Tag Archives: current events

“Kill him”

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The audio/video from this article should give Trump supporters pause. This is sickening. I know, I know, every movement has its crazies. But this feels too much like a key part of the Trump Train’s DNA. ‪

When James Troup decided to attend a Donald Trump rally in Dayton , Ohio, he knew that there was bound to be more than a bit of factually inaccurate fear mongering, but he never expected to see a crowd literally calling for the murder of protestors.

Read the whole thing and watch the clips.

Goldberg on Trump’s invasion of the body snatchers

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I’ve always really liked Jonah Goldberg (he’s a fabulous writer and serious dog-person to boot),  but my respect for him has shot through the roof in recent months due to his sane,  eloquent,  and always witty punditry against Donald Trump. His latest Goldberg File is fantastic and somewhat alarming. He gives voice to what I’m feeling and I only wish I could express it half as well as he does. Read the whole thing – the final money-quote is below:

I know I’m being glib and jocular as I criticize Bill [Bennett] and other friends. That’s basically how I argue. But let me be clear (as Obama likes to say too often): I hate this. I hate it. I hate attacking people I respect. I hate hearing from former fans who say they’re ashamed to have ever admired me or my writing. I hate being unable to meet fellow conservatives half-way. One of the things I love about conservatism is that we argue about our principles; as I’ve written 8 billion times — more or less — we debate our dogma. I love our principled disagreements. But I honestly and sincerely don’t see this as a mere principled disagreement. I see this as an argument about whether or not we should set fire to some principles in a foolish desire to get on the right side of some “movement.” I have never been more depressed about the state of American politics or the health of the conservative movement. I hate the idea that political disagreements will poison friendships — in no small part because as a conservative I think friendship should be immune to politics. I certainly hate having to tell my wife that my political views may negatively affect our income. But I truly fear that this is an existential crisis for the conservative movement I’ve known my whole life. And all I can do is say what I believe. If Donald Trump is elected president

, I sincerely and passionately hope I will be proven wrong about all of this. But I just as sincerely and passionately believe I won’t be.

I’ve stopped being baffled

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I’ve stopped being baffled.  Yes,  I don’t understand the Trump phenomenon. But I’ve realized I probably never will ,  and I can live with that.  To his followers,  this behavior is a feature,  not a bug.

Yes, somebody should

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From Stephen Green’s wrap up of tonight’s  debate:

I must repeat that I do not believe that Donald Trump is a fascist or a national socialist or a white supremacist or any of that.

But when it comes to pleasing the crowd, he proved himself tonight willing to play by the Führerprinzip when it comes to (ahem) enhanced interrogation.

I could try to explain to you why I thought Rubio did a good job

, or maybe how Cruz seemed to downplay at least some of his more unlikeable tendencies…

But I keep coming back to that one thing: Trump and the Führerprinzip — bending the military to his will, rather than to each member’s oath to the Constitution.

I’ll repeat what I said earlier: Trump is no Hitler, but he really ought to read a history book or two.

Maybe I’m making too much of this one thing…

But shouldn’t somebody?

Yes.

The devil you know is still a devil

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This is fantastic. Money-quote:

To vote for Trump is to validate; to vote for Trump is to participate. He is a crass

, gutter-tongued, vulgar man whose self-regard blinds his ability to understand his own ignorance. A man who casually encourages the worst, enables the mediocre, and wafts aloft cartoon concepts of American greatness with gusts of flatulent banalities. It takes a certain kind of historical illiterate not to realize his facial postures are literally aping a second-rate Italian fascist.

Sorry for taking the long way; could have just linked and agreed. But the author’s points deserve interrogation. Short version: no. Long version: hell no. On the off chance history makes marks in a ledger: I will not support Trump if he is the nominee. I will not vote for him. The devil you know is still a devil, and worse yet: you don’t really know him at all.

Read the whole thing.