I'm going to continue to believe the 2020 election was stolen (or at least was attempted to be stolen) by the left, until someone (with appropriate integrity, information, responsibility, etc) produces evidence/proof that what was going on in all those precincts where they covered the windows, where all the late votes suddenly appeared, etc. was not an attempt by the left to overthrow the election.
The victors get to write history and that is what we are seeing now. The recent hearings where Republicans were not allowed to select their own participants, where information has been withheld and altered has done nothing but to further convince me that it was the left and not Trump who should be investigated. We are likely to see a different history after the mid-terms.
Okay, well forget the 60 plus court cases Trump lost or that got thrown out - plenty by Republican-appointed judges. (At least nine of them appointed by Trump himself.) Forget governors like Brian Kemp of Georgia, who right up until the election that he refused to help overturn, was considered one of the Trumpiest governors in America. Bill Barr - Trump's handpicked AG - should've scratched that itch for you. To refresh you, Trump once said of Barr: "Bill Barr is a man of unbelievable credibility and courage and he's going to go down on the history books." That was 2020. So what did Bill Barr say of Trump and co's election fraud charges under oath to the Jan. 6 committee? He called them "bullshit" and said that if Trump believed them, he was "detached from reality." It's hard to think of a Trumpier source who you would've thought credible right up until he contradicted Trump, who would have also had access to all the information. But there you go......
I am aware of all that. I am going based on what I saw with my own two eyes in several loacations/precincts on Election Day/Niight. I saw the papers going up over the windows of the rooms where the counting was being done. I saw the reports of late-appearing ballots with 95%+ of the votes going to liberal candidates. You and others are telling me/us that what I/we saw with our own eyes wasn't actually what happened.
Also, I am aware that many cases were thrown out or not allowed to proceed. What I don't know is if it was because of lack of evidence or procedural issues or that laws didn't allow it (I suspect some of all of the previous.). My point is that I am not aware of are any court cases actually going to trial with evidence, etc. presented in front of a jury and coming up with a verdict. There may be some, but I've never heard of any. If you know of any, I love to learn more. But instead of trials or investigations, we get reports from people (some very credible - like Barr) who have simply said "not true" without providing any supporting evidence.
Until that changes, I'll just continue to believe my "lying eyes".
Here's what I never get. Trumpsters act like it's a miracle he lost. Even though he lost handily, the actual miracle is that he didn't lose by more. Not only because he had the lowest approval rating and highest negatives of the modern era up to that point. (Biden's giving him a run, currently.) But he was never ahead. Not even close. Here is a list of the hundreds of national polls done before the 2020 election, collected by Real Clear Politics. Biden won so many, that to find a single national poll that Trump won, you have to go all the way back to Sept 15. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_biden-6247.html#polls And that was by a measly point in a Rasmussen poll. To find another one Trump won outright before that? You have to go all the way back to February 18! The election wasn't his to lose. He was never up. Which he was smart enough to know. Which might explain why he was charging voter fraud before a single vote had been cast. He knew what his one and only play would be. And he's still playing it, no matter how many reputable election officials on his side of the aisle (who had positively zero political incentive to buck him if there were legit fraud) dramatically contradict him, no matter how many recounts he lost (in some, Biden gained even more votes), no matter how crazy his "legal team" proved to be. (Hugo Chavez did not game Dominion machines from the dead, no matter what the Kraken lady said.) You want to believe Drunk Rudy over Bill Barr? Be my guest. But Barr didn't have a whole lot of incentive to buck his boss, who he had shilled for in nearly every other instance prior to that.
BTW - I don't consider myself a "Trumpster". I just happen to support his policies and results - especially compared with either Hillary and Biden. I am not a fan of him personally, but somehow we all become "Trumpsters" to the left. I assume it's primarily because the left considers it to be a derogatory term - and it probably is to them. I would add that I'm always amazed that the left does all they can to insult, ridicule and demean us and then wonders why we don't support them. I'm not really pissed off by it any more, nor am I offended by being called a Trumpster or racist or whatever else is popular with the left. I've decided it's more a reflection of their character and their perspective of the world than it is of me. Based on what I've observed, apparently race and sexual orientation are the most important characteristics of an individual in the mind of the left. Oops - I forgot about guns.
Now to your points. If you believe in polls, then Hillary should have won by a landslide, so hard to base any argument on them (unless you think Hillary actually won in a landslide).
In regard to Trump, Rudy, Bill Barr, etc., again the left seems to assume that we blindly follow what Trump. Guiluani (sp?), Barr says. That's simply not correct - at least not for me. Perhaps it's a reflection of the left's willingness to blindly follow what Biden, Pelosi, etc says? I don't know, but don't assume it's the case for all. I honestly have to laugh at how the press follows the results of Trump-endorsed candidates vs. others in the primaries. I didn't even know who Trump had endorsed before the primary where I live.
This is really stuck in my head. First of all, if you believe the 2020 election was stolen, you are a de facto Trumpster. As I already pointed out, many conservatives won those same districts that Trump lost. So the question quickly becomes, which elections were stolen? And from whom? I appreciate your, "I was there evidence." But the reason those cases never made to a jury was for lack of evidence.
But the thing that always pops out to me is, "I just happen to support his policies..." Sure, I get that Republican candidates like Republican policies, but what actual policies that Trump successfully enacted do you like? His trade war and subsequent subsidies to largely Trump-voting farmers hurt by the trade war? His treatment of allies? Or his treatment of adversaries? Nepotism? Corruption in his cabinet? Massive tax breaks for the already wealthy? His anti-immigration efforts? The Wall? I saw him meddling in our markets routinely for the sole purpose of making himself either richer or to make him look better in some way. Of all of these, only his anti-immigration efforts was really effective, and I can understand, but not agree with that outcome. Also, not for nothing, lack of immigration is probably one of many drivers our out of control inflation, right now.
But this is my personal favorite: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/07/30/trump-intervenes-fbi-headquarters-project/ I can tell you from taking Government Contractor Oversight training, that even the appearance using your position for person gain is strictly forbidden (for us worker bees, I guess, Presidents are exempt?). BTW, much like you, I will never believe anything other than Trump corruptly influenced this whole process, regardless of what the government or news reported after.
Doesn't matter what label you attach to me, but I actually never said they were stolen - I have no evidence of that. What I did see was the appearance of cheating in some of the key precincts (I think Philadelphia, Pittsburg and Atlanta were the early ones)- and that has simply made me suspicious of the results. I can't unsee what I saw. And let's not even start discussing ballot harvesting, mail-in ballots etc.
In regard to Trumps policies, I agree with every single one of them (no time or interest in explaining why right now). I don't agree with his involvement with an FBI building or any other of his other allegedly potentially self serving policies. But as you said, Presidents seem to be exempt.
I just looked back at my earlier comments and I did say "I believe they were stolen". I have no facts to support it, but that's what I believe. Interestingly, I realize now that the more the press and liberal politicians denied it, the more I believed it.
Well, I'm not the left. Never have been. (Even if Trumpsters tend to think you're a lefty just for not supporting Trump, even if Trump was a lefty - or at least a registered Democrat - for a good portion of his life.) And yes, the polls were wrong in 2016. Kind of. Not nearly as wrong as they were cracked up to be. Hillary finished ahead in the Real Clear average by two points, and lost the election. Though you'll recall that she did win the popular vote - something Trump has never won. Probably because he spends all of his time kicking half the country in the teeth. And Trump did pick up more poll victories along the way than he did against Biden. So Biden was quite a bit further ahead than Hillary. Biden's poll spread average was +7.2 points. Hillary's was less than half that at +3.2. Which was represented in the popular vote, as well. Hillary got a little more than 3 million votes than Trump, with 55 percent turnout. Biden beat Trump by more than 7 million votes, with 66 percent turnout. Not bad for someone who isn't exactly Mr. Excitement. That's what Trump fans never seem to comprehend. How could that many people come out to vote for Joe Biden? Easy. Two words: Donald Trump. If they hate the Biden administration - and they have plenty of good reason to - they should spend more time looking in the mirror instead of making wild-eyed fraud charges. Joe Biden is president because their guy got him elected.
I will assume your facts are true and agree they probably voted against Trump more than for Biden. However, I think you said some things that are not really accurate - depending on which side you are on. You say Trump spends "all his time kicking half the country in the teeth". That may be true for half the country, but isn't It the opposite for the other half? You think Biden's anti-fossil fuels, anti-gun, pro-abortion, etc. stances aren't viewed as a kick in the teeth by the other side? Both feel they get "kicked in the teeth" by the other side all the time. Perhaps the biggest difference was that Biden didn't say anything -- and that was obviously the strategy. We are all suffering now for not knowing more about him. And I wonder how many would have changed their vote if they had known what was coming?
That someone in your comment does not exist. You belief is unfalsifiable, and that is the grave problem for our Republic. The fallacy of your logic is amazing though. After all, many of those same close elections elected conservative Republican Representatives, Governors and Senators to positions they hold now. Some of them won by very slim margins, after partisan's specifically tweaked voting districts, vote times, absentee voting rules, and a whole host of small details. You could almost say the Republicans rigged some of those elections in their favor. I'm guessing you "believe" those results? I don't suppose that is a long standing conspiracy to alter the electorate to favor one party of the other, that is just the rules, right?
As a young man, I remember saying something or doing something, and an old Crusty Vietnam veteran jumped in my S@#$, "I served my country, you will respect my country and patriotism, blah, blah, blah." Has this happened to anyone here, you had a debate or conversation just ended by someone, because they served and they are pissed and you are wrong?
Now in my mid-fifties (oye!), I have served in the 2nd Iraq boondoggle, I now feel like that old veteran. About Trump and his toadies. And every this comes up, I'm think, I didn't serve my country for 24 years for these A-holes to do to it what they are doing. I'm mad as hell... and, well, I guess I'm just gonna keep taking it.
I recently visited Germany for the first time. I was struck by their unwillingness to forget their past. They spend a lot of time unpacking and examining the mistakes that they made in the last century. One could argue they go overboard a bit, but I would guess the odds of repeating those mistakes is lessened somewhat by the effort. Not eliminated, but lessened.
I compare that to my country. I think we are among the best western nations at forgetting our mistakes. I'm not sure who could even compete. We hate to look at anything about ourselves that isn't flattering. As a result, we seem doomed to repeat our problems over and over again. We can't cop to having a racist history, so we have a racist present. We can't cop to having a gun problem, so we have the most gun violence in the world. We can't cop to any negative aspects of being the most powerful industrial nation on the planet, and we're willing to burn the whole place down before we do. The examination of the January 6 attempted coup is boring and performative, so the instigator of that coup is a frontrunner for a second shot at it.
Contrary to the tone of the comments above, I'm an optimist. I always have been. But only a fool would be unable to see that our thin skin and ADD is a threat to our children.
Matt, an amazing piece. Thank you. I just read another good one on Substack by Rob Richards - Robservations- June 11. I appreciate when writers put my thoughts coherently together for me.
Rick if you are truly asking a question. IMO the majority are the law abiding hard working citizens that care. Care about their Country. Care about their State. Care about their City or Town. Care about their Neighbor. Care about their Family. Again IMO anyone else I would consider the minority.
If you were tongue in cheek joking....If you ever figure out who the majority are and who are the minority please let me know. Lol.
Matt, I finally subscribed after reading this. The political insanity of the Right and the cultural insanity of the Left are taking turns outdoing each other in the destructive game of Let's Deny Reality, with your host, Lucifer!
From QAnon to BlueAnon, it's a tough time to be a conservative Christian who rejects tribalism and wants the temperature to remain cool.
Lots of stuff here in the comments. These are the words of our country. I can honestly say that prior to Trump, I did not know this country. I had some well taught history poured into me that contained alot of the pollyannish view I grew up with. I held these wonderful ideas because the lynching and burnings and killings of black America never made it to my rural American eyes and ears. But Trump changed all that - not Trump personally, but those enamored of him. Confederate flags popped up in my neighborhood along with Trump Pence signs. It was all of a sudden OK to be openly racist and white supremacist. And then to blame all of the ills of the country, all 360,000,000 of us on 11,000,000 illegals, 3%, of the population. This group of people are known to be more law abiding and more employed than all of us legals. Some problem. It is this fantasy knowledge of the country I grew up in that is so crushing to me. I would ask where America has gone but I have come to believe, that as I imagined, it never was.
Reducing the entire Trump movement to racism at best misses the point, and at worst is counter productive because it just makes Trumpers dig their heels in harder. I think Matt’s view that he described here, of a reactionary, middle finger waving right who is fed up with the progressive left that spends its time policing language and talking down to voters, is more accurate. Does it excuse their refusal to believe Trump stole the election? No. But insisting that half the country are monstrous racists means we will never be able to have real conversations again.
Why would Trumpers ever have to dig in their heels, Jorgon, they are and were always right, right? And just for the record, I am hardly fond of the progressive left. The non-issue issue is a cancer on both political parties and we can easily identify on the right as well. Further I said those enamored of Trump, not every republican. I voted for McCain but was not entirely on board with him. So, I am sure there are some Republicans out there who are similarly unethusiastic about Trump. It is my view that the country needs to see and hear from lots more of them.
Everyone is your word, not mine. The Brookings Institute did a bit on Trumps Racism and its impact on his followers on Aug 14, 2019. Short read. I recommend it.
A note. I, unlike you, did read Andrew's note on the Brookings Institute and I learned something. 1) he seems to be providing a public service in illuminating government expenditures. This is good. 2) he has been fired from Forbes. No comment. 3) the Brookings Institute, being a government funded enterprise, is always likely to lean a bit the direction of the funder. At the time of the article I recommended to you, the Republicans were paying its meal ticket.
I don't trust them - or similar think tanks. Just my opinion. You are certainly entitled to yours and to read/believe whatever you want. I happen to trust 1440.com and not much else.
Well there you go, Rick. You will take the advice of a mag further right than Attila the Hun over a well regarded widely acknowledged centrist think tank.
Why would I read or believe anything from the Brookings Institute? Just yet another left-leaning "think-tank" funded by taxpayers and beholding to those who fund it.
We do seem to have arrived at a point I don't recognize. It seems that Trumpers believe that 1950's were the golden times we need to go back too. Back when women, and minorites knew their '''Proper place. '' I am and always will be an American first not a White - American or a Christian - American but a plain old American.
In some ways I would say we are in something even worse than an unreality show. It’s more like one of those choose your own adventure books.
The author presents options (MAGA, ANTIFA, Birth persons, CRT, FOX, MSNBC, Twitter/FB silos) and we choose the mob we want to follow. Only because we occupy the same country and laws, (the authors mind) we are destined for calamity when the ink hits the page at the publisher and all of the different endings clash, fighting for who will be printed on the last page (for all of those cheaters who skip to the last page, and everyone implicitly knows whoever is standing on top at the end wins).
We have moved from the normal page flow of the novel of history (from page 1 – 500 or constitution-debate-amendment) to turbulent jumps where your opinion/law does not matter if I can gather a group large enough to shout you down. If those shouts evolve into fists that’s OK too, as long as my side wins, we can change the laws later when we assume power.
I guess I’m saying it appears no one knows how to read or write anymore, but I guess that is understandable when kids are on guard to jump under the table at moment’s notice and their teachers are packing heat. ☹
That’s unfair to the kids, those drills occupy very little time and have no affect on their learning. In my day I would’ve welcomed the opportunity to take a break and flirt with a girl in that situation. Don’t forget: kids are smart, they get it. My three kids know how to read and write, and safety drills have had zero affect on them.
I wasn’t picking on kids. It was more of a comment on the priorities of our society (culture wars, power at all cost, compromise is for losers, etc.). I apologize if looks like I was picking on kids, they are not to blame – it is entirely an adult (or lack thereof) problem.
On the topic of shooter drills, I would prefer we focus the training on the adult side. Aside from explaining what to do, (alert teacher, lock door, etc.) I view the active shooter drills kind of like the cold war get under your desk drills of the 70’s (a traumatizing waste of time). It appears that that police training/competence was what could have made a difference in the horrifying Uvalde case.
Nailed it, Matt. Though there of course will loud screams of rage from the ultra-progressives that you challenged their preferred narrative in an incredibly [whatever, whatever] way when you showed the temerity to object to some of their more ridiculous demands.
At root, on both sides, are preposterous attempts to shape and control the ruling narrative. Those who control what stories are told, and the methods of their telling, control society.
So, throwing off for a moment some restrictions I usually accept: Fuck ‘em. I’ve had it with the gargantuan streams of bullshit, stupidity, and in-our-faces screaming about their wildly delusional notions which they demand the rest of us adopt.
It’s all at best a number of incoherent, roaring rivers of delusion in which babies are thrown out even before the bathwater, truth is shredded into mattress stuffing and toilet paper, and liberty is squashed into conformity with group desires and convenience.
I’d say, “A pox on ‘em all,” were that really at all a strong enough response. Malignant clowns to the left, murderous jokers to the right, here we are, stuck in a stinking crossfire of evil. Hunker down while I get a firehose and a few mops and brooms.
So glad I’m tossing a few bucks into your tip jar for watching this for me, and giving me the rundown afterwards…
I’m a fellow rightie, now preferring to call myself “classical liberal,” and far more neocon than you, but that’s not a complaint, just a note on the ideological cartography of where you are and where I am for orientation purposes.
The arrival of Trump as a real, serious force in our politics, rather than a fringe figure we could all point and laugh at, cured me of my decades’ long take on politics as another entertainment, another thing to watch that you could participate in rhetorically online or in real life.
I’ve spent the past five or so years trying to figure out some analogy to our weird politics and failing. But my flavor of the moment is the Coen Brothers’ movie “Barton Fink.” Barton is a serious playwright trying to get his ideas out to the Common Man. He’s given a shot of writing for Hollywood instead of boutique off-Broadway audiences. And in the process he gets to know a *real* common man, played by John Goodman, who turns out to be far too much of a harsh reality than Barton ever could have imagined.
We’ve given up control of the daily political entertainment to the lunatic common man, whether the obviously lunatic on the right, or the subtly, slightly less obviously violent lunatic on the left.
I dunno, Matt. That’s all I can come up with for now. It’s exhausting as much as it is tiring once you’ve lost the urge to follow the story on a daily basis.
A couple of lines from FDR's D-Day prayer on national radio all those decades ago...
"Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country..." and to "...a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men."
Yes. I am a man of faith. And I often pray these words myself. But as a man of faith, I also believe in the premise that God helps those able among us who first help themselves.
Some of us may similarly ask for His help. And that's fine. Ask and you shall receive, if you know what it really is that you're asking for.
Meantime, we'd best get on with doing the job ourselves by "finding the courage of our convictions" and, indeed, by living them, speaking them and calmly asserting them "in all places as we build common ground with all whose lives we touch."
Thanks, Doc. Thanks for that. Thanks for being more than worthy of being called an American.
Listen, Doc, I had a conversation here the other day with the other 'Doc' we banter here with on occasion. A conversation about names and nick names and 'terms of endearment', such as 'Doc'. I'd suggest you look it up, but can't remember what edition of this rag (Sorry, Matt. I could be wrong) it's in.
Told her my friends call me Mike, when they aren't calling me things mostly not printable in this space. And considering what occasionally shows up here, well, 'nuff said about that.
My wife, who is my best friend, calls me Michael. If she calls me Mike, I know I've stepped in it somewhere. Not sure what that says about 'friendship'. But please, take your pick. Of the printable ones, I mean.
Cool. Part of what I spoke about with Doc Susan concerning names was that my QH gelding's 'barn name' was derived from part of his daddy's registered name, partly in honor of his sire, who was a pretty decent horse, but mostly because of the role I hoped he'd play in my life when I bought him as a weanling 20 years ago.
Which was that he would be 'good for what ails me' now and then. Which he has more than proven to be.
His name is Doc. And it fits him well. As it does a couple of other Docs I've come to know a bit about, since they quite often say a thing or two that's good for what may be ailing me from time to time.
Me too Rick. Me too.
I'm going to continue to believe the 2020 election was stolen (or at least was attempted to be stolen) by the left, until someone (with appropriate integrity, information, responsibility, etc) produces evidence/proof that what was going on in all those precincts where they covered the windows, where all the late votes suddenly appeared, etc. was not an attempt by the left to overthrow the election.
The victors get to write history and that is what we are seeing now. The recent hearings where Republicans were not allowed to select their own participants, where information has been withheld and altered has done nothing but to further convince me that it was the left and not Trump who should be investigated. We are likely to see a different history after the mid-terms.
Okay, well forget the 60 plus court cases Trump lost or that got thrown out - plenty by Republican-appointed judges. (At least nine of them appointed by Trump himself.) Forget governors like Brian Kemp of Georgia, who right up until the election that he refused to help overturn, was considered one of the Trumpiest governors in America. Bill Barr - Trump's handpicked AG - should've scratched that itch for you. To refresh you, Trump once said of Barr: "Bill Barr is a man of unbelievable credibility and courage and he's going to go down on the history books." That was 2020. So what did Bill Barr say of Trump and co's election fraud charges under oath to the Jan. 6 committee? He called them "bullshit" and said that if Trump believed them, he was "detached from reality." It's hard to think of a Trumpier source who you would've thought credible right up until he contradicted Trump, who would have also had access to all the information. But there you go......
I am aware of all that. I am going based on what I saw with my own two eyes in several loacations/precincts on Election Day/Niight. I saw the papers going up over the windows of the rooms where the counting was being done. I saw the reports of late-appearing ballots with 95%+ of the votes going to liberal candidates. You and others are telling me/us that what I/we saw with our own eyes wasn't actually what happened.
Also, I am aware that many cases were thrown out or not allowed to proceed. What I don't know is if it was because of lack of evidence or procedural issues or that laws didn't allow it (I suspect some of all of the previous.). My point is that I am not aware of are any court cases actually going to trial with evidence, etc. presented in front of a jury and coming up with a verdict. There may be some, but I've never heard of any. If you know of any, I love to learn more. But instead of trials or investigations, we get reports from people (some very credible - like Barr) who have simply said "not true" without providing any supporting evidence.
Until that changes, I'll just continue to believe my "lying eyes".
Here's what I never get. Trumpsters act like it's a miracle he lost. Even though he lost handily, the actual miracle is that he didn't lose by more. Not only because he had the lowest approval rating and highest negatives of the modern era up to that point. (Biden's giving him a run, currently.) But he was never ahead. Not even close. Here is a list of the hundreds of national polls done before the 2020 election, collected by Real Clear Politics. Biden won so many, that to find a single national poll that Trump won, you have to go all the way back to Sept 15. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_biden-6247.html#polls And that was by a measly point in a Rasmussen poll. To find another one Trump won outright before that? You have to go all the way back to February 18! The election wasn't his to lose. He was never up. Which he was smart enough to know. Which might explain why he was charging voter fraud before a single vote had been cast. He knew what his one and only play would be. And he's still playing it, no matter how many reputable election officials on his side of the aisle (who had positively zero political incentive to buck him if there were legit fraud) dramatically contradict him, no matter how many recounts he lost (in some, Biden gained even more votes), no matter how crazy his "legal team" proved to be. (Hugo Chavez did not game Dominion machines from the dead, no matter what the Kraken lady said.) You want to believe Drunk Rudy over Bill Barr? Be my guest. But Barr didn't have a whole lot of incentive to buck his boss, who he had shilled for in nearly every other instance prior to that.
BTW - I don't consider myself a "Trumpster". I just happen to support his policies and results - especially compared with either Hillary and Biden. I am not a fan of him personally, but somehow we all become "Trumpsters" to the left. I assume it's primarily because the left considers it to be a derogatory term - and it probably is to them. I would add that I'm always amazed that the left does all they can to insult, ridicule and demean us and then wonders why we don't support them. I'm not really pissed off by it any more, nor am I offended by being called a Trumpster or racist or whatever else is popular with the left. I've decided it's more a reflection of their character and their perspective of the world than it is of me. Based on what I've observed, apparently race and sexual orientation are the most important characteristics of an individual in the mind of the left. Oops - I forgot about guns.
Now to your points. If you believe in polls, then Hillary should have won by a landslide, so hard to base any argument on them (unless you think Hillary actually won in a landslide).
In regard to Trump, Rudy, Bill Barr, etc., again the left seems to assume that we blindly follow what Trump. Guiluani (sp?), Barr says. That's simply not correct - at least not for me. Perhaps it's a reflection of the left's willingness to blindly follow what Biden, Pelosi, etc says? I don't know, but don't assume it's the case for all. I honestly have to laugh at how the press follows the results of Trump-endorsed candidates vs. others in the primaries. I didn't even know who Trump had endorsed before the primary where I live.
This is really stuck in my head. First of all, if you believe the 2020 election was stolen, you are a de facto Trumpster. As I already pointed out, many conservatives won those same districts that Trump lost. So the question quickly becomes, which elections were stolen? And from whom? I appreciate your, "I was there evidence." But the reason those cases never made to a jury was for lack of evidence.
But the thing that always pops out to me is, "I just happen to support his policies..." Sure, I get that Republican candidates like Republican policies, but what actual policies that Trump successfully enacted do you like? His trade war and subsequent subsidies to largely Trump-voting farmers hurt by the trade war? His treatment of allies? Or his treatment of adversaries? Nepotism? Corruption in his cabinet? Massive tax breaks for the already wealthy? His anti-immigration efforts? The Wall? I saw him meddling in our markets routinely for the sole purpose of making himself either richer or to make him look better in some way. Of all of these, only his anti-immigration efforts was really effective, and I can understand, but not agree with that outcome. Also, not for nothing, lack of immigration is probably one of many drivers our out of control inflation, right now.
But this is my personal favorite: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/07/30/trump-intervenes-fbi-headquarters-project/ I can tell you from taking Government Contractor Oversight training, that even the appearance using your position for person gain is strictly forbidden (for us worker bees, I guess, Presidents are exempt?). BTW, much like you, I will never believe anything other than Trump corruptly influenced this whole process, regardless of what the government or news reported after.
Doesn't matter what label you attach to me, but I actually never said they were stolen - I have no evidence of that. What I did see was the appearance of cheating in some of the key precincts (I think Philadelphia, Pittsburg and Atlanta were the early ones)- and that has simply made me suspicious of the results. I can't unsee what I saw. And let's not even start discussing ballot harvesting, mail-in ballots etc.
In regard to Trumps policies, I agree with every single one of them (no time or interest in explaining why right now). I don't agree with his involvement with an FBI building or any other of his other allegedly potentially self serving policies. But as you said, Presidents seem to be exempt.
I just looked back at my earlier comments and I did say "I believe they were stolen". I have no facts to support it, but that's what I believe. Interestingly, I realize now that the more the press and liberal politicians denied it, the more I believed it.
Well, I'm not the left. Never have been. (Even if Trumpsters tend to think you're a lefty just for not supporting Trump, even if Trump was a lefty - or at least a registered Democrat - for a good portion of his life.) And yes, the polls were wrong in 2016. Kind of. Not nearly as wrong as they were cracked up to be. Hillary finished ahead in the Real Clear average by two points, and lost the election. Though you'll recall that she did win the popular vote - something Trump has never won. Probably because he spends all of his time kicking half the country in the teeth. And Trump did pick up more poll victories along the way than he did against Biden. So Biden was quite a bit further ahead than Hillary. Biden's poll spread average was +7.2 points. Hillary's was less than half that at +3.2. Which was represented in the popular vote, as well. Hillary got a little more than 3 million votes than Trump, with 55 percent turnout. Biden beat Trump by more than 7 million votes, with 66 percent turnout. Not bad for someone who isn't exactly Mr. Excitement. That's what Trump fans never seem to comprehend. How could that many people come out to vote for Joe Biden? Easy. Two words: Donald Trump. If they hate the Biden administration - and they have plenty of good reason to - they should spend more time looking in the mirror instead of making wild-eyed fraud charges. Joe Biden is president because their guy got him elected.
I will assume your facts are true and agree they probably voted against Trump more than for Biden. However, I think you said some things that are not really accurate - depending on which side you are on. You say Trump spends "all his time kicking half the country in the teeth". That may be true for half the country, but isn't It the opposite for the other half? You think Biden's anti-fossil fuels, anti-gun, pro-abortion, etc. stances aren't viewed as a kick in the teeth by the other side? Both feel they get "kicked in the teeth" by the other side all the time. Perhaps the biggest difference was that Biden didn't say anything -- and that was obviously the strategy. We are all suffering now for not knowing more about him. And I wonder how many would have changed their vote if they had known what was coming?
That someone in your comment does not exist. You belief is unfalsifiable, and that is the grave problem for our Republic. The fallacy of your logic is amazing though. After all, many of those same close elections elected conservative Republican Representatives, Governors and Senators to positions they hold now. Some of them won by very slim margins, after partisan's specifically tweaked voting districts, vote times, absentee voting rules, and a whole host of small details. You could almost say the Republicans rigged some of those elections in their favor. I'm guessing you "believe" those results? I don't suppose that is a long standing conspiracy to alter the electorate to favor one party of the other, that is just the rules, right?
As a young man, I remember saying something or doing something, and an old Crusty Vietnam veteran jumped in my S@#$, "I served my country, you will respect my country and patriotism, blah, blah, blah." Has this happened to anyone here, you had a debate or conversation just ended by someone, because they served and they are pissed and you are wrong?
Now in my mid-fifties (oye!), I have served in the 2nd Iraq boondoggle, I now feel like that old veteran. About Trump and his toadies. And every this comes up, I'm think, I didn't serve my country for 24 years for these A-holes to do to it what they are doing. I'm mad as hell... and, well, I guess I'm just gonna keep taking it.
Vietnam Vet here and I feel exactly the same way - except it's about Biden, Pelosi and Schumer and what they are doing.
Oh wow. My point, you have missed it.
Apparently so and still do.
Regarding the January 6 hearings:
I recently visited Germany for the first time. I was struck by their unwillingness to forget their past. They spend a lot of time unpacking and examining the mistakes that they made in the last century. One could argue they go overboard a bit, but I would guess the odds of repeating those mistakes is lessened somewhat by the effort. Not eliminated, but lessened.
I compare that to my country. I think we are among the best western nations at forgetting our mistakes. I'm not sure who could even compete. We hate to look at anything about ourselves that isn't flattering. As a result, we seem doomed to repeat our problems over and over again. We can't cop to having a racist history, so we have a racist present. We can't cop to having a gun problem, so we have the most gun violence in the world. We can't cop to any negative aspects of being the most powerful industrial nation on the planet, and we're willing to burn the whole place down before we do. The examination of the January 6 attempted coup is boring and performative, so the instigator of that coup is a frontrunner for a second shot at it.
Contrary to the tone of the comments above, I'm an optimist. I always have been. But only a fool would be unable to see that our thin skin and ADD is a threat to our children.
Matt, an amazing piece. Thank you. I just read another good one on Substack by Rob Richards - Robservations- June 11. I appreciate when writers put my thoughts coherently together for me.
I think you have hit this quite squarely on its festering little pea brained head. Thanks.
I am tired. Very very tired. Excellent Matt! I have said this before here
We have allowed the vocal minority to take control over the silent majority.
So who is the minority and who is the majority?
Rick if you are truly asking a question. IMO the majority are the law abiding hard working citizens that care. Care about their Country. Care about their State. Care about their City or Town. Care about their Neighbor. Care about their Family. Again IMO anyone else I would consider the minority.
If you were tongue in cheek joking....If you ever figure out who the majority are and who are the minority please let me know. Lol.
Hope you are right. I don't know anymore.
exactly
I always enjoy reading you. I am not in full agreement all the time, and this is one of those times, but, enough it was still a good read.
Will take that, Angie! If you agreed with me all the time, I'm probably doing something wrong.
On the J6 hearings: Meh! So, I offer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsUo_v4t_gc
Good call on Little Richard gospel. I nearly played some as a Bonus Track the other day before going with something else.
This is gold Matt. Gold
Matt, I finally subscribed after reading this. The political insanity of the Right and the cultural insanity of the Left are taking turns outdoing each other in the destructive game of Let's Deny Reality, with your host, Lucifer!
From QAnon to BlueAnon, it's a tough time to be a conservative Christian who rejects tribalism and wants the temperature to remain cool.
Lots of stuff here in the comments. These are the words of our country. I can honestly say that prior to Trump, I did not know this country. I had some well taught history poured into me that contained alot of the pollyannish view I grew up with. I held these wonderful ideas because the lynching and burnings and killings of black America never made it to my rural American eyes and ears. But Trump changed all that - not Trump personally, but those enamored of him. Confederate flags popped up in my neighborhood along with Trump Pence signs. It was all of a sudden OK to be openly racist and white supremacist. And then to blame all of the ills of the country, all 360,000,000 of us on 11,000,000 illegals, 3%, of the population. This group of people are known to be more law abiding and more employed than all of us legals. Some problem. It is this fantasy knowledge of the country I grew up in that is so crushing to me. I would ask where America has gone but I have come to believe, that as I imagined, it never was.
Reducing the entire Trump movement to racism at best misses the point, and at worst is counter productive because it just makes Trumpers dig their heels in harder. I think Matt’s view that he described here, of a reactionary, middle finger waving right who is fed up with the progressive left that spends its time policing language and talking down to voters, is more accurate. Does it excuse their refusal to believe Trump stole the election? No. But insisting that half the country are monstrous racists means we will never be able to have real conversations again.
Why would Trumpers ever have to dig in their heels, Jorgon, they are and were always right, right? And just for the record, I am hardly fond of the progressive left. The non-issue issue is a cancer on both political parties and we can easily identify on the right as well. Further I said those enamored of Trump, not every republican. I voted for McCain but was not entirely on board with him. So, I am sure there are some Republicans out there who are similarly unethusiastic about Trump. It is my view that the country needs to see and hear from lots more of them.
Bwahahah! - so everyone who supported Trump is a racist. Wonder where you got that idea?
Everyone is your word, not mine. The Brookings Institute did a bit on Trumps Racism and its impact on his followers on Aug 14, 2019. Short read. I recommend it.
I thought I responded, but I don't see it now. I don't read or believe anything from Brookings Institute. https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamandrzejewski/2017/06/02/brookings-institution-the-progressive-jukebox-funded-by-u-s-taxpayers/?sh=74d5427c5e53
A note. I, unlike you, did read Andrew's note on the Brookings Institute and I learned something. 1) he seems to be providing a public service in illuminating government expenditures. This is good. 2) he has been fired from Forbes. No comment. 3) the Brookings Institute, being a government funded enterprise, is always likely to lean a bit the direction of the funder. At the time of the article I recommended to you, the Republicans were paying its meal ticket.
I don't trust them - or similar think tanks. Just my opinion. You are certainly entitled to yours and to read/believe whatever you want. I happen to trust 1440.com and not much else.
Well there you go, Rick. You will take the advice of a mag further right than Attila the Hun over a well regarded widely acknowledged centrist think tank.
You can paint it however it suits you. You must be a lefty - somewhat surprised you haven't claimed I must be a racist.
Quite frankly, you don't know me at all.
Why would I read or believe anything from the Brookings Institute? Just yet another left-leaning "think-tank" funded by taxpayers and beholding to those who fund it.
We do seem to have arrived at a point I don't recognize. It seems that Trumpers believe that 1950's were the golden times we need to go back too. Back when women, and minorites knew their '''Proper place. '' I am and always will be an American first not a White - American or a Christian - American but a plain old American.
Amazing how all the people who are not "Trumpers" themselves seem to know exactly what "Trumpers" think.
In some ways I would say we are in something even worse than an unreality show. It’s more like one of those choose your own adventure books.
The author presents options (MAGA, ANTIFA, Birth persons, CRT, FOX, MSNBC, Twitter/FB silos) and we choose the mob we want to follow. Only because we occupy the same country and laws, (the authors mind) we are destined for calamity when the ink hits the page at the publisher and all of the different endings clash, fighting for who will be printed on the last page (for all of those cheaters who skip to the last page, and everyone implicitly knows whoever is standing on top at the end wins).
We have moved from the normal page flow of the novel of history (from page 1 – 500 or constitution-debate-amendment) to turbulent jumps where your opinion/law does not matter if I can gather a group large enough to shout you down. If those shouts evolve into fists that’s OK too, as long as my side wins, we can change the laws later when we assume power.
I guess I’m saying it appears no one knows how to read or write anymore, but I guess that is understandable when kids are on guard to jump under the table at moment’s notice and their teachers are packing heat. ☹
That’s unfair to the kids, those drills occupy very little time and have no affect on their learning. In my day I would’ve welcomed the opportunity to take a break and flirt with a girl in that situation. Don’t forget: kids are smart, they get it. My three kids know how to read and write, and safety drills have had zero affect on them.
I wasn’t picking on kids. It was more of a comment on the priorities of our society (culture wars, power at all cost, compromise is for losers, etc.). I apologize if looks like I was picking on kids, they are not to blame – it is entirely an adult (or lack thereof) problem.
On the topic of shooter drills, I would prefer we focus the training on the adult side. Aside from explaining what to do, (alert teacher, lock door, etc.) I view the active shooter drills kind of like the cold war get under your desk drills of the 70’s (a traumatizing waste of time). It appears that that police training/competence was what could have made a difference in the horrifying Uvalde case.
Thanks for that clarification, I hear what you’re saying now
Nailed it, Matt. Though there of course will loud screams of rage from the ultra-progressives that you challenged their preferred narrative in an incredibly [whatever, whatever] way when you showed the temerity to object to some of their more ridiculous demands.
At root, on both sides, are preposterous attempts to shape and control the ruling narrative. Those who control what stories are told, and the methods of their telling, control society.
So, throwing off for a moment some restrictions I usually accept: Fuck ‘em. I’ve had it with the gargantuan streams of bullshit, stupidity, and in-our-faces screaming about their wildly delusional notions which they demand the rest of us adopt.
It’s all at best a number of incoherent, roaring rivers of delusion in which babies are thrown out even before the bathwater, truth is shredded into mattress stuffing and toilet paper, and liberty is squashed into conformity with group desires and convenience.
I’d say, “A pox on ‘em all,” were that really at all a strong enough response. Malignant clowns to the left, murderous jokers to the right, here we are, stuck in a stinking crossfire of evil. Hunker down while I get a firehose and a few mops and brooms.
So glad I’m tossing a few bucks into your tip jar for watching this for me, and giving me the rundown afterwards…
I’m a fellow rightie, now preferring to call myself “classical liberal,” and far more neocon than you, but that’s not a complaint, just a note on the ideological cartography of where you are and where I am for orientation purposes.
The arrival of Trump as a real, serious force in our politics, rather than a fringe figure we could all point and laugh at, cured me of my decades’ long take on politics as another entertainment, another thing to watch that you could participate in rhetorically online or in real life.
I’ve spent the past five or so years trying to figure out some analogy to our weird politics and failing. But my flavor of the moment is the Coen Brothers’ movie “Barton Fink.” Barton is a serious playwright trying to get his ideas out to the Common Man. He’s given a shot of writing for Hollywood instead of boutique off-Broadway audiences. And in the process he gets to know a *real* common man, played by John Goodman, who turns out to be far too much of a harsh reality than Barton ever could have imagined.
We’ve given up control of the daily political entertainment to the lunatic common man, whether the obviously lunatic on the right, or the subtly, slightly less obviously violent lunatic on the left.
I dunno, Matt. That’s all I can come up with for now. It’s exhausting as much as it is tiring once you’ve lost the urge to follow the story on a daily basis.
I was a liberal all my life
until September 11, 2001
shook my soul to the core.
Since then I have been a neocon.
As they say
a neocon is a liberal
who has been mugged by reality.
My response to the fatigue
we all feel right now
is to ask that we read and ponder
Yeats "The Second Coming":
"Things fall apart: the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed,
and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction,
while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity."
This is the warning we must heed.
The central core of America cannot hold
unless the rational sane middle--
those of us center left and center right--
find the courage of our convictions
and LIVE them, speak them,
breathe them,
share them with each other here
and calmly assert them in all places
as we build common ground
with all whose lives we touch.
This is we what we are called to do.
Be the best, and be it with conviction.
Build the center
with passionate loving intensity.
Constructive, open to learning from the other person whose views differ,
always listening
for potential avenues of connection.
Totally opposite
from the approach of the fanatic
whose ONLY goal is to be "correct'
and to bully into submission
anyone who disagrees.
Power hungry ideologues is all they are.
Our country does not belong to them!
We shall never submit to their boot!
America the beautiful is rising
and together we shall stand and sing
RE: 'Power hungry ideologues'
A couple of lines from FDR's D-Day prayer on national radio all those decades ago...
"Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country..." and to "...a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men."
Yes. I am a man of faith. And I often pray these words myself. But as a man of faith, I also believe in the premise that God helps those able among us who first help themselves.
Some of us may similarly ask for His help. And that's fine. Ask and you shall receive, if you know what it really is that you're asking for.
Meantime, we'd best get on with doing the job ourselves by "finding the courage of our convictions" and, indeed, by living them, speaking them and calmly asserting them "in all places as we build common ground with all whose lives we touch."
Thanks, Doc. Thanks for that. Thanks for being more than worthy of being called an American.
am so moved I can barely respond, Tro
that is my dream
Listen, Doc, I had a conversation here the other day with the other 'Doc' we banter here with on occasion. A conversation about names and nick names and 'terms of endearment', such as 'Doc'. I'd suggest you look it up, but can't remember what edition of this rag (Sorry, Matt. I could be wrong) it's in.
Told her my friends call me Mike, when they aren't calling me things mostly not printable in this space. And considering what occasionally shows up here, well, 'nuff said about that.
My wife, who is my best friend, calls me Michael. If she calls me Mike, I know I've stepped in it somewhere. Not sure what that says about 'friendship'. But please, take your pick. Of the printable ones, I mean.
O I think Michael suits you
It has poetic presence
I like that you call me Doc
because it affirms who I am
Cool. Part of what I spoke about with Doc Susan concerning names was that my QH gelding's 'barn name' was derived from part of his daddy's registered name, partly in honor of his sire, who was a pretty decent horse, but mostly because of the role I hoped he'd play in my life when I bought him as a weanling 20 years ago.
Which was that he would be 'good for what ails me' now and then. Which he has more than proven to be.
His name is Doc. And it fits him well. As it does a couple of other Docs I've come to know a bit about, since they quite often say a thing or two that's good for what may be ailing me from time to time.
Quoting from The Second Coming will always get a like from me
My sentiments exactly, but expressed more graphically and scathingly.