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2017-10-21 Home Front: Politix

Don Surber: The Cognitive Dissonance Pundit

I remember Rich Lowry two years ago on the Megyn Kelly show saying, “Last debate, let's be honest, Carly cut his balls off with the precision of a surgeon and he knows it.”

Where is Carly Fiorina today? Where is Donald Trump? Where is Megyn Kelly?

We know where Rich Lowry is. Still on TV. Still editing National Review. Still writing freelance pieces. Still getting President Trump wrong.

No class of losers is paid better and has more job security than these experts on nothing.

Lowry's latest piece is "The Cognitive Dissonance Presidency."

He continues his assumption that President Trump has no training or experience as a chief executive -- despite Trump's degree from the Wharton School of Business and 45 years as a CEO, amassing a multi-billion-dollar fortune.

However, Lowry believes Obama was eminently qualified after Harvard Law, a decade as a back-bencher in the Illinois legislature and part of a term in the Senate.

From Lowry's subheadline:

The Trump administration has formidable obstacles, but none looms quite as large as the fact that Trump himself has no idea how he wants to govern.

The befuddlement is on Lowry's part. Trump is leading. He is winning. He is doing all those things Lowry has claimed to want: conservative judges appointed, regulations stripped, and America as the leader of the free world again.

Trump’s approach keeps everyone guessing and keeps him from getting pinned down, but it is no way to lead a party. This is why Trump’s strong suit is things he can do on his own, namely culture-war battles, fights with the news media and other critics, and executive actions. These don’t involve many moving parts and don’t require much constancy; in fact, Trump’s tendency to fix a target for attack and then move on when he’s bored or it no longer serves his purposes, often works in his favor in his feuds.

For Trump, very little is ever truly ruled out or ruled in, and before long, a bipartisan health care deal will surely again strike his fancy.
In short, President Trump is doing the things a president can do with his limited power.

How do I put this politely?

Oh to hell with comity: Lowry either does not understand the Constitution, or he is dishonest. I suggest the former, although both are possible.

I get Lowry's frustration with the repeal and replacement of Obamacare. But that is the fault of congressional Republicans, who led President Trump and the voters astray by pretending to have a plan in place before the election.

Lowry is superficial when it comes to Trump. Lowry is more concerned with style than substance. That tells me more about Lowry's conservatism than it does about Trump.

There was this nonsense from Lowry.

Trump’s decision to end Obamacare’s cost-sharing reduction payments last week made sense as a political strategy only if he wanted to pressure congressional Republicans into a bipartisan deal. The termination of the payments wasn’t going to discomfit the Democrats, who could scream “sabotage” and blame Trump and Republicans for every failing of Obamacare going forward. It was nervous Republicans who were going to feel compelled to remove the political heat by propping up Obamacare.

This was not Trump's decision. U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer ordered it so.

Trump decided not to appeal her decision.

Lowry seems unaware of his own failed leadership at his magazine. He went with Against Trump, as he tried to purge conservatism of its plurality leader, who is now its true leader.

Likely, Lowry saw this as his Buckley Moment, in which the legendary conservative ex-communicated Ayn Rand and the John Birch Society.

Turns out, this time Lowry is Ayn Rand and his cohorts are the John Birch Society.

A wise man would have learned from his error (and rudeness) two years ago when he truly said Fiorina had ended Trump's candidacy.

Posted by badanov 2017-10-21 00:00|| || Front Page|| [13 views ] Top

#1 years ago, I used to subscribe ($) to NRO. Now, I don't even visit online

Posted by Frank G 2017-10-21 08:54|| 2017-10-21 08:54|| Front Page Top

#2 However, Lowry believes Obama was eminently qualified after Harvard Law, a decade as a back-bencher in the Illinois legislature and part of a term in the Senate.

Lowry is in the Chris Matthews camp of getting that Obama induced warm tingling feeling up his leg. God spare us from these looney word merchants.

Posted by JohnQC 2017-10-21 09:17|| 2017-10-21 09:17|| Front Page Top

#3 Ditto Frank G.

Started out reading Bill Buckley back in the '60s in the news paper. Subscribed to NR by '70. Scrapped it when they went off the deep end in the '80s.

Posted by AlanC 2017-10-21 09:49|| 2017-10-21 09:49|| Front Page Top

#4 Frank G,

Preach it. NRO was once a many-times-daily visit. Now, not even once a month.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2017-10-21 10:59|| 2017-10-21 10:59|| Front Page Top

#5 And what does it say about Buckley that Lowry was his handpicked successor?

Posted by charger 2017-10-21 12:17|| 2017-10-21 12:17|| Front Page Top

#6 ..that he didn't have a Boston phone book handy?

Posted by Procopius2k 2017-10-21 14:10|| 2017-10-21 14:10|| Front Page Top

#7 P2k, now that's funny right there. I bet he'd like to demand a recount.

Posted by AlanC 2017-10-21 14:11|| 2017-10-21 14:11|| Front Page Top

#8 Lol @ #6

Posted by charger 2017-10-21 14:29|| 2017-10-21 14:29|| Front Page Top