Friends, I guess Biden gave a speech? Yes, he gave a speech...to a packed session of Congress. Well, actually it was a sparsely populated House chamber, because most members of Congress weren't allowed inside (CORONA -- eek!). Anyway, I didn't watch, because we all know what Sleepy Joe is going to say: "Trump: bad. Me: good. Free money for everyone!!!" It turns out, though, that I wasn't alone in being nonplussed. Sure, the people who watched loved it. The people who watched were the same crabby, woke, self-satisfied octogenarians who sit at home ogling MSNBC all day. Once in a while they triple-mask and sun themselves on their porches, but otherwise these people might as well be dead to the world. They do vote, however, and without a doubt Biden and the Dems can depend on their support. Low viewership numbers overall for a president's first speech to Congress are not exactly a good sign, though. There's a big question looming over the Dems, therefore: how much of the enthusiasm that they generated in 2020 will endure into 2022 and 2024??? Based on the reaction to Wednesday night's big speech, the Left should be quaking in its boots.
https://deadline.com/2021/04/joe-biden-speech-ratings-congress-donald-trump-abc-fox-news-1234746540/
I did watch South Carolina Senator Tim Scott's rebuttal to Biden. I was modestly impressed. Scott did what smart politicians do: he pitched himself as a "common sense" guy. He told stories from his deprived youth. He reminded Americans how good they had it under Trump (before the pandemic struck). He didn't stoke the fires of any intra-GOP feuds either. The Left didn't like it, of course. They despise anyone who falls into their "protected classes" and dares to defy progressive orthodoxy. Why? Because the "antiracists" are the biggest racists of all, naturally!
https://spectator.us/topic/anti-racism-conservatives-tim-scott-black/
In other news, President Trump is still "100%" considering running for president. I guess that means he's also 100% considering not running? Oh my! More intriguing is the fact that he has said that Ron DeSantis would be a viable pick as his running mate. Ouch! Mike Pence's ego must be mighty deflated right about now. I agree that DeSantis would make a fine VP, but I'm leaning towards the view that he'd make an even finer president... Could Trump's warm regard for DeSantis translate someday into an endorsement? We shall see.
https://dailycaller.com/2021/04/29/trump-desantis-2024-running-mate/
The media says that COVID is raging in India, and we all need to pitch in to save the wretched Indians, and to save ourselves, because anywhere that COVID is "raging" it can mutate, and then boomerang on those of us who are vaccinated only against known strains. Well, there's a certain amount of logic here, I'll admit, but note that the pandemic has been harnessed to advance the agenda of the Left, writ large: big government, and greater global coordination of public policies. Every crisis -- every single one -- is an opportunity for these hucksters to convince us to forfeit our freedoms. That's why their media fellow travelers insist that we live in constant fear and loathing: because our anxieties and our animosities fuel the express train to Bolshevism on which we all find ourselves.
P.S. The curious thing is that, for all the horror of COVID in India, that country, despite its huge population, has reported fewer deaths than we have. Will that remain the case?
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/29/india/india-covid-crisis-world-problem/index.html
Finally, here's an insightful analysis of how poorly "socialized medicine" has fared in the context of the COVID pandemic. Pavlich makes a fair point: the Canadians, who we're always told have the best and the most efficient and the most organized health care system in North America, are really struggling to vaccinate their people. We rapaciously capitalist Americans, however, are doing much better. Better still, of course, is the performance of the U.K., which does have a socialized health care system. And then also worth considering is that the U.S. pandemic response is the result of a public-private partnership, and massive amounts of central government spending, not the "free market" left to its own devices. What can one conclude from this mess? Not much of anything.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: I am reminded of a televised "town meeting" in which Slick Willy responded to a criticism of "affirmative action" thus: "why, would you denounce the system which enabled Colin Powell?" Of course, in his leftist mind, it was only that which could explain Powell's rise to power. And that view remains dominant on the left. Therefore, "One like Scott, who dares disagree with us, is an INGRATE and rightfully despised for abandoning the plantation."
ReplyDeleteDr. Nick,
ReplyDeleteDo I see a small amount of bias there in your lean towards DeSantis? I would not mind seeing Governor Greg Abbott of Texas run, that is for president, and not the border. Ha! Could he be The Republican version of FDR?
But ya know, I just have this weird feeling that the Communists/Socialists (whoops!, I meant Democrats), are going to do everything in their power (and they have tons of it), to prevent conservatives of any stripe in this country from ever attaining any power, ever again.
Sorry to be negative, but there is this constant yapping about 2022 and 2004, as if things are really going to be normal by then. Hell, they are already fruitcake nutty as it is, so why the optimism about 2022 much less 2024?
Lot of talk about "taking back" Congress late next year, and on and on. I can't imagine the current regime permitting any of that to happen.
Sorry to be "gloomy" but I think that reality says that we are in deep shit as it is. Looks like Karl Marx is winning, with Jesus not even coming in close behind.
Good point, Jack: the Left's patronizing giveaways to minorities are premised on their weakness and lack of agency. When they speak up for themselves, the temerity must be mighty galling!
ReplyDeleteRay, you're a barrel of laughs, as always. Ha! I have little doubt that the GOP can take back one or both houses of Congress in 2022. Sure, there will be cheating, but cheating will only get you so far in life... If our margin is big enough, we can still prevail. The Dems cheated their brains out in 2020 and still came up short in countless races they thought they had in the bag.
The bigger question is: does it matter? So what if the GOP takes the House, or Abbott-DeSantis, or DeSantis-Abbott, wins the White House in '24? As you say, the Marxists are winning hearts and minds, and that's the only terrain worth holding.
Hope springs eternal, nonetheless. Step One: retake political power. Step Two: do something constructive and bold with it, for a change...