Maverick Philosopher

Footnotes to Plato from the foothills of the Superstition Mountains

Category: Politics

  • Which Side Are You On?

    It is an appropriate question to ask in politics, though not in philosophy. Politics is warfare. If you call yourself conservative and don't support Trump, then you are helping the enemy. Which side are you on? In philosophy we strive for objectivity. We take our time; we consider all points of view. We show respect…

  • Pap and Smear

    'Pap and smear' is part of the explanation why Hillary lost.  If you listen to her speak you soon realize that she has nothing concrete to offer. It is all empty rhetoric, or pap. But she really sealed her fate when she smeared as 'deplorables' the decent Americans who do not subscribe to her (well-hidden)…

  • Ten Political-Economic Theses

    Here are ten theses to which I subscribe in the critical way of the philosopher, not the dogmatic way of the ideologue. 1.  There is nothing wrong with money.  It is absolutely not the root of all evil.  The most we can say is that the inordinate desire for money is at the root of some evils.  I develop this theme in Radix…

  • Never-Trumpers are a Disgustingly Impractical Bunch of Pseudo-Conservative Quislings

    My man Hanson has too much class to be so blunt. Here is part of what he has to say in a very astute article from which you can infer my title: In sum, the NeverTrump lament seems to be that whatever good Trump has done is more than outweighed by his “character is destiny”…

  • Pence’s Departure a Stunt?

    Damon Linker: While Trump and Corker took potshots at each other, Vice President Mike Pence engaged in an intentionally polarizing stunt by showing up at an Indianapolis Colts football game only to depart in a huff when players from the San Francisco 49ers (predictably) knelt in protest during the national anthem. It was an utterly…

  • An Identity-Political Paradox

    Leftists hold that borders and walls are 'racist' and 'hateful' and 'fascist' and that the nation state is an illegitimate construct. They bristle at talk of national identity and national sovereignty. Is it not then paradoxical for these same leftists to embrace identity politics at the sub-national level? And if walls are 'racist' and 'hateful'…

  • Trump’s Best Line in the U. N. Speech

    Peggy Noonan: A great line—because it spoke a great truth—was this: “The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented.” Mr. Trump then paused and looked at the audience. It struck some as a “please clap” moment. It struck me as a stare-down: I’m saying something…

  • Trump Eight Months In

    He is doing pretty well, according to Hugh Hewitt. Surprisingly well, I would add, if you consider the formidable factions arrayed against him: the Democrat Party; the liberal media; knuckleheaded Never-Trumpers; Deep State operatives; Ryan, McConnell, McCain and the rest of the milque-toast, go-along-to-get-along, appease-the-Left careerists among the Republicans.

  • Sympathy for Hillary

    To be competitive and indeed successful in this world often demands a level of self-assurance and inner certainty that is incompatible with acknowledgment of the sober truth about oneself. This is especially the case in the upper reaches of the political game.  So perhaps we should forgive Hillary her pathetic, self-serving book, What Happened.  She…

  • Trump Derangement Syndrome

    Charles blows a gasket.

  • Trump is Flawed but Hillary Would Have Been Far Worse

    Here: Shall we rue his election, as “Never Trumpers” continue to do? Well, first of all — He’s what we’ve got for the next 41 or 89 months. Had we gotten Hillary instead, we would not have encountered fewer lies from the Oval Office, nor from whatever new bathroom she would have selected to store her next-generation…

  • Trump Haters, Supporters, Neither, and Both

    Another brilliant column by VDH.  I am tempted to quote, but it's all good.

  • Is Trump Divisive?

    To say of Trump or anyone that he is divisive is to say that he promotes (political) division. But there is no need to promote it these days since we already have plenty of it. We are a deeply and perhaps irreparably divided nation.  So it is not right to say that Trump is divisive:…

  • How to Know You are in a Mass Hysteria Bubble

    Scott Adams: The most visible Mass Hysteria of the moment involves the idea that the United States intentionally elected a racist President. If that statement just triggered you, it might mean you are in the Mass Hysteria bubble. The cool part is that you can’t fact-check my claim you are hallucinating if you are actually hallucinating. But…

  • At the Orgy of Pseudo-Conservative Self-Righteousness

    George Neumayr