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QOTD: Who Wants to Tell Her?
“I don’t understand why Ms. Harris hasn’t made concessions to the moderates, Republicans and conservatives whose votes she needs. Why not tell them she knows their stands and views and is willing to concede to the need for a greater centrism, especially on issues where the political and cultural left have demanded too much and alienated regular Americans?” – Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal, October 17, 2024
I used to love reading Peggy Noonan because I believed that her columns captured the essence of what was happening from a perspective that made sense. I am not sure how long it’s been since I read her column and said, “Yes, exactly!” This paragraph in her recent column really makes me wonder where in the world she is coming from. I am watching Kamala Harris’s campaign and following the arguments of some of her most fervent supporters, and I can’t help but conclude that they don’t know what people in the center or center-right believe at all.
When Harris told Bret Baier in her recent FoxNews interview, “You know what I’m talking about,” he responded that he really didn’t. I think she really thought he knew because she is only ever surrounded by people who hold left-of-center views. And those people don’t believe that conceding to moderates or conservatives is morally acceptable. Apparently, it hasn’t occurred to them that it might be strategically wise. If they somehow see the light in the next couple weeks and decide to express more tolerance of centrist views, I can’t imagine why anyone would believe them.
Published in Group Writing
This is a Quote of the Day post for October. Please feel free to signup for a day here.
Peggy who?
(Actually, top among my audio library – actual CDs on the shelf, that is – is When Character was King by this opportunistic poser, and I regret that I will never listen to it again because it is read by the author. Just…can’t…do…it.)
You are so right, Lilly! I stopped reading Peggy a lonnngg time ago; she’s been off the mark for a long time. Even if Kamala Harris had a clue of what “center” meant, I doubt that she’d be willing to move there for anyone or anything!
Okay, I’ll stop ranting. C’mon, Peggy, get with the truth…
Kamala had a rally in Wisconsin where someone shouted out, “Jesus is Lord!” Kamala said, “I think you’re at the wrong rally.”
I saw her reaction but I didn’t know that was what she was reacting to. Pretty good summary of the two sides in this election.
The subtitle is wrong too. Kamala is a vastly greater threat to the Constitution than Trump is. I can’t take people seriously who act as though it’s 2016 and Trump is an unknown. He has a record as President.
I expect a lot of them already think she is “at the center” and so they don’t need to be told anything.
It seems to me that some lefties cannot help themselves, they have to project. They so often are doing what they accuse others of, that it’s a reliable indicator of what they’re consciously up to.
I don’t know whether to think better or worse of someone who projects their shameful parts onto others. At least it implies they’re ashamed, at some level.
Or they know what they should be ashamed of, even if they’re not.
In his work describing his life. John Podhoretz observed that the longest journey on the planet is the one from a brownstone in Brooklyn to Manhattan. Peggy is Manhattan, and so is NR. Heaven forfend that a developer from Queens make it to the exalted air of Manhattan.
Harris as proclaimed many of Trump’s policies. Some believe her, but smart people do not. She has been a leftist from cradle.
Don’t worry. When the bandwagon comes our way Peggy will be sure to be on it, dressed in her cheerleader uniform and waving pompoms. And when the bandwagon goes the other way she’ll still be on it. She’s consistent that way.
She does have a fantastic plastic surgeon!
It would be good to include a link to the column. Oh, it’s behind the WSJ paywall. Okay, here’s the archived version: https://archive.is/QnQHm
Note that the comments at the bottom are highly critical. Almost entirely. “Here for the ratio”, as the kids say.
I have never read Peggy Noonan, so I have no idea about her history or context.
By my reading of this column she’s just reblabbering the heavily biased mainstream media. Several times to the point of anti-Trump lying.
So tedious.
A strategic thinker would recognize the need to shift to the center. A leader could hold together the collection of irrational hotheads, malcontents, and freaks the Left has devolved into while doing so. Kamala is neither. Kamala could neither organize nor lead a two wagon caravan.
Faced with the two wagon caravan problem, Kamala would complain that her staff had not set her up to succeed.
The Kristol wing of the democratic party (do we now call them neo-neocons) keep begging for the left to throw them a crumb.
She wrote Ronald Reagan’s D Day commemoration, commonly known as “The boys of Pointe du Hoc” speech.
I prefer neo-mugwumps.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mugwumps
Interesting thought…Trump is actually “country class” who was so successful that he acquired the wealth of the “ruling class.” They accepted him when they thought he was one of them. When they realized he was now one of us, they turned on him with all the vile hatred one reserved for traitors.
Speaking of traitors and their ilk, Mitch isn’t helping Cruz even though the leadership of the Senate could be determined by the outcome of that race. This is a pattern of behavior. He tried to destroy Cruz prior to 2016 when Cruz wanted to shut down the government to get spending cuts. There is no doubt in my mind that Mitch McConnell, like many others, would have wanted Hillary to win if Cruz were the candidate. If Cruz isn’t someone he wanted in the Senate, he definitely would not have wanted him in the White House. This doesn’t bode well for Cruz winning Republican support for a cabinet or court confirmation.
People blame Trump for spending but Trump and congressmen learned watching this that shutting down government to get spending cuts would be the end of them. Better to move on from addressing spending and fight battles one can with without being neutered. Spending cuts must start as grassroots. Top-down won’t happen. Of course, the chances of a bottom-up push are nil, so the system will just self-correct the hard way at some point…a deserved punishment.
Thanks Lilly B! Great stuff.
Accurate. And one of the reasons why I stopped reading NR, after WFB’s passing. But it was on that trajectory before then.
That has a lot of specific information that I hadn’t known. I plan to read some of the references that are cited. It tells a lot about how reform of deep state corruption creates more corruption, and how draining the swamp creates a lot more swamp habitat for swamp dwellers, going back to the last half of the 19th century.
I really like the first (at this time) comment:
Peggy – you may never understand – Kamala is an SF liberal who supports the most heinous tenants of the far Left, with her whole heart. She is the nominee by fiat from the hegemonous Left power team becasue she is a very safe bet for them. She is not bright, not gifted and very very Left. That is all the puppeteers need. Yet, your fear of a salesman takes your head out the game, totally. You take comfort in Kamala Harris? Unfathomable. Kamala is not a chameleon, she cannot change her colors, except cosmetically. She is Left beyond Bernie, and you know it. You and all your 89% Joe Biden voters in Manhattan should just sit this one out.
But at least those guys were supporting Cleveland.
Yes! That is an excellent explanation of Kamala. It sounds like Peggy could learn a lot from reading the comments.
This rings true…
The jocular word “mugwump”, noted as early as 1832, is from Algonquianmugquomp, “important person, kingpin” (from mugumquomp, “war leader”),[1] implying that Mugwumps were “sanctimonious”, or “holier-than-thou”,[2] in holding themselves aloof from party politics.
Because a) Kamala is a communist and communists do not compromise, b) Peggy Noonan is not aware that politics is now for keeps and the communist machine that Harris brings with her is not interested in our constitutional republic-except in ending it, pronto.
A Republican or “conservative” voting for Harris is neither.
I just noticed a recent Peggy Noonan exchange with Donald Trump. https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/10/trump-meets-the-press-wsj-style.php
If you can get to the WSJ’s own page, here it is: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/donald-trump-the-bully-with-a-heart-of-gold-2024-presidential-election-dd922dd6?st=dWEonm&reflink=article_copyURL_share
Is she capable of being reassured that he’s not a fascist?
Peggy lost her edge a long time ago. Kamala is not reaching out to the normals for the same reason Hitler the candidate did not make an effort to reach out to Jews, gypsies and communists–their destruction is the whole point.