The NPR Politics Podcast - Spare A Thought For Sparing Turkeys?

Episode Date: November 24, 2022

It's a holiday tradition unlike any other — the annual pardoning of Thanksgiving turkeys. But not everybody is a fan of giving the birds clemency, especially if they've had to report on it for more than a decade straight. This episode: Politics Podcast producer Elena Moore, and senior political editor & correspondent Domenico Montanaro.This episode was produced by Elena Moore. It was edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Fact-checking by Katherine Swartz.Unlock access to this and other bonus content by supporting The NPR Politics Podcast+. Sign up via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Connect:Email the show at [e-mail] the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group.Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Support for this podcast and the following message come from Autograph Collection Hotels, with over 300 independent hotels around the world, each exactly like nothing else. Autograph Collection is part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of hotel brands. Find the unforgettable at AutographCollection.com. Hey there, it's Tamara Keith, and we've got a special holiday edition of the NPR Politics Podcast for you today. It's Tamara Keith, and we've got a special holiday edition of the NPR Politics Podcast for you today. And spoiler alert before we get started, it has to do with Turkey.

So hopefully by the time you hear this, you're not sick of it all yet. Our very own senior political editor and correspondent, Domenico Montanaro, is going to explain the ins and outs of one of the punniest events in Washington every year, the Turkey pardon, which is the annual tradition where the president of the United States literally pardons live turkeys at the White House, meaning they get spared their typical Thanksgiving fate, getting eaten. But as Domenico is about to tell you, the event is more than just dad jokes about turkey. And that's saying something because there are a lot of those. OK, enjoy the show.

Hey there, it's the NPR Politics Podcast. I'm Elena Moore. I am a producer that works on this show. And today we are talking Turkey pardon. And there is no better person to do that than NPR's Domenico Montanaro. Hey, Domenico. Hey, thanks for making me do this. Yeah, thanks for forcing me to talk about this. So you have complicated feelings about the turkey pardon. You've been a longtime turkey reporter. I talk a lot of Turkey. Oh. This is like kind of mean to you, but I really want you to live react to President Biden pardoning the Turkey this year. This is the annual tradition that you always write about.

And I just want your takes. I just want you to be real. Yeah. I mean, I don't like this event. I mean, just generally speaking, you know, like I started reporting on this 13 years ago and I found out that it's really just an event to promote turkeys and eating turkeys. And it's so ironic. It's an event that is for pardoning turkeys who did nothing wrong, by the way, of course, and the National Turkey Federation, which is the turkey lobby in D.C. who spent more than $3 million lobbying on this since

1998. Do you know what their website name is? www.gobble.com. EatTurkey.org. Oh, that's actually pretty close. Okay. Yeah. That has nothing to do with pardoning turkeys.

It has to do with eating them. Okay. Let's get into it. All right. We both have do with eating them. Okay. Let's get into it. All right. We both have this video up on our computers. Let's hit play. All right. Play.

It's a wonderful Thanksgiving tradition here at the White House. There's a lot to say about it. No, that's where he's wrong. A wonderful Thanksgiving tradition. Sure. Not really. Nobody likes it when their turkey gets cold. Here's the joke.

Hey, nobody likes cold turkey, huh? At any rate, I want to thank Ronnie Parker, chairman of the National Turkey Federation, and his family from Monroe. And there we go. National Turkey Federation, the president. And he also is the grower of our honored guest today. And he's the grower of the honored guests. So the president of the National Turkey Federation has provided the turkey for the event. It is a PR stunt. That's all this is.

Big turkey. Yeah. Here we go. They listen to a lot of music, I'm told, in order to prepare for the crowd noise today. They listen to music, the turkeys. They stay in a hotel room. They have their own social media accounts. What?

Sounds like another flock hoping to come to Washington 2024. They've been sending birds to presidents since like the 1800s. Did you know that? No. This guy Harold Vokes, who was known as the poultry king of Rhode Island, would send birds to the presidents. He was the one who did it every year. And then it ended because he died, and then it was sort of a free-for-all. And everybody was sending in these turkeys.

And the Turkey Federation decided they were going to own this event and started it in the 1940s, and they were giving turkeys to presidents. John F. Kennedy felt bad, saw this turkey, and I think Kennedy just looked around and felt weird about it and said, I think we'll just let this guy grow. Matter of fact, if you look, you see that dog up in the balcony there at German Shepherd? Oh, he's talking about dogs. That's my dog Commander.

Yes, Commander. I was worried if he came down here with all of you, he'd just do nothing but kiss you and lick you. But he may go after the turkey, so I kept him up there. Give him the bird. He wants to him up there. Give him the bird. He wants to eat that turkey. He wants the turkey. See, like, that would be an interesting turkey pardon.

It's like Biden pardons the turkey, but then Commander eats the turkey. I think that'd be a Commander pardon. First of all, the votes are in. They've been counted and verified. There's no ballot stuffing. There's no foul play. The only red wave this season is going to be a German Shepherd commander knocks over the cranberry sauce on our table.

That will cause, they are big turkeys, aren't they? My fellow Americans, please welcome the 2022 National Thanksgiving turkeys, Chocolate and Chip. This is Chocolate and Chip are the names. Honestly, I wonder if this event just continues on because presidents like making dad jokes. And now, based on their temperament and commitment to being productive members of society, I hereby pardon.

I hereby pardon. Yes. I hereby pardon chocolate and chip. Well, thank you for humoring me and watching this and giving your takes and you're doing a service to your country. Thank you. I will say there have been some good jokes during the years and I don't want to laugh at them and then I do. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, we'll leave it there.

I'm Elena Moore. I am a producer on this podcast. And I'm Domenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent and apparently Turkey correspondent as well. Turkey correspondent for over a decade. Yes. And thank you for listening to the NPR Politics Podcast. Happy Thanksgiving.