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Thank You, Peggy Noonan
I had just wandered through a generally so-so observation about patrician and plebeian elements in our present political situation. I was not sure that I had made my points clear enough for the normal pleb to grasp fully (we are generally too preoccupied with life’s minor distractions such as rent, food, and selecting the right brand of beer).
But one can always count on their betters to provide. So Peggy Noonan was kind enough to write a Wall Street Journal piece that explains it much better than I. She, of course, is an established member of the GOP Order of Patricians and her concern was about the unwashed plebs generally known as Trump voters. Hope among her fellow elitists was that more and more of this group would abandon the notion of the former president seeking the office again in 2024, that support for him would fade and he would pass from the public’s eye. As it is turning out, that simply isn’t happening. In fact, it appears to some that their numbers might even be growing.
This is so despite the continuous dumping on the former president. Or maybe even because of it. The latest anti-Trump production is turning into a huge disappointment. It actually seems to have the opposite effect intended. Interest in the show trial sometimes called the J6 hearings has been weak and far below what was hoped for. In fact, it is probably having the opposite effect. Only the most gullible or pre-disposed believe in them and for the rest they are far too transparent. For most, they leave the distinct impression of Star Chamber episodes intended not to learn anything but to influence an election by removing a leading candidate. Plebs must be protected from their limited intellects by narrowing their choices to only acceptable options.
In any case, Trump is actually increasing in support from this sideshow. So a fresh approach in pleb management has shown its face recently. That is to agree that the plebs do have some real concerns and that maybe the down and dirty Trump demeanor helped to create attention for them. But now he has served his purpose and it is time for candidates with smoother edges to carry the banner. For the moment, they are even willing to accept some candidates who might be a little “Trumpy” themselves as long as they are not the original. For the moment, that is.
But in the end, the real call will be for “reasonable” candidates who can hopefully worm their way into those “purple” vote without really confronting the matters that will change us as a nation and having to win a thoughtful and passionate argument for Liberty. You know, the kind of candidates who made Trump possible in 2016, the kind who knows in his (or hers, or …..) heart that something can be worked out to get us by if the patricians were left to bargain among themselves.
Noonan knows enough to begin every con job with a compliment, sort of. She is impressed that every Trump voter does love America even if it is “not always been a fully thought-through love but it’s generally fully felt”. She even concedes that this is “admirable”, even if the thought process was so incomplete. So plebeian. If it got any more simple-minded, it would be on my level.
A little deeper into the piece one is able to get a clearer picture of the patrician view of those millions upon millions of the GOP base who are so regularly called on by the party elites but rarely listened to. She tries to reinforce the Dem contention that Trump was told by all reasonable and sane people that the 2020 election was fair and square but he chose to listen instead to a collection of “kooks, crooks and freaks” which was not hard to find since “Trumpworld has more than most”.
Her appeal to wayward plebs is to drop Trump or lose the shining chance to dominate in the coming elections. Everything is so very bad that just about any Republican will surely win. Any except, of course, Trump. “Only Trump” would lose.
But the truth is as soon as Trump can be eliminated, the patricians will begin to try and thin out any of the other non-conformists with plebeian tendencies. Before the discussion is over they will hope to be back to the old standard GOP patrician because they could win “in the middle”. You know, that legendary middle where gun rights can be narrowed, where new entitlements have been created, where “comprehensive” immigration reform lives, where government dollars represent educational concern, where … Oh, hell my simple mind and stubby fingers are over-loaded … You can fill in the rest.
What is so desperately needed is a clear, objective American agenda for all, with disregard for who you are speaking to. The principles of the Founding and the principles which build successful lives will reach all levels of society.
The great swath of middle America that I have spoken of very much feels the loss of our Constitution even if the patricians don’t. The party elites have yet to realize that MAGA is not a Trump thing. It is a grassroots American plebeian thing. Trump simply put a slogan behind it and then did his best to implement it.
The Peggy Noonans still talk and act as if this was about a loose-mouthed billionaire and not the saving of the republic as founded. But they do sense the shift away from them and that is what they hate, what they fight against. If Trump is at the head of the column or not is hardly the central question. The real question is the uncompromising direction of the column.
We might be in a dangerous position with our future but more and more I believe that the people who will make the long-term difference have finally realized that the damage done to us by the “warriors” on their side, it is not near the problem as the damage done by the cowards and blinded on ours. Hopefully, Noonan will save her condescension for her own kind.
By the way, if any of you fellow plebs actually want to read the Noonan column you will find it behind a paywall. Unless you have the devious computer skills to bypass “the wall”, you will have to take my word for the content of the piece. Otherwise, you can join me in some simple plebeian pleasure as I take off these smelly socks, let the air hit these more than smelly feet, pour three, possibly four fingers in a cup, and soak up the quiet of an evening that has finally begun to cool.
Published in General
Noted. Perhaps I’m behind the times since you once promoted The Bulwark here. That doesn’t change the fact that the recitation above is a distortion.
Yes, but I was responding to the question of what might Mayor Pete be good at.
No Republican Presidential candidate can win with 19% not only opposing him or her but calling for his or her prosecution.
Three questions:
What was Trump doing when the first breach occurred?
Who is in charge of Capitol Security?
Who is in charge of the DC National Guard?
The Executive Branch doesn’t send in troops unless invited. DC never invited them. You know that. DC comes under the Legislative Branch.
Then we will lose. That is why strong governors are needed and DeSantis needs to stay in Florida. Winning the White House isn’t the Holy Grail that will stop the the left’s wins in their Marxist cultural war. The RINO Repubs haven’t stopped diddly.
The Republican explanations of why the security was bad make sense to me.
The Democrat explanations make no sense to me.
Trump wanted National Guard there and he did everything he was supposed to to make that happen.
That’s Nancy’s job, guy.
As you might have noticed Gary must be pushed to answer direct questions so you might have just pointed out that the Speaker of the House is responsible for Capitol Security with the resources of the District of Columbia at her beck and call.
There are a lot of things Gary SHOULD know, but doesn’t.
Not sure who is who in this back and forth, but it does remind me of a conflict I witnessed back in the 80’s.
Even 200+ comments go by pretty quickly if you just scroll by Gary’s comments and read the replies.
But his re-quotes and replies can be so long, it wears out the scroll buttons.
You are missing the point. There is no sign that Trump ever took it upon himself to call the Mayor of DC. It took hours for Trump to urge the rioters to leave. They are derelictions of duty.
Did someone just say that you “must be pushed to answer direct questions”?
I can’t speak for Bob, but I don’t have a point. I’m just filling in a few blanks, perhaps on the way to a point. And they’re still blank.
Has the Committee asked these questions?
That’s a different issue. People need to learn to select only part of the text to reply to. These “conversations” tend to get ridiculously long, especially if you’re quoting Gary.
I was waiting for you @Hoyacon to inform Gary who has the responsibility to maintain law and order in the District of Columbia, since I am not schooled in the law but I’m thinking it is not the Executive Branch. Who was possibly derelict in their duty to stop the riotous behavior?
Mark Levin is currently on a rant about these “lying bastards”. Evidently someone on the committee has leaked something about one of his private emails. More to come, assuming I can follow it.
The reporter used some dramatic language to describe it, like he was attempting something beyond legal angles. It was emails with John Eastman.
I cannot possibly be the only one who has read and heard reported that based on intelligence reports Trump had received he offered troops to protect the Capitol two days prior to the actual demonstrations, offered to both Pelosi and whoever that it is that is mayor of DC. Both declined according to the reports I’ve read.
And it is their duty to keep the peace in DC, so they were derelict in their duty, not Trump, who offered help to them.
You are not. Gary’s contention seems to be that Pelosi changed her mind 24 hours later and Trump pussy-footed around with the request and failed to deliver on time.
A lot of bollocks that.
But even if true and it takes more than 24 hours to honor such a request, Pence following it through would have been right on time. I don’t see how he can use this as evidence that Trump staged an insurrection. I have nothing nice to say about Gary’s intelligence.
After the break he got a little more specific. It sounds like he was explaining his constitutional opinion about how things get resolved to the point where Pence is supposed to certify it. I bet he didn’t say anything different than what he says on the radio all of the time.
Just remember, [standard response the mods have told me to stop using].
Most likely he didn’t, but just imagine what Liz Cheney and others could edit it into!
I actually may be the only person who heard interviews done by NPR with the demonstrators. A few of them, probably the more demonstrative ones, said they were there because they thought Trump was a blowhard and the loudmouth who talked a lot but never actually did anything. How likely does it seem to thinking person that these people would stop their activities because Trump “called them off”?
BTW, the OP author has frequently bragged about his intelligence as measured on his college entrance scores.
That’s one reason an ignore feature would be helpful. Skipping those interminably long quotes.
Reagan-level members abuse the word count.
Check whose post this is. @django
Yes, this information came out soon after the incident. I’m surprised people still don’t know this. I guess the Dems are hoping that people have short memories and they can pretend it never happened.
But we remember. We remember ever single perfidious thing the Democrats did.