Good luck with running the shame meters up. Trump was a superpower because he had no visceral response to shame. At this point, the only way to function in politics is to have no emotional response to accusations of any kind, from any direction or even targeted at associated innocents. This cannot be good.
Trump had no superpowers, he was a despicable incompetent. He got 73 million votes in 2020, even after we saw what he was, because voters were so disgusted and terrified by what the Left has become that they were willing to vote for any alternative.
Wrong, but important. Romney got 60,933,504 votes so that's the total for a very decent, caring, "play nice" Republican.
Trump's extra 13+ million come from those not registered as Rep who are terrified by the Democrats. (D) Democrats, not "Left" is on the ballot.
The US problem is folk who vote D-Democrat terrible policies.
They voted for higher gas prices (& more billions to Putin), running away from Afghanistan (& encouraging Putin to believe the US was weak), explicitly supporting a "small" Russian invasion; Dems voted for semi-Open borders and the Fentanyl crisis, and they vote to allow mothers to kill unwanted fetal babies, rather than give a live baby up for adoption.
Democrats should be shamed - but they have no shame.
The first rule of politics is there are no rules, Dr. Kling. Leftists are more ruthless- it is their inbuilt advantage- and the Right had better learn this soon because they, the Right, are on the brink of never winning another Presidential or Congressional election in the US.
As for the Arabella Group, they probably are violating the tax laws if the article is accurate about their political activities (I don't know the article is accurate), but the IRS is firmly in control of the Democrat Party, like they are in control of pretty much every agency based in the DC/Northern Virginia/Maryland area. I know for a fact, though, that were the Arabella Group supporting Republicans, the IRS would have been auditing them on a regular basis, and denying them tax free status of a non-profit. If you want to try something, make all charitable donations non-deductible and taxable at the recipient level (it won't work to make certain donations deductible/taxable while others are not).
2: If what you were doing were shouted from the rooftops, so that everyone knew knew who was responsible and understood what you were up to, your tactic would backfire."
I appreciate that the two signs are essentially the impartial spectator in execution. Chalk another one up for Adam Smith.
And then people tell us there is no conspiracy to drive us towards a particular form of global governance and elections aren’t rigged, involving anonymous, well funded, well organised, powerful entities and people in the shadows.
The only rules are laws. And laws are quite malleable. There is a legal principle called impartiality. That's why Lady Justice wears a blindfold. But today's left have judges and lawyers and staff within the legal system that doesn't feel obligated to be impartial.
What do you think of Bryan Caplan's assertion that he doesn't feel bound to follow laws. While some might say that no one is above the law, Bryan Caplan boasts of being above the law. Bryan Caplan is part of a political elite that plays dirty tricks and cheats to win and he's gleefully proud of that. Kling calls this "bare knuckle politics", Caplan calls it being a "righteous scofflaw".
Sure there are rules BUT - the Democrat deep state primarily enforces them against Republicans and often conspicuously does NOT enforce them against Democrats.
"Rule of Law" means same bad actions get same enforcement. But not today in the USA.
This year there have been dozens of stories of anti-Republican unequal enforcement of rules.
The $200 million bribe to the Clinton Foundation so that Obama & Clinton signed off on Russia buying up US uranium assets comes to mind after the billions in Dark Money are discussed.
It was Bush Derangement Syndrome before TDS, and could have been called Reagan DS. Pwerful Democrats, inspired by successful colleges who have long been discriminating against Republicans, want to make "being Republican" illegal.
The Reason article claiming both sides are at fault is false. The radical Democrats continue to increase the unjust and semi-illegal -- if the cops don't care, it's not "really illegal" -- actions to demonize and attempt to terrorize MAGA republicans. Called out by the US President as domestic terrorists, for opposing terrible Democrat policies.
Democrats really don't want to make "being Republican" illegal. Elites want people to have the illusion of choice as long as it results in the same thing on major issues. For example, abortion, gay marriage, and immigration. Elites don't think the public has a right to disagree on those issues. The public can be Republican as long as the Republican Party agrees with them. This is what Michael Anton famously wrote in his infamous Flight 93 essay.
If the political status quo is deeply corrupt, then seeking the more "moderate" candidate may simply be a way of bolstering it and derailing needed change. Many Democrats in 2016 were eager that President Trump be the nominee since they thought him too "extreme" to win. Many voters have become disillusioned with the establishment which comprehends both Democrats and "moderate" Republicans. Progressives regard this as a "threat to democracy." I don't think that word means what they have in mind.
This seems like it's probably pretty different from those slimy fake ads for MAGA candidates, and not as bad. Reminds me of accusations from back in the day that the Tea Party wasn't a real grassroots movement. It's easy to make legitimate activism look like astroturfing just because it attracts funding.
Any grassroots effort can be coopted by the incumbents. Furthermore, any agenda of one group can be embraced and manipulated by another. The key to getting away with this corruption is a friendly media, which the Left, and the political establishment, has in spades.
The censorship of truth on Hunter Biden's laptop, clearly documenting use of illegal drugs, illegal prostitutes (some underage), and an illegal gun, plus illegal bribery, yet no serious FBI investigation - indictment - trial, show both that the 2020 was NOT "free and fair" )= 100% free & fair). And the Democrats don't want fair election.
The worst secret on the laptop involved Joe Biden selling political favors to officials in Ukraine + China for money to his son. Hunter Biden isn't running our government, so his misdeeds with drugs + prostitutes are much less important. How much of the US's role in the current war in Ukraine was influenced by bribes Joe Biden accepted?
The FBI didn't simply fail to investigate Hunter Biden they actively coordinated censorship of news coverage. Facebook CEO Zuckerberg said the FBI asked him to block "Russian disinformation" and insinuated that the Hunter Biden laptop story was Russian disinformation, so Facebook censored it, and Twitter took it much further.
The super pac kind of thing you’re pointing out doesn’t seem of a different kind, just bigger than previous ones.
Seems akin to me to financial firms effectively outgrowing any ability to regulate them.
It's an interesting question whether this sort of thing would be possible Citizens United had gone the other way.
My guess is no, because evolution is smarter than legislation. But I don't have enough knowledge to be sure.
Good luck with running the shame meters up. Trump was a superpower because he had no visceral response to shame. At this point, the only way to function in politics is to have no emotional response to accusations of any kind, from any direction or even targeted at associated innocents. This cannot be good.
Trump had no superpowers, he was a despicable incompetent. He got 73 million votes in 2020, even after we saw what he was, because voters were so disgusted and terrified by what the Left has become that they were willing to vote for any alternative.
Wrong, but important. Romney got 60,933,504 votes so that's the total for a very decent, caring, "play nice" Republican.
Trump's extra 13+ million come from those not registered as Rep who are terrified by the Democrats. (D) Democrats, not "Left" is on the ballot.
The US problem is folk who vote D-Democrat terrible policies.
They voted for higher gas prices (& more billions to Putin), running away from Afghanistan (& encouraging Putin to believe the US was weak), explicitly supporting a "small" Russian invasion; Dems voted for semi-Open borders and the Fentanyl crisis, and they vote to allow mothers to kill unwanted fetal babies, rather than give a live baby up for adoption.
Democrats should be shamed - but they have no shame.
The first rule of politics is there are no rules, Dr. Kling. Leftists are more ruthless- it is their inbuilt advantage- and the Right had better learn this soon because they, the Right, are on the brink of never winning another Presidential or Congressional election in the US.
As for the Arabella Group, they probably are violating the tax laws if the article is accurate about their political activities (I don't know the article is accurate), but the IRS is firmly in control of the Democrat Party, like they are in control of pretty much every agency based in the DC/Northern Virginia/Maryland area. I know for a fact, though, that were the Arabella Group supporting Republicans, the IRS would have been auditing them on a regular basis, and denying them tax free status of a non-profit. If you want to try something, make all charitable donations non-deductible and taxable at the recipient level (it won't work to make certain donations deductible/taxable while others are not).
"1: If the other side did it, you would cry foul.
2: If what you were doing were shouted from the rooftops, so that everyone knew knew who was responsible and understood what you were up to, your tactic would backfire."
I appreciate that the two signs are essentially the impartial spectator in execution. Chalk another one up for Adam Smith.
And then people tell us there is no conspiracy to drive us towards a particular form of global governance and elections aren’t rigged, involving anonymous, well funded, well organised, powerful entities and people in the shadows.
Yet none dare admit who is behind it all, lest they be deleted!
"Are there no rules?"
The only rules are laws. And laws are quite malleable. There is a legal principle called impartiality. That's why Lady Justice wears a blindfold. But today's left have judges and lawyers and staff within the legal system that doesn't feel obligated to be impartial.
What do you think of Bryan Caplan's assertion that he doesn't feel bound to follow laws. While some might say that no one is above the law, Bryan Caplan boasts of being above the law. Bryan Caplan is part of a political elite that plays dirty tricks and cheats to win and he's gleefully proud of that. Kling calls this "bare knuckle politics", Caplan calls it being a "righteous scofflaw".
https://betonit.substack.com/p/the-final-freedom
Sure there are rules BUT - the Democrat deep state primarily enforces them against Republicans and often conspicuously does NOT enforce them against Democrats.
"Rule of Law" means same bad actions get same enforcement. But not today in the USA.
https://pjmedia.com/columns/paula-bolyard/2022/09/24/this-is-not-the-america-i-know-dozens-of-fbi-agents-raid-home-of-catholic-pro-life-activist-as-children-scream-in-terror-n1632019
This year there have been dozens of stories of anti-Republican unequal enforcement of rules.
The $200 million bribe to the Clinton Foundation so that Obama & Clinton signed off on Russia buying up US uranium assets comes to mind after the billions in Dark Money are discussed.
It was Bush Derangement Syndrome before TDS, and could have been called Reagan DS. Pwerful Democrats, inspired by successful colleges who have long been discriminating against Republicans, want to make "being Republican" illegal.
The Reason article claiming both sides are at fault is false. The radical Democrats continue to increase the unjust and semi-illegal -- if the cops don't care, it's not "really illegal" -- actions to demonize and attempt to terrorize MAGA republicans. Called out by the US President as domestic terrorists, for opposing terrible Democrat policies.
--
The USA needs reform of NGO / non-profits.
Democrats really don't want to make "being Republican" illegal. Elites want people to have the illusion of choice as long as it results in the same thing on major issues. For example, abortion, gay marriage, and immigration. Elites don't think the public has a right to disagree on those issues. The public can be Republican as long as the Republican Party agrees with them. This is what Michael Anton famously wrote in his infamous Flight 93 essay.
Your two rules for underhanded tactics also work for the new Iran nuclear deal.
Fun, I have no side. All sides seem corrupt to me.
<i>It would be nice if we could shame out of existence any organization that engages in such tactics.</i>
Once you convince yourself you're "saving democracy", what's to stop you?
If the political status quo is deeply corrupt, then seeking the more "moderate" candidate may simply be a way of bolstering it and derailing needed change. Many Democrats in 2016 were eager that President Trump be the nominee since they thought him too "extreme" to win. Many voters have become disillusioned with the establishment which comprehends both Democrats and "moderate" Republicans. Progressives regard this as a "threat to democracy." I don't think that word means what they have in mind.
Whenever I see an essay like this, this is what I link to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPqhm36sjVE
This seems like it's probably pretty different from those slimy fake ads for MAGA candidates, and not as bad. Reminds me of accusations from back in the day that the Tea Party wasn't a real grassroots movement. It's easy to make legitimate activism look like astroturfing just because it attracts funding.
Any grassroots effort can be coopted by the incumbents. Furthermore, any agenda of one group can be embraced and manipulated by another. The key to getting away with this corruption is a friendly media, which the Left, and the political establishment, has in spades.
The censorship of truth on Hunter Biden's laptop, clearly documenting use of illegal drugs, illegal prostitutes (some underage), and an illegal gun, plus illegal bribery, yet no serious FBI investigation - indictment - trial, show both that the 2020 was NOT "free and fair" )= 100% free & fair). And the Democrats don't want fair election.
The worst secret on the laptop involved Joe Biden selling political favors to officials in Ukraine + China for money to his son. Hunter Biden isn't running our government, so his misdeeds with drugs + prostitutes are much less important. How much of the US's role in the current war in Ukraine was influenced by bribes Joe Biden accepted?
The FBI didn't simply fail to investigate Hunter Biden they actively coordinated censorship of news coverage. Facebook CEO Zuckerberg said the FBI asked him to block "Russian disinformation" and insinuated that the Hunter Biden laptop story was Russian disinformation, so Facebook censored it, and Twitter took it much further.