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Dec. 11, 2010 - Jimmy Dore Show
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20101211_The_Jimmy_Dore_Show_-_December_9_2010
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It's the Jimmy Dore Show.
the show for gut-minded, low-elivered lefties.
The kind of people that are...
It's the show that makes Anderson Cooper say.
It's hard to talk to you guys.
So sit back or sit up or keep driving.
Because it's the Jimmy Dore Show.
And now, here's a guy who sounds a lot like me.
It's Jimmy Dore.
There are 54 millionaires in the Senate.
Over half of the people in the Senate are millionaires.
And if they vote to give these tax breaks, they're putting money in their own pockets.
And it's coming out of your pocket.
That's Jane Hampshire from Fire Dog Lake making a point about the tax debate that I'd never thought about before.
Very interesting.
Well, it happened.
They had a negotiation.
Barack Obama sat down with the Republicans and hammered out a tax deal.
But before they sat down, before they even had a negotiation, Barack Obama called the press conference and said this.
Today I'm proposing a two-year pay freeze for all civilian federal workers.
You know, the last time I checked, an across-the-board pay freeze for federal employees was a Republican idea.
But Barack Obama's administration just offered that up without asking for anything in return before they even sat down for negotiation.
So we sat down with Barack Obama economic advisor George Leslie to ask just how the hell that happened.
What did you get in return for pushing that Republican policy?
What do you mean, get in return?
You know, well, usually in a negotiation, you give up something in order to get something.
So you gave them a pay freeze for federal employees.
What did you get in return?
Okay, Jimmy, I'm not sure I'm following you.
More of that interview coming up later on in the show.
Plus, we are going to gauge the reaction to President Obama's deal on taxes with the Republicans.
First, let's check in with the Republican himself, Joe Scarborough, and see what he thought of the deal.
I cannot believe that he gave up before the opening bell.
Okay, well, he's a Republican.
He's going to be negative.
Let's talk to a Democratic congressperson.
Frankly, I have no idea why we would concede to this.
Okay, so one liberal dem in Congress doesn't like it.
They're still going to vote for it, right?
No, I won't vote for it.
I don't feel that I should be coerced.
I mean, so there's a few angry House Democrats.
What about the Senate?
There's even more in our caucus.
A lot of people are really upset.
Okay, well, let's check in with the Independents.
How does Bernie Sanders like the deal?
It is totally absurd.
Wow, Republicans don't like it.
The House Democrats don't like it.
The Senate Democrats don't like it.
And the Independents don't like it.
What about the American people?
How do they like it?
In the last two days that I represent the small state, we have gotten 2,000 telephone calls to my offices in Vermont and here in Washington, 99% of the people opposing this agreement.
I think you're seeing that all over the country.
Oh, come on, you guys.
Could it really be that bad?
Is at a time when we have a huge national debt and the richest people in this country are becoming much richer, who thinks it made sense to grow the national that ask our kids to pay more in taxes so that billionaires can have giant tax breaks.
Very few people I know think that makes sense.
This makes sense.
And I think the more they look at it, the more of them are going to say this makes sense.
Okay, Mr. President, but do you have any words that'll make this a little less painful for the progressives?
To my Democratic friends, what I'd suggest is let's make sure that we understand this is a long game.
This is not a short game.
Yeah, so in other words, this kind of thing is going to keep happening over and over and over.
And it'll probably just get worse now that there's even more Republicans in the House.
Ah, good times.
Okay, well, as you guessed it, we're going to break it down.
We're going to talk about Barack Obama's tax deal and the reactions and all that.
Plus, it is the height of stupidity to extend unemployment benefits.
Americans need to get back to work.
The problem with unemployment benefits is they encourage people not to take jobs.
And they take money from the productive sector and give it to the unproductive.
Wow, it sounds like they're having a douchebag contest over at Fox News.
And we're going to check out the first runner-up.
Plus, Jim Hightower stops by to bum us out in folksy voice.
And Tuesdays with Moron.
Moron calls in.
He's got a lot on his mind.
And plus, a lot more.
That's today on the Jimmy Dore Show.
So he's promising four more years of tax cuts for CEOs.
Ted Scotts that he once voted against because he said they offended his conscience.
Well, they may have stopped defending John McCain's conscience somewhere along the road to the White House, but George Bush's economic policies still offend my conscience and they still offend yours.
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Music.
Hey, everybody, welcome to the show.
This is a special show.
We're not broadcasting in Los Angeles this week.
We're on Fun Drive.
But I still do the show for the million people who download it on the podcast every week and for the other affiliates out there.
We're in Olympia, Washington, Grand Rapids, New York City.
We're all over the place.
We're in Phoenix and Tennessee, somewhere in Tennessee.
It's great.
But let me tell you who's here in this studio.
When I say studio, I mean my living room.
Jim Earl is here.
Hi, Jim Earl.
How are you?
I'm great.
It's great being here at the fabulous estate of the Jimmy Dore Estate.
We've been watching A Squirrel Eat a Pumpkin in my backyard right now.
I love that.
Jim Earl is really enjoying that.
And Frank Connoff is here.
Frank Connoff, how are you, buddy?
Great.
Great to be here.
Thank you.
Maybe I should give your guys credits.
Okay, Jim Earl, a writer for what would be your daily show?
That's what I know.
Your big credit?
Air America.
Air America.
David Feldman Comedy Podcast.
Gosh bless you.
Yes.
We all love the David.
And Frank Conner from Mystery Science 3.
I also worked at Air America with Jim Earle.
Yes, and Cinematic Titanic is my thing going on now, which is a mystery science theater live show.
It's playing all over the country.
Fantastic.
Where can I see it?
And the next time you can see it, it'll be in New Hampshire, I believe, in January.
Not on the air in New Hampshire.
Maybe some people are going to be able to.
It will be in New Jersey and Arizona.
Oh, okay.
All right.
Where can they go find out information about it?
CinematicTitanic.com.
Okay, now before we get to today's topics, I was watching the television, and I just wanted to share this before we get into the horrible, depressing news about Barack Obama and the tax deal.
There's a new show called Bridoplasty.
And it might be on E. I think it might be on E. And so what it is, it's a bunch of young brides.
They're engaged.
And they all need a little bit.
They're unattractive enough to need plastic surgery, all of them.
They all need some work.
And they're all, and luckily, they're poor enough that they can't afford it.
So thankfully, some producers came along and made a TV show, and now they can compete.
And with these young brides do, they compete, and whoever wins the challenge wins a plastic surgery procedure.
And so here's just one little clip I wanted to play.
And I know you can't see the video, but I'm going to turn the.
Can you?
I'll just play it.
Let's see if you guys can hear it.
I think it'll be good enough.
Here we go.
So you can get a total of five points.
The bride that receives the highest score, well, she will become the top bride and get a plastic surgery procedure.
I feel confident.
I feel that I am a really well writer, a well-speaker, and I feel that I'm really about to rock this challenge.
Hopefully, I'll win the plastic surgery, which is the prize.
Okay, I just wanted to play.
Could there be anything funnier than someone saying that they're a well-rider and a well-speaker?
How well-looking was.
That's like Michael O'Donnell, who did that as a parody years ago with Ashley Lampoon.
He said, I can teach you to write good.
Really?
Yeah.
I feel that I am a really well writer, a well-speaker.
Okay, that's it.
I just wanted to play that for you.
All right, now let's get into the show.
Now, of course, we had the big tax deal with Barack Obama, and Barack Obama reached out and he compromised.
And I just want to remember what a bipartisan, this is a first piece of bipartisan legislation they put together, right?
I mean, the health care deal was basically all Democrats.
And so here we go.
But let's remember what a bipartisan deal is to a Republican.
To us, bipartisanship is them being forced to agree with us after we have politically cleaned their clocks and beaten them.
And that has to be what we're focused on.
And I'm starting to get the feeling that that happened.
Now, let me go to you first, Frank.
Now, you've been watching this.
Yeah.
And what is your take on Barack Obama?
Did he cave?
Did he make a good deal?
Is the left right with their upset?
Is the right right to be happy?
I don't know.
I just, I feel that the left's being upset about it is very understandable.
But, you know, I kind of feel that we sort of live in a Republican world, whether we want to admit it or not.
And the problem, like when the Democrats had control of Congress, when the Democrats have control of Congress, it doesn't mean that the Democrats have control of Congress.
It means because a lot of the Democrats are also Republicans.
But when the Republicans have control, everyone is a Republican.
So I kind of feel like Obama is kind of facing that reality that, you know, and then in a way, Obama kind of comes off to me as, you know, he's not so much a liberal Democrat as a compassionate conservative.
He very much is.
Well, one of my Twitter updates, I tweeted, was that Barack, like most Republicans, would rather fight with liberals than fight with conservatives.
And that's pretty much what he's doing.
Jim, let's just get your overall view on the Barack Obama tax deal.
I think it's a complete cave-in.
Well, I agree with what Frank says that, you know, he is right about the Democrats never being fully in charge because half of them are Republicans anyway.
But this still doesn't give Obama the excuse for not fighting from the very beginning.
We could have gotten to the same result if he had fought as well, but he didn't.
And so that makes it even worse.
And Congress also really should have voted on this before the election.
They were completely wimpy about it.
It's not just Obama, it's his ineffectual Congress that he can't.
His leadership was inefficient, too.
He could have more.
Let's play.
So here's, let me just play a clip from Barack Obama.
Because the fact of the matter is the American people already agree with me.
And their polls are showing right now that the American people, for the most part, think it's a bad idea to provide tax cuts to the wealthy.
But the issue is not me persuading the American people.
They're already there.
Okay, so he's got the American people on his side.
He's got the White House.
He's got a majority in the Senate, and he's got a majority in the Congress right now.
But there's a fascinating thing when the Democrats have all that power, when the people are behind them, and they have the White House, the Senate, and the House.
A fascinating thing happens.
There's a fascinating thing that happens with Democrats where they do not appear to understand when they have the leverage.
In the tax cut debate, they have the leverage.
They have the more popular position, and they're the only ones really with the power to pass a tax cut extension, but they don't use it.
We have politically cleaned their clocks and beaten them.
So that is kind of, I mean, if you can't get your legislation passed now, when you I mean, and this is there's only a couple of days left that they have both this big majority in the House, and they can't get it passed now.
I mean, so couldn't it, could there be any hope for the future?
Oh, well, if you're talking about hope for the future, I guess the answer to that would be no.
No one really has hope for the future.
Really?
No.
No, the future is a terrible thing.
Never look forward to the future.
And never look backwards.
Yeah, because the past sucks, too.
Living in the present is hard because that's terrible.
Pretty depressing as well.
So live in between the present and the future.
Being asleep is what helps, I think.
So I should be in the present perfect tense as what I should try to live in.
You know what really helps?
Watching a squirrel eat a pumpkin.
There's nothing that just takes your mind.
watching a squirrel eat a pumpkin.
The squirrel is still eating a pumpkin.
Did you know that there are 50, but I play this at the top of the show?
54 millionaires in the Senate.
I'm happy about that.
I'm surprised there's more, actually, because that's just a little over half.
Yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
I kind of assumed that they're more of them millionaires.
Okay, no, I'm going to do.
This is let me play.
This is from Joe Scarborough.
I happen to be up watching the Morning Joe because in L.A., it's late-night programming, very late-night program.
Well, you know what?
What I like is that in the morning, I like to have my choice of either a conservative morning news show or another conservative morning news show or a really conservative morning news show, which is nice.
It's nice you get this.
And when I want liberal programming, I'll watch MSNBC, like, for instance, watch yesterday afternoon on Chris Matthews watching Pat Buchanan talk about how we need how maybe the whole thing about property owners being only the only people who vote, there's merit to that.
So I love that kind of like watching Lawrence O'Donnell scream at Alan Grayson.
Did you see that yesterday?
No, I missed that.
I didn't see that.
He was berserk.
He was like angry at him over nothing.
It's like this guy's on the right side, buddy.
He was upset that Alan Grayson is against the tax deal.
And Lawrence O'Donnell's big problem is that the lowest tax rate is going to go up from 10% to 15%.
And his deal is that's a 50% rise.
So those are the people who are going to get hurt.
And you're going to grandstand on principle, and those are the people who are going to get.
But I think Lawrence O'Donnell, too, I mean, in his defense, I think that the whole thing is going to affect his West Wing residual.
Yes, he did get right around that.
So I'm up watching Joe Scarborough.
And this is a clip.
Maybe I'll stop it and start it along the way.
But let's just listen to what Joe Scarborough had to say.
I would love my opponent.
I would love my political opponent to take the position we're going to extend tax cuts for millionaires that even the CBO says is not going to create new jobs.
And yet they're going to cut off unemployment benefits for families at Christmas time.
Please, please.
That seriously, that's like Muhammad Ali in 1971 fighting against Princeton's boxing champ, Alan Merriweather.
I mean, it's just an easy battle.
So that's a Republican who's not in office right now talking.
So that's if they're not in office, that's what they sound like, right?
And I can't.
So when I saw that, I was a little high, and I couldn't believe that that was happening.
I'm like, wait a minute, Republican is going crazy.
He's calling Barack Obama.
He's saying that Barack Obama caved in, and then Barack Obama still has the gall to go out and yell at the left.
Let's play a little bit more of that, unless you guys have something to say.
I just want to, you know, Barack has caved so much, massy energy, he wants to dig a mine in his liver.
He's caved so much, he's got 30 Jileans liberal.
Single Republican who was afraid of that fight.
Okay, so this is Mark.
He's talking to Mark Helpern from the.
Oh, boy, Bark Halpern.
That's going to put everything in perspective.
And listen to what he says.
Okay, yes.
I'm glad that you know that that guy's a knucklehead.
Okay, there you go.
Alan Merriweather.
I mean, it's just, it's an easy battle.
There's a single Republican who is afraid of that fight.
Guess what?
Because they didn't.
I would have to say that.
I was saying for four years.
Mark, we weren't afraid of Bill Clinton in January of 95, February, March, April.
We made fun of him in May, June, July, August, September, October, November.
And by December, when finally after year, people started calling us saying we're going to take you just started sweating on this.
Baba has beaten us.
So they go from, just like what Rachel Maddow pointed this out yesterday, they go from ignoring you to laughing at you to fighting you to you winning.
And that's what he pretty much just described, that what happened with Bill Clinton.
They ignored him, then they laughed at him in the summer, then they fought him in the fall, and then he beat him in the winter.
And that's a famous saying from Gandhi.
Gandhi said, first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
And Rachel Maddow pointed out yesterday how that's the exact opposite is happening with Barack Obama.
Then he won, right?
And then they fought him, and now they're laughing at him, and pretty soon they're going to be ignoring him.
And here's what we have.
Here's the difference between, I think, the Democrats, Barack Obama, and what a Republican does when they believe in a piece of policy.
Here's Senator Debbie Stabenow describing what the Republicans are willing to do to get a piece of legislation passed.
They are willing to risk everything in order to get a bonus round of tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.
They're literally willing to stop everything, risk everything in the economy in order to get an extra tax cut.
We don't care if it's paid for.
It doesn't matter if it's paid for.
It doesn't matter if anything else gets done.
It doesn't matter national security.
We're not going to take up the start tree.
We don't care about our relationship with Russia.
We don't care about national security issues.
We want a tax cut for our friends.
Okay, so they're willing to risk everything.
And this is what the Democrats are willing to do.
This country was founded on compromises.
Okay, there you go.
That's the leader of the Democratic Party, the man who was elected with an overwhelming majority just two years ago.
Wouldn't it be great?
I mean, can you think of a policy position that Barack Obama is willing to fight the way Debbie Stabenow described that Republicans are willing to fight over tax cuts for the wealthy?
Is there anything that you think Barack Obama would stand up for like that?
Compromise.
Yes.
I think he really would fight for compromise.
He would dig in his heels.
And if you don't like the way he's going to compromise, he's willing to meet you halfway on it.
However, the compromise would come about.
He doesn't.
Well, you know.
He is.
I mean, he's genuinely, and this might be the problem, is he really is a reach across the aisle kind of guy.
He really is, you know, what people profess is a virtue, what some people in Washington profess is a virtue.
He really has that.
He really is a guy that isn't about his ideology.
He's about, you know, doing what needs to be done to get what he thinks needs to happen.
Republicanism is a religion, and that's why it's so easy for them to surrender to one goal and never question anything.
Everybody and the Democrats, it's just a big fight.
It's just a lot of fight between everybody.
And don't forget when Bush was in power, you know, and with the Iraq war, I mean, the Democrats Gave him everything, they gave him everything he wanted.
You know, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.
It wasn't until John Murtha spoke out against the war that any Democrat was willing to make a public, any Democrat that wasn't already, you know, that already voted against it, like Howard Dean or whoever.
It wasn't until Murtha came out that someone like Pelosi or Reed would even begin to make any kind of criticism that maybe we shouldn't have gone there in the first place or that it wasn't working.
That's why democracy is so flawed, and it will never work.
Well, what do you mean?
It's worked great up until right about now.
I mean, it has its problems.
It has its up and down.
I think it had a real 100 years of, you know, 200 years of slavery.
You know, that didn't work out too well.
Well, no, it worked out because democracies have never worked.
Let's face it.
You know, the ancient Greek one lasted 100 years.
They were the most warlike imperialist country in their region.
It wasn't until they had a benevolent dictatorship that things just went okay, fine.
Everything went great.
And same with ancient Rome, the Republicans, the Republican Senate.
It was just war after war after war.
Was that McConnell?
And then they got tax breaks for the rich back.
And then the imperialists, Augustus took over, and peace, prosperity.
I'm not saying.
So you're saying you're not, but I'm saying that it's hopeless.
That's why I say it.
But Rome is no longer, right?
So, I mean, over the last 800 years.
What's the longest right now that's been around?
What's the ruling government that's been around right now, you think?
What type of government?
Any kind of type of government.
What's the longest?
Do you know?
You know, well, the.
I mean, you're pretty smart with the history.
The Dutch have had the.
Like David Feldman, I hate the Dutch.
But go ahead.
They've had the longest, most prosperous, and the most tolerant society in Western Europe and modern history.
Okay, well, all this talk about.
It's because of the paint, I think.
The Dutch for sub-reference.
I'm sorry.
All the.
Okay, so we've got a few minutes left in the first half of the show.
And before Barack Obama even went into his negotiations with the Republicans about the tax deal, do you remember that he came out and he made an announcement the day before that they are going to freeze federal pay for time?
All workers are going to be a crusade.
Now, that's a Republican.
That's a Republican idea.
That's a policy the Republicans want.
They're against any federal workers.
They're against government, right?
And then Barack Obama, like for no reason, seemed to just come out and say, hey, it's okay.
Okay, I'm just going to do this thing you guys have been wanting to do.
It was pretty bizarre.
And so I actually, well, here's what he said.
Today I'm proposing a two-year pay freeze for all civilian federal workers.
So I got a hold of George Leslie, who is Barack Obama's economic advisor inside the White House, and we had a little chat.
I'm talking with economic advisor George Leslie, economic advisor to Barack Obama.
He's calling from inside the White House.
Mr. Leslie, thanks for taking time out.
How are you today?
I'm doing fine, Jimmy.
How are you?
I'm doing okay.
We could be a little better.
We're a little perplexed about the negotiating tactics that the Obama White House used when they were negotiating with the Republicans over this tax deal.
It seems that you guys gave away something without getting anything back.
Well, Jimmy, I know that's how it looks, but what you really got to...
Can you just tell me how you went into these negotiations?
Well, we announced a pay freeze for federal employees to gain the political upper hand.
Ordering a pay freeze for federal employees, isn't that a Republican idea?
That's right, Jimmy.
It sure is.
But you put it into practice.
Why would you do that?
Well, we did it as a negotiating tactic.
You know, sort of a preemptive strike against the Republicans, showing the American people that we were the party ready to reach across the aisle and work in a bipartisan manner.
What did you get in return for pushing that Republican policy?
What do you mean, get in return?
You know, well, usually in a negotiation, you give up something in order to get something.
So you gave them a pay freeze for federal employees.
What did you get in return?
Okay, Jimmy, I'm not sure I'm following you.
We did that to outmaneuver them and show the American people that we were ready and willing to compromise.
Okay, so what did the Republicans give up to make that compromise?
They wouldn't give up anything.
So we had to meet them in the middle and implement their Fed pay-freeze idea.
So now you're just implementing Republican policies outright?
It's called compromise, Jimmy.
When are you crazies on the left going to understand that?
Just because you have a majority in the House and a majority in the Senate and the White House and have overwhelming public opinion behind you and your policies doesn't mean that you get to do what you want and what the Democrats want and what the American people want.
No, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what it means.
Jimmy, there is a minority party called the Republicans.
Ever heard of them?
I mean, we have to negotiate with them or they can filibuster any legislation in the Senate.
So that means that they're pretty much running things in Washington.
Wait a minute.
So you're telling me that the party that is less popular, the party with less representatives in Congress, they're the ones with the power?
That's how our system is set up.
Wow.
Well, let me ask you one last question.
When are you guys going to be running things then?
I am not sure.
You see, when the Republicans are in power, they just push their policies through without our input and never bend.
Like, remember the first six years of the Bush administration?
Two.
Count them.
Two wars.
And then they cut taxes during two wars.
God.
Deregulated business and banking?
Ordered war crimes?
Illegal wiretaps?
Man, those guys really know how to get it done, don't they?
Okay, George Leslie, economic advisor to Barack Obama, thanks for telling us how you guys negotiate.
All right, I'll see you later.
I'm going to go shoot something.
I'm going to go shoot something.
You're listening to The Jimmy Dore Show on Pacifica.
Music Okay, and so we are back.
And before we get to, let me let you know what's coming up on the rest of the show.
Moron's going to call in.
He's got something on his mind always.
We're going to talk about, is unemployment insurance, does it really make people stay unemployed?
We're going to talk about that.
And is Barack Obama the most progressive we could elect right now?
Is he the most progressive politician?
Because that's what people are saying.
But before we get to that, I want to let everybody know, coming up on the 16th of December, that's right, the 16th of December, which is Thursday, I'm going to be at the Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank with David Feldman from the David Feldman Comedy Podcast Show, Radio Place.
And also, who was else on that show, Nick Thune and Al Madrigal.
And here's my Christmas gift to the Jimmy Dore podcast listeners.
You know what you do?
You go to the Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank on Thursday, December 16th.
You say, hey, I listen to the Jimmy Doerr comedy show.
You get in for free.
That's my Christmas present.
What do you think of that?
I think it's great.
I'm not going to Flappers.
I'm going to Piss Flappers that night.
But I may have enough time to get on over the Flappers after I said.
I'm going to Waddles.
They have older colleagues.
Waddles.
Oh, I like that.
Okay.
So that's the big deal.
That's my big Christmas gift to our friends.
Come see.
And then on the 28th, I'm going to be at the UCB Theater doing pop and politics.
And Bill Burr is our guest that night.
So those are the two big comedy dates in December for Jimmy Doerr.
Okay, right now, let's move on.
And I wanted to talk about.
I was watching the Chris Matthews show, and they were talking about who could get elected.
I'll just play it and we'll talk about it.
You know, the left has to accept this is right now the most progressive president we can elect in this country.
I mean, first of all, let me just go, Jim, do you believe that?
Do you think that Barack Obama is the most progressive politician we can elect in this country?
That we can elect?
Yeah.
Probably.
He's not a progressive politician, though.
He's a Republican.
So technically, no.
My point is, I would say that when they say that he's the most progressive guy we can elect, well, we actually elected someone who's more progressive than Barack Obama.
Barack Obama, the candidate, is much more progressive.
Is that really true, do you think?
I mean, or is that like a projection on what people were expecting of him because of his rhetoric or because of how exciting it was that after eight years of Bush that we might get this guy who's obviously so much better?
But hasn't Obama always been like kind of a consensus?
He has been as a legislator, but not as a campaigner.
As a campaigner, he wasn't that way.
So he got elected.
Nobody knew really anything about him.
Nobody knew if he was a lefty or righty or a centrist or whatever.
I always thought he was a centrist.
I mean, I was still excited to vote for him, but I never really thought he was like a way out there left-wing.
No, no, no.
I was very disappointed when he won the primary.
But he also has.
Do you think Hillary would be more liberal?
I thought John Edwards.
Oh, sure.
But then look who we'd have to.
I don't care.
You know, I'm protesting outside that funeral.
But let's not.
I have my own issues with that.
Okay.
But Obama, you know, a lot of his campaign promises were progressive.
Yes.
You know, the Don't Ask, Don't Tell and stop government spine, domestic spine, Guantanamo.
I mean, but in that area, he really has been a lot different.
I have to admit, in that area, of course.
He ramped up the war.
Yeah, and of also prosecuting the Bush torture regime, which in retrospect, maybe I shouldn't be surprised, but I was surprised about that.
I was very surprised about that.
And his whole whole, I'm sorry, his whole lobbyist lie, too.
No lobbyist will be in my administration cut to booming an episode of Gilligan's Island when everybody's wearing a dress and there are lobbyists everywhere.
And yet they can't fix the whole of the boat.
Stupid professor.
So let's finish his quote.
You know, the left has now the most progressive president we can elect in the presidential.
And then Chris Matthews chimes in.
Chris Matthews chimed in, really.
I love to hear you say that, but I'd also like to add an historic thing, which you agree with.
I think probably the most progressive president since the first year of the Johnson administration, 64.
I mean, I don't think there's been anything like it in terms of progressive activity across the board.
Howard, history check.
I know we have to talk to some people who are younger, perhaps, who aren't as politically crazed as we are, haven't followed this life for 40 years.
But the fact is, if you look at any look at history, who's going to come in there and actually win the presidency to this guy's left?
Who are they talking about?
I mean, win it.
Okay, so I think Barack Obama could win it to his left.
Do you know what I mean?
Like if someone came out and campaigned, it'd be very easy to outflank him to his left right now.
Very easy.
You go, I'm going to end the war in Afghanistan.
But outflank him to his left, but not in terms of winning the election, though.
I think if you came out and said, I think if you beat Barack Obama in the primary, you could win the general, don't you think?
I mean, it's going to be a pretty weak field.
Nick Romney is going to guy you're going to have to beat him.
Right, yeah, but I don't know if more.
I think even beating him in the primary is very unrealistic.
It could be a tough slog, but I think if he came out and said, hey, guess what?
I'm going to end the Afghanistan war, and I'm going to take that money, $100 billion a year that we've been spending in Afghanistan, and I'm going to put it right into public works.
We're going to create jobs immediately.
That would bring down...
Well, I don't think it would bring down Obama, though, if someone did that.
I don't think that person.
I would vote for that person.
Yeah, but especially in the media landscape that we live in, that person would probably be demonized by the left, and that would probably have an effect on if people would vote for him or not.
Well, I still have my fingers crossed.
You're such a doggy downer.
If you believe the premise that he just said that there's no hope.
I'm trying to find it.
I keep trying to find it.
But if things keep going the way they are, Jimmy, things keep getting worse and worse economically.
I don't think people are going to turn to the right.
I think they're going to turn to the left.
I agree.
I mean people want – Why would they turn – Because people want – I should say recent history of that people would give into their fears, and when people give in to their fear, and they would give in to their ignorance, and when they give into their fear and their ignorance, they go to the right.
Well, they're going to give in to their anger, just as they did during the 30s and during the 60s.
If people start standing in breadlines again, which they're about to, and they lose unemployment, and they're going to know us, the Republicans.
I think history would have been different if Al Flandon had a reality show.
I don't even know Al Flanders.
He ran against Roosevelt in 36.
I didn't know that.
I had no idea.
You never saw it.
Who was his vice president?
Anyway.
You never saw their comedy team, Landon and Davis?
No, I didn't.
That was great.
Did they have YouTube back then?
Maybe not.
That's probably why I've missed it.
Live at Stockton State.
I think people are going to get really pissed off when Obama asked every black man in the U.S. to give back 30 acres in a middle.
Because that's what's going to happen.
That's his next compromise.
My whole thing about if we, you know, you say that it couldn't happen, that somebody couldn't outleft Barack Obama and win.
I say that the reason why FDR won was because not only did he talk the rhetoric of a progressive, but he actually put in policies that changed people's lives pretty immediately, you know, like right away.
Like he created Fannie Mae, and immediately he created pretty much the modernity.
He had a bigger Democratic majority, didn't he, in the Congress?
I don't know about if that initially he had to win Republic.
They got afraid of him.
So what happened was, you know how the Democrats are afraid of the Republicans right now, and they can be led around by them.
That's what FDR did to them.
You know how Barack Obama should be winning this tax debate right now?
FDR did win it.
He would stand up there and talk to the bankers and go, I welcome their hate.
They're going to hate me.
I welcome.
Barack Obama would never say something like that.
In fact, he took those guys who are supposed to be hating him right now and he put him in his cabinet.
And he did not compromise.
He did not cave in.
No, he knew what the country needed, and he did it.
Yeah, and he wasn't afraid to stand up and take a hit.
And the thing was, his policies affected people's lives immediately, made a change in their lives, and they went along.
They're like, well, this is working.
I didn't have a job before.
Now I do.
It's working.
I didn't have a mortgage.
I was going to lose my house before.
Now I can keep it.
It was a different situation back then for Roosevelt to get the things done that he needed to do, not just the fact that he had a bigger majorities of Democrats in the Congress, but also the media landscape was much different back then, and there wasn't the constant echo chamber.
And the media does, you know, and I hate to say this, the media, the really dumb, stupid media, does have an effect on policy.
No doubt about it.
Look at Shirley Sherad.
She got fired because she was going to end up on Glendale.
Right, right, right.
Yeah, but FDR took the leader.
He controlled the media.
There was a new media radio, and he took it and he used it.
And Obama could do the same thing.
I agree with you.
There was Father Coughlin during the, you know, when he was, I mean, he had his enemies.
Those guys were out to get him.
When you say there was Father Coughlin, you were saying there were Fox News personalities back then.
Correct.
Yes, correct.
That's what I'm saying.
There was their version of the Fox News.
And he had his, I mean, he had the most powerful men in the country were his enemies.
So, I mean, kind of like he was the Elliot Spitzer of his day.
And he had a lesbian wife.
And he had a lesbian life, just like Bill Clinton.
So, no, we got to.
Hello.
Hey!
And she's definitely at least by.
The point is.
It's got to be.
The point is.
So let's play a little bit more from his.
Can I play a little bit more from his press conference?
I don't know why I'm asking permission.
It's my show.
So here is Chuck Todd asks a pretty good strategic question.
Are you telegraphing, though, a negotiating strategy of how the Republicans can beat you in negotiations all the way through the next year because they can just stick to their guns, stay united, be unwilling to budge, to use your words?
So that's a pretty good question.
He goes, so no, no, you just telegraphed how to beat you.
Just say you won't budge.
You're going to stick to your, and this is what Barack Obama says.
And force you to capitulate?
I don't think so.
He goes, I don't think so.
That was his.
Let me play a little bit.
You heard it.
So, of course, that's correct.
Of course, Barack Obama is wrong about that.
Of course, they're going to be able to do that.
They've been able to do whatever they want to him.
Is it him or his advisors who are just destroying him?
Well, he's picking the advisors.
Jon Stewart stuck it right in his face and said Larry Summers is not only the same, he's exactly the same person, and he said Larry Summers is doing a heck of a job.
And it's like, that didn't wake you up, Barack Obama, to hear yourself utter the words, Larry Summers is doing a heck of a job when Jon Stewart is calling you out?
I mean, it was just what do you say to that?
Well, I mean, but is, you know, what is the alternative to this deal now?
In other words, how could he have gotten the extension of the unemployment benefits and the things that he got?
Could he have gotten them without caving on the tax cut for the rich?
Obama's argument is by doing this, this is going to affect people in a good way, and some bad things are going to happen.
But if I don't do this, then people are going to lose their unemployment benefits, and all this bad stuff will happen.
So I'm being practical, I'm compromising, but people will suffer less because I'm doing this.
I think the point is if he had fought hard from the very beginning and not given away his hand before the Ford negotiations, then we wouldn't have had to give up so much.
And even if we had gotten to this point where we did have to give up all this stuff, it wouldn't be that hard to take.
But I'm not sure that Obama fighting harder, whatever that means, is going to make the Republicans budge on the things that they're not going to budge on.
Sure, it will.
Bill Clinton, I point to Bill Clinton, and he called their bluff and they lost.
And so you've got to be willing to call their bluff.
And he wasn't willing, and they knew that he wasn't willing, so they just got what they wanted.
I mean, you have to show that you have a spine.
You have to show that, yeah, I'm willing to take a hit to.
But Obama's argument would be like, it's the public that's going to take the hit if I do this.
Yeah, here's what he had to say about that, about Chuck Todd's question.
And the reason is because this is a very unique.
So he says he doesn't think that they can beat him again doing the same thing, and here's why.
And the reason is because this is a very unique circumstance.
This is a situation in which tens of millions of people would be directly damaged and immediately damaged.
And at a time when the economy is just about to recover.
Okay, so that's why he said it.
So by the way, the economy will be recovered next year.
Because he just said that's why he did this deal, because the economy is just about to recover, and this will screw it.
So those people will be hurt.
So if you threaten to hurt someone in America, that's it.
You win.
Barack Obama says, I got to roll over.
But he's talking, though, in a practical reality, that if I don't, his argument is if I don't do this, people will be hurt.
If I stand by principle and then there's no deal made, and I just say, screw you, Republicans, you're not getting what you're doing.
Yeah, you have to take a chance.
But you have to, but he has to take a look at that.
But you're saying that by taking that chance, though, it's not just him.
It's then the people who aren't going to keep getting their unemployment benefits.
They have to be willing to take that hit, too, right?
Well, what would it be in this position now if he had fought hard from the beginning?
See, that's the point.
You go, well, what if this happens and those people get hurt?
Well, if he would have done it right, the chances are those people wouldn't get hurt.
And just like what I said, just like with Bill Clinton.
And maybe they get hurt for a little while, but they get a benefit down the road.
Right, but politically, how do you make that?
That's a hard argument to make to people, that you're going to have to suffer because you're out there saying, I'm fighting for you right now.
And you just keep telling them, I'm for you.
I'm on your side, and here's my policy.
And these are the guys who are against it.
I mean, you know.
If he had showed as much passion in the last year about this and fighting for people as he did in yelling at his supporters, then the public would be on his side more and they would understand what's going on instead of being in this uncompromising position now.
So this is Barack Obama did it again.
He brought up the public.
Here's what he said.
Okay, I'll play it.
So this notion that somehow we are willing to compromise too much.
Reminds me of the debate that we had during healthcare.
This is the public option debate all over again.
Even though we got health insurance for 30 million people and the potential for lower premiums for 100 million people, that somehow that was a sign of weakness and compromise.
Okay, well, the reason why, first of all, he's got to bring that up.
Why do you got to rip that scab open again, right?
It's like, oh, hey, remember the last time I screwed you over?
I'm doing it again.
Remember that last time?
Yeah, remember that?
doesn't look at it that way.
He looks at it like...
That's his he's still trying to convince people.
It's like that's not – You made a deal.
You gave away the one part of that bill everybody wanted.
If you would have just gotten that and nothing else, we would have been happier.
And it's not that he didn't get it.
It's the reason why he didn't get it.
The reason why he didn't get it, because he made a deal with the pharmaceutical and the health insurance companies.
That's why you didn't get it because you didn't fight for it.
You didn't make your case to the American people.
You let the Congress go out and set policy.
You let the Republicans ruin your town hall meetings for a whole year because you didn't take control and lead on this.
Why didn't you have a vote on this before the summer?
Why did you let them go home and get humiliated?
And after you saw it happening, why didn't you grab the reins?
And people still, I mean, in August, in September of last year, people still didn't even know what the public option was.
Barack Obama hadn't even explained it to them, Jim.
He never wanted it.
He never really wanted to.
Never wanted it.
Really?
No, he never wanted a policy.
There's an argument to be made for that.
He gave it away.
He gave it away before negotiations started, just like he gave away in the tax deal negotiations before that even started.
Here's what he said about the public option.
Any plan I sign must include an insurance exchange, a one-stop shopping marketplace where you can compare the benefits, costs, and track records of a variety of plans, including a public option to increase competition and keep insurance companies honest.
Well, there you go.
And that was his promise.
He didn't say, I mean, it sounded like he meant it when he said it there when I listened to it.
It sounded like he meant it.
Didn't it sound like he meant it to you?
No.
I guess.
I'll just point out that the White House is so bad at negotiating deals that I sent them a commission because I thought they were my agents.
I like a little inside joke.
Here's what he says about the and then he has the gall to say this.
I will be happy to see the Republicans test whether or not I'm itching for a fight on a whole range of issues.
I suspect they will find I am.
And I think the American people will be on my side on a whole bunch of these fights.
But right now.
But right now, I'm not willing.
I'm not willing to fight.
But if they test me the next time, I'm going to fight the next time.
I got news for him.
The fight's over.
You lost.
You lost everything, and now the Republicans are taking over the House.
You lost.
You lost everything.
You lost the public option.
You just lost this tax fight.
You've ballooned the deficit.
So the thing is, he points that deficit commission, right?
So the deficit commission comes out and says that we have to cut Social Security, which is funny because Social Security doesn't even add to the deficit.
But that's one of their recommendations.
Got to cut Social Security.
What?
Now it sounds like you have an ideology against Social Security because it doesn't have anything to do with the freaking.
So they came out and it said, we're going to lower the deficit by a trillion dollars over a generation.
That's what the deficit commission, that's their plan.
All their cuts would lower the deficit by a trillion dollars over a generation.
Now, with this deal that Barack Obama and the Republicans just struck, they're going to add a trillion dollars onto the deficit in a week.
It took them a week to figure out how to add a trillion.
Well, they're more efficient.
What are you complaining about?
It's going to take a generation to get rid of a trillion.
We put it on in a week.
David Geffen is going to get a big tax break, and the jobs are going to come raining down on me.
Now he'll finally be able to afford to marry Keanu Reeves.
Okay, I want to thank my guests for stopping in today.
How far are we?
Oh, no, let's keep talking.
I thought we were up against a hard thing.
But let's move on one more because this is all happening behind the backdrop.
The reason why this is all gross and horrible is because I was watching the 60 Minutes and Leslie Saul was interviewing David Stockman, who was Ronald Reagan's budget director.
So, I mean, that's the guy.
Mr. Supply Side.
That's the guy, David Stockman.
And every Republican now is pointing towards Ronald Reagan as their template for how to run a country.
So this is what he says about tax.
Well, he was talking about taxes and how we've demonized them so much.
He says this.
We've created almost the idea that they're a metaphysical evil.
And he's saying that's a bad thing and that they're not a metaphysical evil.
What?
What happened to him?
And then listen to what listen to what he had to say about what's happening right now with the economy because he's an economist, so he sees what's happening, and here's what he has to say.
In 1985, the top 5% of the households, the wealthiest 5%, had net worth of $8 trillion, which is a lot.
Today, after serial bubble, after serial bubble, the top 5% have net worth of $40 trillion.
The top 5% have gained more wealth than the whole human race had created prior to 1980.
That's quite a statistic.
So this is where we're – Don't you think?
They've created more wealth than the entire world.
They've accumulated more wealth than the entire world had created prior to 1980, and they still need a tax cut.
Right, and there's still no, with all that wealth, you would think that that would stimulate the economy if their theory is correct, that if there's all this wealth on top, that it would trickle down to everyone in the economy would be in great shape.
But they just seem to keep it for themselves.
The McMansion industry makes money, I guess.
And that's the message Obama should have been hammering into people's heads since he took office.
That message, the trickle-down theory does not work.
Well, this is what he said.
But he never puts that message.
He did, like, during the campaign and even during his inauguration, he talked about how that didn't work.
The policies that they are pushing got us here.
And they don't realize that the ground has shifted underneath them.
He's talking about his opponents and people who are opponents of big government.
That's what he was saying.
They don't realize the ground is shifting underneath them, and the bait is no longer big government versus small government.
The debate is now effective government versus ineffective government.
And so that was going to be his case.
And he was going to come out and he was going to tell people, here's how we can make government work for everybody instead of just for a plutocracy.
And he didn't do that.
I mean that's the difference between – and that's – and he – don't you think he missed his chance and now our country is really going to be – I think he deliberately doesn't care about it.
He does not believe in it.
He's a Republican.
He's a new school Republican.
He's not like the old school Republicans like William F. Buckley, who could actually have a reasoned discussion with Noam Chomsky, and you'd sit there and go, oh, okay, back and forth.
Now that would never happen.
The new Republicans would call Chomsky a fascist or a socialist and a whole lot of people.
Hold on, you mean a reasoned William F. Buckley arguments like, hey, people should have tattoos on their ass.
Well, except for that.
That wasn't.
And that black people at the same time.
Separate but equal.
Right.
He was a bit of a fairy.
Okay, exception for that.
Okay.
You win.
But when I find myself missing Republicans like Richard Nixon, you know, because he is more progressive than Obama is.
Of course he was.
He created the EPA.
Yeah.
And he wanted to expand Medicare for everybody.
You know, how he had, he was going to, yes, he was going to give he had a more progressive health care plan than Barack Obama passed.
Right.
That's for sure.
He was more progressive.
Obama passed it, though.
That's the difference.
Oh, that's what they would say.
Well, it was pretty tough for him to do that, Frank, considering that he only had overwhelming majorities in both ways.
Well, no, but he didn't.
But that's what I said before.
He never had a Democratic majority because a lot of the Democrats were Republicans.
Is that what you're saying?
Yes.
Okay.
All right, Frank, you win.
All right.
Thank you.
Hey, it's Jimmy.
Who's this?
Hey, Jimmy, how you doing?
It's Moron.
Hey, Morad, what's up, buddy?
I see that the Republican kicked of Barack Obama's asses.
Yeah, they guess I would say that.
Yeah.
They kicked his ass.
Did you see that?
They won the tech.
They didn't let him raise the taxes on nobody's.
Yeah, they won the tax debate.
Is that what you're saying?
They won it.
He looked horrible.
Yes, he did.
You okay, buddy?
I started saying that Obama's looked like a spineless little girl.
Yeah, spineless, I would say.
Jim, do you hear what I'm saying?
saying that Obama, he looked like he'll never do nothing.
He looked like such a wimp.
Yeah, well, I would agree that he did.
Why are you agreeing with me?
Because he did.
Well, that takes the fun out of it for you.
That's not what I expected.
I'll tell you that.
Anyway, what?
I'm excited that we're having.
You know what?
I've already picked out something for my new, well, I kind of pre-bought something with my tax money, I'm going to say.
Like a pre-tax gift for yourself?
I got the point and paint.
Point?
I love it.
The point.
It's great.
You know, I mean, I don't like painting.
Who does?
You don't need no tape.
You just point and paint, Jim.
You paint an entire room in less than an hour.
Wow.
That's great.
I love it.
It saves you a fortune on professional painters.
They can go screw themselves, right?
I don't need you to come and paint.
I can point and paint.
I mean, you know, I mean, how do you know it's not a piece of crap?
I mean, I'd like to get one, but.
I love it.
You get perfect results with this sleek, innovative design.
It masters corners and molding, Jim.
What did you say, molding?
Molding.
What about tape?
You don't need for tape.
You don't know tape?
No, you don't need tape to get those perfect lines as you glide around fixtures and curves.
What kind of brushes?
Two ergonomically shaped pads puts the control in your hands to paint an entire room in less than an hour.
An hour.
Wow, that's pretty impressive.
It holds seven times more paint than the standard tool.
It works with any pole, so it's perfect for seedlings too.
It's great for stains.
It runs circles around fixtures.
I love this thing.
You know what?
Maybe I will get it.
I mean, I hate painting.
I mean, I just, maybe I should look into it.
Huh?
Go get it.
I want to see it.
You're going to go.
The point and paint?
Yeah.
All right, Jim, hold on.
Okay.
I heard.
She wants to see it.
I heard you.
Okay.
Hey, Teresa.
It's a piece of crap.
It smears paint everywhere.
It does not reach the edge, and you still have to finish with a brush.
I hear you.
Plus, the pole attachment part on the big pad broke in two.
Wow.
Do not buy this point and pad.
Oh, here it comes.
Give me the phone.
Sorry, Jimmy.
No problem, Moron.
Take a look at your point and paint.
So, Moron, tell me the point and paint.
It really does a good job.
It doesn't smear the paint anywhere.
The point and paint.
Yeah, the point and paint, buddy.
Really?
And it's like sturdy.
It's reconstructed sturdily.
Oh, drugs.
Good stuff, Jimmy.
You know, like the pads, like that pole thing, you know, the pole attachment for the big pad.
How's that?
Is that pretty sturdy?
Yeah.
Okay, no problem.
You recommend it?
I'm very proud of it.
It's a proud purchase, Jim.
That's what I'm saying.
Bye, buddy.
Uh, this pan broke.
Therese, what do you do when you can't squeeze it so hot?
What do you mean I can't squeeze a pan hot?
It can't squeeze that pad.
All right, Jim.
Uh-huh.
I'm going to go.
You got to go.
I hear you.
Okay.
I'm so sorry.
Phone ringing.
Okay.
That was our Tuesdays with Moron for this week.
And that's our show.
I hope you enjoyed it.
And I want to remind you of our Christmas gift to the Jimmy Door show listeners.
It's a free comedy show.
That's right.
You guys listen to the Jimmy Door show.
Get in for free.
You mentioned the Jimmy Doer show.
When is it?
It's Thursday, December 16th at 8 p.m. at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank, California.
A lot of great comedians on that show.
TJ Miller from the movies.
Al Madrigal from the television.
Nick Thun from the Tonight Show.
David Feldman, Emmy Award winner, and myself is on that show.
Robert Yasamura also.
December 16th, that's our gift to you free comedy show at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank.
Mention the Jimmy Doer show and get in free.
I want to thank my guests for stopping by, coming all the way out to Pasadena to sit down and talk with us.
Frank Connip, how can people find you?
CinematicTitanic.com, and I'm on Twitter, and I'm welcome followers on Twitter.
Okay, Frank Conniff.
What is that?
Yeah, I guess it's twitter.com/slash Frank Conniff, I guess.
There you go.
I think that's how you find it.
Jim Earl?
I'm at JimEarl.com, and I'm on Twitter as well.
Frank's not following me, but you know, I thought I thought I was following.
I'm on Twitter, Jimmy Door Comedy at Twitter.
Okay, we got to go.
Special thanks to Ali Lexa, our producer, and Steph Samurano this week.
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