His fall doesn’t surprise me, and it doesn’t change what was important to ME about this case
We have a STAR culture, and every issue ends up being about a face and a person who is defined as either a hero or a zero. For many people who didn’t take the time to figure out what they were getting emotional about, it became about Cliven Bundy.
Support HIM, stand with HIM. Listen to HIM, etc.
He had daily press conferences, and feed the star-making system. The inevitable happened, and he said things that are indefensible. The press will now go into a new phase of tearing him down, and using that to delegitimize the folks who defended him.
There will now be a rush by politicians to distance themselves from the man, and they will also foolishly distance themselves from the situation because they lack the desire or ability to differentiate the two.
Bundy’s comments on race provide breaking point for Paul, Heller
And probably most other Cliven Bundy supporters as well, assuming that the New York Times report of his Saturday press conference is accurate.
He was, and is, unworthy of adulation. He’s just a guy, was always on the wrong side of the law, was unprepared for the spotlight, and has, expectedly, been taken down by the self-exposure of his own beliefs.
Cliven Bundy Just Ruined His CauseAfter Bundy’s overtly racist remarks, let’s see how far politicians run away from him.
Cliven Bundy stood by the Virgin River up the road from the armed checkpoint at the driveway of his ranch, signing autographs and posing for pictures. For 55 minutes, Mr. Bundy held forth to a clutch of supporters about his views on the troubled state of America — the overreaching federal government, the harassment of Western ranchers, the societal upheaval caused by abortion, even musing about whether slavery was so bad.
This particular land use situation will continue on, and be resolved in the courts, where it should always have remained.
The Feds over-reacted, HUGELY. Their bullying tactics were stopped by the rapid ability and desire of Americans to face down the thugs who would steal and kill his cattle over this dispute. The alarm was raied, the call was answered, and the feds backed down.
THAT was the point. THAT was the victory.
We do not continue to stand alongside Cliven Bundy, because it’s not about him. We continue to stand prepared to defend all others against over-reactions of the federal government, to get them to the point of resolving things civilly, and without Federal snipers, drones, and tanks used against American citizens.
The moment the Federal Jackboots retreated, THIS issue was done for me.
That Cliven Bundy still thinks it’s about him, that the press is still star-obsessed, that the effort to tarnish this man succeeded, is entirely predictable.
The left will now say that “we” have proven ourselve to be racists and supporters of racists. The apolitical folks will agree. The “true warriors” on the right will spend time defending this MAN, because they believe that they have to in order to defend their support for his defense.
We do not have to defend this MAN, I never did, it was never avout Cliven Bundy. It was, and is, about Federal Government abuse of power.