Victor C. Bolles
July 25, 2024
So why does he lie? I don’t know. We can only speculate. We have gone from George Washington saying, “I cannot tell a lie” (which is probably a lie because there is no proof he ever said it) to “I cannot tell the truth because I don’t know what is the truth.” Lying is so pervasive now that lying has been renamed “gaslighting.” In this commentary we try to understand why Donald Trump as well as most other politicians tell so many lies.
Quote from the commentary:
Now, not only do our leaders lie to us, the people that are supposed to hold politicians’ feet to the fire, a fierce and independent free press, are also lying to us. The Russia hoax, Hunter’s laptop, the Wuhan lab leak, all these were declared to be false. Even the so-called fact-checkers are lying.
Truth, Justice and the American Way
A Speech of Consequence
Victor C. Bolles
July 15, 2024
Americans reacted with shock at the assassination attempt on former President Trump. It was as if they had no idea that all the apocalyptic diatribes from the presidential candidates, all the belligerent rhetoric of other candidates and all the hateful social media posts would ever be translated into action. They ignored the fact that over eighty candidates for political office were killed right next door in Mexico during their recent presidential elections. We were all oblivious to the consequences of our portrayal of political opponents as enemies instead of as fellow Americans.
There are many groups around the country trying to dial down the political rhetoric. Several years ago I joined a group called Braver Angels (the former name of Better Angels seeming to suffer from copyright problems) that holds seminars and discussions bringing together Republicans (reds), Democrats (blues) and independents (purples). But these groups had a hard time getting heard amid all the angry shouting on the left and right.
But now it seems that things might change. People have known for a long time that we are heading in the wrong direction but thought that they were talking about our political leaders. Now they understand that it is us, the American people, that were heading in the wrong direction.
President Joe Biden gave a nationwide televised speech from the oval office calling for us to lower the temperature of debate and saying that we need to stand together. Unfortunately he also said, “the choice … that we make in this election is going to shape the future of America and the world for decades to come.” Such statements demean the democratic process and magnify the dire importance of choosing the wrong candidate. But there will be another presidential election in four years and we can change things if we realize we made a mistake. President Biden’s speech was not consequential. It will not result in any change.
Former President Trump also seems to feel that there needs to be a change in political rhetoric. On the flight to the Republican National Convention, he told reporter Byron York, “I basically had a speech that was an unbelievable rip-roarer. It was brutal — really good, really tough. [Last night] I threw it out.” Mr. Trump appears to have realized that, after such a rip-roarer only a few days after the attempt on his life, his MAGA followers would be out for blood, literally. The violence could have torn America apart.
Mr. Trump is rewriting his acceptance speech. I think he is still processing how his brush with death has affected his thinking. Mr. York wrote that when asked, “Does this change your campaign?” he immediately answered, “Yes.” One difference is that he invited former opponent Nikki Haley to speak at the RNC and she has accepted. Mr. Trump does not have much experience at being a unifier but his acceptance speech will be consequential. It could transform how the 2024 presidential campaign will be conducted as well as future campaigns. I am not a big fan of Donald Trump, but I hope he gets this one right.
Victor C. Bolles
July 8, 2024
The Democrats howl because the Supreme Court does not bow down to the popular will not realizing that the entire purpose of the Court is to frustrate the fickle and often irrational urges of the popular will. Constitutional change requires broad and sustained consensus not a slim majority that could change at a moment’s notice. In this commentary, we look at recent decisions of the Supreme court and examine how they reflect the intent of the Framers.
Quote from the commentary:
There is a reason that the Supreme Court has consistently overturned most of the initiatives of the Biden Administration. It is because the Biden Administration has been so focused on the ends (outcomes) that it has ignored the means (the Constitutional processes). If you want to forgive student debt you need an appropriation from Congress, not an executive order.
Victor C. Bolles
July 2, 2024
The fallout from Mr. Biden’s performance at last week’s presidential debate has resulted in many calls for him to withdraw from the race. But who else is there that can replace him? In this commentary we discuss some of the complexities in changing candidates at this late stage of the presidential campaign.
Quote from the commentary:
At a campaign stop in South Carolina after the debate President Biden gave a strong performance but many people are saying that he must hold an unscripted press conference to show that he has his mojo back. It is during unscripted and spontaneous moments that Mr. Biden’s weaknesses are most apparent (keeping in mind that Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping delight in doing unexpected spontaneous things).
Victor C. Bolles
June 28, 2024
The results are in from last night’s debate and it doesn’t look good for Joe Biden. Here are the headlines.
Victor C. Bolles
June 21, 2024
Many people are expected to watch the upcoming presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. But the debate is unlikely to change very many minds unless something very unexpected happens. In this commentary we are going to talk about the upcoming presidential debates and what you should expect to see and what you shouldn’t.
Quote from the commentary:
So, the viewers of the 2024 presidential debate are expecting something more similar to a cage fight than a reasoned discussion of issues. It will be like watching a hockey game for the fights or NASCAR races for the crashes.
Victor C. Bolles
June 10, 2024
After the Second World War the victorious allies created a series of international organizations designed to reduce conflict and promote peace between the countries of the world. These organizations worked pretty well for a while but now seem ineffectual and counterproductive. In this commentary we are going to look at why these institutions are not working so well and what we should do to reduce conflict and promote peace among nations.
Quote from the commentary:
Ms. Economy goes on to show how China, through an aggressive and opportunistic diplomacy has essentially captured many of the global institutions of the Western inspired world order such as the World Health Organization (that covered up China’s involvement in creating Covid-19), Interpol (using red notices to harass dissidents outside China) and using the UN charter as cover for civil rights abuses.
He Must be Guilty of Something - Update 1
Victor C. Bolles
May 31, 2024
This morning on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Joe and Andrew were arguing about each other’s interpretation of the felony conviction of former President Trump by a New York court. Joe (a conservative) was saying loudly and repeatedly that the American system of justice was corrupt. Andrew (a liberal) was more measured and stated that he had covered many trials and some people were wrongly convicted and some guilty people escaped justice. He then went on to say (and I paraphrase), “I believe in the justice system – you can’t not believe in the system because if you can’t trust the system you can’t believe in the country.”
And Andrew is correct. We have to believe in the justice system because that is the rule of law. And the rule of law is one of the foundational principles of America. But the justice system is made of people and people are inherently flawed and biased. So the justice system can make mistakes as Andrew noted. But the justice system is more than just one supposedly biased judge. The justice system is more than one jury pool that wrongly convicted someone.
The founders understood that the justice system would be flawed just as any system created by man would be. Benjamin Franklin stated (paraphrasing Maimonides), “That it is better 100 guilty Persons should escape than that one innocent Person should suffer.” So there are appellate courts that can correct the erroneous decisions of lower courts. The appeals process of Mr. Trump’s conviction has only just started.
The January 6th riot was an attack on the American Constitutional order. But the use of the justice system to target political opponents is also an attack on the American Constitutional order. If Mr. Trump was just another annoying New York real estate developer no district attorney would ever have brought this case to trial. This conviction is just another example of the perilous path we are treading in America right now. We need a leader that can guide us back into the light. Neither Mr. Trump nor Mr. Biden is such a leader.
He Must be Guilty of Something
Victor C. Bolles
May 27, 2024
The most recent of the many trials of former President Donald Trump by George Soros backed prosecutors will be going to the jury soon. But politically motivated show trials are usually associated with autocratic regimes, not with Western democracies. And if Democrats think that these trials have dampened the popularity of the former president, they need to read the most recent polls. In this commentary, we will look at these trials and their impact on voters.
Even Never Trumpers realize that these proceedings are politically motivated show trials – show trials more often associated with authoritarian regimes than with Western democracies. The trials make Mr. Trump a more sympathetic figure - if that’s possible. It also puts him on the front page of the few remaining print newspapers and his travails are always the lead story on the evening news.
As Long as it is Civil
Victor C. Bolles
May 13, 2024
Civil disobedience is an activity unique to modern Western Civilization. But disobedience of the law has consequences and many people protesting unjust laws or unwise policies have had to make sacrifices. The anti-Israel protesters are not only defying the tradition of non-violent civil disobedience, they are trying to avoid the consequences of their actions. In this commentary, we try to understand the nature of civil disobedience and why the actions of the anti-Israel protesters do not meet the standard of civil disobedience.
Quotes from the commentary:
People disobeying the law in support of their cause, such as the efforts of King and Gandhi, must also be willing to pay a price for their actions. Henry David Thoreau was jailed for not paying his taxes. Gandhi and King were jailed numerous times for their efforts on behalf of human rights. The anti-Israeli protestors want to be exonerated for their disobedience. They want to be able to brag to their friends about how they stood on the protest line but they want to pay no price. That’s not how things work in the real world.
Victor C. Bolles
January 9, 2024
Once again, while our so-called political leaders are completely absorbed by their campaigns for reelection, they ignore the urgent national priorities that need to be addressed, or worse, use those issues as political levers to galvanize their base at the expense of the American people. In this commentary we revisit those priorities that have become even more urgent as we enter a tumultuous election year.
Quote for the Commentary:
“Critics on the left will moan that meritocracy would worsen inequality. But equality of outcomes in education would mean driving all children down to the lowest common denominator (which you would understand unless you had been taught the new “equitable” math). But meritocracy will provide equality of opportunity. In fact, you cannot have equality of opportunity without meritocracy.”
Victor C. Bolles
January 12, 2023
Last year I published a commentary (Urgent Priorities, December 30, 2021) on the urgent priorities that America had to confront in the year 2022. Since many of those priorities were addressed very ineffectively or were not addressed at all, I was tempted to simply republish that commentary again this year. But the world is dynamic, and conditions change so I felt that America’s urgent priorities had to be updated to reflect those changes. In this commentary we will discuss the unfinished business of 2022 and the priorities of 2023 and beyond.
Quote from the Commentary:
“There are priorities that affect all Americans, rich and poor, black and white, young and old, whatever. We live in a complex and dangerous world. While our country is rich and powerful, it is not invulnerable. We cannot ignore the events happening around us and we need to be able to influence those events or be prepared to suffer the consequences.”
