The Purpose of Politics, with Charlie Sykes - Ep. 16
At noon on the show, the need to be engaged in politics, channeling Charles Krauthammer and John Adams.
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It’s Tuesday, Sept. 16. Coming up on the 16th episode of Tom LoBianco Reports, from 24sight News and our friends at Political Voices Network, the reasoning of politics, and what lies on the other side of letting yourself be canceled with
.Tune every weekday here on Substack at noon or catch the replay at 8p ET at Political Voices Network. My friend and colleague Ian B. Walters, is manning the board as we launch into Week Four of the show.
I’d love to hear from you, you can reply to this email or bring your thoughts and comments on this moment in our nation’s history. If it’s a day that ends in the letter “Y”, it’s open phones here.
News Top
Kirk shooting suspect Tyler Robinson is expected to be charged with aggravated murder (which carries with it the possibility of the death penalty in Utah) ahead of his 5p ET first appearance in court later today, per NBC News.
Alleged United Healthcare CEO murderer Luigi Mangione scored a legal victory this morning when a New York judge tossed out two charges alleging acts of terrorism, but still faces a second-degree murder charge in the state and a federal murder charge, The Guardian reports.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, is suing a major news organization, again, this time the New York Times, seeking $15 billion for alleged defamation, citing a number of personal grievances in the 85-page suit, CNN reports. The Times’ responded that the spurious suit is part of a larger effort by Trump to stifle news coverage.
The Moat between Society and Barbarians
If you’re a 24sight regular, you know I’m a big fan of Charlie Sykes, for his depth of wisdom and integrity and ability to cipher it all clearly. If you haven’t already, make sure to get his regular dispatches at “To the Contrary”, right here on the Stack.
The wake of the Charlie Kirk murder last week has kicked up even more confusion and political fog than usual in this modern era of politics. The singular line from the White House and Trump operation, of which Kirk was long a top lieutenant, of wanting to silence Americans who don’t repeat the party line.
Taken at its word, that’s fascism.
Now maybe it’s all just WWE talk and bravado, but the actions of this second term — spurious lawsuits at independent news organizations, dictums from the White House of what may and may not be taught, promises from the president to target journalists all point to a forceful administration of censorship.
The Why of Politics
Before the show, make sure to read Sykes’ post from May where he lays out Krauthammer’s raison d’etre. He quotes the former longtime conservative Washington Post columnist, Charles Krauthammer on why he chose the arena of politics rather than psychiatry, law, art or any number of other fields.
“In the end,” he wrote, “all the beautiful, elegant things in life, the things that I care about, the things that matter, depend on getting the politics right. Because in those societies where they get it wrong, everything else is destroyed, everything else is leveled.” Krauthammer was echoing John Adams who wrote: "I must study politics and war, so that our sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy."
I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I spent some time reading Krauthammer’s best, compiled in this 2018 WaPo remembrance. (Fascinating to listen how tone and language changes with the times, he was at it that long, and that good at it.)
No doubt, many regulars here don’t agree with Krauthammer’s politics. Which is the point, to be able to debate openly (The First Amendment) without government-directed censorship.
The 7 percent
That’s the group of folks in New York who think the cost of living there is “very affordable”. I’m still flummoxed by this, from this CBS/YouGov poll which came out yesterday. I chatted about this and more yesterday on CBS News’ “The Takeout” w/ host and veteran newsman Major Garrett and The Hill and NewsNation’s Julia Manchester. Catch it here.
Catch up
Did you miss Monday’s show? Watch it here! Perk up your ears, listening is a superpower to heal the nation when the aptly named Outrage Entrepreneurs would have otherwise. (Yes, that’s a Pumpkin Spice Labubu to lead things off. The least of the atrocities these days.)
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 | A guest post by
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The Executive Branch of the United States Government can not just talk like WWE or simply with bravado. Whether they respect it or not, they have the gravitas of the whole country in their pronouncements and the degree to which they profane that responsibility is the degree to which they render themselves illegitimate. The regime may have been legitimately elected to office but they have failed to live up to that honor.
Loving this because my thesis was on “The Purpose of Practicing Politics with a Purpose” for the common good.