Two-Parts to a Whole

One Part Sidewire, Inc.

If you’re not familiar with Sidewire, it’s worth a glance. It’s legal snooping, really, is the best way to describe the website. Sidewire publishes text-like strings between experts in their respective fields organized in interview format on the site’s page or in their app.

It feels a bit like peeking at a dude’s cell phone on the way out of a Starbucks and the guy is a professor at the U.S. Naval War College who’s texting, say, a National Security Expert.

So far, my novice review of Sidewire is that it may have an elevating affect on political punditry; it may, by civilizing analysis of current events with actors, who by education, experience, and effective communication exemplify their authority.

“I actually like it and have been having fun with it,” says Ben LaBolt, a former White House flack for President Obama, now a founding partner at a private PR firm. “It’s just like texting with a friend and having a conversation, but taking it public as if chat were a broadcast medium. It feels more honest, like a conversation you’d have in a greenroom with someone instead of on set.”  – Washington Post, 7 July 2016

One Part NeverTrump vs. NeverTrump

Consequently, John Noonan, National Security Advisor to Jeb Bush and Tom Nichols, professor at the U.S. Naval War College sat for a chat at Sidewire.

The two met to hash out a NeverTrump conundrum playing out even on our own RedState: Unify or Purge the GOP after the November election.

Noonan’s recent National Review article tells his story, “purging didn’t look good on the KGB, and they wouldn’t be good for the GOP.” I’m not sure that’s a good argument, but there it is.

Tom Nichols reacted via Twitter. They agreed to meet at Sidewire.

John Noonan, National Security Expert

These are fair points. I also think the discord will grow ahead of Nov 9 as things fall apart. But in your mind, what does a successful post-election GOP look like? Can you do it without folks like Rush/Hannity who command attention of millions?

Tom Nichols, U.S. Naval War College

But Rush and Hannity and the rest of them aren’t voices of a conservative movement (or at least, aren’t anymore). They’re hucksters, trying to find a product to sell. If anything, I’d argue that the GOP brand must be rescued from them.

Later on,

John Noonan

Certainly their embrace of a man with no discernible conservative principles makes one question the electoral purity they’ve pushed through the Obama years.

Tom Nichols

Put another way, I think the first serious Republican who tells Sean Hannity to go to hell already has a leg up on the 2020 nomination. A lot of people are waiting to hear that from a conservative.

Vote for Bill

A note about another huge-potential site called, Place A Vote.

So how do we get the country back on track? Software startup PlaceAVote.com thinks that it has the solution with a crowd-sourced voting system that allows constituents to vote on legislation in real-time. – RealClear.com

The website could be a productive venue to weed through the bills; a means to effect the political process, not so sure.

“Red-haired, Rude Yankee”

Vlad really does seem to love him some Donald. Although, it’s an influential voice close to Putin that’s pronouncing his affection.

[Alexander] Dugin, seemed more enamored than ever of that Yankee from the saloon in a phone interview last week. “Trump is not only our candidate,” he told TIME. “He is the savior of the USA.”

Dugin views Trump’s foreign policy as getting the US out of Russia’s way so they can revert back to the business of world domination.

“Trump can change the world,” Dugin told me [TIME]. “He can save America from its own imperial overreach. He can build a relationship with us, and he can stop the carnage in the Middle East by simply spitting over his shoulder and saying, ‘I’m sick of it. Let’s go.’”

Obama’s campaign made friends of the middle east, and Trump’s cozy with Russia. Good news? Russia hates Hillary.

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