This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," November 10, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: If you're watching this show, I think it's safe to say that you are familiar with who the top elected officials are here in the country. But you might be surprised to find out just how many Americans don't even know who the vice president is.
Now Pajamas TV recently set Steven Crowder loose on the streets of L.A. to see just how much Americans really know about their government. Here's how it all got started.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVEN CROWDER, PAJAMAS TV: Who is the president of the United States?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Barack Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama.
CROWDER: This is not a trick question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: The same people were asked who the vice president is. Well, they weren't so confident. Let's take a look at some of those answers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arnold Schwarzenegger?
CROWDER: Arnold Schwarzenegger? That's a good guess.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I have no idea.
CROWDER: No?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: B- b- b...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dude, I totally know this. I watch the news.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know that. I know that. I know that. I know it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dick Cheney? Isn't it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. It's not. It's not Dick Cheney.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't like America.
CROWDER: Where are you from?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm from America, but I'm moving to London.
CROWDER: So you're from America but you don't like America?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not really.
CROWDER: So who is the English prime minister?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know.
CROWDER: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some really ugly guy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Wow. I hope that young lady enjoys her time in London. Joining me now from Pajama TV is commentator Steven Crowder.
Steven, I have been doing this bit. Now, there's a little history to this, because you've been doing these man-on-the-streets. And I told you this would happen. And so you as a test went out, and nobody knows who the vice president is. Right?
CROWDER: This is true. I did the Berkeley video. And I remember, you said, "Steven, you know, these — these are tougher questions, asking you know, to which party did Abraham Lincoln belong. Ask them who the vice president is."
I remember, I was like, "Sean, come on, people are going to know who the V.P. is." And I admit it. You were right, Sean.
HANNITY: By the way, I wish more guests would come on the program and say, "Hannity, you were right." We love those words.
CROWDER: If only Michael Moore did that.
HANNITY: Yes, by the way, I think he was wrong about the actual gospel that he was lecturing me that I didn't see, because I was taking my daughter to the bathroom, which is another story.
All right. So you ask people also another important question. You would think, especially with the health care debate and cap-and-tax and the stimulus and all the news lately, you'd think people would know who the speaker of the House of Representatives is. Well, let's roll that tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWDER: Who is the speaker to the House?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Um, who is it? I don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Uh... I don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no idea.
CROWDER: Nancy — Pel — oh...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, Nancy something.
CROWDER: Pe — lo.
Who is Nancy Pelosi?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No idea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No idea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: It's — I have been doing this on radio and TV for years. Isn't this frightening? It's frightening.
CROWDER: It is frightening. The bear suit is frightening, as well. The reason I had to do that, Sean, for the viewers who are confused is that oftentimes people wouldn't give me an interview. So the bear suit was to attract attention.
When we crunch the numbers of everybody we interviewed, 34 percent knew who the vice president was, and we didn't even do the numbers for Nancy Pelosi. Because we interviewed 40 something people, and you could count on one hand how many people actually knew who she was.
HANNITY: Well, it's pretty frightening.
Now, there is an interesting side to this, too. If you ask about Paris Hilton, if you ask about Hollywood celebrities, oftentimes you get a different answer. You asked, for example, who Angelina Jolie's boyfriend is, and let's roll that tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWDER: This is Big Bear outside of the Kodak Theater. Let's see if this works.
Who is Angelina Jolie's boyfriend?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brad Pitt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brad Pitt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brad Pitt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brad Pitt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brad Pitt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brad Pitt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brad Pitt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brad Pitt.
CROWDER: Brad Pitt.
Who is the vice president to the United States?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hillary Clinton? No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll pass.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't have a clue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know.
CROWDER: Get out of the frame. You're in the frame. You're in the shot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just said we don't know that. Don't ask us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: All right, Steven what did you learn?
CROWDER: That's not really fair. I mean Brad Pitt is cute as a Benjamin Button. You, of course, expect everyone to know him.
Here is the truth. Barack Obama doesn't want people to know about Joe Biden because every time he opens his mouth he's a liability. And of course, the media has a vested interest in keeping this guy squeaky clean. So they bury Biden a little bit, and it makes them, the American public don't know who he is.
HANNITY: You are missing the whole thing. It's chilling that so many people can cancel out our well-informed votes. That's what's chilling. That's the lesson.
But they know about Brad Pitt. They know about Angelina Jolie, which is fine. But at least don't — these are not tough questions. Who's the vice president? Every American needs to know that. You have got to know that. You've got to know it. I'm glad you agree.
CROWDER: I didn't know if you were throwing it back to me. Yes, I completely agree. It was staggering. I thought maybe 34 percent wouldn't know who he was. I didn't expect 34 percent — later in the video, I give them the name. I say — "When I say Joe Biden, of whom do you think?" And people say, "I've never heard that name."
HANNITY: Maybe they're lucky. Just a thought.
All right. Thanks, Steven.
— Watch "Hannity" weeknights at 9 p.m. ET!
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