When we say “off the beaten path,” we really do mean off the beaten path. Larry O’Connor gives us a walking tour of the Townhall/Salem labyrinth while discussing the meaning and impact of the Durham report. “I started the radio show this morning by saying three Vs,” Larry says while on walkabout, “vindication, validation, and vengeance.” Not so fast, I say, on that third V. This special counsel probe ended as they all do, I argue, as TS Eliot once wrote — “not with a bang but a whimper.” And the lack of consequences not only is a result of tribalism, but will further amplify it.
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Welcome back to our aVIP video series “Off the Beaten Path,” featuring my friend Larry O’Connor! The Townhall columnist and Salem News Channel host starts off our week by discussing stories and ideas that may fly under our radar, in culture, politics, sports, and more. Plus, Larry previews tonight’s SNC show!
Highlights from today’s show:
- This scandal screams out for “some sort of severe consequences,” I argue, “if for no other reason, to disincentivize this thing from happening in the future.”
- This will worsen a crisis in confidence in public institutions, Larry points out, and it should. “The American people have lost confidence in our public health sector and those making decisions at the federal level and in some cases at the local level with regard to public health after COVID,” Larry argues. “So many decisions were made that were couched and framed within “science,” even though we knew that it was politics not science that drove those issues. … The same thing, sadly I think, has occurred with the FBI and Justice Department.”
- The problem runs deeper than that, I argue. “We’re coming to an era of tribalism,” I argue, “and you can define tribalism in multiple different ways.” A recent deep dive at the Washington Post about Compton and the fight for power between black and Hispanic politicians and communities show just how deeply this corrosion has set.
- “I believe in incentives,” I say, “and if you set the incentives to where you can pull this kind of crap and you’re never going to get damaged by it, not in any material way, then people are going to pull this crap because it appeals to their impulses.”
We go back to the Durham report and debate whether Michael Horowitz could have accomplished the same thing years ago from his Inspector General probe. We also scoff at the coverage from the Protection Racket Media thus far of the exposure of the hoax, plus much more! Be sure to watch it all, and join the conversation in the comments.
