Republicans Want To Return To Caning In The Senate
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Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman go through the utterly bizarre episode between GOP Senator Markwayne Mullin and Teamsters leader Sean O'Brien, as Bernie Sanders had to quell a potential fight in Senate chambers. They continue on through the clown show of the Republican Party as new Speaker Mike Johnson is already in hot water, and they finish up discussing the protest outside DNC headquarters in the name of a cease fire in Gaza
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That sound, everybody, is the sound of the weekender.
This is the Muckrake Podcast.
I'm Jared Yates-Daxton.
I'm here with Nick Hausman.
Nick Hausman, how are you doing?
I'm doing okay.
I've got the flu shot and the COVID shot coursing through my veins.
And, uh, you know, I'm anxious to see what kind of strength I have off of this.
I did not go get my software update.
I was actually, uh, I had to take, uh, I was telling you before we started recording, I had to take my car into the shop today and I was walking and I walked by the drug store and I thought, Hey, maybe I'll pop in and get the flu shot.
Maybe I'll get the COVID shot.
But as has been documented on this show, I am very sensitive.
to medication and vaccines, and I knew that I would be laid out for a couple days, so I need to pick and choose the right spot.
Yeah, I mean, it was interesting.
I wasn't sure I wanted to do both at the same time, but I kind of was like, well, I'm here, might as well do it, and yeah, the arm's a little sore, but you know, other than that, it's a little the flu-y feeling, but like maybe like 10% of that for a few hours the last couple days, and now I'm fine, so you know, it's probably worth it.
You don't want the real flu, I'll tell you that, as long as that flu shot works.
It's tough out there, is my understanding.
But yeah, this is your reminder to go out and get your COVID and your flu shot.
For those of you listening to the preview, head on over to patreon.com slash muckrakepodcast so you can get this entire show.
Nick, we got a doozy.
After advocating for the COVID shot, hopefully they're still there.
Hopefully still there.
We got a doozy of a show.
These are papers.
These are notes.
Maybe people can hear it.
Maybe they can't.
This is a doozy of the show.
Nick, we have to start in the Senate, unfortunately, where on Tuesday, in a Senate hearing with Teamster President Sean O'Brien, Oklahoma Senator Mark Wayne Mullen was speaking with O'Brien, who he has a longstanding beef with, and in the middle of speaking, well, not with him, let's say rather at him, the following occurred.
So I just wanted to set the record straight on that, and that's coming from statistics, all right?
Now, let's talk about Mr. O'Brien himself, his behavior.
As everybody knows, and it's here in the last time, him and I kind of had a back and forth.
I appreciate your demeanor today, it's quite different, but after you left here, you got pretty excited about the keyboard.
In fact, you...
Tweeted at me one, two, three, four, five times.
And let me read what the last one said.
It said, greedy CEO who pretends like he's self-made.
Sir, I wish you was in the truck with me when I was building my plumbing company myself and my wife was running the office because I sure remember working pretty hard and long hours.
Pretends like he's self-made.
What a clown.
Fraud.
Always has been.
Always will be.
Quit the tough guy act and these Senate hearings.
You know where to find me.
Anyplace.
Anytime.
Cowboy.
Sir, this is a time.
This is a place.
You want to run your mouth?
We can be two consenting adults.
We can finish it here.
Okay, that's fine.
Perfect.
You want to do it now?
I'd love to do it right now.
Well, stand your butt up then.
You stand up, Bono.
Oh, hold on.
Stop it.
Is that your solution?
No, no.
Sit down.
You know, you're a United States Senator.
You acted.
Okay, sit down, please.
All right.
Can I respond?
Hold it.
If we can, no, I have the mic.
I'm sorry.
Hold it.
You'll have your time.
Can I respond?
No, you can't.
This is a hearing.
And God knows the American people have enough contempt for Congress.
Let's not make it worse.
I don't like thugs and bullies.
I don't like you, because you just described yourself.
Hold it.
You have the mic.
You have time.
Make your statement.
And let's do this.
Because I did challenge you, and I accepted your challenge.
And you went quiet.
No, I didn't go quiet.
You challenged me to a cage match, acting like a 12-year-old schoolyard bully.
Hold it.
No, excuse me.
I have the mic.
Senator Mullin, I have the mic.
You have questions on any economic issues, anything?
Go for it.
We're not here to talk about physical abuse.
You brought- We're not talking about- And let me show you his hearing, because I want to expose this thug to who he is.
You're not pointing at me, that's disrespectful.
Alright.
I don't care about respecting you at all.
I respect people that I respect.
I don't respect you at all.
Alright, hold it.
Hold it!
You're one of the most elite people.
Hold it!
Hold it!
Please!
Alright?
This is a, excuse me, this is a hearing to discuss economic issues.
Do you know what I would have liked him to say?
I would have just, he would have been like, this is a Wendy's, sir.
You are a United States senator.
Like the best.
And by the way, this is a very serious thing that happened.
You have to laugh at it because of how serious it actually is.
But Nick, I'm sorry, some of the highlights here.
You got excited at the keyboard.
Like, you're a senator and you're mentioning how many times a person tweeted at you.
Also, Mark Wayne Mullen totally had to talk himself into this.
You know?
Like, you know that he was staring in the mirror that morning, hulking himself up to go in there and put this entire thing on.
And the best thing he could manage is, we're two consenting adults.
That's it?
Let's paint the picture.
I mean, it's a wood-paneled Senate hearing room, right?
Everyone's wearing suits, you know, business attire, although Mark Wayne is not.
He's doing the Jim Jordan without the jacket.
He went to take his ring off.
Now, Jared, I'm not well-versed in the art of challenging people to fighting.
Is that a thing?
You take your ring off?
I take everything off.
But when I'm getting ready to have a brawl, I take every article of clothing off.
I just, I want to go natural.
I've seen, yeah, I think I've seen that movie.
It's a good one.
So, Nick, it is so terrible.
And before we get into the actual analysis of this, you know, it wouldn't be the Muckrake Podcast without actual contextual evidence.
You'll notice what pissed him off first, Nick, is that it said that he was a clown CEO who's handed everything that he had, and Mark Wayne got all choked up saying that he built the business up himself.
Not true.
Fact check.
False.
He inherited his business and millions of dollars from his family.
This is one of the reasons why this hits so deep, is that Sean O'Brien absolutely has this guy's number.
And as a result, he had to stand up and quote-unquote defend himself against a charge that is very real.
But this is a disturbing thing that has happened, and the fallout from it, I think, should concern everybody.
And I believe that his plumbing business was not a union either, so that's probably gonna piss, you know, O'Brien off.
So, what is this indicative of?
Are we talking about just like the decorum of the Senate is now eroding?
Well, it's, first of all, like, I saw, Nick, and I hate this, and this is one of the things that bothers me, is the American historical understanding has no context whatsoever.
This is not the first time that we've had situations like this in the Senate.
We've seen it in the past, and it's always indicative whenever we have these moments.
It's indicative that not just decorum is falling by the wayside, but again, something that we've covered on this show, which is the Republican Party is not an actual political party.
It does not have principles.
It does not have a platform.
The only thing that it exists for is, first of all, to express aggrievement towards the government, minorities, and programs that people see as not fair within the white community, and to also go ahead and express psychosexual dysfunction.
I think any other response kind of would have been a little gutless.
I would agree with that.
I mean, what do people want me to do?
If I didn't do that, people in Oklahoma would be pretty upset at me.
That's not how we raise.
says here to Sean Hannity, I think is incredibly telling. - That's right.
I think any other response kind of would have been a little gutless. - I would agree with that.
I mean, what do people want me to do?
If I didn't do that, people in Oklahoma would be pretty upset at me.
That's not how we raise.
I'm supposed to represent Oklahoma values. - Whoa.
Yeah, so I really think that Mark Wayne here, I think, is starting to touch on something really important, which is, I did this because it was expected of me.
Because if I didn't do it, and by the way, Nick, you and I, we're political sickos, we pay attention to everything.
Do you think that every Oklahoman is hanging on every word that Mark Wayne says within Senate hearing committees?
I would, well, no, which is why he did this, right?
He was probably feeling a little left out and not paid attention to.
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