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Jay has a little therapy session with Noah Rothman of Commentary magazine, one of his favorite analysts and writers. They talk about Trump and Hillary, of course – especially the former. And Russia, NATO, and Saddam. And the alt-Right. And the media.
In other words, issues of the hour (and some past hours, and some future ones). After the conversation, Jay said, in so many words, “Thanks, I needed that.” You may like it too.
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Can’t disagree with any of the discussion, but still you conflate Obama’s 8 years of weak misguided policy with what they think Trump meant. I agree he has never thought about any of these things, has zero background in any of the subjects or areas, so we shouldn’t read much into what he said in his earlier attempts to get free publicity. He’s ignorant but he will have adult advisors. Even Newt will sing a different tune in private and he will learn, at least a little, after all he does understand power at one level. Moreover, he is unlikely to be frontally challenged because of the perception of his combative personality. It costs him little during a campaign to make nice sounds about leaders he will have to meet with early in his Presidency. Hillary is not as ignorant, but what she thinks she knows is wrong and she will have the wrong advisors from whom she will learn the wrong things if she is capable of learning anything. We know she can be bought or blackmailed. She will be challenged. These are our choices. None of the above is half a vote for Hillary. Regarding Trumps comments on NATO let us not forget that in the height of the cold war Nixon/Kissinger put forth the notion that our allies should be prepared to carry a heavier burden and that we should be looking for detent. Then along came the balance with China.
When will John Podhoretz appear on “Need to Know”?
How soon will it be before Rob Long and Jonah Goldberg agree to be interviewed on “The Conservatarians”?
Jay has already interviewed Ian Tuttle, so can I expect Charlie Cooke and Kevin Williamson both to show up soon for an in-depth discussion on the election?
It was great discussion, though, unquestionably Jay sounds very tired, understandably as well. I listen to the Commentary podcast every week, and I enjoy Noah tremendously. What I liked most about this and other podcasts, Commentary and Need to Know, is that the facts are hearsed. We get a clear straightforward restatement of all of the problems with Trump. None of us on this site need a reminder of Hillary’s inadequacies. However, it is rare in the discussions that follow any post that the statements and positions which Trump has taken are discussed or repeated. Noah has nearly an encyclopedic knowledge of Trump’s statements. He discusses them clearly and honestly. When I hear that, any waivering I feel about withholding my vote from either party to completely reinforced. A vote for Trump is not a vote against Hillary, it is confirmation that the voter agrees with and believes in Trump. I neither agree with hm nor do I believe he is appropriate to the office. Therefore, I will not vote for him or Hillary.
Well said Eugene.
It’s not about us, nor about our delicate self image. It’s about the Republic and we have a binary choice. One is certain disaster with almost no restraints, the other a risk with great uncertainty and but lots of checks and balances.
It is not a binary choice in my opinion. Your opinion is that it is a binary choice. The difference between a fact and an opinion is that one is irrefutable and the other isn’t. Your opinion is self-serving, just as mine is. Neither of us can prove the rectitude of our opinion. But as a citizen of this country, I have right to use or not use my vote as I see fit. That isn’t your choice to make for me.
You’re suggesting that since I think you are misguided that I’m trying to take your choice away. No Hillary will take you choice away by continuing to build the administrative state. Of course that is an opinion not a fact. There is no such thing as a fact in economics or politics, it’s all abstraction and judgement, all the facts exist in the past and we can know very few of those and none outside of our immediate lives. Economics and politics in contrast is about the future and that is not knowable.
Did anyone else feel really, really old when Rothman mentioned when he changed his major in college? Oh, my goodness…. :)
If I didn’t have guys saying things like this, I might go crazy since so many people within the Republican Party–within what I thought was a “conservative movement” based in a stable ideology–have lost so much credibility for me. (They never meant it, I guess.)
It’s nice to see someone in a younger generation who might relight a torch later and guide us out of what feels like a dark and lonely wilderness.
Just thought it interesting when Dr Rothman said that after Trump losses that white people need to get to the back of the bus. I would have expected some push back on that but guess I should not be surprised there was not.
I didn’t hear that either.
I totally agree. However, I do know enough about both candidates to feel that neither is fit to be President of the United States.