Paris Recap, and a #BuckSlap
Buck began Thursday’s show with a sober recapping of the events in France on the Champs-Elysees, where a gunman wielding an assault rifle shot two cops, killing one and leaving another in critical condition. Very shortly afterward, the Islamic State claimed responsibility.
“Civil society, rule of law, they don’t believe in this,” Buck said. “Anything that’s destructive, that rips us apart, jihadists will continue to strike at. How do we prevent or stop this? I wish I could say there was a real answer.”
“But we should be able to name the enemy,” Buck continued, “and in that sense this administration is leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor. They just say what it is.”
“It is not just a gesture, it’s also of strategic significance. Understanding what side you’re on in a war of ideas is essential if you have any hope of winning it.”
He then moved to a discussion of the new healthcare deal, playing a clip of the President saying the bill has gotten “better and better,” and rehashing why the first bill failed. “The first time out they messed it up,” said Buck. “[The American Health Care Act] did not remove critical architecture of Obamacare. It did not go far enough. We’ll have to see if this one is better.”
A caller raised Buck’s ire when it took issue with his belief in the ‘strategic significance’ of being able to name one’s enemy. It was a #BuckSlap for the ages, and should be good fodder for getting Team Buck warmed up for a workout.
Don’t Drink The Clinton Kool-Aid
Buck then brought on Michelle Malkin, conservative blogger, syndicated columnist, and host of Michelle Malkin Investigates on CRTV, to talk Chelsea Clinton’s “cheerleading cult.”
“The Hollywood-media complex is going to do everything it can to prop up a Chelsea campaign,” said Malkin. Referring to a recent cover of the magazine, Malkin added, “Variety is the tip of the iceberg.”
“She’s going to receive an award from Lifetime Channel for her humanitarian work,” Malkin said. “It’s stunning. She’s failed upward in everything she’s done. She’s Bill Clinton without the charm, she’s Hillary Clinton without that ruthless focus.”
The two then turned to a discussion of immigration, with Buck looking for Michelle’s opinion on how the administration is doing so far.
“It’s a mixed bag. In general they are moving in the right direction, particularly with low-hanging fruit. Yes, there should be a better physical barrier on the southern border. Yes, ICE needs more help. Yes, interior enforcement matters.”
But referring to deeper change, Malkin wasn’t convinced anything immediate would happen. “These people have come to expect as an entitlement that these statutes won’t be used against them. This is not a cafeteria menu. You don’t get to pick and choose what immigrations laws you enforce.
“Rule of law a la carte,” quipped Buck.
The Iran Deal Is Bad. How Bad? Really Bad.
“Is the Trump administration going to keep the Iran nuclear deal or throw it out?” Buck posed that very question to Dr. Jonathan Schanzer, Senior Vice President at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
“On the one hand Iranians have followed the deal,” Schanzer replied. “They’ve mothballed most of their nuclear facilities, they’ve self-reported small violations like having too much heavy water. Overall they are hewing to the letter of the deal as such, and no gross violations.”
“That said, the UN resolution to codify the deal called on Iran not to test ballistic missiles,” continued Schanzer. And they’ve violated that. “What they’re basically doing is mastering the delivery system for a nuclear weapon in the future.”
“Four years from now, the ban of weapons is going to be lifted,” said Schanzer. “and Iran will be able to buy and sell arms on the market. They can test ballistic missiles in 7 yeras. They got everything they wanted in this deal, they just have to wait to get to the finish line.
Buck inquired whether we might actually see pushback from Iran, whether they’d “get antsy” with the timeline.
“Iran would be dumb if they got antsy with the process. They’re getting everything they want in this deal. It just takes time. They’ve got sanctions relief cash, and lapsing of restrictions on nuclear development. If they just wait 15 years, they will have all of their money, and they will have a nuclear program.”
“Shattering” News
Buck then took time to laugh his way through sections of “Shattered,” a new book that covers Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 presidential campaign.
Buck highlighted a section where Clinton ripped into an adviser who was helping her with debate prep, asking him to imitate Clinton and then rudely critiquing and cutting off his impression/performance.
“I need to get this book,” said Buck. “This is sounding it’s going to be a lot of fun to read.”
Buck then summarized the central reason Hillary Clinton lost the election: “That lack of warmth and that lack of connection with voters. This was a very real thing. She’s just not very nice. And not charming.”
The Latest on #RepealAndReplace
Next up, Sarah Westwood, White House Correspondent for the Washington Examiner, joined the show, and Buck inquired after the word on the GOP’s newest replacement for Obamacare.
“It’s taking the shape of a lot of negotiations that we’ve seen. COnservatives want the ability to opt out of burdensome regulations like community ratings and coverage minimums. But centrist Republicans are uneasy about undoing some regulations and not others. They like waivers, which let states opt out but allow them to stay in if they are nervous about the effects of these regulations.”
“It’s unclear whether that’ll get done by next week.”
Buck asked after the opinion of the Freedom Caucus. “Have we heard from them?
“The Freedom Caucus has not walked away from the negotiating table,” said Westwood, “which has been good” for all parties involved. “The Caucus is in favor of the opt-out powers, the waivers.”
Colbert’s O’Reilly Bit: Not So Great
Finally, Buck then got into the perversity of the Left’s response to Bill O’Reilly’s exit, in particular taking issue with Stephen Colbert’s “nasty, cheap, easy, mean” joke.
“It’s such a safe move [he took],” said Buck. “Republicans dumb idiot racist sexists…it’s the same joke over and over. What they won’t acknoledge is this is the joke that not-so-smart people laugh at.”
Buck played clips of Colbert pantomiming his joy at O’Reilly’s ignominious exit.
“It’s just childish. He can’t do any better than this?” Buck asked. “He’s being mean here in a way that’s completely unnecessary. I would just think there’s some modicum of professional respect. He’s just calling O’Reilly a jerk.”