Ummm...don't see one time where I claimed to be a Republican in all of that. Also, I stick by pretty much all of that. I've taken up much more of an effort to recontextualize Smith and laissez faire. I think the current misappropriation of Smith is the reason that there is such a growing dissatisfaction with "capitalism" as it moves towards an untenable Randian totality. Both sides are creating a growing number of unthinking goons to back systems that can't think the possibility of their failure and this is all going to end in a very literal civil war of some sort that I hope is relatively bloodless unless it is both sides mostly killing each other off.
The rise of Trumpublicanism is a validation of everything I have said, imo. It is a cult of personality movement that is no better than the Obamanauts that came before them. Don't care about their education level in a country where education means shit. They are toady and stupid like Obamanauts. They woke up to Trump being president and basically acted like all the improvements made under Obama didn't really hit until November 9, 2016. Seriously, the stock market was under 8000 when Obama took office and it was just under 20000 when he left. Over 18000 when the Donald was elected. You spent eight years trying to deny Obama any of that and now you are crowing about a 20% gain that started before Trump was even in office and reflects more of a hope of what venture capitalists think he will make it possible for them to do than anything major that he's done. And, the more he Barney Fife's himself, the more likely that good feeling is going to sour. And, lastly, okay...so he'd still win today. Who the fuck cares? I wouldn't change my vote to Hillary if we got a mulligan on this one and that is the scenario in which he gets reelected...one where he is up against damaged goods he's already beaten once.
Also, I read the NRO a lot more these days...for what it's worth.
