Victor Davis Hanson on "Refined Crudity": Democrats' Sophisticated Threat

Crass vs. Refined Crudity

• 💡 The discussion distinguishes between "crass crudity" (overt, transparent, and condemned, like Trump's insults) and "refined crudity" (subtle, cloaked in authority, and more destructive).
• 🎯 Crass crudity is rhetorical and doesn't directly affect policy, whereas refined crudity misleads the public under the guise of authority or expertise.

Refined Crudity in Media and Academia

• 📺 In media, figures like Rachel Maddow and Jon Stewart are cited as examples of refined crudity for promoting narratives like "Russian collusion" and then shifting to "Russian disinformation" without accountability.
• 🎓 The appointment of Claudine Gay as Harvard's president is presented as refined crudity, given her thin academic record, suspected plagiarism, and inadequate response to antisemitic incidents.

Refined Crudity in Law and Politics

• ⚖️ The prosecution of Donald Trump through numerous indictments, trials in biased jurisdictions, and actions like raiding his home are labeled as refined crudity, using the law to destroy a political opponent.
• 💰 The embezzlement of $1 billion by Somali immigrants and the subsequent downplaying by officials like Keith Ellison and Tim Walz are also cited as examples of refined crudity, cloaked in rhetoric about racism.

Refined Crudity in Military Leadership

• 🎖️ General Mark Milley's actions, such as diagnosing the Commander-in-Chief as unhinged and contacting Chinese counterparts, are presented as refined crudity, potentially undermining military command structures.
• ⚠️ Milley's alleged instructions to regional commanders to disregard orders from the President and await his approval are described as a near coup, disguised as advisory actions.

The Subtle Danger of Refined Crudity

• 🗣️ Elected representatives telling the military to question orders is characterized as refined crudity, a political stunt cloaked in constitutional rhetoric to attack Donald Trump.
• 🚫 The inability of these representatives to identify a specific order justifying refusal highlights the superficiality of their claims, demonstrating a cheap political stunt rather than genuine constitutional concern.