Tucker Carlson used a candidate forum on Friday to wreck the GOP presidential primary field. That wasn't his goal, of course, but that's what happened, because the candidates aren't used to challenges.
Several candidates seemed to believe the line -- where do they get this from? -- that the U.S. must defend Ukraine at almost any cost, rather than seeking some kind of negotiated deal to end a stalemate.
Others seemed plainly out of their depth. Word on the street is that Amb. Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy were the only two who really did well. Gov. Ron DeSantis did OK. (Trump didn't go.)
I've not always been a huge fan of Tucker's style -- the cackle is a little much -- but his adversarial style, while abrasive, is useful in separating the wheat from the chaff. Major-league pitching, here.
My friend Mark Levin, similarly, has a hard-hitting book coming out called "The Democrat Party Hates America." I'd never give a book that title. It risks alienating readers and dividing the country even further.
And yet -- there's a use to it. It's hard to forget. And while many on the left are simply well-meaning-but-misguided, a few really do hate the country. It's important to "call that out," to use a popular phrase.
It's important to have a wrecking crew. They might not be the best to build bridges, but they do clear out a lot of what needs removal. A vibrant political movement will have all types, and many approaches.
This week’s portion launches the great story of Abraham, who is told to leave everything of his life behind — except his immediate family — and to leave for “the Land that I shall show you.”
There’s something interesting in the fact that Abraham is told to leave his father’s house, as if breaking away from his father’s life — but his father, in fact, began the journey, moving from Ur to Haran (in last week’s portion). His father set a positive example — why should Abraham leave him?
Some obvious answers suggest themselves — adulthood, needing to make one’s own choices, his father not going far enough, etc.
But I think there is another answer. Abraham (known for the moment as Abram) needs to establish his own household. This is not just about making one’s own choice, but really about choosing one’s own starting point. It’s starting over.
Sometimes we start over in fundamental ways even if much that surrounds us remains the same. Sometimes the journey we have to ...
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
