Posted on 10/16/2017 12:17:38 PM PDT by TBP
We’re coming to the end of a slew of Jewish holidays, today being Shemini Atzeret. Ben Shapiro, being a devout Jew, is unable to use technology, with holidays treated as the Sabbath. Ergo he cannot reply to criticisms leveled against him. A perfect time for The New York Times to conveniently drop an OpEd titled “The Hollow Bravery of Ben Shapiro.”
Pro-tip: if you’re going to accuse someone of “hollow bravery,” post your hit piece when the subject can respond. Lest anyone call you, or your organization, cowards. Blatant, obvious cowards.
A note before we continue: I beg for your indulgence, as it’ll take a few paragraphs to lay appropriate character foundations; it’s important to know who is accusing Ben Shapiro of “hollow bravery” before addressing the qualms directly. Goes to relevance.
Firstly, lemme state that I (note the byline) do not personally know Ben Shapiro. Nor — it’s clear — does Jane Coaston, the author of the aforementioned OpEd in The New York Times. As of the writing of this post, Ben Shapiro and I have never spoken. What I know of Ben is from what I’ve gleaned through his debates and speeches (on campus, network news appearances, stand alone YouTube videos), his OpEds and essays posted on across the net (Brietbart.com, Dailywire.com, NationalReview.com, etc), and his Twitter account.
Which means I know more about Ben’s work than Jane Coaston.
I just discovered Shapiro in the last few weeks. He’s blown me away, and even brings the “thinking conservative’s attitude toward Trump” into the whole mix.
Shapiro was such a vociferous anti-Trumper that he drove me away. And that was before the thing with the female “journalist” accusing the Trump and his campaign team of sexual harassment.
I’m slowly coming back but I’m far more wary now.
Vicious he was with his never ending stupid rants. I can't stand that guy now, right their with Levin. Ben doesn't have your back in the fight. Although he'll start them (CSUN, Berkeley are two I can remember).
People here have disparaged him, but he does credit Trump when he feels credit is due. I personally think the “never Trump” appellation is too broad-brush. To my mind, one-time opponents like Shapiro who will support Trump when they agree with his actions are very different than sulking douches like Podhoretz.
I’m just hearing some of his comments about Trump having only discovered him a few weeks ago. Though I like what trump is doing, I know that nobody is perfect and, technically speaking, agree with everything I’ve heard Ben say about him.
I can’t make up my mind about Ben.
Sorry. He’s somewhat emasculated.
/fan
Is the term never Trumper used to discredit or besmearch him? Who cares what the hell he was. He stated he voted neither for Trump or Hillary and laid out his case. I don’t agree with his view but that doesn’t make him anti anything. I think there’s this reflexive impulse to spew anti Trump anytime one hears an opposing viewpoint to immediately discredit what is said.
I happily voted for Trump to flip this nation around. I like Shapiro as what he is, a libertarian that leans conservative. I don’t agree with everything he says and do agree with a great deal but make no mistake he is far and beyond this decade’s intellectual. He certainly makes you think and I like that. I like to be challenged on preconceived notions
I think it was Ed Koch who had a radio program after his term as Mayor of NYC, who called himself a "liberal with sanity", and said that anyone who agreed with him 100% of the time needed his head examined!
Now that is a good quote!
Ben Shapiro’s Never-Trumpism is not open to debate. He declared himself Never-Trump in absolute terms. He said he’d prefer a Hillary presidency as a way of sending the GOP a message.
Don’t take my word for any of this. Follow the link, and read it for yourself.
Ben was incredibly anti-trump and one of the first.
Then he provided cover for that Michelle Fields who said Corey Lewindowski pulled her down. I listened as he provided chapter and verse how he had talked to his friend and she would lie - he went so far to resign from Brietbart - thank god.
How he treated people, how he started to get mocked by callers telling him we didn't want him voting for Trump. He became a ranting, rage filled Harvard trained lawyer on the show as candidate Trump just kept winning.
I listened the day Trump announced and Shapiro was laughing and making all sorts of jokes saying there was zero chance Trump would win. As time went on he went nuts like Medved, Beck and Levin he just had a bit of a head start.
Toward the election I had completely stopped listening then when I did next he was gone from the show. He was totally a never Trumper and a big jerk and a sanctimonious oxygen hog.
Just like Hewitt Medved Levin - Shapiro can talk rings around most anyone and sound like the smartest guy in the room unfortunately he didn't have a clue about the country, Trump or his audience he was a total fool, mean one. He showed his true colors - that of a self promoting holier than thou spoiled brat.
Ben Shapiro epitomized what it was to be a NeverTrumper.
Yet he did not vote for anyone and his message was about what Trump would do to conservatism and the true conservative brand. He is making the argument based off the position, the ideaology, the brand and not so much the person. On this point Shapiro and I do not agree and he was wrong. Again I’ll say I don’t agree with everything he says but a very large portion of what he says I whole heartedly agree with. A very large contingent on these boards cannot separate the person and personality from the office even if you may hold some disagreements with Trump. These are personality cultists. As another said to me on another post....
“IMO
On the right today we have 3 groups
Ever Trumpers
Never Trumpers
Sometime Trumpers
The term Never Trumper has become the Right Wing Version of a Progressive calling someone out as a Fascist/Racist. Its meant to stop any conversation”
The term Never-Trump was coined to describe so-called conservatives who vowed never to vote for Trump. It wasn’t coined to stop conversation, but to accurately describe people who claimed to be conservatives but who actually preferred Hillary to Trump. It is still an entirely accurate and useful designation. There is a profound mental deficiency in anyone who claims to support conservatism but whose actions supported Hillary.
Never really knew about this guy before, but watching some of the YouTube “THUG LIFE” compilations from his public appearances and I’m an instant fan!
I don’t think your definition of a NeverTrumper is accurate. I was NeverTrump in the primaries, but even I concede that Trump is/was preferable to Hillary Clinton. So maybe this definition of yours paints with too broad a brush?
So does that mean all those who voted for mittens and McCain to “beat the other guy” are or were Never conservatives?
Or how about those that sat out those elections as a form of protest because they wouldn’t vote in a non conservative?
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