Steyn on Restoration and Revival

Steyn Live!
20 December 2017

https://www.steynonline.com/8336/steyn-on-restoration-and-revival

Before everyone slumps face-down in the wassail for the next few days, we thought you'd appreciate a recent overview of the way of the world (and Trump and his tribulations), from Steyn's recent remarks at David Horowitz's annual Restoration Weekend in Florida. It was a Saturday, at the end of the evening, and Mark was in a mellow mood, but we think you'll enjoy what he had to say. Click below to watch:

If you're a member of The Mark Steyn Club and you take issue with Mark, then have at it in our comments section. We have fun in The Mark Steyn Club: you can join for the full year or sign up for an experimental three months. For more info, please see here - and, for the Steyn fan in your family, don't forget our limited-time-only Christmas Gift Membership, including a personally autographed book or CD set from Mark.

Steyn will be back on the air tomorrow, joining Tucker Carlson live on Fox News at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific, with a rerun at midnight Eastern/9pm Pacific. We hope you'll tune in.

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40 Reader Comments

Natalie Olson • May 14, 2018 at 22:37

I think the most important take away of this speech is; Why would any body listen to Rob Stewart

Jeremy Frankel • Dec 27, 2017 at 17:00

Excited that there's a new episode! Was wondering if Steynposts and the Mark Steyn Show will become more regular? Really miss it.

David Garvie • Dec 23, 2017 at 09:15

If you'd like to have the disconnect between the pundit class and those of us in the real world distilled, listen to Mark's speech then compare it to episode 14 of the Remnant podcast. Jonah Goldberg (NR) and Arthur Brooks (AEI) discuss how the problem with the current state of Republican party are the "truckers" who voted for Trump causing the loss of the pure and true base of "upper middle class" suburbanites. Then they share how what is truly great about DC is all the sincerely committed Congressmen motivated by a humble sense of self-sacrifice to serve their nation, and the sophisticated jokes one can enjoy while waiting for Indian takeout - or something.

Sol Cranfill

David Garvie • Dec 24, 2017 at 07:15

I think you've explained all I need to know. They live in a soundproof echo chamber.

amy nolan • Dec 22, 2017 at 09:04

I look forward to each and every thing you post. Whether it be these phenomenal videos of your talks or your columns or your interviews or your appearances on TV--I love them ALL! I listen to them when I get ready in the morning and it braces me for my day.They never fail to make me laugh and also to think about these great issues with more clarity. When oh when are you coming to the midwest?

Tom Korte • Dec 21, 2017 at 12:56

More please.
I like it.

Best Coast • Dec 21, 2017 at 12:52

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/major-who-lost-legs-in-ied-bashes-veteran-benefits-1.993767

Bureaucrats could take a lesson from Mark.

siberianmo • Dec 21, 2017 at 12:43

This "Steyn Live" is a keeper - many thanx for providing it; more like it will definitely keep me in the fold.

Tom in Missouri

BallBounces in Charlottetown • Dec 21, 2017 at 08:49

17:48ff "Boutique, barely statistically detectible, demographic groups" - the mot juste, mon capitaine, the mot juste.

Carl • Dec 21, 2017 at 07:41

"Before everyone slumps face-down in the wassail".....too late

PK33 • Dec 21, 2017 at 07:29

Excellent set of remarks, Mark. Many salient points and the Never Trump points really hit home for me.

I used to be a National Review supporter and a fan of Jonah Goldberg. I even bought and read his books, and some of them are a pretty tough slog, like reading engineering math textbooks. However, topics were well-researched and presented in valuable detail, if you could get into his style after the first few chapters. Once he became a Never-Trumper though, his columns and weekly G-File became all about disparaging Trump, day in, day out. He has kept it up and I can no longer read Goldberg at all and I won't be buying his new book, if he ever finishes it. To me it feels like "Never Trump" equates to "Keep The Swamp". How about Trump's accomplishments and genuine work he does to attempt keep his promises, even when shut down by the courts? Isn't that worth something? Maybe not to Goldberg but it sure as heck means something to me. Shameful that Never-Trumpers don't even begin to understand that.

I did drop my support of NR once they canceled your contract, but I still followed Goldberg, Hanson, McCarthy, Prager and Sowell and purchased their books. I guess there is still Hanson and McCarthy since Sowell has retired (our loss), and I never see Prager anymore, but I won't be funding NR because they seem to be going right along with the old political status quo.

Just my personal thoughts on how "Never Trump" has alienated me.

Sol Cranfill

PK33 • Dec 21, 2017 at 09:08

I was bracing myself for more never-trumperism from Goldberg when I saw him on a panel on TV the other day, but he was quite complimentary and supportive of Trump. Trump is starting to win over some doubters. I don't believe the mid-30s polling.

George Pazin

PK33 • Dec 21, 2017 at 11:39

Very well said, PK33. I acted somewhat similarly, though I continue to read Goldberg and rip him when necessary, which is sadly often.

I yearn for the day the Never Trumpers face reality and admit they were and are wrong, but my gut instinct is that day will never come. For far too many people, it is far easier to live with a lie to themselves, rather than to accept and admit they were wrong. Denial is the strongest coping mechanism of all, imho. Never Trumpers never have to live with the consequences of their stupidity, whereas the rest of us do, every day. It's a lot easier to lie to yourself if you are a Never Trumper, and sadly, that's what they continue to do, each and every day.

PK33

Sol Cranfill • Dec 21, 2017 at 13:18

Sol, I'm surprised to hear that. Perhaps there is hope for Goldberg after all but I'm going to give it more time before I check back to see.

PK33

George Pazin • Dec 21, 2017 at 13:20

George, indeed it seems that for many, if not most of the Never Trumpers, they just continue to dig their heels in deeper. Like a child having a tantrum, "No! You can't make me!" (as they cover ears while loudly humming).

PK33

PK33 • Dec 21, 2017 at 13:35

I guess I forgot to mention Charlie Cooke at NR. He had an excellent performance stepping in at the last minute to replace John McWhorter on the panel to debate Hate Speech and the Limits of Free Expression at Kenyon College. He's pretty awesome in the debate. Near the end during the Q&A some "snowflake" in the audience says that they think Cooke is "cute" to say that students should be able to handle free speech and differing ideas (I'm paraphrasing), and blah, blah, blah. The moderator asks Cooke if he would like to respond to the person and he flatly says, "No."

I'm still laughing.

https://livestream.com/accounts/7106882/events/7748290/videos/163491464

Sue Sims • Dec 21, 2017 at 07:22

How's this for Trump Derangement Syndrome? Just come across it on Goodreads, having been asked to 'friend' an Australian acquaintance - this is from one of her friends, who's meant to be reviewing, if that's the word, a book called 'Holly Jolly Summer' by a writer called Tiffany Stewart:

"A YA novel by a Trmp-supporting author has been retitled. Don't be confused - still the same Trmp-supporting author. So who knows how much of his harmful shit she's written into the book. Be careful out there. (It's on NetGalley if you want to hate-read it.)

Her Twitter seems to have been deleted, but there are some screenshots at Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... — Dec 18, 2017 08:34PM"

Apart from the knee-jerk reflex ("Supports Trump - AAAAGGGHHHH!"), what's with the omitted 'u' from Trump's name? It's unlikely to be a typo, as it's repeated. Is it a sort of converse of the way in which orthodox Jews will write 'G-d', to avoid breaching the third Commandmen? or are they frightened that, since Trump is the Great Satan, one might risk summoning his presence by writing his name in full?

Sol Cranfill

Sue Sims • Dec 21, 2017 at 10:55

I think it gets you into a select club of those who've taken a vowel not to support Trump.

Sue Sims

Sol Cranfill • Dec 21, 2017 at 12:34

:-)

(Mark, please arrange for a full range of emojis on this website, including, natch, the hijab one - can't remember its gosh-how-cute name now.)

Sol Cranfill

Sue Sims • Dec 21, 2017 at 12:58

The Steyn Club member dubbed it the himoji. I imagine one with a grin, Santa hat, and stick of dynamite for the jingling 'hadist. #AVeryMerryMuslimChristmas

Robert Bresca • Dec 21, 2017 at 03:32

Off topic but the recent event in Melbourne is an attack. They have now figured out that you just run over people crossing the road on the green pedestrian signal. These guys are certified geniuses. I live in Melbourne and if you have any doubts that it was an attack, a photo tells a thousand words.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/melbourne-attacked/news-story/5d6264eb06c146db5847dc9e26b5d9cc

Note the unkempt beard. Maybe I am going off too soon but seriously?

Sol Cranfill • Dec 21, 2017 at 03:21

What a surprise! Allahu Akbarers mowing down preschoolers in Melbourne. As a bonus, the vehicle came to rest against a bollard. Sorry for the chronic pain and lasting injuries, folks! Nobody said diversity wouldn't come without permanent paralysis for the unlucky few. Cheers!

PK33

Sol Cranfill • Dec 21, 2017 at 07:30

The bollard that stopped the car came to my attention as well. As Mark said about the security theater at the airport, the attacks will just move to the security line. And so it is with the bollards.

Sol Cranfill • Dec 21, 2017 at 02:19

Apparently, both being from San Francisco, Rep. Jackie Speier is Nancy Pelosi's protégé.

Should either leave DC, they may have a future in theater. Today I heard Pelosi say the tax-cut bill was the worst! ever! to reach the floor of the House of Representatives. Later I heard Speier (often pronounced spire but pronounced spear) invoke Dickens: "Tiny Tim, we're taking your crutch away from you and all the other kids in this country, and we're putting a lump of coal into your Christmas stocking."

Ho Ho Ho! You cannot make it up.

Fran Lavery • Dec 21, 2017 at 02:10

That was terrific! Thank you! We ought, indeed, to be fighting for the real estate where it matters and not be giving safe haven to those who pray and plan for our demise in our own communities throughout the Western World. It was an entertaining and imspired speech with successive messages packing the gut punches. You may not be a hero in the military sense but in matters of educating people on what honest and courageous leadership is all about in today's complicated world, a hero you are to many. I especially liked how passionate you became. This is really do or die time for Western Civilization.

James Miller • Dec 21, 2017 at 01:50

Just brilliant. No surprise. Mark is a treasure.

Steven Payne • Dec 21, 2017 at 01:29

Great speech, but he keeps talking about Clinton without specifying Bill or Hillary. What with the talk about Afghanistan, I assume it was Hillary. I think she won the Medal of Honor after she had to run from gunfire there, didn't she?

PK33

Steven Payne • Dec 21, 2017 at 07:34

From the video I had the impression that the Clinton mentioned was a veteran.

Hiillary may have won a Medal of Honor dodging sniper fire in Bosnia. Fake news if ever there was such, before it was named such.

Mark replies:

That's correct. Just to clarify, my references to "Clinton" mean neither Bill nor Hillary but rather Clinton Romesha, a very brave Medal of Honor recipient who spoke before me. You can see his speech here, and it's well worth your time.

PK33

PK33 • Dec 21, 2017 at 08:53

Thank you for sharing that link Mark. Clinton's speech was compelling. I'm sharing it.

"I've never seen anyone take a knee to do the right thing, they've always stood up to do it." A true hero indeed.

Steven Payne

PK33 • Dec 21, 2017 at 22:48

I have it on good authority from some comedian or other that, if you have to explain you were joking, it's not a good joke. But really, did you think I actually thought Mark was talking about Bill or Hill?
Okay, not a good joke on my part.

PK33

Steven Payne • Dec 22, 2017 at 07:01

The thing with email, texts and comments is that you can't always get the tone and you never get a facial expression so it is sometimes more difficult to tell. Especially if it is someone you don't know. And besides, society is permitting fewer and fewer jokes these days, so my default position has become too serious I suppose.

Sol Cranfill • Dec 21, 2017 at 01:01

I certainly feel restored after watching that.

The most important point to me is of speaking the truth and saying what you think, regardless of how horrified the press is that you may have used the wrong fork at dinner. Reagan did the same thing. He went right over the press' soft little heads and spoke right to the American people. As I learned in the Presidents Day SteynPost, Trump is in good company, with Thomas Jefferson, with his appraisal of the press. Further, from the same SteynPost, is Sen. McCain, whose big idea was to wine and dine the press and charm them into cooing over him as the Maverick moderate. Didn't work in 2000, didn't work in 2008.

It's why I don't mind that Roy Moore lost. He wouldn't answer questions straightforwardly. We don't need jelly-spined people, like Mr Sessions whom Moore was trying to replace, and whose pulse someone ought to be checking. Good for the people of Alabama for saying, no thanks. The Republicans live in a soundproof room. But I'm hoping somehow eventually word about this Trump fellow gets secreted in so they can hear about how you don't even have to have a squeaky clean record to speak the truth.

The power structure of the left is based on lies, and they are very vulnerable to the truth, if others have courage and gumption to tell it.

Build on Trump's successes, American people. Get over the fact he's uncouth. He stepped out and we need to step out of our comfort zones and start talking to young people, educating them, and turn this thing around.

All you have to do is think of the Prisoner of Zenda. Duty and honor. Had Roy Moore thought of those two things, the answer would have told itself and he might be Sen.-elect Moore.

Stephen Mumford • Dec 20, 2017 at 23:18

Well-said. Your points on Trump ignoring Karl Rove's enjoinder to make every second count are so correct.

I can only hope that Trump manages to stay true to his initial political impulses.

Ken • Dec 20, 2017 at 22:18

I hit the play button hoping it would equal last year's speech at a different event, which included a belly-laugh inducing riff on the state of Mann vs. Steyn. The one where you flip through five pages of notes without a word.

This new appearance exceeded expectations. Not only did I laugh, I cried. Afghanistan is a crime against our soldiers committed by our political class and their apologists.

George Pazin • Dec 20, 2017 at 21:50

Mark sees the big picture, understands the big picture, and articulately and hilariously communicates the big picture better than anyone else I've seen, heard or read.

Ken

George Pazin • Dec 20, 2017 at 23:18

In person like this, I split my sides over his Bob Newhartian timing. Except for Newhart, such exquisite pauses hadn't been heard since George Burns. I wonder if Mark enjoys an occasional Cuban...cigar!

Paul Nachman

George Pazin • Dec 21, 2017 at 01:18

Absolutely right. His delivery, too, is masterful. Not polished, a lot of it is ad-lib, but he has such a coherent, global view of our situation and is so articulate that he carries it off wonderfully.

It would be terrific if legions of people view it (not just read the transcript). Trouble is, 40 minutes is a long time when it's for viewing a video. So to the extent that people watch it, it's highly beneficial. But it's hard to get 'em started on such a 40-minute project, especially with today's attention spans.

Mark Matthews

George Pazin • Dec 21, 2017 at 05:24

I agree with you. I am proud to be a part of this membership club. Mark Steyn is Intelligent, very informative and witty. I don't know how I would survive without my weekly dose of Steyn.

Charles Perts

Paul Nachman • Dec 24, 2017 at 07:43

You are absolutely correct, but this would work just as well in audio form. It would make a GREAT podcast!

Scott Drew • Dec 20, 2017 at 21:17

Excellent speech, and your ultimate point is correct. If we don't preserve western heritage/values nothing else matters. Islam just means to tear us down. The establishment just wants to get along. Immigration-mostly illegal-advocates want to divide us.

Only by knowing who the true enemy is can we truly fight the good fight. Boots on the ground in Afghanistan, Iraq, or anywhere are useless without the will to defend who we are at home.