Damn, Bill is on fire today. I love it. I hope those cowards on their all-expenses-paid-by-us jaunt to Paris are haunted by a whole bunch of angry ghosts. I'm going to light a candle and ask my deceased WW2 vet grandfather to pay them a visit. That man could lecture the Pope.
"House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R.-LA) announced yesterday that the House of Representatives will not be in session on June 6. Members will be going to France for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. It is fitting and proper that the United States be represented by members of Congress of both parties on that occasion."
Yes and no. I get it that optics matter, and that we should have a presence there to commemorate our role in the liberation of France and our ongoing commitment to freedom and democracy. But beyond symbolism, what actually is being accomplished? Can we not achieve the same effect via the U.S. Ambassador to France? Or the Vice President? Is their presence more important than doing the people's business back home when Congress this term largely has not been doing the people's business back home? How many Congressional leaders are going, at taxpayer expense, compared to how many are needed to make the point?
Convince me that many of them are doing it more in the cause of our nation's interests and less as a sort of paid late spring vacation out of our pockets. I'll wait. At least on the right, it likely doesn't matter what they see and do. It matters to them what one person back home, probably sitting in a courtroom while they are there, seeking to protect himself far more than the cause of liberty and justice for all, thinks about it and chooses to do if he is empowered again. There's no small irony in seeing a gaggle of our Congresspeople at an event celebrating throwing off the shackles of dictatorship when many of those same individuals are willing to enable it themselves back home. The editorials, and more than a few jokes, will write themselves in the international press no less than here.
If you wanted a metaphor for a power in decline fixating on past glories while ignoring the present, it would be hard to top the spectacle of Congress adjourning in the midst of multiple serious international crises to bask in the reflected glory of a feat of arms their country accomplished *eighty* years ago.
Almost 30 years ago, I had a furious discussion with a brilliant Harvard Business School professor about the internet lowering the barriers to entry for publishing. He expanded on the beauty of how media would become nearly free for all to participate. In front of nearly 90 scorning people I stood and asked, "We live in a world full of idiots, if you are right, and you probably are, where is the quality control in this new era?" He stuck to his guns about the virtues of the collapse of the institutional media silos and I to mine about how the bad would supersede the good.
"We in America have learned bitter lessons from two World Wars: It is better to be here ready to protect the peace, than to take blind shelter across the sea, rushing to respond only after freedom is lost."
Makes one wonder what he would say about his Party not heeding the call to stopping the enemy within, ready and willing to follow trump into authoritarianism here, failing to respond both before and after freedom is lost here at home.
That these shitbirds will visit the landing beaches is a desecration of the highest order. I have seen a good many places in my life, but few more heart-rendingly solemn and beautiful than the Normandy American Cemetery. There lie row upon row of crosses and stars marking the final repose of young men who wished nothing more than to live and raise families and grow old in peace, but who instead gave their last full measures so that we can do so. The jaundiced cowardice of this crew has no place there.
'The leading Republican of his day, Ohio Sen. Robert Taft, ridiculed those who expressed fears of advancing fascism. The United States could not be ranging “over the world like a knight errant,” protecting “democracy and ideals of good faith” and tilting, “like Don Quixote, against the windmills of fascism.” The world was “big enough to contain all kinds of different ways of life.”'
This is an interesting quote, because Taft sure didn't feel that way about Communism. Apparently there is a long history in the Republican Party of acquiescing to fascists while savagely attacking communists, even where there are none.
"They told a story where there was a young boy, seven years old, that was dying. And they went upstairs to the door, pounded on it and explained to Russian soldiers that they had a seven-year-old child that was dying. And the response was: “Let him die. This is war.” That’s a cruelty that I don’t believe that anybody in this country is aware of that's taking place."
In the low bar that is Madison Cawthorn, yes, his replacement is an improvement. But I get so sick and tired of conservatives not giving a damn about anything that affects other people until it affects them personally. Saying that nobody in the US is aware that this sort of atrocity is taking place in Ukraine is so fucking ignorant. Was this guy not aware until he went over there? If so, does he ever question his media diet? Because a lot of fucking people are aware this fucking shit is going on over there. When you aren't aware of something that's happening, it doesn't mean it's not happening. They have set up such an air-tight propaganda echo chamber, in a nation with free speech and free press, and there is no excuse for this much ignorance among people of a certain political persuasion. We cannot solve serious problems if half the country doesn't know about them or are told that they're being lied to about what the problems are.
Regarding Taft: Ironically in today's NYT, another and current Ohio Senator, J.D. Vance, reprises that role and tries to make a case for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine.
I hope to soon see many arguments against his argument there and in the Bulwark.
Supporting Ukraine might be the one thing I wholeheartedly agree with Bill Kristol on with no caveats.
I've been binging a lot of history podcasts over the last few months to balance the soulcrushing weight of recent events and the one theme that comes up again and again- mixing established religion and politics tends to lead to violence and tragedy. Like... even more than I already thought it did. I just started the History of Byzantium so I'm pretty surprised it's already so relevant, lol.
Excellent piece, Bill. “The United States could not be ranging “over the world like a knight errant,” protecting “democracy and ideals of good faith” and tilting, “like Don Quixote, against the windmills of fascism.” The world was “big enough to contain all kinds of different ways of life.” Today’s Republicans have no problem with fascism. They may as well save their airfare and their empty words, for they honor nothing but themselves.
This is yet another time when we need to remind folks that if we can't learn from history we will make the same mistakes again. Sadly just like we had Lindbergh, well we have Tucker Carlson today.
Damn, Bill is on fire today. I love it. I hope those cowards on their all-expenses-paid-by-us jaunt to Paris are haunted by a whole bunch of angry ghosts. I'm going to light a candle and ask my deceased WW2 vet grandfather to pay them a visit. That man could lecture the Pope.
"Johnson and Trump to announce coordinated “election integrity” effort"
After which Weinstein and Cosby will announce "combatting misogyny" initiative.
GOP: Must. Kill. Irony.
"A bunch of House Republicans are taking more time off to visit France for the 80th anniversary of D-Day..."
The party is as dead as Reagan. His words would fall today on deaf and rotting ears.
The hypocrisy of celebrating D-Day but not working to ensure peace in Europe is astonishing.
Everybody knows that Africa is not a country. It's a song by Toto.
"House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R.-LA) announced yesterday that the House of Representatives will not be in session on June 6. Members will be going to France for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. It is fitting and proper that the United States be represented by members of Congress of both parties on that occasion."
Yes and no. I get it that optics matter, and that we should have a presence there to commemorate our role in the liberation of France and our ongoing commitment to freedom and democracy. But beyond symbolism, what actually is being accomplished? Can we not achieve the same effect via the U.S. Ambassador to France? Or the Vice President? Is their presence more important than doing the people's business back home when Congress this term largely has not been doing the people's business back home? How many Congressional leaders are going, at taxpayer expense, compared to how many are needed to make the point?
Convince me that many of them are doing it more in the cause of our nation's interests and less as a sort of paid late spring vacation out of our pockets. I'll wait. At least on the right, it likely doesn't matter what they see and do. It matters to them what one person back home, probably sitting in a courtroom while they are there, seeking to protect himself far more than the cause of liberty and justice for all, thinks about it and chooses to do if he is empowered again. There's no small irony in seeing a gaggle of our Congresspeople at an event celebrating throwing off the shackles of dictatorship when many of those same individuals are willing to enable it themselves back home. The editorials, and more than a few jokes, will write themselves in the international press no less than here.
If you wanted a metaphor for a power in decline fixating on past glories while ignoring the present, it would be hard to top the spectacle of Congress adjourning in the midst of multiple serious international crises to bask in the reflected glory of a feat of arms their country accomplished *eighty* years ago.
Almost 30 years ago, I had a furious discussion with a brilliant Harvard Business School professor about the internet lowering the barriers to entry for publishing. He expanded on the beauty of how media would become nearly free for all to participate. In front of nearly 90 scorning people I stood and asked, "We live in a world full of idiots, if you are right, and you probably are, where is the quality control in this new era?" He stuck to his guns about the virtues of the collapse of the institutional media silos and I to mine about how the bad would supersede the good.
And now we know. Africa is... a country.
"We in America have learned bitter lessons from two World Wars: It is better to be here ready to protect the peace, than to take blind shelter across the sea, rushing to respond only after freedom is lost."
Makes one wonder what he would say about his Party not heeding the call to stopping the enemy within, ready and willing to follow trump into authoritarianism here, failing to respond both before and after freedom is lost here at home.
That these shitbirds will visit the landing beaches is a desecration of the highest order. I have seen a good many places in my life, but few more heart-rendingly solemn and beautiful than the Normandy American Cemetery. There lie row upon row of crosses and stars marking the final repose of young men who wished nothing more than to live and raise families and grow old in peace, but who instead gave their last full measures so that we can do so. The jaundiced cowardice of this crew has no place there.
'The leading Republican of his day, Ohio Sen. Robert Taft, ridiculed those who expressed fears of advancing fascism. The United States could not be ranging “over the world like a knight errant,” protecting “democracy and ideals of good faith” and tilting, “like Don Quixote, against the windmills of fascism.” The world was “big enough to contain all kinds of different ways of life.”'
This is an interesting quote, because Taft sure didn't feel that way about Communism. Apparently there is a long history in the Republican Party of acquiescing to fascists while savagely attacking communists, even where there are none.
"They told a story where there was a young boy, seven years old, that was dying. And they went upstairs to the door, pounded on it and explained to Russian soldiers that they had a seven-year-old child that was dying. And the response was: “Let him die. This is war.” That’s a cruelty that I don’t believe that anybody in this country is aware of that's taking place."
In the low bar that is Madison Cawthorn, yes, his replacement is an improvement. But I get so sick and tired of conservatives not giving a damn about anything that affects other people until it affects them personally. Saying that nobody in the US is aware that this sort of atrocity is taking place in Ukraine is so fucking ignorant. Was this guy not aware until he went over there? If so, does he ever question his media diet? Because a lot of fucking people are aware this fucking shit is going on over there. When you aren't aware of something that's happening, it doesn't mean it's not happening. They have set up such an air-tight propaganda echo chamber, in a nation with free speech and free press, and there is no excuse for this much ignorance among people of a certain political persuasion. We cannot solve serious problems if half the country doesn't know about them or are told that they're being lied to about what the problems are.
Regarding Taft: Ironically in today's NYT, another and current Ohio Senator, J.D. Vance, reprises that role and tries to make a case for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine.
I hope to soon see many arguments against his argument there and in the Bulwark.
Supporting Ukraine might be the one thing I wholeheartedly agree with Bill Kristol on with no caveats.
I've been binging a lot of history podcasts over the last few months to balance the soulcrushing weight of recent events and the one theme that comes up again and again- mixing established religion and politics tends to lead to violence and tragedy. Like... even more than I already thought it did. I just started the History of Byzantium so I'm pretty surprised it's already so relevant, lol.
Excellent piece, Bill. “The United States could not be ranging “over the world like a knight errant,” protecting “democracy and ideals of good faith” and tilting, “like Don Quixote, against the windmills of fascism.” The world was “big enough to contain all kinds of different ways of life.” Today’s Republicans have no problem with fascism. They may as well save their airfare and their empty words, for they honor nothing but themselves.
This is yet another time when we need to remind folks that if we can't learn from history we will make the same mistakes again. Sadly just like we had Lindbergh, well we have Tucker Carlson today.
Republican congress lesson to society….”when the going gets tough, the “tough” flee.