Author Joseph Epstein Fails To Grasp That Trump Must Be "Nullified"- There Is NO Option "B"

"Yeah, I look forward to the wonders of my next term as president!"


 Joseph Epstein is an author, one of many, whose mental faculties appear to have been deranged and eviscerated by Trump.  Perhaps, like his fellow brain- eviscerated compadre (Lance Morrow) he lost his reason and logical capacity by being inundated  by Trump's tweets and verbal garbage. Or perhaps he became infected by the same false equivalence virus that has felled so many in or around the 4th estate.

We know this much, on reading his latest WSJ op-ed ('The American People Have Been Spoken To',  June 10, p. A15) it appears he's not only compromised by the false equivalence bug but fails to grasp how essential it is to see the back of Trump by January, 2021.   In regard to the former, Epstein continues to make the specious case that "the American people" (voters namely) are being led around by the nose by both parties. Essentially being lectured to, i.e. "Politicians (no distinction) lecture us on what we want, need, deserve and are really interested in."

Not stopping there but further amplifying this egregious claim, by writing:

"What each of our two parties is chiefly concerned about, and has been over the past two years, is putting down, degrading and humiliating the other party."

Hmmm....funny, but the ONLY party I've detected doing that, as well as degrading and humiliating the whole nation, is the GOP - as they bend over backward to kiss the ass of the criminal narcissist in the White House.  Jeezus peace, you'd think they were defending the Prince of Peace himself, and not a 2-bit grifter, con man, traitor and felon who ought to have been hung long ago.  The Democrats, by contrast, have bent over backwards to try to bring a semblance of sanity and rectitude back to this country, daily being pounded into a cesspool by Trump and his cabal.

As the WaPo's Eugene Robinson argued Monday a.m. on 'Morning Joe', and kudos to him for having no blinkers on like Epstein, and the other members of the 'Trump can do no wrong' stable:

"I think you have to go back to the Harding administration at least to find this level of corruption. I mean let's call it what it is. Just work your way through that swamp creature cabinet of Donald Trump's and then down in the agencies and you just see the most amazing sort of self-dealing, and self-enrichment.  That's what he's brought to Washington. That's what he's after. He follows perhaps the cleanest administration we've seen in a long time. In the Obama years nobody got indicted, nobody got arrested and nobody got convicted.

And here we are in what is really a cesspool. It is breathtaking. But again that's what Donald Trump is."

None of what Robinson noted was false or "fake news" especially about the Obama administration being among the cleanest in American history. So why isn't Epstein able to see that, or admit it, instead tossing out the tired old worn out trope that "all politicians are liars and slime balls". Or better, "both parties treat Americans like they just fell off a turnip truck." Well, because it serves his cynical purpose, i.e. that he isn't really about damning the politicos of both parties at all, but finding a clever, indirect way to provide more cover for Trump by seeming to damn both parties..  As he goes on, fully exposing his motivation:

"Since Hillary Clinton's loss in the 2016 presidential  election, the Democrats have been seeking a way to nullify Mr. Trump's victory.  Republicans, meanwhile, have done all they can to ensure Democrats are never viewed as anything other than obstructionist, malignant creeps."

But the two charges are nowhere near equal in gravitas. The first, for anyone perceptive enough to see it, is far more insidious because it tries to call into question the Dems as they've rightfully questioned Trump's legitimacy.  As time has gone on that withholding of legitimacy has been more than substantiated.  Indeed, it's clearly evident Trump is not qualified to lead this nation, and moreover - had the electoral college done its due diligence - never would have been elected on the basis of Electoral college votes.

Epstein's one -sided hammering of the Dems, in a piece one would have thought should be balance, then goes on:

"The forthcoming election figures to be not in the least about what is 'best' for the American people. But whether power can be wrested from Donald Trump....To be sure many would say that defeating Mr. Trump is in itself what is best for the "American people"."

Well, I am in that camp and make no apologies for it. Especially as we've learned (NY Times yesterday) Trump is only interested in peripheral aspects of his campaign and has no firm plans for a 2nd term, other than doubling down on his daily tweets from the toilet, attacking all perceived political enemies, telling 100,000 more lies and sowing more chaos and division. In meetings with aides he wants to focus on campaign songs, selection of campaign merchandise and other twaddle.  It's also been reported he has never even asked to see a budget for 2019.  Most alarming, Trump has no clue what he'd even attempt to accomplish in a second term - assuming voters were dumb enough to grant him one.  According to the Times' piece:

"Mr Trump rarely if ever speaks to aides about what he hopes to accomplish in a hard won second term....He's shown no interest in formulating a new message for his campaign, instead continuing with the slogan 'make America great again' and adding that he 'also wants to keep America great.""

But it can't be so long as Trump is fouling the nation with his lies, despicable behavior and crimes against the Constitution. It can only go further into Trump's cesspool and will be totally unrecognizable if he's given a 2nd term.

After co-host Willie Geist presented the gist of the NY Times account on the same 'Morning Joe' episode, Mike Barnacle - also on the panel - responded  while saying there is way too much overthnking:

"This is a man who only cares about himself. Every day is just an extension of his show with set up villains - it's either Joe Biden, the Mexican government, whatever .  This guy is just obsessed with himself, not the country, not any formulation of plans to improve the country, Not any goals for his administration's first term and certainly not for what would be a second term set of goals. It's only himself."

This is a guy, in other words,  who's played out, who has no new ideas if he even had any in the first place. He needs to resign,  to get the hell out of office, willingly, even if not officially sent packing by the voters (who may be too enamored of their 401k balances to protect the nation's welfare.).  He simply isn't qualified to manage this country.  As Eugene Robinson  added, appropriately:

"This is what Donald Trump has been from day one.. He runs the country the way he ran the Trump organization. He sort of ad libs his way through an episode of the Trump show. That's what he's doing with the country. That's  why nobody in his administration has any idea what's coming out in the next tweet, or what the next policy change will be. It's always been all about Donald Trump.  My question is whether people in the country begin to understand  he's really about himself, and not about them."

All of which skewers Epstein's brain dead claim at the end of his piece, in regard to the next election:

"Whoever wins, the loser figures to be - the American people."

Nope, sonny. The winner will be the American people, if we can evict Trump the toad from office!  This is a no -brainer!

 In line with this, former Sen. Claire McKaskill put in her important 0.02 on that  same 'Morning Joe':

"Over forty percent of the country thinks this guy is okay.  I mean if you're us and you're watching this president, and watching his lying and undermining the country on the world stage you're saying 'How in the world can forty percent of America think this guy is okay. So as long as his number stays above thirty percent I think the Democrats are going to continue to panic but I think that panic is perfect and appropriate."

Well, rather than panic, I would say the Dems (especially Pelosi)  need to be seen acting and bringing impeachment proceedings to break the Dotard stonewall. Look, despite the Mueller Report describing how this nation was attacked by a hostile foreign adversary in that 2016 election,  Epstein accuses the Dems of wanting to "nullify" (with damned good reason) Trump's election. Failing to process it should be nullified!  Trump, his campaign team and family KNEW about the Russian skullduggery and welcomed it using a form of "coded" conspiracy exchanges with GRU assets. Then to top it all off, Trump tried to obstruct the ensuing investigation into it.

Worse, the Russians are still at it as I write, seeking to undermine the 2020 election and Trump hasn't said a damned word about it, Hell, as Janice puts it, he "bloody wants their help again".   So long as he keeps getting it no wonder he yaps about being "a president for life".

McKaskill and the rest of us with more than air between the ears have to nonetheless recognize that there are millions of blinkered, brainwashed zombies among our fellow citizens. People who likely don't read (i.e. the full Mueller report) and are incapable of thought outside FOX news.  Those like letter writer Elaine Little (in Monday's Denver Post) who scribbled, in reference to the House Democrats:

"No legislation passed, nothing! It appears the only thing they're bent on doing is rehashing the Mueller report and trying  to discredit the president and prepare for the next election.  Their self-importance is disgraceful and their service to the country is minimal."

Well, I could likewise say this woman's brainpower is minimal especially if she sincerely believes the Mueller report is being "rehashed".   Her moral compass is also affected, either by the sort of propaganda meted out by the likes of Epstein, or FOX News, as when she claims the Dems are "trying to discredit the president".  Nope, that reprobate has discredited himself, now by over 10, 700 lies at last count, and committing obstruction right in front of our very eyes by his stonewalling on lawful subpoenas.

That this ninny doesn't even grasp the  Article I powers granted congress under the Constitution tells me she ought to have her citizenship revoked.  And the fact she isn't aware of how Bitch McConnell is burying every bill that makes it to the Senate  - over 140 so far - suggests to me she needs to ease up on the Xanax.  If the majority of citizens are more like this zombie than wide awake and alert to Trump's perfidy, then yeah, it is time to push the panic button!

On an end note, the other thing Epstein gets wrong is how Aristotle perceived politics. Epstein claims he defined it "as the practical science for making citizens happy".    But in his great work, 'Politics' Aristotle is clear (cf. Book I, cc.I, a:)

"The ultimate object of the state is the good life.. The naturalness of the state is proved by the faculty of speech in man....It is founded on a natural impulse that tends toward political association."

The emphasis by Aristotle on the 'good life' transcends "happiness" which is predicated on mercurial emotions. One can "feel" happy after his team wins the Superbowl, but crushed and depressed if it doesn't,  after all. It is the stuff of mainly trivial concerns and fleeting subjective emotions. By the "good life",  Aristotle instead meant one based on the judicious exercise of  will which consistently chooses the maximization of  faculties, such as reason, to attain maximal good in society.   Thus, a moral compass is also essential  . In his Book V of The Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle writes:

"We see then that all men mean by the term Justice a moral state such that in consequence of it men have the capacity what is just and actually do it, and wish it. Similarly also with rspect to Injustice, a moral state such that in consequence of it men do unjustly and wish what is unjust.."

Aristotle didn't rest there, but actually demanded a proportionality to Justice in its particular expressions.  If he was faced with the political world of Trumpism today, Aristotle would be appalled at the lack of justice and the reign of injustice. As Epstein ought to as well, if he were not so blinded by Trumpism.

Trump With "2 Sides" Defense Of Nazi Sympathizers Loses All Moral Authority

"There are not two sides to this. There are hideous, hateful enemies of America, enemies of freedom, and there were people truly exercising their free speech. But he (Trump) is a disgrace" - Nicole Wallace this morning.

In three days we've come full circle and learned that Drumpf himself is not only a pathological liar but a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer after all. This pathetic excuse for a president, in an unseemly, reprehensible rant yesterday, has now shown himself fully aligned in thinking with the Alt-Right terrorists - the Nazis, KKK  etc. - who wreaked havoc and violence Saturday on mostly peaceful protestors.

The fact this POS could also lie about the nature and actions of the protestors, referring to them as "the Alt Left" - a neologism invented by the dumbest, most conspiracy -based right freaks is itself insulting. Why? Because this POS is lying through his teeth and his ass.  Those actually on the ground and in Emancipation Park and surroundings, such as CBS' Paula Reid, and Rev. Traci Blackmon of the United Church of Christ, fully contradict the swine-in-chief's account.

Paula Reid, asked last night how well armed were both sides, replied:

"Pretty much every white supremacist demonstrator I saw had some sort of weapon. Either a helmet, a shield, a firearm, a baton. As for the counter protestors, most of them were unarmed. Many of them were members of the clergy or were students. Ovewhelmingly, the counter protesters were also the only ones I saw administering medical aid, to counter protesters who had chemical agents in their eyes and their mouth.."

Regarding the Friday night torch march:

"You had hundreds of people marching through the University of Virginia campus chanting white supremacist slogans and carrying Tiki torches. And it seems that almost helped to embolden them which is why they got to the (Saturday) rally several hours early and were already pretty amped up."

Rev. Traci Blackmon  elated on MSNBC how her congregation had to be sequestered inside their church - during a prayer service- as the howling banshee white supremacists marched outside. They were then led out the back doors of the Church to avoid confrontation with a clearly violent bunch  - already having tossed urine bottles at peaceful counter protestors, and clubbed others with baseball bats and shields.

She observed this behavior continued on Saturday when African-Americans singing a hymn  near an entrance in Emancipation Park were set upon by the White racist loons and goons who proceeded to beat and mace them. As Rev. Blackmon put it, "the only thing that saved them was the intervention of Antifa and other protestors" - one of whom drove the racist louts back using a spray can and a match - effectively engineering a mini flame thrower.

When asked by Joy Reid about whether Trump was then lying, Rev. Blackmon didn't hesitate: he lied through and through with each remark made. Hell, even Gen. Kelly had to force his eyes downward, likely in disbelief he had been brought in to try to control this sick, disgusting asshole who has no business cleaning porto-potties far less being a president.

I mean, when you have former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke applauding your spiel it's a no brainer that you're on the freaking WRONG side of events. Also anyone that stands with you is on that wrong side as well.  The nation is now approaching a moral reckoning with the reprobate in the White House and every person will have to choose sides, there will be no neutral space within which to hide.

The very spectacle of young, entitled white men venerating one of the most despicable regimes in history ought to have been a slam dunk to bring condemnation of the Alt-Right without equivocation  - but it was not. Trump actually tried to claim the racist brigands and louts who marched and killed an innocent woman (Heather Heyer) and injured 19 others were "peaceful protestors"  and "very fine people" who had a permit.  Yes, there were very fine people on the OTHER side, mainly religious clergy, people of faith, ordinary citizens.  But NONE on the white supremacist side, because NO  "very fine" person would ever be seen marching while holding Nazi swastika or Confederate Battle flags and screaming "Jews will not replace us".

If Trump had one scintilla of honor and decency he'd have visited the scene of Ms. Heyer's slaughter by now as opposed to spewing pro-Nazi venom, lies and moral ambiguity. This disgusting piece of refuse and garbage - despite obvious efforts of Gen. John Kelly to rein him in, showed his true colors: a white racist, Nazi glorifying swine - who even received praise from another swine: former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke.

In effect, after yesterday's performance, Drumpf lost whatever residual moral authority he had. He now lacks any potential authority to command or lead the nation in anything  - including against North Korea.  Most people won't believe a word he says, I sure won't!

CBS political analyst John Dickerson expressed his predicament this way:

"He was more interested in assigning blame in his remarks to those on the left and ensuring there was this equivalence in what took place than he was interested in showing moral disgust, that a president should show toward neo-Nazi protesters. Those represent beliefs that are entirely at odds with the United States, the country that he's the leader of. 

That repeated and made worse his moral failure from Saturday. Presidents are supposed to rush into these moments and unify Americans ......When he characterized the protesters he totally overlooked the Nazi slogans, flags and salutes. 

His reluctance to speak the essential truth about the neo-Nazi protesters is a failing he's now repeated twice. Republican leaders will now have to distance themselves from the president and the question is how can they get back together again.."

How did most of the clashes occur in Emancipation Park? According to the Charlottesville police chief, it was because the Nazis and KKK'ers etc. didn't follow their march and protest directions to enter the park at specific entrances.  They entered at multiple entrances thereby coming into contact with counter protestors and setting up the inevitable conflicts - given their howling Nazi slogan "Blood and soil" and "Jews will not replace us!".

As I noted two posts ago, even the right -leaning WSJ saw it that way in its editorial  ('The Poison Of Identity Politics', p. A16) today. Noting:

"The particular pathology on display in Virginia was the White Nationalist Movement...They alone are to blame for the violence that occurred when one of their own drove a car into peaceful protestors, killing a young woman and injuring 19.

The Spencer crowd courts publicity and protests and they chose the progressive university town of Charlottesville with malice aforethought.  They used unsubtle Ku Klux Klan symbolism of torches in a Friday night march, and they sought to appear as political martyrs as a way to recruit more alienated young white men."

Not long after the Swine-in-Chief's spiel David Duke tweeted : “Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth about #Charlottesville & condemn the leftist terrorists in BLM/Antifa.”

Right - the "leftist terrorists" who protected elderly African-Americans singing "this little light of mine" from being clubbed to death and maced by white supremacist thugs who also pointed guns at their heads.

Meanwhile, at the site of  Heather Heyer’s death in downtown Charlottesville, mounds of flowers and chalked messages of remembrance now fan out on the road. A lone trumpeter played a somber tune, as word of Trump’s comments spread among those who had gathered to mourn. Rather than a sense of disappointment, many here had come to expect such divisive, off the cuff remarks.  One of Trump's pro-Nazi aides (like Stephen Miller) had even offered the day before to "let Trump be Trump".

And the so-called denunciation of the racists the same day came across as merely half-hearted blabber with no significance. This is exactly how it was picked up the by the Alt-Right Nazis like Richard Spencer, e.g.

http://www.businessinsider.com/richard-spencer-says-trump-didnt-condemn-the-alt-right-2017-8

Diane Townes, a 62-year-old African American working in education, said the comments were another example of Trump “shaming the victims”.  She added:

“Pouting and blaming is not the way to show an example to young people.  He opened the gateway to this with his own gestures during the campaign.”

Mike Townes, Diane’s son, had heard the comments on the radio minutes before arriving at the memorial site.  He said:

“I’m actually glad he’s saying it. It is showing this country who he truly is. He represents the people who came to my community as supremacists. David Duke was right about him.”

Eric Gilchrist, another mourner at the memorial, said: “We know that he is selfish and vain, but now I worry he is a sociopath, too. He needs to leave office.”  

Leave office? He needs to be routed from it!  Drumpf has brought ultimate, infernal shame not only to himself and the office of the Presidency but to the nation itself. He has now emerged as a pestilence, a virulent plague not only on the nation but the world. His every day in office fouls that office and what it represents, especially now we know exactly where this piece of filth stands.

In the words of Mike Barnacle this morning on 'Morning Joe':

"What happened yesterday because of the nature of the media and the tools we have available to us today, will live forever. And what will live forever, what will you see? You will see the President of the United States standing before the Republic diminishing the Presidency, the country and himself. You'll see the President of the United States pouring words like salt on open wounds of race, of class, of gender...."

On a high light note: Baltimore removed four Confederate monuments overnight. Good for the city where I used to live! Now, we need to multiply the removal of these verminous symbols across the nation.

See also:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/15/the-president-of-the-united-states-is-now-a-neo-nazi-sympathiser

And:

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/ben-tripp/74595/the-trump-joke-is-over

Excerpt:

"Donald Trump is a white supremacist. He has made that clear. White Supremacists are fascists. If he is allowed to remain president of the United States, then the United States as it knows itself has ceased to exist. A man who cannot condemn Nazism without walking it back inside of 24 hours is not fit for the office of the presidency, and he should not remain in office for another month, another week, another day."

Gary Johnson Passes The Moronic Wannabe Leader Test

It was startling to see a major third party candidate on live television instantly converted into a clueless  moron. In this case, Gary Johnson - the Libertarian candidate- yesterday  on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe', got this question from Mike Barnacle: "What would you do, if elected President, about Aleppo?"

Johnson suddenly appeared pop-eyed and asked: "What's Aleppo?"

To which Barnacle replied:  "Are you serious?"

Because every sentient being with a consciousness somewhat higher than a kindergartner's knows Aleppo is a besieged city in Syria  and the epicenter of a humanitarian crisis. Indeed, tens of thousands have been killed there after five years of the Syrian Civil War.  Yet Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico, and the Libertarians' presidential hopeful - didn't know that.

On the dooofus scale for presidential disqualification, Johnson's answer puts him on a par with Ben Carson, who in one forum (in 2015) suggested the Baltic states (Croatia, Slovenia etc.) were not part of NATO.  His faux pas also rivals that of Rick Perry who - in a 2012 debate, failed to recall the DOE (Dept. of Energy)  as one  of the main federal agencies.

Let us agree then, that for any given forum - whether formal presidential debate, or even informal appearance on cable TV, there are certain "deal breakers" in terms of  candidate's fitness for office. One of these is failing to exhibit knowledge of basic current events especially in relation to existing world problems, crises or global policies. On this score, Johnson failed the leadership test just as Carson and Perry did earlier.

Johnson attempted to explain his reaction by later saying he "understood the significance of Aleppo but blanked out".  Now, let's process this, please. He is claiming that in an informal setting, on an early morning cable TV  show - usually watched by fewer than 1 million - he lost command of his brain for the duration and reverted to a default zombie condition..

One is then led to ask, assuming Johnson were to actually become President, what we might expect if he had a face off with Vladimir Putin at a high powered meeting on one crisis or other. And let's say Putin asked him point blank what he and his administration intended to do about the Chechen terrorists? Would Johnson "blank out" just then and ask "What's a Chechen?"  Subsequently correcting himself and saying "I know the significance of Chechnya but I blanked out?"  What do you suppose Mr. Putin would think? (Apart from wondering how Americans could be so stupid as to elect this guy to be President.)

Or, suddenly the nation is under nuclear threat from China and the Joint Chiefs advise going to Defcon 2. Will Johnson then blank out and ask: "What's Defcon 2?"  Then, after it's too late blurt out "I REALLY did understand the significance of defcon 2  but blanked out!"

You see where I am going with this? The excuse of blanking out is no excuse at all, period, because anyone in the position of commander -in -chief simply can't afford to do that. You are no longer an average Joe Citizen allowed the luxury of blanking out, forgetting key information, or falling asleep on the job.  You are now responsible directly for the nation's security as that commander -in -chief so can no longer have the luxury of lapses that might be afforded anyone else.

Johnson's spin is not satisfactory, therefore, and that means while he passes the "moron wannabe leader test' he fails the real leader test.  This comes at a time when Johnson has been trying to raise his profile and meet the 15 percent poll threshold (based on 5 national polls) to secure a spot with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in the debates. Currently, he is hovering at nine percent. One certainly is left to argue  that Johnson's blanking out was perhaps a "mercy killing" for his debate chances. This is given how he'd look blanking out in front of tens of millions if asked, say by Martha Raddatz: "Mr. Johnson, how would you propose to resolve the Spratly Islands dispute with China?"

Even Johnson has acknowledged how he brought himself to such a precarious position. In a different interview yesterday he acknowledged the consequences for a candidate seeming to lack a basic understanding of a major foreign policy issue. He actually  said:

"For those who believe this is a disqualifier, so be it."

Of course, the blatant missteps and interview blunders of one Libertarian presidential candidate will hardly dissuade the high IQ members of Mensa and Intertel from continuing to glamorize Libertarianism as the choice of the brilliant cognoscenti (i.e. that they fancy themselves to be.)  They fetishize this misbegotten ideology because they are anti-statist at the core, and use it as a convenient economic vehicle to denounce everything from taxes for support of social insurance, to climate change. (Not wanting taxes to support gov't research, or have any carbon taxes or rationing.)

But bright though they are, these same high IQ Libbies can't seem to see the paradox of their positions in terms of national governance.  To wit, their entire premise is opposed to any rational and practical governance.  Recall the Libertarian Party Principles state:

“We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.”

This has been further amplified via Charles Murray's statement in What it means to be a Libertarian (p. 6):

“It is wrong for me to use force against you, because it violates your right to control of your person....I may have the purest motive in the world. I may even have the best idea in the world. But even these give me no right to make you do something just because I think it's a good idea. This truth translates into the first libertarian principle of governance: In a free society individuals may not initiate the use of force against any other individual or group”

But if one considers the context,  such a “libertarian principle of governance" emerges as an oxymoron! Governance presumes and demands the non-passive act of governing, which means the projection of force for enforcement of laws including for national security.  Someone is invariably and actively setting standards of expected action, and also providing the means to uphold the standards. In other words, force inevitably backs up governance. Why do you think cities maintain police forces, and the nation a large volunteer standing army - along with assorted weapons to control crowds?  It is to sustain coherent and FORCE-ful governance. The libertarians, then, espouse a philosophy which cannot possibly work in the real world - because that world implicitly recognizes and declares government the primary agent of force, i.e. to enforce laws. Look around for a "force-less" government, i.e. which retains adherence and respect for its laws with no use of force.

If governments aren't enabled to enforce their laws , what’s the point? It’s all an exercise in mental masturbation. People can do whatever the hell they want!  Set up sex store emporiums or pot shops next to schools, or sell cocaine  and semi-automatic weapons in open stalls on the sidewalks of major cities!  Freedom thereby becomes perverted into a veritable "free for ALL". In other words, unless governance declares limits to actions - and someone (coercively) enforces governance, a functional society becomes  impossible.

All of this shows that the high IQ Libertarians inhabit a sheltered world of their own with no practical touch points to reality.  In this sense Johnson's blank out breakdown ought to have been a wake up call, but more than likely will just elicit more rationalizations - just as those they've used to defend Ayn Rand.

Thankfully, the chances of Gary Johnson becoming the first Libertarian president are about the same as his forlorn party ever becoming competitive in national politics.