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Reconsidering Bill Barr
Former Attorney General William (Bill) Barr is in the news again because he has a new book out which, among other things, contains some unflattering commentary on President Trump. And because the news is starving for Trump! Trump! Trump! Bill Barr’s book will get a lot of play.
I think Bill Barr is a patriot and an honest man. Do I agree with his reported summary of President Trump’s unsuitability for office? I do not. But unlike many NTers who have swallowed the “corruption” claims, Barr’s critique is only one of “conduct unbecoming” and/or self-defeating behavior.
Barr is GOPe with an independent twist. That is, his general sensibilities lie with the good that government can do. He sees the battle with agency overreach as a problem to be solved with surgical precision rather than a broad sword. But he is not playing the game. He is not looking for personal advantage; he is not selling his soul. He is genuinely promoting a vision of America that is decent, top to bottom.
But he is doing so with an elitist’s frame of reference. This blinds him to fully crediting the evil of progressive stratagems. It makes him a little too comfortable with half measures that avoid risks of cutting out a healthy organ but leaves a small malignancy in place. If not excised that malignancy once again grows and will metastasize.
The real question is not President Trump’s suitability to lead —he has more than demonstrated that. Not perfect, either as leader or a man, but President Trump promoted policies that strengthened America and created general well-being for its citizens. The question is one of a match between the man (or woman) and the current challenge. Several Ricochet authors who supported President Trump’s presidency have raised this question. And it is a fair one.
My own view is that he is. Or at least that we continue to face challenges that require extraordinary energy, determination, and—most importantly— a dedicated following. It was said that Dwight Eisenhower fresh off his leadership of the victorious Allied Forces in Europe could have been a winning presidential candidate for either party. That is what a following does. That is what no Republican president has had since Reagan in 1984 and before Trump in 2020. That is no small thing.
Bill Barr cries out for an alternative to President Trump, the man. Barr is not wrong to do so — were that the world was as Barr sees it. But it is not. President Trump’s time is not over because the progressives in government, the media, academia, finance, and corporations continue to assault our people viciously and mercilessly. One day President Trump can transition from champion to architect, but not today.
Published in General
They viewed that as a problem, as those were often in defense of the ‘deplorables’ who voted for him, thereby frustrating GOPe efforts to win elections by throwing strategic elements of the base under the bus to appease suburban wine moms.
Oh, but if you dare to notice this and object, you’re guilty of ‘tribalism’.
When Bill Barr was appointed AG I was excited at first. He talked a good game. As time went on it became apparent that his only real motivation was to protect the reputation of the DoJ and IC. He was aware that conservatives were, rightly, of the opinion that these departments were utterly corrupt, and that the Democrats and entrenched bureaucrats had gone too far with their blatant attacks on Trump. He threw conservatives a few bones to mollify them that “something was being done” so as to restore the reputation of the institutions.
Ultimately, he did very little to correct the injustices he found, and plainly tried to whitewash the Election Day shenanigans of the Democrats.
The Deep State “Fixer”
In Washington, indictments are a dime a dozen. Convictions are good, but imprisonment without conviction is better and “perpetrator didn’t kill themselves” is the gold coin of the realm.
Dead men don’t talk, they just vote Democrat. Repeatedly.
Rodin – “President Trump’s time is not over because the progressives in government, the media, academia, finance, and corporations continue to assault our people viciously and mercilessly”
@Rodin – How do you define “our people”?
“Our people” are all Americans. We are assaulted with unalterable racial and identity grievances, inflation, energy insecurity (when we were energy independent), restrictions on individual liberty, etc. It is happening to all of us even if some approve, others are insulated by their wealth, and others are ignorant of the reasons for their lives being more troubled.
I like your term “Energy Insecurity.” I think we need to use that. The libs who are used to acting on terms like “food insecurity” will immediately understand the notion.
Good point. And maybe that’s what has gotten Germany to shift footing.
It looks like he’s getting revenge to me, by putting all this (to his mind) dirty laundry out for the world to see. So many people Trump had around him started out seemingly supporting him, but they don’t waste any time stabbing him in the back. I have no illusions about Trump, but as much as has been written, searched, dug up, made up about him, they haven’t been able to nail him. Why is that?
Because only Stormy Daniels could nail Trump? huhuhuhuhuhuhhhhh….
You’re bad…..
Understood – thanks!
Do you have subject-verb confusion?
John “Duke Nuke’em” Bolton to the rescue!
Bill Barr has worked against the 2nd amendment; he endorsed the Brady Bill and supported a semi-auto ban (rifles, I think) and magazine size limits. He was AG when half the TLA’s in the DoJ went after the Weavers on a manufactured charge, then he worked on his own time to get Lon Horiuchi off the hook for murder. He contributed nothing to America’s agenda during DJT’s administration. His successful career was dedicated to propping up and covering for the Deep State.
People that can’t be shielded by unlimited funds for lawyers and lobbyists. The top 10% that make ridiculous excess money off of the Fed and the screwed up financial system. The people that were hosed by our doing every single thing wrong in the face of the wage deflation and job destruction from automation and globalize labor. The people that are harassed by bizarre social theories.
I ordered his book. I will likely be doing a book review.