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In praise of authoritarianism
Not from me; I say it’s spinach, and to hell with it. But others find it a good election message:
I don’t know if Ms. Berlinski endorses the particulars of D muthafargery. I don’t know if she just liked the swinging’-Richard coq-of-the-walk posture of muthafargery from an internet videosthat cherrypick moments from charismatic politicians who really said some things, y’all. But she’s on to something; weakness is not an effective message in 2020.
Still, it’s hard not to infer a trill of joy that the Ds are doing this, and hence will win. So.
Is it just me, but when the Ds have embraced every statist “solution” and intrusion into the economy, elevated identity politics to a religion, let cities burn, lost their voice when it came to condemning mobs that spatter every civic structure with obscenities, shrug at Jew-hatred when the popular people say it, promise to make citizens of illegal aliens, and recast the national narrative to conform to the 1619 project – complete with witch trials and struggle sessions for anyone who does not parrot the new history – well, perhaps your enthusiasm for competent, ruthless people might be less than enthusiastic?
Maybe it’s just me! But I’m trying to imagine a scenario in which ruthless statists is a concept that makes conservatives stand up and cheer.
Competent, ruthless people weld people’s doors shut to keep them inside when Covid strikes. Competent, ruthless people billyclub citizens who do not wear masks.
Competent, ruthless people enforce compliance with their ideas with every tool in the arsenal – legal, social, economic – because after all, the personal is the political.
Competent, ruthless people pack the Supreme Court.
Competent, ruthless people gun down protestors.
Sorry, reductio ad absurdum there, utterly unmoored from history. Sorry! It’s different in this context, because “ruthless” in American politics means an unwavering desire to pursue the necessary policies through the established system by whatever means necessary, yet scrupulously adhering to laws, norms, and conventions. That’s all!
Whatever: at least we have a standard. Competency is not enough. The necessity of defeating Trump requires not just the absence of ruth but its abolition. It needs a hard, pitiless heart, and this sentiment is best expressed with Quentin Tarantino dialogue to make sure we get the point. You know people are serious when they use the really bad swears.
Published in General
JamesL,
You know I like Dr. Berlinski. However, there is a limit to liking. No matter the IQ, no matter the talent, when the content of your character descends to what I consider the 14-year-old-boy level then I make a full reevaluation. If life past 40 has taught you nothing. If you have the same sophomoric shallow soul that sent you vagabonding around for a decade or two and now past the age of fifty, then there is nothing that tolerance or understanding can do. For such hopelessly twisted opinions, we already have Jennifer Rubin & Rick Wilson. Dr. Berlinski is wasting her life on garbage.
I have never published anything. However, her point of view reminds me of me when I was 14. By the time I was 16, I realized that it was crazy garbage and the world wasn’t like that. If she is the real professional simply on the basis of facile performance, no thanks. I’ll retain my amateur standing if you don’t mind. Even if I never publish a thing there are some destinies that are worse than that. I have no intention of giving in to those demons. Worse yet, I have no intention of assisting those demons do massive damage to this world.
Good post JamesL.
Live and learn.
Regards,
Jim
In the ADHD world, this adaptation is called “hyperfocus.” I’ve seen it and it’s real.
Her father lives in Paris. That may be as close a thing to home that she has at this point. And being a Jew in Paris when the argument is just how fascist is the latest Le Pen during the 2017 election campaign can be a volatilizing experience. The notion that Trump is a Euro-style nationalist/Fascist is ludicrous on its face, but if you are reading the Paris press that would not be obvious. She has the resources to do better, she hasn’t. She has demons.
Let’s call her out on it when she makes a mistake, and she has made many, but there is no call to make it personal.
May He forgive us all.
And as many souvenirs as you can carry!
The other thing I’ve noticed is, it’s absolutely impossible for her to say something intelligent and non-hysterical about COVID-19 policy in the United States.
The “stuff” was painted and plastered over and had to be restored. It was only in the 1930’s and beyond when it was a museum that the mosaics were recovered.
How about the fact it’s under the “protection” of the UN as a World Heritage Site. How about we start a campaign to pressure the Turks to leave it alone.
Being a World Heritage Site explicitly says “don’t mess with this.” They should at a minimum lose that when the first bucket of plaster is mixed.
Tourism is a major part of Istanbul’s economy. Be a pity if something was to happen to that. If you want to express your dislike of the change in status, don’t go.
But Islam is a religion of peace.
Another World Heritage Site.
Never lose that sense of humor.
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Sisyphus,
I appreciate your human concern for Dr. Berlinski. I too have been concerned but maybe too concerned. It was this over concern for her that was personal. My complaint is objective. She has written many books to critical acclaim. She doesn’t need to be coddled. Instead of following her major success, the Thatcher biography, with other biographies of female heads of state, she chooses to continue down a left of center path while exhibiting extreme TDS. I’m sure her followers are pleased with this. My question is why should Claire be pleased with this. If your followers are still rebelling like left-wing college students why must you waste your time pleasing them?
She is better than this. Much better. I wish I could wake her up.
Regards,
Jim
You didn’t mention how he earned his fortune. Sick.
Yeah. Kennedy was no saint.
The guy CAUSED the Cuban Missile Crisis. Krushev sized him up and decided he was inexperienced and weak. If Nixon had been elected, that “crisis” would have never occurred.
Claire is now a complete non-entity. Out of touch and out of mind.
He CAUSED it, by… being elected? Sounds to me like Krushchev caused it by “misunderestimating” him.
I have never heard that that wasn’t a fair analysis that Kennedy caused it by showing weakness in the prior meeting.
That might be fair. It may not have seemed that far out of line to think/hope that relations could be more cordial on both sides, but we know now a lot more about how the Soviets actually were the whole time.
Right, because Nixon also would not have allowed for the Berlin Wall. Khrushchev was using Cuba as a bargaining chip to flip the rest of Berlin.
B, definitely B.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough for a full understanding of Kennedy, Berlin, and Cuba.
http://ricochet.com/443004/archives/book-review-berlin-1961-kennedy-khrushchev-and-the-most-dangerous-place-on-earth/
And how would the Morning Joe crowd ever come to notice that?
They would not. That’s why we have to hope the middle does and encourage ads they will understand.
The last time I got a letter from her it was a note where she insulted Newt Gingrich repeatedly for having the temerity for being a subscriber of hers and recommending people read her newsletter on Fox news.
It was pretty disgusting.
Odd that authoritarian and fascistic methods are frequently defined as “competent” when they are the inverse. It is an irrefutable proof of incompetence in a civilized society to resort to barbaric repression because you can’t win an argument.
And to punish adverse information that is required for your success.