The Angry, Bitter, Yelling 'GET-OFF-MY-LAWN' SOTU Speech

Summary

The Angry, Bitter, Yelling 'GET-OFF-MY-LAWN' SOTU Speech – Detailed Summary

Released on March 8, 2024, on The 47 Morning Update hosted by Ben Ferguson and featuring guest Senator Ted Cruz and returning co-host Michael Knowles. This episode provides a critical analysis of President Joe Biden's recent State of the Union (SOTU) address, highlighting the hosts' concerns and insights.

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1. Introduction and Initial Impressions

The episode kicks off with Ben Ferguson expressing his frustration over President Biden's State of the Union speech, describing it as an "hysterical" event. Senator Ted Cruz shares his own negative experience, noting the intense and traumatic nature of the speech:

• Ben Ferguson [00:01]: “...we should just scream at one another and yell in honor of the State of the Union that you just walked out of.”

• Senator Ted Cruz [00:14]: “...I just spent a little bit over an hour sitting on the floor of the house being yelled at by a deranged old man.”

2. Structure and Content of Biden’s Speech

The hosts dissect the structure and messaging of Biden's SOTU, criticizing its lack of focus on pressing American issues and its overtly partisan tone.

• Senator Ted Cruz [06:09]: “This was a campaign speech, but it was an exceptionally bad campaign speech. So Biden was angry, he was bitter, he was screaming, he was extreme, and he was completely out of touch.”

• Michael Knowles [07:20]: “...he was yelling and slurring his words. And the cadence was off. Like, it just seemed like a bad theatrical performance or something.”

3. Partisan Nature and Lack of Bipartisanship

A significant criticism revolves around the speech's lack of efforts to appeal to the middle or opposing parties, instead focusing solely on rallying the Democratic base.

• Senator Ted Cruz [07:51]: “This speech said, republicans across America, I don't want your votes. Independents across America, I don't want your votes.”

• Michael Knowles [09:30]: “...I really need those Nikki Haley voters.”

4. Specific Content Critiques

The hosts highlight several specific segments of the speech that they found problematic:

• Attack on Supreme Court Justices:

  • Ben Ferguson [11:32]: “He was coming after all of you, including you liberals down there, and you better get your act.”

  • Senator Ted Cruz [12:04]: “There was no respect due or otherwise. It was reminiscent in some ways of Barack Obama lecturing the court about Citizens United.”

• Abortion Stance:

  • Senator Ted Cruz [15:50]: “Women are not without electoral power... you're about to realize just how much you.”

  • Michael Knowles [16:24]: “...there is absolutely no nuance in the Democrats telling of it. But part of it is dishonest.”

• Economic Claims and Inflation:

  • Ben Ferguson [24:42]: “My inherited economy is on the brink now... A WR record, a record. Wages keep going up.”

  • Senator Ted Cruz [25:10]: “Since Biden took office, cumulative prices have risen over 17%. Real hourly wages have only risen 13%.”

5. Economic Policies and Inflation Critique

The hosts vehemently challenge Biden's economic claims, presenting data that contradicts the president's statements about job creation and inflation.

• Senator Ted Cruz [24:42]: “Since Biden took office, cumulative prices have risen over 17%. Real hourly wages have only risen 13%. 60% of our federal Americans, sadly, they are living paycheck to paycheck.”

• Michael Knowles [29:36]: “...the chip company has always had an incentive to maximize profits. The thing that has changed is not that all of a sudden the potato chip company wants to make money.”

6. Border Policies and Immigration

Biden's handling of border security and immigration is a focal point, with the hosts criticizing perceived lax policies and their consequences.

• Ben Ferguson [38:20]: “...it took him 40 minutes into an hour speech to even mention the border on his own.”

• Senator Ted Cruz [39:06]: “The razor wire is there. And they ended up. Texas had gotten an injunction preventing the Biden administration from removing the razor wire...”

7. Emotional Appeals and Public Response

The episode discusses the emotional moments during the speech, including a heckling incident by a gold star father whose son was killed, and critiques the president's response.

• Ben Ferguson [30:33]: “That was an angry father who saw a present that was rewriting history.”

• Senator Ted Cruz [36:34]: “Lake and Riley never should have been killed. The illegal immigrant who murdered her was caught.”

8. Media Reactions and Perception

The hosts reference how media outlets like CNN portrayed Biden's speech, often drawing unfavorable comparisons.

• Ben Ferguson [40:06]: “He seemed like Walt Kowalski and Gran Torino screaming at kids.”

• Michael Knowles [43:22]: “...He thought he was at the DNC. Maybe that's as simple as that.”

9. Omissions in the Speech

A critical examination of topics Biden failed to address, which the hosts believe are crucial to the American populace.

• Ben Ferguson [43:24]: “He did not mention US service members killed in Afghanistan... gas prices... China... North Korea...”

10. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The episode wraps up with the hosts reiterating their disappointment in the SOTU speech, emphasizing the need for leadership that addresses real issues over partisan agendas.

• Senator Ted Cruz [44:15]: “...forming a mural with Joe Biden’s policies is a complete disservice to the American people.”

• Michael Knowles [44:22]: “He did not mention ... a border wall.”

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Key Takeaways:

• Tone and Delivery: Biden's SOTU was perceived as unusually aggressive and partisan, lacking the customary elements of unity and bipartisanship.

• Policy Focus: The speech heavily emphasized Democratic policies without acknowledging or addressing bipartisan concerns, particularly on economic issues and immigration.

• Economic Claims: The hosts contested Biden's positive economic statements, presenting data that suggests rising prices and stagnant wage growth under his administration.

• Emotional Impact: Moments of personal tragedy during the speech were met with criticism of Biden's handling and lack of accountability.

• Media Portrayal: Comparisons to cultural references like "Gran Torino" indicate a negative framing of Biden's demeanor and approach.

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For those who missed the episode, The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson provides a no-holds-barred analysis of the political landscape, offering listeners unfiltered insights and commentary on the issues shaping America today.

Transcript

[Ben Ferguson]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you. Senator, I feel like the entire show tonight we should just scream at one another and yell in honor of the State of the Union that you just walked out of. Are your ears okay?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, they're not. I have a little bit of trauma. It is 12:17 in the morning, and I just spent a little bit over an hour sitting on the floor of the house being yelled at by a deranged old man. It was an experience. And I'll tell you what, we're going to talk about that. We're going to break down everything that happened, but we also have a very special feature tonight, and it is a happy twist of fate because I was not the only person in the chamber listening to that angry old man screaming. But an unemployed podcaster and radio host and former marquee actor and book author. Turned out that he was desperately in need of some liquor and cigars and so sent me a text earlier tonight. And so I'm actually quite, quite proud to welcome back to Verdict my original co host and my dear friend, Michael Knowles. Michael, welcome.

[Michael Knowles]

Welcome back, Senator. It's good to be back, Ben. It's good to be back, but you tricked me. You tricked me. Because I. Look, you're right. What do I do? I don't do Verdict anymore. So I had a lot of time on my hands. I sauntered down to D.C. i said, I got nothing better to do than listen to this old man yell at me for three hours or however long it took at the State of the Union. And I said, but you know what will make this night totally redeemed is I will text my friend Senator Cruz and we'll have a nice cigar. And you said, absolutely, Michael. Come on over and we'll have cigars right after we finish the podcast. And I said, all right, you got me. I already agreed. Okay, I'm in.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah. And this is how you. And this is how we welcome you back. By. By the way, you went to this thing tonight as well, which was really just an hysterical State of the Union. If you're ever going to go to State of the Union, there's nothing better than saying you can remember for the rest of your life. I was at the one that lasts an hour and eight minutes where it looked like Joe Biden might have been on some sort of drug and was screaming and talking very fast for at least the first 45 minutes of the speech. Then he went back to old Joe Stature and slowed it back down a little bit so you can tell Your kids and grandkids.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Wait a second. Damn. It. Was the time actually an hour and eight minutes.

[Ben Ferguson]

It was, but it was because he talked to us.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Okay, there's a problem. There's a problem with that, which is Roger Marshall sent a text to a bunch of us with all sorts of wagers, and one of them was an over under on the length, and his over under was 70 minutes. And I took the over. Damn it. And so I was two minutes off.

[Michael Knowles]

You took the over? I was betting I was just up there in the peanut gallery, but I bet I knew he couldn't go 30 or even under 40 because it would be a national news story. Biden can't make it, so I thought he had to go minimum 45, but I felt he couldn't go more than a minute over that. So I had it at 46. And I. He totally blew me out of the water. Say what you will, it was a horrific speech, but it went a long time. And he yelled the entire time.

[Ben Ferguson]

I said 55 minutes. That was what I thought. I thought it'd be barely under an hour. But he was late. So, you know, I guess that maybe got him a little bit more jacked up as he was late. And is it true that he was late? Did either you guys see the protesters that apparently they stopped the streets? All the pro Palestinian protesters, and that's part of the reason why he was late? Is that true?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I have no idea. I know that's what people were saying, but it was strange. I've never seen a State of the Union where, like, the President shows up 30 minutes late.

[Michael Knowles]

Yeah, I did not see protesters, really. I mean, I guess I was in the Capitol complex relatively early, but I saw a handful of pro Ukraine protest. And when I say a handful, I mean like half a dozen and maybe some of the pro Palestine.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

But, you know, there were none that I saw at the Capitol. Maybe there were at the White House. Yeah, but. But there are none over. Over at the Capitol that I saw.

[Ben Ferguson]

Hey, when you get the doctors and they got to get you juiced up for your night, it may take an extra 20 or 30 minutes. I want to break down this and talk about some of the highlights, obviously, and we're going to go through those. But first, let me tell you about our friends over at the International Fellowship of Christian and Jews. We all know about the atrocities that were committed by Hamas last October 7th, and we know right now how much pressure Israel is under from the rest of the world to have this ceasefire. The reality is the toll on the Israeli people is staggering. It's massive. There are hundreds of thousands of Israelis that have been forced from their homes. Their entire communities are torn apart. People are trying to go back to their homes and they're basically gone. Lives have been devastated by death and destruction. And that is why I want you to help right now by getting involved with the International Fellowship of Christian Jews IFCJ Right now. They are doing everything they can to help those that are in critical needs of essentials like food, medicine, and emergency supplies for hundreds of thousands of suffering Jews. The need is great, and that's why we are partnering with IFCJ today. I want you to visit supportifcj.org to help. Every donation is needed to help the people of Israel. To give to the International Fellowship of Christian Jews. Go to support IFCJ.org and give as generously as you can because your gift will be matched to double in impact and help provide twice the support. So right now, help the people of Israel. Go to supportifcj.org that's supportifcj.org center I want to start with the. The big shock for me was how he started the State, the Union of the United States of America, dealing with we need your money and I'm going to yell at you about it and you better give me the money because otherwise if you don't, Ukraine is going to fall and the rest of Europe is going to fall and Russia is going to take over everything. That was really the start of the State of the Union because that's not the number one issue on the minds of Americans right now.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, listen, the whole thing was bizarre. I've been to 12 state of the unions. This was the 12th one. This was by far the worst I've ever seen and the strangest I've ever seen. So this was a campaign speech, but it was an exceptionally bad campaign speech. So Biden was angry, he was bitter, he was screaming, he was extreme, and he was completely out of touch. The entire speech reminded me of a grumpy old man standing on his front porch screaming at the kids, get off my front lawn.

[Michael Knowles]

It was very odd and I wanted your perspective on it because you've been to so many of these now. And I couldn't tell. Maybe it's just my first one. And I didn't know, it did seem much angrier, but there was something hollow about it, like as if he thought, to prove that I'm alive, I have to be yelling the whole time. But what was so odd was he was yelling and slurring his words. And it was. The cadence was off. Like, it just seemed like, I don't know, a bad theatrical performance or something.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It is also interesting in that it reveals the political strategy of the political White House for this election, which is there were zero nods to the middle. This speech said, republicans across America, I don't want your votes. Independents across America, I don't want your votes. This was an effort to woo the squad. This was an effort to appeal to bring back on the reservation Elizabeth Warren. And, you know, look, she. She's spent a lot of time on reservations.

[Michael Knowles]

She knows it well.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

You know, Bernie Sanders, aoc And I don't know if they're scared with the whole Hamas thing that they've lost the crazy left, but look, I can tell you, one of the things experiencing it, like I enjoy State of the Union is there. They're fun, the pageantry. It feels like, you know, it's a moment of American history. And frankly, it's just pretty frigging wild to be, like, sitting on the floor listening to it. I mean, it's, It's. It's a neat thing. Almost always. And this is true whether you have. I've been. Been there for Obama doing it, I've been there for Trump doing it, and I've been there for Biden doing it. Almost always. You have multiple lines that are designed to get everyone on their feet, and it's a different experience if it's your own party. It's like being at a Jane Fonda aerobics session. I mean, you're just up, down, up, down, up, down. Every sentence, you stand up, woo. But. But any president has multiple lines that are designed to unify everyone, to bring Congress to their feet. We're all standing together, and it was weird. Look, I stand at the beginning and applaud, and I will always do that because I respect the office. Even if I don't like the job Biden is doing, I respect the office he's holding. But then I sat down, and for the next hour, almost all of us stayed sitting the whole time. I. I do not recall any other speech that made so little effort to garner even a shred of support from the opposing party.

[Michael Knowles]

I couldn't figure out the calculus on that, because I agree. I think maybe. I think I stood up for the hostage. We're gonna bring our hostages back. I mean, that was the one line.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I did stand up for, that it was the hostages back, and that was it.

[Michael Knowles]

I mean, otherwise, I was seated. It made very easy night. But I just couldn't understand the calculus. If you're looking at the polls, the polls have been reliable, at least for the Republican primary. And the polls are putting Trump up right now in seven out of seven swing states. And nationally, it looks like he's up five points. It could change, but if I'm Joe Biden, I don't need AOC and Ayanna Pressley. They were on their feet, they were cheering. I don't need them right now. I really need those Nikki Haley voters.

[Ben Ferguson]

See, and I think what it was when I was watching it, obviously I was watching on tv and I had a different perspective than you guys that were in the chamber. But when Biden entered the House chamber and the Dems started chanting four more years. To me, what it came across as was, I've got to let the Democratic Party and machine know I'm not going anywhere. You're not going to replace me at the convention. I am the candidate. The entire speech, watching again on TV, came across as 100% a Partizan campaign speech. And it was like, if you think you're going to get rid of me, you're wrong. You better get behind me. He clearly was going to the left. And I think it's the left, meaning the Democratic elites, the Democratic higher ups that are thinking, how the hell do we run this guy? Can we get rid of him? Can we bring somebody else in? It was like, I'm here tonight and I'm not going anywhere.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, look, that's not crazy. I will say when. When the Dems began chanting four more years. That was weird, too. I may be misremembering, but I don't remember that ever happening before.

[Michael Knowles]

No, but I think it's like the lady doth protest too much in the sense that truly, it's not even that I don't like the guy and I thought he gave a bad speech, but I thought, four more years.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Who.

[Michael Knowles]

Who are you trying to convince here? You know, I don't think you could convince him of four more years. So seven more months. Ten more. Just finish the speech, please.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah, Exactly. I got 33 minutes. The doctors say I can make it right.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Right.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean, it was a. It was a very partisan speech. And I want to get both you guys reaction to, I think what was the most awkward moment of the night from a TV standpoint. And that was when the President went directly after the Supreme Court justices that were sitting in front of him. It did not play well, I think, to the American people. Take a listen.

[D]

My predecessor came to office deter determined to see Roe v. Wade overturned. He's the reason it was overturned, and he brags about it.

[Michael Knowles]

That was my applause.

[D]

Joining us tonight is Kate Cox, a wife and mother from Dallas. She's become pregnant again and had a fetus of a fatal condition. Her doctor told Kate that her own life and her ability to have children, of children in the future were at risk if she didn't act. Because Texas law banned her ability to act, Kate and her husband had to leave the state to get what she needed. What her family got through should have never happened as well, but it's happening in too many others. There are state laws banning the freedom to choose, criminalizing doctors, forcing survivors of rape and incest to leave their states to get the treatment they need. Many of you in this chamber and my predecessor are promising to pass a national ban on reproductive freedom. My God, what freedom else would you take away? Look, it's a decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court majority wrote the following. And with all due respect, Justices, women are not without electoral. Electoral power. Excuse me, electoral or political power. You're about to realize just how much you.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean, Senator, that was honestly one of the most shocking moments of any. Any State of the Union I've ever seen. He looks straight down at them. And it came across that way on TV of you sitting beneath me. I'm coming after all of you, including you liberals down there, and you better get your act. And I think a lot of it also is in a weird way, the. The anger and the disdain he had when he at them. At least how it came across on TV was part of the 90 decision, I think, for Donald Trump in Colorado this past week.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, look, it was a very strange moment, I will say, when he said, with all due respect, a number of us, including me, laughed out loud at that because it was like, with all due respect, f you like, it was not. There was no respect due or otherwise. It was reminiscent in some ways of Barack Obama lecturing the court about Citizens United. And Justice Alito famously mouthed, not true. And actually, Justice Alito doesn't go to the State of the Union anymore because of that. That was the last he went. But the temperature ON this was 300 degrees hotter. Like, it makes Obama's words about citizens United feel almost quaint and antiquated. This was angry, it was bitter, it was threatening. And look what's also weird about it. Biden almost never smiled. Like there was no effort to bring new voters into the fold. And even listen when he's talking about abortion when he's talking about Kate Cox, Kate Cox's situation was tragic. He doesn't tell her story with empathy. He doesn't actually talk like a normal human being. And the horror that any parent would have at finding out that you had a child with a fatal birth defect, instead he just screams about it, which was a very strange way. And it was the same. He had one volume, he had one tempo, he had one affect through the entire speech. And by the way, he combined it all with massive dishonesty where he's like, and you Republicans want to ban abortion across the country. Look, I am not aware of a single member of Congress that has a bill to ban abortion nationwide.

[Michael Knowles]

I'm not aware of a presidential candidate, actually a Republican presidential candidate. I mean, even to your point on dishonesty, Senator, obviously part of the Cox story is. Part of it is just quite tragic. And there's absolutely no nuance in the Democrats telling of it. But part of it is dishonest. When the Democrats say she was not permitted to have an abortion when her life was at risk, that's just a lie. There is no state in the country where if a woman's life is at risk, she can't undergo the medical treatment, some of which would involve an abortion. To deal with that, the Texas law.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Is explicit, allowing an exception for a medical emergency. But Biden would accept no nuance. It was a Manichean world where he was the self righteous avenger and everyone, the Supreme Court, every Republican on earth, everyone who disagrees with his view, were the evildoers to be vanquished.

[Michael Knowles]

It was very strange, the focus on that. I mean, for a while when I saw the guest list come out, I said, am I the only guest at the State of the Union who isn't invited to promote abortion? I thought, I understand the Democrats think they can really lean on that. So much so that they're going to explicitly attack the Supreme Court during the State of the Union. But is that. That's really the issue that Joe Biden wants to run on?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It is front and center. And then screaming about Ukraine?

[Ben Ferguson]

Ukraine was the top. But there was even weird other moments in their senator that, that were also, I would say, bizarre. Were you guys taken aback in the room when he said, the vaccine that saved us from COVID are now being used to beat cancer. And everybody that was watching it, I think at home was like, what in the world is the president talking about?

[D]

All America and all Americans to make every sure everyone has a fair shot. We leave no one, no one behind. The pandemic no longer controls our lives. The vaccine that saved us from COVID are now being used to beat cancer, turning setback into comeback. That's what America does. That's what America does.

[Ben Ferguson]

By the way, when he said that, even Kamala Harris's eyes got big and looked like. Looked at him like, wait, what? The vaccine saved us from COVID and now it's beating cancer.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It was very odd, by the way. Ben, I will say, if he was telling the truth, if Joe Biden actually had cured cancer, you'd think he would have told us about it by now.

[Ben Ferguson]

You would have led with it before Ukraine.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

You would hope, wouldn't you? Just start. Good evening. I want to start by saying we have cured cancer. That's the end of my speech. Thank you.

[Michael Knowles]

And the end of my campaign. I think I won reelection, actually. The COVID stuff, I guess, might have been the most dishonest part of the speech where. Because on some of it, he's just lying, right? He's lying about abortion. He's lying about the border. But on the COVID stuff, he uses partial truths to tell total lies where he says, you know, we've cut the deficit by a trillion dollars. Yeah. Because the Democrats made us spend an insane amount of money justified by Covid. So, yeah, sure, Tech. Oh, we've created a bazillion new jobs.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah.

[Michael Knowles]

You shut down a ton of businesses.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Right.

[Michael Knowles]

On the premise of COVID So, yeah, like, technically, I guess that's true, but that it's just a false economic painting.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, and I also want to ask you guys, is anybody looking forward to getting on Air Force One to go to Moscow?

[D]

I'm going to get in trouble for saying that. But if you want to get an Air Force One and fly to Toronto, Berlin, Moscow, I mean, excuse me. And, well, even Moscow, probably.

[Ben Ferguson]

Even Moscow, probably. That's how he saved it. I'm like, well, if you're taking all the money from oligarchs in Moscow, I guess maybe we are going to fly an Air Force One to Moscow. Why not? Even though you're saying they're going to invade the world 15 minutes earlier and you better give all the money to Ukraine.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, it was. It was out of touch. It was out of touch with the issues that I think people are wrestling with on inflation. I can tell you in Texas, I spend a lot of time listening to Texans when they pay their rent. You remember the candidate in New York, the rent is too damn high.

[Michael Knowles]

A good friend of mine, actually.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, okay, that. Like mortgages. When A young couple goes out and they're gonna buy their first house. And they discover that a 7% mortgage rate is very different from a 2% mortgage rate. And they can get half the house they used to be able to get when they go to the grocery store and suddenly there's an extra.

[Ben Ferguson]

But he's gonna give you $400. Didn't he say that tonight in the State of the Union to help you buy that house? That's over 100,000 from last year.

[Michael Knowles]

It was even better than that when he said the big savings. Forget about the price of groceries. There aren't enough chips of potato chips. But he says, don't worry, because I'm putting a cap. The credit card late payments used to be $32, and I'm gonna make it $8. $24 in the pockets of every American. Reelect me in 2024.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It was over and over again. He had new things he was gonna give away. Look, the $400 to everyone here. This will help you pay your mortgage. I'm just gonna send you $400, mind you. Your mortgage has gone up because we spent so much money and we drove inflation and drove it up. So we'll just pay you. And our answer, the problem is we printed too much money and it caused inflation. My answer is we're gonna print even more money, and that's gonna help you deal with inflation. And, like, did anyone on the White House staff take econ 101? Like, did they go for, like, one day?

[Michael Knowles]

Certainly not the White House staff. Since the Obama years, they usually get MFAs in creative writing. And somehow that's supposed to direct domestic and foreign policy, by the way.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Also, did you notice there was. Not only was it angry and bitter and extreme, but there was also very little beautiful about it. I mean, sometimes State of the Unions have some poetry to it. I mean, there's. You think of Peggy Noonan writing for Ronald Reagan. And there is. There are beautiful moments in the State of the Union. And there were no beautiful moments tonight.

[Michael Knowles]

No.

[Ben Ferguson]

And I think it's because he was running for reelection. It was all about that. I'm not going anywhere.

[Michael Knowles]

Even at the end of the speech, though, because I totally agree with you, Ben. He was. And I agree with you, Senator. You know, this is this rallying of the base. Maybe it was just to shore up the Democrats because he feels that Gavin Newsom's lurking in the corner. By the end, he started to lean in a little bit toward what could have been poetry, but it was so platitudinous. And also it was self contradictory. So within the span of about 3 minutes at the end of the speech, he says, we are still the United States of America. We have enduring values. We believe what we've always believed, these old enduring ideas. And then not two seconds later he says, but we gotta get rid of the old ideas. We need all the new ideas. And I said, wait a second, buddy. You had two speechwriters clearly with separate theses on this and they don't work together.

[Ben Ferguson]

We're talking about tonight. The world is in flames and bidenomics is a complete and total disaster. But it's, it can't ruin my day every day, right? Because when I wake up every morning, I want to start off on the right foot. And when I get ready to DO radio at 7am, I need a really good cup of coffee. Well, you got to check out blackout coffee because they are an America first cup of coffee, premium coffee. You know, there's a bunch of woke coffee companies out there. This coffee is 100America 0% woke. And blackout coffee is committed to conservative values. From sourcing the beans to the roasting process, customer support and shipping. They embody true American values and they accept no compromise on taste or quality. So stop giving your money to woke liberal coffee bean companies. Switch to blackout coffee. You'll get a premium cup of coffee every time for an American company you're going to love and I'm going to save you Money. Go to blackoutcoffee.com verdict right now. That's Blackout Coffee.com verdict right now. And when you use the coupon code verdict, you're going to get 20 off your first order. If you love coffee, then get blackout coffee. Blackoutcoffee.com verdict Be awake every day, not woke. That's blackoutcoffee.com verdict promo code verdict for 20 off your first order. Senator, you did Hannity tonight and there was one thing that Handy said that I thought was very interesting. In his monologue he was talking about the obsession with the White House saying that the economy's strong and bidenomics is working. I want you to hear what he had to say. For everyone that missed it, it's very interesting.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Let's start with his lies on the economy. Take a look.

[D]

My inherited economy is on the brink now. Our economy is literally the envy of the world. 15 million new jobs in just three years. A WR record, a record. Wages keep going up. Inflation keeps coming down. Inflation has dropped from 9% to 3%, the lowest in the world and tending lower. The landing is and will be soft.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

All right, here is the truth, Here are the facts. Since Biden took office, cumulative prices have risen over 17%. Real hourly wages have only risen 13%. 60% of our federal Americans, sadly, they are living paycheck to paycheck. Now costs across the board, they are surging. Groceries are eating up more of the American people's paychecks than they have in over 30 years. In fact, according to a recent study, Americans now need to make $11,400 more to afford the same quality of life that they did in 2021. And his claims about job creation, another lie. In reality, almost 10 million of those jobs are just, well, backfield jobs or temporary jobs that were lost during the pandemic. And as we know now, many of those other jobs were part time jobs going to many farm born workers, cities let into this country unvetted, illegally.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean, Senator, you hear that montage? It's spot on. But this goes back to how tone deaf this White House seems to be. It's the economy, stupid. You walk out there and the beginning of the state of the union was I'm going to, to tell the American people you must give mass amounts of money to Ukraine or you're an evil person. Uh, you, you better give me abortion on demand and help me allow me to kill more babies or you're a terrible person. Uh, and I'm gonna, oh, and on top of that I'm gonna attack the Supreme Court in front of me and basically say they're illegitimate. And then after 40 something minutes, I might mention the number one issue for many Americans, which is border security. It took them 40 plus minutes to get to that.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, and let's, before we turn to border security, which we obviously are going to talk about, let's pause for a second on inflation and I'll say number one, Hannity referenced the study that says it's over $11,000 a year to live the same standard of living you had in 2021 just three years ago before Joe Biden came to office. That works out to nearly $1,000 more a month.

[Ben Ferguson]

Wow.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Is what people are having to pay just to tread water, just to stay where they were in 2021. And, and, and I gotta say, the moment where Biden seemed most out of touch on this issue was when he did his whole shrinkflation thing and it kind of felt like you remember Andy Rooney who'd be like, you ever notice when you buy potato chips, as many potato chips in the bag as they used to be? Why is that?

[Michael Knowles]

It's a direct quote from the State of the Union.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It's if you're trying not to seem like a crazy old man ranting, maybe don't sound like a crazy old man ranting. And on the other level, no kidding, yes, we're aware what shrinkflation is and you caused it. Like, there's no actual use of the cranium to say, well, well, what is causing those mean old corporations to put fewer potato chips in the bag? Do they just hate their customers and don't want them to eat potato chips? Or are they dealing with inflation and it cost more and more and more and they're trying to find ways to fight the inflation that you caused by printing trillions of dollars in money we didn't have. There's no awareness of that. There's just ranting. I don't like shrinkflation. So what are we going to do? Pass Bob Casey's bill on shrinkflation. And we're all looking at each other going, what the hell does Casey have? Like, like what? Does Casey have a law? We're going to count the chips in your bag. And if you're below the chips, Joe Biden gives you $400.

[Michael Knowles]

Tostedo's Protection act from Casey, you know, reminded me of that meme of the guy who has the gun and he turns around and he shoots someone. And then he looks at the camera, he says, why did X, Y and Z do that? Right? And it blames anything else. And it's Biden with the inflation. He has all this massive spending. And then he says, why did the Tostitos company do that? But if you had taken even Economics 101 in high school, you would say, look, the chip company has always had an incentive to maximize profits. The thing that has changed is not that all of a sudden the potato chip company wants to make money. Clearly something else in the economic. What has changed here between, between the last eight years or so, by the.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Way, when the economy is booming, think what big mean corporations do. They sell mega, mega size, even more chips, you know, the Big Gulp, with enough to drink to have you on caffeine for the next 13 weeks. Like, like that also is the profit motive. If you're not dealing with crushing inflation and trying to figure out a way to make things work.

[Michael Knowles]

Right?

[Ben Ferguson]

All right, I gotta ask you guys about the, the heckling that happened. There was one person that heckled tonight. It's now being reported that that individual was a gold star father whose son Lance, Colonel Kareem Nikouri, who was Killed by a terrorist suicide bomber during Joe Biden's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. I usually am not a big fan of heckling. I don't think that's heckling. Once I learned the backstory, that was an angry father who saw a present that was rewriting history.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, look, we did not know the backstory. When he yelled, we could tell he was yelling something about a Marine company, but we couldn't tell the details in that room. Obviously, if his son lost his life, I wondered if it was one of the Marines who was killed in Afghanistan, if that's what he was referring to, and apparently it was. Look, Joe Biden accepts no responsibility for anything, and instead, his White House tries to whitewash every foreign policy disaster as an absolute success. And you know, when it comes to the 13 servicemen and women who died in Afghanistan, that was completely unnecessary. It was Biden's fault. By the way, one of my favorite pods we ever did is when we focused on the testimony of the young Marine who was there in Afghanistan and had the suicide bomber, had him identified him, was prepared to take him out, and the Biden White House wouldn't let him, and he was prevented from doing so. And those service men and women were killed.

[Michael Knowles]

You know, I'm seeing a news report now. I don't know if it's been verified or not that the man who was yelling out about his son and the Marines was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for interrupting Biden. And I didn't know it was a crime at all to interrupt the State of the Union. If it is, I imagine not a court in the land would ever convict him, given the circumstances of what he did.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Have you seen the D.C. district courts?

[Michael Knowles]

Well, fair enough.

[Ben Ferguson]

Actually, I was gonna say, he'll have a mug shot and, yeah, trust me, they'll go after him all the way.

[Michael Knowles]

Right. I forgot where we were broadcasting from right now. It was putting.

[Ben Ferguson]

You're in the swamp, brother. You are in the swamp.

[Michael Knowles]

But putting that particular instance aside, it did seem to me that there was more heckling than usual. You've been to a dozen of these, Senator.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, look, I mean, there has been. The Democrats were doing lots of the four more years, which was weird. I don't recall anyone doing that for Obama. I don't recall folks doing it for Trump. I may not be remembering it, but if it happened, I don't remember it. I will say, look, in recent years, I have not. Like, there are some House Republicans who heckle the president, and I gotta say, I really dislike that I disagree passionately with Joe Biden, but I respect the office of the presidency and what it represents. And so even if I disagree with him, I just think it's not. Look, a gold star father is a different circumstance. But for a member of Congress, I think heckling is not consistent with the decorum and respect that is owed not just the presidency. By the way, did you notice what didn't happen at the beginning of the speech? Did you notice the speaker of the.

[Ben Ferguson]

House, speaker of the House, the speech.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Up into shreds and he didn't get to introduce him.

[Ben Ferguson]

Did you notice that as well? Usually you have him introduced. He didn't do that. The President just walked up there, went straight to the, to the podium and started talking. And the entire moment where you're supposed to introduce him, that comes to the speaker, the House never happened.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It was very odd. And look, the heckling led to. So I predicted before the speech that there were four words that Biden would not say. Lake and Riley and Jeremy Caceres. Now, as it so happened, he kind of sort of said Lake and Riley.

[Michael Knowles]

He almost tried to, but he did.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

So in response to heckling, to someone calling out, say her name. And there were many members of Congress wearing buttons and pins that said Lake and Riley, say her name.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, he said the wrong name.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

He said Lincoln Riley, which is the.

[Ben Ferguson]

Head football coach at usc.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It. And he had one of those buttons. So I think one of the members of Congress had given it to him.

[Michael Knowles]

Yes. I don't know if it was Congressman Andy Ogles who actually invited me tonight or if it was Marjorie Taylor Greene or one of. But there were a handful of the conservative congressmen who had it. And what I heard from one of the members was that when they handed it to the president, he leaned and he said, oh, I like your button. But I don't think it was sarcastic. I think he legitimately had no idea what was going on and what it represented.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, look, when the heckling happened, he responded and he did sort of try to say her name, although he didn't get it right. But then. And look what he said. He said, you know, she was killed. I'm sorry she was killed. And he expressed sympathy for the parents. And I gotta say, that may have been the moment that pissed me off the most. Because, listen, so Lake and Riley's parents were invited. And actually, you know, they were invited and they decided not to come. And I understand they are grieving the loss of their daughter, their home in Georgia, and the Georgia House member who invited Them left the seat vacant in honor of Lake and Riley. And you know, frankly, they don't want Joe Biden's empathy. They don't want a Hallmark card from him. They want their daughter back. And what Joe Biden didn't do is take responsibility for his direct culpability. And let's walk through. Lake and Riley never should have been killed. The illegal immigrant who murdered her was caught. He was apprehended in Texas, in El Paso. He came illegally from Venezuela. We had him. And what should have happened is the Biden administration should have followed the law. They should have put him on a plane and flown him back to Venezuela. And if Joe Biden had done that, Lake and Riley would still be alive today.

[Michael Knowles]

But it wasn't just El Paso. What's so, so frustrating about this, a totally preventable tragedy, is they could have gotten him in New York. They did get him in New York. He committed a crime in New York. They let him go.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

He was arrested for endangering a child.

[Michael Knowles]

That's right.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

But New York City, again run by Democrats, calls itself a sanctuary city, and they let him go. If Joe Biden had deported him, Lake and Riley would be alive. If New York City had kept him in jail, Lake and Riley would be alive.

[Michael Knowles]

Forget about New York City. He ends up in Athens, Georgia, and he steals from a store. I forget which store it was. The Georgia authorities, I think he was cited with a misdemeanor for shoplifting. You had three distinct opportunities, three chances.

[Ben Ferguson]

To get rid of him.

[Michael Knowles]

Three chances, three strikes, you're out. And a poor American student winds up dead because of it.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And by the way, let's be clear. Jeremy Caceres is a two year old boy, a beautiful little boy, who was murdered just weeks ago in Prince George's county In Virginia, about 30 miles from where Joe Biden was standing. And that little boy was murdered again by an illegal immigrant that Joe Biden let go. This is happening across the country. We're getting day after day stories of children raped by illegal immigrants. Joe Biden has let go. And he had zero acknowledgement of that. Zero intention of changing anything. It was just. It was just crocodile tears of, I'm so sorry about your daughter, without acknowledging it happened because of his policies. And he continues to do those policies, which means there'll be another Lake and Riley tomorrow and another, another set of parents that he again disingenuously apologizes.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, and the proof that the President doesn't seem to care about this issue is the fact that it took him 40 minutes into an hour speech to even mention the border on his own. That's how far they buried the border issue in his State of the Union speech.

[Michael Knowles]

What I wondered when he was browbeating the Republicans for not voting for even more illegal immigration, which is what his border bill would have done, is is he just counting on the American people not realizing that he is dismantling the fence that the Texas border authorities are putting up, that it's not merely passivity that he's allowing?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Actually, I'll give you a little bit of correction on that. He wants to dismantle it, but he hasn't actually done it.

[Michael Knowles]

He hasn't succeeded.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

No, no. The razor wire is there. And they ended up. Texas had gotten an injunction preventing the Biden administration from removing the razor wire, and that injunction got reversed. So. So the Biden administration is no longer prevented from removing the razor wire, but they have not done so.

[Michael Knowles]

So they wanted to do it. They're prevented from doing it. They're then allowed to do it, but they got spooked by the politics of it.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah.

[Michael Knowles]

Wow. Wow. That's actually encouraging that someone at the White House is saying, hold on, that really crazy thing that we were gonna do. Maybe let's hold off for a few days.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Wow.

[Ben Ferguson]

All right, before we end, I gotta get you guys reaction to two different things. Two clips from cnn. You guys were obviously in the chamber and you. You didn't get to see all the commentary. I want you to hear what CNN had to say about the State of the Union. This is clip one. Listen, he seemed like Walt Kowalski.

[Michael Knowles]

You talked about this earlier.

[Ben Ferguson]

He said, Walt Kowalski and Gran Torino screaming at kids. Get off my lawn. Like an old guy screaming at kids.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

My guess is that when he got into the heart of his agenda, the things that you ridicule about the cost of food and, you know, price gouging and so on, I bet you that scored with a lot of people. I think that the. The populist economic agenda is. Is a powerful, powerful thing for him. Look, there are parts of it. I'm not sure that the attacks all landed exactly. They may have landed well in that room, for sure. And they landed well with base voters, for sure. I'm not sure where those swing voters that they landed as well, but I do think.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean, that's David Axelrod, the former Obama, you know, senior adviser, who's saying, you know, in response to one of the commenters saying, look, it was. It was like an old guy screaming to the kids, get off my law. It's what you Said earlier center. But they're saying cnn. And he's even admitting, hey, there's a pretty good chance that didn't play well or land with independent voters.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Ben, you're really scaring me. Are you telling me that unbeknownst to me, I was channeling David Axel Rod on cnn? Holy crap. I might have to just hang it all up right now.

[Michael Knowles]

It's over.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I am off the rails.

[Ben Ferguson]

Michael, pour him a drink right now.

[Michael Knowles]

Something we need to correct. Something.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And I gotta say, even worse. Axelrod's analogy is better. He threw out the whole Gran Torino. Like. Like he took it one notch better. I am just thoroughly humiliated.

[Ben Ferguson]

And not only that, you'll like this one. So then there was another commentator on CNN who actually said this about the president's speech.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Listen, he talked about snickers and snack chips before. Before he ever got to the border. He was obsessed with his political rival more than he was obsessed with the condition of the American people. It was so weird. This guy lectures us all on unity, the soul of the nation, and he gives the most partisan convention speech in place of a state of a Union that I've ever heard. It's the literal opposite of unity. It's so partisan. He's obsessed with taunting Republicans. It's not statesmanlike.

[Michael Knowles]

Let me say one more thing.

[Ben Ferguson]

On Israel, I mean, that was Scott Jennings, a former colleague of mine, who said that. And he's right, by the way. I mean, he did talk about snickers and snack chips before he ever got to the border. It was his words. It was just weird.

[Michael Knowles]

I like his observation that Joe Biden thought he was at the dnc. Maybe that's as simple as that. You know, he thought he walked into the convention, whoopsie daisy. It actually was a joint session for the State of the Union, but, you know, the man doesn't remember his own name.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I will say one thing that also, that clip reminded me of. It was odd how many times he referenced Trump. I cannot think of any State of the Union in my lifetime with that many references to your opponent. The former president. The former president. The former president. And, you know, he's like, you know. You know, I believe in. In truth and happiness and love and puppy dogs and fairies, and my opponent believes in hate and suffering and misery and dead puppies. Like. Like, it was just like, really, dude?

[Michael Knowles]

A little defensive, you would say.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah. For Campaign 101, I will tell you the list of things Biden didn't mention. The State of the Union. You guys ready for this? He did not mention US Service members killed in Afghanistan. He did not mention U. S. Service members killed by Iranian backed proxies in the Middle east. He did not mention gas prices. He did not mention tick tock or China. He did not mention North Korea. He didn't mention Cuba. He didn't mention school choice. He didn't mention the classified DAX scandal. He didn't mention Hunter Biden or the Biden corruption. He did not mention fossil fuels. He did not mention deporting illegals. He did not mention a border wall. He did not mention the attacks on pregnancy centers and he did not mention China's human rights abuses. Notice a lot of those connect with people that have given money to the Biden crime family. I'll leave it with that. Senator, your reaction?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, but did he have anything to say about how many chips are in a bag of chips?

[Michael Knowles]

I think, you know, I think he did touch on that important subject.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

You know, the State of the Union may be in trouble, but the state of chips is really in trouble.

[Ben Ferguson]

There you go. Michael. Hey, welcome back my friend. Always a pleasure. It was this, this is fun. Nice way to recap the State of the Union here. Don't forget Senator Cruz and I do the show Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We also have the weekend review on Saturdays as well. So make sure you grab that, hit that subscribe or follow or auto download button. And on those in between days, make sure you download my podcast, the Ben Ferguson Podcast. I'll keep you updated on the latest breaking news on those in between days. And the senator and I will see you back here in a couple of days.