Thursday, February 02, 2017

When The Extremism Rises...


...Watch Out For The (So-Called) 'Reasonable' Ones.


Do not be fooled by his modulated voice and/or his cool-as-a-cucumber, world-weary demeanor on the Sunday shows...

Because, despite his carefully cultivated appearance and mannerisms, Mr. David Frum is an extremist.

And not just because he was once the ghost writer for the prince of darkness himself, Richard Perle, or because he helped spike spin a PNACkified, George Bush the Younger-led United States into two unsustainable regional honeypot wars that produced a diaspora of religious extremists that is driving the world into a madness spiral.

In fact, if you want to see Mr. Frum's reasonable extremism in action you need look no further than what he has had to say about the state of his home and native land.

I did that a while back:

David Frum, why do you hate Canada so much?
"....Many Americans see Canada as a kind of utopian alternative to the United States: a North American democracy with socialized medicine, same-sex marriage, empty prisons, strict gun laws and no troops in Iraq.
What they don't see is how precarious political support for this alternative utopia has become among Canadian voters in recent years. From World War II until the 1980's, Liberal power rested on two political facts: its dominance in French-speaking Quebec and its popularity in the immigrant communities of urban Ontario...."
 
Nice try Davey boy.

Hey!

I wonder.... when you type this type of drivel are the words in your head all soft-boiled and low-pitched like when you pretend to be a moderate on your Mom's old (socialized) public broadcasting network?

The facts of the matter are these Mr Frum, and despite your extreme weasel words you darn well know them:

1) Every time that Canadians have been asked in the last 40 years, with very rare exception, Universal (spell it Mr. Frum "U-N-I-V-E-R-S-A-L", which means... You or I, or our Rich Uncle, our Poor Neighbour, can walk in to any clinic or any hospital from sea to shining sea in this country and get treated....try doing that down in that 'free' market privateHMO Rationland where you currently hang your two-holed hat) Health Care has been the number one priority of all the people regardless whether they are Anglophone, Francophone, Allophone or Bananaphone.

2) Same-sex marriage....if it is really a Quebequois-Assisted Liberals-Holding-Us-All-Hostage issue, why have seven, count 'em seven, Provinces, many of whom are not under the thumb of Liberal governments, already ratified it, with more on the way (for those down south out of the loop we only have 10 provinces).

3) If Immigrant Communities are responsible for our gun laws, our low murder rates, our low crime rates, and our low incarceration rates, at least in comparison with those parts of your Paymasters' Country that are not yet behind Gates, Locks, Keys, MinuteMaidMen, and Private Security Armies, well thank the Goddess for 'em, although I have a sneaking suspicion it might actually have more to do with our universal (there's that word again Dave), very longterm appreciation of peace, order and good government that is definitely not exclusively Liberal-o-centric.

4) And as for No Troops in Iraq (and no intergalactic Space-Weaponizing Empire Missiles in our Starry Eyes either - you missed that one Dave, you're slippin'), do you not think it might have had something to do with the fact that our leaders actually listened, both to us when we took to the streets in the hundreds of thousands, and to their colleagues when they made a big fuss in the House of Commons, both in Committee Rooms and in Question Period?


You remember that last messy concept Dave, right? It's called Democracy. Or have you forgotten all about it since you threw your lot in with the PNACkian Destabilization King, the Prince of Darkness himself, Richard Perle?



****

So.

What has Mr. Frum been up to lately?

Well, since he re-positioned himself as the reasonable Republican down south he's been writing modulated, cool-as-a-cucumber think pieces for that nice, reasonable, never extreme, Sunday show-in-linear-type, the Atlantic.

And here is what he wrote recently about what Mr. Bannon's orange haired puppet has been signing off on most recently:

...Trump’s executive order has unleashed chaos, harmed lawful U.S. residents, and alienated potential friends in the Islamic world. Yet without the dreamy liberal refusal to recognize the reality of nationhood, the meaning of citizenship, and the differences between cultures, Trump would never have gained the power to issue that order.

Liberalism and nationhood grew up together in the 19th century, mutually dependent. In the 21st century, they have grown apart—or more exactly, liberalism has recoiled from nationhood. The result has not been to abolish nationality, but to discredit liberalism.

When liberals insist that only fascists will defend borders, then voters will hire fascists to do the job liberals won’t do...



Of course they will.

Because....

According to the this spin-doctor to the right wings fallen stars, all this fascism that is cresting the tops of Mr. Frum's former bosses' waves of extremism is all the fault of liberals.

In the small 'l' sense, of course.

Which is to say, I suppose, that if we only had more reasonable strongmen everything would be alright.

Luckily we, in Canada, ultimately rejected one of those when we saw him.

And just in the nick of time.

Otherwise I'm pretty darn sure Mr. Harper would have re-patriated the good Mr. Frum, and made him the head of the CBC.

Or some such thing.


__________
Tip O' The Toque to hard-core Gilliardite Driftglass for identifying Canada's worst export since 'Sometimes When We Touch'.....Ha!


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13 comments:

Anonymous said...

One wonders if Boston's very own Kevin O'Leary will take Fr4um on in a "Senior Advisor" role?

Anonymous said...

SH:

Song aside, Dan is a humble man, and generous friend, to one of mine.

Frum's got it very wrong on this occasion. Obama deported thousands of illegal immigrants. Just how many 'true patriot' Trumpites, are exploiting undocumented workers, in favour of American citizens, for whom they'd have to provide fair wages and benefits?

This is a real concern for union shops who are in competition with bottom-feeder bosses who swing by Home Depot etc to choose among the desperate.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/obama-deported-record-number-immigrants-trump-claim-article-1.2774180

https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2009/02/08/my_father_my_self_the_journey_of_dan_hill.html

KFB said...

Frum was CBC this AM railing away about the US becoming an autocracy under 45 or the orange bloat as the disaffected Lib calls him.
He is on again this pm on CBC at 8pm.
Its worth a listen. He appears to be scared shitless and is trying to raise the alarm among the Republican sheep.

Lenin's Ghost said...

Why does anyone let this twit have air time. His mommy dearest must have something on someone to get on air herself. Mulroney cheerleading pigface!

RossK said...

Anon-At-The-Top--

I, for one, would not be surprised to learn that Mr. O'Leary has Frummy on the speed dial already.

_______

SH--

Thanks for the link to the story about Mr. Hill and his family.

And, for the record, a number of Driftglass' readers came to his defense also.

You make an excellent point about Obama's record. And therein lies the real problem, which is that 'reasonable' people like Frum (and David F'ing Brooks and the Moustache of Understanding, et al.) are exalted rather than kicked to the curb in proMedia land when they get things wrong over and over and over and over and over again (all laid down with an ideological chaser, of course).

________

Ken--

Mr. Frum has been pretending to be out in the Republican wilderness since the breech birth of the faux Tea Party.

What he's really been assigned to do is to be the back end of a conservative brand protection strategy.

Put another way, you will never see, hear or read him say that the current state of America (and the world) is actually the fault of him and his.

I mean, to blame liberals for Steve Bannon's (or Rush Limbaugh's, or Glen Beck's, or even Alex Jones' galloping fascism) is laughable.

What would really make me listen to people like Frum et al. (and their patrons) would be if they would come out and say....'I'm sorry, we built this and we have been wrong since before Willie Horton...And here's is how you take it apart'. In other words, get to the real task at hand rather than just protecting their interests for next time.

______

LG!

And...

Mr. Frum is also the fine fellow who, not long ago, was...

...Making Plans For Nigel.


And, now this is the time at the PGaz where we...

...Dance.


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e.a.f. said...

there is a lot of serious material in this post and then I got to the end and saw the phrase and started to wonder and then I remembered, Dan Hill. when my sister bought that L.P. back in the day and played it I looked at her and asked her to throw it out, after listening to it I wanted to slash my wrists, it was so depressing. We laughed for years about how depressing that L.P. was.

O.K. giving it some thought here, that L.P. as depressing as it was, isn't half as depressing as the political situation in the U.S.A. and Frum's new act. Perhaps he sees himself without work in the U.S.A. with this new "administration" so is trying something else and that something else is his old home, Canada. Its a start for him. it may well be that he is on O'Leary's speed dial. Frum may be trying "reasonable" now, but his true heart lurks just below his Brooks Brother's suit and tie.
'
C.B.C. please find some one else to comment. Frum just isn't that Canadian............and he just isn't that American. He is in my opinion an opportunist, making his money where he can and changing his song so he can make more money.

Keith E. said...

Following on from E.A.Fs comment.

"C.B.C. please find some one else to comment. Frum just isn't that Canadian............and he just isn't that American. He is in my opinion an opportunist, making his money where he can and changing his song so he can make more money."

11:03 am, February 03, 2017

that can equally be applied to Glen Beck who is popping up on non lunatic stations providing a concerned image and similar commentary that Frum is pedaling. I've yet to see any host ask him to explain this change of heart after being a major part of constructing the current U.S. gong show.

Might want to ask Geta van Susteren the same questions now she is no longer with Fox and now MSNBC.

Anonymous said...

SH @ RossK

"What he's really been assigned to do is to be the back end of a conservative brand protection strategy"

Yes, there's that, but the fervour with which he both lampoons, and vilifies the wilfully blind Republican sheeplettes, makes me believe there is also this:

I'm quite sure Frum, is a religious man….and...he faced his Mother's mortality for long years…so it is possible that he, like others, as they approach the Great Reckoning, or Great Void, look for absolution…

This brings to mind Brideshead Revisited's, Lord Marchmain's deathbed penitence.

No Lord in this clip, but a great conversation about life's last, and inconsistent choices….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKqslOyPRts

Anonymous said...

SH:

Another 'reasonable' one...

Baldrey is practicing well-studied detachment...nervously scarfing popcorn as he 'enjoys' this 'entertainment'?

Keith BaldreyVerified account ‏@keithbaldrey 2h2 hours ago

There is a fascinating Twitter fight on climate change tween Green leader Andrew Weaver + various enviros and NDPers. Check @AJWVictoriaBC

RossK said...

SH--

And the BCL Wizards all rub their boil-covered hands with glee...

Meanwhile...

Who was it, exactly, who killed off the BC Conservatives this time (again)?


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Anonymous said...

SH @ RossK

I've lost the plot on that one…at one point there was a credible female Conservative candidate, who as I recall, had to leave for family reasons (" " ?)...

Lenin's Ghost said...

Lol.....Maybe I should start some con party shit so corporate Christy with help fund my retirement......Ya got me, Ross. XTC is my fave all time band. Haven't seen that video for a few years. Thinking man's music one of my bros used to say. Fucking geniuses!
Frum is an evil, soulless waste of fucking flesh. Melt the guns!

RossK said...

SH--

Behind the scenes skullduggery that keeps offing party leader...


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