There is a difference between inheritance and action. I cannot help who my ancestors are, but I can make my own choices. That so many Americans chose to place in power a man who holds people in contempt on the basis of race, religion, and national origin; that so much of the mainstream media conveys this bigotry through tired, obfuscating euphemisms; that there is so low a political price for the president’s racism that he and those around him see little risk in its expression—well, that does say something about America, and Americans. Immigration isn’t breaking our society. That’s a job Americans can do on their own.

-Adam Serwer in The Atlantic

Laura K. Field - Furious Minds -The Making of the MAGA New Right

 This is a real game changer.  I had no idea of this Right Wing MAGA world.  Shocks me.  Incredible stuff.

The author has a PHD in political theory from UT-Austin.  Very impressive.  With a Leo Straussian background.  Lots of talk on Allan Bloom and Harry Jaffa.  At this point I still do not understand the appeal of these three heavyweights, how and why they have been so influential.

The Old Right is a base of today's conservatism, but it seems to me it's mostly archaic.  Goldwater seems mostly harmless today.

I have never heard of conservative Harvard Professor Harvey Mansfield.  P. 60

Post liberalism features Patrick Deneen  I bought his last book, but never read it.  Post liberalism, actually a version today's conservatism, so far is not worth my trying to understand it.  P. 70

The MAGA new right is too busy and complex for me to waste too much intellectual blood on.

Trump has new right MAGA support.  I had no idea.

 

Having only vapid thoughts this morning. If I had something better to do I’d be doing it. If I had some words of wisdom I’d present them to you. It is not yet beginning to look a lot like Christmas, so I still have time to properly prepare.

 The publisher of the OED has named "rage bait" as its new phrase of the year. Examples are plentiful. You can easily I"m sure supply your own examples. I can at least see 40 a day on the internet.

 Increasing irritation from uninvited popups on my computer screen. My books have no popups. I read at my own pace, think at my own pace, comprehend at my own pace. If I"m feeling lazy, i might listen to a podcast, but not likely.

 At the Pelham Starbucks this morning I feel like I'm in a Billy Joel song. The usual crowd shuttles in. Davy is still in the Navy and probably will be for life. Somebody is bound to ask me, "What are you doing here?" Good question. The only answer I can come up with is everybody has to be somewhere and it looks like I happen to be here.

 Given the choice of spending an evening with the village idiot, the village atheist, or the village know-it-all, I would choose the idiot. We are apt to have more in common.