Day: April 30, 2019

After Trump, Le Déluge | Oren Cass | First Things

Early in this essay about redefining conservatism etc. in this rather good analysis of what Trump and his supporters hath wrought:

Options for the future shape of American conservatism are not confined to what came before Trump and what Trump himself represents.

His role is not that of builder, constructing some compelling new vision to compete with the old one, but of earthquake, toppling everything built with flawed principles on shaky foundations and leaving open space in which to build anew.

???More earthquake??? is not a rebuilding plan. The question is where old structures should be resurrected and what new ones should be preferred. [boldface added]

Put another way, Trump discovered and uncovered a new version of what was wrong well ahead of his candidacy and incumbency.

Pay attention, btw, to the rich commentary that follows . . .

Funny, funny from 1917 mystery short story, THE PROBLEM OF CELL 13 . . .

The amazing Professor Van Dusen . . .

Writers & Writing

. . . by Jacques Futrelle, introducing a main character, in a nice bit of deadpan:

Professor Van Dusen was remotely German. For generations his ancestors had been noted in the sciences; he was the logical result, the master mind.

First and above all he was a logician. At least thirty-five years of the half-century or so of his existence had been devoted exclusively to proving that two and two always equal four, except in unusual cases, where they equal three or five, as the case may be.

He stood broadly on the general proposition that all things that start must go somewhere, and was able to bring the concentrated mental force of his forefathers to bear on a given problem.

Incidentally it may be remarked that Professor Van Dusen wore a No. 8 hat.

Well I should say so.

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House Democrats Back Bill That Would Result in 500,000 People Losing Health Insurance – Reason.com

The party that can’t get anything right.

Democrats have spent years complaining that Republican health care legislation would result in fewer people with health insurance, often while pointing to Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates showing just how many would go without coverage. But now Democrats in the House are backing legislation that would result in 500,000 people losing coverage, according to a new report from the CBO.

Put another way, the gang that can’t shoot straight.