How long will the dial it down approach last for the Dems? Apparently it’s already over, as Biden refused to apologize for his bullseye comment yesterday in his interview with Lester Holt. TDS appears to be an incurable affliction and possibly should be renamed Terminal Trump Derangement Syndrome (TTDS). After his November landslide win Trump will need to expel tens of thousands from the sclerotic government agencies, allowing those with TTDS to seek treatment on their own time. Dealing with the people burrowed in to the Deep State will take a concerted and protracted effort, but Trump is going in this time with full knowledge of the miscreants seeking his overthrow.
With any luck, the attempted assassination and Trump’s re-election will lead to the implosion of the Democratic Party, with the sane members forming a rational party and the lunatic fringe forming their own left wing lunatic party.
Our major parties don't implode. They just adjust. Look at how the GOP has changed. Trumpism is a long way from Reaganism. Bidenism is a long way from Clintonism.
Social media being what it is (and I made the mistake of trying to argue with a few conspiracists yesterday), the hyperventilation will persist. And, indeed, I expect the Dems to hound Trump relentlessly even if the GOP sweeps Congress.
I'm also of a mind that the CNN and MSNBC bosses will welcome a Trump victory as a means of rejuvenating their viewer numbers.
I'm also not super excited by a second Trump term. His first was a mixed bag, and his populist tendencies have only grown since then. While I expect some good things, and in particular a rollback of some of the most extreme Biden actions, it's likely to be another mixed bag, and also "messy." Not to mention the areas of policy where Trumpism and libertarianism diverge widely.
But, IMO that'd be better than 4 more years of Dem presidency, given how extreme the last 4 have been.
At first glance I was among that small faction who thought the whole thing was staged until hearing the details. I do hope this was an isolated incident though that thought doesn't offer much comfort. It's a symptom of a social situation which has deteriorated all the more in recent years. To quote the late great Donald Sutherland from the film JFK it's "an era of make believe". To quote another Oliver Stone character(I enjoy his films as you can tell) "the ice is melting right underneath your feet". Makes you wonder where we're headed. You'll probably give me some answer but, it doesn't make a difference. There's nothing here to understand. I am waiting for something significant to happen I just don't know what it is.
I'm open to all possibilities supported by facts, but until there's some reason beyond "I don't want to believe it's what it appears to be," I'm sticking with Occam, Hitchens, and Franklin.
This is where social media has created a monster. It's harder to speculate wildly when you're face to face, because even if someone doesn't respond with "don't be an idiot," you can see it in their face. On social media, the effect of that sort of feedback is deeply muted, so you get hordes of "you're an idiot if you believe the simplest answer" knowitalls.
At this juncture, it's appearing to be a colossal security failure, and the evidence for that is growing.
Personally I agree that TDS is incurable. I know some intelligent, othterwise sensible, people who will never change their beliefs about him. They are rooted in it. In fact, I have not seen one democrat who does not have it.
The guy actually said he should have used the term crosshairs rather than bullseye. Am I the only one who thinks crosshairs is a much worse metaphor to use?
I thought he said "I didn't say crosshairs," but the point remains. It wasn't meant literally, but public speakers need to have a "lowest common denominator" filter when saying stuff like that.
I'm reminded of the anecdote about why there was so much difficulty designing bear-proof trash pails for Yellowstone Park. "There is significant overlap between the smartest bears and the dumbest humans."
I don't excuse 1/6, nor do I absolve Trump of it. He failed to anticipate it, and he failed to even try to stop it.
But, it was a riot, not an insurrection. It shouldn't have happened, Trump should have stopped peddling his stolen election nonsense after the first few failures in court, and he should have acceded sooner. But, it wasn't an existential event, just as the various state-level "occupations" of govt buildings weren't.
Trump was somewhat implausibly uncurious about the elements coalescing around him from the first to destroy him.
I hope he's been cured of this, as have any skeptics in the population.
Anyway, it was a riot that was co-authored by the other side, who then misrepresented it - with extreme prejudice - at such a volume and with such coordinated lawfare fury after the fact that whatever his complicity/ incuriosity, it pales beside the garden variety enabler of all lefty mayhem.
I sound vague but that's because trying to read this political landscape is like trying to read a set of tarot cards. They are open to a lot of interpretation.
The reconciliation moment has come and gone in mere hours. Biden's speech to the NAACP today was the equivalent of Nigel Tufnel's this one goes to 11 quip. And the old man just won't let go of the fine people on both sides lie. I know he doesn't write the stuff on his teleprompters, but they are all complicit in constantly bringing this and other lies up while claiming that Trump is the biggest liar in history.
The id-dump sounds much better than what I say about myself, "no filter". Great post as always Peter. I think the availability of 24/7 news has given us all an excuse (even if it's lousy) for perpetual id-dumps. The trick is to self-regulate and stop it before it can come out. Something I am working on but still have my moments!
How long will the dial it down approach last for the Dems? Apparently it’s already over, as Biden refused to apologize for his bullseye comment yesterday in his interview with Lester Holt. TDS appears to be an incurable affliction and possibly should be renamed Terminal Trump Derangement Syndrome (TTDS). After his November landslide win Trump will need to expel tens of thousands from the sclerotic government agencies, allowing those with TTDS to seek treatment on their own time. Dealing with the people burrowed in to the Deep State will take a concerted and protracted effort, but Trump is going in this time with full knowledge of the miscreants seeking his overthrow.
With any luck, the attempted assassination and Trump’s re-election will lead to the implosion of the Democratic Party, with the sane members forming a rational party and the lunatic fringe forming their own left wing lunatic party.
Our major parties don't implode. They just adjust. Look at how the GOP has changed. Trumpism is a long way from Reaganism. Bidenism is a long way from Clintonism.
Social media being what it is (and I made the mistake of trying to argue with a few conspiracists yesterday), the hyperventilation will persist. And, indeed, I expect the Dems to hound Trump relentlessly even if the GOP sweeps Congress.
I'm also of a mind that the CNN and MSNBC bosses will welcome a Trump victory as a means of rejuvenating their viewer numbers.
I'm also not super excited by a second Trump term. His first was a mixed bag, and his populist tendencies have only grown since then. While I expect some good things, and in particular a rollback of some of the most extreme Biden actions, it's likely to be another mixed bag, and also "messy." Not to mention the areas of policy where Trumpism and libertarianism diverge widely.
But, IMO that'd be better than 4 more years of Dem presidency, given how extreme the last 4 have been.
At first glance I was among that small faction who thought the whole thing was staged until hearing the details. I do hope this was an isolated incident though that thought doesn't offer much comfort. It's a symptom of a social situation which has deteriorated all the more in recent years. To quote the late great Donald Sutherland from the film JFK it's "an era of make believe". To quote another Oliver Stone character(I enjoy his films as you can tell) "the ice is melting right underneath your feet". Makes you wonder where we're headed. You'll probably give me some answer but, it doesn't make a difference. There's nothing here to understand. I am waiting for something significant to happen I just don't know what it is.
I'm open to all possibilities supported by facts, but until there's some reason beyond "I don't want to believe it's what it appears to be," I'm sticking with Occam, Hitchens, and Franklin.
This is where social media has created a monster. It's harder to speculate wildly when you're face to face, because even if someone doesn't respond with "don't be an idiot," you can see it in their face. On social media, the effect of that sort of feedback is deeply muted, so you get hordes of "you're an idiot if you believe the simplest answer" knowitalls.
At this juncture, it's appearing to be a colossal security failure, and the evidence for that is growing.
https://therootsofliberty.substack.com/p/the-razors-of-scrutiny
Personally I agree that TDS is incurable. I know some intelligent, othterwise sensible, people who will never change their beliefs about him. They are rooted in it. In fact, I have not seen one democrat who does not have it.
I know a few, but of course it depends on how you define TDS.
The guy actually said he should have used the term crosshairs rather than bullseye. Am I the only one who thinks crosshairs is a much worse metaphor to use?
I thought he said "I didn't say crosshairs," but the point remains. It wasn't meant literally, but public speakers need to have a "lowest common denominator" filter when saying stuff like that.
I'm reminded of the anecdote about why there was so much difficulty designing bear-proof trash pails for Yellowstone Park. "There is significant overlap between the smartest bears and the dumbest humans."
Ah, thanks. It can be challenging to decipher his words sometimes.
Peter, you never disappoint: “rocket surgeon”!😁
I've used that before :)
II loved that one also!😄
"political violence has been overwhelmingly the Left's bailiwick in modern times, and yes, that includes the 1/6 riot."
Hear, hear.
There are many on the right who need to get their heads around this unassailable fact.
I don't excuse 1/6, nor do I absolve Trump of it. He failed to anticipate it, and he failed to even try to stop it.
But, it was a riot, not an insurrection. It shouldn't have happened, Trump should have stopped peddling his stolen election nonsense after the first few failures in court, and he should have acceded sooner. But, it wasn't an existential event, just as the various state-level "occupations" of govt buildings weren't.
Trump was somewhat implausibly uncurious about the elements coalescing around him from the first to destroy him.
I hope he's been cured of this, as have any skeptics in the population.
Anyway, it was a riot that was co-authored by the other side, who then misrepresented it - with extreme prejudice - at such a volume and with such coordinated lawfare fury after the fact that whatever his complicity/ incuriosity, it pales beside the garden variety enabler of all lefty mayhem.
I sound vague but that's because trying to read this political landscape is like trying to read a set of tarot cards. They are open to a lot of interpretation.
The reconciliation moment has come and gone in mere hours. Biden's speech to the NAACP today was the equivalent of Nigel Tufnel's this one goes to 11 quip. And the old man just won't let go of the fine people on both sides lie. I know he doesn't write the stuff on his teleprompters, but they are all complicit in constantly bringing this and other lies up while claiming that Trump is the biggest liar in history.
Visceral hatred that can’t be reasoned with.
The id-dump sounds much better than what I say about myself, "no filter". Great post as always Peter. I think the availability of 24/7 news has given us all an excuse (even if it's lousy) for perpetual id-dumps. The trick is to self-regulate and stop it before it can come out. Something I am working on but still have my moments!