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George F. Will Is The Umpire On Politics And Baseball
I sat down Washington Post columnist and author, George F. Will in Austin, Texas last month to chat about the current administration and America’s favorite pastime—baseball. They discuss politics in the age of polarization and the future of America.
We also discuss baseball as America’s favorite pastime, and George Will argues it is the sport of America’s future as parents stop letting their children play football because of the dangers of lifelong head and body injuries.
Recorded on March 29, 2018.
Published in General
This was a fantastic interview although I thought Peter should have pushed back a little more at the beginning when Will was being a bit petty about the President (the hands comment).
But not ump on issues of faith. I’m still steamed about his Billy Graham obit.
I agree with this part. Perhaps Will was being petty, but I forgive him, because of the insights the rest of the interview gave us. I was also impressed with, and grateful to, Peter, that he didn’t push back on others things, since he is a Trump supporter.
I forgot: I do disagree with Will about faith, and was disappointed that he calls himself an atheist. I agree with Charles Krauthammer: It is a silly position. Although I am a devout believer, I can understand agnosticism. I can’t understand atheism. How can one be so sure? Other than arrogance?
A great interview. Peter Robinson is the best and George Will is as well..
Will is a true conservative and I agree with him on almost everything, and in this interview he was right about everything, but on balance still wrong.
I think his error is in not understanding what we’ve come to call the deep state. In other writings he’s called it mythical. It’s real and it is no longer checked by the Republic he cherishes and must be consciously and systematically pared back and put in retreat. If Trump helps break it apart he will have served a vital historical purpose. Will’s solution only partially tongue in cheek, is to hope the Democrats nominate Calvin Coolidge as their presidential candidate.
There are understandable reasons for the disintegration of the family and its props, some of them are prosperity as they point out, some are simply innate to human organizations, and some are driven by policy. None of the causes of disintegration will vanish without concerted effort and understanding.
I love the comment that our elites should preach what they practice but the reason they don’t is where he might begin to get a better understanding of the disintegration and while he acknowledges the important difference between a party of ideas and one of factions he hasn’t acknowledged that the biggest faction of all has been the coalition of factions we have come to call the deep state.
I beg to differ. The four paragraphs that follow the praise of a great interview are a whole lot of fury, which signify not much.
First of all, the correct phrase is “The Administrative State”. Because a few people insist upon using childish phrases to signify important thoughts does not make it something that ‘we’ve’ come to use. As for Trump doing something about the Administrative State, I see nothing. What has he proposed? Sure, his people have cut regulations. But, if we get another Democrat in there, that person will just fill the washington rules books with even more rules than Obama created. Has Trump proposed any lasting legislation to fulfill what may be an admirable thought, but with little follow-through, it is just another Trump bluster. This is what Will is saying: Because he has no understanding of government (thinking that a Justice signs bills), he can’t be the one to pare it back.
George Will voted for Ben Sass. Who? I don’t even know that name. And then he says he wishes Hillary had won.
That’s all you need to know about George Will.
I took notes on this interview, to prepare to post here, but I couldn’t keep up because almost every single sentence out of Will’s mouth was so outrageous.
I think I’ll limit myself to his claim that Republicans are the party of ideas. Perhaps. I’d suggest that the Democrats have ideas too, really bad ideas. What the Republicans lack is any sense of interest in acting on its professed ideas.
Will wishes Hillary were president. He says Trump has coarsened politics and is a liar. I don’t know why his brain doesn’t have a spasm just thinking that way.
George Will is an apologist for a failed Republican party that serves only its own power at the expense of individual freedom. Despite his distaste, Trump has stopped both the Democrat race towards communism and the Republicans’ slouching towards serfdom. Trump may not be ideal, but he is throwing a wrench in the system. That system needs to be stopped.
His comments about the role of fathers is good, but that’s easy and he’s been saying that for decades.
It’s time for George to retire, and dream of the days when he mattered. And he needs to do some penance for supporting Hillary.
But at least he’s an atheist. I don’t recall him claiming that before.
Finally, he ends with the doozy that “intelligent pessimism is the definition of conservatism.” I think this perfectly captures his dour style of politics, and is also why I don’t like the label of “conservative.” American doesn’t need pessimism. America thrives when it is optimistic and hopeful for the future.
The fact you do not know Ben Sasse is a reflection on you, not on Will. Sasse is a Nebraska Senator, who is a real shining star in Conservatism today. I’d suggest a little more paying attention, instead of criticizing truly brilliant people.
The fact – and it a fact – that Trump has coastened not only politics but the way we engage with each other is an important point, and to belittle the statement is a cry that someone’s else brain needs work, and it is not the brilliant Mr. Will’s.
And what has Mr. Trump’s throwing a wrench in the system gotten us? Except for the naming of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court (admittedly an important contribution, along with other judges), what lasting contribution has Trump made?
The only thing bad, from my perspective, about the interview, was that we now know that Will is an atheist. I do not think this is worthy of a great mind, and I wish he would rethink it.
Other than that, it would take a lot more than these shallow comments about Will to prove to me that a mind lurks behind them that is worthy to be paid attention.
Trump has coarsened politics? Seriously? And why is this so important? Civility was the rule while communists took over the democrat party and brought us gun control, affirmative action, Obamacare, and we gave ballistic missile technology to China. Civility was the rule while Hillary raided fbi files back in the 90’s. Civility was the rule while social justice “warriors” undermine free speech and freedom in general.
That George Will doesn’t see that civility is not only unimportant but an impediment to regaining our freedom is bad, but that he actually thinks that Hillary would have been better borders on insane. Her corruption is a danger to our republic that goes far beyond his distaste for coarseness.
Trump is neither brilliant nor ideal. But so far he’s the first republican in power to at least do something, anything to roll the ball back.
You could have been better served had you not finished your comment with that last sentence. If the mind lurking behind the comment was so shallow, why did you bother replying? Totally unnecessary. Nothing @skyler said was critical of you personally, Mr Townsend.
I was more bothered that he thought Ben Sasse was someone everyone should be following. :)
I am sorry but this reeks of solipsism, which I know is the zeitgeist today. Why must it take somebody to be critical of me for me to put forward a response. I think anybody who is attacked in such an unworthy fashion deserves to have somebody speak up. Otherwise, If I didn’t write anything, and no one on Ricochet came to his defense, it would seem like most Ricochetti approve of the unworthy poisonous comments directed at Mr. Will.
I will just end where I began, because I think it so important: I wish we could get over this notion that we can just get on with our lives, ignoring when others are attacked, because it was not us. It is not a thought worth having in the midst of a thinking, caring populace.
There are some parts of your comment with which I agree…wishing Hillary were President ??? It would be difficult for me to ever give Will credence after that. Claiming Republicans are the great idea group while they seemingly can’t actually enact those ideas while the Democrats have no ideas but seem to be able to put those non ideas to work in running the government, makes me wonder about the usefulness of thinkers only. I guess they make for great sculpture models
But I have to disagree, and I do not wish to change the discussion, when you approve of Will’s atheism. That just puts another debit in his column as far as I am concerned.
There is a god or there isn’t a god. What we wish to believe does not change the answer. I’m glad to live where professing an answer to that question does not yet land one in jail.
I don’t agree with this either. I think it is an awful mistake. But George Will is still a brilliant thinker, who says many insightful things. I also disagree with his atheism. My whole life has been a refutation of the statement that there is no God. But these two statements do not keep me from recognizing that this is man I learn from. Maybe he has a prospective that I hadn’t thought of. When we stop listening to people who make one statement with which we disagree is when we stop growing. And, ironically perhaps, from George Will’s perspective, this is when we disappoint God, I believe.
I’ve used to read his column back in the late 1970’s and watched for him on TV. He is certainly smart but we are seeing now that in the end he is nothing more than a shill for the establishment. To him it is better to have an extremely corrupt, evil communist woman as president than to have someone who challenges the power of the dynasties he’s propped up. It’s as simple as that.
Will’s animus for Trump has distorted his rational brain. I am neither a psychiatrist nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but that much seems plain as day to me.
There is no point in further communication . I am just so sorry that neither of you wish to really think about all that George Will has said. It has far too easy to dismiss him as a shill for what people today call the establishment, and for saying that his brain has turned irrational. Rather than be angry I am very sad for both of you.
Don’t worry too much George. You’ll get over it.
I thought it was funny…sheesh…why can’t we make jokes any more?
When I saw this posted here on Ricochet, I wondered how long it would take to devolve into the comments section of YouTube. Not long, it seems…
But the point is that Will complains about the coarseness of Trump, yet he joined him right there in the gutter.
This is as silly as it gets around here. And that is pretty silly. Will makes a light comment – less than two seconds – and the people who hate him because he does not worship at the feet of this coarse fellow make a big deal of it. Aren’t there more elevating things to say about this wonderful interview?
I thought it was funny…sheesh…why can’t we make jokes any more?
I really struggle these days because on the one hand, I do not like Trump, and I agree with Will about the coursening of dialogue (which didn’t start with Trump). On the other hand, I stand against the media and their near incessant narrative against Trump. On the third hand I agree he is better than the alternative. On the fourth hand, I find it rich that the people who love Trump because he really sticks it to “the man” seem to be so “thenthitive” to any comments made about the man, even those made in jest.
I guess all I can do is shrug my shoulders and say “whatevs!”
Nah. I don’t like Trump. I wouldn’t have a beer with him. He is doing generally good things, though, better than almost anyone else would have done.
The real issue I have with Will is not that he thinks Trump coarsened politics, which is absurd, but that he really thinks that Hillary would have been better. This betrays that he is more interested in political machines than he is in the people’s freedoms. Hillary has coarsened politics beyond measure, but since she’s done it from a position of power, he thinks it’s okay?
Whatevs.
So are you saying that Hillary wouldn’t have been a fundamental threat to our Constitution and freedoms?
“Why yes, yes indeed that’s just exactly what I said!” he said, with a roll of his eyes.