Hi Jamie - I respect your position (and really enjoy your writing) and I generally agree that Trump and RFK are distorted by the media and the "rules-based international order".
But I also think that their incompetence, bad policies, and (in Trump's case) efforts at election fraud far outweigh any possible benefits.
I understand that defending this claim requires evidence, and I'm just some guy on the internet and don't feel like writing out a whole defense. Others have done plenty of good work on this. I just want to raise my hand as someone who accepts your point but also had no doubts about voting Harris.
Hey Dan, thanks for reading + appreciate your perspective, thanks for writing. I can understand where you're coming from. And I'm glad to hear you are enjoying my posts - will release more soon.
I can appreciate this viewpoint but.... eh. A few points:
1) The Amaryllis Fox quote was made *after* RFK Jr had joined the Trump campaign. He's hardly allowed to say anything different than this once they linked up.
2) Calling Trump an anti-war populist is a bit of a stretch. His actions in office included the attempted dismantling of Obamacare, cuts in the corporate tax rate, and the assassination of Qasem Soleimani which provoked conflict with Iran. His National Security Advisor was John Bolton for goodness sake. These are extremely normal establishment Republican objectives and actions.
3) Same goes for his characterization as a free speech warrior. Threatening to pull broadcasting licenses because he doesn't like media coverage is borderline Soviet.
4) I don't disagree that "fine people on both sides" and other media mis-characterizations are shameful. But I think you are veering into the realm of conspiracy when you talk about all the things that "they" are doing to silence him. Occam's Razor: A lot of people just don't like Donald Trump because they find him to be untrustworthy, and based on his personal history of mendacity they are probably right to feel that way. (On a personal note, everybody I know who has a personal connection to Donald Trump is voting for Harris, because they all claim they have friends who were unethically screwed by him in business transactions.) You frame it like the "populist" position is to sympathize with Donald Trump versus the establishment perspective which is to loathe him, but I don't see how individual citizens determining of their own free volition that they don't like a political figure is somehow anti-populist. That strikes me as extremely populist!
Fun post, though. One thing I will say about the Trump phenomenon is that it's opened people's eyes to a broader array of things that can be said out loud (in opposition to the stifling woke mantras and cramped Overton windows), and to the extent that it's been married to a positive vision of what can be accomplished in our shared future (e.g. rockets to Mars and whatnot) I think this is a good thing. My preference would be to keep the "national re-awakening" or whatever you'd call it but drop the Trump piece, but maybe you can only have both or none.
Hey Patrick - good points, I've had my doubts about Trump too. I was encouraged to see him say that he was in over his head and appointed the wrong people in his first term. Thanks for reading + I appreciate the thoughtful pushback, thanks for taking the time.
I appreciate your balanced tone, even if your writing-style precludes a deeper approach from first principles. I would be curious as to what your thoughts are on the role of Trump - and MAGA - in producing the change you would like to see. Specifically, do they embody the kind of future you are looking for, or are they more like necessary, but highly flawed, tools in getting to that point?
In essence, does your 'good ending' involve a world populated by world leaders who are more like Trump, and does it involve a society which is populated by MAGA supporters?
This may sound hostile, but don't bother responding unless you are ready to give a reasonably elaborated answer. I have no intentions of jumping on you, its just that a short comment along the lines of 'good question, "I'm thinking about it/ some other cryptic or vague answer" is a waste of our time.
Hi Jamie - I respect your position (and really enjoy your writing) and I generally agree that Trump and RFK are distorted by the media and the "rules-based international order".
But I also think that their incompetence, bad policies, and (in Trump's case) efforts at election fraud far outweigh any possible benefits.
I understand that defending this claim requires evidence, and I'm just some guy on the internet and don't feel like writing out a whole defense. Others have done plenty of good work on this. I just want to raise my hand as someone who accepts your point but also had no doubts about voting Harris.
Hey Dan, thanks for reading + appreciate your perspective, thanks for writing. I can understand where you're coming from. And I'm glad to hear you are enjoying my posts - will release more soon.
I can appreciate this viewpoint but.... eh. A few points:
1) The Amaryllis Fox quote was made *after* RFK Jr had joined the Trump campaign. He's hardly allowed to say anything different than this once they linked up.
2) Calling Trump an anti-war populist is a bit of a stretch. His actions in office included the attempted dismantling of Obamacare, cuts in the corporate tax rate, and the assassination of Qasem Soleimani which provoked conflict with Iran. His National Security Advisor was John Bolton for goodness sake. These are extremely normal establishment Republican objectives and actions.
3) Same goes for his characterization as a free speech warrior. Threatening to pull broadcasting licenses because he doesn't like media coverage is borderline Soviet.
4) I don't disagree that "fine people on both sides" and other media mis-characterizations are shameful. But I think you are veering into the realm of conspiracy when you talk about all the things that "they" are doing to silence him. Occam's Razor: A lot of people just don't like Donald Trump because they find him to be untrustworthy, and based on his personal history of mendacity they are probably right to feel that way. (On a personal note, everybody I know who has a personal connection to Donald Trump is voting for Harris, because they all claim they have friends who were unethically screwed by him in business transactions.) You frame it like the "populist" position is to sympathize with Donald Trump versus the establishment perspective which is to loathe him, but I don't see how individual citizens determining of their own free volition that they don't like a political figure is somehow anti-populist. That strikes me as extremely populist!
Fun post, though. One thing I will say about the Trump phenomenon is that it's opened people's eyes to a broader array of things that can be said out loud (in opposition to the stifling woke mantras and cramped Overton windows), and to the extent that it's been married to a positive vision of what can be accomplished in our shared future (e.g. rockets to Mars and whatnot) I think this is a good thing. My preference would be to keep the "national re-awakening" or whatever you'd call it but drop the Trump piece, but maybe you can only have both or none.
Hey Patrick - good points, I've had my doubts about Trump too. I was encouraged to see him say that he was in over his head and appointed the wrong people in his first term. Thanks for reading + I appreciate the thoughtful pushback, thanks for taking the time.
I appreciate your balanced tone, even if your writing-style precludes a deeper approach from first principles. I would be curious as to what your thoughts are on the role of Trump - and MAGA - in producing the change you would like to see. Specifically, do they embody the kind of future you are looking for, or are they more like necessary, but highly flawed, tools in getting to that point?
In essence, does your 'good ending' involve a world populated by world leaders who are more like Trump, and does it involve a society which is populated by MAGA supporters?
This may sound hostile, but don't bother responding unless you are ready to give a reasonably elaborated answer. I have no intentions of jumping on you, its just that a short comment along the lines of 'good question, "I'm thinking about it/ some other cryptic or vague answer" is a waste of our time.