The absence of a baseball season has hit many people hard, and it’s hit George Will very hard: The game is a big part of his life, and he is an authority on it. (See “Men at Work.”) Will has two teams, the Cubs and the Nationals. He and Jay talk about baseball this year, or the absence of it. They also talk about the Astros cheating scandal: the meaning of it.

Further subjects are police brutality; racism; the New York Times; Donald Trump; the GOP; and conservatism. (Will’s most recent book is “The Conservative Sensibility,” and he and Jay discussed it here.)

A meaty and crisp conversation.

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There are 10 comments.

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  1. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    You can’t have two teams.

    • #1
  2. JuliaBlaschke Lincoln
    JuliaBlaschke
    @JuliaBlaschke

    I’ll give this one a pass. Don’t care to hear any more from Will after he advocated voting for Democrats.

    • #2
  3. Franco Member
    Franco
    @Franco

    JuliaBlaschke (View Comment):

    I’ll give this one a pass. Don’t care to hear any more from Will after he advocated voting for Democrats.

    Yeah me too. I don’t know what he’s trying to conserve by ushering in  a bunch of totalitarian leftists. 
    Oh yes, he has a theoretical plan to take back the ‘high ground’ eventually.

    That is one moronic strategy right there. 

    He is an erudite man with good communication skills. Unfortunately he’s clueless regarding our enemies and has allowed his bow-tied snobbery to affect his diagnosis of Trump and his supporters – even Trumps very reluctant supporters. So he doesn’t understand Democrats, and he doesn’t understand Trump supporters ( who are majority Republican) – so that makes up about 80% of the country – and presumes he’s making a rational decision. Pathetic. 

    • #3
  4. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    Franco (View Comment):

    JuliaBlaschke (View Comment):

    I’ll give this one a pass. Don’t care to hear any more from Will after he advocated voting for Democrats.

    Yeah me too. I don’t know what he’s trying to conserve by ushering in a bunch of totalitarian leftists.
    Oh yes, he has a theoretical plan to take back the ‘high ground’ eventually.

    That is one moronic strategy right there.

    He is an erudite man with good communication skills. Unfortunately he’s clueless regarding our enemies and has allowed his bow-tied snobbery to affect his diagnosis of Trump and his supporters – even Trumps very reluctant supporters. So he doesn’t understand Democrats, and he doesn’t understand Trump supporters ( who are majority Republican) – so that makes up about 80% of the country – and presumes he’s making a rational decision. Pathetic.

    Will achieved prominence in the era of the token conservative.  As you note, he writes well and is an exponent of theoretical conservatism.     I suspect his ascendance was at least partially the result of the fact his prose and commentary was not threatening to those who gave him exposure, yet provided a veneer of balance to wherever he appeared.  I can’t throw him under the bus for this, but I agree that advocating a vote for Democrats is a bridge too far.

    • #4
  5. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    A great interview with George Will.  However I can understand if my fellow Ricochetti chose to wait to listen to it for 150 days until after the election.  However, if Trump is beaten in a landslide, and we lose the Senate, I hope that they will listen to this podcast to find out what happened, as the Republican Party and the nation enter the Post-Trump years.

    • #5
  6. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    A great interview with George Will. However I can understand if my fellow Ricochetti chose to wait to listen to it for 150 days until after the election. However, if Trump is beaten in a landslide, and we lose the Senate, I hope that they will listen to this podcast to find out what happened, as the Republican Party and the nation enter the Post-Trump years.

    Understood.  Those advocating a vote for Democrats have to stick together.

    • #6
  7. DHMorgan Inactive
    DHMorgan
    @DHMorgan

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):
    However, if Trump is beaten in a landslide, and we lose the Senate, I hope that they will listen to this podcast to find out what happened, as the Republican Party and the nation enter the Post-Trump years.

    If Donald Trump loses in November, a little schadenfreude might be in order. Since he takes cruel delight in labeling his detractors as “losers” I will not begrudge anyone from constantly reminding him that he is the real loser. If that hurts his fee-fees, so much the better.

    If there is a Democratic landslide, I hope for a Republican course correction, but if past election loss “autopsies” are any indication, I have my doubts that what will emerge will resemble a conservatism that I can enthusiastically embrace.

    • #7
  8. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    A great interview with George Will. However I can understand if my fellow Ricochetti chose to wait to listen to it for 150 days until after the election. However, if Trump is beaten in a landslide, and we lose the Senate, I hope that they will listen to this podcast to find out what happened, as the Republican Party and the nation enter the Post-Trump years.

    Understood. Those advocating a vote for Democrats have to stick together.

    Hi Hoyacon,

    When I saw this following article on Facebook, I thought about how to gently introduce it to the Ricochet family.  The title of the article pretty well says it all, “Cult Experts Warn That Trumpism Has Become a Death Cult Akin To Jim Jones.”

    The premise is that some Republicans would rather face death than have Trump lose.   https://mavenroundtable.io/theintellectualist/news/cult-experts-warn-that-trumpism-has-become-a-death-cult-akin-to-jim-jones-YwPLQi2nDUOQR0HsaAIaFg?fbclid=IwAR1Sf3lDZp7Dhse3K65xZzFupFeWNcms56TzSjxJu_MNgrqyqZWA0ZS00sQ

    No, I do not believe that anyone is spreading around Kool-Aid to drink should the Democrats win.  But, I am astonished at the overwhelming level of bile and bad faith people on Team Red and Team Blue are throwing at each other.

    The election will be over in 150 days.  Wake me when it is over.

    Gary

    • #8
  9. JuliaBlaschke Lincoln
    JuliaBlaschke
    @JuliaBlaschke

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    A great interview with George Will. However I can understand if my fellow Ricochetti chose to wait to listen to it for 150 days until after the election. However, if Trump is beaten in a landslide, and we lose the Senate, I hope that they will listen to this podcast to find out what happened, as the Republican Party and the nation enter the Post-Trump years.

    I agree with Will’s assessment of Trump. I vehemently disagree that voting for Democrats will be anything other than a disaster. 

    • #9
  10. Stephen Richter Member
    Stephen Richter
    @StephenRichter

    very unfair statements by George Will.

    blames rogue officers and police unions at 9:41
    says chauvin had 17 complaints lodge against him.   But Will does not mention he had been on the job for 19 years. And that he earned multiple awards for heroism.  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/us/derek-chauvin-court.html

    Then George says qualified immunity gives officers who are inclined to abuse people a sense of immunity.  Says the supreme court is reviewing qualified immunity. ( which is interesting to know ).  But that is the end of what could be an informative discussion on why police officers need qualified immunity. 

    A police officer is required to engage, use force to get people to comply, take them into custody. If a person is injured by accident or even due to a mistake by an officer, that should not expose the police to criminal sanction. 

    Officer Chauvin was required to place Mr Floyd in custody. He was hallucinating because of drug use. Was not in good physical condition. Chauvin responded to Floyd’s continued attempts to evade custody by using a technique taught and used by his police department. Chauvin did not choke Floyd.  This is exactly the circumstance that qualified immunity is designed for.  

    It is not right for the state to charge Chauvin with murder when it required him to subdue George Floyd and he did so using the training he had been given.  Yeah, he probably should have been more attentive and aware of Floyd’s condition.  But an officer, making even a grievous mistake in judgement, should not be exposed to criminal sanctions. 

     

    • #10
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