The GOP cannot run on their agenda because it is hugely unpopular so all they have is overt racism, misogyny, propaganda, name calling and outright lies.
It remains depressing and terrifying that tens of millions of people know this and vote for them anyway.
Anyway, it’s time the party goes to work to help elect El-Sayed.
Brian, this is a good piece, and I agree with almost all of it, but I want to nitpick slightly because, at one point, you indulge yourself in a way that slightly irritates me.
I think that when you're sumarizing recent political history you sometimes end up comparing the flaws of how things actually worked out with an idealized, "what if we got it perfectly right" scenario, which can ignore the question of, "how difficult would it be to get it perfectly right. In this case you write,
**
In 2009, Republicans invented an unconstitutional veto over all legislation, and Democrats did not respond. As a result, Democrats delivered worse health care and fewer jobs than they would have if they’d been more willing to stand up for themselves—and for you. Many analysts believe that the slow recovery from the Great Recession created the public discontent that allowed Donald Trump to consolidate power and unravel democracy.
**
That's true; and if you'd asked me between 2010 and 2020, I would have thought that was a completely fair analysis. But we've learned something since then! It's also true that the spending in the Biden era added to inflation which many analysts believe created the public discontent that allowed Donald Trump to consolidate power and win in 2024!
Part of the conclusion has to be that it's really difficult to get exactly the correct policy response.
The kneejerk racism from the Republicans--the Senate Republicans, no less--is as predictable as it is tiresome and (obviously) outrageous. It IS who they are, however, so they can't help themselves. AND they are under the until-very-recently reasonable assumption that the zeitgeist is still Trumpy Nasty™️. It isn't; that wave has crested (for now). Hopefully, they will continue to misread the room like the drunk at the party who doesn't realize or care the music has stopped and the lights have come on.
The GOP cannot run on their agenda because it is hugely unpopular so all they have is overt racism, misogyny, propaganda, name calling and outright lies.
It remains depressing and terrifying that tens of millions of people know this and vote for them anyway.
Anyway, it’s time the party goes to work to help elect El-Sayed.
AES needs to reach out to the Black community ASAP.
Michigan voters need to remember...better to have Joe Manchin than Jim Justice.
Trump and the GOP are the enemy. If your guy lost, get over it right now.
Brian, this is a good piece, and I agree with almost all of it, but I want to nitpick slightly because, at one point, you indulge yourself in a way that slightly irritates me.
I think that when you're sumarizing recent political history you sometimes end up comparing the flaws of how things actually worked out with an idealized, "what if we got it perfectly right" scenario, which can ignore the question of, "how difficult would it be to get it perfectly right. In this case you write,
**
In 2009, Republicans invented an unconstitutional veto over all legislation, and Democrats did not respond. As a result, Democrats delivered worse health care and fewer jobs than they would have if they’d been more willing to stand up for themselves—and for you. Many analysts believe that the slow recovery from the Great Recession created the public discontent that allowed Donald Trump to consolidate power and unravel democracy.
**
That's true; and if you'd asked me between 2010 and 2020, I would have thought that was a completely fair analysis. But we've learned something since then! It's also true that the spending in the Biden era added to inflation which many analysts believe created the public discontent that allowed Donald Trump to consolidate power and win in 2024!
Part of the conclusion has to be that it's really difficult to get exactly the correct policy response.
The kneejerk racism from the Republicans--the Senate Republicans, no less--is as predictable as it is tiresome and (obviously) outrageous. It IS who they are, however, so they can't help themselves. AND they are under the until-very-recently reasonable assumption that the zeitgeist is still Trumpy Nasty™️. It isn't; that wave has crested (for now). Hopefully, they will continue to misread the room like the drunk at the party who doesn't realize or care the music has stopped and the lights have come on.
I’m VERY nervous about the WI gubernatorial primary.