Judges an Inadequate Fig Leaf for Cruz’s Endorsement
Ted Cruz used, as a fig leaf for endorsing Donald Trump, the fact that Trump issued a new list of possible Supreme Court nominees that included the name Mike Lee. Now, nobody loves Mike Lee more than Patterico. Nobody. That I can tell you. But Mike Lee himself indicated that he was not swayed by the inclusion of his name, and anyone who knows anything about Donald Trump knows that it is a phony move on Trump’s part to include the name, because Lee has opposed Trump. Trump will never nominate Lee and everyone knows it.
But beyond that, Ilya Somin has an amazing piece in the Washington Post laying out why Trump cannot be trusted on the Supreme Court:
Donald Trump himself has repeatedly indicated that the Supreme Court list is merely a “guide” and not binding. Moreover, Trump has a long history of lying about a wide range of issues, and there is no reason to think he will be more trustworthy in this case.
But the problem goes far beyond Trump’s dishonesty. It is also far worse than mere ignorance about constitutional issues. Though Trump is indeed ignorant about the Constitution, ignorance does not imply indifference. To the contrary, he has a wide-ranging repressive agenda that would undermine the Constitution at many points. And much of that agenda is an outgrowth of views he has consistently held since long before the 2016 campaign. Unlike the Supreme Court list, it is probably not just a campaign ploy.
For many years, Trump has sought to undermine freedom of speech (in order to shut down his critics) and constitutional property rights (in order to empower government to seize property for transfer to influential developers, including himself). He also wants to gut constitutional constraints on executive power, in numerous areas – going even farther in this respect than Bush and Obama. Much of this is a result of his deep authoritarian streak, exemplified by his lonstanding admiration for brutal tactics of foreign strongmen like Vladimir Putin and the Chinese communists who perpetrated the Tiananmen Square massacre.
The list of unconstitutional policies promoted by Trump increases almost daily. Just in the last two weeks, he has advocated gutting the Sixth Amendment rights of terrorism suspects (including even US citizens with no known connections to foreign terrorist groups) and outlined a maternity leave policy that includes unconstitutional sex discrimination.
The last claim was not immediately obvious to me, but Somin backs it up in this post, and I think he’s right. The rest of it is definitely true. I think the judge issue is the best reason to vote for this cretin, and it’s really a very bad reason indeed.
I watched the entirety of Ted Cruz’s appearance at the Texas Tribune Festival today, in which Cruz was entertainingly raked over the coals by the Texas Tribune’s CEO Evan Smith. Cruz was his usual self, doing his best to appear credible in a tough situation and succeeding as well as anyone could in such a circumstance. It is clear how reluctant he was to come to his decision and how tepid the endorsement truly is.
I still like Ted Cruz, but this Supreme Court list ain’t much of a fig leaf. The fig leaf is small enough, indeed, that we can still see what’s missing. If you catch my drift.
I hope Trump has the decency to return Ted’s balls to him after the election
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) September 23, 2016
P.S. Also worth reading: Erica Greider’s Ted Cruz Caves.
He won’t, Allahpundit. He won’t.
Patterico (bcf524) — 9/24/2016 @ 9:29 pmI would have voted for Jim Webb over these two clowns. How’s that for partisan me?
http://www.businessinsider.com/jim-webb-debate-answer-enemy-vietnam-2015-10
He gave the only correct answer to the question, which enemy is he proudest of making.
http://olive-drab.com/od_history_ww2_stories_1944rangerspointeduhoc.php
The skipper of the SATTERLEE said if he had to beach his ship, if that was what it was going to take to support the Rangers, then that was what he was going to do. I’ve always felt that James Webb has the same sort of integrity. Naturally, we don’t deserve such a President.
Steve57 (0b1dac) — 9/24/2016 @ 10:20 pmwell that was refreshing, but what did mssr webb do in office, he was a rubber stamp for obama,
narciso (d1f714) — 9/24/2016 @ 10:28 pmhe forgot the lesson that he taught re vietnam and joined the party that shows a visceral disgust of servicemen and women, like strangelove’s salute, they can’t help it,
I wonder. Alt.light-in-the-loafers, who like Trump on social issues and hated Cruz for the same reason, might believe that he will appoint conservative justices and make them more willing to turn out for Hillary. With money and votes. To put it another way, Cruz’s endorsement might hurt Trump more than help him.
As will Ivanka’s maternity leave plan which does not provide for leave for gay adoptive fathers but does for lesbian birth mothers. (Gives bitter laugh.)*
*God, if this makes it unconstitutional, we need a f***ing new Constitution. But I don’t think it does. Giving birth after nine months of pregnancy is a strong enough reason to “discriminate” in favor of new mothers.
nk (dbc370) — 9/24/2016 @ 10:34 pmMaybe Webb is hopeless. Maybe every democrat is hopeless.
All I know is, when I shook his hand after he signed “Lost Soldiers” back in 2001, shortly after 9/11, he struck me as sincere. And that’s more than I have to go on with anyone else.
Steve57 (0b1dac) — 9/24/2016 @ 10:37 pmTrump is dancing in the minds of the non deplorable.
mg (31009b) — 9/24/2016 @ 11:07 pmOne thing about nevertrumpers, they never tire of being wrong.
LBascom (c230be) — 9/24/2016 @ 11:50 pmWhat gets us to possibility of Article V more quickly? Prez HRC, or Prez DRT? If it’s DRT, then Ted did the right thing.
We’ll need him to be a leader at the actual Convention.
Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:50 am“I watched the entirety of Ted Cruz’s appearance at the Texas Tribune Festival today…”
No, you watched a ‘Walking Dead’ marathon.
Tedtoo is Texas toast.
Ideology is out. Pragmatism is in. And conservatives who haven’t figured that out yet are fast being left behind.
“Contracts were made to be broken… but a handshake is the law of God.”– JR Ewing [Larry Hagman], ‘Dallas’ CBS TV, 1978-1991.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 9/25/2016 @ 1:36 amoh my goodness
a pouty harvardboy with the moxie to to take to the pages of amazon turdlord jeffy bezos’s washington post to denounce Mr. Trump?
nobody could’ve seen this coming
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/25/2016 @ 3:17 amhttp://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/09/the_mark_of_soros_charlotte_north_carolina.html
mg (31009b) — 9/25/2016 @ 3:25 amIn the end, Somin may be right abut Trump but back in 2008, all I heard about Obama was how “open minded” he was and how “naturally conservative” he was and how he would have a good working relationship with Republicans to march together into the future!!! All of which turned out to be complete lies. Again Trump may be everything that Somin says he is, but Trump will have to work with the R Party to get his judges passed. While I have little faith in the R Senate, I have a whole lot more faith in them than I do with anyone that Hillary!!!! would propose.
Ipso Fatso (7e1c8e) — 9/25/2016 @ 3:36 am
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/25/2016 @ 3:38 amtoInadequate fig leaves, trending now.
DNF (ffe548) — 9/25/2016 @ 4:02 amhttp://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-09-24/washington-mall-shooter-caught-suspect-allegedly-turkish-origin
DNF (ffe548) — 9/25/2016 @ 4:04 amTurkish Muslim arrested in Oak Harbor, WA.
Hispanics hardest hit.
Pinandpuller (60b765) — 9/25/2016 @ 4:09 amAnd what are we going to do with your balls if Trump wins?
otto (c0cd17) — 9/25/2016 @ 4:25 amPut them on a golf tee and hit away.
mg (31009b) — 9/25/2016 @ 4:30 amhttp://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/howie_carr/2016/09/carr_debate_fix_is_in_for_hillary_clinton
mg (31009b) — 9/25/2016 @ 4:40 am#17: Here’s a link for the Turkish shooter taken into custody for the Burlington Mall massacre.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/washington-mall-shooting-suspect-custody-police/story?id=42336346
BobStewartatHome (a52abe) — 9/25/2016 @ 6:16 amAre their tactics elevating I.e. not saying “a.a.!” before firing, using Bass Pro/Cabela weaponry, quick hits?
urbanleftbehind (847a06) — 9/25/2016 @ 6:57 amHillary! 2016!
Colonel Haiku (d0a528) — 9/25/2016 @ 7:06 amDid that happen after the convention? I didn’t notice anything special in his Facebook post. Donald Trump had already named names before that.
Ted Cruz used 6 fig leaves, and he tried to say what he said was consistent eith his convention speech.
I don’t see that anyone here has called attention to the fact that nowhere in his statement does Ted Cruz say one word, pro or con, about the idea of voting for a third party candidate.
When Ted Cruz said “vote your conscience” the only reasonable meaning of that was: Don’t vote on the basis of the lesser of two evils and consider voting for a third party candidate.
Yet here he does recommend voting for the lesser of two evils.
He does not argue that voting for a third party candidate is the wrong way to go, or that none of them are worthy of support, but just argues that Donald Trump is considerably better than Hillary Clinton. And neither does he mention any kind of drawback to Donald Trump. Not even to say it should be put aside. He just redefines what “vote your conscience” is generally understood to mean. He makes it mean, maybe, disregard personal consderations, and vote for the good of the country.
Sammy Finkelman (3915d0) — 9/25/2016 @ 7:20 amHonestly, this isn’t a big surprise to me. Cruz was not one of my top choices this cycle because I never fully trusted him. Oh, sure, I would have voted for him in the general, but then I would also have voted for the far-less-palatable John Kasich, so that’s not saying much. We’ll see who runs in 2020, but if there’s even one halfway-decent conservative with his/her hat in the ring, Cruz will not be at the top of my list.
Speaking of trust, it still amazes me that anyone could think Trump would be trustworthy on judges. National child care policy…a history of being hostile to the Second Amendment…a confession that he would look at raising taxes…an economic policy that makes no sense…a strongman’s desire to restricting free speech rights…a professed love for national health care…all these things could be said about Hillary too. His one selling point to conservatives has been his big wall — and then he talks about a “softening.”
It’s as if none of his fans ever read “The Art of the Deal.” He’ll say what he must in order to get you to sign. After that, everything is negotiable except your signature.
Demosthenes (09f714) — 9/25/2016 @ 7:34 amDNF (ffe548) — 9/25/2016 @ 4:00 am
We have a progressive tax system, so of course that is true, and poor native born people having children cost even more, because they spend more years in school, and only 5% of births or so, if that, are advantageous to the government budget, and maybe none are. Except that that kind of reasoning is a fallacy, for two dififferent reasons, besides the reducto ad absurdum I just pointed out which would say that an end to all births is teh best thing that could happpen to government budgets.
1) Costs to state and local governments depend on the income level of the population. Without immigrants, but with the pre-existing housing, somebody still will be living in that low income housing, and those people will have less income, and rents will be even less, and property values and property taxes even lower, or less affordable. And whether more or less low rental houaing is built depends on things like zoning laws.
And if the currenltly existing houses become vacant, there’s an even greater loss in taxes, and maybe public safety, and the loss in government revenue is not compensadted for by the lowering os school costs or welfare. The public workforce is not cut back to reflect lower population.
It’s a fact that the cities with the most trouble are those that have lost population, not those that have gained population.
2) The income of the wealthier part of the population goes up if there are more people, including more poor people, because businesses have more sales etc, so this kind of calculation does not truly reflect the economic impact. only university-trained foreign migrants can pay their way in the United States by taking white-collar jobs sought by university-trained Americans. They must reduce the income of some people, right? You’re losing that there’s a net gain in productivity, and that effect is small, and that for people who have a different balance of skills, and if some have the same skills, others Americans must have diifferent ones, there is a gain because now there is more demand for their skills.
Would you say that since imports take away jobs also, presumbably we should have no contact whatsoever with the rest of the planet because it can only hurt us, and we would be better off if they all died?
And what goes for a country, also goes for a U.S. state. Or a city. Lets carry this thing to its logical conclusion.
Sammy Finkelman (3915d0) — 9/25/2016 @ 7:55 amThis is the ultimate outcome of this parlour game involving unyielding “principles;” at the end of the day, one can’t find anyone on the ballot they can actually vote for.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 9/25/2016 @ 7:56 amWages of ALL workers including the lower wage immigrants.
Not currently present workers. They actually gain.
Why, because it sounds big? It is the percentage that mans something..
But it’s a surplus, and you just claimed there was a 5.2% loss.
Sammy Finkelman (3915d0) — 9/25/2016 @ 8:00 amCruz has always been an intensely political animal, and his decision to support Trump was overtly political and opportunistic. He should’ve taken Erick Erickson’s tack, but doing so would have imperiled his reelection chances. I’d say his colleagues in the Senate knew very well the kind of man he is, and they can’t stand the guy.
WarrenPeese (48f94f) — 9/25/2016 @ 8:05 amRaising the minimum wage doesn’t cause a rise in the unemployment rate, but it does cause people to never get into the labor force, or drop out of it, and it causes some types of businesses to close, thus making everybody poorer.
The reason it doesn’t cause an immediate rise in the unemployment rate is because it has the effect of making people tougher bargainers, and pushes them into more economically valuable work.
Sammy Finkelman (3915d0) — 9/25/2016 @ 8:10 amOkay, folks.
Me, I think that folks in the Senate we have not liking someone is a good sign. Too much Club Establishent nonsense.
So who do you like in the Senate?
Sure, it’s easier to snark and nitpick.
Who do you respect in Congress, and why?
Simon Jester (3dbc42) — 9/25/2016 @ 8:14 am12.Ipso Fatso (7e1c8e) — 9/25/2016 @ 3:36 am
He may be naturally conservative, but he’s the most partisan president since Harry S Truman. And the partisan lies these days are different.
No, the issue would be that he would have to work with the D Party, which would either control the Senate, or filibuster, and then the names of the judges will be agreed to in a back room. If the R still retained a majoroty of the Senate, it would be a filibuster, and Mitch McConnell and Chhucxk Grassley would also be in the room.
Sammy Finkelman (3915d0) — 9/25/2016 @ 8:17 amPatterico’s continued worship of Ted Cruz, rather than admit he chose the wrong candidate who is the wrong sort of (not very good) man, is funny.
But even Ted Cruz is doing the right thing for his country now.
Denver Guy (4750ec) — 9/25/2016 @ 8:37 amSimon Jester (3dbc42) — 9/25/2016 @ 8:14 am
I used to like Senator Bob Dole, and Frank Murkowski.
Maybe Jeff Flake?
There aren’t really any good people.
With 435 members, there ought to be someone, but I don’t know enough about enough members.
Maybe if somebody comes out against having a unified federal budget. And other routine stupidities. Plus, says things that make sense, and refuses to repeat any form of nonsense, and knows the difference, and can do this across the board.
I will say, that probably 85% of the members of Congress are better than both of the presidential nominees.
Sammy Finkelman (3915d0) — 9/25/2016 @ 8:53 amIf you’re happy with a deal made with Trump, Trump ain’t happy because he knows he’s left something on the table. Only when you’re unhappy with the deal is Trump satisfied that he got everything he could out of the deal, only then does he know he’s won and you’ve lost. If you expect to be happy with the bargain you’ve made to get Trump elected, you’re not paying attention. Right now, he’s promising anything and everything to get what he wants but once you give him the office you’ve got no leverage to make him keep his end of the bargain. And he won’t keep his end of the bargain just on principle, keeping his end of the bargain and thereby making you happy with the deal makes him a loser as far as he’s concerned. Trump will cut off his nose to spite his face as long as you’ve paid him not to cut off his nose and he can boast about putting one over on you by cutting it off.
Trump’s need-to-win-at-all-costs makes me question whether he knows anything at all about business and economics, about win/win situations and trade not being a zero-sum game. He seems to be an idiot who keeps score by how many losers he creates. “Loser” is his favorite epithet for a reason. Come November, Trump will have the opportunity to create tens of millions of losers and there’s no way in hell he’s passing up that opportunity.
Jerryskids (3308c1) — 9/25/2016 @ 8:59 amI like Cruz, Mike Lee, Scott, Tim Scott, Barasso, Sessions, Ernst, Rubio and Johnson are sometimes okay
Colonel Haiku (d0a528) — 9/25/2016 @ 9:06 am@ Cruz Supporter, #27:
I said Cruz wouldn’t be first on my list in 2020 if there was a halfway-decent alternative. I would still vote for him in the general, and I can easily envision scenarios where I would vote for him in the primary. If my principles were so unyielding as you seem to think, I wouldn’t have voted for McCain or Romney. It literally took the Republican Party nominating someone who isn’t even within shouting distance of conservatism for me to decide I wouldn’t vote for their presidential candidate.
But by all means, keep setting fire to that straw man.
Demosthenes (09f714) — 9/25/2016 @ 9:12 amCruz still appears to believe his future depends on his identity as the most true blue principled conservative. It doesn’t. He continues to lose to the monkey who figured out the election is about the forgotten and abused voters not intellectual voting groups. Mike Rowe’s people will likely decide the outcome.
crazy (d3b449) — 9/25/2016 @ 9:17 amThink Flo n’ Eddie 200 Motels or Goldilocks…
Colonel Haiku (d0a528) — 9/25/2016 @ 9:17 amKeep ****ing that chicken, Demo!
Colonel Haiku (d0a528) — 9/25/2016 @ 9:18 amWhat’s going to happen with Obama’s directive, or whatever you call it, on immigration is going to be a question in the debates. I’m not sure if it’ll come up in the first debate, but it surely will be by the third.
Hillary may say: This is not an issue, because Congress will pass a law before DACA expires.
Trump may say that he’ll do….something which is actually Obama’s stated policy! He will try to avoid saying yes or no.
DACA or no DACA that is the question. He won’t answer it. Even if pressed. Liike Hillary, he also, in own way, may say it doesn’t matter.
He doesn’t want to lose Colorado.
Sammy Finkelman (3915d0) — 9/25/2016 @ 9:21 amThe Washington Post is 100% in the bag for Hillary Clinton. Why you would bother linking them without that disclaimer doesn’t make sense.
Will they write an article about how the FBI granted immunity to every Clinton crony without any testimony and then said there was nothing to see here?
We know the answer to that.
Clinton is the worse choice of the two as we see from how the government (State, IRS, FBI, etc) have been corrupted to serve the left wing agenda. They are above the law. They are kings.
I don’t think so.
NJRob (a07d2e) — 9/25/2016 @ 9:22 am@32 Sammy Finkleman
I never said Obama was “naturally conservative”, read the sentence I actually wrote, I said that others were saying that in 2008, which turned out to be a lie. I thought then and think now, that Obama is a phony, gladly hiding behind fancy words and then sticking a dagger in the country he and his followers hate. As for your second point, regardless of how the Senate falls, D or R, Trump will have to work with the R’s to get anyone on the SC. My hope is that if he does nominate a leftwing candidate, the R’s will step up and help change that. It is a small chance I realize, but I will take that chance over Hillary.
Ipso Fatso (7e1c8e) — 9/25/2016 @ 9:23 amIlya Somin is laughable and so is your legal theory:
“under longstanding Supreme Court precedent, it is unconstitutional.”
Precedent’s about to change.
“Since the 1976 case of Craig v. Boren, the Supreme Court has ruled that laws that discriminate on the basis of sex are presumptively unconstitutional. They will only be upheld if they are “substantially related” to an “important state interest.””
Boom. It is a greater compelling state interest that its women have time to spend with their families than their businesses maintain full headcount (and they should be hiring men if they want that.)
“In more recent cases, the Court has made clear that this “intermediate scrutiny” is very rigorous, and that rough statistical generalizations – such as claims that women, on average, need parental leave more than men do – are not enough to satisfy the standard. Discriminatory laws cannot be based on “fixed notions concerning the roles and abilities of males and females,” even if those notions have some statistical support.”
If you think the real differences between men and women are ‘rough statistical generalizations’, you need a very long holiday in the private sector, ideally spent actually working with the public.
If this is the height of legal reasoning capability in a democratic regime, it deserves all the authoritarianism it can take. Disgraceful.
Dystopia Max (76803a) — 9/25/2016 @ 9:27 amDemosthenes,
I hadn’t even read your comments, so relax.
I’m just amused in general about how some of our friends who’ve long been pointing to Ted as The Last of The Principled Conservatives are discovering that he, too, is imperfect.
I think some people believe that an election is an academic exercise where we choose between principles on paper. But in actuality, we’re choosing between people.
Candidates are a vehicle for implementing principles, but we’re still voting for inherently flawed human beings who are at times susceptible to pride, vanity, ambition, and God forbid, pragmatism. Sometimes, you have two bad choices. But usually one of them is “less” bad.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 9/25/2016 @ 9:37 am32. 43. Ipso Fatso (7e1c8e) — 9/25/2016 @ 9:23 am
What I was saying was that probably was not a lie, or wrong, but what was wrong was the idea that he would have a good working relationship with Republicans (which was based on his speech, no blue states no red states)
Obama has always pretended to want that, but he wants to tell Republicans what they should be happy with and what they should give up on. he wants to write the script for the opposition.
Basically whatever is unpopular, he would like to attribute to Republicans. Budget cuts: Republicans. Increased spending: That was the Democratic contribution. Tax cuts alleged to stimulate economic growth but directly affecting most rich people: the work of Republicans. Lower income tax cuts: Democratic proposals. Health insurance: He’ll tell them what was the Republican idea.
Sammy Finkelman (3915d0) — 9/25/2016 @ 9:50 amReally good article and glad you discussed it. I’m liking Mike Lee more and more.
Of course we have the usual suspects here thinking that we need to abandon all principles because we want to win. That we need to support a lying liberal Democrat who donated to Clinton and Reid because he has an R after his name and he is only slightly less terrible than the other lying liberal Democrat.
Except we don’t need to abandon all the principles just to win. There can be a middle ground. Cruz wasn’t my first choice, but he was good enough. In fact almost any of the other candidates were preferable to Trump and one I could vote for over Clinton. Not Bush, Christie, or Kasich because they were just rehashes of Romney. But the others I could have. They all had some actual conservative principles and could be trusted to keep some of them. Unlike Trump who has none and can’t be trusted at all.
So we can either have at least a baseline of principles that are worth fighting for or we can be like the left who’s only principle is more power. I’ve made my choice. You can make yours.
Patrick Henry, the 2nd (dd9551) — 9/25/2016 @ 9:51 amthe principles of harvardtrash propaganda sluts like ilya what wanna do the pig all up in it are special principles indeed
again and again we see that nevertrumpers are sniffy social climbing snobtrash, far more concerned with sending the correct social signals than they are about failmerica
they’re the epitome of unprincipled, which is probably why harvardtrash ted holds so much appeal for them
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/25/2016 @ 9:57 amSo….Mr. Feet, you cannot get angry about anyone at all calling you a lazy, hateful, hypocritical, and bombthrowing troll, who doesn’t care one whit about anything other than sounding like a fool.
Right?
Because it’s fine for you to call people all kinds of names.
Unless you are just a hypocritical troll.
Oh, wait.
Simon Jester (3dbc42) — 9/25/2016 @ 10:14 amugh you’re so pooper i just wanted to step back and give my lay of the land if that’s all right with you
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/25/2016 @ 10:17 amIn addition:
At least they vote, rather than snark off lazily and make truly embarrassing excuses for not doing so.
Speaking of “unprincipled.” You define the term.
You don’t believe in a darn thing other than being an aphasic Jon Stewart with Tourettes.
Simon Jester (3dbc42) — 9/25/2016 @ 10:18 amWell, you want the write to speak your mind about people you don’t like.
Strange how angry you get when other people do the same to you.
Why is that?
Simon Jester (3dbc42) — 9/25/2016 @ 10:19 amOh, that’s right: lazy hypocrite.
Simon Jester (3dbc42) — 9/25/2016 @ 10:19 amthere’s all kinds of ways to vote pooper
let’s think outside that box!
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/25/2016 @ 10:19 amIt’s called voting, jackass.
See, here’s the thing, because you are slow on the uptake.
If you are rude to others, you must be prepared for others to be rude to you.
You call me a name, I will call you one.
You don’t call me a name, I won’t call you one.
I know that it’s tough for you, since you like to crap on Patterico’s carpet with impunity, but it’s a simple equation.
Simon Jester (3dbc42) — 9/25/2016 @ 10:22 amok you’re a pooper
your turn
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/25/2016 @ 10:23 amYou really are a fool.
And I think of all the great people who used to post here, who feel the same way about you. I want to see more posts by them, and less by you. Bet lots of people feel the same way.
You truly do contaminate things.
Fact is, you could easily express the same opinions you do without insulting and being a jackwagon. Contribute something.
But you don’t want to do that.
You want to do whatever you want, and further want everyone else to take it.
Yet you are really a sensitive flower when anyone does what you do to others to you.
What a nasty hypocrite.
I know your goal is to fill up Patterico’s site with your foolish turdlets, but there are a few people (and I am not talking about me) who will continue to call you out on your childish and hateful behavior.
Go back and fight with Goldstein. That worked out well, didn’t it?
Simon Jester (3dbc42) — 9/25/2016 @ 10:27 amyou’re just mad cause i called you a pooper
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/25/2016 @ 10:32 am@ Colonel Haiku, #40:
Thank you. It’s always good to see that people opposed to me have no rational response. But you have to work harder at it. A little less grammar, punctuation, and capitalization, and you’ll be in happyfeet territory. Something for you to aspire to?
@ Cruz Supporter, #45:
I fully agree with your last two paragraphs — in theory. But as far as I’m concerned, neither major-party choice in this election is “less bad.” Which is where we part company.
Or to put it another way — I believe Clinton is totally unsuited for the office, I know what I will get from her, and I know I’ll mostly hate it. So I can’t vote for her. However, I believe Trump is also totally unsuited for the office. And while I don’t know exactly what I will get from him, because he’ll say anything to get what he wants, I believe I’ll hate quite a bit of his policy based on his past. I could be wrong, and I’m willing to entertain that hypothesis. But I also could be underestimating how bad he will be. To sum up, if there’s a provable “less bad” there, I don’t see it.
But whatever. I notice that for the time being, you’ve stopped calling me “Professor.” Shame. I was actually somewhat fond of the insult.
Demosthenes (09f714) — 9/25/2016 @ 10:33 am@46 Sammy Finkelman
Good points all, although you give Obama more credit than I do on the “naturally conservative” point his media enablers brandished about prior to 2009. Obama, like all leftists, knows ones thing: how to wield power. He came of age under Mike Madigan here in Illinois and has used those lessons well. He also knows that he could sodomize a 6 month old white male at the corner of Michigan and Chicago Avenues and the media would blame it on white Tea Party members and give him a free pass.
Ipso Fatso (7e1c8e) — 9/25/2016 @ 10:35 am@ Simon Jester, #51:
I’ve come to believe that’s not quite true about happyfeet. At lest, not the aphasic part. I think he’s perfectly capable of communicating in a normal way, and chooses not to — as part of his “bit.” In other words, less Jon Stewart, and more Andy Kaufman. A glance over his comment history at Protein Wisdom will, I think, substantiate this…if it were still there to be perused, more’s the pity. At least this sets him at odds with former PW commenters like LBascom, if only because happyfeet has deliberately gone off the deep end.
Demosthenes (09f714) — 9/25/2016 @ 10:39 amYou give yourself too much credit, Demo. You appear to be stuck on arguing the merits of what is in the rearview mirror. Besides, it’s a lovely day in Laguna Beach and I’ve got a Sgt. Pepper B-day to celebrate. Cheers!
Colonel Haiku (e677b4) — 9/25/2016 @ 10:50 amColonel, you live in Laguna Beach?
It’s so lovely there.
You are a lucky fellow.
Simon Jester (3dbc42) — 9/25/2016 @ 10:57 amNo, just a timeshare, Simon, 2 weeks a year.
Colonel Haiku (e677b4) — 9/25/2016 @ 11:03 amThat’s about all I can take a year. Looking at the faces of auto drivers and the overly aggressive manner they drive makes me thankful it’s not year round.
Colonel Haiku (e677b4) — 9/25/2016 @ 11:08 amI don’t think it’s a matter of what Trump’s faults or qualities are. The question for the Nevertrumpers is how low are you willing to go to beat Hillary? And if your scruples have a part in Hillary’s winning, what have you won?
Richard Aubrey (9d3bfd) — 9/25/2016 @ 11:10 amIt’s not that they’re aggressive Colonel, it’s they are so self important and let’s face it you’re just a deplorable. Get out of their way!
Rev. Hoagie® (785e38) — 9/25/2016 @ 11:12 am“all the great people who used to post here, who feel the same way about you. I want to see more posts by them, and less by you. Bet lots of people feel the same way.”
presented without names or examples, like most liberal propaganda pieces. Just like the people supposedly murderized by unexploded cluster bombs. If you cared about individual people you’d have their names, and probably their current posting locations if they’re still at it. You don’t have that, you don’t have a thing.
“You truly do contaminate things.
Fact is, you could easily express the same opinions you do without insulting and being a jackwagon. Contribute something.”
He’s contributing to #NeverTrump butthurt and has a strong alpha reply ratio of 3-6 lines from his detractors for every one of his.
Whatever he’s saying, he’s doing it more economically and more effectively than you are.
“But you don’t want to do that.”
As an alt-rightist myself, I think I have a pretty good handle on what he wants and what he’s getting. I can post a well-crafted diss-missive and y’all too scared to call me on it, happyfoot posts and you all jump on it because you think he’s dumb, but all you do is end up piling up more ammo against yourselves. One might say he’s a greater “master of baiting” than any of us (that one was totally free, come up with others on your own.)
Dystopia Max (76803a) — 9/25/2016 @ 11:16 amOh, good Lord.
Simon Jester (3dbc42) — 9/25/2016 @ 11:34 amIt’s really true that people have been killed by unexploded cluster bombs. Not all exxplode, and they become like land mines, and the United States has stopped using them.
Sammy Finkelman (3915d0) — 9/25/2016 @ 11:38 amI do, Hoagie. I hate ruining cars I take such good care of!
Colonel Haiku (d0a528) — 9/25/2016 @ 11:38 amThey can’t say California isn’t leading the way in solving the most pressing problems this nation is facing!
“IT’S COME TO THIS: California Enacts Law Requiring IMDb to Remove Actor Ages on Request”
https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/244712/
Colonel Haiku (d0a528) — 9/25/2016 @ 11:44 amHahaha “alpha reply ratio.” What a dumbass.
Our public service is in keeping Christoph occupied with posting on a blog; the alternative is to have him out in the world, dropping roofies in peoples’ drinks, “alpha”-style.
Leviticus (43f828) — 9/25/2016 @ 11:46 amApologies to Tom Lehrer:
Gather round while I sing you of Canadian Cruz,
A man whose allegiance is ruled by expedience;
Call him unprincipled for changing his views,
“Principles, schminziples,” coos Canadian Cruz
Don’t say that he’s hypocritical,
Say rather that he’s quite political;
“Once the endorsement is up, by next week it’s old news!
Memories are short,” coos Canadian Cruz
Some have harsh words for this bait-and-switch ruse,
But some say their attitude should be one of gratitude;
Like his wife and his father; their honor abused,
So easily betrayed by Canadian Cruz
“To become a conservative hero;
DCSCA (797bc0) — 9/25/2016 @ 11:48 amJust show Texans you’ll stand up for zero;
In Alberta ‘oder’ Houston, I have proved I can lose,
And I’ll prove it again,” coos Canadian Cruz
WRT cluster bombs. Some of the submunitions don’t go off. A new generation of them are designed to become inactive after a short time.
Richard Aubrey (9d3bfd) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:07 pmWhen the first efforts in Afghanistan after 9-11 began, we were also dropping food aid. It was the humanitarian daily ration. Turned out to be the same color as the unexploded submunitions. Problem there. We changed the color of the HDR package.
Talked to a faith-based peace and wonderfulness guy who lamented the change as “muddying the waters”. Lefties need dead kids. Shame we quit providing them.
Cruz Supporter:
I am disappointed in Cruz’s decision but he is still one of our most conservative leaders. He makes Trump look like a Democrat in comparison, although admittedly that’s not hard to do because Trump is a Democrat on most issues.
Unlike you, not everything is a binary choice to me. The world isn’t Perfect vs Imperfect, so when one person disappoints me that doesn’t mean all politicians are the same. I don’t vote for anyone with an R by their name because politicians are equally and indistinguishably bad. Only cynics like elissa, and apparently you, see things that way.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:19 pmOur public service is in keeping Christoph occupied with posting on a blog; the alternative is to have him out in the world, dropping roofies in peoples’ drinks, “alpha”-style.
Leviticus (43f828) — 9/25/2016 @ 11:46 am
Now that is funny stuff! Just be thankful it’s not foreskins…
Colonel Haiku (d0a528) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:20 pmCatfight! Saucer of milk for two!
Colonel Haiku (d0a528) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:21 pmYour comments are like graffiti, happyfeet. Sometimes they’re funny and sometimes they’re just trash, but they are never serious.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:24 pmone of these days i might surprise you
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:24 pmColonel,
I know your cat fight comment wasn’t directed at me because you assured me you are sincere. Remember?
DRJ (15874d) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:25 pmThat was yesterday, and yesterday’s gone. We’re gonna have to get you two gals together at some point.
Colonel Haiku (d0a528) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:27 pmelissa is gone.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:28 pmI come in Peace.
Colonel Haiku (d0a528) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:28 pmShe was just here…
Colonel Haiku (d0a528) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:28 pmI really liked talking to her but she never seemed to enjoy it, unfortunately. I don’t know what her background is but I think she would have been a great lawyer.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:29 pmReally? I haven’t seen elissa in months, maybe longer, but I don’t read the comments much anymore.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:30 pmSo you are only sincere every other day? Hmmmm.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:31 pmI miss daleyrocks too.
Colonel Haiku (d0a528) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:32 pmYes. What a great guy.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:34 pmI’m kidding about the every other day, Colonel.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:36 pm“Hahaha “alpha reply ratio.” What a dumbass.”
Yet as soon as I mentioned it you all limited yourself to one and two line responses. You believe it. You act on it. You are bound to it as soon as you’re called on it. My words become true in the texture of reality as soon as they’re spoken, because they’re true in the minds of my opponents. This is the Zen of trolling. Contemplate it a while.
“It’s really true that people have been killed by unexploded cluster bombs.”
No names, no faces, no identification, no confirmation, no media exposure, no one. Land mines, yes, all sorts. Cluster bombs, near zero. They would shamelessly wave the bloody shirts if they had them.
Dystopia Max (76803a) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:37 pmMore often than that. But I do tend to chafe at smarmy know-it-alls and preaching from the pulpit on high by other ordinary humans. We get more than enough of that from the jerks on the Left.
Colonel Haiku (d0a528) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:38 pmyes yes i love elissa and Mr. daley they lurk about like ghosties and while a proper blog has just one ghost we here are blessed with two
and sometimes at night if you listen real close
you hear the stairs creak
the parlor door squeak
and you know it’s time for to go meemees
here i’m a do a serious comment on you
Mr. Trump’s most grievous blow what he did on harvardtrash ted was
he stood back and let sore loser ted short-circuit the post-mortem discussion of how and why ted’s campaign failed
that’s like scattering the ashes from which the plucky lil phoenix is supposed to rise
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:42 pmComing Attractions: Senator Rick Perry of Texas.
Oops!
“And the hits just keep on coming.”- Lt. Kaffee [Tom Cruise] ‘A Few Good Men,’ 1992
DCSCA (797bc0) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:44 pmI just want to stop the slide down the Hellbound chute this country seems to be embracing more every day.
Colonel Haiku (d0a528) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:45 pmBack away from the snuff, happyfeet.
Colonel Haiku (d0a528) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:47 pmi’m waiting for my enchiladas
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:50 pm“This is the Zen of trolling. Contemplate it a while.”
– hunstopia maxedeer
I’d rather “contemplate” how a mastertrollgeniusalpha like you managed to out yourself under two different handles in the same thread. That was some master trolling right there. At least Elephant Stone has been diligent about using his new fake handle. You should ask him for some tips. I don’t think he frequents any of your Men’s Rights forums, though, so you might have to ask Patterico for his email address.
Leviticus (03bf59) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:58 pm“Sorry for the fuzziness of the bumper sticker.
I’m thinking that treating an ebola patient might be sort of like cooking bacon naked. If you’ve done it once, you may not want to do it again, but that’s just me. YMMV.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 10/12/2014 @ 11:35 am”
The last known comment by daleyrocks. FYI.
Ipso Fatso (7e1c8e) — 9/25/2016 @ 2:58 pmIt looks like JD has gone as well. Too bad. He had a lot of good to say.
Ipso Fatso (7e1c8e) — 9/25/2016 @ 3:02 pmJD either continues to wander the American West like some kinda Shaolin monk, or has decided to delay his return until after teh election…
Colonel Haiku (d0a528) — 9/25/2016 @ 3:17 pm“It’s really true that people have been killed by unexploded cluster bombs.”
Dystopia Max (76803a) — 9/25/2016 @ 12:37 pm
There was just some story about a boy in Laos who, some years ago, was maimed. And there was something some years ago in Lebanon. Are you saying theye are less dangerous than their reputation? generaslly for anything, 4 to 5 times as many people get wounded as killed.
Here’s this:
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/cluster-bombs-killing-hundreds-syria-and-yemen-conflicts-1886933453
Sammy Finkelman (3915d0) — 9/25/2016 @ 3:21 pmabout what I suspected,
https://twitter.com/TerrorEvents/status/780049511301414913
the point I was making on the last thread, was the texas tribune, is an unreliable source about cruz, or perry, or paxton, a key recipient of texas for public justice leaks, fyi
narciso (d1f714) — 9/25/2016 @ 3:23 pmSteve57
It is not uncommon for me to admire the hell out of the warrior, while being disappointed in the politician.
Current Senator John McCain endured a tremendous amount for us… but as a Presidential candidate, I was disappointed.
Oh. And may God bless those men who saw others moving into danger and responded by moving in closer to danger as well.
I forget which Naval battle it was, but maybe Battle of Leyte Gulf? The stories of outclassed size ships steering to shelter others from torpedoes, or also trying to close under the guns of the enemy to slug it out with ships that were twice as armored and three times as gunned.
I don’t have video of that, but here is the Movie version of the charge of the 4th Australian Light Horse Brigade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yuZ4vowQJc
steveg (5508fb) — 9/25/2016 @ 3:31 pm#30
Unless the USA of the future leads the world in robot building and design (and repair), the minimum wage will eventually impact the labor force severely.
Maybe I’ll get a 3D printer and build my own labor force
steveg (5508fb) — 9/25/2016 @ 3:37 pm#65
I love Laguna Beach, but there is no way to fix that Coast Highway burning traffic going North/South and the parking lot called Laguna Canyon going East/West.
When I was doing work down there, I’d stay at the Best Western (they had new beds) and walk a couple blocks North to have soup and tacos and two margaritas at Avila’s.
steveg (5508fb) — 9/25/2016 @ 3:50 pmNot the best food ever, but it was good enough
Thanks Colonel Haiku, I met him once in Chicago many years ago. He’s a good guy. I hope he is doing well. I believe he also got divorced within the last year or so and had a couple of young children, so that may be taking his time these days as well. Rightfully so.
Ipso Fatso (7e1c8e) — 9/25/2016 @ 4:01 pmHad filet mignon w/bacon tacos, guacamole w/chips and margaritas at Las Brisas when we got here Friday evening, SteveG. Outstanding! I try not to hit that spot you mentioned though… too many tales of those peeps from back in the day.
Colonel Haiku (e677b4) — 9/25/2016 @ 4:07 pm“76. I am disappointed in Cruz’s decision but he is still one of our most conservative leaders.”
Y’know what? I am more conservative than Ted Cruz.
Y’know also what? It doesn’t make a damn bit of difference. Neither I nor Cruz has any chance of being elected President this year, because neither of us is on the ballot.
Whether anybody likes it or not, the only possibilities this year are Hillary and Trump.
fred-2 (ce04f3) — 9/25/2016 @ 9:03 pm“some story about a boy in Laos who, some years ago, was maimed. And there was something some years ago in Lebanon. Are you saying theye are less dangerous than their reputation? generaslly for anything, 4 to 5 times as many people get wounded as killed.”
speaking in complete generalities, no names, no details, which is precisely why we got suspicious in the first place…
“Cluster Munition Coalition”
“Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor”
Permanent hyper-specific lobby foundations for what should be basic contract labor/specifically hazardous environment isolation/clean-up at best….
If I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, as a guy who had to pull hundreds of UXOs out of various Iraqi caches:
NO POSTER CHILD, NO CASUALTIES. It’s well past time to cut these permanent ‘humanitarian’ organizations off.
Dystopia Max (76803a) — 9/26/2016 @ 7:02 amWhy isn’t anyone asking why George HW Bush is considering voting for Hillary?!!! Let’s not forget that voting for him and his son was also a nose pinching exercise. These are the same putzes that gave us the David Suitor and John Roberts. If Cruz endorsed Trump just to save his political career, I don’t blame him.
Oh! By the way, John Boehner, the so called President of the Trump fan club, just landed himself a sweet gig at Squire Patton Boggs. What will he do? He’ll show up twice a month, collect a paycheck, and advise his client how to make their campaign contributions.
Wendy (d1499b) — 9/26/2016 @ 9:11 am@112. They’ll have to buy ashtrays, too.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 9/26/2016 @ 9:15 amOur host wrote:
If you watched it all, then you know that Cruz downplayed the importance of adding Lee to the list as compared to the public commitment that Trump would choose exclusively from that list. I think this post is materially incomplete in describing Cruz’ position for omitting that.
That said:
You & I both know, and I’m sure Ted Cruz knows, that Trump’s word on everything is worthless. Smith grilled Cruz on precisely that point, to which Cruz’ response was that the “exclusivity” commitment is important, and that it’s importance is independent of the question of whether Trump’s word is trustworthy, because now that it’s been made publicly and it writing with clarity, Trump would have to pay a political/public opinion price if he breaks his commitment.
The appropriate counter to that argument — which you also didn’t mention, since you didn’t mention the whole “exclusivity” subject at all — is that Trump gets away with everything. But while that seems true, and while it’s certainly true that he gets away with things that are outrageous, it’s actually an exaggeration to say that he gets away with everything. He’s had to change course and backtrack several times precisely because he’s gone so far that he’s beginning to seriously hemorrhage support at the margins, as with the Gold Star Families screwup.
I do agree with you that this is mostly a fig leaf. In other words, it would certainly not have been enough to justify Cruz’ decision if Cruz hadn’t also made his own promise — not to Trump, but to the RNC, the GOP generally, and the voting public — during the primaries. But if, as I believe, Cruz had concluded that he was indeed going to keep his own commitment, then identifying this “exclusive list” publicly, and committing Trump to it, was indeed probably the best and most reasonable “ask” he could have expected Trump to entertain when relayed back through Pence. Cruz was very, very explicit in painting this as a deliberate and overt quid-pro-quo, with Pence (not Trump) able to confirm that in the future; neither Pence nor Trump have challenged anything Cruz said about the discussions; and thus, having Pence in this loop was essential and very, very smart.
If Trump wins, but deviates from the commitment, then Cruz certainly would have laid now as good a foundation as can be laid for holding Trump politically accountable in the future. Yes, it ain’t much in context, but it was indeed something of some value, something worth bothering to do, in addition to the fact that it gave Cruz the fig leaf to point to as something “new,” “important,” and “post-convention.”
Does that mean Trump will behave himself and be accountable? Of course not, but that’s beyond anything anyone, including Ted Cruz, can do to affect him.
This was a dead-stick landing. Any of those you can walk away from is, by definition, a good one, even if you’re pretty bloody.
Beldar (fa637a) — 9/26/2016 @ 2:19 pmI’m too lazy to google through these comments, but I distinctly recall having insisted here, on several occasions when the “pledge” was being discussed, writing about the different kinds of “pledges” actually out there, which are and aren’t public (the data-sharing agreement between the candidates and the GOP isn’t, and it’s the one I’d most like to see), which ones might be legally binding or at least genuinely costly to violate, etc. I remember distinctly predicting that having made the pledge — in all its versions — Cruz would indeed keep it even if Trump became the nominee.
That was before the attacks on Cruz’ wife and father. But Cruz had to know that Trump might do exactly that kind of crap when Cruz made his pledge, and, again, the pledge wasn’t made to Trump, so it’s not one that Trump can invalidate, or excuse Cruz from performing, by his (Trump’s) own conduct or words. Being required to “support” Trump, in all his nasty unfitness, was the worst-case downside risk of making the pledge, but it was a well-known risk, and now indeed that worst-case scenario (from Cruz’ perspective, and mine) has come about.
So again, I don’t believe this was a “mistake.” I think it was inevitable, a hugely unpleasant task that could be delayed or avoided no longer. I don’t think less of Cruz for it.
Beldar (fa637a) — 9/26/2016 @ 2:36 pmI thought the 6th point n Ted Cruz’s list was the only thing new (theres nothing new about the Supreme Court, and it doesn’t men anything past the first conformation or rejection or filibuster.
This is actually important only if Trump mentions it in tonight’s debate. It’s being decided now.
Sammy Finkelman (3915d0) — 9/26/2016 @ 3:18 pm