The Real Reason They Hate Trump

Interesting.

For now, though, the left’s only issue is “We hate Trump.” This is an instructive hatred, because what the left hates about Donald Trump is precisely what it hates about America. The implications are important, and painful.

The Kids Party Where No One Showed

Went viral. I might have a counterintuitive take: everyone eventually learns the lesson this 6 year old just did - people are fickle and will disappoint you. Maybe next year if 3 friends show up, he'll appreciate them all the more.

Spike Lee

F*** John Wayne and John Ford. To standing ovation. Classy, brave folks these people are to speak ill of the dead. I hope they all expect similar generosity and kindness from the people of the future.

Spitgate

Rewatching spitgate video. I'm not 100% sure Rondo spit intentionally. He's got a mouthguard in. Could he just be trying to talk? Catch his breath? Scoff? The super close up appears to show spit coming out, but come on...we're talking a little ocean spray. Also, don't trust super slow motion close up bullshit.

Here is Rondo's statement on the matter.

Is it weird that CP3 went straight to the media to report the spitting? Why so concerned?

On the other hand, I also wouldn't put it past Rondo to be practicing spitting with a mouthguard in.

Rondo - CP3

It seems that Rondo spit. But why am I still siding with him? And why do I vibe that a lot of other people's natural instinct is to side with Rondo as well?

Findings:

a) I actually like CP3
b) But can see how he'd be annoying to play against (and sometimes with)
c) CP3 is a lot better than Rondo
d) Rondo is the most unique player in the NBA
e) CP3 is a little bitch.
f) Rondo is not.
g) Teammates like Rondo more than they like CP3
h) Rondo is smarter than all the media people who are talking about him
i) CP3 might be too.
j) A lot of NBA players wish they could punch and spit on CP3
k) Rondo will come out of this with more swag
l) Rondo is playing 6 dimensional chess and used his spittle on CP3 because he found it the appropriate action to communicate his feelings. He does not habitually spit on players, nor spit on respectable players, he specifically did this to CP3 and CP3 only. All this is to say, this is not a case like Suarez where he cannot stop biting opponents.
m) Should we be thanking Rondo for the entertainment or should we pretend to be horrified and appalled by his behavior?
n) This start to the NBA season far exceeds my expectations.
o) I do not condone spitting on people during sports.

Will There Be An Investigation?

Or press coverage? Will anyone talk about it? Democratic Senator accused of sexual assault in the 1980s. Will he be asked to step down?

The Saudi Journalist

One thing we Americans are terribly guilty of is thinking everything is about us. So much of the time it isn't. So why do we feel the need to react swiftly to this disappearance of the Saudi journalist? Does anyone think we actually know what happened or who is behind it with confidence? Does anyone know the effect our actions will have? Why do we need to react at all?

I don't think being a global leader means walking around thinking we know everything and like an overbearing parent at a playground, feeling like we need to intervene every time something happens.

I'm all for figuring out what happened. But that would require our intelligence agencies and political class to actually do their job and know what's going on around them.

Political Correctness as a Hack

One part: who suffers the most from PC culture?

The biggest day-to-day losers from the political correctness movement are other left-of-center people, most of all white moderate Democrats, especially those in universities. If you really believe that “the PC stuff” is irrational and out of control and making institutions dysfunctional, and that universities are full of left-of-center people, well who is going to suffer most of the costs? It will be people in the universities, and in unjust and indiscriminate fashion. That means more liberals than conservatives, if only because the latter are relatively scarce on the ground.

In other words, me. Which is why I'm so vocal about it.

Another Marginal Revolution tidbit: white liberals now to the left of blacks on some racial issues.  Does that suggest white liberal feelings on these matters might be more self hatred than an actual desire to help oppressed people?

Kanye

What's most interesting about his Trump-bromance is the liberal reaction to it. The volume of venom spit towards Kanye must indicate something. He's hitting a nerve. And what nerve is that?

It's race. Democrats have embraced the progressive / identity politics wing of their party and are letting that tail wag the dog. I've long thought this is a mistake, but regardless of whether it's a mistake, it's what's happening. This is why they gambled on Kavanaugh and you can just see it everywhere - all the heat, passion, is with the identity wing and the old classic liberals or moderate liberals are hiding in the bushes.

Kanye threatens this group. Why? Because anyone who knows anything about identity politics knows African Americans hold the top spot in the grievance olympics. And rightfully so if you subscribe to that thing. Everyone knows the history. So when Kanye explores thinking about the grievance train differently, the liberals lose their freaking mind. Because if African Americans start questioning whether identity politics is a useful way to approach political problems the entire pyramid is gonna collapse. I don't think Trump is possibly smart enough to see this -- or is he?

NOTE: Jemele Hill's Atlantic article and it's a doozy. She criticizes black men for empathizing with Kavanaugh. The worst thing about her argument isn't that she is pleading with them to see Ford's side. No. Her point is that Kavanaugh is privileged and they are not and therefore...they shouldn't empathize? Huh? She's threatened by these men thinking for themselves on matters and abandoning the tribe that pays her bills. If one had a strong intellectual position, one wouldn't be so threatened. Or at the very least, take up the argument in a different manner.

Ouch

The Onion on Elizabeth Warren.

Agree With Some of This

Scott Galloway on Roe v. Wade.

Remarkable kids from lower- and middle-income households can get to an Ivy League university, with financial aid — there’s never been a better time to be remarkable. However, it feels as if the US has fallen out of love with the unremarkables, which is most of us. People of my generation constantly comment, with some pride, that they couldn’t get into the college they graduated from if they were to apply today. They are right, and that’s not a good thing.

Read the whole thing where he gets to Roe v Wade.

The Democrats, if worried about Roe, ought to start writing a good old fashioned law and start building a political coalition and start making the argument about why abortion should be legal. You know...how it's supposed to be done.

Political Correctness

80% of Americans hate it, including minorities and young folks.

When you try and figure out how Trump got elected, you need look no further than being right on the issues important to the majority of Americans. Not rocket science.

Bear This In Mind

When you hear about Google "not being evil" and their attitudes toward Republicans....Google working on a censored search program for China that will not include terms like "human rights," "student protest."

Obama

I wonder where he stands on the Kavanaugh thing. I can't imagine he'd embrace the lunatic left. Much as he shares some of their misguided ideology, I never thought he'd share their irrationality.

Thing To Look Out For

Now will a good time to watch closely what Trump does as President. He is feeling high after the Kavanaugh affair. And especially if the Republicans retain control of the House and/or Senate, it will be revealing what he does.

He's unhappy with the Fed.

If his naysayers are right and Trump feels politically powerful, pay attention whether he meddles with the Fed. That'd be a sign he's power hungry and out of control. But if he merely criticizes and allows them to do their job and remain independent - that'll speak volumes.

Kaepernick Trademarking Image

Funny, I don't remember MLK or Jackie Robinson doing something like this.

Guy is about getting attention for himself. And he's good at it.

The Democrats 

Went all in with an inside straight draw on the on the Kavanaugh charges and lost the pot. I think they'll lose the midterms and 2020 presidential reelection over this.

Irony is, by going batshit on the Russia probe and Kavanaugh, I think they've missed the real dirt, which is the Trump family tax fraud. Politically speaking, the Democratic base are making the Trump lead Republican party look like the sane adults in the room.

My guess on the matter:

5% chance Kavanaugh assaulted Ford like she claimed and he managed through luck, conspiracy, and a really convincing lie to avoid corroborating evidence.

10% chance Kavanaugh and Ford had some unusual interaction that Ford remembers as worse than it was and Kavanaugh (and no one else) can remember it at all.

30% chance a case of mistaken identity or confusion due to the long time before she confronted the issue. That is, something happened to Ford and she somehow got in her head it was Kavanaugh, but it was actually someone else.

10% chance Ford is batshit crazy and nothing like it happened, but she believes it did.

10% chance Ford is lying.

35% something else, I have no clue what.

I'd be interested in hearing someone who totally disagrees with me on the issue would lay out the percentage odds.

Logging

Film: Black Panther

Took me three sit downs to finish. Puzzling film. Action sequences inferior to Game of Thrones and I use this reference because they overtly ripped off Battle of the Bastards. Plotting entirely predictable. The racial politics...felt a bit strange. Even the premise of the film is actually a bit odd - that there's a country in Africa light years ahead in terms of technology, etc, and yet they remain invisible to the world. Why? They are worried about being colonized? But they have weapons far beyond what other countries possess. In fact, the bad guy plot is essentially Wakanda ought to arm oppressed black people from around the entire world. So which is it? Does Wakanda need to hide? Or use their might to empower the diaspora? Costumes were unique, but something about the visual effects combined with the performances -- it didn't quite add up.

The Republicans Best Case

1) The Democrats have lost their minds and turned the Kavanaugh nomination into a circus based upon a ridiculous, uncorroborated claim.

2) Kavanaugh has gone through a total of 7 FBI background checks without any corroborating evidence to support any of the sexual assault claims.

3) This is a plain attempt by the Democrats to circumvent the fact they lost the election and has nothing to do with the veracity of the claims made by Ford.

The Democrats Best Case

1) In a nation of 320 million people, can't we find someone to be on the Supreme Court that doesn't have an accusation of sexual assault against him/her?

2) This isn't a court of law and we're not talking about Kavanaugh going to jail, we're talking about him getting the privilege of serving in the most esteemed court in the land. There shouldn't be any questions about his character -- and there are.

3) Trump is a unique danger to our country and must be opposed forcefully to ensure that he does as little long term damage as possible and that includes nominating unqualified Supreme Court justices. 

Kavanaugh's Best Argument

1) He strongly, vehemently denies.

2) Not a single witness who Ford names could collaborate even parts of her story.

3) No strong evidence of similar behavior or similar character defects

Ford's Best Argument

1) What motivation does she have to lie?

2) Sexual abuse like the event she described is much more common than we thought.

Interesting Take

I suspect we'll see more people thinking like this come 2020.

For the first time since Donald Trump entered the political fray, I find myself grateful that he’s in it. I’m reluctant to admit it and astonished to say it, especially since the president mocked Christine Blasey Ford in his ugly and gratuitous way at a rally on Tuesday. Perhaps it’s worth unpacking this admission for those who might be equally astonished to read it.  

I’m grateful because Trump has not backed down in the face of the slipperiness, hypocrisy and dangerous standard-setting deployed by opponents of Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. I’m grateful because ferocious and even crass obstinacy has its uses in life, and never more so than in the face of sly moral bullying. I’m grateful because he’s a big fat hammer fending off a razor-sharp dagger.

As Instapundit is fond of remarking, Trump's greatest skill is unmasking the Democrats as the petty, power hungry, entitled partisans they are (or as I prefer to say, have become).