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We know, we know — we’re 6 or 7 hours late with this. We had some technical difficulties during the recording of this show (we broke with tradition and training and left a bit of it in) which forced us to record this show in two sessions today, apologies for that. But that does not mean you, our faithful listeners are getting shortchanged. Far from it — this is one of the longest shows we’ve ever done — over 90 minutes of clever and civil conversation, featuring our guests, Andrew McCarthy, the WSJ’s Kim Strassel, and Ricochet’s own editor and senior citizen killer, Bethany Mandel, who joins to discuss her latest adventures on Twitter, which resulted in all of the right people getting mad at her.
We even crammed in a Lileks Post of The Week, and plenty of the banter that America’s Most Beloved Podcast has become so famous for. So strap yourself in or take a long, long (as in Rob) walk with the dog, cut a large lawn, do a lot of dishes, or whatever your podcast listening activity of choice is and consume this one from start to finish.
Music from this week’s show: Grandma’s Hands by Bill Withers
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Once again, Peter, you reference lunch with Jay Bhattacharya and potential news… But we have to wait a week to get it!
Well, if nothing else, I am enjoying the tone from you three. Perhaps you could have some conversations with your friends at NR.
Maybe it would look something like this:
Good talk. 3 great guests.
The Russia Fraud has played out like I thought it might – I dont think its fair to call it a hoax – its a fraud, the conspirators, those former Obama officials who have knowingly made false statements in the media should be facing lawsuits and criminal investigations. Isnt this enough to demand Adam Schiff’s resignation? How can he continue as chairman of the intelligence committee when so clearly used his office for partisan interests?
Its time for Adam Schiff to resign in disgrace, and until he does the administration should refuse any request from his committee.
I love how the people in the press use “the press” as a term for the other guys.
Monday.
I haven’t listened to this yet, but I am disgusted by people that think if you are pro life, opening up is pro death. There are literally Republicans accusing Republicans of this. I’m also disgusted with the stupid attacks on Bethany. What idiots.
In other words, everything is normal in the world?
It’s pretty stupid to think communally or whatever these days. Hell, probably since 1970. Take care of Number One. The system isn’t going to take care of you. And of course —->
Government Is How We Steal From Each Other™
This is excellent. He makes it sound like some Canadians have cabins in Minnesota. I had no idea.
Apparently, Bethany’s story continues, as she’s now in a fight with the WaPo, which is imagining her giving the animals at the National Zoo the sads over wanting to kill grandma…
Here’s the thing about killing grandma: after they have saved the medical system, the number of casualties under the curve will never change until they get a vaccine. The effects on human and financial capital when you don’t open up are very predictable.
This indicates one course of action.
There are Republicans that don’t get this.
Makes me want to head up dere just to buy something, eh.
Modoc County, CA is closer to Idaho than it is to Sacramento. If you were to drive to Sacramento you have to go through Nevada. Gavin Newsom is cracking the whip on those guys, too.
I never expected public health to perform so bad under a pandemic. It’s so uneven, they have wasted so many lives, and they have wasted so many resources, it’s unbelievable.
This country has too many fixed payments to meet, too many broke people, and too much debt, to not open up. The whole preparation for this thing was so poorly thought out you cannot exaggerate it.
Ron DeSantis comprehensively knows what he’s doing. Nobody else even comes close. If we had any brains we would make him Dictator Of Everything.
I have a question about the person that cuts my hair. What if every person that could afford it, paid for all of their haircuts for the rest of the year? How much would it change her fiscal picture? I’d love to know the math on that. I bet if it isn’t at least a third of her customers, she’s screwed for a long time. Everything is like that.
There are Republicans that see no problem in the sub version of the constitution and justice department regulations to get Trump. They are very happy with the deep state as it is.
This is what I think of planning. All of the planning was supposedly done in 2006. Nobody did anything. No execution. They had to have a plan for the whole country to take six weeks off. Every single salary, debt payment, and fixed payment should have been met by the federal reserve.
I thought Kyle Bass had the best system. Just print a bunch of money and whoever wants to take $10,000 right now has to delay getting Medicare and Social Security by one year.
Minnesota is what Canadians call “The Tropics” …
I’d love to know what all of the rationales are beyond those few years when the Canadian currency was extra strong. I just don’t know enough about it, except I suppose S.W. Ontario is pretty dull.
FYI, Texas has an inner nanny state. Sure the GOP politicians talk like it is a Galt’s Gulch, but there is an inner core that wants to tell people how to live their lives. I think it grows from Baptist roots of people should not be drinking (dry counties used to be common) and having a little too much fun. Dallas is the most uptight of the counties. Dallas has a old-money attitude and considers itself to be a little better than Texans and acts accordingly. So, don’t be surprised that a Dallas county judge would take personal offense at some hair cutter flaunting his dictates.
This is such a weird way to live. Supposedly, some drinkers liked it because it made the county more manageable. It’s just a little more hassle getting booze depending on your location.
I heard some guys talking about the charter of this type of judge. It hurt my head. Technically, he’s more of an administrator. More connected to the county than the justice system. I have never heard of such a thing.
There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Horatio.
A Texas County Judge can have powers within the normal judicial range in handling very low-level issues, but in most larger counties in Texas, that’s the purview of the County Court-At-Law Judge, who is at the county level essentially what the Municipal Court Judge is at the city level. Those sorts of duties on the misdemeanor level definitely wouldn’t apply to the Dallas County Judge’s responsibilities.
Because I live to serve, dear Hammer, I recorded an hour-long episode of Uncommon Knowledge with Dr. Bhattacharya yesterday afternoon. It’ll go live on the Internet on Monday morning.
Bill Withers!
A super 94 minutes…Thanks to all of you.
I’ll be 74 in June. My background may or may not be relevant to anyone else. No big deal either way….but I look and listen and read (a lot)….I paid close attention to Andy McCarthy and sense he almost is not as upset as he ought to be. Then I listen to Kimberly and Bethany and their level of concern and controlled anger is right where I find myself—and then some.
When I was at a Jesuit Prep School in Brooklyn an old Jesuit who took me to my first political event—a rally for Barry Goldwater in 1959—said “Boys…an old Greek philosopher is still correct in his observation that you can ignore politics BUT politics will not ignore you“. That was my start as a political junkie. So now in the midst of my first PANIC!Pandemic (we didn’t panic in the Asian Flu of 1957) I reflect on Barry (not a smidgen of a scandal!) Obama dumping on Trump in a most unseemly but, I think, planned ‘leak’ and I watch The Left’s reaction to AG Barr and I mull over , in no particular order: Comey,Holder,Wray,Biden,HRC, Schiff,Schumer,Nadler, Swallwell, McCabe, Page, Strzok, Rosenstein, Lynch, Feinstein,Romney, the Democrats who KNEW that Trump had NOT committed an impeachable offense and voted for it anyway, (their multiple mortal sins of omission and comission) and the 99.925% of the MSM that thought/know Trump Was/Is The Existential Threat of All Time….plus the FBI players WHO DID KNOW about the sins of their leaders and failed to act…..
And then as an economist and financial advisor for 45 years I stare at the $25TRILLION in debt—The Ultimate Keynesian Orgasm— we’ve now hit—and compound it all with new and growing tension with Communist China, N Korea and a nervous, economically cornered Putin and it becomes staggeringly clear THAT after my 3/4 of a century THE WORLD in general and we in particular NO LONGER have much, if any, room for ANY error. I assume the scientists who move the hands on The Doomsday Clock are quiet simply because the Communists are AGAIN the antagonists—and …some folks must never be offended.
The net is that these are the most perilous times I’ve ever lived in…Michael Pillsbury and Mark Steyn are correct—The 100 Year Marathon is real and America Alone is more than a slogan. God help us all.
Andy McCarthy, apologist for the deep state. “I’d like to think…” “[Comey’s] a patriot.”….
Wasn’t he also still saying something like “well MOST of the FBI and DOJ is still admirable…” even after every event of proof that they aren’t?
@peterrobinson and others continue to complain about how “2.2 million people didn’t die, not even close!” while ignoring that even the most arguably-ridiculously-alarmist “estimates” were based on NOTHING BEING DONE.
It makes less than zero sense to take measures, even if you think the measures went too far, and then argue that the measures weren’t needed because the IF NO MEASURES ARE TAKEN “guesstimates” were “wrong.”
In 2016, Hillary Clinton took Dallas County by a landslide.
It’s a Democratic stronghold, not really Texan any more.
And @bethanymandel is wrong. Many/most Democrats DO vote for people who they think will keep them safe, so they don’t have to do anything themselves.
And I’m not sure of the attraction of the show mentioned by @jameslileks. Unless the sun is expected to revert to normal after a relatively short time, there won’t be anything to eat etc, once they stop “running.” So their deaths are inevitable.
I thought the Outer Limits episode “Music Of The Spheres” from 1997 had a more interesting take.
I like Andy but that’s disturbed me about him for a long time. Comey attempted a coup. He lied repeatedly to Trump. Conservatives have been taught a lesson by this. Federal law enforcement is not our friend. Don’t tell them anything. Don’t cooperate. This means that law enforcement will be much less efficient. Only in America do the losers of an election persecute the winner and his supporters.
Maybe that’s because “Only in America” do the losers maintain positions of power and control?
Something like the “shadow government” system they have in England and a few other places, might be a good idea to have here. Then you have experienced “opposition party” people who are ready to take over especially key positions when the party needs them, and don’t end up leaving “the enemy” where they can cause damage and chaos. Because if you replace someone who’s been there for a year or two or four or whatever, with someone who hasn’t been in such a position before, you’ll get hammered by the media especially for “valuing partisanship over experience” etc.