For a different perspective on Mamdani, check out Jennifer Rubin’s post this AM on The Contrarian. Washington Post readers will recall that Rubin, formerly a generic old-timey Republican, became the most prominent anti-Trump op-ed writer in the Post’s stable. She also was the first of a series of respected Post writers to resign after Jeff Bezos became too cowardly to oppose Trump. Check it out. Small subscription required, I think. Her theory is that NYC voters, the most diverse in the nation and increasingly dominated by millennials,etc, will elect Mamdani simply because he is a peer, a master of social media and unafraid of taking on the rich, old, white peer group that runs the city. It’s a good read from a different perspective.
The GOP are the radicals. They have formed the most anti-democratic coalition in American history including the neo-reactionary billionaire class, neo-confederates and neo-Nazis. From the violent insurrection at the Capitol to their attempts to steal the 2020 election to the trashing of the Constitution by the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, the GOP has mounted a multi-pronged assault on democracy. Yet Democrats have so far done little to make a case against the radical right. The No Kings protests revealed the fact that rank and file Democrats, Independents and even disillusioned Republicans recognize the threat posed by the radical MAGA GOP while the Democratic establishment lags behind, out of touch with the reality of the situation.
What have the No Kings protests really accomplished? They haven't gotten out the vote. They haven't collected information on what the people want. All they've done is serve as frat parties for the anti-Trump group. And their "case" against the MAGA right is shot through with identity politics, socialism, antisemitism and a general hatred of what America stands for.
Here's the case they should make: talk about America. Talk about how Trump has destroyed America's standing, engaged in corruption, violated the rule of law and abandoned our friends in Asia and Europe. Talk about how he's bypassed Congress and obstructed the free market with his tariffs, driving up prices. Or how he handed out pardons to violent Jan 6 rioters and rewarded crime in his name. Or how he tried to launch politically-motivated investigations into his opponents and use the government to crack down on people who criticize him, abusing his executive power and threatening the Constitution. Or how he's greatly increased America's national debt. Or how he skipped due process and the rule of law in trying to deport people, many of whom weren't even illegals or committed no violent crimes. And don't forget how he disrespects Ukraine and buys into Russian propaganda about their invasion. And how in doing all this, he's ruined America's standing and position as leader of the free world. Call for Congress to assert its authority as the legislature and do their jobs.
Don't make the movement progressive, make it old-fashioned liberal. Don't hesitate to denounce all the bad ideas coming from progressives, such as identity politics and intersectionality which elevate people based on identity and victim status, ideologies such as CRT and DEI that paint America as irredeemably racist and bigoted, and socialism, which has never worked. Stand against illegal immigration and call for immigrants to assimilate into America's values and culture. Promote public safety and social order. State clearly that there are only two genders and that America is the world's force for good. And of course, kick out the antisemites and pro-Hamas supporters who hate Israel. Denounce those who look down on their fellow Americans as racist or sexist for having different opinions than them. None of the attacks on MAGA are going to matter unless the far-left is rejected too. The movement needs to be non-partisan and draw on the best of both Democrats and Republicans values.
You do all of that and you might just be able to strike a serious blow against MAGA and restore the country.
It’s long past time Democrats ask before an election, “Who wants to run for office?” and, instead, seek out, encourage and support individuals with true Democratic values and the viability to run a competitive campaign. That’s how we start winning again.
Lee Atwater said Perception is reality,” a phrase that underscores his belief in shaping public opinion regardless of factual accuracy. I see these two holding hands as poster boys for the Atwater rule.
The Tucker's changed defense is remarkable gaslighting. He's been telegraphing this trajectory for years, from the Great Replacement rhetoric to the Darryl Cooper interview to finally calling Fuentes the most honest popular historian. The Heritage Foundation didn't suddenly change either, they just ran out of plausible deniability. Your point about Democrats needing to learn from this is critical. The Maine Senate race with Platner is exactly the kind of compromise that turns into a crisis later. When the only options are a 77 year old with mid approval ratings or someone with a Nazi tatoo who thinks apologizing is enough, the party's vetting process has failed spectacularly.
This is good as usual but I have two points. First, on the subject of Maine I agree with you. The depressing problem is that I see this issue less about Planter and Mills and more about the nationalization of politics. Planter has good policies, and personal problems. But he is a major candidate in Maine precisely because he captured national attention and with it, national dollars. Mills is a former governor but her entree to the race was entirely at the urging of Schumer and the national party leadership.
And yet there are two other Democratic candidates in the race: Jordan Wood (who lives in Maine but used to work on the hill for Katie Porter) and David Costello (who appears to have run before). The nationalization of state politics means that outside money is making this a two horse race before any debates have been had and depriving the people of Maine, indeed all of us, of a broad choice. That same national money seems to be what drives people like Michelle Morrow as well since she can capture the zeitgeist online by promising executions without ever having the understand the state.
On the subject of socialism though I'm not sure I can agree. First, while the term may be broadly negative for many voters that is definitely not true in New York and that is where Mandami is running. You are right that his embrace of the label would be toxic in North Carolina, but unless or until he tries running in North Carolina I think that point is moot. No doubt the national Democrats do want him to avoid the label, but their presumption that you should run the most bland talking-point heavy abundatist everywhere lest you face a negative ad anywhere has never been a real winner. After all these are the same people who claimed that Harris' media approach would coast to victory, Hillary Clinton too. Neither one would have touched socialism with a rad suit.
Second, I don't think the term is as toxic as it once was. Mandami's kind of socialist policies (free busses healthcare etc.) are quite popular even with Republicans which is why you see even Trump touting some of it. At the same time younger voters are no longer opposed to it and since the last election voters 44 and below make up an equal share of the electorate to those above per the Census bureau. This is why Republican donors are rushing to capture media outlets like TikTok and Twitter so they can shape the views of the young. While younger voters currently approve of socialism and taxing the rich they expect that can be changed.
At this point I don't see Mandami's label to be the biggest threat to Democrats or to Democracy, or even Grahm Planter's tattoo. The threat I see is from weaponized algorithms and botnets of the kind A1Z is investing in.
For a different perspective on Mamdani, check out Jennifer Rubin’s post this AM on The Contrarian. Washington Post readers will recall that Rubin, formerly a generic old-timey Republican, became the most prominent anti-Trump op-ed writer in the Post’s stable. She also was the first of a series of respected Post writers to resign after Jeff Bezos became too cowardly to oppose Trump. Check it out. Small subscription required, I think. Her theory is that NYC voters, the most diverse in the nation and increasingly dominated by millennials,etc, will elect Mamdani simply because he is a peer, a master of social media and unafraid of taking on the rich, old, white peer group that runs the city. It’s a good read from a different perspective.
The GOP are the radicals. They have formed the most anti-democratic coalition in American history including the neo-reactionary billionaire class, neo-confederates and neo-Nazis. From the violent insurrection at the Capitol to their attempts to steal the 2020 election to the trashing of the Constitution by the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, the GOP has mounted a multi-pronged assault on democracy. Yet Democrats have so far done little to make a case against the radical right. The No Kings protests revealed the fact that rank and file Democrats, Independents and even disillusioned Republicans recognize the threat posed by the radical MAGA GOP while the Democratic establishment lags behind, out of touch with the reality of the situation.
What have the No Kings protests really accomplished? They haven't gotten out the vote. They haven't collected information on what the people want. All they've done is serve as frat parties for the anti-Trump group. And their "case" against the MAGA right is shot through with identity politics, socialism, antisemitism and a general hatred of what America stands for.
Here's the case they should make: talk about America. Talk about how Trump has destroyed America's standing, engaged in corruption, violated the rule of law and abandoned our friends in Asia and Europe. Talk about how he's bypassed Congress and obstructed the free market with his tariffs, driving up prices. Or how he handed out pardons to violent Jan 6 rioters and rewarded crime in his name. Or how he tried to launch politically-motivated investigations into his opponents and use the government to crack down on people who criticize him, abusing his executive power and threatening the Constitution. Or how he's greatly increased America's national debt. Or how he skipped due process and the rule of law in trying to deport people, many of whom weren't even illegals or committed no violent crimes. And don't forget how he disrespects Ukraine and buys into Russian propaganda about their invasion. And how in doing all this, he's ruined America's standing and position as leader of the free world. Call for Congress to assert its authority as the legislature and do their jobs.
Don't make the movement progressive, make it old-fashioned liberal. Don't hesitate to denounce all the bad ideas coming from progressives, such as identity politics and intersectionality which elevate people based on identity and victim status, ideologies such as CRT and DEI that paint America as irredeemably racist and bigoted, and socialism, which has never worked. Stand against illegal immigration and call for immigrants to assimilate into America's values and culture. Promote public safety and social order. State clearly that there are only two genders and that America is the world's force for good. And of course, kick out the antisemites and pro-Hamas supporters who hate Israel. Denounce those who look down on their fellow Americans as racist or sexist for having different opinions than them. None of the attacks on MAGA are going to matter unless the far-left is rejected too. The movement needs to be non-partisan and draw on the best of both Democrats and Republicans values.
You do all of that and you might just be able to strike a serious blow against MAGA and restore the country.
It’s long past time Democrats ask before an election, “Who wants to run for office?” and, instead, seek out, encourage and support individuals with true Democratic values and the viability to run a competitive campaign. That’s how we start winning again.
Lee Atwater said Perception is reality,” a phrase that underscores his belief in shaping public opinion regardless of factual accuracy. I see these two holding hands as poster boys for the Atwater rule.
The Tucker's changed defense is remarkable gaslighting. He's been telegraphing this trajectory for years, from the Great Replacement rhetoric to the Darryl Cooper interview to finally calling Fuentes the most honest popular historian. The Heritage Foundation didn't suddenly change either, they just ran out of plausible deniability. Your point about Democrats needing to learn from this is critical. The Maine Senate race with Platner is exactly the kind of compromise that turns into a crisis later. When the only options are a 77 year old with mid approval ratings or someone with a Nazi tatoo who thinks apologizing is enough, the party's vetting process has failed spectacularly.
This is good as usual but I have two points. First, on the subject of Maine I agree with you. The depressing problem is that I see this issue less about Planter and Mills and more about the nationalization of politics. Planter has good policies, and personal problems. But he is a major candidate in Maine precisely because he captured national attention and with it, national dollars. Mills is a former governor but her entree to the race was entirely at the urging of Schumer and the national party leadership.
And yet there are two other Democratic candidates in the race: Jordan Wood (who lives in Maine but used to work on the hill for Katie Porter) and David Costello (who appears to have run before). The nationalization of state politics means that outside money is making this a two horse race before any debates have been had and depriving the people of Maine, indeed all of us, of a broad choice. That same national money seems to be what drives people like Michelle Morrow as well since she can capture the zeitgeist online by promising executions without ever having the understand the state.
On the subject of socialism though I'm not sure I can agree. First, while the term may be broadly negative for many voters that is definitely not true in New York and that is where Mandami is running. You are right that his embrace of the label would be toxic in North Carolina, but unless or until he tries running in North Carolina I think that point is moot. No doubt the national Democrats do want him to avoid the label, but their presumption that you should run the most bland talking-point heavy abundatist everywhere lest you face a negative ad anywhere has never been a real winner. After all these are the same people who claimed that Harris' media approach would coast to victory, Hillary Clinton too. Neither one would have touched socialism with a rad suit.
Second, I don't think the term is as toxic as it once was. Mandami's kind of socialist policies (free busses healthcare etc.) are quite popular even with Republicans which is why you see even Trump touting some of it. At the same time younger voters are no longer opposed to it and since the last election voters 44 and below make up an equal share of the electorate to those above per the Census bureau. This is why Republican donors are rushing to capture media outlets like TikTok and Twitter so they can shape the views of the young. While younger voters currently approve of socialism and taxing the rich they expect that can be changed.
At this point I don't see Mandami's label to be the biggest threat to Democrats or to Democracy, or even Grahm Planter's tattoo. The threat I see is from weaponized algorithms and botnets of the kind A1Z is investing in.
Census source, see table 1
https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/voting-and-registration/p20-587.html
Yep. Conservatives have built themselves a real-life Frankenstein in the old pumpkin head running their lives.
Dems are running now on food, jobs, and healthcare. Beat the Repubs on the head with those.