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This week, we mix it up across a wide variety of views with guests from all over the right side of the ideological map. First up, AEI’s Christina Hoff Sommers, author of The War Against Boys: How Misguided Policies are Harming Our Young Men. She wrote a Tweet this past week that set social media on fire. So we talk about that. Then, the main event: Charlie Sykes is a longtime time talk radio host in Wisconsin and is the newly minted host the The Daily Standard podcast right here on Ricochet. Charlie and our own Peter Robinson get into on the current occupant of the Oval Office, and well, let’s just say they don’t see eye-to-eye. But they do give a master class in how to disagree civilly. Take notes, people.
Music from this week’s podcast: Why Can’t We Be Friends by War
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The only better result would be for Donald Trump, Sr. to resign to keep Donald Trump, Jr. out of prison before the end of his term, and for Pence to announce that our long national nightmare is over.
No, of course not – no one’s demanding Ozzie and/or Harriet. People are flawed. The Republican candidate you describe spent his or her life working in politics to advance issues for the greater good of the Republic, and was obviously adroit at politics. He or she would have also lost in the primaries to Donald Trump, because he or she was obviously an insider, and we needed to blow everything up.
I am not joking.
Trump is the worst Republican President in history, and I am voting against his enablers to send a message.
I am voting for those Republicans who are willing to stand up against Trump. I can’t wait to send money to Romney.
A few observations.
First, I have no trouble with a spirited conversation. Neither Peter nor Charlie dishonored themselves. I enjoyed the conversation, and would like an encore. Soon. Like next week, and every week thereafter.
Second, I am delighted that Charlie Sykes is doing the Weekly Standard podcast.
Third, the picture is all wrong. Charlie Sykes wiped the floor with Peter Robinson. And I love Peter and enjoy listening to him.
Fourth, the CofC stops me from my full self-expression, but since I am commenting on this podcast, I will mention its highlight for me, while I am driving south on I-17 to visit my Mother over the three day weekend near the Sedona exit, and hearing Charlie referring to Republican Enablers who are in service to the “Orange God-King.” I yelled “Yes”! The highlight of my day until hugging my Mom.
Fifth, I have to say it again, the “Orange God-King.” I’m with you brother. I am a happy man.
Sixth, the “Orange God-King.”
I am trying my best here to keep calm and not despair…….
I think Trump might be the worst Republican president in the matter of his very public boorishness, vulgarity, infidelity, and so on. He certainly has made a point of flaunting behavior that previous presidents would have had the decency to keep behind closed doors – which probably says more about the decline of our culture than it does about Trump. Regardless, his administration is hardly the worst administration, and has been positively good in a number of areas.
It seems to me that you’re simply the flip side of the Trump fan who doesn’t care about what Trump says, or what policies he does or doesn’t enact, or what his administration actually does — they just love the guy. And you don’t really care about what Trump says, or what policies he does or doesn’t enact, or what his administration does — you just hate the guy.
Both extremes are just too far out there for me, as neither position seems to care about ideas or guiding principles of government. It’s all about personality for you folks.
I confess to liking “Orange God-King” as well…
Should we start a new initial “OGK” for Trump?
Will I get in trouble with the CoC for referring to him as “Trump, the OGK”?
You are right. I have a visceral hatred of Trump (the OGK). I have to check myself, and go out of my way to praise him on Judges and for being a good man by being supportive of Eric Bolling who lost his son to an overdose. Thank you for the reminder.
This curdles the heart as much as unalloyed huzzahs, as Jean noted. It’s no way to live.
Regardless of how great the Trump Administration policies are, Donald Trump’s character will be a large blemish on Republicans for decades to come. A lot of voters are, and will continue so after Donald Trump has retired, so repelled by him that they will not vote Republican, regardless of issues.
Republican social conservatives have lost a lot of credibility. I understand the view that Trump is, on net, better than Hillary. But swing voters will see an embrace, however reluctant, of a clearly morally corrupt person.
Exactly. The whole left uses Alinsky tactics reflexively now, and it works. Critical theory is a real problem. The Frankfurt School is real.
Statism isn’t reversible like that.
And the Democrat party has super delegates and a rigged primary. Which party will actually fix it?
The problem is, there is so much government now to seize (with Alinsky tactics and critical theory etc.) in era when graft, dependency, and rent seeking is the best option.
I don’t understand this Sykes fellow. He doesn’t seem to have the most basic grasp of what the status quo was 4 years ago. It’s like he was frozen in a block of ice for decades and doesn’t realize it – as if the GOP and conservatism would have been in great shape if only Jeb won the primary. He also has a weird idea of what the purpose of politics is. He seems to think the pursuit of policies is not the primary goal. The guy’s an eighth-degree nutball.
Incidentally, accepting that one is playing a team sport isn’t embracing tribalism.
Robinson was great.
Resigning to protect his son (&/or son in law) would be the best possible scenario. I’ve left more than one comment on Ricochet articles saying so. However, any scenario where we would have a Democrat for president rather than Trump would not be preferable to the status quo, and there’s something wrong with Repulicans who can’t admit that.
What is it they are going to get Trump on again?
Thank you Gary for perfectly encapsulating why I believe certain segments of the conservative movement have become so undone by Trump that they have literally gone over to the other side.
I can’t do that.
I’m selfish. I want what I want. What I want is to enact as much conservative policy into law as is possible right now while we have the opportunity. Trump is an imperfect vessel in probably every way you describe, but that’s the reality we have now and for the next 34 months. I didn’t want him, but now that we have him it doesn’t change what I want. I believe conservative policies are best for the Country and leftist policies will be the ruin of the Country.
Again, I seriously doubt Trump will significantly affect the conservative movement long term and certainly not destroy it.
Instead of decrying Trump voters as rubes, maybe conservatives should look inward and try to understand why so many (R)’s voted for Trump in the primaries in the first place. Try using our Sykes/Kristol like intellect and master skills of persuasion to convince these (R) primary voters why we should not nominate another orange colored god king. As others have already stated insulting your target audience is not going to do the trick.
Maybe. If Rubio hadn’t been played by Schumer into becoming the poster boy for amnesty, he and Haley would have won the popular and electoral vote decisively. Trump’s win in the primaries is a very worrisome event going forward, but doesn’t the ease of your “Of course not” indicate that objection to personal immoral character is now just a tool in the partisan political tool kit and not an abiding concern? It’s in the kit right next to “decorated war service,” only important if it’s your guy.
John Anderson was a far more faithful and moral family man than Ronald Reagan. Who really cares? No one then. No one now. (He was also a decorated WWII staff sergeant while Reagan served in Hollywood.)
Trump is really being criticized for the vulgar style of his misbehavior. He is a very vulgar man. We have a very vulgar public culture. People like to imagine the causation runs from the top down but we know it doesn’t.
I’m far more concerned about possible dalliances and affairs he may have with Schumer’s political agenda though the hysterical 28 Days After behavior of the Democrats since November 2016 has helped us here.
Can you point me to some of the conservatives that are “decrying Trump voters as rubes”? I read quite a bit of conservative commentary and I don’t come across that view. Thanks.
Bring good character back to Washington. Vote for a Democrat!
I would put Charlie Sykes “orange colored god king” in that category. The inference is some treat Trump as their god king. I’m personally not offended and actually think it’s a little funny, but if you were a Trump supporter in the primary I could see how one might take offense.
On the date Trump announced his candidacy, my first thought was, “this must be a joke or an attempt by Trump to enhance his brand.” I was in the “visceral hatred” camp. A year into his presidency, while I’m not defending his indefensible past, I appreciate what’s he done, in particular to, and in contrast to, what could have been our fate otherwise. That was the better argument, looking back, by those whom supported Trump, and, roughly, what @peterrobinson was saying to Charlie. Charlie is correct in his critiques on Trump, but is wrong in a larger context.
We all know that had Mitt won, in 2012, he’s be getting the same ad-hominem attacks, despite his personal life being far more comporting to our ideal of what presidential means.
This was excellent and Peter held his own VERY well. Mr. Sykes, after repeated attempts, could come up with no valid excuse for the irrational Trump hatred other than his issues with Trumps personality.
I’m open to debate on policy and even the political mud slinging it takes to get those policies enacted, but when the criticism resorts to repetition of leftist talking points about Charlottesville from last year, that’s not debate. That’s someone being irrational. Yet we’re supposed to listen to this podcast when he takes over as host? Classic rock is sounding better and better to me.
Couldn’t agree more. It all comes down to the long game, and Trump’s supporters simply can’t accept the idea that Conservatism is tarnished now. They don’t want to hear it. (“We’re getting all this good stuff now! Judges … the tax plan … Jerusalem … etc.”) When you elect Tony Soprano to be your leader, you forfeit the right to ever say to the other side, “Hey, what you’re doing is immoral!”
Time to take cookies is when cookies is passed.
Everything is. The USA has turned into a banana republic fueled by cultural marxism. So we got Trump. Ben Sasse can be The Ruler after the bond market collapses.
I am not confident enough to say I know for sure Trump won’t be a “large blemish on Republicans for decades to come” or that “Conservatism is tarnished now” but I am confident enough to say … you don’t know that. You are prognosticating for an indefinite period of time something which is nearly impossible to measure. When something negative happens you’ll say look it was Trump, and when nothing bad/or something good happens ….. crickets.
The election of Donald Trump only proves the words of William Goldman “Nobody knows Nothing”
You have to consider the possibility, given the policies of the Democratic party, that by the time you’re no longer voting for Democrats, there won’t be a republic in which to vote for Republicans.
Given the results of special elections, and off year elections, since the Presidential election, I think my prognostication is realistic.
I do like the idea of taking a cookie when it’s being passed around. We should take whatever positive policy changes we can, while we can.