American Politics Is Changing

 

For decades, Democrat politicians have based their campaigns on the idea that capitalism was mean to poor people.  Trickle-down economics doesn’t work.  Poverty and inequality can be cured only through socialism.  The only reason for you to complain that your taxes are too high is if you hate poor people.

Now that Democrats are in charge, and are implementing their preferred policies, we are seeing their impact in real-time.  Particularly on poor people.  Inflation bothers rich people like me, but it’s devastating to those trying to live on $50,000 a year.  Voters are starting to wonder if perhaps, just perhaps, centralized control systems are less humane than Democrats have claimed.  Bernie Sanders is responding to this as one might expect, by demanding expansions of Social Security and Medicare.  But other Democrats are reading the tea leaves differently.

I think that all Democrats can do, at this point, is double down on racism and global warming:  “Ok, our fiscal policies are horrifying.  But if you elect Republicans, they’ll kill black people and destroy Mother Earth!  Do you hate black people?  Do you hate our planet?  No?  Well then, you have no choice but to vote Democrat.  Never mind the economy, the border, European wars, or all those other petty complaints.  You vote on the side of the angels!”  This is an interesting, but fundamental, change to our national discussion.  But wait – there’s more!

Because Democrat policies were obviously destructive, Americans have long been hesitant to put too many Democrats in power.  Bill Clinton was a “New Democrat”.  Barack Obama was a saintly figure above earthly politics.  Joe Biden didn’t campaign on anything – in fact, he didn’t campaign at all.  No Democrat could win running on Democrat policies.

But the Democrat party continued our leftward surge with two institutions:  the media and the Supreme Court.  The media did their best to promote leftism, and the Supreme Court wrote new laws that Congress could never pass.  This worked fairly well, for a long time.

But the internet has created problems for the old media.  Fox News was the first crack in the dam, but The Daily Wire, Powerline, Ricochet, and many others have provided a source of alternative viewpoints that didn’t exist until recently.  Not just conservative viewpoints.  But alternative viewpoints.  People started to think, just a bit.

And the Supreme Court has changed.  It has recently developed an interest in the U.S. Constitution.  Which is obviously a very serious problem for Democrats.

So I look at the Democrats being forced to change their message from hope for a better day, to simply avoiding mean tweets.  And I look at alternative forms of media gaining a foothold.  And I look at a new Supreme Court which seems more interested in our Constitution.

And I think to myself, “The Democrats have a very serious problem, here…”

Of course, my optimism is based on the idea that America selects its leaders via elections.  If that is no longer true, then never mind – forget I said anything.

But if elections resume in the future, then perhaps the Democrats have a problem, and perhaps America has hope.

What do you think?

Are these changes as significant as I suggest?

Is there hope that America can climb out of the hole that we have dug for ourselves?

Perhaps things are changing.  Perhaps there is hope.

What do you think?

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  1. Chuck Coolidge
    Chuck
    @Chuckles

    Dr. Bastiat: But if elections resume in the future, then perhaps the Democrats have a problem, and perhaps America has hope.

    Powerful words here, “if” and “perhaps.” 

    Concerning the statement: May it be so.

    • #1
  2. Tex929rr Coolidge
    Tex929rr
    @Tex929rr

    How many true believers are there?  You know, the people like Bernie who say “we just haven’t tried true socialism yet”. I hope the number is a lot smaller than I think.

    • #2
  3. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Dr. Bastiat: Inflation bothers rich people like me, but it’s devastating to those trying to live on $50,000 a year.

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    $50k a year?

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I’m owning a home in a small town on disability income that’s maybe half that.

     

    • #3
  4. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Dr. Bastiat:

    Is there hope that America can climb out of the hole that we have dug for ourselves?

     

    Step 1: stop digging.

    • #4
  5. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    From Nixon to Trump, I’ve never seen an opening like this for Republicans to capture (recapture?) governance of the U.S.  This has nothing to do with the state of the polls.  It does have to do with the electorate and the state of the country.  The Democrats have lost any hold that they had on the so-called “working class,” and their policies are alienating even suburbanites in the “upper” middle class.  Meanwhile, as you note, for the left, it’s the same old whine in old bottles–racism, climate change, and the various phobias.

    I know that there are some here who think the GOPe-ers will find some way to blow this because that’s what they do.  If that happens, I give up.  

    • #5
  6. GFHandle Member
    GFHandle
    @GFHandle

    Yes, I think a common sense center does exist, but as you say the question is whether it can express itself.

    One major cause of our problem, I think , is grade inflation.  We have produced a cadre of the semi-educated with credentials.  The credential give them power.  Like those 18th century aristocrats in the novels, they are stupid yet powerful. Not many combinations worse than that.

    • #6
  7. Bryan G. Stephens Thatcher
    Bryan G. Stephens
    @BryanGStephens

    I keep posting the question: Tell me one win in my lifetime. The answers have been as follows

     

    Cold War (does not count as it was not domestic, the commies are still winning here)

    Guns (pretty much hangs by a thread. The government keeps buying ammo to drive the price up).

    Then nothing. 

    Roe being overturned is the first real lasting victory in my lifetime. 

    I don’t think it is enough. They control all the media, all the means of communication, they have gutted out production, rendered us helpless and energy dependent again. We are a pathway for 3rd world ism, where they jet around, and we live in squalor, unable to afford cars or even have power all day. It is already happening now. 

    • #7
  8. Stina Inactive
    Stina
    @CM

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat: Inflation bothers rich people like me, but it’s devastating to those trying to live on $50,000 a year.

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    $50k a year?

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I’m owning a home in a small town on disability income that’s maybe half that.

     

    Small town aren’t where the jobs are.

    • #8
  9. Dr. Bastiat Member
    Dr. Bastiat
    @drbastiat

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat: Inflation bothers rich people like me, but it’s devastating to those trying to live on $50,000 a year.

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    $50k a year?

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I’m owning a home in a small town on disability income that’s maybe half that.

     

    Yes, there are people that earn less than $50k a year.  In fact, I consider $50k to be a pretty good income.

    My point is that even those who could reasonably be considered to be middle class are being hurt by our current economy.  Not just poor people.

    And middle class people vote.

    • #9
  10. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    I keep posting the question: Tell me one win in my lifetime. The answers have been as follows

    Cold War (does not count as it was not domestic, the commies are still winning here)

    Guns (pretty much hangs by a thread. The government keeps buying ammo to drive the price up).

    Then nothing.

    Roe being overturned is the first real lasting victory in my lifetime.

    I don’t think it is enough. They control all the media, all the means of communication, they have gutted out production, rendered us helpless and energy dependent again. We are a pathway for 3rd world ism, where they jet around, and we live in squalor, unable to afford cars or even have power all day. It is already happening now.

    “They control all the media, all the means of communication, . . .”

    This is changing.  Be optimistic.  They achieved “peak” control several years ago and it’s eroding.  MSM viewership/readership is way down, and alternatives (Shapiro. Newsmax, etc.) are doing well.  Granted Rome wasn’t built in a day, but the worst is over.

    • #10
  11. Bryan G. Stephens Thatcher
    Bryan G. Stephens
    @BryanGStephens

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    I keep posting the question: Tell me one win in my lifetime. The answers have been as follows

    Cold War (does not count as it was not domestic, the commies are still winning here)

    Guns (pretty much hangs by a thread. The government keeps buying ammo to drive the price up).

    Then nothing.

    Roe being overturned is the first real lasting victory in my lifetime.

    I don’t think it is enough. They control all the media, all the means of communication, they have gutted out production, rendered us helpless and energy dependent again. We are a pathway for 3rd world ism, where they jet around, and we live in squalor, unable to afford cars or even have power all day. It is already happening now.

    “They control all the media, all the means of communication, . . .”

    This is changing. Be optimistic. They achieved “peak” control several years ago and it’s eroding. MSM viewership/readership is way down, and alternatives (Shapiro. Newsmax, etc.) are doing well. Granted Rome wasn’t built in a day, but the worst is over.

    They get to roam the streets at will and not get arrested, while the run show trials that people on the right support. The Left controls not only the left, but has captured the leadership of the right. They own it all. Every institution, every company, the military, the police, every big city. They own it all. They will use that power to destroy us. 

    I just don’t think there is any hope at all, because they have won. We are headed to a Civil War. 

    • #11
  12. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    I keep posting the question: Tell me one win in my lifetime. The answers have been as follows

    Cold War (does not count as it was not domestic, the commies are still winning here)

    Guns (pretty much hangs by a thread. The government keeps buying ammo to drive the price up).

    Then nothing.

    Roe being overturned is the first real lasting victory in my lifetime.

    I don’t think it is enough. They control all the media, all the means of communication, they have gutted out production, rendered us helpless and energy dependent again. We are a pathway for 3rd world ism, where they jet around, and we live in squalor, unable to afford cars or even have power all day. It is already happening now.

    “They control all the media, all the means of communication, . . .”

    This is changing. Be optimistic. They achieved “peak” control several years ago and it’s eroding. MSM viewership/readership is way down, and alternatives (Shapiro. Newsmax, etc.) are doing well. Granted Rome wasn’t built in a day, but the worst is over.

    They get to roam the streets at will and not get arrested, while the run show trials that people on the right support. The Left controls not only the left, but has captured the leadership of the right. They own it all. Every institution, every company, the military, the police, every big city. They own it all. They will use that power to destroy us.

    I just don’t think there is any hope at all, because they have won. We are headed to a Civil War.

    I’m only suggesting that if they had “won,” there would be no signs of hope.  I don’t think that’s true (see media comment, above).

    Never underestimate the the ability of ideologues on the left to overplay their hands.

     

     

    • #12
  13. E. Kent Golding Moderator
    E. Kent Golding
    @EKentGolding

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    I keep posting the question: Tell me one win in my lifetime. The answers have been as follows

    Cold War (does not count as it was not domestic, the commies are still winning here)

    Guns (pretty much hangs by a thread. The government keeps buying ammo to drive the price up).

    Then nothing.

    Roe being overturned is the first real lasting victory in my lifetime.

    I don’t think it is enough. They control all the media, all the means of communication, they have gutted out production, rendered us helpless and energy dependent again. We are a pathway for 3rd world ism, where they jet around, and we live in squalor, unable to afford cars or even have power all day. It is already happening now.

    “They control all the media, all the means of communication, . . .”

    This is changing. Be optimistic. They achieved “peak” control several years ago and it’s eroding. MSM viewership/readership is way down, and alternatives (Shapiro. Newsmax, etc.) are doing well. Granted Rome wasn’t built in a day, but the worst is over.

    They get to roam the streets at will and not get arrested, while the run show trials that people on the right support. The Left controls not only the left, but has captured the leadership of the right. They own it all. Every institution, every company, the military, the police, every big city. They own it all. They will use that power to destroy us.

    I just don’t think there is any hope at all, because they have won. We are headed to a Civil War.

    Remember that there is a God in heaven,  and sometimes he decides to take action.

    • #13
  14. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    From Nixon to Trump, I’ve never seen an opening like this for Republicans to capture (recapture?) governance of the U.S. This has nothing to do with the state of the polls. It does have to do with the electorate and the state of the country. The Democrats have lost any hold that they had on the so-called “working class,” and their policies are alienating even suburbanites in the “upper” middle class. Meanwhile, as you note, for the left, it’s the same old whine in old bottles–racism, climate change, and the various phobias.

    I know that there are some here who think the GOPe-ers will find some way to blow this because that’s what they do. If that happens, I give up.

    It wouldn’t be difficult to blow it.  In some sense, it may even be inevitable.  Because of the people involved.  Such as, if people do get “fired up” – as indicated by changing party registrations, etc – and vote more Republican in November, leading to many victories and Republican control of the House and Senate… and then little or nothing changes.

    • #14
  15. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Stina (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat: Inflation bothers rich people like me, but it’s devastating to those trying to live on $50,000 a year.

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    $50k a year?

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I’m owning a home in a small town on disability income that’s maybe half that.

     

    Small town aren’t where the jobs are.

    There used to be, until leftist policies ruined them.  For me personally though it doesn’t matter, because the disability income is the same no matter where I am.  Which is another reason to find a place as “affordable” as possible, and I also help support the local economy – including other peoples’ jobs – by doing so.

    • #15
  16. Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patriot) Member
    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patriot)
    @ArizonaPatriot

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    I keep posting the question: Tell me one win in my lifetime. The answers have been as follows

     

    Cold War (does not count as it was not domestic, the commies are still winning here)

    Guns (pretty much hangs by a thread. The government keeps buying ammo to drive the price up).

    Then nothing.

    Roe being overturned is the first real lasting victory in my lifetime.

    I don’t think it is enough. They control all the media, all the means of communication, they have gutted out production, rendered us helpless and energy dependent again. We are a pathway for 3rd world ism, where they jet around, and we live in squalor, unable to afford cars or even have power all day. It is already happening now.

    I wish that I could disagree, Bryan.

    We did have some success in driving down the crime rate, until 2015 or so.  Not all of the gain has been lost yet, but the trend is bad.

    There was some success in getting rid of race preferences, for a while, but the recent trend in this area is terrible.

    So I can come up with with two more semi-bright points.  This doesn’t change the dismal picture in a significant way.

    • #16
  17. Saint Augustine Member
    Saint Augustine
    @SaintAugustine

    Dr. Bastiat:

    Of course, my optimism is based on the idea that America selects its leaders via elections.  If that is no longer true, then never mind – forget I said anything.

    But if elections resume in the future, then perhaps the Democrats have a problem, and perhaps America has hope.

    My semi-optimism is:

    On the one hand, the aftermath of 2020 revealed epic levels of election incompetence and corruption and insecurity; massive non-electronic illegalities that affected more votes than double the Biden margin of victory in five different swing states; and the realization that many electronic vote-counting machines really do have online connectivity but with no processes in place to ensure that the modems are switched off during counting.

    On the other hand, the cheating is probably not universal and centrally controlled; it is still possible to fight back by getting securer voting machines, voter ID, fewer absentee ballots, etc.; and sometimes it is still possible to outvote the cheaters.

    A very, very jarring paradigm shift.  But not a game-changer.

    • #17
  18. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    Rush Limbaugh used to say that “We don’t go after our ex-presidents.  We allow them to leave office and retire in peace”. Those days are gone.  A very good indication that our politics have changed is how today’s DemocRats are determined to ruin the previous president and everyone (that is EVERYONE) in his administration or circle of friends/family; and reverse every single thing his administration did, good or bad, for the country.  That reversal began the day B**** was inaugurated, and will continue past the time he leaves office (the Deep State will remain forever).

    • #18
  19. GFHandle Member
    GFHandle
    @GFHandle

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    Rush Limbaugh used to say that “We don’t go after our ex-presidents. We allow them to leave office and retire in peace”. Those days are gone. A very good indication that our politics have changed is how today’s DemocRats are determined to ruin the previous president and everyone (that is EVERYONE) in his administration or circle of friends/family; and reverse every single thing his administration did, good or bad, for the country. That reversal began the day B**** was inaugurated, and will continue past the time he leaves office (the Deep State will remain forever).

    Yes. But in 2016 I used to pass a mock jail cell with “Lock Her Up” in very big letters. Granted, Hilary was not an ex-president and the display was on a company’s private property. Key differences from the awful abuses of power we are witnessing. Still, Pot and Kettle….

    And I should add that as far as I know Trump did NOT go after Hilary once he was president.

    • #19
  20. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    I keep posting the question: Tell me one win in my lifetime. The answers have been as follows

    Cold War (does not count as it was not domestic, the commies are still winning here)

    Guns (pretty much hangs by a thread. The government keeps buying ammo to drive the price up).

    Then nothing.

    Roe being overturned is the first real lasting victory in my lifetime.

    I don’t think it is enough. They control all the media, all the means of communication, they have gutted out production, rendered us helpless and energy dependent again. We are a pathway for 3rd world ism, where they jet around, and we live in squalor, unable to afford cars or even have power all day. It is already happening now.

    “They control all the media, all the means of communication, . . .”

    This is changing. Be optimistic. They achieved “peak” control several years ago and it’s eroding. MSM viewership/readership is way down, and alternatives (Shapiro. Newsmax, etc.) are doing well. Granted Rome wasn’t built in a day, but the worst is over.

    They get to roam the streets at will and not get arrested, while the run show trials that people on the right support. The Left controls not only the left, but has captured the leadership of the right. They own it all. Every institution, every company, the military, the police, every big city. They own it all. They will use that power to destroy us.

    I just don’t think there is any hope at all, because they have won. We are headed to a Civil War.

    I’m only suggesting that if they had “won,” there would be no signs of hope. I don’t think that’s true (see media comment, above).

    Never underestimate the the ability of ideologues on the left to overplay their hands.

    I really hope and pray that this is what happens, and it is in keeping with my view of my fellow stalwart Americans.

    But there is another possibility: The government runs out of (other people’s) money, cuts way back on services and benefits and blames the Republicans, the economy sputters, and all hell breaks loose.

    And the Democrats are so good at this.

    This scenario plays out in waves in all socialist countries.

    • #20
  21. Henry Racette Member
    Henry Racette
    @HenryRacette

    I have argued for years that (1) America is a conservative country and (2) normal Americans will eventually be awakened to the accelerating radicalism of the modern left.

    I think it’s happening. I am increasingly optimistic.

    • #21
  22. Red Herring Coolidge
    Red Herring
    @EHerring

    GFHandle (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    Rush Limbaugh used to say that “We don’t go after our ex-presidents. We allow them to leave office and retire in peace”. Those days are gone. A very good indication that our politics have changed is how today’s DemocRats are determined to ruin the previous president and everyone (that is EVERYONE) in his administration or circle of friends/family; and reverse every single thing his administration did, good or bad, for the country. That reversal began the day B**** was inaugurated, and will continue past the time he leaves office (the Deep State will remain forever).

    Yes. But in 2016 I used to pass a mock jail cell with “Lock Her Up” in very big letters. Granted, Hilary was not an ex-president and the display was on a company’s private property. Key differences from the awful abuses of power we are witnessing. Still, Pot and Kettle….

    And I should add that as far as I know Trump did NOT go after Hilary once he was president.

    People were mad at her because time and again she has lied and broken laws and nothing happened.

    • #22
  23. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Red Herring (View Comment):

    GFHandle (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    Rush Limbaugh used to say that “We don’t go after our ex-presidents. We allow them to leave office and retire in peace”. Those days are gone. A very good indication that our politics have changed is how today’s DemocRats are determined to ruin the previous president and everyone (that is EVERYONE) in his administration or circle of friends/family; and reverse every single thing his administration did, good or bad, for the country. That reversal began the day B**** was inaugurated, and will continue past the time he leaves office (the Deep State will remain forever).

    Yes. But in 2016 I used to pass a mock jail cell with “Lock Her Up” in very big letters. Granted, Hilary was not an ex-president and the display was on a company’s private property. Key differences from the awful abuses of power we are witnessing. Still, Pot and Kettle….

    And I should add that as far as I know Trump did NOT go after Hilary once he was president.

    People were mad at her because time and again she has lied and broken laws and nothing happened.

    Sailors and other people in the military have gone to prison for less.

    • #23
  24. James Lileks Contributor
    James Lileks
    @jameslileks

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    I have argued for years that (1) America is a conservative country and (2) normal Americans will eventually be awakened to the accelerating radicalism of the modern left.

    People will tolerate and accept a lot; live and let live and all that. But the modern left insists on endorsement, and adoption of new terms and belief systems. 

    It’s not that they don’t want to live in the suburbs. They don’t think suburbs should exist. It’s not that they prefer electric cars; they don’t want you to drive anything else. It’s not that they’re vegan; you must want to eat crickets. And so on.

    The most interesting new wrinkle is the way the SCOTUS is suddenly illegitimate, because it is removing power from the Federal government and handing it back to legislatures. You don’t have to be steeped in political theories to find the accusations of “Fascism!” a bit odd, and the insistence that democracy can be saved only by remaking the Court, the Senate, and any institution that does not smooth the path for top-down centralized control. Of course, if you regard the originalist stance as a remnant of Whiteness and slave-owning men, it makes sense that they would decry any attempts to turn away statism absolutism. But people who pay a modicum of attention can’t help but notice that their animus is revolutionary, and seeks to upend any institution that does not accede to the new imperatives. 

    There’s a reason the media uses the word “insurrection.” Those are bad. Revolutions are good. Or at least they have good intentions, which is justification enough. 

    • #24
  25. navyjag Coolidge
    navyjag
    @navyjag

    Wow, Dr. B.  This looks like a Thomas Sewell article. Happy BD to that fine Marine. $50K would not get you into a suburb of a city in California. But Gov. French Laundry is promising to send us a check, a few weeks before the election, for $400 or so to negate the gas prices he foisted in us with his great “green energy” planning. Can’t wait. 

    • #25
  26. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    James Lileks (View Comment):
    They don’t think suburbs should exist.

    This is a big deal. Stanley Kurtz wrote a book about this. Andrew Wilkow talks about it all the time on his show. They want to totally homogenize the suburbs with the city for social objectives but also because it changes voting patterns. 

     

    • #26
  27. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    James Lileks (View Comment):
    It’s not that they prefer electric cars; they don’t want you to drive anything else. It’s not that they’re vegan; you must want to eat crickets. And so on.

    They have all of this idealism they want to execute. The problem is they are really bad at being persuasive about it so they use every other option. Also, central planning almost never works. 

    Like I said, my PhD brother-in-law had a Bernie’s sign in his yard and he recently announced that “I don’t know anything about public policy and I’m not going to talk about it.” 

    Just to be clear, we have so much excess f’d up government I don’t think you can idealistically draw a line straight back towards small government, but these guys are communist psychos.

     

    • #27
  28. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    I keep posting the question: Tell me one win in my lifetime. The answers have been as follows

    Cold War (does not count as it was not domestic, the commies are still winning here)

    Guns (pretty much hangs by a thread. The government keeps buying ammo to drive the price up).

    Then nothing.

    Roe being overturned is the first real lasting victory in my lifetime.

    I don’t think it is enough. They control all the media, all the means of communication, they have gutted out production, rendered us helpless and energy dependent again. We are a pathway for 3rd world ism, where they jet around, and we live in squalor, unable to afford cars or even have power all day. It is already happening now.

    -and-

    No Republican since H.R. Gross has ever thought like what is said in that video.

    I keep saying this, but libertarians and conservatives are swimming against a hard current the way the Fed in the financial system are set up. The results show up a lot wider than what people think.

    Remind yourself to vote. 

     

    • #28
  29. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    The cavalry is on the way!

     

     

    • #29
  30. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    James Lileks (View Comment):
    The most interesting new wrinkle is the way the SCOTUS is suddenly illegitimate, because it is removing power from the Federal government and handing it back to legislatures. You don’t have to be steeped in political theories to find the accusations of “Fascism!” a bit odd, and the insistence that democracy can be saved only by remaking the Court, the Senate, and any institution that does not smooth the path for top-down centralized control.

    This has to be communicated clearly every day between now and the midterms. The left’s rank-and-file do not understand this. They are being told something else entirely, and it is scaring them. All the Supreme Court has done is return these decisions to the states. Somehow we have got to get this message across in simple and plain language.

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