Reasons for optimism

Delusion is the most common reason for optimism whatever is the subject at hand. This is a great example of it.

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@nimh,

Quote:

If anything, Putin's ideology more closely resembles fascism. And that does say something about those who admire him.

I missed this earlier and yes, that's right on the money.

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@blatham,

blatham wrote:

And now that Trump has won, and I voice what I see as the dangers now manifesting and that those men perceived likely or sure to manifest if he won, you still wish to maintain that I am voicing something extremist and without a proper rationale?

You have the strange habit of putting words in other people's mouths and then arguing about them. I never said you were an extremist (indeed you are wearyingly conventional), though I do disagree with many of your conclusions. Instead I believe you are oddly and excessively infatuated with various elites and prominent media and political figures. I don't know where that somewhat slavish attitude came from, but I am persuaded that more independent study, thinking and acquaintance on your part would quickly cure you of it.

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From Michael Gerson...

Quote:

The final crisis faced by the GOP — and just about everyone else — relates to the quality of our political culture. Trump won office in a way that damaged our democracy. He fed resentment against minorities, promised to jail his opponent and turned shallow invective into an art form. If he governs as he campaigned, Trump will smash the unity of our country into a thousand shards of bitterness.

but that is followed by the final graph...

Quote:

We should hope that the president-elect will be sobered by the responsibilities of high office and discovers hidden resources of charity (even though malice has been the habit of a lifetime). He deserves the space at least to try. But Republicans may end up depending on a younger generation of leaders — Ryan, Ben Sasse, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Jeff Flake, Marco Rubio — to demonstrate the possibility of unifying aspiration and civil disagreement. And that would lay the foundation for a lasting and honorable victory.

One can understand Gerson's hope, even if he seems to understand how thin and tenuous it is. What else can he hope for?

But it looks as delusional as his earlier hopes that most of what has happened would not happen. There's little about Trump's win and what Gerson bemoans in that first graph that we didn't see before. The serial deceits, the fear mongering, the racism, the nationalism and misogyny that didn't appear in every Ann Coulter book or statement, that couldn't be seen in Michelle Malkin's writing, that wasn't heard on talk radio every single day or that could be read every day on right wing sites, and that wasn't evident in the political strategies of Issa or the broad moves across red states to suppress minority voting.

Again, as in the last 6 out of 7 elections, Dems have won the majority of US citizens, in this case, by something like 2 million people. But conservatives understand very well how they continue to gain electoral advantages and these are lessons they are not going to drop out of some abiding respect for democracy or civility - both of which hinder their aspirations to control governance.

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@georgeob1,

Quote:

Instead I believe you are oddly and excessively infatuated with various elites and prominent media and political figures. I don't know where that somewhat slavish atrtitude came from, but I am persuaded that more independent study, thinking and acquaintance on your part would quickly cure you of it.

There's no question that I'm a sucker for the conventional wisdom that the earth is indeed round. And that the earth revolves around the sun. And even that humans evolved from earlier primates which themselves evolved from (probably) a little creature that looked like a very ugly and unpleasant mouse that could have been designed by Salvador Dali.

Clearly, I have been reading the wrong people. I should, long ago, have taken your example and read... what? Where does "independent" study come from? Where have you found it? How is independent thinking fostered? How have you gained this particular talent?

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@blatham,

blatham wrote:

Clearly, I have been reading the wrong people. I should, long ago, have taken your example and read... what? Where does "independent" study come from? Where have you found it? How is independent thinking fostered? How have you gained this particular talent?

I've told you before. Read less opinion about "policy" and study more factual material about the supposed objects and substance of that policy. More history, economics & physics and less journalism.

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@georgeob1,

Quote:

Read less opinion about "policy" and study more factual material about the supposed objects and substance of that policy. More history

Factual material on policy - as analyzed and communicated by whom? Paul Ryan? A paper from the Federalist Society?

As to reading history, I have and I do. My bookshelf has many such books (and I've read them). Perhaps you hold a particular fondness for "the classics". That's fine, I have that too. But the sense of this I have, george, is that you're a bit like how Woody Allen described William Buckley when the two of them sat before a large audience and Buckley was asked by an audience member what dance style he liked best. Woody jumped in and pointed out that Buckley couldn't do any dance invented after 1750.

Please let me know which book by American historian Rick Perlstein I can loan to you. Take your pick.

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ehBeth just pointed me to an interview on CBC radio with someone who worked for and with Steve Bannon. You all ought to listen to this (it's short) http://bit.ly/2eBWV9z

I'll note here a quote on that opening page from another Breitbart employee

Quote:

"It's pretty much never back down, always forge forward, never concede, never admit any mistakes and, if anyone questions you, run them over."
- Kurt Bardella, former Breitbart spokesperson

I have no doubt that is an accurate description of the man's behavior and motivations. But this isn't the description of a political activist like MLK. This is a description of a bully who for some internal reason needs to dominate others. Of course, "bully" is the term we use for someone like this who lives in the neighborhood. At the national level, we'd use authoritarian or tyrant or fascist.

But look again at that quote and observe how it precisely maps onto the personalities and actions of Dick Cheney and David Addington.

Trump and his boys aren't a new species.

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I've had crazy times with my computer lately, beginning to think it has something to do with this site. Anyway, not trying to hide, but, had trouble getting back to this site. If anyone cares, it is rev.

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@skirby,

I'll suggest letting the mods know re 'contact us', because you are probably using the same old IP ID.. says another a2ker with a crazed computer, mine because it is very old.

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@ossobucotemp,

Ok, thanks for the advice. To matters worse and worse, I can't get my game manager back. Ugh.

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@joefromchicago,

joefromchicago wrote:

Quote:

Depends very much on what issues you're talking about, no?

No. It depends on who you're comparing him to.

Well, on immigration and race Trump was no "moderate" compared to Kasich, Rubio, Bush and such. Not that any of those guys were good, but Trump clearly took the position furthest to the right.

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@blatham,

"It's pretty much never back down, always forge forward, never concede, never admit any mistakes and, if anyone questions you, run them over."
- Kurt Bardella, former Breitbart spokesperson

-----------------------------

Wait. Talking about Hillary, right?

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@joefromchicago,

You sure you arnt republican. You seem to be very good at posting insults when someone points out your misguided opinions. And no I dont feel the least bit bad about expressing my opinion of the ass hole we elected to our highest office. Think Bush, Chaney and hold on to your ass.

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@blatham,

See my last post. If you people want to respect a crook go right ahead. He is already trying to use the presidency to stop the tRump university lawsuits.

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@blatham,

Poor Blatham. He sees a dark conspiracy of similary evil conservative figures everywhere. Life and the world we inhabit are far more complex and varied than the narrow taxonomy of possibilities Blatham would impose on them. I fear he has read far too many liberal opinion pieces and interprets everything in their light.

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@RABEL222,

RABEL222 wrote:

You sure you arnt republican.

Nope, I sure arnt

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@nimh,

nimh wrote:

Well, on immigration and race Trump was no "moderate" compared to Kasich, Rubio, Bush and such. Not that any of those guys were good, but Trump clearly took the position furthest to the right.

His rhetoric was certainly more extreme, but his immigration policies (insofar as we can discern any Trumpian policies) were pretty much in the mainstream of the GOP this year.

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My optimism burns hot as the sun.

Quote:

Eliot A. Cohen, a former State Department official who had criticized Mr. Trump during the campaign but said after his election that he would keep an open mind about advising him, said Tuesday on Twitter that he had changed his opinion. After speaking to the transition team, he wrote, he had “changed my recommendation: stay away.”

He added: “They’re angry, arrogant, screaming ‘you LOST!’ Will be ugly.”

Mr. Cohen, a conservative Republican who served under President George W. Bush, said Trump transition officials had excoriated him after he offered some names of people who might serve in the new administration, but only if they felt departments were led by credible people.

“They think of these jobs as lollipops,” Mr. Cohen said in an interview.

http://nyti.ms/2eFScUq

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Reasons for optimism

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