The Daly Weekly (5/2)

Ben Shapiro, Bill Maher, Creed, and more!

Hi everyone.

Welcome to this week’s Daly Weekly, where I answer whatever questions you throw at me.

Let’s get right to it…

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Do you predict the Supreme Court will take action if this administration fails to adhere to their rulings? If so, how effective can the Supreme Court actually be? Maybe the 'ignoring' will set a bad example for future administrations to follow suit, esp. with no repercussions for doing so? Opens the door. — Sharon H.

Hi Sharon. I’m not sure what all the Supreme Court could legally do to Trump if he doesn’t enforce their rulings, but if he indeed refuses, it would be another terrible blow to the Constitution and our country. Sadly, very few of our leaders in Washington, including those who used to proudly refer to themselves as “constitutional conservatives,” seem to care. At minimum, such a scenario would set the table for a third Trump impeachment, but the practice of impeachment was effectively rendered useless four years ago when partisanship proved to be more important than accountability for the abuse of power. You’re of course right about the precedent it would set as well.

I found out today that recently fired (oops, I mean “promoted”) national security advisor, Mike Waltz, is the brother-in-law of the lead singer of Creed. John’s you’re a 90’s rock guy. Do you believe that association contributed to Waltz’s ouster? — Ben G.

Ha! Fun fact: I’ve seen Creed twice in concert, but both times I was there for the band they were touring with (Candlebox one time, and Our Lady Peace the other). I won’t make too much fun of Scott Stapp, since I know he went through some mental struggles, but his waxing poetic in between songs, during those shows, really cracked me up.

John, I agree with you that AOC should not lead the Democratic Party. As far as the midterm, the Republican party needs to take those elections seriously. The Republican Party needs to get the vote out in order to win the midterms. The Democrats in the House and Senate sat by and supported the Biden administration. If the Republicans lose that election, then I fear for this country. —Conrad P.

Congressional Republicans are probably taking the midterms seriously, Conrad, but the leader of their party is not… and that’s a big obstacle they’ll have to contend with next year. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’ve never seen any evidence that Trump cares one bit about congressional Republicans or having a Republican majority. Over the last ten years, he’s been on a crusade to achieve a totally loyal and servile GOP, which has resulted in a ton of incumbent Republicans being purged from office, and the loss of a large number of GOP seats (including multiple majorities). I honestly suspect Trump likes having the Dems in power, as a foil.

Lastly, if the thought of the Dems taking back the House, Senate, or both truly makes you fear for the our country, Conrad, you should be hoping for Trump to stop unilaterally screwing up the economy. Because right now, voters are eager to punish Republicans for the pain Trump is causing them.

John, I’m finding it harder and harder to find honest, reliable commentators to follow for politics. Thank God for you and Bernie, and the past year I’ve been following Jonah Goldberg and the Dispatch. I used to love Ben Shapiro but he’s gone full bore MAGA, even Erick Erickson has gone that way. Who do you trust for your political consumption? —Ed G

Thanks, Ed. I think the world of Jonah and the rest of The Dispatch crew. I honestly believe The Dispatch is the most credible and trustworthy center-right news organization out there. I’ve been turned off by both Shapiro and Erickson for a while, though I think both still contribute some good things (Shapiro’s especially effective at taking on the woke left). I wouldn’t call to those two “full bore MAGA.” I see them as conservatives at heart who are trying to stay professionally viable by tossing out just enough MAGA red-meat to keep the modern-right audience engaged.

What do you think of the Tucker Carlson vs Ben Shapiro online feud? — Alex D.

I said above that I’ve been turned off by Ben Shapiro for a while, but I’m behind him 100% in his slaying of Tucker. Shapiro may pander to the base far too much for my taste, but Tucker is an absolute disgrace who rarely tells the truth, spreads dangerous conspiracy theories all the time, and routinely sings the praises of America’s enemies.

Greetings, Sir John: what is your opinion of the dinner party that Bill Maher attended at the White House with Donald Trump and Kid Rock? And what is your opinion of the fact that Maher seemed to be attacked by so many members of the left that says he should not even sit down with Trump? —“Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner” regards from The Emperor

I didn’t really care about it, Emperor. U.S. presidents meeting with entertainers has never bothered me. A lot of lefties were mad at Maher, of course, because they felt the meeting, and Maher’s kind words about it afterwards, humanized a guy they view as a tyrant… but I just can’t bring myself to care much about this topic.

I really appreciate it when my beliefs are supported by smart individuals such as you, Bernie Goldberg, Bill O'Reilly and the late Charles Krauthammer.

The following are a few elements of my belief system which you and others have helped solidify:

1. People believe what they want to believe.

2. Part one - People are messy.

3. Part two - It's contagious.

4. Humans are able to hold two or more contradictory and inconsistent beliefs at any given time.

5. War and catastrophic events bring out the best and the worst in us.

6. Beneath every beautiful person is an ugly person; Beneath every ugly person is another ugly person.

7. You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose but you can not pick your friend's nose.

8. Most of the pain humans experience is not because of God, but of humans - either oneself or others.

9. The process of growing old is a continuous act of a) letting go, b) adjusting to the present, c) healthy grieving of what is lost and d) being deeply thankful for what is left.

10. We are each writing our own stories - how do we want them to end?

11. All Star Trek series are good, some are very good and a few are excellent, such as those with Patrick Stewart.

12. All beliefs are subject to periodic review.

John, stay safe and keep up the good work. — Benn H.

Hi Benn. First of all, you made my day by including me in a category with Charles Krauthammer. Thank you! He was one of my heroes (who I thankfully got to meet a few years back). I also appreciate your kind words about the podcast. Kimberly is always a fun guest. I like your belief system, and mostly agree with it (though I’m still trying to wrap my mind around #6, lol).

Great episode as usual, guys. As of this writing, a new economic report came out showing the GDP growth for Q1 shrank to 0.3%. Predictably, Trump immediately posted on the Ministry of Truth Social that the decline was Biden's fault, and had nothing to do with his tariff nonsense. Question is - does he actually believe that, OR does he think we're stupid enough to believe that? — John M.

Thanks, John. It cracks me up that when the economy and stock market were doing well heading into the 2024 election, Trump was taking credit for it (framing it as an anticipatory reaction to his imminent return), but now that Trump’s president again, he says the economic calamity (clearly caused by Trump’s trade war) is Biden’s fault. It’s silly.

As for your question, there’s been a lot of debate over the years as to whether Trump is lying or delusional at times like these, and I suspect it depends on the situation. In this particular case, I don’t think Trump believes for a second that Biden caused the Q1 loss… but he does — as you said — hope we’re stupid enough to believe that.

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Thanks everyone! You can send me questions for next week by leaving a comment in the comment section.