Friends, remember back in 2022 when the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked, a howl of protest went up on the Left, and rabblerousers even showed up at the doorsteps of Supreme Court Justices? Well, that's just a taste of what the Left has in store for judges who refuse to do its bidding. For those judges who fall in line, on the other hand, the Left will praise them lavishly and demand that their sweeping powers be upheld in the name of -- you guessed it! -- "democracy". Uh huh. My latest article examines this leftist shapeshifting, especially in light of recent events in Israel, where the progressive Supreme Court of Israel is trying to shore up its domination of an otherwise conservative elected government.
In other news, RFK, Jr. is pointing out the obvious: that attempts to remove Donald Trump from the ballot, when he is not even accused of any relevant crime, and was in fact acquitted by the Senate of "inciting an insurrection", make the U.S. look like a "banana republic". No kidding! Every day, America takes on more of the characteristics (and a decent proportion of the population) of the Third World. The good news, on the other hand, is that the "Third World" itself has come a long way, and much of it can now boast of stronger and more resilient democratic institutions than our own. So...consider fleeing to Central America and applying for refugee status. That's my advice.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Your essay is very good, I think. Only one small concern I had: the Depression was such a terrible time (my father was permanently traumatized by it) that perhaps extraordinary measures unmindful of future consequences had to be taken. I do not suggest that in citing it as a cause of Federal expansion that you are minimizing this. Yes, once again, ad infinitum, the left gives us fair notice of its essential amoral expedition in advancing its totalitarian agenda. "If the courts do our bidding they are by definition a just institution; if they do not they are by definition unjust and evil!" "Of course we'll be different when we take over but any means necessary to that end, we WILL employ!"
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: Yes, the antiamerican left may well give us early notice of how it would be should DJT be reelected, in their response when Scotus puts the quietus to their preposterous misuse of the 14th Amendment's proscription of insurrectionists from Federal office or maybe even before. By the way, how many Confederate veterans still live?
ReplyDeleteGiven the radicals' vicious behavior during the leadup to the deliverance of fetuses from casual , convenient dismembering, at least in common sense America, the possibilities are limitless. Why, they might even do insurrection and it wouldn't be the first time in these 2020s they have indulged in this pastime. If they turn up at my door though,I have a couple of nasty roosters I'll sic on them.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: For sure, the antiamerican left had a rare old time for decades of using Scotus for a rubberstamp for measures which could never have stood Congressional scrutiny. But then Scotus went terribly lawful under DJT and well, that was like snitching in prison; that is, unbearable, unforgiveable, "irrelevant, irreverent and immaterial"! As such, ANY measure of suppression is justified in the fevered mind of far leftists. Should DJT be elected we may well see the antiamerican left take this conviction to extremes.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: Your assertion that some of the third world manifests stronger and more resilient democratic institutions than the U.S. is astounding. But coming from you - one who is well acquainted with the third world and who consistently supports his opinions well - its one I take very seriously. I would like to hear more from you on it. Its lamentable that it may well be manifested in this perhaps anarchic year we face in the U.S. Its the product of the relentless onslaught on our country's fundamental principles by an antiamerica perversely determined to " fundamentally transform" us, when such drastic change is not needed. Even the effort to work it, ultimately successful or not, has had ever increasingly catastrophic effect on our civilization. The currently finally open controversy over DIE vs meritocracy is exemplary. An institution exalted in our culture, Harvard, has disgraced itself beyond measure by having, with good intent sadly misdirected, elevated one absurdly unqualified to a position which has often been the pinnacle of a distinguished career. But far beyond that it has demonstrated a, yes, totalitarian hostility to one of the world's great civilizations, Judaism, one which has long graced the elite universities with which Harvard is companion. Further, this detestable antipathy, characteristic of the nazis, goes far beyond Harvard in our terribly degraded American Academy. This is but one manifestation, I suggest, of the retrograde course our country suffers with the historically long since proven intensely malign influence of a rampaging antiamerican far left together with the tragic countenance and support thereof of so many of good will and good intent.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: While I'm at it , let me opine: vicious antisemitism at Harvard and no doubt other "elite"campuses is NOT indicative of an onerous phenomenom grudgingly endured in the interest of academic freedom and free expression. Its instant public rise after Oct. 7 proves prior organization in preparation for a pretext . This cannot have been unknown to the Harvard community. Lets be frank: antisemitism at Harvard may well be firmly supported by a decisive faction of decision makers and influencers at Harvard. America has a substantial reason for concern over this since it is indicative of rank corruption of the vital role of the university in Anerican life. Let Harvard then be met with sanctions that will make the American Academy quake! Let it lose its accreditation and face a prolonged andpainful journey to its restoration. Let it be compelled (because it may not do this willingly) to ruthlessly root out its resident neonazis. Let this be the field on which America turns the tide of incipient far left hell in our very country which lends more credence to your appalling observation on our much compromised democracy. It probably cannot be Appomatox but perhaps it can be Gettysburg
ReplyDeleteJack, I didn't mean to prejudge the merits of the arguments for and against elements of the New Deal -- but previous to the 1930s the federal government simply didn't have the powers to undertake it. And I see no reason why, even during the Depression, such measures could not have been handled at the state level (perhaps with federal financial assistance).
ReplyDeleteJack, my guess is that the Left will accept SCOTUS's decision to reinstate Trump on the ballot -- partly because most of them want him there -- but further decisions that keep him at liberty, or can be seen as meddling in the conduct of the election itself, or which might even determine its putative "outcome" -- would be a whole different story.
I will be most intrigued to see how the Left will react to a DJT win in 2024 -- and I would be pleasantly surprised if they allowed things to get that far. Better to have no election at all, from their perspective, than one they are seen to have lost.
Jack, measuring the strength of democratic institutions is not an easy thing to do, and bias can VERY easily creep into those calculations, but consider the rankings that various journalistic enterprises and think tanks churn out. Here's one:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Economist_Democracy_Index
Of course, most experts would consider "Trumpism" the main problem with U.S. democracy, so take such analysis with a grain of salt.
RAY TO DR. WADDY (NICK) AND JACk
DeleteI know for sure that President Hoover certainly denounced The FDR Administration, and I mean BIG time! I have not read his books, although I wish I had. I am aware of them, and have read excerpts, but getting into them in depth would be enlightening, for sure. I know they are long books. Wonder what things would have been like had Hoover had a second term? I believe his scathing attacks on FDR policies covered The Depression and World War 2.
As far as elections are concerned, win or not win, don't forget that The DemonISTAS still have ONE WHOLE YEAR to do considerable damage to this country, not to mention any "surgery" they might perform on the election process.
President Biden and other critics are correct that Donald Trump is an existential threat to democracy. All we need as proof for that is the Trump-led insurrection on January 6, 2001. That being said, voters need certainty when voting, so I am hoping SCOTUS rules against CO and ME.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, Biden is wrong about is campaigning primarily on Trump as a threat to democracy. What Biden needs to do is run on the primary "kitchen table" issue -- the economy. Biden has a strong economic record. Growth and employment are strong, while inflation is down. Wages are outpacing inflation. The feared recession has not materialized. Yet, the public is not supporting Bidenomics. Why?
Well, a major part of the reason is that Trump is nothing if not a great salesman. He has promoted his presidential tenure as producing the "best economy in history." Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Trump promised that GDP would grow "3, 4, 5 percent" during his term. Trump had one year of 3% growth following $1 trillion worth of tax cuts. Growth then slowed to 2.1% before the pandemic, and was projected to be about 1.8% during 2020. Of course, COVID hit, throwing the economy into chaos.
Unemployment ranged from 3.5% to 3.9% the year leading into the pandemic, and the Trump administration averaged a gain of about 190,000 non-farm jobs per month. Since June 2022, when all the jobs lost during the pandemic were recovered, the Biden administration has seen around 225,000 job gains per month, with unemployment also ranging from 3.5% to 3.9%.
The biggest difference has been inflation. Inflation ran about 2% during Trump's term while it's 3.2% now under Biden, down from a peak of 9%. Trump, the conservative media, and MAGA supporters blame Biden's economic policies for the inflation. Biden supporters and the liberal media focus more on the measures taken to combat inflation (such as the American Rescue Plan), supply chain disruptions and the war in Ukraine.
Just as it's unfair to blame all the economic disruption caused by COVID on Trump, the same is true about inflation for Biden. Even Trump proposed a new round of economic stimulus that subsequently evolved into the American Rescue Plan, a plan that may have injected more capital into the economy than it could handle. Couple that with major obstacles in the supply chain and a population that had been holding back on their spending, and you have a recipe for inflation. The conflict in Ukraine did not help, putting a strain on energy and food costs. For both Trump and Biden, COVID scrambled each administration's economic plans.
So, for Biden, he has two communication tasks. First, he has to burst the myth of the "magical" economy of Trump administration, which wasn't bad, but certainly was not great. Second, he has to show that his economy is at least as strong, if not stronger, than Trump's. The fact is, many Republicans will vote for Trump even if he is found guilty of one or more of the 91 felony counts he faces, rendering the "threat to democracy" campaign strategy an exercise in futility. What Biden needs to do is remember the words of Clinton advisor James Carville - "It's the economy, stupid."
RAY TO ROD
DeleteGreat Leftist propaganda. You people really do know how to spin bullshit don't you. The reason Trump is such a great threat to all Leftists is that he is an American Nationalist, and not a Marxist globalist. Maybe I should just leave Marx out of it, since your real hero is probably B.O. Otherwise, you are a great journalist in your analysis of the situation.
Dr. Waddy, Ray, et al from Jack: Re: A second term for Hoover: Had he defeated FDR then the latter would probably not have been President in WWII. Whoever was might not have reached down the line for Marshall as Army Chief of Staff. The senior general in the army was, I think, Hugh Drum (say who?). At any rate its hard to imagine anyone doing better than Marshall did. Eisenhower's elevation was his idea and it was a brilliant choice. Ike was just the diplomat that was needed; in that respect I'd compare him to Washington and also perhaps in learning from his mistakes (like Kasserine Pass).Too, FDR's resolve to keep Marshall running the show in DC instead of taking a combat command ,was hard on Marshall but wisely done by FDR. Admiral King was also probably a good choice except that his prickly disdain for the Brits may have unnecessarily complicated the American convoy effort, perhaps tragically so.
ReplyDeleteRAY TO JACK
DeleteI agree with you TOTALLY that Marshall and King were the best people/choices, and I give FDR credit for that. I also commend Truman (a real Democrat) for all the things he did after FDR died.
Rod from Jack: Count me as one who will vote for Trump no matter how many "convictions" emerge. Therefore his election is assured , right? The Democrat party (which I cite that way only out of courtesy to you), which has generated this "lawfare" went to the wall for Slick Willy, for whom credible evidence of his having committed forcible rape, was expressed. Sure , it came after his second election but as one who spent his career working in state prisons, his personal mien fairly shouts criminal amorality and disdain for the rules others must follow, to me.
ReplyDeleteRAY TO JACK
ReplyDeleteTrump is my first choice, but of course if he not selected, I will vote for whoever the Republican candidate is. Not much choice is there?
RAY TO JACK
ReplyDeleteShould read: "...of course if he is not selected".
RAY TO JACK
ReplyDeleteJust for the record, I do commend The Biden Administration for standing by Israel after the October 7, 2023 attack. It was hard for me to say that, but I say that in all sincerity.
His (Biden's) worst failure is our Southern Border. Not hard at all to say that, also in all sincerity.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: The best way now to discourage this totalitarian use of "lawfare" is to elect DJT and then have him use his pardon power or have his Acting President VP begin the process.
ReplyDeleteRay et al from Jack: I agree; the US MUST stand for Israel and Biden has done so (except for his detached dutch uncle advice to Israel; he has not even the slightest experience of Israel's terrible daily hazards. For his country's good PM Netanyahu must suffer such foolishness).But I'd suggest that Biden's border policy is a smashing success. His intent is to nullify our southern border, in accordance with the antiamerican purpose of the far left which controls him. The consequent political chaos advances their "revolutionary "agenda and reprises his kumbayaa '65 campfire dreams. "This land is yore land, this land is mah land. . . !"
ReplyDeleteRay et al from Jack: I do not mean to say that kumbayaa campfire singers in 1965 meant to foment chaos. I did join in singing Kumbayaa at a campfire college freshman year in 1965; we thought if everyone would just be nice to each other, all injustices would be ended. Cynical marxist bastards saw us for the naifs we were soon enough and used us as fronts for their incipient totalitarianism. With pore ol' Biden they still are doing it.
ReplyDeleteRAY TO JACK
ReplyDeleteThe 1960s was the beginning of our decline as a country, morally, culturally, socially, and in a number of other ways. In my opinion, the JFK assassination and the war in Vietnam kicked things off, and it has been downhill ever since.
Popular thinking has it that the post-WW2 baby boomers started the shit storm, but I say it was their parents who were responsible for our dilemma. The survivors of WW2 who became a middle class produced those spoiled brats. They are lauded as "The Greatest Generation" but I never subscribed to that story. Just talking out loud, but I think my theory has some merit.
but I think there is some merit in my theory.
Ray, I must admit I know virtually nothing about President Hoover.
ReplyDeleteRod, I actually agree with most of your analysis of the current situation. The economy under Trump and the economy under Biden have been broadly similar. Good, but not great. I agree about inflation: blaming it all on Biden is silly. I do believe that federal overspending is a major factor, but both parties are heavily implicated in that. Your view that Biden's apparent decision to run on January 6th is an "exercise in futility" is interesting, and I agree in the sense that it's unlikely to change many minds. I suppose it's meant to consolidate his own support, given that so many Dems and left-leaning independents show flagging enthusiasm. The Dems have done well in recent cycles scaring the crap out of their base and demonizing Trump, so why not try again? But I also agree with you that the economy will be, and always is, the decisive factor. You say the current economy is objectively good. Well, maybe, but the American people seem to think it's subjectively poor, and that's kind of a big deal. I doubt very much that Trump convinced them of that. They are, in fact, dealing with major economic headwinds, like the price of housing, new and used cars, etc. In the end, in the next ten months the economy will either strengthen or it will weaken, and the fortunes of Messieurs Biden and Trump will almost certainly be decided by the economic fundamentals, and not by anything that happens in a D.C. courtroom. Of course, that's assuming we HAVE an election, and that the election results actually determine who the next president will be, and I'm not convinced that either is inevitable.
Ray/Jack, had FDR never been president, and had someone else been president in 1939-41, I'd say there's an excellent chance we never would have been drawn into the European theater of World War II at all. Oh my!
Ray, I learned something today: Trump is your first choice! I didn't realize that. Waddy ought to be your first choice, but I guess there's no accounting for taste.
Ray, Biden's record on the Southern Border isn't a "failure". As Jack says, it's a choice. it's an intentional policy. Big difference!
We've debated when America went off the rails before. Ray, I'll up the ante. I blame the flappers!
Ray and Dr. Waddy et al from Jack: I've long been a supporter of the use of the term "Greatest Generation" to describe the parents of the boomers . It is a matter of opinion and a plausible argument against it might well manifest as much merit. Well, if ever a generation had reason to have gone sour on America, after the Depression they did. My father served honorably on eleven North Atlantic convoys but the
ReplyDeletedepression convinced him that there was something very wrong about the US. He even thought himself something of a marxist. But he and his generation did their duty nobly, loyally and with"unconquerable constancy" (Churchill's wording). Time and again, despite terrifying setbacks, they went toe to toe with the hard fighting Germans and Japanese and beat them straight up (eg. Guadalcanal, the US military's all time greatest campaign). When they came back they used a grateful nation's G.I. Bill to buy homes so many of them could never theretofore dreamed of possessing, and to go to universities where marxist dissemblers wisely refrained from trying to corrupt men who had seen the subhuman acts of totalitarians. They worked the most redeeming prosperity that any nation has been blessed with.They had kids of course and provided them probably the best setting ever(overall)for true childhood . "Leave it to Beaver" ,which is routinely sneered at by the hip, was very realistic. I lived next to a neighborhood like that . I despise songs like the Monkees' "Pleasant Valley Sunday "and Seeger"s screed "Little Boxes", which excoriate suburbia, the redeeming product of post war well being. What the hell did they want those born in the '20s to do next?! Did they begrudge them settling down after their terrible trials? I said in a letter to a newspaper, which predated Brokaw's book, that I considered their generation the greatest, surpassing that which fought the American Revolution (and not unanimously like the WWII people did). I'll stick with that.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: That is a perceptive comment that with a different President we might not have been drawn into the European theater. My father was on that Neutrality Patrol; that was war. Maybe Hitler or Chancellor Himmler might have confronted us eventually but that's airy conjecture. But for Britain to fall? Heaven forbid.
ReplyDeleteRod from Jack If DJT is an existential threat to democracy why did he miss his chance when he was President? He made our Scotus a far more democratic institution than it had been for decades . He empowered Justices devoted to the rule of those laws which were the product of the elected representatives of the people rather than the counterintuitive sway of an arbitrary tribunal enamored of its own elite wisdom.
ReplyDeleteRay from Jack: Your point about the WWII generation having raised spoiled brats is well taken. Faulty parenting must be considered when assessing the reason for the regretable ingratitude and radicalism of so many boomers. I dunno, our parents did what seemed right by their lights. Having endured destitution and war - so many of them - they resolved to give their kids a good life, since the means did obtain by then. Subjecting their kids to a hard life so as to "season" them, was
ReplyDeleteunthinkable. for I'v e always thought that the tragic naivete of so many of the boomers was because they had little idea of how trying life was just 30 years previous. As such we were easily flim flammed by worldly marxists we encountered when we flocked to college courtesy of our parents
Ah, the debate over generational wisdom/naivety continues! It's hard for me to make sweeping generalizations about any generation, but I do find myself skeptical of the idea that a generation was "great" just because it survived a depression and won a world war. The depression resolved itself, and what choice did anyone have but to survive it in the meantime? Moreover, sure, we won the war, but that's as much a testament to the Allies' overwhelming superiority in armaments, industrial capacity, manpower, etc. as it is to the moral fiber of our people. I mean, man for man, no army performed better than the German Army. Does that make the men who fought and died for Hitler Germany's "greatest generation"? No one ever makes that claim!
ReplyDelete