People hate Matt. I don't really, even though I vehemently disagree with much of what he proposes (most importantly the trans stuff). The core of the difference is Matt's intense econ brain applied to politics, which is perhaps the biggest problem Dems have at the moment. (Thread) - ThreadSky

johnbrownstan.bsky.social • 41 days ago

People hate Matt. I don't really, even though I vehemently disagree with much of what he proposes (most importantly the trans stuff).

The core of the difference is Matt's intense econ brain applied to politics, which is perhaps the biggest problem Dems have at the moment.

(Thread)

Reposted from Matthew Yglesias

Trump is threatening violence against his opponents and is in the process of purging the security services.

I think it’s a terrifying moment.

I wish it repulsed 65% of voters rather than 45%.

But we’re in the real world and we need the biggest tent possible.

www.slowboring.com/p/four-years...

Comments

jojosbizarrelife.bsky.social•40 days ago

Here I was thinking that people's problem with him is that his brain is a frictionless surface. Call it "econ" if you want.

casporleder.bsky.social•40 days ago

He’s not econ brained. He has a few undergrad courses in econ and overconfidence. Plus a deep attachment to trolling personality formation

johnbrownstan.bsky.social•40 days ago

You don't need a graduate education to be econ brained.

johnericson.me•41 days ago

I also find it very interesting that the low-ideological centrism of, say, @stephenjacobsmith.com (very distinct from any median preference du jour sycophancy), is anti-cop and anti-twitter, and basically couldn't be anything but that.

johnericson.me•41 days ago

At a certain point, one needs to decide if they are pro professionalism and decorum, against scams and slop and morons, and then act accordingly.

jamestiv.bsky.social•41 days ago

MattY on policy is usually pretty good. MattY on politics is mixed at best.

cuibonobaby.bsky.social•39 days ago

Being pro burning textile workers alive ain't being "good on policy".

johnbrownstan.bsky.social•41 days ago

I've written about this before, but an unstated yet very common belief among Democrats is that voters have fixed and exogenous preferences over policy that politicians cannot meaningfully influence. The goal of a politician/party/campaign is thus to position themselves close to the median voter.

owenpick.bsky.social•40 days ago

His view of politics is annoying because it's incoherent.

Why is he repeating this stuff over and over again if not to persuade us? And if people are persuadable on this, how exactly does he think they form other opinions?

johnbrownstan.bsky.social•41 days ago

This is a framework imported from econ consumer theory, where preferences (or the preferences implied by choices) are treated as fundamental and sacrosanct. It's a sensible way to think about things in economics -- the alternative is paternalism -- but it is misapplied to politics.

redsonja.bsky.social•41 days ago

Look, I'm not saying that there can't be good arguments, one way or another, about applying econ consumer theory to voter preferences. But what it doesn't take into account is the inherent racism involved in many voters' preferences.

johnbrownstan.bsky.social•41 days ago

By and large voters do not know what they believe or what they want. Most people vote based on vibes, affinity bias, media tone, friend groups, etc. Issue polling -- which is ultimately hypothetical -- cannot penetrate that world, and therefore cannot guide you.

phasebinary.bsky.social•40 days ago

if vibes are all that matters we should have a pipeline of people who play president on TV and actually become president (like Zelenskyy. Martin Sheen anyone?)

vem.bsky.social•40 days ago

Harris actually didn’t have any campaign promises (contrast Obama) so tbh I think they could eke out something there

johnbrownstan.bsky.social•41 days ago

Which is why Republicans do so well despite running on policies that will actively harm people, and people would hate if actually implemented. They don't pay attention to issue polls, or think much of voter preferences beyond their base. They just throw shit against the wall and see what sticks.

johnbrownstan.bsky.social•41 days ago

They also invest heavily in outright propaganda campaigns, something that theoretically shouldn't matter much in the a consumer theory-turned-polisci framework, since voters "should" ignore cheap talk and vote rationally based on limited information.

thesoundings.bsky.social•40 days ago

I would say that this is one of Matt's and economic consumer theory's big blind spots. What do they think corporate advertising is other than a propaganda campaign? Why do corporations spend incredible sums on (repetitive) advertising if merely offering the "best" product will suffice.

johnbrownstan.bsky.social•41 days ago

I get the sense that Matt finds this all very frustrating. If your model of the world is that econ consumer theory can be applied to literally every aspect of life, Gary Becker style, then activists are *morons* for not realizing that they need to moderate! But that's not actually a good model.

nlazarus.bsky.social•40 days ago

I agree with this, lying and BS get you far in politics. In an econ talk today, Nicolas Longuet-Marx was arguing that Democrats used to do a fair bit of this; said Pelosi gave House candidates a lot of leeway to say what they wanted but then imposed strict voting discipline on them once elected.

mrlurkenstein.bsky.social•40 days ago

THIS is what drives me insane about every election take that goes “if Dems had only appealed to my preferences”. And people think it’s the far left who does this but it’s actually every dipshit moderate pundit. The GOP is worse on every fucking issue.

anglocat-holic.bsky.social•40 days ago

This sounds like Jonathan Haidt's Moral Foundations Theory.

oldjacket.bsky.social•41 days ago

I feel like this is right fundamentally, and yet it feels like when we do try to move voters to the left it either only works for a while or does not work at all.

dmlundeen.bsky.social•40 days ago

Right. It is also why, incidentally, a mere 16 years ago a Black man with a name that sounded like a dictator and a terrorist got elected to the presidency. By leaning into all of those things you mentioned.

redoubters.bsky.social•41 days ago

People know what they want in terms of outcomes - safety, food in their belly, a roof over their heads - but in terms of what it takes to get there they're like the Itchy & Scratchy focus group scene

we want MORE services but LESS taxes etc

nextdoorsv.bsky.social•40 days ago

This Democratic candidate is trying that approach:

https://bsky.app/profile/princetonyimby.bsky.social/post/3lgetjdjxrs2m

redoubters.bsky.social•40 days ago

gottheimer is a clown but people are dumb

samuelhayimbrody.bsky.social•40 days ago

I don’t think it’s all that sensible in economics either. It’s necessary for certain types of models to work, but when people forget it is heuristic they get into trouble. Marx was just quoting Ricardo when he said capitalism creates new needs, which it does, constantly.

michaelander45.bsky.social•41 days ago

Fwiw I also think its way over used in Econ fields too!

cuibonobaby.bsky.social•39 days ago

Accepting false premises is not an acceptable way to think about anything.

drinky-crow.bsky.social•40 days ago

It's all premised on expecting voters to think things thru and seek reliable info to inform those thoughts. Aint none of that shit true.

mgraalum.bsky.social•41 days ago

The median voter theorem is another related junk idea.

grolby.standarddouble.com•41 days ago

It’s very weird because MattY is one of the first people I saw write about thermostatic public opinion, which refutes the idea that you can just triangulate to the median voter and start winning. But more than that, I think his assessment of the Dem position on e.g. trans rights is just inaccurate.

grolby.standarddouble.com•41 days ago

He gets a lot of people yelling at him online about trans rights, and seems to think this reflects a really expansive trans rights platform by elected Dems, but that platform just… doesn’t exist. Elected Democrats have been very strategic on trans rights, defensive rather than maximalist.

thornyopinion.bsky.social•40 days ago

I like Matt. I don't understand the hatred. I don't always agree with him, but 🤷

ikacprzak.bsky.social•40 days ago

The deelms need a proactive propaganda wing, you need to get people to want to vote for you.

feudaldozing.bsky.social•41 days ago

Where did he even get so econ brained? IIRC he studied philosophy in college.

louisevans.bsky.social•41 days ago

probably it's the language that was privileged for policy advocacy when he first entered the working world.

johnbrownstan.bsky.social•41 days ago

Yeah, idk, it's weird. It's pretty clear to me that he's had some undergrad-level training though.

johnbrownwasright.bsky.social•41 days ago

Its all philosophy bs. He literally uses the logic formulas you learn in Philosophy 101 to make his arguments. Once you know this he seems pretty dumb

johnbrownstan.bsky.social•41 days ago

He's also made a few arguments that are very, very clearly founded in undergrad econ. I recall one about paying people to take the COVID vaccine that was definitely based on an undergrad understanding of expected utility theory

johnbrownwasright.bsky.social•41 days ago

Like basic basic economics 101. He hasn't actually interacted with human beings. I really get annoyed with him when he pretends to know about anything Historical or when he talks about Punk rock. He is so obviously talking out his ass it makes you wonder about everything else

johnbrownstan.bsky.social•41 days ago

(It also didn't make sense if you had more than a surface-level understanding.)

johnbrownwasright.bsky.social•41 days ago

He really appeals to people who have experienced life from their couch while playing on a laptop

jgsimmerman.bsky.social•41 days ago

I first came across him back in the '00's when econ bloggers would repost or reference him. I assumed his background was actually in econ for like 15 years, lol

mrlurkenstein.bsky.social•40 days ago

You’re very generous calling it Econ brain. Every policy proposal is the same with the guy. IMO he is just another vaguely liberal bozo addicted to contrarianism. Probably because if he didn’t have anyone hate reading him he wouldn’t have readers at all.

cuibonobaby.bsky.social•39 days ago

He is just another unprincipled DC careerist.

tylerh3.bsky.social•41 days ago

Politicians can influence the mood of the country by using and having a narrative and continuously telling it

epicciuto.bsky.social•40 days ago

He is wedded to the notion that the data show that moderate candidates win more. I haven’t studied it, but I have to wonder, given the other evidence all around us that people vote for vibes over policies, whether there are confounders they’re missing. eg a personality trait in common.

prynnford.bsky.social•40 days ago

Plus their definition of “moderate” covers a lot of ground (everything right of their label “far left”) and is fluid if they feel someone formerly “far left” does something they like better, like Fetterman. Everyone pretends he was progressive and shifted to “moderate,”

onedishwasher.bsky.social•41 days ago

(Matt has no formal econ training)

johnbrownstan.bsky.social•41 days ago

None that I know of, but he is nonetheless extremely econ brained

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