Everything Is Broken

We’re back after our 4th of July break (well, most of us are back — we have Ricochet Editor Bethany Mandel sitting in for the vacationing Peter Robinson) and we’ve got another super-sized episode to make up for our time off. First up, the always great Heather Mac Donald, who speaks truth to protestors like nobody else. Then, meet Shermichael Singleton, former political strategist, a former Deputy Chief of Staff at HUD, and a former member of the GOP. Shermichael tells us why he’s left the latter two organizations and it should be required listening at the RNC. Luckily for us, Shermichael is a current Ricochet podcaster and if you have not listened to the Speak-Easy podcast he co-hosts with Antonia Okafor, we highly recommend it. Also, a bit on the Harper’s free speech letter, the triumphant return of the Lileks Post of The Week, and Bethany has a new Twitter friend.

Music from this week’s show: Everything Is Broken by Bob Dylan

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  1. Bishop Wash Member

    lowtech redneck (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    As to the other issue, I want to say a word on behalf of Shermichael Singleton. When Clarence Thomas was growing up, he had a strong dialect. The nuns stressed upon him that he needed to be able to speak The Kings English without a dialect, if he wanted to be respected. Thomas changed his dialect. It took me some time to realize that Shermichael Singleton was black. That shows a great deal of work for him to speak The King’s English.

    Not every black person grows up speaking with a strong dialect, much less Geechee. It was a lot of work for Clarence Thomas, we have no reason to assume it was a lot of work for Singleton.

    Some are articulate and bright and clean and nice looking.

    • #151
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:26 PM PDT
    • 4 likes
  2. Taras Coolidge

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Goldwaterwoman (View Comment):
    I mean Mitt Romney the turncoat who has undermined this administration from day one. I mean Mitt Romney, the candidate I voted for and supported right up to the end, even though he proved to be a huge disappointment.

    No question Mitt Romney has been a thorn in the side of the Trump administration. But have you ever asked yourself what part Trump himself played in Romney’s defection? Romney is a lifelong Republican with impeccable credentials who found himself opposing a Republican President. Why would he do that?

     

    I know Mitch Romney was the liberal Republican Governor of Massachusetts, very much an outlier in the context of the national party.

    How strong is the evidence that he was ever a conservative?

    • #152
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:28 PM PDT
    • 3 likes
  3. RufusRJones Member

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):
    Romney is a lifelong Republican with impeccable credentials

    I don’t know what you are talking about. I would say they are average. 

    • #153
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:28 PM PDT
    • 2 likes
  4. Blue Yeti Admin

    RufusRJones (View Comment):
    If you keep up with the news, he’s going to be controlled by the far left. 

    I think there is a lot of merit to this fear. That President Trump has been unable to make this case to voters is extremely troubling. Should be easy for him. Why can’t he do it and why are so few Republicans willing to help him? 🤔

    • #154
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:28 PM PDT
    • 1 like
  5. RufusRJones Member

    Regarding this “King’s English” stuff, please listen to the Libby Emmons interview. The left wants you to “other-ize” everyone they can. Forget that.

    • #155
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:31 PM PDT
    • 1 like
  6. lowtech redneck Coolidge

    Bishop Wash (View Comment):

    lowtech redneck (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    As to the other issue, I want to say a word on behalf of Shermichael Singleton. When Clarence Thomas was growing up, he had a strong dialect. The nuns stressed upon him that he needed to be able to speak The Kings English without a dialect, if he wanted to be respected. Thomas changed his dialect. It took me some time to realize that Shermichael Singleton was black. That shows a great deal of work for him to speak The King’s English.

    Not every black person grows up speaking with a strong dialect, much less Geechee. It was a lot of work for Clarence Thomas, we have no reason to assume it was a lot of work for Singleton.

    Some are articulate and bright and clean and nice looking.

    Biden couldn’t have said it better.

    • #156
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:31 PM PDT
    • 6 likes
  7. Blue Yeti Admin

    rdowhower (View Comment):
    @Blue Yeti Methinks thou doth protest too much…obviously this was a bomb of a podcast for many reasons.

    We’re at 155+ comments in ~48 hours with no sign of slowing down. Have not seen the download numbers yet, but I expect that they will be strong. Those are the only two metrics I really care about, so if this show is a bomb, gimme more bombs.

    • #157
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:32 PM PDT
    • 2 likes
  8. Bishop Wash Member

    Taras (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Goldwaterwoman (View Comment):
    I mean Mitt Romney the turncoat who has undermined this administration from day one. I mean Mitt Romney, the candidate I voted for and supported right up to the end, even though he proved to be a huge disappointment.

    No question Mitt Romney has been a thorn in the side of the Trump administration. But have you ever asked yourself what part Trump himself played in Romney’s defection? Romney is a lifelong Republican with impeccable credentials who found himself opposing a Republican President. Why would he do that?

     

    I know Mitch Romney was the liberal Republican Governor of Massachusetts, very much an outlier in the context of the national party.

    How strong is the evidence that he was ever a conservative?

    He’s severely conservative.

    • #158
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:34 PM PDT
    • Like
  9. Blue Yeti Admin

    RufusRJones (View Comment):
    I don’t know what you are talking about. I would say they are average. 

    A governor, the nominee of his party, a Senator. Plus the pedigree of his father. Very few other Republicans have a resume like that. 

    You may disagree with his policies and his positions on the issues. But he is one of the most successful Republican politicians of his generation. 

    • #159
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:36 PM PDT
    • 1 like
  10. lowtech redneck Coolidge

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    why are so few Republicans willing to help him? 🤔

    Because they are by and large feckless cowards and prostitutes for culturally progressive corporate donors.

     

    • #160
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:36 PM PDT
    • 3 likes
  11. RufusRJones Member

    I don’t mind GOP flip floppers or RINOs or whatever you want to call it as long as they try like hell to limit the damage.

    John McCain never upset me very much until that ACA vote.

    • #161
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:38 PM PDT
    • 2 likes
  12. Bishop Wash Member

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Goldwaterwoman (View Comment):
    I mean Mitt Romney the turncoat who has undermined this administration from day one. I mean Mitt Romney, the candidate I voted for and supported right up to the end, even though he proved to be a huge disappointment.

    No question Mitt Romney has been a thorn in the side of the Trump administration. But have you ever asked yourself what part Trump himself played in Romney’s defection? Romney is a lifelong Republican with impeccable credentials

    He killed a woman by giving her cancer, strapped a dog to the roof of his car on a cross-country trip, kept women in binders, and tackled a student in high school to give him a haircut. That’s just what I remember off the top of my head.

    • #162
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:39 PM PDT
    • 2 likes
  13. Blue Yeti Admin

    Taras (View Comment):
    I know Mitch Romney was the liberal Republican Governor of Massachusetts, very much an outlier in the context of the national party.

    How strong is the evidence that he was ever a conservative?

    He turned a deep blue state —one of the deepest blue given the Kennedy’s influence there— red (or at least pink). That he did not or could not govern it like Texas is simply a political reality. Still much better having Mitt Romney run that state instead of someone like Cuomo, Whitmore, (or speaking selfishly for myself here) Newsome.

    Regardless, he’s now the junior Senator from one of the most conservative states in the country, and his lack of support for President Trump seems to have cost him very little in terms of popularity and approval ratings in his own state. Did Utah suddenly turn squishy or is something else going on here?

    • #163
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:40 PM PDT
    • 1 like
  14. RufusRJones Member

    I forget who it is, but one of the major members of ricochet from Massachusetts says that Romney toned down Massachusetts care quite a bit because it was going to be inevitable anyway. It wouldn’t have done any good for him to go full frontal on it.

    • #164
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:43 PM PDT
    • 1 like
  15. Bishop Wash Member

    lowtech redneck (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    why are so few Republicans willing to help him? 🤔

    Because they are by and large feckless cowards and prostitutes for culturally progressive corporate donors.

    Plus they have a lot invested in telling us how horrible his presidency was going to be and then it turned out to be successful. They’ve now gone with the “remember the bad stuff we told you would happen but didn’t–it’s going to happen in the second term when he doesn’t have to face reelection” gambit. 

    • #165
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:45 PM PDT
    • 3 likes
  16. OccupantCDN Coolidge

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Goldwaterwoman (View Comment):
    I mean Mitt Romney the turncoat who has undermined this administration from day one. I mean Mitt Romney, the candidate I voted for and supported right up to the end, even though he proved to be a huge disappointment.

    No question Mitt Romney has been a thorn in the side of the Trump administration. But have you ever asked yourself what part Trump himself played in Romney’s defection? Romney is a lifelong Republican with impeccable credentials who found himself opposing a Republican President. Why would he do that?

     

    Because Romney is a ripe peach, his ego got bruised and his feeling hurt. IF he had half the gumption to stand up for himself when he was unfairly smeared by the press and democrats operatives (apologies for the redundancy) He would have been president. Just ONCE. IF he corrected Candy Crowley – if he had objected to being called a murderer… IF he’d once one time stood up for himself. He would’ve been President. IF he wouldnt stand up for himself, why would any voter expect him to stand in for them. So Obama won an election that he should have lost. Now he’s more interested in slights against his fragile ego than he is in policy.

    Now, Trump should know this and stop rubbing salt in the wounds. Trump could have Romney’s grudging policy support and votes when it counts. IF only he could stop picking at it.

    • #166
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:46 PM PDT
    • 6 likes
  17. Blue Yeti Admin

    lowtech redneck (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    why are so few Republicans willing to help him? 🤔Because they are by and large feckless cowards and prostitutes for culturally progressive corporate donors.Yes, it’s alway someone else’s fault on Planet Trump. Must be nice to have zero responsibility for one’s actions and statements. Wish I could get that deal.

    It would be so much easier for these so-called “feckless cowards and prostitutes for culturally progressive corporate donors” to support the candidate, sorry; the incumbent (!) from THEIR OWN PARTY. Yet they can’t or won’t do it, even half-heartedly. Doesn’t that tell you something?

    • #167
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:49 PM PDT
    • 2 likes
  18. OccupantCDN Coolidge

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    lowtech redneck (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    why are so few Republicans willing to help him? 🤔

    Because they are by and large feckless cowards and prostitutes for culturally progressive corporate donors.

    Yes, it’s alway someone else’s fault on Planet Trump. Must be nice to have zero responsibility for one’s actions and statements. Wish I could get that deal.

    No Trump is to blame for his lack of traction within the Republican party.

    He’s at best a fair weather friend. He expects a lot of loyalty but does little to reward that loyalty. Look at the example of Jeff Sessions.

    • #168
    • July 12, 2020, at 12:57 PM PDT
    • 3 likes
  19. lowtech redneck Coolidge

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    lowtech redneck (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    why are so few Republicans willing to help him? 🤔

    Because they are by and large feckless cowards and prostitutes for culturally progressive corporate donors.

     Must be nice to have zero responsibility for one’s actions and statements. 

    Yeah, the dastard even got two scoops of ice cream, and got away with it.

     

    • #169
    • July 12, 2020, at 1:03 PM PDT
    • 1 like
  20. Blue Yeti Admin

    Bishop Wash (View Comment):
    Plus they have a lot invested in telling us how horrible his presidency was going to be and then it turned out to be successful. They’ve now gone with the “remember the bad stuff we told you would happen but didn’t–it’s going to happen in the second term when he doesn’t have to face reelection” gambit. 

    This line of argument would have played great last January. Now, not so much.

    The pandemic was not Trump’s fault. But his management of it, and the results of of his management —fairly or unfairly— are on his watch. That’s just a political reality and we’d be making that argument if Hillary had won. 

    • #170
    • July 12, 2020, at 1:07 PM PDT
    • Like
  21. lowtech redneck Coolidge

    OccupantCDN (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    lowtech redneck (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    why are so few Republicans willing to help him? 🤔

    Because they are by and large feckless cowards and prostitutes for culturally progressive corporate donors.

    Yes, it’s alway someone else’s fault on Planet Trump. Must be nice to have zero responsibility for one’s actions and statements. Wish I could get that deal.

    No Trump is to blame for his lack of traction within the Republican party.

    He’s at best a fair weather friend. He expects a lot of loyalty but does little to reward that loyalty. Look at the example of Jeff Sessions.

    And yet he has managed to demonstrate more loyalty to the people who voted for him than most people in congress.

    In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king……and in the land of the venal, those who are merely narcissistic jerks are king.

    • #171
    • July 12, 2020, at 1:09 PM PDT
    • 3 likes
  22. Bishop Wash Member

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Bishop Wash (View Comment):
    Plus they have a lot invested in telling us how horrible his presidency was going to be and then it turned out to be successful. They’ve now gone with the “remember the bad stuff we told you would happen but didn’t–it’s going to happen in the second term when he doesn’t have to face reelection” gambit.

    This line of argument would have played great last January. Now, not so much.

    The pandemic was not Trump’s fault. But his management of it, and the results of of his management —fairly or unfairly— are on his watch. That’s just a political reality and we’d be making that argument if Hillary had won.

    If Hillary had won we’d probably be complaining about the new cabinet-level agency that was created to combat the virus, similar to the Department of Homeland Security after 9/11. The pain I’m feeling is because of my governor and her mishandling of the pandemic. Andrew Klavan has said that Trump should be getting more praise from conservative commentators for keeping the management at the state level and not grabbing power for the federal government.

    • #172
    • July 12, 2020, at 1:24 PM PDT
    • 5 likes
  23. OccupantCDN Coolidge

    lowtech redneck (View Comment):

    OccupantCDN (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    lowtech redneck (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    why are so few Republicans willing to help him? 🤔

    Because they are by and large feckless cowards and prostitutes for culturally progressive corporate donors.

    Yes, it’s alway someone else’s fault on Planet Trump. Must be nice to have zero responsibility for one’s actions and statements. Wish I could get that deal.

    No Trump is to blame for his lack of traction within the Republican party.

    He’s at best a fair weather friend. He expects a lot of loyalty but does little to reward that loyalty. Look at the example of Jeff Sessions.

    And yet he has managed to demonstrate more loyalty to the people who voted for him than most people in congress.

    In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king……and in the land of the venal, those who are merely narcissistic jerks are king.

    True, He’s done his best to hammer his platform into policy, but He has let his anti-establishment rhetoric get the better of him though. He could have gotten a lot more done if he’d co-operated with congress a lot more closely.

    • #173
    • July 12, 2020, at 1:27 PM PDT
    • 1 like
    • This comment has been edited.
  24. Taras Coolidge

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Taras (View Comment):
    I know Mitch Romney was the liberal Republican Governor of Massachusetts, very much an outlier in the context of the national party.

    How strong is the evidence that he was ever a conservative?

    He turned a deep blue state —one of the deepest blue given the Kennedy’s influence there— red (or at least pink). That he did not or could not govern it like Texas is simply a political reality. Still much better having Mitt Romney run that state instead of someone like Cuomo, Whitmore, (or speaking selfishly for myself here) Newsome.

    Regardless, he’s now the junior Senator from one of the most conservative states in the country, and his lack of support for President Trump seems to have cost him very little in terms of popularity and approval ratings in his own state. Did Utah suddenly turn squishy or is something else going on here?

    Not sure how that answers my question.

    In what sense did Romney turn Massachusetts into a red state? Did he deliver the state for the Republicans in the next Presidential election? Increase the number of Republicans in the Congressional delegation?

    My impression of Massachusetts is that it’s blue as ever, even if it sometimes has a liberal Republican governor. But correct me if I’m wrong.

    Obviously Romney posed as a conservative to win the Utah Senate seat in 2018. However, he all but guaranteed a Democratic takeover of the Senate next year when he voted to impeach Trump, not to mention increased the chances Democrats will get the White House as well. (Say goodbye to the Supreme Court!)

    Until Romney took them by surprise — stabbed them in the back is the phrase some of them would probably use — endangered Republicans could dismiss the impeachment as purely partisan. Now, expect Romney’s “vote of conscience“ to feature in Democratic attack ads.

    • #174
    • July 12, 2020, at 2:10 PM PDT
    • 1 like
  25. SParker Member

    From skimming the first page of comments and observing the number of pages thereafter, this casual observation is going to seem even more trivial than it is. But what the Hell. Re: male breastfeeding. In my experience (and I’ve been through 2 grandnephews recently) an infant will go after anything that even vaguely resembles a nipple, looking for lunch and confident of having plenty of time to sort out any psycho-sexual difficulties later. I’m pretty sure the she-wolf that suckled Romulus and Remus was just stopping to scratch her ear when attacked.

    • #175
    • July 12, 2020, at 2:22 PM PDT
    • 3 likes
  26. DHMorgan Coolidge

    Taras (View Comment):

    Obviously Romney posed as a conservative to win the Utah Senate seat in 2018. However, he all but guaranteed a Democratic takeover of the Senate next year when he voted to impeach Trump, not to mention increased the chances Democrats will get the White House as well. (Say goodbye to the Supreme Court!)

    Until Romney took them by surprise — stabbed them in the back is the phrase some of them would probably use — endangered Republicans could dismiss the impeachment as purely partisan. Now, expect Romney’s “vote of conscience“ to feature in Democratic attack ads.

    This is a curious argument, so let me see if I understand it.

    Romney is one Senator, but his vote (correctly decided, in my opinion) was so influential that “he all but guaranteed” that the Senate will be in Democratic hands next year.

    Wow. That’s strength, my friend.

    So it follows that those Republican Senators who lose their seats will not have the courage or intelligence to justify their continuation in Congress. In other words, they will be too weak to defend themselves and their own impeachment vote – and if that’s the case, they deserve their defeat – and we will be the worse for it.

    But, you see, to Romney’s detractors, defeat of Senators will never be their fault, or the fault of Trump. Instead of Never Trump it will be Always Romney.

     

     

     

    • #176
    • July 12, 2020, at 2:55 PM PDT
    • Like
  27. Blue Yeti Admin

    Taras (View Comment):Obviously Romney posed as a conservative to win the Utah Senate seat in 2018. However, he all but guaranteed a Democratic takeover of the Senate next year when he voted to impeach Trump, not to mention increased the chances Democrats will get the White House as well. (Say goodbye to the Supreme Court!)

    Again, nothing is ever the President’s fault on Planet Trump. His personal behavior, his decisions, his rhetoric, the situation the country finds itself in, are non-issues. Amazing.

    The idea that Mitt Romney’s impeachment vote guaranteed (or “all but guaranteed”) a Democratic takeover of the Senate is…I don’t even know what to call it, the idea is so outlandish.

    Has anyone even mentioned impeachment as an issue since the pandemic started? Joe Biden himself barely brings it up. Romney’s vote is inconsequential in the fight for Senate control. Those races are mostly fought over local issues anyway.

    P.S. Given what has come down in the past couple of weeks, I think the SCOTUS argument isn’t as strong as it used to be.

    • #177
    • July 12, 2020, at 3:06 PM PDT
    • 1 like
  28. Blue Yeti Admin

    Taras (View Comment):
    In what sense did Romney turn Massachusetts into a red state? Did he deliver the state for the Republicans in the next Presidential election? Increase the number of Republicans in the Congressional delegation?

    You have a very different idea of what a governor’s primary job responsibility is than I do. I’ll settle for a state run by at least some Conservative principals (as a resident of CA, I dream about it). It’s not the Gov’s job to deliver the state for other R politicians. That’s the party’s job. Where were they? 

    • #178
    • July 12, 2020, at 3:11 PM PDT
    • Like
  29. Percival Thatcher
    PercivalJoined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Taras (View Comment):

    Obviously Romney posed as a conservative to win the Utah Senate seat in 2018. However, he all but guaranteed a Democratic takeover of the Senate next year when he voted to impeach Trump, not to mention increased the chances Democrats will get the White House as well. (Say goodbye to the Supreme Court!)

     

    Again, nothing is ever the President’s fault on Planet Trump.

    The idea that Mitt Romney’s impeachment vote guaranteed (or “all but guaranteed”) a Democratic takeover of the Senate is…I don’t even know what to call it, the idea is so outlandish.

    Has anyone even mentioned impeachment as an issue since the pandemic started? Joe Biden himself barely mentions it. Romney’s vote is inconsequential in the fight for Senate control. Those races are mostly fought over local issues anyway.

    To be fair though, it is possible to support Trump’s actions, deplore his tweets, and think Romney is an opportunistic swine.

    I know it is possible, because I’m doing it right now.

    • #179
    • July 12, 2020, at 3:13 PM PDT
    • 6 likes
  30. Blue Yeti Admin

    Percival (View Comment):

    To be fair though, it is possible to support Trump’s actions, deplore his tweets, and think Romney is an opportunistic swine.

    I know it is possible, because I’m doing it right now.

    Sure it’s possible for dyed-the-wool Republican voters. For swing voters and undecideds, that’s far more difficult. 

    Trump barely won last cycle. He needs those voters. What he’s doing now isn’t convincing them. 

    • #180
    • July 12, 2020, at 3:22 PM PDT
    • Like