Wolbrecht sees in the Swifties-will-reelect-Biden mania the kind of dismissive attitudes toward women voters—portraying them as shallow and flighty—that date back to the days of the suffragist movement. “It seems to me,” she said, “that the kind of person who won’t vote for Biden over Gaza won’t say that on one hand there is a […]
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Biden Will Win Michigan Easily. It May Also Show His Weakness.
In other words, Listen to Michigan is saying, 11,000 holdouts is enough to flip a presidential election result, so if the uncommitted number gets north of 30,000, that’s big enough to call into question whether Michigan will remain part of Biden’s blue firewall in the Electoral College. The Abandon Biden campaign, another major proponent of […]
Read MoreThe Red States Fighting the Good Fight Against Big Tech
Moreover, the common carriage approach isn’t a recipe for more hate speech: This problem is a function of these platforms’ basic business model—surveillance advertising. In the 1990s, people could express white supremacist views on bulletin boards, but their posts wouldn’t be amplified and disseminated widely the way they often are today. But today’s social media […]
Read MoreThe Brokered Convention That Could Break the Democrats
As Brian Beutler pointed out in his Off Message newsletter, this was worthy of alarm bells: “The question of whether elites, particularly center-right elites, choose to abide fascism is central to the survival of democracy.” In a later post, Beutler dove deeper into Dimon’s rhetoric, and found evidence that whatever ties that might have bound […]
Read MoreThere’s Only One Viable Alternative to Biden
Endorsing Harris would effectively make her bulletproof. She would inherit his campaign infrastructure and delegates, giving her a head start over any potential challengers—including Newsom, who has been conspicuously building a national profile over the last couple of years. (Even if Biden didn’t endorse Harris, she would still have huge advantages in fundraising and infrastructure.) […]
Read MoreThere’s Only One Viable Alternative to Biden
Endorsing Harris would effectively make her bulletproof. She would inherit his campaign infrastructure and delegates, giving her a head start over any potential challengers—including Newsom, who has been conspicuously building a national profile over the last couple of years. (Even if Biden didn’t endorse Harris, she would still have huge advantages in fundraising and infrastructure.) […]
Read MoreAlabama’s Unhinged Embryo Ruling Shows Where the Anti-Abortion Movement Is Headed
Where might this ruling take us in this legal era following the Dobbs decision—an era already marked by uncertainty as if by design? (Some media coverage so far has unfortunately only fed the uncertainty, mistakenly referring to “frozen eggs” rather than “frozen embryos.” Frozen eggs have not been found to be people—at least not yet.) […]
Read MoreNo, Trump Isn’t Pivoting to the Center on Abortion
Trump’s chaotic public statements—flip flops, in the parlance of politics—can also yield the false impression of moderation. Eight years ago, as he fought to secure the Republican nomination, he appeared to moderate his positions on abortion and terrorism, endorsing “highly skilled” immigrants and walking back calls to murder the families of terrorists. At the time, […]
Read MoreThe Zombie Law Trump Wants to Use to Ban Abortion Nationwide
Dickson, Mitchell’s partner in Comstock, told Littlefield that such ordinances were “de facto” bans on abortion, achieved by prohibiting clinics use of the mail. “If an abortion facility cannot receive abortion-inducing drugs or any abortion paraphernalia,” he explained, “then how can they perform abortions?” In towns and counties that had adopted one of Mitchell and […]
Read MoreThe Israeli Settler Movement’s Ugly Postwar Plans for Gaza
At all points it is taken for granted that fewer Palestinians—not counting those already slain—will live in their homeland once the Israelis are through with them. To call this “moral and humane” or a “voluntary migration” smells of pre-emptive self-defence against the shackles of international law. But you can trust the settlers and their allies […]
Read MoreAlexei Navalny Was Vladimir Putin’s Worst Nightmare
In a 2021 letter to independent journalist Yevgenia Albats, he contemplated death: “It’s a historical process. Russia is going through it, and we are coming along together. We’ll make it (probably). I am all right, and I have no regrets. And you shouldn’t, either, and shouldn’t worry. Everything will be OK. And, even if it […]
Read MoreWelcome to Anti-Woke Orientation Weekend at the University of Austin
If you take its brand marketing at face value, UATX is above the simple-mindedness of Twitter feuds, childish trolling, and the fervent religiosity of the Very Online. In practice, however, it’s something of a retread, aligned with a familiar strand of libertarianism that already comes in a pre-congealed, ready-to-digest form in the public utterances of […]
Read MoreAustin’s Anti-Woke University Is Living in Dreamland
If you take its brand marketing at face value, UATX is above the simple-mindedness of Twitter feuds, childish trolling, and the fervent religiosity of the Very Online. In practice, however, it’s something of a retread, aligned with a familiar strand of libertarianism that already comes in a pre-congealed, ready-to-digest form in the public utterances of […]
Read MoreResolved: The U.S. Should Stop Growing Tobacco
According to a WHO report, “More than 90 percent of the world’s tobacco is grown in low- and middle-income countries, mostly by smallholder farmers who need to use unpaid family labor to make ends meet, leading to child labor.” As the market penetration of cigarettes continues to shrink among adults worldwide, the big tobacco companies […]
Read MoreEarth to Media: Try to Get It—Nice, Ordinary People Can Be Fascists
When Mayer asked about the Holocaust, however, things took a dark turn. How it could happen snapped into sharp focus. These perfectly pleasant Germans said they knew nothing about it. Or that it didn’t happen. Or it did happen, but it was exaggerated. Or, if they did acknowledge that it happened, well, sure, Hitler went […]
Read MoreAn Infuriating Poll Finding About Trump Should Galvanize Democrats
Americans find there is blame to go around on Congress’ failure to pass legislation intended to decrease the number of illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border—with about the same number blaming the Republicans in Congress (53%), the Democrats (51%) and Biden (49%). Fewer, 39%, blame Trump. Biden strongly supported the deal, while Trump explicitly and […]
Read MoreThe Only Mental Acuity I’m Questioning These Days Is the Mainstream Media’s
But recently, that flipped. This transformation has been in process for several years, but I date it to January 6 for two reasons. First, before that, the right-wing media didn’t have all-consuming power when it came to crunch time. They could not, for example, elect Donald Trump. There was still enough of a shred of […]
Read MoreMAGA Warms to a Murderous Chilean Dictator
There is a wry joke sometimes told on the Latin American left: “Why has there never been a coup in Washington, D.C.?” The answer is that there is no American Embassy there. But the insurrection on January 6, 2021, and the associated efforts to reverse Joe Biden’s victory represent the closest the United States has […]
Read MoreNightmare Special Counsel Report Is the Media’s New Hillary Emails
One of Hur’s key findings is that at one point in 2017, in private life, Biden appeared to allude to classified documents in his position. Hur concluded that a jury would not place sufficient “evidentiary weight” on that one instance, given Biden’s “limited precision and recall.” Yet Hur also reached that conclusion for another reason. […]
Read MoreMedia Meltdown Over Biden Report Fuels New “But Her Emails” Nightmare
One of Hur’s key findings is that at one point in 2017, in private life, Biden appeared to allude to classified documents in his position. Hur concluded that a jury would not place sufficient “evidentiary weight” on that one instance, given Biden’s “limited precision and recall.” Yet Hur also reached that conclusion for another reason. […]
Read MoreTrump Pretends He’s Still President. Biden Should Treat Him That Way.
But now that Trump, all but officially the GOP’s nominee for president (sorry, Nikki), is explicitly dictating what elected Republicans do, Biden can update that 2020 message. The chaos of the Trump years, which voters roundly rejected, is in danger of making a comeback. In fact, it’s already back, among Republicans in Congress, and Biden […]
Read MoreThe Supreme Court Wants No Part of Disqualifying Trump From the Ballot
At least a few of the justices appeared to be worried that states would use bogus claims to disqualify otherwise legitimate candidates. These fears are not wholly unfounded. As I noted earlier this week, a coalition of Republican governors and attorneys general suggested, in Goodfellas fashion, that such an event just might occur if Trump […]
Read MoreJust Say It, Democrats: Biden Has Been a Great President
Wake up and show some gratitude. You wanted student loan forgiveness. You got it, for three million borrowers. You wanted a president who would finally pass gun safety legislation. You got the most comprehensive bill in nearly 30 years, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which passed with the support of 15 Republican senators and 14 […]
Read MoreCould Taylor Swift Swing the 2024 Election at the Super Bowl?
Swift transcends politics, in other words—she has an undiluted influence that few cultural figures have in 2024. At the same time, that very flavor of influence, per the same March 2023 poll, which is uniquely strong among young people—millennials make up nearly half of her fan base—makes her particularly potent as a political player, especially […]
Read MoreHow the GOP’s Hard Line Will Make America More Pro-Immigrant, Not Less
But a funny thing happened on the way to preserving “Nordic” dominion over this blessed land. During the Great Depression, out of both necessity and desire, the U.S.-born children of immigrants from the restricted nations integrated themselves into American culture and institutions to a greater extent than their parents had. They spoke fluent English, flocked […]
Read MoreThe GOP Owns the Border Now. Here’s How Democrats Make Sure of It.
And they killed it. Because Trump wants to say “open borders.” Forget policy, forget human beings, forget all that. Politics is politics, and lots of things happen for, duh, political reasons. But this was on a whole ’nother level. When we think their behavior can’t get more shocking, it always, always does. So how can […]
Read MoreThe GOP Owns the Border Now. Here’s How Democrats Make Sure of It.
And they killed it. Because Trump wants to say “open borders.” Forget policy, forget human beings, forget all that. Politics is politics, and lots of things happen for, duh, political reasons. But this was on a whole ’nother level. When we think their behavior can’t get more shocking, it always, always does. So how can […]
Read MoreThe Trump Disqualification Case Is the Supreme Court’s Most Consequential Moment
Trumpworld also challenged the disqualification by arguing that the former president has not been convicted of rebellion, insurrection, or any ancillary offenses. In their brief for the court, Trump’s lawyers go even further to argue he did nothing wrong on January 6. “No prosecutor has attempted to charge President Trump with insurrection under 28 U.S.C. […]
Read MoreWhy Mike Johnson Is Having a MAGA Meltdown Over the Border Deal
It should be mentioned that some Democrats are attacking the bill, arguing that it sells out our commitment to international human rights ideals. And yes, the compromise is extremely problematic in many ways. It’s awful to contemplate what Trump might do as president with the authority to shut down asylum seeking if certain migration thresholds […]
Read MoreDonald Trump Is an Obvious Lawbreaker. Can Our Legal System Say So?
But we are left wondering: What if Trump skates away again? What if, in other words, it’s still 1973 in this country, and he gets away with it? Again: By any common-sensical standard, Trump as president was obviously an officer of the United States. He obviously incited an insurrection. It is obvious that no president […]
Read MoreIt’s Way Too Easy for a Crook Like Trump to Pervert Our Legal System
But we are left wondering: What if Trump skates away again? What if, in other words, it’s still 1973 in this country, and he gets away with it? Again: By any commonsensical standard, Trump as president was obviously an officer of the United States. He obviously incited an insurrection. It is obvious that no president […]
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