To say that DeSantis aligns with Joey Malarkey's position on Ukraine is specious. DeSantis is strongly stating a principle and direction. Joey is essentially saying that Ukraine sorta deserves F-16s and might very well get them. DeSantis looks like a leader. Trump too, as has often been the case, essentially has the correct approach as well, although, as is ALWAYS the case, he states it as a sign of the greatness only he possesses: The Policy of ME. Republicans commit political suicide if they choose childish Don, who more than half of America views as a blowhard, over DeSantis.
"THE Truth" includes such axioms as "XX & XY chromosomes determine gender;" not YOUR truth that "It's my choice." "Abortion terminates a discreet life;" not YOUR truth that "It's not a baby until it leaves the womb." "Spending more than you have is not wise;" not YOUR truth that says "Spend what you want and worry about the debt later." In other words, THE truth does appear objectively to align with what might be labeled "conservative" positions. SO (i think) it would be wise for Republicans to skew toward conservative candidates whose positions are closer to self-evident truths. Any other choice will perpetuate the situational ethics that threaten to destroy our republic. Whether Desantis will survive the primary or drift left if he wins remains to be seen. At the moment he appears to be a worthy candidate who could also win.
The Republicans who want to return to the days before Trump worry me. I voted for him twice--reluctantly--but I felt we needed a new direction. While I appreciate some of the things he did while in office very much, I just cannot imagine Trump as president now. And I certainly don't want to see the return of the same old GOP that existed before Trump days. I don't want to go back; I want to go forward.
I was asked by a colleague to clarify what I believe Erick does not understand. As argued by said colleague, I do not expect Erick to suddenly believe that the Republican Party must embrace conservatism. We all know that will never happen. What I mean is this. DeSantis has sparked some attention among conservatives. But none of us will hold our breaths. We fully expect that if he wins, he will quickly pivot to the soft-left and govern from there, just as Republican politicians have done for decades. The most egregious example, of course, is G.W Bush. During his initial campaign, Bush ran as a conservative. After the 9/11 response, Bush had astoundingly high approval ratings. Pundits such as Rush believed he should use that political capital against the left to usher in some conservative policy. But he did not; rather, he used his political capital against his own constituents on the right to support soft left policy. (Don't get me started listing his achievements on the left from there). That was a point at which I, and millions of other conservatives, began to abandon the Republican Party en masse. The point is this. No politician will ever convince everybody of anything; politics is all about the percentages. What demographic can we count on, who can we hope for and who can we pick off? And in that world, even a small percentage change among a single constituency or interest group can spell doom for a political candidate. I know that Erick knows that a statistically significant - and growing - number of conservatives are abandoning the Republican Party. What I want Eric to learn is that his constant derision, anger, insulting and accusing of conservatives/libertarians/Trumpians - you name it - is not going to bring them back to the Party - if anything he's chasing more away. Right now DeSantis is talking the right way to conservatives. What leaves to be seen is whether he governs accordingly. And decades of experience being our guide, no reasonable conservative should expect him to. Now should I dare say? At least Trump ...
Wanting candidates who agree with them rather than who can win didn't start in 2023. Back in 1996, conservatives who had once been happy that Reagan appealed to both social conservatives and economic conservatives suddenly couldn't tolerate the Phil Gramm appealed to "those other conservatives." As a Republican activist in Iowa at the time, I heard incessant whining from social conservative that he talked too much about economics (which is shocking coming from an economics professor!) and from economic conservatives that he was even going and talking to those "Religious Righters." What had been part of Reagan's appeal become part of Gramm's downfall.
Boy Erick. Two days with this poll result that voters want a candidate that agrees with them rather than a candidate that wins. It appear to me that you jumped on it because of confirmation bias. Frankly I think you are misinterpreting the results. It isn’t profound. It is the way it is with human nature. However, it misses two points of nuance. One is that for many “what we like” we believe is what should win to make America great again. That is the adult what we like. It is based on a comprehensive assessment of the real issues and opportunities on the ground. It is owned by people living a life disconnected from beltway media, politics and not abducted the soft money of government flowing to their accounts. Two, it misses the human degradation to a larger population of adult-age underdeveloped narcissistic children that throw tantrums in retribution when the don’t get what they’re way…. And what they want is personal and not based on a comprehensive assessment of what is better for the country. They join the neocons alway looking for the next war. This tathtrum interventionists will of course bristle at opposition, but they have proven that they will vote negative in retribution knowing they screwed the country… because of mean Tweets. The same fuels the support for US spending on Ukraine.
Obama and all other policy makers had already concluded had zero strategic US interest, but intervention is supported by the tantrum interventionist people because of their hate of Trump and transferred to Putin, their continued election denial that Hillary lost in 2016. There is no comprehensive value proposition for the US involvement, but the neocon and tantrum interventionists are all in anyway. And they are all in specifically because of myopic stupidity and uncontrolled emotions dominating their moral sense. There is no reliable analysis that has this ending well for the US. But you get canceled as a “Putin lover” for pointing it out.
And because of this they, the neocon and tantrum interventionists, cannot argue effectively to justify the purpose. It becomes weirdly religious. Tucker makes the establishment look more stupid and unhinged every day.
Meanwhile the CCP advances its global influence and we are stuck on stupid.
Yes, we like candidates that agree with us.. but many of us are looking for agreement that would topple the establishment before the system is completely destroyed and we are fighting WWW-III.
He called it a “territorial dispute.” How is this even close to an accurate description of Russia’s war of aggression and conquest? It’s as dumb as Putin’s “special military operation” label. I can’t help but lose some respect.
Through my poli-sci days at UGA during the glorious days of the Reagan administration thru my law school days at Mercer during the miserable days of the first Bush administration, and up thru your comments this morning, I have listened as Establishment Republican politicians and their pundits such as yourself have told me that I MUST disregard my heart felt conservative beliefs in favor of electing them to office. Then I have suffered thru a near complete failure of entrenched, establishment soft-left liberal Republicans who have entirely abandoned and ignored conservatives for 40 years. In short, the personal interests of the politicians tower above those of conservatives. Here we go again. Erick my friend I love your show. I really do. But you have soooo very much yet to figure out.
Erick your analysis is excellent in this! You presented incredibly pertinent facts (er, they are based in fact, which makes them true, which makes you a bad person--chin up!) and perhaps one of the best definitions of post-modernity I have read recently--and I have read a bunch of definitions! I truly appreciate this. You and I both understand everything will occur as it is suppose to yet this does not preclude our responsibilities to still point to the oncoming existential circumstances. Nice!
Erick, you've called attention to the rapidly-closing gap between Dem and GOP voters' self-centeredness. Assuming there are historians in future decades, they will note that our constitutional republic fell / nearly fell (choose one) thanks to the sin of pride.
People want “their righteousness” thinking they are righteous and more pure. We need to heavily humble ourselves. There is only one who is righteous. People put too much faith into politics thinking they are going to change the world to their way. In a 50/50 nation good luck. The more one side pushes, the deeper the other side digs in. The way I see it we’re all standing on the cliffs edge and have no idea it’s eroding right underneath us. God help us all, cause he’s the only way !!!
Normally, I read all your stuff. I didn't today as soon as I realized the post was based on a "poll of Republicans by CNN."
This is nothing but propaganda put out by CNN. Period.
CNN's posts and stories are valuable for one thing, and one thing only: understanding what the truth is not.
Whatever the state-run propagandistas put out its goal is to support their plans, agendas, and ideals while destroying conservative's plans, agendas, and ideals. All of them really are that simple at this point. The Free Press I think may be the only real reporting going on right now. Maybe the Washington Free Beacon or a few other obscure outlets. The rest are all agenda drive, for the left and the right. Good luck.
If Republicans are anything, they’re consistent in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory over and over and over again. I’m 52 now, and it’s what I’ve witnessed since following politics beginning in the Reagan era. Which partially explains our country’s current predicament - how the heck did Clinton and Obama win second terms and how the heck did D’s do so well last fall??? Biden is every bit of the disaster I expected, but the moderates (Rs) are happy he isn’t Trump…
I’ll support whoever the R nominee is, but right now I’m all in on DeSantis - he does the very difficult and right things that are not popular with pop culture or the MSM. Although, I’d be okay with Pence or Haley.
I have zero issues with Desantis’ position. If you listen to Tucker’s show enough, you’ll hear some curious things going on in Ukraine. I’ve no idea if those things are true or not as I only hear Tucker talk about them, but Tucker is the only person talking about many things. A strong American leader, one who’d not committed to ridding America of fossil fuels, could use a position of strength to force negotiations to end this tragic, stupid conflict. Hopefully we will get a strong, wise leader in two long years, who will also be saddled then with four years of abject failure to correct.
Isolationism has been with us since the founding of the country. I long for a presidential candidate that has the fortitude to wage the internal battles in the primary that they will certainly need to externally wage sitting behind the Resolute Desk.
The old Republican Party of rich people putting tougher a coalition to get elected then doing nothing for the people while promoting big business still has supporters like the Bushes and Romney but the party has moved on. I like the populist leanings because the policies help the economy for the little guy and if he/ she prospers the entire economy does well.
Trump offered that to people because he accomplished things that put the country on a better economic footing which strengthens our country’s wellbeing.
The porous borders, the need for drugs, the mutilation of young people, gangs, war on oil, give away wealth to buy votes and crime weaken the country. We can not afford to continue on this path. Biden has supported the Alaskan drilling, and will support more moderate things to win the next election. He is in a good position because he wants to take on Trump and if Trump is not nominated, wants a third party run by Trump.
Whoever gets the Republican nomination should be supported by all. Otherwise we will get what we have today for 2024-2028.
To say that DeSantis aligns with Joey Malarkey's position on Ukraine is specious. DeSantis is strongly stating a principle and direction. Joey is essentially saying that Ukraine sorta deserves F-16s and might very well get them. DeSantis looks like a leader. Trump too, as has often been the case, essentially has the correct approach as well, although, as is ALWAYS the case, he states it as a sign of the greatness only he possesses: The Policy of ME. Republicans commit political suicide if they choose childish Don, who more than half of America views as a blowhard, over DeSantis.
"THE Truth" includes such axioms as "XX & XY chromosomes determine gender;" not YOUR truth that "It's my choice." "Abortion terminates a discreet life;" not YOUR truth that "It's not a baby until it leaves the womb." "Spending more than you have is not wise;" not YOUR truth that says "Spend what you want and worry about the debt later." In other words, THE truth does appear objectively to align with what might be labeled "conservative" positions. SO (i think) it would be wise for Republicans to skew toward conservative candidates whose positions are closer to self-evident truths. Any other choice will perpetuate the situational ethics that threaten to destroy our republic. Whether Desantis will survive the primary or drift left if he wins remains to be seen. At the moment he appears to be a worthy candidate who could also win.
The Republicans who want to return to the days before Trump worry me. I voted for him twice--reluctantly--but I felt we needed a new direction. While I appreciate some of the things he did while in office very much, I just cannot imagine Trump as president now. And I certainly don't want to see the return of the same old GOP that existed before Trump days. I don't want to go back; I want to go forward.
I was asked by a colleague to clarify what I believe Erick does not understand. As argued by said colleague, I do not expect Erick to suddenly believe that the Republican Party must embrace conservatism. We all know that will never happen. What I mean is this. DeSantis has sparked some attention among conservatives. But none of us will hold our breaths. We fully expect that if he wins, he will quickly pivot to the soft-left and govern from there, just as Republican politicians have done for decades. The most egregious example, of course, is G.W Bush. During his initial campaign, Bush ran as a conservative. After the 9/11 response, Bush had astoundingly high approval ratings. Pundits such as Rush believed he should use that political capital against the left to usher in some conservative policy. But he did not; rather, he used his political capital against his own constituents on the right to support soft left policy. (Don't get me started listing his achievements on the left from there). That was a point at which I, and millions of other conservatives, began to abandon the Republican Party en masse. The point is this. No politician will ever convince everybody of anything; politics is all about the percentages. What demographic can we count on, who can we hope for and who can we pick off? And in that world, even a small percentage change among a single constituency or interest group can spell doom for a political candidate. I know that Erick knows that a statistically significant - and growing - number of conservatives are abandoning the Republican Party. What I want Eric to learn is that his constant derision, anger, insulting and accusing of conservatives/libertarians/Trumpians - you name it - is not going to bring them back to the Party - if anything he's chasing more away. Right now DeSantis is talking the right way to conservatives. What leaves to be seen is whether he governs accordingly. And decades of experience being our guide, no reasonable conservative should expect him to. Now should I dare say? At least Trump ...
Wanting candidates who agree with them rather than who can win didn't start in 2023. Back in 1996, conservatives who had once been happy that Reagan appealed to both social conservatives and economic conservatives suddenly couldn't tolerate the Phil Gramm appealed to "those other conservatives." As a Republican activist in Iowa at the time, I heard incessant whining from social conservative that he talked too much about economics (which is shocking coming from an economics professor!) and from economic conservatives that he was even going and talking to those "Religious Righters." What had been part of Reagan's appeal become part of Gramm's downfall.
Boy Erick. Two days with this poll result that voters want a candidate that agrees with them rather than a candidate that wins. It appear to me that you jumped on it because of confirmation bias. Frankly I think you are misinterpreting the results. It isn’t profound. It is the way it is with human nature. However, it misses two points of nuance. One is that for many “what we like” we believe is what should win to make America great again. That is the adult what we like. It is based on a comprehensive assessment of the real issues and opportunities on the ground. It is owned by people living a life disconnected from beltway media, politics and not abducted the soft money of government flowing to their accounts. Two, it misses the human degradation to a larger population of adult-age underdeveloped narcissistic children that throw tantrums in retribution when the don’t get what they’re way…. And what they want is personal and not based on a comprehensive assessment of what is better for the country. They join the neocons alway looking for the next war. This tathtrum interventionists will of course bristle at opposition, but they have proven that they will vote negative in retribution knowing they screwed the country… because of mean Tweets. The same fuels the support for US spending on Ukraine.
Obama and all other policy makers had already concluded had zero strategic US interest, but intervention is supported by the tantrum interventionist people because of their hate of Trump and transferred to Putin, their continued election denial that Hillary lost in 2016. There is no comprehensive value proposition for the US involvement, but the neocon and tantrum interventionists are all in anyway. And they are all in specifically because of myopic stupidity and uncontrolled emotions dominating their moral sense. There is no reliable analysis that has this ending well for the US. But you get canceled as a “Putin lover” for pointing it out.
And because of this they, the neocon and tantrum interventionists, cannot argue effectively to justify the purpose. It becomes weirdly religious. Tucker makes the establishment look more stupid and unhinged every day.
Meanwhile the CCP advances its global influence and we are stuck on stupid.
Yes, we like candidates that agree with us.. but many of us are looking for agreement that would topple the establishment before the system is completely destroyed and we are fighting WWW-III.
He called it a “territorial dispute.” How is this even close to an accurate description of Russia’s war of aggression and conquest? It’s as dumb as Putin’s “special military operation” label. I can’t help but lose some respect.
Through my poli-sci days at UGA during the glorious days of the Reagan administration thru my law school days at Mercer during the miserable days of the first Bush administration, and up thru your comments this morning, I have listened as Establishment Republican politicians and their pundits such as yourself have told me that I MUST disregard my heart felt conservative beliefs in favor of electing them to office. Then I have suffered thru a near complete failure of entrenched, establishment soft-left liberal Republicans who have entirely abandoned and ignored conservatives for 40 years. In short, the personal interests of the politicians tower above those of conservatives. Here we go again. Erick my friend I love your show. I really do. But you have soooo very much yet to figure out.
Erick your analysis is excellent in this! You presented incredibly pertinent facts (er, they are based in fact, which makes them true, which makes you a bad person--chin up!) and perhaps one of the best definitions of post-modernity I have read recently--and I have read a bunch of definitions! I truly appreciate this. You and I both understand everything will occur as it is suppose to yet this does not preclude our responsibilities to still point to the oncoming existential circumstances. Nice!
Erick, you've called attention to the rapidly-closing gap between Dem and GOP voters' self-centeredness. Assuming there are historians in future decades, they will note that our constitutional republic fell / nearly fell (choose one) thanks to the sin of pride.
People want “their righteousness” thinking they are righteous and more pure. We need to heavily humble ourselves. There is only one who is righteous. People put too much faith into politics thinking they are going to change the world to their way. In a 50/50 nation good luck. The more one side pushes, the deeper the other side digs in. The way I see it we’re all standing on the cliffs edge and have no idea it’s eroding right underneath us. God help us all, cause he’s the only way !!!
Normally, I read all your stuff. I didn't today as soon as I realized the post was based on a "poll of Republicans by CNN."
This is nothing but propaganda put out by CNN. Period.
CNN's posts and stories are valuable for one thing, and one thing only: understanding what the truth is not.
Whatever the state-run propagandistas put out its goal is to support their plans, agendas, and ideals while destroying conservative's plans, agendas, and ideals. All of them really are that simple at this point. The Free Press I think may be the only real reporting going on right now. Maybe the Washington Free Beacon or a few other obscure outlets. The rest are all agenda drive, for the left and the right. Good luck.
If Republicans are anything, they’re consistent in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory over and over and over again. I’m 52 now, and it’s what I’ve witnessed since following politics beginning in the Reagan era. Which partially explains our country’s current predicament - how the heck did Clinton and Obama win second terms and how the heck did D’s do so well last fall??? Biden is every bit of the disaster I expected, but the moderates (Rs) are happy he isn’t Trump…
I’ll support whoever the R nominee is, but right now I’m all in on DeSantis - he does the very difficult and right things that are not popular with pop culture or the MSM. Although, I’d be okay with Pence or Haley.
I have zero issues with Desantis’ position. If you listen to Tucker’s show enough, you’ll hear some curious things going on in Ukraine. I’ve no idea if those things are true or not as I only hear Tucker talk about them, but Tucker is the only person talking about many things. A strong American leader, one who’d not committed to ridding America of fossil fuels, could use a position of strength to force negotiations to end this tragic, stupid conflict. Hopefully we will get a strong, wise leader in two long years, who will also be saddled then with four years of abject failure to correct.
Isolationism has been with us since the founding of the country. I long for a presidential candidate that has the fortitude to wage the internal battles in the primary that they will certainly need to externally wage sitting behind the Resolute Desk.
The old Republican Party of rich people putting tougher a coalition to get elected then doing nothing for the people while promoting big business still has supporters like the Bushes and Romney but the party has moved on. I like the populist leanings because the policies help the economy for the little guy and if he/ she prospers the entire economy does well.
Trump offered that to people because he accomplished things that put the country on a better economic footing which strengthens our country’s wellbeing.
The porous borders, the need for drugs, the mutilation of young people, gangs, war on oil, give away wealth to buy votes and crime weaken the country. We can not afford to continue on this path. Biden has supported the Alaskan drilling, and will support more moderate things to win the next election. He is in a good position because he wants to take on Trump and if Trump is not nominated, wants a third party run by Trump.
Whoever gets the Republican nomination should be supported by all. Otherwise we will get what we have today for 2024-2028.