Author Archive: Glenn Reynolds

STEVEN HAYWARD: Let Trump Be Trump. “I continue to think he is going to win, because I have a near mystical belief that he’s a world-historical figure of destiny. No, it’s not rational in any conventional sense, though perhaps I can spin a neo-Hegelian case. (But that wouldn’t be prudent.) I can give you rational reasons why he should be favored to win, too, but why crib from Nate Silver’s work. The point is, he may not be sufficiently articulate, but he has become the surprising and unexpected champion of everyone around the globe who has had it with our conventional ruling elite of nearly all historic political parties. The old order is dying, and a new one is struggling to be born, against fierce opposition and long odds. And while I am fully aware of Trump’s many defects, our ruling class, our corrupt institutions, universities, government bureaus, and mass media, deserve to lose to him.”

SO NOW IT’S THE 23RD ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11: One thing I guess I didn’t believe 23 years ago is that America would elect such a feckless President in 2008, and stand idly by while he flushed our global position, and security, down a left-wing toilet. But we did — and then we did it again in 2020 — and we’ll be paying the price for a long time.

We said “never forget.” Well, we haven’t forgotten the heroism of people like Rick Rescorla, the Flight 93 passengers, the firefighters who charged up the WTC stairs, or the volunteers who set up the American Dunkirk evacuation of lower Manhattan by boat.

But we have forgotten the criminal negligence of our political leaders and intelligence services that got us to that point. We should have purged the incompetents then. Instead, they’re still running the show. The country is still sound, but the people in charge of it have only gotten worse.

God bless America. We need it.

I don’t mean this to sound gloomy. But Americans consistently shrink from the realities of both international and domestic politics and that’s not good. I think the coming decade will be a dose of reality, for better and for worse.

Related: Salena Zito: We Should Remember What They Left Behind.

Plus: That Day, As I Saw It.

WELL, IT DOES: Voters want Trump if another 9/11 threatens. “Asked in a new Rasmussen Reports survey, ‘Which candidate would you trust more to protect America from a terrorist attack, Kamala Harris or Donald Trump,’ voters chose Trump over Harris 52%-43%. The survey followed a wave of others focused on issues that have given Trump the edge including on immigration, national security and the economy.”

WELL, SURE, AND TRUMP SURELY MUST HAVE KNOWN THEY WOULD: MSNBC Host Says the Quiet Part Out Loud About the ABC News Debate. “Donald Trump missed his chance to deliver a knockout blow to Kamala Harris. It was sloppier than his first debate. She got under his skin, which led to some nonsensical tangents, something Harris wanted to do. Anything that can be done to get her out of talking about policy is a win for that camp. Yet, despite my disappointment in Trump’s performance, where he had multiple opportunities to turn Harris inside out as a total clown who is unqualified and unprepared to be president, the vice president was assisted mightily by ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis. It was the Democrat media complex at work, and they arguably were debating with Trump during this circus last night. MSNBC’s Nicole Wallace and Tim Walz both said the quiet part out loud: the moderators rigged the debate.”

Flashback: September, 2004: “The media, I think, wants Kerry to win and I think they’re going to portray Kerry and Edwards I’m talking about the establishment media, not Fox. They’re going to portray Kerry and Edwards as being young and dynamic and optimistic and there’s going to be this glow about them, collective glow, the two of them, that’s going to be worth maybe 15 points.”

That’s what’s happening with Kamala now. Will it work? It will if they can make it work.

Related:

OPEN THREAD: Anything going on tonight?

LOL, GAVIN NEWSOM:

There’s no new gas tax, the last gas tax was 60 whole days ago!