The Daly Weekly (9/19)

Spencer Cox, Donald Trump, Jerome Powell, and more.

Hi everyone.

Welcome to this week’s Daly Weekly, where I answer whatever questions you throw my way.

Let’s get right to it…

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I would be interested to know your opinion in the possibility of politicians that are more moderate like Gov. Spencer Cox gaining in popularity again vs MAGA type Republicans. It seems to be agreed that his speech was exactly what was needed for the situation, and it seems that having the moderate voices would bring us back to a more balanced discourse. — Tina N.

Hi Tina. I assume by “moderate,” you mean temperamentally. I agree with you that Cox was the right person for the moment — competent, thoughtful, and steadfast. And from what I understand, he’s also fluent in economics and policy. So no, I do not think he’ll gain popularity within the party. I know I’m a broken record on this, but as long as Donald Trump has a hold on the GOP (which he likely will even after he leaves office), I don’t think a constitutional, Romney-esque, old-school conservative stands a chance. The party, in its current state, loves the type of scorched-earth MAGA-style politics that I’m not sure Cox is even capable of adopting. I’d of course love to be proven wrong, and for the GOP to have a long-awaited come-to-Jesus moment. But since the party has rejected every off-ramp it’s been given over the last ten years, I don’t have a lot of hope that they’ll course-correct anytime soon. Again, I hope I’m wrong.

Sir John — I keep hearing from left-wing sources that Charlie Kirk made several remarks proving he was a racist white supremacist. He also allegedly stated that homosexuals and adulterers should be stoned as it says in the Bible. I’ve managed to see brief clips of these statements, but it sounds to me like many of them were taken out of context. So I ask you, do you know of any specific actually genuine racist white supremacist remarks he made that he believed in? Did he believe That gay people should be stoned to death as it says in the Bible? Many sources are claiming he made such remarks, but I’m looking for actual video of him saying these things and I can’t find them. It looks like one video was taken out of context. Can you clarify any of this for me? “Context IS Everything” regards from The Emperor

Hi Emperor. Kirk was provocative at times on a number of topics, including race. The “black pilot” comment that’s gotten a lot of circulation is one example. Here’s another one:

But saying something provocative about race doesn’t necessarily mean racism, and while I suppose people could debate whether or not some of his comments carried racist implications, I don’t think there’s any serious case for him being a white supremacist. As for the “stoning” claim, I think that’s been pretty well debunked. As I mentioned on this week’s No BS Zone, there were, in my view, a number of legitimate criticisms of Kirk. Those who’ve felt compelled to make up things about him, or unquestioningly parrot lines of attack on him (without bothering to check if they were actually true), should take a look at themselves.

John: I read an article in the Wall Street Journal last week that said 93% of Baby Boomers (my generation) say political violence is never acceptable, while only 57% of Gen Z (Tyler Robinson’s generation) agree. Interestingly, there is no real left-right divide on this question; it’s much more of a generational difference. I attribute this to two things: the decline in religiosity as manifest in the devaluing of human life, and the rise of social media that makes on-line interaction impersonal, siloed, and radicalized. In talking to a close family member who is Gen Z, he said his generation is up to its eyeballs in debt, cannot afford even entry-level home ownership, and must fight to be a part of the ownership society. “People who don’t own anything don’t have anything to lose.” Is he maybe onto something? — Steve R.

Hi Steve. Unfortunately, I think you’ve pretty much nailed it. Religious faith is on the decline in this country, and it’s not just because of leftist ideology (though that’s part of it). I personally know people who left their church because their pastor went full MAGA, and I’ve heard stories of others leaving because their church, in their view, didn’t go MAGA (or anti-woke) enough. Sadly, I think this void/vacuum has led a lot of people to make politics their new religion. I think social media plays a huge role as well, for the reasons you state.

And yes, stagnant wages and unaffordability are really doing a number on Americans — especially younger ones. With our government artificially driving up the cost of living, and eliminating more and more jobs (along with A.I.), it’s easy to understand your family member’s frustrations.

Since when has someone who has been unknown by so many received so much... (can't find a word for it) "coverage"(?) as Charlie Kirk. Hasn't this gotten out of hand? Can you think of any comparisons? — Rick H.

I think Kirk was more well-known than you realize, Rick — especially among younger Americans who’d see his video feeds pop-up on their devices. (As my kids and even my wife have made clear to me on many occasions, there are a lot of very famous people I’ve never heard of, or know virtually nothing about).

Has the media coverage gotten out of hand? Maybe. But I do think it’s a big story. Kirk was the highest-profile American political figure to have been assassinated in some time.

I’ve seen some people argue that other murder-victims are no less deserving of the coverage Kirk has received. I understand their point, but famous people will always be deemed more newsworthy than non-famous people (in life and death). That’s just the way it is.

What's with the US lowering flags and having Marines carry the casket of a right wing pod-caster? There's something very inappropriate/unwarranted about that. But it wouldn't be the the first time with this administration. — FDM

Is it inappropriate? Probably. But like you said, I guess it shouldn’t surprise anyone. I don’t really care about this so much, but I do have a veteran friend who was quite ticked off by the congressional initiative to pass a resolution authorizing that Kirk lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda. He called it an “insult to every member of the military who served their country and wouldn’t rate the same treatment.” I think it’s a fair point.

John, Partisan political animosity is normal, but What did Trump actually do that created so much personal hate towards him. All politicians lie. All politicians make campaign promises they can’t keep. And Trump isn’t the only President carrying embarrassing baggage in his personal life. I’ve Followed politics my whole life. I remember how vilified Nixon was. This is 100 times worse. I mean, who started “ Trump Derangement Syndrome “. Make sense of this. I’ve never seen our country more polarized politically. Congress is acting like bunch of entitled, spoiled, kids. — Rob O.

Rob, I can’t tell if you’re being entirely serious with this question. We’re ten years into this political era, and you’re honestly still not sure why so many people find Trump as off-putting as they do? I don’t want to spend a ton of time on this question, since I feel like I’ve been answering it for literally a decade now (people can scroll down if they don’t want to hear it again), but since you asked the question, I’ll hit on a few key areas. Some of my own personal points of contention (which are neither hateful nor deranged), are these:

• After the 2020 election, Trump tried to overturn U.S. democracy to stay in power, conned millions of Americans into believing the “rigged election” lie, and provoked the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol (that he watched play out on television for hours, while cops were getting the crap beat out of them, and elected leaders and their staffers barricaded doors or fled for their safety). In the end, our country was shamefully denied of its peaceful transfer of power, there was needless death and severe injuries, undue damage was caused to people’s faith in our democratic system, election officials faced brutal harassment and death threats, lives and careers were ruined, and roughly 1,600 criminals were granted full pardons (including those who assaulted police officers, some of whom had to retire from the force because of their injuries).

• He has a dirt-low view of members of our military, as illustrated (among other things) by his mockery of American POWs for their capture, and his describing of soldiers who paid the ultimate price as "suckers" and "losers." (Yes, I do believe Kelly and Milley).

• His bizarre adoration of Vladimir Putin has undermined U.S. intelligence agencies, previously strong international alliances, and Ukraine’s very survival.

• His far-left trade policies have done extraordinary (and completely unnecessary) damage to wages, employment, job security, private enterprise, the cost of living, and — again — our relationship with longtime allies (some of whom are now, as a result, pursuing stronger business relationships with our enemies). His spending is out of control, and he has already signed more national-debt into law than any other president in U.S. history (by far).

• He spreads all kind of reckless conspiracy theories, he’s casually dishonest (well exceeding normal political parameters), he goes out of his way to be cruel and vindictive, he has a very weak grasp of very important issues, he has little regard for the U.S. Constitution, he has staffed his administration with unqualified sycophants, he has purged many highly-qualified and competent individuals from public office, and he regularly puts his ego above the good of the country.

Hope that helps, Rob 😉. And to head-off some expected replies: No, none of what I just wrote is a defense of Democrats.

Based on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s statement this week, it sounds like we’re pretty close the economic stagflation. Pretty much what you expected? — Alex D?

Pretty much, though I’m expecting things to get much worse. Trade wars suck, and millions of Americans are now learning that the hard way.

Ok John, a lot going on in the world and nationally then Trump hits us with the bizarre comment below. Where is this man’s priorities?

“get rid of that ridiculous looking new Kickoff Rule,” adding that “it’s at least as dangerous as the ‘normal’ kickoff, and looks like hell.” — Tim H.

Lol. Is that an actual quote, Tim? I don’t even know. At this point in my life, I am honestly so disinterested in professional sports that I didn’t even know there was a new kickoff rule. You can all judge me for that, if you must.

Are you sure that was Sybil Danning? It doesn’t look like Sybil Danning. — Ben G.

Lol! Folks, Ben is referring to some photos from last weekend that I posted on social media. I went to a horror-movie convention at a Denver hotel (I do weird stuff like that from time to time), and ran into a b-movie icon from my childhood: actress Sybil Danning. Has she changed over the last 40 or so years? Sure. But haven’t we all?

She was extraordinarily nice, by the way. The real reason I went to the convention, however, is that I’m a huge fan of the movie Aliens, which was well represented there…

It was nerdrific experience.

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Thanks everyone! You can send me questions for next week by leaving a comment in the comment section.