Earl R. Smith II's Blog, page 29
July 22, 2019
Politics is the Art of the Possible
it’s easy to think, particularly during primary season, that politics is about ideology – to think that high-sounding campaign slogans and aggressive performances during debates is what politics is all about. There’s a tendency among many voters to think that politics is more about campaigning than governing. Campaigning is easy compared to governing. A candidate’s […]
July 21, 2019
The Sidestep
It keeps happening. The latest was watching Senator Corey Booker dodge a question and then move on to a generalized torrent of disconnected irrelevancies. And in the background, I hear a song from The Best Little Whorehouse in the Texas. Dance the Little Sidestep I recommend that you play the video in the background while […]
July 20, 2019
A Word by Any Other Name
One of the main challenges in human interaction, particularly when there are substantial differences of perspective and inexperience, centers around the question of the use of and meaning of words. These challenges arise because of different understandings of how words function as symbols. But, and this is the more subtle part, they arise also because […]
July 18, 2019
Two Definitions of Liberty
A key to understanding the argument that Deneen is putting forth in his book Why Liberalism Failed is to get your mind around the evolution of the definition of liberty that Liberalism brought about. Here is an useful, and somewhat extended, quote from his book. Liberalism is not merely, as is often portrayed, a narrowly […]
July 16, 2019
End of the line for Trump and the Republican Party
You want to see the what will be the end of Donald Trump and the Republican Party? Here it is! A parody on a film from 1957 – A Face in the Crowd – https://youtu.be/Y6Q-PB_SGvU – The end of the line for Trump is lonesome roads! As Mr. T always said, “Pity the fool!”
July 14, 2019
Washington’s Worst Fears Come Alive
George Washington feared that political parties would result in a divided people and threaten the union. He believed that they were dangerous as they riled people up and poised their members against those who were not members of the tribe. “I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the state, with particular […]
July 13, 2019
The Party of Impotence Will Not Prevail
In an earlier piece, Why Isn’t the Lead Larger? (https://www.dr-smith.info/why-isnt-th...) I pointed out that the Democrats, particularly on Capital Hill, are evidencing a level of impotence which could be lethal to their prospects in 2020. The message was that voters prefer people who get things done even if they don’t particularly like them over people […]
July 12, 2019
Why Isn’t the Lead Larger?
The incumbent president has been credibly accused of rape by multiple women. He is on the record multiple times making disparaging comments about them. His policies threaten the interests of much of the American population. On healthcare alone, a major issue working for the Democrats during the midterm election, the administration would decimate the healthcare […]
July 11, 2019
The Party of Fiscal Responsibility?
A central part of the propaganda that the Republican Party puts out is that it’s the party of fiscal responsibility. Many still buy into that hogwash. Sure, I expect that the talking heads are not going to go there. It requires thinking about numbers and that gives them migraines. But what is astounding is that […]
Cracking the Code
It’s really very simple. There’s nothing complicated about it. And yet, all the talking heads seem to be mystified. Perhaps it’s their narcissism, love of the sound of their own voice and a burning feeling that, if the world doesn’t hear their opinions, everything will go to hell. But it’s really very simple. And there’s […]
