Category Archives: Democracy

Paul Ryan, Another Guy Who Never Built A Thing

Conservatism, Democracy, Donald Trump, Elections, Republicans

“Paul Ryan, Another Guy Who Never Built A Thing” is the current column, now on The Unz Review, America’s smartest webzine. An excerpt:

As of May 7, the outgoing neoconservative priestly cast had raised its game. Since Donald Trump has effectively clinched the Republican Party’s nomination, based on his America First platform, they had an ultimatum for him: Stop your nonsense and we’ll take you back.

If Trump quits denouncing George Bush and his Good War, and starts to blame only Barack Obama for Iraq—said commentator-cum-soldier-cum-global crusader Pete Hegseth to an exultant Gretchen Carlson at the Fox News Channel—all would be forgiven. Recall, Trump called Bush a liar and went on to win South Carolina … and Nevada. He continues to denounce the “made by Bush” Iraq war.

But now that Trump has won the nomination, the losing neoconservatives are insisting he get real, renounce the winning plank and perjure himself to The People.

Well, of course. To the losers belong the spoils. …

… Read the rest. “Paul Ryan, Another Guy Who Never Built A Thing” is the current column, now on The Unz Review, America’s smartest webzine.

The Delegate Crying Game

Democracy, Donald Trump, Elections, Ethics, Regulation, Republicans

It turns out Donald Trump was right AGAIN. The nickname “Lyin’ Ted” for presidential hopeful Ted Cruz fits to a T.’ “Cruz insists he is winning ‘grassroots’ victories and claims, ‘This is how elections are won in America.'” But—and you don’t need honest Trump to state the obvious—“Cruz ‘has to get his delegates from the Republican bosses’ and … those wins [are] sneaky and meaningless.”

Good Man Vs. Bad: Carson Rejects Contested Convention; Kasich Embraces It

Democracy, Donald Trump, Morality, Republicans

It’s the difference between a good man and a bad man. When, in Dec. 2015, Ben Carson (good) got wind of the Republican Party’s schemes for a contested convention in the year ahead, he “condemned the GOP heads … for trying to ‘manipulate’ the primary outcome.” Carson persists in this ethical position.

“If the leaders of the Republican Party want to destroy the party, they should continue to hold meetings like the one described in the Washington Post this morning,” Carson said in a statement, which described the monthly dinner as a “party boss insider meeting.”

When weak, whiny, insider John Kasich heard he might be the anointed one, chosen by Republican Party operatives to steal the nomination from Donald Trump, he rejoiced.

We will go into Cleveland with momentum, and then the delegates are going to consider two things,” Kasich said. “No. 1, who can win in the fall — and I’m the only one that can, that’s what the polls indicate — and No. 2, a really crazy consideration, like, who could actually be president of the United States.”

How bad is Kasich? HuffPost and MSNBC, left-liberal outfits, are proposing a Clinton-Kasich ticket:

Hillary Clinton should ask John Kasich, the Republican governor of Ohio, to join her in creating a “unity ticket.” It’s time for a national ticket that reflects our national desire for a new type of politics for our modern America.

MSNBC Guest Claims Trump Abusing Put-Upon Media

Business, Democracy, Donald Trump, Free Markets, Media

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes entertained a guest who framed the fact that Donald Trump bowed out of the next debate, as the act of a strongman in power, bullying a put-upon, abused press. How does one unpack such messy thinking? First to consider is that Trump has been extremely accessible to media.

More important:

1. Trump is not in power. He is not bolstered by police powers. Not yet. So he is not a political strongman.
2. Trump has grown his support like a business grows on the free market, non-coercively. You offer a product. If people like it, they buy it. Your business grows through the democratic dollar vote of the consumer. Again, no coercion was involved in Trump’s rise.
3. In absenting himself from a media extravaganza with the showy Megyn Kelly, Trump might annoy media, but he is not disappointing his base, who’ve had enough of the debates, and he is certainly not violating anyone’s rights.