Conservative thoughts? That's got to be the harshest thing anyone has said about conservatives on this site in ages Jaybird. Well done.
The headline of this article, note, is "How Barack Obama Build an Omnipotent Thought-Machine and how it was destroyed" and I think that summarizes the tone and thought quality of the article well.
Agreed. In the clear stark light of hindsight Biden should either have not run at all in 2020 in which case likely one of the other center laners or a centrist who sat out because of Biden would have gotten the nod and thumped Trump or he should have said he wasn't running again after the midterms.
Sure, conviction that Sanders would be a disaster and that they didn't want to duplicate the GOP's primary experience from 2016 from the left side of the spectrum.
He threw a fit because it was a compromise deal that included Dem priorities and because it didn't include a debt limit increase. The nerve of Dems, not giving him everything he'd want and thanking him for the chance to do so. Heheh
My point is simpler than that my friend: it's that in these modern times even the liberal (not the left wing identarian but actual honest to god(ess?) liberal) stance on Israel involves a lot of nose holding and genuine moral struggle with regards to Israel. And that's because of the Israeli right. That's not something you can blame on the professors or the Arabs or the luntatic lefties- that's on the Israeli right.
You're angry because you remember a time, only a decade and change ago, when every thoughtful person was pro-Israeli and it wasn't even very close- well those times are past and I don't see many signs of them returning. That's something you're going to have to make peace with and hope that those cracks and chips in the surface vibes you feel aren't precursor tremors of a deeper, and much warned about, shift.
10/7 clouds the matter because Jews =/= Likud/the Israeli right and Likud/the Israeli right is bound up deeply in the 10/7 question and all matters Israeli. Moreover you, not to be too harsh, keep measuring this indicator by the discourse you read online rather than what is actually done by the lefts political actors in the real world.
I'm not profoundly concerned about the self-flagellation. The Democratic Party narrowly lost after running an orderly billion dollar campaign against a shambolic Republican operation headed by a carnival barker.
Introspection is a useful thing to do at this point in time for the party. When one factors in the remarkable demographic swings that made up this narrow loss introspection is even more merited. Some very comfortable, loud, strenuous Democratic consultant and advocacy groups have some serious explaining to do.
I wouldn't suggest that a stem to stern ideological revamping is needed but a lot of specific individual stuff needs to be really carefully questioned. Also a lot of old deadwood probably needs to be trimmed- thankfully this loss represents a pretty clean break. There's probably not going to be some blast from the past figure stepping forward to try and lead for '26 or '28.
Yes which is why their ideology is going to peel back like burnt wrapping paper and is already doing so. Sinecured academics and excessively compensated DEI department employees and consultants are neither numerous nor sympathetic enough of a constituency to have much clout long term in an electorate this big.
There are many many more Democrats than the ones that run California and New York. Also you left out insurance from your analysis of Florida which is akin to saying Hiroshima was a lovely place in '45 if you don't pay attention to radioactive fallout.
Well, it being stipulated that as a yellow dog Democrat I'd happily pick a dog turd for the office over a Republican, I'd consider Nikki Haley to be a more conventional and, thus, a more conventionally "tolerable" Republican than either Trump or DeSantis. Likewise Larry Hogan.
I could be cute and say Liz Cheney but that'd be disingenuous since I don't believe any neocon should ever be allowed near the executive office again on overwhelming foreign policy grounds. Haley is, of course, neocon-ish herself but it's not like I have a wealth of Republican options to choose from and I'm trying to take the question seriously.
And, heck, to give Romneybot his due: if I could press a button and swap Trump out with Mitt Romney I'd do so in a flat second with nary a second thought.
And, just to reiterate, if there was a button to swap out Trump for an inert satchel of dog excrement I'd hit it far more readily than I would one for Romney.
Really? DeSantis? Well it's an amusing posture I'll grant but considering how DeSantis ran his campaign I am puzzled how you could make the case that he'd be a half-decent leader of the executive branch. I mean "I'll do every awful thing Trump says he wants to do but I will actually do it instead of flailing around in my own excrement" is a form of competence, I grant, but I don't see it as being closer to being a human being. Trump after all, can point at being Trump as an excuse. DeSantis doesn't have that.
It was a tie right down to election day. Obviously it was, in theory, winnable for Harris. I also didn't see anyone anywhere being silly enough to say Trump was impossible, it's not like it was 2016.
I am glad it's not DeSantis, now, though it's possible DeSantis would have viscously lost to Harris. But it's also utterly irrelevant. DeSantis never came close and that fault for that lies entirely, totally, and completely with the right and right wing voters.
This reminds me a lot of your "Don't you wish Romney had won?" lines. No. I don't wish Romney had won. I'm not moved by the "Vote for this plutocratic vulture capitalist robot or else the GOP will go nuts" line of reasoning.
I'm there with you in laying much of this at the feet of Joe Biden and I'm there with being mournful about it because I really did like him and loved his administrations performance in many policy areas.
As for Harris? I have no resentment. She did a remarkable job considering the hand she was dealt. She spun up an impressive campaign in very little time. As for her ideological baggage? That falls back to Joe who put her in the veep spot to begin with. I feel none of the aggrieved, sorrowful "damnit lady" energy I feel for, say HRC. Harris is done and she lost but I think the party and the ideology got a pretty good performance from her and she doesn't owe us much in the way of apologies.
Now you're just changing the subject and projecting. We'll have to wait for the tell all books but probably even those won't be saying "oh we knew we were going to lose so spent a month partying on the donors dime for luls".
Sure, the internicide fight is happening now. GOOD. That's what is supposed to happen after a party loses an election. It didn't happen before the election when it could have caused a landslide defeat. The bad thing was avoided. You're just wrong about that bud.
As for the difference between losing every tossup state and a Landslide? In a Landslide Trump would have 60 senate votes and a huge house margin, not the tiny edge he currently barely eked out.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.
On “From Tablet Mag: Rapid-Onset Political Enlightenment”
Conservative thoughts? That's got to be the harshest thing anyone has said about conservatives on this site in ages Jaybird. Well done.
The headline of this article, note, is "How Barack Obama Build an Omnipotent Thought-Machine and how it was destroyed" and I think that summarizes the tone and thought quality of the article well.
On “Fani Willis Disqualification Ruling: Read It For Yourself”
Agreed, she's an embarrassment.
On “From The Wall Street Journal: How the White House Functioned With a Diminished Biden in Charge”
Agreed. In the clear stark light of hindsight Biden should either have not run at all in 2020 in which case likely one of the other center laners or a centrist who sat out because of Biden would have gotten the nod and thumped Trump or he should have said he wasn't running again after the midterms.
"
Sure, conviction that Sanders would be a disaster and that they didn't want to duplicate the GOP's primary experience from 2016 from the left side of the spectrum.
But, yes, the 2020 election was very weird.
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2015-16
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Yup. Worst part is it looks like the various architects of this scheme are so old they're all retiring from service anyhow.
On “Are Republicans Waking Up?”
It'd be interesting to see who the GOP tries to scrape up to be Speaker if Johnson gets the boot.
On “Open Mic for the week of 12/16/2024”
He threw a fit because it was a compromise deal that included Dem priorities and because it didn't include a debt limit increase. The nerve of Dems, not giving him everything he'd want and thanking him for the chance to do so. Heheh
On “Are Republicans Waking Up?”
On the part of Republican political actors? Probably. But on the part of our resident writers? No I think it's just wishful thinking.
On “From Semafor: Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’”
If it's any consolation you can be sure they say the same thing about you.
"
My point is simpler than that my friend: it's that in these modern times even the liberal (not the left wing identarian but actual honest to god(ess?) liberal) stance on Israel involves a lot of nose holding and genuine moral struggle with regards to Israel. And that's because of the Israeli right. That's not something you can blame on the professors or the Arabs or the luntatic lefties- that's on the Israeli right.
You're angry because you remember a time, only a decade and change ago, when every thoughtful person was pro-Israeli and it wasn't even very close- well those times are past and I don't see many signs of them returning. That's something you're going to have to make peace with and hope that those cracks and chips in the surface vibes you feel aren't precursor tremors of a deeper, and much warned about, shift.
"
10/7 clouds the matter because Jews =/= Likud/the Israeli right and Likud/the Israeli right is bound up deeply in the 10/7 question and all matters Israeli. Moreover you, not to be too harsh, keep measuring this indicator by the discourse you read online rather than what is actually done by the lefts political actors in the real world.
"
Uh yeah, I meet that pre-req obviously.
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I'm not profoundly concerned about the self-flagellation. The Democratic Party narrowly lost after running an orderly billion dollar campaign against a shambolic Republican operation headed by a carnival barker.
Introspection is a useful thing to do at this point in time for the party. When one factors in the remarkable demographic swings that made up this narrow loss introspection is even more merited. Some very comfortable, loud, strenuous Democratic consultant and advocacy groups have some serious explaining to do.
I wouldn't suggest that a stem to stern ideological revamping is needed but a lot of specific individual stuff needs to be really carefully questioned. Also a lot of old deadwood probably needs to be trimmed- thankfully this loss represents a pretty clean break. There's probably not going to be some blast from the past figure stepping forward to try and lead for '26 or '28.
"
Yes which is why their ideology is going to peel back like burnt wrapping paper and is already doing so. Sinecured academics and excessively compensated DEI department employees and consultants are neither numerous nor sympathetic enough of a constituency to have much clout long term in an electorate this big.
On “Are Republicans Waking Up?”
There are many many more Democrats than the ones that run California and New York. Also you left out insurance from your analysis of Florida which is akin to saying Hiroshima was a lovely place in '45 if you don't pay attention to radioactive fallout.
On “From Semafor: Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’”
That is the defense sure. It doesn't work of course. Not with the narrow win Trump turned in.
On “Are Republicans Waking Up?”
Well, it being stipulated that as a yellow dog Democrat I'd happily pick a dog turd for the office over a Republican, I'd consider Nikki Haley to be a more conventional and, thus, a more conventionally "tolerable" Republican than either Trump or DeSantis. Likewise Larry Hogan.
I could be cute and say Liz Cheney but that'd be disingenuous since I don't believe any neocon should ever be allowed near the executive office again on overwhelming foreign policy grounds. Haley is, of course, neocon-ish herself but it's not like I have a wealth of Republican options to choose from and I'm trying to take the question seriously.
And, heck, to give Romneybot his due: if I could press a button and swap Trump out with Mitt Romney I'd do so in a flat second with nary a second thought.
And, just to reiterate, if there was a button to swap out Trump for an inert satchel of dog excrement I'd hit it far more readily than I would one for Romney.
"
Really? DeSantis? Well it's an amusing posture I'll grant but considering how DeSantis ran his campaign I am puzzled how you could make the case that he'd be a half-decent leader of the executive branch. I mean "I'll do every awful thing Trump says he wants to do but I will actually do it instead of flailing around in my own excrement" is a form of competence, I grant, but I don't see it as being closer to being a human being. Trump after all, can point at being Trump as an excuse. DeSantis doesn't have that.
On “From Semafor: Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’”
It was a tie right down to election day. Obviously it was, in theory, winnable for Harris. I also didn't see anyone anywhere being silly enough to say Trump was impossible, it's not like it was 2016.
On “Are Republicans Waking Up?”
I am glad it's not DeSantis, now, though it's possible DeSantis would have viscously lost to Harris. But it's also utterly irrelevant. DeSantis never came close and that fault for that lies entirely, totally, and completely with the right and right wing voters.
This reminds me a lot of your "Don't you wish Romney had won?" lines. No. I don't wish Romney had won. I'm not moved by the "Vote for this plutocratic vulture capitalist robot or else the GOP will go nuts" line of reasoning.
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It's just wishful thinking, alas.
On “From Semafor: Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’”
I'm there with you in laying much of this at the feet of Joe Biden and I'm there with being mournful about it because I really did like him and loved his administrations performance in many policy areas.
As for Harris? I have no resentment. She did a remarkable job considering the hand she was dealt. She spun up an impressive campaign in very little time. As for her ideological baggage? That falls back to Joe who put her in the veep spot to begin with. I feel none of the aggrieved, sorrowful "damnit lady" energy I feel for, say HRC. Harris is done and she lost but I think the party and the ideology got a pretty good performance from her and she doesn't owe us much in the way of apologies.
"
Now you're just changing the subject and projecting. We'll have to wait for the tell all books but probably even those won't be saying "oh we knew we were going to lose so spent a month partying on the donors dime for luls".
"
Sure, the internicide fight is happening now. GOOD. That's what is supposed to happen after a party loses an election. It didn't happen before the election when it could have caused a landslide defeat. The bad thing was avoided. You're just wrong about that bud.
As for the difference between losing every tossup state and a Landslide? In a Landslide Trump would have 60 senate votes and a huge house margin, not the tiny edge he currently barely eked out.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.