A Perfect Storm of Tipping Points

There is a tide… and depending on who you ask, Democracy is either drowning in it or she’s catching some righteous swells. With Peter and Rob elsewhere, James links up with guests-slash-hosts Charlie Cooke and Steve Hayward to soak up the vibes. There’s blue check mania and sleeper issues puzzling pollsters; not to mention Covid amnesty and Michael Beschloss coming down with whatever Chris Hayes has.

Subscribe to The Ricochet 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.

Please Support Our Sponsors!

Tommy John

Boll & Branch

Upside

Now become a Ricochet member for only $5.00 a month! Join and see what you’ve been missing.

There are 21 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    I guess Rob had to get cracking on his midterm-elections sitcom.

    • #1
  2. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Trust Biden and the rest of them to think the largest Social Security payments increase in years, is a good thing.

    • #2
  3. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Charles is wrong (where’s that feather?), Facebook and Twitter are not like the people at the other end of the phone.  The people at the other end of the phone are the other users of Facebook and Twitter, that you are communicating with via Facebook and Twitter.  And they CAN “hang up.”  They can ignore, they can silence, they can block…  Twitter and Facebook have that feature, although Ricochet still doesn’t.

    • #3
  4. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    And the main problem with Section 230 is not the existence of Section 230, the problem is when companies try to be both platform and publisher.

    • #4
  5. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Come on James, you didn’t start in at 100-something.  You were there starting with like #12 or something.

    • #5
  6. Charlotte Member
    Charlotte
    @Charlotte

    Man, who knew Charlie was so ripped?

    • #6
  7. Bishop Wash Member
    Bishop Wash
    @BishopWash

    I was surprised by Steve’s remembrance of 2010 and that Obama pivoted as Clinton did. I remember that he didn’t pivot. He doubled down and continued his agenda with a phone and a pen. He won in 2012 because Mittens refused to fight and people didn’t want to be called racist for not reelecting the affirmative action hire. 

    • #7
  8. BillJackson Inactive
    BillJackson
    @BillJackson

    The COVID amnesty was the discussion I was glad to hear. In Deep Blue Illinois, I see so many people wearing masks and — worst of all — kids wearing, or being forced to wear, masks, when we know they don’t work.

    I don’t think until there’s a mea culpa from the likes of Fauci, Walensky and other technocratic lefties that those people will be able to move on. They’ll mask, distance for eternity.

    Perhaps if we use greater specificity in the cause of the recent problems, it might start the ball rolling. Not: “COVID gutted our cities” but rather “Government policies including masking, social distancing and lockdowns gutted our cities.” At least that’s my hope. 

    • #8
  9. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Bishop Wash (View Comment):

    I was surprised by Steve’s remembrance of 2010 and that Obama pivoted as Clinton did. I remember that he didn’t pivot. He doubled down and continued his agenda with a phone and a pen. He won in 2012 because Mittens refused to fight and people didn’t want to be called racist for not reelecting the affirmative action hire.

    Peter Robinson had a good story a while back on how people can rebuild memories to be the opposite of what actually happened.

    • #9
  10. Charlotte Member
    Charlotte
    @Charlotte

    To Time‘s credit, they actually left the cigarette in the photo of Obama. I am guessing that if this cover had come out ten years later, the cigarette would have been omitted.

    • #10
  11. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Wow, could this be the least-commented “Flagship” podcast ever?

    • #11
  12. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Wow, could this be the least-commented “Flagship” podcast ever?

    That doesn’t mean it was un-interesting. It wasn’t.

    • #12
  13. James Lileks Contributor
    James Lileks
    @jameslileks

    Charlotte (View Comment):

    To Time‘s credit, they actually left the cigarette in the photo of Obama. I am guessing that if this cover had come out ten years later, the cigarette would have been omitted.

    Good catch, and I’m surprised! Just think – for one brief, shining moment, smoking was cool again. 

    • #13
  14. Miffed White Male Member
    Miffed White Male
    @MiffedWhiteMale

    The thing about amnesty is, the people receiving the amnesty don’t get to demand it or state the terms – they receive it at the pleasure of the people they’ve wronged. 

    • #14
  15. Bishop Wash Member
    Bishop Wash
    @BishopWash

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    Charlotte (View Comment):

    To Time‘s credit, they actually left the cigarette in the photo of Obama. I am guessing that if this cover had come out ten years later, the cigarette would have been omitted.

    Good catch, and I’m surprised! Just think – for one brief, shining moment, smoking was cool again.

    The media arm of the DNC was in a quandary with Obama in this regards. Smoking is bad, but Obama is cool. They ran reports that he was a smoker and had quit, but would sneak out of the White House to grab a smoke. Worse vice imaginable versus the coolest cat to ever live being rebellious. 

    We recently discussed, but I forget in which thread, about a recent reprint of an FDR photo and the cigarette had been taken out.

    • #15
  16. colleenb Member
    colleenb
    @colleenb

    Bishop Wash (View Comment):

    I was surprised by Steve’s remembrance of 2010 and that Obama pivoted as Clinton did. I remember that he didn’t pivot. He doubled down and continued his agenda with a phone and a pen. He won in 2012 because Mittens refused to fight and people didn’t want to be called racist for not reelecting the affirmative action hire.

    Agree completely your Eminence. I do remember Clinton pivoting somewhat (the old Democrat Party?) but Obama did not moderate at all (the new Democrat/Socialist Party?).

    • #16
  17. colleenb Member
    colleenb
    @colleenb

    Bishop Wash (View Comment):

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    Charlotte (View Comment):

    To Time‘s credit, they actually left the cigarette in the photo of Obama. I am guessing that if this cover had come out ten years later, the cigarette would have been omitted.

    Good catch, and I’m surprised! Just think – for one brief, shining moment, smoking was cool again.

    The media arm of the DNC was in a quandary with Obama in this regards. Smoking is bad, but Obama is cool. They ran reports that he was a smoker and had quit, but would sneak out of the White House to grab a smoke. Worse vice imaginable versus the coolest cat to ever live being rebellious.

    We recently discussed, but I forget in which thread, about a recent reprint of an FDR photo and the cigarette had been taken out.

    Yes. I was going to say that it was pretty well known (at least in the DC area) that Obama smoked occasionally and that could not be bad then because Obama. One of the reasons I mostly watch movies from the 30s and 40s is all the ‘historical’ smoking. And men wearing hats that never came off no matter how much they moved. For that matter, men fist fighting and calling the other men ‘boys.’ It’s just so darn counter-culture at this point.

    • #17
  18. Bishop Wash Member
    Bishop Wash
    @BishopWash

    colleenb (View Comment):

    Bishop Wash (View Comment):

    I was surprised by Steve’s remembrance of 2010 and that Obama pivoted as Clinton did. I remember that he didn’t pivot. He doubled down and continued his agenda with a phone and a pen. He won in 2012 because Mittens refused to fight and people didn’t want to be called racist for not reelecting the affirmative action hire.

    Agree completely your Eminence. I do remember Clinton pivoting somewhat (the old Democrat Party?) but Obama did not moderate at all (the new Democrat/Socialist Party?).

    Appreciate the title, but I took the name from my second favorite X-Men and not a religious title. Used him as my avatar for a bit when someone was giving Miffed White Male grief for having white in his username.

    • #18
  19. Bishop Wash Member
    Bishop Wash
    @BishopWash

    colleenb (View Comment):

    Bishop Wash (View Comment):

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    Charlotte (View Comment):

    To Time‘s credit, they actually left the cigarette in the photo of Obama. I am guessing that if this cover had come out ten years later, the cigarette would have been omitted.

    Good catch, and I’m surprised! Just think – for one brief, shining moment, smoking was cool again.

    The media arm of the DNC was in a quandary with Obama in this regards. Smoking is bad, but Obama is cool. They ran reports that he was a smoker and had quit, but would sneak out of the White House to grab a smoke. Worse vice imaginable versus the coolest cat to ever live being rebellious.

    We recently discussed, but I forget in which thread, about a recent reprint of an FDR photo and the cigarette had been taken out.

    Yes. I was going to say that it was pretty well known (at least in the DC area) that Obama smoked occasionally and that could not be bad then because Obama. One of the reasons I mostly watch movies from the 30s and 40s is all the ‘historical’ smoking. And men wearing hats that never came off no matter how much they moved. For that matter, men fist fighting and calling the other men ‘boys.’ It’s just so darn counter-culture at this point.

    I’ve never tried smoking and hate being around it, but it can look cool on screen.

    • #19
  20. randallg Member
    randallg
    @randallg

    We are approaching a perfect storm of tipping points of gathering disaster as we are up the creek and the bridge is on fire but we will burn that bridge when we come to it. Or something.

    • #20
  21. Charlotte Member
    Charlotte
    @Charlotte

    randallg (View Comment):

    We are approaching a perfect storm of tipping points of gathering disaster as we are up the creek and the bridge is on fire but we will burn that bridge when we come to it. Or something.

    But, it’s important to remember, that only time will tell.

    • #21
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.