Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Notes on the State of the Union

Fresh from their debacle with the Iowa caucuses, Congressional Democrats, led by petulant, insolent, impudent, arrogant, contemptuous Nancy Pelosi threw an epic tantrum last night.

The State of the Union used to be a solemn ceremonial occasion. One might say that President Trump did a good job of keeping a handle on the dignity of the occasion. One cannot say the same thing about Nancy Pelosi.

Having struck out with the impeachment farce, Pelosi showed herself worthy of the new leaders of her party, a Squad of anti-Semitic America-hating morons. She did it with a piece of performance art. She tore up her hard copy of the president’s address. 

As it happens, the document was inscribed to her, and was destined for the national archives. But, the party that has inveighed for three years now about Trump’s lack of presidential decorum-- not always unreasonably-- has been showing itself to be in fundamental violation of the most elementary rules of democratic decorum.

It began when Hillary Clinton refused to accept Donald Trump as a legitimate president. There is no more important rule of democratic decorum. Pelosi followed up with a sham impeachment. She did not do it for the rule of law, or the constitution or national security… but for the drama.

As it happens, Trump’s speech was gracious and generous and even magnanimous. Before it went on, former Congressman Harold Ford suggested that Trump should try for magnanimity. He was correct, and, to my mind Trump manifested it.

Magnanimity is a classical virtue. It signifies that you are in charge, and that you are not in it to exploit or oppress other people.

But, now that Pelosi has humiliated herself and her party the left wing crank squad is out in force declaring that the document she tore up was only a piece of paper. So was, we will add, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, a marriage licence and your paycheck.

One recalls a time when those who wanted to destroy the institution of marriage, presumably to liberate women from oppression, declared that a marriage license was only a piece of paper. How did that one work out for women?

Among Trump’s magnanimous gestures was his outreach to the black community. Van Jones noticed it and warned his fellow Democrats that Trump might be making inroads in a crucial Democratic voting block.

Jones said this:

What he was saying to African-Americans can be effective. You may not like it, but he mentioned HBCUs [historically black colleges and universities] — our black colleges have been struggling for a long time, a bunch of them have gone under — he threw a lifeline to them, in real life, in his budget. He talked about that. He talked about the criminal justice reform. He talked about opportunity zones. He talked about school choice.

Later, Jones tweeted this:

WAKE UP, folks. The #IowaCaucus was a debacle, followed by a strong #SOTU speech laying out Trump's strategy to win – which includes going for Black voters. This was a warning shot from the Trump campaign to liberals, and we need to take this VERY seriously in order to win. @CNN

5 comments:

trigger warning said...

"[Pelosi] did it with a piece of performance art. She tore up her hard copy of the president’s address."

One of the best rejoinders I've read was Mitch McConnell's (a man I sorely underestimated in 2016) in response to Pelosi's handing out gold pens on silver platters at the "somber" and [wait for it...] "prayerful" House signing of the Articles of Peach Mint:

"Well, nothing says seriousness and sobriety like handing out souvenirs..."

Of course all the Democrat Grrrlz had to wear matching outfits.

:-D

Webutante said...

Nancy has gone down the slippery slope of insanity so far, it's doubtful she could ever come back. She knows no shame for her depravity. And poor Mitt has forever defined himself as a light-weight.

whitney said...

They can't understand Trump because he is a happy optimist and that is so alien to everything they live and breathe. It's obvious that they are filled with hate, envy and resentment. Happy optimism is really not part of their world. It's sad for us because they will seek to destroy all Beauty and truth, but it is sad for them because the state of their soul is dark, depraved and forever restlessly seeking out new novelties that will never give them what they seek.

UbuMaccabee said...

Whitney, this is what Benjamin Jowett had to say about these types of people, from his intro to Plato’s Republic:

“The oligarch changes into the democrat in the following manner:—The youth who has had a miserly bringing up, gets a taste of the drone's honey; he meets with wild companions, who introduce him to every new pleasure. As in the State, so in the individual, there are allies on both sides, temptations from without and passions from within; there is reason also and external influences of parents and friends in alliance with the oligarchical principle; and the two factions are in violent conflict with one another. Sometimes the party of order prevails, but then again new desires and new disorders arise, and the whole mob of passions gets possession of the Acropolis, that is to say, the soul, which they find void and unguarded by true words and works. Falsehoods and illusions ascend to take their place; the prodigal goes back into the country of the Lotophagi or drones, and openly dwells there. And if any offer of alliance or parley of individual elders comes from home, the false spirits shut the gates of the castle and permit no one to enter,—there is a battle, and they gain the victory; and straightway making alliance with the desires, they banish modesty, which they call folly, and send temperance over the border. When the house has been swept and garnished, they dress up the exiled vices, and, crowning them with garlands, bring them back under new names. Insolence they call good breeding, anarchy freedom, waste magnificence, impudence courage. Such is the process by which the youth passes from the necessary pleasures to the unnecessary. After a while he divides his time impartially between them; and perhaps, when he gets older and the violence of passion has abated, he restores some of the exiles and lives in a sort of equilibrium, indulging first one pleasure and then another; and if reason comes and tells him that some pleasures are good and honourable, and others bad and vile, he shakes his head and says that he can make no distinction between them. Thus he lives in the fancy of the hour; sometimes he takes to drink, and then he turns abstainer; he practises in the gymnasium or he does nothing at all; then again he would be a philosopher or a politician; or again, he would be a warrior or a man of business; he is
'Every thing by starts and nothing long.'”

Eros tyrannos. A inversion of Socratic Eros. A winged drone surrounded by a swarm of pleasures. Eric Voegelin is the best guide on the subject.




Sam L. said...

"What he was saying to African-Americans can be effective. You may not like it, but he mentioned HBCUs [historically black colleges and universities] — our black colleges have been struggling for a long time, a bunch of them have gone under — he threw a lifeline to them, in real life, in his budget. He talked about that. He talked about the criminal justice reform. He talked about opportunity zones. He talked about school choice."

Ooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhm that TRUMP!!!!! Stealing the left's water of life!!!!!