Trump Supporters Are Responsible for Their Choices
Plus: Forget pardons, let's talk Elba.
Recently in The Bulwark:
CHARLIE SYKES: The Churchillian Case Against a Trump Pardon
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MONA CHAREN: Trump Supporters Are Responsible for Their Choices.
AS A GENERAL RULE, I applaud people attempting to bridge divides in America. Extra points if you can look in the mirror and criticize your own side. So two cheers to the New York Timesâs David Brooks for taking a stab at understanding Donald Trumpâs popularity from the point of view of his supporters. Why not three cheers? Read on.
Brooks writes that most people in elite circles think of themselves as the forces of âprogress and enlightenmentâ while viewing Trump fans as âreactionary bigots and authoritarians.â Perhaps to play Devilâs advocate, Brooks offers an alternative view. I think itâs a useful exercise even if some of Brooksâs arguments got my back up!
CATHY YOUNG: Why We Shouldnât Validate the Politics of Grievance.
DAVID BROOKSâS âAre we the baddies?â New York Times column asking readers to grapple with the conundrum of continuing massive support for Donald Trump by considering that maybe âwe anti-Trumpers are not the eternal good guysâ understandably caused quite a stir. Some prominent anti-Trump voices commended the piece as thoughtful and insightful introspection. Many others joined the bash-Brooks bandwagonâwhich some would take as proof that the column hit home.
Trying to see things from the vantage point of people with whom you strenuously disagree is a valuable exercise. But Brooksâs critique of the elites fails in several important ways. Mona Charen discusses some of these in The Bulwark today; I want to make a few additional points, and then take a step back and look at Brooksâs broader aim.
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MARK HERTLING: What the Ukrainian Army Is Trying to Do Is HardâEven for Americans.
CNN REPORTS THAT âTHE SLOW PROGRESSâ of the Ukrainian counteroffensive âhas exposed the difficulty of transforming Ukrainian forces into combined mechanized fighting units, sometimes with as few as eight weeks of training on western-supplied tanks and other new weapons systems.â Yeah, no kidding. Combined arms operations are hard, even for the best Western militaries, and even when the enemy isnât actually shooting at you. I know; Iâve done it.
BILL LUEDERS: Derrick Van Orden Makes No Apologies for Being a Jerk.
IN MARCH 2021, DERRICK VAN ORDEN WROTE an op-ed for the La Crosse Tribune blasting Ron Kind, the Democrat representing Wisconsinâs 3rd Congressional District, for his vote a few days earlier against the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. He called this vote âone of the most blatant displays of lack of character, integrity, and courage by a politician in the [sic] modern American history.â
Van Orden, a former Navy Seal and sometime movie actor, noted that Kind had voted for the bill in June 2020 but was one of just two Democrats in Congress who voted against it when it came up again in 2021. âThe only difference between now and then,â Van Orden wrote, is that, in between the two votes, âRon almost lost his job.â
đ¨OVERTIMEđ¨
Keynes vs. Churchill⌠Iâd like to weigh in on the debate with a different opinion: The Elba Option. This is unlikely to happen because it would require some buy-in from House Republicans to become law, but hear me out: I think itâs fairly likely that Donald Trump, at the end of all of these prosecutions, will find himself inside a prison cell at some point. (For how long, or why, is anyoneâs guess.)
Palmyra Atoll is 1,000 miles south of Hawaii. A bill to authorize the Secret Service to build and maintain a comfortable minimum security detention facility there but only for individuals who are provided Secret Service protection by law. It solves a few problems, like âwhat about his detail?â âwonât people just turn whatever prison heâs held inside into a MAGA holy site?â âwhat about protests and violence outside?â
Reachable only by Boat Parade. Itâs perfect. Maybe the USS John S. McCain can sail by from time to time. Come share your thoughts on Substack Notes.
The Debate nobody asked for⌠Ron DeSantis vs. Gavin Newsom, moderated by⌠Sean Hannity? Big question: Will Ron still be a Presidential candidate when the debate happens?
News DC denizens can use⌠Via our colleague Adam Keiper: âA set of maps of all 98 Metro stations showing you where to stand on the train if you want to leave by a specific escalator, elevator, or exit.â
DiFi suffers a fall⌠The California Senator, whose votes are crucial for judicial nominees, was hospitalized in California.
Creeping ever upward⌠John Ganz on racism, respectability, and careerism.
On Smokey the Bearâs 79th birthday⌠Wildfires decimate beautiful Lahaina, Hawaii. Downtown is basically gone.
Trump wants a SCIF⌠Installed at Mar-a-Lago for his classified documents case.
The Trump case takes a Twitter turn⌠Jack Smith came to Twitter with a warrant. Elon Musk wanted to alert Trump. Twitter couldnât produce the evidence in time, was hit with contempt sanctions, and fined. Hereâs what Smith may have wanted from Twitter, and who might have corroborating testimony.
Poor Robert E. Leeâs horse⌠The latest âvictimâ of cancel culture conservatives are quibbling over.
Ohio Special Election Vote⌠is a âFive-Alarm Fireâ for Abortion Opponents. D.J. Byrnes takes a look at the biggest losers in Ohioâs Issue 1.
Utah man dies in FBI raid⌠After making threats against Biden, Harris, those prosecuting Trump. He was turned in by Trumpâs "Truth Social.â
Gov. Josh Shapiro⌠is showing how to break the politics of resentment.
Writers are getting deepfaked on Amazon⌠And itâs unclear if it can be stopped.
Matt Labash weighs in⌠On the Ramaswamy Tsunami!
They lost their kids to Fortnite⌠And now they want to hold its maker accountable.
If This is 1776, John Eastman⌠youâre on the other side, buddy.
How do you tell the difference between genuine health risks and media hype? The answer lies, apparently, with an old dead Swiss guy.
I bet they did Nazi that coming! Far-right nationalists are suing a Seattle man for revealing their identities after joining their âPatriot Frontâ group. Five of them lost their jobs, and one was kicked out of his parentsâ house. You love to see it.
Oh, Ngo⌠The far-right activist/writer lost his civil suit against a pair of Portland activists.
A Baathist Phil Jackson mural⌠In North Dakotaâs Governorâs office.
Tanner Bibeeâs wicked curve⌠Watch this ball drop.
Inside the secret movement bringing back Europeâs wildlife⌠Whether itâs legal⌠or not.
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