If Boris Pasternak is right that “no bad man can be a good poet,” it does not say much for the work of Stephen Redic. The 70-year-old poet was caught on videotape verbally abusing a young Turning Point member in New Hampshire at a polling area and then slapping him. The victim did nothing to provoke Redic, who became unhinged by Rainer Vesey who was engaging bystanders with a chance to debate issues in this election. The videotape is another example of the rising rage where some irate voters believe that they have a license to engage in political violence.
Saw this, its a disgrace for any older person to harm a kid. That is not how you get through to them. We are in for a lot more of this. Pay attention to where the worst impulses are acted upon.
Wisdom is derived from a combination of age and experience. The young TP has yet a deeper row to hoe and a crop to plant. The old poet’s crop has rotted in the field. Given what New England has voted to send to the Congress, one is given pause to contemplate what is being grown there.
He didn’t harm anyone and only a fool at age 70 attacks the young. They’re young and you’re not. He made an ass of himself. I’ll wager that’s not the first time.
When some people watch the video, they see anger and assault. When the people who celebrated the assassination of Charlie Kirk watch the video, they see righteousness. When the DSA watch the video, they see their next Senator.
Another physical civil war is the only salvation for our constitutional republic. We instinctively know this but are cowed by our media/education industry to refrain from verbalizing what we know is necessary. We acknowledge that dialogue with cultists is useless and there is more fervor today for ” fundamentally transformation” of our constitution than in 1860 for the states leaving the union to protect slavery. The former is far more the more dangerous and lethal.
Yea…slavery good! That thinking disqualifies you as a principled conservative.
Whimsicalmama wants to bring back slavery just as AI minions are gaining “superintelligence”.
I doubt she can imagine the implications to people like herself.
Funny. Democrats keep claiming Haley Stevens had some kind of mental meltdown and yet we have yet another video of what appears of an actual mental meltdown resulting in violence.
Again.
There seems to be a trend going on here.
Again.
UF – the character attacks on stevens are a necescity for the left – aside from the norms of left wing intolerance and required adherance to every changing dogma, Haley Stevens revoked her endorsement because El Sayed was antisemetic, and because after considering the antisemetic Ad and El Sayed’s refusal to condemn it she re-evaluated El Sayed campaign rhetoric and decided that his own prior remarks were no different than the ad.
One of the things I find very disturbing about the claim that his midterm hinged on “the war” is that there is an awful lot of both open and crypto anti-semitism in it.
You can argue that Trump should have rejected decades of US policy and turned a blind eye on Iran becoming a nuclear power and hoping that a suicidal theorcracy actively seeking the war that brings about the apocolyspe might actually behave rationally with nuclear power.
The US allowed North Korea to become a nuclear power, we allowed Iran and Pakistan to become nuclear powers.
Israel is with near certainty a nuclear power and everyone knows it – though there is no proof of that.
Regardless, you can argue that we should gamble that Iran becoming a nuclear power is a small risk.
I personally think those are all weak arguments. But you can make them.
But when you argue we did this for Israel – that becomes disturbing – yes we did it for Israel, and Qatar, and UAE and France and ultimately the american people – ANY nation that was potentially threatened by Iranian nukes.
Supermajorities in this country supported going to war with Iraq to preclude their becoming a nuclear power – despite the fact that claim turned out to be bogus.
I would join those highly critical of Trump if the Iran claim was bogus -but Iran has admitted to having 400+ KG of Weapons grade U235.
There is no question Iran was both seeking nuclear weapons and close to acheiving them.
But sometimes implicit in and occasionally explictly states is “we did this for the jews”
Throughout the world there is a growing antisemitism – especially on the left.
Though there are a number of leading right wing voices that are becoming increasingly antisemetic.
The left asserts that ALL ethnic criticism – even the most mild is repugnant – but increasingly excuses or even encourages anti-semitism.
In the US jews make up less than 1% of the population and are targets of 60% of all hate crimes.
In europe there are only a few thousand jews left – and STILL they are the target of a very large number of hate crimes.
Unfortunately this is not unique to the left – though today there is more o the left than elsewhere.
But one of the claims regarding this election is that young white male conservative Trump voters did not show up specifically because of linking this conflict to Israel and Jews.
It is near certain that I disagree with Haley Stevens on virtually ever issue of government and policy.
But her choice to stop trying to pretend that the antisemitism was not their and to speak out against her own interests was a tremendous act of bravery that will cost her very dearly – probably much more than she realizes.
Doing so was for me one of the most significant moments in this entire election.
It did not change anything. But it changes everything.
She is welcome in my home anytime.
“I would join those highly critical of Trump if the Iran claim was bogus -but Iran has admitted to having 400+ KG of Weapons grade U235.”
Not true at all. Iran never had weapons grade uranium fuel. Cite your evidence.
Gee, George/X
Google is your friend.
https://www.faf.ae/home/2025/6/23/warlive-irans-400kg-uranium-stockpile-nuclear-strikes-weapons-potential-and-international-monitoring
https://armscontrolcenter.org/irans-stockpile-of-highly-enriched-uranium-worth-bargaining-for/
LOL! All you demonstrated is that you don’t have reading comprehension. Or understand what percentage of purity makes uranium weapons grade.
Weapons-grade” uranium typically requires an enrichment level of 90% U-235.
Both the Foreign Affairs Forum and the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation cite IAEA reports confirming that Iran’s 400+ kg stockpile is enriched up to 60% purity. Your first source explicitly notes that this “falls just short of the 90 percent threshold typically considered weapons-grade.
John falsely claimed Iran had 400kg of weapons grade uranium. It was a flat out lie.
X. coming across your comment here and I regret to inform you that John is right and you are wrong (again). Of more importance is that after you demand evidence, you deride the sources provided to you, without reading the whole thing yourself (precisely what you accuse others of.
I’m not going to get between you and John Say, but I would like to point out the part you apparently missed :
“While press coverage has indicated that it is a short technical step from 60% enrichment to 90%, perhaps it is not evident to the public that 99% of the work needed to enrich the full stockpile to 90% has already been performed.” (from the above citation).
And how about this from the Atomic Scientists’ Bulletin:
“The prevailing assertion that Iran needs ‘weapons-grade’ uranium enriched to at least 90 percent uranium 235 to build a nuclear explosive device—widely repeated by government officials, the media, and commentators alike—is simply wrong.
https://thebulletin.org/2025/07/iran-can-still-build-nuclear-weapons-without-further-enrichment-only-diplomacy-will-stop-it/
It’s such a shame that people on this blog must constantly fact-check your wild claims, especially after you insult them. yours truly, lin.
X:
Google is my friend too.
“Improvised Nuclear Weapons with 60%-Enriched Uranium” https://arxiv.org/html/2507.20390v1
“We have demonstrated that with a sufficiently large neutron reflecting tamper 60%-enriched uranium can be used to construct a kiloton-yield nuclear weapon with as little as 40 kg of fissile material. Such a weapon would be relatively simple, and following the design of the Little Boy bomb it could be expected to successfully detonate without testing. Though too large and massive to be delivered by a ballistic missile, such a weapon could be smuggled in a standard shipping container on a truck or by cargo ship into a port.”
nite nite.
X, blown out of the water, will disappear for the night.
He has to go look all this up and haVe AI compose a response.
Iran has a lot of sunshine? Solar makes more sense.
So does Saudi Arabia and they still want nuclear power.
If the dems didn’t have their media-protected tools of lies and character assassination, they’d have nothing to offer. Their position against TP is only one example.
Given the super short nature of the article is seems professor Turley wants to add more rage-bait for downtrodden MAGAs.
A single incident and it’s all the…ahem…rage…in Turley’s world. I wonder how much longer he can mild this “rage” narrative with the absolute massacre that this was for the Republican Party and Trump.
Even as I type JD Vance is already distancing himself from Trump.
At some point Turley will have to at the very minimum acknowledge the fact Republicans failed miserably with their messaging. They made the mistake of listening to…Trump.
Many now will start distancing themselves from him and ‘assert’ their ahem…independence from him. Funny stuff, really.
Well said. He’s really grasping now. I wonder how long he had to surf the web to look for this little crumb. Anything – ANYTHING to play the MAGA victim card. Doesn’t that shtick get old after a while?
we all know that you routinely reply to your own comments but couldn’t you at least create a suckypuppet with an IQ greater than your glove size? Wait for my reply to my reply before you reply
🤪
How long? About 0.05 of a second to open a browser. It is no surprise of another example of Democrats displaying hate and rage and violence at others. We see it all the time.
ANON is a little crumb. Doesn’t ANON’S shtick get old after a while? Already did.
Where in Turley’s post does it say that the 70 year old poet was on the left ?
You – with near certainty correctly assumed that.
In doing so you PROVE that even you know that where there is political violence – it is almost always initiated by the left.
There is riots and looting and arson accross europe – all left wing nuts “protesting” the failure of other left wing nuts.
Whereever you go – when you find political violence – it si nearly always from the left.
It is not Turley saying that, it is not I saying that – it is self evident because YOU assumed that.
YOU Know, and you KNOW this is not an isolated incident.
Try to focus…no matter how difficult for you…focus. Enjoy your short-term sugar high…reality will return. Apparently you are new to politics…enjoy the ride.
Trump lost support precisely *because* he failed his own constituents, his own promises, ie., MAGA. He failed MAGA. Not because he is insufficiently socialist.
Right. He’s a narcissist egomaniac who tells himself he’s perfect, therefore no need to learn and improve. There’s a difference between someone who deceives others and knows they’re doing it, and someone who deceives themselves as a mental defense mechanism then clings stubbornly to it. The first is evil, the 2nd is pathetic. Neither deserves a leadership position.
Downtrodden X. Start your own blog you crybaby.
X “Even as I type..”
I’m so glad that I again inspired you when I wrote yesterday that “As I write this,..”
It’s been so much fun watching how you catch my words or ideas and they show up the next day or so in your writing. “ROLF![sic]”
X aside from mentioning in passing that the person slapped was from TP – there is not a single reference in this whole article to left or right.
Everyone assumes the 70 year old Poet is on the left. But Turley does not say that.
Turley says they disagreed about some issue related to the election.
Increasingly it appears that antisemitism was a factor in this election – worse still though less overtly – antisemitism from MAGA voters.
The “issues” that they were debating could easily have been antisemitism and the 70 year old poet could have been a jew.
Yet with near certainty everyone CORRECTLY decided that the Poet was left wing.
Even YOU have concluded that.
In doing so you PROVE tht even you grasp that the font of political violence is on the left.
You have claimed that Turley is stoking MAGA rage – but even YOU assume without any other evidence that when a poet slaps a younger person at a table seeking to discuss political issues that the person doing the slapping is on the left.
You did not make that assumption – because of a “single incident”
X – as I said yesterday – the 2028 Election cycle has started. We have not cleaned up the campaign signs and we are already campaigning for 2028.
Vance posted some of the earliest views regarding the causes of this. Trump very quickly agreed.
No there is no daylight between Trump and Vance.
Nor did Trump or Vance blame other republicans – despite your idiotic prediction to the contrary.
There is some blame to atribute to other republicans – SOME of the republican candidates were poor, But honestly on the whole the Democrat candidates were worse. Neither Paxton nor Talerico were good candidates – but having tinkerbell in the senate from TX is not the end of the world or even a big deal.
Rogers was not a great candidate – but El Sayed was a horrible candidate – but he will not be the first democrat anti-semite in the senate.
Graham’s sister was a weak choice in SC a good candidate would have held SC.
NC flipped to Blue before this election. While GA has had 2 dem senators for some time, it is still a pink state – but it will go blue eventually.
I am surprised that Collins lost – jackson was a weak candidate, and Collins has always know how to do well in Maine. But this was with near certainty her last election and Maine will elect democrat senators in the future.
But Democrat wins in the rust belt are anomalies specific to this election. Everything from PA throught MN is flipping solid red eventually.
Even IL may flip eventually
Over time – WA, OR, MN, and NY become swing states.
TX is more complicated. The influx of californians is pulling the state left. At the same time Republicans are making progress on the minority vote particularly Hispanics. It appears that the GOP did badly with hispanics in south texas – which was a major factor specific to texas. But there is no reason to beleive that the overall pro GOP trend among minorities has shifted.
All acrross the country Republicans have been significantly outregistering Democrats – nearly everywhere, but especially swing states.
In THIS election those registations did not translate to Republican votes.
Again we will have to look at the data – data that you just ignore and then make claims based on ouija board nonsense in your head.
There is a claim – I have not seen the data to support it, that Republicans only got 50% of the vote of young males.
That is a massive problem if true and permanent. That data is NOT saying they say out the election, it is saying they voted democrat.
That appears to be the reason that Vance and Trump are attributing this to “the war”
Presuming this is true and presuming that “the war” was a deciding factor. and presuming that ONLY “the war” is the issue that flipped their vote – then this election means absolutely nothing with respect to 2028.
Even your ludicrously stupid “Trump backlash” claim still means little regarding 2028.
Trump’s decision with respect to Iran was the only choice. If that cost the election – so be it.
Iran will not be on the ballot in 2028.
This conflict will be over. The US will have won.
Pretty much ALL of the TDS “issues” – Gas prices, tariffs, the war, will have resolved favorably significantly before 2028.
Despite the rants about affordability – standard of living is rising, real wages are rising. It is unlikely unemployment can go lower.
If Trump does NOTHING regarding Iran and Tariffs – supply chain shifts alone will completely resolve the weak affordability claim.
Democrats need an out of the blue disaster – another Covid or the issues they ran on in 2026 are gone in 2028.
You wanted to rant that somehow you have a mandate – FOR WHAT ?
With few elections the Democrat platform was entirely issues that will be gone even if nothing is done in 2028.
The reasons that young males voted republican in the past will still be there in 2028.
If “the war” or tariffs or afordability are the driving factors in this election – then Democrats bought votes for a single election.
They have not changed the underlying red trends.
If this election was a referendum on socialism – which Trump and republicans claimed – but which YOU denied – then
Republicans are in trouble.
All this is again why instead of consulting a ouija board, I would like to see the data.
Who voted how, and why, who showed up and why did not matters.
If as YOU claim Democrats persuaded voters to rebuke trump for a collection of issues that are short term problems and long term benefits – then Democrats continue to face the same uphill battle in 2028 as they have from 2024.
This election is a turning point only if it reflects a vote FORE the far left policies of Democrats.
Another reason I want to see the data is because though the GOP ran a few bad candidates – so did democrats and still they won – often against far batter republicans. Further Democrats ran a really really bad campaign – The GOP campaign was not excellent – but the party in power has a platform and voters know it.
John Say, as always, you get a LOT of things wrong.
Your weak attempts to dismiss the gravity of what happened to the Republicans in this election is the same kind of mentality that did them in. Complete disconnect from reality.
Democrats didn’t have to do much to convince voters about their situation. Trump and his Republicans failed to do the one thing they did in 2024. Listen to their constituents. They ran on lowering prices and ‘righting’ the cultural issues facing them. Trump made promises to lower costs and make everything affordable and much better than Biden. But…when he started his stupid trade wars with tariffs and a war with iran HE caused the rise in prices and made business in Texas more expensive with his tariffs.
This had NOTHING to do with California transplants. None. It was all about Hispanics who once supported Trump realizing Trump all but abandoned them and ignored their concerns about the cost of living and the immigration crackdowns the did not sign up for. They realized they were lied to and that was a HUGE mistake.
This BS about the 2028 election cycle is nothing more than a convenient excuse to ignore the disaster that befell Republicans in this cycle. Because it was a massacre. Nearly every seat in Texas flipped. Even the conservative majority in the TX Supreme Court is gone, the legislature’s GOP majority is gone. It was such a shock many were still reeling from the unthinkable idea that Democrats would turn Texas blue.
2028 is a long ways off and it is entirely dependent on how Trump performs in the last two years. Republicans will be more willing to buck their party with a weakened Trump and a fading MAGA movement. I take it you get some comfort in looking forward to 2028 after being “near certain” of the Democrats not gaining much ground in this election and being “near certain” Trump would gain control of the strait of Hormuz within a few weeks. You move the goal posts as easily as the wind.
Trump’s policies failed. The war in Iran was a huge mistake. Tariffs did more damage to our economy, especially Texas. We spent Billions on a war with no goal achieved. Lost crucial military bases in the Middle East due to his incompetence and stupidity.
As you always say. The only people who can hold the president accountable are the voters. Yesterday they fired Republicans for their incompetence and their poor governance. Voters revoked the mandate they were given in 2024 in the clearest way possible by turning deep red states into blue states as punishment.
You claim Democrats are all about power, nope. It’s Republicans who love their power. Right now in Texas they are openly discussing ways to get rid of the Texas governor’s emergency powers and any authority before she’s sworn in so Republicans can retain power in Texas. THAT is exactly why Republicans lost in Texas. Because of BS like that. It shows exactly why, as I’ve said, they lost. Because they didn’t listen.
Keep making excuses John but YOU lost. And Democrats showed Republicans what happens when you push for authoritarian power too much. It gets taken away in the most dramatic way possible. Texas was flipped blue. Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, and maybe even Georgia and Alabama. That’s historic in itself and a serious rebuke of how conservatives aka Republicans seriously abused their 2024 mandate.
The frustrations of the times we live in. That the cost of energy is so intertwined with the cost of commodities and services its time, an education about the intricacies of the global oil market which supplies the ‘engine of the world’, which most know nothing of, is long overdue. There are multiple factors, both domestic and foreign, which are affecting the cost of a gallon of gasoline. It’s NOT the war against Iran alone as we are led to believe. Understanding this will better serve the electorate in determining whether their representatives are acting in the best interests of their constituents or their own, because decisions were made here at home regarding domestic production, and the global price, which are impacting on those costs.
Yes, trapper. It’s a rehash of nazi Germany and what lead to the holocaust. All pieces are in place. Sure enough, kill the Judan has returned but whitey was added. It’s part of war tactics studied at Annapolis. Smh
“It’s a rehash of nazi Germany and what lead to the holocaust.”
…but not what brought the U.S. to finally get involved in the war in Europe. Roosevelt and Company were careful not to give the impression that they were pursuing Hitler to save the Jewish community there. It never would have flown.
TJ – The law of supply and demand dictates that if you reduce supply prices will go until demand declines to meet supply.
the same economic laws dictate that if high prices will drive increases in production until prices come down.
But the process does not occur instantly.
I do not see gas prices as particularly high – they are almost $1/gal lower that they were for many months under Biden.
The price of Gasoline in Real Dollars is unchanged through my lifetime. I paid less for gas when I was 20, but I was also paid less
Iran has reduced traffic through the straits – but it has not succeeded in closing them – but even if Iran had succeeded – over time markets would adjust. Production is increasing in the US, in Argentina, most everywhere it can – not because oil producers want to defeat Iran, but because they want to make money.
The Gulf States are very actively pursuing means of exporting oil that bypass the straits – the pipeline bypassing the straits is transporting double what it was before the war. Gulf nations are in various stages of expanding that capacity and planning pipelines to the mediterainian.
Some means to increase supply take hours, Some take years – but so long as supply is restricted and there is demand the free marke will find ways to meet that demand.
The same occurs with other measures such as Tariffs. I am personally suspicious that Candian Tarrifs are a major factor in the Rust belt elections.
But one way or the other – the consequences of those tariffs will benefit worked in the state currently most harmed by them.
Canada can either make a deal with Trump or US supply chains will adjust to get canadian products – particularly auto parts elsewhere.
Canada too can adjust – but that is much harder, Canada does not have the transport and supply chain flexability the US has.
US autmakers can shift to parts from Mexico, Japan, South America, China Transporting them to Michigan.
Canada can not nearly so easily export parts to Europe or China.
I think a fitting punishment would be to have the “poet” locked in a room for 24 hours listening to his own poetry. The recording would be a loop read by the young man he assaulted.
What I would ask is was Vesey within 100 ft if a polling place. If so, his instigation should be taken into account if it goes before a judge. It could be viewed as electoral interference. I don’t condone the assault.
Doesn’t look like it.
Make your argument why a perpetrator of violence deserves a more lenient penalty because the victim violated an electioneering law
In California they would have a truck serving free tacos.
Excuse me, but my Southern upbringing forces me to say “typical damnyankee” behavior!!
and yes…that’s one word 🙂
Silly me always thought “Poets” were people of somber reflection.
But I guess when someone “disrespects” them, in the street vernacular, violence is justified.
Sounds like the old man lives in the “hood”.
I assume his “poet” designation is singularly self-described.
He thought he was Abby Hoffman, for a moment there. Or perhaps the Symbionese Liberation Army.
The ANON’s posting today should be slapped! ha ha ha
The ANON’s posting today should be
slappedshot!!! ha ha haWhy hasn’t Turley condemned January 6?
Will he ever?
If Jan 6 wasn’t something worth condemning, then I don’t know what is.
If Turley is looking for something to condemn, Jan 6 is low-hanging fruit.
It should be easy-pickings. It should be a no-brainer.
Keep up ANON. Turley wrote about J6 many times. SMH
Simple assault and disorderly conduct is only bad when a leftist does it. Otherwise, it’s not worth mentioning.
BOZO ANON!!
If anyone should know about no-brainers, it would most certainly be you
You are the reason that Jesus has not returned yet.
No, he already returned and left. You’re still here? Darn, huh?
“Why hasn’t Turley condemned January 6?”
When charge, arrest, prosecution, and conviction for the ‘Insurrection of January 6th” comes to pass, we can re-visit the conversation.
Psych interview of slapper. Someone planted in a waiting room strike up a complaining dialogue with him. He’s violent. What preceded the anger from the TP man? Certainly you don’t know anything are fighting words to an elder.
When confronted with angry opposition sit quietly and listen or leave if possible. Offer a cup of coffee if possible. Offering food disarms. It’s not Kansas anymore.
Honduras is heading this way on foot. No money for cars or bus fare is coming in February. It’s a good thing Texas portal and California portal are manned democrats Hinojosa and Beccera. There could be slapping at the border otherwise.
Yea I saw this earlier quite stupid move. In the “poet’s” defense his Depend was probably soiled and was irritating his balls.
Everyone here can relate.
Ah the original first Gen Woke Hippie from the 1960’s is back in action – bringing pain and suffering to anyone around him – and not just pain from listening to or reading his garbage poetry! A real sweetheart peace loving BUM!! Bah haha!!!
The man was born in 1956. Too young for hippiedom or for the S.D.S.
It was a day of love.
Glad to hear he’s been charged. So many of people who behave in this way escape unscathed.
As he should be. And the young fella should have opened up a can of whoop ass on the old fool.
The young fella would then have been charged himself.
Self-defense. No charges.
Yep, the TP man has better arms.
😂 whoop-ass. Its funny but old man could have a knife. TP was insolent and old man backhanded him and gestured. Violence and obscenity was dished out. What if TP had opened a can of whoop ass? Justified?
Jesus said to turn the other cheek.
Creekan, it’s the translation and added commentary. Its predicting a time period. The time is youll be beaten and robbed and have no ability to respond. That’s all I’ll say.
Democrats are by nature greedy, hate filled, violent people
You encounter repulsive people online.
==
As for the man in question, he seems to have a stew of resentments.
==
I tend to doubt his life has been a happy one.
I disagree because I am conservative and Christian. I choose to judge people as individuals. I admit it is tempting to paint with a broad brush in times like this, but I have a few liberal friends I think well of and I won’t let this election deny me their friendship. Those that are most visible to us by being extreme don’t represent all. Turley, a life long Democrat values this country as much as we do. I subscribe to the Free Press, founded by a liberal Dem who values freedom of speech and journalistic integrity. We must joint together to defeat those that would destroy our country. I know others that I don’t care much for as well. We cannot let the extremists cause us to become as they are. To win against them, we much oppose their hate and violence, not adopt it.