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President Trump and the Kobayashi Maru
Every day, the Democrat-Media Complex and their allies in the anti-Trump cabal go on the attack against President Trump. Yesterday, it was because President Trump served fast food to the Clemson National Championship football team. If President Trump had served them fine foods, he would have been attacked for living the high-life while Government bureaucrats were missing paychecks. You could literally — not figuratively — pick any day of his presidency and find the press attacking Trump over something ridiculous, false, or dubious.
For Trump (any Republican president, really, but particularly and especially Trump), every day is the Kobayashi Maru Scenario. For those who don’t know, the Kobayashi Maru scenario is a Star Trek thing. It is a test that potential Star Fleet captains are subjected to. The scenario is designed such that the captain will fail no matter what action he takes. “It’s a test of character,” as Captain Kirk explained. Likewise, the Democrat-Media Complex has created an environment where a Republican can’t win. (And through a bizarre, reverse-Kobayashi Maru, a Democrat president [or senator, or governor] can’t lose. It’s like the Kobayashi Maru from the Spock-With-A-Goatee Mirror Universe where you always win, but you have to be evil.)
But Captain Kirk beat the Kobayashi Maru test by reprogramming the scenario. And President Trump has done the same. Previous Republican presidents, especially his two predecessors, just accepted that enduring constant unrelenting attacks from the press without responding was an indication of “character.” President Trump has rejected this approach in favor of punching back and pointing out that the scenario is, like the Kobayashi Maru, a phony construct designed to deny the participant any option other than failure.
To many anti-Trumpers, pointing out that the Democrat Media Complex has created a never-ending, no-win scenario for Republican presidents and pushing back against it is called “undermining our precious democratic institutions” and an “unthinkable violation of our political norms.” One could argue in the alternative that Trump has found the only way to beat a false construct is to call it out for what it is.
One does have to wonder why passive acceptance of a scenario that is rigged against them is the default position of so many Republicans.
Published in General
Even Jesus, who taught “turn the other cheek” found it wise and necessary to tell those who would entrap him with his words to “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s”.
Bill Kristol, Charlie Sykes, and Rick Wilson were unavailable for comment.
Some of the more bizarre parts of the laughable Washington Post article on the subject, which starts out “In an administration overstuffed with bizarre moments and unusual events, Monday night’s celebration of the Clemson University Tigers at the White House nonetheless made a mark.” So, keep in mind that we’re starting from the premise that the Washington Post finds the presence of all this fast food in the White House “bizarre” and “unusual.” But, fear not, they’re on the case:
Crimenutely. If I had any respect at all for the press, and any sense that one day they might write an article full of self-parody, now might be the time to deploy it. But, no.
I wonder how many reporters they had on this important story, and how much time they spent on it. If only they were this rigorous and determined to report in such detail on a few other stories at the moment.
Until you come up with a pithy name for them, we are stuck with NeverTrump. Just don’t try “Vichy Republicans”.
“Turn the other cheek” has to be considered in the context of the time. If your social superior slapped you, and you turned your other cheek, you were forcing him to slap you with his other hand, which was shameful. It was an act of open rebellion. Same with “Go the extra mile.” Under Roman law a soldier could force a resident of a subjugated nation to carry his pack for a mile, no more. By carrying it farther than a mile you were forcing the soldier to break the law, for which he could be severely punished.
Jesus was one smart cookie.
My point remains. “Never Trump” explicitly meant that the person would not vote for him in the 2016 election which, as I mentioned, is over. Those people are Trump critics of various veracity, hardly a “cabal”. Some of his critics have jumped the shark to be sure, as have some of his supporters. I prefer to listen to people who can form their opinions without having to find out what Trump thinks first.
As a side note, I always really like Kristol…..maybe because he had a sarcastic sense of humor I enjoyed. I really think getting on Twitter was a terrible idea for him. His Twitter persona vs what I would hear in interviews sounded like 2 different people. Trump definitely lives rent free in his head at this point, which is sad.
Hahahahaah I kinda like that!
Great essay and a decent springboard into serious discussion.
For my part, I feel that Kobayashi Maru has somehow infected not only the media, but our Department of Justice, the judicial system and the agents inside the alphabet agencies.
For instance, we all saw that Hillary Clinton was pronounced innocent before James Comey even interviewed her, while Pres Trump has been investigated both prior to being elected and then on going ever since, since he has already been deemed to be guilty. Those attempting to prosecute him simply haven’t found the crime to pin on him yet.
Perhaps with some imagination, they can hold him responsible for Hoffa’s disappearance!
That’s really interesting. Why would it be shameful for one’s social superior to slap a second time with his other hand?
I heard today that because he said to Judge Pirro that the Russian agent question was insulting, one birdbrain reported this as not answering the question or not denying the allegation.
They never questioned Bill and Hillary’s many Clintonian denials ,’ you won’t find any evidence’ ‘we’ve been over that and over that’ ‘ there IS no relationship’ when the question was asked as had there BEEN a relationship in the past.
Well done, sir, very well done. Only Nixon could have gone to China.
Oh no, Charlie Sykes is available to comment every day at the Daily Bulwark Podcast. Today was a remarkable interview with Daniel Krauthammer talking about his father’s final book that Daniel finished after his father’s death.
The preferred term these days is “Severe Trump Skeptics.”
In praise of Trump:
Getting fast food was brilliant. The only thing missing was Chick-fil-A.
Gary, is that you??
Notice Jesus mentions a slap to the right cheek first. Coming from a (typically) right handed person this would be a backhanded blow. The slap to the next (left) cheek would be open handed — a much more aggressive act in that culture. Turn the other cheek then becomes a challenge to the aggressor’s integrity. In modern parlance — “bring it!”