The most reasonable and rational conservative I’ve spoken with in the last five years told me that yes he had reservations about Trump but that he admired him for getting the world to fear America again. Not respect. Fear. Some story about the Chinese showing Obama some petty disrespect, which Obama, being an adult, probably laughed abou…
The most reasonable and rational conservative I’ve spoken with in the last five years told me that yes he had reservations about Trump but that he admired him for getting the world to fear America again.
Not respect. Fear.
Some story about the Chinese showing Obama some petty disrespect, which Obama, being an adult, probably laughed about.
Ok, anecdote.
But I repeat: why should I not be contemptuous? Should I lean on those who aren’t MAGA? Maybe they’re even the majority. But they’re still aboard. Hell, even that troglodyte George Will left.
My comment pertained to the idea that contempt for them is not a matter of imagination, it is quite openly displayed. I'm not suggesting that you change your views. I do think more about what they do than who they are or what they say.
Deja vu.
Afghanistan was a replay of Vietnam. We sent our sons to fight. Same ending. Ukraine is a replay of Rusia's Afghanistan. We send technologically effective weapons to defeat the Russians. Will the people we arm in Ukraine turn out to be another Mujahideen? Proxy wars draining resources that could be directed at America's decaying infrastructure and doing something besides talk. Costing lives and the destruction of countries.
As long as it's over there, nobody cares, micro aggressions are so much more important than death and destruction. Meanwhile the politicians can enrich themselves with their stock portfolio in the companies of the military industrial establishment. That is a bipartisan abomination. Same shit, different decade. The anti-war left is a faded memory. Not much asymmetry for partisan virtue nowadays.
I don't understand this change of subject to proxy wars, we really haven't talked much about this, neither on here nor in private.
I'll respond briefly before going back to what we were debating.
One reason for hastening the Manhattan Project was to end the two theaters of war quickly, because Stalin was getting ready to mobilize and he had, what, a hundred divisions. As Henry Stimson said to Leslie Groves, "who knows where he'll stop." Who knows where Putin will stop? He's a butcher, and he's dying. There is nothing to restrain him.
Conservatives. During the invasion of Vietnam the sentiment was "let's go all out and WIN in Vietnam." With Ukraine, "it's not our fight. Let Putin have it because, hey, Russia isn't so bad after all. Trump says so." Incoherent.
Conservatives revere individualism but despise individuality. Incoherent.
Conservatives gush and gurgle over freedom (largely synonymous with gun ownership and reverence for lying), yet strive to dismantle democracy and establish religious authoritarianism with a lot of executions. Incoherent.
Kids in cages. Women as baby factories, Shall not be infringed. Wage slavery. Bigotry of every kind and a few new ones. Kindness is weakness. Education is indocrination.
I could go on. OK, stereotypes, but far more real than imaginary.
On the other side? Republicans telling them that coastal elites are looking down their noses at Decent Hardworking Americans, as those same Republicans can't hide their contempt for people stupid enough to vote for them.
The most reasonable and rational conservative I’ve spoken with in the last five years told me that yes he had reservations about Trump but that he admired him for getting the world to fear America again.
Not respect. Fear.
Some story about the Chinese showing Obama some petty disrespect, which Obama, being an adult, probably laughed about.
Ok, anecdote.
But I repeat: why should I not be contemptuous? Should I lean on those who aren’t MAGA? Maybe they’re even the majority. But they’re still aboard. Hell, even that troglodyte George Will left.
My comment pertained to the idea that contempt for them is not a matter of imagination, it is quite openly displayed. I'm not suggesting that you change your views. I do think more about what they do than who they are or what they say.
Deja vu.
Afghanistan was a replay of Vietnam. We sent our sons to fight. Same ending. Ukraine is a replay of Rusia's Afghanistan. We send technologically effective weapons to defeat the Russians. Will the people we arm in Ukraine turn out to be another Mujahideen? Proxy wars draining resources that could be directed at America's decaying infrastructure and doing something besides talk. Costing lives and the destruction of countries.
As long as it's over there, nobody cares, micro aggressions are so much more important than death and destruction. Meanwhile the politicians can enrich themselves with their stock portfolio in the companies of the military industrial establishment. That is a bipartisan abomination. Same shit, different decade. The anti-war left is a faded memory. Not much asymmetry for partisan virtue nowadays.
I don't understand this change of subject to proxy wars, we really haven't talked much about this, neither on here nor in private.
I'll respond briefly before going back to what we were debating.
One reason for hastening the Manhattan Project was to end the two theaters of war quickly, because Stalin was getting ready to mobilize and he had, what, a hundred divisions. As Henry Stimson said to Leslie Groves, "who knows where he'll stop." Who knows where Putin will stop? He's a butcher, and he's dying. There is nothing to restrain him.
Conservatives. During the invasion of Vietnam the sentiment was "let's go all out and WIN in Vietnam." With Ukraine, "it's not our fight. Let Putin have it because, hey, Russia isn't so bad after all. Trump says so." Incoherent.
Conservatives revere individualism but despise individuality. Incoherent.
Conservatives gush and gurgle over freedom (largely synonymous with gun ownership and reverence for lying), yet strive to dismantle democracy and establish religious authoritarianism with a lot of executions. Incoherent.
Kids in cages. Women as baby factories, Shall not be infringed. Wage slavery. Bigotry of every kind and a few new ones. Kindness is weakness. Education is indocrination.
I could go on. OK, stereotypes, but far more real than imaginary.
On the other side? Republicans telling them that coastal elites are looking down their noses at Decent Hardworking Americans, as those same Republicans can't hide their contempt for people stupid enough to vote for them.
How exactly is contempt unmerited?