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Around these parts, we strive to provide Class A Punditry® no matter where in the world the news happens. So this week, we jump across the pond to cover last night’s stunning Tory victory in the Mother Country. To do that, we call on our mate Toby Young (he of the London Calling podcast, aka Great Britain’s fastest growing chat show) who takes us through all of the machinations and expectations of this historic election. Then, it’s back home where we get a visit from our newly minted Ricochet Podcast Chief Impeachment Pundit, Professor John Yoo, esq. (if you’re not listening to his Law Talk with Epstein & Yoo and Pacific Century podcasts, you are missing out). The Professor takes us through the week’s events with lots of legal insight and analysis with no spin. We wish our good pal Pat Sajak a speedy recovery by awarding the highly coveted Lileks Post of The Week badge to @PHCheese for his post Get Well Fast Pat Sajak and we’ve got a new Long Poll question for you. Finally, Rob attends a Christmas party with a bunch of frogs, Peter is rocking out on Handel, and Lileks will blow your snow if you ask him. Leave your requests in the comments.
Music from this week’s show: Rose of England by Nick Lowe
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Post of the week? For saying the same thing I said a month earlier? And with clever wordplay?
I was robbed.
Yay!
ONE OF US! ONE OF US! ONE OF US!
With Minnesota possibly being a swing state in 2020, a vote there means more than a vote in a deep Blue or deep Red state (I didn’t vote for anyone for president in 2016, but I knew that living in Texas, my symbolic protest was going to have no outcome on the final result, and I remember Jonah saying on his podcast a couple of years ago that while he didn’t vote for either of the two major candidates in ’16, if he had lived in Ohio, he would have probably held his metaphoric nose and voted for Trump, since that could make a difference in Hillary being in the White House or not, where a GOP vote in D.C. is a noble gesture with zero power to affect the outcome).
Yeah. One of the other guys here is in a deep blue state. I didn’t care about his protest vote either. Turns out I was in one of the states that really counted. Glad I held my nose and voted for Trump. He has turned out very, very well. Better than expected. Of course, my expectation was slightly better than Hillary, so not hard for him to exceed expectations.
I’ll give you something to think about. My mind has really turned around on Steve Bannon. Mostly from his long interviews on Real Vision. I think you can see them on YouTube. He has this new thing called ‘war room impeachment’. You can get it on Newsmax and podcasting services. He says it’s very important that people in California get out and vote Republican to validate electoral wins. I think he’s right. He has a very integrated knowledge of everything that’s going on. I think he really gets how financial markets are integrated with politics and how that integrates with the menace of China. We have absolutely got to win this next election. Trump can get some huge changes in before the next bubble pops. I am more and more convinced that Trump is an excellent thing for this country. Just flushing out the evil deep state is a really good thing alone.
Michael Walsh was on “war room impeachment’ the other day. I’ve talked to him on Twitter. He was effectively pro Trump in 2010. The guy is smart as hell. Look at Lois Lerner. Look at how bad we are at fighting wars. ETC. Trump is doing the right thing, even in the face of all of this impeachment crap and his lack of experience.
This country is in a hell of a mess and we need to just let Trump operate. Also the media and all higher and lower education sucks.
I saw some anti-Trumper’s whining about the deficit on Twitter.
This is what I think. When has the GOP ever been fiscally responsible? The debt to GDP started going out of whack under Ronald Reagan. They have never done anything about it. The really smart people say 20 years ago when Karl Rove invented Medicare part D so they could get reelected to finish off Iraq, that was the tipping point. Now is not the time to go full Austrian or whatever. Everyone that bitches is about Trump is a total inflationist anyway. They would have a heart attack if you explained to them what really needs to be done. The neocons and everyone that has a big mortgage would completely freak out. The whole meaning of “conservative’ got destroyed at least two decades ago.
Please get Stave Bannon and Raheem Kassam on the flagship. What is the downside? It’s good “radio” and they are smart as hell. @peterrobinson
If you want lush in a Messiah, you need Sir Thomas Beecham’s 1959 recording with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It’s the apotheosis (a word which, like “ardent,” starts with “a”) of the grand English “you just can’t have too many people doing Messiah” tradition. I believe the score (orchestration begun by Sir Eugene Goossens and completed by Leonard Salzedo) has a part for kitchen sink. Not on Spotify (but the H chorus is). Do not listen if you are subject to hysterical authentic performance conniptions, for it will surely kill you. Park it and Lock it. Not responsible.
Further research indicates that Goossens was commissioned for the orchestration, but due to slowness in getting it done and Beecham’s unhappiness with his work, it was given to Salzedo, uncredited in the current CD packaging.
I protest. I thought you were giving thought to supporting Ms. Klobuchar due to her affiliation with your MSM outfit. Don’t you deep cover Deep Staters stick together????
On a serious note, I understand some of the erosion in NeverTrump support. I don’t agree with it, I still think the man is unfit for the office, but I am less worried now than I was when he was surrounded by Bannon and Flynn or supine losers like Priebus or Spicer. I still think electing him means more unprincipled, not-thought-out bugouts like our sell out of the Kurds; I think we will see more instances of his personal diplomacy, confiscating notes from his interpreter after genuflecting before Putin; I think it’s highly likely that he will cut too many corners and be impeached again, which is why this one should end with a Censure and last strike warning. But the Democrat Party has collapsed as a loyal opposition. Middle America cannot vote for the party of Illegals, Impeachment and Infanticide.
If you’re a #NeverTrumper, you should be planning for 2024 now, in finding a candidate who you like but who also can win over the bulk of Trump’s supporters (i.e. — everyone but the people who just want to vote for the angriest guy or gal in the room). Trump’s going to be the 2020 nominee, and backing a candidate in 2024 because he or she is going to irk Trump’s fans may satisfy the soul but will be a train wreck at the ballot box.
I couldn’t care less. That’s their problem.
Perfectly said. I couldn’t agree with you more.
I’ve said many times I’d be satisfied with a uniter like Nikki Haley or Tom Cotton.
Yes, even the “irrelevant” Republican voters in PRC (People’s Republic Of California) should have gotten out and voted for Trump in 2016 to deny the “He lost the popular vote!” claptrap.
Carter Page was on Hannity for the whole hour on Friday. The Democrat party and the Deep State are going to be so screwed when he gets called to testify in front of Congress.
This is similar to this episode. Batchelor has done at least four with this guy. Really good.
Lileks official workout tanks? Picture of James’ face with “OGH” under it?
BRILLIANT.
How did neither Peter nor Rob catch James’ off hand “And no one understands them but their women.” Those sort of remarks are what make the Flagship worth listening to.
F.A.N.
In the end it’s about recognizing that our worst fears about Trump have not become reality. But that he’s brought out the worst in a lot of folks (mostly the left). Whatever we think of Trumpy Boris, we cannot allow Elizabeth Corbyn to occupy the White House.
Someone should tell Rob Long that George Bush Jr signed a trug benefit program, Nixon expanded medicaid (not to mention he created the EPA), so Republican’s acting less lassez faire capitalistic than many of us might want is not new to Trump and Boris. Semi-protectionist policies to try to get better trade deals is not even in the same league as those other non free-market capitalist policies.
This is 1000% accurate.
43 literally had ACORN at the White House for his “ownership society” nonsense. Get everyone into a house no matter what because homes are going up in price no matter what! It’s the only way you’re going to survive! They are all just a bunch of central planning vote buyers that aren’t that smart. They also lie when they can’t finish off wars. Trump is progress.
The richest, most lush rendition of Messiah I’ve found is the recording by the Bach Collegium Japan. It’s available on Spotify.
Another benefit is that Trump’s actions have forced the calcified anti-Trump folks on the right to expose their true nature. These folks would prefer “Elizabeth Corbyn” in office rather than face another 4 years of Trump rubbing their noses in it and thwarting “norms”. Level-headed right and center-right people will not forget their betrayal. This will go a long way in helping the party to reform once Trump is out of office.
Rob, how does Jonah feel about their getting to you and brainwashing you so that you now believe Devin Nunes was telling the truth? Or maybe he has written his Bulwark column apologizing for smearing the congressman at every turn and saying he was nothing more than a Trump suck-up. Also, JPod is as infected with TDS as Jonah. The only difference here is that Trump’s policy is so beneficial to John and his sympathies there was no way he could turn it around to bash the president with, though I’m sure he made the disclaimer that Trump didn’t come up with it on his own.
John Yoo should just become a regular part of this Podcast. He is great.
He IS a regular. Just not regular enough!
<insert Flipper laugh here>
He really is our Chief Impeachment Pundit and as long as that process is ongoing, he will be making regular appearances on the show (although probably not this week).
It’s probably those McRibs clogging up the pipes.
You know, I was going to put up a similar comment, but I thought we were running a classy joint here. This ain’t the PIT.