawed and indicative of Democratic desperation. They criticize Biden for not addressing pressing issues like inflation, crime, and illegal immigration, instead resorting to accusatory rhetoric against perceived foes.
Ben Ferguson: "Nationally, if you look at the polling, the number one issue in the country is inflation. What did Biden say about inflation? Not a damn word."
Cruz echoes these sentiments, suggesting that Biden's focus on election denial and past controversies dilutes the administration's accountability for current governance failures.
Senator Ted Cruz: "He gave one final warning. Look, this is Biden doing the same thing Sonny did, calling the voters cockroaches."
They argue that such strategies alienate voters and erode democratic principles by attacking constituent bases rather than fostering inclusive dialogue and solutions.
Throughout this episode, Ben Ferguson and Senator Ted Cruz present a compelling critique of Democratic strategies and institutional behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. By highlighting issues of accountability, institutional politicization, censorship, and voter alienation, they call for a return to transparent, responsible governance. The discussion serves as a rallying cry for conservatives to demand accountability and resist perceived overreach, setting the stage for what Ferguson anticipates to be a significant red wave in upcoming elections.
Notable Quotes:
Ben Ferguson [00:29]: "Hell no... This leftist writing this article saying, let's just forgive and forget everything that happened on Covid."
Ben Ferguson [04:46]: "I don't know of an individual in modern times who has done more to lessen the credibility of scientists and doctors."
Ben Ferguson [20:42]: "This office needs to be shuttered. The people in charge of it need to be fired."
Senator Ted Cruz [29:43]: "When you equate white Republican suburban women voters as roaches... this is even a new low for them."
Ben Ferguson [33:20]: "Nationally, if you look at the polling, the number one issue in the country is inflation. What did Biden say about inflation? Not a damn word."
This episode is a must-listen for those interested in understanding the conservative viewpoint on recent political maneuvers, the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing battle over information control in the digital age. Ben Ferguson and Senator Ted Cruz provide a detailed and impassioned narrative that challenges mainstream perspectives and urges listeners to critically evaluate the actions of those in power.