Election 2024 is till a long way off, but it’s never too soon to obsess over it—ask any Never Trumper. They’re obsessed with keeping Trump out of the White House, and Michael Anton’s latest explores the ways—he counts them and assigns each way a letter—the Never Trumpers have devised to accomplish just that. Here’s the link to the Zerohedge version, which is in a more easily readable format:
Things I don’t understand, and Michael Anton’s model does not explain…
Before Trump, Republican President’s would make promises before being elected, they would ignore once elected. This was standard.
Trump changed this, but nobody knew Trump before he was elected he would keep his campaign promises.
1. Why did NRO, Weekly Standard etc HATE Trump so much?
2. Why did not even one GOP Senator allow for a recess appointment?
3.,Why were the Democrats, especially the Senate, immediately out the gate with The Resistance, Trump is illegitimate, and went full scorched earth?
4. Every Republican President is always Hitler, Racist, and worse than his predecessor. Why the over the top reaction to Trump by the Left, with Pelosi even tearing up Trump’s State of the Union?
5. Why does the GOP ignore the voter fraud issue? They seem asleep at the wheel at best.
6. Why did Barr hamstring Trump so much? The Bush family I can understand, Trump humiliated Jeb! McCain just focused on being beloved as a “Maverick” by his fans in the press, and was a petty man.
7. Why did Sessions allow himself as AG to be sidelined?
8. Why is the GOP and all major Gop figures silent on the Jan 6 political prisoners?
9. Why is the GOP and all major Gop figures silent on Trump being banned from Social Media?
10. Why is Trump not getting in big time on the issue of CRT in schools? It’s a huge lever. Same with masking kids, and the developmental issues it imposes. Plus the child jab. And the general requirement to get jabbed. All major hit button issues. I wish he would start talking about the jab side effects. My guess is Trump is laser focused on election fraud, making sure he does not get indicted (feds and state officials are after him), and pushing His candidates in the house and senate.
It’s not so much about Trump’s policies, but that Trump hits back using Alinsky methods, the Left thought they owned. And they thought Hillary was guaranteed the 2016 election, and feel cheated she lost.
Plus the fear of the uniparty that Trump would upset their banana republic methods including surveillance that was created after 9-11. The entire national security / neocon edifice / infrastructure. Plus Trumps danger to the unelected bureaucracy.
Trump also threatened the entire minority coalition that the Lefts power is built on.
As well as their basically fanatical religious view that the Left is on a inexorably road to a better perfect nirvana. Trump actually pushed back against this, and was seen as a heretic.
Plus Trump survived the worse the Left through at him, including being labeled a racist, etc. and kept on pushing and shattering Overton Windows.
Trump showed the left / experts / media to be out of touch, incompetent, and plain stupid. He did the same to the eGOP.
I don’t have an explanation on why the us and foreign deep state targeted Trump with Russiagate before he was elected.
If Pelosi folds, as it appears she will, on the Taiwan visit, how much longer do the Chicoms hold off invading? Talk about something that would change things drastically! I’m with you Mark, it’s a long way to November, not to mention 2024, and as fast as things change in these “interesting times” any numbers of unexpected geopolitical developments could take place.
With regard to the the Plan K idea suggested by one commenter, much as I hate to admit it, that scenario has crossed my mind more than once. It comes down to just how desperate these people are and how far they are willing to go to achieve the desired outcome.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I have a really bad feeling about 2022.
Back in 2010, Codevilla described the Republicans as "junior partners" in the Ruling Class. That has changed some, due to the influence of the Tea Party and the MAGA movement, but not quite enough yet. This isn't over, and probably won't be for another 8-10 years, maybe longer.
But the Ruling Class has brought on a serious decline in the world position of the US. It has been going on at least since Clinton, and it has gotten visibly worse in the last ten years. The moral decay--in Washington, on Wall Street, and even on Main Street, is more and more obvious. I suspect the end result for the Ruling Class will be somewhat similar to that of the upper crust of the southern states by 1865.
Is The Great Awakening approaching? The Team Reality corner of Twitter and all of GETTR are declaring that the stonewalling and gaslighting have reached the limits of viability. I'm not so sure. At all. As someone who walked the streets in the last few weeks in 105 degree heat in AZ knocking on doors for America First candidates, I have to tell you that there are MANY Republicans who are still hoodwinked by the GOPe. When they are added to the Dems, there is a pretty large, tangled mess to overcome. And they have virtually all the public and private institutions on their side.
I know all the arguments about the futility of starting a new conservative party (America First). My counter to those arguments is that the GOP leadership has finally made it clear that it is no longer interested in running a political party. They don't even hide that they are more about retaining control of a club dedicated to reelection, perquisites, and personal wealth accumulation. Everything else is window dressing.
A thought experiment: is it easier 1) to disentangle and fix a 200 year-old kluged, spaghetti feed of an operating system or 2) to build a new, optimized OS from the ground up? One thing about starting over is that the sappers and saboteurs will be easier to identify and eliminate. Believe me. With what I've seen down at the grass roots level in the past two years, cleansing the GOP is a target-rich endeavor.
Forgive me, St. Michael, for I have sinned. When I saw this title, I actually thought Anton might have gone over to the dark side. One never knows now days - but what a relief! Also a relief to see your perspicacious comments once again, Mark. As seemingly always, I couldn't agree more with what you say and the questions you put forward.
Regarding the global situation affecting the ruling class, I can't help but wonder about COVID and also about economics. Many, many have wised up to the COVID fraud (sadly so in the sense that much of that may have only been through personal experience and loss). I do not believe that people by and large will be susceptible to a replay of the lockdowns and remote voting that was prevalent in 2020 - that dog won't bark anymore regardless of party affiliation.
Regarding economics, some think that the whole debt-driven colossus of the West is about to go into a huge recession/deflation by Fall absent a Fed "pivot" (for example, Ed Dowd). Others believe the Fed will continue to fight inflation above all else until the ECB is a smoking ruin (Luongo). In either case this Fall promises to be a lousy environment for a Democrat or a European WEF acolyte to run for office. But once we have given them control of Congress, just how do we pressure the GOPe goons to act any different than the Dems they replaced when it comes to borders, jobs, trade, and wars? How many of the newly elected will buckle under to pressure ala Manchin?
I was really disturbed last week when I read about the plans to indict Trump.
Coincidentally, I was reading a biography of Zachary Taylor, and it detailed how President Polk perceived Whig General Scott to be the greater threat to democrats and so he had Scott court martialed.
So Democrat President Polk initiates an illegal war and then prosecutes the opposition party's general who successfully executed the war. Now Democrat Biden steals an election, fakes an insurrection, and will prosecute Trump.
There is an additional problem. Washington could survive Trump's first term intact, and maybe even a second term had he been reelected normally. They decided to treat him as a non-President from day 1, and to pull out all the stops to prevent a second term. There were illegalities in the 2020 election. Trump put up with all the sabotage his first term in the interest of getting things done. His legal prerogatives were denied him, but that does not necessarily subject them to prosecution. Now they are subject to prosecution. They know this and will probably add to their infractions. It is to be expected that there will be turmoil in Washington should he be re-elected, and one can expect powerful people to be under indictment. There will be worse turmoil if he is illegally prevented from returning to office, and the majority of the Country views the regime as illegal.
I read Anton's piece yesterday and passed it along to one of my DC buddies for his consideration. Our view is that Anton nailed it. The Deep State/Establishment/Status Quo fears Trump and a Trump resurgence so much it is willing to burn it all down to maintain power as they foresee another term of Trump will decimate them and their plans, as Trump will be arriving with a mission to destroy the Swamp. How a Republican House and a likely Republican controlled senate may change the potential for any of this is yet to be seen.
Things I don’t understand, and Michael Anton’s model does not explain…
Before Trump, Republican President’s would make promises before being elected, they would ignore once elected. This was standard.
Trump changed this, but nobody knew Trump before he was elected he would keep his campaign promises.
1. Why did NRO, Weekly Standard etc HATE Trump so much?
2. Why did not even one GOP Senator allow for a recess appointment?
3.,Why were the Democrats, especially the Senate, immediately out the gate with The Resistance, Trump is illegitimate, and went full scorched earth?
4. Every Republican President is always Hitler, Racist, and worse than his predecessor. Why the over the top reaction to Trump by the Left, with Pelosi even tearing up Trump’s State of the Union?
5. Why does the GOP ignore the voter fraud issue? They seem asleep at the wheel at best.
6. Why did Barr hamstring Trump so much? The Bush family I can understand, Trump humiliated Jeb! McCain just focused on being beloved as a “Maverick” by his fans in the press, and was a petty man.
7. Why did Sessions allow himself as AG to be sidelined?
8. Why is the GOP and all major Gop figures silent on the Jan 6 political prisoners?
9. Why is the GOP and all major Gop figures silent on Trump being banned from Social Media?
10. Why is Trump not getting in big time on the issue of CRT in schools? It’s a huge lever. Same with masking kids, and the developmental issues it imposes. Plus the child jab. And the general requirement to get jabbed. All major hit button issues. I wish he would start talking about the jab side effects. My guess is Trump is laser focused on election fraud, making sure he does not get indicted (feds and state officials are after him), and pushing His candidates in the house and senate.
Michael Anton what if’s are brilliant.
The why, not so much.
It’s not so much about Trump’s policies, but that Trump hits back using Alinsky methods, the Left thought they owned. And they thought Hillary was guaranteed the 2016 election, and feel cheated she lost.
Plus the fear of the uniparty that Trump would upset their banana republic methods including surveillance that was created after 9-11. The entire national security / neocon edifice / infrastructure. Plus Trumps danger to the unelected bureaucracy.
Trump also threatened the entire minority coalition that the Lefts power is built on.
As well as their basically fanatical religious view that the Left is on a inexorably road to a better perfect nirvana. Trump actually pushed back against this, and was seen as a heretic.
Plus Trump survived the worse the Left through at him, including being labeled a racist, etc. and kept on pushing and shattering Overton Windows.
Trump showed the left / experts / media to be out of touch, incompetent, and plain stupid. He did the same to the eGOP.
I don’t have an explanation on why the us and foreign deep state targeted Trump with Russiagate before he was elected.
As a chaser I’d read CTH today on the IC, etc. amazing
If Pelosi folds, as it appears she will, on the Taiwan visit, how much longer do the Chicoms hold off invading? Talk about something that would change things drastically! I’m with you Mark, it’s a long way to November, not to mention 2024, and as fast as things change in these “interesting times” any numbers of unexpected geopolitical developments could take place.
With regard to the the Plan K idea suggested by one commenter, much as I hate to admit it, that scenario has crossed my mind more than once. It comes down to just how desperate these people are and how far they are willing to go to achieve the desired outcome.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I have a really bad feeling about 2022.
Back in 2010, Codevilla described the Republicans as "junior partners" in the Ruling Class. That has changed some, due to the influence of the Tea Party and the MAGA movement, but not quite enough yet. This isn't over, and probably won't be for another 8-10 years, maybe longer.
But the Ruling Class has brought on a serious decline in the world position of the US. It has been going on at least since Clinton, and it has gotten visibly worse in the last ten years. The moral decay--in Washington, on Wall Street, and even on Main Street, is more and more obvious. I suspect the end result for the Ruling Class will be somewhat similar to that of the upper crust of the southern states by 1865.
Is The Great Awakening approaching? The Team Reality corner of Twitter and all of GETTR are declaring that the stonewalling and gaslighting have reached the limits of viability. I'm not so sure. At all. As someone who walked the streets in the last few weeks in 105 degree heat in AZ knocking on doors for America First candidates, I have to tell you that there are MANY Republicans who are still hoodwinked by the GOPe. When they are added to the Dems, there is a pretty large, tangled mess to overcome. And they have virtually all the public and private institutions on their side.
I know all the arguments about the futility of starting a new conservative party (America First). My counter to those arguments is that the GOP leadership has finally made it clear that it is no longer interested in running a political party. They don't even hide that they are more about retaining control of a club dedicated to reelection, perquisites, and personal wealth accumulation. Everything else is window dressing.
A thought experiment: is it easier 1) to disentangle and fix a 200 year-old kluged, spaghetti feed of an operating system or 2) to build a new, optimized OS from the ground up? One thing about starting over is that the sappers and saboteurs will be easier to identify and eliminate. Believe me. With what I've seen down at the grass roots level in the past two years, cleansing the GOP is a target-rich endeavor.
Forgive me, St. Michael, for I have sinned. When I saw this title, I actually thought Anton might have gone over to the dark side. One never knows now days - but what a relief! Also a relief to see your perspicacious comments once again, Mark. As seemingly always, I couldn't agree more with what you say and the questions you put forward.
Regarding the global situation affecting the ruling class, I can't help but wonder about COVID and also about economics. Many, many have wised up to the COVID fraud (sadly so in the sense that much of that may have only been through personal experience and loss). I do not believe that people by and large will be susceptible to a replay of the lockdowns and remote voting that was prevalent in 2020 - that dog won't bark anymore regardless of party affiliation.
Regarding economics, some think that the whole debt-driven colossus of the West is about to go into a huge recession/deflation by Fall absent a Fed "pivot" (for example, Ed Dowd). Others believe the Fed will continue to fight inflation above all else until the ECB is a smoking ruin (Luongo). In either case this Fall promises to be a lousy environment for a Democrat or a European WEF acolyte to run for office. But once we have given them control of Congress, just how do we pressure the GOPe goons to act any different than the Dems they replaced when it comes to borders, jobs, trade, and wars? How many of the newly elected will buckle under to pressure ala Manchin?
I was really disturbed last week when I read about the plans to indict Trump.
Coincidentally, I was reading a biography of Zachary Taylor, and it detailed how President Polk perceived Whig General Scott to be the greater threat to democrats and so he had Scott court martialed.
So Democrat President Polk initiates an illegal war and then prosecutes the opposition party's general who successfully executed the war. Now Democrat Biden steals an election, fakes an insurrection, and will prosecute Trump.
Cool.
There is an additional problem. Washington could survive Trump's first term intact, and maybe even a second term had he been reelected normally. They decided to treat him as a non-President from day 1, and to pull out all the stops to prevent a second term. There were illegalities in the 2020 election. Trump put up with all the sabotage his first term in the interest of getting things done. His legal prerogatives were denied him, but that does not necessarily subject them to prosecution. Now they are subject to prosecution. They know this and will probably add to their infractions. It is to be expected that there will be turmoil in Washington should he be re-elected, and one can expect powerful people to be under indictment. There will be worse turmoil if he is illegally prevented from returning to office, and the majority of the Country views the regime as illegal.
I read Anton's piece yesterday and passed it along to one of my DC buddies for his consideration. Our view is that Anton nailed it. The Deep State/Establishment/Status Quo fears Trump and a Trump resurgence so much it is willing to burn it all down to maintain power as they foresee another term of Trump will decimate them and their plans, as Trump will be arriving with a mission to destroy the Swamp. How a Republican House and a likely Republican controlled senate may change the potential for any of this is yet to be seen.