Thursday, January 28, 2016

Overheard: Amartel

Amartel:

"[C]andidacy is about...persuasion. Reps are constantly caught in the cross-hairs of the Dem Media, looking mean and/or stupid when faced with sad refugee children, widows, orphans, devoted old gay couples who can't get married. etc etcetcetcetc. The list never ends because, of course, the victim parade is politically expedient and opportunistic. Of course it's not fair, but it is the reality. THEREFORE, effective Rep candidates MUST be able to deal with this effectively, turn it around, spin it on its ass (including but not limited to pointing out how obviously political and opportunistic and infinite the Dem party's interest in their victimhood is), argue the facts and the law, and do it with consummate ease, and (IMHO) without looking like a holy roller or some other nut...I'm advocating for an effective presentation of actual conservatism. Yes we can."

Josh Marshall, TPM:

"...[I]ntra-Republican political battles are really about demonstrating dominance - not policy mastery or polling leads but a series of symbols and actions that mark the dominating from the dominated.

...Trump doesn't apologize. He hurts people and they go away. He says things that would kill a political mortal (ban members of an entire religion from entering the country) and yet he doesn't get hurt. Virtually everything Trump has done over the last six months, whether it's a policy proposal or personal attack, has driven home this basic point: Trump is strong. He does things other people can't.

This is why Trump has so shaken up and so dominated the GOP primary cycle, at least thus far. As I've said, this kind of dominance symbolism is pervasive in GOP politics. It's not new with Trump at all. Most successful Republican politicians speak this language. And yet somehow for most it is nonetheless a second language. But it's Trump's native language. I still believe it's rooted in the mix of the hyper-aggressive New York real estate world, his decades of immersion in the city's febrile tabloid culture and just being, at the most basic level, a bully. Wherever it comes from, he seems to intuitively get that for this constituency and at this moment just demonstrating that he gets his way, always, is all that really matters. Policy details, protecting the candidate through careful press releases and structured media opportunities ... none of that matters. Trump doesn't kiss babies. Babies kiss him. He doesn't have a billionaire backer; he is a billionaire. Trump doesn't ask for support. He just tells you that you need to stop being a loser and get on board.

So this debate power play is all of a piece. He can just take the table, flip it over and walk out of the room. It's all about him."

20 comments:

chickelit said...

I have never read one convincing or worthwhile piece of reasoning by Josh Marshall. The man admitted once that he had a scarred childhood and for me that's it. Why do we even take people seriously who are taking out their bad childhood on the world?

Sorry to be so ad hom, deb. But reading Marshall is like reading Sullivan. I'll leave it others to see the value in his words.

ricpic said...

Trump speaks for ME!

Chip Ahoy said...

Dropped it at "ban members of an entire religion from entering a country" Ain't got time for dat.

Misrepresentation. It's ejected immediately. Any other fine points made are lost then, I realize that, but got no time for misrepresentation. The problems of zero tolerance policy.

bagoh20 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
deborah said...

The debate is going well. They're all being civil, humorous, cutting at times. Enjoying it.

Meade said...

Put simply: a vote for Trump is a vote for Hillary.

chickelit said...

No, Meade. A vote for Hillary is vote for Josh Marshall's dystopia.
BTW, are you fan of his?

Meade said...

A fan? No, I'm not a fan of anyone or anything. But I do feel sorry for people (not children) who are fans — fans of Obama, of Trump, fans of Palin, fans of bloggers, of pop stars. of celebrities, of scholars, athletes, religious figures...

Imagine being a grown adult — say, in your 50's or 60's — and you're a serious fan of someone or something. How embarrassing.

chickelit said...

Even fans of Dylan?

Meade said...

Helping Trump get the Republican nomination is to help Hillary become president. That's why Trump fans are chumps.

Tchrumps.

chickelit said...

[ed. note: especially Dylan fans]

Meade said...

Amartel wants a candidate who is able to "argue the facts and the law, and do it with consummate ease, and (IMHO) without looking like a holy roller or some other nut...I'm advocating for an effective presentation of actual conservatism."

The candidate who came closest to that last night was Rand Paul.

Meade said...

Yes, even Dylan fans are silly. [note: one can admire and enjoy someone's work without becoming a fan. Try it. You'll find it liberating]

chickelit said...

OK Meade. But I still do not admire nor enjoy Josh Marshall's "work." I find it tiresome all too predicable.

There are times when counterarguments are necessary; there are also times when they just sound silly and made up.

Amartel said...

End times are nigh.
Rand really did stand out last night.

bagoh20 said...

Hillary is not going to be President, unless it's president of her cell block.

Amartel said...

I don't mind a little wish fulfillment now and then but I also don't want to get all excited about something that only has about a 1% chance of happening. Sad to say that I find it hard to believe that the rule of law will apply to the dowager duchess.

Amartel said...

Apparently, the Odmin is holding back some of her emails because they're "too damaging."
So, yeah, total confidence that an indictment, followed by swift justice (because I do have confidence in ultimate guilt) is imminent.

Methadras said...

Meade said...

A fan? No, I'm not a fan of anyone or anything. But I do feel sorry for people (not children) who are fans — fans of Obama, of Trump, fans of Palin, fans of bloggers, of pop stars. of celebrities, of scholars, athletes, religious figures...

Imagine being a grown adult — say, in your 50's or 60's — and you're a serious fan of someone or something. How embarrassing.


Even a fan of Jesus?

Meade said...

He's just alright with me.