I reject both parties’ ideas of Americanism. And I’m not the only one.
For all of his successes, though, there’s a fire raging in his party that Biden hasn’t even tried to control — and probably couldn’t extinguish if he did. For me (and probably a lot of suburbanites voting this fall), this is more than a backdrop to his presidency. It’s a dealbreaker.
In their zeal to beat back Trumpism, the loudest Democratic groups have transformed into its Bizarro World imitators.
And just like *that* Matt Bai enters the race to become 2016 Matthew Dowd.
And what exactly is this mighty, Trump-imitating party-bestriding colossus?
Well, in point of fact, all Matt Bai can manage to conjure up as evidence of such a thing is one book, by one author. “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi. But to hear Matt Bai tell it, it's like the movie The Ring: if you read it – even a summary of it – one week later you’ll be leading an armed uprising against Matt Bai’s condo association.
Or something.
Now Mr. Bai is smart enough to know that he’s peddling David Brooks’ used toilet paper here, so he has to reach deep into the Glenn Greenwald bag in an attempt to disarm the reader with..
This is about the point where some (most likely some in my own business) will scream: “Both sidesism!” That’s the now-cliche argument that any criticism of Democrats whatsoever must be some kind of journalistic reflex to equate the parties, when clearly one is worse than the other.
And so, having disarmed the credulous reader, Matt goes on to say that, while Democrats aren’t yet quite as bad as Republicans, the situation overall is so fucking bad that…
For years, I’ve predicted the eventual triumph of an independent president, outside the two-party system. That candidate hasn’t emerged, but the lane for a credible independent has never been wider.
Leaving me to wonder which Both Siderist slop-house will be offering Mr. Bai a slot in the near future.
Maybe Axios can let him bunk out in their "OMG The Squad is Ruining Everything" guest room?
From Axios:
The push to defund the police, rename schools and tear down statues has created a significant obstacle to Democrats keeping control of the House, the Senate and the party’s overall image.
And this is pretty much everyone else who isn't Frank Luntz and/or an Axios dupe:
The ideas being talked about didn’t come from the squad. Axios cites “transgender rights” as a problem for Dems in Virginia. That’s a mainstream Dem cause that predates the squad; and its advocate in Virginia last year was Maoist revolutionary Terry McAuliffe. pic.twitter.com/rJ1JG5aLIV
— David Weigel (@daveweigel) February 18, 2022
And I threw in this one because I like the phrase "Schrodinger’s left":MANCHIN: I will not support Build Back Better under any circumstances
— Dreamweasel (@Dreamweasel) February 18, 2022
SINEMA: I will never oppose the filibuster, thereby condeming the Democrats to permanent stalemate
CNN: Democrats’ approval is cratering
AXIOS: Clearly this is the Squad’s fault for their divisive rhetoric
Schrodinger’s left: not powerful enough to control of the presidency, legislative strategy, or party institutions, yet somehow powerful enough to cause all Democratic party failures
— Leah Greenberg (@Leahgreenb) February 18, 2022
Because while Republican lunatics, traitors and wannabe tyrants may come and go, Both Sides Do will always be the Mother Sauce the Beltway media uses to make its lazy, hackneyed, toxic glop go down smooth and easy
10 comments:
You can't spell "both sides" without Jake Tapper.
Real disappointed to see Weigel taking his turn running this click bait through WaPo's spin cycle. I thought he was better than that.
If you read the comments in the article, I was not alone.
I know the GOP has their huge, built-in messaging infrastructure, but why can't Dems at least develop a little messaging discipline?
How about every Democratic politician begins referring to "the party of obstruction" or "the party of insurrection?"
How about the next time Jen Psaki is asked some stupid question, she says "keep in mind, to be a Republican, you must declare that the 2020 loser is really the winner and that the people who tried to violently prevent the House of Representatives from doing its job really didn't. How do you expect us to work with people who are so divorced from reality?"
Repeat that every day until someone listens.
Weigel was helpfully DEBUNKING this b.s., not running it for clicks...
Shorter Matt Bai: “I’m a moderate because I don’t want to say the n-word”
He’s repeating conservative talking points word-for-word. This isn’t even “both sides”, FFS
The Corporate Media have been cowed and conditioned to treat GOP lunacy and authoritarianism as a basic force of nature. As though it just is and thus needs not be mentioned nor ever, ever, ever spoken of harshly. Because it's just the way the American universe works. But Democrats are like the social sciences and thus squishy and eternally questionable and needs of vigorous inspection.
Flood the zone. Turn the fire hose on.
Toilet over flowing.
People really have a need to know where the shut offs are in emergencies.
Lets clear up something.
For anyone that sees themselves as moderate in their politics and for the most have been.
Well No longer.
When the republicans moved their extreme goal posts. It leaves you way out on the field in the far side of liberals extreme from their new position.
Like it or not, they are deciding for you and have determined if you are not near where they are. You are a far distance to the extremes against them.
If you move closer toward them. They will continue to move farther right.
How these GOPers ever graduated Kindergarten in their private schools is a mystery.
You are SO correct in your estimation of yhe "goalposts being moved" further and further. We really need to get in lockstep and condemn the right wing each time they open their mouths. Driftglass, I'm an admirer of your writing and I know EXACTLY where to go to for the real truth.
You know, maybe the job of the Democratic "centrists" was to have jumped on police reform with such ingenuity and enthusiasm and brilliance that "defund the police" was a distant memory in the minds of everyone because guess what there was something decent that everyone could be cheerful about. Instead, they will spend more energy than it would take to do that complaining about a phrase used by some passionate students who had the honesty to say how totally corrupt most police departments and police unions are, and to notice how deeply the media is entrenched in reporting a crime perspective that completely supports that corruption and makes it so that cops who have 3 DUIs and 25 undo force complaints are untouchable.
This is a very sore toe for me that gets stepped on all the time.
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