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“Done with Never Trump”
Done With Never Trump by Brett Stephens NYT 12/17/24
A far more fair-minded restatement of things by a long-time Never Trump critic, concluding paragraphs:
What else did we not sufficiently appreciate? That, as much as Trump might lie, Americans also felt lied to by the left — particularly when it came to the White House cover-up of Biden’s physical and mental decline. That, as bigoted as elements of the MAGA world can be, there is plenty of bigotry to go around — not least in the torrent of Israel-bashing and antisemitism that emerged from the cultural left after Oct. 7. That, as much as we fear Trump could wreck some of our institutions, whether it’s higher education or the F.B.I., many of those institutions are already broken and may need to be reconceived or replaced.
So here’s a thought for Trump’s perennial critics, including those of us on the right: Let’s enter the new year by wishing the new administration well, by giving some of Trump’s cabinet picks the benefit of the doubt, by dropping the lurid historical comparisons to past dictators, by not sounding paranoid about the ever-looming end of democracy, by hoping for the best and knowing that we need to fight the wrongs that are real and not merely what we fear, that whatever happens, this too shall pass.
The article also critiqued the “self-satisfied” elite’s overblown attacks and fears (next Hitler), the overstatement of the significance of Jan. 6, the failure to realistically assess the gross policy failure at the border, the importance of the economic well-being of the middle class, bad COVID policy, the hypocrisy of attacking Trump’s sexual indiscretions by ardent defenders of Bill Clinton, attacking Trump’s business dealings while ignoring overt Biden corruption.
This assessment of Trump is noteworthy:
Who, and what, is Trump? He’s a man and the symbol of a movement. The man is crass but charismatic, ignorant but intuitive, dishonest but authentic. The movement is patriotic — and angry.
Stephens has also consistently criticized the arrogance, blindness and incompetence of the left but has never been this close to almost being deferential to Trump and us MAGA types. It will be healthy for our national discourse when debates about Trump’s actions and policies don’t involve apocalyptic rhetoric, lawfare and mandatory allusions to Hitler. Trump is making some of his harshest critics behave more reasonably and with constructive self-examination. So much winning.
Published in General
There was a time when I was a big fan of Stephens. Then he lost his way. It looks like he’s finding his way back, although the statement above defies that observation. And Mr. Stephens, if we are angry, we are certainly entitled to be!
He and others are so eager to brand others (many they don’t even know) ignorant. And dishonest. I’m eager to brand him arrogant as …. all get out.
While I think you are correct about this point, I’m in no mood for forgiveness. Never Trumpers, IMHO, put Joe Biden in the White House. Untold Ukrainians and Russians are dead, along with many thousands of American victims of illegal alien violent crime all because of Papa Joe. Whether it’s a mark of political immaturity or old man irascibility, I won’t forgive and I won’t forget.
And – they called us stupid, repeatedly.
In doing all that, the only thing the GOPe made plain was their only core belief: that they should be in charge.
The left’s entitlement mentality with respect to political power approaches that of old European aristos and the Japanese samurai class before being brought down by popular movements and revolts.
Not mutually exclusive. We can debate specific policies in reasonable ways while calling for accountability for past wrongs. I suspect Kash Patel and Pam Bondi will uncover some additional reasons why there should be contrition on that side of the aisle and a long-delayed process should unfold accordingly.
https://web.archive.org/web/20241220152643/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/17/opinion/never-trump-republicans.html
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This is necessary, from their standpoint, in order to maintain their self-declared membership in the “elite”. For them to be elite, they must be better than us. If we’re not ignorant and dishonest, they’re not better than us. Since they’re obviously better (they believe), then we must be ignorant and dishonest.
There’s no logic like circular logic.
Stephens calls DJT a liar repeatedly, yet never gives an example. That seems to be an article of faith among the left, that Trump is a liar. Yet if I manage to pin them down I find that every case they can cite is either plain and obvious hyperbole, or a trivial matter of significance only to an ankle-biter, or a difference of opinion.
I say Bret Stephens is a liar and a fool.
I give Stephens about one month to start reverted to tones of disgust. I hope I am wrong. But even I am taken aback by Trump’s public negotiations with Panama’s elected nationalist President concerning the Canal. I never understood the authority used by Carter to give the Canal away, but that was finalized 25 years ago. Now I do not understand Trump’s authority to take it back…except for the authority of brute force.
Well, doesn’t being in the right grant some moral authority? The U.S. built it and protects it. The canal would not exist but for us. If some intergalactic power had built it and given it to the world, and then departed, the canal would quickly have ceased to exist were it not for the U.S. We are the best stewards of the canal that we built.
Nobody really believes that a third world banana state is a fit custodian for a singular resource that’s important to our global civilization.
Maybe Russia or Ukraine will send missiles and drones to Panama to help that country protect itself from Trump’s forever wars.
You do realize the parallels with China’s Belt and Road initiatives, don’t you? If it builds infrastructure in Africa, then it will own Africa, or so it thinks.
I think that’s an opportunistic analogy that doesn’t hold up to a casual glance. We don’t want to control the “nation” of Panama, just the canal. We didn’t entice Panama with a shiny gift that entraps them in debt.
I assert there will never be contrition. I doubt there will be any process for punishment either. Even if punished there will be no remorse. Regret that they lost something but no remorse. There is real evil engaged here.
Fear is so instructive. They have charged arrogantly and incompetently into an existential crisis. They have systematically made an enemy of half of the nation. And they have lied so transparently that they have lost the trust of half of the remainder. Half of their audience. And if Brother Bathos were not fishing these bits from the septic tank, I would never have noticed their whimpering at all.
Were I more engaged I’d look at the actual text of the treaty Carter “negotiated” and the Senate approved by 2/3rds. DJT didn’t randomly say We want it back. He thinks there is significant non-compliance.
Darn. And here I thought I was getting better.
That’s what they all say. They just want to control their property or recover the money owed. Do you think that’s a good thing to be happening in Africa?
Do you think China should exercise sovereignty over farmland that it purchased in the United States?
What else did we not sufficiently appreciate?
Who is ‘We’ Kimsabe Stephens?
Well, I guess better late than never Brett. There are still plenty of your brethren who are still afflicted with TDS.
He thinks he doesn’t trust the CCP operators, long contracted by Panama to run the canal, if the stuff hits the things. The canal is the single most important choke point for security and commerce. Carter did not find the shenanigans related to the US engagement with Panama to be as squeaky clean as his puritan sensibilities demanded, so he washed his hands of it. Shockingly arrogant.
I think we should take that land from them, and compensate them for its value. China is a rival power. Responsible nations do not permit rivals to hold outposts in their interior.
The points you’ve raised today have a common thread – they assume an agnostic view of our nation. Do you imagine yourself above this fray?
I love that photo!!!
Hope you are wrong about that.
That’s the essence of James Earl Carter, at least his public side. His sense of his own superior virtue and purity had to be paid for by every citizen. At the time, I’d say to people that it was a fine Christian thing to turn the other cheek and to spend one’s wealth to coddle the weak, but that it was shocking arrogance to turn everyone else’s cheek for them.
Bill Kristol and his team will not give up the grift.
Nor will the members of the Lincoln Project
David French believes he is the only true Christian/Conservative left in the USA
And to spend THEIR MONEY for them.
And continue to do so.
The whole article is excellent! Thank you.
I bet it is a negotiating tactic over the Darien Gap and the high prices charged our ships. It cost my cruise ship $250,000 to pass through one way. I heard some container ships were bidding up to a million to pass through the larger locks. Granted the drought limited capacity, but still, gouging? Or probably the price needed to maintain operations when capacity was limited. (The lake that supplies the canal also provides water to Panama City.)