Welcome to the Eric Erickson Show podcast, Hour One.

I'm back. Welcome. It is Eric Erickson here. The Eric Erickson Show nationwide.

I hope you guys had a tremendously fantastic New Year's and a very Merry Christmas. It is still

technically Christmas. Remember, it is still technically Christmas. My lights are still up. Why? Because

there are 12 days of Christmas. Christmas, January, December 25th is not the 12th day. It's the first day of

Christmas. My wife is beside herself. I get rid of the lights. No, no, no, no, no, no. On the fifth, on the fifth, the lights turn off. They stay nonstop lit until the fifth, and then they turn off, and then you have epiphany the next day. It's Mardi Gras season. You make a king's cake and start drinking. Your dry January lasts until January 6th. Welcome. Glad to have you. The phone number,

what is it? 877-97-9-373-7-4-25. Is that right? I believe that is right. We will take your phone calls.

By the way, important housekeeping announcement as of today, my producer, call screener,

director of programming for the syndicated side of the show is now full time, like on my

payroll.

It's kind of intimidating.

And I have an office outside the house and outside WSP, my flagship station.

It's kind of weird, although I'm not there yet because the internet has not been installed.

Now, we must begin with the big news. If you want the show notes, text Eric, E RICK to 33777.

Show notes just came out, just got it in my box. As the show starts, you can follow along with me.

We've got to get to the Kevin McCarthy

fight out of the gate. I want to go back in time. When John Boehner was Speaker of the House,

conservatives said, you don't want this guy as your speaker. It would not be good. And it was a

small number of conservatives. And those conservatives were pilloried.

They were bullied.

They were badgered.

They were heckled.

...