Impromptus

Of style and substance, &c.

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British prime minister Rishi Sunak waves outside Number 10 Downing Street in London on his first day on the job, October 25, 2022. (Peter Nicholls / Reuters)
On politics, a rash of murders, the luck of Norway, a diplomat’s life, and more

It is an old question: style versus substance. In many realms, yes, but today I’m talking about the political realm (as on so many days). For years, I have said something like this: “You could stand at a rostrum and read from The Communist Manifesto in a rough, pugnacious way, and many people would consider you a ‘conservative.’ You could read from The Conscience of a Conservative in a measured, refined way, and many would say, ‘Squish!’”

In the Telegraph, Daniel Hannan has written a piece on exactly this theme. His piece is about Rishi Sunak, the prime minister in London. The subheading reads, “The PM is by most measures to the Right of Boris Johnson, but this is an era in which vibes trump reality.”

“Vibes” is another way of saying “style,” I suppose.

“Boris has a demotic appeal based on his capaciousness of character,” says Hannan. “Rishi looks and sounds like the CEO of a large multi-national. People pick their side on the basis of impressions rather than policies.”


More in Rishi Sunak

Indeed.

A little Googling leads me to a post I wrote in 2012. A few words:

I’m learning, more and more, that political perceptions have a great deal to do with style. If you slash and shout, many people think of you as “conservative” or “right-wing.” If you say right-wing things in a calm, polite way, you may be seen as a moderate.

A bit more:

“Attitude” is another word that comes to mind — attitude and style. They have so much to do with political perceptions.

Among the Republican presidential contenders that year — 2012 — were Rick Perry and Mitt Romney. My post continued,

Think about two governors, Perry and Romney. (Well, one’s a former governor.) Perry is considered the more conservative by far. But there are some areas in which Romney is to the “right” of Perry. Thing is, Perry could quote The Communist Manifesto and he’d still come off as conservative. It’s the swagger, the chest, the twang — all that.

Another contender that year was Rick Santorum (another “Rick,” as it happens). He was calling for industrial policy. In those days, this was considered heretical, by most conservatives. We said, “The government shouldn’t be picking winners and losers,” and all that. “Central planning leads to dead ends.” But Santorum had the “vibe” . . .

One more paragraph from that post of mine — it may amuse you:

I used to say that Richard Armitage seemed right-wing, looked right-wing. He was built like a brick you-know-what. I think William Safire once referred to him as “a State Department source, with no neck.” But Armitage was at one, philosophically, with Colin Powell.

And Powell was considered a moderate.

If you will indulge me — one more?

The enemies a guy makes makes a huge difference too. In some ways, Nixon out-LBJ’d LBJ, as he occasionally liked to brag. But the Left hated Nixon so much, righties rallied to him.

Yup, they did. (I will quote Stan Evans, M. Stanton Evans, one of the driest wits in the West: “I never liked Nixon until Watergate.”)

• I liked a headline from the Associated Press: “Stymied by the Supreme Court, Biden wants voters to have the final say on his agenda.” (For the article, go here.) Think of those words “Stymied by the Supreme Court.” It makes me grateful for the Founders and the government they designed — complete with separation of powers. I’m grateful for Montesquieu and some of those other furriners too.

The separation of powers is crucial to our democracy. Inspired.

• “Cannabis Is Linked to Mental Illness,” reads a headline in the Wall Street Journal. “A major new study shows that people who abuse the drug are more likely to be diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder.”

Most of us don’t have social science — data. But doesn’t our life experience tell us it’s true?

This is not to make a point about legalization, necessarily. Plenty of things that are bad, and bad for you, are legal. But — don’t we all know it’s true?

(For the article I have cited, go here.)

• There has been a rash of murders in Washington, D.C. I think of a famous headline, of yore: “Dave, do something!” The headline appeared on the front page of the New York Post, in 1990. It referred to David Dinkins, the mayor of New York. In full, the headline was, “Crime-ravaged city cries out for help: DAVE, DO SOMETHING!”

You may have seen this story: “An Afghan man who spent years helping US forces in Afghanistan is shot and killed in Washington.” It begins,

At 31 years old, Nasrat Ahmad Yar had spent most of his adult life working with the U.S. military in Afghanistan before escaping to America in search of a better life for his wife and four children.

He found work as a ride-share driver and even managed to send money back to Afghanistan to help family and friends. . . .

Last Monday night, worried about making rent, he went out driving and was shot and killed in Washington.

I know that all murders are created equal, so to speak. And that all victims are created equal. And that no murder is to be deplored more than another. But still — this one . . . anyway . . .

• Find an honest writer — an honest, candid writer. He is worth his weight in gold. One such is John McWhorter, the linguist, who is a professor at Columbia University. He writes a column for the New York Times. His latest is “On Race and Academia: After the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action, I have some experiences to share.” Share them he does, “searingly,” to use a cliché. Here.

• George Washington referred to our “blessed location” — the blessed location of the United States, between two oceans, far from the intrigues and wars of Europe, etc. Well, Norway is pretty blessedly located too. The country struck it rich in the late 1960s, when oil was discovered in the North Sea. And the country has managed its oil wealth in a very intelligent way.

And now: “Norway’s new phosphate deposits are so massive they could guarantee solar power and electric cars keep running for the next 50 years.” (Article here.) When you got it, you got it, I guess.

They got it.

• Here’s something that may make you laugh — at me. I follow basketball a lot more closely than I follow tennis, which I don’t follow at all (though I love and admire tennis, so why I don’t follow it, I don’t know). I saw this headline: “Novak Djokovic plays at Wimbledon with the number ‘23’ printed on his white tennis shoes.” (Article here.) I first thought it was some kind of homage to Michael Jordan (who wore “23”). But, of course, Djokovic has won 23 Grand Slam tournaments, which I guess he is advertising — though, why?

• It ain’t tennis — but man alive, is it ping-pong. Behold:

I began this Impromptus with a few comments on style. Ladies and gentlemen, Yang Wang has style — to go with skill, skill, skill.

• Did you see Elly De La Cruz? Greatest Elly since Ameling.

• Like you, perhaps, I have been reading stories such as this my entire life: “An extremely overdue book has been returned to a Massachusetts library 119 years later.” (Article here.) You know what? I tend to enjoy them all.

• A little music? I wrote a brief post on “orchestras and cultural decline.” It is very conservative, and harrumphing, and curmudgeonly. It’s also dead-on, thank you very much.

• James F. Dobbins was one of the leading U.S. diplomats of our time. He has died at 81. Clay Risen, writing the obit for the New York Times, quotes Robert B. Zoellick: “He was not the sort of president’s friend’s political appointee. Jim was the type of committed government official that is critical for America’s success and standing in the world.”

Tell you something else (relayed by Mr. Risen): Dobbins enlisted in the Navy. Then joined the Foreign Service, which posted him to Paris. He attended a party given by a U.S. Marine detachment and met a Norwegian model — whom he married.

That’s livin’, baby.

Later.

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