Ep. 1404 - The Exploitation Of January 6

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode argues that Democrats and the media are exploiting January 6th to justify sweeping changes to election rules and broader emergency-style political control, while also criticizing Biden’s COVID policy inconsistency and lockdown culture. It ends with a culture-war segment on Patton Oswalt’s apology over Dave Chappelle, framing it as performative left-wing conformity and betrayal of friendship.

Main Topics: January 6th as a political pretext (Priority: 5/5): Shapiro says Democrats and media treat January 6th as a permanent crisis to justify emergency powers and rule changes rather than a one-time aberration. Voting rules, filibuster, and election legislation (Priority: 5/5): He attacks the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and related efforts as attempts to federalize elections, expand ballot access on Democratic terms, and pressure Manchin/Sinema to kill the filibuster. Republican counterproposal and election reform (Priority: 4/5): The show contrasts Democratic election bills with GOP ideas like clarifying the Electoral Count Act and narrowly targeting election administration problems instead of changing voting rules broadly. Biden’s COVID and economic policy contradictions (Priority: 4/5): Shapiro criticizes Biden for claiming economic strength while inflation, labor shortages, and vaccine mandates are worsening the economy and disrupting workplaces. Lockdowns, mandates, and Omicron (Priority: 5/5): He argues that officials and commentators are overreacting to Omicron with renewed restrictions, school disruptions, and mandates despite milder disease patterns and high vaccination rates. Patton Oswalt, Dave Chappelle, and performative progressive morality (Priority: 3/5): The closing segment frames Oswalt’s public apology for a friendly photo with Chappelle as a cautionary example of left-wing social pressure and insincere virtue signaling.

Key Arguments: Democrats use January 6th as an ongoing emergency narrative to justify changing election rules and increasing federal control. The real objective of proposed election legislation is not safeguarding democracy but helping Democrats avoid losses in 2022 and beyond. Killing the filibuster would remove a key protection for senators like Manchin and Sinema and expose them to full party pressure. A better response would be limited election administration reforms, especially clarifying the Electoral Count Act and protecting local election workers. Biden’s economic messaging conflicts with visible inflation, supply-chain problems, and labor shortages worsened by mandates. COVID policy has become detached from data, with officials repeatedly shifting rules based on politics rather than risk levels. Lockdowns and school closures are presented as needless overreactions to Omicron, especially given lower severity and high breakthrough infection rates. Patton Oswalt’s apology is portrayed as an example of left-wing social coercion where friendship is conditional on ideological conformity.

Data Points: January 6th anniversary: 1 year - The episode was framed around the one-year anniversary of the Capitol riot. Arrests on Trump inauguration day 2017: over 200 - Shapiro cites this as a memory-holed example of inauguration-day disorder in Washington, D.C. Portland/2020 property damage estimate: $5 billion uninsured property damage - Used to compare broader 2020 riot damage with January 6th coverage. Georgia voting bill: passed - Cited as an example of a law loosening early voting that was nevertheless portrayed as a threat. Company market concentration in meat: more than half - Biden is quoted claiming four corporations control more than half of beef, pork, and poultry markets. Unemployment rate: 4.2% - Biden cites this as evidence of strong economic performance. New jobs since January: 6 million - Biden claims this as a sign of unique economic strength. Small business applications growth: over 30% - Biden says applications are up versus before the pandemic. Starbucks vaccination deadline: February 9 - Starbucks required U.S. employees to be vaccinated or weekly tested. Starbucks worker disclosure deadline: January 10 - Employees were told to disclose vaccination status by this date. Federal employer mandate threshold: 100 or more employees - Referenced in the Biden OSHA vaccine-or-test rule. COVID cases among children: under 700 deaths - Shapiro notes total U.S. deaths under 18 remain below this number. New York COVID hospitalizations: about 9,500 - Used to discuss Omicron hospitalization totals in New York State. Washington, D.C. COVID deaths: 1 per day - Shapiro says D.C.’s seven-day rolling average is about one death daily. Teachers union proposal age: 5+ - Randi Weingarten supports mandatory vaccination for students five and older. Omicron wave duration estimate: 2 months - Scott Gottlieb says the wave should pass by February. Omicron impact timeline: 3 to 5 weeks - Michael Osterholm suggests flexibility over this period due to staffing shortages.

Pivotal Quotes: "January 6th is every day." — New York Times editorial (quoted by Shapiro): Used to argue that liberals want to make January 6th an ongoing emergency. "If you want to save democracy, you have to end democracy." — Ben Shapiro: Summarizes his critique of Democratic efforts to rewrite election rules and weaken the filibuster. "We have to crack down on the First Amendment in order to save the First Amendment." — Pramila Jayapal (quoted by Shapiro): Presented as an example of the left’s logic on censorship and misinformation.

Implications: The episode frames current Democratic election and COVID policies as crisis exploitation rather than governance. For listeners, it suggests future fights over voting rules, federal power, mandates, and speech will hinge on whether institutions resist emergency politics.