The Mess the Democrats Are In

They claim to want to “unify” the country while pushing divisive ideas.

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Dear Reader (including all of you “influencers” doing Instagram posts for Michael Bloomberg),

Last month around this time I wrote, “Someone please help, I’m trapped in here—and this thing looks like it’s waking up, and might be hungry!” But that’s a story for another day.

Around the same time, I wrote a “news”letter in which I was harsh on Elizabeth Warren. Not unduly harsh, I would say, but duly harsh. 

I won’t recycle it all here. But the gist was Warren is an embarrassing fraud. I likened her to Michael Scott from The Office because they both share an inability to recognize they’re debasing themselves. The difference of course is that Michael Scott was a TV character played for comedic effect. In other words, only one of them was funny. 

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  1. Avatar photo
    vc6770

    Biden's character and mental flaws are within the bounds of normal in my mind. Trump is way outside. You alluded to the real question: Does that matter more than differences between the parties and I'm struggling with that. I'm a moderate Republican than still suffers from PTSD that somehow we allowed Trump to be our nominee in 2016. Reading your columns, signing up for the Dispatch is my refuge. Even though I don't always agree with everything you or David French write every second, I feel like we could have a reasonable discussion about our differences. Sorry, went off on a tangent there. My point is I want Trump out. I physically can't bring myself to vote for him. But where does that leave me? I could probably live with Biden as president but the policies of the Democratic party? The party of "The Squad", Warren, Chuck and Nancy? No. So where does that leave people like me?

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    CynthiaW

    Gracie is amazing. My cats would have chewed my hand off up to the elbow.

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    Sad Trombone

    Kind of off topic, but I don't know how else to get a message to the powers that be at Dispatch. If you're still staffing up I'd like to recommend that you approach the best, IMO, free agent pundit still available - Mickey Kaus and give him the immigration beat in the same way Sarah is covering polling/campaigning. It was a disgrace the way Tucker Carlson treated Mickey at the Daily Caller and his blog/twitter is not a good use of his talents.

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    Ray Salemi

    You know what it’s called when 10% of the population sets the political agenda? Tyranny.

    The filibuster has got to go. The minority is protected from so-called tyranny-of-the-majority by the electoral college and by the fact that 18% of the country elects 52% of the Senate.

    It’s time to make elections mean something. And I’m perfectly happy to have Republican run on removing everyone’s health care, or abolishing taxes on billionaires, or funding armed guards in kindergarten classes.

    Go ahead run on it, and if you win do it, but stop hiding behind the filibuster as reasons for taking extreme positions to get votes of people who know that you can’t do what you say.

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    1. Avatar photo
      Matt Hannon

      I have to agree with Ray. I like to say tyranny-of-the-minority because of the obvious mis-representation problem in the US. 2 senators in CA and 2 in RI. Ludicrous. The House is also not representing the way it should be in terms of numbers. I'm thinking this will be even more stark when Trump wins again by losing a larger margin of popular vote to Bernie or another B.

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      Pat Riot

      *Principles* are the only thing that can protect people from the tyranny of the majority.

      Just because Republicans have, by dumb luck, found themselves in a situation wherein they control more government power with fewer citizens does *not* raise it to some magical special status.

      Imagine, for instance, Democrats starting in the 1970s enacted massive giveaways to farmers that Republicans, on principle, opposed. (Remember that with populations this small, it is *really cheap* to buy them off!).

      In that case it would be the *Democrats* who would have insurmountable undemocratic control over the Senate. The electoral situation would be reversed but the principles would not change either way.

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      1. Avatar photo
        Ray Salemi

        If the majority in the Senate can enact policy then I’m happy either way.

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          Kevin Durant?

          Fair enough. More policy. Must make federal government bigger ASAP. In the mean time, does your state have a government? Do you have any desires that are NOT enacted forcibly on the largest possible scale?

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          1. Avatar photo
            Ray Salemi

            I live in Massachusetts, so I’m pretty happy with most of what our government does under the last sane Republican in existence, Charlie Baker.

            But your jump to making federal government bigger suggests to me that you’re saying that if 83% of the US electorate choose a Democratic Senate, then you want to block their well because, well just because you’d can.

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            Ray Salemi

            I don’t know how you make leaps from structure to policy.

            I’m just saying that if people elect a government to do something the government should have a structure that allows that will to be done.

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        Ray Salemi

        I don’t understand “does not raise it”. What is “it”?

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        Kevin Durant?

        If only it had occurred to the Democrats that they can buy off voters with government assistance......
        🤣🤣🤣🤣

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        1. Avatar photo
          Pat Riot

          Well, it would appear that when it comes to farmers, Trump has figured it out and the Democrats haven't. But they should. At some point the citizens of Wyoming et. al. will realize how much power they have and demand their pound of flesh...

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            Kevin Durant?

            There is nothing in this world I understand less than farm subsidies

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    3. Photo of Jonah Goldbergcircle-angle-nib
      Jonah Goldberg vertical-nib Author

      I can't begin to tell you how wrong I think this is pretty much at every level: The analysis, the hypotheticals, the math, the terms.

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        Ray Salemi

        The math is correct. 10% of the population elects 40 senators.

        The terms are correct. Tyranny is a small group (in the extreme one person) forcing their will on the rest.

        The hypothetical is, admittedly, hypothetical. But I am perfectly willing to let the Republicans be unconstrained by the filibuster.

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          Kevin Durant?

          If you could warn any historical figure about the tyranny you are experiencing in America 2020, who would it be?

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            Ray Salemi

            Also, those who enacted the 17th amendment. But that’s a different debate.

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            Ray Salemi

            Whomever invented the filibuster

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  5. Avatar photo
    Ray Salemi

    You know the Harvard law school thing was debunked by the Boston Globe. Why repeat it?

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    1. Photo of Jonah Goldbergcircle-angle-nib
      Jonah Goldberg vertical-nib Author

      I haven't seen the Boston Globe piece. I have read quite a bit about it including David French's experience at Harvard at the time. I stand by what I wrote, but will check out the Globe claim.

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        Ray Salemi

        https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2018/09/01/did-claiming-native-american-heritage-actually-help-elizabeth-warren-get-ahead-but-complicated/wUZZcrKKEOUv5Spnb7IO0K/story.html

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        1. Ragnar

          For those that can't make it through the paywall
          https://www.dropbox.com/s/fzmfmfr2ym8l7e1/Warren%20NA%20Status%20BostonGlobe.pdf?dl=0

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  6. Avatar photo
    Pat Riot

    The "they" Mr. Goldberg is talking about is what? 35% of the Democratic electorate? The numbers are showing a brokered convention on the horizon unless something pretty big changes. And Bernie had a heart attack and might have another--and the moderates are waiting in the wings. Yes, I'm wishfully thinking here, but it's not correct to say, "the Democrats want Bernie" when thus far they don't, on average.

    And they don't seem to want Warren either, who was a would-be front-runner who went down in flames.

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  7. Ragnar

    "At his age, he might even appreciate that grassroots are a good source of fiber and a mass of grassroots might deliver an excellent movement of another sort"

    Sanders' movement *is* a movement of another sort - the kind that attracts as many or MORE flies than Paul Krugman. But it's close.

    Thanks for a great G-File, Jonah! Have an excellent weekend!

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    Earl King

    I have no quibble with this G-File...tone, essence is perfect. Democrats are a dumpster fire...at least as bad as those of us who are registered Republicans...

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    Wade Paulsen

    I'm surprised that the column doesn't include the link to the SNL Shimmer! ad: https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/shimmer-floor-wax/n8625

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    Kevin Durant?

    “Warren’s campaign has fizzled, like an oil drum fire on skid row during a steady rain. She’s now like a hobo desperately tearing up the old newspaper she used to make her dumpster-dive shoes fit, in the vain hope the dying embers can be reignited. But that kindling is not only too damp, it stinks.”
    ——————————————-
    above is the 360 windmill dunk version of simile

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