Tag: politics

90 percent for independence

To absolutely no one’s surprise, the Spanish attempts to stop the Catalan independence referendum completely backfired:

Catalan officials claimed 90{c6770088f688fedd109195fb76ded7bc5c58269bd213a4319575b4bd99e8e8ff} of 2.2 million voters had called for independence in an ‘illegal’ referendum blighted by violent scenes which left at least 888 people injured. World leaders condemned the brutal scenes after officials revealed that hundreds of protesters have been injured so far. Officers were seen kicking and stamping on protesters as they stormed buildings and seized ballot boxes.

Footage captured in the village of Sarria de Ter in the province of Girona showed authorities using an axe to smash down the doors of a polling station where Catalan president Carles Puigdemont was due to cast his vote.  He said the region had won the right to become an independent state with the referendum results due in a few days. And in Barcelona, the region’s capital, officers fired rubber bullets at thousands of protesters demonstrating against their votes being denied.

Now, I am as dubious as anyone else about the accuracy of the reported vote. But seriously, who on Earth is advising the Spanish government? One would think they actually wanted Catalonia to successfully succeed, given how inept and counterproductive their crackdown was.

The players crumble

The NFL players are beginning to grasp that it is futile to fight the God-Emperor on rhetorical grounds:

Only 11 NFL players did not stand during the national anthem during the first set of games Sunday. That is a stark contrast from the 180 who kneeled last week, according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell.

This is why it is always a good idea to stop and think before reacting. Especially when you’re dealing with an opponent who is very, very good at anticipating the other side’s probable reaction.

It will be amusing to see how the owners who supported the protests will now try to climb back after leaping to take the side of the players.

NFL Week 4

Prognosis: Red.

Week 3

-14{c6770088f688fedd109195fb76ded7bc5c58269bd213a4319575b4bd99e8e8ff} NBC OAK-WSH
-17{c6770088f688fedd109195fb76ded7bc5c58269bd213a4319575b4bd99e8e8ff} FOX NYG-PHI
-03{c6770088f688fedd109195fb76ded7bc5c58269bd213a4319575b4bd99e8e8ff} CBS CIN-GB

Week 4

-06{c6770088f688fedd109195fb76ded7bc5c58269bd213a4319575b4bd99e8e8ff} CBS CHI-GB

A reader with connections at Anheiser Busch reports that the phone calls and emails there are “at least 3 to 1 against NFL, and against Goodell in particular.”

NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” is off 7 percent this year, ESPN’s Monday night down 5 percent, Fox down 11 percent, CBS 19 percent.

Starve the SJW beast. But to be honest, I can’t watch any football today anyhow. I’ve simply got too much to do.

Making America Employed Again

The God-Emperor strikes again:

The Department of Justice announced Thursday it has filed a lawsuit against a Colorado corporation for allegedly discriminating against U.S. workers.

The complaint alleges that in 2016, Crop Production discriminated against at least three United States citizens by refusing to employ them as seasonal technicians in El Campo, Texas, because Crop Production preferred to hire temporary foreign workers under the H-2A visa program.

“In the spirit of President Trump’s Executive Order on Buy American and Hire American, the Department of Justice will not tolerate employers who discriminate against U.S. workers because of a desire to hire temporary foreign visa holders,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “… Where there is a job available, U.S. workers should have a chance at it before we bring in workers from abroad.”

This is great. This is excellent. Now, BUILD THE WALL!

The trend is bigger than the man

As I’ve observed, pointed out, and argued repeatedly, the trends are much, much bigger than individual men or even individual movements:

He must have known what was coming. Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, a pillar of the cowardly GOP Establishment, announced he would not be running for re-election on Tuesday [Republican Sen. Corker announces he won’t seek re-election, by Richard Lardner and Erik Schelzig, Associated Press, September 26, 2017]. Corker’s departure is widely being interpreted as a sign of the Establishment’s inability to control the GOP base, as the election of President Trump, the rise of nationalism and the emergence of alternative media outlets (such as Breitbart and VDARE.com) make it harder for cuckservatives to Republican primary voters in line [Sen. Bob Corker’s retirement is notable for when it’s happening, by Amber Phillips, Washington Post, September 26, 2017]

And now, we have the ultimate proof in Alabama. Judge Roy Moore, one of the most persistent targets of the Southern Poverty Law Center, is now the Republican nominee for the Senate. And he defeated incumbent Senator Luther Strange despite Strange being endorsed by President Donald J. Trump himself…. Even before Trump’s inauguration, when there were troubling signs the new President was surrounding himself with the Republican Establishment, it was clear that the President’s supporters would need to rise against Trump in his own name. The victory of Roy Moore is the best example so far of how this insurgency will play out.

And most importantly, it shows how the populist and nationalist movement is larger than Trump himself.

Trump’s advisors seem to know this. In the Fox News interview referenced above, Dr. Gorka claimed “no one voted for Trump, we voted for his agenda.” And during his speech in support of Moore, Bannon referenced Jeff Sessions, not Trump, as the “spiritual father of the populist and nationalist movement.”

But does Trump himself know this? Already, the Main Stream Media is trying to present this as a devastating defeat for the president personally. The New York Times kvetched about Moore’s social views and sneered that his victory “demonstrated in stark terms the limits of Mr. Trump’s clout” [Roy Moore Wins Senate G.O.P. Runoff in Alabama, by Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, September 26, 2017]. Jason Le Miere at Newsweek suggested Trump had suffered his first major political defeat at the ballot box and hinted his political weakness could trigger his impeachment. [How Alabama Senate Election Results Could Trigger Trump’s Impeachment, September 26, 2017]

This wildly overstates the case. Trump had hedged his bets, suggesting at one point he made a “mistake” in endorsing Strange [Trump supports Strange, but says it may be “mistake,” Washington Post, September 25, 2017]. He also said he would “campaign like hell” for Moore if Moore won [Roy Moore: ‘I can’t wait’ for Trump to ‘campaign like hell’ for me, by Sean Langille, Washington Examiner, September 25, 2017].

It’s hardly a devastating defeat for President Trump when his supposed enemies are fanatically loyal to him and his “allies” can’t wait to stab him in the back.

People get caught up in the heat of the moment. It’s easy to forget that the battles of last week, last year, and last month were, at the time, seemingly every big as important as whatever the battle du jour happens to be.

You can only ride the trends, you can’t reasonable hope to control them. This is why it is foolish and futile to attempt to brand and spin and otherwise attempt to control a trend as narrative, because that is a category error. The main reason Alt⭐️Hero is going to be successful is not due to the quality of the storylines, the artwork, or the characters, but because it is in line with the winds of the zeitgeist at a time when Marvel and DC Comics are trying to fly directly against them.

If Trump is wise, he will not only recognize that he is not bigger than the movement, but that the movement is not bigger than the trend.

The rise of the real alternative

Senator-to-be Roy Moore is what the real alternative Right looks like. Anti-establishment, Christian, nationalist, and populist.

Firebrand jurist Roy Moore has won the Alabama Republican primary for U.S. Senate, defeating an appointed incumbent backed by President Donald Trump and allies of Sen. Mitch McConnell. In an upset likely to rock the party establishment, Moore clinched victory Tuesday over Sen. Luther Strange to win the GOP nomination for the Senate seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Moore will face Democrat Doug Jones in a Dec. 12 special election.

Moore is the state’s former chief justice who was twice removed from his duties for defying federal courts over same-sex marriage and the public display of the Ten Commandments. Propelled by evangelical voters, Moore consolidated support from a number of anti-establishment forces, including former White House strategist Steve Bannon.

Incumbent Sen. Luther Strange wished jurist Roy Moore well after losing the Alabama Republican primary for Senate. Strange told his supporters Tuesday night that “we wish (Moore) well going forward.”

But he quickly shifted to his own bewilderment at the race he just finished. “We’re dealing with a political environment that I’ve never had any experience with,” he said. “I’m telling you, the political seas and winds in this country right now … are very hard to navigate, very hard to understand.”

And this is why it is a mistake for the Alt Lite to fear accepting the Alt-Right label. The failed attempts of Richard Spencer, Greg Johnson, and Andrew Anglin to “brand” it as their own preferred ideology are no more significant than the attempts of the media to brand it as National Socialism.

But it doesn’t matter what it is called. You can’t kill an inevitable philosophy with guilt-by-association. The conservative movement has failed. The libertarian movement has failed. The neo-liberal world order has failed. Multiculturalism has failed. Civic nationalism has failed.

An alternative Right is the only possible alternative to the failed right-wing ideologies and philosophies of the past. The label is irrelevant, what is clear is that whatever it is is an alternative, it is Right, and it is winning.

Notice that Roy Moore has seen considerably more setbacks than the average individual. He has seen far more pressure and opposition from the Republican and media establishments, and been literally discredited and disqualified. But now he is very likely to be the next Senator from Alabama, because the Alt-Right is inevitable.

Trump nails down Pennsylvania for 2020

The only Steeler to stand for the national anthem, Alejandro Villanueva, a former US Army Ranger.

Alejandro Villanueva was the lone Pittsburgh Steelers player who appeared on the pitch and sang while the rest of his team remained in the locker room as part of a silent protest that’s sweeping the country’s football pitches. The player, who has served in Afghanistan, has become a simple of patriotism — and now sales of his jersey have gone through the roof. It jumped the Steelers jersey sellers league on Fanatics.com, and now stands at one of the top sellers for the entire league, behind Carson Wentz and Aaron Rodgers.

This will not end well for the NFL. It’s going to be very interesting to see how the Week 3 TV ratings play out. Based on the hints from things such as Villanueva’s jersey sales, I would guess we’ll see a decline of 20 percent or more.

NFL Week Three

Not a lot to say, except I’m not watching this week. The players understand this is about the cultural war. So does the President. I’m not sure what percentage of the NFL-watching public does, but it does appear to be statistically significant if Twitter is any guide.

This sort of calculated and specific disrespect is not incidental. It is intentional. Apparently all the Steelers but one boycotted the anthem. Yes, it’s just symbolism, but symbolism matters. The Right used to understand this. Bud Grant’s Vikings used to practice standing for the national anthem.

American football stars drop to their knees during national anthem at Wembley in protest defying Donald Trump after he said sportsman who ‘disrespect America’ should be SACKED. Players from Jacksonville Jaguars and the Baltimore Ravens dropped to their knees as national anthem played. No players were kneeling during the playing of ‘God Save The Queen’, which followed the US national anthem. 

Regardless, discuss either the protests or the weekend action, as you see fit.

How awesome would it be if Steelers owner Art Rooney released his entire team tomorrow, except for Alejandro Villanueva? Talk about making a statement! They could go winless for the next three years, and they’d still wind up ahead on the merchandise sales alone.

Skol Vikings! I am reliably informed that Minnesota Vikings are the only team to not have a single player kneel for the anthem thus far. The legacy of Bud Grant remains strong.

Milo back at Berkeley

There has been a lot of talk about whether Milo would return to Berkeley and whether #FreeSpeechWeek would take place there. But yes, he is back and it is on. Team Milo has even prepared a little gift for everyone for the occasion. It’s called The Antifa Handbook (PDF), and, as it happens, it is almost entirely unlike the 4GW Handbook.