I’ve heard enough from both remaining candidates in the Republican primary to suggest that neither one of them has been nearly as definitive as needed about what they would do as President. Nikki Haley offers a bunch of generalities, some of which are attractive, and Trump continues his grievance, retribution, and insult campaign as he did after his New Hampshire victory, continuing his now worn out “roadshow rallies” formula that will destroy any hope of the party unity necessary to win in November. In a good piece by Daniel Henninger of the Wall Street Journal, he writes that “too many important voters don’t know what the former president stands for”. This includes me.
Look, probably needless to say, it’s not likely that I will vote for any Democrat for President, but I have some serious concerns about Trump’s isolationist and protectionist bent, his posture about possibly defunding Ukraine, whether or not he would provide military support for Taiwan and NATO members, and I wonder what he would do to stop Iran and the Houthis in the Red Sea. And then there is the deficit, the solution for which will clearly involve an overhaul of Medicare and Social Security. Finally, it’s one thing to say he will close the southern border, but what are his views on immigration policy long term?
This is not 2016, it’s a different ballgame, and I think such a high risk strategy is a mistake, but Trump obviously doesn’t believe he will need to change his campaign approach and Biden, if he makes it to election day as the Democratic candidate, will conduct another campaign from his basement. Only nine months left. What did we do to deserve this?
What we did to deserve this is we allowed ideologues on both extremes to capture control of our parties and then we begin to get freakish candidates of the sort of both of these characters.
I am certainly not going to paint too rosy a picture of the past. We’ve never been ideal citizens.
But our instinct was to support a system in which candidates from the middle emerged in most important races, and our parents and their parents picked among them a variety of flavors, leaders who would keep the ship in the middle lanes.
But when we lost attention, angry people on both sides used social media and the primary system to drown out all voices and choices in the middle.
And now we get a choice of two extremes. Half the country goes one way now. And the other half, the other.
So, it’s a brutal war. No compromise. The ship veers sharply right. Then, sharply left.
And we have no institutional power fighting back. Everyone is paid to support a side. Every group.
Where would the leadership come from to right the ship? Universities? Media? Business? They’re all corrupt. I know of no place to turn.
We, the people, have been asleep at the wheel. And the constitutional system that made us so proud has been bastardized in ways the founders would be aghast to see.
I’d love to convene a meeting of Madison and Jefferson, Washington and Franklin and Adams, and ask them for advice on what they would do.
I know of things that would be good. But getting enough people and power to make them happen to overturn the mess, I’m not sure at all of how that happens.
We got crapped on, Jim. But, we’ve known who the enemy is. As we learn from Pogo, the enemy is us, the crappers were we, or at least people we authorized to do it.
And so here we are.
Madison and Jefferson would likely be shocked at the very size of the Leviathan. Though Jefferson himself said, “The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground” he had hoped that a fidelity to concept of limited government and the “chains of a written constitution” would restrain the encroachment to some extent.
But more than a century past, we the people turned to a national government to solve those challenges which we could better solve in our own neighborhoods, villages, cities and states. We failed to recognize that authority and accountability must go hand in hand; and the more distant are those two hand maidens, the less firm is our grip.
The candidates are at liberty to be vague on the issues because the media in general will not reflect the primary concerns of the people. They will not challenge the candidates with pointed questions on specific steps to remedy our paramount problems.
This may be our best chance to start a viable third party. I would gladly vote for a Manchin, Scott, Yang, Paul or anyone else with intellect and morals. I will not vote for Trump or Biden.
Governor Abbott and his courage to standup to the federal government is showing what needs to be done — it will take time and it will be messy but the tide is turning.
I could never understand how a draft dodger, governor of Arkansas could defeat a sitting president, genuine WWII hero, but he did. I listened while Texas democrats endorsed their republican governor for president, taunting how he would bring to Washington the same bipartisan spirit he brought to the Texas state house. I instinctively knew better but hoped for the best. It was brutal before inauguration day. Those two presidential election cycles, in my view, started this current, take no prisoners in federal elections attitude. It’s no longer about Clinton or Bush or Trump or Biden or Haley or Harris or Desantis, it’s about you and I. Agree with the powerful or be crushed. Why would any sane person put themselves through such and ordeal? I’ve long argued, the American people have always survived the stupidity, ineptitude, corruption and incompetency of our worst presidents. I’m not sure any longer.
However, last night I attended an event supporting veteran health and welfare issues. There were about a thousand folks in attendance including a few politicians. I knew a lot of the folks there and they were businessmen and women, lawyers, doctors, ranchers, prison officials, retired military and everyday punch a clock workers. There were black faces, white faces and brown faces. Young folks, old folks and middle aged. There was a prayer, color guard and national anthem. Everyone stood, removed their hats and sang along. Those people made me proud. That’s my America.
Agree with all the above. Consensus for a change?Maybe it’s the first step – we are the problem for following the leader rather than realizing the nature of man.
We cannot minimize our grave difficulties as a nation, with a bumbling fool, Biden, being elected as president by over half the popular vote. The DNC and powerful Democrats intend, in my view, to turn us into a one -party nation, similar to the old USSR, with an (evil) Democrat as president.
CRT and DEI have been festering for decades. CRT was invented by a Harvard law prof in 1974. Democrats are 95% of the federal workforce, also 90% of the teachers from K to graduate school, control almost all MSM. Read up on Antonio Gramsci!
Remember Bill Ayers, the 1960s bomber with his now-wife Bernadine Dorhn? His criminal trial ended without conviction, though hers did not. She was on the FBI Most Wanted list, belonged to the SDS and Weather Underground. She plea-bargained to a mild sentence.
Democrats constitute about half of the US population. They are either stupid, ignorant, or evil, often in combination. The ruination of the USA under Biden is probably irreversible. As ye sow, so shall ye also reap.
Danny: Thank Ross Perot, who got 19% of the vote. Clinton became president with substantially less than a majority of the popular vote, on the order of 40%.
What we did to deserve this that America elected Trump and around 50 M people believe that he won the 2020 election with no factual support. This position failed in 60 courts. His followers believe anything he says. They believed Obama was born in Kenya and Mexico would pay for the wall. Following the truth is the answer. Jesus said in the book of John “you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free”. Some of the Trump followers believe he is the new savior. I would like to gather some old Republicans for an answer: Reagan, Dole, Bush, Bush, McCain, Romney. The Bushes did not vote for Trump and I doubt that any would. Bush has gotten things done. Infrastructure funds have been needed for years. Biden bot it done. Trump had infrastructure week when we were suppose to chat about it. Biden got drug prices down. Trump said he would do it but did not try. I could go on but Rs need to have courage and rid us of this phony who thinks only of himself.
David:
I beg to disagree. Some 60 courts refused to hear charges of vote fraud supported by sworn affidavits. That is collusion, not justice.
If we do not stick together as GOPers, the Dems will always win. Among those you admire, only Reagan is worthy. The rest were RINOs. McCain was esteemed as a “maverick” because he so often crossed the aisle. Thank our Dem. MSM, which works hard to propagandize us all.
Jim…
I really disagree with you about Biden and Trump. I’m just NOT dedicated to one Party like you are. I believe that the country’s Economic conditions have gone awfully well in the last few years while Biden has been President…and don’t see him as a BAD guy, or someone who has done lot of bad things. He’s old…but so what? Trump is just SO BAD…such a crook, law breaker, mean and angry, etc., etc. To even think that someone so dishonest, egotistical, negative, and prideful should be the U.S. President is beyond me.
So you favor the incompetent senile fool over the narcissistic ego-maniac? A lot of people will make that choice, but there is no reasonable third alternative. And remember, with Biden, you get Kamala.