WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.800 --> 00:00:12.439 Well whiskey coming thing, my pay money, why don't? From power Line 2 00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:19.000 blog dot com and produced by Ricochet dot Com. This is the three Whiskey 3 00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:26.440 Happy Hour with your bartenders Steve Hayward, John You and power Lines International Woman 4 00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:33.439 of Mystery Lucretia. Have you gotta giving? Let that whiskey flow where you're 5 00:00:33.479 --> 00:00:42.840 being in love down he Low. It's the three Whiskey Happy Hour Gala New 6 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:47.479 Year's Eve edition, our end of year wrap up on events and look ahead 7 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:50.719 of the year coming up. And I even get to host my own show 8 00:00:50.759 --> 00:00:52.840 again. You know, my two co hosts are like, you know, 9 00:00:52.920 --> 00:00:57.960 ruthless about beating me aside to run the run the show we will sooner or 10 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:03.520 later during this episode, Steve do almost surely starting now. Perhaps this is 11 00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:08.359 the episode devoted not exclusively but with the spirit of whiskey and whimsicality. Because 12 00:01:08.400 --> 00:01:11.239 what we're going to do is do a quick review of what each of us 13 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:15.640 think was the most significant story of twenty twenty three, and then I'll look 14 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:21.519 ahead to twenty twenty four, with each of us doing three to five depending 15 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:27.439 on time. Potential surprises, not predictions, necessarily, but possible surprises coming 16 00:01:27.480 --> 00:01:30.799 our way. In twenty twenty four. But before we get onto that, 17 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:34.879 first of all, Happy New Year's gang. What are we drinking to ring 18 00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:38.760 out the year and ring in the new I want to go first. I 19 00:01:38.799 --> 00:01:45.680 want to go first. So at the Lucretia household, nobody gets ties or 20 00:01:46.280 --> 00:01:49.719 bubble bath or any of those sort of pajamas, those kind of socks, 21 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:53.280 those traditional things. You know, if you need those things, you buy 22 00:01:53.319 --> 00:01:56.680 them. So it's always a little bit of a challenge, and we don't 23 00:01:56.719 --> 00:02:01.480 do a whole bunch of things. My son got a trip to Texas, 24 00:02:01.719 --> 00:02:06.799 a helicopter ride where he gets to shoot hogs from a helicopter with a fifty 25 00:02:06.840 --> 00:02:08.639 cow. So that's kind of a cool time. That's what we get in 26 00:02:08.680 --> 00:02:15.719 our household when we need it's why is that a gift? And so he 27 00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:20.520 was very clever and got I brought only the two whiskeys, because there's also 28 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:25.599 a brandy and a couple of other things. These whiskies are tenth Mountain, 29 00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:30.919 this one's an American single malt whiskey, and this one's a rye. But 30 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:35.560 the reason for that, and he's very clever, is that I spent a 31 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:40.520 considerable amount of time at Tenth Mountain up in Upstate New York at Fort Drum. 32 00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:45.879 I wouldn't say that I was the one deployed, except that the soldiers 33 00:02:45.879 --> 00:02:52.960 were always deployed in the wintertime to Panama, to Panama, and it was 34 00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:57.719 back in upstate New York. It was forty to fifty below zero. The 35 00:02:57.759 --> 00:03:00.199 only reason my house was warm is there was an inch of ice on the 36 00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:05.840 inside of the windows, so it kind of insulated it anyway. So I 37 00:03:05.879 --> 00:03:09.479 actually did my time at Tenth Mountains. So I have my Tenth Mountain rye 38 00:03:09.639 --> 00:03:15.879 and my Tenth Mountain single malt, and of course my Scotch, which is 39 00:03:15.960 --> 00:03:19.879 a fifteen year old Glen Fintage. So you really are doing the three whiskeys 40 00:03:20.120 --> 00:03:23.360 three whiskeys tonight? Can you guys beat that? No? Well I can't, 41 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:24.759 John, what are you doing? What do you I'm actually on the 42 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:30.400 same wavelength as Lucretia as always, so I have twelve but twelve year Glen 43 00:03:30.400 --> 00:03:36.240 Fittach twelve years. She beat me by three. Yeah, but I thought 44 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:39.439 i'd be traditional today too. Yeah, I've been. I have not had 45 00:03:39.479 --> 00:03:43.520 time to get out to shop for whiskey, so I just have a you 46 00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:47.800 know, a triple pore of my lafoy Kyle. Right, okay, John, 47 00:03:47.879 --> 00:03:51.879 wait wait before he goes on, how many whiskeys are bottles do you 48 00:03:51.919 --> 00:03:55.919 have in your house? Uh? I wanted to take a picture and then 49 00:03:55.960 --> 00:03:59.759 send it in for you could, Yes, so I could do that. 50 00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:04.800 So I'd say to ten, maybe ten or eleven? Right now? Yeah, 51 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:12.080 I talk about twenty five or thirty and Steve has one, well maybe 52 00:04:12.280 --> 00:04:15.439 three, but one three? What are you talking about? Yeah, Okay, 53 00:04:15.480 --> 00:04:18.519 I'm bad at this and I won't. I won't, and you can't. 54 00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:23.319 You can't use your home renovations as an excuse like you do for everything 55 00:04:23.319 --> 00:04:29.519 else. All right, enough of this Before we get to our wrap up 56 00:04:29.519 --> 00:04:31.800 of the year and surprises for next year, there are a couple of news 57 00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:36.360 items. One is just when you think, Lucretia, we're done with our 58 00:04:36.439 --> 00:04:42.399 lugubrious discussions of lookism the last couple of weeks, lo and behold controversy in 59 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:46.879 the last forty eight hours about the conservative dads. What's the hell I'm going 60 00:04:46.920 --> 00:04:51.439 to get this exactly right? The Conservative Dads. Real Women of America calendar 61 00:04:51.519 --> 00:04:57.160 for twenty twenty four, and it's you know, slightly cheese kiky photos for 62 00:04:57.199 --> 00:05:00.160 example, of Riley Gains in the bikini, which makes perfect sense. She's 63 00:05:00.199 --> 00:05:03.199 a swimmers, she's a swimmers physique, and a lot of actually Saint Hilaire 64 00:05:03.240 --> 00:05:06.399 in a bubble bath, and who I don't know who that is, right, 65 00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:10.720 I mean, they follow her on Twitter. She's the one, by 66 00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:15.439 the way, who has been documenting the and I we saw this when we 67 00:05:15.439 --> 00:05:17.800 were in the airport a couple of weeks ago. You might have seen it 68 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:25.959 also, John the shall we call it the expedited travel arrangements being made for 69 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:30.240 illegal aliens in airports all across the country, but especially to soon in Phoenix. 70 00:05:30.600 --> 00:05:31.560 Well, one of the other I mean, I don't know a lot 71 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:34.720 of the ladies on this calendar. One of them is Dane lash who I 72 00:05:34.759 --> 00:05:38.480 don't know, but I know who she is. She is posed on the 73 00:05:38.519 --> 00:05:43.120 calendar with a couple of a semi automatic weapons. She's been a spokespersonally in 74 00:05:43.240 --> 00:05:45.800 array I think, or at least certain you know, gun causes, and 75 00:05:46.439 --> 00:05:47.800 I don't know. It's a lot tamer than what I've posted at the end 76 00:05:47.800 --> 00:05:53.600 of my weekend pictures on power Wide. So there's this big fuss among conservatives 77 00:05:53.639 --> 00:06:00.319 that this is what Lucasia means it's too it's too sexist, or it's it 78 00:06:00.399 --> 00:06:03.879 seems really it's a little bit like I shouldn't make fun of Clotting Gay's ugly 79 00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:09.639 looks because there are more substantive things to say about her. Well, you 80 00:06:09.720 --> 00:06:14.839 can have pictures of Riley gain looking hot in a bikini, because there's more 81 00:06:14.920 --> 00:06:18.360 substantive things that matter about conservatives and not these days there isn't. By the 82 00:06:18.360 --> 00:06:23.279 way, it does sound like, I mean a lot of Twitter commentaries seem 83 00:06:23.319 --> 00:06:28.079 to be swallowing the feminist line that's objectifying women, which I say, and 84 00:06:28.079 --> 00:06:30.079 what they these are not These are not fake photos, are they? No, 85 00:06:30.120 --> 00:06:34.079 they're real photo. I mean, so they chose to take their photos 86 00:06:34.079 --> 00:06:38.399 in these clothing, in these poses, right, so, and they're hardly 87 00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:41.480 I mean, you know, it's just Riley Gaines twice in the bikini and 88 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:44.879 Ashley Saint Clair wants in a bubble bath, hardly revealing another one. She's 89 00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:48.839 wearing a black evening gown or something, and they're promoting what is it, 90 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:53.079 you know, the anti butt light. I forget what the beard are trying. 91 00:06:53.120 --> 00:06:57.360 Anyway, So there's where we are, so we would it would be 92 00:06:57.360 --> 00:07:00.439 okay, if they were men dressed this way, I don't know that's it's 93 00:07:00.439 --> 00:07:05.199 the fact that their women dress this way makes it controversial. Well, someone 94 00:07:05.319 --> 00:07:10.079 mentioned on Twitter that gosh, you know who didn't have a dad who had 95 00:07:10.079 --> 00:07:14.800 the snap On Tools calendar in their garage back of years ago, And that's 96 00:07:14.839 --> 00:07:18.800 true. Snap On Tools used to have these total you know babes wearing very 97 00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:24.279 tiny bikinis. They actually looked it up. They discontinued that calendar way back 98 00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:28.759 in nineteen ninety four under realize pressure, right, and what was There was 99 00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:32.439 also the TV show, the Tim Allen Comedy that had the full time card. 100 00:07:32.519 --> 00:07:38.040 Yeah, tool Time. I remember that was like the most popular sitcom 101 00:07:38.040 --> 00:07:41.160 in America for years. Right, Yeah, that's right. And no, 102 00:07:41.480 --> 00:07:44.399 what this is? I mean, you know, I'm used to the liberals 103 00:07:44.439 --> 00:07:46.879 whining about this, but when our team starts doing it, there's been an 104 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:50.240 argument back and forth. But when you know, voices on our team getting 105 00:07:50.319 --> 00:07:55.800 all anyway, I get I get pressed. You know, of course that 106 00:07:56.319 --> 00:08:01.680 there's going to be massive demand for a power line you know, three whiskey 107 00:08:01.720 --> 00:08:07.160 happy hour calendar now, in which the readers will demand that all twelve photos 108 00:08:07.160 --> 00:08:11.920 be of Lucretia yes, well, and then wait, you've got old photos 109 00:08:11.959 --> 00:08:15.040 of yourself from back in your Jane Fond of workout days in the eighties. 110 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:18.879 You've got to diagnose. What I said was because John. I was teasing 111 00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:22.759 John. We were having our typical little debate back and forth about Ukraine, 112 00:08:22.839 --> 00:08:26.759 and he came back and said Reagan would have supported Ukraine blah blah blah, 113 00:08:26.800 --> 00:08:33.240 And I said, haha, the eighties called they want their foreign policy back. 114 00:08:33.720 --> 00:08:39.759 Not the first time that Lucretia has quoted Obama to me as a kind 115 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:46.360 of desperate I've become. But John, quite rightly and cleverly wrote back that 116 00:08:46.440 --> 00:08:48.799 you know, of course, of course he wants the eighties foreign policy. 117 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:54.039 The eighties had the best helped me, John, Fashion, movies, fashion, 118 00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:58.279 and music. Yeah, it's all bent downhill. So I wrote back, 119 00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:03.200 and I said that that I had done one little modeling stint in the 120 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:07.799 nineteen eighties and the pictures. You could ask mister Lucretia, he will tell 121 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:13.159 you that I am a dead ringer in the pictures for Pat Benatar. It's 122 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:16.240 mostly the hair style and on the clothing. But I don't know that I 123 00:09:16.279 --> 00:09:22.200 actually facially look like her. But but the get up is total, Pat 124 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:26.159 Benatar, I don't know where those pictures are. I know that, you 125 00:09:26.200 --> 00:09:30.679 know, sometime between the eighties and now, they've been seen by at least 126 00:09:30.679 --> 00:09:35.039 somebody like mister Lucretia. But I think that they're buried in a box at 127 00:09:35.039 --> 00:09:37.759 the bottom of the shed in the back, which would take me like four 128 00:09:37.840 --> 00:09:41.320 years to dig out. So we're not going to have an option anytime soon 129 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:43.399 for the proofs from that model. Yeah, but we're going to be bugging 130 00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:46.559 you every week, and listeners, if you want to see this calendar produced, 131 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:50.759 you should be relentless in the comment threads to mande Lucretia's you know, 132 00:09:50.879 --> 00:09:54.679 go through those boxes and find it and we'll produce it and put it up, 133 00:09:54.120 --> 00:09:58.200 or better yet, pay for an intern to work through Lucretia's papers. 134 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:05.600 I love, Yes, I think my silo creaciable chip in Steve let me 135 00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:09.360 you need to let me share my screen, and you're, oh, sorry, 136 00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:13.679 yeah, you can share this with the listeners Afterwards. My argument was, 137 00:10:13.840 --> 00:10:20.200 if conservatives are really going to complain so much about these women in these 138 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:22.799 calendars, that maybe what we ought to do is have a side by side 139 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:26.279 just a twelve month calendar, but half of the picture at the top is 140 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:31.919 a conservative woman. Half of the picture will be a liberal woman. Steve 141 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:35.080 had a very clever response to that, which was something along the lines that 142 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:39.720 I thought that was the view. But I say we do. Barbara mccolski, 143 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:46.360 geez, and I know you actually you actually assembled your calendar for that. 144 00:10:48.039 --> 00:10:52.080 I could do it the way. People have always said that the conservative 145 00:10:52.080 --> 00:10:54.720 women are way more attractive than liberal women. I mean, think about even 146 00:10:54.759 --> 00:11:00.000 who's in Congress now, with the exception of AOC, I'm told by younger 147 00:10:58.840 --> 00:11:03.159 people that they find her attractive despite the fact that she has a horse face. 148 00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:09.080 She's really attractive the rest of them. I mean, you know, 149 00:11:09.120 --> 00:11:13.799 you could compare even someone who's who's older but still quite attractive with the senator's 150 00:11:13.840 --> 00:11:18.279 name is Southern, Marsha Blackburn. Marsha Blackburn. Yeah, yeah, exactly, 151 00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:22.919 she's attractive. There's quite a few attractive women. She dresses well. 152 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:26.440 And yeah, you as well, as always, you tend to underestimate Hillary 153 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:31.759 Clinton. You know some of the pictures, some of the pictures from back 154 00:11:31.799 --> 00:11:37.039 when was president Bill Clinton was president. She's not horrible. When she went 155 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:41.799 from stopped being an ugly hippie for a while when she was in the White 156 00:11:41.799 --> 00:11:43.720 House and somebody did her hair, and so when she was and she wasn't 157 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:48.559 you a lumpy and dumpy? But no, she's well when she you know, 158 00:11:48.799 --> 00:11:52.720 there was the famous pink sweater press conference when she was under fire and 159 00:11:54.080 --> 00:11:56.519 that wasn't and she looked terrific and that was not an accident. I think 160 00:11:56.519 --> 00:12:00.720 that was on purpose because they always was that when she wasn't making cookies. 161 00:12:05.240 --> 00:12:09.600 All right, enough of that, enough of that for now, speaking of 162 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:13.519 another I'm sorry, I'm just gonna say it. I think Nikki Hayley is 163 00:12:13.559 --> 00:12:15.960 an attractive woman, but boy, did she ever blow it this week. 164 00:12:15.960 --> 00:12:18.639 And now I'm out of defensive for her, because you know, she had 165 00:12:18.679 --> 00:12:22.039 several weeks ago said well maybe we need to censor social media or no ban 166 00:12:22.120 --> 00:12:26.279 on anonymity. That was it needed ban a nonymous participation on social media, 167 00:12:26.279 --> 00:12:28.720 and that was dumb. And then this week she got the civil war question 168 00:12:28.840 --> 00:12:33.720 and totally flubbed it, I mean flubbed it in the worst possible way. 169 00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:37.399 And her attempts to clean up on Aisle six I've been even worse. It 170 00:12:37.480 --> 00:12:41.679 was a plant. Well, I mean, no, of all the laming 171 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:46.879 question. Well, look, listeners, if you missed this, she's said, 172 00:12:46.120 --> 00:12:48.480 I forget what she said, but it was totally dumb. Then she 173 00:12:48.519 --> 00:12:54.840 tried so well, yeah, of course, as she was she was asked 174 00:12:56.000 --> 00:13:00.320 what was the cause of the Civil War? Yeah, she clearly had no 175 00:13:00.440 --> 00:13:05.120 Claremont graduates as her advisors. They would have been all over in US. 176 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:09.360 But she said it was that. She said it was about the balance between 177 00:13:09.399 --> 00:13:13.000 liberty and government power. That was her second answer. But that was the 178 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:16.279 bad answer. That was that was the clean up answer. Yeah, I 179 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:20.799 forget what you said the first time, but it was just dreadful and so 180 00:13:20.919 --> 00:13:24.799 first of all. But then the this was a plant, This was a 181 00:13:24.840 --> 00:13:28.399 hostile question meant to embarrass me. Well, you know, I would welcome 182 00:13:28.440 --> 00:13:30.840 a plant like that, because the same is by the way, he rambled 183 00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:33.440 a bit, but he got the right answer. The right answer ought to 184 00:13:33.440 --> 00:13:37.279 be, especially if a democratic plant, the answer should be we had a 185 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:41.919 civil war because the Democratic Party refused to accept the results of a free election 186 00:13:41.480 --> 00:13:48.200 after spending a generation trashing the principles of the American founding and denying the Declaration 187 00:13:48.240 --> 00:13:52.000 of Independence. Kind of like today, that would be the right answer. 188 00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:54.120 You know, turn it around and make it a liability for the left. 189 00:13:56.080 --> 00:14:00.279 You know, we saw the same problem happen when Governor de Santa as well 190 00:14:00.279 --> 00:14:03.639 Florida issued the education standards here four or five months ago or six months ago, 191 00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:09.039 and there was some language you could cherry pick. You read the whole 192 00:14:09.080 --> 00:14:13.200 thing, it was fabulous, but you could cherry picked the language that said, 193 00:14:13.200 --> 00:14:18.360 well, slavery was complicated, blah blah. And you know ricks wait, 194 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:20.320 no, not Rick Scott. It was the Scott running for president of 195 00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:24.399 South Carolina. A bunch of Republicans piled on to Tim Scott. They piled 196 00:14:24.440 --> 00:14:30.000 on Republicans and by the way, right now, listeners, Lucretia is sharing 197 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:33.559 a headline from the Washington Post saying conservatives really are better looking. Research says, 198 00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:37.679 you know, we got it from social science for that. Anyway, 199 00:14:37.799 --> 00:14:41.879 she totally blew it, showing once again that maybe she's not right for primetime. 200 00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:46.360 And I don't know, do you want to I hesitate to ask Lucretia 201 00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:52.480 if you want to add okay, totally mendicated. Okay, the only actually 202 00:14:52.519 --> 00:14:54.440 no, no, no, on a slightly different topic than I'll leave it. 203 00:14:54.480 --> 00:15:01.399 Digjohn, is you know the whisper campaign that supposedly h Donald Trump Junior 204 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:09.279 is has is trying to convince his father to completely denounce any effort to make 205 00:15:09.399 --> 00:15:13.799 Nikki Haley his running mate, because he will absolutely destroy any prospects he has 206 00:15:13.799 --> 00:15:16.200 of winning if he does. So. Have you heard that? Guys heard 207 00:15:16.200 --> 00:15:20.759 that? Heard she said it. He said it in public. I saw 208 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:26.000 the cliff. Yeah, he saw Don Jr. He was on a podcast 209 00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:30.080 and he said, there's no way she's going to be vice presidential candidate. 210 00:15:30.600 --> 00:15:35.159 I think that's correct. I mean yeah, I think well we'll talk about 211 00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:39.679 that as the primary season unfolds. I think so it's relevant news right now. 212 00:15:39.799 --> 00:15:43.000 That's the only reason I brought it up. There's nothing more to say 213 00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:46.879 about it. He his dad in no uncertain terms, you will lose more 214 00:15:46.919 --> 00:15:52.559 than half of your support if you bring that, that silly twit on the 215 00:15:52.759 --> 00:15:56.600 ticket. Yeah, but I think that was a true proposition even before her 216 00:15:56.759 --> 00:16:00.080 fumble this week. But right, well, let's move on. She just 217 00:16:00.600 --> 00:16:04.360 turns out to be a light intellectual lightweight unfortunately, and DeSantis, you know, 218 00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:08.200 got the right answer. Yeah, right, meets pretty easy. Yeah, 219 00:16:08.919 --> 00:16:11.000 well, all right, let's then to move on to the main event. 220 00:16:11.159 --> 00:16:17.320 For this year ending episode, which is what is for each of us 221 00:16:17.639 --> 00:16:21.320 the most significant and important story we think of the year, and then the 222 00:16:21.399 --> 00:16:23.679 part two of this will be our surprises for twenty twenty four. I'll go 223 00:16:23.879 --> 00:16:27.039 first, and by the way, you can name a couple of runners up 224 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:30.360 if you've got like two or three nominees, because I do. I am 225 00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:36.759 grumpy the colleges have ruined college sports. I think that's a more significant cultural 226 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:40.679 story than a lot of people make. I also thought initially that the big 227 00:16:40.759 --> 00:16:45.240 story of the year was the collapse of the Santas campaign and the revival of 228 00:16:45.320 --> 00:16:48.679 Trump, and I think it is a very big story. Who a year 229 00:16:48.759 --> 00:16:51.879 ago, the Santas was in the lead in the polls and Trump was down. 230 00:16:52.519 --> 00:16:56.960 And then I think the turning point was the Trump town hall on CNN, 231 00:16:56.440 --> 00:17:00.600 which ended up costing a head of CNN his job because Trump did so 232 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:03.399 well on it. That was Trump was back, baby, and he was 233 00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:06.319 really impressive. And all the other things we've talked about, you know, 234 00:17:06.359 --> 00:17:08.640 the indictments and all the rest. He's back. And I think I could 235 00:17:08.680 --> 00:17:15.480 talk a while but won't about the mistake the Santis of the Santa's campaign. 236 00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:19.240 But Dan more I thought about it, the more I realized the biggest story 237 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:25.799 of the year was the triple play of the Harvard unc case, of the 238 00:17:25.880 --> 00:17:30.680 October seven events in Israel, and the aftermath exposing the hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy 239 00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:36.319 of American universities. And here I think, I do want a brief historical 240 00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:38.480 analogy, because I know Illinois lucretia, and you know I lived for that 241 00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:41.839 sort of thing. But I got to thinking about nineteen fifty four for a 242 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:45.960 minute. Two things happened in nineteen fifty four, won the Brown versus Board 243 00:17:45.960 --> 00:17:52.599 of Education decision, which we know set off several decades of pitched battle. 244 00:17:52.680 --> 00:17:56.200 Right you had the massive resistance and so forth. The second thing that happened 245 00:17:56.200 --> 00:18:00.400 in nineteen fifty four that I think legal people don't remember that was the Army 246 00:18:00.519 --> 00:18:04.480 McCarthy hearings. And that was the moment that was contrived and staged and never 247 00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:10.200 reported accurately in history books. But nonetheless, that was when Joseph Welch turned 248 00:18:10.200 --> 00:18:12.920 on McCarthy with the famous dramatic moment, have you no decency at last? 249 00:18:14.079 --> 00:18:18.079 Sir? And that was thought to be the moment that broke McCarthy and broke 250 00:18:18.160 --> 00:18:22.240 the spell of McCarthyism, and I think there's some broader truth of the popular 251 00:18:22.319 --> 00:18:26.599 narrative. But now fast forward to now you had the Supreme Court decision, 252 00:18:26.240 --> 00:18:30.359 pretty clear, pretty strong. We liked it. Then you had the end 253 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:34.079 of the end of the year, the hearings with the three presidents of the 254 00:18:34.119 --> 00:18:38.359 Ivy the universities. That was a disgrace. And I think those hearings, 255 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:44.000 and I promise the creache I'm almost done. Those hearings rank with the McCarthy 256 00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:48.000 hearings, the Watergate hearings all over North in nineteen eighty seven, which totally 257 00:18:48.079 --> 00:18:53.279 upended the narrative of Irankantra. And I think this one up ended the narrative 258 00:18:53.319 --> 00:18:56.799 and public perception of universities. It doesn't mean that we're going to win. 259 00:18:57.319 --> 00:19:00.599 It only means that we have, in sports terms, the possession arrow and 260 00:19:00.920 --> 00:19:03.839 we may have them on the run if we can follow up and keep going. 261 00:19:04.200 --> 00:19:10.160 But I think this year was a turning point and that whole conjurary of 262 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:14.680 problems that we bundle under wokeery. And I'll stop there and say that's my 263 00:19:14.839 --> 00:19:18.200 big story of the year. Well, John and I had a really interesting 264 00:19:18.279 --> 00:19:25.640 discussion after as opposed to what you were just talking about, Steve, John 265 00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:30.359 was an uninteresting discussion. Oh, I had a really interesting discussion right after 266 00:19:30.559 --> 00:19:38.319 the Harvard decision about whether or not this was going to have a wide spre 267 00:19:38.440 --> 00:19:41.920 and you were part of it too, Steve. I'm just teasing a widespread 268 00:19:42.359 --> 00:19:51.680 effect beyond just the sort of simple question of counting admissions by race, whether 269 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:53.880 a they would double down on that, figure out a way to do that. 270 00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:57.240 We know they tried that very hard. We know that at your university, 271 00:19:57.400 --> 00:20:03.039 my university, and university's a across the country. Uh, every every 272 00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:07.319 administrator under the sun has tried to figure out how they can continue their DEI 273 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:12.160 policies under some other name. At universe my university, it became no more 274 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:17.759 use of the word diversity. Now we have to use the word inclusion instead. 275 00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:19.440 Right, But which is you know, a scam and just a way 276 00:20:19.480 --> 00:20:22.880 to get around it. So we talked and then we talked about the you 277 00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:26.400 know, the possibility of it spreading. John gave us a nice discussion of 278 00:20:26.839 --> 00:20:32.880 how this might affect the corporate world, even though the the decision obviously didn't 279 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:36.640 have a direct legal impact on the corporate world. We all were kind of, 280 00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:41.720 you know, skeptical about whether whether it was a turning point, whether 281 00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:47.440 you know, the decision would just be ignored by academia and so forth. 282 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:52.559 I am not quite as convinced as you are, Steve, that that we 283 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:59.880 have them on the run. However, we actually I disagree with you in 284 00:21:00.119 --> 00:21:03.720 two ways. I think the opposite of the way you framed it in some 285 00:21:03.799 --> 00:21:06.759 ways. Let me see if I can explain that. On the one hand, 286 00:21:07.599 --> 00:21:14.480 the respect that the average American has has for higher education has been you 287 00:21:14.599 --> 00:21:19.240 know, waning by leaves and bounds even before the Harvard decision, and you 288 00:21:19.359 --> 00:21:25.480 know, we've seen that across the board. The whole student loan debacle didn't 289 00:21:25.519 --> 00:21:30.279 help all these things. Right. On the other hand, you would have 290 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:37.000 expected that maybe some college administrators, university administrators, big shots would look at 291 00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:41.279 this and say, maybe we need to do something. But of course what's 292 00:21:41.359 --> 00:21:48.319 happening is that that all of the the elite university administrators are doubling down. 293 00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:53.000 Charles Freed, of all the more ones in the world, well buys that 294 00:21:53.279 --> 00:22:00.680 guy came out, and I mean so they even Larry Summers, he was 295 00:22:00.759 --> 00:22:03.920 absolutely terrible, who was actually speaking out against cluddie and gay and the fact 296 00:22:03.960 --> 00:22:11.039 that she's still in Harvard the few black black scholars who were sort of, 297 00:22:11.240 --> 00:22:17.480 you know, completely undermined and discriminated against by her. And so anyway, 298 00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:22.559 my point to end all that and give jo on the floor is that I 299 00:22:22.680 --> 00:22:26.640 do agree with you. However, however, I don't think it has anything 300 00:22:26.680 --> 00:22:30.640 to do with some sort of hearings in McCarthy. I don't think that's it. 301 00:22:30.799 --> 00:22:37.519 I think I'm just have somebody say we don't think that donors should be 302 00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:42.880 able to have an influence on university policy. These same people have been raking 303 00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:48.400 in billions and billions over the years. Uh. And of course you know 304 00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:52.519 the idea that Congress is actually looking into this and wondering whether they ought to 305 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:56.440 be funneling billions and billions of federal dollars we might actually see money make a 306 00:22:56.519 --> 00:23:03.079 difference, is what I is my point. John, So we're still talking 307 00:23:03.079 --> 00:23:06.799 about Steve. Well, I mean, you don't have to, John, 308 00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:11.359 I'm even talks to you for your review want but well, you know, 309 00:23:11.480 --> 00:23:18.359 I think part of the an important contributing factor to Steve's point about maybe Wokism 310 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:23.559 has hit its waterloo this year is the Gaza war I think that's the biggest 311 00:23:23.559 --> 00:23:30.119 story because the Gaza War is what triggered this anti semitism. This did trigger 312 00:23:30.119 --> 00:23:34.960 ani Semitism. It made it acceptable to publicly display anti semitism on the left, 313 00:23:36.400 --> 00:23:40.480 and it was that hearing at which Claudie and Gay immolated herself, right, 314 00:23:40.720 --> 00:23:42.039 So I think I think to me that's the big story. And the 315 00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:47.519 reason why is because in part not just because of what's happening in the Middle 316 00:23:47.519 --> 00:23:53.160 East, but it showed I think reasonable people who haven't been paying attention that 317 00:23:53.359 --> 00:24:00.599 wokeism and cultural Marxism has a strong anti Semitic element to it, and that 318 00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:03.839 I don't think people realize that. I mean, I think we we knew 319 00:24:03.880 --> 00:24:06.240 that, but I don't think most people know that because they don't. They 320 00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:11.440 don't know anying about cultural Marxism or Marxism. So were you surprised? Were 321 00:24:11.480 --> 00:24:18.440 you surprised or either one of you surprised at the level of vitriol at the 322 00:24:19.319 --> 00:24:23.559 you know the is it? I guess? Let me put it this way, 323 00:24:25.160 --> 00:24:30.880 the call the pro Palestinian idiots that are protesting and so on, their 324 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:34.319 facts are completely wrong. They know nothing, they know less than nothing. 325 00:24:36.200 --> 00:24:37.920 It's not that they don't know anything. But it's just that everything they know 326 00:24:38.079 --> 00:24:41.160 is wrong. Right. I'm not the slightest bit surprised. I don't think 327 00:24:41.240 --> 00:24:47.799 John is either the I'm surprised that it's I'm surprised that it's in public, 328 00:24:48.039 --> 00:24:51.400 Like I think, like the people when you read what they write, you 329 00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:53.480 know, the theorists and so on. Uh, you know, there is 330 00:24:53.559 --> 00:24:57.160 a strong anti Semitic element to what they say. But you know, I 331 00:24:57.200 --> 00:25:03.559 didn't think it would burst out in public with you know, the whatever they 332 00:25:03.599 --> 00:25:07.480 are, the wide general the z generation out protesting as we've seen in public 333 00:25:07.519 --> 00:25:12.400 and then being defended by college presidents, right, people with the fanciest degrees. 334 00:25:12.440 --> 00:25:18.480 And I don't I'm not surprised that they have these policies which have as 335 00:25:18.559 --> 00:25:22.839 their effect strong negative impacts on Jews in this country. BI didn't think that 336 00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:26.559 they would have trouble condemning anti semitism in a congressional hearing. So that's the 337 00:25:26.920 --> 00:25:32.160 I think that's because there's such a bubble the students and these administrators. They 338 00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:36.920 didn't realize that they were saying things which are abhorrent to the majority of reasonable 339 00:25:36.960 --> 00:25:40.599 people in the country. Well, but I mean, but even inside that 340 00:25:40.680 --> 00:25:45.319 bubble John. The shocking thing to me was people who should know better, 341 00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:49.279 like Larry Summers, like Gardine Irwin Chammerinsky, who said, nothing's prepared me 342 00:25:49.359 --> 00:25:53.160 for the anti semitism I've seen on campus since October seven. He was not 343 00:25:53.359 --> 00:25:56.640 paying attention. I've said this before here, I've written about it. Right. 344 00:25:56.720 --> 00:26:02.319 That was just ridiculous. But enough of all that, Lucretia, do 345 00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:07.359 you have your story of the year that you think is loose largest to I'm 346 00:26:07.400 --> 00:26:10.359 going to because that was my story of the year and you stole it. 347 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:12.079 But that's the way it goes. I've got another story of the year. 348 00:26:12.160 --> 00:26:17.079 You said, have my second third place? Yeah, I actually, even 349 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:23.319 knowing the fecklessness and abject corruption of the Biden administration, I am still shocked 350 00:26:23.359 --> 00:26:29.079 and surprised about the disaster at the border. I'll be honest with you. 351 00:26:29.359 --> 00:26:37.279 Two one hundred and thirty thousand apprehended at the border in the month of December. 352 00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:42.000 How many got aways? We have no idea. We have no idea, 353 00:26:42.200 --> 00:26:51.319 and the it is hard. It is hard for me even to contemplate 354 00:26:52.480 --> 00:26:57.319 even knowing all of the explanations that are given for the corruption of the Biden 355 00:26:57.359 --> 00:27:02.880 administration. In their handling of this. It is still impossible for me to 356 00:27:03.799 --> 00:27:08.119 wrap my head around the idea that they are still allowing this to occur. 357 00:27:08.319 --> 00:27:15.880 And then that corrupt, senile, pos pedophile president of ours has the unmitigated 358 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:25.799 gall to call January the Month of Human trafficking Awareness? Does he have I 359 00:27:25.880 --> 00:27:27.920 mean, you guys don't see it, but I see it all the time. 360 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:33.880 Do you have any idea the human suffering that occurs because that border is 361 00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:38.839 open, and because it's a welcome matt to everybody, and because the cartels 362 00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:48.519 can and do kidnap. Actually it's worse than that. They get families to 363 00:27:48.599 --> 00:27:52.240 give their children, to give their women to the cartels in exchange for money, 364 00:27:52.319 --> 00:27:56.359 and then they're sex trafficked. And they're sex trafficked all over the country. 365 00:27:56.640 --> 00:28:03.000 They're sex trafficked here in Arizona. And how can you stop that? 366 00:28:03.160 --> 00:28:07.799 You close the damn border. You close it. It can be closed. 367 00:28:07.160 --> 00:28:11.160 It can be closed without a wall. It would be better with a wall, 368 00:28:11.480 --> 00:28:14.000 but they could, you know what, shoot people who try to cross, 369 00:28:14.359 --> 00:28:18.480 shoot on site like they do in other countries, would be the most 370 00:28:18.640 --> 00:28:22.480 humanitarian thing this country had ever done. That's my belief. And so the 371 00:28:22.599 --> 00:28:26.720 surprise to me is not that the Biden has the border open, but how 372 00:28:26.359 --> 00:28:33.079 incredibly awful the situation has become. And then you have Mophead and other idiots 373 00:28:33.119 --> 00:28:37.200 in the Biden administration. The border's more secure than it's ever been and they 374 00:28:37.359 --> 00:28:44.160 lie unable. It's that to me is a surprise. Well, i'll tell 375 00:28:44.160 --> 00:28:48.160 you. I'll tell you what that wasn't the surprises. But last week, 376 00:28:48.240 --> 00:28:51.079 and it's one thing for Fox News to cover this, They've had reporters down 377 00:28:51.119 --> 00:28:55.400 there fairly often showing things. But last week I noticed, and I flipped 378 00:28:55.440 --> 00:28:59.079 around the channels because I got curious about this, But all three networks, 379 00:28:59.519 --> 00:29:03.000 ABC, SE, CBSNBC, they had segments on the evening news more than 380 00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:07.240 one night in a row, fairly high up in the order of the broadcast 381 00:29:07.720 --> 00:29:11.279 from the border in Texas, showing some of the pictures we've seen on Twitter. 382 00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:12.920 I thought, that's interesting. Didn't go as far as I would, 383 00:29:14.240 --> 00:29:15.920 They didn't ask certain questions. But the point is the fact that they're covering 384 00:29:15.960 --> 00:29:21.319 it at all I thought was unexpected. I thought, what's this about. 385 00:29:21.519 --> 00:29:25.640 They are taking the polls showing this is deeply unpopular. Biden's handling on the 386 00:29:25.640 --> 00:29:29.519 border I think it's like a twenty percent approval, which he doesn't even have 387 00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:32.079 a third of the Democratic Party. Who are those idiots that make up the 388 00:29:32.119 --> 00:29:34.359 Twilve Yeah, exactly, Well, I think you can always find tho. 389 00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:40.640 Okay, the pointoffs, but one additional thing, and I'd like both of 390 00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:45.279 you to comment. The mini surprise out of that surprise was a the Republican 391 00:29:45.640 --> 00:29:52.200 governors and border states who decided to export their immigrants. There are legal immigrants 392 00:29:52.319 --> 00:30:00.359 to sanctuary democratic sanctuary cities. And how successful, how they didn't give in 393 00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:03.039 when they were you know, we're going to sue you, we're going to 394 00:30:03.119 --> 00:30:04.759 arrest you, we're gonna blah blah blah. They didn't give in. And 395 00:30:06.039 --> 00:30:10.559 look at what it's doing. It may be more than wokeness, more than 396 00:30:10.720 --> 00:30:15.000 October seventh, more than anti Semitism. It may be the thing that destroys 397 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:18.440 the left coalition. Yeah, yeah, there's some evidence for that, right 398 00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:22.960 Yeah, John, you want to weigh in on this particular point or should 399 00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:25.200 we move on? Oh? No, so I the people. I don't 400 00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:27.640 know if I mentioned the podcast, but I actually spent the last few days 401 00:30:27.880 --> 00:30:36.200 of Christmas in Lucreatia Country. So I was in Arizona, and I actually 402 00:30:36.559 --> 00:30:41.680 saw a lot of stories on TV and actual old fashioned newspapers made out of 403 00:30:41.759 --> 00:30:45.359 paper about the border crisis. I mean, it was I think here in 404 00:30:45.480 --> 00:30:48.200 California, I mean we see some of it, but we don't really You're 405 00:30:48.279 --> 00:30:52.599 right with Christia, we don't really see what it's like on the front line 406 00:30:52.680 --> 00:30:56.480 and just how everybody is thinking and talking about it. And you see the 407 00:30:56.599 --> 00:31:02.200 effects of it everywhere in a way you don't just you know, in northern 408 00:31:02.279 --> 00:31:06.279 California, maybe in southern California do so. I agree that though I think 409 00:31:06.319 --> 00:31:11.920 it's become a bipartisan issue right now, it's not a conservative versus liberal issue. 410 00:31:11.200 --> 00:31:17.240 I also don't think it's a racial issue, because I saw people quoted 411 00:31:17.319 --> 00:31:22.599 in the papers and appearing on TV who appeared to be Hispanic who were complaining 412 00:31:22.680 --> 00:31:27.599 and upset about the way that the border has failed. So I'm coming around 413 00:31:27.640 --> 00:31:30.720 to Lucretia's view that this is, you know, this is I think the 414 00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:37.119 primary that and inflation to me, become the primary domestic policy vulnerabilities of this 415 00:31:37.200 --> 00:31:41.200 administration. I would not have thought that two years ago. Yeah, yeah, 416 00:31:41.240 --> 00:31:45.920 I do. Well. One quick comment on that, John being having 417 00:31:45.359 --> 00:31:51.279 very very many friends of Hispanic heritage, many friends actually who are dual citizens. 418 00:31:51.359 --> 00:31:53.599 Because I live right on the border. My best friend is a dual 419 00:31:53.680 --> 00:32:01.839 citizen, a Mexican and American citizen, and her husband died recently, but 420 00:32:02.079 --> 00:32:07.000 before that he had his visa. He was only a Mexican citizen and had 421 00:32:07.039 --> 00:32:13.039 his visa taken away because he was married to an American citizen and his two 422 00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:15.960 daughters who are American citizens, so they considered him a flight risk if he 423 00:32:16.039 --> 00:32:20.960 got back into the country. So he was actually prevented for the last ten 424 00:32:21.039 --> 00:32:25.799 years of his life from entering legally entering the United States. He lived in 425 00:32:25.880 --> 00:32:30.880 a house two blocks from the wall. Okay, just so you understand this, 426 00:32:31.000 --> 00:32:37.680 but that's one story, one anecdote out of literally hundreds of thousands similar 427 00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:44.279 anecdotes. But what I will tell you is people who have followed the legal 428 00:32:44.440 --> 00:32:50.960 pathway to either residency or citizenship are not happy about the fact that, you 429 00:32:51.039 --> 00:32:55.680 know, literally hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants are crossing that border. They're 430 00:32:55.680 --> 00:33:00.720 getting they're getting cell phones, they're getting credit cards, are getting hotel rooms, 431 00:33:00.759 --> 00:33:04.599 are getting airline flights, are getting bus tickets, you know, on 432 00:33:04.720 --> 00:33:07.759 and on and on. And they had to do it the hard way. 433 00:33:07.920 --> 00:33:10.400 And so it's not a racial issue, but any stretch of the imagination, 434 00:33:10.640 --> 00:33:15.000 it'd say, I want I came here because I wanted to be an American, 435 00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:17.279 and I did what I needed to do, and I followed the law, 436 00:33:17.440 --> 00:33:25.759 and it was often expensive and long and bureaucratic and arduous, but I 437 00:33:25.880 --> 00:33:29.119 did it, and I think everybody should have to do it the way I 438 00:33:29.240 --> 00:33:37.079 did. It's very very common. All right, everybody, take a sip 439 00:33:37.119 --> 00:33:40.640 of whiskey and poor new glass, and let's get on to are look ahead 440 00:33:40.680 --> 00:33:44.240 to twenty twenty four, and I mean we can do if you want, 441 00:33:44.279 --> 00:33:46.759 some predictions on the election and Hunter Biden and Jackie, if you want to, 442 00:33:47.160 --> 00:33:51.519 I think more interesting to try and do what are some possible surprises, 443 00:33:51.720 --> 00:33:55.480 things that we don't expect, but you know there's a probability it could happen, 444 00:33:55.559 --> 00:33:59.319 and you can see the logic of it. I mean, I think, 445 00:33:59.359 --> 00:34:01.359 for example, a prediction, I think Benjamin Netanyah, who is gone 446 00:34:01.440 --> 00:34:04.920 by the end of the year next year, just because he's going to be 447 00:34:04.960 --> 00:34:07.239 the scapegoat for October seven. You can see the logic of that. Maybe 448 00:34:07.280 --> 00:34:12.159 they'll be wrong, We'll see. But I've got several what I think would 449 00:34:12.159 --> 00:34:15.599 be genuine surprises if they happen, and I will will around Robin here, 450 00:34:15.599 --> 00:34:17.639 will each take a turn. My first one is there's going to be a 451 00:34:17.719 --> 00:34:22.639 recession by summer or fall. And the reason I say that is all the 452 00:34:22.719 --> 00:34:25.400 certified smart folks are saying right now, Oh, we're going to have a 453 00:34:25.480 --> 00:34:30.719 soft landing. We've avoid recession. The Federal Reserver geniuses. They've managed the 454 00:34:30.760 --> 00:34:34.079 interest rate cycle just right, smooth sailing. We're gonna have economic growth, 455 00:34:34.159 --> 00:34:37.800 it might even increase. And when I hear everybody saying this in financial world, 456 00:34:38.719 --> 00:34:42.760 just like Greenspan said back in around two thousand and five that everything was 457 00:34:42.800 --> 00:34:45.159 fine in the housing market, that's w I think it's probably wrong and there's 458 00:34:45.159 --> 00:34:49.440 probably going to be a recession. I can give you some macroeconomic indicators to 459 00:34:49.440 --> 00:34:52.199 support that, but I won't because that'll really make Lucretia's eyes glaze over. 460 00:34:52.719 --> 00:34:57.199 She's already yawning. But that's what I think. I'm predicting a recession for 461 00:34:57.320 --> 00:34:59.119 middle of the year. So I don't know if any of you want to 462 00:34:59.159 --> 00:35:01.320 bite on that, or we can just go on to you with your first 463 00:35:01.440 --> 00:35:07.679 surprise, So I don't think there's going to be a recession. Let me 464 00:35:07.960 --> 00:35:13.960 just okay, coming because I think that you know, there's this great book. 465 00:35:14.760 --> 00:35:17.320 Gosh, who's it by. I think it's by this guy Ed Tufti, 466 00:35:17.400 --> 00:35:22.400 who's a professor Yale and went on to greater fame teaching people how to 467 00:35:22.679 --> 00:35:30.280 make a PowerPoint displaced. But he wrote he wrote by the Way. But 468 00:35:30.519 --> 00:35:36.320 before that, he wrote this interesting book that showed that the Federal Reserve generally 469 00:35:36.440 --> 00:35:42.360 tries to cut interest rates and goosey economy during presidential election years. So I'm 470 00:35:42.400 --> 00:35:45.440 going to predict there won't be a recession because I think the Fed is gonna 471 00:35:45.760 --> 00:35:49.920 you know, this guy Powell is gonna cave because he's just in case of 472 00:35:50.679 --> 00:35:53.199 right and wins AND's get reappointed, so he's going to goosey economy cut interest 473 00:35:53.280 --> 00:35:57.800 rates this year too. Everyone's saying he's going to anyway, but I think 474 00:35:57.840 --> 00:36:00.559 he's determined that they're not be a recession during a presidential election year. So 475 00:36:00.639 --> 00:36:06.400 I'm against Steve. I have I have faith in the office seeking desires of 476 00:36:06.679 --> 00:36:09.400 our bureaucrats. Can I just make a comment about Ed Tufty Did you take 477 00:36:09.400 --> 00:36:13.079 a classroom in when you were young. I know I did take the class, 478 00:36:13.079 --> 00:36:15.000 but I was forced to read the book. Well, I took it 479 00:36:15.079 --> 00:36:20.320 in I read it in Macroecon. Yeah. Well, I mean he's famous 480 00:36:20.360 --> 00:36:22.639 for at least two things. One is, yeah, the cognitive style of 481 00:36:22.719 --> 00:36:28.679 PowerPoint, which has this great poster that is, nobody has PowerPoint like Stalin's 482 00:36:28.719 --> 00:36:36.840 PowerPoint. He has the best bullet points. But he also in that's my 483 00:36:36.920 --> 00:36:39.599 PowerPoint. No, he was against the But then also he's the guy whose 484 00:36:39.679 --> 00:36:43.840 book and I forget the title of it, it was on the wait, 485 00:36:43.960 --> 00:36:47.320 the Physical Display of Quantitative Information. Yes, you know that's but that's what 486 00:36:47.440 --> 00:36:51.800 it's about. Yeah, he's got what he's actually was made in the nineteenth 487 00:36:51.840 --> 00:36:54.199 century, but he claims it's the greatest data chart ever. I'll try and 488 00:36:54.280 --> 00:36:57.960 find it and post it in the show notes for this episode. And it 489 00:36:58.119 --> 00:37:04.320 was you didn't don't remember it was Napoleon's march to Moscow in eighteen twelve, 490 00:37:04.639 --> 00:37:07.840 you know, when he tried to invade Moscow in the winter. And I'll 491 00:37:07.920 --> 00:37:10.159 just describe it this way because there's a lot of stuff prammed into this visual. 492 00:37:10.559 --> 00:37:14.199 But he has this big, thick band that gets thinner as you go 493 00:37:14.280 --> 00:37:16.159 to Moscow, and then the band gets thinner and thinner going back to France 494 00:37:16.199 --> 00:37:20.800 in the winter, and that the thickness of the band represents the number of 495 00:37:20.840 --> 00:37:22.639 troops he had. So he leaves with something like four hundred thousand troops. 496 00:37:23.079 --> 00:37:28.159 He returns to Paris after the winter with something like twenty thousand troops, and 497 00:37:28.599 --> 00:37:30.679 he's got a little markers along the way, and he says, that's the 498 00:37:30.760 --> 00:37:34.960 greatest data visualization ever done. Let's just mention that as a commercial comment. 499 00:37:35.079 --> 00:37:37.320 But okay, Lucretia, Oh wait, but John, I didn't you have 500 00:37:37.440 --> 00:37:42.800 your surprise so you said we shouldn't talk about like the various Trump trials want 501 00:37:42.920 --> 00:37:49.400 too easy or the primary, So can't I mean, but I actually just 502 00:37:49.599 --> 00:37:53.800 predict much more stability and less insanity this year. So I don't think Ukraine's 503 00:37:53.840 --> 00:37:57.039 going to lose. I don't think they're going to reach a piece deal. 504 00:37:57.039 --> 00:37:59.159 I think the war is going to go on for a whole nother year. 505 00:38:00.119 --> 00:38:02.760 China is going to do anything to Taiwan. I think Israel's going to close 506 00:38:02.800 --> 00:38:07.320 out Hamas and Gaza, although they'll end up with a lot of casualties. 507 00:38:07.920 --> 00:38:12.159 But I just I just see the trends continuing. I think the stock market's 508 00:38:12.199 --> 00:38:14.599 not going to go way up or way down, but we will. We 509 00:38:14.639 --> 00:38:20.320 won't have a recession. Some I generally don't think about the low probability things 510 00:38:20.360 --> 00:38:22.119 that might happen. I think Biden, and it's going to be Biden versus 511 00:38:22.199 --> 00:38:25.880 Trump. I think, yeah, I think Trump's gonna probably win if you 512 00:38:27.000 --> 00:38:30.760 just go on the past numbers, which probably would have surprised me a year 513 00:38:30.760 --> 00:38:35.400 ago. A year ago, I wouldn't say I think Trump's going to win. 514 00:38:35.719 --> 00:38:37.800 I think DeSantis is not gonna win. He's going to pull out. 515 00:38:37.840 --> 00:38:40.599 I don't understand how that happened. That's something I thought we were going to 516 00:38:40.639 --> 00:38:45.920 talk about. It's just what happened. Well, the Desanta's inspired by Claremont 517 00:38:46.039 --> 00:38:50.599 ideas. There's the photo of Steve meeting. Actually that was the high point 518 00:38:50.719 --> 00:39:00.760 after he met with Hayward. It's been an unmitigated dives. What I mean, 519 00:39:01.079 --> 00:39:05.199 no one's ever going to let the Claremont is to me with another presidential 520 00:39:05.320 --> 00:39:07.840 nominee. Again. Okay, quiet down now, John, you're not any 521 00:39:07.920 --> 00:39:15.280 help. Here's why I surprised if a year ago we had done this format, 522 00:39:15.400 --> 00:39:19.639 would any of us have predicted even a one percent chance that the end 523 00:39:19.679 --> 00:39:23.960 of twenty twenty three, our favorite Democratic Senator would be John Fetterman. And 524 00:39:24.079 --> 00:39:28.039 yet that is what has happened. That's how weird the world can be. 525 00:39:28.280 --> 00:39:30.280 That's why I sort of like this exercise, right. Yeah, And you 526 00:39:30.320 --> 00:39:35.159 know, who would have thought that Kevin McCarthy would only be in office for 527 00:39:35.280 --> 00:39:40.239 what lesson a year? Well, that's true. Lucretia was. Lucretia was 528 00:39:40.280 --> 00:39:47.760 all over that quit. Yeah. So I mean maybe my my my low 529 00:39:49.000 --> 00:39:54.320 probability prediction is that all of the university presidents who testified before Congress and that 530 00:39:54.400 --> 00:39:58.679 hearing will be relieved of office by the end of the year, even if 531 00:39:58.719 --> 00:40:01.760 they're not saying so. So I would expect Claudiing Gay Gosh, she looks 532 00:40:01.840 --> 00:40:06.239 like she's going down. But I think also the president of MIT will have 533 00:40:06.400 --> 00:40:08.400 to leave in the end too. I think I do think we have had 534 00:40:08.440 --> 00:40:14.079 a turning point in woke inc And even if the even if they're not, 535 00:40:14.199 --> 00:40:17.320 I think I think Clauding Gay would have been gone by now except the Penn 536 00:40:17.400 --> 00:40:21.880 president resigned and so they couldn't force her out right away. So I think 537 00:40:21.920 --> 00:40:24.960 they're going to have a decent interval, and the same for the MIT president 538 00:40:25.039 --> 00:40:29.960 too, because I think they're also coming under enormous They're going to come under 539 00:40:30.039 --> 00:40:36.320 enormous competitive pressure from all these universities and conservative states like in Florida and Texas 540 00:40:36.400 --> 00:40:38.519 that are starting at North Carolina that are starting up, and they're going to 541 00:40:38.559 --> 00:40:44.840 start pulling good faculty and students away from the IVY leagues are from Stanford or 542 00:40:45.039 --> 00:40:47.360 Berkeley or you know, UCLA or all the other places that are you know, 543 00:40:47.480 --> 00:40:52.400 have wocism so deeply entwined in the DNA. Now, yeah, all 544 00:40:52.480 --> 00:40:57.159 right, that two low probabilities that all three I mean presidents will resign. 545 00:40:57.559 --> 00:40:59.920 Yeah, no, not a bit. I mean that. Yeah, that's 546 00:41:00.079 --> 00:41:06.920 fine. There's no good listeners. Steve reach out to me last week and 547 00:41:07.639 --> 00:41:12.960 and recommend that I apply for one of those IVY leagues. You should. 548 00:41:14.079 --> 00:41:20.360 No, I can't even imagine a worst fate. But anyway, well, 549 00:41:20.440 --> 00:41:23.440 I'm just I'll say that there's no clear dividing line betweens a prediction and a 550 00:41:23.519 --> 00:41:28.559 surprise. I'm not saying black Swan events are the very low probability but high 551 00:41:28.599 --> 00:41:31.119 consequence things. But oh, I got another one. The Philadelphia Eagles and 552 00:41:31.159 --> 00:41:35.400 the Philadelphia Phillies will make it to the super Bowl in the World Series, 553 00:41:35.719 --> 00:41:43.199 just like they did last year. Okay, Lucretia, do you have a 554 00:41:43.280 --> 00:41:46.960 surprise for us so almost being president of Harvard? That would Yeah, that 555 00:41:47.039 --> 00:41:52.000 would be a surprise, wouldn't it. I'm not big on predictions. I 556 00:41:52.159 --> 00:41:54.320 actually wanted to bring up something that just happened today and ask you guys what 557 00:41:54.440 --> 00:41:59.519 you thought about it. The big headline coming out of Trump today was Trump 558 00:42:00.159 --> 00:42:05.119 announces that he does not believe that either Joe Biden or Kamala Harris will be 559 00:42:05.559 --> 00:42:09.119 the Democratic nominees, and that he will at him. Yeah, here's why. 560 00:42:09.320 --> 00:42:13.679 I mean, I don't think it would be a huge surprise if I 561 00:42:13.679 --> 00:42:15.920 don't think. First of all, let me do it this way. Biden's 562 00:42:15.920 --> 00:42:19.039 going to be the nominee. He's gonna be the candidate, barring some extraordinary 563 00:42:19.079 --> 00:42:22.800 event like a stroke or following down. Tell me why that's the case. 564 00:42:22.920 --> 00:42:29.159 Explain to me has made that decision. Why I'm about damn sense, Yes, 565 00:42:29.239 --> 00:42:31.800 it does. I'll tell you why. But him, it would not 566 00:42:31.880 --> 00:42:36.800 be a surprise if he steps down even I'll tell you why, Lucretia, 567 00:42:36.960 --> 00:42:44.599 It's because, uh, no, doctor Jill Biden has a seance every night 568 00:42:44.679 --> 00:42:49.400 with Edith Wilson and descides that she wants to be Edith Wilson of the second 569 00:42:49.519 --> 00:42:52.400 term. No, I believe that. Literally. I think that Delma is 570 00:42:52.440 --> 00:42:57.760 a board. I know that. But uh oh, but you saw the 571 00:42:57.960 --> 00:43:00.840 we talked about this, didn't we The video they put out for Christmas with 572 00:43:00.880 --> 00:43:04.599 all those sort of transgender dancers dancing. Oh yeah, night Mayor from a 573 00:43:04.719 --> 00:43:07.280 Kubrick movie or something like. I thought, why did they do that? 574 00:43:07.880 --> 00:43:12.119 Surely they must have some Maybe they didn't pick it it was from doctor Jill, 575 00:43:12.239 --> 00:43:15.519 But I thought they did that because they want to pocus in the eye. 576 00:43:15.679 --> 00:43:19.719 They actually wanted to be offensive. And that shows a certain confidence on 577 00:43:19.800 --> 00:43:22.039 the part of doctor Jill if she did sign off on that or propelled it 578 00:43:22.119 --> 00:43:24.360 forward, and how out of touch she is with things. So no, 579 00:43:24.519 --> 00:43:29.639 I literally mean that she thinks she's Edith Wilson and she's a president for this 580 00:43:29.719 --> 00:43:31.199 one hundred years ago, and that's why they're going to go through with it. 581 00:43:31.599 --> 00:43:36.880 And there are other reasons, but I think it's having been a staffer 582 00:43:36.960 --> 00:43:40.039 on the Judiciary Committee when he was there, and then I think this book 583 00:43:40.119 --> 00:43:44.480 about him called what it takes about the nineteen eighty eight race, which is 584 00:43:44.519 --> 00:43:49.440 an amazing book, as an amazing profile of fighter young Biden. And and 585 00:43:49.960 --> 00:43:55.360 he is just overweaning. The only deciding character, the only clear characteristic he 586 00:43:55.559 --> 00:44:00.239 has is ambition. Now that's common amongst a lot of politicians, probably a 587 00:44:00.360 --> 00:44:04.960 lot of people in the Senate. But I think as people get older and 588 00:44:05.159 --> 00:44:09.000 they start to enter early dementia stages, you know, all the things you 589 00:44:09.079 --> 00:44:14.199 know, like their person I reduce is down. I think too the core 590 00:44:14.519 --> 00:44:19.599 characteristics I have, and this core characteristic is just ambition. Ye, well, 591 00:44:19.880 --> 00:44:24.039 it would explain how he lies so with such facility. I mean, 592 00:44:24.119 --> 00:44:30.880 he can't speak half the time, but he can make these incredible lies and 593 00:44:30.079 --> 00:44:34.639 just keep right on going. And every single one of them can be tied 594 00:44:35.039 --> 00:44:38.920 to exactly what you just said, John, I cure cancer, right, 595 00:44:40.199 --> 00:44:44.000 Yeah, Because you know the thing is, I mean he has he's allowed 596 00:44:44.079 --> 00:44:46.039 all these very left wing things to Kurrnder's presidency. But you know, you 597 00:44:46.159 --> 00:44:51.280 read that book, look at his career. He's actually not a very ideological 598 00:44:51.360 --> 00:44:54.079 or principle guy. Like he's not defined by He's not like Ted Kennedy, 599 00:44:54.119 --> 00:44:59.599 for example, defined by a certain set of principles, how much I disagree 600 00:44:59.639 --> 00:45:01.840 with him, John bushed he just wanted to be in you know, he 601 00:45:01.960 --> 00:45:07.000 just wanted to win office. Yeah, Steve and I did an entire, 602 00:45:07.920 --> 00:45:13.039 an entire podcast before we were clever enough to invite you on as a permanent 603 00:45:13.119 --> 00:45:17.280 co host. We did an entire podcast on Joe Biden's time on the Senate 604 00:45:17.360 --> 00:45:24.159 Judiciary Committee, and Steve dug up some really great quotes, speeches, but 605 00:45:24.360 --> 00:45:30.000 from Biden when he was pro natural law and when he was anti natural law, 606 00:45:30.199 --> 00:45:34.920 and when he was pro you know, and in the space of four 607 00:45:35.039 --> 00:45:40.239 years, right right, it was actually quite quite telling. I don't think 608 00:45:40.320 --> 00:45:44.920 any of that really even matters. Now. He's whoever his handlers are, 609 00:45:45.119 --> 00:45:49.840 whether it's doctor Jill, and she's obviously, if you believe Steve, as 610 00:45:49.880 --> 00:45:53.400 ambitious as he is. But I don't know that she's got any direct ideological 611 00:45:54.079 --> 00:46:00.039 leanings either. She's smart enough, but certainly there are people behind the Bidens 612 00:46:00.079 --> 00:46:05.079 who are pulling some strings, and they are very ideological. And that's why 613 00:46:05.159 --> 00:46:10.039 Biden has become a left wing nut job of you know, pushing transgenderism and 614 00:46:10.079 --> 00:46:14.679 all this other stuff. As Steve put it, in our face down our 615 00:46:14.719 --> 00:46:20.880 throats on purpose, designed to offend us at every turn. Yeah. Look, 616 00:46:20.920 --> 00:46:23.199 I mean the point John, is that, I mean, all politicians 617 00:46:23.239 --> 00:46:27.840 are ambitious, as you say, but most of them have some ideological objective. 618 00:46:27.960 --> 00:46:30.559 You know, Kennedy wanted national health insurance and other things, and once 619 00:46:30.639 --> 00:46:35.880 a while they have morals or character. Yeah, well this, but even 620 00:46:35.920 --> 00:46:38.719 the case of Clinton and Obama, they both had a large political ambition, 621 00:46:38.760 --> 00:46:42.760 which was to overturn the Reagan years. They had to be careful about doing 622 00:46:42.800 --> 00:46:45.480 that because they couldn't do it directly. Biden only wants to be president. 623 00:46:45.599 --> 00:46:49.199 He's pine for his wife, and he inc and let go of Now I've 624 00:46:49.239 --> 00:46:52.480 said this before. He's like Gollum in the Ring. This is his precious 625 00:46:52.519 --> 00:46:54.599 and he's not going to let go of it, you know, without being 626 00:46:54.719 --> 00:46:58.480 thrown into the volcano, which you know, I mean it could happen, 627 00:46:58.559 --> 00:47:04.840 but me but wait, Lucretia didn't make her prediction yet. Well, well, 628 00:47:04.920 --> 00:47:08.039 not good at predictions. I think everything you said was wrong, John, 629 00:47:13.320 --> 00:47:16.079 And I actually I'm gonna be a little bit sorry, a little bit 630 00:47:16.159 --> 00:47:21.159 modeling here. I got up this morning and you know, I'm on vacation, 631 00:47:21.719 --> 00:47:24.519 and not only am I on vacation, but the university shut down. 632 00:47:24.559 --> 00:47:29.480 So it's one thing to be on vacation, and everybody expects you to answer 633 00:47:29.559 --> 00:47:31.559 emails and take phone calls and go to meetings and so on when you're on 634 00:47:31.679 --> 00:47:35.519 vacation, But when the university shut down, you can actually be on vacation. 635 00:47:36.039 --> 00:47:40.119 And so I'm just leisurely over my coffee, reading the news, reading, 636 00:47:40.480 --> 00:47:45.440 you know, across across the spectrum, and I'm just getting more and 637 00:47:45.639 --> 00:47:50.760 more and more depressed by the situation, the situation at the border, the 638 00:47:50.880 --> 00:47:57.440 situation, you know, Biden saying that January is the month of Human Trafficking 639 00:47:57.519 --> 00:48:06.039 awareness, and again too much personal experience with what's really happening there watching you 640 00:48:06.119 --> 00:48:12.599 know, just how he's the Supreme courted rule that he can't forgive student loans, 641 00:48:12.679 --> 00:48:16.440 and he's figured out a way, probably all illegally, but using executive 642 00:48:16.519 --> 00:48:21.280 power to forgive at least one hundred and thirty two billion dollars worth of student 643 00:48:21.360 --> 00:48:25.719 loans so far since that decision, and made it so that nobody else is 644 00:48:25.840 --> 00:48:29.639 paying their student loans even if they haven't had him forgiven, you know, 645 00:48:29.840 --> 00:48:34.400 just on and on and on, and so I'm hoping John that some of 646 00:48:34.519 --> 00:48:42.440 your more optimistic predictions are right. I don't consider you're Ukrainian prediction optimistic, 647 00:48:42.559 --> 00:48:45.239 and I don't want to talk about Ukraine now, but I just think it's 648 00:48:45.400 --> 00:48:51.639 that's going to be a really ugly situation. But I'm hoping that the entire 649 00:48:51.760 --> 00:48:55.039 American populace wakes up to what our corrupt elites are trying to do to this 650 00:48:55.239 --> 00:49:01.480 country and says enough is enough in twenty twenty four and gets rid of every 651 00:49:01.599 --> 00:49:06.199 single one of them across the board. It's not a prediction, it's a 652 00:49:06.400 --> 00:49:09.760 hope. Well, that's the the the central question of the election cycle, 653 00:49:09.800 --> 00:49:14.320 I think, So I'm going to agree with you on that. But then 654 00:49:14.440 --> 00:49:16.239 I'm going to go to this round two and I'm going to give you my 655 00:49:16.400 --> 00:49:21.880 second unexpected or surprising event that I think it could happen. Oh, this 656 00:49:21.960 --> 00:49:23.199 is going to bait you, Lucretia big time. And John, you may 657 00:49:23.280 --> 00:49:28.719 be totally bored with it, but my surprise would be at some point in 658 00:49:28.800 --> 00:49:32.599 the next few months, there may be a major scandal or schism coming out 659 00:49:32.639 --> 00:49:38.440 of the Vatican. And here's how boring. Yeah, you would say that, 660 00:49:38.519 --> 00:49:42.519 here's the brief background of this. Just last week, there were these 661 00:49:42.599 --> 00:49:45.800 news stories that, oh, hope Francis, who's you know, sympathetic to 662 00:49:45.920 --> 00:49:51.039 Marxist liberation theology or Marxism with salsa as I was called it years ago when 663 00:49:51.079 --> 00:49:52.280 it was a thing. He said, Oh, well, you know we're 664 00:49:52.320 --> 00:49:58.159 open to blessing same sex unions, which flies the fad. Well now, 665 00:49:58.760 --> 00:50:01.440 ah, yes, let me qualify that, lucretia, because that was the 666 00:50:01.519 --> 00:50:06.360 news stories which didn't get the story right. If you read it carefully, 667 00:50:06.639 --> 00:50:08.840 maybe you want to characterize it better than I can. He wasn't saying I'll 668 00:50:08.960 --> 00:50:14.239 just tell you that, Okay, I am not a fan of Pope Francis. 669 00:50:14.599 --> 00:50:21.079 He says idiotic things that are so easily manipulated and twisted by a media 670 00:50:21.199 --> 00:50:25.800 that wants him to be a progressive Marxist blah blah blah. So I blame 671 00:50:25.960 --> 00:50:32.440 him. But what he said was that he would bless the persons who were 672 00:50:32.559 --> 00:50:39.119 involved in same sex relationships. And of course, from a purely Christian point 673 00:50:39.159 --> 00:50:45.840 of view, every person deserves the blessings of the pope because every person is 674 00:50:45.880 --> 00:50:52.480 a sinner. Right, What if he had said I bless transsexual practice, 675 00:50:52.639 --> 00:50:57.199 I bless sex unions or any of those things. Then, of course that 676 00:50:57.239 --> 00:51:00.480 would have been heresy to the nth degree. I didn't say that, correct, 677 00:51:00.599 --> 00:51:04.320 No, And and you know, people I know who defend him say 678 00:51:04.400 --> 00:51:07.400 exactly what you just said, and they're right, And I'm not defend him. 679 00:51:07.719 --> 00:51:09.440 Well okay, but but here here I think you may agree with me. 680 00:51:09.480 --> 00:51:12.440 I mean, I go back to a few weeks ago, and he 681 00:51:12.519 --> 00:51:16.199 also talked about how we we want to have I forget the exact language, 682 00:51:16.199 --> 00:51:21.840 but it was like equal representation of women and church councils. Here's the point, 683 00:51:21.960 --> 00:51:23.679 here's what But I think this is why I think there's going to be 684 00:51:23.960 --> 00:51:29.679 some kind of scandal or schism. You know, he's been having a big 685 00:51:29.760 --> 00:51:32.800 feud with some conservative bishops and has dismissed a few of them. But also 686 00:51:32.960 --> 00:51:37.000 my point is Lucretia and here I think you agree with me. He has 687 00:51:37.119 --> 00:51:43.960 a habit, bad habit, I'll say, for the of stating making any 688 00:51:44.000 --> 00:51:49.760 statements using the progressive vocabulary. And I don't know if he knows he's doing 689 00:51:49.840 --> 00:51:52.800 that, if he realizes that, because that's not going to modify the left 690 00:51:52.880 --> 00:51:57.639 that wants the Catholic Church to give in completely to the agenda of the cultural 691 00:51:57.719 --> 00:52:01.079 left. Right. In every particular case, he could have said much more 692 00:52:01.159 --> 00:52:04.280 precisely. I mean, on the on the bit of, you know, 693 00:52:04.360 --> 00:52:07.880 wanting to get more women involved, he could have said something like, we 694 00:52:07.920 --> 00:52:13.400 would like to elevate the voices of women of vocation. That's a distinctly Christian 695 00:52:13.519 --> 00:52:17.760 language that that is abrasive to cultural leftism. He didn't used the language of 696 00:52:17.840 --> 00:52:24.639 inclusivity and diversity and representation, right. Uh, and that's what. Oh, 697 00:52:24.719 --> 00:52:30.760 there you've got a picture of him wearing a rainbow cross that and anyway, 698 00:52:30.880 --> 00:52:34.119 Well, if it's real, it's everywhere across the internet. But I 699 00:52:34.199 --> 00:52:37.679 don't, honestly don't know if it's real. I was wondering if maybe John, 700 00:52:37.760 --> 00:52:40.440 who stays out of these things, might know. Well, that's going 701 00:52:40.480 --> 00:52:43.480 to lead you to my third surprise, but I'm going to hold that for 702 00:52:43.559 --> 00:52:45.679 the moment. It's about something else. But yeah, so I don't know. 703 00:52:45.880 --> 00:52:51.000 I I think that there's there's a behind the scenes and it's been bubbling 704 00:52:51.039 --> 00:52:55.559 for a while. There's a lot of schism, I'll put it that way, 705 00:52:55.639 --> 00:53:00.320 which may become maybe not scandal. The Vatican itself has a lot of 706 00:53:00.920 --> 00:53:05.639 corrupt and cord Yeah, so that I mean That's not my expertise and never 707 00:53:05.760 --> 00:53:10.920 will be. I'm too much of a you know, late late life converted 708 00:53:12.000 --> 00:53:15.400 Catholic to follow much of that sort of stuff. But the last two popes 709 00:53:15.440 --> 00:53:17.639 would have never used that. I could see both of the last two popes 710 00:53:17.679 --> 00:53:22.199 sing exactly the same thing, but not using a progressive vocabularies. Yes, 711 00:53:22.760 --> 00:53:27.719 right, you know, Mother Earth, Come on, If God is not 712 00:53:27.880 --> 00:53:34.960 capable of undoing the effects of anthropological what's it called, climate change? If 713 00:53:35.159 --> 00:53:37.400 God can't handle that, there is no God. Well do you remember the 714 00:53:37.519 --> 00:53:40.800 pope? Well, do you know? Roll the tape back forty years and 715 00:53:40.840 --> 00:53:45.400 you will remember Harry jaff Is saying to us in class attacking the Bishop's circular 716 00:53:45.400 --> 00:53:49.559 about nuclear weapons because the first sentence that is something like the existence of nuclear 717 00:53:49.599 --> 00:53:53.880 weapons calls into question the sovereignty of God. And Jaffa would say in class 718 00:53:53.960 --> 00:53:59.480 that Jewish Professor Wright, since when did Catholics stop believing in the omnipotence of 719 00:53:59.559 --> 00:54:04.480 God? What's vulnerable? Boom right, and we see the same thought. 720 00:54:04.599 --> 00:54:07.039 This is a sequel to all that, it seems to me. Okay, 721 00:54:07.000 --> 00:54:08.880 John, do you have an in surprise? I was just going to say 722 00:54:08.880 --> 00:54:13.400 that when you said schism. I got interested, but then I grew bored 723 00:54:13.480 --> 00:54:16.960 because you're just talking about a division in the Vatican bureaucracy as far as I 724 00:54:17.039 --> 00:54:21.159 can tell, by the way, wouldn't I mean, it's a huge rights 725 00:54:21.159 --> 00:54:24.840 in little country with its own giant bureaucracy. I would assume everything Hope Francis 726 00:54:24.920 --> 00:54:30.599 said has been drafted and debated and you know, worked on before he gives 727 00:54:30.679 --> 00:54:35.760 it, so that if he's saying all these progressive things, that reflects someone 728 00:54:36.000 --> 00:54:39.519 something of the bureaucracy of the Vatican. Yeah, well yeah, but not 729 00:54:39.719 --> 00:54:45.400 just him. It's not just him. But that's where the possible public schism 730 00:54:45.559 --> 00:54:49.320 or scandal would come will be the people who will say he has surrounded himself 731 00:54:49.360 --> 00:54:52.440 by very bad people something like that. That's how this went. And what 732 00:54:52.599 --> 00:54:54.239 Steve glussed over, just so you know, John, is that he has 733 00:54:54.320 --> 00:55:04.400 in fact been extremely u what's the word disciplinary against bishops, especially in the 734 00:55:04.519 --> 00:55:08.360 United States, with conservative views, I mean conservative from a Catholic, not 735 00:55:08.440 --> 00:55:16.360 conservative necessarily entirely politically, but conservative Catholics. He has excommunicated these deprived bishops 736 00:55:16.400 --> 00:55:25.559 of their diocese as dioceses trying to suppress the Latin Mass, which you know 737 00:55:25.960 --> 00:55:30.760 exists in a few places. But okay, he wanted to change the words 738 00:55:30.800 --> 00:55:35.360 of the Lord's prayer. Yeah yeah, he's just uh well, I mean, 739 00:55:35.480 --> 00:55:39.239 but when that's brought to me, honestly as a Catholic, my answer 740 00:55:39.360 --> 00:55:45.679 back is the Catholic Church is a human institution inspired by God, but it's 741 00:55:45.760 --> 00:55:47.199 made up of humans. I mean, do we have to go back to 742 00:55:47.280 --> 00:55:52.559 the Borges to remind ourselves that popes have not always been the finest examples of 743 00:55:52.639 --> 00:55:58.679 holy persons anyway? Or federals fifty one if memory angels right? Okay, 744 00:55:58.880 --> 00:56:04.960 yeah, But the problem with Catholicism, I think sometimes is this notion that 745 00:56:05.119 --> 00:56:13.800 the pope's papal infallibility is entirely misunderstood over you know, uh, it's a 746 00:56:14.000 --> 00:56:22.800 very limited concept. But anyway, that's enough for that. Go ahead and 747 00:56:22.840 --> 00:56:29.360 give us your next surprise or unexpected possibility if you have one. So how 748 00:56:29.400 --> 00:56:37.519 about that this year will be the rise of conservativism and politics and society throughout 749 00:56:37.599 --> 00:56:42.000 the world, So not just the United States, but look at all these 750 00:56:42.079 --> 00:56:45.679 elections that are going on all over the world. And so I think that's 751 00:56:45.679 --> 00:56:49.280 why I think you're wrong. Then who's going to get kicked out. I 752 00:56:49.360 --> 00:56:52.639 think who will end up staying. I think you're going to see Maloney's going 753 00:56:52.679 --> 00:56:57.159 to be I think that in uh these all these I think you'll see the 754 00:56:57.280 --> 00:57:02.599 German Chancellor have to leave, you know, the the Greens and the ky 755 00:57:02.800 --> 00:57:07.360 basically the socialists are going to have to go. The only place I think, 756 00:57:07.440 --> 00:57:12.559 I think, you know, count that's the one. I think that 757 00:57:12.719 --> 00:57:17.239 might be the exception will be England because they've had so well, you know 758 00:57:17.360 --> 00:57:21.760 that the Tories have so mismanaged things, you know, they you know, 759 00:57:22.199 --> 00:57:24.000 it sounded like they were, you know, they were just getting us ready 760 00:57:24.000 --> 00:57:28.400 for the McCarthy show, right with all their different prime ministers and all the 761 00:57:28.440 --> 00:57:31.159 screwed up policies. That I think that's going to be the outlier. But 762 00:57:31.280 --> 00:57:36.119 yeah, I think you're going to see the return of conservative governments in South 763 00:57:36.159 --> 00:57:38.519 America. I think, you know, Trump was just the precursor. And 764 00:57:38.559 --> 00:57:42.639 then you've had the election of Georgia Maloney and you've had the election of that 765 00:57:43.559 --> 00:57:49.079 what's his name, wil Dirt in the Netherlands said wil Dirt, yea wilds 766 00:57:49.440 --> 00:57:52.440 in the Netherlands. So I think that's I think we're going to see. 767 00:57:52.599 --> 00:57:54.559 Actually, it's not just we tend to focus so much in the United States. 768 00:57:54.639 --> 00:57:57.840 We don't realize that, of course we have a lot in common with 769 00:57:57.920 --> 00:58:01.119 these other countries, and you're seeing the raw the is the sort of rejection 770 00:58:01.280 --> 00:58:06.920 of this kind of cosmopolitanism that Obama represented and now that Biden is continuing. 771 00:58:07.559 --> 00:58:10.960 So that's another I don't know if that's enough, low probability enough for you 772 00:58:12.239 --> 00:58:14.960 either. Well, I don't know. I'm I'm predicting a sweep across the 773 00:58:15.039 --> 00:58:21.960 world as I refer the German Chancellor as Sergeant Schultz open Zeros. Right, 774 00:58:22.639 --> 00:58:25.159 I bet you're what the next French presidential election is. But the latest polls 775 00:58:25.159 --> 00:58:30.840 show Marine Lapan, who has all she has more baggage than than than Sam 776 00:58:30.920 --> 00:58:36.760 Brenton on a rampage and an airport luggage lounge. And she's leading, She's 777 00:58:36.840 --> 00:58:39.239 leading Macron in the polls. I know she's leading Magron now right, right, 778 00:58:39.480 --> 00:58:43.880 And so yeah, that's very telling. We'll see about something. What 779 00:58:44.000 --> 00:58:49.519 about the god awful, despicable situation with our neighbors to the north. Oh 780 00:58:49.679 --> 00:58:52.519 well, oh yeah, I think he's going to win this too, because 781 00:58:52.559 --> 00:58:55.800 he's way behind us, way behind. So that's like Steve's expert on this 782 00:58:55.920 --> 00:59:00.920 time, but doesn't it feel like nineteen seventy nine, nineteen eighty again a 783 00:59:00.000 --> 00:59:05.000 bit? And the question also was a time when things turned in this very 784 00:59:05.519 --> 00:59:08.320 conservative direction in many countries at once. Well, the question is the one 785 00:59:08.639 --> 00:59:15.920 Lucretia raises, which is we reach a critical mass of people who just don't 786 00:59:15.920 --> 00:59:19.360 get it and are so corrupt that they're gonna you know, I hold out 787 00:59:19.400 --> 00:59:22.760 hope on all that, but I am going to go on to my surprise 788 00:59:22.880 --> 00:59:28.400 potential surprise number three, not a big one, but it is at some 789 00:59:28.599 --> 00:59:31.400 point in the next next year, and I think related to the election cycle, 790 00:59:32.000 --> 00:59:37.440 we're going to get a moment or two where a deep fake video is 791 00:59:37.519 --> 00:59:40.360 going to make big news and royal the whole political scene. I mean, 792 00:59:40.400 --> 00:59:44.119 these things are getting so good and it's going to be and the problem is 793 00:59:44.159 --> 00:59:46.000 it'll be likely about Trump. But the thing about Trump is how do you 794 00:59:46.079 --> 00:59:51.480 tell some mate up thing Trump said what he really says, right, or 795 00:59:51.559 --> 00:59:53.239 Biden for that matter, because he talks total nonsense. But I think the 796 00:59:53.320 --> 00:59:58.119 technology is getting so good now. I do think the major news networks probably 797 00:59:58.199 --> 01:00:00.079 have people who try and check things out to f verify them. But the 798 01:00:00.159 --> 01:00:04.559 world of social media, things can take wing and it becomes a news story, 799 01:00:04.639 --> 01:00:07.840 whether it's legitimate or not, and it will take several days or even 800 01:00:07.880 --> 01:00:10.599 it just takes twenty four hours. He stop for a second, Steve, 801 01:00:10.920 --> 01:00:14.679 Well, you understand what I'm saying. Yes, well, I'll stop. 802 01:00:14.719 --> 01:00:16.239 Here's the yeah. No, no, no, it's not I want to 803 01:00:16.280 --> 01:00:22.719 add. I don't want to stop you from speaking. But we have we 804 01:00:22.840 --> 01:00:28.159 have a virtual learning environment for our cyber program. And inside this world, 805 01:00:28.719 --> 01:00:32.599 this virtual world that we've created, we have media companies. And in those 806 01:00:32.719 --> 01:00:39.679 media companies, we use AI that polls constantly, pulls from social media, 807 01:00:39.880 --> 01:00:50.199 from legitimate news sources, and creates news broadcasts in Chinese, in Portuguese, 808 01:00:50.400 --> 01:00:54.920 in Spanish. And I would defy you. I would defy you today if 809 01:00:54.960 --> 01:01:00.599 I could set one a real one next to a AI gen write a news 810 01:01:00.679 --> 01:01:04.519 story for you to pick out which one was real. And that's done by 811 01:01:04.719 --> 01:01:10.400 our students, right, that's done by our students. Okay, So here's 812 01:01:10.480 --> 01:01:15.320 the problem is why you can present me of it with a tape of somebody 813 01:01:15.440 --> 01:01:22.480 saying something that you can find scandalous, not you personally, and expect me 814 01:01:22.599 --> 01:01:25.119 to be you know, shocked and dismayed by it, and then I'm ninety 815 01:01:25.159 --> 01:01:31.239 percent likely to think it's it's a fake because it's so easy. Kids can 816 01:01:31.320 --> 01:01:36.119 do it, right. But that's why, I mean, isn't somebody clever 817 01:01:36.320 --> 01:01:38.320 going to drop one of these things in an opportunity? But they are dropped 818 01:01:38.360 --> 01:01:43.000 all the time, I mean, honestly, But okay, I mean, 819 01:01:43.239 --> 01:01:45.000 I don't know. I just I just think there's a chance that that's going 820 01:01:45.039 --> 01:01:51.119 to be a new moment when I don't know, we'll see. But they 821 01:01:51.159 --> 01:01:59.360 are renaming cybercom the Army Cyber Command to be information Warfare. Yeah, yeah, 822 01:01:59.840 --> 01:02:05.519 just think that through. That's the new name information warfare, John, 823 01:02:05.679 --> 01:02:08.360 how about I predict on the technology state. So on the technology front, 824 01:02:08.400 --> 01:02:16.480 I'll predict that some city will start to allow totally driverless cars and it will 825 01:02:16.559 --> 01:02:22.039 be a great success and there'll be more demands for it that The failure of 826 01:02:22.119 --> 01:02:27.079 it in San Francisco was actually an aberration, and of course was part of 827 01:02:27.880 --> 01:02:34.119 progressives not understanding the idea of risk, and so they want a complete one 828 01:02:35.119 --> 01:02:38.679 safety for everything. And so yes, there was a terrible accident between a 829 01:02:38.800 --> 01:02:45.079 car and a pedestrian. Although I believe it was caused initially by someone driving 830 01:02:45.119 --> 01:02:50.760 a car who hit the woman first and then and then she collided with the 831 01:02:50.920 --> 01:02:53.920 driverless car. But the driver's car didn't stop, it kept going with her 832 01:02:54.039 --> 01:02:59.039 under it. That was the terrible accident. Well, people liberals just don't 833 01:02:59.119 --> 01:03:01.199 understand. You have to heir that to what it would be like with no 834 01:03:01.400 --> 01:03:05.400 driver less car, right, you have to. And so I think that 835 01:03:05.559 --> 01:03:09.719 the track record of safety of driverless cars is just you know, ward is 836 01:03:09.719 --> 01:03:15.800 a magnitude better than human drivers. Yeah, and so ELS had not become 837 01:03:15.039 --> 01:03:19.920 a pariah to the left, Oh, we probably wouldn't be seeing it quite 838 01:03:19.960 --> 01:03:22.880 to the extent you're talking about. And I do have a little little anecdote 839 01:03:23.000 --> 01:03:28.039 you might appreciate. I told these guys not on the podcast last week, 840 01:03:28.079 --> 01:03:32.599 but either before or after that, the recall that's been imposed upon Tesla, 841 01:03:32.639 --> 01:03:37.000 it's not really a recall, it's a software update. And what that software 842 01:03:37.079 --> 01:03:42.079 update is, so if when you're driving not a self driving car, but 843 01:03:42.199 --> 01:03:45.039 an autopiloted car, which is something different, that's what I have. I 844 01:03:45.079 --> 01:03:51.039 don't have a self driving Tesla. There's no cruise control per se. It's 845 01:03:51.880 --> 01:03:57.199 it's autopilot and what happens is when you turn it on, it not only 846 01:03:57.320 --> 01:04:01.760 takes over the speed modulating this be keeping you. It keeps you inside the 847 01:04:01.880 --> 01:04:05.800 lanes. You no longer steer, you know, I mean, it takes 848 01:04:05.960 --> 01:04:11.079 over that. Now you're responsible. It'll slow down, if there's a car 849 01:04:11.119 --> 01:04:13.960 in front of you, it'll really slow down quickly, put you through the 850 01:04:14.000 --> 01:04:17.280 womindshield if something runs in front of you, does all of those things, 851 01:04:17.760 --> 01:04:23.119 but you're supposed to maintain control of the vehicle at all times. And if 852 01:04:23.199 --> 01:04:30.280 you are sitting there and you're not necessarily keeping your hands on the wheel and 853 01:04:30.639 --> 01:04:33.760 giving it some kind of pressure, it will start screaming at you. And 854 01:04:33.800 --> 01:04:38.280 if you don't do something, it will kick you out and you will not 855 01:04:38.480 --> 01:04:41.559 be able to use auto steer for the rest of the trip. Okay, 856 01:04:41.719 --> 01:04:45.559 that's been it, and I've hated it since day one because it's so paternalistic. 857 01:04:45.840 --> 01:04:50.039 Or if you are driving in auto steer and you want to get around 858 01:04:50.119 --> 01:04:53.480 somebody because you're being a nice person, you don't want to, you know, 859 01:04:54.000 --> 01:04:56.599 box them in, and if you go over a certain speed, it 860 01:04:56.599 --> 01:04:59.960 will also kick you out of auto steer, so then you don't have cups 861 01:05:00.079 --> 01:05:02.320 control it. All for the rest of your trip. What the software update 862 01:05:02.440 --> 01:05:05.760 did was, among other things, say that if you do something like that, 863 01:05:05.840 --> 01:05:09.000 you don't keep your hands on the wheel, or you drive too fast 864 01:05:09.000 --> 01:05:13.920 an auto steer, you are kicked out for fifteen days. Wow. Okay, 865 01:05:14.559 --> 01:05:17.639 but yesterday I was driving, I was driving on this open highway. 866 01:05:18.159 --> 01:05:21.880 I had my auto steer on. Somebody I think it was you guys, 867 01:05:23.000 --> 01:05:26.800 probably sent me a text message and it wouldn't come across my screen. So 868 01:05:26.840 --> 01:05:29.639 I picked up my phone and I put it in front of me to look 869 01:05:29.719 --> 01:05:31.800 at the and of course my car's driving for me, hands on the wheel, 870 01:05:32.880 --> 01:05:38.719 and the car starts screaming at me, please pay attention to your driving. 871 01:05:38.880 --> 01:05:42.880 Put your phone down. I can imagine you wouldn't like that. Surprise, 872 01:05:42.920 --> 01:05:45.519 surprise, How didn't know? How didn't know you were looking at the 873 01:05:45.599 --> 01:05:48.760 phone camera on me? Oh? So the camera. There's a camera on 874 01:05:48.840 --> 01:05:53.039 the inside of the tesla watching your movements, and if you do things it 875 01:05:53.119 --> 01:05:57.000 doesn't like it. That's the new I mean, the camera's always not having 876 01:05:57.159 --> 01:06:00.960 that. Man, what if you just put like the little a little sticker 877 01:06:00.039 --> 01:06:02.119 on top of the case, like we talked about at the beginning. I 878 01:06:02.159 --> 01:06:06.440 thought of it. I probably will. Yeah. Man, anyway, John, 879 01:06:06.480 --> 01:06:09.800 do you have another surprise for us? Like, no, that was 880 01:06:09.880 --> 01:06:13.960 my surprise about the test. The self driving car will be accepted by some 881 01:06:14.199 --> 01:06:16.639 city in the United States and it will be a great benefit, and then 882 01:06:16.800 --> 01:06:20.760 everyone else will realize that once again, we screwed it up in San Francisco. 883 01:06:21.119 --> 01:06:24.880 Yeah, Lucretia, do you have another surprise or are you? Are 884 01:06:24.880 --> 01:06:27.719 you out of surprises for us? I'm out of surprises. I know you 885 01:06:27.840 --> 01:06:32.320 guys didn't find my paternalistic tesla's story interesting. I really want to about this. 886 01:06:33.199 --> 01:06:38.159 Well, here's another another prediction I'll make is I think we're going to 887 01:06:38.199 --> 01:06:41.920 the Conservatives will lose the housebo going to win the Senate. But that's yeah, 888 01:06:41.960 --> 01:06:44.760 it's actually I think probability, right, Yeah, A lot of people 889 01:06:44.840 --> 01:06:46.719 think that, right, Yeah, just based on the way things are going. 890 01:06:47.639 --> 01:06:50.360 Yeah, all right, I will I will give you. I've got 891 01:06:50.360 --> 01:06:54.599 a whole bunch more, but I'll just give you the next one. I 892 01:06:54.679 --> 01:06:58.280 think I think I telegraphed to you. I think they're a surprise evand of 893 01:06:58.360 --> 01:07:01.800 you know, low probability, but possible is China will deliver and ultimatum to 894 01:07:01.920 --> 01:07:05.639 Taiwan sometime this year, and the reasons they'll do it. Look, but 895 01:07:05.760 --> 01:07:08.920 by the way, it will be an ambiguous one. It will be, 896 01:07:09.119 --> 01:07:13.360 you know, Taiwan, we want you to commit to reunification with the country 897 01:07:13.639 --> 01:07:18.039 within some timeframe. It'll be designed to exploit Biden's weakness. I think that's 898 01:07:18.079 --> 01:07:21.280 one of the reasons for doing it now. And I forget when the Taiwan 899 01:07:21.360 --> 01:07:26.440 election is scheduled for it soon. I think, right, it will be 900 01:07:26.679 --> 01:07:30.119 it will be baked type yeah, and it will be putting Taiwan on the 901 01:07:30.159 --> 01:07:32.719 spot because I know there is a faction there. I think that wants to 902 01:07:32.800 --> 01:07:38.000 declare independence, which would be essentially a declaration of war and inviting a Chinese 903 01:07:38.039 --> 01:07:42.159 invasion. And look, I mean I don't know. Maybe it would pass 904 01:07:42.480 --> 01:07:45.440 washover like a small wave and calm down, but I wouldn't be all surprised 905 01:07:45.480 --> 01:07:49.800 to see China try that. You're skeptical, John, You think they won't, 906 01:07:50.599 --> 01:07:57.239 Yeah, because if you're China, everything's moving in your direction. Yeah, 907 01:07:57.440 --> 01:08:00.239 Like you don't need to you don't need to do anything right. You 908 01:08:00.840 --> 01:08:04.840 know Biden's gonna hand over Taiwan. You gotta do is just keep doing what 909 01:08:04.920 --> 01:08:09.960 you know just harassing Taiwan. You don't have to really do anything major and 910 01:08:10.840 --> 01:08:14.360 right the balance of forces. Sadly, I think in that region is moving 911 01:08:14.440 --> 01:08:18.800 in China's direction because we've been so weak. Now despite that, all the 912 01:08:18.880 --> 01:08:24.880 other countries in that region want to do something collectively to stop China and its 913 01:08:24.960 --> 01:08:29.760 aggressive nature, but we are not providing the leadership or resources necessary. So 914 01:08:30.119 --> 01:08:31.800 I think, if you're, you know, the president of China, why 915 01:08:31.920 --> 01:08:35.399 not just let the let the bet ride a few more years, and you 916 01:08:35.479 --> 01:08:40.039 might then Taiwan just might fall right into your lapt It makes perfect sense. 917 01:08:40.079 --> 01:08:43.159 That's why I say it would be a surprise that would not surprise me. 918 01:08:43.399 --> 01:08:47.319 But all right, let me give you another one. Uh well, I've 919 01:08:47.359 --> 01:08:51.159 got another one. I've got another one, which is that I've got two 920 01:08:51.239 --> 01:08:56.920 cultural ones. Okay. Mcribb actually hasn't been canceled and will return again, 921 01:08:58.000 --> 01:09:01.359 although it was not present in the Phoenix airport today, there's a McDonald's in 922 01:09:01.439 --> 01:09:04.279 the Phoenix airport and I went there to see if they had the McRib It 923 01:09:04.359 --> 01:09:09.399 wasn't there, But I believe that mc will return again. And I'll make 924 01:09:09.439 --> 01:09:16.600 another cultural prediction that Taylor Swift and it's Kelsey. Travis Kelsey will not get 925 01:09:16.680 --> 01:09:20.439 married. They will break up this year, leading to sharp rating declines for 926 01:09:20.520 --> 01:09:26.479 the NFL's all those swifties stopped watching football games, lucrecious. They go, 927 01:09:27.000 --> 01:09:30.439 Yeah, I am waiting for the moment when in the playoffs, because the 928 01:09:30.600 --> 01:09:33.079 Chiefs are this great team but have been playing very erratically. So get to 929 01:09:33.159 --> 01:09:35.720 the first playoff They're gonna have to play on the road for the first time 930 01:09:35.840 --> 01:09:42.119 in the years. And Travis Kelcey drops a key pass late in the game, 931 01:09:43.039 --> 01:09:47.079 and Kansas City and and and Taylor Swift will be banned from ever playing 932 01:09:47.119 --> 01:09:50.840 a concert again in the state of Missouri. That's what that's my expectation, 933 01:09:53.000 --> 01:09:55.760 you know. Yeah, you keep wondering on the swift boat. Swift Boat 934 01:09:55.840 --> 01:09:59.600 veterans are going to dust off their playbook. I know they keep saying swifties, 935 01:09:59.640 --> 01:10:01.279 and I thinking, why are we talking about the two thousand and four 936 01:10:01.319 --> 01:10:12.000 elections, right exactly? Yeah, to celebrate Kwanza, oh mostly, Oh 937 01:10:12.079 --> 01:10:16.000 yeah, you saw that the Biden's statement weshing is all happy Kwanza, right 938 01:10:16.319 --> 01:10:19.560 yeah, Well, and Kamala has been celebrating it since she was two. 939 01:10:20.319 --> 01:10:24.920 Yeah, I've got I've gotten before as I'm ready. Yeah, exactly. 940 01:10:25.039 --> 01:10:28.199 Yeah, well then you don't want me to do my last uh yeah, 941 01:10:28.239 --> 01:10:32.800 let's hear your last prediction in the last last surprise. All right, Well 942 01:10:33.039 --> 01:10:35.880 this is this is a very high risk one tree to make with you two 943 01:10:36.640 --> 01:10:41.199 because it involves Ukraine. I'm looking out right now at the world in front 944 01:10:41.199 --> 01:10:43.439 of us. It looks to me like, you know, Biden may get 945 01:10:43.479 --> 01:10:45.880 the aid out of Congress, but it's going to be tough. And I 946 01:10:45.960 --> 01:10:49.199 think the writing on the wall is we're not. The blank check is over. 947 01:10:49.640 --> 01:10:51.960 And the one thing I noticed is is you know all the people that 948 01:10:53.039 --> 01:10:57.560 had Ukrainian flags in their Twitter bios that sort of waned, all the people 949 01:10:57.640 --> 01:11:00.600 doing the gosh, I'm all for you. That's all fading the public opinion 950 01:11:00.680 --> 01:11:05.239 show declining public interest in podcast last week when I talked about all this, 951 01:11:05.600 --> 01:11:09.199 yeah, well all right, but I thought I heard it. I thought 952 01:11:09.239 --> 01:11:11.760 I heard you say these All right, let me get to the let me 953 01:11:11.840 --> 01:11:16.199 get to the point, which is the surprise will be Ukraine reaches a peace 954 01:11:16.279 --> 01:11:21.520 deal with Russia that will involve seating the territory of Russia occupies and that'll be 955 01:11:21.560 --> 01:11:26.359 the best deal they get. And I think, well, I'll stop there. 956 01:11:26.439 --> 01:11:30.119 That's what I think. You're just premature. It's just not this year. 957 01:11:30.359 --> 01:11:32.079 Not this year. Okay, well could be this year, because I 958 01:11:32.119 --> 01:11:35.520 think, okay, that's what I think. Actually, I'm plaid. If 959 01:11:35.560 --> 01:11:38.840 you guys are gonna let this pass, they'll warn you down a little bit. 960 01:11:39.199 --> 01:11:41.399 No, No, I just think you're wrong. I think that's like 961 01:11:41.479 --> 01:11:45.399 the likely outcome in the long term, but just not this year. Ukraine's 962 01:11:45.399 --> 01:11:49.520 going to give it another year. I actually think that again this I don't 963 01:11:49.520 --> 01:11:54.720 think this is a low probably prediction. I think Biden will because he wants 964 01:11:54.760 --> 01:11:57.760 to get re elected, he will make a deal on the border and we 965 01:11:58.039 --> 01:12:02.920 you know, you will see that more funding for Israel Ukraine that they made 966 01:12:03.000 --> 01:12:06.239 with Mexico. Yeah. And then but then you know, there's going to 967 01:12:06.279 --> 01:12:10.239 be a big deal on the border with a lot of funding for border security. 968 01:12:10.319 --> 01:12:14.239 Even though and then Biden doesn't mind getting attacked from the progressive left. 969 01:12:14.319 --> 01:12:16.319 I think if he wants to get reelected, right, it'll be like Clinton's 970 01:12:16.359 --> 01:12:20.199 Sister Soldier Movement moment. So, but also I think that's like a high 971 01:12:20.279 --> 01:12:26.079 probability event. Actually, So that's why I think Ukraine's not going to settle 972 01:12:26.159 --> 01:12:29.119 this year because they are going to get a huge infusion of money from US 973 01:12:29.399 --> 01:12:31.880 one more time, one more year at least, could be. We'll see, 974 01:12:33.119 --> 01:12:35.880 but for now, we should move, We should draw to a conclusion. 975 01:12:36.920 --> 01:12:41.399 He wants to hear our new year's resolutions. Well, yeah, what's 976 01:12:41.399 --> 01:12:47.159 your new year's resolution? I get get get okay, lucrecious guy. She's 977 01:12:47.199 --> 01:12:53.680 going to find her pictures from her hot modeling days. No, but that's 978 01:12:53.680 --> 01:12:59.159 Steve's new Year's resolution. You know, I'm located very close to a military 979 01:12:59.279 --> 01:13:01.840 base, and it's a training base for the most part, which means that 980 01:13:01.920 --> 01:13:05.520 it's a lot of soldiers who are here on a temporary basis. Well, 981 01:13:05.600 --> 01:13:10.840 most of them go home and I go to the airport and I go and 982 01:13:11.000 --> 01:13:15.119 I wish them all a great block leave and do all those nice things. 983 01:13:15.279 --> 01:13:17.800 But there were like fifty who didn't, who couldn't afford because I have to 984 01:13:17.840 --> 01:13:21.840 pay for it themselves or for whatever reason, to go home for block leaves. 985 01:13:21.880 --> 01:13:27.520 So they were stuck on this military base for two weeks, you know, 986 01:13:27.720 --> 01:13:30.079 with nothing to do but stay in their barracks all day. So I've 987 01:13:30.079 --> 01:13:34.920 been doing I've been doing activities, and one of the activities that I did 988 01:13:35.720 --> 01:13:41.840 was it's called the Bisbee one thousand, the Great stair Climb. I didn't 989 01:13:41.920 --> 01:13:45.720 do the whole thing. I didn't do the whole thing. I did probably 990 01:13:45.840 --> 01:13:48.720 a four hundred stars. We didn't have time to do the whole thing. 991 01:13:49.199 --> 01:13:56.359 The way the schedule worked. I couldn't walk for two days afterwards. So 992 01:13:56.560 --> 01:14:00.720 my resolution is to figure out why my body's so old and broken I can't 993 01:14:00.720 --> 01:14:03.600 walk up four hundred stairs at the same pace as a twenty one year old 994 01:14:03.960 --> 01:14:08.520 soldier. So that's what I'm going to do for the for the new year, 995 01:14:08.600 --> 01:14:14.119 and I'm going to keep that resolution. Steve, God Steve, what's 996 01:14:14.159 --> 01:14:19.920 yours? Oh well, I get better get a more diverse and inclusive arrangement 997 01:14:20.000 --> 01:14:24.520 of whiskey for the next year of our podcast. God one would hope. 998 01:14:24.920 --> 01:14:27.279 Yeah, you know, I'm really I'm really bad. I don't really do. 999 01:14:27.520 --> 01:14:30.840 I don't even really start thinking about it till about thirty minutes before that 1000 01:14:30.359 --> 01:14:35.399 silver apple whatever it is now drops. But I resolve this year to be 1001 01:14:35.560 --> 01:14:43.439 more open minded to Lucretia's crazy ideas. That would be a surprise of the 1002 01:14:43.520 --> 01:14:49.800 year. I actually I had to tell a listener John that got mad at 1003 01:14:49.880 --> 01:14:54.279 me for not arguing back with you. I guess last week maybe wait wait 1004 01:14:54.279 --> 01:14:57.079 wait waits time? Did you not argue back? When did this happen? 1005 01:14:57.159 --> 01:15:00.720 You knew? Guys had to actually pretty much a long back and forth where 1006 01:15:00.760 --> 01:15:02.439 I didn't say anything, and I wouldn't have believed it, but I actually 1007 01:15:02.520 --> 01:15:06.800 listened to it today when I was on the on the treadmill, but I 1008 01:15:06.920 --> 01:15:10.520 was long back and forth, I say anything, and when we were done, 1009 01:15:10.560 --> 01:15:13.359 I didn't add any commentary and I just said, Well, part of 1010 01:15:13.439 --> 01:15:15.640 it is because John never listens to anything I say anyway, just like Steve. 1011 01:15:15.720 --> 01:15:18.760 So what's the point. That's what I do? Listen? I do 1012 01:15:18.960 --> 01:15:25.319 listen. I was a little nicer than that about it, but it's true. 1013 01:15:25.479 --> 01:15:29.800 It's true sometimes you just you cherry pick what you listen to. John. 1014 01:15:30.239 --> 01:15:38.079 Well, I'm a lawyer. Okay, all right, is it time 1015 01:15:38.119 --> 01:15:41.760 for Babylon Bee? No time for Kamela first? Okay, So the best 1016 01:15:41.840 --> 01:15:44.800 thing about Kamala so I have a quote from her, not from this week, 1017 01:15:44.800 --> 01:15:47.800 because the best thing she did this week to make fun of unfortunately, 1018 01:15:48.319 --> 01:15:54.600 but I assume Steve can put this picture up if he wishes to, is 1019 01:15:54.680 --> 01:16:00.960 a hit the Harris family Christmas phone, which she sent around. I don't 1020 01:16:00.960 --> 01:16:05.439 know if you saw this, And apparently she sent something similar at Thanksgiving time 1021 01:16:05.479 --> 01:16:10.560 but no one noticed. And this apparently what she did is she sent a 1022 01:16:10.720 --> 01:16:16.760 picture of her cooking with her husband with a massive gas stove of the kind 1023 01:16:16.880 --> 01:16:21.920 that her administration wants to ban. Right, that's great, and I'm sure 1024 01:16:23.319 --> 01:16:27.079 of the very kind that Steve is not allowed to install in his massive new 1025 01:16:27.159 --> 01:16:32.760 kitchen. Oh, I got a permit like literally December thirty, first before 1026 01:16:32.880 --> 01:16:36.680 the new law went into effected Mike County stopping gas stove. So would you 1027 01:16:36.800 --> 01:16:45.279 actually have such a law. Yes, I could tell you my funny stories 1028 01:16:45.319 --> 01:16:48.800 about dealing with the college girls who run the planning department. That's my contract. 1029 01:16:48.920 --> 01:16:51.680 Come up, I can't believe you even need to get a permit in 1030 01:16:51.800 --> 01:16:56.079 this country to install a gas stove. Well, the real thing was to 1031 01:16:56.119 --> 01:16:59.640 get in under the wire to not be required by the state law requiring solar 1032 01:16:59.680 --> 01:17:02.119 panel on my renovation. So, oh my god, I didn't want that. 1033 01:17:02.199 --> 01:17:04.920 I look, I live in an area where it's foggy in the summer 1034 01:17:05.159 --> 01:17:11.560 and trees and it would be stupid anyway, So I recommend this, This 1035 01:17:11.760 --> 01:17:16.159 is a great Kamalism. And also I think has I think Kamala is wearing 1036 01:17:16.199 --> 01:17:20.680 an apron in the photo, which means, of course it is totally fake. 1037 01:17:24.239 --> 01:17:30.279 And then she says, we are making Christmas beef Wellington. That's very 1038 01:17:30.319 --> 01:17:33.039 good. I don't yeah, which I don't. Yeah, that's the food 1039 01:17:33.079 --> 01:17:36.439 of the oppressor. I just don't know you that either. But then the 1040 01:17:36.520 --> 01:17:40.079 quote, I have a quote, an oldie but a goodie, which I 1041 01:17:40.159 --> 01:17:45.640 never used earlier this year, which was Kamala Harris's comments during Women's Histories Month, 1042 01:17:45.359 --> 01:17:48.600 Women's History Month. I have to say, I didn't even know which 1043 01:17:48.680 --> 01:17:53.920 month that was. Actually, do either of you know which month is Women's 1044 01:17:54.000 --> 01:17:58.279 History Month? No, it comes after Black History Month goes from February to 1045 01:17:58.359 --> 01:18:00.920 June. I want to say it's May, because I told you I had 1046 01:18:00.960 --> 01:18:09.159 to neither of you know, speeches March. So she gave a speech to 1047 01:18:09.399 --> 01:18:15.399 commemorate Women's History Month. So she said, so during Women's History Month, 1048 01:18:15.479 --> 01:18:18.319 we celebrate and we honor the women who made history throughout history, who saw 1049 01:18:18.399 --> 01:18:26.840 what could be unburdened by what had been. Damn. So we haven't read 1050 01:18:26.880 --> 01:18:30.800 that one on for But that's a classic one. I mean that's so, 1051 01:18:30.439 --> 01:18:33.680 someone said, John, do you remember when I had to give a speech 1052 01:18:33.800 --> 01:18:42.720 to onom on Women's history Women's Equality Day, which is a day they celebrate 1053 01:18:42.880 --> 01:18:46.560 the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. I had to give a speech. Did 1054 01:18:46.680 --> 01:18:50.159 you say you thought it was wrong? Yeah? I think said we repealed 1055 01:18:50.479 --> 01:18:54.279 yes, right right, And so I had to give this speech, and 1056 01:18:54.359 --> 01:18:56.960 I had to be true to myself. But you know, I couldn't very 1057 01:18:57.000 --> 01:19:00.319 well go in and say that. So I gave an entire speech each on 1058 01:19:00.439 --> 01:19:05.399 the Nineteenth Amendment without ever actually praising either the Nineteenth Amendment or women's suffrage. 1059 01:19:05.479 --> 01:19:10.920 But I did praise Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglas, and Martin Luther King, 1060 01:19:11.079 --> 01:19:15.439 and I got a standing ovation because wow, there you go. So there 1061 01:19:15.479 --> 01:19:17.319 you go. It was a great esoteric performance. I'll just say that. 1062 01:19:17.560 --> 01:19:24.920 Yeah. Is that like where there's some kind of interior message, hidden message 1063 01:19:24.960 --> 01:19:29.920 and shage that only you guys who were graduates at Claremont Graduate School? Can 1064 01:19:30.319 --> 01:19:32.359 you figured it out? To John? Trust me, it wasn't that homoestic. 1065 01:19:32.640 --> 01:19:41.800 It wasn't that hidden if you got for us. So we didn't really 1066 01:19:41.880 --> 01:19:45.600 talk about the protesters to keep you know, gluing themselves to the street and 1067 01:19:45.760 --> 01:19:48.640 so forth. But I like this one. You know, these fine citizens 1068 01:19:48.720 --> 01:19:51.760 may really have a point, and I'd like to learn more about their cause. 1069 01:19:53.079 --> 01:20:01.199 Thanks driver blocked by protesters for three hours. That's pretty good. Nations, 1070 01:20:01.680 --> 01:20:08.479 White liberals wish each other Happy Kwanza. Ah right, yeah, uh 1071 01:20:09.079 --> 01:20:13.680 hold on, it's on the next page. My personal favorite, even though 1072 01:20:13.720 --> 01:20:23.199 this is becoming old news c Span acquired by porn hub. Well that's funny 1073 01:20:23.199 --> 01:20:28.920 when you think about it for a minute. This is for you, Econo 1074 01:20:28.920 --> 01:20:31.680 of miss out there. Ron Paul asks Santa Claus to end the FED for 1075 01:20:31.760 --> 01:20:34.640 the forty seventh straight year. Yeah, I saw that one. That one, 1076 01:20:34.880 --> 01:20:38.399 right, that's all. That's good, all right, all right, 1077 01:20:38.479 --> 01:20:42.079 John, send us out. We're running along as usual. Okay, always 1078 01:20:42.199 --> 01:20:46.439 drink your whiskey, meat and let's go Brandon and Steve God save the queen 1079 01:20:46.560 --> 01:20:49.399 man. And a happy new Year, everybody. Yeah, Happy new Year, 1080 01:20:49.439 --> 01:20:59.079 everybody. Sure this is my New Year's resolution. When my mother in 1081 01:20:59.199 --> 01:21:02.880 law agains yell and shout to the window, I would like to drove her 1082 01:21:03.000 --> 01:21:09.479 out, but I resolved not to do it. Here is why I'm afraid 1083 01:21:09.520 --> 01:21:18.720 of hitting someone passing by. This is my New Year's resolution. While I'm 1084 01:21:18.800 --> 01:21:24.840 at the movies watching a love scene and the lady's hat is blocking half the 1085 01:21:24.920 --> 01:21:30.560 screen, I resolved not to shout. Take off that hat. I removed 1086 01:21:30.560 --> 01:21:40.640 it gently with a baseball battle. This is my New Year's resolution. When 1087 01:21:40.720 --> 01:21:45.399 I take a lovely lady I'm to eat and she orders heavyro instead of meat, 1088 01:21:46.560 --> 01:21:51.039 I resolved to let the lady have her film, and of course I'll 1089 01:21:51.079 --> 01:21:58.560 also let her pay the bill. This is my New Year's resolution answer Frederick 1090 01:21:58.640 --> 01:22:03.319 Gast a cab. When I'm setting with my wife, he on a bus 1091 01:22:04.359 --> 01:22:12.479 and a dear old lady stands in front of us. Ricochet join the conversation. H