The New Battle Lines: Elitists Vs. Us

[olde north church]

This is something to be treated seriously?  What a joke

Rove?  Rove, is that you, you magnificent bastard?

[bkepley]

Because they have been trained to hold their noses and vote the lesser of two evils

I think it's pretty elite to tell others who they must vote for lest they become "not one of us".

[massadvj]

I enjoyed reading your take on things, Laz.

I think it is true that Trump is tapping into a populist resentment, but whether he is in the tradition of Reagan remains to be seen.  He is more in the vein of William Jennings Bryan or Ross Perot.  Many people are investing their hopes and dreams into this man, but I fear he is going to turn out to be quite a flawed vessel when all is said and done. 

In the meantime, what political junkie can resist the sideshow?  I can't.  Look for this upcoming debate to be one of the highest rated Republican primary debates simply because people can't wait to see what this guy is going to do next.

One thing is absolutely apparent, and that is the Republican establishment with its sycophantic tadpoles Bush et al vastly underestimated the Donald.  It will be very interesting to see what they do now.  Will they too start to say ultra-provocative things to cut through the clutter?  Will they attack Trump and risk getting into a mud fight with maybe the best political mud fighter of all time?

One thing is certain.  This will not be another boring Republican primary with an establishment coronation at the end.

[MACVSOG68]

If only our political heroes all that we build them up to be.

Laz wrote:

Ronald Reagan won as a Populist. He fought the Republican establishment, won the primary in 1980, and went on to become the most anti-big-government, anti-communist, pro-ordinary-citizen President in modern history. His sweeping re-election in 1984, capturing nearly every single state (including liberal ones), showed that Populist policies are popular even in liberal bastions.

I've always been a fan of Reagan for his stance against the Soviet Union.  He was a good governor and I recall his short radio commentaries that moved me into a thinking rather than reacting mode.  But Reagan wasn't the fiscal anti-government champion many hold him up to have been.

During his term of office, civilian employment in the executive branch increased by 200 thousand, federal spending went from $591 billion to $1.14 trillion, the deficit doubled and the national debt went from $907 billion to $2.9 trillion, a trend that has only continued upward to this day.

[bkepley]

If only our political heroes all that we build them up to be.

Laz wrote:

I've always been a fan of Reagan for his stance against the Soviet Union.  He was a good governor and I recall his short radio commentaries that moved me into a thinking rather than reacting mode.  But Reagan wasn't the fiscal anti-government champion many hold him up to have been.

During his term of office, civilian employment in the executive branch increased by 200 thousand, federal spending went from $591 billion to $1.14 trillion, the deficit doubled and the national debt went from $907 billion to $2.9 trillion, a trend that has only continued upward to this day.

He wasn't a populist either.  Laz apparently has no clue what a populist is.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Because they have been trained to hold their noses and vote the lesser of two evils

You're telling me that when the choice was Obama and Romney the lesser of those two evils was Obama?

Or when there was a TEA Party candidate running against an Establishment Elite, the Establishment Elite was the lesser of the two evils?

[bkepley]

Any student of the decline of Rome knows how bad an idea that would have been.

Regardless of whether or not illegals should be allowed in the military any student of Rome knows that it was Rome's cosmopolitanism that created its greatness in the first place and the decadent Romans relied on barbarians in the military to keep the Empire alive for hundreds of years beyond what would have taken place if they had not done so. 

[Bigun]

Regardless of whether or not illegals should be allowed in the military any student of Rome knows that it was Rome's cosmopolitanism that created its greatness in the first place and the decadent Romans relied on barbarians in the military to keep the Empire alive for hundreds of years beyond what would have taken place if they had not done so.

Two words! B... S...!

[bkepley]

Two words! B... S...!

Uh no...no BS.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Uh no...no BS.

Bigun knew the Romans.

[Bigun]

Uh no...no BS.

Yes! BS aplenty! But I have not time to teach you history this morning!

[bkepley]

Yes! BS aplenty! But I have not time to teach you history this morning!

Maybe you should try reading it a little and from the original sources.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Yes! BS aplenty! But I have not time to teach you history this morning!

Have you ever considered the possibility that there may be someone out there who actually may have a better understanding of any subject than you?

Maybe he could teach you history.

[Bigun]

Maybe you should try reading it a little and from the original sources.

What makes you think I haven't?

[Bigun]

Have you ever considered the possibility that there may be someone out there who actually may have a better understanding of any subject than you?

Maybe he could teach you history.

There are people out there with better understandings than I on a lot of things but when one says "Regardless of whether or not illegals should be allowed in the military any student of Rome knows that it was Rome's cosmopolitanism that created its greatness in the first place and the decadent Romans relied on barbarians in the military to keep the Empire alive for hundreds of years beyond what would have taken place if they had not done so."  it indicates to me that that particular person doesn't know what the hell he is talking about on that subject!

Have a GREAT day Luis!

[bkepley]

There are people out there with better understandings than I on a lot of things but when one says "Regardless of whether or not illegals should be allowed in the military any student of Rome knows that it was Rome's cosmopolitanism that created its greatness in the first place and the decadent Romans relied on barbarians in the military to keep the Empire alive for hundreds of years beyond what would have taken place if they had not done so."  it indicates to me that that particular person doesn't know what the hell he is talking about on that subject!

Have a GREAT day Luis!

It makes perfect sense to someone who knows and cares about history and you would know it if you were such a person.

[Luis Gonzalez]

There are people out there with better understandings than I on a lot of things but when one says "Regardless of whether or not illegals should be allowed in the military any student of Rome knows that it was Rome's cosmopolitanism that created its greatness in the first place and the decadent Romans relied on barbarians in the military to keep the Empire alive for hundreds of years beyond what would have taken place if they had not done so."  it indicates to me that that particular person doesn't know what the hell he is talking about on that subject!

Have a GREAT day Luis!

I hapen to know the subject VERY well, and I agree with his statement.

[Bigun]

I hapen to know the subject VERY well, and I agree with his statement.

Of course you do!

[Lazamataz]

Hello Laz.

I wonder why "the people" are represented by so few real conservatives.  As a supporter of the Elitists, I'm proud to have Walker, Perry, Rubio, Kasich, Paul, and all the rest of the GOP Representatives, Senators, and Governors your side has rejected.

Your humor is much more subtle than I remember.

Till next time.

I do appreciate your honesty, that you are an Elitist, and an enemy of the people. You, of course, are my sworn enemy  as well, then.

To your question: "I wonder why "the people" are represented by so few real conservatives?"

The liberals in the GOP ally with the entire Democrat party to take down anyone who is a Populist. That, plus since you guys managed to seize the machinery after Reagan, makes it so you rigged the primary system pretty well. Then, you offer us non-choices.

Oh, you got your way. No question.

Now America is unsustainable, especially economically, and you will rule over smoldering ruins.

I'm reminded of Trent Reznor's song, "Hurt":

I wear this crown of s***
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time
The feelings disappear
You are someone else
I am still right here

What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end

You could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt

[bkepley]

I do appreciate your honesty, that you are an Elitist, and an enemy of the people. You, of course, are my sworn enemy  as well, then.

You see?  Concentration camps are "the people's" preferred solution every time.

[Lazamataz]

I hapen to know the subject VERY well, and I agree with his statement.

I'm certainly willing to be corrected on this particular point, per the viability of foreign nationals serving in the Roman army. Curiously, due to a GAME (for goodness sake!) called Total War: Rome II, I have taken to looking into history and especially the history of the Roman professional army. I discover that the two subjects -- foreigner nationals in the Roman army and foreign nationals in the American army -- cannot be compared. Rome was an expanding empire, we are not. Rome would 'romanticize' new territoriality and tribes, creating a new pool of recruits, we do not. Legions Rome tended to have loyalty to one general, ours are not.

The two do not compare. In the period prior to 100BC, Italians made up 65% of the army foot soldiers, some time after that, the numbers dwindled to 1%. However, it didn't seem to make a difference in loyalties, because loyalties were pledged to Generals -- not the nation-state of Rome.

In future distributions of this editorial, I shall be removing the phrase that references the Roman army. Thanks.

[alicewonders]

There are people out there with better understandings than I on a lot of things but when one says "Regardless of whether or not illegals should be allowed in the military any student of Rome knows that it was Rome's cosmopolitanism that created its greatness in the first place and the decadent Romans relied on barbarians in the military to keep the Empire alive for hundreds of years beyond what would have taken place if they had not done so."  it indicates to me that that particular person doesn't know what the hell he is talking about on that subject!

Have a GREAT day Luis!

You can have a cosmopolitan place without having to let people in illegally - in fact it works better when we know who is crossing our borders.  It's the tired old word games - saying that people who are against illegal migration are against immigrants.  What an arrogant attitude some people have. 

[Lazamataz]

You see?  Concentration camps are "the people's" preferred solution every time.

You are a fool, and there is a reason you were blasted from Free Republic.

I celebrate your removal from that forum  , and because you are so nonsensical and utterly devoid of a lick of reason, I shall be either placing you on actual ignore, if the software accommodates it. If it doesn't, I shall keep you on mental ignore, no matter how loud and frenetically you bleat.

No worries, though; I don't frequent GOPBR too often. When I do, though, I will address people of higher merit than you.

Good day.

[Lazamataz]

"Elitists like illegal alien invasion (and have encouraged it not only in America, but European nations), because that form of invasion dilutes national identities, erases borders, and leads the world to a nationless Global government."

It's a little less grand and esoteric.  They like illegal aliens because they own businesses.  They like hard-working, less expensive labor...they like "hungry" workers.  American kids are spoiled college graduates expecting high salaries for little work...and who won't work with their hands in dirt.  Politicians like them because they need an increasing population of legal workers contrbuting to their grand - and now ancient - social schemes like social security and Medicare.  Without an increasing population of workers, those ridiculous pyramid schemes, which are the most politically sacred in big government, would fail utterly and most disastrously for incumbent office holders.  That's why elitists like the alien invasion...they can't keep their form of government, or their power, propped up without them.  The society and government they've created is far too economically and socially unsustainable without them.

You have applied Occam's Razor successfully, but I still hold that some of the grand, esoteric motivations apply to some extent.

[mystery-ak]

We have the *ignore* feature here in your personal settings.