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I Don’t Mean to Alarm Anyone, But …
I reckon the only times in history we’ve seen this much geopolitical instability and danger were prior to the outbreaks of the First and Second World War, and it seems a goodly portion of the American electorate — of all age groups, education groups, racial groups, ethnic groups, and both genders — thinks Donald Trump is the man to navigate our Ship of State through these rocky shoals.
To me, this looks like a distinctly sub-par situation. But it hardly helps for me to run about like a headless chicken, does it?
Can anyone here think of anything I can do to improve this state of affairs? Me, personally, today?
Published in General
Any answer I may give you here would run afoul of Godwin’s Law. You get the idea.
I thought of one more thing you can do: Encourage anyone you know who might possibly be able to do so to volunteer. I gather that every volunteer means hundreds of votes, and hundreds of votes can make a difference. These are primaries. They’re all personal and local. The volunteers matter.
Come on, that time has long since passed. You know what you get if you call the State Department in an emergency? A recording.
I’m honestly not worried for myself. I’ve had a great life. It’s the rest of the world I’m worried for.
Perhaps our flappin our yaps at Ricochet is emblematic of the larger problem. Those of us so inclined and predisposed have found intellectual solidarity and emotional sanctuary in Ricochet and have relished the chance to vet our arguments and vent our frustrations. But all we’re really doing is talking. And that’s only satisfying if you find satisfaction in deliberating.
The problem isn’t the lack of intellectual integrity in Trump’s candidacy… It’s the emotional resonance. His talk is all about doing. And the truth is a great deal of the electorate simply wants to do something about things.
The populist plea… “Do Something!” Trump’s energetic promise is proactive action.
Populism is an emotional tempest and Trump is a perfect storm candidate.
What options are there in storm other than battening the hatches and pray that calmer winds prevail?
This is just normal civilization in practice. The US is going through the decline and fall, assuming Islam doesn’t rule the world. Until we hit rock bottom and people realize socialism and fear tactics and government control don’t work. It’ll just take a few hundred years to fix it again. But that’s what humans do to themselves, and Americans have been voting for more stuff every single time. Well, people deserve the society they vote for. Again, assuming we don’t lose the main war. It’s just a race of what happens first, we lose to Islam or we totally destroy ourselves internally. This is depressing.
Claire, I’m sorry to sound brusque, as I don’t mean to. Alas there’s really no other way of saying it: I think your sentiments about Islam in Turkey (and about Islam in general) are based on fantasy. Possibly you spent all your time in Turkey in major cities, and never got a feeling for what the bulk of the Turkish population is like.
I have in mind especially your rather breathtaking claim from sometime this past September, namely that Turkey’s descent into outright tyranny had nothing to do with Islam.
Where has robust liberal democracy and economic prosperity taken hold in any Islamic majority country?
You, Claire, can do something real about this, in fact. You can write a post encouraging people to volunteer.
“Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”
The above quote was from late-14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus, which was famously referred to by Pope Benedict XVI on September 12, 2006 at Regensburg. The Islam of Mohammed is a perversion of Islam. You have seen the people of the Middle East who are not adherents of this perversion. Unfortunately, they are for the most part the silent majority.
Kathryn Jean Lopez had a great interview with Samuel Gregg at NRO about this perversion of Islam (an excerpt):
Ultimately, the only people who can deal with the theological problems besetting Islam are Muslims. This assumes of course that Islam can change, which I think one would have to say is an open question at this point. The best thing … [to] do is to keep pushing the question of how Islam understands the nature of God, and what that means for Islam’s relationship to the world and to non-Muslims.
An additional reflection, humbly submitted, on this perversion of Islam, and how the world might respond is found here:
Regensburg Revisited: Faith, Reason and the Islamic State
Volunteer. Get your wife to volunteer.
Get everyone you know to volunteer.
I’m a Cruz guy. But at this point I think the best scenario would be if Rubio offers Kasich the VP slot and he offers his first Supreme Court selection to Cruz and they both accept.
President Rubio
Vice President Kasich
Supreme Court Justice Cruz
versus
President Trump or Clinton
Vice President ????
Supreme Court Justice ???????????
I could live with that but a dream itself is but a shadow.
If Cruz or Rubio can’t beat Trump, how will they beat the Russians?
There is lots here to parse. The US military is extraordinarily top heavy with every agenda except imposing the will of the US being predominant, hence getting beat by a bunch of illierate goat herders. Obviously the solution is to put all the failed republican consultants in positions of influence so they can work their magic. Maybe a slogan like ‘unbeaten in the field’.
I know. Get all those steel spined politicians who react to the word ‘women’ or ‘racism’ by scurrying down a hole to hide. I’m certain they would find courage and a nimble mind in the face of a serious threat.
I know. Take the enormous wealth of the US, apply it to the problem, no limits. Trump was outspent in Nevada, out organized, all the best people were opposing him, and he beat them like a drum. Those losers need to be in government so they can have even more money with which to lose.
I was hoping Cruz could rise to the occasion, but he has shown the weakness of someone really smart; the inability to get rid of people who tell him what he wants to hear. The guy who sent out the threatening get out the vote letters in Iowa should have been fired and publicly humiliated.
Rubio is the perfect candidate that satisfies every poll and test group, perfect in every way. Hillary will beat him like a drum.
As for those considering voting for Clinton, I don’t quite know what to say except that your existence answers a question that I have been pondering. How does a place like Detroit happen in a modern advanced democracy?
Take a deep breath, relax.
I’m much more sanguine about Trump since listening to last weeks Ricochet Flagship podcast, the part where they interview Larry Kudlow, who actually knows Trump the person, not the Reality Star who is shown during the campaign.
Maybe you could interview Mr Kudlow, ask him the questions that trouble you, and see if he can answer them for you.
Lance, I think this is a big part of it. But, there is more to it than this, because many of us have either in the past (myself) or present (others) been very much doers on the practical end of politics, as well as leading real lives.
I find that retreating to Ricochet is both refreshing and energizing, but sometimes a wasteful distraction, a temptation to navel gaze too much.
One of the things this cycle has shown is that our problems as a nation and the solutions that the majority of voters want are badly out of sync, and the results will be…interesting.
See, I don’t get that. I’m a Cruz guy too. Come the general, I think Cruz can pick up a lot of Trump voters, where Rubio (GANG of Eight) will lose them. So Rubio should bow out, or take the 2 slot.
You could move. Bernie says that Denmark is nice.
I’d love to believe that. I did when we went into Iraq. Events on the ground shook my faith that everyone wants to live in a Western Secular culture. The reports from men who fought there Afganistain make it sound like Brent is right. I look at Somolia, where were there to help bring food and take out bad guys, and we get Black Hawk Down.
Clarie, are you saying that the Middle East is ready to embrace our style of Freedom? Is Turkey? Can you give examples of how?
The problem with America is an elite who has disdained the people for too long, who have not addressed their fears of losing ground, of losing their culture. One party has answered with Socialism, which has been very popular, and 60% of Democrats, want it.
When you ignore the voters, you get Ceaserism. Here we are. Big Man Politics.
When Rome had this, it was the end of the Republic. I fear that we are at the end of the Republic. God help us, Ceaser was far better than Trump. Rome’s Republic died in a generation of Civil War. God Help us and the world.
Lucy… You are absolutely right that volunteering is a form of proactive activity that certainly couldn’t hurt. But it’s also quixotic. We aren’t at this point due to lack of volunteers… We’re here because a force of nature celebrity is hanging ten on a populist tsunami. Coalescing the Trump delta is the only way to knock him off his board. And no amount of volunteering on my part is going to make that happen. At this stage, we are at the mercy of competing egos… And the power brokers who actually wield the influence to hasten such things. Alas, I wield no such power.
Think this through carefully, Robert. Really ask yourself if that could be true.
Really? Because a large part of the Democratic coalition is vulnerable to Trump. He’s popular with blue collar white voters. He just picked up large numbers of Hispanics in Nevada. Polls show a significant Black support for Trump.
I love this. As a conservative (with libertarian leaning), I’ve been told over and over and over, ” you have to support the Party nominee”. So I held my nose, and voted for McCain, even though he had basically spit in the face of conservatives for years, and Romney, and countless Senators and Reps and Governors who we all KNEW would jump Left as soon as elected, and were proven correct over and over. THIS time the same establishment that wagged its its finger at us is now threatening to sit home or vote for the Democrat.
To me it feels a bit like 2008. The establishment went for McCain, and for the lack of a better term the good-ole-boys went for Huckabee. Missouri was split like a bit like the Civil War with some of the North going for McCain, the South going for Huckabee, and few suburban-type counties going for Mitt Romney. I would guess that the McCain folks are supporting Rubio (or Kasich), the Huckabee voters are going for Trump with some for Cruz, and the Romney voters are going for Cruz but most of the suburban voters have been supporting Rubio. Cruz might win the more religious and rural suburbs with Rubio taking the more wealthy ones.
Virginia had a similar map in 2008, but with no Romney counties. The mountain counties went for Huckabee, and the coastal area went to the Navy veteran McCain.
I guess Cruz won two of the “Mormon counties” last night in Nevada by 44-45%, but I don’t know how you translate that into much elsewhere.
Trump is currently polling 40% in Massachusetts! I think the only current or past U.S. Senator to endorse him is Scott Brown. I thought Massachusetts only supported the most liberal, least crazy Republicans. That’s their idea of a Republican these days? I guess the answer is that they don’t want a Republican. They want a Trump. However, is this the same Trump who is leading the polls in states like Georgia?
No one is ready to embrace “our style of freedom.” Prepared to live as peaceful and relatively tolerant traders, sure.
You’d find most of Turkey basically the same as the rest of Southern Europe. Roughly as corrupt, roughly as rigged, roughly as educated, roughly as decent. You’d unquestionably think, absent any foreknowledge, “This country has so much more hope than Serbia.”
I’m used to “President Barack Obama” but still find it stomach-churning and depressing.
Eat a pint of swiss almond vanilla Haagen Dazs ice cream. Between the delight of each bite and the indigestion afterward, you won’t be able to think of anything else. Or if that doesn’t help, know that you are definitely not suffering alone. Sigh.
I wouldn’t object to a video of this. It might take my mind off the dire straits we’re in.
When in danger or in doubt, Run in circles, scream and shout. Popularized in Herman Wouk, The Caine Mutiny
I think you mean President Clinton. Someone needs to install a lie counter somewhere, like the debt clock, for the whole time she’s in office.
No way Merina – things are unsettling, but that would really be unsettling – a few things Trump has going for him is he is aware of what has gone wrong in this country, he is successful in his profession, and he’s not an establishment lifetime politician who has never worked a real job in their life . You know what Trump is, he doesn’t hide anything. Hilary has failed on all fronts – she is a sham – and she couldn’t manage her own computer, let alone the country.
I have seen Trump before. His name was Rob Ford and he won 60 percent in Liberal Toronto. If Trump wins the nomination he will crush the Democrats. He will give you New York State. You will compete in California. The Democrats will be like the Republican establishment losing there ever loving minds. Unable to react and confused as there party breaks up before there eyes. The Senate will increase its seat margin and congress will be bigger than ever.
President Trump will be a personal disaster, but in the end he still has to deal with his Congress and Senate who will be able to hold back his excesses. He still has to have Cabinet and appointees and he will be reliant upon his party to get those things done. It wont be that bad.
And he likely wont be caught doing crack cocaine. I really think the closest President to Trump will be Warren G Harding. National security in next post.