Is It Good For The Americans?

Date
Canonical
9189
Archive
9189 [history]

When I was a kid, I sat and watched the 30 minute ad run by Lyndon LaRouche during the 1976 presidential election. I don’t remember much about it, but I seem to recall he accused just about everyone of being in a conspiracy of some sort. I also recall my mother laughing and calling him a nut. LaRouche was a crazy Marxist, but I see he has been retconned into a crazy right-winger and anti-Semite. His wiki page reads like it has been heavily edited by one of his followers.

Anyway, I bring this up because it is what comes to mind when I read these paranoid postings about how the Russians are coming to take us away.

I saw that on Sailer’s blog over the weekend, but it is hardly unique example of the genre. John Derbyshire pointed out that a segment of the ruling class has gone around the bend with regards to their paranoia over the Russians. Jennifer Rubin is a very nasty old woman to begin with, so her paranoid ramblings about Russia and Trump sound particularly vile and un-American. As soon as you hear people talking about dual loyalties like that, you can be sure their loyalties are not with you.

The upside to believing in conspiracies is the same as the belief in magic. There is no end to how you can use a conspiracy theory to explain things. Progressives are now telling one another that they did not actually lose the elections. No, it was Russian hacking. Somehow, Russian hackers made their candidate into a crook running a shakedown scheme from the State Department. They also tricked John Podesta into writing all those e-mails that proved to be so embarrassing.

The neo-cons have decided that their rejection by the American people has nothing to do with losing wars of choice and flooding the nation with hostile foreigners. No, “invite the world and invade the world” is a great policy. It’s those damned Russians and their schemes to re-patriot their Jewish emigres. You see, the Russians have teamed up with Trump to engineer a silent coup to seize control of the US government in the cause of restoring the Czar to the throne.

That is the worrisome thing about this tribal paranoia about the Russians. The one thing Jews should always try to avoid is elevating the idea of divided loyalties into the public discourse. The heart and soul of Western antisemitism is the claim that Jews are disloyal. They put the good of the tribe above all else and will sell out their country if it is good for the Jews. The fact that it is pretty much exclusively Jews ranting about the Russians and leading the opposition to Trump is not good for the Jews.

But, that does not seem to be sinking in with the neo-cons. This tweet from the increasingly deranged David Frum is a sad example.

Maybe it wasn’t tactical, but I still don’t understand why Hillary never said: “Take off that pin, it’s not your flag, you Putin stooge.” pic.twitter.com/TDfk0sgZ9M

— David Frum (@davidfrum) December 10, 2016

Is there anything worse you can say about a president than he is a traitor? Critics of Obama used to say that his Muslim sympathies led him into foolish policy choices like the Iran deal. That’s not really the same thing, but his defenders were appalled by it nonetheless. Protestants used to make these arguments against Catholic politicians, claiming they would be taking orders from the Pope. At least the motivation there was spiritual.

Frum is saying that Trump and his team are actually foreign agents, on the payroll of a foreign government. That’s the only way to read what these people are claiming. They truly believe that Trump and his people are foreign agents, working with a hostile government against the interests of America. It is the one thing that can still get you hanged in this country, thus making it the worst possible crime. Accusing the next president of this is more than a little over the top.

Never mind the absurdity of the claim. Think about where that leads. What limits are there on what you can do to stop a traitor from harming the country? Obviously, you can say anything horrible about them you like, in an effort to damage them. Would Frum and his coreligionist be wrong to conspire to harm the Trump administration? Would they be wrong to cook up a plot to take the guy out before he could get into office? Maybe run a straw candidate in one state? Or something more?

It’s not hard to see how this gets out of hand. These unhinged anti-Trump people, by raising the divided loyalty topic, open the door to a lot of very bad thoughts. These sorts of claims have a way of washing back on the people who first raise them. That is the lesson of history. Team Trump looks like a grab bag of American types, that hardly fits the model of a conspiracy. The people leading the charge with this Russian conspiracy nonsense, on the other hand, have a lot in common.

That brings us back to LaRouche and his nutty followers. That should be the destiny of people like Frum, Rubin, Stevens and so on. Most Jews in America, probably 99%, think these conspiracy fantasies are nuts so they should go on the offensive. Marginalizing the anti-Trump loons is one thing that would clearly be good for the Jews and it would be good the country. Once you start down the road of divided loyalties, you end up with mob rule and the majority examining every minority for signs of disloyalty.

That would not be good for the Americans.

To keep Z Man's voice alive for future generations, we’ve archived his writings from the original site at thezman.com. We’ve edited out ancillary links, advertisements, and donation requests to focus on his written content.

Comments (Historical)

The comments below were originally posted to thezman.com.

106 Comments

Drake #23157 December 12, 2016 10:29 am 25
So the same people who: – laughed out loud at Romney when he identified Russia as a primary threat… and – yawned and poo-pooed the story about Hillary making a deal that gave 20% of American uranium production to a Russian company in exchange for outlandish speaking fees and kick-backs… ..are now convinced the Russkies stole an election?
Nunnya Bidnez jr #23148 December 12, 2016 9:17 am 19
Trump a Soviet agent??That’s the funniest, in a stupid way, thing I’ve read in a long time. Frum really has gone off the deep end if he beleives that.OTOH, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Grand Alliance emerge between Trump, Putin, and Netanyahu; I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Assad become a puppet of that group.Trump knows that the past 50 years have been a policy disaster in the mid-east; he won’t be afraid of changing direction quickly and radically. When Assad ran Syria (well actually he still does run it) he kept a tight lid on everything… it’s a multi-culti place with several competing types of moslems, plus a smattering of christians, crypto christians, a multitude of tribes and ethnithicities, etc.Assad mayb e a dictator/strongman, but he did manage to keep the place from turning into another Libya. So far. He just needs new patrons backing him. Trump knows that Whatever Hilliary’s cabal had planned would’ve been counter productive, Putin knows that, Netanyahu knows it, and Assad will come to understand it too. That trio could transform Syria, as well as pull the persian carpet out from under the mullahs.
James LePore #23154 December 12, 2016 10:00 am 12
A Trump-Putin-Netanyahu alliance is a pretty fascinating idea, way outside the Beltway box. It’s goal would have to be to stabilize the Mid East, meaning ISIS and Hezbollah would have to be eliminated and Iran told it will never have nuclear weapons. What Iran would want in return for agreeing to this, I don’t know, but it would be worth exploring.
Calsdad #23205 December 12, 2016 3:28 pm 2
How about a deal with Boeing to buy $50 billion in jetliners?
bilejones #23231 December 12, 2016 6:54 pm -5
The fastest way to stabilize the ME would be for the US to get out and stop subsidizing the Israeli thugs. Iran, btw, does not have, and never had a nuclear weapons program. Read Gareth Porters “Manufactured Crisis”
James LePore #23237 December 12, 2016 7:47 pm 10
You make your statement that Iran never had a nuclear weapons program as if it’s an indisputable fact. Really? No room for argument or disagreement? I’ve never heard of Porter but I saw in two minutes that he is a defender of the Khmer Rouge and a global warming enthusiast.
LetsPlay #23248 December 12, 2016 10:09 pm 4
Hey Jones. Please wipe your lower lip. Your bile is dripping a bit much. And Gareth Porter? Never heard of her.
james wilson #23261 December 13, 2016 2:46 am 2
I’m all for ending subsidies with Israel. But I don’t think the result will be anything remotely like you imagine.
Nunnya Bidnez jr #23149 December 12, 2016 9:25 am 18
Meanwhile, on the home front, Trump is bitching that Boeing is out of control pricewise regarding AirForceOne, and that Lockheed has out of control costs on the F-35. Both companies have long been part of the deep-state / crony-capitalist Military.Industrial.Complex. I guess both companies are gonna have big shake-ups coming.
Wilbur Hassenfus #23189 December 12, 2016 2:12 pm 2
Option #2 is that threatened military-industrial-deep-state interests are capable of defending themselves effectively. IMO Trump is not wise to make these people feel threatened before 1/20/2017.
LetsPlay #23249 December 12, 2016 10:15 pm 5
You have to admire the balls on the man. What you see is what you get. He means what he says and everyone, and I mean everyone, knows that those two projects are plain corruption, robbery and stupidity. He aims to fix that. The problem is that no one has taken action to put some boundaries on these actors and make them accountable. The Deplorables don’t care what part of the Deep State (maybe the part the sun don’t shine on!) they are from but they work for us. I’m sure they don’t think so but it is time someone reminded them of that fact.
el_baboso #23174 December 12, 2016 12:27 pm 17
Just throwing stuff at the walls to see if it will stick:Maybe there is a larger force at work here. Maybe we are seeing all of these pre-modern behaviors emerge (scapegoating, true believerism, cultic religion, and all the rest) because the differential between what people see and what they understand has reached pre-modern levels.Around 1910, it was still possible for a college grad to understand the physics and chemistry that made the steam economy work. Despite the huge increase in the raw number of college grads, how many can explain how an internal combustion engine works? I’d hazard fewer in terms of a fraction of humanity than understood a steam engine in 1910. Now we apparently have a reactionless drive and nobody really knows how that works at all.When even honest reporters discuss Hillary’s server, how many understand any of the technical issues surrounding a potential hack? Encryption, firewalll, SSL,… these are all just Mysteries to them, in the same sense that Christians consider the Trinity or the Immaculate Conception to be Mysteries. And since they have no rational basis to understand them, they are going to believe what their cult’s holy man tells them to believe.This has been going on for some time. Your typical liberally educated literati in the 1920s read about the Theory of Relativity and took it to mean that everything is relative: I can now smoke opium and cheat on my wife without guilt. Likewise, quantum theory was used (and continues to be used) to help justify postmodernism’s view that there is no truth but what the observer experiences. As recently as last year I was in a closed forum used by members of a profession that you would never suspect of thinking this way, where a substantial number were arguing that we should abandon absolutes since quantum theory tells us that the scientific method is invalid and everyone sees everything differently anyway.Zman is right. It is a religion. No doubt there are grifters exploiting the faithful. But for the most part, it’s scared people doing their best to come to grips with the environment, except it’s not the winds and lightning any more, it’s packets and derivative securities.
alzaebo #23253 December 12, 2016 10:39 pm 3
Nice. Don’t forget the change in physical environment! What works in todays cities ain’t the same as Grandpa’s farm.
Dr. Mabuse #23270 December 13, 2016 10:27 am 2
It’s not just Hillary’s server; the term “hacking” itself has taken on magical characteristics. Now, almost the first defense of anyone who’s been caught with distasteful material on their social media account is “Somebody hacked my computer.” Who? How? No idea. It’s just a new way of saying someone put a curse on me.
Karl Horst #23172 December 12, 2016 12:26 pm 17
I think most Europeans don’t really understand why the Americans are so paranoid about the Russians. Especially since they have ever invaded North America in course of your own history. Yes I understand the Cuban missile crisis was a real event, but the closest the Russians ever came to occupation was at Fort Ross on the California coast in the mid 1800’s. And second, there are no industrial or economic threats by Russian against the USA or Europe in comparison to the industrial or economic threats from Communist China. To the point of fake news, I think your own media like CNN, the Washington Post and New York Times are more of a threat than the Russians could ever hope to compete with.Shortly after the Berlin Wall went up the Russian military left East Germany leaving only a token forces scattered through the old DDR. The Soviets had enough to worry about in restoring the USSR than worrying about East Germany. President Regan gave them a run for their money and they lost the arms race – thankfully!Even the current situation in Ukraine has few of us concerned or worried about “Russian expansion”. Which is understandable given the lack of Russia’s history of invasion and conquering neighbor countries. Japan was the last serious attempt for Russian expansion and that didn’t go so well for the Russians at all. Today their involvement in Syria is more of a convenient proving ground for their latest weapons systems than expansionism, much like Afghanistan in the past.Russia, at least as my Russian counterparts explain it, is all about mother Russia. Period. Where Americans are connected to their country at a patriotic level, Russians are connected to Russia at an ethnic, historical and spiritual level that goes way beyond your own concept of home land. Russian history goes back as far as 862 A.D. so they’ve had a long time to come to terms with who they are as a people.In reality, Russia is about as big a threat to Europe and America as the Dutch. In my opinion, I think the average American can relate more with Putin than they ever could with Obama. Now with Trump, we will see. But I suspect the two are not so different and actually understand each other despite Mr. Trumps lack of political or military experience. With the Russians, it’s all about negotiation, something Trump naturally understands.In my eyes, the Russians are a just a distraction to the real threats. I am talking about those from the south of our respective borders. The problem is you can’t justify a billion-dollar military industrial complex to protect against two third-world countries like Mexico and Turkey. This despite the factual evidence that these two countries are responsible for assisting with the movement of millions of real-world invaders, who pose real-world threats to our respective countries, more than any other nations in modern history.
Dutch #23184 December 12, 2016 1:16 pm 8
The Russian paranoia germinates from decades of the Russians infiltrating various American institutions to their own ends. Certain media outlets, some politicians, and various social agencies and enterprises have been co-opted by the Russians, or set up from the beginning as Russian front operations. Not Chinese, not Israeli, but Russian. To the extent Americans are paranoid, there is some basis for it. Walter Duranty cones to mind. The Rosenbergs. Students for a Democratic Society. It appears that Tailgunner Joe McCarthy was largely correct, but got played by the system.
Karl Horst #23191 December 12, 2016 2:30 pm 7
@ Dutch. I understand your point. But back then it was their political ideas that were being infiltrated into America, not a Russian way of life. I think most of the concerns were about nuclear strikes, not invasion and occupation. But you are right, that was at a time when Russia was promoting Communism and it was being spread everywhere. Now however, one could argue “What’s so bad about Communism” – considering how well the Chinese manage to use it to their advance over the past 20-years.Mean while democratic western economies these days have a hard time convincing people that free markets and free elections are such a great idea. Especially while the unemployment lines keep getting longer. If one has been living in their car without hope of employment and health care, all that freedom and democracy isn’t going to feed them and keep them warm.(Not taking anything away from those concepts, just looking at the other side of the coin).As for Americans being paranoid, it seems they always need a “boogie” man somewhere to justify their influence in the world and their military budgets. After the collapse of the USSR, I’m pretty sure executives as Lockheed, Raytheon and other military contractors were getting a little nervous since they only had one customer – Uncle Sam. Thankfully Saddam Hussein came along just in the nick of time! Coincidence? I think not. I believe President Eisenhower was right.
Dutch #23204 December 12, 2016 3:25 pm 4
Eisenhower was a wise man, and he had seen a lot from the inside. Americans after WWII hoped for a real change in global politics and society, after having seen how things went down in Europe twice and Asia once. IMO there was real bipartisan support for the UN. The Russians grabbing the know how to build an atom bomb, followed by the Korean War and then the Berlin Wall, suggested they things were no better than before, just layered with the threat of nuclear annihilation. Lots of dusappointment there.Americans are very proud of their culture and their political institutions (the Constitution and so on). The U.K. and to some extent France are the only major European countries that can show a similar consistency in both the political institutions and the culture throughout the 20th century to today, along with some consistent level of reasonable efficacy in doing the things governments are expected to do for their citizens and subjects. Our inordinate pride in our political institutions (just don’t expect the average American to be able to describe how they work and interact in any way!) is a peculiar trait, reinforced at every election period. That the Soviet Union seemed to attack the political and social institutions from within, rather than threatening military action from without (“all the Asian dominoes will fall if we let Vietnam get taken over by the Communists”), was much more threatening to most Americans. That colleges and universities would feed this Narxism stuff to our own children was (is?) hugely threatening.IMO the Democrats (and some Republicans) are playing some weird political destabilization game with all this “Russia” and “Putin” stuff now, as they and their Washington skim of the system appears to truly be at risk.
TempoNick #23197 December 12, 2016 2:50 pm 10
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that those Russians doing the infiltration in the old days were die-hard Communists leftists, who were also members of the same ethnic group that was the subject of this article. (e.g. The Rosenbergs.) I don’t get the sense that there were many Russians of Christian heritage subverting our way of life in those days.I had no trouble being against the Soviet Union when they were communists. I have a huge problem these days considering Russia, a fellow Christian Nation, to be my enemy. I think that is what is lost on the Jehws when it comes to Russia.I’m not saying that the Russians are completely benign. But then again, neither are we.
Karl Horst #23218 December 12, 2016 4:49 pm 9
@ TempNick – The Russians are having their own issues with Muslims, they just don’t publish much about it. But if you talk to the average Muscovite on the street, you’ll get the real story. It’s a serious problem and Putin, whether or not he is a Christian, is a hard line cultural Russian. Anything that threatens the cultural or ethnic core of Russia he will see as a threat. Fortunately, Russians are a rather brutal people, so things there tend to sort themselves out one way or another. Not like the Sweedes and Germans who bend over backwards to accommodate everyone and anyone – and God help those here who says anything to the contrary! Those get called the N-word and shuffled away by the cultural police – or they just join the AfD.
TempoNick #23226 December 12, 2016 6:07 pm 8
It’s a serious problem and Putin, whether or not he is a Christian, is a hard line cultural Russian.My parents come from a Slavic Orthodox country so I think I have a feeling for exactly the type that Putin is. Putin’s father was officially an atheist, but who knows whether he was just saying that to protect his job or whether he was just being a typical, obstinate, macho Russian. But, his mother was religious and he was baptised at a child. That tells me he does have something in his heart regarding faith, even if he isn’t a holy roller. A lot of males from a Slavic background are the same. The church is a quasi-monarchy, so it’s a lot like bytching against the government.Also remember, the Russian church doesn’t really care if people go to church on Sunday or not. They are perfectly okay with people who attend church on holidays, though truth be told, practically every day one saint or another is venerated, so everyday is potentially a holiday. The church sees its mission as primarily protecting the gospel and keeping it alive and unadulterated by secular influences.
teapartydoc #23227 December 12, 2016 6:30 pm 5
Back when the USSR was falling apart a family friend who had been working in the intelligence community showed my Dad a picture of a guy who was then a high ranking KGB agent who was having one of his children baptized in the Orthodox Church. It was Putin.
Anonymous Bro #23214 December 12, 2016 4:32 pm 6
Russians were the worst victims of communism. You have to look at who started communism and ran the scheme in the beginning. They were majority non-Russian.
alzaebo #23247 December 12, 2016 9:57 pm 4
Yes- a tribal dictatorship that created the big lie to cover up their subsequent genocides of the livestock, including postwar genocide of innocent Germans. Please see Mr. LePore’s comment above about believing one’s own lies.Of course; how could one know their own are lying? Now all join in a human shield, thats the point of the lie. Hint: it wasn’t atheism that killed 100 million people in the 20th century.
alzaebo #23250 December 12, 2016 10:20 pm 3
Further hint: none of Mao’s inner council were comrades from the long march.They were not Chinese. The Han threw Mao out twice, Moscow troops brought him back.Further- none of Brooklyn’s Red Diaper babies were Chinese either. Neither was Chicago’s Saul Alinsky. So what were they loyal to? Not Slavs, or Ukrainian or German patriots either- wrong tribe.This isn’t some fake outbranch, or even a conspiracy. It’s the belief held that enabled the terrible survivors of the Fall of the Edeen to survive as slaveraiders. Fast (traumatic) evolution taught the value of camoflauge.Ever since Abraham the Lucifer was chased out of Ur (a failed palace revolt when Hammurabi tried to quell their excesses), the ancient and formerly much larger demographic of Sea Peoples, Habiru, Akkadians, Hyksos, etc have been flipping the story, claiming victimhood as they sought to undermine economies and tradition with slave trade (such as ‘communism’).The resultant purges mean even more good ones die, further concentrating the percentage of pathological liars. See the other larger branch that uses rape or forced breeding, rather than storytelling and administrative skills, for colonization.Muslims are another variant of the Semitic demographic.
alzaebo #23251 December 12, 2016 10:31 pm 3
“Lucifer” was a title, the office of the chamberlain, the Lord Ham’s most trusted advisor. Just as the Host were the Lord Hammurabi’s personal bodyguard.Per Isaac Asimov. There are no deities, magic, or miracles in the Bible. It’s a political encyclopedia.
Al from da Nort #23194 December 12, 2016 2:34 pm 3
Karl;While I can agree with your current general threat assessment for the West, I can’t believe I’m hearing you say that there is a “lack of Russia’s history of invasion and conquering neighbor countries.” For the last 1,200 years, invasion and conquest of neighboring countries has been THE constant feature of Russian history. It’s how the Grand Duchy of Moscow went from being a minor Tarter tributary to a vast empire controlling 12+ time zones. Of course, episodes of expansion were punctuated with episodes of defeat and retreat plus episodes of quiet, largely due to internal problems of various sorts.Viz:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Russian_historyGiven that Putin is a Russian patriotic nationalist (and thus no globalist, hence his attraction in some quarters), it is important to bear in mind what that fact is likely to mean for the future. I.e. we can expect more of that history since there are evidently strong forces driving it.As you say, heedless panic is not in order right now. But I would say that prepared, balanced watchfulness is in order, particularly for your country, given the unhappy last 100 years. Your reassuring Russian friends may even mean it, right now, but they are not not in charge nor likely to be able to reshape deeply entrenched geo-historical patterns.
Karl Horst #23212 December 12, 2016 4:09 pm 5
@ Al from da Nort – Fair point. But one could argue the same for the Netherland, Sweden, France and pretty much every European country during those periods – lots of border wars and of course those annoying French were constantly rolling across our lands and hiring Prussian mercenaries and making a nuisance of themselves. We put and end to that nonsense in 1871! The last real acquisition of European land transfer was when we reunified East Germany. Unfortunately I don’t foresee us getting the Alsace back anytime soon.Once things settle down in Ukraine, I think the days of European land wars are pretty much done. Again, no one really cares what happens east or south east of here anyway – at least not enough to send troops. European governments all are too busy with their own little plots of land, keeping the plebs in line and convincing us multi-culti is the new future. Ah the joys of the new millennium.
Karl Horst #23240 December 12, 2016 8:06 pm 5
@ Al from da Nort – The thing to watch with regards to Russia are twofold – the size and capability of their military, combined with the effective means to project force. Right now, they’re no where near what the US can do. And unless they suddenly pick up their industrial and economic base, they simply can’t afford another arms race. A demonstration of the Su-35 at the Paris air show does not an Air Force make.The days of bread lines and shortages are not something today’s modern Russians are going to tolerate just so Putin can rattle his saber. They may be patriotic, but they’re not stupid. They are no longer the Lada driving comrades of the 60’s. These are BMW 7-series and Toyota Land Cruiser owners with Smarthphone and Bluetooth connectivity.The only country on the planet that has the size, capability and means to project power is the USA. Period. Russia? No. China? Not even close. Besides, the Chinese haven’t gone toe-to-toe with a modern military and won. Korean War? You could argue they out numbered the US led forces just like the Americans out numbered the Germans in personnel and material in WW2. But as a military, they are paper tigers at best.Russia will most likely remain focused internally and as long as NATO refuses to get involved, they will reclaim everything historically connected with old Russia they believe they can get away with. They will probe, create havoc, see how the west reacts and repeat the process. Europe effectively ends at the Ural River and Ural Mountains, further east and south-east of that, no one in the EU really cares what goes on. With the meager expenditures and support Europe contributes to NATO, Europe isn’t about to send troops for anything the Russians get entangled with anytime soon.
Anonymous Bro #23216 December 12, 2016 4:36 pm 9
As Karl has mentioned previously, Europe is facing far graver dangers than an expansionist Russia (I grant you that bit). In fact, all of Europe as a Russian vassal is a far better fate than what awaits Europeans under muliticulturalism and Islam.
Karl Horst #23219 December 12, 2016 4:53 pm 5
True. But the Russians are horrible alcoholics and have you seen their dash cam videos? Decisions, decisions…
Dutch #23221 December 12, 2016 5:05 pm 3
I have this mental picture of the Russian dash cams on the Nurburgring…
Chuckie #23236 December 12, 2016 7:38 pm 5
Europe is a U.S. vassal and they’re being destroyed before our eyes. God willing, Trump will shut down the powers that be running the U.S. but as we see, in Syria for example, they don’t give up even if hundreds of thousands of people have died. Horrifying criminal behavior in a dangerous time.
teapartydoc #23228 December 12, 2016 6:32 pm 5
I have no problem with Russia controlling the Bosporus.
Chuckie #23234 December 12, 2016 7:31 pm 5
Al,What are your thoughts of the U.S. regime change (i.e. coup d’etat) policy as witnessed in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Honduras, various other countries in Africa. All within the last few years. And we’re supposed to fear Russia? The U.S. is the lawless aggressor of the planet in recent decades and our govt/media are constantly projecting our misbehavior onto Russia, grotesquely.
Al from da Nort #23269 December 13, 2016 9:48 am -1
Chuckie;With the possible exception of Ukraine, what you say about interfering in foreign lands is arguably true. Apparently the Cloud People are ignorant of the fact that since the Bronze Age, out-of-power foreign elite have been hanging out in the capital of major powers trying to use that major power to get themselves installed or re-installed as rulers in their own lands. The Cloud have let themselves be so used in quite a number of cases where no discernible US interest was involved. The Haiti intervention during the reign of Clinton I is a very clear example. Part of the reason for Trump.But what has that to do with fearing Russia_? Are you using a domestic quarrel framework_? What we ‘deserve’ has little to do with it. Indeed it seems to me that the opposite may be the case. IOW, threat assessment is the compound of Potential Adversary Capabilities X Potential Adversary Intentions. If, as you say, we have been stupid a**holes to the Russians that would seem to be likely to amp up their hostile intent. So then any increase in their capabilities (or decrease in ours) needs must increase a potential Russian threat to us.Karl is right to observe that there is still a significant gap in Russia’s global capabilities vis-a vie the US. He is not right to think that Russia’s now being on the move doesn’t matter to the ex-Near Abroad, of which half his own country was part of as well as well as Ukraine and the Baltics, etc. As evidence:http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2016/12/12/largest_land_armies_in_europe_on_the_edge_of_war_110473.html
Chuckie #23283 December 13, 2016 11:51 am 0
Thanks for your complicated reply, Al. It reminds me of a T-shirt that had a moment of popularity in the 70’s:“If you can’t dazzle ’emwithDiamonds,Baffle ’emwithBullshit!”Speak plainly, man, I’m a simple person. You seem perplexed by the meaning of my post. You could say I believe in living by the Golden Rule: Treat others how you would want to be treated.If Russia sent people from NGO’s to our part of the world and destabilized the governments surrounding our nation and turned the minds of those nations’ peoples to an anti-U.S. mindset and installed military bases and missile systems around us, would we find that to be friendly or hostile? This is what we do to Russia, among other other provocations and insults.The fears you and many other Americans/Westerners have about invasions of Ukraine and the Baltic countries are based on WW2 days and belong in the dustbin of cold war relics. Their only use is in keeping the war industry as fabulously wealthy as it is. Who has Russia attempted to invade lately? President Putin constantly points out their desire to respect sovereignty of other nations and to move forward with friendly relations and trade, something their behavior mirrors. Compare that to the bloody and shameful U.S. activities and “foreign policy” of today, the insane idea of full-spectrum global domination, which would be laughable like a James Bond villain’s endeavor, if it weren’t so deadly.You are aware that the U.S. military is free to propagandize the U.S. public (and the world) however they please, aren’t you? In 2013, the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act was enacted, which updates the 1948 Smith-Mundt Act that outlawed U.S. Government propaganda being used on Americans. The “Modernization” of the Smith-Mundt Act makes it legal for our government, via our supposedly free and independent media (LOL!), to propagandize the American people. The non-military news is governed by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), a board of 8 appointments (all executives from film entertainment/media and think tanks) plus the 9th serving in ex officio who is the U.S. Secretary of State. The military news is put out by the military and they are free to say what they like, which the media dutifully regurgitates. This “modernized” act was prompted by the military wanting to be able to tell Americans whatever they want to make it easier to go around the planet marauding without being stopped by an angry American public. Mac Thornberry from Texas sponsored it, saying how much it was needed to make life easier for the military.http://foreignpolicy.com/2013/07/14/u-s-repeals-propaganda-ban-spreads-government-made-news-to-americans/They deny propagandizing Americans, of course, but in reality that’s the whole point of it. To codify the covering up of criminal behavior. Get-out-of-jail-free card.
curri #23195 December 12, 2016 2:36 pm 4
“I think most Europeans don’t really understand why the Americans are so paranoid about the Russians. ” It’s really just a handful of tribalists who are influential in the media and major “think tanks.” But one can only say this anonymously (with a few exceptions) and on the internet.
Karl Horst #23215 December 12, 2016 4:33 pm 6
@ Curri – Ah, anonymous expression. Another curse of this millennium!The Dutch courts had their time in the sun with Geert Wilder’s non-PC comments. You may have heard he was convicted of inciting discrimination and “insulting a group” after a trial over statements he made about Moroccans. Fortunately the court did not find him guilty of incitement to hatred (hate crime) and did not hand down any punishment.Despite all the “oppression of expression” talk, it’s a simple fact that of you can say what you want over here, but just be ready for a libel suit if it can be proven you have intentionally insulted someone. Most European courts see it the same way too. I’m sure Americans can be sued for libel in the same way. The court case was based on the intent of what he was saying – not what he said.In Germany, the Beleidigunggesetz, (law protecting people against insults) isn’t always enforced, but it can be. It has been around since 1871 and is designed to protect people’s honor. It’s why we seldom display the Stinkefinger (stinky finger) in traffic to each other. Do it to an unmarked police car (of which there are many) and you will be rewarded by pretty flashing blue lights and a polite gesture to pull over.“Flipping the bird” as you Americans call it, is not protected under the freedom of expression here and as a few British tourists have learned the hard way, our courts take a dim view on a certain salute that was once popular between 1938-1945 even in jest. I hate to say it, but most Germans really do not share your sense of humor with these things. We’re fussy that way.
teapartydoc #23229 December 12, 2016 6:40 pm 3
In this country libel depends on intention to cause material harm and proof of material harm having occurred. Different than Europe. There you can be convicted on the word of the supposed victim. That’s why Americans fight extradition to Europe in questions like this, and why Europeans never sue for libel in American courts. It is also why Gawker got away with so much for so long. Jill Hogan’s case depended on him being able to show both intent to harm as well as damages.
Karl Horst #23235 December 12, 2016 7:31 pm 2
@ teapartydoc – Your description would support the idea that Americans value money over honor. Not a criticism, really – we’re not much better in many regards. It would seem Khrushchev wasn’t too far off – “Support by United States rulers is rather in the nature of the support that the rope gives to a hanged man.”
teapartydoc #23242 December 12, 2016 8:40 pm 4
It boils down to “sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me”.The case determining this involved a lawyer named Hamilton defending a man who was being harassed through the courts. He made the case and got his client acquitted, making the precedent and changing the law.
MSO #23243 December 12, 2016 9:05 pm 3
‘…Americans value money over honor…’ Not really. We have some old an old sayings: ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.’ and It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.’
Anonymous Bro #23213 December 12, 2016 4:30 pm 3
Fully agreed. I never realized the bit about the military industrial complex. Of course they have to look for beasts to slay, and desperate brown people are not good wall trophies, or very profitable.
Karl Horst #23217 December 12, 2016 4:40 pm 4
“Desperate brown people are not very profitable” Now I understand why Democrats are so deeply resentful of Republicans. Mr. Lincoln brought an end to a very profitable US business. It would seem the Democrats are not a group to forgive and forget so easily.
james wilson #23188 December 12, 2016 2:04 pm 11
There is nothing that should cheer right wingers more than the epic fear and panic which we are witnessing, especially from the neocon. The neocons were the A team of the Democrats gone over to tame the unquiet minds of conservatives, and they succeeded. This is the worst possible disaster for them. Poor VDH, in Gerard’s video, said after fifteen years at NR he was suddenly shocked at what they were writing, as if he didn’t know these people. Normals never suspect what things calculating people are up to, because they are normal. It may be that the only type of normal that can be trusted to deal with these people is the pussy grabbing normal.
Solomon Honeypickle IV #23152 December 12, 2016 9:57 am 11
I already consider the Never Trumpers to be anti-american “cosmopolitists”!
James LePore #23147 December 12, 2016 9:08 am 11
I don’t think Frum, Rubin et al believe what they’re saying. I believe they actually know it to be false. John Bolton called the Russian hacking conspiracy theory a false flag operation. It is. It’s fake news that the Cult hopes gains traction to undermine Trump. Soon there will be “rumblings” of impeachment. I pray that Trump keeps in mind that the Cult is a much greater danger to America than Putin.
james wilson #23186 December 12, 2016 1:36 pm 7
Maybe so, but for people who lie it is usually only a question of time before they believe their own lies. Trump Derangement Syndrome may compact that process still more.
Donzie #23171 December 12, 2016 12:06 pm 10
Just listened to another sore loser on TV, John Sununu from the Bush clan. He was concern trolling Trump and Tillerson on foreign affairs. He was also hinting at the dual loyalty issue. One of the reasons Russia chose XOM for their Arctic unconventional project is that XOM has a history of telling foreign governments to get get stuffed when they try to ratchet up the terms. They did this in Venezuela, Indonesia, and . . . . Russia! when all the other international oil companies caved. I think Putin may be a thug, but he recognizes strength. Tillerson is not going to cringe either personally or nationally, in the presence of criticism, and like his boss, he will defend himself, and us.I tend to think of people like Frum, Jeffrey Goldberg, and their ilk more as court stenographers than writers or commentators. They were hoping for a new gig with the Bushes or one of the others and simply lost out. Kristol and Podhoretz are smart guys and good writers, but I can hardly read them anymore.
Chuckie #23225 December 12, 2016 5:49 pm 8
We’re always hearing things like you wrote, “I think Putin may be a thug…” What action of his leads you to think this? I really want to know. Is it because he brought the oligarchs under control before they completely destroyed Russia? Is it because he protects his country and people and refuses to be a vassal to the West? Russia tried to enter into alliance and business with the West but it is the West who turned away. I wonder if it’s more likely that our very total anti-Russia propaganda has sunk in to everyone’s minds, even those who enjoy critical thinking.
LetsPlay #23252 December 12, 2016 10:35 pm 4
You have a good point Chuckie. American propaganda has vestiges of the Cold War and WWII racism that considers Russians no better than Ghengis Khan or Hannibal. Complete barbarians. However, I think if you give Putin half a chance, and if the EU/NATO, etc. would stop poking the Bear, then people could get on with some good business deals.The ones to not be trusted are the Chinese who are quickly becoming desperate in their economic situation. They are resorting to a much heavier hand of “commradism” with the local population, aggression on the South China Sea, Hong Kong and Taiwan independence movements, and financial system manipulation.I think Trump will pull Russia away from a Chinese partnership. By becoming more self reliant with our own energy resources, more energy becomes available worldwide and pressures should ease for Europe, Russia and China. Unless, China does a replay of 1930’s Japan and doesn’t want to pay for their resources but opts to seize them at gun point, then tensions should ratchet down across the globe. Oil is what makes it all work. And Rex Tillerson is the right person for the times to make this happen. The whole Taiwan issue is a red herring in the big picture.
Chuckie #23259 December 13, 2016 1:27 am 4
Maybe I’m naive but I just don’t believe in the need to have a bogeyman. There’s no reason the U.S., Russia and China shouldn’t perform together, each in our own best ways, as the great triumvirate of the planet for the benefit and advancement of all to enjoy.I don’t see why we should distrust China. I don’t believe they’re desperate in their economic situation, I fear that may be more U.S. propaganda and projection on to China of our own money problems. As far as “heavier hand of ‘commradism’ with the local population,” well, the treatment of Chinese population is the government of China’s business, not the U.S.’s. Last I heard, President Xi is working on elevating the poorest remaining millions of Chinese from destitute poverty to at least a basic minimum of living standards. I find that not just decent and humane but downright admirable. What has the U.S. done for our people lately? Export our jobs? Check. Import hordes of immigrants, refugees and allow unchecked illegal immigrants to drain our country’s resources for decades? Check. Squander at least $6 trillion of our national treasure within the last decade in unnecessary foreign entanglements (to put it politely)? Check.What aggression on the South China Sea is China expressing? There are *ancient* documents with maps and text describing China’s trade on those waters and islands. It is called the South *China” Sea, after all, not the South *United States of America* Sea. It’s the U.S. that sends warships and military jets through there provocatively, constantly antagonizing them. Not to mention ringing their country with military bases and missile systems. Hong Kong and Taiwan have always been used politically by U.S. as thorns to poke the mighty Chinese mainland with. “Independence movements” is a term that comes up along with “human rights” and “democracy” with National Endowment for Democracy and USAid projects, i.e., destabilizing governments, a pet pastime of the U.S. that has actually become our nation’s foreign policy. Finally, the financial manipulation, a world I don’t pretend to understand, is something I recently learned has been going on and on and on because the global financiers profit handsomely from it. In other words, it’s just a political football being kicked around for us suckers to consume while the elite continue making bank.Again, I may be naive, but I don’t accept that the U.S. needs to waste so much time, energy and resources being such a dick to everyone on the planet. It’s a real shame.
LetsPlay #23315 December 13, 2016 9:09 pm 0
Chuckie, while I am not an expert on Asian affairs by any means, I do follow Asian politics and happenings around the basin and it is not as you say. First off, China is a communist country and all that is implied in that. That is not just an American definition. Look at the history of communism/socialism/fascism, different shades of the same animal, and there is no uplifting of the masses as you refer to. There is only the gaining and consolidating of power by the few over the many.I have to say it, and I do mean it respectfully, that your views are a bit ignorant of the reality of the world and geopolitics. Call it naive if that is a more polite and comfortable way of putting it. When I say ignorant, I do not mean stupid, I only mean the definition of the word which is “lacking” in facts/knowledge about a particular subject.When it comes to the South China Sea, the fact that “China” claims ownership going back thousands of years, well, you need to look into their version of imperialism also. Look into Mongolia, Tibet, and other neighboring lands. The map as it is today has not always been such. The South China Sea, and there are many good maps of the area on G**gle, show it shared by Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, and others. That China claims, now, that it has always been theirs is because of oil and mineral discoveries under the sea. They are being the bullies, not America, in dredging land fills and putting military bases and no fly zones and declaring territorial rights to these new islands with complete disregard to the other countries in the area. And look how far the regions in question actually are from mainland China. The two most contested regions are one off of Japan and the other off of the Philippines. Talk about provoking people. Vietnam is an interesting country in that they don’t take any crap from the Chinese and are busy now building their own Navy and faux islands in the same manner as China to counter their actions.So, what I do want to do is encourage you to research this for yourself. It really wouldn’t take long to fill yourself in on the “facts” and get a fuller picture of what is going on. And don’t be fooled by China’s fondness for “communist capitalism.” They have taken the worst aspects of capitalism and used it to rape their own people while trying to con the rest of the world with their source of cheap labor. You will find out quickly just how bad their economic situation is and what is driving them today.Your views are a bit clouded by progressive thinking. Time to open up your mind. Good luck.
Wilbur Hassenfus #23159 December 12, 2016 10:31 am 10
I has this on my mind this morning:https://twitter.com/lbsasquatch/status/808313943848534016Their world is turned upside down. Nothing is true, everything is permitted. They don’t know what to think when all reliable authorities about What to Think have been discredited, so they may as well think anything. And since they hurt and feel threatened, they think angry paranoid thoughts about hurting people.It’s cognitive musical chairs. Everything’s rolling around.They really have a feeling as if they’re suddenly in a state of nature. To a degree, obviously.And all the Rational Adults who went to Harvard have just been milling around in a mindless groupthink exercise. They can’t process information for themselves. Bust the bubble, and they run madly around the room like scared cats.This isn’t like 9/11 for Frum; it’s worse.
LetsPlay #23144 December 12, 2016 8:56 am 10
I don’t know about the Jewish factor here but I leave it to the 40% and holding base that continue to “believe” in Hillary regardless of any disclosure that would have a normal person shaking their head, that they will be the only likely ones to buy into this FAKE news.What I think is forgotten here is the self inflicted damage the MSM has done to themselves and they now continue to hack away at a wound of their own making.It ain’t pretty but then, letting the mentally ill run the asylum was never a wise thing to do. I doubt very much this will gain traction as Trump’s winning ways will overpower what amounts to a losing “whimper.”
Rod1963 #23203 December 12, 2016 3:13 pm 9
What worries me is the way the MSM including Fox News is running with this. The fact that the Senate GOP is now demanding investigations and blaming Russia is just crazy. It seems they want to delegitimize Trump and demonize Russia. I know FoxNews and the GOPe both don’t like Trump and the latter has no qualms about declaring war against Russia for a series of events they oppose – Syria, retaking the Crimea, etc. Heck even Fox News a few months prior to the election was busy portraying Putin in the category as Saddam and Hitler.
Dutch #23207 December 12, 2016 3:47 pm 10
All of the existing institutions feeding from the Washington trough are at risk. There is nothing like the potential loss of a fat and easy paycheck to motivate people to say anything, and do anything, to keep that paycheck coming in.
SamlAdams #23210 December 12, 2016 3:59 pm 4
Or in the words of Vito the Killer Pimp in “Risky Business”…”Joel, don’t ever, ever f*ck with another man’s livelihood”
james wilson #23190 December 12, 2016 2:17 pm 9
My Google home page has three suggested stories every day. Two, if not all three, are the dangers of Trump. That’s just google. Aldous Huxley, call home. I could not imagine how a man or a movement could counter the remarkable control Progs have over the Narrative. Trump knew. He’s the Horse Whisperer even when he’s shouting, flicking the snake to keep the horse aware of who is Alpha, trotting through Trump’s circle and hoping he will stop.I recently saw Pence take down Stephanopoulos. That would never have happened without the Big Dog running the circus. It may be contagious.
TempoNick #23199 December 12, 2016 2:58 pm 10
Yeah, they would have been ganging up on the Republican who dared to fight back as being uncivil. Trump has liberated many in the Republican Party to fight back.
LetsPlay #23256 December 12, 2016 11:02 pm 5
I like Trump’s leadership style. He seems to have tweaked the saying “Lead – Follow – or Get Out of the Way” to “Lead – Follow – or if you are not sure, watch and learn, then join.” While the MSM and their fake news paints him as a divisive figure, he is busy building a strong foundation for the future. It is the American Way.
Dutch #23206 December 12, 2016 3:31 pm 10
Trump seems to have unleashed something that is much bigger than him. Big changes in historical directions often work that way. Genies, once released, can be very tough to get back into the bottles.
hokkoda #23208 December 12, 2016 3:48 pm 8
“a segment of the ruling class has gone around the bend with regards to their paranoia over the Russians”Lifeguards are trained to approach drowning swimmers in a certain way because the thrashing and desperation kick in, and they’ll grab anyone, and anything, to keep themselves from drowning.That’s what we’re seeing in the media and in the Official Government Party right now.Having failed to keep Trump “below 1,237 delegates, and having failed to drive a contested convention, and having failed to get delegates to “vote their conscience” and having failed in their attempt to throw the election to the Red Queen, and having failed to declare the race “over” before the votes were cast, and having failed to actually win enough of the EC, and having failed in their recounts, and having failed to get electors to “vote their conscience” (I note a trend here!), they are now trying to delegitamize the election and set up impeachment proceedings against Trump next year.That’s why some of the Republicans, like McConnell, are going along with it. They want the option to remove Trump from office later on assuming the Government Party cannot whip enough people into a frenzy that one of the sheeple decides to kill Trump. Impeachment is on their radar, the but Plan B cannot be discounted now that the CIA is involved.
DriesN #23202 December 12, 2016 3:13 pm 8
Caroline Glick wrote a must-read article about bitter reprobates like Frum, Stephens and Rubin.http://carolineglick.com/twilight-of-american-jewry/
Tim #23241 December 12, 2016 8:19 pm 2
Glick is an excellent commentator and analyst, very tough minded. Tim
DriesN #23268 December 13, 2016 9:26 am 2
Glick is not holding back – “Led most prominently by the Anti-Defamation League and its executive director Jonathan Greenblatt, in the wake of the election, American Jews are at the forefront of efforts to delegitimize Trump and his senior advisors.” .http://carolineglick.com/the-adls-new-bedfellows/
DFCtomm #23200 December 12, 2016 3:04 pm 8
“As soon as you hear people talking about dual loyalties like that, you can be sure their loyalties are not with you” First the left finally discovers the Red Menace, and now they’ve discovered the dangers of dual loyalties? Is this bizarro backward world? Next thing the left is going to do is start to talk up border security, and then my head will explode.
Al from da Nort #23155 December 12, 2016 10:13 am 8
The real danger of the situation is that, unlike the past when the Clintonoids’ targets for their blame deflection operations couldn’t fight back,* the Russians most certainly can and will. Could even be ‘wet ops’ like that guy in London that they went to the extra work of poisoning with Polonium just so there could be no doubt about who was behind it. Lets hope that if it ultimately goes that way the Russians will be as discriminating in their targeting.*Bill’s women victims, the White House travel section, Khaddefy, the so-called Benghazi film maker, etc. Putin cannot have missed the fact that their psychopathology knows few bounds. They don’t merely discredit but try to destroy their semi-involved targets of deflection. At some point he will be tempted to act accordingly.
James LePore #23224 December 12, 2016 5:32 pm 7
The Left acts tough only when they know they’ll never have to put their money where their mouth is. If Russia ever becomes a real threat to us, which is very unlikely, Frum and his buddies will be the first ones to start groveling. Right now Putin as a fake bogeyman is a way to hurt Trump. If he ever becomes a real bogeyman they will shit tthemselves. They think the American people are too stupid to see through this, but they’re wrong. We’ve woken up.
Chuckie #23260 December 13, 2016 2:29 am 3
Looking at people on the Left, I think that too… then I remember it was the Left that dragged us into both World Wars. They’re certainly tight with the war industry, I mean just look at Obama/Hillary’s track record! War industry is chomping at the bit for a world war. Hope they can be held at bay.
TempoNick #23193 December 12, 2016 2:34 pm 7
That Derbyshire article is a great read. I highly recommend it. My problem with the Jehws is that they are leftists and they promote leftist causes. Also, a not insignificant chunk of them are anti-Christian bigots. And those leftist causes and anti-Chistian bigotry has destroyed many lives and has destroyed the fabric of our society. I would surmise that historically a lot of others have had the same problems with them.
Guest #23142 December 12, 2016 8:46 am 7
As you have previously noted, Frum is a miserable wretch of a human being. It’s been particularly illuminating watching his fall from grace since the Bushes fired him. At least he’s at home with the lefties at the Atlantic. I scrolled through his Twatter feed. This one may be even more indicative of the degree to which Frum has become delusional. https://twitter.com/davidfrum/status/807987621754454016
Ben H #23150 December 12, 2016 9:44 am 8
He’s a mercenary, the Atlantic is run by American-born former Israeli soldier Jeffrey Goldberg (he was the guy the Obama people embarrassed I think earlier this year by leaking what an unthinking shill for their foreign policy he has been). One tweet from Frum I remember was him pointing and sputtering at someone calling out race-war enabler Soros. Anti-semitic to call out a jew for his behavior. A bit more than decade ago he would have been laying into Soros for the latter’s anti-Israel stance, but look at him now. The really are their worst enemies.
Chiron #23239 December 12, 2016 7:55 pm 5
“Atlantic is run by American-born former Israeli soldier Jeffrey Goldberg” Exactly, smart Americans must notice that both the Liberal and Neocon media are run by the same “Tribe”.
Deplorable Black Man #23162 December 12, 2016 10:45 am 10
I have to admit that back in my technocratic, managerial-conservative loving days, I liked Frum a lot, along with guys like Reihan Salam and Douthat. But what opened my eyes to Frum’s douchebaggery was his slander of Andrew Breitbart the day after his death when he called him a racist. I just remembered thinking WTF?! Haven’t had much use for him since.
TempoNick #23196 December 12, 2016 2:38 pm 7
For me, Frum was the Jehwish version of Erick Erickson. He talked a good conservative game, but at the end of the day his true colors usually came out close to election time when he put his RINO-Fanboy suit on. I have no use for him.
notsothoreau #23181 December 12, 2016 1:05 pm 6
That’s okay. I witnessed people becoming hysterical because Trump wasn’t getting daily briefings. Never mind that Obama doesn’t. Never mind that Trump isn’t in office yet. The electoral college needs to overturn the election because this proves Trump isn’t serious.
random observer #23185 December 12, 2016 1:19 pm 4
Just heard that one in my office this morning from the resident pair of Trump panickers [I’m in Canada, so all my coworkers are trumpophobes and I admit I have some concerns about his apparent style, work habits, and mannerisms, but I revel in the pain of my colleagues, so there’s that…].He’s not getting a package of heavily digested classified infobits every single day like President Jed Bartlet! He’s not micromanaging the comms staff’s organic lunch order while citing passages from St Thomas Aquinas! Horrors! [Actually, if he was citing Aquinas that would be a modest improvement, but he’d need to be selective.]
james wilson #23187 December 12, 2016 1:45 pm 10
Work habits? Inform your Commnadian Comrads that his inner circle have no idea when their 70 year old boss sleeps.
TempoNick #23198 December 12, 2016 2:56 pm 6
That man is a workaholic. Primarily, because he loves what he is doing. We’ll see if he loves being president as much as he loves collecting rent.
notsothoreau #23244 December 12, 2016 9:15 pm 12
That was the one thing I took away from the Chris Wallace interview. He tried to talk to Trump about the Apprentice. He told him “I don’t have anything to do with that anymore.” Trump also said, ” I don’t care about making a deal. This is too important.” And when Wallace asked him if he’d be lonely while Barron and Melania are still at Trump Tower, he said “no, I’ll be too busy to be lonely.” He is completely focused on this job and none of the old things matter. His kids can handle the business. He’s all in on being President.
LetsPlay #23255 December 12, 2016 10:55 pm 6
“That man is a workaholic.” I know. Great isn’t it? After eight years of Obozo, golf, EO’s, and vacations, it’s nice to see someone who knows what they want to do and get busy gittin her done! Puts ‘ol Barry to shame!
SamlAdams #23209 December 12, 2016 3:56 pm 10
Were I them I’d be a bit more worried about having a lightweight PM who thinks the Castros and Che were really good guys and was raised by a mother whose primary claim to fame was going out clubbing and showing her cooter to everyone….
Dutch #23211 December 12, 2016 4:06 pm 7
Like they say, it’s good to know where you came from. In this case, there are photos…
Maxi Dean #23223 December 12, 2016 5:20 pm 1
“lightweight”You’re too kind! https://youtu.be/FRqHt5d9HDc
Wayne Parker #23220 December 12, 2016 4:54 pm 5
My two cents’ worth: I wonder if Senator McConnell and other GOP leaders are playing along with this farce to really let the Clintons and DNC hoist themselves on their own petard. If the USG/Intel Community has solid evidence the Russian government or persons affiliated with the Russian government hacked e-mails and influenced the US presidential election, then any investigation must closely examine the contents of any and all hacked emails and any other communications that might have been exposed to these hackers’ efforts. In short, we’re looking at the reopening of the whole Clinton e-mail scandal investigation that Comey supposedly put to rest. In fact, the very plausible argument could be made that further investigation into ALL of the DNC and Clinton’s communications are needed to determine the damage done to our election process. Do the Democratic leaders really want that kind of exposure of their communications and inner most thought processes? As I learned long ago living and working in DC, once an investigation of this sort gets started there’s no telling where it will lead.
james wilson #23222 December 12, 2016 5:09 pm 12
Don’t think so. McCain, Graham, McConnell, Schumer, axis of Boll Weevils. McConnell is the weak link there–he already was scared straight on Nov 8–but the Donald may have to grab him by the pussy to break up that warren.
notsothoreau #23245 December 12, 2016 9:17 pm 2
McConnell’s wife is joining the administration.
notsothoreau #23246 December 12, 2016 9:18 pm 1
https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/11/dont-look-now-but-trump-just-picked-mitch-mcconnells-wife-elaine-chao-for-a-cabinet-job
LetsPlay #23257 December 12, 2016 11:07 pm 5
“Keep your enemies close.” Or their loved ones.
Yankee Girl #23230 December 12, 2016 6:52 pm 5
I think you have a point. McConnell may be sharpening his political blade as that’s all he really has left, whether the winner was Hillary or Trump. He’ll be in control of this process and will want to look good for the home team, AKA Washington DC. Trump will have to work with him and the two of them may write a new chapter to the Art of the Deal.
TempoNick #23192 December 12, 2016 2:32 pm 5
That Derbyshire article is a great read. I highly recommend it. My problem with the Jews is that they are leftists and they promote leftist causes. Also, a not insignificant chunk of them are also anti-christian bigots. And those leftist causes and anti-Chistian bigotr house destroyed many lives and have destroyed the fabric of our society.
Brooklyn #23258 December 13, 2016 12:01 am 4
ZMan – FYI, wrote out a longer post earlier in the day that said “awaiting moderation”Basic point though I wanted to make though is that while its fun for Steve Sailer to troll his secret liberal Jewish political and journalist readership by wondering if all the anti-Russian hate is fear of the Czar rising from the grave, the whole Russian angle is more a sign of intellectual exhaustion. The “Its the Russians!” pundit class really miss the Soviet Union and the clarity that a co-dominion world gave them back in the 1970s and 80s. Everything they’ve done since 1991 has been trying to fill the void.The problem as you point out is that they have become unhinged completely. I agree that anyone normal should be shouting out against them from the rooftops but aren’t events speeding this along too? David Frum is losing his mind online but how many people have heard of Frum outside of the political sphere? And how many are hearing anything he’s saying while Trump shapes actual reality by picking cabinet members? McMullin held a speech somewhere on a street corner with five people listening? Louise Mensch is calling for open nuclear war against Russia on Twitter? Meanwhile Trump picked General Mattis for Defense and Tillerson may get the Secretary of State nod.
thezman #23262 December 13, 2016 7:17 am 2
Yeah, the spam filter is acting up for some reason. Fixed all the ones in quarantine.
SamlAdams #23274 December 13, 2016 10:34 am 1
That was the point of Mearsheimer’s piece in the Atlantic, way back in 1990 “Why We’ll Soon Miss the Cold War”. Multi-polar is complicated and hard. Bi-polar is intellectually easy. That article and another “The Roots of Muslim Rage” written about the same time were two of the most prescient monographs ever.
Karl Hungus #23233 December 12, 2016 7:22 pm 4
Kristoll stepping down from Weekly Standard. Guess Daddy Warbucks needs a new pimp now…
Christopher S. Johns #23179 December 12, 2016 12:52 pm 4
Before this election cycle, I considered myself mildly philosemitic. When I thought of Jews at all, which wasn’t often, it was usually positively. All that has changed: the unhinged hatred gleefully exhibited by so-called “conservative” Jews against average white Americans has been eye-opening. Trust Jews? Never again.
A.T. Tapman Merica #23168 December 12, 2016 11:35 am 3
You do not have to look too closely before noticing David Frum has an uncanny resemblance to the iconic “Happy Merchant.” His exterior reflects the corruption of his interior, and it is not happy.
Taco_Town #23145 December 12, 2016 8:57 am 3
Most American Jews are leftists of the worst sort. If they lose the trust of the American people, good. As for the neocons, the sooner they get thrown out of the Republican Party, the better. It’s a shame I like Israel and feel that they’re heroes of Western Civilization, because I now would feel bad about deporting neocons and progressive leftist Jews to there.
alzaebo #23265 December 13, 2016 7:39 am 2
Same here- Israel was won as a country more fairly than many, and has proven itself a worthy credit. Unlike the neighbors.
UKer #23266 December 13, 2016 7:56 am 2
I love that Trump is a Russian agent. God, they re so clever these Reds… First of all they got Trump to get really good at business (mostly at a time when Moscow was full of Communists and didn’t care about capitalism) and build up a fortune and then they told him to run for president, which he won. Of course the flaw in this is obvious: if the Russkis really got Trump to be rich and successful, why can’t they do that for themselves?
Brooklyn #23158 December 12, 2016 10:31 am 2
“John Derbyshire pointed out that a segment of the ruling class has gone around the bend with regards to their paranoia over the Russians.”Blaming the Russians kind of makes sense from the point of view of the Never Trump pundits; they don’t miss the Czar as much as they desperately miss the Soviet Union. The co-Dominion type world of the late 1970s and early 1980s is their field of expertise and everything they’ve done since 1989 has been trying to compensate for that missing ingredient.The problem most of these pundits have is that bubble living is making them insane. Its not even a New York versus America thing; these are people who never step foot out of a 10 block radius in Manhattan except when they visit a ten block radius in Washington. Take a look at a NYC election map (here’s one:https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/numbers/clinton-trump-president-vice-president-every-neighborhood-map-election-results-voting-general-primary-nyc); none of them have to go to Ohio to get a feel for whats going on. Staten Island and non-Manhattan annexed Brooklyn could have given them an idea. There are large populations of actual Russians and Russian Jews a half hour away from these pundits who’d laugh in their faces about all this “Russia stole the election talk!” but they might as well be on the moon to all these pundits.“You see, the Russians have teamed up with Trump to engineer a silent coup to seize control of the US government in the cause of restoring the Czar to the throne.”Fiddler on the Roof and Schindler’s List are not a sound basis for foreign policy.“Most Jews in America, probably 99%, think these conspiracy fantasies are nuts so they should go on the offensive.”The Never Trump/ Russia Conspiracy people are absolutely nuts. Every normal person I know or encounter is upbeat to the extent they even bother thinking about Trump or politics in general. Most actual Russians I talk with mention “Second Reagan” when Trump comes up. Meanwhile every liberal I know is going crazy; I’ve had people I’ve thought to be completely sane mention fears of a Russian takeover or of war. I look at them like they just told me they think Roswell UFO’s are real.
Montefrio #23156 December 12, 2016 10:13 am 2
Well, gee, the head of Standard Oil and Henry Kissinger: Rockefeller/NWO minions to the max! Trump will likely be co-opted into the CFR/NWO crowd if he looks forward to older age. The more Trotskyite Jewish faction of the oligarchy probably confuses Mr T with the Cossacks, Putin is threatening because he is restoring the Russia that the Bolshies destroyed and Russians are not known for their philo-semitism in any case. I also suspect that he’s fully on board with the above-mentioned crowd, who are busily finishing off Europe as a challenger.I suspect that those who wish to keep America if not in the catbird’s seat of world control at least as an indispensable player are beginning to recognize which way the wind is blowing among the great unwashed upon whom production depends and will be willing to jettison the Jews who no longer serve the Deep State’s purposes.Frum & Co are finished for this cycle and they know it. I suspect Mr T is in league with those who have decided it’s time to pull the rug out from under China and return serious manufacturing to the USA, where it is more easily controlled.Thus speaketh the oracle.
Taco_Town #23140 December 12, 2016 8:40 am 2
Most American Jews are leftists of the worst sort. If they turn the public against them, good. Same with the Neocons, the sooner they get chased out of the Republican Party the better.
SamlAdams #23267 December 13, 2016 9:15 am 1
I just wish some of these halfwits would just treat themselves to a few base level courses in Russian history. It would be enlightening. Or as a quickie alternative, grab a copy of George Friedman’s “Flashpoints” and actually read it. The Russkies have always been an amoral and nasty bunch. But they are highly predictable whether in the Imperial, Communist or Kleptocratic species variants. They have a very particular set of interests and will defend them at any cost.


Back to top