Ace of Spades Goes Full-On Populist?

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Because I’ve been up to my ears in radical feminism for the past year, I haven’t monitored the day-to-day developments of the GOP presidential primary campaign the way I did during the 2012 cycle. As a result, I am unaware (and really, do not care) which of my blogger friends are supporting which candidate. My attitude for the 2016 campaign can be summarized in three words: Anybody But Clinton. After my (ultimately futile) hyper-involvement in the 2012 campaign, I simply do not want to expend mental or emotional energy worrying about who the Republicans nominate. Others do not have that attitude, however, which brings us to Ace of Spades discussing the latest Donald Trump controversy:

Laura Ingraham: GOP will rip itself apart at convention to avoid nominating Trump.
Krauthammer: Trump’s proposal is “deeply bigoted,” “indefensible.”
Josh Earnest: Trump’s proposal consigns him for the new and improved “Wrong side of history,” which is now “the dustbin of history.” . . .
Ingraham points out that Trump’s proposal comes in a particular context: When the establishments of both parties already want to take him out, and are willing to seize on whatever cudgel is at hand to do so.
They’re not going to beat him this way.
The establishment’s yelling about everything has gone from tedious to exhausting to infuriating.

Read the whole thing. I had noticed, occasionally, Ace’s increasing frustration with the GOP establishment the past year or so, but I guess I underestimated the intensity of his frustration, or his seriousness about the immigration problem. Knowing Ace, he’s the last guy I would expect to dive off into Pat Buchanan/Peter Brimelow/John Derbyshire paleoconservative-style populism which I’m not saying he has, but I think he definitely now understands the teeth-grinding fury the Old Right felt toward the GOP’s constant compromising with liberalism. Insofar as any conservative is serious about defeating the Left, I think, he must eventually experience that kind of reaction. The alternative is to become an unprincipled centrist hack like Steve Schmidt or Nicolle Wallace.

Honestly, I’ve got a Zen-like serenity about the Trump phenomenon. The prospect of Trump going thermonuclear and running as an independent is the worst-case scenario, and so what? He will do it or he won’t. Republicans who want to stop Trump from winning the GOP nomination have to reckon with that possibility, and let them worry about it.

Not my problem.

If Ace is saying “burn it down,” there may be no alternative. It is not Trump’s fault that the GOP establishment is impotent. It’s not Ace’s fault. It’s not my fault. It’s not your fault. That arrogant fat-faced bastard Karl Rove? Yeah, I’m willing to blame it all on him, because why not? Populism needs a scapegoat and he’ll do. So if everything goes sideways between now and November 2016, and Hillary Clinton is elected because Trump went third-party and got 34% of the vote . . . ?

Burn it down, I say, and blame it all on Karl.




 

269 comments

  1. The establishment hates Cruz because he does his own thing instead of going along to get along, which isn’t quite the same as populism, but he also has a good understanding of the Constitution. I don’t really have a dog in this fight, since everything’s over before Oregon anyway — I haven’t even bothered to change my party registration — but although you’re correct, I would be happy to vote for him.

  3. Obama is a 54 year old man, married for 23 years, and has two adolescent children. He’s not an adolescent and not acting out any ‘daddy issues’. He’s just damaged goods. We all are to some degree. He’s a finished product, and it’s too bad.
    His real problem is that he’s had a simulacrum of an adult life rather than the real thing. An aspect of that is that he went into the legal profession and into the academic wing thereof where people are willing to pretend the emperor was fully clothed for the fancied benefit of blacks on their patronage. Another aspect is what made him vulnerable to that: vanity, shallowness, and (one suspects) anhedonia. I would not subscribe indolence to him because he has at points in his life engaged in frenetic activity – but it was all wheel-spinning.
    As for his political life, he’s on air talent. Pres. Ted Baxter.

  5. More precisely, Cruz has political principles and is not a puppy dog for that lobbyist from the Chamber-of-Commerce. He also takes an interest in accomplishing things, while McConnell is all about Capitol Hill gamesmanship.

  7. “The fact that one set of authoritarians is running wild doesn’t excuse the counter-authoritarian impulse.”

    No, it doesn’t excuse it but it explains it. It is only when there is no viable response to radical leftists from the traditional right that guys like Trump can gain a foothold. If the GOP hadn’t been incompetent in opposing them (or perhaps complicit with them), then Trump would be a joke candidate rather than the front runner.

    However, when the alternative to Trump is more of the same that is taking us on a clear path to national suicide, then that fate is scary enough for people to turn to populism, fascism, cults of personality, anything that at least promises them a chance to fight against what the other political options have conceded as an inevitability.

  8. The Cathedral has begun calling him a Nazi, but here’s the thing: international socialism has a much higher body count than national socialism, so clearly the problems are socialism and internationalism, and Trump is a national capitalist.

    So you see, the godless commies in the media are literally worse than Hitler, and projecting their flaws. You heard it here first: this line of attack will actually backfire on them.

  9. Your use of the term “alt-right” is simply borrowing a tactic from SJWs in an attempt disqualify. As such, you say more about yourself than the people you have targeted.

    VDare is a serious outlet, whether you recognize it or not. I know little about the Rockford Institute, but given your record here, I can pretty dismiss what you say about that as well.

  12. Honor requires you defend your own. Principles that lead to suicide are not principles. What you are pushing leads to suicide.

  15. You might have already seen this, but the new term — generated from within — is Militant Right.

    I like it. Reminds me of the Church Militant. Speaks of courage and determination in righteousness.

  16. Buchanan doesn’t do the publishing. His stuff syndicated and anyone that wants it can pick it up. I’m a bit surprised given your prissy nature you are unaware of that.

    Austrian Economics is far fringe and that’s what Rockwell and the Von Mises Institute push.

    If Woods is bad, refute him. Just a friendly warning, however, you won’t be able to do it. Jaffa tried it and made a fool of himself.

    Since you seriously do think that, you are either illiterate or not paying attention. Note the two are mutually exclusive.

  17. Deco is simply projecting and does exactly what he has accused his targets of. Any reading his stuff and paying attention can see he’s a legend in his own mind.

  18. Actually, John Derbyshire refers to himself as ‘alt-right’.
    ==
    I’m using it as a generic to describe several strands which are distinct from each other but which have co-operative projects and understand themselves and the conventional starboard a particular way.
    —
    I would not say ‘vdare’ is unserious. It’s a commentary site, and just does not have the range of activities which the Center for Immigration Studies does. Complaints about immigration policy would be the closest thing to a common thread on the alt-right, but they are not engaging in research, publishing white papers, or lobbying because they just do not have that skill set. Also vDare is contaminated with a mess of stuff that is best hosed off and left on the side of the road.

  19. The thing is, they are not militant at all. They’re actually vain about their detachment from most of what concerns others and then oddly and idiosyncratically passionate. See Thomas Fleming’s long tour as a press agent for Serb nationalists.

  21. Trump is certainly the GOP’s Frankenstein but he’s more of a product of the Tea Party plutocratic kowtowing faction rather than Rove.

    It’s just a reality that the 2010 TP wave scared the GOP establishment (Dems too) to the point of an inability to distance themselves from the buffoonery and bigotry, leaving them little choice but to keep their heads deep in the bowels of the wealthy corporate donors, prominent extremist, and Fox News who nurtured that TP monster.

    Donald Frankenstein Trump is simply saying out loud what today’s so-called conservatives are all about. And this non-electable Frankenstein will ultimately be their demise in the general election regardless of running Republican or Independent.

  22. Actually, I’m Joe Blow off the sidewalks of Rochester and everything I say is said with recycled pixels.

  23. If Woods is bad, refute him. Just a friendly warning, however, you won’t be able to do it. Jaffa tried it and made a fool of himself.
    Woods was last seen offering a YouTube lecture sagely explaining to his votaries that production statistics are nonsense. (Historical production statistics are inconvenient for goldbugs). Somehow I don’t think he’s the most reliable exponent of instruction on matters economic.
    (No clue what sort of pilpul he was disputing with Harry Jaffa).

  25. Buchanan doesn’t do the publishing.
    He remains a contributor to The American Conservative and The Unz Review. I.e., his commentaries are ‘published’ on these sites.

  27. Top Ten Things Right with Trump:

    1. He knows heterosexuality wasn’t “invented.”
    2. He knows “ethnic” is not a synonym for “ideology.”
    3. He understands the Third World is like a corporation which doesn’t work.
    4. He’s understandably nervous about his Tower.
    5. He instinctively senses transgender can’t breastfeed.
    6. He actually likes America.
    7. He doesn’t hate me for waking up in the morning or that East India Company thing.
    8. He knows burglars aren’t “undocumented tenants not on the lease.”
    9. He would publicly tell radical lesbians to go straight to hell.
    10. He would publicly tell a 14 century old mentally retarded ideology which tries to hide behind “ethnicity” to go straight to hell (See: No. 2).

  29. Tea Party has won? From your pie-hole to the Deity’s ear.

    And of course Marco of the Even Greater Ears is establishment!
    1. Hasn’t yet caused a government shutdown.
    2. Member of the Gang of Eight and favors Open Borders for all intents and purposes.
    3. Lies like a rug to his constituents.
    4. Is number two on Rove’s list.

    Rubio isn’t quite as establishment as Jeb, but you can be sure Mitch McConnell approves of him.

  30. Taking money from the military to fund retarded liberal programs equals slavery and empire-building once again walking the earth. See: ISIS. Russia is just looking for an excuse to go to war with Turkey and I’d bet money Nigeria will attack its neighbors within a decade. If ISIS can run around shooting people in the head and pitching them in rivers on video then don’t be surprised if Istanbul gets a new name and owners sooner rather than later.

  31. Agreed. A few (getting less few) Muslims are openly at war with the US while the majority merely favor whatever the various terrorists do, many of them engaging in pro-terror propaganda.

    And on our side the “weak horse” effectively encourages ISIS and their buddies.

  33. The point is that I doubt Trump will do half of what his tough talk leads you to believe he’ll do. He won’t greatly lessen immigration, and he’s already stated that he’ll let the illegals back in once they’ve touched base at their previous home.

    I don’t trust any of the candidates but Santorum and—to a lesser extent—Cruz.

  34. The only thing I’m pushing is holding an individual responsible for their own actions.

    Just because my neighbor the Miata owner lets his dog do his stuff on my lawn doesn’t mean that ALL Miata owners do the same. Nor does it mean that all Miata owners should be forced to either leave the country or live in “relocation camps.”

    The neighbor did me wrong. The lady Miata owner in Kansas City didn’t.

  35. Zackly! But if Cruz manages to start leading Trump, and if Jeb and the other RINOs fall by the wayside, the establishment will attempt to hitch a ride on the coattails of one of the two leaders. Might be Cruz, might be Trump—depends who they hate the most at the time.

    I give you the experience of Reagan for an example. When he won big they all were 100% for him. No sooner did 20 Jan 1988 come along than Bush 1 led the joyous return to pre-Reagan policies.

  36. And they pretend no to understand this. That they might be so disconnected they really don’t understand it, I can’t bring myself to believe.

  39. Believe it. The whole point of their clubs (with annual dues in the thousands of $$) and hotels and resorts etc. is to keep out the hoi polloi. Their aesthetic delicacy has resulted in a global echo chamber where they never have to talk to non-rich non-servants.

    ETA: Ironically, Trump owns many of those properties, so they’re actually funding him.

  40. The welfare state and open borders are a suicidal combination, but that doesn’t mean that either one is fine on its own. End the welfare state and close the borders.

  41. Late to the party, but I’ll chime in anyway. I’m veeeeery leery of Trump, because if he is about anything, he is about self-promotion. How much of his spiel he actually believes is an open question. There’s a part of me which believes he’s in this mainly to screw with everyone else while basking in limelight.

    That said, the GOP establishment has only itself to blame. One can only piss on the voters so many times before they’re outside one’s door with pitchforks and torches.

  43. Well, then would you care to share a definition that doesn’t implicate yourself? (Good luck with that.)

    Seriously. Think about your own attitude toward classlessness. Really? That’s your dealbreaker? Wow, just wow. I can’t even.

  44. What the hell are you going on about? I didn’t even mention classlessness. It’s all about Trump’s leftist ideology.

    And without getting into a more detailed theological discussion, Manichean refers to an overly simplistic, dualistic approach or philosophy. In the case of Trump, not everyone who opposes him is ipso facto a Bush or other establishment candidate supporter.

  46. I would not be sorry to see it called Constantinople again. Hearing about the atrocities committed in the course of renaming it Istanbul is enough to make my blood boil. We never should’ve let them into NATO.

  47. I don’t care. As long as Trump keeps on punching the Overton window in the face, he’s doing God’s work.

  49. Perhaps we’re not talking about the same people. Wait until you see someone call himself mil-right.

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