The Rogan Crowd Trusted Trump. Oops. (w/ Ryan Grim) | The Bulwark Podcast
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖The fatal ICE shooting of Renee Good involved contradictory orders, an officer filming, and was widely deemed indefensible by police attorneys.
- ❖Official responses from Trump, Vance, and Noem to the ICE shooting were immediately and demonstrably false, serving as a 'power move' rather than an attempt to deceive.
- ❖Trump's Venezuela oil policy is characterized as 'gangster stuff,' re-issuing licenses without legal framework and undermining the domestic oil industry.
- ❖The 'American center,' defined as the Joe Rogan/Tim Dylan audience, is deeply disillusioned with Trump over his failure to expose 'pedophile cabals' related to Epstein.
- ❖Elon Musk's 'white solidarity' tweet and a Zoran staffer's anti-white posts exemplify dangerous extremes of identity politics on the left and right.
- ❖The Democratic Party's reluctance to engage anti-war voices, even with minimal concessions, alienates crucial voter blocs and allows Trump to falsely claim an anti-interventionist stance.
Insights
1Indefensible ICE Shooting and Official Disinformation
The fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis was characterized by contradictory orders, an officer filming the incident, and a lack of clear threat from the victim's stationary vehicle. Legal experts defending police officers have called the shooting indefensible. Despite clear video evidence, top officials like Trump, Vance, and Noem immediately propagated false narratives, claiming Good violently attacked officers, demonstrating a 'bullshit' power move to assert control over truth.
Video evidence shows Renee Good's car stationary, then slowly moving. One officer yells 'Get out of the car' while another says 'Get out of here.' An officer is seen filming with his phone while drawing his weapon. Trump stated Good 'violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE officer.' Kristi Noem claimed it was 'an act of domestic terrorism' and that Good 'attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle.'
2Trump's 'Gangster' Venezuela Oil Policy and Domestic Impact
Trump's administration is re-issuing oil licenses to Venezuela, effectively 'stealing' oil but under terms similar to previous licensing regimes, without formal legal processes. This policy, influenced by South Florida politicians like Marco Rubio, aims to settle 'scores' from the Venezuelan and Cuban communities. Paradoxically, Trump's broader strategy of pushing high oil supply to lower prices is severely damaging the domestic Texas oil industry, demonstrating unintended consequences of his 'idiotic' policies.
Trump is reinstituting Chevron's license in Venezuela, with money going to offshore accounts before debt payments. Trump told the Times, 'we might be running it for a few years.' The policy is driven by 'South Florida Cuban community and the Venezuelan community' grievances. Trump's pressure on OPEC to increase supply is 'killing the domestic Texas oil industry.'
3Epstein Files and the Disillusionment of the Populist Right
The release of Epstein's files, revealing deep ties to Israeli and American intelligence figures and his ability to provide 'material benefits' (e.g., lucrative deals, high-level meetings) to allies, has profoundly disillusioned the 'American center' (e.g., Joe Rogan, Tim Dylan audiences). These voters, who supported Trump based on his promise to expose 'pedophile cabals,' now view him as an 'obstacle' to transparency, leading to deep hostility and embarrassment.
Epstein's correspondence shows 'deep ties to Israeli government figures and American intelligence figures.' He delivered 'material benefits' like a $2 million retainer for Ehud Barak from a Russian oligarch and meetings with Sarkozy and Putin. Trump ran on 'transparency and against pedophilia.' The QAnon 'cabal of pedophiles' vibe 'seeped into broadly MAGA.' Trump, during his campaign, rationalized not releasing all Epstein files due to 'guilt by association' and embarrassment for people.
4The Perils of Extreme Identity Politics on Left and Right
Both the far-right and far-left are engaging in dangerous forms of identity politics. Elon Musk's call for 'white solidarity' based on fear of minority rule mirrors historical white supremacist rhetoric. Simultaneously, some on the far-left, influenced by academic jargon, make sweeping pejorative statements about 'white people' or 'white men,' including 'attacking 11-year-old white children.' This reckless group-based criticism risks encouraging the very white identity politics it claims to oppose and undermines a pluralistic society.
Elon Musk posted, 'If white men become a minority, we will be slaughtered... White solidarity is the only way to survive.' A Zoran staffer's past tweets included, 'Private property is a weapon of white supremacy,' 'I endorse a no more white men in office platform,' and 'I came across a mob of 11-year-old white boy children. I don't know why we keep procreating.'
5Democratic Party's Failure to Engage Anti-War Left
The Democratic Party, particularly the Kamala Harris campaign, made a strategic error by not offering any concessions or platforms to anti-war progressive voters, even refusing a vetted two-minute speech from a Palestinian-American lawmaker at the DNC. This alienation allowed Trump to falsely position himself as the 'peace candidate' and left prominent left-wing figures without a compelling argument to rally their base, contributing to a sense of betrayal and inaction.
The Kamala campaign 'didn't even call Liz Cheney for months' after her endorsement. The 'uncommitted movement' in Michigan requested a vetted two-minute speech from a Palestinian-American lawmaker at the DNC, which was denied. Kamala Harris would 'lead with a long recitation of October 7th' when asked about Gaza.
Bottom Line
The 'American center' is no longer defined by traditional fiscal conservatism and social moderation, but by a populist, anti-establishment cynicism that prioritizes government transparency and accountability on issues like pedophilia over traditional economic or social policies.
Political strategists and parties misinterpret the motivations of a significant voter bloc if they assume traditional centrist appeals will resonate. Focusing on 'exposing reptiles' or 'locking up pedophiles' might be more effective than policy debates for this segment.
A political movement or candidate could gain significant traction by genuinely committing to radical transparency and accountability, particularly on perceived elite corruption, tapping into the deep cynicism of this redefined 'center' without necessarily adhering to traditional left/right ideologies.
Key Concepts
Bullshit (as a power move)
A lie told when the speaker knows it's false, the audience knows it's false, and the speaker knows the audience knows it's false. It's an expression of power, demonstrating that the speaker can say outrageous things without consequence, highlighting a power imbalance.
The American Center (redefined)
Traditionally seen as fiscally conservative and socially moderate, the hosts argue the 'actual American center' now comprises individuals with eclectic politics who listen to figures like Joe Rogan or Tim Dylan. These individuals are often cynical about government's ability to deliver material benefits but expect transparency and action on issues like exposing 'pedophile cabals'.
Lessons
- Critically evaluate official statements and media narratives, especially those that contradict readily available video evidence, recognizing them as potential 'power moves' rather than attempts to inform.
- Recognize the dangers of group-based pejoratives, regardless of the target group, as they can inadvertently fuel the very identity politics they aim to counter and undermine societal cohesion.
- For political movements, understand that genuine engagement and symbolic gestures (like giving a platform to marginalized voices) can be crucial for mobilizing voter blocs, even if the policy differences seem minor.
Quotes
"When you're defending something that most police officers won't defend, you've taken a wrong turn."
"This is a 37-year-old woman in her in her Honda Pilot, you know, she's got stuffed animals for a kid sitting in the passenger seat. Like she's not the car is not moving. It's stationary. And a bunch of masked officers like storm the car and start shaking her door. and then one of them draws their weapon. It's like there was no need for any of this, right?"
"The lie is the bullshit is an expression of your power. The power imbalance that you you can say I can say this completely outrageous thing and all you can do is just like spit and like rage about it."
"Trump's saying we're going to steal all your oil, but what he's actually doing is kind of reissuing the license. but without issuing the license cuz license implies like some type of law and regulation being followed. This is just gangster stuff."
"If white men become a minority, we will be slaughtered. Remember, if non-whites openly hate white men while white men hold a collective majority, then they will be a thousand times more hostile and cruel when they are a majority over whites. White solidarity is the only way to survive."
"If you won't stand against genocide, how do I trust you to stand against democ stand up for democracy?"
Q&A
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