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Ask the Founders: Summer Edition
A couple of times a year, we forgo the guests and open the floor up to you, our faithful Ricochet members. have a question for Peter or Rob? Post it in the comments and they’ll answer as many as they can get to in this week’s show (we’re recording on Thursday at 4PM PT). Ask whatever you like, but please: no math.
Published in General
I am old enough to remember the Goldwater campaign. It seemed that conservatives in those days (al lest in the Eastern US) were nerdy preppies who, content to bathe in their moral/ideological superiority, gathered to expound on Democratic intellectual deficiencies while despairing of significant electoral change. With the remarkable exception of Ronald Reagan, I can recall very few conservative leaders devoted to doing apostolate, assuming the burden of persuasion and taking the message to the masses. Republicans seem to dole out rightish rhetorical pablum when among the faithful and a kind of quasi-apologetic pose in general elections.
My question is, has anybody thought about how Ricochet could be more useful in crafting the language, stories, metaphors, narrative whatever you call it to engage the outside world? Are we just enjoying a safe literate tribal space or are we in any way girding our loins to undertake the burden of persuasion?
Spoil sport.
I think those are the rules for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well.
My Question would be:
Are you surprised by what catches member’s attention? Where we find our differences and debates?
I am thinking of the Spending on Mars debate that was sparked by an off-hand comment made near the end of a 90 minute podcast a few weeks ago.
Persuasion is everything. I wish people were more like Vulcans who respect statistics and arguments but people are ultimately convinced by stories. Trump told a story that people understood. It was a story filled with economic fallacies but it did convince people.
You harshed my mellow right there, Yeti.
Gentlemen,
You’ve approached the Trump phenomenon from probably the same (or close to same) start point, and came to radically different–though ever shifting conclusions. And through that process you’ve maintained an admirable level of comity. How can that be replicated through the conservo-sphere writ large?
Do you think your amiable agreement to disagree over some topics are based on the fact that you had a real-life relationship and knowledge of each other (not in a Biblical way) before you started dueling over Trump topics?
How much do you think the rancor over pro/never Trump is due to the fact that the debate is online?
Related: why would anyone ever join Twitter? I’m not on it, but every podcast alludes to the ravening Twitter hordes. I’ve never heard a positive statement about Twitter, but it seems like everyone’s on it. No entiendo.
Would you be willing to personally reach out to Doc Jay to bring about his return?
When are y’all going to strongarm Lileks into hosting a Twin Cities meetup?
Cough Cough
Thank you, Mr. Hank Rhody, Probably Humble. The point wasn’t that we’ve all noticed Twitter is awful, it’s asking guys of a certain level that’re engaged in the fight (a certain level that brought us Ricochet, no less) on their perspective. Hey, Cowboy, it’s not always about you. Don’t take that wrong, I still think you’d make a great snugglebunny.
Even just to find out that he’s okay…? Did he announce a reason for leaving–I never saw anything. Did I miss something or did he just go “inactive.” I miss him. He was always good for a smile.
You should really get that cough looked at.
Gentle Reminder: We are looking for questions on this thread.
For Rob Long: What’s the best joke he personally came up with for Cheers that made it on the air.
Secondary question – what’s the best joke (that he can tell on the podcast) that he came up with for Cheers that did *not* make it on the air.
Doc Jay left??!!! Gee….move out of the country for a while and the place goes to Hades….
But seriously: You gentlemen are well-travelled and you have had experience with conservatives from a broad range of other nations. What do you see as the principle differences between Anglo-American and other forms of Conservatism around the world? I have regular discussions about this with my CSU Kumpels in Bavaria and would like to glean wisdom and insight from your reading and experience.
Rob, what is your favorite place in the world to eat as a food lover?
Peter, would Reagan make an exception to the 11th commandment (speak no ill of another republican) for the current POTUS?
In a recent GLoP the guys lamented the tendency of liberal pundits to overlook or underestimate the conservative voices criticizing Trump. Do you think that right-leaning pundits are likewise overestimating the extent to which Trumpism is changing conservative hearts and minds? It seems like every other podcast has some equivalent of “I remember a time when conservatives believed in [free trade|legal immigration|civility|etc.]”
Since both Peter and Rob are based in California (well, Rob’s kind of bi-coastal for the moment), do you see the area as being so locked into progressive big government that nothing the state’s politicians do in terms of failed policies or corruption will convince enough voters not to support those types of candidates?
New York (city and state) has shown a tendency over the past century to throw the Democrats out at times, but only when they control both the White House and Congress, so there’s no one higher up in Washington on the Republican side to blame when things are going wrong (and with NYC, the same has to hold true with a Democrat as governor in Albany). Will California Republicans have to wait for a Democratic takeover in D.C. to have a chance to regain some power, if things keep going wrong in the Golden State, or are things so far gone that the majority of California’s voters now are more like the voters in a big city like Chicago or Detroit, where they’re willing to accept quality-of-life issues taking a header off a cliff rather than not voting for Democratic candidates?
Rob: I was wondering how much sharper you were in that VIP meeting in Santa Monica due to microdosing? And when you left the meeting on a scooter to Venice, did it enhance the journey?
Also, how many microdoses do you have to take before it’s not microdosing any more?
Lastly, when did you lose your security clearance? Peter could probably answer this one as well…
How do you really feel about National Review stealing the membership model of pay to comment? Did you get royalties? As NR lives based on the sufferance of benefactors have you thought about stealing their funding model?
For all three founders. Of all the current people alive. Who would you want to interview and why? Thats a question for each of them/
In the mid 2000s the Democrats were screaming about warrantless wiretaps. In the 2016 election, we had the FBI/CIA surveil the Trump campaign and members of the Obama administration illegally unmasked many names of Trump supporters. A few reporters have been covering this (Lee Smith, Mollie Hemingway and Andrew McCarthy), but most of the MSM is ignoring it. Do you think anything of substance will be uncovered prior to the midterm elections and what will lead the MSM to start covering this important story.
The press coverage of the Trump administration has been overwhelmingly negative (90% negative). This follows their sycophantic coverage of the Obama administration in spite of many reporters being thrown in jail over alleged leaks. Today they’re complaining about Trump’s attacks on them. Do they realize how bad this looks? Do they have any self awareness that they need to get out of their bubble and start start hiring more than just one or two token conservatives. It seems to me that they have responded to 2016 by doubling down.
What is your most embarrassing moment?
For Rob, is Cheers really a story told from the perspective of Norm, Cliff, and Frasier? (language warning)
Rob, who did your Cheers characters around and behind the bar vote for 2012? 2016?
Peter, do you ever entertain the break up of the United States with anything other than horror and heartbreak?
Founder Peter/Rob, which American Founder does Peter/Rob most resemble?
I would greatly enjoy if Blue Yeti could work in the following clip to the opening of the podcast.
Not a question, but I’ll see what I can do.
For both or all: what’s your wildest prediction for Election 2018?