Open Thread - Politics Plus

@blatham,

I am not so sure that Cruz is playing his game intelligently or unusual savvy.
He just got in hot water again over campaign contributions from Goldman Sachs he hasn't disclosed. In the weeks to come there will be much more news about Cruz and I am not sure who is sawing on his chair, well it could be Trump, but he's facing quite a few obstacles.

I also sincerely hope that women remember that Cruz was a crucial tool in having Planned Parenthood defunct and he has vouched to overrule Roe vs. Wade. Cruz is pro life (as long as it's in the womb) and against abortion, even in rape cases. Cruz is a misogynist and every woman voting for him should have her brain examined.

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@CalamityJane,

My argument, CJ, is that he is, so far. His first step is the nomination and in this he's been proceeding very successfully. His theory, according to all the sources I refer to, is that if he (or anyone else) can get all the conservative voters out to the polls, then there'll be enough votes for him to win. Movement conservatives believe this thesis even if, for example, Karl Rove does not.

He does have obstacles. And if he is the candidate, much will be publicized regarding what he has said before and what his father has said, etc. And it's clear that establishment GOPers do not want him to succeed, believing it will be a catastrophe as they believe a Trump candidacy would be. But as I noted this morning, it looks like Mary Matalin is now doing support for him and she's pretty establishment.

If you haven't, you should read Josh Marshall's take http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/i-think-it-could-be-trump

You might have it right. It may be that because I deem the fellow a sociopath (I'm not exaggerating) he scares the hell out of me.

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Here's an interesting thing (at least I think so).

A couple of years ago, I was posting regularly at National Review Online. It was something of an experiment. Several times, I posted a link to a youtube video from the 60s of Woody Allen interviewing William Buckley. As I advised, both men are brilliantly funny and really quite gracious with each other. It's the sort of interaction that's pretty rare presently (Jon Stewart was an exception).

But I could not convince anyone in any instance at NRO to watch it. Not one, or at least not anyone who cared to respond if they had watched it. I didn't and don't know why. Some surely didn't know who the hell William Buckley was. Others, I suspect, were so inculcated in discourse as conflict that some other model just didn't fit into their brains. But whatever the case (and in spite of whatever you might think about Buckley) do watch this. Both men are exceedingly intelligent and witty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNErWi_lTig

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And at the risk of talking to myself, a thing which has never really bothered me and which is actually as risk-free as anything could possibly be, I've been listening to a Firing Line broadcast with Buckley, a very young Chris Hitchens and Nation Review editor (at the time) John O'Sullivan.

It is amazing. There's a degree of civility here which has almost completely disappeared. And these guys are all very smart indeed. I'm not sure when this was recorded, perhaps around 1980 or a bit later. Hitchens makes a very bright observation on how America adopted certain British notions or romanticisms for America's own political purposes citing Munich as an example (Chamberlain, appeasement). He noticed this back then and Bill Kristol along with much of the modern right wing STILL push this at least once a week.

For those who give a **** about such things https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUH4RzAofv8

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@revelette2,

revelette2 wrote:

What is actually worse, the Israel lobbies' spread their influence around, though they seem to be spreading more to the right, a lot of democrats also receive money from them which in turn helps the State of Israel and we end (as in US tax payers) up supporting it as well.

What's wrong with that? They are our friends and we are happy to help them.

revelette2 wrote:

As a result I don't understand why the US is considered an "honest broker" in the Palestinian/Israeli dispute.

Because we're honest and fair.

revelette2 wrote:

In any event, we say publically we don't support the Israeli settlements, yet we keep supporting Israel so we really do support and facilitate the Israeli settlement expansions

Good. Since the Palestinians refuse to make peace, Israel may as well put the land to good use.

revelette2 wrote:

the Israeli settlement expansions which just fueling the ongoing crises.

That is incorrect. The only thing that fuels this crisis is the fact that the Palestinians refuse to make peace.

revelette2 wrote:

Don't mean to go on a rant, just saying that the corruption in Israeli lobbies' is not limited to the right wing establishment.

What corruption is this?

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@blatham,

blatham wrote:

Snyder, you incredible bastard.

Sheesh! It's hardly his fault.

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@CalamityJane,

CalamityJane wrote:

Snyder should not only resign, he should be arrested.

This is silly. He hasn't committed any crime. If you want to arrest someone, go arrest Bill Clinton.

CalamityJane wrote:

I would hope that a class action suit is brought against Snyder and his administration.

I doubt that is possible. Likely some state agencies will be sued for compensation however.

CalamityJane wrote:

the savings that were intended will cost Snyder twice as much now. Being a cheapskate can become expensive!

Cost Michigan taxpayers rather.

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@blatham,

blatham wrote:

an Emergency Manager - a form of governance which totally rejects democratic principles and goes directly to totalitarianism.

Last I knew the emergency managers answer to the state government, which just happens to be a duly-elected democracy.

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@blatham,

that was interesting indeed

I'd love to find the DVD that originally came from - see what else is on it. More Buckley? More Allen?

It reminded me of trips to New York as a tween, when my parents took me to tapings of the David Susskind show. Smart people speaking wittily about interesting things.

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@ehBeth,

Took the family to see the first David Letterman show. As we walked out of the theater, I told my family "he isn't going to last very long." The rest, as they say, is history.

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@blatham,

I m certainly biased but isn't Buckley far less witty than Allen, in that show?

"No, they should sell it back!"

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@blatham,

That was enjoyable. I never knew that Woody Allen had a talk show and he actually was humorous at that time. I am not a fan of his movies or later life choices. Now William F. Buckley certainly was the last true intellectual seen on American TV. I think he would be a Democrat today had he seen the GOP movement towards the ridiculousness. I certainly could appreciate his command of the English language, it was just superb listening to him.

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Given the choice between Trump or Cruz, I would take Trump! Almost all of Cruz ideological ideas are extremely narrow-minded and very much in tune with tea party doctrines that are extremely frightening to me. Even Bill Maher who dislikes Trump with a passion has made concessions that Trump is half as extreme as Cruz.

Frankly, I am afraid if Cruz makes the GOP nomination running against Hillary, she most likely will lose. I much rather see Trump running against her as he won't have the tea party, Koch brothers and all the other extremists supporting him. He'll hang himself once he's given a longer rope.

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@CalamityJane,

Geez, you are making me vomit, not re you, but the fervor going on.

I may need to leave.
Or else, I'll fight.

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@CalamityJane,

Trump is a UKIP/National Front-style Fascist. That's far more extreme than the Tea Party.

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@ehBeth,

Quote:

I'd love to find the DVD that originally came from - see what else is on it. More Buckley? More Allen?

At that time, Woody had emerged from his standup shows as one of the bright voices in comedy and social commentary and he was welcomed on TV - guest on Candid Camera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGb_jzaUWOg and some TV specials - here with Billy Graham as invited guest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_poGsbBgpE I think the Buckley thing was from one of those series.

My mom and I used to watch Firing Line regularly and quite a bit of other thoughtful and witty political tv back then. And I don't know a better era for extraordinarily intelligent comedy, for example, this audio file of Nichols and May in the studio working up a routine. It is absolutely brilliant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3gT6lBBOlM

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@Olivier5,

Quote:

I m certainly biased but isn't Buckley far less witty than Allen, in that show?

"No, they should sell it back!"

That's my take too. Buckley can't avoid an element of snootiness which is completely absent in Allen (understandable given differing pursuits but it's a clear difference). The joke you quote is one of my favorites. Another is his mother's graffiti on the wall of the synagogue an another on what dances Buckley is limited to. But in all these cases. Buckley is as delighted with the jokes as we are. That says something very good about him. And we should note that Buckley remained close, lifelong friends with JK Galbraith.

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@CalamityJane,

Quote:

I think he would be a Democrat today had he seen the GOP movement towards the ridiculousness. I certainly could appreciate his command of the English language, it was just superb listening to him.

I suspect we'd have to travel through a hell of a lot of parallel universes before we found one where Buckley is a Democrat. He was an arch-conservative but looks like something different only in the context of what the right has now become. And I do think there are other intellectual conservatives still around who aren't lunatics. David Brooks, for example, who was hired to NR by Buckley because of a piece Brooks had written in a college newspaper -

Quote:

I recounted that after college he had founded two magazines, one called The National Buckley and the other called The Buckley Review, which merged to form The Buckley Buckley.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/opinion/29brooks.html
Buckley famously rejected Goldwaterism but the NR changed, moving further in that direction, as Buckley reached his senior years. About a decade ago, they booted out his son for ideological impurity (I think Rich Lowry had something to do with that).

And the other video I posted of him with Hitchens again demonstrates how different in style and integrity he was from most of what we see modernly. Hitchens too is very praiseworthy in that discussion.

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@CalamityJane,

Quote:

Given the choice between Trump or Cruz, I would take Trump! Almost all of Cruz ideological ideas are extremely narrow-minded and very much in tune with tea party doctrines that are extremely frightening to me. Even Bill Maher who dislikes Trump with a passion has made concessions that Trump is half as extreme as Cruz.

Frankly, I am afraid if Cruz makes the GOP nomination running against Hillary, she most likely will lose. I much rather see Trump running against her as he won't have the tea party, Koch brothers and all the other extremists supporting him. He'll hang himself once he's given a longer rope.

I talked about my misgivings re Cruz earlier. I just don't know how it will pan out. But it is the case that serious Republicans and smart lefty thinkers fear/think his candidacy would do worse against Hillary than Trump. I guess we'll know in November.

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@blatham,

I saw one Mike Nichols/Elaine May skit. So good I'm tempted to track down more.

1 Reply

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