I missed this Michael Anton essay from shortly before the 2016 election:
2016 is the Flight 93 election: charge the cockpit or you die. You may die anyway. You—or the leader of your party—may make it into the cockpit and not know how to fly or land the plane. There are no guarantees.
Except one: if you don’t try, death is certain. To compound the metaphor: a Hillary Clinton presidency is Russian Roulette with a semi-auto. With Trump, at least you can spin the cylinder and take your chances.
To ordinary conservative ears, this sounds histrionic. The stakes can’t be that high because they are never that high—except perhaps in the pages of Gibbon.
The story has a happy ending:
Michael Anton ... was a senior contributing editor of American Greatness from July 2016 until January 2017. He currently serves as deputy assistant to the president for strategic communications on the National Security Council.
Well, except that's not the ending. He has since left the NSC, and is that "Anton" guy I was citing in a couple of recent pieces (e.g., the editorial in the W. Post on America having plenty of people and not really needing more immigration).
Most Americans have never realized how high the stakes are, even now.
They just don't get it. They are getting more of it now, yes, but it still isn't sufficient. There were many times which I didn't write something because I knew people weren't ready for it. Given the phase shift that has now begun, more people are Awakening, but they are still at the lowest stage.
Well, except that's not the ending. He has since left the NSC, and is that "Anton" guy I was citing in a couple of recent pieces (e.g., the editorial in the W. Post on America having plenty of people and not really needing more immigration).
ReplyDeleteMost Americans have never realized how high the stakes are, even now.
ReplyDeleteThey just don't get it. They are getting more of it now, yes, but it still isn't sufficient. There were many times which I didn't write something because I knew people weren't ready for it. Given the phase shift that has now begun, more people are Awakening, but they are still at the lowest stage.