Just How Far Will the Left Go? (Victor Davis Hanson)

[Fishrrman]

https://amgreatness.com/2018/07/23/just-how-far-will-the-left-go/

Just How Far Will the Left Go?
By Victor Davis Hanson
July 23rd, 2018

There was no honeymoon for the unlikely winner of the 2016 election. Progressives have in succession tried to sue to overturn Trump’s victory using several different approaches. First on the bogus claim of fraudulent voting machines. Then they sought to subvert the Electoral College by bullying electors into renouncing their respective states’ votes.

Massive protests and boycotts marked the inauguration. Then there were articles of impeachment introduced in the House. Some sued to remove Trump on a warped interpretation of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. Others brought in psychiatrists to testify that Trump was ill, disabled, or insane and should be removed in accordance with the 25th Amendment. The former FBI director, CIA director, and director of the Office of National Intelligence have variously smeared the president as a coward, a traitor, and a Russian mole.

The Mueller Investigation
We are about 430 days into Robert Mueller’s investigation; the special prosecutor whose team of lawyers and investigators has in a large part been made up either of Clinton donors, clear Clinton partisans, lawyers who have in the past represented Clinton interests or employees, or partisans already removed for expressing clear Trump hatred. The media grew ecstatic over its creation, dubbing it an “all-star” or “dream” team, as leaks assured the public that next week, next month, or “soon” there would be a sensational indictment proving that Trump colluded with the Russians to win the presidency.

We have gone through the psychodramas surrounding Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Michael Flynn, Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort, Carter Page and a host of others. Any second, any minute they would be indicted for collusion in throwing an election, or they would soon flip and end the Trump presidency.

More at URL above...

[Fishrrman]

A bit more:
=========
"The Left did not just lose the 2016 election, it lost the Congress, the presidency, and the Supreme Court. And it lost them all to a rash, uncouth Queens-accented Manhattan billionaire reality TV star, who systematically planned to dismantle eight years of Obama Administration executive-orders. And unlike almost all prior politicians Trump when in office kept his promises and systematically went about to halt the supposed progressive future. Think of a liberal nightmare something akin to Sarah Palin as president in 2012.

The Obama apparat and the proverbial deep state never imagined Trump could win and thus to ensure that he would not just be defeated but humiliated, vied to use the power of government to destroy the Trump candidacy."

[aligncare]

This attempted coup is as plain to see as the medical devices strapped to Hillary Clinton’s sorry carcass.

Yet, Donald Trump approval numbers continue going up despite Trump taking more hits than Sonny Corleone at the toll booth.

[TomSea]

This attempted coup is as plain to see as the medical devices strapped to Hillary Clinton’s sorry carcass.

Yet, Donald Trump approval numbers continue going up despite Trump taking more hits than Sonny Corleone at the toll booth.

 

[truth_seeker]

This attempted coup is as plain to see as the medical devices strapped to Hillary Clinton’s sorry carcass.

Plain to see, however #nevertrump "Republicans/conservatives" apparently are blind, naïve, stupid, dishonest, or combinations thereof.

[andy58-in-nh]

VDH does an admirable job of explaining how people like me wound up becoming reluctant Trump supporters.


The alternative was, and is frightening to anyone who cares about American freedom and exceptionalism.


The Left is in the process of losing what remains of its sanity, even while it still dominates all of our social institutions. Absent a practical leadership alternative, America would be in dire trouble. Right now, that leadership alternative exists within the highly imperfect Mr. Trump, and in the short term, nowhere else.


It would be nice, though if some of his most zealous supporters stopped attacking those not quite as adoring of Trump as they are, and instead recognized them as allies, not as adversaries. But perhaps that is a byproduct of our presently vicious and impersonal culture.

[XenaLee]

https://amgreatness.com/2018/07/23/just-how-far-will-the-left-go/

Just How Far Will the Left Go?
By Victor Davis Hanson
July 23rd, 2018

There was no honeymoon for the unlikely winner of the 2016 election. Progressives have in succession tried to sue to overturn Trump’s victory using several different approaches. First on the bogus claim of fraudulent voting machines. Then they sought to subvert the Electoral College by bullying electors into renouncing their respective states’ votes.

Massive protests and boycotts marked the inauguration. Then there were articles of impeachment introduced in the House. Some sued to remove Trump on a warped interpretation of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. Others brought in psychiatrists to testify that Trump was ill, disabled, or insane and should be removed in accordance with the 25th Amendment. The former FBI director, CIA director, and director of the Office of National Intelligence have variously smeared the president as a coward, a traitor, and a Russian mole.

The Mueller Investigation
We are about 430 days into Robert Mueller’s investigation; the special prosecutor whose team of lawyers and investigators has in a large part been made up either of Clinton donors, clear Clinton partisans, lawyers who have in the past represented Clinton interests or employees, or partisans already removed for expressing clear Trump hatred. The media grew ecstatic over its creation, dubbing it an “all-star” or “dream” team, as leaks assured the public that next week, next month, or “soon” there would be a sensational indictment proving that Trump colluded with the Russians to win the presidency.

We have gone through the psychodramas surrounding Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Michael Flynn, Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort, Carter Page and a host of others. Any second, any minute they would be indicted for collusion in throwing an election, or they would soon flip and end the Trump presidency.

More at URL above...

It reminds me of how the left all collectively drooled and daily fantasized about the frog-marching of GWB, Cheney, Rumsfield and Rove.... to the point that it became surreal (much like now).  In the end, all they got was Scooter Libby on a "process crime".   

I much suspect the same will be true again.  But that will only cause these idiots on the left to double down on their insanity.  Bank on it.  And stock up on popcorn.... and bullets (just in case).

[Jazzhead]

Brilliant column, from a writer I have long admired.   

An 88 percent approval rating among Republicans is proof that the left's craziness has gone too far, with even 2016's NeverTrumpers now joining the circling of the wagons.    Ironically, if the left would just calm down, they draw out those conservatives who do have a problem with Trump's unconventional approach.  But Trump's not the crazy one, not as compared to his critics.  For his critics, the ends justify the means,  and that fundamentally amoral stance is finding understandable resistance among fair-minded folks.   

[Fishrrman]

andy wrote:
"It would be nice, though if some of his most zealous supporters stopped attacking those not quite as adoring of Trump as they are, and instead recognized them as allies, not as adversaries..."

I always read your posts, Andy.
But you've got the above observation reversed by about 180 degrees !  ;)

[Bigun]

VDH does an admirable job of explaining how people like me wound up becoming reluctant Trump supporters.


The alternative was, and is frightening to anyone who cares about American freedom and exceptionalism.


The Left is in the process of losing what remains of its sanity, even while it still dominates all of our social institutions. Absent a practical leadership alternative, America would be in dire trouble. Right now, that leadership alternative exists within the highly imperfect Mr. Trump, and in the short term, nowhere else.


It would be nice, though if some of his most zealous supporters stopped attacking those not quite as adoring of Trump as they are, and instead recognized them as allies, not as adversaries. But perhaps that is a byproduct of our presently vicious and impersonal culture.

  Right there with you!

[roamer_1]

Plain to see, however #nevertrump "Republicans/conservatives" apparently are blind, naïve, stupid, dishonest, or combinations thereof.

Horseshit. Just desserts.Nothing happening to him that he didn't do to others.
Indefensible.

[skeeter]

andy wrote:
"It would be nice, though if some of his most zealous supporters stopped attacking those not quite as adoring of Trump as they are, and instead recognized them as allies, not as adversaries..."

I always read your posts, Andy.
But you've got the above observation reversed by about 180 degrees !  ;)

If nothing else, this last election has shown us that there can be two perspectives totally disconnected with one another that can never be reconciled. No matter how much gnashing of teeth one does. Neither is entirely right nor entirely wrong.

The lesson is we should stop trying. Just accept it.

[andy58-in-nh]

andy wrote:
"It would be nice, though if some of his most zealous supporters stopped attacking those not quite as adoring of Trump as they are, and instead recognized them as allies, not as adversaries..."

I always read your posts, Andy.
But you've got the above observation reversed by about 180 degrees !  ;)

I don't think that it is "reversed" at all. Instead, I believe that the opposite proposition is also true, in respect of conservatives.

Trump haters on the Right have in some cases gone overboard in attacking his supporters, as though they had no reason for their loyalty, and as if he had done nothing tangible to advance conservative principles.

We need to stop fighting each other, and instead train our fire on the increasingly unhinged Left.

[roamer_1]

Trump haters on the Right have in some cases gone overboard in attacking his supporters, as though they had no reason for their loyalty, and as if he had done nothing tangible to advance conservative principles.

No, there is no reason for their demanded loyalty from us. And no, Tump has done nothing to advance Conservative principles. Nothing.

We need to stop fighting each other, and instead train our fire on the increasingly unhinged Left.

Tump IS the left.

[truth_seeker]

Trump haters on the Right have in some cases gone overboard in attacking his supporters, as though they had no reason for their loyalty, and as if he had done nothing tangible to advance conservative principles.

We need to stop fighting each other, and instead train our fire on the increasingly unhinged Left.

Halleluiah


Rational center right non-Trump voters, would realize and acknowledge  Trump voters gave them a gift they didn't really deserve; namely The most conservative governance  since pre-1986 (Amnesty) Reagan.

[andy58-in-nh]

No, there is no reason for their demanded loyalty from us. And no, Tump has done nothing to advance Conservative principles. Nothing.

Tump IS the left.

Cutting taxes, eliminating thousands of Federal regulations and appointing conservative judges are not things of which the Left would approve, ever. Trump has done those things, and deserves credit for it.

[Jazzhead]

Cutting taxes, eliminating thousands of Federal regulations and appointing conservative judges are not things of which the Left would approve, ever. Trump has done those things, and deserves credit for it.

Yes, he does. 

[roamer_1]

Cutting taxes, eliminating thousands of Federal regulations and appointing conservative judges are not things of which the Left would approve, ever. Trump has done those things, and deserves credit for it.

The tax cut is more than offset by tariffs and spending increases. You cannot praise the tax cut without consideration. Typical big spending liberal. And certainly not Conservative.

Thousands of regulations? What I have heard of so far is 500 or so, heading toward a thousand... a mere pittance. federal regulation fills whole damn libraries.

Judges are on hold, ever since Roberts... I will wait and see how conservative they actually turn out to be.

Here is an exercise for you. Nevermind all of Dubya's reign, and focus only on what we got to keep out of that president. Dubya was defended every bit as much as Tump at the time, and was every bit as hated by the press and the general left. But his presidency is in no way Conservative.

Dubya left nothing at all that can be defended as Conservatism in his wake.

I will predict the exact same scenario out of Tump - What will be left for us to keep is more liberalism, not less. In fact, I will predict that Bush will wind up looking more conservative than Tump before it's done... As low a bar as that is...

[Jazzhead]

The tax cut is more than offset by tariffs and spending increases. You cannot praise the tax cut without consideration. Typical big spending liberal. And certainly not Conservative.

Thousands of regulations? What I have heard of so far is 500 or so, heading toward a thousand... a mere pittance. federal regulation fills whole damn libraries.

Judges are on hold, ever since Roberts... I will wait and see how conservative they actually turn out to be.

Here is an exercise for you. Nevermind all of Dubya's reign, and focus only on what we got to keep out of that president. Dubya was defended every bit as much as Tump at the time, and was every bit as hated by the press and the general left. But his presidency is in no way Conservative.

Dubya left nothing at all that can be defended as Conservatism in his wake.

I will predict the exact same scenario out of Tump - What will be left for us to keep is more liberalism, not less. In fact, I will predict that Bush will wind up looking more conservative than Tump before it's done... As low a bar as that is...

There is probably an excellent argument that Trump ought to stop wasting his time appealing to conservatives,  since they'll never give him credit for a g-ddamn thing.    If he wants to change the GOP into the Republican Workers Party,  he can try,  and he'll get further, I'd predict, by favoring the interests of working folks without regard to whether a particular policy resonates with conservatives or liberals.   Neither prioritizes American labor;  the left just exploits identity politics these days and the right is hung up on cultural issues unrelated to jobs. 

[Free Vulcan]

These are Spawn of Stalin utopian cultists. They will go as far as they need to.

[truth_seeker]

Yesterday afternoon, I listened to Mark Levin, replaying his interview with Mike Huckabee.

They represent somewhat different factions of "contemporary conservatism," but both are intelligent, etc.

Levin fails with his screaming (lot less lately--he wised up) and Huck with his smooth, friendly demeanor.

There is NOT a uniform definition of "conservatism." But everybody involved should strive to build/maintain an attractive "brand" identity image.

Brand image has little to do with policies, and everything to do with demeanor. 

[roamer_1]

There is probably an excellent argument that Trump ought to stop wasting his time appealing to conservatives,  since they'll never give him credit for a g-ddamn thing.    If he wants to change the GOP into the Republican Workers Party,  he can try,  and he'll get further, I'd predict, by favoring the interests of working folks without regard to whether a particular policy resonates with conservatives or liberals.   Neither prioritizes American labor;  the left just exploits identity politics these days and the right is hung up on cultural issues unrelated to jobs.

You could not be farther from the truth.
Conservative principles are the guardian of liberty, and liberty is what brings prosperity.
Your brave new world ignores those basic truths, removes the landmarks on the way, and will inevitably wind up in tyranny.

Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.