Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
In the first COMMENTARY podcast of the week, I ask Noah Rothman and Abe Greenwald whether we are seeing a rise in extremist political violence in the United States and what it portends. And then we talk about what it means for the president to have chosen not to take the layup of denouncing Nazis when he had the chance. Give a listen.
Subscribe to The Commentary Magazine Podcast in Apple Podcasts (and leave a 5-star review, please!), or by RSS feed. For all our podcasts in one place, subscribe to the Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed in Apple Podcasts or by RSS feed.
Now become a Ricochet member for only $5.00 a month! Join and see what you’ve been missing.
There are 14 comments.
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
The actual podcast appears to be missing.
The podcast is downloadable from the blue down arrow icon on the upper right side of the post window.
Fixed! Sorry about that.
Podcast focused too much on Trump and missed much of the larger issue. I think the excuse making and justification for the left counter culture may not be in the Atlantic yet, but it has gone mainstream.
I think you guys undersold the problem of political violence on the left and how frequently it has been occurring. Throughout the 2016 election we had violence constantly at Trump rallies, chairs being thrown at the democratic convention in Neveda, Charles Murray attacked, Berkeley Riots, stages being rushed by protesters, etc. All with little punishment for bad actors.
I feared the right counter culture response when many of these events went unchecked by MSM and political elites, we may be seeing that materialize now. I hope this doesn’t continue. I think the right will get this under control and condemn this stuff. I think the right does a better job of policing itself, the left rarely condemns or pushes back on their bad actors.
What draws Americans to anarchy? It’s more than just smashing windows. BY PERRY STEIN
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/what-draws-americans-to-anarchy-its-more-than-just-smashing-windows/2017/08/10/030f92e0-2eae-11e7-9534-00e4656c22aa_story.html?utm_term=.657f6f3ee8e0
Violence from the left should NEVER be ignored, and it isn’t by the regular right. But this Podcast was specifically meant to talk about the actions that went on on Saturday. That was the name of it. To criticize it for failing to address the left is akin to a movie critic attacking a movie because it wasn’t the movie the critic thought it should be. We must address the thing that is in front of us.
What I find objectionable is Dennis Prager’s show yesterday, in which he continued to attack the left, even bring up the folly of the Russia investigation – again! Dennis is obsessed with this idea that Trump can do no wrong. Molly Hemingway did the same thing on Special Report last night. This impulse to defend Trump no matter what he does or doesn’t do must stop.
True. I understand that was the topic of the show. All of their points were valid, especially about President Trump’s failure to recognize and react to the situation properly. I took issue with putting the right and left counter culture violence on equal footing as a appropriate way to frame the discussion.
Charlottesville was disgusting but the events will be reacted to completely different by most of the right wing commentators and political figures. A similar situation by leftist would not be handled this way and right wing violence is less common than Occupy, BLM, AntiFa , etc and not tolerated by MSM. If you read the WaPo link I posted, I think you will see what I mean.
The Tea Party was condemned by MSM as hateful and violent. The Tea Party did not come close to what these other groups are doing. And to me the Tea Party is only movement like this that could actually be considered genuinely right wing. These Richard Spencer KKK types have little to do with policies and direction of the GOP. We didn’t create them and we don’t support them. Putting these groups and movements on equal ground is wrong. The left wing counter culture movement is mainstream, supported, and these nuts get elected by Democrats. The right will not elect or rationalize goons like Richard Spencer. I think you need that as context for the discussion.
Richard Spencer is “right wing” because of these false narrative that white issues are now right wing issues. The right needs to frame the arguments correctly and get these nuts as far away from right wing as possible.
Does anyone have thoughts on Trump motivation to handle events so poorly? My thoughts are…
There is not a thing you wrote with which I take issue. I just don’t want our side (the REAL conservatives) to get hung up on what most of the media and the left do. I think you and I have the right approach, to condemn both sides.
Unfortunately, there are people, like Prager and Molly, who are SO defensive that they ignore actions that actually give the left ammunition.
No such luck.
A Never Trumper is often more nasty than a democrat. Here we have three of them.
Hey George,
Did you see this from the Failing NYTs? It was a sad day when Bret Stephens left WSJ.
Trump, Obama and the Politics of Evasion by Bret Stephens
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/opinion/trump-obama-terrorism-charlottesville-isis.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fbret-stephens&action=click&contentCollection=opinion®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection
This is very interesting.
I would add a fifth: Trump has this need to be liked. It is psychological. He still gives interviews to the New York Times. He will die still trying to convince everyone that he is so smart, and means only good. I hate to access motives, but sometimes it does help. and I truly believe this man has a huge inferiority complex. He tries to make up for it pretending that he is what he isn’t. It is actually quite sad. I would feel bad for people like that but for the fact that, in trying to overturn perceptions of him, his words hurt people, and harm our country.
Continuing: I have a friend like this. She has said the rudest things to me. She is on the left. But I can’t help loving her because she is a good person otherwise, and doesn’t understand why she says the things she does. She would be outraged if she knew I compared her to Trump. But she is so much like him!
I hadn’t see it, Connor. Thanks for the link.
It was sad when Bret left WSJ. I’m sure he got a better deal, though, or, why would he do it? Maybe, just maybe, the lucidity of Stephens might awaken some Times readers. We can always hope. :-)
There are many commentators who have said both groups are actually very close in behavior and motives. The biggest difference is that the self identified Nazi and KKK groups have clear historic references that bring to mind what they represent without a lot of effort. The left group doesn’t have an easy identity. Their methods and tactics and motives are pretty similar, yet because they don’t self align with historic precedence, they are given the benefit of the doubt. I actually think Trump was right in calling both out. The New Black Panthers was given a pass under Obama, and only the right found an issue with them. Hitler wasn’t Hitler before he got power. The issue is power. According to Larry Elder, fewer whites voted for Trump than did Romney.
I didn’t vote for either Trump or Hillary, yet, I find myself defensive of him. He is still a repulsive man, and his manner of speaking is offputting, but the Norks seemed to take him seriously this week.