Robert, your last paragraph is so important. I have found myself so angry of late that I have wanted to weaponize any tidbit of information I could find to make the case that the "enemy" is just that.
You make the point that life is not that simple. Your last paragraph is an anchor that helps me pull myself out of the muddy waters of anger and hate. Thank you. You are an inspirational guide.
It is good news that Devin Nunez is resigning from Congress. Since Rick Wilson days that everything trump touches dies, we’ll see how this social media platform pans out.
The most likely outcome for the new venture is that Trump takes a lot of money from people for a service that doesn't work or is total junk, e.g., Trump Steaks, Trump wine, and Trump's schools.
This social media platform is a complete grift. Trump is and has always been a con man. Trump will figure out how to blame Nunes for any problems that platform has, but like you I figure it will fail. Donald’s activities usually come to failure, except for the surprise win in 2016.
Yes, all of these ventures are successful for Trump’s real goal: live like a king surrounded by the spoils (money sent to him by his suckered followers) of his phony projects.
And thank you for sending me to Wikipedia! It is amazing the amount of ancient wisdom that is still accessible to us from every corner of the world. We should spend more time studying it, so we can repeat the last 2,500 years of mistakes!
That is very interesting. I am just back from a weekend away where I suspect many were Trump supporters. We had a drink at a restaurant bar and avoided anything political. Just having a friendly conversation with fellow beings was refreshing when you remove the political edge. It allows you to see others as fellow humans and share a laugh or two. After so many years of mud slinging, it was just a refreshing change. It also made me think that there must be ways to make his happen more frequently.
When people say the Democrats are "too nice," I don't really understand what that means. What exactly should should they be doing other than trying to run the country effectively. We have major challenges at this time and it should be a "all hands on deck" experience, not poking each other in the eye. I can't believe all Republicans are on board with the Party of No strategy. Am I just kidding myself? I hope not, but when I see all Republicans lining up to reject a bill because it has a mask mandate in it in the middle of a pandemic, it makes me wonder.
Eighty years ago today, the United States was, in FDR’s words, “Suddenly and deliberately attacked,” by the Japanese. Today we are being surreptitiously but no less deliberately attack by a portion of our own people. Potentially, a more dangerous assault; Japan was never going to conquer the United States. So let Pearl Harbor impel us to resist as the men caught unawares 89 years ago did.
And OT, it won’t happen, but I’d love to see the US Olympic Team march into the opening ceremonies behind a flag hung upside down, which is a nautical signal of distress.
Robert, your last paragraph is so important. I have found myself so angry of late that I have wanted to weaponize any tidbit of information I could find to make the case that the "enemy" is just that.
You make the point that life is not that simple. Your last paragraph is an anchor that helps me pull myself out of the muddy waters of anger and hate. Thank you. You are an inspirational guide.
These are difficult and frustrating times, and the pandemic has put us all on edge. Glad the newsletter made a difference. Stay strong!
Thank you, Robert, for appealing to our better natures. As you say, someone has to be the adult in the room.
It is good news that Devin Nunez is resigning from Congress. Since Rick Wilson days that everything trump touches dies, we’ll see how this social media platform pans out.
The most likely outcome for the new venture is that Trump takes a lot of money from people for a service that doesn't work or is total junk, e.g., Trump Steaks, Trump wine, and Trump's schools.
This social media platform is a complete grift. Trump is and has always been a con man. Trump will figure out how to blame Nunes for any problems that platform has, but like you I figure it will fail. Donald’s activities usually come to failure, except for the surprise win in 2016.
Yes, all of these ventures are successful for Trump’s real goal: live like a king surrounded by the spoils (money sent to him by his suckered followers) of his phony projects.
Excellent newsletter today! Thank you for always reflecting thoughtfully and contextually on the events of the day.
Thank you, Lucian.
And thank you for sending me to Wikipedia! It is amazing the amount of ancient wisdom that is still accessible to us from every corner of the world. We should spend more time studying it, so we can repeat the last 2,500 years of mistakes!
That is very interesting. I am just back from a weekend away where I suspect many were Trump supporters. We had a drink at a restaurant bar and avoided anything political. Just having a friendly conversation with fellow beings was refreshing when you remove the political edge. It allows you to see others as fellow humans and share a laugh or two. After so many years of mud slinging, it was just a refreshing change. It also made me think that there must be ways to make his happen more frequently.
When people say the Democrats are "too nice," I don't really understand what that means. What exactly should should they be doing other than trying to run the country effectively. We have major challenges at this time and it should be a "all hands on deck" experience, not poking each other in the eye. I can't believe all Republicans are on board with the Party of No strategy. Am I just kidding myself? I hope not, but when I see all Republicans lining up to reject a bill because it has a mask mandate in it in the middle of a pandemic, it makes me wonder.
Eighty years ago today, the United States was, in FDR’s words, “Suddenly and deliberately attacked,” by the Japanese. Today we are being surreptitiously but no less deliberately attack by a portion of our own people. Potentially, a more dangerous assault; Japan was never going to conquer the United States. So let Pearl Harbor impel us to resist as the men caught unawares 89 years ago did.
And OT, it won’t happen, but I’d love to see the US Olympic Team march into the opening ceremonies behind a flag hung upside down, which is a nautical signal of distress.
Argh! I should have noted the event.
This was a really good article that harkens back to you Democratic messaging question as well as to the concern of the rise of authoritarianism around the world. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/06/preparing-democracy-summit-biden-needs-start-home/
Thanks for the reference to the WaPo article. I will check it out. I appreciate it when readers point me to source materials.