Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
The Saturday Morning Show continues on sevento ten. Wore Here's Joe Bartlet.
Good morning everyone, and welcome tothe Joe Bartlet Saturday Show. And coming
to the end of my run hereon Saturdays, I thought it would be
nice to kind of bring back someof my favorite guests, and one of
my favorites is Mike Kelly, accomlistfor The Bergen Record, a North Jersey
(00:21):
dot com and one of the reasonsI kept asking him to come to the
shows because he's a level headed reporterand he looks at both sides of the
issues, and you don't get thatthese days. So welcome back, Mike.
And I want to say that ithas been a pleasure to talk to
you over the years, and likeI said, you're one of my favorites
because you know, we may disagree, but you at least have an open
(00:42):
mind to look at the other sideof the story. Joe, it has
been such a pleasure talking with youover the years, and starting way back
on the John Gambling Show. Ohmy goodness, how many how many years
has has been? This has beena lot thirty seven thirty seven, Oh
my goodness, Oh my goodness,by that old Oh my goodness. Anyway,
(01:04):
it's you know, I need tosay this. Uh. You know,
you are one of the authentic voicesof New York. Uh and and
this city is you know, it'sone of the pillars of life in the
city that we have people such asyourself on the radio. I'm sure others
have said this, but you aregoing to be missed, Joe, not
(01:25):
just by me individually, but Ithink literally by thousands, tens of thousands
of your listeners and followers because ofthe steadiness of your voice but the best
I appreciate that. Mike. I'mgonna miss our conversations as well, but
you know I certainly will read yourcolor. We can talk on the phone,
right, Sure we can. Wecan talk about the phone now and
(01:45):
then, right, that'd be agood idea. But you know, you
know, you know, um youtalk about journalism over the years, and
you've been in this business for along time, just as I have.
And I'm a little worried right nowbecause we have this divide in America,
and I think we have like amedia dichotomy right now. You know,
yes, you almost can't read orwatch one news outlet to get the whole
(02:09):
story anymore. Well, to behonest with you, Joe, we probably
shouldn't watch or read just one newsoutlet. And actually, way back when
we all read many different newspapers,we listen to different radio stations, we
watch different television newscasts, and thatsort of sort of thing. But what
(02:30):
I think is going on today issomething the problem is much deeper. We
have a dichotomy of truth. Imean, there are certain elements of stories
that people simply no longer believe.And I don't know if that's a question
of trusting the media or or what, but there is a sense of disbelief
(02:52):
among lots of people in our countryabout certain basic facts of life, so
to speak. And we see thishappening time and time and time again in
our national politics. And I,for one, I don't know I see
an end to this. I thinkit's going to continue for a while,
not sure how long, but thereis a deep unhappiness in our country right
(03:14):
now. And I think it's reflectedin the kinds of different paths that people
take to find the truth that suitstheir lives. And it's both, it's
it happens both on the left andthe right. This is what's happening today.
There's there is almost with any story, the truth is somewhere in the
middle here and um uh these thestories are like I mean, if you
(03:35):
went to uh, if you wentto a trial and you only heard the
prosecution, there'd be conviction all thetime. There have no defense, And
the same sort of thing is withwith with news stories. I mean,
I wish there was a little bitmore balance. Um. One of the
things I'm not quite sure where youcame down on this, this Durham report
here, but UM, I thoughtthe coverage of that was um. It
(03:59):
basically highlighted the divide we have here. You know, the right wing Fox
media h sharing it, and um, the left media and the mainstream media
says it isn't nothing burger, butthere is something there. It isn't a
nothing burger, and they wanted todismiss it. It is not a there's
(04:20):
it's not something that we should beignoring it, whereas you would call it
a nothing burger. I agree withyou. I haven't read the whole report
yet, but there are Uh.It does point out several flaws in the
in the way we are are investigativeservices, Namely, the FBI went about
(04:41):
dealing with this question of where theRussians involved in the twenty sixteen election and
how deeply were they involved. Idon't think it helped that that the two
parties involved in that campaign, theClinton Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, were
not exactly the most trustworthy people inthe world, and I don't think I
(05:02):
also don't think it helped that PresidentObama took a very very hands off stance
when it came to Russia getting involvedin our elections. Obama knew about this
well in advance, and there shouldhave been a major announcement from the White
House about what was what was happening. There should have been an announcement about
(05:26):
a major investigation. Instead, Ithink really it was the Obama administration.
I feel that dropped the ball onthis in a big way, and as
a result, it created all ofthese conspiracy theories and that sort of thing,
you know. That said, Ithink both sides, both the Clinton
campaign and the Trump campaign, we'replaying ball with some very nefarious folks.
(05:51):
I remember interviewing Roger Stone. Weknow who that guy is, right,
and he was involved with a guynamed Gooserfer two. And this guy was
allegedly connected in some way to uhJulian Osange, who has since been labeled,
as you know, to a toolof Russian intelligence. Now does that
(06:12):
mean that the Trump campaign was wasguilty. No, it doesn't mean that
at all. But these are thekinds of things that I think that that
that should have been explored, andI hope they were explored. Uh.
And the problem here is that theuh part of our media is really dismissing
this report, and they really shouldn't. I think they should take it for
what it is and study it andand then and and and learn from it.
(06:35):
And I think, I think,my my world, the media needs
to learn from it as well.My thought is um that the mainstream media,
it all comes back to Donald Trump. I don't think that they can
be critical or even judge the leftand the president of the administration fairly,
(06:59):
because if they are critical, andthere's plenty of things to be critical about,
if they are, that will helpDonald Trump, and that can they
cannot do that. They do notwant to help the right and Trump in
any way. So that's why wealways paint these things in a positive way
when it comes to left and rightissues. I guess, I mean,
(07:21):
I still think we have a lotto learn about the whole Trump phenomenon.
You know, why is it thathe can and I hesitate to use this
phrase, but I think your yourlisteners will understand it. How does he
get away with the things he saysand does without really paying in a big
way for it. And I rememberwhat he was running in twenty fifteen where
(07:46):
I as soon as he made thosecomments about John McCain's you know, service
in Vietnam, I thought, oh, that's it. Trump has done well.
Yeah right, Yeah, I waswrong on that one, buddy.
And there's been you know, onand on and on and on, and
I think the Trump phenomenon is notso much related to Trump. I think
(08:07):
it really is the fact that somany voters, and we're not talking about
stupid people here, these are smartvoters, are cutting him a break because
I think he addresses issues that themajor parties be at the you know,
the mainstream Republican Party and certainly theDemocratic Party are not addressing. And you
(08:30):
can pick your topic whether it's immigrationor any of the cultural war issues,
and Trump is addressing those in away that appeals to people, and so
they're willing to cut him a break. So I think we have to sort
of keep Trump as almost a separatefactor here, and maybe when he disappears
from the political scene, will willhave a very different way of approaching this
(08:50):
question of truth and untruth in ourmedia. But I think until Trump leaves
the scene, I think we're stillgoing to be dealing with this kind of
stuff for sure. Excellent point,Mike, excellent point. That's why I
always enjoyed talking to you here onSaturday mornings. The very best to you.
Good health, and when I getback to New Jersey, I'll give
you a call. We'll have lunchabout that, please do. I mean,
(09:13):
I know you're a golfer. I'mnot a golfer, but I'm happy
to caddy for you. Just callme up. Okay. Now, you
don't have to carry You don't haveto carry anything for me. I like
to walk, all right, Joe, listen, godspeed, And it's really
been a pleasure, and I'm justhonored that I was that I've been involved
in your show for so many years. You take care of yourself, okay,
(09:33):
YouTube, Mike, take care bymine. Stay well.
The Saturday Morning Show continues on sevento ten. Wore Here's Joe Bartlet.
Good morning everyone, and welcome tothe Joe Bartlet Saturday Show. And coming
to the end of my run hereon Saturdays, I thought it would be
nice to kind of bring back someof my favorite guests, and one of
my favorites is Mike Kelly, accomlistfor The Bergen Record, a North Jersey
(00:21):
dot com and one of the reasonsI kept asking him to come to the
shows because he's a level headed reporterand he looks at both sides of the
issues, and you don't get thatthese days. So welcome back, Mike.
And I want to say that ithas been a pleasure to talk to
you over the years, and likeI said, you're one of my favorites
because you know, we may disagree, but you at least have an open
(00:42):
mind to look at the other sideof the story. Joe, it has
been such a pleasure talking with youover the years, and starting way back
on the John Gambling Show. Ohmy goodness, how many how many years
has has been? This has beena lot thirty seven thirty seven, Oh
my goodness, Oh my goodness,by that old Oh my goodness. Anyway,
(01:04):
it's you know, I need tosay this. Uh. You know,
you are one of the authentic voicesof New York. Uh and and
this city is you know, it'sone of the pillars of life in the
city that we have people such asyourself on the radio. I'm sure others
have said this, but you aregoing to be missed, Joe, not
(01:25):
just by me individually, but Ithink literally by thousands, tens of thousands
of your listeners and followers because ofthe steadiness of your voice but the best
I appreciate that. Mike. I'mgonna miss our conversations as well, but
you know I certainly will read yourcolor. We can talk on the phone,
right, Sure we can. Wecan talk about the phone now and
(01:45):
then, right, that'd be agood idea. But you know, you
know, you know, um youtalk about journalism over the years, and
you've been in this business for along time, just as I have.
And I'm a little worried right nowbecause we have this divide in America,
and I think we have like amedia dichotomy right now. You know,
yes, you almost can't read orwatch one news outlet to get the whole
(02:09):
story anymore. Well, to behonest with you, Joe, we probably
shouldn't watch or read just one newsoutlet. And actually, way back when
we all read many different newspapers,we listen to different radio stations, we
watch different television newscasts, and thatsort of sort of thing. But what
(02:30):
I think is going on today issomething the problem is much deeper. We
have a dichotomy of truth. Imean, there are certain elements of stories
that people simply no longer believe.And I don't know if that's a question
of trusting the media or or what, but there is a sense of disbelief
(02:52):
among lots of people in our countryabout certain basic facts of life, so
to speak. And we see thishappening time and time and time again in
our national politics. And I,for one, I don't know I see
an end to this. I thinkit's going to continue for a while,
not sure how long, but thereis a deep unhappiness in our country right
(03:14):
now. And I think it's reflectedin the kinds of different paths that people
take to find the truth that suitstheir lives. And it's both, it's
it happens both on the left andthe right. This is what's happening today.
There's there is almost with any story, the truth is somewhere in the
middle here and um uh these thestories are like I mean, if you
(03:35):
went to uh, if you wentto a trial and you only heard the
prosecution, there'd be conviction all thetime. There have no defense, And
the same sort of thing is withwith with news stories. I mean,
I wish there was a little bitmore balance. Um. One of the
things I'm not quite sure where youcame down on this, this Durham report
here, but UM, I thoughtthe coverage of that was um. It
(03:59):
basically highlighted the divide we have here. You know, the right wing Fox
media h sharing it, and um, the left media and the mainstream media
says it isn't nothing burger, butthere is something there. It isn't a
nothing burger, and they wanted todismiss it. It is not a there's
(04:20):
it's not something that we should beignoring it, whereas you would call it
a nothing burger. I agree withyou. I haven't read the whole report
yet, but there are Uh.It does point out several flaws in the
in the way we are are investigativeservices, Namely, the FBI went about
(04:41):
dealing with this question of where theRussians involved in the twenty sixteen election and
how deeply were they involved. Idon't think it helped that that the two
parties involved in that campaign, theClinton Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, were
not exactly the most trustworthy people inthe world, and I don't think I
(05:02):
also don't think it helped that PresidentObama took a very very hands off stance
when it came to Russia getting involvedin our elections. Obama knew about this
well in advance, and there shouldhave been a major announcement from the White
House about what was what was happening. There should have been an announcement about
(05:26):
a major investigation. Instead, Ithink really it was the Obama administration.
I feel that dropped the ball onthis in a big way, and as
a result, it created all ofthese conspiracy theories and that sort of thing,
you know. That said, Ithink both sides, both the Clinton
campaign and the Trump campaign, we'replaying ball with some very nefarious folks.
(05:51):
I remember interviewing Roger Stone. Weknow who that guy is, right,
and he was involved with a guynamed Gooserfer two. And this guy was
allegedly connected in some way to uhJulian Osange, who has since been labeled,
as you know, to a toolof Russian intelligence. Now does that
(06:12):
mean that the Trump campaign was wasguilty. No, it doesn't mean that
at all. But these are thekinds of things that I think that that
that should have been explored, andI hope they were explored. Uh.
And the problem here is that theuh part of our media is really dismissing
this report, and they really shouldn't. I think they should take it for
what it is and study it andand then and and and learn from it.
(06:35):
And I think, I think,my my world, the media needs
to learn from it as well.My thought is um that the mainstream media,
it all comes back to Donald Trump. I don't think that they can
be critical or even judge the leftand the president of the administration fairly,
(06:59):
because if they are critical, andthere's plenty of things to be critical about,
if they are, that will helpDonald Trump, and that can they
cannot do that. They do notwant to help the right and Trump in
any way. So that's why wealways paint these things in a positive way
when it comes to left and rightissues. I guess, I mean,
(07:21):
I still think we have a lotto learn about the whole Trump phenomenon.
You know, why is it thathe can and I hesitate to use this
phrase, but I think your yourlisteners will understand it. How does he
get away with the things he saysand does without really paying in a big
way for it. And I rememberwhat he was running in twenty fifteen where
(07:46):
I as soon as he made thosecomments about John McCain's you know, service
in Vietnam, I thought, oh, that's it. Trump has done well.
Yeah right, Yeah, I waswrong on that one, buddy.
And there's been you know, onand on and on and on, and
I think the Trump phenomenon is notso much related to Trump. I think
(08:07):
it really is the fact that somany voters, and we're not talking about
stupid people here, these are smartvoters, are cutting him a break because
I think he addresses issues that themajor parties be at the you know,
the mainstream Republican Party and certainly theDemocratic Party are not addressing. And you
(08:30):
can pick your topic whether it's immigrationor any of the cultural war issues,
and Trump is addressing those in away that appeals to people, and so
they're willing to cut him a break. So I think we have to sort
of keep Trump as almost a separatefactor here, and maybe when he disappears
from the political scene, will willhave a very different way of approaching this
(08:50):
question of truth and untruth in ourmedia. But I think until Trump leaves
the scene, I think we're stillgoing to be dealing with this kind of
stuff for sure. Excellent point,Mike, excellent point. That's why I
always enjoyed talking to you here onSaturday mornings. The very best to you.
Good health, and when I getback to New Jersey, I'll give
you a call. We'll have lunchabout that, please do. I mean,
(09:13):
I know you're a golfer. I'mnot a golfer, but I'm happy
to caddy for you. Just callme up. Okay. Now, you
don't have to carry You don't haveto carry anything for me. I like
to walk, all right, Joe, listen, godspeed, And it's really
been a pleasure, and I'm justhonored that I was that I've been involved
in your show for so many years. You take care of yourself, okay,
(09:33):
YouTube, Mike, take care bymine. Stay well.
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