The Last Straw

This week, some rumination on Trump’s tete a tete with Putin (along with a history lesson for Rob Long), we introduce you to Elizabeth Heng, who is running for Congress in California’s 16th District, we get some #MeToo education from our good pal Mona Charen, (stop whatever you’re doing and buy her book Sex Matters right now) and the city of Santa Barbara declares that if you use a straw in that fair city, you’ll do time. Which sucks. Also, the Word of The Day is spizzerinctum.

Music from this week’s podcast: Sex Bomb by Tom Jones

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There are 258 comments.

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  1. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Don’t worry, the end is near.  

     

    • #181
  2. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    George Will’s Libertarian Evolution

    The nation’s most syndicated columnist talks about political philosophy, drugs, isolationism, optimism, and his political development over four decades in Washington.

     

    video

     

    • #182
  3. Eustace C. Scrubb Member
    Eustace C. Scrubb
    @EustaceCScrubb

    But…but… Gorsuch! (Has anyone said that yet? Just thought I’d throw that in.)

    • #183
  4. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Government Is How We Steal From Each Other™

    • #184
  5. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    George Will’s Libertarian Evolution

    The nation’s most syndicated columnist talks about political philosophy, drugs, isolationism, optimism, and his political development over four decades in Washington.

     

    video

     

    A great article.  I didn’t read anything I didn’t like,and I read a lot that I did like.

    • #185
  6. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    Eustace C. Scrubb (View Comment):

    But…but… Gorsuch! (Has anyone said that yet? Just thought I’d throw that in.)

    We would have gotten Gorsuch and Kavanaugh and ACB with President Rubio or Cruz or Kasich.

    • #186
  7. TheSockMonkey Inactive
    TheSockMonkey
    @TheSockMonkey

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    TheSockMonkey (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):
    I met Barry and shook his hand. He had a strong sense of self, and didn’t need external stroking for an ego that will not quit. A good man. A very good man.

    “I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul; a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country.”

    W. Has acknowledged that he was conned by Putin. I don’t hear that from Trump.

    That’s as much proof for [Gary’s new favorite word] as anything else you’ve got.

    I don’t suppose you’d be interested in any of the Trump administration’s policies and actions that have cut against Russia.

    https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-actions-against-russia-sanctions-2018-3#trump-officials-repeatedly-criticize-moscow-6

    http://ricochet.com/537361/trump-is-a-stooge-of-putin/

    http://thefederalist.com/2018/07/17/despite-botched-summit-putin-trump-administration-still-pressuring-russia/

    https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/04/13/trumps-russia-policy-is-better-than-obamas/

    • #187
  8. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    George Will’s Libertarian Evolution

    The nation’s most syndicated columnist talks about political philosophy, drugs, isolationism, optimism, and his political development over four decades in Washington.

     

    video

     

    A great article. I didn’t read anything I didn’t like,and I read a lot that I did like.

    Our of control, excessively centralized power is a real b**** except for Max Boot types. Discuss. 

    • #188
  9. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    George Will’s Libertarian Evolution

    The nation’s most syndicated columnist talks about political philosophy, drugs, isolationism, optimism, and his political development over four decades in Washington.

     

    video

     

    A great article. I didn’t read anything I didn’t like,and I read a lot that I did like.

    Our of control, excessively centralized power is a real b**** except for Max Boot types. Discuss.

    Your point?

    • #189
  10. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):
    Your point?

    Literally all of the anti-Trumpers except for George Will, in effect, love the dysfunction of centralized power and interventionism.

    I can’t figure out how to google it, but a bunch of these guys just founded an anti-populism research center. Hilarious. They don’t care about improving governance, they just want what they want.

    Where is the concern for the real constitutional crisis?

    More

     

    • #190
  11. George Townsend Inactive
    George Townsend
    @GeorgeTownsend

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):
    Your point?

    Literally all of the anti-Trumpers except for George Will, in effect, love the dysfunction of centralized power and interventionism.

    I can’t figure out how to google it, but a bunch of these guys just founded an anti-populism research center. Hilarious.

     

    You are simply wrong. What you call the anti-Trumpers understand the disaster that is centralized government more than Trump ever can.

    What you are referring to is the Left.

    • #191
  12. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Do you think that Jonah Goldberg, Kevin Williamson, or even David French love centralized power? What’s going on here? #JustAsking 

    • #192
  13. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    RufusRJones (View Comment):
    I can’t figure out how to google it, but a bunch of these guys just founded an anti-populism research center. Hilarious.

    Found it. 

     

    • #193
  14. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    George Townsend (View Comment):
    What you call the anti-Trumpers understand the disaster that is centralized government more than Trump ever can.

    Listen to the DC MCaliister interview on Whisky Politics. None of the GOP have ever done anything to head off where we are now. ZERO. Then throw in the cultural marxism or whatever you want to call it.  Interventionism is a proven disaster. 

     

     

    • #194
  15. George Townsend Inactive
    George Townsend
    @GeorgeTownsend

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Do you think that Jonah Goldberg, Kevin Williamson, or even David French love centralized power? What’s going on here? #JustAsking

    Of course not!!! They are all conservatives.

    • #195
  16. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    George Townsend (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Do you think that Jonah Goldberg, Kevin Williamson, or even David French love centralized power? What’s going on here? #JustAsking

    Of course not!!! They are all conservatives.

    The issue is, how are they different from the others? What do the others want

    • #196
  17. George Townsend Inactive
    George Townsend
    @GeorgeTownsend

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    George Townsend (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Do you think that Jonah Goldberg, Kevin Williamson, or even David French love centralized power? What’s going on here? #JustAsking

    Of course not!!! They are all conservatives.

    The issue is, how are they different from the others? What do the others want?

    This is silly. People are different. You’ve got to stop not being able to differentiate them. Conservatives, like me, do not believe that Donald Trump is good for the country, despite most of his policies being good. Liberals have a different agenda. There is nothing wrong in trying to understand that.

    • #197
  18. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    George Townsend (View Comment):
    This is silly. People are different. You’ve got to stop not being able to differentiate them.

    I completely disagree with this. There are “conservatives” that  actually love centralized power and interventionism (for various reasons) and they can’t accept the reality that it has all become unmanageable. It is a very big deal. Then, like I said, no one is doing anything about the media and cultural marxism. If you don’t like populism look at that. 

    Angelo Codivilla, Mises.org, David Horowitz, David Stockman are right about everything etc. etc. etc. 

    • #198
  19. George Townsend Inactive
    George Townsend
    @GeorgeTownsend

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    George Townsend (View Comment):
    This is silly. People are different. You’ve got to stop not being able to differentiate them.

    I completely disagree with this. There are “conservatives” that actually love centralized power and interventionism (for various reasons) and they can’t accept the reality that it has all become unmanageable. It is a very big deal. Then, like I said, no one is doing anything about the media and cultural marxism. If you don’t like populism look at that.

    Angelo Codivilla, Mises.org, David Horowitz, David Stockman are right about everything etc. etc. etc.

    I will not be back. I promise you. I just want to say that we must be willing to debate issues not people. Nobody is right about everything, least of all David Stockman. And Horowitz just hates anybody who doesn’t follow Donald Trump. 

    • #199
  20. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    George Townsend (View Comment):
    I will not be back. I promise you.

    What does that mean?

    • #200
  21. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    George Townsend (View Comment):
    we must be willing to debate issues not people.

    I think I’m doing that.

    • #201
  22. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    The Tea Party was started for good reason, it got totally thwarted, and then everything went haywire. Next stop, Trump and Bernie.

    How off is that analysis? 

    • #202
  23. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    Here is a collection of Anti-Trump conservatives.   A problem with some of the websites cited is that they were referring to “those” conservatives; this website is by “those” conservatives, who, like me yearn for the return of the hoepeful, optimistic, joyful Republican Party of Ronald Reagan instead of Trump’s angry populist perversion of the Republican Party.

     

    Found it.

     

     

    • #203
  24. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Gary: I just think that those guys like political class perks, centralization,interventionism, and want to will the stuff that has clearly quit working to “work”. 

    What we need is a nice bond market collapse and then the tractional way has a shot. JMO.

    • #204
  25. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Gary: I just think that those guys like political class perks, centralization,interventionism, and want to will the stuff that has clearly quit working to “work”.

    What we need is a nice bond market collapse and then the tractional way has a shot. JMO.

    It may take that.

    • #205
  26. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Gary: I just think that those guys like political class perks, centralization,interventionism, and want to will the stuff that has clearly quit working to “work”.

    What we need is a nice bond market collapse and then the tractional way has a shot. JMO.

    It may take that.

    People don’t get how our crappy Fed and financial system screws up incentives and people’s behavior. There are some GOP in the Hose that want to repair it, but I fear it takes an exogenous event or something. 

    • #206
  27. Roderic Fabian Coolidge
    Roderic Fabian
    @rhfabian

    George Townsend (View Comment):
    Conservatives, like me, do not believe that Donald Trump is good for the country, despite most of his policies being good.

    Say what?   Can you expand on that?  What more can we expect of a conservative politician than good policies? 

    A nice pants crease?  A normal hair color?  Suits that fit?  A fulsome vocabulary?   Essays in National Review instead of tweets?

    • #207
  28. Miffed White Male Member
    Miffed White Male
    @MiffedWhiteMale

    Roderic Fabian (View Comment):

    George Townsend (View Comment):
    Conservatives, like me, do not believe that Donald Trump is good for the country, despite most of his policies being good.

    Say what? Can you expand on that? What more can we expect of a conservative politician than good policies?

    A nice pants crease? A normal hair color? Suits that fit? A fulsome vocabulary? Essays in National Review instead of tweets?

    He needs to lose the comma between “conservatives” and “like me” for that sentence to make any sense at all.

     

    • #208
  29. George Townsend Inactive
    George Townsend
    @GeorgeTownsend

    Roderic Fabian (View Comment):

    George Townsend (View Comment):
    Conservatives, like me, do not believe that Donald Trump is good for the country, despite most of his policies being good.

    Say what? Can you expand on that? What more can we expect of a conservative politician than good policies?

    A nice pants crease? A normal hair color? Suits that fit? A fulsome vocabulary? Essays in National Review instead of tweets?

    Nothing I can say will convince you. It is one of those things that you either get or you don’t.

    I’ve written several Posts about conservatism since joining Ricochet. Briefly stated, conservatism is not just about policy. Morals + Manners + Policy = Conservatism. If you don’t agree, that’s fine. Just don’t make fun of something I take very seriously.

    • #209
  30. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    The problem is, critical theory and Keynesianism is killing conservatism and libertarianism. It’s a different era. The Tea Party was there last chance for normal strategy to work. The statists and the statist media have too much power. 

    • #210
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