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Only a very few guests warrant two segments on the Ricochet Podcast aka, America’s Most Trusted Podcast® and one of those people is the great Norman Podhoretz (around these parts, we call him “The Podfather). We talk to Norman (who’s a sprightly 89) about his recent conversion to a supporter of the President, the history of the Conservative movement, how he may have singlehandedly invented the hippy, and much more. Norman is a walking, talking museum of American politics of the last 70 years, and we highly recommend this interview. Also, are aliens among us (or at least above us)? A Ricochet Podcast investigation.
Music from this week’s show: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Soundtrack by John Williams
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“And yet she still couldnt win.” — @occupantcdn
It’s not that she “couldn’t” win. It’s that she didn’t. Despite the endorsements, despite the overt neverending hostility of the media to Trump, despite the wiretaps, despite the bought and paid for counterprotests.
That’s the beauty of it. Don’t make it about “couldn’t”. That denies the voters their agency. The voters, in the right numbers that mattered, didn’t give a damn about any of the unrelenting jeremiads about the dangers of Trump.
She failed as a candidate, in spite of the largest dirty tricks campaign in US history. (I would say world, except in some countries the dirty trick is to murder the opposition candidate, its very effective) It doesn’t deny the voters agency, I mean to fortify it. She failed to make her case, she couldn’t convince her voters to get out to vote, while the republicans got it together and voted.
Also, I think the ballot box stuffers where so confident, that they didn’t stuff that many ballot boxes.
One of the first questioned asked during jury selection is if you (as a potential juror) know either the defendant or prosecutor in the case. You also have an obligation to make it known to the court if you personally know any of the ancillary people involved, such as witnesses.
I agree. There’s nothing 3-D chesswise about Trump being a Machiavellian politician. He is a straight shooter, a blunt object who says what’s on his mind, and what’s he’s going to do. It’s no surprise people try to read too much into his words and actions.
Collective integrity is not a thing.
Hyperbole. So, he’s going shopping for gas cans and lighters in December? Is that your prediction?
Ridiculous. The same kind of easy thinking that went into ideas around Barry not leaving the White House when his 2nd term was over. Yeah, no, I don’t think it’s going to work that way, I don’t think Trump is going to “burn” anything down, and I really wish we’d all take more of this as evidence that we give far too much power to a centralized government, and true federalism should be the goal, not some “leader”.
But collective stupidity is, hence the Republican Party’s nickname . . .
Republicans can win if the Democrats don’t realize they need to cheat.
In Florida in 2000, I have always suspected that the Dems had thousands of questionable ballots ready, but dumped them when the networks made an early, erroneous call of the state for Gore. (“Accidentally” depressing voter turnout in the conservative Panhandle, where the polls were still open.)
The all-Democrat Florida Supreme Court came to the rescue by mandating as many recounts as the Democrats needed to put Gore ahead again; but the US Supreme Court declared this unconstitutional by a vote of 7-2, and then 5-4 to end the process.
In 2016, parts of the government worked to undermine Trump, but only half-heartedly: they knew he was going to lose anyway, as the Strzok-Page messages clearly show.
Incidentally, the comment above was composed partially voice-to-text on my iPad. Several times, when I said “Democrat”, it would temporarily fill in “Devil”.
Providence? Or is one of ours hiding out on the Apple programming staff?
Julia, Ronald Reagan said that the 11th Commandment was “thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” So does “I don’t subscribe to the ‘cast no stones at Trump lest you help the Democrats’ idea” imply that you only voted for Ronald Reagan because he wasn’t a creature from the Democrat Party Horror Show? Were you an anti-Reagan Republican?
You don’t need to answer that, I’m asking rhetorically. You (and Bill Kristol and Jonah Goldberg and J-Pod and …) are constantly comparing Trump to a fantasy utopian ideal, in order to maintain your anti-Trump hatred. That is not a rational thought process. Even my preferred 2016 Republican primary candidate Ted Cruz would never have moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem, or recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, or stood by Brett Kavanaugh to confirmation; no other Republican would have taken head-on North Korean nuclear and China trade obstreperousness, and the list goes on. Reagan was nobody’s de-regulator.
Trump isn’t perfect. Neither are you or I. But Trump’s more effective at implementing conservative policy than anyone since at least Reagan, and if Trump gets a second term, he will surely surpass Reagan.
This kind of accusation is made all the time about Republicans , it implies that the rest of us would join him if he attempted such a thing. Every federal official from VP down to any military E-1 has taken the same oath to preserve, protect and defend the CONSTITUTION. Any individual constitutionally removed would not be obeyed in any order he gave.
And WTF is Larry Hogan?
He’s a Maryland politician who just announced that he will not run in 2020.
I do hereby declare that I have a man-crush on Mr. Podhoretz.
Too, his comments about his time in the Army brought tears to my eyes. YES!
When you muster out, your total time in service is stamped boldly in a box on the upper right hand side of the document known as the DD214.
My stamp says 26 years, 8 months, and 7 days in service. Why would someone spend that much time in a stodgy, compliance based, hierarchical organization?
Because of the troops. Those little bastards will win your heart and (if you haven’t already) make you fall in love with this country.
Let’s compromise with “Devilcrats.”
Demoncrats
Not there.
Wikipedia has frequent battles between supporters and detractors of every politician. I would suggest that this is certainly true as to Trump on steroids.
After being president, I expect that Trump will create Trump TV, or some other service and will become very, very rich.
Listening to the normally affable Peter Robinson go off on Mueller, et. al. was very depressing.
I believe that Trump will manage to do what only Jimmy Carter has done since the 22nd Amendment was adopted in 1951, have his party lose the presidency after only one term. I think that we will also lose the Senate and lose further ground to the Dems in the House.
Larry Hogan taking himself out of the Republican Primaries today was a very bitter pill, as was Kasich doing so earlier this week.
Larry Hogan is the first Republican to be re-elected as Maryland’s governor as a Republican in 50 years and only the second Republican to do so since Reconstruction.
“If you “listen to the words coming out of his mouth”, then you will have heard him express his patriotism countless times. But that doesn’t mean anything to you because “Trump lies all the time“. In other words, you believe him only when his words conform to your prejudices.”
I don’t believe I have ever said “Trump lies all the time”. You are ascribing what others have said to me. I believe Trump all the time. For example I believed him when he said he “grabs ’em by the ….”. I believe him when he makes horrible, stupid, personal comments about other Republicans. My “prejudices”? I listen to what he says.
“We may not like his tariff and trade war policies, but there is no question he’s taking grave political risks to fight for the American working class. “
He doesn’t give two hoots for the American working class. He likes them because many of them like him, so he panders to them. Tariffs and trade wars don’t help them. They are a sensitive tool in the hands of a bumbler. But he is very lucky in the deplorable Democrats and compared to what they want to do, trade wars are the lesser evil. Sorry but the man is not a patriot.
Wikipedia tends to have a left-wing slant. I remember looking at Barbara Boxer’s entry a few years back; a page-sitting troll had carefully sanitized all references to how unpopular she was with her own party. Similarly, a Hillary troll made it his business to embed negative information into incomprehensible, run-on sentences.
In any case, Forbes had Trump at $4.1 billion in 2015 and $3.1 billion in February of this year.
I hope he does get obscenely rich after he leaves office but, realistically, he entered office “young old”, but will probably leave “old old”.
You may be right — the Democratic nominee in 2020 will have the media and the tech billionaires behind him* — but once again, “Predictions are not facts, and can’t be used as evidence to support your position.”
Do you have a track record of successful predictions? Did you get 2016 right?
*In truth, I’m always surprised that the Republicans can win anything.
Thanks for the news.
Ah, the sweetness of liberal tears, as Andrew Klavan would say: It’s revealing that you consider Hogan, whom the New York Times called a “centrist“ Republican even before he moved sharply to the left, as preferable to Trump.
Trump supporters are conservatives; anti-Trumpers are — conservative-ish.
“I believe Trump all the time. … He doesn’t give two hoots for the American working class.“ You contradict yourself. Trump constantly expresses his affection for the American working class, and you constantly refuse to believe what he says. As I said before, you believe him only when what he says conforms to your prejudices.
Here is a transcript of the notorious 2005 hot mike incident: “I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful—I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the p****. You can do anything.” To me, this sounds like typical Trumpian hyperbole, like when he said he could shoot somebody in Times Square and get away with it. It would be absurd to conclude he actually shot somebody in Times Square, or that he seriously contemplated shooting people in Times Square.
What is this supposed to mean?
Welcome to the last 25 years or so.
I am really impressed that Norman formed such an independent (and IMO accurate) opinion of JFK early on. I have no idea why people think any Kennedy netted out for this country.
“They think the Constitution is unconstitutional.” That is just so dead on. 80% of your Democrat friends and family just want to vote on more central planning and more government force to push things around like GOSPLAN . Half of them reflexively use Alinsky tactics reflexively because it works, and it beats thinking about policy. They just wish for things and then they act like babies when you question them on the basic efficacy or realism.
Be advised. Act accordingly.
I really doubt that there is a better starting point for clearer thinking about everything the days.
This whole post is good, but just think if the leadership actually helped Trump on the ACA repeal. It’s outrageous.
Trump is also doing new things that need to be done like screwing with the media. The media doesn’t deserve any respect. They are all pro-statist and everything that goes with it.
I have no idea why you are so tolerant of Kasich.