Maverick Philosopher

Footnotes to Plato from the foothills of the Superstition Mountains

American Paralysis and Decline

Yet another by Victor Davis Hanson. There is nothing to disagree with here.

But Victor, what is to be done?

Surely you have some suggestions! You have demonstrated great civil courage by speaking your mind openly. What prevents you from taking the next step? Is it because you think it would be 'unprofessional' to do so? I have been following and promoting you for years. You are now at the top of your game. You have made it in America. I salute you with deep respect.

Do you see yourself as a scholar and a theoretician merely?  How much research and writing do you think you will accomplish in a concentration camp or in a war zone?

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Bill Vallicella

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13 responses to “American Paralysis and Decline”

  1. Vito B. Caiati Avatar
    Vito B. Caiati

    I also have a great respect for him and his work, but now I most often just glance at or skim what he writes, since I know before reading it essentially what he seeks to argue. I suppose that the purpose behind these essays of VDH is to convince those who read them of the causes (the Left’s ideology and policies) and gravity (the destruction of national sovereignty and comity) of the present crisis, but, unfortunately, his audience is, given the profound political division of the nation, made up of those who already agree with him. I suppose that the underlying rationale for this type of writing is to be found in the unstated, underlying belief that sharp analysis and exposé will alter the political conversation. Perhaps this was true in the days when reason and rigor in argumentation mattered, but not today. As for VDH not “taking the next step,” I suggest that he, like the rest of us, fails to take it because he does not know what this “step” is. To state the obvious, we lack a lack strategy of cultural and political reconquest. A Trump win in November, for which we all hope, is not such a strategy, but merely a means to decelerate and perhaps partially arrest the decades-old national decomposition and decline that has been particularly marked since 2008, when the worst elements of the American Left took control of the federal state.

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  2. EG Avatar
    EG

    Hi Bill,
    Agreed, it is a good article that accurately describes our state of affairs and points to what must be addressed. The last sentence was not quite as poetic as intended, I suppose he wanted the imagery of a gradual fall and then a sudden plummet, but the execution stuck me as awkward–and perhaps that is, in its own way, quite apt.
    Getting to your admonition, what is it that you think that he should be doing? What actions can he take, and perhaps since you raise it, would you do as Hanson to not be “merely” theoretical?

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  3. BV Avatar
    BV

    Vito,
    Your comments hit the mark. Hanson is mainly preaching to the choir as the saying goes. But he may, by repeating himself as he does, enlist a few more choir members from the not yet committed. The preaching also fortifies the parishioners.
    And of course he likes to write. Self-promotion and money-making come into it as well.
    I myself hold that it is important to be able to make a calm, reasoned case for one’s political beliefs since there are still a few open minds out there, and this despite the fact that most are now siloed into their positions. Call it ‘political apologetics.’ And you have to repeat yourself to reach as many fence-sitters as possible.
    What might VDH and people like us suggest? Stop supporting leftist causes and outfits. For example, when my alma maters ask for money, I tell them that I have it to give, but first they must publicly renounce their commitment to DEI. If enough of us do this, it will have an effect. Everybody understands money.
    We might also cut off our ‘friends’ who have become political enemies. If enough of us ostracize enough of them, that can make a difference. People don’t like the ‘cold shoulder.’
    VDH might just come out and endorse Trump. I think you will agree with me that anyone who supports Biden is an utter fool unaware of what is in his own best long-term interest.
    But Hanson is undoubtedly a prudent man with a big target on his back, so I would never suggest to him that he advise the stockpiling of precious metals including Pb.
    >>A Trump win in November, for which we all hope, is not such a strategy, but merely a means to decelerate and perhaps partially arrest the decades-old national decomposition and decline that has been particularly marked since 2008, when the worst elements of the American Left took control of the federal state.<< You are probably right, but then again you may be being too pessimistic. It may be possible to turn things around: there is some outstanding young blood waiting in the wings: Ramaswamy, DeSantis, and Gabbard come immediately to mind. Tulsi: So calm, so sweet, so feminine, and yet so sharp and spot on. She kicks Nikki's ass, bigly. But none of thus ultimately matters, as I think you will agree. It takes an old man with a spiritual bent -- or at least an old soul which can inhabit a young body -- to appreciate this fully. The impermanence of this world argues against its plenary reality.

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  4. BV Avatar
    BV

    EG,
    >>Getting to your admonition, what is it that you think that he should be doing? What actions can he take, and perhaps since you raise it, would you do as Hanson to not be “merely” theoretical?<< See my response to Vito, above.

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  5. Dmitri Avatar
    Dmitri

    Hi Bill
    I am not sure why you said in the comment
    >VDH might just come out and endorse Trump.
    He literally wrote a book The Case for Trump. He says right there in preface he voted for him in 2016. And, as everybody says here in the comments, only like minded people read him. IMHO he should continue to be exactly what he is, a respectable and quotable scholar.

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  6. BV Avatar
    BV

    Dmitri,
    Good point about the book. But in the many articles he cranks out, does he ever tell people that they ought to vote for Trump? Does he ever make concrete suggestions as to what people could do to help turn things around?

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  7. Dmitri Avatar
    Dmitri

    I don’t follow VDH that close because he is predictable, but I respect his research and integrity. He probably could have done even more, but, given the terrible polling of Biden vs Trump, not sure that VDH has to get out of his comfort zone. Here is a piece from today’s opinion column in WSJ:
    “Four major polls rolled out in the past few days, and Mr. Biden is losing to Donald Trump in all of them. He’s down two points in a head-to-head matchup in the Wall Street Journal and Fox News surveys, more if you include third- or fourth-party candidates. He’s down five points in the Siena-New York Times poll, and he’s getting crushed in the swing states in the Bloomberg News survey.”

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  8. BV Avatar
    BV

    Dmitri,
    But don’t forget what scum leftists are: they will do anything to win. It’s right out of the commie playbook. They will cheat their asses off as they did last time, and never stop lying about having done so. It’s not over til it’s over, and you can’t relax. Nothing is in the bag until it’s in the bag.
    But in addition to the commie-cadre of the Dementocrats, there is a huge bunch of Useful Idiots in V. L. Lenin’s sense. These lazy and inattentive fools, often too old to know or care what’s going on, stupidly give aid and comfort to the cadre out of a mindless obsession with Trump’s off-putting style of self-presentation.
    The RINO king of the day, and #1 Useful Idiot is Mitt Romney who is leading plenty astray. And then there’s Neocon Nikki . . . .

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  9. trudy vandermolen Avatar
    trudy vandermolen

    I remember March 2020, and it was assumed Trump would be impossible to beat. The economy was great, minorities were employed at historic levels, NATO allies were being urged to pay their dues, the border was closed, the Abraham accords were made, the embassy had been moved to Jerusalem, etc. And then the COVID hysteria started, the economy was shut down, and voting systems were corrupted in many ways.
    Now it’s March 2024, and again Trump looks undefeatable. What could be lurking in the wings this time? Possibly Google’s Gemini AI, where all kinds of slander could be made and finding out the truth an impossibility?
    But the different opinions being siloed into their own echo chambers is also a real problem. Scott Adams tested this last week in one of his “coffee podcasts.” He called the Democrats a bad name and got absolutely no pushback. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFw5xt_SkGc

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  10. Vito B. Caiati Avatar
    Vito B. Caiati

    Today, in American Greatness, VDH posted a piece on Trump, which contains both an evident, if implied, endorsement of the former president and suggestions on a political strategy for his victory in November: https://amgreatness.com/2024/03/04/gearing-up-for-biden-versus-trump-not-if-but-when-and-how-to-replace-biden/

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  11. BV Avatar
    BV

    Vito,
    Thanks for the link. But VDH makes no suggestions about what WE can do to defeat our political enemies. THAT is what I am looking for. He doesn’t make the kind of suggestions that I made above.
    I put Lenin’s question to him: WHAT IS TO BE DONE? Enough erudite analysis, as important as it is: what concrete suggestions do you have for us, Victor?

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  12. BV Avatar
    BV

    Trudy,
    Excellent comments. I see no good reason to be optimistic. But we fight on.

    Reply
  13. Dmitri Avatar
    Dmitri

    I think Republicans would do better if they really pound on illegal immigration which is out of control and brings with it new leftist voters to the US. It is noticed and spoken about by Musk — take a look at the Twitter post text and video that he refers to

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