Category Archives: Conservatism

NRO’s Charles Cooke Second Rate Effete

Britain, Conservatism, Donald Trump, Neoconservatism, Politics, Republicans, Uncategorized

If only Ann Coulter would take him on and finish him off. In mannerism and pomposity, the insipid effete Charles Cooke is National Review’s Piers Morgan of the Right. These newer, washed-out British imports are nothing like the brilliant Christopher Hitchens. In fact, a Hitchens witticism nicely encapsulates the enterprise of the Cooke Republicans: “What is original is not true and what is true is not original.”

The few essays of Cooke I’ve read sport a sort of crass pragmatism. Perhaps it has to do with the impetus of his expertise: “British liberty,” and “American exceptionalism,” the latter being the hobby horse—really the Trojan Horse—of neoconservatives. As to British liberties: Our learned friend, Paul Gottfried, intimated, in Conservatism in American, that English prescriptive liberties are not exactly an American thing.

Note below Cooke’s silly psychologizing, connoted in Kelly’s tweet. Silly, since it is quite possible that Donald Trump is a natural strongman. Trump seems as authentic in his macho man persona as Charles Cooke is in his girly mannerism.

UPDATED (5/3): TRUMPVille: Immigration, Cons For Amnesty & Assassination, CPUKE, Cruze, Marco N’ Max

Conservatism, Donald Trump, IMMIGRATION, Private Property, Republicans

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UPDATED: Conservative For Trump Crucifies The ‘Con-servative’ Movement

Conservatism, Donald Trump, Elections, Foreign Policy, Iraq, Neoconservatism, Republicans

Somehow, being conservative now means denying the obvious and saying idiotic fantasies like ‘Islam is always peaceful’ or ‘Our war is not with a radical strain of Islam.’ Uh, sorry, but no it is not, and yes it is. And if getting a president who at least understands that means voting for Trump, then I guess I am not a conservative.—John Kluge

A conservative attorney and veteran of failed, unconstitutional wars the kind Rubio/Cruz would continue, motivates his support for Trump and his disgust for “con-servatives.” (Doff of the hat to Jack Kerwick for sending this). He does seem confused about the genesis of our un-American foreign policy, blaming Democrats (Wilson), not incorrectly, but not considering the neoconservative interlopers who’ve hijacked conservatism. The parts I like:

* “it doesn’t appear to me that conservatives calling on people to reject Trump have any idea what it actually means to be a ‘conservative.’ The word seems to have become a brand that some people attach to a set of partisan policy preferences, rather than the set of underlying principles about government and society it once was.”

* “Conservatism has become a dog’s breakfast of Wilsonian internationalism brought over from the Democratic Party after the New Left took it over, coupled with fanatical libertarian economics and religiously driven positions on various culture war issues.”

* “Lost in all of this is the older strain of conservatism. The one I grew up with and thought was reflective of the movement. This strain of conservatism believed in the free market and capitalism but did not fetishize them the way so many libertarians do. … This strain understood that a government’s first loyalty was to its citizens and the national interest. And also understood that the preservation of our culture and our civil institutions was a necessity.”

* “Conservatives have become some sort of schizophrenic sect of libertarians who love freedom (but hate potheads and abortion) and feel the US should be the policeman of the world.”

* “… when the hell did being conservative mean thinking the US has some kind of a duty to save foreign nations from themselves or bring our form of democratic republicanism to them by force?”

* “… Trump said what everyone in the country knows: that invading Iraq was a mistake. Rather than engaging the question with honest self-reflection, all of the so-called “conservatives” responded with the usual ‘How dare he?’”

* “I do not care that Donald Trump is in favor of big government. That is certainly not a virtue but it is not a meaningful vice, since the same can be said of every single Republican in the race. I am sorry, but the ‘We are just one more Republican victory from small government’ card is maxed out. We are not getting small government no matter who wins. So Trump being big government is a wash.

* Sixth, Trump offers at least the chance that he might act in the American interest instead of the world’s interest or in the blind pursuit of some fantasy ideological goals. There is more to economic policy than cutting taxes, sham free-trade agreements and hollow appeals to “cutting government” and the free market. Trump may not be good, but he at least understands that. In contrast, the rest of the GOP and everyone in Washington or the media who calls themselves a conservative has no understanding of this.”

* “Our country is going broke, half its working-age population isn’t even looking for work, faces the real threat of massive Islamic terrorist attack and has a government incapable of doing even basic functions. Meanwhile, conservatives act like cutting Planned Parenthood funding or stopping gays from getting marriage licenses are the great issues of the day and then have the gumption to call Donald Trump a clown. It would be downright funny if it wasn’t so sad and the situation so serious.”

* “Some of us are pretty serious people and once considered ourselves conservatives. Even if you still hate Trump, you owe it to conservatism to ask yourself how exactly conservatism managed to alienate so many of its supporters such that they are now willing to vote for someone you loathe as much as Trump.”

Via New York Post.

John Kluge is an attorney living in Washington. He served in the US Army for nine years, including two deployments in Iraq and Kuwait. This essay first appeared on Ricochet.com.

UPDATE (3/10):

UPDATE III (4/7): Trump Nation Tired of Racial Sadomasochism

Conservatism, Donald Trump, Race, Republicans

“Trump Nation Tired of Racial Masochism” is the current column, now on WND. An excerpt:

The former Special Advisor for Green Jobs to Barack Obama, and all-round politically privileged and successful African-American, was demanding that Donald Trump, forthwith, get “passionate” about the black community.

Atone The Donald must for allegedly cozying up to the Clan.

The dust-up was about David Duke, former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Duke had endorsed Trump. Trump was supposed to flagellate for it. He didn’t. When CNN’s Jake Tapper pressed a peeved Trump to disavow the Duke endorsement; Trump hummed and hawed, and seemed generally annoyed at the reprimand. Apparently, he’s not into racial sadomasochism.

It was like, “You say David Duke is behind me? What do you want me to do about it? Stop hyperventilating, Jake. Breathe into a paper bag or something.”

Later, Trump tweeted short and sweet: “I disavow.”

The New York-Washington axis of evil—that’s you, Mr. Jones—went mal (as in grand mal).

“What! No sackcloth? No ashes?”

Trump should have answered the tricky Ku Klux Klan question he was asked by media with passion, fulminated an hysterical Van Jones, also on CNN.

For the sake of my kid, frothed Jones, flecks of spittle flying from his mouth. For the sake of the children of America.

The effing kids are the conman’s cudgel of choice.

Your kids are your business, Mr. Jones; your passions yours, too. No presidential candidate should be in the business of catering to ethnic or racial passions. It’s refreshing how switched-off Trump is from the racial-grievance industry.

If you imagined Republican pundits were less unhinged, you’re deluded. “Conservative” succubus S.E. Cupp completed the kitschification of the Donald-Duke debate.

The religion of thought control will do strange things to those who succumb to it. S.E. Idiot began talking in tongues. Conservatives have taken to speaking the postmodern gibberish once associated mostly with the pseudo-intellectual Left. “Trump ‘Otherizes’ others,” prattled this pig-ignorant panelist.

Essentially, Trump was unfazed even indifferent. As he should be. Trump’s attitude was, in fact, as it should be: Take your imagined thought crimes and guilt-by-association and shove ‘em. I’m not responsible for the philosophical bent of the individuals who endorse me. …

… Read the Rest “Trump Nation Sick ‘N Tired of Racial Masochism” is the current column, now on WND.

UPDATE I:
Vince Foster • 3 hours ago ON WND:

“… ethno-masochists, this is an important concept.”

UPDATE II (3/4):

jack008ryan • 3 hours ago

Excellent article Mrs. Mercer, absolutely brilliant, a clever mix of wit, satire, and hard hitting in their face truths………..in a word…….REFRESHING.

Avatar DvBmr • 13 hours ago

Outstanding article/analysis!!!

UPDATE III (4/7):