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Words to Live By, Especially for Never-Trumpers (Part Deux)
Alright, I think it’s safe to come back out again. When I submitted my little piece (same title as contained in the brackets), over a week ago, I intended it to be a small one-off type of observation. It was nothing more than a couple of quotes from a National Review article (and yes, I know that many of you detest the publication) with a few sentences of my own thoughts. Easy-peasy, right?
I didn’t anticipate the number of comments or some of the verbiage that was contained in them; some of which was quite heated. Although I certainly don’t have the literary skills to pour the needed oil upon the troubled waters, I would like to add a few more comments to my original offering.
I now realize that we will never, and I mean never, get past this thing of “Never Trump.” It’s ingrained, perhaps in the DNA, of many folks even here at Ricochet. I suppose that’s to be expected. Looking back at the NR’s famous issue (February 15, 2016) of “Conservatives Against Trump” (which featured a caricature of Trump in a Benito Mussolini uniform) it was easy to see that passions were (and still are) running deep. (For the record, I was an early supporter of Marco Rubio, even if he did have small hands.)
However, as events showed, all that conservative intellectual firepower didn’t amount to (as John Nance Garner so eloquently said) a bucket of warm spit. Still, if you go back and look at that list of folks who wrote their opinions you’ll find that most of them are, grudgingly, holding their fire because they have realized what the alternative would have been had Hillary Rodham Clinton ascended to the Presidency.
And, that alternative would have been four (and probably eight) more years of the policies of Barack Obama. OK, if you have to, go into a dark closet, close the door behind you and think, really think, about where we would be today if that had happened. If, after some contemplation, you believe that we would be no worse off than the three and a half years we have had under Trump, well, then perhaps you should stay in your closet a bit longer.
In a recent NR “Morning Jolt” (which I recommend, mostly to get Jim Geraghty’s extremely well-done opinion pieces) there was a piece by Jonah Goldberg (yes, yes I know that some of you aren’t fans) in which he described himself as “a conservative who just can’t board the Trump Train.” And here, is what we should be concentrating on.
First of all, I don’t believe there’s as many of us on the “Trump Train” as Goldberg believes. I can’t speak for others but, for me, I’m on the “American Train.” If the tracks of the “Trump Train” and the “American Train” are running parallel then I’m fine with it. If those tracks should begin to diverge, that’s another story. In some of the comments made to my first post, there were references to “ET” or “Ever Trump” folks. I suspect that the number of those folks is far less than the “Never Trump” folks.
In terms of what we have at stake in the upcoming election, I was a bit taken aback at some of the arguments which seemed akin to those “how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” disputes, only in a political sense. And, I still wonder how ideological “purity tests” can still be taken seriously when there is so much at stake.
For all you “purists” (to paraphrase Barbara Mandrell), “I was Conservative When Conservative Wasn’t Cool.” I don’t need someone explaining the fine points of conservatism to me. I want “what works” to be the final determinant in any endeavor that the government takes; and I want all government endeavors to be only what is truly required.
Like a lot of other people, I cringe at some of Trump’s utterances. His praise of unsavory characters (read thugs) such as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un was bad enough but his unsolicited “great leader” and “brilliant man” remarks concerning Xi Jinping can only be described as head-shaking. Normally, in another time, this would be cause for me to scramble to another candidate. Today? In the immoral words of R. Lee Ermey, “I don’t think so.”
As I do not have a “fetish for complexity” as our last great President (Ronald Reagan) phrased, I have limited my reasons for staying with Trump to two (and only two): Defense and federal judicial appointments. Without the former we have no country; without the latter we have no society.
Defense
The degree to which our national defense suffered under eight years of Barack Obama cannot be underestimated. Although he frequently mentioned how “inspired” he was by members of our military, his actions frequently belied those words. Obama never understood military culture and gave little reason to believe that he wanted to understand it. I genuinely believe that he (and his many toadies) were caught totally off guard from the reaction of the military rank and file when he brought the deserter’s (I refuse to say his name) parents to the White House for a Rose Garden ceremony. Then, when he sent one of those toadies on a round of Sunday morning news shows to reiterate that the deserter had “served with honor and distinction”; well, that was the end of what credibility he had. At the end of his administration, when he pardoned a treasonous transgender (again, I refuse to say the individual’s name), the military was shown just how little Barack thought of them.
Awhile back, I used the term “hollow force” to describe how badly our military has deteriorated and an individual here at Ricochet sniffed that it was an “easy phrase.” Since I’m merely an old E-8, I didn’t know what that meant. I googled it and the first definition produced by the software was “I’m easy” which certainly doesn’t apply to me; especially since I’ve been married for more than three decades. So, let me go at this from another angle. Please bear with me.
Our military still does have some awesome capabilities. However, much of that capability still resides with our nuclear forces (the “Triad”). Unfortunately, if we use those forces, it will be game over for many of us since two (and soon, four) of our leading adversaries also have those capabilities.
Even discounting our nuclear capability, we can still field an impressive array of weaponry. However, what most concerns me is the state of the personnel who will handle those weapons; that is where the eight years of Barack may have done the most lasting damage. Make no mistake: I am talking about the “Warrior Ethos” along with the military “Code of Conduct.” Although these concepts might be alien to our civilian population, they are absolutely vital to our men and women in the military.
Obama’s appointments, namely the Secretaries of the Army and Navy, were nothing short of disasters. Both Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning and Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus were solid leftist ideologues; probably the reason that they were chosen for their posts. The performance of these two was nothing short of shameful.
Eric Fanning seemed to have been chosen for his job mainly because of the fact that he was (and is) openly gay. I am not saying that being gay should have disqualified him for the job but when he acceded to be the “Grand Marshal” of a Gay Pride parade (in San Diego) while American men and women were fighting and dying in Afghanistan, he appeared to be showing the entire Army what his priorities truly were.
Fanning’s entire mission appeared to center around diversity. Toward that end he worked relentlessly, dogging the Army to install women and transsexuals in elite combat units such as the Rangers. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, the Rangers are “the tip of the spear”; the fire eaters who go ahead of the regular infantry, who seek out and destroy the enemy. It is not the place for those who cannot meet the most demanding standards. Yet. as author James Hasson noted in his must-read book Stand Down, the Army “placed their fingers on the scale” to meet Fanning’s directive. After two women were graduated from Ranger training and received the coveted Ranger tabs, all records which pertained to their training were destroyed.
Incredibly, Secretary of the Navy Mabus was even more destructive. Seeing what was happening in the Army, the Marines conducted an extensive test lasting months, in which rifle companies composed only of men were compared with rifle companies which included women. The testing insured that all training, all tactical exercises and all conditions were equal. Evaluators were brought in from outside the Corps; the testing methods were above reproach.
The results were that the “coed” rifle companies were far inferior to their all-male counterparts. The findings were compiled and sent up the command chain to Mabus. He barely looked at the report before denouncing the entire study as “biased.”
Mabus was equally destructive to the Navy and seemed more interested in naming new ships for social activists such as the USS Harvey Milk. His twin pet projects, diversity and the “Green Navy,” insured that combat readiness would be a secondary concern. As Hasson noted in speaking with a Navy two-star, “…Navy crews out there, you know, on their ass, readiness-wise, and now we have ships running into each other like it’s nobody’s business, and he (Mabus) was worried about freaking green fuel.“
Along with those two ship collisions (which were troubling in themselves), came the incident in which two Navy Riverine boats were captured by the Iranians. The entire incident was disgraceful as it illustrated both a lack of seamanship and a total abandonment of the Military Code of Conduct. The commander of those two boats was an Annapolis graduate but it appeared that he had learned nothing from his four years at the Naval Academy as he apologized to his captors, praised them, and thanked them for their “hospitality and assistance.” As for our civilian leadership, that windsurfing warrior Secretary of State John Kerry did the appropriate groveling before the Iranians (evidently James Taylor was unavailable to warble “You’ve Got a Friend”) and the Americans were released, though not before the hapless crew turned over all the classified material and equipment they had.
It’s worth delving a bit further into this incident. Is this forlorn crew’s performance indicative of a much larger problem? I don’t know. However, for the sake of the nation, we have to ensure that our troops are trained with one thing in mind; that is, to engage and destroy our enemies. Our men and women do not enter the military to be subjected to, for hours on end, lectures on diversity and acceptance of transsexuals into their ranks. They want to be trained to do their jobs; which is to protect this nation. It’s a given that the Red Chinese, the North Koreans, the Iranians, and the Russians don’t give much thought to whether or not they are “diverse” enough. It’s far past time for us to emphasize the “warrior ethos” over the plaintive cries for more diversity.
It’s worth noting that both Fanning and Mabus are hanging around Washington today, working in their own “public interest” companies; patiently waiting for their chance to come back into a Democratic administration, possibly in their old jobs. It’s an absolute certainty that they would continue in their destruction of morale in our armed forces.
Should we give them that opportunity?
Judicial Appointments
This one is easy. Despite his mercurial performance in many other areas, Trump’s selection of federal judges has been commendable. Along with Sen. Mitch McConnell, some of Obama’s damage to the federal judiciary has been mitigated. Obviously, the job is not complete as evidenced by Trump’s efforts to protect our borders. He has had to fight Clinton and Obama judges at every turn.
Until we get a majority of federal judges who have as their “guiding star” the principle of “originalism” then our existence, as protected by our Bill of Rights, will be threatened.
So, what are the choices? I’m unhappy with Trump probably 12 hours out of each day. His fits of pique have greatly damaged his administration. His disputes with Generals Kelly and Mattis were unnecessary. While Trump’s enemies are plentiful (especially in the increasingly irrelevant press), he is still his own worst enemy.
Will Trump let the military keep striving toward that Warrior Ethos? Will he continue with his so-far wise choices for the federal judiciary? My answer is a solid, unequivocal, “I hope so.” However, I do know this. If we return to a country under Democratic rule, the idiocies that have caused our military to suffer will continue and probably become even worse. As for appointments to the federal judiciary, well, you don’t have to be a genius to figure that out.
So, if your hatred of Trump is what floats your boat, go ahead and pull that “D” lever when it comes time to vote. But before you do, think about the country that was run by Barack Obama and some of his cohorts, such as Valerie Jarrett, Ben Rhodes, and Jonathan Gruber. Only this time, think about this bunch on steroids. Owing to the leftward lurch of the Democratic Party, that’s exactly what you’re going to get. “But, Biden’s pragmatic,” you say. Keep dreaming.
Note: I do not shill for authors but I believe that James Hasson’s book, Stand Down, should be read by anyone who is concerned for our military readiness. The author, a Ranger and a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, makes several suggestions as to fixes we can make in improving military readiness.
Published in General
Trump like most Republicans and writers of National review are not principled classic liberals. Hypocrites when power is at stake but that is normal if you are human. Because my expectations were so low and thought we were going to get another Nixon. I have been somewhat relieved and surprised that it turned out better. Does not mean he has done any good long term other than judges. More Trump is a traditionalist (which is what a conservative was before classic liberalism changed names) with his few major issues being a modern mercantilism take.
Traditionalist are always going to be better than progressive. Does not mean I have to like it or think its good for the country.
In the interest of intellectual honesty I have to concede that my primary issues with Trump’s candidacy were wrong; that he would lose the election seemed inevitable (he won) and that he would do the party a massive disservice in doing so (he has governed as a more or less conventional conservative.)
Those points conceded, the President now stands on the on the brink of one of the most winnable Presidential contests in my lifetime, and routinely trails the doddering Biden outside of the margin of error in multiple states which he won against the much-despised Hillary Clinton.
Many of the issues that I had with Trump have turned out to be absolutely correct: he acts like a toddler and anybody who hands him a phone is in the same category as someone who hands a monkey a gun. If Trump could shut up for 3 months, govern as he has and not intentionally troll and inflame partisan and personal rancor, he could win this election merely by proving that he is an adult. His record is surprisingly strong.
But he can’t. He’s fundamentally incapable of rising to the occasion – even though there is a great deal at stake in this election – and even though he has won me over on the merits of his governance, he has in my estimation lost a lot of people who would otherwise be his natural allies precisely because he is a ridiculous boor.
People are tired of listening to him and digesting word salad composed of serial non-sequitirs and nonsense. The annoyance factor of having him up there every bloody day is enough to drive otherwise marginal voters with default-setting leftist tendencies to the polls.
I’m not so sure I can be even that optimistic at this point.
There’s an old joke that works with so many similar groups. I’ve heard iterations of it using Baptists, Orthodox, Catholics, Methodists, Jews, Muslims… you name it. It works best, in fact, with religious groups, and it fits with politics because they are the new religion – one’s worth as a human being now being adjudicated on the narrow nuances of one’s political allegiance. But I’ll use my own to illustrate the point.
Trump is competent. He is sticking to the list of judges provided by the Federalist society. His deregulation program (i.e. revoke all Obama executive orders) created record low unemployment and real wages were going up. He pulled out of the terrible Iran deal. USA is not the largest producer of oil and natural gas. We need more pipelines, but that is not Trump’s fault. He has exposed the cancerous deep state.
I was you in 2016, voted for gary johnson (I live in CA so my vote didn’t matter) but I will definitely be voting for Trump in 2020
you have to judge him on policy not personality.
You have to judge all presidents on policy not their personality or personal life.
Was Harry Truman racist? I don’t know but he desegregated the armed forces
Was Harry Truman anti-Semitic? I don’t know but he recognied the state of Israel in 1948 against the advice of his cabinet ‘experts’ such as dean acheson
for 2024, the leading candidates will be Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis imo
¡JEB!?
Might as well toss this in here, though it’s something you could have assumed happened 12 months ago, if the group had been around 12 months ago…
Only surprise was they waited until Bernie dropped out of the campaign to do it (based on the realization that as long as Sanders was in the race, he might still have a chance to win if Joe suddenly turned into a cross between Howard Beale and Chief Inspector Dreyfus in the middle of one of his podcasts or TV interviews).
What would you have the guy do? He is an outsider. We elected him to throw a brick through the window of the self appointed elites. He is alone, less so than the first year or two. He relies on his family too much but every man’s hand ias against him, including the Obama chiefs of services. The Clinton and Obama years destroyed the military academies. Have you read the letter from the former West Point professor ?
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2017/10/exclusive-former-west-point-professors-letter-exposes-corruption-cheating-and-failing-standards-full-letter/
The examples he gives are females and “POCs.”
First and foremost, standards at West Point are nonexistent. They exist on paper, but nowhere else. The senior administration at West Point inexplicably refuses to enforce West Point’s publicly touted high standards on cadets, and, having picked up on this, cadets refuse to enforce standards on each other. The Superintendent refuses to enforce admissions standards or the cadet Honor Code, the Dean refuses to enforce academic standards, and the Commandant refuses to enforce standards of conduct and discipline. The end result is a sort of malaise that pervades the entire institution. Nothing matters anymore. Cadets know this, and it has given rise to a level of cadet arrogance and entitlement the likes of which West Point has never seen in its history.
Now we have retired generals and admirals running as Democrat candidates and attacking the President.
He tried people like Tillerson but the egos were just too big. He has a few allies now but he had no “shadow cabinet” of Deep Staters who lived off the government to fill slots. Look ate what happened to ex-military guys like the Missouri and Montana governors. Those were planned hits , not accidents.
You mean you are tired. The polls are as meaningless as in 2016. There is a deranged class of leftist Democrats that would vote for Stalin rather than Trump but he is not going to lose to Biden or whoever they slide in once the epidemic is over.
Sure can’t have anyone competing with his ego. That’s one contest I know he’ll win.
If you have to turn to conspiracy theories to explain his failings you’re grasping at straws. The simpler explanation is he just doesn’t do great at some things, just like any other human being and any other politician. He can’t be both god-like and so easily thwarted.
Drain the swamp
a better analogy is: chemotherapy or immunotherapy, kill the cancerous deep state
Wrong. Thats exactly the standard (non standard) the Trumpers want us to have, so they can happily nominate rotten Twitter warriors that are competent enough to nominate judges that someone tells them to. And by this non standard…..everyone is qualified to be president.
If you think FOX is going to run to Nikki Haley while Don Jr is firing up crowds and flooding Twitter with insults and controversy everyday…..you don’t understand the modern media’s fundamental new business model.
Besides…his policies aren’t all that great. A fiscal disaster, with ACA now very popular and single payer on the march. Not hardly worth how terrible he is.
Go on telling yourself that.
The polls were correct in 2016, but Trump’s inside straight of 80,000 voters spread across 3 states was so narrow and unlikely as to be impossible to measure… Or repeat.
So when Biden sweeps through Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, what will the excuse be? That those States are full of never-Trumpers? No, they’re full of people who voted for Obama and then Trump. They’re inconsistent and easily turned off.
They’re also the people most likely to be hurt by what’s going on today, which they will squarely point at Trump for.
For what it’s worth: I don’t want this outcome. I think despite Trump’s obvious deficiencies he probably deserves a second term. People far less objective than me have far more say in the situation though.
Speaking of conspiracy theories, you are doing just fine on your own.
More demented conspiracy theory. I quit Ricochet before because of the crazy NT thing.
Expound please. “I know you are but what am I” is an insufficiently robust retort.
Like Pavlov’s Dog, I am drawn to want to comment whenever I see the word “NeverTrumper” thrown about. But you haven’t heard from me for three weeks. Why?
I am on hiatus, caring for my 89 year old mother on 20 acres in the high desert, keeping her company, and reading a set of 12 Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire books with her, a recommendation by one of my fellow Ricochetti. I just finished book eight, she is on book six. I ordered six more books to be delivered to her home.
My iPad works only if I stand in the kitchen window, aimed at the remote towers miles away. The iPad takes forever for me to find Ricochet. Hanging out with my mother is more satisfying than bickering, especially if it takes 5 to 10 minutes to whip up a snappy response, only to have no internet collection when I try to send it!
When I was a child, I would ask “What’s for dinner Mom?” Now my Mother asks me “What’s for dinner Gary?” The Court has continued most of my hearings to June and July on Its own motion. My beloved staff is holding down the fort, and is getting caught up with doing disclosure statements which are not due until May. I once ventured out to Sierra Vista, but my mother now prefers that I go only to the Dollar General ten miles away in Sonoita, Arizona, which is at the intersection of AZ 82 and AZ 83. There is one cafe in town, aptly named The Sonoita Cafe. I will order six of their meals of half-pound Buffalo Burgers and fries/onion rings at a time. She eats half of one and I eat a whole one at one sitting; this provides four meals. I prepare Eggo’s in the morning, and I have been trained in how to cook hard boiled eggs. I’ve gone out only 4 or 5 times; when I return, I strip off my latex gloves, mask and clothes in the “mud” room, throw my clothes into washing machine and take a shower, washing my glasses in the process.
I have been here for 22 days; the longest I had ever been alone with my mother since in was in college was 5 days one year at Christmas, and I couldn’t wait to leave. Now I can’t bear to leave.
My mother made the mistake of telling me that she needs to exercise. So a couple of times a day, I invite her to talk a walk with me. She uses a walker, and we walk slowly on the graded dirt.
I take great joy in texting pictures to the cell phones of my family and friends. I have pictures of my mother, groceries dropped off by a niece, a purple iris that decided to bloom, a neighbor’s horses who feed on my mother’s land, sunrises and sunsets.
Come to think of it, I really don’t want to debate about Trump today. There will be time to do that when I return. But for now, I am doing what I am called to do, to be a worthy son, who is honoring the Fifth Commandment.
OK Try this.
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/conrad-black-getting-a-handle-on-covid-19s-economic-fallout
“War is too important to be left to generals,” pandemics cannot be entirely managed by doctors and scientists. The North American economy was in excellent condition when this tempest fell upon it; it must be carried through and incentivized to regain its pre-viral vigour as quickly as possible. The hysteria was excessive and we must not, in our zeal to “flatten the curve” and suppress the coronavirus, amputate our economic limbs; a tidal wave of small business bankruptcies would take painful years to heal. As for Canada’s official Opposition, it should defer its leadership selection until this crisis has passed. Then, perhaps, Rona Ambrose, John Baird, Jean Charest and Pierre Poilievre would reconsider their decisions not to seek the Conservative leadership.
Why can’t you see this ?
Careful not to drip tar on your shoes from the large brush, friend. ;)
NR is a spectrum. We’re all over the road.
Agreed: what is the net result of his tenancy? Signal vs. noise, and all that.
But.
What I’ve been enjoying a bit in the press conferences are the moments when he says, as the phrase goes, the quiet parts out loud. In the past when a WH press corps journalist asked a question about oil prices, the POTUS would pretend to listen keenly, then offer a response that wandered off into the talking point the POTUS wished to deliver, simultaneously flattering the questioner, who thinks “I’m having a colloquy with the President about oil prices!” Nothing of substance would have resulted, just boilerplate rubbed with lavender.
When the guy started asking about oil prices, and Trump cut him off to ask him what the price of oil was and the guy waved his hands – heck, I don’t know – Trump just did a lightsaber sweep at kneecap level and moved on. Why? I don’t know. Maybe he regards all questions as having a hostile intent, which wouldn’t exactly be a stretch. All I know is that I enjoyed the sight of someone not treating the DC press corps with the deference they seem to think they’re owed.
It also reminded me that the WH press corps still haven’t figured out how to work Trump. They’re framing their questions to impress their peers. If you want to ask Trump about oil prices, here’s how you do it:
“Mr. President, in the last three years the domestic energy sector has been a tremendous engine for jobs growth, reducing our reliance on foreign supplies and making the US an exported for the first time in decades. How will the historically low prices affect the domestic sector, and can you comment on OPEC’s moves and whether they will help Russia’s diminished revenue flow?” Or something like that. It’s not hard. Flattery gets you everywhere.
Not voting at all, doesn’t really help. It doesn’t cancel out someone else’s misguided vote FOR Biden.
Are you saying that you wouldn’t vote for Don Jr as opposed to… oh, let’s see… AOC? Ilhan Omar? Perhaps Bernie again?
Gee, thanks.
The main point seems to be, has Trump dissuaded anyone from voting for him this time, who voted for him last time? I just don’t see it. Voting for Trump The Unknown in 2016 was a much bigger risk than it is now.
Beyond that, has Trump’s record drawn any to vote for him this time who DIDN’T vote for him in 2016, if only because he was a risk? That number seems likely to be significant, even if it doesn’t include any Democrats.
I’m blind? I’ve not been properly inducted into the Trumpian Gnosticism? I don’t think there are that many people in this nation who would actively destroy it just to get Trump? There’s a simpler explanation in that we’ve invested too much power and prestige into this one government position and we’re all out of George Washington caliber men to fill it? I refuse to fellate dear leader and make myself a subject rather than a citizen? The possibilities are endless, but I’m sure if I engage this conversation long enough I’ll be informed of my true thoughts and motives. Honestly, I don’t think enough of people in general to believe grand conspiracies can be effective. I’m naturally cynical like that.
I think Gary has the right idea. No one’s mind is going to be changed before the election. We in the Remnant should keep our heads down and enjoy the pleasures of home right now.
I believe a man who has spent 50 years in the public eye celebrating his lack of character and his contempt for integrity, honesty and consistency should not be entrusted with the office. You folks are mostly satisfied if he drifts along on adulation and allows conservative underlings pick judges and deregulate. Most of you see him as a Groucho Marx strolling insouciantly through the garden party making the milquetoasts and matrons gasp “well, I never!” – OK. But if he loses to Grandpa Simpson after all the benefits he’s received from his time of peace and prosperity I think a lot of you will have second thoughts. If Satan again wraps him in his cloak of protection and he survives re-election despite his manifest unfitness I will be truly discouraged for the future of this country, I think the Groucho routine will get old in a second term.
I agree with many of the criticisms of Trump. The question I always ask, is “What is the alternative?” . Would be nice to have a good alternative, but we don’t.
@garyrobbins, God and your mother both appreciate you more than Ricochet. Good you have priorities, God Bless, and keep safe.
You could be right. Can we put you down for a Trump yard sign when we put them out this fall?
Nope, but two of my sons are Trumpkins, one has a MAGA hat to drive me into orbit.