by Rod Williams, Oct. 28, 2024- I watched the Joe Rogan interview of Donald Trump, so you don't have to. I have watched Joe Rogan a few times, or more accurately I have watched him a time or two and listened to him on my headphone while walking a few more times. I walk almost every day, and usually listen to interviews or lecture when I do.
I won't say I like Joe Rogan, but he is generally not terribly offensive. He sometimes has interesting guest. Rogan, I think, has the largest audience of any podcaster, with something like 31 million subscribers. Rogan is in the same vein as Andrew Tate and some other podcasters popular with young men but not near as crazy. He is more laid back and does not rant and is a pretty good interviewer.
Rogan, from what I gather from my limited exposure, is one of the people that young men like. I have not heard him be misogynistic, but he has that reputation, and he is a "manly" man. He is into sports and bodybuilding and against vaccines and talks of living a healthy lifestyle among other interest.
The interview was three hours long! I watched parts of it in 1.25- or 1.5-time speed and did some skipping ahead. I thought that being in front of a friendly interviewer and trying to motivate young men who often don't vote, Trump might really let his freak flag fly and get these young men living in their mom's basement excited to get off the couch and go vote. He didn't.
Trump was just boring. He wasn't very scary. He seemed almost normal. He wasn't even very entertaining. He repeated the case he makes that the 2020 election was stolen and repeated the normal case about the danger of the out-of-control border and made his case for isolationism some other policy positions, but without a lot of passion. Rogan asked Trump for specifics about how the election was stolen, and Trump didn't offer any. Rogan seemed disappointed with the answer but didn't push. Of course, Trump told a lot of lies as normal and if you want to see CNN's factcheck of the interview you can at this link.
Most of the time, they talked about stuff that is not even political. They talked about boxers and who was best and talked about sports injuries. Trump talked about how fit he was. They talked about whether or not there was life on other planets. Trump says he believes there might be life on Mars. He talked about how the people on The View use to love him before they turned against him, and other stuff of no consequence.
Trump came across as somewhat of a blowhard but mostly just boring and harmless. It was snoozefest. I can't imagine many people watched the full three hours. If you missed it, you didn't miss much.
by Rod Williams, Oct. 26, 2024- Recently, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced it is going to crack down on gun violence in Middle Tennessee by also arresting people on federal charges. The program is starting with people arrested for murder and attempted murder then expand the operation in the future.
This should not be necessary but unfortunately it is. Metro Police Chief John Drake recently said that around 16 percent of people arrested for violent crimes in Nashville are rearrested while on bail. Not only are people who are awaiting trail and out on bond committing violent crimes, but previously convicted felons are committing crimes with firearms, including murder and attempted murder. It is illegal for convicted felons to process firearms.
.... (Kelly) said that, in his opinion, Mr. Trump met the definition of a fascist, would govern like a dictator if allowed, and had no understanding of the Constitution or the concept of rule of law.
He discussed and confirmed previous reports that Mr. Trump had made admiring statements about Hitler, had expressed contempt for disabled veterans and had characterized those who died on the battlefield for the United States as “losers” and “suckers” — comments first reported in 2020 by The Atlantic. ...
In response to a question about whether he thought Mr. Trump was a fascist, Mr. Kelly first read aloud a definition of fascism that he had found online.
“Well, looking at the definition of fascism: It’s a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy,” he said.
“So certainly, in my experience, those are the kinds of things that he thinks would work better in terms of running America,” Mr. Kelly said.
He added: “Certainly the former president is in the far-right area, he’s certainly an authoritarian, admires people who are dictators — he has said that. So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure.”
Also, Kelly said Trump said he wish he had generals like Hitler's. Kelly also reported that at times while serving as Trump's Chief of Staff Trump wanted the military to shoot protestors. Of course, this won't matter to most Trump supporters. Trump's support seems baked in. In any other time, revelations like this would end one's political career. Why does this not spell the end of Trump? Trump's supporters do not believe it, or they don't care. Take a look at who are Trump's supporters.
One, there are a lot of ignorant people who did not get a civic education. They do not know that generals take an oath to the Constitution instead of the president and think it perfectly reasonable that Trump expects loyalty from "his" generals. They have watched a few war movies but don't know a lot about Hitler. They admire people who reject conventional civility and conformity. They like Trump's in-your-face style. Trump is most popular among working class people without a college education. Some without a college education also lack a high school education too and are what you would call "rednecks," or "ghetto." Trump is the tough guy. They like the tough guy who can bully others and get his way, who lays a lot of women, who is brash and flashy. They are probably people who are low information voters and low propensity voters. Trump is the first politician to ever excited them. These ignorant voters love Trump and are not going to abandon him no matter what he says. They don't know much about the Constitution, or Hitler or fascism and don't care. They are kind of proud of their ignorance. Just a guess, but maybe a fifth of Trump's voters are the ignorant.
The second group are people who don't really believe that Trump is a fascist who admires Hitler. When he says he will go after the "enemy within," such as Nancy Pelosi, and will use the military to round them up if necessary, they simply dismiss that as hyperbole. They are traditional Republicans who simply discount any reports about Trump they do not like. They believe reports that portray Trump poorly are "fake news." They will dismiss General John Kelly as a "RINO." Critics of Trump are RINOs or part of the Deep State, or Swamp Creatures. They may not like some of Trump's harsh rhetoric but view the most outlandish things he says as simply his schtick. They find him entertaining and dismiss his excesses. They do not take Trump's threats seriously. After all, they reason, life was pretty good under Trump's first term, inflation was lower, and the border was secure. When Trump talks about suspending the Constitution or using the military to round up enemies or to shoot protestors, they reason he did not do that in his first term, so why think he will do it in a second term.
Some people in this second group may have reservations about Trump, but they have always voted Republican, and they are not going to stop doing so now. Also, they are fed up with cancel culture and political correctness and being sneered at and looked down upon. Yeah, they may not like some of what Trump says, but by God, he will not allow tampon dispensers in Boy's bathrooms. I know these people. They are not bad people. There is some overlap in these groupings, but I think this group is about a 60% of his supporters.
A smallish sliver of Trump supporters are the Christians. Call them Christian Nationalist or Value Voters or whatever. They are mostly White evangelicals but not exclusively. They are pro-life and they are for traditional values and are appalled at the normalization of perversion and having it rammed down their throat. They may think Trump was or is a flawed individual. They may believe he is a philanderer and a crook but maybe he has changed, but even if he has not, he is God's anointed, and God sometimes uses flawed people to advance the Kingdom.
There is even a smaller sliver of the Trump supporters who I call the nut-jobs. They believe everything is being controlled by the "insiders" or the "deep state." They think global warming is a hoax, but chemtrails are real. They think Alex Jones has insight. They think Jewish space lasers cause California wildfires. They will only abandon Trump if they think he has been coopted by the deep state. When Trump says crazy things, that reassures them. A QAnon meme shows that Trump is for real and is one of them.
And then there is this other group. These are the ones that concern me most. These are the true believers. When Trump says he wants Generals who will be loyal to him, they agree with Trump. When Trump says Democrats are the "enemy within," they agree. When Trump calls immigrants "vermin" they like that language. When they hear Trump wants the military to shoot protestors, they agree with that. When Trump says something cruel or outrageous they do not cringe but applaud. These people are not uninformed, and they are not deceived. Many are highly educated and thoughtful. They think democracy has failed us. They think it is time for a strong leader who will sit things right. They think that maybe the Constitution should be suspended. They view the Constitution as an impediment to doing the things that need to be done. I don't know how many of these people they are but among these people are the Trumpian intellectuals who are unafraid to say what they think and are building a foundation for a movement that knowingly rejects liberal democracy. Trump is the leader America needs, they reason. Unfortunately, I see this group making inroads into the thinking of the other groups.
by Rod Williams, Oct. 25, 2024- If you care about local government or are interested in topics like planning and zoning, crime and public safety, transit and traffic, affordable housing, local taxation, urban sprawl, parks and public art and amenities, or other topics relating to "urbanism" you may be interested in attending this monthly get together.
I have been attending these meetings for about six months now. I am really impressed by the depth of knowledge of those participating. Some of the participants have professional experience or education in the fields being discussed and others are self-educated experts. A wide variety of informed opinion is on display at these gatherings.
If this sounds like something that may interest you, please join us. The Copper Branch is the cafe in the Main Library building. Discounted parking is available at the library public parking garage.
by Rod Williams, Oct. 23, 2024- Yesterday it was reported that former Trump Whitehouse chief of staff, General John Kelly had spoken out against Donald Trump saying, "he is the most flawed person I have ever met in my life," saying the depths of his dishonesty is just astounding, that Trump expressed admiration for autocrats and murderous dictators, and saying Trump was a fascist, and has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law. Kelly also said Trump praised Hitler and he said he wished he had the kind of generals Hitler had.
Not only does Trump praise Hitler and wish for the kind of Generals Hitler had, but Trump also praised the Chinese Generals. During the George Floyd riots a frustrated Trump said, “The Chinese generals would know what to do.” Not only is Trump's admiration for dictators and contempt for the Constitution revealed but Trump's lack of historical knowledge is displayed. In discussion with John Kelly, Trump did not know who Bismark was nor Rommel, for example.
Will this make any difference? I'm afraid not. Trump's support seems baked in. In any other time, revelations like this would end one's political career. Why does this not spell the end of Trump? Trump's supporters do not believe it or they don't care. Take a look at who are Trump's supporters.
One, there are a lot of ignorant people who did not get a civic education. They do not know that generals take an oath to the Constitution instead of the president and think it perfectly reasonable that Trump expects loyalty from "his" generals. They have watched a few war movies but don't know a lot about Hitler. They admire people who reject conventional civility and conformity. They like Trump's in-your-face style. Trump is most popular among working class people without a college education. Some without a college education also lack a high school education too and are what you would call "rednecks," or "ghetto." Trump is the tough guy. They like the tough guy who can bully others and get his way, who lays a lot of women, who is brash and flashy. They are probably people who are low information voters and low propensity voters. Trump is the first politician to ever excited them. These ignorant voters love Trump and are not going to abandon him no matter what he says. They don't know much about the Constitution, or Hitler or fascism and don't care. They are kind of proud of their ignorance. Just a guess, but maybe a fifth of Trump's voters are the ignorant.
The second group are people who don't really believe that Trump is a fascist who admires Hitler. When he says he will go after the "enemy within," such as Nancy Pelosi, and will use the military to round them up if necessary, they simply dismiss that as hyperbole. They are traditional Republicans who simply discount any reports about Trump they do not like. They believe reports that portray Trump poorly are "fake news." They will dismiss General John Kelly as a "RINO." Critics of Trump are RINOs or part of the Deep State, or Swamp Creatures. They may not like some of Trump's harsh rhetoric but view the most outlandish things he says as simply his schtick. They find him entertaining and dismiss his excesses. After all, they reason, life was pretty good under Trump's first term, inflation was lower, and the border was secure. When Trump talks about suspending the Constitution or using the military to round up enemies, they reason he did not do that in his first term, so why think he will do it in a second term.
Some people in this second group may have reservations about Trump, but they have always voted Republican, and they are not going to stop doing so now. Also, they are fed up with cancel culture and political correctness and being sneered at and looked down upon. Yeah, they may not like some of what Trump says, but by God, he will not allow tampon dispensers in Boy's bathrooms. I know these people. They are not bad people. There is some overlap in these groupings, but I think this group is about a 60% of his supporters.
A smallish sliver of Trump supporters are the Christians. Call them Christian Nationalist or Value Voters or whatever. They are mostly White evangelicals but not exclusively. They are pro-life and they are for traditional values and are appalled at the normalization of perversion and having it rammed down their throat. They may think Trump was or is a flawed. They may believe he is a philanderer and a crook but maybe he has changed, but even if he has not, he is God's anointed, and God sometimes uses flawed people to advance the Kingdom.
There is even a smaller sliver of the Trump supporters who I call the nut-jobs. They believe everything is being controlled by the "insiders" or the "deep state." They think global warming is a hoax, but chemtrails are real. They think Alex Jones has insight. They think Jewish space lasers cause California wildfires. They will only abandon Trump if they think he has been coopted by the deep state. When Trump says crazy things, that reassures them. A QAnon meme shows that Trump is for real and is one of them.
And then there is this other group. These are the ones that concern me most. These are the true believers. When Trump says he wants Generals who will be loyal to him, they agree with Trump. When Trump says Democrats are the "enemy within," they agree. When Trump calls immigrants "vermin" they like that language. When Trump says something cruel or outrageous they do not cringe but applaud. These people are not uninformed, and they are not deceived. Many are highly educated and thoughtful. They think democracy has failed us. They think it is time for a strong leader who will sit things right. They think that maybe the Constitution should be suspended. They view the Constitution as an impediment to doing the things that need to be done. I don't know how many of these people they are but among these people are the Trumpian intellectuals who are unafraid to say what they think and are building a foundation for a movement that knowingly rejects liberal democracy. Trump is the leader America needs, they reason. Unfortunately, I see this group making inroads into the thinking of the other groups.
For more on the John Kelly revelations, see the following video.
by Rod Williams, Oct. 22, 2024- There was a time when I routinely attended almost every Republican gathering, I heard about in this area. I attended the Republican breakfast groups, fund raisers, and mix and mingle events. I attended annual Party banquets and the state party Statesman's Dinner. Not so much anymore. I also helped promote these events by posting the announcement on this blog and on my Facebook page. Not so much anymore. I am now much more selective about what I attend and what I promote.
Those arrested for participating in the January 6th, 2021, attack on the Capitol are not "heroes," or "hostages," or "prisoners of war." Those who beat policemen, broke windows, destroyed property, defecated on desk, and run through the building seeking to find Mike Pence to hang are not heroes. Sure, there may have been some who got caught up in the moment and followed the mob into the Capitol and just stood by and watched. Even being caught up in the moment and following the mob does not make you someone to be honored. The purpose of the riot was to prevent the counting of the electoral college votes. The purpose was to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. In my book, engaging in a riot to prevent the peaceful transfer of power makes you a traitor not a hero. Survive it to say, I will not be attending the Williamson County Republican Party Mix and Mingle.
If Tennessee had party registration, I would have to change my registration from "Republican" to "independent." I have been a Republican all of my life and not just a casual Republican. I have worked in campaigns, worked the polls, stuffed envelopes, made phone calls and gave money to Republican candidates and the various branches and subsets of the Republican Party. Having been an active Republican for so long it is hard to stop being one. However, the people I supported and admired would not be welcome in today's Republican Party. I still believe in the things I have always believe in. I am for a strong national defense and America's leadership role in the world and collective security. I believe in limited government. I believe in a market economy and free trade. I believe in fiscal responsibility. And, I believe in the rule of law and I support the constitution. Unfortunately, I do not think the Republican Party of Donald Trump believes in those things anymore.
I don't know what the future holds for the Party. I fear those who favor some sort of Fascist-like authoritarian regime who favor the popular will over constitutionalism are in firm control. Also, there is a Trumpian intellectualism that influences Republican thought that says democracy has failed, that thinks "traditionalism" and "historicism" are more important factors than American idealism based in natural law and the ideas of the enlightenment. Rather than looking to John Lock, they look to Leo Strauss for philosophical guidance. There are thinkers who say liberal democracy has been a failure.
Maybe the Trump cult will fade and the Party will return to being the party it has been since the end of WWII until the advent of Trump. Maybe this is a phase that will pass. Unfortunately, I am less convinced of that than I was a year ago. Even if Trump loses, I am not sure the Party will return to its past. There are now a set of ideas that have taken hold in the party. There is a farm team of elected officials to continue Trumpism. And, the philosophy of populism and variants of thought such as national conservatism are in ascendance.
Of course, in a system like ours with only two significant parties, when one party changes radically that causes the other party to change also. Extreme liberalism gave rise to neoconservatism. We may see something similar happen to the Democrat Party or we may see the rise of a viable centrist party. Time will tell. In the meantime, I am a political person without a political home. Like I said, I won't be attending the Williamson County Republican Party Mix and Mingle.
by Rod Williams, Oct. 20, 2024- I decided I could never vote for Trump again following the 2020 election and Trump's efforts to overturn the results and remain in power. For a long time, my intention was to write in the name of a conservative Republican, however, a few months ago I decided that was insufficient given the severity of the threat to our democracy posed by Trump and I needed to take a stand and actually vote for Kamala Harris. I have been hoping that more Republicans would also take a stand against the threat posed by Trump and do likewise.
I turned into the Fox host Bret Baier interview with Kamala Harris to see if Brier conducted a fair interview and to see if I thought Harris succeeded in making her case to establishment Republicans.
I think Brier was mostly fair. My only criticism his that he ran a Trump clip that I thought was favorable to Trump. Overall, I think Brier was as fair as any typical ABC, CBS, NBC or CNN host is when they interview a Republican. In some ways, he was more than fair in that he allowed Harris to filibuster more that I think he should have and did not push hard enough when she avoided answering questions.
I think Harris failed to make her case. In asking Harris questions about securing the border, pointing out that the Biden-Harris team repealed something like 90 executive orders dealing with the border reminded people why they should not vote for her. She could not explain why repealing the Trump executive orders regarding the border was good policy. She made a few good points, but overall, I think she failed to win friends.
The following from National Review examines the interview:
Why Kamala Harris’s Fox Interview Was a Failure
By Noah Rothman, October 17, 2024- ... Her answers on everything from the border crisis, to her shift from radical progressive to born-again moderate, to what she knew about Joe Biden’s infirmities and when she knew them have not evolved at all over this campaign. They are as deficient today as they were in the rote press release that first announced them.
On the migrant crisis the Biden administration incepted into existence and failed to do anything to mitigate until it became a political headache, Harris filibustered without saying anything in particular. She obfuscated by attempting to claim that a Democratic “immigration reform” bill would have preemptively addressed the conditions the administration hadn’t yet exacerbated with its lax approach to border enforcement. She talked up her biography as a prosecutor as though that background was relevant.
... The “I’m speaking” gambit is a road-worn trick, but it only works if you have something to say. ...voters who are concerned that Harris’s shift from revolutionary left-wing reformer to sensible centrist isn’t entirely on the level. “Listen, that was five years ago,” she said .... Really, who remembers what they believed five years ago? (read more)
The Atlantic, Oct. 16, 2024- In March 2023, when Mark Milley was six months away from retirement as a four-star general and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he met Bob Woodward at a reception and said, “We gotta talk.”
Milley went on to describe the grave degree to which former President Donald Trump, under whom Milley had served, was a danger to the nation. Woodward recounts the episode with Milley—who almost certainly believed that he was speaking to Woodward off the record—in his new book, War:
“We have got to stop him!” Milley said. “You have got to stop him!” By “you” he meant the press broadly. “He is the most dangerous person ever. I had suspicions when I talked to you about his mental decline and so forth, but now I realize he’s a total fascist. He is the most dangerous person to this country.” ...
Milley knows well the risks of criticizing Trump. The former president has reportedly expressed a desire to recall and court-martial retired senior officers who have criticized him, and he has even suggested that Milley should be executed. (read more)
Rod's Comment: As anyone who reads my blog knows, I am a critic of former President Trump but would personally be hesitant to use the word "fascist" to describe him. The term is imprecise. Not every authoritarian dictator is a fascist. The term has almost lost any meaning it once had and was always hard to define. Nevertheless, I find it informative that Gen. Miley had such strong feeling that Donald Trump was a danger to the country that he described Trump as a fascist. And, maybe Trump is a fascist.
by Rod Williams, Oct. 17, 2024 - Early voting started here in Tennessee yesterday and has started in some other states or will start soon. While almost everyone knows for whom they will vote, there are probably a very few who are still undecided and a few who are deciding whether or not to vote at all.
I am unusual in that I follow politics and current events very closely all the time. A lot of people have other things to consume their thoughts and time and may not even give serious thought to an election until right before it is time to cast their ballot.
I am sure there are a lot of people who identified as Democrat or Republican and always vote for their party's nominee. Normally that might be all you need to know, and you are safe in voting your values if you let the party label guide your voting. I don't think that can be a good guide in this election. Donald Trump has redefined the Republican Party.
Even if you are a casual consumer of news, you no doubt are aware how controversial Donald Trump is and that he has been called a threat to democracy and a fascist an all of that. You may reason that he didn't do all of the bad things they say he will do when he was president last time, so you see no reason to fear a second Trump term. After all, things were pretty good under Trump. Please consider that Trump has gotten worse and that he won't have the same kind of people around him to guide him and curtail his worst instincts in a second term and he has taken some very non-Republican positions.
Back to my point that party label cannot be a guide to how to vote this time, the parties have actually switched positions on two key issues. All of my life I have identified as a Republican. One of the issues that make me a Republican was that I believe in a strong national defense and America's leadership role in the world. In short, I am a "defense hawk." I have always seen the Republicans as defense hawks and Democrats as the party of isolationism and appeasement. Well, that is no longer reflects today's parties. It is unbelievable that that switch could take place so rapidly, but it has. Now, the Republican Party has become the party of isolationism and appeasement, and the Democrats are the party advocating strong alliances, resisting aggressors, and America's leadership role in the world. Neither I think are strong enough on things like rebuilding our navy, but where there is a difference, the Democratic party is the party of defense hawks.
The other issue where the parties have switched sides in on the issue of economic policy. I know inflation has been worse under the last four years of a Democrat then they were under Trump, but in this case the past cannot be a guide to the future. Trump has proposed a lot of new disastrous economic policies. Neither party is doing what needs to be done to address the looming debt crisis. However, Democrat policy proposals are better that Trump's proposals. Smart economists have analyzed the policies of both candidates and concluded that Trump policies will increase the national debt twice what those of Harris would do. This is serious. We are rapidly heading toward a cliff and neither candidate is hitting the breaks, but Trump is hitting the accelerator.
In addition to increasing the debt more than the Democrat, Trump has proposed another dangerous policy that is a reversal of previous Republican policies and that is to impose an across the board 10% to 20% tariff on all imports. In the past the Democrats tended to be more protectionist, and the Republican Party more likely to favor free trade. Overtime, a consensus favoring tariff reduction emerged. Now Trump wants to make protectionism a major feature of Republican economic policy.
Of course, tariffs are like a sales tax. It is not the exporting country that pays them but the American consumer. Trump's tariff proposal would raise prices, hurt the economy, and spark economic feuds with much of the world. Other countries will retaliate. Trump's tariff proposal could cause a worldwide depression. The Smoot-Hawley tariffs of 1930 is considered one of the major contributing factors leading to the Great Depression. We do not want to repeat that mistake.
When one says that in Trump's first term, he did not do anything too radical it is worth noting that in his first term his administration was filled with long-time normal Republicans and they kind of kept Trump within the guard rails. Trump will not have those kinds of people around him this time. They won't serve in his administration, and he won't seek them to serve. Dozens of former Trump cabinet members, military leaders, and staff have said Trump is unfit to serve. In his second term he will surround himself with loyalist and yes men.
As the author of A Disgruntled Republican I often post items which I think may be of interest to the conservative, Republican, libertarian or the greater community. Posting of a press release or an announcement of an event does not necessarily indicate an endorsement. Rod
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