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Jan. 30, 2016 - Jimmy Dore Show
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Get ready for an outstanding entertainment program.
The Jimmy Dore show.
So the big news is that Governor Rick Perry endorsed Ted Cruz.
I don't know if that's big news.
But anyway, let's, I don't know why he did that.
I want to see if I can find out.
Let's see if I can call him up.
Ted Cruz, 2016, Texas headquarters.
This is Ricky speaking.
Governor Perry, is this going to be Ramon?
No, it's Jimmy Doerr, buddy.
It's Jimmy Doer.
How are you?
Oh, hey, Jimmy.
How are you doing?
You caught me here in the middle of my new gig.
Yeah, yeah, I see, Governor.
It seems that you've endorsed Ted Cruz for the Republican nomination, right?
Yeah, buddy.
And I am all in.
In it to win it.
Cruise control.
So what brought you to endorse him?
How did that happen?
Well, you know, I just feel he's the most qualified candidate.
Simple as that.
Really?
He's the most.
How did you come to that decision, though?
That's my question.
How did you get it?
Well, you know, I'll tell you, a few weeks ago, he and I spent some time together down here in Texas, the two of us, and I got to know him on a personal level as opposed to just through the optics.
You know, so we were driving around in a truck, looking at stuff, rolling up our sleeves together, throwing bales of hay onto surfaces slightly higher than the ground, talking about business with local business leaders, you know, that kind of stuff.
Yes, yes.
And seeing him through that prism showed me that he is the most bona fide conservative out there.
And he definitely reflects Texas values, which are important to me.
Texas values.
I hear you say that a lot.
What does that mean?
What does that mean when you say Texas values?
What does that mean?
Mainly just bringing up Texas a lot and rolling up sleeves.
Okay.
Bet you in Texas a lot rolling up sleeves.
Now, so no Donald Trump for you, though, huh?
Because I would have figured you were a Trump.
Hell no.
Fuck that dude, man.
He's a jerk.
What?
Besides, I could endorse him even if I did want to.
Why couldn't you endorse Donald Trump?
I don't get it.
Man, back when I was running for president, remember that?
Yeah.
I gave this impassioned speech against Trump.
The nurse who wrote it for me called it a philippic, whatever that means.
Saying that he was bad for the party.
And you know what?
I really thought that was going to be my church hill moment where it was going to look like I was rising above the fray and being a true statesman.
But as sure as shit, that fat Yankee turned it all against me and made me look dumb and weak, and I had to drop by the race.
So if I endorsed him, I'd just look like a little bitch.
So you had to settle on Ted Cruz, huh?
Yeah.
I mean, absolutely.
But, Governor, Ted Cruz has no executive experience.
He's been a senator for a relatively brief time.
Not only is that a criticism that was leveled against Barack Obama when he became president, but governors such as yourself always touted governors as the most qualified candidates for executive office.
And there are several other Republican governors in this race as we speak that you yourself have said are very qualified conservatives.
So why not endorse one of those other governors that are still in the race that you've already said are good conservatives?
Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down there, Trigger.
That's a lot of verbiage to be slugging at old Ricky here.
Don't make me have to go get my smart eyeglasses.
Wait, what was the question again?
Look, I'm not repeating all that, Rick.
Okay.
Just, can you just.
All right, look, let's put it all on the table here.
All right.
This race is down to two.
Trump and Cruz.
The fiddle player done passed out from whiskey and square dance is over, okay?
But why can't you endorse who you think is qualified?
Those governors are still in the race, Rick.
I got to try and pick a winner, man.
I can't be endorsing no off-brand Jabroni.
I've risked enough as it is not going with Trump.
What?
Why?
Cabinet position, baby.
I want a seat at that sweet, sweet table.
Oh, cabinet position.
Okay.
All right, Rick.
I see now.
Cruz is my best bet, all things considered.
And yeah, I'm kind of settling.
Let's be real.
He's about as Texan as Alan Dershowitz.
Born in Canada.
He's Cuban.
I mean, that ain't even the right flavor of Latino for Texas.
So cabinet position, huh?
Yeah, dog.
Homeland Security.
Department of Energy, Secretary Perry of Energy from Texas.
Man, I can taste that on my tongue like a habanero.
Wait, wasn't that one of the departments you suggested eliminating in 2012?
Yeah.
And who better to save the Department of Energy from my own wishes of annihilation than yours truly?
Okay, well, I guess that makes sense somehow.
You bet it does.
Plus, Rick Perry energy will be different than previous energies.
For example, I think we can expect.
I think we can expect a renewed emphasis on oil and gas.
Anyone promoting solar power will be taken to the middle of the West Texas desert and left for two days without water.
Let's see how much you love your precious son after.
I don't think cabinet members have that kind of power.
Jimmy, let's face it.
If Ted Cruz becomes president, there will be so much fucked up shit going on that no one is going to notice a few missing and then suddenly tanned tree hooks.
Plus, I ain't married to energy anyhow.
I could do other stuff.
I wouldn't mind doing war stuff like those guys in 2002.
They got to plan a war at a big table.
I want in on that action.
And believe me, there's going to be some wars.
Yes.
Yes, I believe you.
When the Republicans are in, there's going to be some wars.
Oh, boy.
Either way, I've got to get on that DC train, man.
Why?
D.C. is where it's at in my business.
Oh, okay.
I can't be spending the rest of my life here in Austin.
I got big dreams.
I'm a politician.
I have to shine in the city of dreams.
D.C. Fancy balls with tasty cakes and elegantly dressed middle-aged women drinking non-oak chartones like People who know about wine do.
The city where they filmed DC Camp.
Oh, I belong there.
But what about your beloved Texas?
I don't give a shit.
You can bury me in that godforsaken hill home.
Until then, I want to spend my prime in the seat of government.
Disseminating the misbegotten values and ideals specific to that hell home.
In some unaccountable appointed position where I am answerable only to a sociopathic megalomaniac.
Okay.
Wow.
That was great.
It's the Jimmy Dore show.
The show for lefties.
The kind of people that are.
Phil Mence may be on Tearing Down Our Nation.
It's the show that makes Anderson Cooper say.
It starts talking to you guys.
And now, here's a guy who sounds a lot like me.
It's Jimmy Dore.
Hey, everybody.
Welcome to this week's show.
I am joined in the studio, Studio C3.
We got him on the Skype all the way from New York City.
You know him.
You love him from Mystery Science Theater 3000.
It's TV's Frank.
Frank Conniff is with us.
Hi, Frank.
Hello there.
Yay, good to hear your voice.
Also in the studio, from the blog, The Miserable Liberal, it's our resident Latina.
It's Steph Zamarano.
Hi, Steph.
Hello, Jim.
That's good.
That's real good.
Real good.
Also with us from Team Yasamura, hilarious comedian Robert Yasamura.
Hey, Robert.
Ohio.
And comedian Hank Thompson.
Hi, Hank.
How are you?
Hey, it's me.
Yes, let's get to some jokes before we get to the joke, shall we?
You're hearing what's happening with Trump.
He's, as of we go to, as we're, as we go to tape, he says he's not going to do the debate.
And because of the snarky tweet, did you see?
I heard the snarky tweet by Fox News making fun of Donald Trump.
And folks say Fox's snarky tweet that Trump was inappropriate.
I agree.
A simple go fuck yourself, you sexist piece of shit, would have sufficed.
Yes.
Amin Bundy is in jail, but his stupid, pointless crusade on behalf of who the fuck knows lives on in our hearts.
Amin Bundy?
Did you hear that?
Amon?
Is it Amin or Amon?
I like Amin because it sounds like Almond, but I think it's Amon.
Peter Paul Amon Joy's got nuts.
Peter Paul Amin Joy's got none.
Oh, okay.
I don't know.
It's actually Mounds that that's right.
Peter Paul, Almond, Mons.
Anyway, did you know that Jerry Falwell endorsed Donald Trump, which that official Jerry Falwell Jr., I'm sorry, endorsed Donald Trump this week, which officially makes me a better evangelical Christian than Jerry Falwell Jr.
Now he's got Sarah Palin, Joe Arpaio.
Yeah.
And Jerry Falwell Jr.
There's there's no way he could possibly lose at the center of this country.
The triumvirate of hate of the other.
Yes.
Hey, did you hear George Pataki is coming out?
He's supporting Marco Rubio.
This is a total game, Samer.
Ha ha ha ha!
Ha ha ha ha!
Ha ha ha!
Hey, did you hear Cruz got busted for lying about that he got kicked off Obamacare when he really did?
He got busted.
He was lying about Obamacare.
But there are similar bullshit stories that aren't even remotely true happening to people every day.
Hey, Star Wars, The Force Awakens.
That's all you need to say, and I'm happy.
It has officially been declared geek reparations.
Hey, what's coming up on today's show?
We're going to check into the, we had a conclusion to the standoff in Oregon.
Also, Al Jazeeras talks about two Americas.
Is it a false equivalency?
I don't know.
I think I know.
David Spade and Bill O'Reilly talk about transgendered voting.
We take a look.
Flint, Michigan's got some.
Why don't the people of Flint trust their government officials anymore?
The answer just may surprise you, or will it?
Plus, Chris Christie, there was another blizzard in New Jersey, so that means Chris Christie left the state.
We're going to talk about that.
And he had got to bully a young girl at the same time.
Hey, there's some fake commercials about Bernie Sanders.
And we've got our usual fight over Hillary or Bernie.
That's coming up on today.
Oh, plus, we have phone calls from Rick, Ricky Bobby Perry, Reines Priebus, and maybe, just maybe Bernie Sanders is going to call in.
We don't know.
Plus a lot more.
That's today on the Jimmy Dore Show.
The Jimmy Dore Show.
So, you know, I like to, one of my pet peeps is false equivalencies in the media, and usually see that on places like NBC, MSNBC, CNN, the New York Times, the mainstream news media outlets.
You know, that's why we exist, right?
Because we're the antidote to those kind of places, right?
But guess what?
Al Jazeera, which, you know, the joke I do about Al Jazeera, the difference between Al Jazeera and CNN is that CNN shows the bombs taking off and Al Jazeera shows you when they land, right?
Okay, so we always liked Al Jazeera, even though they're bought by a government, they still, in America, would give you pretty good news.
Then I was watching this.
They did a piece, a news segment, and it was about how the Republicans and Democrats seem to be living in two different Americas.
Let's listen.
But what America are we talking about?
The Democratic America?
And I'm going to build on the progress we've made or the Republican America.
Our freedom is under attack.
Our economy is underwater.
Okay, that's just funny.
Did he look panicked?
He does look panicked.
He's not the guy you want to turn to when the plane starts rattling.
He always looks nervous, Jeff Bush.
Also, the best part about him is when he's done talking, his eyes furtively glance around the room for approval almost every time.
It's fascinating.
Yeah.
Okay, so they're doing a piece, and it's all about how the Democrats and Republicans seem to be living in two different worlds, and the 10 presidential candidates seem to be targeting two different, totally different people from two different countries.
Like they're running for president of two different countries.
Yes, so that's what, so that's the Al Jazeera premise.
It seems like they're running for president of two different countries, which sounds, it starts off okay, and then it starts to go a little off the rails.
Part of all this has to do with which party is in the White House.
With President Obama in the Oval Office, the Democrats have to convince Americans that the country is on the right track and they should Stay in power.
It's the opposite for the Republicans.
But that's not the only reason for these sharply different messages.
The parties have sort of become more ideologically cohesive, perhaps more so than ever in American history, which I think contributes to the partisan divide you see in the country.
At one time, there were moderate Republican leaders and conservative Democrats.
Now they're nearly extinct.
Did you hear what she just said?
At one time, there were moderate Republican leaders and conservative Democrats.
Now they're nearly extinct.
Conservative Democrats, that's all there is left right now.
Conservative Democrats.
Are you kidding me?
Conservative Democrats.
There are no liberalism is over.
Barack Obama's in bed with Wall Street.
He's in bed with the military-industrial complex.
It's over.
What are you talking about?
We're left with on the margins.
A liberal Democrat is they can they call him a crazy socialist.
That's called Bernie Sanders.
He's the crazy liberal now.
Would you agree with me, Frank, on this?
Yeah, pretty much.
I think I might say that instead of calling Obama conservative, I would more likely call him a moderate Republican.
Right.
So he's beyond being a conservative Democrat.
Right.
It used to be, but also the Republicans used to also support Planned Parenthood.
They used to believe in climate change.
My point is, there are still conservative Democrats.
In fact, most of them are.
In fact, the president of the United States right now is a conservative Democrat.
People like us consider him a moderate Republican.
So what happened was the Republican Party got way more conservative.
And again, here's even Al Jazeera pretending that, look, both sides do it.
Both sides went way.
Look, they both go to their base.
Let's go a little bit more.
That's crazy that she said there's no more conservative Democrats.
We have a moderate Republican Democrat right now as president.
Here we go.
I'm sorry, go ahead.
We just spent the last like 30 years with every Democrat terrified of saying the environment, health care, guns, terrified of talking about the issues that matter to liberal Americans.
So that yes, this is, I don't know what the hell narrative she's reading from, but it has nothing to do with what's actually going on.
Okay, let's keep going.
All right.
And fewer Americans see themselves in the middle politically.
According to the Pew Research Center, the share of Americans who identify as either consistently liberal or consistently conservative has grown to 21%, more than double what it was two decades ago.
That is a most useless stat I've ever heard in my life.
I'm going to read it to you, Frank, so you can hear it on the Skype.
I agree.
She puts up a graphic and it says in 1994, in 1994, 10% of Americans identified as consistently liberal or consistently conservative.
Now, in 2014, that number jumped 11% up to 21% of Americans identify as consistently liberal or consistently conservative.
So we don't know if that 11% growth is 11% conservatives, 11% liberals, half and half.
They imply it's half and half, but I guarantee goddamn to you, it's not.
Okay.
So the whole premise of this is that, oh, look, both parties have gotten more polarized, which is not the case.
I think most Americans are consistently don't give a shit.
Yeah.
You know, most the amount of people that don't vote and don't pay any attention, that's the majority of the country.
I agree with you.
And it's because of stuff like this.
It's because the news media reports it like this.
They're all the same.
They all do the same.
Here we go.
The split isn't just ideological.
Republicans are rural.
Democrats are urban and attract the bulk of minority voters.
This divide is reflected in a host of issues from immigration to health care to climate change.
Okay.
She says this divide is revealed in a host of immigration to health care to climate change.
I'm going to tell you something.
In the 80s, the Republicans were for immigration.
Ronald Reagan did amnesty for the Mexicans for Hispanics.
He did it.
Right?
And then in the 90s, the Republicans were for Planned Parenthood.
Yes, they were for it.
They were, and yes.
And by the way, George W. Bush was for immigration.
That's why they shut down that issue at that time was because he was like, wait a second, I'm from a border state.
Yes.
And a lot of what you're saying is simply not true.
Climate change, they used to be on board with climate change.
They used to be on board with it.
They used to be on board with it.
Their whole thesis about Republicans being rural and Democrats being urban was all based on the opening theme song of Green Acres.
Okay, yeah, there's more to this report.
The debate is over.
Climate change is real.
Climate change is the perfect pseudo-scientific theory.
See, so they showed you, look, one guy's actually tethered to reality.
One guy isn't.
They're both the same.
One guy's a Neanderthal, knuckle-dragging, backward, dark ages thinker who's denying science, and another one's a normal person.
It's look, they're equal.
Look how crazy both parties are.
Look how crazy they are.
One of them completely denies science and the modern age, and one of them doesn't.
Look, they're both.
This is Al Jazeera doing this.
Now I get why they're going off the air in April.
By the way, not only is this a hackneyed wrong narrative, but at no point so far have they gotten to anything within this story that makes me think like, why are you telling me this?
Why are you telling me?
You told me nothing.
You told me nothing new.
You told me nothing that I couldn't have heard a thousand times on CNN before.
But they're packaging it in a bullshit frame.
That's all they give it to you.
I have a feeling that whoever produced that piece knew that the end was coming to Al Jazeera and they're trying to get hired by CNN.
This is like their audition piece, right?
Yes.
Okay, I can produce non-news.
That's right.
Look, I could do false equivalencies.
Come on, you guys.
I heard that let's build airtime without actually saying anything so well.
Come on.
And organizations that once had bipartisan support, such as Planned Parenthood, are now caught in the political crossfire.
They're not caught in the political crossfire, right?
They used to have bipartisan support, and now they don't.
Why is that, Al Jazeera?
It's because one party is now bad crap crazy and has given their entire platform over to religious crazies.
The Democrats haven't moved.
They've stayed consistent on the side of Planned Parenthood, just like the Republicans used to Be with George Herbert Walker Bush.
He used to brag about how much they supported Planned Parenthood because planning parenthood makes sense.
If anybody should support Planned Parenthood, it's George Herbert Walker Bush.
Yes.
Yes.
Did you have something to say?
I was going to say, it's kind of like having two parents and one of them goes off the rails and starts beating the kids.
And their report is, boy, the kid is stuck in the middle.
That's what they're doing.
Yes.
Boy, the kid is stuck in the middle.
In the middle?
Yeah.
No, no, no.
The Democrats are, they're supporting the kid.
Support the parent trying to save the children's life.
That's so funny.
It's a great way to put it.
Planned parenthood should be funded, supported, and appreciated.
I have vetoed more funding for Planned Parenthood.
And if I were President of the United States, I would do exactly the same thing.
This is what the picture looks like now in the primary season with candidates appealing to their core constituencies.
In the general election, the nominees may try to move a little to the middle ground.
No, they won't.
But that is increasingly shrinking political real estate.
Yes, and they just showed, Frank, you can't see this.
The visual is they showed a person putting in a Hillary poster and then a Ted Cruz post.
Say there's very little room for middle ground.
As if Hillary is just as radical and extreme as Ted Cruz.
Hillary Clinton could not be more mainstream down the middle, not going to offend the status quo, upset the status quo.
She's very status quo, Hillary Clinton.
Ted Cruz is bat crap crazy.
Okay.
And they're trying to make, look, they both are that look.
Hillary, Ted Cruz would never come together.
They're so far apart.
Yeah, one person is normal in a regular human being space where a citizen would be, and another one is crazy.
Indeed, indeed.
Yeah, I mean, the middle ground is where Hillary lives.
Let's see if there's anything left here.
Especially when it comes to consistent voters.
Lisa Stark, Al Jazeera, Washington.
That's Lisa Stark, Al Jazeera.
Great job, Lisa.
Yeah.
Hey, it's False Equivalence Day over at the Jimmy Doer show.
And I was, Media Matters caught this.
Bill O'Reilly had David Spade comedian, actor David Spade on.
Now, David Spade, one of the good guys in comedy.
I like him.
He's always been funny.
He was on that HBO special that made me want to be a comedian.
That HBO Young Comedian special.
That was, boy, that was such a good idea.
Anyway, so and his work on Saturday Night Live Plus, he bought me dinner once.
So he's just a nice guy.
He's just a good guy.
You got to love him for that.
He bought me dinner in Vegas.
I can't, you know, he's been real nice to me.
Is he part of that?
Because a bunch of those guys from Saturday Live are like closet Republicans, like Lovett's, huge Republicans.
I know Lovett's.
I don't know.
People are huge Republicans.
I don't know.
That's the whole point of this.
So let's play.
Here's David Spade, and he's going to talk about.
So he has to stay in the middle, right?
Because he's not a political comedian.
He's a comedian, and he has to appeal to as many people as he wants, where I've narrowed.
I've narrowed my audience on purpose.
So here's David Spade talking to Bill O'Reilly about the differences and whether he's a Republican or a Democrat.
You were saying about the SNL people.
I was thinking about that when I had heard that before.
I think like my mom said, when you're younger, you're Democrat.
When you get older, you get Republican.
I don't know why she said it, but she says you get money.
Beginning, I think you're saying, I want to help the world.
And then when you get older, you try to think it through and say, I have money.
Where is it going?
Is it going to the right places?
Okay, so that's a very safe answer for an actor comedian.
I say, bravo, good job.
But that's what a lot of people say.
And that really drives me nuts in a sense, right?
Now, I'm not holding David Spade's feet to the fire.
He's not a political comedian.
It doesn't matter.
This is about to that general point that people make.
He's like, well, you know, when you're younger, you're supposed to be a Democrat.
You're older, you're supposed to be Republican.
Not anymore.
Because right now it's like, yeah, you're supposed to.
First of all, that idea that Republicans are better with money and they do better with the economy is complete bullshit.
That's not true.
That's been debunked.
Democratic presidencies have much better economies than Republican presidents.
So that's not true.
We all know that supply-side economics and tax cuts for the rich, and that's what the Republicans' idea of a stimulus planet, that's not good economy.
In fact, we've been living.
We've been living.
He's making the point that Republicans are better with money.
What he's saying there is that, oh, maybe when you're young, you don't have money, so you just want the government to spend it.
And then you get older, you have money.
Then you worried about how the government's spending the money, so you become a Republican.
If you were Republican because you were worried about how the government was spending your money, you'd have put a bullet in your head a long time ago because Ronald Reagan quadrupled the deficit.
He had the biggest big budget deficits that he blew the roof through him.
Okay.
So if that was really your problem, and then George Bush did the same thing.
So guess who's been cutting the deficit?
Bill Clinton hand over to surplus.
Barack Obama has cut it in half the deficit.
So you're saying you didn't like Joe Dirt.
So what I'm saying is that's a conventional wisdom that everyone seems to believe, even Democrats.
And I want to bust it up right now because that's not real.
Okay.
Democrats and Republicans aren't better with the economy.
They aren't better with our tax money.
They spend it a lot more.
In fact, they just don't want to spend it on stuff that helps people.
They want to spend it on bombs and wars, right?
And want to spend it on tax cuts for billionaires.
And they want to spend it on stuff that doesn't help people.
And God forbid, they do something with government money that actually helps people.
So they're all for, if you're for prison construction and wars and bombs, you're going to be for and for tax giveaways to oil.
So now let's go to the end of this video because this is what the, this is what I really want to talk about.
Watch how Bill O'Reilly goes off the rails here at being, he just wants to be mean to transgenders, and he does it in a way that makes, and it does it in a way that makes no sense.
Watch this.
Blah, blah, blah.
Republicans get a bad rap.
I don't know where I fall.
I think it's hard to pick such a clear side when there's transgender now and people don't even like to say male or female.
Okay, so he's just trying to get out of it.
David Spade is just trying to get out of this question, which I appreciate.
He's an entertainer.
I don't need to alien half the country.
I'm with you, David.
I understand why you're doing that.
And so he makes this like kind of quip about you got transgender.
He's like how things are confusing.
Now, watch Bill O'Reilly.
He picks up the ball.
Ready?
And I don't know how the transgenders are going to go to the voting booth.
I don't know whether there's a special booth or they can go to all booths.
I don't know.
Yeah, I don't know if you've ever voted, Bill, but there aren't male and female voting booths.
Bill, don't make jokes.
You're not good.
Yeah, you're not good.
It's always the regular news host wants to make jokes when the comedian comes.
I'm funny too, just like you.
No, that's, you see how you're not?
You see how you just blue.
How can you guys criticize the comedy of a guy who does stand-up shows with Dennis Miller?
It's true.
I'm not making that up.
They do stand-up shows together.
I know.
I think I bought a ticket to one because they simulcast it in theaters.
And I went to Burbank to watch it.
Oh, my God.
How was Bill O'Reilly's stand-up?
It was fantastic.
What are you kidding me?
At least as good as his football playing.
It's called Killing Audiences.
Killing Audiences.
Ha ha ha ha!
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Welcome back to the second half of the Jimmy Door show.
GOP Chairman Reince Priebus calls in at the end of the half hour, but right now, let's get back to the studio and we're talking about Flint, Michigan.
I'm joined by Frank Conniff, Robert Yasamura, Steph Samurano, and Hank Thompson.
So we all know what's happened in Flint.
The Republicans took over the state government and poisoned black kids with lead.
Okay.
Okay, page two.
So how did that happen?
I'm going to break it down for you.
This is the most break-e-y-down breakdown.
In 2011, the city of Flint went underwater.
So they were no longer in the black.
They were in the red.
They were technically bankrupt because they were in debt $15 million.
That's what they were in debt.
$15 million in 2011.
So then Rick Snyder, the governor of Michigan, said, guess what?
You don't get to have any local government anymore.
He tossed out their mayor, their city council, and he institutes what they call a city manager.
Under state law in Michigan, if a municipality is bankrupt or underwater or in the red, the state, if they want, can throw out their local governance and install a city manager to get their books in order.
And then as soon as they're above water, they turn it back over to democracy.
So democracy only works in good times, according to this, according to the state of Michigan.
So in 2011, they institute the city manager because of a $15 million shortfall.
April 25th of 2014 is when they switched the water source.
So they went from where they normally get their water Detroit water program and what they are building another water program.
And until that goes online, they were like, well, we can use the water from the Flint River.
So on April 25th, 2014, Flint switched from their water service from the Detroit Water Service to getting the water from the Flint River.
That was in April of 2014.
In October of 2014, General Motors refused the water.
So April, they switch.
In October, GM says the water from Flint's municipality is corroding the stuff in our plant.
Can I say something?
Even before that, in May of that year, citizens were in large numbers saying there's something wrong with the water.
It tastes wrong.
The color is wrong.
There is something wrong with this water.
So it was an immediate thing.
So that was, so in October of 2014, GM refuses their water.
In September of 2015 is when Governor Snyder finally acknowledged a problem.
So GM knew in October, it took a year.
It took 11 months for the governor to get on that, hey, we're poisoning our citizens with lead.
Kids, how many kids?
All of them.
All the kids in Flint.
So this is what Rick Snyder had to say about who's at fault, Mr. Governor who took over a municipality, appointed an emperor to run it.
And there were four of them.
They went through the money.
Finances our government people, the civil service people, didn't agree with their conclusions and didn't understand until a month or so later.
And that delayed our action plan.
And I feel terrible about that.
I mean, that's what drives you crazy about this.
Most state employees are fabulous people working hard, but in this particular case, there was a serious cultural problem where they were far too technical.
Yeah, so these people who are running things, they kept making a mistake.
These people that were running things, you know, me, the guy I appointed people to run things, ultimately it's your fault, but it's not.
It's all the other people running things.
I'm the governor.
It's everyone else's.
It's the captain of the Titanic.
He's blaming the aura guy.
The guy who's running the machine, the guy who was at a thing.
Oh, that guy's a, you're the captain of the Titanic.
It's your fault.
You appointed those guys.
Okay.
Jeb Bush, this is what he says about Rick Snyder's job, handling this situation.
Well, first of all, I think it's pretty clear that when you have local, state, and federal agencies not talking to each other, blaming each other, no one being held accountable, you get this result.
And it is a tragedy.
I admire Rick Snyder for stepping up right now.
He's going to the challenge.
And he's fired people and accepted responsibility.
He's accepted responsibility by pointing the finger at other people who are below him that he put in those jobs.
You know, he's doing, that's what he's doing.
He's taking a break.
He's doing a Heck of a job, Brownie.
Heck of a job, Brownie.
And by the way, one of the city managers was named Michael Brown.
And he was put in twice.
He was put in the beginning of the city management and then at the end.
So he worked as a city manager there twice.
So this is from today, right?
So as we went to air, I was watching a news conference with Governor Rick Snyder, and his new plan is to keep using the old pipes, but they're going to have to treat it somehow to get rid of the lead instead of just replacing those pipes.
And so the question this reporter asks is, you understand that the people don't trust you anymore, right?
Because you told them for it's okay.
You're the guys who did this.
You switched the water, you screwed them over, and then it took you two years to acknowledge that you were doing something wrong to them, right?
So, and now you don't even have a plan to fix it.
It took you that long.
So Rick Snyder goes on TV and says this.
People to trust the lead pipes that made them sick, at least for a little while.
Is that realistic?
And you talk about it being a long-term thing that you're considering.
A lot of people consider that to be short-term with the pipes at.
So he's saying, oh, you know, we're going to think about it.
In the meantime, we're going to use the same pipes.
And don't worry.
Trust us.
He's saying, don't worry, trust us.
Here we go.
Well, in terms of short-term, it's a lot of work to take out pipes, to redo all the infrastructure.
That's a whole planning process.
In terms of near-term, in terms of coding the pipes, this isn't my opinion.
This is an opinion we're getting from experts in this field.
There absolutely is a trust issue.
Beyond the science and talk about the emotions here in Flint.
If you don't replace those pipes, a lot of people tell us they're simply not going to drink the water, no matter how many assurances they're given.
How do you address that right now?
Well, again, as we go through this process, that's the process we need to be talking about.
And that's the point of having third-party expertise, including people that helped identify the problem.
Have them be part of the solution.
That's why I really admire Mark Edwards, the professor, and his work.
Right now, it doesn't include taking pipes out.
Well, again, right now, the quick thing is, how do you actually get the pipes so they can be safe to drink based on experts, not political people?
So basically, Rick Snyder is saying, you know how we lied to you before and we poisoned you and we gave you lead for no reason?
Well, we're not going to do it anymore.
And you know, we're not doing it because I'm telling you.
It's the same.
That's why you have to resign because the same person can't fix that problem.
You can't poison people on purpose and then say, sorry, we'll fix it.
No, you have to leave because people no longer have confidence in you, rightly so, because A, you're a liar and he's a criminal.
And we're going to show how he's lied about why they even have to switch the water.
What do you want to say, Yank?
We don't ask arsonists to put out the fire.
That's right.
That's right.
You don't get exactly.
I also have to say during this press conference, it really does appear as if he has like a bit of muscle behind him.
Right.
Why is there always a bald-headed state trooper behind the governor when he's talking?
And what is it about being a cop that it's like they're angry at their hair?
It's like they just want to get it rid of it.
If I could just get rid of the hair on my head, I'm just like hate it.
I just want to get it.
And if they actually have hair, it's like not only did they say they have to, they're all in a crew cut competition to see who can get their hair the shortest, and this guy wins.
Well, as a lifelong bald, I'd like to know I went bald at 19.
Baldness is menacing.
I have a whole bit about this, actually, about how there's bald villains throughout movies and history.
So that's why you got a bald guy back there.
Because he's menacing.
It's intimidating.
It's why the KKK shaves their heads.
That's why I shave my head.
How are you supposed to ask a follow-up question when this kind of dude is standing up?
So anyway, so that's what happens.
But there is some, here's the one positive, though, is they're taking the water and they're bottling it and putting out a product, five-hour cancer drink.
So Rick Snyder, that's why you have to, that's when people lose confidence in their government, which they have.
That's why you're supposed to leave now.
Because you can't poison people and then go, whoopsie, I'll fix it.
Trust me.
No, drink the, they told, he told them for up until for over a year, no, the water's safe.
Over a year.
The water is safe.
And pay your bill.
And pay your bill, by the way.
And they falsify.
And finally, in September of 2015, they're like, all right, there's a problem.
But now we fixed it.
And trust us, keep drinking that water.
Remember the water we told you that was safe and it wasn't?
Well, we're telling you it's safe again.
And it is.
And they falsified federal documents.
Yes, they did.
They didn't make it seem like it was safe.
And by the way, they had an E. coli scare before the lead scare.
Oh, right.
There was E. coli in the water.
Everybody was getting sick and they went, oh, yeah, it's untreated water.
We need to put some bleach in it.
So they put chlorine in it.
And everybody was like, the water's burning my eyes.
And people got Legionnaires disease, too.
Well, guess what?
So they made him, they made the government, the governor released his emails, his emails from 2014, but he didn't release the emails that told people why they switched the water in the first place.
Right.
Well, so according to Motor City Muckraker.
Okay.
I like it.
Let me find it.
Got to rake up that muck.
The Flint water crisis that led to thousands of people being poisoned began because state officials maintained it would save the cast trap city money by disconnecting from the Detroit Water and Sewer Department and using a different source.
But it turns out the Department of Water and Sewer, the Detroit Water and Sewer Department offered the state-controlled city a deal that would have saved Flint more money by staying with the Detroit.
An email obtained by Motor City Muckraker shows the deal would have saved the city $800 million over 30 years, which was 20% more inexpensive than switching to the Karagandi Water Authority, which is what they were doing.
Detroit offered a 50% reduction over what Flint had been paying Detroit.
In fact, documents show that the Detroit Water and Sewer District made at least six proposals to Flint saying that the KWA pipeline can only be attributed to a political objective that has nothing to do with the delivery or the price of the water.
Meaning that the people of Flint, the manager, the city manager responsible to Rick Schneider, chose to go with this different water system coming out of the river instead of going with Detroit, even when the Detroit water would have been cheaper.
Why did they do that?
Because their whole reasoning was it was cheaper to do it this way.
Turns out it wasn't cheaper to do it that way.
It goes on.
Saying he was sorry for the mistake, Governor Snyder pledged full transparency during his state of the state address last week and released emails related to the water crisis from 2014 and 2015.
Curiously, he refused to release emails from 2013, which would have showed why state officials decided to make the switch from the Detroit Water and Sewer Department to the KWA.
Now it Seems clear why Snyder wouldn't release those emails because in those emails, it would have revealed that the Switch was not about saving money.
So, what was it about?
Some have suggested that Snyder was motivated by a desire to break up the Detroit Water and Sewer Department and ultimately to privatize it.
Because that's what Republicans love to do.
Republicans love to take public utilities and privatize them.
That's what they, that's their wet dream.
They love it, right?
Well, wet is a proper term.
Right.
In this case, so in the summer of 2015, the Department of Water and Sewer, Detroit Water and Sewer Department, get this, was actually split into two entities: the Detroit Water and Sewer Department and the Great Lakes Water Authority.
So that actually happened.
They actually split it up into two different things.
And others have suggested that Snyder wanted to start fracking operations along the new pipeline.
Of course.
Ooh, nice.
Yes.
So here's also from that same Motor City muckmaker.
So they kept claiming the Flint, Snyder claimed that the emergency manager was forced to use the river water because the Detroit Water and Sewer Department insisted it would cut off the city without a long-term contract.
Not true.
Not true.
Snyder made the same claim during his stay of the state early this month, but those claims are untrue.
Records show that the DWSD urgently tried to get Flint to sign a short-term contract to avoid the health dangers of the Flint River.
So the Detroit Water and Sewer Department knew that that river had bad water, that you shouldn't.
So they said, hey, we'll even cut you a deal to save you even more money on a short-term thing.
Snyder said, no, no.
So an investigative reporter who works for the ACLU in Michigan revealed through deposition records that the DEQ warned of the dangers of using the Flint River, prompting then emergency manager Ed Kurtz to reject the river as a source of drinking water in December of 2012.
What's unclear is why state officials still went ahead with the plan.
The insistence of Flint officials to pursue construction of the KWA pipeline can only be attributed to a political objective that had nothing to do with the delivery or the price of the water.
A Detroit Water and Sewer Department press release said that was in April of 2013.
In 2013, the Detroit Water and Sewer Department, who was giving Flint the water, who was now being cut off from giving them the water by Snyder, they were saying in 2013, hey, this isn't about money.
This has got something to do with something else.
I don't know what, but it's not about the delivery service and it's not about how much it costs.
They were saying that in 2013.
So Snyder's been lying.
They've been doing this because I'm sure his political donors have been pulling the strings.
Maybe the Koch brothers, somebody like that.
They want to get their hands on the utility in Detroit.
They want to break it up.
So they try to bankrupt the utility.
Hey, let's not give them money.
Let's not give money.
It's all about money.
And this is what happens when Republicans beget the control of governance.
When you give government to people who hate government and don't think it works and they campaign on how government doesn't work, this is what they do.
They don't try to fix problems.
They take government and they try to manipulate it into serving their donors.
And it's called crony capitalism.
And that's exactly what's happened here.
Let me add to that.
I feel like Michigan would be the perfect place to pull that off, too, because it already has such financial problems in Detroit that it seems like they felt I would give them cover for pulling this off.
Let me say one more thing to add to that to make it even more infuriating.
This is all quibbling about $12 million is like the money that Flint was saying.
Like, oh, we can't spend this to which obviously is bullshit.
But you know what they did the entire time through this entire bankruptcy?
They have been paying their municipal bond payments because you don't – Because that goes to the bank.
And the banks always get paid back.
They have like they have been stripping down their services.
They've been happily poisoning their people, but they are paying the bank back.
That's right.
The bank gets, give me my money.
Because that's how crony capitalism works.
So that's what happens when you elect people who tell you they hate government, that tell you government doesn't work, that tell you to fear government and everything should be privatized.
That's what happens when you appoint, when you elect them into government.
They break it and they break it on purpose.
Just like George Bush, who flew over Katrina in his jet.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever.
They couldn't, they're somehow going to fix Iraq, right?
We're going to spend a trillion dollars and remake Iraq, but we couldn't get a bottle of water to a major city in the United States for a week.
And that's when happens when you elect people who don't like government.
And doesn't he want the government to bail him out?
Doesn't he want to come in and help?
And don't they want medical treatment for all the children in Flint for?
So now Rick Snyder wants Barack Obama and the federal government to bail them out.
Phelan, come on, we screwed up.
So will this guy see prison time?
No.
Are you kidding me?
Dick Cheney still walks.
Are you kidding me?
They can't travel international.
Everybody on Wall Street, nobody went to jail.
Are you kidding me?
There is two tiers of justice, right?
There's for the rich and connected and everybody else.
And guess what?
We're everybody else.
The Jimmy Door show is available as a podcast for free on iTunes.
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So we all know Donald Trump didn't make it to the debate.
We called Reince Priebus on Wednesday.
This was the night before the debate.
And he had some pretty interesting stuff to say, especially the way he answers the phone.
So let's get to our phone conversation we had earlier this week with GOP Chairman Reince Priebus.
GoP Chairman Reince Priebus.
RNC headquarters.
Don't forget to see Ride Along 2 in Fears Now.
Finally, all those questions you had left over from the first ride along will be answered.
Chairman Priebus, is this Chairman Priebus?
Oh, hey, Cheeby.
Can I ask you a question?
Why not?
Everyone else fucking does.
What's with you always promoting a film when you answer the phone at the RNC?
I don't understand that.
Oh, the Republican Party merged with Movie Fountain a few years ago.
I did not know that.
I did not know that.
So do you want to see what's playing in your area or what?
No, I don't want to see what's playing.
I actually wanted to ask you about the upcoming debate, the Republican debate, is what I want to say.
Demolition and Des Moines.
Yeah, yeah.
Final showdown between villains and heroes from the entire Republican universe.
Donald Trump has announced yesterday that he wasn't going to attend the debate.
Oh, no, Jimmy.
Where will I ever find another presidential candidate to fill the 18th podium?
Oh, yeah, I forgot literally anywhere.
You do have a lot of candidates left.
You really do, I got to say.
A lot of candidates.
I can't swing my tick around here without hitting someone running for president.
Mr. Chairman, you got to admit at this point, a debate without Trump is like Hamlet without Hamlet, right?
I don't have to do nothing besides be black and die.
What did you think?
What?
I don't know.
I don't know.
Right.
Reince, the front-running candidate basically just neutered your entire party apparatus.
Do you realize that?
Really?
I seem to recall Cheers having six memorable seasons after the departure of one Shelly Long.
Oh, and what was MASH without Wayne Rogers?
It was a ratings chugger not.
That's what it was.
Reince, what the hell are you talking about?
Shame we still have a great cast of characters.
We have Cheb Bush as a conservative dad who just doesn't get the kids these days.
We have Carly Fiery as a nosy next door neighbor.
We have Chris Christie as the neighborhood bully with a heart of gold.
And we have Ben Carson as the black guy.
Mr. Chairman, can you explain to me why Donald Trump is boycotting the debate?
Why did he do that?
Oh, that's easy because he's a little bitch.
I mean, I don't know what this guy wants.
We already split the door with him, and he gets 100% of his own merch sales.
I'll tell you, what I think he wants is a primetime Emmy.
And I'm like, dude, if they didn't give one to Anzo Lansbury, do you really think they're going to give one to you?
Strangely, Donald Trump basically said, why should I go on TV and make a cable station rich?
Yeah, well, my answer to that is that's the business model.
We give you exposure and then you make all your money touring.
If you didn't like the rules, you shouldn't have played the game, man.
Mr. Chairman, you know, we're talking about policymaking here.
I mean, the leadership of an entire nation.
It's not show business.
You know that, right?
It must be nice to live in your magical world, Jimmy, where decisions are made by qualified leaders and magical unicorns romping the forest.
Have you completely lost control of the GOP or what, Chairman?
Have you?
Oh, I don't know, Jimmy.
Have you completely lost control of your face?
What are you talking about, Mr. Chairman?
What is going on with you?
Sorry, Jimmy.
I mean, yeah, things have gotten a little lord of the flies over here, but, you know, just a bump in the road.
I mean, these people still have to come to me if they want their laminates for the convention.
Am I right?
They still have to come begging to me when they need office supplies.
So trust me, Donald Trump will start behaving pretty well the moment he realizes he's out of sticky notes.
I don't really think that's true, Chairman Priebus.
I don't think sticky notes is the way to get to Donald Trump.
Look, Jimmy, I got to go.
50 Shades of Black is coming out on Friday, and everyone is going to want to see that.
Yeah, I don't think that's true either.
Who wouldn't want to see a hilarious spoof of 50 Shades of Gray as only the Waves boys can bring it to you?
This January, comedy has anal sex with itself.
Okay, Chairman Reins Priebus, ladies and gentlemen.
Wow, I got a lot to say.
So they're running fake commercials.
They're real commercials, but they have different intentions.
So they're trying to get Democrats.
The Republican donors want Democrats to vote for Bernie.
So they're airing these commercials that kind of underhandly try to get Democrats to vote for Bernie.
Anyway, we're going to talk about those in the premium this week.
Plus, there's so much more content.
Last week, we did an hour and a half in the premium.
A lot of stuff happening over there.
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I want to remind everybody who's a fan of Frank Conniff's like I am.
He does a great show called Cartoon Dump, right?
So they, anyways, go see it.
It's going to be February 1st at 8.30 at QED in Astoria Queens.
So if you're in the neighborhood, go see Frank.
Even if you're not, make a special trip.
Cartoon Dump Monday, February 1st, 8.30 p.m.
QED in Astoria Queens.
Go to frankconnif.com for more information.
Hey, that's it for this week, right?
That's it.
That's all the time we have for this week.
And I'll see everybody on the premium.
Today's show was written by Mike McRae, Mark Van Landuitt, Michael Schurzer, Steph Samurano, Frank Conniff, and Mike McRae.
All the voices today perform by the one and the only of the inimitable, Mike McRae, who can be found at mikemcray.com.
That's it for this week.
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