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So Give Me the Scoop on this CPAC Thing
I’m guessing there’s no better group of people to ask. I want to know what really happened at CPAC. Remember, I wasn’t there. Missed the party. Wasted my weekend on the news about Boris Nemtsov being blown away on the streets of Moscow. No, of course I don’t know who killed him, but I’m not yet at that zen state where I look at that news and think, “Political assassination in Moscow, Kremlin critic lying dead just outside the Kremlin’s walls, who cares, how could that possibly affect the world.”
So after freaking out completely, I turn my attention back to the US to scan the news from the other superpower, the last, best chance of –well, “my country,” as I quaintly think of it. I read, variously, that CPAC is freaking out the Nation because it seemed “disturbingly sane,” and that 25.7 percent of the 3,000+ attendees–half of whom identified as between the ages of 18 and 25–think Rand Paul’s the man for the job.
If I were just casually skim
ming the news, didn’t know all that much about America, my takeaway would be that CPAC made itself look “disturbingly sane” to the Nation–and I’d be confused: Shouldn’t CPAC just look “disturbing” to the Nation? What does CPAC look like to our nation, as opposed to the Nation? What about the world–did CPAC just make our nation look sane, insane, or “disturbingly sane?” I hope people at CPAC were sane enough to be really freaked out by that news from Moscow–were they?
Ricochet is on the CPAC beat and it’s been there all weekend. Looks like we’ve got 21 podcasts from CPAC and lots of people who were there. Which one should I listen to if I want to know, “What really happened at CPAC?” I figure I have a better chance of figuring that out than figuring out who killed Nemtsov. I want reassurance that CPAC is sane, not “disturbingly sane to the Nation,” or “totally insane, full stop.” So I want to know if lots of people there were thinking, “Who killed Nemtsov,” and worrying about the things sane people worry about when that news clatters across the transom.
Or, maybe I could just focus on the really important part. The key metric. It sounds like there were a lot of Washington critics in Washington. All alive and accounted for, as I understand it. I myself find that undisturbing and entirely sane. Unlike that other superpower I could mention.
But yes, I’d find it weird if you told me, “No one there was at all concerned about Kremlin.” It’s one thing to look so sane it confuses the Nation, another thing to be insane, like the Nation. 
Basically, I don’t think Americans are insane. I reckon if you offer them Rand Paul, my fellow citizens will still be the Americans I know, so unless I’ve completely lost the plot, they’ll give you Jim Webb.
Frankly, he makes a lot more sense to me on national security. Or at least, he seems to be in basic contact with reality. So yes, given that awful choice, I’d vote Webb. My loyalty–and my duty–isn’t to the Republican Party. It’s to the United States of America. If I think the American conservative party has gone nuts, I’ll vote for the least-nuts Democrat. I reckon–I hope–that many Americans do share my view. But you’re there, I’m not. Do you?
Published in General
I suspect Rand Paul covets the Presidency for the office, and that in an honest moment he’d confess that he’s not wild about the job description or – wait, how should I say it???, oh yes: constitutional authority and responsibilities (which, in my rough observation, is precisely how 25.7% of today’s 18- to 25-year olds approach their life’s work).
Claire, we haven’t been able to worry about the Nemtsov assassination, at least in the MSM. We have multi colored dresses and llamas on the loose that require massive analysis!
As far as CPAC goes I think it’s awesome we have a significant Ricochet presence there. I have never been but maybe someday we can use the event for a great meetup as well!
I reckon Jim Webb could be regarded as a DINO? While I can’t see myself voting for a Democrat, because I don’t think the party would ever ever nominate someone like Webb, I consider foreign policy to be the most important facet of a candidate’s platform since that is the area a president actually makes unilateral decisions and sets policy.
Straw polls are meaningless except to supporters of the winner. If I am not mistaken, the last straw poll winner who bagged the nomination that cycle was Ronald Reagan.
I do know that the best source for politics in Louisiana won Best State Level Blogger award there. http://thehayride.com/2015/02/id-like-to-thank-the-academy/
If you want a little humor, http://thehayride.com/2015/02/louisianas-own-phil-robertson-wins-the-breitbart-free-speech-award-at-cpac-calls-stds-revenge-of-the-hippies/
FWIW, Robertson is pretty tight in business interests with the Biedenharn family of Monroe, LA. Just so you know the importance of that relationship, their ancestor had two firsts, the first crop duster (and resulting company is now Delta Airlines which they are still very major stockholders) and the first commercial bottling of carbonated soft drinks which happened to be CocaCola and they are very major stockholders of that outfit too along with numerous bottling companies across a several state area. Robertson may seem a rube, but apparently isn’t at all not after building a $450 million empire from designing, manufacturing and selling duck calls.
Claire, could this assassination be an overreach that comes back to bite Putin domestically or is the Russian psyche conditioned to accept that this is a normal result of opposing power?
Claire, you keep talking about Nemtsov’s murder as if it should unduly disturb us.
Why? We know what Putin is. We know what kind of regime he runs. Killing one’s political opponents is hardly unknown. We also know that resorting to cold-blooded murder is both a sign of strength and weakness. For my part, I am just impressed that the woman he was walking with was not hit. Professional discipline on the part of the shooter(s), I guess.
So why be freaked out? We Ricochetti have long called this spade, and the news is true to form. Why be concerned?
Well, that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, did it. Unless we’re at the point that we can’t trust any media organ, anywhere, at all. I mean, even Sputnik agrees it happens, although of course they’re hinting that we did it, and running articles about their amazing willingness and ability to nuke us if we keep making them nervous.
Meanwhile, if you want wall-to-wall non-MSM, non-Sputnik coverage of this event, RFE/RL seem to be stepping up to the plate, as is The Interpreter. So is the BBC. So is pretty much every other news organ in the world. It’s even in The New York Times. (Front page.) And The Washington Post. (Front page). Spiegel‘s coverage is wall-to-wall. It’s all I’m seeing in LeMonde. Same in Figaro. Actually, I’m not seeing a newspaper in Europe that isn’t suggesting, “Holy [unsuitable for Ricochet.] This is the kind of news about which you wig out, big time.” And no one’s got “global warming” in the headlines today, as far as I can see.
As long as people at CPAC were concerned, I’ll assume things are okay back home. I don’t think learning that they were “terrified to the point of shaking, vomiting and paralysis” would be reassuring, but learning that they were “well aware that this is on the front pages everywhere for a reason” would be. If so, I’ll assume that things back home are still sane enough. If the phrase “hybrid Great Terror” was mentioned, often, that would tell me that our Sane Superpower might even still be able to do “advanced sanity.” I can see that normal sanity happened: No one shot our own Washington critics. But I’d like to know that we’re not only still sane, but firmly in contact with the idea that other countries are not. Particularly that one. Emphatically not.
Nemtsov’s murder fits squarely in the “dog bites man” category. How many people “disappear” in places like Russia, China, and Turkey every year?
I honestly don’t know for sure what happened. I know there’s an immediate reflex to say, “Of course Putin did it.” He hasn’t been such a reliable figure of late that I’d fail to reach for that theory first. But do you feel confident that you understand what’s happening there so well as to say that? How much of Russia does he have entirely in his control? Lots of agencies there that he might not have as securely under control as he’d like, I figure. Even possible that one of them decided to take matters into its own hands. From what I’m reading, it was a completely professional hit in a place that he damned well should have under control. But the idea that he might not is in its own way also frightening, isn’t it? And I simply don’t know enough to rule out this idea confidently–which is almost as unnerving, isn’t it?
I think all I can confidently say, based on my limited knowledge, is that whoever killed him was not a friend of whatever fragile stability there is left in Eurasia. As for whether Russians are conditioned to accept that this is the normal result of opposing power–well, certainly more so than Americans, but Russia’s a country where historically, some odd things can happen if people are pushed too far. Remember Yeltsin on that tank?
So … I don’t know. I just know that if you want to convince me that you’re truly prepared to assume the responsibility of Commander-in-Chief, you’ve got to convince me that you’re taking seriously the idea that this could be as bad as it sounds. And that it’s on your mind, and that while of course we hope it isn’t as bad as it sounds, we grasp that if it is, there’s a chance it could be as bad as it gets.
Rand Paul gave a very robust speech focused on foreign policy. He knows he’s accused of being an isolationist and is unfairly associated with his father and doctrinaire libertarians. Whether he actually is as so many NatSecCons say, I’ve seen no real evidence myself. He seems like a freedom loving constitutional conservative to me. As President, I sincerely doubt he could do what all the neo-cons fear even if he tried vigorously. However he would move the needle towards freedom and liberty in this country. You can listen to his speech online if you do a quick search.
Vote for Webb if you wish – being an American first – but I have to live here, you apparently choose not to. So we have divergent interests.
My understanding is that ex-pats don’t have to pay taxes. Swell for you.
Rand Paul is 10x more conservative and would be 10x better for our country than Jim Webb including foreign policy.
Nothing like a Rand Paul to sort out the single-issue Republican voters.
Remember what a splash it made to tell Romney that “the 80’s called, they want their foreign policy back.” Buuuuuuurn!
No, it is really not. You have to go back to Stalin to find something like this. This is being described as “unthinkable”–and until it happened, it was.
This happened right in front of the Kremlin. In an area covered with security cameras. We’ve now entered a period in which an opposition figure in Russia can be killed right in front of the Kremlin. Anything but normal news. Not “hybrid democracy” anymore. It’s as out-of-the-ordinary as a massive political assassination in Washington would be, but Russia’s a lot less stable, a lot more paranoid, a lot more aggressive, and no one is quite sure what this means. Or who’s controlling what.
Very incorrect. Where people got this idea, I do not know.
Franco,
I really like some things about Rand and am not going to judge his foreign policy based on his father’s lunacy. You surely understand the tendency to be concerned though. I do think all the headlines about ISIS etc have taken the wind out of his sails somewhat concerning metadata and the NSA. I watched most of his speech there on C-SPAN and admit some eye rolling when he was setting up his applause line about the government listening to our phone calls. There are times I am turned off by straw man arguments he makes to support positions that I agree with him on. That said, domestically he would err on the side of more liberty not less and that is a good thing to me.
The US is about the only country that does tax its expats.
Hey, what’s so wrong with Mr. Webb?
Are you sure your uncle Sam does not tax citizens on income they make overseas, unlike any other democracy & almost every other country?
I do not see much evidence of conservatism. I wish you’d be as skeptical of a man you are inclined to support as you are of, say, gov. Christie.
I expect him to run for the nomination & lose, possibly in perpetuity. He does not seem to me to attract conservatives, but let’s see.
You pay taxes twice, no? To the US and the country in which you reside.
Then people need to pay more attention. There is absolutely nothing unthinkable or unprecedented about Putin’s enemies being murdered. Or does everyone forget the horrific polonium poisoning?
People who oppose Putin often end up destroyed. It is what dictators do. Being surprised by this is like being surprised by a snowstorm in winter.
Are you calling for more taxes???? RINO!!!
And there are many who are. . . we just might be doomed.
Am I really supposed to believe that you believe this?
Look: I don’t travel to certain countries (like China). Why? Because it is well documented that people like me are not always free to leave.
It is a fact: the Chinese kidnap people who have things that they want. So I know it, and act accordingly.
Similarly Russia is a place I avoid, for not-too-dissimilar reasons. I am pretty sure that I would be kidnapped there, and pumped for information.
This is not speculation. The world is a BAD PLACE. Putin’s Russia aided and abetted the shooting down of a civilian airliner, for goodness’ sake! People are dying in the Ukraine every day. Running around and being “Shocked! Shocked!” about another murder is just silly naiveté.
I’ve been to CPAC. It’s what you might imagine at any family dinner. Everyone loves each other despite some differences.
As for the Rand Paul victories, I’m reminded of the black riots in my hometown in 1970. Many of the rioters were bussed in from far away to make it look like a bigger problem than it was.
CPAC is a Rand Paul riot. Supporters are bussed in to make his support look bigger than it is.
I see only two rational causes for the assassination:
I don’t know enough to pick one. At this point, however, Putin’s power grows only through blatant tyranny, and the Russian people may not put up with that. Surely some people pine for the strength of Czar or the reach of the Soviet Empire, but I cannot really imagine there are enough of them to make it happen.
If you are a U.S. citizen or a resident alien of the United States and you live abroad, you are taxed on your worldwide income. However, you may qualify to exclude from income up to an amount of your foreign earnings that is adjusted annually for inflation ($92,900 for 2011, $95,100 for 2012, $97,600 for 2013, $99,200 for 2014 and $100,800 for 2015). In addition, you can exclude or deduct certain foreign housing amounts.
http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Foreign-Earned-Income-Exclusion
That’s if you live abroad more that 330 days a year.
Mr. Webb is a Democrat and would support Democrats and leftwing policies, perhaps while keeping America ‘safe’.
Are you telling me Paul is less conservative than Webb? What’s your definition?
I trust him as much or as little as anyone. I think he’s prudent when it comes to engaging in military force and I think that’s a good thing.
Yeah, ‘conservatives’ and especially neo-cons, seem to hate him. He might win as a third party candidate. If Jeb wins the nomination he’s got a good chance.
Really? When’s the last time a prominent opposition politician was killed in front of the Kremlin? This is Kirov murder stuff. You have to go back to the 20s for something like this. Killing members of government is indeed new territory. Very.
Apparently Jeb Bush’s followers were bused in for his appearance, as well. Par for the course in politics, isn’t it?
There is something to be said in favor of people who see nothing new here. Those who see the devil in the Kremlin can be serious about it without requiring too much by way of detail or analysis or even confirmation. There is nothing in politics that compares with the ability to distinguish good from evil.
But I agree that people who look at political stuff need to follow events & to distinguish the various goings on & doings. A sophisticated understanding requires it; then again, such humanity is easily & often wounded, so it may be bound to fail. Can one weep for all the suffering one could witness?
Murder is just another form of destruction. Putin destroys his enemies, ideally by locking them up when he can. Lebedev. Mikhail Khodorkovsky – once Russia’s richest man – got a decade behind bars for crossing Mr Putin. Litivenko was poisoned with polonium. And these are just some of the ones we know about! Do you really think Putin got to the top of the heap – and stayed there – without standing on the skulls of his enemies?
I’ve been monitoring Sky News on this – where are the mass demonstrations? Can we assume that the average Russian is either apathetic about this – or afraid to demonstrate? They weren’t afraid to overturn their government before when Yeltzin came to prominence. Yes, the murder is highly suspect. If I were to guess, I would say that Putin or one of his chief deputies ordered the hit. And we may never know. Should Americans gnash their teeth about it? To me it’s just another sign that Russia under Putin is sliding back into an authoriatarian regime and the Russian people for the moment are content to let that happen. Beyond condemning the murder what are we supposed to do?
As for Jim Webb – given the current socialist make up of the Democrat Party – his chances of securing the nomination for President are about as likely as the proverbial ice cube in hell.
Putin wanted. 1. Nemtsov dead, 2. People to be 80% sure it was Putin, and 3. Plausible deniability. That gray area only lends the event power. It’s why people like to quote the old gangster line, “it’d be a shame if something was to happen.” It’s as if he were everywhere and nowhere. No head of state can accuse him, and any head of state who addresses the issue will wind up talking in euphemisms (“we are disturbed by the recent trend of events in Russia…”) and instantly looking cowed, wimpy. The people will protest and Putin will let them. They’ll stick flowers, photos, and childish offerings in a nearby fence (the modern atavistic substitute for religion) and Putin will let them stay there, as a reminder of what a wrathful little deity he can be. They’ll make Nemtsov into the next Lady Di, a cult figure, but of no practical use.
Claire, here is some background information on Putin murdering people:
And this is just up to 2003!!!!
How on earth can you be shocked?????