It’s time for another open thread. This is your chance to share what’s on your mind, engage with other readers, or ask me a question. I’ll pick the best comments, questions, and dissents and respond to them in Friday’s podcast.
Good morning, Christopher! Danny Penny is what and who is on my mind. I know you don't have a magic ball that predicts the future, but what is your sense on his case? I am praying for a not guilty verdict for him.
I hope and pray Penny gets a not guilty verdict, but given it's NYC I'm not optimistic—even though absolutely everything about this case proves it shouldn't even be a case. As a young woman, I'm especially concerned about cultural implications this has—I can't expect men to be protective (or even do basic masculine things) if there's the possibility they'll be arrested and imprisoned for it.
It’s funny to me that the left, democratic base and MSM, all claim the high ground over and over again even when proven to be derelict liars, the misnomers of misinformation, willfully proffered and the high priestess of cultural appropriation, which in most cases is “culturally inappropriate.”
They have become totalitarians. I keep offering that explanation -- with a great deal of evidence --but it bounces off most people here. Just as the warnings of the canaries in the coalmine of 1930s Germany bounced off. Until the disgusted canaries packed and left.
So what can I say? Keep trying to figure it out yourselves. Be my guest. Will take many years. Generations, even.
I think Collectivists are more inclined to be affected by propaganda. And the left believes its own propaganda. They are quite self-unaware in this regard.
Thankfully, all the doom and gloom sayers were wrong about the the Penny verdict. The jurors saw through the prosecution and a got an unanimous Not Guilty verdict. There still is some common sense in in NYC. May their tribe increase!
I can't believe there is even a trial. IF Danny Penny were a black man there would be no trial. I blame Alvin Bragg for this. HE should be removed from office. His actions have been disgusting. He allows people out who have stabbed and attacked and yet, a Daniel Penny, he puts in jail? It's wrong on so many levels
Are you referring to Jordan Williams (passenger) who stabbed Devictor Ouedraogo to death after Devictor threatened Williams’ girlfriend and other passengers on the subway car? Williams was arrested, but then released without charges; both people involved were black.
There has to be some accountability for the actions of Soros-funded DAs. We're supposed to have equal protection under the law, but they're letting out murderers (if they're black) and prosecuting heroes (if they are white).
There must be some remediation, and consequences, for this.
We need to overhaul MUCH of the judicial system, IMHO! Activist judges are ignoring the law, and releasing violent criminals and repeat offenders with no (or very low) bail, in order to achieve "social justice" (whatever that means).
Here in Seattle, aka Liberal LaLa Land, even the Left leaning DAs are getting frustrated by the actions of a handful of judges, who simply refuse to follow the laws or the sentencing guidelines. They need to be thrown off the bench but it's almost impossible to do!
Given that the highest charge of second degree manslaughter was dropped and the jury was given an unprecedented further instruction to reconsider the criminally negligent homicide charge, I agree that the leftists in Braggs office are trying to get Penny on something, anything. This is NYC, but someone onnthat jury sees things differently. Praying that this jury member sees through this ruse and jury remains deadlocked. Penny was doing what any person who hates to see others bullied and abused would do, intervene with whatever skills he or she has been given to help.
I appreciate your work reforming our institutions, but it seems like, as Conservatives, we continue to get exploited and dragged left. I have two comments/questions.
1. How can we regain ground if we continue to be the only side that plays by the rules?
The left has no issues wielding every lever of power to inject, implement, and protect their policies. The right, when they gain power, come in an attempt to reform the systems that the left was happy to exploit, rather than returning the favor in kind. This cycle just repeats and, while we may be able to retain the moral high-ground, it just doesn't seem like a winning long-term strategy.
2. Shouldn't many DEI proponents be charged for civil rights violations?
It's great that we plan on removing DEI from all government institutions, but what about the many people who have been discriminated against over the last 4 years? There must be thousands who lost jobs or were passed over because they are white. If we don't hold people accountable for blatant discrimination, this will just be an endless cycle (see #1).
Are there any plans to investigate DEI leaders and hold them accountable?
I've also thought about your first point—Conservatives trying to maintain the moral high ground of following the rules. This most recent election Democrats said if they won the Senate, they would abolish the filibuster. But when Republicans won it instead, Thune was clear they wouldn't abolish it. If it's almost certain Democrats will abolish it as soon as they can, why shouldn't Republicans get to first so we can benefit from it instead of trying to clean up after? (I should note I'm not completely decided on this issue; it's just a hypothetical I've considered.)
Are there specific areas where you think Republicans should stop playing by the rules?
The left has built an infrastructure that allows them to publish propaganda, mass-deploy talking points through the media that support their stance, align fact-checkers that add legitimacy to the claims, and then wield the threat of "disinformation" to control the dissemination of this information to the masses.
NewsGuard is a good example of this. Many online sources, and even search engines, prioritize content based on a sources' "trust score" maintained by NewsGuard. This is a tool the left uses to demote and even eliminate conservative voices.
With the explosion of alt-media, I predict this will be the next battleground. I believe this is why the media is coordinating an effort to move their journalists from X to BlueSky. This will undoubtedly be followed an effort to label X "misinformation", demote it in app stores, and prop-up BlueSky as the only source of approved facts free of disinformation.
So why not completely dismantle this system and replace it with one of our own? It wouldn't be difficult to prove most of the "trusted" sources that NewsGuard props-up are biased, fraudulent, state-run media. Replace it with a fact-checking system based on conservative voices and alt-media instead. Investigate tech companies that are using the existing system to discriminate against people.
Other areas to exploit are NGOs and advertising cartels.
NewsGuard needs to go for sure. What do you think about X's Community Notes as a sort of compromise? It doesn't solve the BlueSky problem you mentioned, but it's in between an information free-for-all and an official fact-checking organization.
The concept of "fact checkers" was generally seen only in the publishing industry prior to COVID Mania, when the Pharmaceutical companies started pushing the "fact-checker" faux-position as the way to ascertain truth. It was all cooked up.
You either trust a news source from previous performance, or you don't. This faux-fact-checking role is just another WOKE scam.
I will reiterate here (see my posts below) that the new independent media sites -- I am especially looking at Substack -- can be just as prone to scams and having a dark side as MSM.
There are Substack hosts who use the many loopholes. There are scammers and grifters all through the Subtack world. Why wouldn't there be? There is money to be made, reputations to be made, and anyone can sign up for a Substack.
There are no checks and balances in the Substack system. In fact, it is the authors/hosts who control each Substack. Even reader complaints go to the host/author, which is no good if it is that host you are complaining about.
Therefore, if you have a dishonest host, or one who presents himself as a "freedom-fighter" but who is just using that theme to get ahead....who guards the guards?
I say we as conservatives need to start playing by THEIR rules and FORCE them to suffer the consequences as we have. I’ve heard the arguments that doing that is only lowering ourselves to their level. I’m tired of hearing that! What good is avoiding lowering ourselves when they have no level they consider the bottom?
I believe I heard the Thune may try to enshrine the filibuster in law or a Constitutional Amendment. Force the dems to go on the record in a vote. I hope they do that instead of abolishing it.
But just like with the election when you have the Mockingbird media working in concert with the Democrat party lying every night on TV fact checking during a debate fact, checking during any interview
You’re just trying to hold back the tide and they were so adamant
It’s shocking on every level that good is not good and bad is all good again I live in California so that’s part of the problem. I’m so amused that they were even floating Gavin Newsom‘s name to be a candidate. He has taken this state into the gutter lost billions of dollars Taxing up as far as he can go and I’m sure more is to come, and the Democrats are all in lock step they don’t care about the middle class that works to keep the wheels on cars.
Democrats count votes until they win in close races as they just did here
The government in California only 30% of workers are back in their offices
We have a dysfunctional system and the sooner we are able to clear out some of this the better but I am afraid it’s going to take a whole lot longer than four years
If everyone stops playing by the rules, what we will have is anarchy.
So who chooses which rues are ironclad, and which are dispensable? If someone had just committed murder, wouldn't they choose to get rid of that rule against murder?
This idea of losing with dignity isn't sustainable, not when the stakes are this high. I don't like it, but sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.
I'm not even saying we permanently exploit the rules to achieve our goals. Maybe we beat them over the head with their policies for 3 years, then reform them toward then end when they're screaming for mercy?
But you have to punch a bully back, or you're just going to continue to get your ass beat.
Case in point: The Border
The Biden Administration exploited our broken immigration system to facilitate the invasion of nearly 15 million illegals (probably more). They played stupid for 3.5 years as our cities were overrun. Then, with months to go until the election, they re-instituted some of Trump's policies, and the problem went away.
They then claimed that illegal immigration was at its lowest level in years, better than Trump!
That's strategic exploitation, and it could have affected elections for an entire generation. The right would NEVER do something so bold. They won't even have the balls to deport these people.
What we are seeing now with Senate reluctance to approve several of President Trump’s cabinet never happens with democrats. The democrats vote in a 100% block. If they don’t, their leadership punishes them by withholding campaign funds or committee leadership. For the last senate session, the senate was 50-50, yet they passed whatever they wanted through the VP tiebreaker. ALL of their nominees breezed through no matter how freakish they were. The Republicans always seem to be fractured.
The same thing happens in the Texas legislature. Democrats always vote in a 100% block and if they convince 4-5 Republicans to vote with them, it is really a Democrat controlled legislature.
Excellent point! I add one correction. You mentioned that people were passed over because they were white. The overwhelming majority that were passed over were heterosexual white men. The Democrat party is the party of women and minorities. They have at best vilified straight white men and at worst excluded them at every opportunity. The goal being to marginalize them.
Is there ANY limit to the power of presidential pardon? Can a president literally pardon EVERYONE from ALL known and unknown federal offenses for the past 100 years? Side-note....if Biden pardons Fauci carte blanche....that will be very disappointing/troubling.
Crimes against humanity cannot be pardoned, destroying January 6 commission evidence cannot be pardoned. If the Supreme Court or others allow this NONSENSE the American people can be victimized by these power hungry psychopaths with impunity. We must stand against this insanity and evil.
A report I heard said Biden may be considering “preemptive” pardons for Fauci, Mayorkas and maybe another. Now THAT would truly be an abuse of the power of pardon.
I think Biden will undoubtedly pardon anyone associated with the Burisma scandal. Fauci, Shiff, and others will likely fit the bill as well. This is why the media has been parroting the "Trump is going after his enemies" talking point for the last six months, it was astroturfing for the pardons that were soon to follow.
I wouldn't be surprised if Biden pardoned Trump as well. It's a no-lose situation for him since the cases are falling apart anyway, and it'll give the press cover to present a false equivalency.
Yes, love to see an exposé on Fauci's crimes against humanity, and while you're at it, every other national medical officer around the world who supported Fauci's positions.
But remember this - once pardoned, a person loses his 5th Amendment right to silence. He can be compelled to testify under pain of contempt, because he is in no legal jeopardy from his testimony.
Way more than "disappointing". Fauci is an evil, amoral, self-serving, money-hungry narcissist --and a LIAR. He is responsible for many of the Covid deaths; ruining the economy and killing many small businesses; plus ruining education for a generation of kids. Fauci belongs in jail--and should pay back all of the retirement benefits he has already collected. He deserves --ZERO.
Does the pardon provision of the 2nd Article allow for “blanket pardons”? For crimes that are not already on the books for any particular criminal? I know there is precedent with the Nixon pardon. But can this be challenged in the Supreme Court? And if it is found to be unconstitutional, can the pardons of anyone Biden pardons be considered null and void? I don’t think this practice will go away any other way. I think it will become standard Presidential practice from now on.
I don't get them mentioning Schiff for a pre-emptive pardon. He never testified to Congress, so it can't be a perjury concern. He's an evil, opportunistic snake, but I don’t know of any crimes...unless the left knows something we don't.
When will you do an investigative piece on the targeting of the State of Texas by the ACLU, Lambda Legal, and transgender, abortion, illegal immigration, sex trafficking, and DEI activists? It is a very easy trail and tells a story of a targeted assault by the woke left on a red state that needs some sunlight to help expose the infection. The surreptitious manipulation of academic Medical centerss like Dell, Texas Childrens Hospital, and UT Southwestern, as well as the Texas Meducal Association and the Texas medical board.(just to name a few.) has an easy breadcrumb trail to follow that many in Texas can help you with.
Eithan Haim must be vindicated. He has amassed over 2 million in legal fees as the Biden Admin seeks to lock him up Stalin style. This law fare has to be called out, and it has to end.
Judge Hittner refused to issue a gag order (sought by the DOJ/USAG)on Dr. Haim and his attorney...
From the Heritage Foundation: "But now, in pleadings filed by Dr. Haim’s lawyers and in separate complaints filed by a former DOJ lawyer with both the State Bar of Texas and the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility, Ansari is accused of having “knowingly sponsored false information” to the federal grand jury that indicted Haim and of having “knowingly misled a tribunal and presented deliberately misleading information to a grand jury.”
In other words, she wasn’t just practicing law on a suspended license. She is charged with lying to the grand jury to get Haim indicted—itself a violation of federal law."
A women's group called WoLF (Women's Liberation Front (dot org)) has been working on a lawsuit for the past 3-4 years to sue the state et al. for doing it. They could use much more support. People think feminists are on the side of the trans issue but radical feminists are not. They are 100% against it. Sadly, they're also for abortion on demand. One reason I don't support them.
It has certainly done damage throughout the medical system. Impossible to trust the medical/health care establishment when the first thing I am asked for (repeatedly) upon checking in for an appointment is my "sex assigned at birth". This may be a California thing, but it is mind-boggling.
We can't just keep turning our heads to be the better person. If we do and don't hold them accountable, they will continue to get away with this and who knows what else.
After all the work you have done and are doing to crush DEI, it would be a big miss for the new administration not to draw on your knowledge and skills.
The best opportunity to conduct a test sample of the accuracy & truthfulness of NGOs that receive Federal funding for unaccompanied minors is to have a sharp team of investigators select 500 names, dob & addresses and immediately respond to those locations. They could film their efforts and, if the child is located at the address provided by the NGO, take their photo & fingerprint. If they are not there, withhold payment to that NGO.
Education - Educe = to draw out. Indoctrination = to force in. Since True Diversity is the infinite range of gifts and talents found in any societal group, Educing seems more applicable. Most potentials go unrealized for many reasons. That's not an excuse for giving up on education in favor of indoctrination. The left prefers indoctrinating - makes them feel good, even though the kid is miserable.
Good Morning: If possible, can you address the mechanics of how the President, along with his political appointees and DOGE, can rapidly dismiss redundant and underperforming federal employees. If the President can do that it would be WONDERFUL.
Quentin, I am a federal employee. With the current bureaucracy, it literally takes about 2 years and loads of documents to fire an incompetent employee. We have a ridiculous level of employment protections and appeal rights. I don't think there's any way to quickly change that. The better hope is to use hiring freezes, end telework, retirement incentives and the closing/merging of unnecessary agencies. Only very high level employees in Washington can be fired at the will of the President.
In the realm of DEI and its demise, I think it is very important to point out that a return to the actual Title VII law and language is better for everyone. The legacy media is not picking up on this fact, and their reporting makes companies like Walmart, John Deere, and Tractor Supply sound like they are regressing to some kind of racist norm, which is completely false. By eliminating programs that call for racial stereotyping and racial scapegoating, these corporations are returning to the common sense legality of not discriminating on the basis of race, sex, religion, and national origin. It is indeed the content of one’s character and their competence regardless of their identity that best qualifies people for jobs. Excellence is colorblind. Two wrongs don’t make a right. You can’t judge a book by its cover. And, never assume! These are the old truisms that are now new again with the demise of DEI.
I'm not convinced of the demise. Having "retired" early from a significant research University, I haven't seen it yet. My pronouns were "we," because it is not about you or me. I want to see all Federal monies held from any University that is spending on DEI and whatever it morphs into. These people will not go away, it is like whack a mole....they go underground and pop up with a different form of identity politics
Revolutionary recapture of cultural institutions requires a willing and competent replacement labor force. K-12 Education, universities, media, nonprofits, and increasingly churches are completely dominated by a very proud and vocal assortment of leftists, Marxists, and increasingly Maoist group of true believers. To shift cultural norms back to that which underpinned the reasoning and formative processes of the Constitution requires a mass takeover of these key institutions. Yes, even in the reddest of states, at least four of the five are dominated by the Modern Left at a tune of 80%+. In fact if anything, each has moved stridently Leftward in the past generation. Rather than seek to weaken these institutions, it would be perhaps easier to take them over. But to do so means a re-education of the Right starting with the recognition that the intellectual game is worth playing and winning. Unless this epiphany happens, we are one charismatic Lefty leader away from Democrats control. Hillary and Kamala were deeply flawed candidates. The next one may not be.
I agree, conservatives should focus on taking back institutions—but I think it's going to be a long process. It took decades for leftists to take over, and while I think there are some faster options (following the New College of Florida model, for example), it's going to take intentionality and commitment to the long game.
I spent my adult life in and around these institutions. Because of my appearance and disposition, I am seen as one of them. Yes, the battle will be long and hard. The opposition has an unwavering belief that their POV is both righteous and the default. Those who wish for a different institutional ethos seem to do everything but operate from the inside.
I cannot overstate how precarious is the track record of the Right. Extremely hard fought wins in 2024, 2016 and 2000, whereas the Dems had easy wins in 2008, 2012, and 1996.
Recent victories have been easy owing to truly awful Democrat candidates. And Democrat wins by Clinton and Obama featured two candidates who had no business in the White House.
A final cloud of worry. Corporate America used to be a GOP lock. That is no longer, especially in the tech sector and in the internationalization of the C-suite.
Despite the recent wins, the clouds are darkening. And relies on Democrat incompetence and woke nonsense. That will not continue... so yes, it is a long game and immediate game. Like all wars...
How can we do in 6 months what we think will take 10 years?
One lesson I've taken from the last 12 months is that money moves mountains – quickly. Colleges cracked down on anti-Semitism after donors threatened to walk away. We got free speech on the Internet when Elon bought Twitter.
So what happens if universities risk losing accreditation (and therefore federal student loans)? What if they can lose their non-profit status? How quickly will things change then?
I happened upon a discussion between Vivek and someone I didn't know on YouTube a few months ago. The gentleman said that what the did was take over the governing boards (of the American Academy of Pediatrics, etc.) I think if the right were to focus on taking back over the boards, we could make progress much faster.
True! Conservatives may have won the Presidency and Congress but the ultimate battleground is in our educational institutions! That is where the beliefs of the next generation are being shaped. As a former principal and teacher I know this is the toughest area. And as a public school educated individual I can tell you the tremendous influence college professors have in promoting their leftist agenda to incoming students who aspire to be teachers.
I think this is my main concern going on as well. Because it sets the narrative about what our country is, and if institutional gatekeepers are captured, then they will keep perpetuating false narratives about the United States.
Takeover those cultural and educational institutions (New College) or create competing ones (UATX)? Mass takeover seems improbable, but a few new competitors could introduce enough disruption to trigger a chain reaction. Nothing sells like success.
To add to your wonderful work, Chris, I have to post this Rogan podcast with the invaluable Mike Benz(@MikeBenzCyber). Benz will blow you away with his knowledge of the Blob which itself is absolutely disgusting. As a man who stood a post while my fellow Americans slept.. I am not naive, but this stuff is disgusting.
What’s up Mr Rufo (Chris)! Thank you for using your time and talent to help this country win back its way of life. You have and continue to be a tip of the spear we all line up behind for as strong shaft as possible. We have to be a complete spear to the ground, so we don’t spit or fracture. The ground is moving. Keep it rollin’
While I’m thrilled with the election and excited for this administration, my chief concern is not just the “doing” but “selling” the “WHY”. Everything the left does has their origins, their roots in the idea/goal of destroying Western Civilization. All the “studies” courses/professors etc. CRT. Transgender. Climate Change hysteria. All of it is designed to fundamentally transform our society into a Marxist paradise. So there must be a concerted effort by the administration itself and an army of citizen patriots acting as surrogates to educate, inform and influence the public on all the issues that have been weaponized against us. We can’t just focus on the end result of gender mutilation surgeries of minors we must convince everyone that the movement is 100% political as you did in your Imprimus “Inside the Transgender Empire” speech. This movement has nothing to do with the made up ideology of a “gender spectrum”, it has everything to do with obliterating objective and Biblical truth. If they can destroy truth, biology and science…it’s all over but the crying…We have the factual data on gender dysphoria and it’s minuscule. We’ve seen their literature which is entirely political. We have the same for CRT/DEI, racial issues, crime, education, climate change (C02)… We must weaponize the data against all those who seek to destroy America and Western Civilization. We can’t just eliminate the Department of Education. We must convince the public “why”. And that’s easy. We have the facts. We have reason. The left only has theory and feelings. We now have the opportunity to fundamentally take back America. We cannot afford to blow it.
What we call WOKE is a form of totalitarianism. I published that concept very early in the game.
Frankly, from what I know, Chris does not have the answers. He is not a world-fixer, contrary to popular opinion. He is just a 40 yr. old fellow trying to make a living, and the new media was opening up for "activist-journalists'. That's all.
I’d say he’s doing pretty damn good at what he’s making a living at. CRT and DEI seemingly came out of nowhere and all of a sudden they’re everywhere overnight. That means all the established think tanks and institutions were asleep at the switch. Chris Rufo may have come out of seemingly nowhere but he’s responsible for educating more of us than anyone else. Look at what he did in Florida with DeSantis. We need more Rufos, Robby Starbucks, Abigail Shriers, Matt Walsh’s, Julie Kelly’s etc. It’s been said a person needs to hear something 7 times before they retain it. So let’s keep writing, publishing and spreading truth, wisdom and get Americans united again. Substack has been useful in expanding the reach of journalists, writers and thinkers. Let’s keep rocking on!
I'm afraid you're not too well informed about this, Douglas. If you didn't know any of this prior to reading the Rufo Substack, that is your fault. It was certainly out there.
CRT, DEI, and all the rest of the tactics are due to creeping totalitarianism. Which has been on the move in the US since the 1960s. Where were you? Chris Rufo only realized this himself a few years ago. Very late to the party.
We have had a cross-disciplinary field of Totalitarianism since WWII, and various thinkers in the West have been writing about it for 500 years. There are hundreds of books and papers on this concept.
I'm sorry, but that you think that Chris Rufo was some kind of discoverer or major educator on this concept is a bit of a giggle. Chris was educated in Totalitarianism by people like me, attempting to explain the concepts to him, and get him to do the formal reading....which he is not too keen on doing. He has a general education to the Master's level, and thought it seemed cool to be an "activist". Like dozens of others right now.
You are the epitome of the idea that just because you recently noticed a small portion of this concept, you fervently believe that you and your "hero" are responsible for bringing it to the world's attention. Groan.....
Reminds me that another Substacker, "Yuri Bezmenov" ( I am surprised the Bezmenov estate does not sue him for stealing the name) recently had some fellow with the Sci-Fi fantasy name of "Librarian of something to other" on his podcast (I was the only commenter). This "Librarian" replied to me -- when I mentioned the JFK assassination in 1963, as a turning point in the start of totalitarianism -- that he could not possibly know this because he was not born yet in 1963. Groan again..... This is the level we are dealing with. I suggested that perhaps he could learn to read about events before his time...the way that I know about the Civil War, for instance. Being a grand librarian and all.....
Just want to thank you for the fabulous articles and insights. It couldn’t be a better time in history for you to have created such a successful model in reforming institutions
Point #1. I do not believe that shrinking the federal government is possible until Congress itself is reformed. What do I mean? Term limits. No pay after one year after they leave. Prohibitions on lobbying. Healthcare is what everyone else has. Retirement that is social security. They must live by the same laws and standards they impose on everyone else. No special treatment.
Point #2. There is no reforming the deep state; the administrative state. The only option is to starve the beast or dismember it. To think reform is a fools errand. Although I understand that the morass in DC is so complicated. However, the formula is simple. Terminate the department, provide 6 month severance to employees and push function down to the state to handle or eliminate. Or, move the department to some small town in the midwest and a good portion of the employees will resign not wanting to move. That's an easy cut.
We need to be realistic. The yearnings now are not much different than the Reagan years and what he was able to accomplish with respect to shrinking the administrative state was barely noticeable.
The Beast is totalitarianism. You might call it a Psycho-spiritual phenomenon.
But who listens? I am at the point of stepping back, saving myself, and watching. Because this information was available to everyone, but they all ignored it or allowed it to bounce off. Now, the checkout point has been reached. No more wiggle room.
You are absolutely right. Where has totalitarianism ever been "reformed". Not to my knowledge. It seems to be an ingrained trait in the human heart and mind. Rarely if ever has it ended without serious pain, suffering, upheaval and then the cycle starts over.
I have expertise in the once-arcane academic field of totalitarianism. I was the canary in the coalmine all of my adult life. And the public laughed. Sneered, even. And grew glassy-eyed in boredom. They thought it was all a joke, seen only in backwards countries.
I understand more about totalitarianism than even I care to know, and they have few known options to get out of this. The options which do exist will be sneered at, once again.
So they can have it their way. Bamboozle themselves into thinking that Chris Rufo will be their Messiah.... He seems to think so too 😁.
I've got RINO's on my mind, specifically RINO senators like Collins, Murkowski, Graham, etc. Now that Trump has won the election and has momentum, I think it's time to use Trump's cabinet nominees as a litmus test to find and weed out RINO Republican Senators based on whether they vote for Trump's nominees or not. A vote against a nominee means that Trump finds a MAGA candidate to primary them in their next election. A primary voter is active and engaged. That is where we can knock off a RINO for a more conservative candidate. In a state like Maine, there is a risk that might flip a seat like Collins to a Dem. But is a state like Alaska, there is no reason not to have a true conservative in office, instead of Murkowski.
Collins and Murkowski are essentially bulletproof. Collins is the only Republican that could get elected in Maine. When she retires, that seat immediately goes to the dims. Murkowski only gets elected in Alaska because of ranked-choice voting. In fact, Alaska put that in place just to keep her in office. In a regular vote, she would have lost the last 2 elections. Sadly, we are stuck with both of these democrat-lights.
Maine (my State), has unfortunately lost its way and has slid deeper blue over the last 6-10 years. In state races, Repubs made minor gains, (although still a minority at the State House) so maybe we've bottomed out. You are correct about the odds of ultimately losing the Collins seat to a Dem if she were primary-ed and lost. I didnt know about Alaska and "rank-choice" voting, which we have here...and it sucks.
I wish Trump can learn to do the same basic background on cabinet appointments that some women do for online dating. The drama around Gaetz, RFK, Tulsi
Good morning, Christopher! Danny Penny is what and who is on my mind. I know you don't have a magic ball that predicts the future, but what is your sense on his case? I am praying for a not guilty verdict for him.
I hope and pray Penny gets a not guilty verdict, but given it's NYC I'm not optimistic—even though absolutely everything about this case proves it shouldn't even be a case. As a young woman, I'm especially concerned about cultural implications this has—I can't expect men to be protective (or even do basic masculine things) if there's the possibility they'll be arrested and imprisoned for it.
It’s funny to me that the left, democratic base and MSM, all claim the high ground over and over again even when proven to be derelict liars, the misnomers of misinformation, willfully proffered and the high priestess of cultural appropriation, which in most cases is “culturally inappropriate.”
These clowns 🤡 are laughable looney-tunes.
They have become totalitarians. I keep offering that explanation -- with a great deal of evidence --but it bounces off most people here. Just as the warnings of the canaries in the coalmine of 1930s Germany bounced off. Until the disgusted canaries packed and left.
So what can I say? Keep trying to figure it out yourselves. Be my guest. Will take many years. Generations, even.
Yes, but they still rule us and have for at least 75 years. That's a problem. Somehow we must be letting them.
I think Collectivists are more inclined to be affected by propaganda. And the left believes its own propaganda. They are quite self-unaware in this regard.
Thankfully, all the doom and gloom sayers were wrong about the the Penny verdict. The jurors saw through the prosecution and a got an unanimous Not Guilty verdict. There still is some common sense in in NYC. May their tribe increase!
I can't believe there is even a trial. IF Danny Penny were a black man there would be no trial. I blame Alvin Bragg for this. HE should be removed from office. His actions have been disgusting. He allows people out who have stabbed and attacked and yet, a Daniel Penny, he puts in jail? It's wrong on so many levels
I couldn't agree with you more.
Are you referring to Jordan Williams (passenger) who stabbed Devictor Ouedraogo to death after Devictor threatened Williams’ girlfriend and other passengers on the subway car? Williams was arrested, but then released without charges; both people involved were black.
In a sane world, Danny Penny would be given a ticker-tape parade and a key to the city.
NYC is not part of a sane world
When professional race baiter Al Sharpton got involved is when Alvin Bragg decided to prosecute.
Mayor Adams seems to agree.
There has to be some accountability for the actions of Soros-funded DAs. We're supposed to have equal protection under the law, but they're letting out murderers (if they're black) and prosecuting heroes (if they are white).
There must be some remediation, and consequences, for this.
We need to overhaul MUCH of the judicial system, IMHO! Activist judges are ignoring the law, and releasing violent criminals and repeat offenders with no (or very low) bail, in order to achieve "social justice" (whatever that means).
Here in Seattle, aka Liberal LaLa Land, even the Left leaning DAs are getting frustrated by the actions of a handful of judges, who simply refuse to follow the laws or the sentencing guidelines. They need to be thrown off the bench but it's almost impossible to do!
Just wait until Garland has him indicted for violating his civil rights on a federal charge.
Listen to the podcast tomorrow, I answer this question!
Not to worry. Trump will pardon him anyway.
I know very little about the court system and pardons etc. Could Trump step in? Or can that only be done at the federal level ?
Penny is facing state charges. The President cannot pardon an individual convicted of state charges.
Given that the highest charge of second degree manslaughter was dropped and the jury was given an unprecedented further instruction to reconsider the criminally negligent homicide charge, I agree that the leftists in Braggs office are trying to get Penny on something, anything. This is NYC, but someone onnthat jury sees things differently. Praying that this jury member sees through this ruse and jury remains deadlocked. Penny was doing what any person who hates to see others bullied and abused would do, intervene with whatever skills he or she has been given to help.
I appreciate your work reforming our institutions, but it seems like, as Conservatives, we continue to get exploited and dragged left. I have two comments/questions.
1. How can we regain ground if we continue to be the only side that plays by the rules?
The left has no issues wielding every lever of power to inject, implement, and protect their policies. The right, when they gain power, come in an attempt to reform the systems that the left was happy to exploit, rather than returning the favor in kind. This cycle just repeats and, while we may be able to retain the moral high-ground, it just doesn't seem like a winning long-term strategy.
2. Shouldn't many DEI proponents be charged for civil rights violations?
It's great that we plan on removing DEI from all government institutions, but what about the many people who have been discriminated against over the last 4 years? There must be thousands who lost jobs or were passed over because they are white. If we don't hold people accountable for blatant discrimination, this will just be an endless cycle (see #1).
Are there any plans to investigate DEI leaders and hold them accountable?
I've also thought about your first point—Conservatives trying to maintain the moral high ground of following the rules. This most recent election Democrats said if they won the Senate, they would abolish the filibuster. But when Republicans won it instead, Thune was clear they wouldn't abolish it. If it's almost certain Democrats will abolish it as soon as they can, why shouldn't Republicans get to first so we can benefit from it instead of trying to clean up after? (I should note I'm not completely decided on this issue; it's just a hypothetical I've considered.)
Are there specific areas where you think Republicans should stop playing by the rules?
I'd start with fact-checking.
The left has built an infrastructure that allows them to publish propaganda, mass-deploy talking points through the media that support their stance, align fact-checkers that add legitimacy to the claims, and then wield the threat of "disinformation" to control the dissemination of this information to the masses.
NewsGuard is a good example of this. Many online sources, and even search engines, prioritize content based on a sources' "trust score" maintained by NewsGuard. This is a tool the left uses to demote and even eliminate conservative voices.
With the explosion of alt-media, I predict this will be the next battleground. I believe this is why the media is coordinating an effort to move their journalists from X to BlueSky. This will undoubtedly be followed an effort to label X "misinformation", demote it in app stores, and prop-up BlueSky as the only source of approved facts free of disinformation.
So why not completely dismantle this system and replace it with one of our own? It wouldn't be difficult to prove most of the "trusted" sources that NewsGuard props-up are biased, fraudulent, state-run media. Replace it with a fact-checking system based on conservative voices and alt-media instead. Investigate tech companies that are using the existing system to discriminate against people.
Other areas to exploit are NGOs and advertising cartels.
NewsGuard needs to go for sure. What do you think about X's Community Notes as a sort of compromise? It doesn't solve the BlueSky problem you mentioned, but it's in between an information free-for-all and an official fact-checking organization.
The concept of "fact checkers" was generally seen only in the publishing industry prior to COVID Mania, when the Pharmaceutical companies started pushing the "fact-checker" faux-position as the way to ascertain truth. It was all cooked up.
You either trust a news source from previous performance, or you don't. This faux-fact-checking role is just another WOKE scam.
I will reiterate here (see my posts below) that the new independent media sites -- I am especially looking at Substack -- can be just as prone to scams and having a dark side as MSM.
There are Substack hosts who use the many loopholes. There are scammers and grifters all through the Subtack world. Why wouldn't there be? There is money to be made, reputations to be made, and anyone can sign up for a Substack.
There are no checks and balances in the Substack system. In fact, it is the authors/hosts who control each Substack. Even reader complaints go to the host/author, which is no good if it is that host you are complaining about.
Therefore, if you have a dishonest host, or one who presents himself as a "freedom-fighter" but who is just using that theme to get ahead....who guards the guards?
What rules? There are none by the democrats standards— the only “rules” are the the one they claim when it’s convenient for their causes or actions.
I say we as conservatives need to start playing by THEIR rules and FORCE them to suffer the consequences as we have. I’ve heard the arguments that doing that is only lowering ourselves to their level. I’m tired of hearing that! What good is avoiding lowering ourselves when they have no level they consider the bottom?
I believe I heard the Thune may try to enshrine the filibuster in law or a Constitutional Amendment. Force the dems to go on the record in a vote. I hope they do that instead of abolishing it.
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1864702585313349962
It’s a crazy crazy time
And in a real world, he would be celebrated
But just like with the election when you have the Mockingbird media working in concert with the Democrat party lying every night on TV fact checking during a debate fact, checking during any interview
You’re just trying to hold back the tide and they were so adamant
It’s shocking on every level that good is not good and bad is all good again I live in California so that’s part of the problem. I’m so amused that they were even floating Gavin Newsom‘s name to be a candidate. He has taken this state into the gutter lost billions of dollars Taxing up as far as he can go and I’m sure more is to come, and the Democrats are all in lock step they don’t care about the middle class that works to keep the wheels on cars.
Democrats count votes until they win in close races as they just did here
The government in California only 30% of workers are back in their offices
We have a dysfunctional system and the sooner we are able to clear out some of this the better but I am afraid it’s going to take a whole lot longer than four years
If everyone stops playing by the rules, what we will have is anarchy.
So who chooses which rues are ironclad, and which are dispensable? If someone had just committed murder, wouldn't they choose to get rid of that rule against murder?
This idea of losing with dignity isn't sustainable, not when the stakes are this high. I don't like it, but sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.
I'm not even saying we permanently exploit the rules to achieve our goals. Maybe we beat them over the head with their policies for 3 years, then reform them toward then end when they're screaming for mercy?
But you have to punch a bully back, or you're just going to continue to get your ass beat.
Case in point: The Border
The Biden Administration exploited our broken immigration system to facilitate the invasion of nearly 15 million illegals (probably more). They played stupid for 3.5 years as our cities were overrun. Then, with months to go until the election, they re-instituted some of Trump's policies, and the problem went away.
They then claimed that illegal immigration was at its lowest level in years, better than Trump!
That's strategic exploitation, and it could have affected elections for an entire generation. The right would NEVER do something so bold. They won't even have the balls to deport these people.
What we are seeing now with Senate reluctance to approve several of President Trump’s cabinet never happens with democrats. The democrats vote in a 100% block. If they don’t, their leadership punishes them by withholding campaign funds or committee leadership. For the last senate session, the senate was 50-50, yet they passed whatever they wanted through the VP tiebreaker. ALL of their nominees breezed through no matter how freakish they were. The Republicans always seem to be fractured.
The same thing happens in the Texas legislature. Democrats always vote in a 100% block and if they convince 4-5 Republicans to vote with them, it is really a Democrat controlled legislature.
Excellent point! I add one correction. You mentioned that people were passed over because they were white. The overwhelming majority that were passed over were heterosexual white men. The Democrat party is the party of women and minorities. They have at best vilified straight white men and at worst excluded them at every opportunity. The goal being to marginalize them.
The best deterrence is to punish them, make an example, don’t just fire or reassign them.
Christopher Rufo! Just sending a shout out to you wherever you are! <handshake and slap on the back>. Keep it up.
Is there ANY limit to the power of presidential pardon? Can a president literally pardon EVERYONE from ALL known and unknown federal offenses for the past 100 years? Side-note....if Biden pardons Fauci carte blanche....that will be very disappointing/troubling.
Crimes against humanity cannot be pardoned, destroying January 6 commission evidence cannot be pardoned. If the Supreme Court or others allow this NONSENSE the American people can be victimized by these power hungry psychopaths with impunity. We must stand against this insanity and evil.
A report I heard said Biden may be considering “preemptive” pardons for Fauci, Mayorkas and maybe another. Now THAT would truly be an abuse of the power of pardon.
I think Biden will undoubtedly pardon anyone associated with the Burisma scandal. Fauci, Shiff, and others will likely fit the bill as well. This is why the media has been parroting the "Trump is going after his enemies" talking point for the last six months, it was astroturfing for the pardons that were soon to follow.
I wouldn't be surprised if Biden pardoned Trump as well. It's a no-lose situation for him since the cases are falling apart anyway, and it'll give the press cover to present a false equivalency.
It doesn’t get him off the hook in NY. That case will have to go through the appeals process unless Bragg drops it.
Is there any way to recoup the money that's been paid by the taxpayers for Fauci's security?
Yes, love to see an exposé on Fauci's crimes against humanity, and while you're at it, every other national medical officer around the world who supported Fauci's positions.
But remember this - once pardoned, a person loses his 5th Amendment right to silence. He can be compelled to testify under pain of contempt, because he is in no legal jeopardy from his testimony.
Way more than "disappointing". Fauci is an evil, amoral, self-serving, money-hungry narcissist --and a LIAR. He is responsible for many of the Covid deaths; ruining the economy and killing many small businesses; plus ruining education for a generation of kids. Fauci belongs in jail--and should pay back all of the retirement benefits he has already collected. He deserves --ZERO.
Well said, Elizabeth! Fauci is the epitome of evil.
Does the pardon provision of the 2nd Article allow for “blanket pardons”? For crimes that are not already on the books for any particular criminal? I know there is precedent with the Nixon pardon. But can this be challenged in the Supreme Court? And if it is found to be unconstitutional, can the pardons of anyone Biden pardons be considered null and void? I don’t think this practice will go away any other way. I think it will become standard Presidential practice from now on.
I find it disturbing that a newly elected Senator would need a presidential pardon.
Schiff? Maybe for all the lies he told and damage he did as a Representative?
I don't get them mentioning Schiff for a pre-emptive pardon. He never testified to Congress, so it can't be a perjury concern. He's an evil, opportunistic snake, but I don’t know of any crimes...unless the left knows something we don't.
When will you do an investigative piece on the targeting of the State of Texas by the ACLU, Lambda Legal, and transgender, abortion, illegal immigration, sex trafficking, and DEI activists? It is a very easy trail and tells a story of a targeted assault by the woke left on a red state that needs some sunlight to help expose the infection. The surreptitious manipulation of academic Medical centerss like Dell, Texas Childrens Hospital, and UT Southwestern, as well as the Texas Meducal Association and the Texas medical board.(just to name a few.) has an easy breadcrumb trail to follow that many in Texas can help you with.
Eithan Haim must be vindicated. He has amassed over 2 million in legal fees as the Biden Admin seeks to lock him up Stalin style. This law fare has to be called out, and it has to end.
Yes!
Judge Hittner refused to issue a gag order (sought by the DOJ/USAG)on Dr. Haim and his attorney...
From the Heritage Foundation: "But now, in pleadings filed by Dr. Haim’s lawyers and in separate complaints filed by a former DOJ lawyer with both the State Bar of Texas and the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility, Ansari is accused of having “knowingly sponsored false information” to the federal grand jury that indicted Haim and of having “knowingly misled a tribunal and presented deliberately misleading information to a grand jury.”
In other words, she wasn’t just practicing law on a suspended license. She is charged with lying to the grand jury to get Haim indicted—itself a violation of federal law."
You don't say....
CA is also under attack by these same people (ACLU, Lambda Legal). Scott Wiener leads the charge to put violent male criminals into women's prisons.
Let’s go! What is holding the dogs back? Fear of failure? Persecution? Prosecution? Hardship? God has his plan. Mr. Rufo, He is calling you…
A women's group called WoLF (Women's Liberation Front (dot org)) has been working on a lawsuit for the past 3-4 years to sue the state et al. for doing it. They could use much more support. People think feminists are on the side of the trans issue but radical feminists are not. They are 100% against it. Sadly, they're also for abortion on demand. One reason I don't support them.
The area in which DEI has done the most damage is medical colleges. DEI is degrading the quality of medical care.
It has certainly done damage throughout the medical system. Impossible to trust the medical/health care establishment when the first thing I am asked for (repeatedly) upon checking in for an appointment is my "sex assigned at birth". This may be a California thing, but it is mind-boggling.
It was designed to do so.
Totalitarianism is a destructive force by nature. I don't know why people are so surprised when it lives up to that.
How do we take down the Biden Crime Family? If the dirty b******s have gotten away clean, how do we cope with that?
Don’t forget the Bush crime family too…
What crimes did the Bush family commit, Uncle Juan?
You simply move forward. Historically it will be the right place to be.
We can't just keep turning our heads to be the better person. If we do and don't hold them accountable, they will continue to get away with this and who knows what else.
After all the work you have done and are doing to crush DEI, it would be a big miss for the new administration not to draw on your knowledge and skills.
The best opportunity to conduct a test sample of the accuracy & truthfulness of NGOs that receive Federal funding for unaccompanied minors is to have a sharp team of investigators select 500 names, dob & addresses and immediately respond to those locations. They could film their efforts and, if the child is located at the address provided by the NGO, take their photo & fingerprint. If they are not there, withhold payment to that NGO.
Reference: https://docs.house.gov/meetings/GO/GO00/20240515/117320/HMKP-118-GO00-20240515-SD004.pdf
After 500 visits, issue a “grade” for the Govt. and the NGOs.
I would be pleased to lead such a team.
Educing
Education - Educe = to draw out. Indoctrination = to force in. Since True Diversity is the infinite range of gifts and talents found in any societal group, Educing seems more applicable. Most potentials go unrealized for many reasons. That's not an excuse for giving up on education in favor of indoctrination. The left prefers indoctrinating - makes them feel good, even though the kid is miserable.
Nicely put.
Good Morning: If possible, can you address the mechanics of how the President, along with his political appointees and DOGE, can rapidly dismiss redundant and underperforming federal employees. If the President can do that it would be WONDERFUL.
Quentin, I am a federal employee. With the current bureaucracy, it literally takes about 2 years and loads of documents to fire an incompetent employee. We have a ridiculous level of employment protections and appeal rights. I don't think there's any way to quickly change that. The better hope is to use hiring freezes, end telework, retirement incentives and the closing/merging of unnecessary agencies. Only very high level employees in Washington can be fired at the will of the President.
In the realm of DEI and its demise, I think it is very important to point out that a return to the actual Title VII law and language is better for everyone. The legacy media is not picking up on this fact, and their reporting makes companies like Walmart, John Deere, and Tractor Supply sound like they are regressing to some kind of racist norm, which is completely false. By eliminating programs that call for racial stereotyping and racial scapegoating, these corporations are returning to the common sense legality of not discriminating on the basis of race, sex, religion, and national origin. It is indeed the content of one’s character and their competence regardless of their identity that best qualifies people for jobs. Excellence is colorblind. Two wrongs don’t make a right. You can’t judge a book by its cover. And, never assume! These are the old truisms that are now new again with the demise of DEI.
I'm not convinced of the demise. Having "retired" early from a significant research University, I haven't seen it yet. My pronouns were "we," because it is not about you or me. I want to see all Federal monies held from any University that is spending on DEI and whatever it morphs into. These people will not go away, it is like whack a mole....they go underground and pop up with a different form of identity politics
Revolutionary recapture of cultural institutions requires a willing and competent replacement labor force. K-12 Education, universities, media, nonprofits, and increasingly churches are completely dominated by a very proud and vocal assortment of leftists, Marxists, and increasingly Maoist group of true believers. To shift cultural norms back to that which underpinned the reasoning and formative processes of the Constitution requires a mass takeover of these key institutions. Yes, even in the reddest of states, at least four of the five are dominated by the Modern Left at a tune of 80%+. In fact if anything, each has moved stridently Leftward in the past generation. Rather than seek to weaken these institutions, it would be perhaps easier to take them over. But to do so means a re-education of the Right starting with the recognition that the intellectual game is worth playing and winning. Unless this epiphany happens, we are one charismatic Lefty leader away from Democrats control. Hillary and Kamala were deeply flawed candidates. The next one may not be.
I agree, conservatives should focus on taking back institutions—but I think it's going to be a long process. It took decades for leftists to take over, and while I think there are some faster options (following the New College of Florida model, for example), it's going to take intentionality and commitment to the long game.
I spent my adult life in and around these institutions. Because of my appearance and disposition, I am seen as one of them. Yes, the battle will be long and hard. The opposition has an unwavering belief that their POV is both righteous and the default. Those who wish for a different institutional ethos seem to do everything but operate from the inside.
I cannot overstate how precarious is the track record of the Right. Extremely hard fought wins in 2024, 2016 and 2000, whereas the Dems had easy wins in 2008, 2012, and 1996.
Recent victories have been easy owing to truly awful Democrat candidates. And Democrat wins by Clinton and Obama featured two candidates who had no business in the White House.
A final cloud of worry. Corporate America used to be a GOP lock. That is no longer, especially in the tech sector and in the internationalization of the C-suite.
Despite the recent wins, the clouds are darkening. And relies on Democrat incompetence and woke nonsense. That will not continue... so yes, it is a long game and immediate game. Like all wars...
How can we do in 6 months what we think will take 10 years?
One lesson I've taken from the last 12 months is that money moves mountains – quickly. Colleges cracked down on anti-Semitism after donors threatened to walk away. We got free speech on the Internet when Elon bought Twitter.
So what happens if universities risk losing accreditation (and therefore federal student loans)? What if they can lose their non-profit status? How quickly will things change then?
I happened upon a discussion between Vivek and someone I didn't know on YouTube a few months ago. The gentleman said that what the did was take over the governing boards (of the American Academy of Pediatrics, etc.) I think if the right were to focus on taking back over the boards, we could make progress much faster.
True! Conservatives may have won the Presidency and Congress but the ultimate battleground is in our educational institutions! That is where the beliefs of the next generation are being shaped. As a former principal and teacher I know this is the toughest area. And as a public school educated individual I can tell you the tremendous influence college professors have in promoting their leftist agenda to incoming students who aspire to be teachers.
I think this is my main concern going on as well. Because it sets the narrative about what our country is, and if institutional gatekeepers are captured, then they will keep perpetuating false narratives about the United States.
Sadly, y have to agree.
Takeover those cultural and educational institutions (New College) or create competing ones (UATX)? Mass takeover seems improbable, but a few new competitors could introduce enough disruption to trigger a chain reaction. Nothing sells like success.
Common sense has taken leave of absense the last few years. Hoping 2025 sees the return.
To add to your wonderful work, Chris, I have to post this Rogan podcast with the invaluable Mike Benz(@MikeBenzCyber). Benz will blow you away with his knowledge of the Blob which itself is absolutely disgusting. As a man who stood a post while my fellow Americans slept.. I am not naive, but this stuff is disgusting.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2237-mike-benz/id360084272?i=1000679106339
Benz is great.
What’s up Mr Rufo (Chris)! Thank you for using your time and talent to help this country win back its way of life. You have and continue to be a tip of the spear we all line up behind for as strong shaft as possible. We have to be a complete spear to the ground, so we don’t spit or fracture. The ground is moving. Keep it rollin’
While I’m thrilled with the election and excited for this administration, my chief concern is not just the “doing” but “selling” the “WHY”. Everything the left does has their origins, their roots in the idea/goal of destroying Western Civilization. All the “studies” courses/professors etc. CRT. Transgender. Climate Change hysteria. All of it is designed to fundamentally transform our society into a Marxist paradise. So there must be a concerted effort by the administration itself and an army of citizen patriots acting as surrogates to educate, inform and influence the public on all the issues that have been weaponized against us. We can’t just focus on the end result of gender mutilation surgeries of minors we must convince everyone that the movement is 100% political as you did in your Imprimus “Inside the Transgender Empire” speech. This movement has nothing to do with the made up ideology of a “gender spectrum”, it has everything to do with obliterating objective and Biblical truth. If they can destroy truth, biology and science…it’s all over but the crying…We have the factual data on gender dysphoria and it’s minuscule. We’ve seen their literature which is entirely political. We have the same for CRT/DEI, racial issues, crime, education, climate change (C02)… We must weaponize the data against all those who seek to destroy America and Western Civilization. We can’t just eliminate the Department of Education. We must convince the public “why”. And that’s easy. We have the facts. We have reason. The left only has theory and feelings. We now have the opportunity to fundamentally take back America. We cannot afford to blow it.
A version is, that Benjamin Spock raised a whole generation of spoiled lazy kids who reject any discipline and favor only enjoyment
What we call WOKE is a form of totalitarianism. I published that concept very early in the game.
Frankly, from what I know, Chris does not have the answers. He is not a world-fixer, contrary to popular opinion. He is just a 40 yr. old fellow trying to make a living, and the new media was opening up for "activist-journalists'. That's all.
I’d say he’s doing pretty damn good at what he’s making a living at. CRT and DEI seemingly came out of nowhere and all of a sudden they’re everywhere overnight. That means all the established think tanks and institutions were asleep at the switch. Chris Rufo may have come out of seemingly nowhere but he’s responsible for educating more of us than anyone else. Look at what he did in Florida with DeSantis. We need more Rufos, Robby Starbucks, Abigail Shriers, Matt Walsh’s, Julie Kelly’s etc. It’s been said a person needs to hear something 7 times before they retain it. So let’s keep writing, publishing and spreading truth, wisdom and get Americans united again. Substack has been useful in expanding the reach of journalists, writers and thinkers. Let’s keep rocking on!
Yes! CHris and all those people are making a difference! They are all incredible people, getting things done.
I'm afraid you're not too well informed about this, Douglas. If you didn't know any of this prior to reading the Rufo Substack, that is your fault. It was certainly out there.
CRT, DEI, and all the rest of the tactics are due to creeping totalitarianism. Which has been on the move in the US since the 1960s. Where were you? Chris Rufo only realized this himself a few years ago. Very late to the party.
We have had a cross-disciplinary field of Totalitarianism since WWII, and various thinkers in the West have been writing about it for 500 years. There are hundreds of books and papers on this concept.
I'm sorry, but that you think that Chris Rufo was some kind of discoverer or major educator on this concept is a bit of a giggle. Chris was educated in Totalitarianism by people like me, attempting to explain the concepts to him, and get him to do the formal reading....which he is not too keen on doing. He has a general education to the Master's level, and thought it seemed cool to be an "activist". Like dozens of others right now.
You are the epitome of the idea that just because you recently noticed a small portion of this concept, you fervently believe that you and your "hero" are responsible for bringing it to the world's attention. Groan.....
Reminds me that another Substacker, "Yuri Bezmenov" ( I am surprised the Bezmenov estate does not sue him for stealing the name) recently had some fellow with the Sci-Fi fantasy name of "Librarian of something to other" on his podcast (I was the only commenter). This "Librarian" replied to me -- when I mentioned the JFK assassination in 1963, as a turning point in the start of totalitarianism -- that he could not possibly know this because he was not born yet in 1963. Groan again..... This is the level we are dealing with. I suggested that perhaps he could learn to read about events before his time...the way that I know about the Civil War, for instance. Being a grand librarian and all.....
Just want to thank you for the fabulous articles and insights. It couldn’t be a better time in history for you to have created such a successful model in reforming institutions
Chris, thank you for your good work.
Point #1. I do not believe that shrinking the federal government is possible until Congress itself is reformed. What do I mean? Term limits. No pay after one year after they leave. Prohibitions on lobbying. Healthcare is what everyone else has. Retirement that is social security. They must live by the same laws and standards they impose on everyone else. No special treatment.
Point #2. There is no reforming the deep state; the administrative state. The only option is to starve the beast or dismember it. To think reform is a fools errand. Although I understand that the morass in DC is so complicated. However, the formula is simple. Terminate the department, provide 6 month severance to employees and push function down to the state to handle or eliminate. Or, move the department to some small town in the midwest and a good portion of the employees will resign not wanting to move. That's an easy cut.
We need to be realistic. The yearnings now are not much different than the Reagan years and what he was able to accomplish with respect to shrinking the administrative state was barely noticeable.
Blessings.
The Beast is totalitarianism. You might call it a Psycho-spiritual phenomenon.
But who listens? I am at the point of stepping back, saving myself, and watching. Because this information was available to everyone, but they all ignored it or allowed it to bounce off. Now, the checkout point has been reached. No more wiggle room.
You are absolutely right. Where has totalitarianism ever been "reformed". Not to my knowledge. It seems to be an ingrained trait in the human heart and mind. Rarely if ever has it ended without serious pain, suffering, upheaval and then the cycle starts over.
I have expertise in the once-arcane academic field of totalitarianism. I was the canary in the coalmine all of my adult life. And the public laughed. Sneered, even. And grew glassy-eyed in boredom. They thought it was all a joke, seen only in backwards countries.
I understand more about totalitarianism than even I care to know, and they have few known options to get out of this. The options which do exist will be sneered at, once again.
So they can have it their way. Bamboozle themselves into thinking that Chris Rufo will be their Messiah.... He seems to think so too 😁.
And there you all have it folks. A. is a poor, misunderstood genius who is not appreciated by the great, unwashed rabble. A. is also a pompous ass.
I've got RINO's on my mind, specifically RINO senators like Collins, Murkowski, Graham, etc. Now that Trump has won the election and has momentum, I think it's time to use Trump's cabinet nominees as a litmus test to find and weed out RINO Republican Senators based on whether they vote for Trump's nominees or not. A vote against a nominee means that Trump finds a MAGA candidate to primary them in their next election. A primary voter is active and engaged. That is where we can knock off a RINO for a more conservative candidate. In a state like Maine, there is a risk that might flip a seat like Collins to a Dem. But is a state like Alaska, there is no reason not to have a true conservative in office, instead of Murkowski.
Collins and Murkowski are essentially bulletproof. Collins is the only Republican that could get elected in Maine. When she retires, that seat immediately goes to the dims. Murkowski only gets elected in Alaska because of ranked-choice voting. In fact, Alaska put that in place just to keep her in office. In a regular vote, she would have lost the last 2 elections. Sadly, we are stuck with both of these democrat-lights.
Maine (my State), has unfortunately lost its way and has slid deeper blue over the last 6-10 years. In state races, Repubs made minor gains, (although still a minority at the State House) so maybe we've bottomed out. You are correct about the odds of ultimately losing the Collins seat to a Dem if she were primary-ed and lost. I didnt know about Alaska and "rank-choice" voting, which we have here...and it sucks.
I wish Trump can learn to do the same basic background on cabinet appointments that some women do for online dating. The drama around Gaetz, RFK, Tulsi