Dr. Ben Carson is famous for his book and film Gifted Hands. The neurosurgeon featured many “these hands” commercials that were some of the best of the campaign. They represented the beautiful side of Lincoln’s Party and the reason so many millions supported Dr. Carson. I thought he was not the best choice for the nomination, that he was harmed by the Christian celebrity complex that warped his story, and that he often lost the train of an argument. He... Read more
Normal live blog rules: this is an immediate response to events as they unfold. Bias alert: I have given money to Cruz in the past. I have friends who work in the Rubio, Trump, and Cruz campaigns. I am a conservative and my family has been GOP since 1864. Tonight is about Donald Trump. In the votes to this point, Trump has gotten 36% of the vote. The FOX and paid media establishment has gotten orders to get behind the... Read more
Ben Carson is out and the brokered convention is now more likely than not. This is not a bad thing, but the only thing. Why? First, this is a new world. Trump is the frontrunner and if this was a normal year, Trump would be (pick your favorite phrase) the prohibitive/presumptive nominee. The pressure to unite around him would be immense. Instead, we have a candidate that only 36% (or so) of the Party has supported. That’s more than any other... Read more
The first major returns in delegate terms come tonight. Here is my own view as I voted in Texas today. My feeds are full of #nevertrump and White nationalists telling me I am a bad person. The Party of Lincoln is splintering. No matter what happens, the Convention will be a nightmare. When I was a kid, people like Reagan said of the Democratic Party, “I did not leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me.” This is a... Read more
Tomorrow I will vote in the Texas Republican Primary. I told my team yesterday that I thought college presidents that “endorsed” in a primary like Mr. Falwell at Liberty University made a mistake, so I will not reveal my candidate. However, I am going to tell you how I will choose my candidate by referring to a little book I picked up on the way to Grant’s Tomb: Garfield’s Words. This is not the wisdom of a lasagna loving cat,... Read more
The old joke has an answer: “Who is buried in Grant’s tomb?” Nobody. Grant is not buried. I walked several miles today on a pilgrimage to a personal hero: US Grant. He is thought of as a “failed President” because back in the day, hating the KKK and jailing lots of members was viewed as “extreme.” Grant was imperfect, he was no Lincoln, but Grant hated the Klan and loved the Grand Old Party of Abraham Lincoln. He fought the Klan... Read more
America exists because of John Locke. There are reasons, of course, but this Republic owes the larger part of the ideas behind it to the English philosopher. The Founders depended so much on Locke’s ideas and philosophic vocabulary that it is almost more interesting to note where they deviated from him than where they agreed with him. When the Declaration says that “we hold these truths to be self-evident” and that humans have a right to “life, liberty, and pursuit... Read more
Certain critics of great books education fear that the books will replace the Book. They understand that not everyone who loves wisdom falls into vanity, but know that some of us do. They are right to worry, because certain authors are so good, so true, and so beautiful that they appear sufficient. Plato is one of those writers. Plato is almost enough. We have every word Plato ever wrote; a sure sign of the regard every culture, from pagan to... Read more
Remember the experts who told you that Trump would fade in the Fall? These same experts are now telling you that it is over. I have been telling you that like 1980 (confirmed in 1988) this is a Party changing election. Old precedents are no guide. In the past the insurgent candidate has won Iowa or New Hampshire, but has not had the money or infrastructure to win both. Donald Trump is not a normal candidate and this is not... Read more
A bowl of cereal is, I am told, too inconvenient for many millennials. One is left with a bowl and there is the trouble of pouring the milk. Now I have no great love for most of the cereal industry, though Peanut Butter Captain Crunch is gourmet eating, but this is, as my grandparents would have said, a sad sack thing. If cereal is inconvenient, life is going to be hellishly difficult for you. Today I had to order an... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In