Mike Pence Pointedly Declines to Endorse John McCain, Kelly Ayotte

Bizarro said, "Me so happy me could cry."

I don't mind the hardball here. I dislike these two Democrats, and I don't mind Trump playing a little roughhouse: Either share your base of college-educated liberal-leaning semi-Republicans, or I'll take my base of working class voters away from you.

This whole "I refuse to support you on moral grounds" thing can run in any number of directions, guys.

A lot of us have conscience objections to the various RINOs, sellouts, and charlatans in the party too -- but we put those aside due to the more important practical considerations of keeping the Democrats out of the White House.

But if, per the #NeverTrumpers, we're all going to vote strictly on conscience... well, no one should endanger his immortal soul by corrupting it with John McCain, Kelly Ayotte, or Paul Ryan for that matter.

Status Games: The very idea that Trump (or Pence) would endorse McCain or Ayotte, while they refuse to reciprocate, is a variation of the Status Claim Game I've seen the left pull on too many occasions to list.

The idea is this: You're Morally Superior, and your Inferiors ought to be aware of that (or else they're pig-ignorant in addition to being Morally Inferior), ergo, the rules for you are obviously different than the rules for them.

They are virtuous; you are not. Therefore, they can insult you, but you may not insult them back; they can dominate the airwaves and congressional schedules with their grievances and preoccupations, whereas if you do the same, you're being an unreasonable Wacko Bird.

This idea that there are different Castes of people entitled to different levels of Status and Privilege is so corrosive and hateful I cannot begin to express my revulsion at it.

So I don't get people who will claim, "Oh, he should endorse them."

Why? Why would he confirm, why would he reify, their assumption that they exist in a higher caste than he does?

Anytime someone attempts to put themselves in a caste above one, one is obligated, as a free-minded free man, to reject that attempt at subordination vigorously, and even as rudely as possible -- after all, it is deeply rude to assert one's Superior Caste over someone else in the first place.

A rude assertion compels a rude rejection.

The proper American response -- nay, the proper human response -- to "Know your place!" is "Go fuck yourself in the heart with a knife."

It always has been. It always will be.

More: I like this turn of phrase:

That has been the mood this election season and why the parties have been rocked so hard with dissension. No matter how it is said in whatever words some people think that they were born with boots and spurs and the rest of humanity with saddles. And right now a lot of people are fed up with these attempts of others to ride them.

Posted by: *Mikey NTH - Get Your Beach Blanket Statements and Other Vacation Supplies at The Outrage Outlet!

Some people see it as "dangerous populism" that some of us are insisting on something like actual social/political equality.

A lot of people seem to think they're Chiefs and the rest of us are Indians.

The thing about Chiefs, though: They were elected by the Indians.

They didn't just get up in front of the tribe and say, "Uh yeah I took two years of Public Policy at Dartmouth. So like I'm Chief now, fellas."

Well, they could say that, but they'd be tied behind a horse and set to burning along the rocks and cacti.

posted by Ace at 04:08 PM

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