{"id":72988,"date":"2019-09-01T20:09:21","date_gmt":"2019-09-02T00:09:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=72988"},"modified":"2019-09-01T20:09:30","modified_gmt":"2019-09-02T00:09:30","slug":"the-daily-gouge-archive-friday-august-30th-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=72988","title":{"rendered":"The Daily Gouge Archive, Friday, August 30th, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s Friday, August 3oth, 2019…but before we begin, writing at his\u00a0Morning Jolt<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/a>, Jim Geraghty addresses wholly-unwarranted criticism leveled at him by a representative of a “news” organization which needs to remove the log from its own collective eye before advising others to pick the speck from theirs:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“…Is looking at the bylines just too much effort? Or are there just a lot of numbskulls out there who believe<\/em><\/span> that ever praising<\/em><\/span> the president for anything<\/em><\/span> he ever does somehow invalidates your criticism of him<\/em><\/span>, and vice versa<\/em><\/span>?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I never liked Trump\u2019s character<\/em><\/span> or how he sees the job on the presidency<\/em><\/span> \u2013 talk-radio-caller-in-chief, don\u2019t-bother-him-with-policy-details, demagogue-when-convenient \u2014 but I like some of the policies<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong> I like<\/em><\/span> almost all of the judicial nominations.<\/span> I like<\/em><\/span> tax cuts. I like<\/em><\/span> rolling back federal regulations.<\/span> I\u2019m glad<\/em><\/span> ISIS has been beaten to a pulp, if not completely eliminated. I like<\/em><\/span> Right to Try for those facing terminal illnesses.<\/span> I like<\/em><\/span> the majority of the criminal-justice-reform legislation, particularly the anti-recidivism programs in federal prisons. I like<\/em><\/span> getting rid of the individual mandate to purchase health insurance.<\/span> I like<\/em><\/span> keeping foreign aid money from paying for abortions. I want<\/em><\/span> a secure border and concur with the Customs and Border Patrol that additional miles of barriers, or\u00a0\u201cbollard fence<\/a><\/em><\/span>\u201d, or whatever you prefer to call it is part of the solution (but not the entire solution).<\/span> I like<\/em><\/span> that the United States is now the world\u2019s largest oil producer and a net natural-gas exporter, while\u00a0our carbon emissions are declining slightly<\/a><\/em><\/span>. I like<\/em><\/span> blowing up Syrian air bases when Assad uses chemical weapons.<\/span> I like<\/em><\/span> NATO allies spending more on defense.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I also think<\/em><\/span> that Trump only<\/strong>\u00a0says variations of about six things<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/span>\u2013\u00a0<\/span>I am the greatest, that good thing that happened was because of me, it\u2019s not my fault, my critics are terrible people, here\u2019s a version of history that I just made up in my head<\/span>, and look at that woman\u2019s appearance.<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/em>He\u2019s<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0got no business lecturing anybody else about loyalty<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span>, that<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0he\u2019s easily fooled by sycophantic idiots<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/span>; his<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0attacks on critics cross the line into racism<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/em>(a conclusion with which we vehemently disagree!<\/em>)<\/span><\/strong><\/span>; he<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0has indeed stoked xenophobic attitudes in this country<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/a>,<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>(again, a mischaracterization with which we take strong exception!<\/em>)<\/strong><\/span> in part because he\u2019s never contradicted his supporters\u2019 belief that citizenship is conditional; he has the<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0impulse control of a sugar-filled toddler<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/span>; he<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0constantly blames others for his own bad decisions<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span>; and he seems wildly na\u00efve<\/em><\/span> in his dealings with Kim Jong-un and certain other dictators.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I have an often-irritating<\/em><\/span> president who gives me some<\/em><\/span> of what I want \u2014 or who will at least sign some of what I want into law<\/span><\/em> \u2014 up against a variety of options who pledge to give me almost nothing I want<\/em><\/span>, and who are promising to repeal the things I like<\/em><\/span>. I<\/em> don\u2019t particularly like this status quo<\/em><\/span>, BUT\u00a0I prefer it to a Bolshevik Revolution<\/em><\/span> or turning our already-too-divided society into an endless status competition of woker-than-thou<\/span><\/strong><\/span>…”<\/p>\n

Absent the qualifiers highlighted in green above, Mr. Geraghty speaks for us. (<\/strong>You can view Larry Elder expressing similar thoughts in a different way at our Video of the Day<\/em>, accessible through link #2 immediately below our Quote of the Day<\/em> at the top of the page.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here’s the juice: The Donald isn’t perfect; in fact, in many ways, like so many<\/span><\/em> of us<\/em><\/span>, he’s quite a ways…<\/strong><\/p>\n