Why Do They Keep Shooting at Donald Trump?

Plus: A listener asks the editors to ponder which election was the most important one in their lifetimes.

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Why Do They Keep Shooting at Donald Trump?

In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman puzzle over the second assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, and the recent nonsensical claims that Haitians are eating cats in Ohio.

03:15—Second assassination attempt on Trump

13:30—Claims of Haitians eating cats in Ohio

36:40—Weekly listener question

45:51—Last week's presidential debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris

52:15—This week's cultural recommendations

Mentioned in this podcast:

"Another Would-Be Assassin Targets Trump" by Robby Soave

"Prediction: 2024 Will See Deadly Political Violence in the Streets" by Matt Welch

"Trump Rambles About Immigrants Eating Pets, Forgets To Challenge Kamala Harris" by Joe Lancaster

"J.D. Vance Says It Does Not Matter Whether 'Rumors' of Pet-Eating Migrants Are True" by Jacob Sullum

"The Trump-Harris Debate Featured Two Incumbents Afraid To Discuss Their Own Records" by Eric Boehm

"At the Presidential Debate, Trump Again Falsely Claimed Crime Is Rising" by C.J. Ciaramella

"Trump Takes the Bait" by Christian Britschgi

"ABC's Moderators Failed to Fact-Check Kamala Harris" by Robby Soave

"Presidential Blowup" by Nick Gillespie

"Death of the Duopoly" by Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie

"Has the GOP Lost Its Mind Over Donald Trump and Election Fraud?" by Nick Gillespie

"When Biden's 'Bubble Wrap' Burst" by Matt Welch

"Trump Threatens ABC's Broadcast License After Rocky Debate Performance" by Emma Camp

'As Libertarians, we condemn the use of force…' by Chase Oliver

"Why Thousands of Haitians Have Settled in Springfield, Ohio" by Miriam Jordan

"How an Ohio Town Landed in the Middle of the Immigration Debate" by Miriam Jordan

"Remy: Trump vs. Harris Debate Song (I Don't Care Parody)" by Remy

"First Private Spacewalk" by Peter Suderman

Upcoming Events:

Nick Gillespie Interviews Richard Dawkins, September 20, Milwaukee

Send your questions to [e-mail]. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

Today's sponsors:

• In an election year, getting overwhelmed by the constant buzz of news and opinions is easy. Understanding the true impact of political events can be a challenge. Not Another Politics Podcast, from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, provides clear, research-driven perspectives on the biggest issues. Get the insights you need to truly understand the political landscape—no spin, just facts. Subscribe today at harris.uchicago.edu/napp or look for Not Another Politics Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
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Audio production by Ian Keyser

Assistant production by Hunt Beaty

Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve

• Video Editor: Ian Keyser
• Producer: Hunt Beaty

What are we consuming this week?

Nick Gillespie

• The Plot Thickens

Katherine Mangu-Ward

• Polaris Dawn

Peter Suderman

• There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm

Matt Welch

• Low by David Bowie

---

Comments

[Longtobefree]

Because he is still alive?

[Quo Usque Tandem]

Because the last guy missed.

[Ersatz]

duh..... because thats where the Trump is!

[JFree]

Because I don't like Mondays

[Kungpowderfinger]

🎶 What Reason do you need to be shown? 🎵

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Reason should interview sarc to figure it out.

[Mother's Lament]

"It's Trump's fault because of his violent rhetoric"

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

He still imagines it is conservative violence he has to fear.

[Bruce Hayden]

Succeed with assassinating Trump, and his fears won’t be unfounded.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

TO SAVE DEMOCRACY!!!

[VULGAR MADMAN]

“Our democracy “

[Mother's Lament]

"(D)emocracy"

[Kungpowderfinger]

Shitheads do whatever their infotainment suggests, such as taking the Tide-Pod Challenge or even watching the WNBA.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

Nobody does the latter.

[MasterThief]

Caitlin Clark has changed that a bit. Still not a lot, but it's a noteworthy increase in viewership

[VULGAR MADMAN]

They’re also beating her up on a regular basis.

[Rev Arthur L kuckland (5-30-24 banana republic day)]

The wnba is like a hand job. It's a chick poor attempt at doing something men are naturally better at

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Because democrats are violent, soulless, neo Marxist monsters with no shred of humanity, many of whom are authoritarian wannabe scum.

Is this not completely obvious to everyone by now?

[JohnZ]

Correct. The democrat party has been infiltrated and taken over by violent, radical left wing extremists and neo Marxists.
They are following Saul Alinsky's Rules For Radicals.

[TrickyVic (old school)]

No civility until dems elected?

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Less civility when dems are elected. You ever notice that the when the democrats get their way that they become even angrier?

Get rid of them now. You’re average wokie is about as tough as a sack of newborn kittens, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to push them out of the way.

[diver64]

Because the left, including the current President, Vice President, President of the Senate and former Speaker of the House not to mention every corporate talking head keeps the "threat to our Democracy", "Trump is Hitler", "Trump will be a dictator and imprison all his enemies" etc going with every breath and interview. It's not surprising that some deranged people, browbeat for years with this nonsense, start to believe it and take matters into their own hands.

[Ben of Houston]

These attempts aren't out of personal vengeance like Kennedy's death or a genuine madman like with Reagan or Garfield. This is like the Lincoln assassination. A cold and rational decision made by a person in full command of his senses for political reasons.

I'll go so far as this: If you believed all the propaganda about Trump, and you didn't try to kill him, I would think less of you.

But that's the problem. He's not a threat to democracy. His policies were barely different than the Bushes, with the exception of being less belligerent. I do not believe that even the people who say these things believe them. However, if people do believe the propaganda, then this is the only logical course of action.

And that's the hard part. How can we calm down from this?

[mad.casual]

And in the way.

[Groucho Marx]

Because liberals don't know how to shoot straight?

[Uncle Jay]

"Why Do They Keep Shooting at Donald Trump?"

The leftists are following Marx' demand for a violent revolution and acts according to their Messiah's message.
Every leftist worth his copy of "Das Kapital" knows this.
Too bad the average American does not.

[But SkyNet is a Private Company]

Reluctantly and Strategically shooting at Trump

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

And mostly peacefully. (Sorry, Corey Comperatore. And David Dutch. And James Copenhaver.)

[Kungpowderfinger]

Why Do They Keep Shooting at Donald Trump?

“They’re right in their own way, but don’t they know these attempts can raise support for Orangemanbad?” - The Jacket

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

It should also raise support for locking all the democrat up.

Fuck them, it’s time for all of them to go.

[KARtikeya]

We are going to fucking annihilate you fucking traitors

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

How? We have nearly all the guns, and we represent most of the people trained in tactics, firearms, hand to hand combat, survival, etc.. If push comes to shove, you soyboy beta male bitches will be put down with a speed and brutality that will astonish you.

And really, most of the people you hide behind are of us, not you. So best you get the fuck out now, if you know what’s good for you. Personally, I hope you don’t. Dealing with you Marxists represents a significant opportunity for catharsis.

[JohnZ]

Saul Alinsky is another Marxist....also schooled Barry Soetoro.

[Dillinger]

why do they advocate nuclear war?
why do they leave born babies to die on a table?
why do they release a virus to kill old people?

[KARtikeya]

Good one dude!
We both know YOURE THR FUCKING FASCISTST.

[KARtikeya]

Hey this is Jerry from beyond the grave:

Stop listening to our music you fucking fascist

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

You should learn to obey. You’ll live longer.

[KARtikeya]

YOU LIVE IN TEXAS YOU STUPID FUCKING FASCIST!!! YOU ARENT A FUCKING HIPPIE

[KARtikeya]

Retard

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Yes, you are a retard.

[KARtikeya]

You are a fucking traitor!!!

[KARtikeya]

You’re a fucking traitor!!!

Real Americans like me are gonna string you up

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

You’re a democrat, not an American. And it’s almost a certainty you wouldn’t say shit even if you had a mouthful of it if confronted face to face. Which is fine for me. I love punking leftist trash like you.

[KARtikeya]

Keep pushing you fucking hick! We are going to fucking murder all your TRAITORS

[Bertram Guilfoyle]

Did Ukraine reject you too?

[Dillinger]

did KAR turn into a bot?

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

How do you propose to do that pussy? With Al, those guns you democrats don’t have? Or all that training and experience you got being a dirty punk ass hippie bitch? Once the rule of law is over, there will be no one to save you. Your kind are no match for us.

I look forward to engaging the Soyboy Brigade.

[diver64]

I used to throw the flag on the nuke war thing but with Biden's recent push to send long range ballistic missiles to Ukraine I'm not so sure anymore.

[Dillinger]

it's like nobody learned from War Games

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Well the media promised that they wouldn't normalize a Trump presidency in 2016. They never said that they wouldn't normalize assassinating him.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

“Why do people keep shooting at the guy we’ve been telling them is Hitler for 8 years straight?”

[Social Justice is neither]

Media repeatedly declares him an existential threat to "our democracy" then acts surprised that anyone believed them.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

They will never experience an: “are we the baddies “ moment.

[MasterThief]

The mainstream media or Reason? Is there much of a distinction between the two at this point?

[Mother's Lament]

No, no, he forced them to do it with his hate. They were just a little too passionate. Understandable the way the way the far-right behaves.

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Trump should put the democrat media in prison. I have a plan to prosecute them under existing federal law. And it’s not bullshit, like every case against Trump

[I, Woodchipper]

They want to kill Donald Trump so that they can inspire counter-violence and use it as an excuse to move the ratchet. This was the purpose of fomenting J6 and it worked marvelously. They are trying as hard as possible to manufacture similar incidents.

They dont care about Donald Trump. They're not really afraid of him or worried he will "end democracy". He is the tool they want to use to institute total state tyranny.

[SQRLSY]

"Why Do They Keep Shooting at Donald Trump?"

Because twat cums around, goes around? Advocate political violence, ye get political violence? Via the endless cycle of political violence, which I do NOT favor, by the way?

HANG MIKE PENCE!!!! (/Sarc)

“Hang Mike Pence”!!! Dear Leader agrees!!!
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-defends-jan-6-rioters-hang-mike-pence-chant-newly-n1283798
Trump defends Jan. 6 rioters’ ‘hang Mike Pence’ chant in new audio
The audio captured part of an interview ABC News’ Jonathan Karl conducted with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in March for Karl’s upcoming book.

Oh, so THAT is why sore-in-the-cunt cunt-sore-va-turds shout down “wrong” ideas, and go all ape-shit-Trumpanzee at pro-mobocracy, anti-democracy “mostly peaceful” Demonstrations, hissy fits, and violent temper tantrums?
And then they blame the Demon-Craps!!!
https://www.umass.edu/news/article/republicans-blame-democrats-antifa-and-us
REPUBLICANS BLAME DEMOCRATS, ANTIFA AND U.S. CAPITOL POLICE FOR JAN. 6 MAYHEM, ACCORDING TO NEW UMASS AMHERST/WCVB POLL

[Mother's Lament]

Your narrative is an outdated lie, crazypants. One FBI agent provocateur isn't a crowd. In fact the crowd told him to shut up and fuck off. Ray Epps 2.0.

Maybe read a story that isn’t three+ years old. A lot has happened since 2021 including revelations that most of J6 was a fiddle.

[SQRLSY]

I've got links (from reputable sources) and YOU Pervfectly do SNOT, LYING Servant andf Serpent of the Evil One! Have YOU Pervfectly EVER heard a pro-Team-R CUNTSPIRACY THEORY that YOU Pervfectly did SNOT like?

[Wally]

Did you have a stroke? Time lost is brain lost. Nevermind, not really an issue for you.

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

It’s time to put SQRLSY down. Whoever is closest in proximity is tasked with taking it to the vet to be euthanized.

[Zeb]

If you didn't have to write everything in retard baby talk, you might get farther.

[SQRLSY]

PS, Mike Pence’s dangerous words and ideas were that votes, voters, established democratic norms and processes, peaceful transfers of power, and the USA Constitution should actually be RESPECTED!!! Now just IMAGINE THAT!!! This was HERESY to True Trumpaloos!!!

Trump offers to pay legal bills for violent offender at Trump rally…
https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-trump-campaign-protests-20160313-story.html
Trump’s endorsement of violence reaches new level: He may pay legal fees for assault suspect

Political violence is BLESSED so long ass shit is in support of MEEEEE!!!!

[diver64]

Pretty much right. The Uniparty doesn't really care how they do it or who they use. The ultimate aim is to increase The State with them in charge.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

I think we should have a moment of silence for the shooters upcoming suicide.

[Kungpowderfinger]

If only they had social media when Vince Foster “shot himself”, more people would have bought it.

There’s nothing they could do to get people to buy their Epstein bullshit, however.

This latest ass will be out of the news cycle even faster than the first one.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

Poor dude shot himself in the back of the head. That takes commitment.

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

And then hid the gun.

[JohnZ]

Now why was I thinking the same thing yesterday?

[mad.casual]

LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA!!!!!!!!!!

[Rick James]

Boy, doth protest so much over this Haitian pet thing, I'm starting to think it might have some truth to it. Merely on the press's track record where the more vigorous the denial, the more likely it is to be real.

[Rick James]

is this Haitian thing our go-to pivot story for when we don't want to talk about assassination numbah two any more because "we have a lot of stuff to cover"?

[Gaear Grimsrud]

It's really shiny.

[Rev Arthur L kuckland (5-30-24 banana republic day)]

First point there is video of Africans grilling cats.

Second think about the optics. I order to distract from assassination attempts from their people the media talk about illegals stealing and killing family pets

[SQRLSY]

Twat an UDDERLY data-driven ANALysis, Anal Wonder Child!!!

[MasterThief]

I keep seeing a lot of highly specific statements being used to deny it. "No credible reports to Springfield police of Haitian migrants eating cats and dogs." The dog part seems to have no support, but outside of citizen reports I'm not seeing proof of Haitians eating other people's cats in Springfield, Ohio. Lots of smoke there on top of the plausibility of it since it's somewhat normal for them culturally.
Regardless, even with 100% proof we'll get gaslighting for anything that hurts the statists.

[diver64]

I've been to Haiti. Eating anything that moves is a thing. If no one tells them not to do it here for various reasons like just being dropped off in a town with no provisions for food and then you don't speak the language your going to do what you have been doing.

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Here in America every boy dreams of traveling back in time and killing baby Hitler. I know I did. We may have to face the reality that future generations have mastered time travel and that these assassins will keep coming until one of them can eliminate the evil genius who is threatening democracy.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

Twilight zone twist: Hitler only became a maniac because all these guys kept appearing out of nowhere and trying to kill him.

[Rick James]

No, Hitler only became a madman because of prohibition!

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Need More Vitamin K!

[Mother's Lament]

Okay, Hank.

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

And girl bullying!

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Well that's a conundrum. Thanks for destroying my childhood dream.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

You could just slip his mom some plan b.

[SQRLSY]

If we went back in time and killed Shitler… We MIGHT save tens of millions of lives! Or perhaps Shitler would be replaced by something WORSE?

By killing Shitler, also, we just MIGHT prevent the moral-ethical-racial progress that WW II forced upon the USA!!! Here we were so four-square condemning Shilter’s racism… After we fought Shitler with a segregated military, and (blood transfusions wise) refused to mix black blood and white blood, even thought ALL of the educated doctors knew better!! Who knows HOW many American soldiers died needlessly because of this “purity of blood” bullshit!

The only way that we asshole humans LEARN a damned thing, sometimes, is through SUFFERING!!! And we just MIGHT have needed to suffer through WW II to learn that our racism sucks, and that we were only BARELY better than Shitler!

[Mother's Lament]

"Or perhaps Shitler would be replaced by something WORSE?"

We already have Sqrlsy in this timeline.

[SQRLSY]

Marxist Moose-Mammary-Farter-Fuhrer, and not I, invoke the NAZI essence! Ass in non-data-driven "blood and soil" idiot ideologies, look shit up! NAZIs (just like the Orange God, and Mammary-Farter-Fuhrer) were-and-are obsessed about "blood purity" which is POLLUTED by immigrants, and by vaccines! Moose-Mammary-Farter-Fuhrer has a LONG history of lusting after death and disease, through maligning (and maybe outlawing?) COVID vaccines!

[Social Justice is neither]

Fuck her...wait, maybe not.

[Eeyore]

I went back in time to kill Hitler's mom - but then I met her and one thing led to another. Wink wink nudge nudge.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

You’re hitlers dad? No!

[VULGAR MADMAN]

Maybe they went after a bigger “Hitler” and they’ve already taken care of him.

We’d never know his name.

[Gaear Grimsrud]

I have a vague memory that I once saw a movie that explains all of this. Or maybe the movie never existed. Or maybe I never saw it. Or I saw it but it was about something else altogether.

[mad.casual]

Point of order: Discussions of any parallel "Hitlers" aside from the ones in our current universe belong in their relevant forums.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Jeff didn't. He wanted to go back to take notes.

[Eeyore]

Maybe they do keep sending people back in time to take out Hitler, but they are about as qualified as the people they are sending to take out Trump.

[Rev Arthur L kuckland (5-30-24 banana republic day)]

Nope I would go back in time and kill baby marx
No Marx, no Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol pot, Kim, Obama, kamala...

[SQRLSY]

Or Mike Pence?

How cum the nut jobs are allowed to chant "Hang Mike Pence", butt if ye chant "Hang Donald Trump", the King's Men in Suits cum to haul you away, and dissappear ye into the night and fog?

[diver64]

Uh...no one I know dreamed anything of the sort, psycho.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

According to Time we have no idea.

TIME
@TIME
The suspect arrested in relation to the shooting at Trump’s golf course in Florida on Sunday has been identified as Ryan Routh—a 58-year-old with unclear political ideology, a criminal record, and a history of praising Iran and supporting Ukraine

[VULGAR MADMAN]

Thankfully a bunch of people archived his social media before it got banished to the phantom zone.

[The Margrave of Azilia]

TIIME - which initially denied that Harris supported gender surgery for migrants.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

This latest guy has a Biden Harris sticker on his truck. Oops.

[Gaear Grimsrud]

It's a real head scratcher.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

The thing is, normally I’d be opposed to using this to discredit another group.

Imagine if he’d been a Trump supporter shooting at Harris , everything about him would be blasted across the entire electromagnetic spectrum for weeks.

[diver64]

You got a link to that picture as I'd like to post it elsewhere.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/09/wow-check-bumper-sticker-back-would-be-trump/

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

I like how the Gateway Pundit expertly "dumbwashes" Routh's pre-2019 enthusiastic support of Trump and other Republicans including Tulsi Gabbard, Haley and Ramaswamy.

Like it never happened!

[MasterThief]

I was frustrated with Robby regarding this. We quickly had access to the guy's posting history and could see the guy aligns with democrats and is high functioning crazy.

[Marshal]

The suspect arrested in relation to the shooting at Trump’s golf course in Florida on Sunday has been identified as Ryan Routh—a 58-year-old with unclear political ideology,

That's just how they reported Jared Loughner.

[shadydave]

Yep. It's not like they tried to paint him as Sarah Palin's right hand man or anything crazy like that.

Now of course Loughner had no political ideology because Loughner did not have a clear enough mental state to have a political ideology, but it was Palin's fault nonetheless.

[Kungpowderfinger]

…has been identified as Ryan Routh—a 58-year-old with unclear political ideology…

*snorts*

“Routh has a history of donating to political causes, as Federal Election Commission records show. He donated to the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue nearly 20 times — in amounts ranging from $1 to $25 — between September 2019 and March 2020.”

This is while mofo was living as a fucking squatter, mind you, according to the article:

https://www.npr.org/2024/09/16/nx-s1-5113801/trump-shooting-assassination-attempt-suspect-ryan-wesley-routh

[diver64]

I think they are going with the "unclear political ideology" because before he went all in on Biden/Harris he seemingly voted for Trump in 2016.
This guy is such a crank that when he went over to Ukraine to try and join their battalion of people from away who wanted to fight for them, he failed their psych eval and was turned away.

[Mother's Lament]

"a 58-year-old with unclear political ideology"

The Biden/Harris sticker on his car door is what made it such a puzzle.

[diver64]

Link to where you saw that or do you remember where as I can go there myself.

[Minadin]

https://notthebee.com/article/i-compiled-a-profile-on-the-second-trump-shooter-with-as-much-info-as-i-could-grab-before-it-was-scrubbed-off-the-internet

Construction pickup truck sporting his construction company's logo, parked outside his residence, with a Biden-Harris bumper sticker, about 3/4 of the way down the list.

I suppose it doesn't 100% mean it's his, but it would be a heck of a coincidence.

[mad.casual]

history of praising Iran and supporting Ukraine

I can't tell if it's funny or sad that they think this is sufficient distance from his political ideology.

It's like the old bit - Praises Iran, backs Ukraine, believes black lives matter, women's rights are human rights, no human is illegal, etc., etc., etc.... no way to tell what political party he's from.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Just another nutjob who voted for Trump in 2016. He was completely MAGA until 2019.

But you're desperately trying to cover that inconvenient truth up now...

[EISTAU Gree-Vance]

You’re as dumb as Charlie hall, spammy.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Desperate times call for desperate measures. And there is nothing so desperate (and anxious, depressed, upset, and emotionally fragile) as a modern progressive.

[Social Justice is neither]

They learned by listening to you.

[Rick James]

Two assassination attempts in an election year against the same candidate, during the same election. Look, just tell me how deep we gotta bury this story…

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

But J6 almost killed every democrat in the country. - SRG

[Mother's Lament]

"It was another 9/11" - Buttplug

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

If only.

[Gaear Grimsrud]

On the bright side I was delighted to see that the chick that actually listens to the podcast submitted a probative query for the esteemed panel. These four fearless journalists are as close as one can get to libertarian royalty and now they have had the opportunity to enlighten us about how past elections have changed the course of history. Not that I will bother to listen. But I'm sure it will be epic.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

The center-right continues to delude themselves:

I think the part with Matt Lewis is perhaps the most telling part: that the focus is not on maintaining influence with the conservative movement, but specifically about the Republican Party. That’s the mistake being made by Lewis and Goldberg: they think that the GOP can be restored. The GOP has been taken over by MAGA and Trump, and actual conservatives of principle will not be welcome.
American conservatives need a new conservative party.
Sam G (3626e6) — 9/16/2024 @ 3:49 pm

While I appreciate this True and Honest Conservative admitting that Jonah Goldberg and the other neocons are kidding themselves that the GOP is going back to 2002, these dipshits continue to miss the fact that the conservatives kicked them out already.

The only "principles" these idiots have ever defended is sending Americans to get killed in their dumb overseas wars, tax cuts, and selling out the US to the highest bidder. Everything else is up for negotiation.

[diver64]

The neocons are not gone and still hold sway with quite a number of people on the right. Until Bill Crystal, Max Boot, Liz and Dick Cheney, Mitch McConnell and others of that ilk are completely discredited and gone they will continue to be pumped by the corporate press and the deep state. There is still a lot of work to do in the Republican Party but, fortunately, the Democratic Party with AOC and Crew are in even worse shape.

[I, Woodchipper]

The haitians eating ducks and dogs thing is clearly true. They are doing it.

Also dont care.

The reason I dont want 20,000 haitians deployed to a small midwestern town of 60K people at MY EXPENSE should be obvious.

[MasterThief]

I haven't seen anything to substantiate dogs. I've seen plenty about cats, ducks, and geese.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Look at the racist claiming Haitians don’t eat hot dogs.

[diver64]

Yeah. I eat duck, goose, deer, etc on a regular basis. Don't care about it. It's the invasion of people with no skills, education or even speaking the language that I as a taxpayer am paying for that concerns me. The left continuing to harp on the pet thing is a clear example of the Streisand Effect.

[shadydave]

I keep asking people how they think 20,000 Haitians made it from Haiti to Springfield, Ohio and no one wants to answer. Find Haiti and Springfield, Ohio on a map, and then answer how they wound up there instead of any point in between those two places?

Clearly they were put there by someone, and it almost certainly came at taxpayer expense in some way.

[mad.casual]

Really we should all just take a moment and count our blessings that Trump didn't say they were eating raccoon dogs.

I much prefer a debate over whether they're actually eating dogs over the lack of debate over whether locking all the natives in their houses while minorities burn down businesses deserves amnesty or not.

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

I should be well within my rights to execute someone, if I catch them murdering and eating one of my pets.

[JFree]

Last Dog in Springfield

to the tune of Last Train to Clarksville

It's the last dog in Springfield
To be eaten by a Haitian
You can see them at the corner
Lined up in anticipation

Hide your pets
Or you'll regret
You'll have regrets!

....

[JFree]

There are very legitimate ways to express the current problems with immigration without going down the Vance/Trump path.

BLS recently released an employment report

Over the last year, from Aug 23 to Aug 24;
total employment by native born has fallen by 1.4 million.
total employment by foreign born has risen by 1.6 million

At most half of that has been due to declines in the native born labor force probably age related. The other half (probably more) looks like the foreign born pushing native born – overwhelmingly men – out of the workforce.

This could be a legitimate discussion if the clown brigade wasn’t so focused on cats and culture. And was more focused on those making the hiring decisions and doing the pushing.

[Mother's Lament]

"This could be a legitimate discussion"

Hahaha, like you actually want that. You're just partially acceding to the obvious because you want to concern troll over cat barbecue.

[diver64]

What a douche you are. The hiring numbers are a big problem. Wife is seeing it in her workplace to the extent that one of the warehouses had to hire an interpreter and job apps are now printed in Spanish and English.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Here is the issue. We have been yelling the liberaltarians this for literally years. JFree remains ignorant to that fact and then attacks people for doing what he says we should be doing.

Idiots like sarc and Jeff continue to ignore these facts. JFree is a few years late after ignoring the posts regarding the employment data.

[JFree]

You have been entirely focused on the cat and culture stuff like all your ilk here. Demonizing the migrant in mostly racial, ethnic, xenophobic terms. That's what Trump has focused on and that is what you therefore support.

There has never been any link by you to real info that goes outside that spin. If you have made that info known in your arguments with sarc or Jeff, then it was clearly only made when I grayboxed you - but will have been made often enough that you can readily source that now.

You got nothing and you know it. Your entire shtick is the bigot shtick

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

No idiot, we’ve been screaming about all this stuff for years. People like you are always in the way when we try to stop it.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Your enemies here have been saying this for years dumdum.

[I, Woodchipper]

What is the Trump/Vance path?

[JFree]

Demonizing the migrant themselves for ethnic, culture reasons. To appeal to the us v other. The first step to fascism rather than any real discussion of something dry and boring like employment statistics

[AT]

Pretty sure the second guy didn’t shoot.

I know, pedantic. But I think it’s part of a greater question – why aren’t we covering this like it’s the news of the year? Why isn’t it being packaged with the violence and mayhem that has become every day for the left-wing?

TWO – TWO would-be assassins on a Republican presidential candidate. Black Lives What-the-hell-ever. The trans-brainwashed LGBT is increasingly attacking soft targets. Literal Nazis are setting up camp and trashing everything around them. Antifa literally conquered city blocks and establishing tiny fiefdoms complete with warlords. Virtually every blue city in America has business fleeing in droves because looters walk in broad daylight and sack them. Little townships are so overrun with illegals that they’re falling apart. Rape. Murder. Vehicular manslaughter. Child abuse. Child grooming. Child molestation. Literally killing full-term babies and rejoicing in it.

Why aren’t we talking about the fact that the American political left has gone completely insane? You know how all the guys think about Ancient Rome at least once a day? It's because they're constantly seeing Caligula and Commodus and Nero on their phones and televisions. Why aren’t we talking about the fact that what we once considered “classical liberals” are now off-the-leash rabid dogs? Why aren’t we talking about the liberal media which has taken up the position of enforcer for this criminal empire?

The American left has jumped the shark. I defy ANYONE to argue to the contrary. To be fair, the MAGA right isn’t far behind – but at least they’re not out braining housepets and throwing them on the grill, or setting up poor blinds in order to take a shot at their political opponents. Which means we have to ask ourselves: what the hell is wrong with American leftists?

[Mother's Lament]

"Why aren’t we talking about the fact that the American political left has gone completely insane?"

Because it is overwhelming. This isn't just being nutty on a handful of issues, they've become batshit insane on absolutely everything.

And it's not just political, it's social, economic and moral too. Up is down, black is white, facts are racist.

[Stuck in California]

That's the whole point.

Push. Keep pushing. Just keep in their face, calling them horrible things, pushing pushing pushing, until finally someone snaps and throws a punch. Then you film THAT and distribute it, use it as your excuse to escalate.

Same with Antifa as it is, metaphorically, with the progressive left. Folks like Soros are perfectly happy to fund all the destabilizing shit, because it suits them, personally. As are our adversaries on the world stage. But the end goal of most of this is to cause division, cause people to distrust each other, cause people to lash out.

Plenty of others are on the bandwagon because it gives them power -- perceived or actual -- and lots of people with power become sociopaths. Power is corrupting.

Not that Reason's cast of clowns is capable of seeing that. They're too busy trying to rage bait people into the comments section, so happy to push the narratives.

[SQRLSY]

"Push. Keep pushing." For political violence? You mean like THIS?

Trump offers to pay legal bills for violent offender at Trump rally…
https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-trump-campaign-protests-20160313-story.html
Trump’s endorsement of violence reaches new level: He may pay legal fees for assault suspect

Trump agrees with “Hang Mike Pence!”
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/25/politics/donald-trump-january-6-mike-pence-chants/index.html
Trump reacted with approval to ‘hang Mike Pence’ chants from rioters on January 6

[TrickyVic (old school)]

More like this

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/hillary-clinton-calls-trump-a-dangerous-threat-to-the-world/vi-AA1qHFJ7?ocid=msedgntp&pc=DCTS&cvid=0ff52a38b0034941949d20de1d8ede0d&ei=46

[TrickyVic (old school)]

Hillary on MSNBC calling Trump a danger to America and the world.

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

If we acted in the true danger to this country, Hillary and her fellow travelers would all be in GitMo.

[LIBtranslator]

Pot prohibition with Democratic connivance in the asset forfeiture was sure as Hell a danger to Shrillary's party. The more so since any fool can clearly see that California Faith-narcs seizing real estate over a roach in the ashtray literally crashed the leveraged mortgage-backed securities industry in 2008! THAT elected Obama the way Herbert Hoover's Crashes and Banking Panics elected FDR--as the lesser looter. Those 4+ million libertarian votes sure reshuffled all the bookie votes and "in" fixes in 13 states. If the 17 states that have repealed Reefer Madness, THIRTEEN did it after LP spoiler votes put Hillary's party on the dole. MAGAts could claim credit for helping them realize that copying Libertarian planks gets them chairs in the House and Senate.

[diver64]

Quite right. Despite the media propaganda I see far more problems on the left than I do on the right. I wonder when the blacks and Jews in this country finally realize their usefulness to the left is done and they have been discarded by the Democrats for the illegals who now outnumber them. I know that in my majority minority county the blacks especially the men are coming to realize this and are not happy. Many I speak to are voting Trump specifically over illegal immigration and losing their jobs.

[SQRLSY]

"...what the hell is wrong with American leftists?"

Twat, they're not out there chanting "Hang Mike Pence" like all Right-thinking red-blooded humanoids should?

[AT]

Do you think it would justify the non-stop violence and mayhem (and now pet-eating) from the left if they were?

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Where do you live, exactly?

[SQRLSY]

AT lives in the bowels of Hell!

[LIBtranslator]

Everyone eager to invest time in arguing with a mindless mystical looter take a number and form an orderly line here...

[Commenter_XY]

I am an amateur student of American history. I just want to point out a few things.

One, America never had a POTUS candidate survive two assassination attempts during the same campaign in our history. Add to that, the lawfare (DC, GA, FL) and financial warfare (NYC) components. It has never happened like this in such a coordinated manner to any candidate – ever. There are some very powerful interests arrayed against Pres Trump (i.e. alphabet agencies, bureaucratic state in DC, a few pissed off billionaires, etc) – I wonder why.

Two, NATO (US is lead member), and RUS-CHN-NK-IRA (Communist China is the lead member) are divided into two large alliances; with a series of interlocking defense treaties. This is similar to pre-WWI. There is conflict in eastern europe (UKR). And POTUS Biden is incapacitated (ala Wilson). History rhymes…these two alliances are now fighting in UKR. Better be careful. I know I am not the only one who sees this odd coincidence.

Three, control of the US Senate, post election, is very important. They will be debating matters of war and peace soon, quite likely within their 6-yr elected term.

Four, political violence and antisemitism is becoming normalized in American society, and I think we just passed an inflection point (and we failed). Consequently, free speech is under attack; and, free speech is only a metaphor for free thought. Whether it is law students shouting down an invited guest who was a federal circuit judge, to BLM rioting, to pro-hamas encampments at our elite institutions…in each of these, our right and ability to think, and reason, and to engage is being done away with by deliberate, violent conduct that is designed to achieve that result (shut down debate and engagement). Our eyes have been closed, our ears shut, and our hearts coarsened; that is where we are today, as a country.

Sadly, I don’t think the attempts to kill Pres Trump will stop. Two attempts in 60 days? With this latest being stopped just in the nick of time? Total coincidence, right – just luck? I no longer have any trust in the FBI, DOJ, NSA, CIA and a host of other DC-based federal agencies. And I cannot shake the feeling that when it comes to a cadre of employees in USSS, it was purposeful bureaucratic (not just political) hostility that lead to Butler, PA; and, perhaps to the latest attempt at Trump Intl. There are many unanswered questions about Mr. Rouse, USSS conduct. Does anyone think we’ll have answers before election day?

And suppose for a moment he wins the EC on 11/5. What happens next?

[diver64]

And I cannot shake the feeling that when it comes to a cadre of employees in USSS, it was purposeful bureaucratic (not just political) hostility that lead to Butler, PA;

I agree. The chick in charge of the advance team for Butler was a DEI hire and failed a number of tests at the Academy. She should never have been hired and yet someone put her in charge of the most important job imaginable. Who did that? Who put her in charge, promoted her, signed off on her graduation? Where are her subsequent performance reviews during her rise in the USSS?

[AT]

Well, the second-most - from a government perspective. Let's not forget that there is a sitting president (whoever it is) for whom SS detail is even more important.

That said, on the contribution to society scale, the janitorial staff of a private business does a more important job than the secret service does.

[LIBtranslator]

Nobody is angrier than a sore lewser. It's the SS' job to protect actual elected officials chosen and empowered by ballot... not some pathetic, girl-bullying Billy Sunday impersonator fired and hooked off the stage once voters and party organizers realized their mistake, fired his fat ass and copied some libertarian positions into their now-shortened platforms.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

What evidence do you have for these two attempts being "coordinated". Do you have any?

[SQRLSY]

Says the LYING, uneducated cuntspiracy-theory-believing, death-and-disease-lusting PervFect Nut Job!

Killing people is good ass long ass anti-vaxxers have their way in promoting anti-vaxism ass THE most fashionable of ALL Marks of Tribal Virtue!!!

Forbidden-by-Reason link USED to be permitted… Search for “United States: COVID-19 weekly death rate by vaccination status, All agesUnited States: COVID-19 weekly death rate by vaccination status, All ages”

Just LOOK at the interactive graph right at the top of this link!!!! COVID deaths among the unvaccinated VASTLY outnumbered, and still outnumber, the deaths among the vaccinated!!! WHY do You Perfectly Lust SOOOO Much for death and suffering, LYING servant and serpent of communicable diseases?!?!

PS, “food” is dangerous! People get sick and even die from food poisoning!!! Be SAFE!!! STOP eating!!!!

(Misplaced response to Mother’s Lament, with a Head Full of Cement!)

[LIBtranslator]

Thanks for pointing to the link, Plucky. Ironic that the Christian Science curve is the color of a MAGAt cap. I gotta hand it to them Wily Oriental Gentlemen... they sure know their wholesale methods for thinning the herd of ignorant. superstitious, girl-bullying, prohibitionist ku-klux anti-vaxxers.

[JohnZ]

Not only the legacy media but Hollywood personalities and pop singers are also to blame. Their continual tirade about Trump being another Hitler, is of course sheer rubbish and that he will convert America to a fascist state.
Trump is too late. The democrats are already engaged in converting America to an authoritarian state using out of control crime, bureaucratic overstep and allowing millions of illegal aliens into the country. Just talk to the good citizens of Springfield, Ohio how that worked out.
The truth is, the democrat party has been infiltrated and taken over by radical left wing extremists and post modernist neo-Marxists. The intend to transform the nation into a Marxist communist state where you have no rights and own nothing.
They're going to stop Trump at all costs and murder is their preferred way. If they manage to take control of America it will be a long and bloody civil war that ensues.

[TrickyVic (old school)]

Who doesn't want to kill Hitler?

[Reshufflex]

“The will of the schemer is often carried out by acts of the unthinking. “

I forget in which case I read that, but it applies now as it did when said.

[TrickyVic (old school)]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/billionaire-larry-ellison-says-a-vast-ai-fueled-surveillance-system-can-ensure-citizens-will-be-on-their-best-behavior/ar-AA1qCbNJ?ocid=BingNewsSerp

[mad.casual]

Wasn't this the Hydra plot from Winter Soldier?

[shadydave]

Why are they trying to kill "literal Hitler?" Couldn't tell ya.

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Hitler is now 135 years old. How hard can it be to kick his ass?

[JohnZ]

I can think of those who are much, much worse than Donald Trump. One of them is Tim Walz. Another is Kamala Harris. Although I consider Tim Walz to be even worse than Harris.
The Democrat platform consists of totalitarian control over everyone. Censorship is just one of their priorities.

[TrickyVic (old school)]

""Censorship is just one of their priorities.""

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/hillary-clinton-says-some-americans-who-share-political-misinformation-should-be-criminally-charged/ar-AA1qIK3c?ocid=msedgntp&pc=DCTS&cvid=64ee31fff2fe4cfd9a04c0c1ea4734d0&ei=81

[Fire up the Woodchippers! (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Like buying a phony dossier with campaign funds and passing it off as real intel?

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Conspicuously missing from your list: JD Vance(TM)

Trump is an old coward; JD is young(er) and stone cold.

(If Trump wins he should probably be concerned!)

[Flaco]

I love how the "no-spin" podcast they advertise at 3:00 has "Harris" in its URL.

Yes, I know, it's the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, but still....

[Luxie]

On the subject of Bowie (who I have had a long life of enjoying as my 1st LP bought with my own money back in 1976 at 8 years of age was "The Man Who Sold The World") I was exposed to at the age of 13 ( and quite possibly explains for my attraction later in life to those who have addictions issues) was the German Film Cristiane F where a girl of 12 (true story) experiences the Berlin club scene and Her and Her friend (Giant Bowie fans) become addicts hanging out with addicts at the infamous Berlin Station of hustlers and junkies, (Transpotting without the humor) Bowies Berlin era songs are the soundtrack (and wonderful German version of Heroes that I still know to this day having the soundtrack so long ). Still have my original Vinyl that has the Big picture of the actress and small of Bowie (They have since revered that) and photos on back of her shooting up etc.. and the concert scene where He emerges from the smoke to the train like into of Station To Station was a festival for my 13 year old brain that forever changed me. (saw it on a double bill with Rude Boy so it was a lot for 1 day) Went back many years later a watched it again, not a good film, dubbed into English poorly but still disturbing tale. Warsawa used (and other songs) used throughout film make it wonderful though. https://www.discogs.com/master/50924-David-Bowie-Original-Soundtrack-Zum-Film-Christiane-F-Wir-Kinder-Vom-Bahnhof-Zoo

[JasonT20]

Why Do They Keep Shooting at Donald Trump?

Uh, only one person has shot at him, and that was two months ago. Could the Reason editors have screwed up the headline more?

[MasterThief]

2 months since an assassination attempt against a former president and we should stop talking about it? Somehow we are simultaneously expected to keep talking about J6 as if it's the greatest historical tragedy. Got it.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Truth matters. Only one person "shot at Trump". And JasonT20 did not say we should "stop talking about it".

Maybe you should stop listening to the voices...

[LIBtranslator]

It "Hertz" to have to break it to these Trilbys, but when Lewser Guy got his ear pierced, every MAGAt not in a straitjacket was screaming them bitches at the Secret Service had deliberately set up America's Martyred Savior. So how does this obvious puppet of impotent cowardice know the latest dissatisfied Republican wasn't given the gun by the SS, dropped of at the Drumpf blind and then warned to flee by warning shots fired yards over his head once he'd been spotted? Is the Gee Oooh Poo muting its paranoid shriekery?

[LIBtranslator]

So, yet another Republican voter seeks to have a close look at Lewser Guy through a rifle scope. With friends like Republicans, who needs anarcho-communists, anarcho-fascists or other enemies? Hopefully the 19th Amendment will put the Fugitive Slave Girl bullies and gin-and-cigarette cartel tools out on their butts en masse. Then maybe we can impeach the nazi judges packed onto the Suprema Corte or apply some HL Mencken Jurist-B-Gone to their robes.

[LIBtranslator]

The realization that laws banning trade and production cause wars and financial crashes is an antimeme, despite the clear implication in political economy and the two Opium Wars so named. Renaming subsequent ones things like Boxer Revolt, WW1 and WW2 help blank out the idea and direct contemplation away from it. NOW I want that book, even though Suderman liked it