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There Is a Principle at Stake Here
A lot of folks joined the self-styled “resistance” following President Trump’s election, either because they believed his election was illegitimate (and probably still do, though lengthy investigations pretty well confirm that they’re mistaken), or because they can’t stand losing and so do it badly.
It turns out there really wasn’t anything to resist, per se, following the 2016 election. Far from creating a fascist dictatorship, the administration set about dismantling authoritarian government programs (we call it “deregulating”) and appointing judges who would favor Constitutional values (we call them “civil rights”) over government diktats.
In the wake of the Wuhan virus epidemic, the administration has continued to distinguish itself by not seizing control of the country, and instead letting the states exercise their Constitutionally protected rights to manage their own affairs as they see fit. Our Governors could learn a thing or two from our President. Unfortunately, that would require a bit of humility on their part, and that is too often wanting.
There’s another resistance growing now, one more significant than the last one. This one is composed of people who, unlike the petulant losers of the anti-Trump resistance, are actually experiencing a loss of freedom at the hands of government. These are people who have surrendered their rights based on an understanding that “flattening the curve” was the goal and the justification, but who are now told that they have to stay home and watch their businesses and livelihoods fail because … well, just because. Just for their own good. Just until their governor decides to change his or her mind and let them get on with their lives.
This kind of presumptuous autocratic nonsense is something worth resisting. The curve was flattened. It’s time for the government to get off our backs. Resistance to this arbitrary exercise of authority is growing. Governors need to listen.
Right now this is pretty much a state by state thing. Most state constitutions protect their residents in the same way as the federal constitution. I don’t know if there are any precedents for how a complaint is to be filed. Most people don’t relish getting cited even if the ticket or summons will be thrown out later.
I mentioned about a year or so ago that Trump acted decisively within the proper purview of a President while kicking things to the legislature to legislate and abiding by court injunctions.
I don’t know if I was believed then (certainly I wasn’t- the comment was directed at Gary), but I think Trump has held up that postulate quite well during this sudden and rather unexpected exercise in Federalism. Up to now, governors were largely window dressing… there for ornament without serving much purpose. The federal state has always been uppermost…
But now we get a nice feel for the experimentation of the states and how that really DOES affect your life. It’s much easier to protest at your capital than at THE capital.
Governor Cuomo has had a lot of exposure and airtime. He spent much of it asking for federal help which he got but didn’t use much of it. He is still doing that in asking for bailout money that will go beyond the NY state deficits attributable to the virus. Will the NY media be sensitive enough to the probably excessive number of deaths of those in nursing homes to go after the Governor for his management failures there?
Probably not. And they can keep Cuomo if they want him. Beauty of the decentralized state – NYers get their’s and I get mine.
Though I feel for the rest of NY having to suffer through NYC’s ignorance.
Federalism is great, until it isn’t. Even in Texas:
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/courts/2020/05/05/dallas-salon-owner-ordered-to-spend-a-week-in-jail-for-keeping-salon-open/
Dallas County’s gotten almost as bad as Austin with their top pols over the past 10-15 years. Will be interesting to see how this plays out, since Gov. Abbott announced Tuesday that salons and barber shops can reopen on Friday.
The judge, aside from being a POC, is described as a “lifelong Democrat appointed by Governor Ann Richards” It’s interesting to see a number of POC officials in Texas acting like Stasi.
Hmm. Time to dust off the “Freedom Riders” strategy.
It was good to see the protests in Southern California actually make a difference, with Newsum agreeing to open the beaches.
I was getting ready to go see if there’s a Go Fund Me page for her, but apparently it’s already got $100K in pledges.
“A lot of folks joined the self-styled “resistance” following President Trump’s election, either because they believed his election was illegitimate (and probably still do, though lengthy investigations pretty well confirm that they’re mistaken), or because they can’t stand losing and so do it badly.”
Trump was legitimately elected. Almost any Republican would have won, due to the eight year itch since the 22nd Amendment was adopted in 1951.
I am a Reagan Republican. I detest how Trump has transformed the positive, welcoming, inclusive Republican Party. Reagan was about empowering people. Trump values loyalty to him over competence or anything else.
“It turns out there really wasn’t anything to resist, per se, following the 2016 election. Far from creating a fascist dictatorship, the administration set about dismantling authoritarian government programs (we call it “deregulating”) and appointing judges who would favor Constitutional values (we call them “civil rights”) over government diktats.”
Yes to deregulation. Yes to limiting government. No to the cult of personality. No to the attacks on anyone who does not 100% embrace Trump’s views of the day, which seem to shift hourly.
“In the wake of the Wuhan virus epidemic, the administration has continued to distinguish itself by not seizing control of the country, and instead letting the states exercise their Constitutionally protected rights to manage their own affairs as they see fit. Our Governors could learn a thing or two from our President. Unfortunately, that would require a bit of humility on their part, and that is too often wanting.”
Trump blew it by not preparing for the virus. Trump had two whole months to get ready. South Korea has shown how (a) frequent instantaneous testing combined with (b) strong contact investigating has works successfully. Have we done that? NO. Where the heck are the tests? Why didn’t the federal government stockpile the reagents needed for the tests? What a showing of incompetence. Any government that can’t get its act together, deserves to be voted out just when a Chicago Mayor was voted out of office for failing to clean the streets after a larger than average snow fall. Even worse, Trump repeatedly lied over and over and over again. Not only did Trump totally fail to prepare for the coming pandemic, he lulled people into sleep. Terrible. Horrible. Trump lied, people died. Literally.
“There’s another resistance growing now, one more significant than the last one. This one is composed of people who, unlike the petulant losers of the anti-Trump resistance, are actually experiencing a loss of freedom at the hands of government. These are people who have surrendered their rights based on an understanding that ‘flattening the curve’ was the goal and the justification, but who are now told that they have to stay home and watch their businesses and livelihoods fail because … well, just because. Just for their own good. Just until their governor decides to change his or her mind and let them get on with their lives.”
Gosh Henry, is it possible to not call fellow Conservatives “petulant losers”? Are you, Henry Racette, calling me, Gary Robbins a “petulant loser”?
You are right the goal was to flatten the curve. Then it was to get a robust testing/tracing program going. Trump still has failed at that. Trump brays that we test more people than any other country. That is nonsense; the United States is the third most populous country in the world, after China and India. But we have not done the same percentage of testing as other Asian countries, and we have totally failed in creating a tracing program. That is what we needed to do. That is what we failed to do. Where are the tests? Where is the tracing?
“There’s another resistance growing now, one more significant than the last one. This one is composed of people who, unlike the petulant losers of the anti-Trump resistance, are actually experiencing a loss of freedom at the hands of government. These are people who have surrendered their rights based on an understanding that “flattening the curve” was the goal and the justification, but who are now told that they have to stay home and watch their businesses and livelihoods fail because … well, just because. Just for their own good. Just until their governor decides to change his or her mind and let them get on with their lives.”
I wholly agree. Why the heck do we not have a robust and effective testing/tracing program? Instead we are treated to Trump insulting anyone who questions him. People ought to be mad. They ought to be made at the government who has failed to create an effective testing/tracing programs. It looks like Maryland may be the first state to get their act together, except that they can’t get enough reagents.
“This kind of presumptuous autocratic nonsense is something worth resisting. The curve was flattened. It’s time for the government to get off our backs. Resistance to this arbitrary exercise of authority is growing. Governors need to listen.”
Yes, there should be anger. There should be anger at the complete failure to stand up an effective testing/tracking regime. I bitterly resent that I was forced out of my home for 40 days while Trump sat on his hands and used his time to self-glorify. I bitterly resent that Trump completely blew the testing/tracking process. I bitterly resent that Trump blew the chance for us to have a normal life.
Trump has stayed in his proper purview? How about his seizing of congressionally appropriated money for his wall, without explicit authorization?
Trump explicitly violated the powers of his office by seeking to use appropriate money for his own personal use on July 25, 2019 when he tried to blackmail/bride Ukraine’s President to investigate Trump’s potential foe. Trump was rightly impeached for this, but only one Republican Senator had the guts to stand up to Trump.
Pardon me, by what are you directing to me?
I am hopeful that Maryland will be successful in creating the first effective mass testing/tracking program. That would be an excellent example of federalism.
Valiuth said it better than me. He wrote:
“Because our Federal Government is run by an incompetent irresponsible idiot, and the political movement that he leads swings from one wild conspiracy theory about the virus to another, mostly in response to his daily ejaculations.
“We failed to catch the disease early and isolate it, like the Korean’s did, and so have gone into a lock down to prevent utter catastrophe, which was supposed to buy us time to set up testing and tracing to help more directly contain the spread of the disease. But we haven’t done that, because we have 50 states with varying levels of expertise and resources spread out across a vast geographic area experiencing the virus in different waves all unable to coordinate among each other. The one set of institutions that are actually responsible for dealing with national threats and problems (and the pandemic is just that) are at the highest levels incompetent and uninterested in the problem. The incompetence of the Federal response, its lack of focus and efficacy are a direct result of Trump’s own disjointed and incompetent nature. The man is not interested in doing hard work, just watching FoxNews for 12 hours a day and performing for his fans on twitter and television. It is utterly pathetic, and by his leadership he is making our nation pathetic.”
See Comment 21 to Ave Korea: Things Will Never Be Perfect, Y’all . http://ricochet.com/754487/ave-korea-things-will-never-be-perfect-yall/
Gary, are you the George Conway of Ricochet?
I believe that it is contrary to the Code of Conduct to call other members names.
On the other hand, constitutional scholar George Conway would be a good person to emulate. He certainly doesn’t have the potty mouth of Rick Wilson.
Gary,
What about China?
Why are you constantly replaying issues that have been decided? Money used for the border wall was adjudicated and the Ukraine impeachment was tried and thrown out by the Senate.
What about the FBI and the behavior towards Flynn and K. T. McFarland?
There are a few questions you could address that your fellow members actually care about.
Gary,
At the risk of turning this into yet another one of those threads: I also am a Reagan Republican. He’s the only President I’ve ever met, and I am content to meet no others. I voted for him twice, sang his praises, and admire him greatly.
The point is, you saying you’re a Reagan Republican doesn’t add anything to your argument. I’m sure that most Republicans would self-identify as Reagan Republicans: Reagan is a terrifically popular President. And most Republicans, by a wide margin, support Trump.
So what you are is a Reagan Republican who breaks with most Reagan Republicans in being in favor of the Republican Party losing. That’s okay, that’s your right. And you’re welcome to see it as a point of pride, even if virtually no one else will.
Hank
Well, let’s start with China. Our issue is not with the people of China, who are industrious and wonderful. (My first girlfriend was a “ABC” or American Born Chinese woman.)
First, we should should have never withdrawn from the TransPacific Partnership, or TPP. That would have addressed China economically just as NATO restrained the old Soviet Union and now Russia. This was a cardinal error.
Second, we should retaliate against China ordering out the reporters of the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post.
Third, we should insist that China come clean on the origins of COVID-19. This is not the first epidemic to come out of China. It needs to be the last one.
Fourth, we need to rebuild the capacity for testing and pharmacuticals in the United States and in fellow democracies.
Fifth, we need to have an American Aircraft Carrier dock next to the atolls that China has built up outside of the Philippines and Vietnam.
Sixth, we could revoke the visas of all children of members of the Chinese Communist Party.
Seventh, we could recognize Taiwan and station an Aircraft Carrier Group there.
Eighth, we could give permission for Taiwan, Japan and South Korea to devel0p defensive nuclear arms.
Since you asked this directly, I’ll respond (and accept that my comment thread will now gone the way of all Trump-centric comment threads).
Gary, your preferred candidate lost the primaries. (Mine did too.) So, rather than support the Republican Party and the winning candidate who most Republican Party members support, you have chosen to side with the opposition party and call for the defeat of the Republican candidate, despite the fact that 80+% of Republicans still support him.
You call yourself a “Reagan Republican.” But in fact you are a disloyal Republican, unwilling to support the man most of your party supports, willing to work against the interests of most of your party because, by gosh, you know better than I do or 80+% of Republicans do what’s in our best interest.
You have placed yourself in opposition to most Republicans, while trying to claim, again and again, that you are a noble “Reagan Republican,” somehow a better, truer Republican than I am.
Petulant? I’ll offer you other adjectives if you’d rather, with arrogant and disloyal at the top of the list. You are betraying your party. I know you think you’re doing it for a good cause. But, when you endorse Biden, for G-d sake, I think you’ve reached a very distorted place.
You should seriously consider leaving the Republican Party, rather than remaining within it and attempting to thwart most of its members and sabotage their efforts. I think that would be a more respectable course for you to take.
Thank you so much. I also don’t want this to become one of those threads.
Reagan had three distinctions from Trump. First, he was successful in his prior life before entering public life; Reagan never declared bankruptcy, and he wasn’t involved in thousands of lawsuits. Second, Reagan was successful in his political life in that he had “hands-on” experience in successfully running California and getting re-elected. Third, and this follows on the second, Reagan was re-elected as President. Presidents who are not re-elected are seen as “failed” presidents, see Carter, Jimmy. Trump by way of behavior and lack of integrity and character, deserves to be a one term president.
I would bet you that if the Reagan Republicans at Ricochet had a choice between Reagan and Trump, they would chose Reagan.
In 2018, we lost women, the college educated, the young and the suburbs. In 2020, Trump is doing his best to lose the elderly. The party can rebuild its strengths with those groups after Trump is defeated.
I am going to step away from the personal stuff for now. I believe that after the election, we will be in a better position to talk. I am not betraying my party, I am calling on my party to not betray its principles in allegiance to the ego of one man.
Trump chose to mount a hostile takeover of the Republican Party. The leadership of the Republican Party failed to repel him. I have just as much of a right to do my best to mount my own hostile takeover of the Trumpican Party, and to restore it to its Reaganite bones.
I would note that some Democrats don’t quite know what to do with NeverTrumpers who have become Democrats. See yesterday’s article at 538, “How ‘Never Trumpers’ Crashed The Democratic Party.” https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-never-trumpers-crashed-the-democratic-party/
Because you’re the only one who knows what’s right for the Republican Party — and you’re so sure about it that you’re willing to work against the party, and almost everyone in it, in hopes that you will teach it a lesson, and not simply destroy it.
I guess we’re at an impasse.
I think so. This is why I am posting and commenting less. Time will tell what happens.
I hope that I will not be tempted to say “I told you so” as that is usually unhelpful.
I hope that I can follow Lincoln’s second Inaugural Address, “with malice toward none, and charity towards all.”
I think that if Trump loses in 2020, we will have a big rebound in 2022, especially if we can find the formula to walk away from Trump and Trumpism without pissing off party regulars.
I also think that once Trump is no longer President be that in 2021 or 2025, a whole bunch of lawsuits and criminal investigations that have been held up due to immunity due to his status will break. After all of the attacks on Biden’s family, a Democratic President will likely be unwilling to pardon Trump, be that in 2021 or 2025.
Regardless of the outcome, Gary, I will believe that, by remaining a Republican but calling for the defeat of the Republican candidate, you stabbed the party in the back because it didn’t share your own values. One can campaign against a party from the outside; doing so from the inside will never seem honorable, at least not to me.
A good man to emulate, Gary!
The way he treats his wife? Seriously? You are a poor poor judge of character
Edit:
Upon reflection, I don’t think I need to spend the time pointing this stuff out for what it is. Our membership knows.
Gary is someone who does not believe in the America people. How un-Reagan can you get.
I don’t know if that is true. I do not see Trump as a “Republican,” but as a “Trumpican” a dangerous variant of the worst qualities of our party with his populism and nativism. It is still my party. I just disagree with our candidate, that’s all. One distinction is that I am not being covert, I am being direct and open with my position.
If memory serves, part of the Code of Conduct is to assume that people are acting in good faith. I appreciate that you strongly disagree with me. But it is possible for you to disagree without being disagreeable. Also, let’s not have this otherwise great thread degenerate into a pile-on on Gary.
Edit:
Upon reflection, I don’t think I need to spend the time pointing this stuff out for what it is. Our membership knows.
I will keep my paraphrase the Great Captain Kirk
Gary: Bryan, In my opinion, you have taken this entire, very important project far too lightly.
Bryan: On the contrary, sir. I think of this project as very important. It is YOU I take lightly.