"There’s very little evidence that members on the far right have moved on from Donald Trump. This will be a forum for his grievances and going down ridiculous rabbit holes and entertaining conspiracy theories."
Said Brendan Buck, "who served as a top adviser to the past two Republican speakers, Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and John A. Boehner of Ohio," quoted in "Right-Wing Trump Allies Win Seats on Oversight, Reflecting G.O.P. Priorities/Some of the former president’s most outspoken defenders will sit on the House’s main investigative committee, underscoring their high-profile roles in the new Republican majority" (NYT).
The Oversight Committee has long been populated by the most ideological and outspoken members of the House in both political parties, along with those who have less interest in legislating than in landing political blows that will grab the attention of the public and tarnish their opponents....
“It’s a snapshot of where the Republican Party is,” said William Kristol, a prominent Never Trump conservative, referring to the makeup of the House Oversight Committee. “It’s wishful thinking to think there is a healthy Republican Party and this wacky Republican conference. They just got elected. Aren’t they the most representative thing of the party that exists?”...
I don't know... are they less serious members dumped in the land of misfit toys* or are they the most representative thing of the
party that exists? There's a vast gulf between those 2 concepts. But Kristol put his characterization in the form of a question, so I'm guessing he knows he's bullshitting and is at least a little embarrassed.
The representatives under discussion here are: Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Russell Fry of South Carolina, and Anna Paulina Luna of Florida.
The chair is James R. Comer of Kentucky, who is, according to the NYT, "not seen as an extremist."
Mr. Comer “may have claimed that he wanted the committee to be ‘credible,’ but the selection of these members shows this committee is nothing more than a bad joke,” said Brad Woodhouse, a senior adviser to the Congressional Integrity Project, a group dedicated to undermining Republican-led congressional investigations.
It's kind of a bad joke to quote the guy from the "group dedicated to undermining
Republican-led congressional investigations" about the credibility of the Republican-led committee on congressional investigations, but it's a good joke to come right out and identify him that way.
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45 comments:
“This will be a forum for his grievances and going down ridiculous rabbit holes and entertaining conspiracy theories.”
Sounds like a description of the Jan 6 committee
Ambiguity alert: "This will be a forum for his grievances and going down ridiculous rabbit holes and entertaining conspiracy theories."
I think he means that the committee will entertain conspiracy theories, not that the conspiracy theories are entertaining. But pairing "entertaining conspiracy theories" with "ridiculous rabbit holes" creates a risk that a quick reader will think Buck is planning to lean back and enjoy the fun.
Slower readers -- and sentence diagrammers -- see the overarching structure as: 1. "grievances," and 2. "going down," etc. etc. and — because you don't "go down" theories (even if they are entertaining) and 3. "entertaining."
This is spoken word, so you can't expect meticulous parallelism, but the ambiguity could be avoided by having "airing grievances" instead of "grievances."
Bad joke? How about the composition of the J6 Committee? Or the House Managers in Trump’s impeachment trials?
No matter what Trump or his allies do, it's either bad or wrong or it doesn't matter.
Eh. Hyperbolic hyberbole but not wrong. Wake me if it looks like gallows being erected in front of The Capital.
They really hate the awful things Trump did. What were they again?
served as a top adviser to the past two Republican speakers, Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and John A. Boehner
tell me, You are 'part of the PROBLEM'.. Without saying you are 'part of the PROBLEM'
That the Buck guy is dishing this stuff to the NYT really tells you all you need to know about the GOPe establishment.
ridiculous rabbit holes
Can a hole, which is nothingness, be ridiculous? Or is it the ridiculousness of the rabbit that really counts?
And let's not get into the real universe of multiple rabbits inhabiting multiple holes.
I don't think we have the math for that yet.
"We always treated it as a dumping ground for our less serious members. Republicans have long treated Oversight as the land of misfit toys."
Oversight? Really? I'm beginning to see part of the reason why we're in this mess.
“It’s a snapshot of where the Republican Party is,” said William Kristol, a prominent Never Trump conservative, referring to the makeup of the House Oversight Committee. “It’s wishful thinking to think there is a healthy Republican Party and this wacky Republican conference. They just got elected. Aren’t they the most representative thing of the party that exists?”...
Mr. Krystol, please update me on what happened with your Weekly Standard magazine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Weekly_Standard
Oversight is always the land of showboats, half-truths, and kangaroo courts. As such, they require a matching propaganda arm to be effective -- that historically meant pairing with left-leaning establishment media such as CBS's 60 Minutes. Let's all rehash the $600 hammers and toilet seat nonsense of the 1980s. So, the Republicans are facing an uphill battle on this one. A better use of their time would be to present prosecutorial details and facts to peel off the middle and the integrity-focused left. A better use of their time would be to take away the left's propaganda edge through repurposing and diffusion (e.g., what happened to the "-gate" suffix after Watergate.) Brand Adam Schiff and The Squad as "insurrectionists"? Hmmm?
William Kristol's daughter Ann is married to Matthew Continetti, an intellectual historian who recently wrote the book The Right: The Hundred Year War for American Conservatism. I am reading this book right now.
Continetti's book begins in 1921 with President Warren Harding and continues through 2021 with President Donald Trump. I am about half-way through the book, in 1974 with President Gerald Ford.
The book is not so much about the presidencies as it is about the various opinion-makers on "The Right". The book begins to discuss Irving Kristol (William Kristol's father) in its discussion of political developments in the late 1960s, in particular around the 1968 election. This chapter of the book is titled "The Great Disruption".
During the 1960s, Irving Kristol moved from the USA's political left to the political right. One of his motivations was his concern about the breakdown of political "virtue" on the left. Continetti quotes from an essay that Irving Kristol wrote in 1966:
[quote]
I cannot persuade myself that a democracy whose notions of public and private virtue are slowly being emptied of their substance can sustain itself. Democracy, after all, means self-government; and such self-government is, in the long run, utterly impossible without adequate self-definition, self-certainty, self-control.
[end quote]
Irving Kristol's wife (William Kristol's mother) Gertrude Himmelfarb was an intellectual historian who specialized in the Victorian Age. In particular, she explained the importance of the four Victorian virtues – prudence, temperance, industriousness, decency and responsibility.
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I think that William Kristol was strongly influenced by his parents' teachings about political "virtues" and that he detests Trump for violating such virtues. Trump is quite a buffoon and demagogue. William Kristol cannot stomach those aspects of Trump's personality.
Also, Trump criticized the USA's war against Saddam Hussein -- a war that was advocated prominently by the Kristol family.
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I admire the Kristol family. In particular, I admire William Kristol. I used to watch videos of his very interesting interviews with conservative intellectuals.
However, "The Right" is always evolving, as described in Continetti's book. In recent years, "The Right" has evolved to the Trump era. Major concerns now are immigration and "unfair international trade". William Kristol could not go along with that recent evolution, and so he has departed from "The Right".
He's not the only one. I perceive similar departures of David Brooks and David Frum.
Everybody in DC and the MSM knows that Joe Biden is so corrupted that any modicum of serious scrutiny would bring him down, that's why they wanted him as POTUS! It's his best quality, so they will do to this committee what they did to Trump, twist their statements beyond recognition, refuse to report anything they find, and smear and attack members of the committee and any allies that they may have.
"Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it" Rule #13 in Hillary's favorite book.
That's also the book that says humor is a very effective weapon, which is why late nite TV is not allowed to make fun of Democrats, and we all pretend that Greg Gutfeld's show is not actually the number 1 late nite show.
Everybody in DC and the MSM knows that Joe Biden is so corrupted that any modicum of serious scrutiny would bring him down, that's why they wanted him as POTUS! It's his best quality, so they will do to this committee what they did to Trump, twist their statements beyond recognition, refuse to report anything they find, and smear and attack members of the committee and any allies that they may have.
"Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it" Rule #13 in Hillary's favorite book.
That's also the book that says humor is a very effective weapon, which is why late nite TV is not allowed to make fun of Democrats, and we all pretend that Greg Gutfeld's show is not actually the number 1 late nite show.
The folks who let holder traffic guns let hillary be unaccountable for benghazi who let irs target citizens for their politics
Misfit toys? I thought in Toy Story the misfit toys were the best. Some of them have been mutilated by Sid, the powerful Swamper.
Anything Bill Kristol says can be assumed to be a lie for political purposes. Quoting him is a waste of time, and reading his quotes is a waste of time.
Here is a picture of Hunter Biden driving the green Corvette kept in Joe Biden's "locked" garage...
The kind of shit they feed us and expect us to swallow. What was our beef with George III again?
Kevin said...
And let's not get into the real universe of multiple rabbits inhabiting multiple holes. I don't think we have the math for that yet.
And what about their rabbit identity?
After all, those nasty Republicans would insist that a mammal assigned to the genus Volpes at birth - but identifies as a member of the Leporidae family - should not be allowed to use a Leporidae hole, but use the Volpes hole instead.
“Little evidence that members… have moved on from Donald Trump.” Something to laugh at from the people who still champion Joe Biden, The Clinton’s, and the youngest member Obama. Anyway, moving on.
Said Brendan Buck, "who served as a top adviser to the past two Republican speakers, Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and John A. Boehner of Ohio,"
Boehner & Ryan
*eyeroll*
In the 1976 Republican primary race, Ronald Reagan ran against Gerald Ford. At that time, Reagan was perceived to be rather radical, in contrast to a more moderate Ford. When Ford won the primary race, he declined suggestions that he select Reagan as his running-mate. Instead, Ford selected Robert Dole.
Ford and Dole were the Russian Party's "establishment". Ford had been the Republican leader in the House, and Dole had been the Republican leader in the Senate. They lost to Jimmy Carter in the general election if 1976.
In the 1980 Republican primary race, the two main candidates were Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. Reagan was perceived to be more radical, and Bush was the moderate. This time, Reagan won the primary race, and then he selected Bush as his running-mate. This pair thus included the radical and establishment portions of the Republican Party.
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In the 2016 Republican primary race, Donald Trump was the radical, running against the party's establishment. When he won the primary race, he selected the moderate Mike Pence as his running-mate. That was a winning ticket.
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Sometimes the more radical candidate wins the Republican Party's primary election race. Sometimes that more radical candidate goes on to win the general election. In the process, the Republican Party alters its main concerns and direction.
That is the wisdom of the Republican Party's electorate. However, William Kristol could not accept that common wisdom when the Republican Party voted for Trump in the 2016 race.
Mike S-
I so enjoy your comments. Thanks.
Sorry, here is the picture of Hunter driving the green corvette that was "locked" in his dad's garage.
https://twitter.com/gatewaypundit/status/1616059090945318913
Some of these Critters were denied committee seats by Pelosi. Perhaps these Oversight appointments are the GOP way of doing the same: put annoying people in the rabble-rousing area and let the serious people get on with business.
The Island of Misfit Toys is the place everyone loves and sympathizes with. Rudolph saves the misfits and we cheer. I don't think the NYT writer knows the reference.
The paper can't help but lean Left, but I expect them to at least be savvy about it.
The Oversight Committee has long been populated by the most ideological and outspoken members of the House in both political parties, along with those who have less interest in legislating than in landing political blows that will grab the attention of the public and tarnish their opponents …
Why didn’t I see articles along these lines when Nancy Pelosi took over the Speakership in January of 2019 or January of 2007?
"We always treated it as a dumping ground for our less serious members. Republicans have long treated Oversight as the land of misfit toys."
That was a large part of the problem, wasn't it? There's no serious oversight -- no investigation of government abuses -- because there's no money in oversight and because real oversight could make the money dry up.
It's also strange that Trump, who wasn't regarded as any kind of serious conservative when he announced eight years ago, is now the hallmark of the "far right." We see Paul Ryan move from being a Randian nutjob to a pillar of the Establishment. I'm not sure which Ryan was worse.
Gertrude Himmelfarb was indeed an intellectual historian. Matthew Continetti? Maybe, maybe not.
"not seen as an extremist."
Has the NYT ever used that phrase about Dems?
"Seen" by which superior political operators?
So, he contends that the Oversight Committee is the Short Bus for Congressmen? Interesting.....hmmm...now, refresh my memory on who sat on this Committee for the past 2 years, and what was their list of achievements? And what was the media coverage like?
We see Paul Ryan move from being a Randian nutjob to a pillar of the Establishment. I'm not sure which Ryan was worse.
The Randian nutjobs were always a mixture of crazy distractions, and grifters. Their existence benefitted the establishment by making the latter look better in comparison.
So, the NYT is reduced to getting quotes from "Conservative" Bill Kristol who supported the Democrats in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022. And from an "advisor" to Ryan who retired in 2018. and John Bonerhead, who showed up at Nancy's Retirement party to pronounce his love for her, and proudly announce all his kids are Democrats.
The Democrat party in DC is full of "misfit toys" and weirdos. Not to mention corrupt liars, and security risks. THey never get called that by the MSM. But we all know the game. When the R's investigate the D's its because of bad faith motives. When the D's do it, the investigation is for the good of the country. Right.
NYT = American Pravda.
However, "The Right" is always evolving, as described in Continetti's book. In recent years, "The Right" has evolved to the Trump era. Major concerns now are immigration and "unfair international trade". William Kristol could not go along with that recent evolution, and so he has departed from "The Right".
He's not the only one. I perceive similar departures of David Brooks and David Frum.
I swear that Continetti was the one who wrote a column prior to the 2016 election, where he stated that Conservatism had lost the debate, and that the GOP should focus on making the case that it was the better manager of the socialist superstate for the next twenty years or so, until such time as conservatives could try again to make their case. I recall thinking at the time that he was probably repeating what he'd heard in private from his father-in-law.
A lot of the past six years can be understood if you assume that most of the GOP establishment thinks that way: whether or not they actually believe in conservative values, they don't believe that those values can win elections, and so would rather be in charge of the socialist superstate than out of power.
Is this the same guy who advised Boehner to be a wuss and Ryan to be a seditionist?
It's hard to imagine Boehner or Ryan having admirers even among self-respecting RINOs - if there are self-respecting RINOs.
Lefties like Ryan because he gave then the House by default.
Mr. Wibble at 9 a.m.
I swear that Continetti was the one who wrote a column prior to the 2016 election, where he stated that Conservatism had lost the debate, and that the GOP should focus on making the case that it was the better manager of the socialist superstate for the next twenty years or so, until such time as conservatives could try again to make their case.
I remember Continette writing something along those lines, but I think he was summarizing some other person's opinion. I'll try to remember who that other person was.
I think Kevin is asking the right question: can a hole or nothingness be a ridiculous substance. Or he would be, in better times. In our time, Kevin's question is a question for the reality zone, not the Congressional zone. Can a hole be a ridiculous substance? Think Adam Schiff. Or think of this: take 1 which is unity, add a zero (which is substantially a hole) and get 10, add more zeroes and get the US currency, the US Budget and the US Debt. This hole is swallowing us up yet is composed of zeroes imposed by zeroes and shall not perish from the earth.
Will the work of this Committee and all the others now run by Republicans necessarily resemble its subject, the Ridiculous Rabbit Holes of DC? and be simply a mass of foam bubbles, slowly popping? I think action rather than a disgusted stasis is good. But the Republicans must propose policies, not just investigations. Trump's greatest sin was proposing common sense policies that worked and this should be emulated. Or, better, bring back from exile, the one they are all copying.
In fairness to Continetti, the Superstate is here to stay. Barring a major catastrophe, the New Deal and even the Great Society aren't going to be repealed, whatever that might mean. Voters don't want such a change, the political system can't do it, and I'm not sure how many conservatives really want it. But with the Superstate as our reality, there's still a great difference in how different administrations behave and what they will do.
BTW, I was quite sure that Mark Lilla, another writer who might be described as an intellectual historian, was also a Kristol in-law for a time, but I can't find any trace of that on the internet now. Was it the marriage or the political connection that was so painful that it had to be forgotten?
Who is "we", Kemosabe?
Paul Ryan was a disaster for the GOP. As soon as Devin Nunes told Ryan that Schiff and Swalwell were lying about what was being said in the intelligence committee, he should have bounced them from the committee. If not that, he should have OK'd Republican committee member, Nunes, the chair, in particular to tell the public they were lying.
I always love to entertain conspiracy theories.
Usually with a tap dance or a good Dylan song.
Is "rabbit hole" = Alice Wonderland or just referencing rabitt's holes being a maze?
That's not a news story.
It's baldfaced propaganda. Look at the language.
"Extreme" shows up seven times. "Violence" gets four mentions. "Far-right," "Hard-right," "insurrectionists," "misinformation," "conspiracy theories," white supremacists" - she's got it all covered.
Hell, after reading that, if I didn't know better, I'd think it's high time to arm up and eliminate these traitors before they complete their evil plan to destroy America run up the Swastika flags over the capitol.
Althouse. Correct.
A hole? A back hole, a dumping ground. A black hole... whore h/t NAACP.
The previous house oversight committee include Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, and AOC as well as some less famous partisan grandstanders. They spent a great deal of time investigating January 6 speaking of conspiracy theory rabbit holes including an attempt to subpoena the Republican National Committee. I look forward to see what this group will do.
A lot of the past six years can be understood if you assume that most of the GOP establishment thinks that way: whether or not they actually believe in conservative values, they don't believe that those values can win elections, and so would rather be in charge of the socialist superstate than out of power.
This is well said. I agree. My only quibble, Mr Wibble, is whether the RINOs actually believe in conservative values. A lot of them are there for the graft.
Congressional oversight. What a silly notion.
I'm expecting the Reps to try to do as much as US House Representatives can do -- and find out that it's not too much.
After an investigation, a request to the Democrat dominated deep state DoJ to indict (?), or actually merely "further investigate" the crimes done by Dem deep staters.
The bad joke is the untrue assumption/ expectation that bureaucrats are non-partisan. They are Dem supporters - hate Republicans, cover for Democrats.
Unless a Congressional investigation can lead to indictment & trial, it is mostly show. Good show is better than no show, but it's still show business.
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