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The Fifth Column

Trump's Over-Praised State of the Union: The New Fifth Column

Why Paul Ryan was clapping at policies he's long opposed, how POTUS could be a strong de-regulator, and why the media cares 100x more about presidential theatrics than the war in Yemen

Matt Welch | 3.2.2017 11:18 AM

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Large image on homepages | FreeThink Media
(FreeThink Media)
Try THAT accent, Hollywood! ||| Memeful.com
Memeful.com

After an unseemly hiatus, The Fifth Column, your usually-weekly podcast threesome of Kmele Foster, Michael C. Moynihan, and moi, has come back with a nearly two-hour episode that begins with a lengthy reaction to President Donald Trump's speech to Congress Tuesday night. Sub-themes include:

* His Obama-like, laughably unrealistic grandiosity.

* His economic illiteracy and budget-busting.

* His excellent approach toward the Food and Drug Administration, and potentially other aspects of regulatory reform.

* His insanely bad idea that a border wall will end illegal drug use.

* His cynical and fact-challenged ideas about illegal-immigrant criminality.

* His military re-bloating.

* His Berniesque trade populism.

* And his ballyhooed yet still factually dubious section on Yemen.

Along the way there are analyses of Sweden's refugee/immigration issues, Trump's stupidly controversial photo-up with representatives of historically black colleges, and, of course, Moynihan's Jesse Jackcent. Whole episode here:

You can get your sedition on at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, wethefifth.com, @wethefifth, and Facebook.

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NEXT: Trump Should Expand Audits of Programs That Waste Taxpayers' Funds

Matt Welch is an editor at large at Reason.

The Fifth ColumnDonald TrumpExecutive PowerDebtForeign PolicyFree TradeGlobalization
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  1. timbo   8 years ago

    Fox rightly derided and denounced all of Obama's massive government crap yet they cheer every bit of trumps massive government and spending crap. I am confused.

    It's like there is no such thing as reliable information anymore.

    1. Citizen X - #6   8 years ago

      Principals over principles, homie.

      1. Chipper Morning Wood   8 years ago

        Vice-principals over vice principles.

    2. This Machine Chips Fascists   8 years ago

      Trust no one. Say nothing. Act casual.

    3. Chipper Morning Wood   8 years ago

      So I finally listened to this. Goddamnit, Moynihan, shut the fuck up. This podcast is like 90% of Moynihan stream of consciousness, with Kmele and Matt trying to slip a word in edgewise. I wanna hear more Kmele and Matt. Moynihan needs a 30 second timer or something.

      1. Buddy Bizarre   8 years ago

        Moynihan was on a roll in this episode. I like listening to him, but he did dominate a *bit* too much.

  2. Not a True MJG   8 years ago

    Oh, you're still doing this?

  3. chemjeff   8 years ago

    Uh-oh. You said something bad about Trump. That means you are a TDS-afflicted cosmotarian proggie sympathizer who voted for Hillary. Shame on you!

    1. A Cynic's Guide to Zen   8 years ago

      Touched by an A-hole.

      A new series starring Chemjeff

      1. WakaWaka   8 years ago

        Highway to Douchebaggery

        A new series starring Chemjeff

        1. Diane Reynolds (Paul.)   8 years ago

          If I Could Do it Over: Hookers and Blow

          A new series starring me.

        2. chemjeff   8 years ago

          How I Learned to Stop Thinking and Love The Trump

          A new series starring WakaWaka and John

          1. WakaWaka   8 years ago

            "I Sit When I Pee"
            The Chemjeff story

            1. Chipper Morning Wood   8 years ago

              There is nothing wrong with sitting while you pee. I do it all the time when I am tired.

              1. Diane Reynolds (Paul.)   8 years ago

                Or if there are no women in the house to clean up after you. AMIRITE GUYS?

              2. Marty Feldman's Eyes   8 years ago

                At some point I discovered that it's the superior way to go when you have to get up in the middle of the night. No more choice between do I turn on a light and risk waking up too much to get back to sleep, or do I risk peeing all over the floor. I can get up, pee, and go back to bed without ever opening my eyes.

            2. chemjeff   8 years ago

              OH NO! Did you just insult my manliness? On the internets? I am so, so, so hurt and shocked! That's like, the most original insult yet! I am utterly stunned, stunned I tell you, by how deeply you have wounded my pride and my ego. Well played, sir. Well played. I... I have no follow up to your witty, novel and original retort. You have carried the day with your epic smackdown, heretofore unknown on the internets. Did you learn this insult via your classical training at the Four Chan Preparatory School for Innovative and Imaginative Insultery? I have heard that it is an excellent academy of lower education. While I merely insulted your intelligence in accusing you of refraining from thinking in your knee-jerk defenses of Trump, you took the insult wars to an unparalleled plane of gravitas and sophistication by bringing in the important issue of my physical posture when I happen to be relieving my bladder. I have not had the pleasure of such a delightfully original taunt since the days of my youth on the schoolyard playground. That you would bring up such an ancien retort in the context of our modern discussion on topical issues illustrates your broad historical knowledge and the depth of your psychological understanding. My hat is off to you sir.

            3. Zeb   8 years ago

              I stand up when I take a shit. That's how manly I am.

  4. Citizen X - #6   8 years ago

    Have i mentioned how much i love Moynihan's Jesse Jackson impersonation?

  5. Fist of Etiquette   8 years ago

    BREAKING NEWS: Reason staffers watched the State of the Trump Address over wine.

    1. chemjeff   8 years ago

      They were drinking wine??? That proves it - they definitely voted for Hillary!

      1. Fist of Etiquette   8 years ago

        YEAH NO SHIT.

    2. Matt Welch   8 years ago

      In fairness, it was mostly beer and Sudercocktails. I brought the box white, like a man.

      1. chemjeff   8 years ago

        I brought the box white, like a man.

        Yeah, like a racist white man!

      2. Citizen X - #6   8 years ago

        Sudercocktails

        I feel ill.

        1. Chipper Morning Wood   8 years ago

          I don't even know what those are, but I also feel ill.

          1. Citizen X - #6   8 years ago

            Shot of Scope with a grenadine chaser, probably.

          2. Fatty Bolger   8 years ago

            You cosmophobes disgust me.

        2. Not a True MJG   8 years ago

          Bacon-infused [insert liquor].

  6. Fist of Etiquette   8 years ago

    Also, I noticed during Foster's introduction this episode there was no protest to be heard from anywhere when the show was described as "almost weekly".

  7. WakaWaka   8 years ago

    "why the media cares 100x more about presidential theatrics than the war in Yemen"

    I have a feeling that the media is going to suddenly rediscover that the US is at war overseas. Their eight years of hibernation has come to an end.

  8. GILMORE?   8 years ago

    I am encouraged by the sound of a beer being opened.

    somehow i missed all the 5thC episodes since Thad Russell's thing. I blame lack of updates here.

    If there were updates here, I blame POORLY FLAGGED updates here.

    If they were very brightly flagged at appropriate times of day on predictable days of the week, then I blame Trump.

  9. GILMORE?   8 years ago

    I am encouraged by the sound of a beer being opened.

    somehow i missed all the 5thC episodes since Thad Russell's thing. I blame lack of updates here.

    If there were updates here, I blame POORLY FLAGGED updates here.

    If they were very brightly flagged at appropriate times of day on predictable days of the week, then I blame Trump.

    1. GILMORE?   8 years ago

      smdh

    2. Citizen X - #6   8 years ago

      I don't know if you've been around much lately, but amsoc(?) is spoofing you. Poorly.

      1. GILMORE?   8 years ago

        well i hope they are at least occasionally funny.

        1. Aloysious   8 years ago

          Nope.

        2. Diane Reynolds (Paul.)   8 years ago

          We knew it wasn't you because it shows up to the thread wearing sweats and ugg boots.

        3. Citizen X - #6   8 years ago

          Not even on accident.

  10. Crusty Juggler - #2   8 years ago

    Van Jones is an intelligent and interesting person? How much did Moynihan drink?

    1. Citizen X - #6   8 years ago

      Judging by the way he was slurring, all of it.

      1. Matt Welch   8 years ago

        This is technically accurate.

    2. Not a True MJG   8 years ago

      He did start the episode saying, "We have very smart listeners."

  11. Not a True MJG   8 years ago

    Need to remember #NeverSarcasm for Kmele's 2020 campaign. Assuming Twitter is still around then.

    Love Kmele ranting at the doctors trying to treat him.

    Thanks for digging in to the economic/debt implications of whatever Trump said the other night. Keep up the good work.

  12. Pompey:? Class Mothersmucker   8 years ago

    That was one of the better editions of the high quality Fifth Column. At the risk of sounding douchey, it was cerebral and I enjoyed it much. Keep up the good work fellas, I learned a lot from this one.

  13. Cyto   8 years ago

    I looked over at freethink and thefifth.com for a place to comment on your interviews with gates and Yancy.

    I don't know what to make of it in a brief post, but I would not have fared as well. So let me just say, they are both well and truly wrong. For the vast majority in this country, people do not see "black" when you walk in a room. Most people don't give a crap.

    I will say that I really wanted you to say "well,we know there was at least one racist in that elevator".

    Having spent a good deal of my time on this earth living in the south - and having worked at Emory - while in a marriage with a black woman, I know their type. I appreciated your "you can stop with beautiful" quip.... it sums up a good chunk of my attitude as well.

    These guys have no clue just how out of time they are. Their attitudes were edgy for the heroes of their youth, but were already becoming irrelevant as they came of age. In this world, they are farcically out of time. The idea that white eyes are aghast at black bodies in 2017 is just stupid.

    Nobody cares. For very large values of nobody.

    I recently heard a white person speaking in racist tones for the first time in many decades. The guy was north of 80 and from the rural Carolina plains.... and it was still jarring. Because it is so rare.

    Throughout the 80s and 90's my wife and I traveled the rural south and never once faced racist white attitudes. Your interviewees attitudes are at least 50 years out of date.

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