David Brooks, courtesy of The Atlantic: “every coherent society has a social ideal—an image of what the superior person looks like. In America, from the late 19th century until sometime in the 1950s, the superior person was the Well-Bred Man…” it gets worse.
I know you all love this guy. Jeez.
A two-parter: wrong that Trump's victory is "clear" or otherwise notable (even compared to recent elections, it was pretty narrow) followed up by wishcasting that Trump will take the mandate and not do things he repeatedly said he will do.
There was a reddit thread asking how they should go about reporting the family of a Latino Trump supporter for deportation and tbh I just don't feel like stab-in-the-back and racial terror is a good thing
Its never justified and most of those were just evil, lashing out, but the one reddit thread where the guy was saying this other guy was here without papers, and the guy was very very obnoxiously pro trump, i got it. Especially bc he came to work the next day bragging about Trumps win
He blames woke, and lack of basic government competence from the Biden admin, which is rich coming from him. What's happening in "the Middle East" is "taking too long", from one avowed Zionist to another, I guess.
That was a trap and also absolute arrogance. The invite came in the last couple days of the campaign and she was expected to come to him like he's some kingmaker?
1) Throw transgender people to the wolves. 2) We lost votes among working class. For sure they it was the culture wars 3) I can’t wait for Latinos to be deported. Even citizens. That’ll show ‘em. 4) Try to understand why people hate you. 5) Racism/sexism plays no role 6) Economy plays no role.
The themes I saw were so all-or-nothing
~"He won the popular vote, he has a mandate, it was decisive, most Americans want what he has to offer."~
When we don't know yet who won the popular vote, we knew before & it's still true that about half of voters picked him & about half of voters picked her
A few million people who managed to vote for Biden didn't show up & vote for Harris, which is mostly relevant in the swing states where a couple hundred thousand fewer votes were recorded for Harris. He got a few more votes, but he didn't get "significantly" more women, fewer people voted total.
And it's still true that one third of adults who could have voted did not vote at all, so it's just the wrong analysis to conclude, "This is what America wants."
Rule #1 in this thread (said in jest and friendship; don't block): don't qualify for the thread?
"but I'm hoping that this community has a reasonable ability to consider comments in their proper context."
I dont have a comedic one, sorry. But I want to say that there have been a lot of well measured takes that ppl on the left have straw-manned into being bad takes. You cant bring up actually existing sexism or ignorance without ppl acting like youre being awful and unfair to the voting populace.
You see it in this comment section: if you dont have the most perfectly nuanced take about every factor of the election, the response is “so 74 million ppl are just racists and sexists?”
No. Nobody said that. But certainly you shouldnt ignore that truth.
Federally subsidized web accessibility would be sick tho fr! Selfishly it would be great for my career, but I'm interested in accessibility in my career bc i think designers and developers have something of a moral duty to provide this.
So so so many
-Tom Souzzi "dems need to stop pandering to the far left" aka trans people
-Lmao the # of ppl on Twitter saying we should throw Newsom in the ring
-Slate ran a weird article where they both blame & don't blame black women
-The Pod Save America guys threw out some weird takes in between some good ones in their recap/wtf happened episode after the election
-not exactly a bad take but the number of news outlets running "what are tariffs?" articles in interesting
Bait and switched by an article in the Guardian that looked from the title like it might usefully tackle the current politics of young men in America but instead was just an interview of Richard Reeves…consider discussing his book on IBCK in these trying times? 👀 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60613920
Astonished Sam Harris isn't on here. Spends a ludicrous amount of time re-litigating trans issues that Democrats did not campaign on. Even confesses that the trans cause celebre was not real, but still treats it as a real problem, not a witch hunt. https://substack.com/home/post/p-151522932
No one:
No one at all:
Absolutely no one:
MAGA: THEY’RE TURNING GIRLS INTO BOYS AND ALSO TRANS PEOPLE ARE FAKE!
Libs: Hey now, let’s leave trans people alone.
MAGA: OMG ALL YOU CAN TALK ABOUT IS TRANS THIS AND TRANS THAT!
I think the big thing is the drop off in that precise population is what cost her?
This dude’s three back fingers are throbbing from pointing back, but ya know yadda yadda don’t expect that a man will notice something morally that will thin his wallet
The gen z point is insane bc hes just equating that age range with the left but they’re literally just radicalized into being right wing. Hes blaming them for delivering the right wing the election but that age range just has shown themselves to be right wing
The important caveat to that is 18-30 stayed home at a significantly higher rate. They were 17% of the electorate when Biden won but only 12% when Harris lost. We don't have exit polling data on people who stayed home.
Is that 17% and 12% of votes cast or US population? Either way, could you point me to the dataset you're using? Asking because I'm trying to find stats on votes cast in 2024 and 2020 but don't know where to begin
Should note that this is not for conspiracy theory nonsense. The millions of people who stayed home just don't seem to be getting any good, aggregate coverage in the media bubble I'm in so I'm curious about them
Bluesky is having image issues. Anyway, Will Stancil is blaming the online left for Harris's loss, claiming we've had such an immense impact that they are primarily responsible for the apathy around Harris 🙃
Probably a bad take in itself, but I’m really struggling with any take that argues about the impact of marginal effects on US “democratic” elections while failing to reckon with the fact the system is barely meant to be democratic (eg only 7 states meaningfully in play?!?).
i’ve seen this one a few times. unfortunately, it’s corroborated from so many sources. i don’t disagree that it’s a stupid reason to vote, but it’s honestly a massive reason why so many people voted for trump. it’s a huge indictment against the priorities we hold as a nation.
that’s fair and a good counterpoint. maybe the maga i’ve interacted with are more concentrated on that sort of thing. exit polls seem like they’d have a better chance at getting a decent cross-section of the electorate.
I live in his district. People are more upset about unmanageable housing and food costs, and this is a sign of how out of touch he is with his constituents. And yet...he runs unopposed most elections.
The “wind’s of change” argument seems too simplistic to me. There is something driving this change, and in the case of the US it may be misinformation. Like I understand inflation is just bad, but why does it compel people to vote for the fascist party that was responsible for it?
This episode of the Ezra Klien show where Michael Lind says that the democratic party needs to have a 'sister souljah moment' with respect to a lot of special interest groups (he calls out trans activists specifically) in order to be electorally successful. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/13/opinion/obama-ezra-klein-podcast-michael-lind.html
Haha shit, sorry, i see how it might've sounded that way now. You're doing great, mkdl - Joe is the real villain for sure. Goddamn, he sucks so bad lol
WOW. That's right up there with the worst I've seen. I mean, just factually insane stuff. Defining "free trade" as "neoliberal"‽‽ Free trade has been a foundation of the Republican platform for as long as most of us have been alive!
this one's so funny because all around town the signs i saw said "HARRIS HIGH PRICES TRUMP LOW PRICES" if anything this is the only lens they are capable of viewing the presidency through. these are the "i did that" stickers on the gas pumps people.
"I didn't want Trump to win because he is ugly and I did want Harris to win because she is hot." Supplemented by this extremely unhinged anecdote: "I was selected for Jury Duty on a murder trial in L.A a decade ago." (1/)
"I made it through 2 wks of graphic evidence, being presented without warning with a blown up photo of a sawn off head, and other times just stultifying forensic accounting details. The day a witness took the stand who happened to be beautiful was the only time I ever relaxed and was able to reset"
Ya idk, if my dad was a fucking asshole to my very existence, and then I learned he was about to be part of running the country I live in, I’d probably leave too.
Not election related, but Michael Shellenberger of San Fransicko fame was at a congressional ufo hearing yesterday trying to pass off the most obviously fake document as real
Trump supporters who insist the election was stolen (they usually cite Kari lakes race in Arizona) they have so much conspiracy and hate they can’t let it go even when their guy won. They live in crazy town
"I Haven't Been More than 20 Blocks From My Manhattan Townhouse in 35 Years and My Job is Literally Just Writing My Opinions Down: Here's How I Think The Elitist Left Should Reach Out to the Drooling Rubes of the Rural Working Class"
Hint: it doesn't involve campaigning on pronouns, a Republican talking point that I, a "liberal" "journalist," am absolutely obsessed with repeating for some reason.
I loved Caitlin Flanagan going on and on about how KH lost because of the Dems love of billionaires...ignoring, you know...that the Republican candidate was a billionaire.
Article: free the party from liberal media by Harrop in The Columbian. Thesis: Harris lost because the left campaigns on “boutique” issues. Been ranting about it for days.
it's true though, people didn't just vote for Trump because they're racist and sexist.
they voted for Trump because they're racist and sexist and homophobic and transphobic and petty and spiteful and resentful and fucking stupid.
Definitely people who called it "a landslide" or a "shellacking". When it was a similar sized win to Democrats' in 2020 (in the EC, less impressive in terms of popular vote). Which would never be called a landslide.
a friend PMed me before 9AM with "you're on bluesky," a screenshot of this skeet, and a respectful but urgent request that I present you with https://hugoschwyzer.substack.com/p/what-now
Loads of people are going to post the "she ran a perfect campaign, Queen Latifa endorsed her!" video, which IMO is not that bad a take, it's just an honest reaction without any attempt to explain anything, more than can be said for a lot of other takes.
'This really was a historic flawlessly run campaign. Queen Latifah never endorses anyone. She came out and endorsed her. She had every prominent celebrity voice.'
Basically "Dems were too woke, too trans, too left leaning" when all they were occupied with is moving right on so many issues without a compelling counter-narrative to Trump. Example would be here (also including the comments, but video suffices): https://youtu.be/TIoDFKb0xMk?si=SjUXHJULnVo_rh_l&t=530
Thank you, but no, I feel like I've read this opinion many times, and I'm pretty sure I've read this from Frank's before, don't let me stop you from posting it though
It's like if you described the campaign that Dems pretty much always run to people making this assertion, but didn't tell them it was the Dems doing it, they'd say "See? That's what I'm talking about!"
Elites? So education? Celebrity?
Trump and Vance are Ivy League grads. Trump is likely the biggest celebrity right now.
But yet the label sticks to Dems.
he is so fixated on young men lately so that must have swung the election too. but also deportations are funny. anyone who unironically likes the borowitz report should get a special bad take. @michaelhobbes.bsky.social you hate Galloway too I believe
"Trump won because Democrats keep telling young men they’re dangerous and don’t matter." I've seen Apple recommend me this several times and the headline alone gives me psychic damage.
Looking at some of these replies it seems I have to clarify: this was submitted as an absolutely terrible take, not as a statement of my political opinion.
Comments
https://x.com/nrc/status/1855860510291616223
I know you all love this guy. Jeez.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/11/13/opinion/focusgroup-young-undecided-voters.html
"no, things you made up in your head to be mad about but posted online don't count"
"takes must be from THIS election"
Idk how well the blsky UI conveys this yet but it's Cuomo weighing in on daily beast, where I've reached my free article limit
As if she didn't state and restate them every day of her campaign.
~"He won the popular vote, he has a mandate, it was decisive, most Americans want what he has to offer."~
When we don't know yet who won the popular vote, we knew before & it's still true that about half of voters picked him & about half of voters picked her
"but I'm hoping that this community has a reasonable ability to consider comments in their proper context."
No. Nobody said that. But certainly you shouldnt ignore that truth.
-X% misogyny
-Y% racism
-Z% homophobia
Democrats running a black woman candidate meant running at a handicap. It's not all of them, but it's enough at the margins to matter.
-Tom Souzzi "dems need to stop pandering to the far left" aka trans people
-Lmao the # of ppl on Twitter saying we should throw Newsom in the ring
-Slate ran a weird article where they both blame & don't blame black women
-not exactly a bad take but the number of news outlets running "what are tariffs?" articles in interesting
https://substack.com/home/post/p-151522932
No one at all:
Absolutely no one:
MAGA: THEY’RE TURNING GIRLS INTO BOYS AND ALSO TRANS PEOPLE ARE FAKE!
Libs: Hey now, let’s leave trans people alone.
MAGA: OMG ALL YOU CAN TALK ABOUT IS TRANS THIS AND TRANS THAT!
Oy vey.
This dude’s three back fingers are throbbing from pointing back, but ya know yadda yadda don’t expect that a man will notice something morally that will thin his wallet
P.S. The owls are not what they seem.
Because the white straight male identity is the default and, therefore, everyone else is doing identity politics.
https://emmaforrest.substack.com/p/the-purpose-of-beauty
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/11/praise-clarity/680616/
“Trump may be a racist, but Kamala is a yapper, so they’re both bad”
they voted for Trump because they're racist and sexist and homophobic and transphobic and petty and spiteful and resentful and fucking stupid.
https://www.ft.com/content/f4dbc0df-ab0d-431e-9886-44acd4236922
https://bsky.app/profile/daveweigel.bsky.social/post/3latiidceb22n
1) the American people secretly wanted Scandinavian style democratic socialism
2) this is the fault of leftists and progressives who were critical of centrist Democrats
Trump and Vance are Ivy League grads. Trump is likely the biggest celebrity right now.
But yet the label sticks to Dems.
https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/article295250614.html
https://www.thefp.com/p/democrat-fundraiser-evan-barker-i-voted-trump