I enjoyed this more than I thought I would

Vivek Ramaswamy sat down with Jordan Peterson to have a 100-minute conversation, ranging all over from the 2008 financial crisis to issues of ESG, wokeism, the need for a sense of national identity, and so on. Ramaswamy—who has thrown his hat in the ring as a GOP presidential hopeful for the 2024 election—is young (37!!), sharp, and scarily armed with myriad facts at his fingertips. I'm going to pay much more attention to him now. He's a successful entrepreneur, which means he'd probably have the chops to manage the economy of a country. He also seems (seems) to have a value system that's close in alignment to my own. Is he enough of a fighter to dismantle an opponent on the debate stage? He's certainly sharp enough to wield facts like a weapon, and he's got plenty of dynamic, nervous energy that, channeled correctly, could translate as presence during a debate. For the moment, he's not quite covered in the mud that comes of mucking it up with other politicians at the level of slogans, sound bites, outright lies, misquotes, and general dis-/misinformation; a few more months of that filthy experience will help to round out his skills, I think. Right now, he comes off as a clean-cut entrepreneur who has reluctantly stepped into politics to right perceived wrongs, making him an outsider like Trump. Unfortunately, he also has a talkative intellectual's tendency to offer an entire background explanation before tackling whatever question he's being asked. Jordan Peterson had to cut him off several times to keep the man focused and on point in his answers. 

For such a long conversation, this was nevertheless educational and enjoyable. I watched it at 2X speed, of course, so for me, it was only 50 minutes long. I wonder what Peterson came away thinking. Ramaswamy is certainly well-groomed, personable, and smooth, but it can sometimes be a bad sign when someone comes off as too aerodynamic, lacking rough edges. Americans have had a history of liking salt-of-the-earth presidents with country accents; even if it's only an act, the rustic look is appealing to regular folks. (Of course, the same could be said for the hardscrabble urban look, too.) Overall, Ramaswamy made a generally positive impression on me, but as with any person, the only way to really know the truth is to watch his or her conduct over time: time is the ultimate truth-teller, the ultimate revealer of character, and real human virtues—like integrity and courage—can always stand the test of time.

One of the comments underneath the video said this (edited):

First presidential candidate to literally sit down with a shrink and have his motives dissected for the world to see. Transparency and action are what we need. You have my vote!!!

I can't say that Vivek Ramaswamy has my vote yet, but I like him, and I think he can, at the very least, bring some new ideas to the stage. Even if those ideas end up being quietly stolen by the GOP frontrunners, Ramaswamy will still have made a significant contribution to the national discourse. I know we're all pressed for time, but do watch this discussion. Watch it in little bits and pieces if you must. Most voters can't be bothered to care about the issues; they vote based on instinct, vague impressions, and whatever twisted shit their friends and relatives tell them. Hearing about the issues straight from the horse's mouth is a much better, more enlightening course of action. Here's your chance to listen and judge for yourself.

ADDENDUM: Vivek critiques the right here. That resonates with me. We didn't get into the current situation only thanks to the machinations of the left: the right passively lay back and let the bulldozer run over it. The right deserves half the blame.

ADDENDUM: Vivek's wife Apoorva is pretty damn cute, too.