The anti-Trump Resistance resists …
… with particular force because they see their entire edifice of power threatened.
I recall that, at the beginning of Trump’s first term, I started reading about the self-styled Resistance to Trump. The word was chosen for its Nazi-fighting associations: if they were the Resistance, who was Trump?
And when I say “at the beginning,” I mean the very beginning. I knew people who wanted him impeached before he’d done anything as president, and I first read an article about resistance [see *NOTE below] to Trump by government workers either prior to Trump’s first inauguration or shortly thereafter. That article was not an exposé by some reporter critical of the movement – it was a brag about how workers within the agencies were planning to sabotage and thwart whatever Trump was trying to do. They were extremely proud of themselves, and they were quite organized. I wish I could find the article today, but so far I haven’t located it.
The first time I wrote in depth about the movement was in this May 2017 post entitled “A slow-motion coup d’etat.” That was four months into Trump’s first administration. I didn’t invent the title; I took it from a Federalist article I was discussing that you can find here, and from which I will quote again. Looking at it now, almost exactly eight years later, I wouldn’t call the author a Trump supporter. But he is alarmed at the Resistance:
Arguably, what has been branded as “The Resistance” — but in actuality is the totalitarian might of the administrative state and their partisan allies — began with the Democratic Party’s scorched-earth campaign against the political nominations of the Trump White House. But beyond the partisan rancor of the legitimate and often frustrating nomination process, more sinister forces were at work.
Mother Jones, unwittingly, sheds light onto the mindset of the administrative state in a piece detailing the resistance of EPA bureaucrats. An anonymous and unelected government employee wrote to Mother Jones laying out a lengthy argument justifying his or her resistance to reforms by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and objection to directives from the White House [a lengthy quote from the letter follows] …
This is not the words of a dutiful civil servant but of a partisan tyrant who would see his own view, his own agenda, and his own lens of politics dominate over that of the elected government of the United States. In their minds they are but a guardian of the people, albeit one that must stand up to and ultimately negate the will of that very same people. …
Complicit with the authoritarian nature of the administrative state is factions within the United States intelligence community both inside and outside the White House. They have engaged in a campaign of selective leaks and plots to undermine the president of the United States and weave a media narrative of Russian influence, conspiracy, and now obstruction of justice. With their media allies, they have leaked information and intelligence that — while lacking any actual criminal element — has allowed a narrative to arise that casts a dark shadow over the White House and those who live and work in it.
A narrative comprised of the Russian government “hacking” the presidential election, collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and Trump being compromised by the Russian government dominated the media before the final votes of the election were even tallied. Skepticism was suspended for what can only be described as a concerted effort to undermine the elected president of the United States.
Shortly after the inauguration, this narrative escalated via select leaks …
It goes on for quite some time. And keep in mind that it was written eight years ago, and refers to efforts that began even before Trump’s inauguration.
If they felt threatened by Trump’s presidency then, imagine what they feel now. Well, you don’t have to imagine; in that very same periodical, The Federalist, Margot Cleveland wrote yesterday describing current efforts in the same direction by similar people.
And there’s this by Beth Brele, entitled “CNN: Deep State Bureaucrats Threaten To Sell State Secrets If Trump Isn’t Nice To Them.” It appeared in the Federalist yesterday, and says:
In the piece, CNN warned, “As the CIA weighs staff cuts, current and former intelligence officials say that mass firings could offer a rich recruitment opportunity for foreign intelligence services — like China or Russia — who may seek to exploit financially vulnerable or resentful former employees.”
The piece goes on.
“… on the CIA’s 7th floor — home to top leadership — some officers are also quietly discussing how mass firings and the buyouts already offered to staff risk creating a group of disgruntled former employees who might be motivated to take what they know to a foreign intelligence service.” …
Is that a threat from the CIA? Is CNN reporting that Trump should keep everyone employed because, if he doesn’t, former CIA agents will spill U.S. secrets to our enemies? Apparently so.
But if that’s the case, these are exactly the employees who should be fired.
That seems pretty obvious.
There’s also this sort of thing:
FBI whistleblower @GOBactual confirmed to me that a source inside FBI said FBI employees were destroying evidence on servers, and that he informed @Kash_Patel
I hope he & @AGPamBondi @JohnRatcliffe @elonmusk @realannapaulina are preventing this.
We urgently need disclosure! https://t.co/hhEU2z9r8i
— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) February 25, 2025
They feel more threatened than ever. What’s next?
[*NOTE: The first use of the term “resistance” i can find in this blog to describe the anti-Trump crowd was on February 28, 2017, about a month after his inauguration: see this. But it wasn’t the first time I’d heard of it.]
It is so sad watching the US tear itself apart. The vicious hatreds on both sides. The unwillingness to see anything other than bad in the opposition. And then there are the leaders whipping up the storm.
Red and Blue aren’t your enemies. But your enemies are delighted when all you care about is red v blue.
I would also argue Canada and Europe aren’t your enemies but that is now an amazingly controversial opinion.
Good luck to all of you 🙂
David Clayton:
The left has been calling leaders on the right “Hitler” for a long time. The left completely dominates the bureaucracy in DC and is also behind the lawfare against its opponents. Those things are facts. This comes from the left. What is happening now can be explained here:
Hope you saw the piece on City Journal by Chris Rufo which uncovered the crazy and deranged sex talk (lots of trans stuff) by our so-called intelligence officials.
Lots of them need to be fired. And the new FBI can keep an eye on the fired CIA people to see if they are selling state secrets.
What horrible people! No exactly like in the movies.
” The anti-Trump Resistance resists…with particular force because they see their entire edifice of power threatened.”
Yup. As I said early on, DOGE is an atom bomb set off in the heart of the Deep State. With it Trump and Musk have crossed the Rubicon. I hope they both know there’s no going back now, no letting up. Everyone is all in. I think they do.
Besides mixing three metaphors, I note that it took two atom bombs to defeat Imperial Japan. I wonder what the second one will be in this case.
The unwillingness to see anything other than bad in the opposition.
==
Your comment is perfectly smarmy.
@Cornhead:Hope you saw the piece on City Journal by Chris Rufo which uncovered the crazy and deranged sex talk (lots of trans stuff) by our so-called intelligence officials.
He can find that closer to home, one of his recent hires to the Manhattan Institute is an outspoken advocate for trans people, as well as a pro-Biden progressive and a porn actress. In Rufo’s defense, he probably hired her because she was dating another Manhattan Institute staffer, and not because of being pro-Biden or in porn. He certainly did pass over a lot of better-qualified people, though.
David Clayton:
I have no idea where you are from but it is sad that you have not been paying attention to what has been going on in my, our (neo’s) country. The far left has shown itself quite willing to murder Americans for having the wrong political beliefs be they a health care executive, a presidential candidate (unsuccessfully tried twice in 2024) or a conservative activist (Portland, OR 2020).
Friends don’t murder to settle differences of opinion or philosophy. Enemies see no problem with that seemingly.
David is really trolling us, or a reasonable facsimile, of same, now when 100 cities were undergoing ‘mostly peaceful’ protests, so Canada, debanks Truckers and grovels to Xi, and assorted terrorists, like omar kadr, the boy terrorist or the Hamas protesters, how are they an ally, maybe under a different regime,
by that standard, this so called resistance is a damp squib, some cigar store indian judges,
some rent a mob, with AID receipts,
some of Rufo’s research, might have published elsewhere,
like Discover the Networks, but much of it is new to my recollection,
does someone have to simon pure to be acceptable, well we are going to have a very small tent, for instance clair lehmann and bari weiss have said some silly things in the last week or so, but I wouldnt right them off
David Clayton:
And as to the country “tearing itself apart” consider that what is actually happening is the progressives and left are loosing their dominance and strangle hold on power. They are weakened but not yet defeated. Clutching at straws, hopefully as the arc of history pulls them down the drain.
Revealing classified information is a serious federal crime. Revealing classified information to a hostile foreign power would be an act of treason.
Ҥ2381. Treason
Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.” [my emphasis]
Which raises the question; can an American citizen convicted of treason and imprisoned… still receive a Presidential pardon?
@miguel cervantes:does someone have to simon pure to be acceptable
I am heavily sanitizing this situation, miguel. I’ve given you enough to go on to fill in the rest, and find out how bad it really is.
Someone who preaches meritocracy probably should be expected to practice it, and the tent cannot be made infinitely big to cover “a pro-choice atheist who has consistently voted Democrat throughout my adult life”. There are a lot of real conservatives with better qualifications that Rufo passed over. It’s not wrong to point this out.
As one commenter said, “You get to dole out cash and prizes to your friend’s lefty porno gf or you get to lecture people about temperament and hiring practices, you don’t get to do both at the same time.”
Rufo’s done a lot of great work, and he can do more. He could be even more effective if he hired better people, and this particular act of nepotism is the kind of thing that is at least as bad, if not worse, then the DEI hiring he’s been working against.
@Geoffrey Britain:can an American citizen convicted of treason and imprisoned… still receive a Presidential pardon?
Treason was pardoned by President Johnson for thousands of people in 1868. It’s a plenary power and there is only one restriction on it in the Constitution. The Founders argued about making treason unpardonable, and did not do it.
Niketas, perhaps there is more background to the story than your one link to the Evangelical Dark Web (a site new to me). The author there has his point of view, and makes a couple of negative references to Jews which seem out of line. On the other hand, the Manhattan Institute recently accepted a married male staffer’s transition to feminine. The MI is an economic free-trade, free speech outlet, not necessarily focused on Christian morality standards. I can accept think tank work aimed at causes I agree with so long as it doesn’t step out of its lane and begin overtly pushing causes I don’t believe in.
The appropriation of “the Resistance” by the left was and is nauseating. As an attempt at stolen valor, it deserves more outrage than it seems to have gotten.The same sort of people post images of soldiers wading ashore at D-Day and equate Antifa to them. Contemptible.
@Kate:Niketas, perhaps there is more background to the story
Way more, I chose to keep it brief and somewhat sanitized as it was already getting off topic. There are any number of other sources if you care to look for them (though some of them will be porn so be careful).
And yes, very nasty people on the Left and on the Right have noticed and are delighted to be able to use this against Rufo and by extension any one else who opposes DEI initiatives or is part of the mainstream Right.
not necessarily focused on Christian morality standards
True, but merit-based hiring is definitely something they’ve focused on, and they definitely did not do that in this case. I suppose since this form of nepotism can be argued as since it’s not DEI hiring, there’s nothing hypocritical about it, but few of us would defend it that way.
The larger conversation that this little incident is part of is how the various right-leaning movements say one thing and do another when it comes to merit in hiring and other opportunities.
AB: Perplexity, please see if you can find an article fitting the description below. Thanks
(I gave neo’s full description in my question.)
Perplexity:
link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/resistance-from-within-federal-workers-push-back-against-trump/2017/01/31/c65b110e-e7cb-11e6-b82f-687d6e6a3e7c_story.html
Kate:
What is it about the paleocons and Pat Buchanon? That little gem cost them 1000 credibility stars IMO. Will they cite Tucker Carlson next? Or Pizzagate?
They certainly have their axe well honed and ready for Chris Ruffo. When they actually produce more than ” the Internet is forever” she did porn 10 years ago, and, Oh Noes!, she is a Jew, I’ll take them seriously.
“Treason was pardoned by President Johnson for thousands of people in 1868. It’s a plenary power and there is only one restriction on it in the Constitution. The Founders argued about making treason unpardonable, and did not do it.’ Niketas Choniates
In the aftermath of a civil war, when no war crimes were committed by the individual and to the extent possible, societal healing dictates that remedy.
Otherwise, when guilt is irrefutable, the death penalty should be imposed and… without delay.
“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself.” Marcus Tullius Cicero
RE: The Secret Service and it’s methodical, concentric circles of protective coverage
Recently I attended a very interesting lecture by a long time, former member of the Secret Service, who was a member of the Presidential protective details for both Presidents Carter and Reagan.
He gave a brief history of the Secret Service, and showed us a list of the assassinations and attempted assassinations of our Presidents—many more than I would have thought.
Then, through some very interesting photographs, starting in the early 1900s–he showed how the Secret Service’s Presidential protective details have evolved over time, illustrating the very careful and methodical way the Secret Service has analyzed the situations a President might be in, devises a strategy for each, and forms a protective detail to cope with each one (today’s average Presidential protective detail consists of around 80-100 men).
One thing about these photos which struck me very forcefully was how open to the people presidents had been in the past.
In 1835, in the first assassination attempt against a U.S. President, President Andrew Jackson’s would be assassin, Richard Lawrence, just walked up to the President in the Capitol building, fired a Derringer at him which misfired, there was a struggle, the assassin pulled out a second Derringer, which also misfired, and Jackson then proceeded to beat the hell out of him with his cane.
(Interestingly enough, around a hundred years later, the Smithsonian tested both Derringers, and each one fired on the first try—odds against two misfires 125,000 to 1.)*
In a picture from the early 1900s we saw—a President, it might have been Wilson, standing up in a car, waving his hat, streets lined with people who were very close to that car, and people hanging out of the windows of all the buildings lining the route.
And through a series of other carefully chosen photos we saw how—over the decades–these unvetted crowds of people—these potential threats–were pushed further and further away from Presidents until, in today’s political atmosphere the President travels in his bullet proof car, the “Beast,” and the lecturer said that he believed that, today, the Secret Service would recommend that the President not expose himself like Wilson did.
But, of course, the President has the final say.
We also saw a few photos showing how situations and crowds could overcome such planning.
The lecturer discussed each of the prominent 20th and 21st century assassinations and attempts, only discussing the Butler, PA assassination attempt against “candidate” Trump when asked a question about it, at the end of the lecture.
He admitted that “mistakes were made,” fell back on the excuse that since, at that point, a person who has been called “the most threatened person on the planet,” former President Trump, was just a “candidate,” thus, his status did not justify him having a full Presidential protective detail.
But, he also noted that there are political elements to protection .
The second thing which struck me was just how methodical and careful the Secret service was in it’s planning for Presidential protective details and how, according to various analyses of this assassination attempt, including some of the congressional testimony I’ve seen, virtually every element of a competent protective detail was either denied or missing.
First, before this assassination attempt, the refusal by Washington HQ to add to candidate Trump’s protective detail, despite repeated requests for more agents.
Then, on the day of the attempt, and in the very dangerous venue of an open air rally, every one of the concentric circles of protection which were supposed to be in place failed–no drone air cover, and reported Secret Service refusal to use a drone offered by the local police and, apparently, no standard command post, no agents stationed on obvious roofs or the highest point with a direct line of sight–the water tower, reported refusal of the Secret Service to either attend the background briefing by the local police, or to accept local police cell phones, which would have assured better communication with them, Washington HQ telling the nearest Secret Service office–Pittsburgh, not to request more agents to cover Trump, some more experienced agents reportedly being pulled off Trump’s detail and sent to cover a speech being made that same day by First Lady Jill Biden at some small local restaurant, and use of some untrained agents from other agencies to fill in etc., etc.**
(The lecturer did add an interesting fact, and that is that if the the Secret Service is shy on manpower for a Presidential protective detail they can call for manpower from local police or the the nearest military bases.)
My conclusion—based on all of the myriad of “mistakes” and deviations from normal procedures which were made, Butler, PA was a setup, deliberately shortchanged coverage, and if something bad happened to candidate Trump well, “shit happens.”
* See https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/andrew-jackson-narrowly-escapes-assassination
** See for instance, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3-pnv7x4TM
Re: Jackson
Smithsonian derringer test is questionable without allowing for all kinds of unknowns. How old and in what condition were the powder and caps or whatever in 1835. Had they been exposed to moisture before use? I doubt the Smithsonian test could reproduce the actual conditions.
Wikipedia…
“It was later determined that the weapons that he [the assassin] had chosen were noted for being vulnerable to moisture, and the weather on that date [January 30] was humid and damp.”
The comment by “David Clayton” (assuming that is his/her name) could be understandable if he/she is, as it appears, a resident of a country other than the USA, and assuming further that he/she gets his/her news from the usual corporate media sources. Those outlets portray America in the terms he/she describes, resorting to deceptive reporting in which the actions of Trump and his supporters are portrayed as the worst possible thing while praising or at minimum excusing the violent, treasonous acts of the anti-Trump, anti-American (but I repeat myself) forces, if they report their activities at all. On the other hand, I’m not ruling out the possibility of a concern troll.
Hanged by one’s neck until dead needs to make a comeback for the crime of reason.
Bah, join #TheResistance for the cool berets and secret handshakes.
If they really meant it they’d get exploded in a training exercise deep in the Meigs County woods.
Neo, I have my own very early “resistance” story, and if I’ve shared it before please pardon my forgetfulness.
The week after the election of 2016 we (section heads) were waiting in the embassy conference room for the start of the weekly Country Team meeting with the Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission. I was sitting next to the Ambassador when someone at the far end of the table, in a conversation with others, said “Well, maybe someone will assassinate him before the inauguration.” That was followed by laughter from the group. The Ambo also heard it, and to her credit said to us all that if she ever heard that again, the person who said it and everyone who laughed would get a “Loss of Confidence” letter in their file and a ticket back to DC on the next flight out. A “Loss of Confidence” letter and a trip back to DC pretty much ends a diplomat’s career. The room went silent, and yes, I believe the person who made the assassination comment was the USAID Country Director.
Resistance at the State Dept from the very first week.
The comment by “David Clayton” (assuming that is his/her name) could be understandable if he/she is, as it appears, a resident of a country other than the USA,
==
Another of ‘David Clayton’s comments was a libel of the Alternative for Germany and its voters. AfD’s platform is available for your perusal, so there isn’t much excuse for such behavior.
art deco: “Another of ‘David Clayton’s comments was a libel of the Alternative for Germany and its voters.”
And then there’s the fact that it’s headed by a lesbian former Goldman Sachs banker whose idol is Margaret Thatcher, and it’s base is centered in the former East German communist ruled area whose voters know exactly what totalitarianism means.
Hi art deco – I am a real person – live in England and am getting old – mid sixties -and genuinely shocked by what is happening in the US.
Most Europeans don’t realise how the US is really more than one country with widely differing cultures and beliefs. It always impressed me how it all hung together around a flag and a constitution.
Now it doesn’t seem to be hanging together and each ‘half’ will excuse anything their side do in the gleeful race to destroy the others.
So many things would be unacceptable to MAGA if the Dems did it but you seem quite happy while Trump does.
Threatening to ignore the Constitution and courts
The President as a King
Federal authorities threatening states who don’t obey federal authorities
Political appointments to the military and courts.
Threatening to impeach judges who don’t produce the right results.
Government by EO and ignoring, or worse, executive domination of congress.
The checks and balances are there for a reason – as is the constitution.
Meanwhile in Europe people are increasingly frightened of the USA. Trust has gone and many expect the US to withdraw its forces sooner rather than later. In one way this is good as Europe will now pay more for and take control of its own defence. But many on the old left are absolutely delighted. This break with the USA is what their dreams are made of.
In the saner world there is real concern about what happens next.
World trade dragged down by tariffs? I struggle to see who gains from a tariff war.
Russian- US co-operation in dominating Europe?
An unstable US turning on its allies. Threatening Canada….., I can’t even believe I am suggesting that but here we are.
US support for extremist parties. You might think the AfD, Andrew Tate and Tommy Robinson are all moderate centre right – but you don’t get to talk to their supporters. They are not in favour of democracy, there are many racist anti-semites and they are a lot are surprisingly keen on Putin.
US withdrawing from the world and letting Russia take military control of many countries while the Chinese Belt and Road policy and AIIB controls their economies.
The Chinese are pleased with all this. The Russians are absolutely delighted. Even N Korea is happy.
But in Europe people are very very worried.
The USA needs to settle the fight with itself and get back to being a force for good. At the moment it in turmoil and settling down for a long period of decline and division.
You are misinformed it was bidens rege that ignored the Supreme Court, who groveled to Xi from the Anchorage capitulations onward who allowed putin and khomeini to amass oil revenues so they could carry out their projects the latter had a ring of agents including the 2nd highest state department official
It was the Biden regime that threatened to jail their political opponents their attorneys who saw parents at school board meetings at threats who let everyone including terrorists on watchlists into our country
Dont get me started on Perfidious Albion and the bitter little man starmer his confiscation of farms his general warrant about speech the stockport coverup
Thanks Miguel – you just demonstrated everything I said.
“It isn’t us it’s them!”
Confiscation of farms?!? No idea what that is about but it isn’t happening in the UK. And I doubt you know a thing about Stockport. However do you believe Russia is a better place and makes a better ally than the UK?
Hi art deco – I am a real person – live in England and am getting old – mid sixties -and genuinely shocked by what is happening in the US.
==
There is what is happening here and what you fancy is happening. They do not intersect much.
==
Meanwhile in Europe people are increasingly frightened of the USA.
==
We’re not responsible for your issues.
The fiscatory tax rates that starmer has imposed
An al queda terrorist murdered three children and they covered it up as they did with other outrages
Airship one is not supposed to be aspirational goal do you think
Would a Sovietized Britain see clockwork orange be doing anything differently that master starmer
Miguel—equalising inheritance tax on large estates is not “confiscation of farms.” Also, there was a trial and conviction in Southport.
I assume by “Airship One,” you meant “Airstrip One” from 1984. Orwell used it to describe the UK’s position in Oceania—essentially an outpost of the USA—something he strongly opposed, being the “mad old lefty” that he was.
You might find this article interesting as a reflection of European attitudes towards the US. If the UK was ever Airstrip One, we’re certainly drifting away from that role now. Trump’s presidency has pushed Europe towards greater self-reliance and even fostered discussions about closer ties with China.
The article is from a centre-left magazine, but similar ideas are also present in the UK Conservative Party:
https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/united-states/69379/america-retreat-europe-step-up
Yes they would fit into the Ministry of Truth, I do read the Prospect, when I want some unintentional humor, Churchill would look upon this current Britain, and say what did I Labour so much to save my Nation, in both wars, we don’t currently have a forever war with Eurasia, but not for lack of trying, Im sure there is an aspiring Lord Aberdeen ready to rally another light brigade,
the Kaiser and the Sultan, those are the victors who rule Europe, as well as the feckless Monarch who doesn’t recognize the Saracen threat in his midst,
most of the Anglosphere is a similar state, from Canada to our North, with the fool Trudeau, who lives up to his parents
wishes to the apparatchiks down under, who frankly make me Chunder, as If I had a vegemite sandwich
David Clayton, as self-described, reads left-wing US news sources from his abode in England. This means he really doesn’t understand what’s going on in the US.
As an Anglo-American (ancestors arrived from England beginning in 1637), I am alarmed at what I read about what’s happening in England, but as I am not English, but American, I can’t say I understand the twists and turns of British politics.
This says it all from David Clayton:
Epluribus Union, look it up.
Strawman about Europeans, as if Great Britain is a homogeneous mass of identical “Brits.” Even before the Labor party decided that everyone in the empire or comonwealth were suitable replacements for the indigenous British.
The article is from a centre-left magazine, but similar ideas are also present in the UK Conservative Party:
==
And you did not notice that he mentions none of the salient issues which confront the occidental world at this time (mass immigration and low fertility being the top two), makes excuses for the abuse of dissenters in Europe, and expects us to take his word for it (and Mario Draghis) on the optimal dimensions of goods and factor markets and what institutions attend them.
==
What’s the British Conservative Party worth? They had 14 years in ministerial chairs and nine years with a majority in the Commons and they accomplished just what? They never repealed the odious statutes which have police officers harassing ordinary people for voicing their opinions and they never shut down the mass immigration pipeline. It’s as if they were determined to punish the British public for voting for Brexit.
he apparently does appear to be a troll, as he misses the allusions to Burgess and Orwell, as to Johnson, well I can see why Andrew Marr, an astute lefty had him as a transitional figure, in his prescient brexit dark tale ‘head of state’ he foolishly locked down his citizens and crushed the middle Englander who voted for Brexit then his ministers failed to live up to their own rules, he let this ministers flout same rules
about another apparat indefatigable desire to cleave it self to the Europe it spent a 1,000 years fending off whether the Bourbon kings, of Spain and France or the Hohenzollern
US support for extremist parties. You might think the AfD, Andrew Tate and Tommy Robinson are all moderate centre right – but you don’t get to talk to their supporters.
==
Tate is a mass entertainment figure, not a political one. He has an audience, not a movement. Looking forward to your musings on Madonna.
==
Robinson is certainly an example of the harassment of dissenters in occidental countries. He’s a noisy but not-very-effective character and the BNP hardly registers electorally.
==
You’ve repeatedly mischaracterized AfD and we can see that by reading the cold print. Your fall back position is that icky people vote for AfD. I’m afraid we’re all familiar with that mentality as well.
It is always interesting to walk through these echo chambers. The Dems ones are just as bizarre.
David Clayton thinks (?) this is an echo chamber?
The poor child has soiled his nappies again.
Bless his heart.
Not a “Bunter” nor a “Jeeves,” or an “Arthur Dent.” He may be a Lord Sidcup.
The feminist/nazi army has been trained for thirty years to be “agents of change”. This assignment of title gives them courage when told to committ little atrocities against women who don’t support the women’s movement, or white men who seem to be too straight. Be ever vigilant–they will fiddle with your electric bill, they will fiddle with your taxes, they will stand outside your home and stare at you. They can get illegals to obey their demands, they will threaten your family with bogus legal claims, etc.,etc. The real civil war is just beginning. You won’t recognize their faces or know their names, but there are millions of them and they are obedient soldiers–“agents of change”.
It is always interesting to walk through these echo chambers. The Dems ones are just as bizarre.
==
Who is echoing whom? We all have different priorities and interests. You want people to not take potshots at you, come up with better arguments.
• The @ David Clayton comments in this thread remind me of the above – interest and misinformation/ misunderstanding.
• I’ll add that I was always far more interested in what was happening in the country I was in, and in the countries my fellow travelers were from – but had decidedly mixed results trying to discuss non-USA topics (Natives: Yes/ Westerners: No).
• Would welcome more @ David Clayton comments about what is happening in his country ^^ – Freedoms, Corruption, Immigration, etc. – understanding that he does not speak for all citizens.
^^ = I consume a fair amount of news & commentary, but recognize the limitations of not “living it” myself, and the opportunity to “listen & learn”
“Most Europeans don’t realise how the US is really more than one country with widely differing cultures and beliefs.” – David Clayton
Isn’t that just as true in England inside much smaller geographical area? There are two predominate cultures– traditional and progressive. And I suspect that’s also true of England as well. Many commenters on this blog see the benefit of traditional values that come from a long history of Judeo/Christian teachings/traditions.
What is your primary source of news about the United States? That is going to skew your perspective if it’s from legacy/mainstream media and you’re really getting your concept of America through a very progressive lens with their own notion of good/bad, moral/immoral. Example is gender dysphoria. Progressives view this as a civil right which requires society/culture to adapt. Traditionalists see this as a psychological/emotional disorder that should be treated to help these people heal/cope.
As to economic issues like tariffs, President Trump has made it clear that we want reciprocal trade with a manufacturing base here that supports a healthy job market. If Europeans decided they can’t adapt to that and embrace more trade with China– they will come to the same conclusion we have, that China is not a good trading partner. What’s interesting is the EU currently trades about $750 billion with China and has a $235 billion trade deficit. The US total trade with China is about $950 billion and has a $235 billion trade deficit.
I noticed that Spain is expanding a port with a direct rail line into Europe for Chinese EV’s. That despite the tariff’s you already have on Chinese cars. Obviously China thinks they can continue to increase their market share.
Here’s the rates:
BYD: 17% (total tariff: 27%)
Geely: 18.8% (total tariff: 28.8%)
SAIC: 35.3% (total tariff: 45.3%)
Other Cooperating Producers: 20.7% (total tariff: 30.7%)—applies to firms like Tesla, BMW, or Volkswagen producing in China that cooperated with the probe but weren’t sampled.
Non-Cooperating Producers: 35.3% (total tariff: 45.3%)—for Chinese EV makers that didn’t assist the investigation.
Tesla (Individual Rate): 7.8% (total tariff: 17.8%)—Tesla, exporting from Shanghai, received a lower rate after requesting an individual calculation.
I don’t know about you, but a 30-45% tariff seems like a pretty high barrier, but the Chinese think they can work around that.
Let’s talk about American/European manufactured cars. Currently the EU imposes a 10% tariff on American cars.
Currently we impose a 2.5% tariff on European cars. While we don’t have a VAT tax, we do have a sales tax, applied at the time of purchase, but the highest sales tax in the US is 9.7%, compared to Germany’s VAT of 19%. Since the VAT or sales tax is applied after the tariff is added to the value of the car, this amounts to an additional cost differential between the EU and US tariffs.
@David Clayton:
In Charles Dicken’s Martin Chuzzlewit the protagonist more than once encounters Americans explaining to him that Queen Victoria lives in the Tower of London, and telling him he is mistaken when he says she doesn’t.
This is about how you sound to us. I’m not sure why foreigners who read about us from across the ocean love to tell us all about who we are and what we do, and then say we’re misinformed or living in an echo chamber when we dispute the characterizations, but I’m sure you’ve dealt at some point–perhaps in these very comments–with foreigners doing the same thing to you, and thought it silly.
All are guilty of insubordination, and should be labeled deep state criminals.
And fired.
Maybe a few should be indicted for destruction of govt records, and evidence.
But it’s better for mass firings first, then rebuilding small effective teams, and only third mass lawfare. Like Tulsi firing 100 NSA trans sex chatterers, rather than any charges.
I’m not sure why foreigners who read about us from across the ocean love to tell us all about who we are and what we do, and then say we’re misinformed or living in an echo chamber when we dispute the characterizations,
==
An outside view can be helpful in those circumstances when it is provided by someone observing you with a different frame of reference than our own. I seem to recall Bernard Henri-Levy had some arresting things to say here. (It’s been 18 years since this was broadcast, so my memory is poor).
==
https://charlierose.com/videos/10563
==
I don’t think Mr. Clayton is telling us something we benefit from hearing, in part because he is not observing but imagining.
On two cultures in England, at this point I think it’s three. The traditional is shrinking, the progressive expanding and currently in charge, and the third is Islamic. Both traditional and progressive English factions appear to be afraid of the Islamic group because if crossed it is know to become violent. If England, and Great Britain, fail to confront this threat and deal with it firmly, it will destroy England as we have known it. This is happening to other European countries who try to appease hard-line Islamists in their midst.
If this is not true, what explanation is there for authorities’ hiding the known-to-police Islamist connection of the Southport killer, or for throwing people who point out the problem in jail?
Important to remember that Islam in the United Kingdom is primarily urban. Wales is about 93% white and Scotland 85% white. I can see lots of people in the United Kingdom who would rarely encounter a Muslim and who, if they wandered into the comments here, would think we were talking nonsense about Muslims in Britain.
N.C., my husband worked for an international company. His good friend, a Swede, insisted that reports of “no-go” areas in Sweden were false. We now know those reports were true, and Sweden is belatedly beginning to face facts. It may not be too late there, although that’s still in question.
You’re right, probably England in the countryside is still mostly England, and it might be possible for those people to think what we read about London, Manchester, and so on, is not true.