Watch now (127 mins) | From journalism icon to daily newsletter of an ousted micro-minority, the Times has taken quite a journey. Also, "That Hideous Strength," by CS Lewis
In 2011, A couple of New York Times reporters took me to lunch and gave me a quick tour of their offices beforehand. It was like the matrix. Huge security just to get in, and endless rows of immaculate cubicles. It was very quiet and everyone was well dressed.
I joked that I was expecting to see cigar chomping, rumpled reporters yelling into phones with booze stashed in the desks. They said..."No, those days are gone. Those kinds of reporters have all died off".
The fact that the Democrats couldn't beat a bombastic, loud-mouthed, self-promoting character like Trump NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE says far more about them than him.
Trump was the only middle finger who could make it to the finals (despite having to dodge multiple bullets, real and metaphorical) to get there. RFK Jr. seemed to embody most of the things I believed Dems once stood for, but the Dems locked him out, rather ruthlessly, I might add.
The Democrats treatment of RFK was pretty horrible. And the news media piled on, never actually bothering to examine the policies he was proposing but instead concentrating on character assassination. The big story to the press: Some members of his huge family disagreed with him, usually ones who had worked in the Biden or Obama administration. Shocking!
You are deluded. Trump is very much a part of the establishment. Just because he is taking a wrecking ball to the federal bureaucracy does not mean that he isn't serving the interests of big corporations and ultra-wealthy elites, who are the true holders of power in this country. Trump is at one with them. Wake up!
We'll see. He needs to work with and compromise with the establishment to implement his agenda. They certainly did not and do not consider him one of them.
Hopefully he follows through with his attack on high drug prices and his proposal to levy high tariffs on drug imports.
Try to guess what country we have our 4th largest trade deficit with.
It's Ireland. Over the past few administrations big pharma and high tech have relocated many operations to Ireland to escape U.S. corporate taxes.
About 30 years ago Ireland's per capita income was much lower than Germany's. Now it's much higher.
The American taxpayers are not only subsidizing big pharma by paying the highest drug prices in the world, but we are subsiding the Irish's high incomes and subsidizing big pharma again by allowing them to elude U.S. taxes.
I guess that you must think that higher imported drug prices will be welcomed by the masses who are already struggling to cope with a dysfunctional health care system. Or maybe you're expecting higher import costs to force manufacturers to move back into the U.S.. Are we seeing manufacturers of other products re-shoring to avoid tariffs? No we are not, because those manufacturers believe that the tariff regime will collapse in due time thanks to inflation and scarcity here at home. The economics of Trump's broad-based tariffs make no sense, except to people who don't understand rudimentary economics.
But what were our choices? Kamala or Trump. Trump secured the southern border and is at least talking about ending the Ukraine war. Gas prices dropped a bit. Blondie is actually talking about grand juries, and Bolton was subjected to an FBI raid this morning. In many ways, Trump is a disappointment, but he is still a whole lot better than the alternative.
Realistically, Kamala would have been a disaster, and Biden was senile and corrupt. Their policy of firing Americans with bogus vaccine mandates while escorting millions (unvaccinated) into the country illegally was extraordinary.
Are you actually fixated on Covid at a time when the nation appears to be going down the tubes? I know that nothing I can say will have the slightest impact on your fixation, but Jeez, Lisa, get help.
Thanks for your concern. But just like the truth concerning Russiagate has not penetrated the American public, the same is true of Covid policies. Hearing the Democrats constantly talk about incipient fascism while giving zero recognition to the abuses during Covid doesn’t work for me—after all thousands of people were fired or subjected to coercive medical treatment. If it works for you, just put Russiagate and Covid in the rearview mirror and head to the shore after getting your boosters.
I will not hesitate to state that both candidates were unqualified in terms of temperment and competence. That is essentially a judgement on the sick political/electoral system that afflicts the United States. A pox on both houses is the best way to sum it up.
I thought the point was less that Trump is so great and more that there's a desperation to throw out the incompetent, self-righteous, entitled, b@tsh!t out of touch "elites."
I tend to think he's part of a new establishment. He was obviously elected by new money while old money went to the old establishment.
Some old money hasn't inbred themselves out of 3 digit IQs yet, so of course they are playing both sides. It'll be interesting to see how the person who burned the Bush-Cheney party to the ground handles that
You're overthinking this. Big Money is all the same, whether it is old or newly acquired. Their greed and self-absorption are indistinguishable. Power, control and status are their main desires.
Trump is as eloquent, gentle and self-deprecating as he is loud and overbearing. Objective observers understand the former is as essential as the latter. Trump sold himself to Americans for what - a dozen years during the Apprentice. That Trump can also be loud is a feature, not a bug for many.
Voters don't want anything blown up - too many families live the curse - may you live in exciting times. Voters want the system unclogged, retooled, and functioning properly. Paycheck to paycheck voters wanted the money they had in their pockets under Trump back, turned up, and voted to get it.
You're right about the Democrats. Had the Dems not prosecuted Trump from 2022 to 2024, and held an open primary in 2023 - there's an excellent chance a Democrat would have won.
You can watch Joe Biden on YouTube bragging before an audience that he threatened the Ukraine government that if they did not stop the corruption investigation into Burisma (his son was on the Bd of Directors) he would halt the $1.0 billion aid package just approved. That was essentially the crux of Trump's first impeachment.
I could not believe at the time how it was being ignored- it was a literal video admission of quid pro quo the Ds and media were accusing Trump of in his call to Zelensky. But think about who this crew was- Victoria Nuland was all over it and we had Colonel Vindman (cue National Anthem) and his brother who is now a member of Congress. It was all a scam and continues to be so. Add to that Hunter getting paid by Burisma. No corruption there but heaven forbid Trump ask that all be looked into...
I used to interact more with politicians earlier in my career and Biden always gave off the same vibe of being a glad hander. The kind of guy who felt the need to give you a tidbit at a fundraiser (or worse to the press) that sounded like inside info making one feel like they were "getting their money's worth." In his senility and as President that is why he would blurt stuff out that was probably secret or should not be said publicly (or at all). The most crystal clear example was when he said that the US might be OK with a minor incursion by the Russians into Ukraine.
That last: I remember it! A week or so before the Russians went in, right? A press conference in which he said not only that, but divulged the tone of backroom conversations with the Europeans. I've mostly forgotten the details of that appearance, but I recall some element, or combination of elements, provoking me to think, "If Mearsheimer is right about Putin's way of thinking on the Ukraine situation, he almost has to go in, after the things Biden just said." And yes, like you, I saw the senility of it. Your idea that the grooves were already set after a lifetime of granting such admissions in more discreet settings had certainly never crossed my mind!
Yes, he sounded like "Joe Biden: Blowhard Senator for Life" to me. Not every Senator does it, in fact only a few of the smarmier ones. The thinking is, "you paid $1000 for this crappy lunch, I have to give you something to make it worth it." Similar thinking works with the press- "gotta give em a tidbit or words of wisdom or they won't want to talk to me." But Biden, either because he is who he or because of cognitive decline, never made the transition. I am sure we could find other examples but think about how many times he said something like "they are going kill me for saying this" or "they tell me I am not supposed to say this" or "do this." I am sure someone was telling him he is not a Senator anymore, he needs to be more discreet.
When I put four things you just said together with my own impressions of the man, I come up with "he is who he is," which could be someone who genuinely wanted to have the goodness of an idealized middle class worker, exalted through combination with the power of an American statesman; and this desire was so strong (and undoubtedly tainted by inevitable mixed motivation), that he more often devolved into a "smarmy" guy who wanted to put out in exchange for the "crappy lunch" as both a transactional act and also as an act of Bidenesque readiness to pull everyone into the club. Some years ago, when I was first looking at the man, he seemed like a person I would like--but just didn't. I realize now that "blowhard" was the word missing from my vocabulary. The blowhard element makes the earnest good guy aspect too self-regarding to prevent deep slippage across the smarmline.
"Glad hander." I had to look that up. Oh, cringe. You, in your real interactions with the man, appear to interpret him strongly in the glad handing sense. I, from afar, was willing to wonder if he were merely smarmy. Hell, I think you're right: Glad hander. Even before considering Hunter stuffs and various Biden pardons.
Thanks. The people in my world think Biden is great. This was therapeutic.
He was very ambitious and had a lot of stories that were embellished at best or just lies. I mean he said, repeatedly, his first wife was killed by a drunk driver but that was patently false. The guy was not drunk and it was not his fault. Biden got himself sworn into the Senate in the two surviving sons hospital room. That is "not quite right" from the beginning. Anyway, if I were looking for a real guy "from Scranton," I would pick Fetterman, not Biden. It was surprising to me how many people I met who flipped the script on my impression of them when I met them in one direction or another. Bob Dole comes to mind- seemed very programmed on TV but super friendly and funny in person. Another person like that, before she unfortunately started suffering from dementia, was Diane Feinstein. Very nice and engaging to a very junior person (me) at the time. While I am reminiscing and name dropping- I met the actress Kathy Bates in a waiting area in Senate office building- she was there to advocate for cancer issues I believe. I was there for another reason. She could not have been nicer and trying to learn our rather obscure issue and seemed genuinely interested. It was very nice to see a picture of her today looking very healthy at 77.
The American Political Establishment = Those who feel it's their right and destiny to decide who the leaders of the free world should be. They fear their loss of control. The unelected among our government, the deep state, those who rely on taxpayer dollars to be funneled into their bank accounts and those whose social standing relies upon being a member of the royal court fear the irrelevance that they know they actually deserve. All of their hard lack of work was going to be undone by what turned out to be a very "Fuck you, I'm an American. " and forget about process and posturing but directly assault problems like trade, lawfare, the suppression of free speech... President. I loved it as The President had amassed world leaders together in Washington for the discussions about ending the Ukraine/Russia war. Trump says he's going to call Putin and the other leaders prone to pomp and posture, assume that to be in the future. President Trump in true form of an American is like, "lets get 'er done right now, people are dying right now." Posers and members of the royal court are stunned by these types of actions as it steals their thunder and importance of the weight of their opinions and their posturing is cut short. The same thing occurred with the Iran problem. Iran is enriching uranium. President Trump say's "hold my beer...Not any more." That kind of leadership threatens the status quo of those behind the scene who feel it's their right to decide and not the peoples as our founders clearly intended. Power to Tulsi, and in turn power to the people to weed out the vermin nesting in all of the dark corners of our government.
So it appears the Democratic Party or DNC is run by an alien life form or AI. (Maybe a bodiless head with a giant protruding brain from the current reading assignment "The Hideous Strength") Whatever the hell it is it's not human like in nature. That in itself is problematic. They start with the premise that they are so advanced that communication with the life forms currently in charge of self governing, is an effort and that the deplorables/hucklebucks (whatever the arrogant assholes call us ) cannot grasp the importance and brilliance of their (ego's) positions. The truth is that we understand exactly what they are saying and see their utter bullshit for the detachment with reality that it is. This attempt to reframe reality is dangerous for so many reasons and is an effort to override instinct and intellect that is crucial for human progress and basic survival. This thing reads both like cult indoctrination and an instruction manual on how to properly deceive others into joining the groupthink/consensus. (You know, because they're so smart that they can't communicate with others and nostalgia for critical thinking and true individuality is for lower forms of life so just do what we say.) I find this to be a huge red flag as well as ridiculous and extremely arrogant on it's face. There are people who are extremely intelligent and they have interpersonal difficulties. This is not an example of that at all. There is no vision or acceptance of self in this mindset.
There's a great passage in "That Hideous Strength" in which the Fairy is telling Mark how much easier it is to sway opinion among the highly educated, than the commoners. We've seen that attitude play out in real life over the past 10 years.
There was (maybe not so much anymore) research in political psychology usually showing that the more educated you are, the stronger your politically oriented beliefs, and the more resistant those beliefs are to disconfirming evidence. But this was from experiments in which such evidence was mostly provided in a context-free manner (no source for instance, simply paragraphs of argument written by who knows who). I think source is one important aspect of relevant context to most people. If information comes from a source you already trust, you are more likely to allow that to change your opinions. I can't help but think this must have been researched at some time in pysch-oriented poli sci.
It does seem that Democrats touted that they were the more educated for some time. I don't see that to be honest. I see an effort to push things that make no sense. Maybe it's a new form of "education". I'm on the older side (as if you couldn't tell) my kids are grown as well. Neither myself or them were subjected to this new lack of critical thinking trend. Do we have any understanding when this all became fashionable? I'm thinking the last decade? I don't see it as wise.
I heard it wasn't true that she was excluded from a meeting. On the contrary, supposedly Trump called her a "distinguished" leader or something to that effect. Does anyone know for sure? I can't seem to find much about it.
Reading That Hideous Strength. It's shocking how closely Lewis describes the types of people who are drawn to the technocratic elite. As I read, I occasionally substitute names of people from the previous regime. It is downright scary how smoothly they fit.
The first thing I thought of was Led Zeppelin, though it applies to Elvis and the old blues musicians who inspired both of them. In earlier eras, we could probably say the same for the crooners.
Your opening remarks on woodpeckers being horny, and asking what other animals make noise to attract the attention of females, reminded me of rock music. Robert Plant wailing out, "Way DOWN inside, woman, you need LOOOOVE!" This probably applies to all music (definitely a lot of blues), but I'm old, so this was the first thing I thought of.
1:00:00 the NYT and European leaders are not stupid. When someone you know to be intelligent does things that appear stupid, the right thing to do is to ask “what are they really after, that I don’t understand?”
There is something going on that is profoundly evil and/or corrupt.
Multi-purpose, functional. They search for food, insects, grubs, etc. and build a home within the decaying tree ( or cactus?). Not sure it is part of dating/mating ritual, anything is possible?
Brilliant literary analyst, too. I've listened to hours of literary analysis in English Departments over the years. Walter is on another level. One of a kind.
Yes! The short story segment sets ATW apart from all other podcasts. Walter’s insights are rooted in being well read and practicing the craft himself. A lesson to all of us. I’m personally inspired to write because of Walter and Matt. Last week’s opening segment was brilliant on the topic of fiction pursuing truth.
I don't know your literary tastes but if it's short stories you like I couldn't recommend a more diverting book than the John Collier collection, "Fancies and Goodnight."
The bureaucracy doesn't care about normalizing President Trump. This is bigger than President Trump. This has always been bigger than Trump. What they wish to normalize is groupthink conformity. This lends them power beyond the Trump years and into the future. You don't go to the trouble of making legacy media something that Joseph Goebbels could only dream of to capture the citizenry from just one person. The idea was to maintain power now and going forward. Trump was a person that was necessary for this point in history. He was exactly what was needed to overcome the greed and power-lust of this bureaucracy/cabal. Who else had the grit, money and tenacity to overcome this nightmare of a group without caving, crashing or bending to their will? Who could pull it off? The assholes tried to kill him twice (Yes, it was them.) when they realized they couldn't break him or imprison him or lie about him enough to overcome the electorates intuition that he was what was needed and that they (cabal) were trying to dismantle our democracy. These people don't intend to go quietly or gracefully. The whole purpose of the vexatious litigation against him (Trump) was to financially break him. They never saw Trump as a threat to democracy, quite the opposite actually. They saw the people choosing to thwart their agenda. They actually feared democracy. Be prepared for more shenanigans in the next election if Trump can't weed them out, and certainly from the propaganda cartel mouthpieces in the media.
Be prepared for shenanigans right now. Obama and Holder have emerged. Fundraisers on the Vinyard to raise money to fight gerrymandering and save “democracy. “ Also, Fed dist court judges still granting inappropriate injunctive relief, per opinion of Justice Gorsuch.
Right, because what they were doing was ;-) democracy. Gerrymandering has always been around. Looking at the age of both houses of Congress lets us see that. In fact what the Republicans should do if they want to gain seats is put an age limit on Congress, say 68yrs. Sure they lose Grassley and McConnell (needs to happen) but the bulk of the geriatric lifers and entrenched neoliberals are on the Democratic side. Unlike gerrymandering at least it'd be a vote and even if Democrats won some of those seats they would be freshman and not leadership. We already have age limits as in you have to be a certain age. It's time someone did this, It's past time. The judicial is going to be tough and people may need disbarment if they participate in weaponization or ruling from the bench.
While I totally agree about term limits, the problem of the Dem Party is that no near center pol has a chance within the Dem Party anymore. They are now full blown Dem Socialist Party, and it is something else. They want the ruination of America. The. End.
Do you think that the electorate would embrace the socialist view beyond maybe healthcare being the exception? I could be wrong but I think the rewards of a bit more judicious form of capitalism that lacks the corporate socialism aspect that people hate, is wired into the American psyche. We all kind of identify with our capitalism and if we bring back jobs and the ability to advance people wouldn't trade it. The example of socialism I see is corporate socialism. I hope there is enough pride and critical thinking left that they wouldn't give up freedoms for complacency. Though I see that as a Democratic goal of late. We need to bring back the ability to advance and be rewarded for efforts. We also have to be careful not to be like Democrats and not to allow people to choose.
"When legislatures control buying and selling, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators." I think this is apocryphal, though P.J. O'Rourke said it once too.
Term limits are good but age limits are a must. We just had a senile President. It wouldn't be so alarming if the average age of congress wasn't like 70 but it is. We can't have that and I'm betting only a small majority are as mentally fit as our President. President Trump is above the norm. Actually, there are so many of them over the age of 68 which in my opinion put them in the neoliberal category. The neoliberals are the entrenched deep state. In the House of Representatives in particular the dinosaurs are abundant. The make up of leadership would shift. We could hit the deep state nail on the head.
I think we can all point to examples within our own families of mental deterioration with age. My mom stayed pretty sharp well into her 70's (with occasional bizarre thought processes), but she always loved crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, and reading. She used to wonder why all those old coots were still in Congress, though.
We really need some Congress Critters who are not still stuck in the old Cold War, domino theory, war pig mentality. It's time to move on.
Totally spit-balling here. My mom in her 70's is sharp as well. However I wouldn't see her as a perfect representation of what was necessary to govern. She just wants to enjoy her great grandchildren, do puzzles, crafting and hang out with her bowling friends. That seems normal. Refusing to give up a seat in Congress and allow the other generations to self govern does not. I agree that probably many in Congress are possibly still mentally capable but I find the sheer number of those who are over 68 to be troubling at least when you apply statistical probability of there being an issue. The elderly are more easily manipulated. (This identity, DEI stuff is a new ruse to get votes without actually giving anything the donors don't approve of.) Also, them proposing 1980's solutions or ideas to 2025 problems when they do have an idea is not helpful. I encourage people to look up Congressional Age of both houses of Congress. It's eye opening.
The number of liberal Democrats who want to spoon with John Bolton just because Trump doesn't like him would be stunning if we hadn't descended into Clown World ages ago & the only thing required to be a Liberal Class Hero is to stick your tongue out at Trump. If there is a way to convince Trump to mandate breathing or eating or drinking, I wish someone would do it. Liberals would drop like flies.
In 2011, A couple of New York Times reporters took me to lunch and gave me a quick tour of their offices beforehand. It was like the matrix. Huge security just to get in, and endless rows of immaculate cubicles. It was very quiet and everyone was well dressed.
I joked that I was expecting to see cigar chomping, rumpled reporters yelling into phones with booze stashed in the desks. They said..."No, those days are gone. Those kinds of reporters have all died off".
That about sums up the New York Times.
it doesn't seem so now, but the NYT is a cultural backwater.
Arrogant, well-dressed, over-funded, elitist, cultural backwater.
NPR is the same. But it’s essentially the NYT’s farm team.
Lol. Totally. The last time I sat for an NPR interview, I literally walked out after the first question.
I literally protested their national headquarters in Washington DC for two days in 2017.... before anyone realized just how shit they were!!!
The fact that the Democrats couldn't beat a bombastic, loud-mouthed, self-promoting character like Trump NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE says far more about them than him.
He was voted in to blow up the corrupt, incompetent establishment.
Yes!
Trump was our collective, giant middle finger to the Establishment.
Trump was the only middle finger who could make it to the finals (despite having to dodge multiple bullets, real and metaphorical) to get there. RFK Jr. seemed to embody most of the things I believed Dems once stood for, but the Dems locked him out, rather ruthlessly, I might add.
The Democrats treatment of RFK was pretty horrible. And the news media piled on, never actually bothering to examine the policies he was proposing but instead concentrating on character assassination. The big story to the press: Some members of his huge family disagreed with him, usually ones who had worked in the Biden or Obama administration. Shocking!
Yep.
Neither RFK or Bernie had the balls to rise above it.
Kind of Howard Dean, too....in 2004 IMHO.
You are deluded. Trump is very much a part of the establishment. Just because he is taking a wrecking ball to the federal bureaucracy does not mean that he isn't serving the interests of big corporations and ultra-wealthy elites, who are the true holders of power in this country. Trump is at one with them. Wake up!
As this current administration unfolds, it would appear that you are more and more correct.
The Epstein thing really illustrated that. Over 3 years to go, though. I hope you're wrong.
We'll see. He needs to work with and compromise with the establishment to implement his agenda. They certainly did not and do not consider him one of them.
Hopefully he follows through with his attack on high drug prices and his proposal to levy high tariffs on drug imports.
Try to guess what country we have our 4th largest trade deficit with.
It's Ireland. Over the past few administrations big pharma and high tech have relocated many operations to Ireland to escape U.S. corporate taxes.
About 30 years ago Ireland's per capita income was much lower than Germany's. Now it's much higher.
The American taxpayers are not only subsidizing big pharma by paying the highest drug prices in the world, but we are subsiding the Irish's high incomes and subsidizing big pharma again by allowing them to elude U.S. taxes.
I never knew the Irish had high incomes.
Looks like everyone but American workers are doing just great.
I guess that you must think that higher imported drug prices will be welcomed by the masses who are already struggling to cope with a dysfunctional health care system. Or maybe you're expecting higher import costs to force manufacturers to move back into the U.S.. Are we seeing manufacturers of other products re-shoring to avoid tariffs? No we are not, because those manufacturers believe that the tariff regime will collapse in due time thanks to inflation and scarcity here at home. The economics of Trump's broad-based tariffs make no sense, except to people who don't understand rudimentary economics.
Several companies are building new facilities in the US. It was in the news a few weeks ago.
You're clueless. Especially regarding economics.
To some extent, yes.
But what were our choices? Kamala or Trump. Trump secured the southern border and is at least talking about ending the Ukraine war. Gas prices dropped a bit. Blondie is actually talking about grand juries, and Bolton was subjected to an FBI raid this morning. In many ways, Trump is a disappointment, but he is still a whole lot better than the alternative.
Realistically, Kamala would have been a disaster, and Biden was senile and corrupt. Their policy of firing Americans with bogus vaccine mandates while escorting millions (unvaccinated) into the country illegally was extraordinary.
Are you actually fixated on Covid at a time when the nation appears to be going down the tubes? I know that nothing I can say will have the slightest impact on your fixation, but Jeez, Lisa, get help.
Thanks for your concern. But just like the truth concerning Russiagate has not penetrated the American public, the same is true of Covid policies. Hearing the Democrats constantly talk about incipient fascism while giving zero recognition to the abuses during Covid doesn’t work for me—after all thousands of people were fired or subjected to coercive medical treatment. If it works for you, just put Russiagate and Covid in the rearview mirror and head to the shore after getting your boosters.
I will not hesitate to state that both candidates were unqualified in terms of temperment and competence. That is essentially a judgement on the sick political/electoral system that afflicts the United States. A pox on both houses is the best way to sum it up.
Well, you certainly live up to your name, I must say. I won’t bother asking you for proof, etc. I’m sure you’ll inundate me…..
Ur talking to me?
I thought the point was less that Trump is so great and more that there's a desperation to throw out the incompetent, self-righteous, entitled, b@tsh!t out of touch "elites."
I tend to think he's part of a new establishment. He was obviously elected by new money while old money went to the old establishment.
Some old money hasn't inbred themselves out of 3 digit IQs yet, so of course they are playing both sides. It'll be interesting to see how the person who burned the Bush-Cheney party to the ground handles that
You're overthinking this. Big Money is all the same, whether it is old or newly acquired. Their greed and self-absorption are indistinguishable. Power, control and status are their main desires.
they cannot come to grips that they caused Trump by fucking with We-the-People too many times.
Trump is ten times a better POTUS THAN " nicer" Dems.
Trump is as eloquent, gentle and self-deprecating as he is loud and overbearing. Objective observers understand the former is as essential as the latter. Trump sold himself to Americans for what - a dozen years during the Apprentice. That Trump can also be loud is a feature, not a bug for many.
Voters don't want anything blown up - too many families live the curse - may you live in exciting times. Voters want the system unclogged, retooled, and functioning properly. Paycheck to paycheck voters wanted the money they had in their pockets under Trump back, turned up, and voted to get it.
You're right about the Democrats. Had the Dems not prosecuted Trump from 2022 to 2024, and held an open primary in 2023 - there's an excellent chance a Democrat would have won.
You can watch Joe Biden on YouTube bragging before an audience that he threatened the Ukraine government that if they did not stop the corruption investigation into Burisma (his son was on the Bd of Directors) he would halt the $1.0 billion aid package just approved. That was essentially the crux of Trump's first impeachment.
I could not believe at the time how it was being ignored- it was a literal video admission of quid pro quo the Ds and media were accusing Trump of in his call to Zelensky. But think about who this crew was- Victoria Nuland was all over it and we had Colonel Vindman (cue National Anthem) and his brother who is now a member of Congress. It was all a scam and continues to be so. Add to that Hunter getting paid by Burisma. No corruption there but heaven forbid Trump ask that all be looked into...
You’re right. Imagine that they think we are so uninformed . We will just not notice the gorilla in the room…
And that video is STILL up, last time I checked.
Yet Democrats and Establishment Republicans totally ignored it.
It’s like “ uh, what did that clown just say”?
He's bragging like it's his proudest moment
Because that is the corrupt asshole he has always been.
I used to interact more with politicians earlier in my career and Biden always gave off the same vibe of being a glad hander. The kind of guy who felt the need to give you a tidbit at a fundraiser (or worse to the press) that sounded like inside info making one feel like they were "getting their money's worth." In his senility and as President that is why he would blurt stuff out that was probably secret or should not be said publicly (or at all). The most crystal clear example was when he said that the US might be OK with a minor incursion by the Russians into Ukraine.
A sign of his diminished intellect
That last: I remember it! A week or so before the Russians went in, right? A press conference in which he said not only that, but divulged the tone of backroom conversations with the Europeans. I've mostly forgotten the details of that appearance, but I recall some element, or combination of elements, provoking me to think, "If Mearsheimer is right about Putin's way of thinking on the Ukraine situation, he almost has to go in, after the things Biden just said." And yes, like you, I saw the senility of it. Your idea that the grooves were already set after a lifetime of granting such admissions in more discreet settings had certainly never crossed my mind!
Yes, he sounded like "Joe Biden: Blowhard Senator for Life" to me. Not every Senator does it, in fact only a few of the smarmier ones. The thinking is, "you paid $1000 for this crappy lunch, I have to give you something to make it worth it." Similar thinking works with the press- "gotta give em a tidbit or words of wisdom or they won't want to talk to me." But Biden, either because he is who he or because of cognitive decline, never made the transition. I am sure we could find other examples but think about how many times he said something like "they are going kill me for saying this" or "they tell me I am not supposed to say this" or "do this." I am sure someone was telling him he is not a Senator anymore, he needs to be more discreet.
When I put four things you just said together with my own impressions of the man, I come up with "he is who he is," which could be someone who genuinely wanted to have the goodness of an idealized middle class worker, exalted through combination with the power of an American statesman; and this desire was so strong (and undoubtedly tainted by inevitable mixed motivation), that he more often devolved into a "smarmy" guy who wanted to put out in exchange for the "crappy lunch" as both a transactional act and also as an act of Bidenesque readiness to pull everyone into the club. Some years ago, when I was first looking at the man, he seemed like a person I would like--but just didn't. I realize now that "blowhard" was the word missing from my vocabulary. The blowhard element makes the earnest good guy aspect too self-regarding to prevent deep slippage across the smarmline.
"Glad hander." I had to look that up. Oh, cringe. You, in your real interactions with the man, appear to interpret him strongly in the glad handing sense. I, from afar, was willing to wonder if he were merely smarmy. Hell, I think you're right: Glad hander. Even before considering Hunter stuffs and various Biden pardons.
Thanks. The people in my world think Biden is great. This was therapeutic.
He was very ambitious and had a lot of stories that were embellished at best or just lies. I mean he said, repeatedly, his first wife was killed by a drunk driver but that was patently false. The guy was not drunk and it was not his fault. Biden got himself sworn into the Senate in the two surviving sons hospital room. That is "not quite right" from the beginning. Anyway, if I were looking for a real guy "from Scranton," I would pick Fetterman, not Biden. It was surprising to me how many people I met who flipped the script on my impression of them when I met them in one direction or another. Bob Dole comes to mind- seemed very programmed on TV but super friendly and funny in person. Another person like that, before she unfortunately started suffering from dementia, was Diane Feinstein. Very nice and engaging to a very junior person (me) at the time. While I am reminiscing and name dropping- I met the actress Kathy Bates in a waiting area in Senate office building- she was there to advocate for cancer issues I believe. I was there for another reason. She could not have been nicer and trying to learn our rather obscure issue and seemed genuinely interested. It was very nice to see a picture of her today looking very healthy at 77.
The American Political Establishment = Those who feel it's their right and destiny to decide who the leaders of the free world should be. They fear their loss of control. The unelected among our government, the deep state, those who rely on taxpayer dollars to be funneled into their bank accounts and those whose social standing relies upon being a member of the royal court fear the irrelevance that they know they actually deserve. All of their hard lack of work was going to be undone by what turned out to be a very "Fuck you, I'm an American. " and forget about process and posturing but directly assault problems like trade, lawfare, the suppression of free speech... President. I loved it as The President had amassed world leaders together in Washington for the discussions about ending the Ukraine/Russia war. Trump says he's going to call Putin and the other leaders prone to pomp and posture, assume that to be in the future. President Trump in true form of an American is like, "lets get 'er done right now, people are dying right now." Posers and members of the royal court are stunned by these types of actions as it steals their thunder and importance of the weight of their opinions and their posturing is cut short. The same thing occurred with the Iran problem. Iran is enriching uranium. President Trump say's "hold my beer...Not any more." That kind of leadership threatens the status quo of those behind the scene who feel it's their right to decide and not the peoples as our founders clearly intended. Power to Tulsi, and in turn power to the people to weed out the vermin nesting in all of the dark corners of our government.
Brilliant! Loved this: " All of their hard lack of work was going to be undone by what turned out to be a very 'Fuck you, I'm an American'. . . "
I loved how Trump excluded unelected Euro weenie bureaucrat Ursula from one of the meetings.
That was awesome. I loved it as well. Who do these people think we think they are? Clearly they are misinformed.
Here's an online memo telling the democrats not to use therapy speak, intersexual speak, because, as great as these terms are, they won't get you elected. https://www.thirdway.org/memo/was-it-something-i-said
So it appears the Democratic Party or DNC is run by an alien life form or AI. (Maybe a bodiless head with a giant protruding brain from the current reading assignment "The Hideous Strength") Whatever the hell it is it's not human like in nature. That in itself is problematic. They start with the premise that they are so advanced that communication with the life forms currently in charge of self governing, is an effort and that the deplorables/hucklebucks (whatever the arrogant assholes call us ) cannot grasp the importance and brilliance of their (ego's) positions. The truth is that we understand exactly what they are saying and see their utter bullshit for the detachment with reality that it is. This attempt to reframe reality is dangerous for so many reasons and is an effort to override instinct and intellect that is crucial for human progress and basic survival. This thing reads both like cult indoctrination and an instruction manual on how to properly deceive others into joining the groupthink/consensus. (You know, because they're so smart that they can't communicate with others and nostalgia for critical thinking and true individuality is for lower forms of life so just do what we say.) I find this to be a huge red flag as well as ridiculous and extremely arrogant on it's face. There are people who are extremely intelligent and they have interpersonal difficulties. This is not an example of that at all. There is no vision or acceptance of self in this mindset.
100%
No, because clearly, they know better than we do.
There's a great passage in "That Hideous Strength" in which the Fairy is telling Mark how much easier it is to sway opinion among the highly educated, than the commoners. We've seen that attitude play out in real life over the past 10 years.
There was (maybe not so much anymore) research in political psychology usually showing that the more educated you are, the stronger your politically oriented beliefs, and the more resistant those beliefs are to disconfirming evidence. But this was from experiments in which such evidence was mostly provided in a context-free manner (no source for instance, simply paragraphs of argument written by who knows who). I think source is one important aspect of relevant context to most people. If information comes from a source you already trust, you are more likely to allow that to change your opinions. I can't help but think this must have been researched at some time in pysch-oriented poli sci.
It does seem that Democrats touted that they were the more educated for some time. I don't see that to be honest. I see an effort to push things that make no sense. Maybe it's a new form of "education". I'm on the older side (as if you couldn't tell) my kids are grown as well. Neither myself or them were subjected to this new lack of critical thinking trend. Do we have any understanding when this all became fashionable? I'm thinking the last decade? I don't see it as wise.
Thanks for the link! That was funny!
So they've come to the conclusion that their "language" is driving people off. It's not the dumb ideas behind the words, it's the words, themselves.
What a bunch of (highly educated) morons.
Highly indoctrinated
They seem to believe their own bullshit.
Excellent move by POTUS
I heard it wasn't true that she was excluded from a meeting. On the contrary, supposedly Trump called her a "distinguished" leader or something to that effect. Does anyone know for sure? I can't seem to find much about it.
Oof!
Apparently not; it's been debunked, according to Eugyppius on Substack:
https://www.eugyppius.com/p/ursula-von-der-leyen-told-to-leave?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
So well said.
Reading That Hideous Strength. It's shocking how closely Lewis describes the types of people who are drawn to the technocratic elite. As I read, I occasionally substitute names of people from the previous regime. It is downright scary how smoothly they fit.
There's plenty of 'em in the current regime, too!
If French is worried about a President of low character, he is 4 years too late. Also 16 years. And 24. And 32. And on and on.
French has been a bad joke for many years.
Rock stars are the human equivalent to woodpeckers.
Yes!
The first thing I thought of was Led Zeppelin, though it applies to Elvis and the old blues musicians who inspired both of them. In earlier eras, we could probably say the same for the crooners.
when someone says we need boots on the ground in Ukraine, ask them their boot size.
Your opening remarks on woodpeckers being horny, and asking what other animals make noise to attract the attention of females, reminded me of rock music. Robert Plant wailing out, "Way DOWN inside, woman, you need LOOOOVE!" This probably applies to all music (definitely a lot of blues), but I'm old, so this was the first thing I thought of.
I think my profile picture proves your point- A fourteen-year-old me "dressed to impress" and ready to rock in true 80s fashion...LOL!
1:00:00 the NYT and European leaders are not stupid. When someone you know to be intelligent does things that appear stupid, the right thing to do is to ask “what are they really after, that I don’t understand?”
There is something going on that is profoundly evil and/or corrupt.
I always thought woodpeckers drilled wood to get at insect larvae. Have I been misled all these years?
Multi-purpose, functional. They search for food, insects, grubs, etc. and build a home within the decaying tree ( or cactus?). Not sure it is part of dating/mating ritual, anything is possible?
Ladderbacks around here drill into agave stalks to make nests.
Walter has such a cool life!
Brilliant literary analyst, too. I've listened to hours of literary analysis in English Departments over the years. Walter is on another level. One of a kind.
Yes! The short story segment sets ATW apart from all other podcasts. Walter’s insights are rooted in being well read and practicing the craft himself. A lesson to all of us. I’m personally inspired to write because of Walter and Matt. Last week’s opening segment was brilliant on the topic of fiction pursuing truth.
Being a novice weenie that I am, I devour their take on CS Lewis. Feel like I’m back in college, except for the fact that we used stone tablets…
We didn’t use stone tablets, because rocks hadn’t formed yet…
I don't know your literary tastes but if it's short stories you like I couldn't recommend a more diverting book than the John Collier collection, "Fancies and Goodnight."
It's sheer entertainment. Ray Bradbury wrote the introduction to it. He said that Collier was his biggest influence.
And GLW he looked cool with Alf hair and stripe shirt… love ya man
I think I missed that but your comment still made me chuckle.
The NYT, writing inside the bubble for those living inside the bubble.
Even the WSJ is drifting off in the raft.
The bureaucracy doesn't care about normalizing President Trump. This is bigger than President Trump. This has always been bigger than Trump. What they wish to normalize is groupthink conformity. This lends them power beyond the Trump years and into the future. You don't go to the trouble of making legacy media something that Joseph Goebbels could only dream of to capture the citizenry from just one person. The idea was to maintain power now and going forward. Trump was a person that was necessary for this point in history. He was exactly what was needed to overcome the greed and power-lust of this bureaucracy/cabal. Who else had the grit, money and tenacity to overcome this nightmare of a group without caving, crashing or bending to their will? Who could pull it off? The assholes tried to kill him twice (Yes, it was them.) when they realized they couldn't break him or imprison him or lie about him enough to overcome the electorates intuition that he was what was needed and that they (cabal) were trying to dismantle our democracy. These people don't intend to go quietly or gracefully. The whole purpose of the vexatious litigation against him (Trump) was to financially break him. They never saw Trump as a threat to democracy, quite the opposite actually. They saw the people choosing to thwart their agenda. They actually feared democracy. Be prepared for more shenanigans in the next election if Trump can't weed them out, and certainly from the propaganda cartel mouthpieces in the media.
Be prepared for shenanigans right now. Obama and Holder have emerged. Fundraisers on the Vinyard to raise money to fight gerrymandering and save “democracy. “ Also, Fed dist court judges still granting inappropriate injunctive relief, per opinion of Justice Gorsuch.
Right, because what they were doing was ;-) democracy. Gerrymandering has always been around. Looking at the age of both houses of Congress lets us see that. In fact what the Republicans should do if they want to gain seats is put an age limit on Congress, say 68yrs. Sure they lose Grassley and McConnell (needs to happen) but the bulk of the geriatric lifers and entrenched neoliberals are on the Democratic side. Unlike gerrymandering at least it'd be a vote and even if Democrats won some of those seats they would be freshman and not leadership. We already have age limits as in you have to be a certain age. It's time someone did this, It's past time. The judicial is going to be tough and people may need disbarment if they participate in weaponization or ruling from the bench.
While I totally agree about term limits, the problem of the Dem Party is that no near center pol has a chance within the Dem Party anymore. They are now full blown Dem Socialist Party, and it is something else. They want the ruination of America. The. End.
Do you think that the electorate would embrace the socialist view beyond maybe healthcare being the exception? I could be wrong but I think the rewards of a bit more judicious form of capitalism that lacks the corporate socialism aspect that people hate, is wired into the American psyche. We all kind of identify with our capitalism and if we bring back jobs and the ability to advance people wouldn't trade it. The example of socialism I see is corporate socialism. I hope there is enough pride and critical thinking left that they wouldn't give up freedoms for complacency. Though I see that as a Democratic goal of late. We need to bring back the ability to advance and be rewarded for efforts. We also have to be careful not to be like Democrats and not to allow people to choose.
"When legislatures control buying and selling, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators." I think this is apocryphal, though P.J. O'Rourke said it once too.
Term limits are good but age limits are a must. We just had a senile President. It wouldn't be so alarming if the average age of congress wasn't like 70 but it is. We can't have that and I'm betting only a small majority are as mentally fit as our President. President Trump is above the norm. Actually, there are so many of them over the age of 68 which in my opinion put them in the neoliberal category. The neoliberals are the entrenched deep state. In the House of Representatives in particular the dinosaurs are abundant. The make up of leadership would shift. We could hit the deep state nail on the head.
I think we can all point to examples within our own families of mental deterioration with age. My mom stayed pretty sharp well into her 70's (with occasional bizarre thought processes), but she always loved crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, and reading. She used to wonder why all those old coots were still in Congress, though.
We really need some Congress Critters who are not still stuck in the old Cold War, domino theory, war pig mentality. It's time to move on.
Totally spit-balling here. My mom in her 70's is sharp as well. However I wouldn't see her as a perfect representation of what was necessary to govern. She just wants to enjoy her great grandchildren, do puzzles, crafting and hang out with her bowling friends. That seems normal. Refusing to give up a seat in Congress and allow the other generations to self govern does not. I agree that probably many in Congress are possibly still mentally capable but I find the sheer number of those who are over 68 to be troubling at least when you apply statistical probability of there being an issue. The elderly are more easily manipulated. (This identity, DEI stuff is a new ruse to get votes without actually giving anything the donors don't approve of.) Also, them proposing 1980's solutions or ideas to 2025 problems when they do have an idea is not helpful. I encourage people to look up Congressional Age of both houses of Congress. It's eye opening.
Sounds like the old Tolstoyan view (War and Peace), an antidote to Carlyle’s Great Man theory. Has a lot to recommend it.
The number of liberal Democrats who want to spoon with John Bolton just because Trump doesn't like him would be stunning if we hadn't descended into Clown World ages ago & the only thing required to be a Liberal Class Hero is to stick your tongue out at Trump. If there is a way to convince Trump to mandate breathing or eating or drinking, I wish someone would do it. Liberals would drop like flies.