Sponsored by SimpliSafe

Transcript

Joe

0:03

All right. Hello, everyone, welcome to Not Your Average Cup of Joe, and the emergency podcast version of the Morning Cup of Joe podcast. Today, we’re gonna be talking about the emergency announcement of Raytheon, CEO resigning. With me today we have a variety of characters. We have Hank Weathers from a Washington security company, too secret to name. We have Brad Yale and Elizabeth Sanders from for the people, a progressive anti lobbying coalition. And then we have Brett Harrison and Janet Jones, who will be coming in as ex lobbyists to provide their experience and their point of view. I’ll pass it off to Hank to give us, Hank, what happened exactly was racing on.

Hank 

0:56

Well, thank you, again, for having us here on this evening. Frankly, what we’ve seen is kind of an unmitigated collapse of one of the largest defense contractors in the United States, like this is something I have not seen in my years of reporting, in effect you have, and I apologize, I think they’re coming for the CEO in the background, if you can hear you have the CEO Thomas Kennedy being forced to resign, simply due to allegations of what is frankly open corruption, the type of you would see more clearly with the Trump administration, but the kind that Biden has worked really hard to not have associated with the United States. So there’s a lot of questions going on, especially with Lloyd, the new defense secretary, who is a board member for Raytheon, and how that will play into everyone.

Joe 

1:48

Absolutely scandalous. All right. Well, Brad, so your organization for the people has been fighting against this type of lobbying and this type of corruption for 20 years. What does this mean for America and for the defense industry?

Brad

Well, thank you for your question. We at “For the People” believe that money should not be this heavily involved in politics, and, frankly, is just sickening, that such actions were going on, right in front of everybody. So in my opinion, it’s good that he resigned, but there’s still more work to be done there. Still, we have to get all the money out of politics, all the money that is affecting these defense corporations. And frankly, it’s just sickening that these events, corporations are making so much money off the suffering of innocent people throughout the world.

Joe

2:35

But isn’t it possible that this is simply one bad rat and that lobbying as a whole is a good way to to bring attention to undeserved issues? I would argue that lobbying basically makes it so that the rich and the wealthy have all their say, in politics and world politics. It’s simply sickening, that you know, common people, such as myself, don’t have a voice in government and don’t have a voice in how there’s millions and billions of dollars spent on war, and how these companies are profiting off. It’s just just truly awful. I I don’t know how I could constantly agree that lobbying is good for anybody. Well, those are some strong words. Let’s bring in Janet. So Janet, you’ve been working in defense for 15,17 years? What’s your take on this?

Janet

I believe that lobbying is very important. I think it as you mentioned earlier, brings light to a lot of issues that aren’t usually spoken about, and it does raise millions of dollars. And I feel like using the right way it can really help the public and companies and corporations.

Joe

3:40

Well, that’s one hot take, we don’t usually see people defending lobbying so vigorously. It is a bit of a scapegoat. Do you think there’s underlying? And I’ll open this up to anybody you think there’s underlying issues beyond just lobbying here?

Hank 

3:59

I  think you do have the open question of how much influence these types of companies have on the US and like you have folks from the lobbying side of things who say that there’s a fair amount of influence, but that’s a good thing, because it lets us respond quickly. And it gives our military an edge. But as you can see, now, it does open up the US government directly open to the types of risks that are normally confined to corporate America. I’d be curious to hear what Elizabeth or Brett have to say, as far as where they think this will go forward with Raytheon and what the impact is.

Elizabeth

4:39

Yeah, I think the bottom line here is that America needs to be safe and frankly, you know, it doesn’t matter if, you know, lobbying is the way that defense corporations get what they need to, to, you know, give our troops what they need to keep us safe. While it is an unsafe world, we looked at what’s happening out there, and Belarus the system has been absolutely wild. But I think the question on everyone’s mind is, okay, so the CEO stepped down. But who’s next? How many more people are gonna resign? And are there gonna be any people that get jailed?

Joe

5:14

Oh, what do you think, Brett? 

Brett

I mean, I don’t know exactly how far this goes at Raytheon. But I just think, you know, lobbying in itself is not bad. And this is a, this is a different kind of corruption issue. That is, you know, something that happens, and we don’t think it’s great. But it’s not inherent in lobbying. You can’t just say all lobbying is bad.

Joe

5:48

Well, no, and you bring up a very good point. It’s not just lobbying. And actually, that’s when we talk about some of these big super companies. And we’ll talk about mergers. Right after the break, we do have a message from our sponsors.

 And our sponsor this week is simply safe. You know, it’s a dangerous world out there, which we’ve just, we just talked about it being a dangerous world, and everyone wants to protect their home and their family and their possessions. But it’s sometimes tough to figure out how to do that. And that’s where simplisafe really comes in handy. Just a very easy mobile app, a very, very intuitive, easy to set up. I mean, I set it up, and it took me, you know, less than less than an hour in order to do so. So for any of our listeners who do want to have that peace of mind and not security, you go ahead and go to simply safe.com slash Joe, and you’ll be entitled to one month of free peace of mind.

Alright, we’re back. Um, so putting aside racism because it is a developing situation. One thing that we have seen in the industry, especially this past month, is a whole host of mergers and buyouts. So we saw earlier, L3Harris and Northrop Grumman, join until into one conglomerate, and we’ve seen talks about BAE industries in the UK, reaching out to try and form partnerships with other defense companies.

Joe

7:13

What does this mean? Is this good or bad for America? What do you think, Elizabeth?

Elizabeth

7:20

Hi, um, honestly, I am not in agreement with any of this. You know, a lot of these lobbyists and people pro lobbying they’re fighting for a certain point of view. And that doesn’t necessarily put into account the actual like American people, right? So when you have these big companies trying to merge, you’re not really like looking at how this is really going to affect the citizens. Right? You are putting forward what corporations really want? And well, I agree that we need to keep our people safe. These companies are not. They’re not considering what really actually would help citizens?

Joe

8:20

Well, that’s a very good point, we should always keep in mind the people. But let’s think about L3Harris, they’re a small fish in a big pond. Who are we to tell them that they can’t join and try and compete with the likes of Boeing or Lockheed Martin? What do you think, Hank, what do you stand on this whole merger versus anti merger debate?

Hank

8:42

You know, if you’re asking about my personal politics as a DC strategist, I think and I’m often reminded of the one quote that to the solution to capitalism isn’t fewer capitalists, it’s more capitalists. So when you have mergers like this, that shrink the market, and shrink the number of competitors, excuse me, you, it really makes you think, like, are you you have a more dynamic ecosystem of companies with a lot of companies running around and competing, or do you have

higher risk of corruption, Raytheon was a behemoth in their industry, they really controlled everything. And clearly they felt like they could get away with anything as well. So it really makes you think. Maybe they are too big, though, of course.

Joe

9:35

There are advantages to size as well, you go back and forth on that. Hank, this is why we keep inviting you back. Just your Sage wisdom is truly, always enlightening. Thank you, so many years of experience will really, really let you do that.

All right, well reaching the end of the segment, and we get to a segment I like to call. What’s your rant? So what are you angry about? And it can be about this topic or any other things topic, but I’ll go ahead and start, you know, Biden swept in with a trifecta. And he talked about stamping out corruption, lobbying and standing up to big business. And yet we’ve seen so many movements and not only in defense, but in every other industry. And you’ve heard, not a peep from the Biden industry from the press secretary. And I just wish he would stand up and be a little more vocal about those values that he talked about coming in. Alright, Brad, do you want to give us your rant?

Brad

10:31

Oh, yeah, I would have to echo a lot of those same ideas, I’m kind of angry that the Biden administration is not doing enough to protect the American people, you know, he came in promising change. And so far, it seems to be more of the same. And that’s pretty disappointing, especially since a lot of minority people came out and voted for him. And so far, it seems like he’s just keeping interest in the corporations. And, you know, I think that our group for the people definitely is not approving of how he’s handling things. So far, I think he has to get a firm grasp on this corruption on the lobbying, and really to stand up for the people that elected him, you know, blue collar Americans across the country.

Joe

11:10

All right Brett, what’s your rant for today?

Brett

11:14

You know, we have had such great progress over the last administration, toward keeping America safe, and, you know, building an ecosystem in the military that, you know, has a strong reputation behind us after four after eight years of, you know, diminishing our military capacity, you know, the last administration, you know, really strengthened us. And so we need to keep that momentum and keep going. And I would also like to say that, you know, every night I set my simplisafe system, and I get my Casper mattress, and I can sleep at night, knowing that our country, you know, has defenses that are going to work.

Joe

12:02

I’d like to point out Casper mattress has not paid us to see that. So all right. Elizabeth, do you want to give you a wrap?

Elizabeth

12:12

Yeah, um, you know, the Biden administration, like Brad said, came in promising us very hopeful, very different solutions to what the past administration did. And it’s been a little disappointing to see the lack of action, you know, and if it continues to be a lack of action, what’s to say that they’re not any more different from our past administration that really hurt our our fellow citizens that have truly not only financially, but as well as psychologically put a huge strain on our people? You know, I’m really looking forward to working to make sure that the Biden administration, you know, comes through with what they promised.

Joe

13:05

And we look forward to seeing you do that. All right. Uh, Janet, do you want to go with your rant?

Janet

13:12

Yes. Well, I just like to say, again, I think lobbying is so important. I think it allows people to participate in their democracy, I think it gives them a chance to fight for what they believe. And I believe that it just creates a productive government overall. And I understand that Biden doesn’t want this. But at the same time, I think it’s very important that we continue to lobby to see each other. It only helps and it doesn’t cause as much damage as everyone thinks it does.

Joe

13:14

Sounds good. And then Hank, bring us home. What’s your rant today?

Hank

13:43

Thank you. Well, my rant for today is in the midst of an unmitigated collapse of a major US defense contractor. It looks like the American people aren’t aware of how dangerously close we’re getting to a war in Belarus. I encourage everyone to really think about their actions, what they’re up to in the defense industry, and for policymakers to also trettel there lately. They’re in dangerous territory.

Joe

14:18

All right. Well, I want to thank everyone for coming on. We have Brad, for the people we have Brett from the ex defense lobbyists. We have Elizabeth also from the people. We have Hank weathers again from a firm, too secretive to name and we have Janet Jones and ex defense lobbyists. So thank you, everyone, and hope you have an excellent rest of your day.

Transcript:

Joe 0:03

All right. Hello, everyone. Welcome to Average Cup of Joe with Joe, our emergency podcast version of Joe In the Morning. Today with me, I have Yuley all the way from Belarus. And Hank, from a private Washington security firm. So secret, I don’t even know its name. So let’s dive right in. Yuley, what’s happening in Belarus?

Yuley 0:31

Oh, well, first of all, thank you for having me on your show. Belaruse is undergoing the biggest transformation a country has gone through since the breakup of the Soviet Union. You know, for  decades we’ve languished under, you know, oppressive puppet governments controlled by Russia. And this is really the first first time that a breath of fresh air can be felt in the country. Yeah, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that keeping the new government in power is possibly the most important thing that proponents of democracy can do to help Belarus into the 21st century.

Joe 1:12

Wow, that’s powerful stuff. Hank, you step in, how will this impact the geodynamic, especially Russia, which is right next door?

Hank 1:21

Alright, thank you again, for having me this afternoon and best wishes again to Yuley and I hope you stay safe out there in Belarus. Simply put, if they have a democracy, if they can keep it, this is a dangerous situation for the world, even if it is a bright light of democracy in Europe. Russia, I’m sure will not enjoy having a state extensively closer to the west so close to its doorstep. And I would wager that the Sviatlana’s  government should be prepared to respond to any kind of aggression from Russia, they will not take this lying down. It’s frankly an embarrassment for President Putin when at a time when his popularity is starting to flag because of his COVID response.

Yuley 2:06

I can’t agree more, Hank. You know, President Tsikanouskaya is obviously most concerned with the Belarusian people, but we have to wonder, you know, when is the other shoe going to drop on, you know, the traditional, you know, the traditional precursors to Russian military action is the Russian defense industry. And they’ve been conspicuously quiet. Um, you know, we haven’t seen any true build ups, we haven’t seen production going into overdrive, like it would or like it did before the illegal occupation of Crimea. You know, we have to wonder what other options are being considered and how to defend ourselves from them. Because Belarus is able to be victimized by Russia as they surely will, then you know, who’s next? Could it be Germany? Could it be Britain? Could it be the United States? This is a global issue and a global concern.

Joe 2:53

So that does beg to question, is Russia off their game?

Hank 2:58

I would say so, as someone who’s been doing analysis and monitoring Russia for longest time, it really seems like Putin, he’s aging, he’s losing his edge, if you will, or someone, frankly, is, normally at a time like this, as Yuley said, you would see defense spending going into overdrive, all these companies just going bending over backwards to make sure that they’re delivering for Putin, because that, you know, the punishments in Russia are rather steep if you don’t, but the fact that they’re not, I’m sure Russia’s planning or response, but as of right now, they they seem to be stumbling, for sure.

Joe 3:35

Well, here’s hoping that Putin isn’t listening to this podcast. And here’s hoping it doesn’t know where you live, Hank. So we’ll take a quick break. Because we do have a message from our sponsors, and our sponsors hellofresh.

 You know, that feeling like when you want good food, but you don’t really want to cook until you go to the fridge and you open it and you look for a snack and then you close it and reopen it again. And you’re like, look for that same snack. Well, those days are over. With hellofresh you get a box sent to your door every single week. And I’m telling you what, with our code, which is hellofresh.com/Joe, you can get the first eight boxes free, that’s not a joke, the first eight boxes are going to be free. 

All right, let’s dive back into Russia and Belarus. Now let’s actually pivot. Let’s talk about the US. What’s the US’s role in this conflict up until now? And what’s next on the horizon? 

Yuley 4:38

Well, I can speak as someone  who’s been on the ground for the protests, and of course we appreciate all the,  you know, the moral support and the statements of solidarity from many Americans, Belarusian Americans and otherwise, who support our movement for democracy. Um, but in my opinion and respectfully to the new administration, because I really realize that just taking office but, you know, if they want the democracy of Belarus to survive, they do need to nurture it a little bit. Um, you know, the fact remains that despite the last four years, the United States is still the most powerful broker in the world, and certainly has many allies in Europe. And we’ve really looked to see, you know, what, how can they ensure our, you know, our survival as a democracy? Will they protect us when the time comes? And you know, without those statements, I don’t know if Belarusians can sleep at night.

Hank 5:31

You know what you’ll forgive me for maybe being a cautious old man, but Belarus I mean, we congratulate you on your democracy, but the US, Belarus isn’t part of NATO. Belarus is not yet under any treaty obligations. So while the US certainly supports the New Democracy, once again, I must restate, they must definitely tread carefully as far as official military action in the country. This is definitely the realm where you’re going to see more covert US action more from their intelligence agencies and from US companies, if you want. The US wants to see the Belarusian democracy survive. They can’t go in guns blazing, you know, so to speak.

Joe  6:13

Well, Hank, let me step in, because I don’t think people are saying that the US should go in guns blazing. But this seems to be a nascent democracy. I mean, Lukashenko was called Europe’s last dictator. And now it looks like we might finally see the option for a page turn. So,  isn’t that the US has responsibility and the responsibility of democracies around the world to step in and say we support this new administration?

Hank 6:39

Oh of course, of course. 

Yuley 6:42

Well, I actually, I agree with Hank, being that,  currently, the United States does not have a treaty obligation to protect Belarus. Um, but I hope I’m not speaking out of turn here. And I certainly am not speaking in an official capacity for the new Belarusian government, but perhaps there should be, you know, um, Belarus has never been a part of NATO. But why shouldn’t they be? is mutual defense, not admirable. Should we not be looking for new alliances with the new government? You know, I don’t think there would be a great opposition among common Belarusians  to form an alliance with the rest of Europe. I mean, you see, we’ve had an alliance with Russia for decades, and look where it got us.  Thousands dead in the street, the electricity isn’t staying on. Um, you know, maybe it is time for a pivot to the West, Hank might be right.

Joe 7:31

Well, that’s some bold words. And we are out of time, but I do want to give my heartfelt thanks to Yuley and Hank for hopping on. And I look forward to seeing everyone during our regularly scheduled Morning Cup of Joe with Joe. Everyone, stay safe and have a good night.

Yuley 7:49

Thanks for having us.

Hank 7:51

Thank you for having us.