Quote of the Day - Success and Failure

Seawriter (View Post):

I don’t say conservatives, because this was not a conservative coalition. Joe Rogan is not conservative. Elon Musk is not conservative. Tulsi Gabbert is not conservative. Nor is Robert Kennedy, Jr. Yet they coalesced behind Donald Trump to yield a massive victory for sanity. For the normal members of society, the Normals.

You make a really good point, and one that had eluded me. There have been surveys showing that a large majority of Americans, from all parts of the political spectrum, are opposed to the extreme ideas of the progressive Left, and I have been saying for years that if we just had a political party with that as its platform, it would be unbeatable. Somehow I missed the fact that just such a coalition was forming already, and it just scored a big victory.

One thing that amazes me is that the 2024 election victory was as decisive as it was, despite the fact that it was led by a candidate that so many people find detestable. Just imagine what an awesome political force this movement could be if it were led by a less divisive figure, someone that everyone could get behind. I hope that that is what the future holds, once Trump is out of the picture.

I use Russell Kirk's view of the American Constitution as a conservative document to define myself as a fiscally conservative small federal government advocate. The Constitution is very accommodating to such a viewpoint. That doesn't mean other variants cannot be part of the process and much of that can be handled by states. Those specific people that you have named have demonstrated ability to work within such a framework as normals.

I happen to think that the 16th and 17th Amendments have been big contributors to unnecessary shifting of government responsibility from states to federal. We should have a discussion of how our federal government might look today if the taxation path for federal funding had been tariffs and taxes on common natural resource use and extraction had been taken instead of personal income taxation. Maybe we could still make a change.

I don't want to step on your "quote of the day" @Seawriter because it is an excellent and pertinent one. But I am in for American quotes and will offer the following from Thomas Jefferson's talk he gave to his Albemarle, Virginia neighbors on February 12, 1790, whom he addressed as "fellow-laborers and fellow-sufferers" in "the holy cause of freedom" and he told them:

"It rests now with ourselves alone to enjoy in peace and concord the blessings of self-government, so long denied to mankind: to show by example the sufficiency of human reason for the care of human affairs and that the will of the majority, the Natural law of every society, is the only sure guardian of the rights of man. Perhaps even this may sometimes err. But its errors are honest, solitary and short-lived. Let us then, my dear friends, for ever bow down to the general reason of society. We are safe with that, even in its deviations, for it soon returns again to the right way. These are lessons we have learnt together. We have prospered in their practice, and the liberality with which you are pleased to approve my attachment to the general rights of mankind assures me we are still together in these its kindred sentiments."

He had only recently returned from France and his final response to President Washington's offer to serve as Secretary of State was still pending. He accepted that offer a few days later.

The quote sounds like he could be addressing today's normals. Jefferson does not seem to be calling for emotional reactions to sustain the rights of mankind.

Bob Thompson (View Comment):

I don’t want to step on your “quote of the day” @ seawriter because it is an excellent and pertinent one. But I am in for American quotes and will offer the following from Thomas Jefferson’s talk he gave to his Albemarle, Virginia neighbors on February 12, 1790, whom he addressed as “fellow-laborers and fellow-sufferers” in “the holy cause of freedom” and he told them:

“It rests now with ourselves alone to enjoy in peace and concord the blessings of self-government, so long denied to mankind: to show by example the sufficiency of human reason for the care of human affairs and that the will of the majority, the Natural law of every society, is the only sure guardian of the rights of man. Perhaps even this may sometimes err. But its errors are honest, solitary and short-lived. Let us then, my dear friends, for ever bow down to the general reason of society. We are safe with that, even in its deviations, for it soon returns again to the right way. These are lessons we have learnt together. We have prospered in their practice, and the liberality with which you are pleased to approve my attachment to the general rights of mankind assures me we are still together in these its kindred sentiments.”

He had only recently returned from France and his final response to President Washington’s offer to serve as Secretary of State was still pending. He accepted that offer a few days later.

The quote sounds like he could be addressing today’s normals. Jefferson does not seem to be calling for emotional reactions to sustain the rights of mankind.

That is a very good quote. It really deserves to be featured in its own Quote of the Day post, instead of being buried in mine. I say that sincerely. Please repost it as such. Tomorrow is open. So is the next day. (Unfortunately all of the rest of November is open, except for Saturdays.) Sign up for a day here. (And what about the rest of you? Don't leave LillyB hanging. She is too nice a person for that.)

Bob Thompson (View Comment):

I don’t want to step on your “quote of the day” @ seawriter because it is an excellent and pertinent one. But I am in for American quotes and will offer the following from Thomas Jefferson’s talk he gave to his Albemarle, Virginia neighbors on February 12, 1790, whom he addressed as “fellow-laborers and fellow-sufferers” in “the holy cause of freedom” and he told them:

“It rests now with ourselves alone to enjoy in peace and concord the blessings of self-government, so long denied to mankind: to show by example the sufficiency of human reason for the care of human affairs and that the will of the majority, the Natural law of every society, is the only sure guardian of the rights of man. Perhaps even this may sometimes err. But its errors are honest, solitary and short-lived. Let us then, my dear friends, for ever bow down to the general reason of society. We are safe with that, even in its deviations, for it soon returns again to the right way. These are lessons we have learnt together. We have prospered in their practice, and the liberality with which you are pleased to approve my attachment to the general rights of mankind assures me we are still together in these its kindred sentiments.”

He had only recently returned from France and his final response to President Washington’s offer to serve as Secretary of State was still pending. He accepted that offer a few days later.

The quote sounds like he could be addressing today’s normals. Jefferson does not seem to be calling for emotional reactions to sustain the rights of mankind.

Seawriter (View Comment):

That is a very good quote. It really deserves to be featured in its own Quote of the Day post, instead of being buried in mine. I say that sincerely. Please repost it as such. Tomorrow is open. So is the next day. (Unfortunately all of the rest of November is open, except for Saturdays.) Sign up for a day here. (And what about the rest of you? Don’t leave LillyB hanging. She is too nice a person for that.)

I'll post it tomorrow.