George Will | Full Episode 9.17.21 | Firing Line with Margaret Hoover | PBS
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- Опубліковано 7 вер 2024
- Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist George Will discusses the conservative movement from William F. Buckley Jr. to the present, why he says many modern Republican politicians are not true conservatives, and what's next for Trumpism.
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Instagram: / FIRING LINE WITH MARGARET HOOVER airs on PBS. Launched in June 2018, Firing Line maintains the character of the original series by William F. Buckley Jr., providing a platform that is diligent in its commitment to a balanced exchange of opinion. In weekly 30-minute episodes, host Margaret Hoover engages in a rigorous exchange of ideas with political leaders, cultural luminaries, thought leaders and activists who represent a wide range of ideas and perspectives. New episodes are available Fridays here on UA-cam at 8:30 pm ET.
The interviewer was so prepared. This made the interview so clear and meaningful. Great job.
Will is a brilliant guy with deep, broad thoughts. He deserved a better, deeper interview. Each of her questions was one and done. There was no follow-up or challenge so that he could elaborate. She is a shallow shadow of Buckley
Herbert Hoover's great granddaughter. No coincidence she works for the Hoover Institute.
@@mkatzfive5 This is like "Firing Line Light". But she sure is a lot more fun to look at.
while I generally enjoy the new firing line, this interview of George Will is really worth watching. I don't know if it's because I'm older now or what, but definitely, thank you Margaret Hoover et al.
Great show! Love the intellectual debate on issues that is SOOOO.. lacking in America these days.
George, debt isn't your problem, the ease with which the rich are able to avoid taxes is the big issue.
Most meaningful thing he said: I think the political class today is more united by class interests than it is divided by ideology.
Not only not divided by, ideology is molten lava that, if even approached against the wind of public opinion will torpedo any campaign. They're afraid to voice an opinion on ANYTHING other than upper class tax cuts and reduced entitlement spending.
This is a civics class. It's much needed. George Will needs to be heard.
I respect Mr. Will as an intellectual and because he is a man of some principles. I don’t agree with him on many philosophical issues but I appreciate his mode of discourse. Politics has been a bit intellectually vacuous for a long time, but things have really devolved in recent years. Trump is an embarrassment and a joke, but sadly his form of persuasion is obviously very effective. He has demonstrated that humans are way more driven by emotion than by reason. The other side has plenty of problems too but the trump phenomenon is one for the history books (not to mention psychology and sociology textbooks as well).
Republican rot goes back a long way. George seems quite unaware.
ua-cam.com/video/lTrHL7Vo_SQ/v-deo.html
Great Interview Margaret Hoover! It simply could not have been better. Both you and your quest were wonderful. Looking forward to more of this from you.
Thanks to Margaret for keeping this stimulating program consistently
high quality. I respect George Will’s consistent outlook and appreciate his opinions. Thanks for giving the average person a relatively balanced news source- rare!
Trump: “he’s worked one pedal on the organ quite enough”. Classic. George Will is definitely a disciple of Buckley. Don’t necessarily agree with him all the time but I could listen to him all day, says this centrist.
Chomsky is the most honest and a pure ideological pillar. Asked to give his opinion about w. F. Buckley and he replied he is irrelavant in my opinion.
'Intellectual rigor annoys people because it interferes with the pleasure they derive from allowing their wishes to be the fathers of their thoughts'. This Will quote should be memorized by everyone their primary years of school.
Wow! That's a great one! I'll have to add it to my collection. Here's another one along the same lines, though not nearly as concise:
*Philosopher Colin McGinn:*
"The rationalist conception of reason clashes with a popular and misguided ideal of freedom. Logic, after all, constrains our thinking. We must obey its mandates. Yet people don't want to be constrained, they want to feel like they can choose their beliefs, like beans in a supermarket. They want to be able to follow their impulses and not be reined in by impersonal demands. To suggest that there is only a single correct way to reason feels like a violation of the inalienable right to do whatever one wants to do."
George Will said that originally, right after he sung the praises of Three Mile Island right before it had the meltdown.
I could never understand this constant Ode to Reagan. When Reagan came into power in 1980, the debt was 800 billion. When he left us in a recession in 1988, it was 3 trillion. The gap between the wealthy and corporations vs the working class began to explode; with Conservatives blaming struggling welfare queens for all the debt Reagan had caused with his Trickle Down Economics which created huge tax cuts for the wealthy; and with the help of Clinton, the safety net left the middle class, which makes up 90%, bankrupt and pretty much with little hope for financial security. With Reagan’s push for 401k’s, most seniors lost their pensions and no longer retire with dignity, financing of our Education system was gutted, and the Military Industrial Complex took over and now dwarfs all investment in middle class programs and national infrastructure needs. Yes, George, you are brilliant, so why is it you can’t see why your party became a slave to a faux populist con man fascist inspired autocrat?
Exactly
I think it was his acting ability. He had the intellectual acumen of a high school debater. And yet people today look at him as a sort of Saint of Conservatism. He was a master myth maker.
excellent thank you Margaret Hoover
He has a better job than I do. Shows you where George's heart is.
A fine discussion. I will say from the outset that I am not a big fan of George Will. He is by his own admittance an unapologetic elitist; who furthermore has missed the boat on understanding the necessity of the Trumpian brand of populist conservatism. That being said and to give the devil his due, he is very articulate and certainly knows what he knows. Even if, his rarefied and purist brand of conservatism, is Quixotic. I also have to say, as a great admirer of former 'Firing Line' host, William F. Buckley Jr., that I really was quite taken by Margaret Hoover's obvious intelligence and knowledge. She is a worthy inheritor to Mr. Buckley.
A very smart show, thank you
I wish more American citizens and people everywhere would watch this. We need real Republicans in the US. Keep it up, George Will.
Wasn't he a never Trumper? Wonder how he likes the way thinks are going now?
He is a Republican, all right. If he is a never Trumper or not, makes no difference. He is against the working class, for socialism for corporations, and frugality for the people
@@oddvardmyrnes9040 He is a traitor and he helped but this discussing administration in power and now we are suffering.
@@55chevytruck Yes, Will realized immediately that Trump was no good. Will realizes that whatever Biden's flaws, he's still an improvement over Trump, which isn't saying much.
@@55chevytruck What is "this discussing administration"? Did you attempt to spell "disgusting"?
Wow. What a wonderful interview.
As usual, George Will is on the money!
that Trump won't run in 2024.....almost.
This is the most interesting interview I have heard and watched in a very long time anywhere. Thought provoking. Great guest. Well done.
I appreciate George Will's integrity to stand up against a bad President and he seemed to have very few kind words for Mr. Trump as well.
How refreshing to hear arguments intelligently presented, even though they are mostly skewed and wrong.
At least I can appreciate a difference of opinion that is open to argument, instead of dealing with total denial and stonewalling that is the hallmark of modern conservatism.
Whenever I hear that voice or see George Wills face, I think of a line from one of his columns some years ago. A word-for-word quote: "Labor is a commodity, to be bought and sold".
Mr. Will articulates the definition of Conservatism very well. If you are a little person, you must choose between the progressive New Deal government of FDR. Or the conservatism of Herbert Hoover, Margaret''s great grandfather. In a postindustrial economy, a gig economy, it's time for a New Deal. The creative destruction theorized by Hayek and Schumpeter never materialized into something equivalent. The free market alone is not enough.
Of couse it is when it is not destroyed by government greed.
Good discussion! 🇺🇸💯
Respect for Will both as an intellectual voice for the conservative movement and, apparently, as a straight faced comedian! The line he can draw from Buckley to the fall of the Soviet Union is hilarious, and his dry delivery makes it even better. He should be careful though. People might not understand that he is joking and actually take him seriously.
Why do you think he is joking?
I live Mr. Will's descriptions, here, which really clarify things for me.
I love listening to smart people irrespective of ideology.
I wonder if Will feels any responsibility (even in a small way) for what his former party has become. I think a little soul searching is in order.
A little soul-searching ? I think a lot of soul searching on George Will's part is called for. Except that I don't think he's up for it. For starters, I don't think I've ever seen him admit on live TV or in one of his columns that he was ever wrong about anything.
@@goodun2974 Nor in the privacy of his own thoughts I would guess as well. But deep down he must acknowledge that the modern republican party was founded on a racist right wing christian Southern Strategy that started with Nixon (maybe even Goldwater) and they have dancing with that devil even since. It's only now that its out in the open for all to see. Will did nothing to stop it. He would just call it politics. I call that intellectual cowardice.
@@daschc01 , as a classically educated "elite", if George Will had any talent at or taste for critical self-examination, he'd be saying "Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa". Don't hold your breath waiting for that moment!
Good 👍job Margaret 👏
George Will is enlightening. I enjoy his conversations, but we must make note of the fact that Democracy is not an act of nature it is an act of humans. It is only as good as the people who occupy it.
I hate conservatism. I love George Will
Persuasive debate between one another is the best description of democracy and the idea of America in my opinion, we need to get back to those principles to retain our standing and role as an example to the world.
"The shiny city on the hill"
Thank you Mr. Will.
As a Conservative, as a Capitalist, as a more traditionalist, & as an American man who leans to the GOP every election I define Conservativism as not only preserving the American Founding, but preserving the great deeds, works, & ideas that came before yourself. You preserve, & carry on to the next generation of people the absolute best of what came before you. Nothing DJT deed was really any different from that, but he did so in a more common man's blatant, & blunt in your face tone that most people understood where gentlemen like George Will, guys like Mitt Romney, & the late Buckley could not do.
Reminds me to never bet on anything George Wills predicts! LOL HUBRIS.
This is a valuable UA-cam channel. Keep up the good work.
Very, very insightful interview.👍
My father gave himself, I will not do the same for this country
I grew up watching this guy with my dad, who is a Vietman veteran; can we please be honest about what is in front of us
What a great show! While young, as the clip shows, he was crisp and sharp. Now, with age, he is forceful and wise. Very wise.
I am glad for Mr Will's son; there seems to be some humanity out there after all.
fantastic and insiteful discuss! thank you
George Will makes a good Lemming.
I tire of this idea that the US founders were some sort of saints who could do no wrong. Jefferson was right in suggesting that the US Constitution be a living document, instead we have people insisting on keeping it fossilized.
Trickle down theory: Give money to the top and the bottom will get it.
Bull: not when the top is hoarding it and squeezing the money.
Amazon, Kroger, dollar general, Walmart warehouses work their employees like dogs while the upper level management get wealthy ! Bring back unions !
@@terrancethomas9792 It shouldn't be called trickle down economics. Economics will always favor a minority. It's incumbent upon them to maintain their garden. It's an investment in their safety. Without accountability abuse will continue.
@@douglaslett7504 Notice how wages are going up with labor shortage? Dems and Repugs have favored labor surpluses for decades, offshoring and automation . If Unions are so fucking great, why aren't they more popular?
@@tuckerbugeater , agree.
Why don't You Tube give the date of the videos original airing of broadcast of the videos were released.
Will endorsing Biden is madness
Your comment is madness. If you understand Will at all, how could he possibly endorse The Screaming Cheeto? Historically, Biden had been a neoliberal centrist. The neoliberal democrats that emerged during the post-Nixon/Ford era, were essentially moderate republicans. The MAGA nut job and his goon squad were anathema to Will, how could they possibly have been otherwise? Did you vote for those criminals? Will has his ideologically irrational blind spots, such as his reverence for Reagan, but he'd never get within 100 miles of The Spluttering Orange Sociopath. Will's endorsing Biden was quite reasonable.
Political polarization has happened with gerrymandering. That has to be changed. And it isn’t looking like that with the Supreme Court.
Excellent interview.
"A large number of [Republican party] elected officials are terrified of their voters. Terrified that the voters will be inflamed, against them, by the next sulfuric belch of a Tweet from Mar-a-lago." Thank you for that little bit of poetry George Will. And a spot on analysis! I just can't believe that so many Republican elected officials actually believe the stuff that they're saying. This has to be the reason.
"I don't think Trump will run again.." This didn't age well. (August 2024)
With John Avalon reading the credits.
What the Republican Party needs to do as well as the Democratic Party is to look for qualified candidates for president.
Whatever we think of him, he sho looks good for 80 years old
He's still intellectually sharp too.
Always good to hear a rational view on things from George Will. It is a little striking that for all the talk about Trump as a reflection/driver of what's wrong with the party, the conversation did not get anywhere near the question of what's wrong with where the country is, and how the palpable cocktail of pain (economic--> 30-40 years of accelerating globalization disproportionately affecting less educated/trained) and fear (cultural --> the "great replacement") contributed to Trump getting elected in the first place. That we aim to "conserve" does not mean we cannot recognize emergent problems and solve them at a policy level. It would've been good to hear GW's views on what those adaptations might look like from a policy point of view.
It is not an inmediate solution, but I believe there is roon for a third party in American society...one that borrows the most logical, reasonable, sensible and practical ideas from the left and right. A party that will claim the middle ground. I know of mamy people thst would support such party. There are many Republicans and Democrats that would join. Knowing you need to give and take in the political arena.
Where are the future George Wills of tomorrow? Who in the conservative movement is even trying to have a nuanced conversation like this today?
Your corrupt corporate media will only give strange new respect to conservatives when they trash their own party and talk about trump being bad. The “old school liberal” has turned authoritarian and initiated the censorship of any dissent throughout many of our institutions. Wake up
If there's one thing you can count on, it's that a person that says "Wake up" will be out of touch with reality.
Great interview! TDS runs deep, but Margaret seems to be the more rational and realistic one here!
Buckley won the Cold War? Listen mister, Harry Truman and Winston Churchill won the Cold War. They were the architects and they won it.
Gorbachev played a role as well.
@@otisdylan9532 That's true.
Margaret was right. We count Trump out to our peril. He IS running again. He will always run again.
George thinks it was a big deal when Republicans ceased pretending to care about the deficit. Limbaugh admitted in July 2019, "Nobody is a fiscal conservative anymore. All this talk about concern for the deficit and the budget has been bogus for as long as it's been around."
The last Republican who cared was probably Eisenhower, maybe Ford.
Patterson will pay !!!
What it is to grow up cared for, good for you, this is why you don't understand Putin
I agree with Mr. Will. Unfortunately, in current environment, if Republicans follow his advice, the country is at risk of falling to progressive left. Stakes are too big to take a chance with his theory. It’s not 80’s.
Of course Biden's an improvement over Trump but Hoover would be even better!
Poor old George. The republicans have ALWAYS been a basket of crazies. It took old George 50 years to figure it out. Way to go, genius!
"Poor George, he can't help it, he was born with a silver fountain pen in his hand....." (paraphrasing what Ann Richards said about G.W. Bush).
That question regarding Will's wish that the Republican party become the Conservertative Party and that liberal Republicans join the Democratic Party was the best question I ever heard. Margaret outgh to give leassons in interviewing techniques to her colleagues at CNN.
Ms. Hoover,
How does paternalistic determinism compare to private paternalism?
Thank you.
Sincerely & Respectfully,
R.W.N II
I am a dem but love grorge will
And former Congresswoman Liz Cheney too no doubt.
Things have changed since 1787. The steep decline of and injurious actions to the middle and lower classes started in the early 1970s and were exacerbated by Ronald Reagan. I grew up in the 50s and 60s. The rich were taxed more. They were still rich. Life was better.
What about Teddy Roosevelt George?
This didn't age too well with Trump running again.
Do not look for heros where there are none
Love's me some George Will. Some years ago i saw him support political personalities that were bad for the country, just because they were "conservatives", and I reluctantly had to let him go. I see now that there is finally a level too low for him to hang with, and I see his massive intelligence is still intact. Margaret shows a good grip on her chosen field, and even though she has a very nice smile, she would do well to temper that a bit during interviews. Makes you look like you're auditioning for a modeling job.
And to think that I spent my naive youth thinking George Will was a toothless windbag. Time corrects all. I stand well corrected.
You and me both brother!
George Will is a very intelligent man and has always been very consistent on his conservative beliefs. You sir are not that intelligent if you ever thought in any capacity that he was "a toothless windbag".
@@seevemonka1 there’s always one . . .
Ms. Hoover,
@6:29 Is the following 2015 Senate Hearing on the Iran Nuclear Deal @1:52:54 an example of Senator Rubio’s “common-good capitalism” -or- an example of “setting the stage for justifying increased Government allocation of wealth and opportunity” ?
Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
R.W.N II
Cache is given regardless of merit
Reagan won the Cold War. What complete and utter moronic bilge. Reagan was the president when the Soviet Union started to come apart at the seams. Gorbachov was the hero who managed the transition This guy was one of the early founders of Trumpism.
I view the roots of American conservativism as in part "an unsentimental view of government", but I also see other important influences. I see the compulsion to move west, and to face challenges there with extreme self reliance. I see family survival being dependent on long hours of hard work, and having no time for bullsh!t. I see people who said ''talk is cheap'' and meant it. They were people who quickly walked away from loud blowhards, hucksters and braggarts.
Today's self described "conservatives'' bear no resemblance to those hard - to - fool conservatives of old. They seem to have almost unlimited willingness to listen to bullsh!t, and a corresponding tendency to believe that bullsh!t as gospel. I don't see anymore what I call the clear-eyed prairie conservative. He is lost to history and as a nation we are lesser for it.
George Will is a very smart man, very deep in his thinking. He is an abundantly gifted and elegant human being, exemplary in so many ways. One certainly does not have to subscribe to Mr Will's political opinions to admire and respect him. That is a unique gift of his, that so many are unable to emulate. Margaret Hoover is a bright and classy woman, always so impressive, who also happens to be (oftentimes distractingly) gorgeous, she keeps up with any guests on her show in terms of education, knowledge and the understanding of issues.
I found Hoover to be, on this particular episode, somewhat giddy, almost to the point that one can suspect she was perhaps high or drunk for this interview. For me as a steady viewer it was unsettling / disorienting. As always I look forward to the next show and thank her for her important role during these unprecedentedly challenging times.
I agree that her manner was bit annoying, but her questions were good.
First of all "conservatism" does not exist in the positive... only in the negative. I'll go a step further: The ideology of conservatism is fascism. Only two ideologies exist in humanity: Progressive Ideology and Fascist Ideology.
Progressive Ideology: Wealth and power belong to all the people.
Fascist Ideology: Wealth and power belong to the greedy, zealous few.😀
Want some proof? Read the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution a few times and analyze it. It's only one sentence but defines Progressive Ideology perfectly.😀
I have heard enough of the struggles with those with means
George Will is like an old war hero. Dignified and deserving to be heard. I think we are looking at the death of the Republican Party. I don’t think we’re better off without it. We need discourse if not only to hear all sides of an issue.
Today, putting an R next to your name allows you to be whatever you want under the cover of the moniker "conservative". Trump's a fascist. Trump couldn't spell conservative. But conservative Republicans apparently dont mind letting fàcists highjack their party. If the shoe fits...
George will suggesting that "common" citizens act to maximize their $$, and politicians their power. Laughable. Sinema holding up 3.5 trillion infrastructure for 750 thou campaign contributions ( Bribe. Let's call it what it is. A bribe. Always has been. Always will be) from interests wishing to block climate change leg. So they did what every industry has purchased, over time, the right to do. Own politicians who will thwart desperately needed, and overwhelmingly supported legislation. In favor of one company who pays her handsomely to protect their financial interest, over the collective good of the country.
I expect we will continue to have at least 2 major parties. Either Republicans will be forced to change their ways, or their party will collapse and another will rise in its place.
Trump killed the Republican Party. Trump. He has turned many Republicans and conservatives.
"George Will? Take away the glasses and the greasy hair, and what have you got? Not much." -Donald Trump
LOL
Aka; Delirium Tremens is jealous of Will's intellect & mane.
Always remember one thing: Mitch McConnell is closer to Nancy Pelosi than his own constituents. That is the answer that cuts through all of this discussion's difficulty in defining political thought. Good try though Margaret...
I think if George Will and D. Trump had a debate...Trump would be in the fetal position before Mr. Will got the first sentence out.
Interesting take. I don’t believe George Will could have done 1/10th of what Donald Trump accomplished because he’s got a rubber spine. At least we now know just how much the two political parties are alike and how corrupt they both are. McConnell and Pelosi have more in common with each other than they’ll ever have with the American people. Will is in this same camp with McConnell. I think Will is more of a Fascist that talks a great game.
Or Trump would be interrupting Will before Will got his 1st sentence out.
Interesting. I would be persuaded to think George Will is a Liberal in a different fabric...
Here's a fun fact. When I give you money for you to do something or act in a specific way which would benefit me. You work for me!! Period. It's a widely understood concept. And, it doesn't matter if you are 15 and we just agreed on a sum for you to cut my lawn. Or, if you are a US senator and given $700,000 to vote against passage of climate change legislation. You are an Employee! You have a boss, up to and until you return the $$. And, it matters not that this bribery has been adopted as the rule of law thru citizens united and blessed by the SCOTUS. If you take something that does not belong to you, or sell something that does not belong to you, you are a thief. If you tell lies, you are a liar. And I don't care how many Rep will repeat your lies, or whether you are ever accountable. You are a liar.
USA is finished. Leave if you can.
Oh, Margaret. You are cursed with the same affliction as poor Kamala Harris in that your femininity and cuteness has taken you so far in life that you're reluctant to let it go. You could be way more serious. It's a serious world you're talking about.
If only Donald Trump, or the last of the nightmares that ultra conservatism will impose upon this American nation
Ms. Hoover,
To wit, I thought this was elegant.
“ The Founding Fathers saw the American republic not as a divine consecration but as the test against history of a hypothesis. Yet the very faith in experiment implied the rejection of the classical republican dogma that time guaranteed decay. “The men who made the Constitution,” wrote Henry Adams, “intended to make by its means an issue with antiquity.” They dismissed republican forebodings as mere speculation. In his Farewell Address, Washington countered the Machiavellian moment by arguing that, when there was a doubt, “Let experience solve it. To listen to speculation (the shows) in such a case is criminal…. It is well worth a full and fair experiment.” -Arthur Schlesinger
Happy Holidays.
Sincerely,
R.W.N II
Ms. Hoover,
Oh, I see now. Arthur Schlesinger Jr’s ‘Cycles of American History’ is a “dogmatic reaffirmation narrative” said William F. Buckley Jr.
Sincerely & Respectfully,
R.W.N
I've learned a lot from George Will over the years and I still like catching his talks on the US constitution and political science. However, I can only assume his dislike of Trump is so intense that he, a professed conservative, overruled his own principles and voted for Joe Biden, who ran on the most far-left platform of any major party presidential nominee in the history of the US. Actions speak louder than words, and George Will's action in this case, appears to demonstrate that his emotions trumped (pun intended) his principles. I agree with him that Trump is not a consistent conservative and has strongly negative personality characteristics, but his policies on the whole were much more in line with Will's stated principles than Joe Biden's. Will reminds me of other conservatives who came out as anti Trump and voted for Biden, who at this point in his political career has drifted quite far to the left of where he was in the past. I can't help but think that Will, Kasich and other professed conservatives who voted for Biden had serious cases of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). The result is that these folks ended up looking hypocritical and like their principles don't really run that deep.
I think George Will was determining which of his principles had to take precedence here. Trump doesn't have any conservative values at all. He is simple in it for himself. He does not understand the constitution and I doubt he has ever read more than a sentence from it, if he read anything at all. He cares not for the constitution and the rule of law. Will took a stand here by, even if he does not like the policies of Joe Biden, because the alternative was a man with zero moral or ethical compass who was slowly corrupting every institution of this great nation. Trump furthered conservative interests only because it benefitted himself at the time but he would discard them all whenever it was apparent he no longer needed them.
@@ac7183 I'm not sure between Biden and Trump, which one has a lesser moral and ethical compass. My earliest realization that Biden seriously lacked in these areas was in 1987 when he dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary after it was apparent that he seriously plagiarized a speech by the Welsh, British MP, Neil Kinnock. It was the most blatant example of plagiarization of one politician from another I had ever witnessed. From what I've read/heard Biden had also plagiarized speeches from the Kennedys and others. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee he oversaw the confirmation processes of two prominent judges who were nominated to the Supreme Court. The two judges were Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas. In both cases the nominees had their characters assassinated in an attempt to keep them off the high court. In the case of Bork, it worked, and his nomination was withdrawn. Thomas decided to stay the course despite the appalling treatment by Biden and other Democrats during his confirmation hearings and the bizarre, illogical accusations by Anita Hill, that really had nothing to do, imo, with his suitability to serve on the high court. To my knowledge Biden has never apologized to Bork's or Thomas' families for their appalling treatment in the committee he ran. Biden was one of the principle architects of ridiculously harsh federal laws against people arrested for drug possession that resulted in people getting life sentences for being convicted 3 times for drug possession - in many cases non-crimes in my opinion, that should have never landed them for one minute in jail. This policy disproportionately impacted (and still impacts) people of color. Biden has a long history of sexual harassment of women with dozens of known cases of inappropriate touching, sniffing, etc., and at least one serious charge of sexual assault of a woman on his congressional staff. I think the trait of his that most concerns me is his pathological lying, which he does much more smoothly than Trump does. He can look directly into a TV camera and tell a gigantic lie, seemingly without a bit of hesitation or remorse, like he did during their 2nd presidential debate in regards to his and his brother Jim's and his son Hunter's scheme to extort large amounts of money from foreign officials for access to him as VP and after he left office. The ease with which Biden tells gigantic lies makes him appear almost psychopathic to me. He no doubt has a deeper understanding of the constitution than Trump (though not great for a lawyer and Senator in my opinion), but that's not saying much. If I were to vote on who is less moral and ethical as a government official I'd have to say Biden, in that he has a long unethical record in government, whereas Trump has just 4 years as president.
@@TugHillGuy I don't particularly care for Joe Biden but looking at his history of questionable activities, I'd say they're a small fraction of the claims against Trump. Almost two dozen rape and sexual assault allegations. He has hundreds, if not thousands, of lawsuits regarding fraud with many being settled out of court and the ongoing corruption and tax evasion evasion charges. He actually had his charity fined for misusing funds and it ceased operations. His administration has more people who have been indicted and gone to prison than any other with more charges on the way. His pardoning of Paul Manafort and Steve Bannon, men deeply involved in his campaign reeks of an abuse of power. Several other pardons of campaign donors.
On top of the ethical and legal problems he has, he has added fuel to fire of the country's deepening division and managed to do all this in just four years.
The man is also embarassingly uninformed and can barely speak on any subject with appreciable intelligence. In fact, I cannot find a single instance of him speaking with substance on ANY issue during his presidency. He rambles incoherently and then tries to boast about himself.
In short, I believe him to have the worst character traits of any president in modern history with the actions to match.
@@ac7183 Democrats seem to equate nationalism with authoritarianism, but on the whole, I think Biden has been more authoritarian in his domestic policy than Trump. Especially in his SARS-CoV-2 policy where he initially said he didn't have constitutional authority to do a national vaccine mandate only to try to implement one later, but luckily to be shot down by the Supreme Court. His administration also operates under debunked Keynesian economic theories. He has repeatedly said massive new spending under his Build Back Better plan will lower price inflation, even though it would require massive amounts of new money creation to fund, which basic economics indicate that, if other factors remain the same, will result in substantial increases in price inflation. He repeatedly makes the absurd claim that climate change is an existential threat, implying a few degrees increase in average temps could cause humanity to become extinct. Biden's chosen means of exiting Afghanistan was disastrous and resulted in the Taliban completely recovering control of the country. He has been completely incompetent so far as president, as he was as VP and as a senator. His declining cognitive ability only exacerbates his incompetence.
If any administration had its campaign officials scrutinized to the degree that occurred under the faux Russia collusion Meuller investigation I have little doubt that similar charges and convictions would have been leveled against them. There are probably several Obama campaign officials who are really glad that no such detailed investigation was done during either of his presidential campaigns. Running for president is a dirty business and it attracts shady people.
I didn't think either of the major party presidential candidates was even minimally acceptable or competent, much less a good choice in 2020. Though I thought Hillary Clinton would be a competent president, I did not agree with her platform and was tired of the shady ethics of her husband and herself. Therefore, I voted for the Libertarian candidates in 2016 and 2020. I'm supporting ranked choice voting and the awarding of electoral votes by congressional district in all 50 states, like currently exists in Maine, so that we can have serious challenges to 2 party rule. There would have to be a substantially better candidate from one of our major parties in order for me to vote for them. I stand by my assertion that George Will completely abandoned his conservative principles when he voted for Joe Biden in 2020. As such, George Will is no longer a person whose political opinions hold much value for me.
I agree with you that Biden hasn't been a good president but I believe he is still better than Trump. Trump gave a massive tax cut for corporations and the rich saying that it would benefit ordinary people by spurring capital investments and job hiring. This was complete bullshit that also occurred under Bush. Corporations spent that money on stock buybacks. I prefer to reduce government handouts but giving the largest handout ever to corporations and the top 1% is especially egregious. His refusal to accept the results of the election and subsequent words and actions regarding the same will do lasting harm to America for years, perhaps decades to come.
We talked about facts regarding the legal consequences of administration members, not speculation. There is always rampant speculation about what illegal and unethical things that occurred but I'm not going to argue that point because it is futile exercise to engage in speculation.
The funniest thing that I find now is how easily Trump makes people twist in knots, denouncing former respected individuals and even friends and family, for a man who doesn't even know their names. Ironic really.
Anyways, good conversation. Have a nice day.
The Republican party is Gone with the Wind.
This sure didn’t age well. I was a huge fan of George Will for many years till the far left pulled his employers even further left. I’m no fan of Trump but there is something to be said of not voting for leftists. George actually voted for Biden…Yokes! And after all that spending and authoritarianism and Wokeness and transiting the kids and DEI he still thinks he did the right thing? He either needs his head examined or his ego shrunk for not admitting something so bad.
And on another topic. Not sure he can call himself a conservative after voting for Biden, but even so, only about 1/3 of the electorate is conservative. A conservative can’t win an election. Even Reagan created huge debt…
Poor George after all these years in search of a party...
So interesting to go back in time, like a traveler in the future. Yes Trump is being convicted of crimes and is running for president.
I guess he supports CRT.
What happened.. She didn't manage to drop the Hoover name into the show not even once today...
They're still after our social security.