Sean Hannity Show - Best of Hannity: Congressman Mike Waltz - December 23, Hour 1

Dec. 24, 2022 - Sean Hannity Show

36:59

Best of Hannity: Congressman Mike Waltz - December 23, Hour 1

Congressman Mike Waltz on this Best of Hannity discusses the embarrassment of the United States' abandonment of Afghanistan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Large

Audio Only |

Scroll

Time	Text
	This is an iHeart podcast.
	You want smart political talk without the meltdowns?
	We got you.
	I'm Carol Markowitz, and I'm Mary Catherine Hamm.
	We've been around the block in media, and we're doing things differently.
	Normally is about real conversations.
	Thoughtful, try to be funny, grounded, and no panic.
	We'll keep you informed and entertained without ruining your day.
	Join us every Tuesday and Thursday, normally, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
	I'm Ben Ferguson.
	And I'm Ted Cruz.
	Three times a week, we do our podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz.
	Nationwide, we have millions of listeners.
	Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we break down the news and bring you behind the scenes inside the White House, inside the Senate, inside the United States Supreme Court.
	And we cover the stories that you're not getting anywhere else.
	We arm you with the facts to be able to know and advocate for the truth with your friends and family.
	So down at Verdict with Ted Cruz Now, wherever you get your podcasts.
	Stay right here for our final news roundup and information overload.
	Hi, News Roundup, Information Overload Hour 800941.
	Sean, if you want to be a part of the program, now we've been counting down all the days since Joe Biden abandoned our fellow Americans behind enemy lines.
	That was only about a month or two ago that, in fact, his own Secretary of State, Winkin Blinken, admitted that, yeah, we still have hundreds of Americans behind enemy lines that want to get out.
	But it's the opposite of what Joe Biden was telling us at the time.
	Then we have thousands of people that have green cards eligible to live in the U.S.
	They can't get out either.
	And add to that, of course, our Afghan allies, many that have already been killed because they were lists left behind, sadly.
	Many that have never been seen or heard from again.
	So you can pretty much assume what happened to them.
	Never mind the tens of billions of dollars in the most sophisticated military weaponry on the face of this earth.
	But in the run-up to this, you know, Joe Biden was telling us that the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is not inevitable.
	And then saying that we're going to get all Americans out of Afghanistan.
	That's what he promised.
	There's going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy of the United States from Afghanistan.
	Are you committed to making sure that the troops stay until every American who wants to be out is out?
	Yes.
	So Americans should understand the troops might have to be there beyond August 31st.
	No, Americans should understand that we're going to try to get it done before August 31st.
	But if we don't, if we don't, we'll determine at the time who's left.
	And if there are American forces, if there's American citizens left, we're going to stay till we get them all out.
	Congressman Mike Waltz is with us, by the way, Florida 6th District, former Army Green Beret serving in Congress.
	He also wrote a children's book, Dawn of the Brave, talks about the one-year anniversary of leaving Afghanistan, the loss of 13 lives.
	Nobody ever mentions it.
	We mention it every day, either on radio or TV or both.
	And everybody has just turned the page.
	Nobody seems to care.
	We have our fellow Americans held hostage there, and nobody seems to care at all.
	Why?
	Well, Sean, I'll get into that in a second, but I'll tell you who does care are the veterans groups like Dynamo, Task Force Pineapple, Afghan Evac, so many others that stood up grassroots efforts.
	Many of them exhausted their personal savings.
	Many of them left their jobs to do what we all swore to do, which was never leave a comrade behind, never leave a fellow American or an ally on the battlefield.
	They're still at it, Sean.
	They haven't let go.
	They're not going to let go, but I have never talked to a group so disgusted with their own government as the State Department fiddle farts around and as DOD and the generals just basically hold up their hands and do nothing.
	So you're absolutely right in your lead in.
	I had a meeting with Anthony Blinken.
	He admitted that, yeah, he and the president said around 100.
	I call that a bold-faced lie.
	They now are saying no.
	It's more like eight times that, around 800 Americans that they've since pulled out.
	And there's still Americans behind enemy lines.
	Many of them can't leave because some of their family members can't leave, and they don't want to leave them in the Taliban's hands.
	You don't get to then classify them as not wanting to leave, as you heard Blinken and the president do.
	And Sean, if I could just speak to one other piece, you know, you're hearing the left this week keep pointing the finger at Trump as they love to do.
	Oh, Trump cut this deal.
	Trump cut the Doha agreement that led to all of this.
	Look, there were many of us who never thought the Taliban would live up to their end of the bargain.
	They didn't.
	They never entered into ceasefire.
	They never entered into real negotiations.
	We now see that they never backed away from al-Qaeda.
	But when President Trump was presented with those facts, guess what?
	He left the troops to keep supporting the Afghan troops.
	And the other thing is, you know, Biden had no problem, zero, none at all with tearing up the Keystone pipeline, tearing up the maximum pressure campaign with Iran or backing away from all of these other Trump policies.
	But yet suddenly he was stuck with this one.
	That's just a bunch of garbage.
	And I'm sick of hearing about it.
	Well, I mean, I don't think there's anything left to do.
	So I do know the backstory as President Trump talked about getting out of these never-ending conflicts with Afghanistan.
	There were a couple of things that he said to me in interviews and others have confirmed for me.
	Number one, Bagram Air Base would have been ours.
	He would have held on to it.
	And that would have been so, from a geopolitical standpoint, especially with the hostilities of China, it would have been critical for us to keep control of that, considering we bought it and we paid for it, we built it, and putting all of that aside.
	But in the early conversations with the leader of the Taliban, Trump relayed a story to me that, in fact, before they would ever talk about any deal or any pullout of any kind, and there were 18 months where not a single American, the last 18 months Donald Trump was president, there wasn't a single American killed.
	And he said to the head of the Taliban, before we talk about anything, you need to understand something.
	That if you don't follow every dotted I, cross T, every comma, every period, I will obliterate you.
	And he said it, according to other sources, repeatedly throughout the whole process.
	Now, interestingly, that kept the Taliban in check.
	They believed Donald Trump when he said it.
	They had every reason to believe it because he had beaten the Caliphate and Soleimani and Baghdadi and associates and the al-Qa-Qaeda leader in Yemen.
	Now we know, I'm happy that we got Iwana al-Zawahiri, but you know what?
	They got him in Afghanistan because Afghanistan is once again a safe haven for terrorists.
	So the point was, is they didn't dare move an inch.
	And then at one point in the conversation, Donald Trump gave him the exact address where he was at the time of the phone call to let him know, I'll take your ass out.
	Did you hear that story?
	Yeah, oh, absolutely.
	He told it to me as well, right?
	He said, I told him I know where you live.
	And look, the Taliban understand, I've sat across from these bastards in multiple tours.
	They understand strength.
	They are emboldened by weakness.
	But I want to go to your point on Bagra.
	I wrote an op-ed, you know, as soon as Biden made this announcement, I wrote op-ed at Fox.com, do not give up Bagram.
	Not just because it would serve as a counterterrorism platform, but also because it had a prison there full of the worst of the worst of ISIS and al-Qaeda, not just Taliban, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, international terrorists.
	And guess what?
	We gave it up.
	And two weeks later, a prisoner that the Taliban released was the ISIS suicide bomber that killed our 13 brave Marines, soldiers, and sailors.
	There needs to be accountability for that decision.
	And then the final piece on Bagram, as you mentioned, geostrategically, it's the only base in the world sandwiched between Iran, Russia, and China.
	Sean, it's so close to the Chinese border that it's closer to the Chinese border than Mexico City is to the Texas border.
	Do you think if the Chinese had a 12,000-foot strategic runway in Mexico that they had bought and paid for, they would just give it up for nothing?
	Of course they wouldn't.
	But we did.
	And the final thing, we talk a lot about strategic rare earth minerals, the things that we need for computer chips to make our economy go.
	Afghanistan was sitting on over a trillion dollars, verified by the U.S. Geological Survey.
	And guess who's sitting at Bagram now?
	A Chinese geological survey team set to exploit all of that.
	So this was just the biggest strategic blunder in modern history.
	And yet you've got the commander-in-chief, Joe Biden, standing before the world saying this was a, quote, extraordinary success.
	It's a slap in the face to everyone left behind, and it's a slap in the face to every veteran who sacrificed so much that knows better.
	You know, I mean, I think that that gets to the heart of it all.
	I mean, what a sad state of affairs that this is now America.
	Do you remember when the Iranians were holding Americans 444 days?
	This, I'm Ted Cabello.
	This is nightline.
	Day 444.
	But Americans cared when Americans were taken hostage.
	Nobody has ever held Joe accountable for this mess, this disaster.
	And the difference between his plan and Trump's plan was Trump was saying to them, if you dare move before we pull out completely, then you're going to be obliterated.
	And he would have obliterated them because that was his M.O.
	And in this case, you know, look what happened.
	Well, and get this, Sean, and I don't think this gets enough attention.
	There is an American Navy veteran by the name of Mark Frerich that the Taliban have been holding for years.
	And you would have thought with Biden unleashing billions of foreign currency reserves to the Taliban, hundreds of million in humanitarian aid, you would have thought we could get one American hostage back that they have been sitting on and refused to give.
	And these guys can't negotiate their way out of a paper bag.
	But that's what happens when it's just concession after concession after concession and an appeasement policy and why you're seeing so many of our adversaries on the march around the world.
	And why does it matter so much that we honor our promises to those SIV interpreters and those who fought with us?
	Because we've got green berets and FEALs all over the world now working from Africa to the Middle East, you name it, trying to work with local forces, whether they're going after terrorists or figuring out what the Chinese are up to, saying, work with us.
	And they're all pointing back to Afghanistan and saying, you know what?
	You abandoned your allies after 20 years.
	You're going to abandon us too.
	So it's not just the Chinese Communist Party propaganda machine to Taiwan and the Russian propaganda machine did to Ukraine.
	It's down on the ground and our current special operations forces are feeling the aftermath of this abandonment and this withdrawal.
	Why is there no coverage of this whatsoever except for maybe my show and I would assume maybe other talk shows that I don't get a chance to listen to?
	Because we have a complicit media and the administration wanted this page to be turned.
	Republicans have tried to hold hearings in the House.
	Of course, Pelosi squashes them.
	They've had one in the Foreign Affairs Committee, but they did it in secret down in Schiff Skiff so that the media couldn't cover it.
	And at the end of the day, look, politically, this was when things started to turn for the worse for Biden because he ran on two things, compassion and competency.
	And this was the most cold-hearted thing I've ever seen.
	And it certainly was the most incompetent thing I've ever seen.
	And we saw his poll numbers go south accordingly.
	And the last thing a compliant media wants to do is to resurrect that.
	So I think you might get a little bit of coverage over this one year of debacle, but then they're going to want to turn the page and talk about the big climate change victory that they had last week.
	All right, quick break more with Congressman Mike Waltz on this, the one-year anniversary where Joe abandoned Americans behind enemy lines in Afghanistan.
	Look, prices on everything are through the roof.
	You want to get your car fixed?
	You better buckle up because it's more expensive than ever and it's been getting more expensive day by day.
	And you can get coverage like I did.
	Just go to carshield.com slash Hannity or give him a call, 800-391-8888.
	If you do that, you'll save 10% off your plan.
	That's carshield.com slash Hannity or toll-free 800-391-8888.
	Defending freedom, providing plenty, and calling out the left.
	Now, more than ever, we need Hannity.
	Hey there, I'm Mary Catherine Hamm.
	And I'm Carol Markowitz.
	We've been in political media for a long time.
	Long enough to know that it's gotten, well, a little insane.
	That's why we started Normally, a podcast for people who are over the hysteria and just want clarity.
	We talk about the issues that actually matter to the country without panic, without yelling, and with a healthy dose of humor.
	We don't take ourselves too seriously, but we do take the truth seriously.
	So if you're into common sense, sanity, and some occasional sass.
	You're our kind of people.
	Catch new episodes of Normally every Tuesday and Thursday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
	I'm Ben Ferguson, and I'm Ted Cruz.
	Three times a week, we do our podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz.
	Nationwide, we have millions of listeners.
	Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we break down the news and bring you behind the scenes inside the White House, inside the Senate, inside the United States Supreme Court.
	And we cover the stories that you're not getting anywhere else.
	We arm you with the facts to be able to know and advocate for the truth with your friends and family.
	So down at Verdict with Ted Cruz Now, wherever you get your podcasts.
	Hey there, I'm Mary Catherine Hamm.
	And I'm Carol Markowitz.
	We've been in political media for a long time.
	Long enough to know that it's gotten, well, a little insane.
	That's why we started Normally, a podcast for people who are over the hysteria and just want clarity.
	We talk about the issues that actually matter to the country without panic, without yelling, and with a healthy dose of humor.
	We don't take ourselves too seriously, but we do take the truth seriously.
	So if you're into common sense, sanity, and some occasional sass.
	You're our kind of people.
	Catch new episodes of Normally every Tuesday and Thursday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
	I'm Ben Ferguson.
	And I'm Ted Cruz.
	Three times a week, we do our podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz.
	Nationwide, we have millions of listeners.
	Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we break down the news and bring you behind the scenes inside the White House, inside the Senate, inside the United States Supreme Court.
	And we cover the stories that you're not getting anywhere else.
	We arm you with the facts to be able to know and advocate for the truth with your friends and family.
	So down on Verdict with Ted Cruz now, wherever you get your podcasts.
	Continue on this one-year anniversary since Joe Biden abandoned our fellow Americans behind enemy lines in the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan.
	Congressman Mike Waltz of the Florida 6th District is with us.
	How do you get away with raising taxes on oil, gas, and coal when we're paying the highest gas prices we've ever paid?
	And we also have a 41-year high of inflation.
	And then how do you, with a straight face, tell Americans we're not raising taxes on anybody that makes less than $400,000 a year?
	Well, and then you layer onto that.
	There's, by most estimates, about 1,000 billionaires, and you need 87,000 IRS agents to go after them.
	Hell no.
	They're going after mom-and-pop businesses all over America.
	But the thing that I find the most outrageous is the $350 billion giveaway to the Chinese economy that produces 90% of the world's solar panels, 70% of the world's wind turbines, and controls 90% of the lithium that goes into the batteries.
	Those monies are going to flow right over to Chinese manufacturing, which they produce, by the way, with coal.
	So, I mean, the irony is just rich and ridiculous all around.
	But that's what happens when we have the left running Washington.
	And, brother, I am just counting the days till we can fire Nancy Pelosi and get control of the Congress back.
	Well, it's less than 100 days, so we're on our way.
	Hopefully, Americans are paying attention like you are.
	We appreciate your time.
	Congressman Mike Waltz, former First Army Green Beret serving in Congress, the first one, wrote the children's book, Dawn of the Brave.
	It's on Amazon.com.
	We have a link on Hannity.com, bookstores everywhere.
	And you know what?
	Your kids will actually learn something worthwhile as opposed to the average public school.
	Thanks for being with us.
	Yeah, thank you, Sean.
	If I can just add one more thing, when we do get control, I'm calling for a Benghazi-style commission select committee to get to the bottom.
	Those 13 gold star families deserve accountability.
	And to this day, not a single official, not a single general, nothing has been fired, reprimanded, resigned because of this debacle.
	And I will never let this go.
	And I want every veteran out there to hear me that we will get accountability.
	We will get to the bottom of how and who made these disastrous decisions.
	Look, I totally understand, and I hope we get that opportunity come January.
	Thank you, sir, for being with us, Congressman Mike Waltz of Florida, 800-941-Sean on number.
	If you want to be a part of the program, and you're listening to the best of the Sean Hannity Show, we'll have more of your favorite guests, topics, and memorable moments.
	That's all coming up.
	All right, are you tired of overpaying woke wireless companies?
	How about this?
	You get talk and text and blazing fast data for just 30 bucks a month.
	Yep, on the same exact network, the same cell towers, the same 5G network as the big carriers like Verizon, AT ⁇ T, and T-Mobile.
	And how's that for saying half the price?
	Merry Christmas.
	Happy Hanukkah.
	Happy New Year.
	Hallelujah.
	Could save money, especially in these tough economic times.
	Look, that's what Pure Talk is all about.
	It's a U.S.-based customer service team you'll be working with.
	There is no better service in the industry, and it's a veteran-owned business.
	It's simple to make the switch.
	Just dial pound 250 on yourself, say the keyword save now.
	If you do it now, you'll save an additional 50% off your first month.
	Same exact service, average family saving close to $1,000 a year, some families saving much, much more.
	Pound 250, keywords, save now from our friends at Pure Talk, and it will only take minutes of your time.
	More of the best of the Sean Hannity Show coming up.
	Get your dose of independence and liberty every weekday right here on the John Hannity Show.
	We do need a little bit of a break here, which is why it's fun to bring back on the program Adam Carollo, by the way, New York Times best-selling author in his own right.
	And by the way, his latest book, Everything, reminds me of something, all part of his comedy routine.
	We have a lot of issues involving people wanting to silence voices, especially comedians like Dave Chappelle, et cetera, which I think is nuts and insane.
	Mr. Carollo, sir, how are you?
	I'm doing well.
	Thanks for having me.
	So what do you think of this mess?
	Mar-a-Lago raided by the same FBI that lied about Donald Trump and Russia collusion for three years, the same FBI that used Hillary Clinton, his opponent's dirty paid-for Russian dossier, to get Pfizer warrants saying that the dossier was, quote, verified by them.
	It turns out it was unverifiable because none of it was true.
	And now we're supposed to believe the FBI what they say in a warrant?
	I don't believe them.
	Well, here's what I was saying on my podcast, Sean.
	I have no idea what's inside Donald's compound in Mar-a-Lago, but I will say this.
	I see the same people I saw a year and a half ago telling us that Hunter Bye's laptop had all the earmarks of a Russian hoax and was driven by Putin.
	Those exact same people are now back on CNN explaining that this was a legitimate raid and that we had every right to do it and there must be something important.
	So pardon me if I don't have one eyebrow raised just a little bit.
	I feel like between the FBI and the CDC and Fauci, I no longer listen to anything that these people say.
	I assume it's a lie, but I just want to verify and vet everything.
	And I never would have done that two or three years ago.
	If you said the FBI says, Fauci says the CDC says, I would have went, oh, well, that must be exactly what's happening.
	Now, I don't know.
	And that's a whole lot of things.
	I'll tell you, I'll take it a step further.
	I mean, we gave Fauci the benefit of the doubt in the beginning of this, and we even gave, you know, margin of error because nobody in the beginning really knew anything about what COVID-19 was about.
	So it would be normal that people that are smart, they're making their best educated guess, trying to give their best advice.
	But over a period of time, they were wrong on everything.
	And they weren't even occasionally right.
	So if you ask me if I'd ever trust the CDC, the NIH, Fauci, Walinski, or Biden or any politician ever talking to me about my health in the future, the answer is hell no.
	I'm never listening to them ever.
	Yeah, well, the problem with Fauci is, remember when he was getting grilled by Rand Paul?
	I think it was Rand Paul, and he was asking about Black Lives Matter rallies and parades, and he said he didn't have any opinion on that.
	He was compromised at that point during that hearing.
	That was almost two years ago where he said, you know, gatherings at churches, gatherings at football stadiums, all bad.
	So what about gatherings for our BLM rally?
	He said, I have no opinion.
	At that point, I realized he was compromised.
	So we didn't have to listen to him.
	And what about all the stuff he said?
	Like he didn't know about natural immunity.
	He don't know about natural immunity.
	What are we listening to you for?
	He got stuff wrong and he lied.
	The FBI is just lying at this point.
	I don't know how many different ways they can go after Trump.
	And I have no idea why they think we're going to go along with it, why we should believe them.
	It is the group that cried wolf.
	You know, it's worse than that.
	Look, you don't dig into the weeds of politics as much as I do.
	You certainly are a better expert on cultural issues than I am, but the two worlds do connect in a lot of ways.
	And all I know is for three years, we were told by the FBI, their top echelon, their top officials.
	Now, I got to step back and tell you that I had a reverence growing up my entire adult life on radio and TV for law enforcement.
	My whole family comes from law enforcement.
	My mom was a prison guard.
	I had so many relatives that were cops on the NYPD.
	There were two members of my family that made it to the FBI.
	They were deity in my family.
	They were like, you know, here's God and there they are.
	And so I had this reverence.
	And I still believe 95% are good people that put their lives at risk for us.
	But when we discovered that they had an insurance policy to ensure that Donald Trump would never win, you lost your credibility and you lost your trust, especially with all things Donald Trump.
	And here's the worst part, Adam.
	One of those people that signed those false warrants ever got held accountable.
	If you lied to a judge, I promise you, Adam Carolla, you will go to jail.
	I will go to jail.
	Everyone listening to this program would go to jail.
	Well, look, I like to play a little game called stupid or liar, whether you're talking about FBI or you're talking about Fauci.
	Is Fauci stupid or is he lying?
	It doesn't matter.
	Either way, he needs to be removed.
	And I feel the same way with the FBI.
	You are the same people that said the steel dossier was real and Hunter Biden's laptop was fake.
	So either you're lying or you're horrible at your job.
	But either way, you need to go.
	Well, you raise a good point.
	Hunter Biden is, I don't know if you've ever heard of Kiowa Island.
	It's in South Carolina.
	They're apparently living in a friend's $20 million mansion this week.
	We know from all the reporting that has come out that there's evidence of multiple crimes on that laptop.
	Now, I ask you, Adam Carolla, if we had equal justice under the law and equal application under the law in this country, would we not go and raid Hunter Biden's home?
	Why?
	They've had it for two years, this laptop.
	Christopher Ray last week acted like he knew nothing about it.
	They've had it for two years.
	So if we had equal justice, wouldn't they treat him the same way they treated Donald Trump?
	And by the way, that laptop implicates his father, the big guy, Joe Biden, on all of these deals.
	Look, first things first, it's diabolical because what they do is they slowboat these investigations.
	And then when they get thrown up for questioning, they go, I can't comment on an ongoing investigation.
	Well, what if the investigation never ends?
	You can't comment on it.
	You know, really think about how diabolical that is.
	We will say this house is under construction and we can't comment on it and we'll never finish the job.
	And that's basically what they're doing with Hunter Biden.
	It's insane.
	It's also, It's not their fault, though.
	I mean, it is their fault, but this is partisan politics and they're defending their own.
	Where's the media on Hunter Biden?
	Where is big tech?
	I mean, I know what they're doing.
	They're canceling people and taking stories down and calling it a hoax.
	But the people who aren't doing their job as it pertains to the Hunter Biden story is the media.
	It has all the earmarks.
	I get it, but listen.
	What do they hate most?
	Like, what's the mainstream media hate most?
	What's CNN and MSNBC?
	They hate nepotism.
	They hate rich white guys.
	They hate old rich white guys.
	They hate China.
	They hate Russia.
	It's all there.
	Fruit salad filled with CNN's favorite subjects on the other side.
	You know, it's just phenomenal to me as you watch all this unfold, you know, that there are not more people on the left that see the danger in this.
	You know, I know you like Bill Maher and I kind of hate each other.
	He hates me, and I'm not a big fan of his.
	Although it's people like me when he was doing politically incorrect and other conservatives that said that show should not get canceled.
	It was conservatives that are in favor of free speech.
	I don't want any show canceled.
	I don't want any comedian canceled.
	I think one of the reasons, and he's made this observation himself, is that conservatives are quoting him occasionally now is because the left wing in this country has gone so far overboard.
	You know, the earth is going to be over in 12 years.
	We're not going to produce any energy domestically, but it's okay to beg Iran and Russia and Venezuela and the Saudis and OPAC, which makes zero sense to anybody that has half a brain.
	And then they tell you lecture to get an electric car, which is 20 grand more than a gas car, a gas-powered car.
	And most Americans can't afford it, especially with the record 41-year high record of inflation and record high gas prices.
	Well, look, something happened to the left.
	But as I always tell people, it's called the progressive movement.
	It's got progress in movement right in the title.
	And people like you and I go, when are you ever going to pump the brakes?
	I mean, look, some of the stuff they used to talk about eight or 10 years ago, I went, yeah, that sounds all right.
	It makes sense.
	All right.
	I'm on.
	I'm with you on that one.
	But they just blew right past it and they just keep going.
	And you wonder, like, what is the end game?
	And I don't know that there is an end game, but it's called the progressive movement.
	They never pump the brakes.
	It's not what they're there to do.
	They, you know, the conservatives want to be left alone, enjoy our family and enjoy our country, you know, pay our taxes and don't rob any liquor stores.
	And we're fine.
	We're essentially wanting to be left alone.
	Pretty much.
	Just don't touch my liquor store no matter what you do.
	If you're going to rob a store, rob Target, rob Walmart.
	Don't rob the liquor store.
	Go to the scented candle shop on the corner.
	I never go in there.
	I'm sure you're there often.
	How do you describe yourself politically?
	I've never asked you.
	I don't even know.
	I come from liberal, very strong liberal family.
	And so I got a front row seat.
	My mom was, you know, welfare and food stamps.
	My grandmother was almost sort of a communist for a while.
	And I got a front row seat to that, you know, in the 70s.
	And I kind of realized that's not where I wanted to go.
	I've always been a fan of sort of free market capitalism.
	I've also been kind of liberal, so to speak, on consensual crimes, you know, prostitution, drug use, things like that.
	You know, if you wanted to pay a lady and bring her back to the apartment, that was your business.
	That wasn't my business.
	You know, I'd like a stout boarder.
	I hate big regulation.
	I used to be a builder and I built in Los Angeles, California.
	So I know what the regulatory system can be and how stifling it can be.
	We have a common background.
	I worked in the construction a long time.
	Yeah, so I got a front row seat to the big, you know, Department of Building and Safety.
	So I'm basically conservative economically, fiscally, sort of socially, you know, gay marriage.
	You want to smoke pot.
	As long as you're not hurting anybody, you know, that's fine.
	I just, I don't like big government.
	I want to shrink government down.
	And that's about where I'm at.
	Now, that then makes me, you know, a hard right guy now in the eyes of society, but I've never been that way.
	I've never changed any of my views.
	It's just the left once so hard left that they lost a lot of people who used to be on their side of the aisle.
	I think it's true.
	Do you go further in terms of libertarianism and support legalizing all drugs?
	I think that would be insane.
	You know, look, I live in Los Angeles.
	I've seen what happens when we just tell people, do whatever you want.
	We're not getting involved.
	It is homeless encampments everywhere.
	It's literally tents and viscine, plastic, and plywood, makeshift plywood shelters like strewn about everywhere.
	I understand what happens.
	And we've seen it in San Francisco.
	You've seen it in New York to some degree.
	Like the government can no longer just step back and say, you know, you're free to do whatever you want without it turning into what Los Angeles has turned into.
	Now, if you would have asked me 20 years ago, I probably would have went, yeah, I don't see what's wrong with that.
	But I got a front row seat to it here in Los Angeles.
	Quick break more with Adam Carolla on the other side of his website, adamcarolla.com.
	If you want to get his book or find his tour dates.
	All right, we continue with Adam Carola.
	All things Adam at Adam Carolla.com.
	I really don't want to run into those people that are high on crack, that are strung out on meth or strung out on heroin, that would literally beat the crap out of their own grandmother for more money to get their drugs.
	I don't really want to be around those people.
	I don't know.
	Maybe I'm prejudiced.
	And also, I'm toxic masculinity.
	Somebody pointed it out to me on my podcast, which is, they said, what about that person?
	What about that 23-year-old who's going to OD and living in the streets?
	What if that was your son?
	What if that was your daughter?
	Like, don't we, don't we owe it to that person?
	Try to get them some help?
	Are we just going to go just let them do your own thing?
	Exactly.
	If we're going to do something, it should be here is a drug center.
	Here's a place where you can take a shower.
	Here's a place where you can get maybe soup and bread and have something in your stomach.
	And here's a place where you can talk to drug counselors on how you can get off this crap.
	I mean, if we're going to do anything, that would be the most responsible thing.
	But anyway, congrats on the new book.
	Every reading everything reminds me of something.
	And that's your live comedy show as well.
	It's just everything reminds me of something.
	Everything reminds me of something.
	Advice, answers, but no apologies.
	And are you on tour now or are you just doing your podcast?
	I'm doing my podcast and I go out to do live dates and do stand-up shows and that kind of stuff.
	And you can go to adamcroller.com if you want to find when I'm coming to a town near you.
	All right.
	There's a warning for everybody that has zero sense of humor.
	Don't show up.
	If you don't want to hear a joke, don't go.
	If your sensibilities are that bad, don't go.
	Anyway, appreciate you being with us, Adam.
	Good luck.
	And thanks for taking time to be with us.
	Thanks, John.
	Appreciate it.
	Quick break right back.
	Your calls on the other side.
	Straight ahead.
	You want smart political talk without the meltdowns?
	We got you.
	I'm Carol Markowitz.
	And I'm Mary Catherine Hamm.
	We've been around the block in media and we're doing things differently.
	Normally is about real conversations.
	Thoughtful, try to be funny, grounded, and no panic.
	We'll keep you informed and entertained without ruining your day.
	Join us every Tuesday and Thursday, normally, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
	I'm Ben Ferguson.
	And I'm Ted Cruz.
	Three times a week, we do our podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz.
	Nationwide, we have millions of listeners.
	Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we break down the news and bring you behind the scenes inside the White House, inside the Senate, inside the United States Supreme Court.
	And we cover the stories that you're not getting anywhere else.
	We arm you with the facts to be able to know and advocate for the truth with your friends and family.
	So down with Verdict with Ted Cruz Now, wherever you get your podcasts.

▲