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The Stakes Are Well Done
The Claremont Institute recently granted me a Lincoln Fellowship, which offers a week-plus of seminars on American politics and political thought. But first, I have to read some books. A lot of books.
One of the first I picked up was Michael Anton’s The Stakes: America at the Point of No Return (2020). Anton famously dubbed 2016 “The Flight 93 Election,” and in The Stakes, he warned of what would happen if the Democrats took the White House in 2020.
In the chapter titled “If Present Trends Continue…,” Anton made several predictions of a Biden presidency.
At least at first, immigration levels will go dramatically up and there will be no pretense of enforcement. (p. 282)
It would appear in the very near future, basic criminal law will no longer be enforced in large parts of the United States of America. (p. 288)
Forcing you to call a woman a man, or vice versa, is all the more satisfying when those holding the gun to your head know you don’t really believe it. That, at the constant ginning up of new hysterias keeps deplorable off-balance and on the defensive. (pp. 289-290)
Yep. Pretty much nailed it, Mr. Anton.
Published in Literature, Politics
“Succeed” means being reelected and that depends on the extent of fraud. We can overcome fraud up to 6, perhaps 10%, but 15 or 20% is not obvious. We keep acting as if these people were Truman or Kennedy democrats. They’re not. They are fascists and even old school Democrats believe what they’re told about Republicans.
Heh. We’re all being replaced.
Yup. Sessions, Mueller, Barr, Durham… yawn. Nothing goes anywhere.
Benghazi.
No True Scot, then? I’m not cleaning your house.
So far this is not happening. Propaganda, the Big Lie, cognitive dissonance.
“We won’t get fooled again!”
“A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it.”
Jon,
I will be looking forward to hear your report.
Gary
Unfortunately, it’s been done, and it failed miserably. Those who were moved into “better areas” brought their dysfunctional culture with them. That would be drugs, gangs, single-motherhood, crime, etc. The culture must change first.
Yes, it’s also what I’ve noted from living in Phoenix for years. People would “flee the gangs” in the People’s Republic of California, and the first thing they – and/or their kids – would do in Arizona, is join or start a gang. It’s what they knew.
Like the thermostatic choke on a Series III XJ6.
Just because your hyper-complicated Jag won’t start is no reason to get all wee-wee’d up.
I recall this line from my grubby Haynes manual:
“The thermostatic choke on the series III does not work and cannot be made to work.”
The first part is knowledge. The second part is wisdom.
I’m thinking of Somalis or Afghanis when you mention that. Thankfully, I notice that many African-Christian immigrants seem to leave most of their nonsense behind in Africa and start working in America like a dogged capitalist.
We have 100,000 Somalis in Minnesota and they can’t stay out of the news. 25,000 Ethiopians and they are perfect citizens. Ethiopia has a mixed Christian and Islamic culture and they all get along. The countries are right next to each other and you can’t tell these guys apart by looking at them.
I forget all of the background, but Nigerians tend to be more productive and really good citizens.
Supposedly, it’s illegal to adjust immigration rates for this type of thing.
Also, nobody is a refugee unless they are under one way religious or political persecution. If your country is a you know what, or you want to move here for economic reasons you have to go through regular immigration channels.
While I don’t think it’s helpful to be fatalistic, it is useful to be paranoid about our enemies (and they are enemies, not opponents; one can live with an opponent, one cannot live with an enemy). Respect their capabilities. They are ruthless, clever, and extremely facile with words and emotions, but they are not impervious. They are not giants. They are corrupted, twisted human beings. I.e. grossly imperfect and especially subject to the greatest risk factor: hubris. The enemy wants you demoralized. Don’t give the enemy what he wants.
Having said all that, we have to play offense and defense. Lately our offensive game has gotten pretty strong. However, defense has deteriorated markedly. This is partly because defense is always fighting the last war.
The social media companies have been spending a lot of time perfecting their algorithms, experimenting with how best to manipulate people. They’ve gotten very good. That capability provided some serious margin in 2020. They will do it again, only it will be different. This is the Left’s only offensive tool remaining. And it is powerful.
Our defensive strategy needs to have this central to it. Not the tactics the Left used last time, but a counter their strategy- psycho/social manipulation by algorithms, because their tactics will be different.
Mockery/humor are one defensive tactic, but not enough to be the only one.
I was shipped a huge box of 33 books. Need to read 9 in total, parts of 9 others, and the rest are supplemental. A lot of Jaffa, Kesler, and even Ricochet buddy John Yoo!
Nice way to start a good library, if you didn’t already have one.
I thought John was a probationary buddy.
So you all mean they can’t win because their utopia is fantasy, then you are correct. If you mean they can’t win, will stop trying, and things will return to normal, you are wrong. They have grown a divide in this country that might not ever fade away. Their hatred will live on and be passed on. We can’t unhear what they have said and unsee what we have read. I just saw this last night, a comment from a Dem trying to win one of our House seats in SC. This is the nice one. I won’t share the really vile one another Dem posted.