Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
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
I know it feels like that, but I am here to tell you that those little bands of volunteers, some praying the rosary, made a huge difference in South Carolina. I reiterate: these are primaries. They are personal and local. Each volunteer is potentially worth hundreds of votes. The overall numbers of voters aren’t that high. You can make a difference.
The risk of miscalculation right now strikes me as massive, and greater than it was at any point in the Cold War, simply because of the number of players.
–I think that 1979 with the Soviet Union on the march in Afghanistan, major allies in South America and Iran falling to revolutionaries and the US Military having 3 weeks of weapon stocks is a far worse world than today.
You summed it up in a nutshell truly.
Why?
Without going through the comments (it’s my bedtime), I cannot think of anything that you personally can do today to avoid any particular outcome in the next election. Why?
The American people are not so capricious as that, and this state of affairs is not nearly so inexplicable as some would have it. Trump is a reaction to the dismal performance and shameful dishonesty of the GOP over a whole lot of years. People can argue all they want about how this meant that, or things are great, or whatever, but as Steven Landsburg says, let’s assume that the proprietor of the theater knows more about running a theater than an economist, and the economist study the proprietor, and not the other way around.
Trump exists, and contrary to all expectations (including mine!) is chewing up the Republican landscape. As in Kipling’s The Mother Hive, this sort of wax moth infestation can only happen to a weakened, demoralized, rudderless hive. That’s today’s GOP. Trump supporters may not be able to explain it — they rationalize (as everyone does, but from a less-focus-group’d point of view) that they think he’s great. In reality, there’s no room for that opinion in even the feeblest of television-addled brains except in the horrific deficit of mindshare retained by the electorate. The GOP has decided that the problem with the party is the accursed voters, and this is a death sentence for any party.
Long time no see, Bulba!
The big picture, even beyond the US, shows it is not business as usual anywhere in the world. Things are upside down, so why should this election be any different? I read this morning concerns of a hot war between Turkey and Russia – then there’s Syria, ISIS, on and on…..
My thoughts are all is not lost. No matter who the candidate is, God influences hearts and minds – He is in control. We’ve erased Him from the public square, so we should not be surprised at the condition of things. Throughout history, God has risen up the most unlikely to fight His battles – David, Saul who became the Apostle Paul, Esther, even GWB when Gore was not giving up – all through history, the Hand of Providence has been there. He can have Trump do His bidding or anyone else. So keep praying!
For Claire – do what you are great at, and that is journalism. The parallels that you draw, the conditions prior to WWI and WWII, the swift changes taking place in Europe and the Middle East, the need for a strong United States again – keep writing and more of it. Your book Menace was s snapshot of what you foresaw then – decline of family, rise of extremism, etc. Keep writing!
Overall, we sometimes, by God’s grace, are forced to live through hell to turn back to Him of our own free will. As someone posted, “what a Lent it’s been”. Get out the Black Book.
The Soviet Union flush from crushing the US in the Viet Nam war, watching a retreating US president sacrifice his allies left right and center, armed with thousands of nuclear weapons and a the largest armed force in the world. What better time to go for broke, with resentment in the air and student riots in Europe. The Soviets never had a better time to take out NATO and conquer Germany than they did in the late 1970s. It is fortunate for us that they thought themselves in such a superior position that they didnt see the bother.
Or how about in 1983 when Yuri Andropov nearly launches a nuclear attack on the US during the Able Archer excercises. Andropov who was shaping all KGB intelligence to make it look like the US was going to launch an attack on the Soviet Union. Read the defectors stories on how intelligence was shaped by the Soviets during that period.
The worst thing that could happen today, is that a Nuke goes off in New York city. Back then we had to worry thousands of nuclear bombs would detonate and end civilization. That is definetly more dangerous than today.
I don’t know Claire. I’ve spent my life in the US, and when I see majority votes going to Bernie and Trump I think maybe I never got a feeling for what the bulk of the American population is like.
Yup. It’s little disputed that much of the beltway population have no idea nor care what most of America is like.
On my recent ski vacation not an afternoon’s drive from my house in Japan, we discovered that there were no Starbucks within 100km. Barbarians!
Who’d have predicted that a casino owner would do well in Nevada?
That’s not to minimize the danger we face. But I would like to point out that a weak, corrupt, or do-nothing President can be just as dangerous in these times as a capricious loon. Our current crises are the result of a President who wanted to be thought cool, and who made that a priority, never engaging with anything that might make him seem like he had to sweat at something. Hillary won’t do that. What she will do is run the country like Boss Tweed and agree to look the other way for anyone who makes the payments. Including Putin. And, if it’s Sanders, we’re putting into office a doctrinaire socialist, a marginal small-town nut common to New England, who is now looking respectable because we bought a suit for him. He has a shorter script than Rubio, and nothing for ideas but class resentment.
Ted and Marco need to get serious. Now.
This as far as I know is the closest we got — closer than the Cuban missile crisis, as far as I know. And it’s exactly this kind of scenario I’m worried about.
Every situation is different. In the present case, we have someone who is clearly a bit unhinged and a danger to the Republic.
It is not a lie if the President says it. (and gets the FBI to clear her)
I don’t see anyone but Trump getting Trump’s voters. If he doesn’t get the nomination, the odds are darn good he’ll run independent. Any way you slice it, start getting used to “President Clinton.”
My post was a fatalistic assessment of the best possible scenario at this point in the race. When Cruz didn’t win a single county in SC, I saw the writing on the wall. And to tell you the truth, Ted would make a fantastic Supreme Court justice and would positively impact this nation far longer than if he were president.
And still I think he will be a better President than the current one. He has no particular ideology beyond a general sense of patriotism. Which I prefer to the status quo.
I suspect many outside of the Northeast Corridor would see that as a feature, not a bug, despite the faux outrage which erupted over Cruz’s “New York values” accusation.
Including a lot of Trump supporters, especially those supporting him because they are in the “Burn it all down” camp.
Seawriter
Side discussion that might be worth another post, or might only be worth a PM: why do you think Serbia’s hopeless? I wondering because I work with several Serbs via Skype. I know absolutely nothing about their current government, and while I’ve picked up the general gist of what happened in the 90’s in Yugoslavia, I didn’t get to see any of it when it happened, being a child & all.
One good thing Trump got is that he loves this country, seems sincere in his love for this country. We can take heart from that. As for Hillary Clinton? Well, Hillary Clinton believes in the Clinton.
Nuts like a FOX!
See what I did there? Now what have you got to say for yourself?
After 108 replies to your question, many simply restatements of how Trump is so horrible, or devolving to Hillary possibly being preferable, I’m ready to answer your question, Claire. Full disclosure, I didn’t read all 108, and I still prefer Cruz, but…
We’ll know next week if Trump is going to be the likely nominee. At that point, if he is, then the smartest and most effective action you could take would be to launch a new discussion about how we could help mold him into a better president through positive dialogue with the conservative community. Encourage all to quit railing against him, embrace him, help him, and make sure he defeats the Satanish cult that is liberal progressivism. Any Democrat elected might spell the end of our mighty and noble experiment.
Be brave! Welcome the slings and arrows! Be another happy warrior. You have the megaphone of Ricochet, which is a larger tool than most have, and you use it well.
And we were assured over and over in 80, “Reagan is unelectable, he’s an idiot, he’s just an actor, he’s an idealogue, he’s too old, he’s divorced, he’s too conservative”, etc etc etc…
People who actually KNOW Trump, like Kudlow (LISTEN to last weeks podcast) think he’s perfectly sane and shrewd.
“Burn it all down” camp?
My fifth grade teacher-in-a-habit told me that is a hasty generalization.
Uh that assumes that Kudlow himself is sane, no? http://ricochet.com/ive-changed-this-is-war-seal-the-borders-stop-the-visas/
“People coming here from France, England, Sweden, and wherever will be upset, at least for a while. There may be some unfairness to this. But I don’t care. Wars breed unfairness, just as they breed collateral damage.”
He’s more sane then most. Certainly more sane then the majority of the Democratic party and a big chunk of the GOP.
I take solace in remembering the criticism of Reagan was that he would recklessly bring us to wars, yet it’s now commonly held that view of him by foreigners was what kept us from getting into wars.
But that point is moot… I have said repeatedly, here on Ricochet since last year, that Hillary Clinton is the next President.
On the other hand, what the hell do I know. I was a Scott Walker man, who folded like a cheap tent faster than I care to think about.
If Trump wins, prepare for the calls for a new Conservative Party, and help rally to it. If Trump wins the GOP nod, he will destroy the GOP brand worse then it already is.
As for me, I’ll be fighting against Trump until the the day he is out of the public square.
But if you actually listen to him, he’s crazy. Maybe he’s just pretending to be crazy, but I don’t think that’s much better. Who wants a President who pretends to be crazy?
Trump’s ideals are warmed over mercantilism, with some swear words, and a tough guy act thrown in. I will fight against him from now till he leaves the public square, or dies.