Verdict with Ted Cruz - June 17, 2022


To Absurdity and Beyond!


Episode Stats

Length

40 minutes

Words per Minute

160.5909

Word Count

6,577

Sentence Count

449

Misogynist Sentences

12

Hate Speech Sentences

18


Summary

Ted Cruz has been a long-time conservative voice in the conservative wing of the Republican Party. Now, he s running for president, and he s got a good chance to change the conversation about Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:00:02.500 Guaranteed human.
00:00:04.180 Think about that.
00:00:06.040 Social Security.
00:00:07.460 You paid for your whole life.
00:00:11.200 Medicare.
00:00:13.100 Medicaid.
00:00:14.000 Not a joke.
00:00:16.140 Really, ask yourself,
00:00:17.900 how are you going to sleep at night knowing that every five years
00:00:21.020 Ted Cruz and the other ultra-maga Republicans
00:00:24.260 are going to vote on whether you'll have Social Security,
00:00:26.780 Medicare, or Medicaid?
00:00:28.120 It's unlikely they'll be able to wipe it out.
00:00:30.660 But any one of you doubt for a second
00:00:32.740 they'll find ways to cut benefits and programs
00:00:35.860 in order to keep anything going?
00:00:38.700 That's what this is about.
00:00:40.920 They've always wanted to cut Social Security.
00:00:43.640 They've always wanted to cut Medicare.
00:00:45.620 They've always wanted to cut Medicaid.
00:00:52.880 This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz
00:00:55.000 is brought to you by American Hartford Goal.
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00:04:32.280 Welcome back to Verdict with Ted Cruz.
00:04:33.980 I'm Michael Knowles,
00:04:36.020 no longer able to sleep at night
00:04:38.600 because the co-host of this show
00:04:41.040 is going to take away everybody's social security.
00:04:44.180 So says the leader of the formerly free world.
00:04:48.020 Senator, what say you?
00:04:50.140 Well, you know,
00:04:50.600 I will say the White House this week
00:04:52.300 noted and designated it as Elder Abuse Day.
00:04:56.480 And I guess I do have to apologize
00:05:00.140 because apparently I'm interfering
00:05:01.940 with Joe Biden's nap time.
00:05:05.040 You know, it really is amazing
00:05:07.460 the kind of fear mongering
00:05:09.400 that the White House does.
00:05:11.980 You remember years ago,
00:05:13.060 the Democrats ran ads of Paul Ryan
00:05:15.080 literally pushing Granny off the cliff.
00:05:17.140 So now he's standing at the AFL-CIO
00:05:19.680 saying Cruz wants to end the social security.
00:05:23.220 I mean, look, let's be honest.
00:05:24.640 Who has hurt seniors more
00:05:28.280 in the past 20 years
00:05:31.940 than Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.?
00:05:35.640 You got 9% inflation,
00:05:39.600 food prices skyrocketing,
00:05:41.160 healthcare skyrocketing,
00:05:42.260 electricity skyrocketing,
00:05:43.480 gas skyrocketing.
00:05:44.960 Seniors are getting screwed.
00:05:46.920 The only one who can compete with Joe Biden
00:05:48.640 for screwing seniors
00:05:49.620 is Jimmy Carter.
00:05:51.120 And so what does he do?
00:05:54.040 He fear mongers.
00:05:55.040 He suggests, look,
00:05:57.400 social security is a bedrock of our country.
00:05:59.820 Ain't nobody messing with it.
00:06:01.360 He knows that.
00:06:03.440 But he can't run on his record.
00:06:05.160 So he's got to scare people.
00:06:06.960 And I'm sorry that Joe Biden
00:06:11.480 is finding it hard to sleep at night.
00:06:13.120 Someone once told me in politics
00:06:14.540 many years ago
00:06:15.300 that the only thing worse
00:06:16.740 than being talked about
00:06:17.900 is not being talked about.
00:06:19.720 And I assume that principle
00:06:21.260 is in play here.
00:06:22.580 It's interesting that Biden,
00:06:24.640 while he's making this desperate plea
00:06:26.600 in what seems to be
00:06:27.760 a very unfavorable year for Democrats,
00:06:30.160 he's going after you.
00:06:32.640 Yeah, I will say,
00:06:33.360 I guess I'm kind of flattered
00:06:34.560 that apparently I'm not just MAGA.
00:06:36.580 I am ultra MAGA.
00:06:38.660 Like, that's OK.
00:06:39.660 That's a point of clarification here, Senator.
00:06:42.080 You worked very well with Donald Trump.
00:06:44.140 Obviously, you guys worked very well together
00:06:45.780 during the administration.
00:06:46.640 But I seem to recall
00:06:48.860 that you were the man's
00:06:50.620 chief primary rival.
00:06:52.960 If I were going to describe someone
00:06:54.660 as ultra MAGA,
00:06:56.380 doesn't that seem a little bit strange
00:06:57.920 to describe the guy's
00:06:59.140 primary rival that way?
00:07:00.900 So, look, Biden gets confused sometimes.
00:07:03.280 And I'm not sure he knows
00:07:04.820 what any of these words mean.
00:07:06.540 I mean, Biden literally,
00:07:07.840 he was elected to the Senate in 1972.
00:07:11.080 When Joe Biden was first elected
00:07:14.380 to the Senate,
00:07:15.240 I was one and a half years old.
00:07:17.720 Yeah.
00:07:18.080 So I understand how he remembers
00:07:20.720 back to the to the
00:07:21.960 false campaigns Democrats have run
00:07:24.820 way back when.
00:07:26.180 You know what?
00:07:26.600 Biden said Ronald Reagan
00:07:27.700 was going to take away Social Security.
00:07:29.160 I mean, Biden has been saying that line
00:07:31.340 for a long time,
00:07:33.580 for literally the entirety of my life
00:07:36.100 and for about double
00:07:37.340 the entirety of yours.
00:07:38.920 That's a good, good point, actually.
00:07:40.860 And Reagan had two terms,
00:07:42.200 didn't take away Social Security.
00:07:43.620 It did strike me when he said that
00:07:45.800 as just a kind of tired old line.
00:07:48.680 Maybe it would have worked
00:07:49.340 in 2010 or 2012.
00:07:50.940 But, you know, even even
00:07:52.480 his talking points,
00:07:53.580 they seem to be a little dated
00:07:55.060 at this point.
00:07:55.760 But it wasn't just a Biden senator.
00:07:57.720 You know, I do not speak Spanish.
00:08:00.500 You know this.
00:08:01.240 You have spoken Spanish to me.
00:08:02.820 I have responded by asking you
00:08:04.520 where the library is.
00:08:06.220 That is the extent of my Spanish.
00:08:07.820 But from what I could make out,
00:08:09.940 it sounds as though
00:08:10.720 the president of Mexico,
00:08:13.040 Mr. Andres Manuel López Obrador,
00:08:17.780 does not like you very much.
00:08:19.120 Mr. Andres Manuel López Obrador,
00:08:21.500 este señor Ted Cruz, senador,
00:08:27.020 diciendo que celebra el que yo no asista a la cumbre
00:08:35.100 porque yo protejo.
00:08:37.160 Marco Rubio, y si me permite, dice,
00:08:39.820 me alegra ver que el presidente mexicano
00:08:41.680 que ha entregado secciones de su país
00:08:44.140 es a los cárteles de droga
00:08:45.320 y es un apologista de la tiranía en Cuba,
00:08:49.160 un dictador asesino en Nicaragua
00:08:50.740 y de un narcotraficante en Venezuela,
00:08:53.200 no estará esta semana en Estados Unidos.
00:08:56.880 ¿Qué comentaría a Marco Rubio?
00:08:59.980 Bueno, pues yo no sé, es que no los identifico bien,
00:09:05.360 pero hay uno.
00:09:06.420 ¿Es senador por Florida, republicano?
00:09:09.800 Sí, pero no sólo es ese,
00:09:13.260 entonces son tres,
00:09:15.220 es este señor Rubio,
00:09:17.460 que este pertenece al partido republicano,
00:09:20.940 así es, ¿verdad?
00:09:22.480 Y Ted Cruz también al partido republicano.
00:09:26.800 También.
00:09:27.340 Bueno, el Ted Cruz, igual,
00:09:31.780 pero todavía Ted Cruz le añadió
00:09:35.580 que no sólo protejo dictaduras,
00:09:39.840 sino que permití al narcotráfico
00:09:46.840 que dominara en un amplio territorio de México.
00:09:56.600 Yo le digo al señor Ted Cruz,
00:10:00.940 a Marco Rubio, pero también al otro,
00:10:04.620 a los dos que presenten pruebas.
00:10:09.840 I could make out about one phrase there,
00:10:12.460 Senator.
00:10:13.140 The phrase was,
00:10:14.140 Ted Cruz, Ted Cruz kept coming up.
00:10:17.320 So if you wouldn't mind,
00:10:18.480 I know you're a little more fluent than I am.
00:10:20.480 What did the president of Mexico say about you
00:10:22.740 and why is he so angry with you?
00:10:25.240 So I will say that
00:10:26.420 that is one of the most bizarre press conferences
00:10:28.540 I've ever seen
00:10:29.260 because you've got a Mexican reporter
00:10:31.060 who asks him a question about Marco Rubio
00:10:33.980 and AMLO says,
00:10:36.220 I'm sorry, who is this Rubio guy?
00:10:38.220 I don't know who he is.
00:10:39.000 And the reporter says,
00:10:41.580 oh, he's the senator from Florida.
00:10:43.260 And he goes,
00:10:43.980 yeah, yeah, yeah,
00:10:44.420 there are three of them,
00:10:45.880 three of the Cubans,
00:10:47.200 but Ted Cruz.
00:10:48.180 And it's the most bizarre thing
00:10:49.560 because the reporter asked about Rubio
00:10:51.380 and AMLO responds by attacking me.
00:10:54.560 And I mean,
00:10:54.900 going off on a screed,
00:10:57.820 attacking me.
00:10:58.800 And it's really bizarre.
00:11:01.660 So the reason AMLO is so worked up
00:11:04.240 is that at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing,
00:11:06.680 I pointed out
00:11:07.580 that Mexico has had a horrific record
00:11:10.800 under AMLO's presidency
00:11:12.060 of allowing journalists to be murdered.
00:11:14.480 And we're seeing historic levels
00:11:17.400 of the drug cartels murdering journalists.
00:11:20.280 If a journalist dares cover the drug cartels
00:11:22.700 and cover their murder and extortion and crimes,
00:11:26.300 they're killing them.
00:11:27.800 And AMLO is turning a blind eye.
00:11:29.480 And what's fascinating about this exchange,
00:11:32.240 so Rubio had tweeted about AMLO's support
00:11:35.360 for Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela and dictators.
00:11:39.160 And actually, AMLO doesn't mind that.
00:11:40.420 He's like, yeah, yeah,
00:11:40.860 forget about the dictators.
00:11:42.600 Cruz is saying,
00:11:43.600 I'm turning a blind eye
00:11:44.920 to the drug cartels.
00:11:47.120 And what he says there is,
00:11:48.780 show me the proof.
00:11:50.080 And he actually goes on later
00:11:51.200 in that press conference to say,
00:11:52.820 I have the proof.
00:11:54.080 I have the proof
00:11:55.080 that Cruz is on the take
00:11:57.980 from the supporters of gun rights.
00:12:00.480 And so he goes on this whole thing about,
00:12:02.380 you know, Cruz refuses to ban guns.
00:12:05.180 You know what, AMLO?
00:12:05.980 Damn straight.
00:12:06.680 I refuse to ban guns.
00:12:08.700 We have this thing in the United States
00:12:10.480 called the Second Amendment,
00:12:11.620 the right to keep and bear arms.
00:12:13.560 You don't want your citizens
00:12:15.000 to be able to defend themselves
00:12:16.540 from the drug cartels
00:12:19.060 that are terrorizing
00:12:20.960 innocent Mexican citizens.
00:12:23.580 And instead of responding to the substance,
00:12:25.960 instead of having a government
00:12:26.920 that actually takes steps
00:12:28.640 to protect freedom of the press,
00:12:31.620 to protect journalists,
00:12:32.920 to stand up to the criminals,
00:12:35.220 instead, you know,
00:12:36.880 AMLO seems very dismayed.
00:12:39.140 It, you know, to quote Shakespeare,
00:12:41.960 me thinks she doth protest too much.
00:12:43.440 I just love that he has that nickname,
00:12:46.100 AMLO.
00:12:46.860 He's sort of like J-Lo
00:12:47.860 with Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
00:12:50.660 That's very impressive.
00:12:51.880 And when you've got two world leaders,
00:12:54.660 both in North America,
00:12:56.360 attacking you,
00:12:57.700 you've got Biden going after you
00:12:59.560 and then this feckless guy down in Mexico.
00:13:01.320 I suppose that means
00:13:02.560 you're probably doing something right.
00:13:04.440 Look, I'm just waiting for Justin Trudeau.
00:13:06.880 I want the trifecta.
00:13:08.340 Come on, man.
00:13:09.160 The Canadian truckers were right.
00:13:10.760 Let's see if Trudeau rises to the occasion.
00:13:14.940 Now, Justin Trudeau knows a thing or two
00:13:17.280 about Cuba and Cubans,
00:13:18.960 according to rumors,
00:13:20.500 but who knows?
00:13:21.780 Maybe we can discuss that
00:13:23.200 on a future podcast.
00:13:25.580 I do have to talk about one other group.
00:13:27.280 Michael, I'm not going to ask you
00:13:28.200 who's your daddy.
00:13:30.520 That's true.
00:13:31.320 As Telemachus says,
00:13:32.700 it's a wise man knows his own father.
00:13:34.980 And certainly that's true
00:13:36.140 up in America's hat as well.
00:13:38.000 But closer to home,
00:13:39.500 there is another group
00:13:40.180 that's going after you.
00:13:41.420 That would be, of course,
00:13:43.060 the media
00:13:43.740 and the congressional Democrats.
00:13:46.340 And really, I suppose
00:13:47.220 I'm repeating myself
00:13:48.300 in the January 6th committee,
00:13:51.440 because you have been such a target
00:13:53.340 of this whole thing.
00:13:55.500 What is your take
00:13:56.780 on the January 6th hearings?
00:13:59.200 You know, Pelosi really gave up the game.
00:14:02.160 When the committee was being formed,
00:14:04.500 and typically in a committee,
00:14:06.300 you have a roughly equal number
00:14:09.100 of Democrats and Republicans.
00:14:10.480 The majority party
00:14:11.380 typically has one or two more,
00:14:12.880 but it's about equal.
00:14:14.800 And the majority party
00:14:16.200 doesn't get to pick
00:14:17.320 the other party's members
00:14:19.260 that are on it.
00:14:20.120 And so Kevin McCarthy
00:14:24.400 selected several people,
00:14:25.840 including Jim Jordan
00:14:27.800 and Nancy Pelosi said,
00:14:29.360 no, no, we don't want
00:14:30.480 real Republicans.
00:14:31.280 We don't want actually people
00:14:32.340 who will ask questions.
00:14:35.520 Instead, she picked Liz Cheney
00:14:38.860 and Adam Kinzinger
00:14:39.620 because they both decided
00:14:41.020 they're not Republicans anymore.
00:14:42.460 And their agenda is the same,
00:14:43.680 which is to attack
00:14:44.280 all the Republicans
00:14:44.940 just like Pelosi's is.
00:14:47.180 Right.
00:14:47.460 And, you know, I got to say,
00:14:49.720 so as you walk down the hall,
00:14:50.920 this is the only question
00:14:51.940 that reporters want to ask.
00:14:53.060 And they're asking it constantly.
00:14:54.900 And I just laugh.
00:14:56.140 They're like, are you going to watch?
00:14:57.040 And I'm like, why would I watch this?
00:14:58.380 I don't watch
00:14:59.500 the Democratic National Convention's
00:15:02.340 convention every four years.
00:15:05.300 That is a multi-day
00:15:07.260 political campaign act.
00:15:09.240 It is designed to be propaganda.
00:15:11.040 And I get it.
00:15:11.520 They can have their campaign ads,
00:15:13.020 but it's not actual factual inquiry.
00:15:18.020 And if it were,
00:15:19.740 look, if you want to ascertain
00:15:21.060 what's going on,
00:15:21.840 if you look at congressional hearings
00:15:23.180 that go somewhere,
00:15:24.540 you have cross-examination.
00:15:26.540 You have scrutiny.
00:15:28.080 You have,
00:15:29.060 if a particular witness comes in
00:15:30.680 and makes a charge,
00:15:31.620 there's all these allegations
00:15:32.680 that are made,
00:15:33.960 you actually have someone
00:15:35.700 challenge the credibility
00:15:37.600 of the witness,
00:15:38.600 press on,
00:15:39.460 engage.
00:15:40.460 Cross-examination
00:15:41.640 is a powerful tool
00:15:44.060 for ferreting out truth.
00:15:45.640 But for example,
00:15:46.900 this kangaroo court
00:15:48.740 has zero interest
00:15:49.940 in Nancy Pelosi's culpability
00:15:51.700 on January 6th
00:15:53.960 with stopping
00:15:54.920 a sufficient law enforcement presence,
00:15:58.040 stopping
00:15:58.480 a sufficient effort
00:16:00.700 to stop the riot
00:16:01.780 that happened
00:16:02.340 because she said,
00:16:03.340 in her words,
00:16:04.160 it was bad optics.
00:16:05.820 They don't want to talk about that
00:16:07.060 because that's inconsistent
00:16:08.740 with their political narrative.
00:16:11.120 I think it makes
00:16:11.800 a lot of reporters
00:16:12.540 really excited,
00:16:13.520 but I don't think
00:16:14.400 it's going to change
00:16:15.400 any voter's mind
00:16:16.900 anywhere in America.
00:16:18.700 And by the way,
00:16:19.340 the New York Times,
00:16:20.340 there's an old line
00:16:23.460 that a gaffe
00:16:24.140 is when someone
00:16:24.960 in Washington
00:16:25.520 accidentally tells the truth.
00:16:27.940 Right.
00:16:28.160 The New York Times
00:16:29.060 let the cat out of the bag
00:16:31.200 when they ran
00:16:32.000 as a headline,
00:16:33.340 January 6th
00:16:34.220 committee hearings
00:16:34.980 present opportunity
00:16:36.580 for Democrats
00:16:37.520 to change
00:16:38.600 the midterm narrative.
00:16:41.020 Well,
00:16:41.300 that's obviously
00:16:42.100 what they want to do.
00:16:45.240 I think it has
00:16:46.740 failed badly so far
00:16:48.240 and I think it's going
00:16:48.820 to continue to fail.
00:16:49.560 Do you think Pelosi
00:16:51.120 made a mistake
00:16:52.160 kicking Jordan
00:16:53.480 and Banks
00:16:54.360 and the real Republicans
00:16:55.300 off the committee?
00:16:56.500 That is,
00:16:57.040 if you do think,
00:16:59.140 because if they were
00:17:00.060 on the committee,
00:17:01.160 presumably the Republicans
00:17:02.340 would be more engaged,
00:17:03.720 you'd have the grilling,
00:17:04.960 there would be a reason
00:17:05.840 to tune in.
00:17:07.140 I think it was stupid
00:17:08.720 to kick off
00:17:10.080 the real Republicans.
00:17:11.980 Look,
00:17:13.060 even from a perspective
00:17:14.660 of TV,
00:17:16.360 let's say you,
00:17:17.040 let's say you're
00:17:18.180 Nancy Pelosi
00:17:18.780 and you're not
00:17:19.340 interested in truth.
00:17:21.340 You are interested
00:17:22.400 in eyeballs.
00:17:23.840 Right.
00:17:23.980 And frankly,
00:17:25.240 the clash
00:17:26.100 of seeing
00:17:27.240 Jordan or Banks
00:17:28.060 go at it
00:17:29.120 with the witnesses
00:17:30.840 makes good TV.
00:17:34.220 That conflict
00:17:35.620 would cause
00:17:37.700 some people
00:17:38.540 possibly
00:17:39.240 to give a flip
00:17:40.000 about what's going on.
00:17:41.360 This is right now
00:17:42.740 a bunch of Democrats
00:17:43.560 talking to a bunch
00:17:44.420 of Democrats.
00:17:44.880 It's MSNBC.
00:17:46.840 This is like a panel
00:17:47.840 of MSNBC
00:17:48.620 talking heads
00:17:49.400 sitting down
00:17:49.940 and going,
00:17:50.280 Trump is terrible.
00:17:50.940 Yes,
00:17:51.140 Trump is terrible.
00:17:51.680 Oh,
00:17:51.780 I agree.
00:17:52.480 Oh,
00:17:52.740 definitely.
00:17:53.580 Uh-huh.
00:17:54.380 And like,
00:17:55.440 that's boring
00:17:57.440 and not news.
00:17:59.440 Like,
00:18:00.000 we know you think that.
00:18:01.500 It was not lost on us
00:18:03.400 that you don't have
00:18:04.640 the Donald Trump
00:18:05.260 swimsuit calendar
00:18:06.160 up on your wall.
00:18:07.080 We got that.
00:18:07.800 I think it was
00:18:09.640 a bad strategic
00:18:11.740 and tactical mistake
00:18:13.120 for Pelosi
00:18:14.700 to throw
00:18:15.480 the Republicans
00:18:17.320 selected
00:18:18.000 by the Republicans
00:18:19.140 off the committee
00:18:20.100 because just like
00:18:21.800 the New York Times,
00:18:24.160 it said the quiet part
00:18:25.640 out loud.
00:18:26.320 It made it obvious
00:18:27.640 we are telling a story
00:18:30.200 complete with our
00:18:30.900 Hollywood producer
00:18:31.640 and we don't want
00:18:33.280 anyone telling
00:18:33.840 any different stories
00:18:34.780 than the story
00:18:35.420 we want to tell.
00:18:36.900 And just look at
00:18:37.440 the coverage.
00:18:38.080 I think the Times
00:18:38.940 example is a great
00:18:40.320 point here.
00:18:41.680 The New York Times
00:18:42.540 is covering
00:18:43.300 the coverage.
00:18:44.660 The New York Times
00:18:45.120 is covering
00:18:45.700 the way they want
00:18:46.660 to shift the narrative
00:18:47.240 but there's no
00:18:47.800 actual news happening
00:18:49.580 and so it just
00:18:50.820 doesn't seem
00:18:51.360 politically urgent.
00:18:53.140 Well,
00:18:53.420 and Michael,
00:18:54.140 an easy way
00:18:55.500 to understand
00:18:56.220 how ludicrous
00:18:56.860 it is what the
00:18:57.520 Democrats are doing
00:18:58.400 is just to flip
00:18:59.580 the premise.
00:19:01.280 Imagine if
00:19:02.280 Donald Trump
00:19:03.040 held an inquiry
00:19:04.020 onto what happened
00:19:05.840 on January 6th.
00:19:07.440 and it was just
00:19:07.920 Trump.
00:19:09.740 To be honest,
00:19:10.900 would the press
00:19:11.660 give it any
00:19:12.100 credibility?
00:19:12.700 No,
00:19:12.860 of course not.
00:19:14.200 But to be honest,
00:19:15.720 if you wanted
00:19:16.300 to have something,
00:19:17.120 you would want
00:19:17.760 to have both parties.
00:19:18.940 You would want
00:19:19.340 to have free speech.
00:19:20.240 You would want
00:19:20.740 to have conflict.
00:19:21.620 You would want
00:19:22.040 to have debate.
00:19:23.440 That's the method
00:19:24.340 for ascertaining truth.
00:19:26.620 Nobody in the press
00:19:27.780 would give any
00:19:28.380 credibility
00:19:28.800 to a purely
00:19:30.740 Republican assessment
00:19:32.180 of January 6th
00:19:33.660 or anything else.
00:19:34.460 whatever you talk
00:19:37.000 about,
00:19:37.320 a purely
00:19:37.820 Republican assessment
00:19:38.860 gets no
00:19:39.880 credibility,
00:19:41.200 and that's not
00:19:42.320 crazy because
00:19:43.160 we have a partisan
00:19:43.820 system.
00:19:44.460 Both parties
00:19:45.060 want to advance
00:19:46.540 their narrative,
00:19:47.100 and if you're
00:19:48.440 an intelligent
00:19:50.160 voter,
00:19:50.800 look,
00:19:51.360 as a consumer
00:19:53.080 of news,
00:19:53.700 I don't just
00:19:54.320 read right-wing
00:19:54.920 news.
00:19:55.900 I read left-wing
00:19:57.340 news too,
00:19:57.840 and I try to
00:19:58.340 figure out the
00:19:58.900 truth somewhere
00:19:59.980 in the middle
00:20:00.580 when the Democrats
00:20:02.440 and the corporate
00:20:03.700 media are only
00:20:04.920 spewing their
00:20:07.220 propaganda,
00:20:09.140 you know,
00:20:09.860 it's transparent
00:20:11.520 to everyone.
00:20:13.000 Now,
00:20:13.140 speaking of
00:20:14.260 Nancy Pelosi's
00:20:15.120 missteps
00:20:15.600 and transparency
00:20:18.040 and other
00:20:19.080 trans issues,
00:20:20.060 Nancy Pelosi
00:20:20.660 made a claim
00:20:21.440 this past week
00:20:22.860 on a television
00:20:24.880 show that I
00:20:25.700 will admit
00:20:26.300 I don't
00:20:26.640 regularly watch.
00:20:28.320 She gave her
00:20:29.040 theory on
00:20:30.280 what America
00:20:31.240 is all
00:20:32.380 about.
00:20:33.500 I'll give it
00:20:34.240 to you in
00:20:34.780 her own words.
00:20:35.840 Please give
00:20:36.960 a warm
00:20:37.580 drag race
00:20:38.460 welcome,
00:20:39.140 Nancy Pelosi.
00:20:41.580 Welcome back.
00:20:43.400 My honor to
00:20:44.200 be here.
00:20:45.440 Your freedom
00:20:46.040 of expression
00:20:46.940 of yourselves
00:20:47.760 in drag
00:20:48.520 is what
00:20:48.920 America
00:20:49.360 is all
00:20:50.040 about.
00:20:52.540 Senator,
00:20:53.280 I'm not a
00:20:53.700 graduate of
00:20:54.360 Harvard Law
00:20:54.940 School.
00:20:55.420 I've never
00:20:55.720 clerked for
00:20:56.280 the Supreme
00:20:56.760 Court.
00:20:57.300 I'm not a
00:20:58.000 member of
00:20:58.320 the United
00:20:58.600 States Senate.
00:20:59.240 in your
00:21:00.460 estimation,
00:21:01.320 is
00:21:01.700 transvestitism
00:21:03.380 what America
00:21:04.380 is all
00:21:05.060 about?
00:21:06.260 You know,
00:21:06.880 I kind of
00:21:07.380 think Nancy
00:21:07.940 may have
00:21:08.360 missed some
00:21:08.820 days in
00:21:09.260 American
00:21:09.560 history.
00:21:11.700 Like,
00:21:12.240 look,
00:21:12.440 you got a
00:21:12.960 right to
00:21:13.480 dress up
00:21:13.840 any way you
00:21:14.260 want.
00:21:14.520 That's
00:21:14.700 great.
00:21:15.060 Knock
00:21:15.520 yourself
00:21:15.840 out.
00:21:17.420 But the
00:21:18.060 idea,
00:21:19.520 you know,
00:21:19.900 the last
00:21:20.320 pod we did,
00:21:20.980 we talked
00:21:21.420 about the
00:21:23.540 drag show
00:21:24.760 for kids
00:21:25.520 in Dallas.
00:21:27.440 This is
00:21:28.160 another
00:21:28.400 example of
00:21:29.260 the Democratic
00:21:30.180 Party going
00:21:30.920 so extreme.
00:21:33.760 Like,
00:21:34.700 look,
00:21:35.120 if people
00:21:35.640 want to
00:21:35.920 dress in
00:21:36.280 drag,
00:21:36.600 that's fine.
00:21:37.640 I'm quite
00:21:38.500 libertarian
00:21:39.180 about do
00:21:39.700 what you
00:21:39.940 want to
00:21:40.260 do.
00:21:40.920 But to
00:21:41.620 claim that's
00:21:42.380 what America
00:21:42.960 is all
00:21:43.320 about,
00:21:43.820 look,
00:21:44.160 I get it.
00:21:45.360 The Founding
00:21:45.920 Fathers did
00:21:46.520 wear wigs,
00:21:47.160 so she does
00:21:47.620 have a point
00:21:48.080 there.
00:21:48.900 They were
00:21:49.360 wearing wigs,
00:21:50.340 but I'm not
00:21:50.880 sure that's what
00:21:51.480 Washington and
00:21:52.120 Jefferson were
00:21:52.680 doing.
00:21:54.920 But it
00:21:55.440 is such
00:21:57.580 the dominant,
00:21:59.780 the left-wing
00:22:01.420 culture war
00:22:02.640 is the
00:22:04.240 Democrat
00:22:04.580 Party.
00:22:07.480 You know,
00:22:07.880 there was
00:22:08.520 a,
00:22:09.940 it's just,
00:22:10.860 it is who
00:22:11.600 they are and
00:22:12.400 what they're
00:22:12.800 driven by,
00:22:13.580 and they keep
00:22:14.500 going.
00:22:16.540 It's not
00:22:17.260 accurate to
00:22:17.820 say that's
00:22:18.200 what America
00:22:18.620 is all about,
00:22:19.340 but it is
00:22:19.720 accurate to
00:22:20.240 say that's
00:22:20.720 what today's
00:22:21.320 Democrat
00:22:21.680 Party is
00:22:22.160 all about.
00:22:22.880 I at
00:22:23.480 least understand
00:22:24.160 that the
00:22:24.820 Democrats are
00:22:25.620 making this
00:22:26.200 philosophical
00:22:26.780 claim that
00:22:27.700 this is at
00:22:28.940 least what
00:22:29.360 the country
00:22:29.760 should be
00:22:30.280 all about.
00:22:31.020 What I
00:22:31.240 don't
00:22:31.560 understand
00:22:31.940 is how
00:22:33.260 can Pelosi
00:22:33.840 with a
00:22:34.320 straight face
00:22:35.040 make the
00:22:35.820 historical
00:22:36.400 claim that
00:22:37.540 transvestitism,
00:22:39.580 which was
00:22:40.020 illegal,
00:22:40.800 by the way,
00:22:41.280 in lots of
00:22:41.800 America,
00:22:42.540 throughout parts
00:22:43.100 of the 19th
00:22:43.700 century,
00:22:44.180 in San
00:22:44.620 Francisco of
00:22:45.500 all places,
00:22:46.300 which has
00:22:46.780 not exactly
00:22:47.420 been promoted.
00:22:48.380 I don't think
00:22:48.740 it was part
00:22:49.160 of the
00:22:49.860 shining city
00:22:50.480 on a hill
00:22:50.880 speech.
00:22:51.340 I don't
00:22:51.760 think
00:22:51.940 Governor
00:22:52.160 Bradford
00:22:52.680 was writing
00:22:53.140 about his
00:22:53.860 great passion
00:22:55.220 for cross-dressing.
00:22:56.960 How do you
00:22:57.520 make the
00:22:57.900 historic claim
00:22:58.860 that actually
00:22:59.860 America,
00:23:00.520 it's not about
00:23:00.960 apple pie or
00:23:01.840 freedom or
00:23:02.680 going west,
00:23:03.280 young man?
00:23:03.620 No, no,
00:23:04.080 it's about
00:23:04.620 dressing up
00:23:05.100 like a
00:23:05.400 lady.
00:23:05.600 Well, and
00:23:07.200 there's a
00:23:07.520 richer
00:23:07.780 irony.
00:23:08.240 So she
00:23:08.760 did,
00:23:09.820 she has
00:23:10.720 a tiny
00:23:11.840 leg to
00:23:15.200 stand on
00:23:15.780 in that she
00:23:16.260 starts off
00:23:16.880 by saying
00:23:17.360 freedom of
00:23:17.960 expression.
00:23:19.120 And you
00:23:19.780 can make
00:23:20.140 an argument
00:23:20.580 that freedom
00:23:21.080 of expression
00:23:21.800 is what
00:23:22.220 America is
00:23:22.700 all about.
00:23:24.380 But the
00:23:25.120 irony is
00:23:25.700 Nancy Pelosi
00:23:26.260 doesn't believe
00:23:26.700 in freedom
00:23:27.020 of expression.
00:23:28.080 Like,
00:23:28.520 today's
00:23:29.040 Democrat
00:23:29.380 party has
00:23:30.080 abandoned
00:23:30.480 free speech.
00:23:31.200 So she
00:23:31.600 literally
00:23:32.000 means only
00:23:33.480 if you
00:23:34.040 want to
00:23:34.480 dress up
00:23:34.960 as a
00:23:35.200 woman is
00:23:36.500 what America
00:23:37.040 is all
00:23:37.380 about.
00:23:37.880 But if
00:23:38.340 you want
00:23:38.740 to make
00:23:39.020 a movie
00:23:39.360 asking what
00:23:40.040 is a
00:23:40.280 woman,
00:23:40.680 that is
00:23:41.200 not what
00:23:41.620 America
00:23:41.940 is all
00:23:42.240 about.
00:23:42.700 So she
00:23:43.620 it is
00:23:44.860 quite
00:23:45.280 amazing.
00:23:46.640 You know,
00:23:47.020 Nancy Pelosi
00:23:47.780 leads a
00:23:48.980 Democrat
00:23:49.360 party that
00:23:50.760 wants big
00:23:51.400 tech to
00:23:51.860 censor,
00:23:52.780 that wants
00:23:54.160 views that
00:23:55.080 they disagree
00:23:55.700 with silence,
00:23:56.640 that wants
00:23:57.080 to ban
00:23:57.780 conservative
00:23:58.540 speakers from
00:23:59.220 campus.
00:23:59.620 So I'm
00:24:01.060 glad she's
00:24:01.740 acknowledging
00:24:02.220 freedom of
00:24:02.740 expression is
00:24:03.320 important,
00:24:03.920 but, you
00:24:04.700 know,
00:24:04.820 I wish there
00:24:05.360 were Democrats
00:24:05.900 in Congress
00:24:07.400 that still
00:24:07.840 believe that.
00:24:09.080 Of course,
00:24:09.600 because when
00:24:10.300 Pelosi uses
00:24:11.100 the phrase
00:24:11.540 freedom of
00:24:12.060 expression,
00:24:13.120 and really
00:24:13.640 it's true
00:24:14.280 of Democrats
00:24:14.820 broadly,
00:24:15.520 all they
00:24:15.940 really seem
00:24:16.380 to mean is
00:24:16.860 replacing our
00:24:17.860 taboos with
00:24:19.040 their taboos
00:24:19.860 and replacing
00:24:20.900 our standards
00:24:21.700 with their
00:24:22.360 standards.
00:24:22.860 There's this
00:24:23.160 major Supreme
00:24:23.860 Court case
00:24:24.500 of a high
00:24:25.500 school football
00:24:26.040 coach who
00:24:26.920 just said a
00:24:27.860 prayer on his
00:24:29.060 knee by
00:24:29.680 himself alone
00:24:30.920 on the
00:24:31.940 football field
00:24:32.840 after the
00:24:33.340 games and
00:24:34.500 the school
00:24:35.100 fired him
00:24:36.520 for it.
00:24:36.960 They were so
00:24:37.780 angry at this
00:24:38.600 individual act
00:24:39.940 of expression.
00:24:40.600 So I don't
00:24:41.060 think Pelosi
00:24:41.500 is defending
00:24:42.140 that, but
00:24:43.580 to your point,
00:24:44.600 they're only
00:24:45.420 defending this
00:24:46.080 sort of thing
00:24:46.560 and actually
00:24:46.960 it ties right
00:24:47.740 in with the
00:24:48.640 big story out
00:24:49.240 of Hollywood,
00:24:49.880 which is that
00:24:50.340 there's a new
00:24:50.800 movie, it's a
00:24:51.400 new toy story
00:24:51.940 movie about
00:24:52.880 Buzz Lightyear
00:24:54.000 and for some
00:24:54.960 reason, Disney
00:24:56.440 felt it was
00:24:56.880 very, very
00:24:57.420 important to
00:24:58.340 include lesbian
00:24:59.580 toys kissing
00:25:01.320 in the Buzz
00:25:02.760 Lightyear movie.
00:25:04.180 Meanwhile, they
00:25:05.160 fire Tim Allen
00:25:06.180 who originated
00:25:06.840 the role of
00:25:07.460 Buzz Lightyear.
00:25:08.360 They replace
00:25:09.000 him with,
00:25:10.520 frankly, probably
00:25:11.080 a more expensive
00:25:11.920 actor.
00:25:12.900 What is going
00:25:13.440 on?
00:25:13.760 Do our kids,
00:25:14.480 is it so
00:25:15.200 important that
00:25:15.700 our kids see
00:25:16.540 lesbian toys
00:25:17.300 smooch?
00:25:18.320 Well, I gotta
00:25:18.640 say, Michael,
00:25:19.280 I think it is
00:25:20.620 remarkable that
00:25:22.300 the Verdict
00:25:22.780 podcast seems
00:25:23.960 to be driving
00:25:25.080 Hollywood's
00:25:26.060 agenda.
00:25:27.320 You and I
00:25:28.140 sat at the
00:25:28.640 University of
00:25:29.180 Alabama for
00:25:29.860 our live
00:25:30.280 campus tour
00:25:30.960 and we were
00:25:32.480 talking about
00:25:33.360 Woke Disney
00:25:34.300 and I observed,
00:25:36.500 I said, look,
00:25:37.160 these lunatics,
00:25:38.460 they want to
00:25:39.280 see Mickey and
00:25:39.940 Pluto going at
00:25:40.780 it.
00:25:41.640 And the press
00:25:43.660 lost their
00:25:44.120 mind.
00:25:45.180 And then what
00:25:45.940 do they do?
00:25:46.560 Boom, the next
00:25:47.340 movie they come
00:25:48.040 out, Buzz Light
00:25:48.840 Year.
00:25:49.400 What do we
00:25:50.040 need?
00:25:51.040 We need
00:25:51.540 lesbian toys.
00:25:52.960 Now, never
00:25:53.500 mind that the
00:25:54.320 last time I
00:25:54.960 checked, most
00:25:55.560 toys are kind
00:25:57.520 of androgynous.
00:25:58.460 They're usually
00:25:59.000 without genitalia
00:26:00.260 unless you're
00:26:00.740 shopping.
00:26:01.860 Yeah.
00:26:02.720 Yeah, like
00:26:03.160 it's just, but
00:26:05.660 it is the
00:26:06.580 commitment to
00:26:07.660 culture is,
00:26:11.000 and, you
00:26:11.700 know, this
00:26:12.000 movie has now
00:26:12.780 been banned, I
00:26:13.540 think, in 14
00:26:14.320 countries.
00:26:15.100 The UAE has
00:26:16.200 banned it,
00:26:16.720 they're countries
00:26:17.080 in the Middle
00:26:17.440 East, they're
00:26:17.860 countries in
00:26:18.220 Asia.
00:26:19.060 There's
00:26:19.360 significant
00:26:20.020 discussion that
00:26:20.800 China is not
00:26:22.300 going to allow
00:26:22.980 the movie in
00:26:24.100 because of
00:26:25.160 this scene.
00:26:25.840 And I got to
00:26:26.780 say, it's a
00:26:27.700 wild twist where
00:26:30.640 Hollywood has been
00:26:32.160 willing to grovel
00:26:33.020 to China, to let
00:26:34.020 China censor its
00:26:35.040 movies, to embrace
00:26:36.500 anti-Americanism, to
00:26:38.300 avoid any criticism of
00:26:39.600 China because they want
00:26:40.520 to get access to the
00:26:41.360 Chinese movie market.
00:26:43.240 market, but when it
00:26:44.800 comes to their
00:26:45.760 culture agenda,
00:26:48.000 apparently now
00:26:48.980 suddenly they
00:26:49.700 discovered, all
00:26:50.540 right, give up
00:26:52.460 the money because
00:26:54.460 lesbian toys are
00:26:55.840 more important.
00:26:57.520 And I must say, it
00:26:59.400 brings a whole new
00:27:01.020 meaning to the
00:27:01.900 phrase, to
00:27:02.520 infinity and
00:27:03.460 beyond.
00:27:04.880 Yeah, that's
00:27:06.340 sort of like the
00:27:08.140 slippery slope,
00:27:09.020 Senator, you know.
00:27:09.660 It seems that we
00:27:10.500 never get to the
00:27:11.320 bottom of the
00:27:11.880 slippery slope.
00:27:12.480 Maybe that's
00:27:13.260 because the
00:27:13.640 slippery slope
00:27:14.480 goes to infinity
00:27:15.640 and beyond.
00:27:17.360 Why do toys
00:27:19.260 have to go at
00:27:21.440 it?
00:27:22.900 Like, like, like
00:27:23.660 it just, you
00:27:25.220 could do without,
00:27:27.940 we don't need to
00:27:29.200 see, it's the
00:27:31.760 sexualization of
00:27:33.040 kids that Hollywood
00:27:33.980 embraces and it is
00:27:35.760 a political agenda
00:27:37.160 that is all
00:27:38.840 consuming.
00:27:39.480 And look, they
00:27:40.100 fired Tim
00:27:40.700 Allen.
00:27:40.980 they replace him
00:27:43.220 with Chris
00:27:43.620 Evans, Captain
00:27:44.280 America.
00:27:45.800 So, so, I
00:27:46.500 mean, it is
00:27:47.140 American icons
00:27:50.140 driving an
00:27:56.760 agenda that
00:27:57.840 that astonishingly
00:27:59.940 enough for the
00:28:00.440 first time matters
00:28:01.260 more to Hollywood
00:28:01.860 than money.
00:28:02.280 Well, I think
00:28:03.440 this is why it's
00:28:04.840 important that
00:28:05.760 Allen's getting
00:28:06.440 dropped for
00:28:07.020 Chris Evans is
00:28:07.720 you might say,
00:28:08.720 well, maybe
00:28:09.140 Tim Allen was
00:28:10.020 just asking for
00:28:10.740 too much money
00:28:11.440 and so it's,
00:28:13.240 they're moving
00:28:13.760 on to a
00:28:14.160 cheaper actor.
00:28:15.100 I suspect
00:28:15.600 Chris Evans is
00:28:16.560 demanding a
00:28:17.400 higher contract
00:28:18.400 right now than
00:28:19.080 Tim Allen is.
00:28:20.260 He's a major,
00:28:21.140 major movie star,
00:28:22.340 young and right
00:28:22.980 in the prime of
00:28:23.680 his career.
00:28:24.140 And so the
00:28:25.380 only explanation
00:28:26.360 I can think
00:28:27.120 of is that
00:28:27.600 Tim Allen is
00:28:28.200 an outspoken
00:28:28.900 conservative.
00:28:29.900 Chris Evans is
00:28:30.520 a huge lib
00:28:31.140 from everything
00:28:31.680 that I can
00:28:32.180 tell.
00:28:32.920 And so even
00:28:33.760 more to your
00:28:34.300 point, the
00:28:35.100 studios are
00:28:36.240 willing to
00:28:36.840 lose money
00:28:37.540 if it advances
00:28:38.760 their cultural
00:28:39.760 agenda.
00:28:40.360 And speaking of
00:28:41.260 people losing
00:28:41.860 money, Senator,
00:28:42.720 it's not just
00:28:43.340 Hollywood losing
00:28:43.920 money.
00:28:44.540 You and I
00:28:45.120 and all the
00:28:45.460 rest of America
00:28:46.320 is losing
00:28:46.800 money right
00:28:47.300 now because
00:28:48.000 inflation is
00:28:48.760 through the
00:28:49.140 roof and our
00:28:50.140 president is
00:28:51.340 blaming
00:28:51.980 Republicans.
00:28:54.080 You know,
00:28:54.700 the White
00:28:56.160 House has
00:28:56.580 one talking
00:28:57.140 point.
00:28:58.120 I didn't do
00:28:59.040 it.
00:28:59.440 Not my
00:28:59.900 fault.
00:29:01.200 It's
00:29:01.720 Republicans'
00:29:02.540 fault.
00:29:03.120 It's Putin's
00:29:03.760 fault.
00:29:04.100 It's anybody's
00:29:04.880 fault but
00:29:05.500 Joe Biden.
00:29:09.100 There's a
00:29:09.800 reason Biden's
00:29:10.740 approval rating
00:29:11.400 is in the
00:29:11.820 30s because
00:29:13.680 people recognize
00:29:15.400 that that's
00:29:16.040 just not
00:29:16.600 credible.
00:29:17.980 To watch
00:29:19.120 this White
00:29:20.940 House try to
00:29:21.700 blame everything.
00:29:22.700 You know,
00:29:22.880 watching Biden's
00:29:24.400 energy secretary
00:29:25.280 go on TV and
00:29:26.260 saying, you
00:29:27.080 know, Biden's
00:29:27.600 trying to do
00:29:27.980 everything he
00:29:28.480 can to lower
00:29:29.000 gas prices.
00:29:29.860 Well, yeah,
00:29:30.540 except allow
00:29:31.280 people to drill
00:29:31.940 for oil and
00:29:32.440 gas.
00:29:33.400 Like, other
00:29:34.220 than that, I
00:29:36.300 mean, you'd
00:29:36.880 literally have
00:29:37.540 had for a
00:29:38.380 year and a
00:29:38.780 half an
00:29:39.180 unrelenting
00:29:39.580 war on oil
00:29:40.700 and gas
00:29:41.040 production in
00:29:41.540 the United
00:29:41.800 States.
00:29:42.440 They keep
00:29:42.880 doubling down.
00:29:43.720 They keep
00:29:44.080 bizarrely, Biden
00:29:45.820 is going to be
00:29:46.260 flying to
00:29:46.760 Saudi Arabia to
00:29:47.600 kiss Saudi
00:29:48.220 Arabia's behind
00:29:49.020 after he's been
00:29:50.120 attacking Saudi
00:29:50.900 Arabia for a
00:29:51.480 year and a
00:29:51.780 half and
00:29:52.160 alienating them
00:29:52.960 because he
00:29:54.600 wants the
00:29:54.980 Saudis to
00:29:55.440 produce more
00:29:55.920 oil.
00:29:56.440 He wants
00:29:57.080 Venezuela to
00:29:57.740 produce more
00:29:58.260 oil.
00:29:58.560 He wants
00:29:58.900 Iran to
00:29:59.440 produce more
00:30:00.000 oil.
00:30:00.500 He wants
00:30:00.720 everyone to
00:30:01.080 produce more
00:30:01.540 oil except
00:30:01.920 Americans.
00:30:03.220 Yeah.
00:30:03.360 And it is, he
00:30:07.700 believes that he
00:30:08.900 can just
00:30:09.520 convince the
00:30:11.120 American people
00:30:11.860 it's everybody
00:30:12.640 else's fault.
00:30:13.940 It seems like
00:30:14.860 they're deflecting
00:30:15.560 a little bit,
00:30:16.100 Senator, and
00:30:16.520 it's actually a
00:30:18.020 type of
00:30:18.480 deflection that
00:30:19.540 you first called
00:30:20.480 my attention to
00:30:21.400 right in the
00:30:22.300 earliest days of
00:30:23.400 this podcast when
00:30:24.360 we were in the
00:30:24.780 middle of the
00:30:25.120 night in the
00:30:25.620 bunker in the
00:30:26.280 middle of
00:30:26.660 Washington, D.C.,
00:30:28.020 which is, the
00:30:29.380 Democrats' line
00:30:30.360 here is,
00:30:31.440 inflation is not
00:30:32.560 entirely Joe
00:30:33.420 Biden's fault,
00:30:34.700 which of course
00:30:35.640 inflation is not
00:30:36.500 entirely Joe
00:30:37.720 Biden's fault,
00:30:38.560 but that doesn't
00:30:39.300 mean that it's
00:30:39.740 not at all his
00:30:40.740 fault or even
00:30:41.380 largely his fault,
00:30:42.760 and you can point
00:30:43.400 to the reasons
00:30:44.460 that he's driving
00:30:45.200 inflation, the
00:30:46.140 ones that you've
00:30:46.700 named.
00:30:47.080 One, he's not
00:30:47.760 allowing us to
00:30:48.420 produce energy.
00:30:50.140 Two, he in
00:30:51.040 many ways caused
00:30:52.080 the war in
00:30:53.260 Ukraine, at
00:30:54.100 least according
00:30:54.640 to President
00:30:55.600 Zelensky's take
00:30:56.460 on things.
00:30:58.320 Three, he's
00:30:59.720 continued to
00:31:00.900 lock down the
00:31:01.540 economy in many
00:31:02.300 ways that I
00:31:02.880 don't think is
00:31:03.340 very conducive to
00:31:04.660 economic growth.
00:31:06.340 You know, the
00:31:06.760 list goes on and
00:31:07.720 on.
00:31:07.820 And four, he
00:31:08.000 keeps spending a
00:31:08.840 crap ton of
00:31:09.440 money.
00:31:10.140 Like at the end
00:31:10.960 of the day,
00:31:11.740 trillions and
00:31:12.500 trillions of
00:31:13.000 dollars.
00:31:13.260 You're right,
00:31:13.600 it's not entirely
00:31:14.500 Joe Biden's fault.
00:31:15.480 It's also Nancy
00:31:16.140 Pelosi's and Chuck
00:31:16.920 Schumer's and
00:31:17.740 every damn
00:31:18.180 Democrat that
00:31:18.880 votes for a
00:31:19.400 trillion here and
00:31:20.000 a trillion there
00:31:20.640 and spends and
00:31:21.220 spends and
00:31:21.560 spends and
00:31:21.900 spends.
00:31:22.540 And actually,
00:31:23.780 you know, so
00:31:24.160 one form of
00:31:25.020 inflation they call
00:31:25.820 shrinkflation.
00:31:26.740 You notice you go
00:31:27.300 in and like
00:31:27.980 packages are all
00:31:28.800 smaller in the
00:31:29.400 stores.
00:31:31.100 So, you know,
00:31:31.880 you buy Doritos and
00:31:32.840 you have five fewer
00:31:33.540 chips in the bag.
00:31:35.320 So maybe CNN was
00:31:37.280 right because they
00:31:38.760 might start selling
00:31:39.640 gas by the court.
00:31:40.820 but we're not far
00:31:42.540 away from two
00:31:43.380 dollars a quart for
00:31:44.460 gasoline.
00:31:45.600 And so, you know,
00:31:46.540 it just, it's a
00:31:47.780 smaller unit.
00:31:48.840 Like, a good
00:31:50.180 question to ask if
00:31:52.220 you're watching a
00:31:52.780 CNN broadcast, and
00:31:54.200 I pick on CNN in
00:31:55.560 particular because
00:31:56.300 they actually used
00:31:57.340 to be something of
00:32:00.980 journalists.
00:32:01.480 They were bad
00:32:01.940 journalists, but
00:32:02.520 they were trying to
00:32:03.080 be journalists.
00:32:04.360 Right.
00:32:04.500 Now they're just
00:32:05.320 shameless shills.
00:32:06.760 But a question
00:32:07.420 that's worth asking
00:32:08.260 if you watch a news
00:32:09.120 broadcast is, would
00:32:11.500 a word of this
00:32:12.460 have been different
00:32:13.380 if the Biden
00:32:15.040 White House had
00:32:15.860 written the script?
00:32:17.860 And if the answer
00:32:19.120 is no, it's not
00:32:21.900 journalism.
00:32:23.220 Right.
00:32:23.580 This is not a
00:32:24.380 complicated concept,
00:32:25.420 but CNN and MSNBC
00:32:26.980 seem very confused
00:32:29.060 at the concept.
00:32:29.640 Well, speaking of
00:32:31.500 perhaps unethical
00:32:33.500 ways to make money,
00:32:34.720 like just having
00:32:35.440 the government
00:32:35.840 print endless
00:32:36.640 amounts of cash,
00:32:37.880 there was a
00:32:38.520 mailbag question
00:32:39.280 that came in.
00:32:40.100 I mentioned it to
00:32:40.940 you a little bit
00:32:41.720 earlier because I
00:32:42.500 didn't know anything
00:32:43.360 about it, but I
00:32:44.420 would love your
00:32:45.400 take on it if you
00:32:46.960 have formed one.
00:32:48.020 This is from Chris.
00:32:49.020 I believe Chris is,
00:32:50.920 or I'm sorry, the
00:32:51.580 question is from
00:32:52.160 Jonathan, but it's
00:32:52.840 about someone who
00:32:53.520 is one of your
00:32:53.980 constituents.
00:32:54.860 The question is,
00:32:55.360 the Twitch streamer
00:32:57.440 Asmon Gold said he
00:33:00.080 reached out to
00:33:00.760 Senator Cruz's office
00:33:01.800 about regulating
00:33:03.020 loot boxes in
00:33:04.860 video games.
00:33:06.260 Where does the
00:33:06.860 senator stand on
00:33:08.080 loot boxes?
00:33:09.160 I know that those
00:33:10.100 are all words and I
00:33:11.200 understand they have
00:33:12.040 been strung together
00:33:12.920 in an English
00:33:13.460 sentence, but I
00:33:14.480 don't really
00:33:15.620 understand what it
00:33:16.720 means semantically
00:33:17.900 together.
00:33:19.120 Look, I'm happy to
00:33:20.080 engage in a
00:33:20.540 conversation with him.
00:33:21.320 I'm happy to see
00:33:22.880 what he has to say
00:33:23.640 on it.
00:33:24.020 But as I
00:33:25.400 understand it, the
00:33:26.180 concern he's raising
00:33:27.340 is a concern about
00:33:30.100 gambling and kids.
00:33:32.340 And I will say it is
00:33:33.440 certainly true that
00:33:34.660 social media, online
00:33:37.540 environments, including
00:33:39.540 video games, are
00:33:41.700 designed to be
00:33:42.560 addictive.
00:33:43.100 Now, I'm something of
00:33:44.340 a gamer.
00:33:44.800 I'm not a gamer like
00:33:45.760 hardcore Twitch
00:33:47.600 streamers, and I
00:33:48.980 don't do the massive
00:33:50.560 multiplayer games.
00:33:51.980 Not yet, Senator,
00:33:52.700 but I'll tell you, I
00:33:54.000 bet you never thought
00:33:54.860 that you were going
00:33:55.440 to be a top
00:33:56.020 podcaster.
00:33:56.780 So who knows?
00:33:57.420 We may have to
00:33:58.180 launch the verdict
00:33:58.800 Twitch stream and
00:34:00.040 start playing Pac-Man
00:34:01.220 or whatever the kids
00:34:01.840 are playing these
00:34:02.340 days.
00:34:03.320 That could well be.
00:34:05.440 And you remember
00:34:05.820 when you and I did
00:34:06.700 Dave Rubin's podcast,
00:34:08.220 we did a Twitch stream
00:34:09.660 on playing, I think it
00:34:10.580 was Nintendo that he
00:34:11.560 had, and we did that.
00:34:13.540 And if I remember
00:34:14.100 right, I beat his ass.
00:34:15.180 I'm pretty sure that's
00:34:16.120 right.
00:34:16.400 And if not, that's the
00:34:17.200 story I'm going with.
00:34:18.160 But look, there are
00:34:25.580 different components of
00:34:26.900 it in games.
00:34:27.960 I'll tell you, I don't
00:34:28.860 like it when you can buy
00:34:30.220 in-game items and sort
00:34:32.480 of make your character
00:34:33.140 stronger or get
00:34:34.260 advantages.
00:34:35.200 Now, I'll confess, when
00:34:36.100 I play some games, I'll
00:34:37.000 sometimes buy it because
00:34:38.060 it is more fun if
00:34:38.900 suddenly your character
00:34:40.080 has a lot more great
00:34:41.280 stuff that would take
00:34:42.180 you six months or a
00:34:43.800 year to build up.
00:34:44.640 So sometimes I'll, okay,
00:34:46.720 I'll spend 20 bucks and
00:34:48.540 buy a, you know, a
00:34:50.480 treasure chest full of
00:34:51.460 coins because then I
00:34:52.200 can spend them to get
00:34:52.940 cool things in the game.
00:34:54.920 You know, I think it is
00:34:57.580 a greater concern when
00:34:59.040 you're dealing with
00:34:59.780 kids, when you're
00:35:01.540 dealing with minors who
00:35:02.700 have a potential, number
00:35:04.560 one, to spend a whole
00:35:05.840 lot of money.
00:35:08.280 And, you know, with some
00:35:09.540 of the loot boxes,
00:35:10.620 there's a fair amount of
00:35:12.480 randomness that you could
00:35:13.440 get a lot of great stuff
00:35:14.620 or some lousy stuff.
00:35:15.900 And so I guess that's the
00:35:16.900 argument that it's
00:35:17.720 gambling.
00:35:18.860 I'll confess I haven't,
00:35:20.300 I'm open to hearing
00:35:21.660 arguments on this, but I
00:35:24.380 approach the issue with a
00:35:26.720 pretty strong libertarian
00:35:27.960 bent.
00:35:28.480 So I'd like to not see
00:35:31.280 kids exploited and
00:35:32.480 harmed.
00:35:34.680 And so I'd be
00:35:37.340 interested in his
00:35:39.500 views.
00:35:40.880 But at the same time,
00:35:42.280 I'm not sure that the
00:35:43.460 federal government really
00:35:44.380 has a dog in the fight
00:35:46.520 that if people want to
00:35:47.560 in a video game, spend
00:35:49.120 money on stuff in the
00:35:50.040 game, I think my
00:35:52.600 instincts are probably
00:35:53.620 that that may not be a
00:35:54.660 great choice if you're
00:35:55.600 spending massive amounts
00:35:57.340 of money in games.
00:35:58.720 But I'm not sure the
00:36:00.880 federal government has a
00:36:01.860 role preventing you from
00:36:02.760 doing that.
00:36:04.340 Well, we'll have to look
00:36:05.000 into loot boxes more.
00:36:06.660 Maybe I'll brush up on my
00:36:08.140 Donkey Kong or, you know,
00:36:09.600 whatever is really hip right
00:36:10.580 now.
00:36:12.540 And I hope that we can
00:36:14.060 figure out maybe maybe
00:36:15.040 we'll have to get back
00:36:16.220 and forth.
00:36:16.480 I'm quite confident it's
00:36:16.720 not Donkey Kong.
00:36:18.180 Is it not?
00:36:18.800 OK, I'm a little behind
00:36:19.780 the curve, but there were
00:36:21.660 there were no loot boxes
00:36:22.860 in Donkey Kong, too.
00:36:24.000 So maybe we'll we'll hear
00:36:26.100 from Osmond Gold.
00:36:27.240 And, you know, I will
00:36:28.240 note.
00:36:28.920 So I actually just watched
00:36:30.720 last week, watched again,
00:36:32.120 Ready Player One.
00:36:33.020 Did you ever see this this
00:36:33.880 movie?
00:36:34.660 No, I heard it was great,
00:36:35.820 but I didn't catch it.
00:36:36.560 I've seen it several times,
00:36:38.680 but I just happened to have
00:36:39.580 rewatched it last week.
00:36:40.700 And it's it's a really good
00:36:41.760 movie about virtual reality
00:36:43.140 and people going into the
00:36:45.740 game and a whole
00:36:46.640 alternative world in the
00:36:47.900 game.
00:36:48.560 But people amass money
00:36:51.100 in virtual reality and it
00:36:53.040 ends up for many people
00:36:54.320 subsuming the world.
00:36:56.480 And and look, there are
00:36:59.140 hard challenges where we're
00:37:00.740 not we're not yet to the
00:37:03.460 dystopic world of Ready
00:37:05.040 Player One, but we might
00:37:07.480 be where we're on a path
00:37:08.760 towards that.
00:37:10.120 And and, you know,
00:37:12.220 escapism, there are times
00:37:14.280 when escapism can be
00:37:15.320 valuable, but it also is
00:37:18.420 going to raise all sorts of
00:37:19.660 challenges and and
00:37:21.040 challenges that can spill
00:37:22.500 over from the virtual
00:37:24.140 world to the real world
00:37:25.180 and how those intersections
00:37:26.540 happen.
00:37:29.100 We're going to have to learn
00:37:30.220 more about them.
00:37:31.860 And specifically on this
00:37:32.840 issue of the loot boxes
00:37:34.140 and gaming, a lot of the
00:37:36.540 question involves the role
00:37:37.960 of parents and parental
00:37:39.200 rights is a big topic these
00:37:40.420 days.
00:37:40.600 And I believe parental
00:37:42.120 rights is the topic of your
00:37:44.080 conversation on the cloak
00:37:45.860 room with Liz Wheeler.
00:37:46.780 Is that right, Liz?
00:37:48.480 Yeah, this is a great
00:37:49.280 question, right?
00:37:50.000 It's it's a question I think
00:37:51.040 a lot of conservatives are
00:37:52.000 asking.
00:37:52.960 Are parental rights
00:37:53.680 absolute?
00:37:54.420 Can parents actually be bad
00:37:55.780 parents and take their kids
00:37:56.660 to a drag show or can that
00:37:58.620 or should that be illegal?
00:37:59.660 We're going to break this
00:38:00.520 down on the cloak room.
00:38:01.480 You can join us for this
00:38:02.340 conversation at verdict with
00:38:03.940 Ted Cruz dot com slash plus.
00:38:05.720 If you use my promo code,
00:38:07.000 which intuitively, you know,
00:38:08.280 this is cloak room.
00:38:09.600 You can get your first month
00:38:10.300 free on your annual
00:38:11.040 subscription.
00:38:11.480 That's verdict with Ted
00:38:12.460 Cruz dot com slash plus.
00:38:14.080 But before I toss this back
00:38:15.780 to you, I want to talk about
00:38:16.800 the Tim Allen thing that you
00:38:17.720 guys were talking about
00:38:18.460 before the new Disney movie,
00:38:20.120 the Buzz Lightyear movie.
00:38:21.420 There was actually a member
00:38:23.620 on our verdict plus community
00:38:24.820 today that was asking
00:38:26.720 whether you, Senator, are
00:38:28.680 ever going to star in a movie
00:38:30.260 or even make a cameo in a
00:38:31.920 movie.
00:38:32.100 I think they said, are you
00:38:32.640 going to be a high powered
00:38:33.620 lawyer in one of these
00:38:34.860 one of these crime movies?
00:38:36.380 And I laughed when I saw
00:38:37.720 that.
00:38:37.900 I thought to myself, what
00:38:38.760 could possibly trigger the
00:38:40.040 libs more than conservative
00:38:42.060 Tim Allen being in a movie?
00:38:43.140 And Senator, I think the
00:38:44.180 answer is you.
00:38:45.560 I'll tell you right now,
00:38:46.920 I'm not fighting Sylvester
00:38:48.200 Stallone.
00:38:50.440 And Schwarzenegger would
00:38:52.980 break me in half.
00:38:54.300 So but but but I'm game.
00:38:56.380 And and and listen, if
00:38:58.260 if Star Trek could have
00:38:59.500 Stacey Abrams as as the
00:39:01.120 president of Earth, which
00:39:03.840 which really was I look, I
00:39:05.960 I'm something of a Trekkie.
00:39:08.980 I'm not a hardcore Trekkie, but
00:39:10.240 I like Star Trek.
00:39:11.180 And it really is just sad for
00:39:12.860 them to be.
00:39:16.100 To be yet another woke mouth
00:39:18.340 mouthpiece, it's one thing to
00:39:19.660 take on issues.
00:39:20.340 It's another thing to be just
00:39:23.420 silly.
00:39:24.020 It reminds me of, you know,
00:39:25.120 Michael Jordan, Republicans
00:39:26.260 buy sneakers to, you know,
00:39:28.000 Republicans watch Star Trek
00:39:29.200 too.
00:39:29.540 And you start putting Stacey
00:39:30.660 Stacey Abrams there.
00:39:32.000 And and suddenly I'm going to
00:39:33.480 have to find something else to
00:39:34.560 watch.
00:39:34.900 I'll go back.
00:39:36.240 I'll go back to to original
00:39:38.120 Star Trek.
00:39:40.280 James T.
00:39:40.980 Kirk, by the way, was the best
00:39:42.160 captain ever anyway.
00:39:43.800 So so that.
00:39:47.120 And you've never seen the
00:39:48.360 Internet get more upset when
00:39:49.800 then when I said that James
00:39:51.700 T.
00:39:51.960 Kirk is a Republican and
00:39:53.440 Admiral Picard was a Democrat
00:39:55.660 and and and apparently lefties
00:39:57.480 don't like it when you comment
00:39:58.540 on their art.
00:39:59.160 They believe they own it.
00:40:00.120 Well, and now, Senator, not
00:40:01.280 only will you be criticized by
00:40:03.000 the president of the United
00:40:04.240 States, not only will you be
00:40:06.000 criticized by the president of
00:40:07.560 Mexico, but you will be
00:40:09.060 criticized by the president of
00:40:10.900 the world on Star Trek.
00:40:12.280 I have no doubt much more to
00:40:15.320 be covered on the cloakroom.
00:40:16.560 So do not go anywhere.
00:40:17.740 I will go somewhere, though,
00:40:18.680 because that is it for
00:40:19.860 Verdict.
00:40:20.360 I'm Michael Knowles.
00:40:21.600 This is Verdict with Ted
00:40:22.580 Cruz is being brought to you by
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00:40:44.180 In 2022, Jobs, Freedom and
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