Democrats last night did what they always do best…..elect the worst fucking cretin they can find. Of course the Republicans being totally asleep at the wheel got their asses handed to them. BTW……you know who predicted this very thing happening? That's right kids......Marjorie Taylor Greene. She has continuously stated that Republicans will get smoked b/c they are lazy and unwilling to pass the presidents agendas/mandates. Congress (both the House and Senate) convened for 14 days in September and October combined. Johnson & Thune could have required GOP members to remain in DC and fast track Trumps agenda items and confirm his appointments, but instead they sent everyone home. Thune could have invoked the nuclear option and reopened the government, but he is a feckless chickenshit. So over the past 30+ days all Republicans have done is bitched about how the Democrats won't negotiate to reopen the government and who Tucker Carlson has had on his fucking podcast. That's it......that's all they've done. Keep it up and the 2026 midterms will make last night look like vacation bible school.
So Republicans 'got smoked' by losing in states that voted for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz just one year ago, when President Trump won a landslide victory across the nation? More like many in the public 'got smoked', and fell for another media horse race hoax, suspending the belief that Republicans had no chance of winning.
It's how bad they lost. Yes being Virginia and having so many federal employees changes things but I think on "kitchen table" issues Trump is doing poorly. It's so stupid they raised the budget for military and all this other stuff and are not focused like a laser on the issues that affect his base the most. So unless something changes I would suggest that this will be reflected in 2016 even in redder state, but we shall see.
Well ... maybe. But here in Arizona the bond/budget issues (the only things on the ballot) are so close they haven't been called. Last year my school district lost for the first time to spend more than they are constitutionally allowed (every two years they ask for a suspension of their budget so they can spend whatever they want.) So they put it on the ballot again in this special, mail ballot election. With less than 25% turnout and absolutely NO money spent on the NO side, they are only winning by less than 1000 votes. They'll probably win when everything is counted, but it's super close and they spent a lot of money trying top get the YES vote out. But we didn't have any candidates on the ballot (that's next year.) I still think that the red states will get redder and the blue states will get bluer and our country is going to be more divided than ever. It's depressing.
No matter how much money they throw at the (public) schools here, there's no putting the charter-school genie back in the bottle. You just reminded me that I did vote and hadn't checked the results...
I voted no because they need to learn to live within their budgetary means. My youngest daughter is a teacher and did student teaching at a Deer Valley Unified elementary school. They don't deserve any money until they fix their ample problems, which have nothing to do with money. Specifically, the upside down expenditures for administration vs. money in the classrooms. (Because of her awful experience, she only applied to charter and private schools and is now teaching at a Catholic school.)
I have no sympathy for anyone whining about more money for schools. They waste money on so much nonsense, that I don't want to hand them any more.
One year, just after school closed for the summer, I had to visit one of my children's classrooms, to retrieve something. I could see large cardboard boxes outside every classroom door, filled with those fancy bulletin board borders, letters, banners, etc. I asked one of the janitors if this stuff was going to be put into storage for the summer, but he said no, they were headed for the dumpster.
And parents were continually badgered for supplies at the beginning of each year, including Kleenex, wipes, etc. My parents were never asked to provide any of this stuff, and I went to a public school in the 1960's.
Now I feel guilty because I didn't bother to vote in this election.
I told my daughter I'd been voting no on this crap for 40 years, but the yes votes always won -- because of all the bureaucrats/teachers/assorted NGO interests turning out.
They're still tabulating, but the West-Mec and Deer Valley bonds are passing by 3,000 votes and 800 votes respectively. In a very low turnout election, which was done on purpose because they lost in 2024. The money will be raised via tax increases on property owners. I always vote no on bonds, and budgets should never be dependent on selling bonds. Bonds (if used at all) should only be sold for major capital projects (like building a bridge.) But schools will never learn to budget if they are always given more money when they put their hands out. Nor will there be any incentive to improve education.
My daughter will never let me hear the end of this.
This is the first election I’ve skipped since my children were little, when I wasn’t really following the news, or elections, or much of anything outside of diapers and whatnot.
Other than that, I routinely voted no on all bonds, because, as you stated, they need to learn to live within their means.
They lost in Pennsylvania and got absolutely shellacked in Georgia. They lost their supermajority in the Mississippi state house. Prop 50 was called within ten minutes of the polls closing. They lost in New Jersey by 13 points. They lost in school boards, city council races, state legislatures. They're having to brag about winning Texas Constitutional amendment races -- those ALWAYS win -- because that's all they've got! Your party was obliterated in what should be the first of years of getting beaten like an old mule in every election from now on.
No way of knowing what motivates any voter of course, but IMV the constant negativity of anything Trump, the continued message of Trump hatred, of distorting facts, carefully curating each story in a way that trains news consumers to hate Trump, that is fed to American voters by the news media (faithfully following the lead of the Democratic Party), has more to do with the wins by the Democratic candidates than any real honest substantial issues. The news media teaches Americans to hate Trump and that motivates them to vote for the Democratic candidates. It sounds like too simple of an explanation but based on casual observation from folks I know I strongly believe that is the main reason - extreme, persistent, bias of the news coverage has convinced far too many voters that Trump must be opposed at any cost. Far too many voters look no further than that. You could call them single issue voters - their single issue being opposition to Trump. They believe things that are simply not true, because that is what they heard in the news.
The same news media that pushed "safe & effective" until it had caused suffering and death of millions worldwide. Neither political party represents the truth about almost anything because pols, however idealistic as novices, turn into pond scum when elected. The system is scum of the highest density, controlled by venal sociopaths who lie when they say "hello." Americans have no idea how mean, deceptive and destructive its leaders are-- because they control the narrative and prevent the truth from being known by all but a few.
Well said Richard. I've grown to view contemporary domestic politics as a battle for control for an ever expanding empire that is our federal government - with the main motivator the control of the bottomless pit of gold that is our tax dollars. There's no denying the fact that DC has become the place to go if you're motivated to become extremely wealthy, without having to work for it
"You can’t get rich in politics unless you’re a crook.”
— Harry S. Truman
I think Truman's quote, sadly, defines pretty much all of them in DC, the politicians, the lobbyists, the lawyers, all of the hangers on
Yes, you are correct. In California, the insane millionaire Tom Steyer purchased his own TV commercials in favor of Prop 50 by specifically and expressly saying voting yes for Prop 50 was a way of “sticking it to Trump,” which he even spelled out in bold letters. This ad ran forever before yesterday’s election. What Tom Steyer cynically proposed to Californians is the main reason to vote yes for Prop 50 is just to Get Trump™️. And it worked.
People are reacting to what they see affecting their own lives, not media propaganda. (If that were true, he never would have won in the first place.) I'm no fan of the Democrats, but like it or not, Trump has done nothing about much of what his voters cared about, and his lavish parties don't help. Gives off "Let them eat cake" vibes.
I agree with you that Trumps win in 2024 proved that most voters were not swayed by news media propaganda, but I still contend that the bias in the news has a very significant influence on how voters view Trump. With regard to Trump not doing much of what his voters care about, I wonder if you may agree that Trump ran on issues like immigration control, biological males out of women's sports, eliminating DEI from federal agencies, increasing domestic energy production, and many others which he has made progress on, and I believe Trump voters have noticed and approve. It's not all perfect, but it could be a whole lot worse if Harris and Walz had been the winners
I do not think these issues resonated with voters. The candidates did not run on these issues hence no bounce. But the question is, "would they?" Personally, I doubt it. When campaigns emphasize personal freedom there isn't much free stuff to promise. Every generation since Kennedy has been spoon fed entitlement as a given. This puts conservatives at a fundamental disadvantage.
I wasn't talking about me; I had no expectations for him whatsoever, just as I don't for any politician or any president. I'm talking about all those who voted for him who have been disappointed and even angered by the result.
So if you are angry with those who expected him to fix things quickly, talk to his supporters themselves who are now angry that prices have not come down like he says they have.
And, he may have said at one time that it would be painful, but that was after he was elected, and after he said many times that all of these problems would be taken care of on Day One. Blame those supporters for believing him, I suppose.
It’s not Trump’s job to fix your life. No politician can do that, whatever pretty words they use to promise it. They ain’t your daddy and mommy. The only useful thing they can do is provide a fair playing field. But that wouldn’t satisfy the megalomaniacs who get into the power game.
I wasn't talking about me; I had no expectations for him whatsoever, just as I don't for any politician or any president. I'm talking about all those who voted for him who have been disappointed and even angered by the result.
Every single thing about Trûmp is entirely hateful and disgusting. Making him into anything that isn’t utterly repulsive is a lie. If you don’t hate Trûmp ànd all his words ànd works you’re a damned fool.
My view of Trump is based on a cool and rational observation of the worthless piece of shit, since back in his tabloid days. No Trumper has ever once tried to convince me that anything he did would i prove my life one iota. His ONLY platform is bigotry plus making the libs cry and if he destroys the world to do those things he will. He is a monster and anyone who doesn’t hate him is also a monster.
A poem in one of my books is called, "Find Something to Love." I suggest for your well-being and effectiveness that you Find Something to Hate Besides Trump. There's AI, NATO, IsraHell. Trump is just another politician. They are all bought by people with more money than what you or I have.
I agree completely with this, while also understanding why at least some people voted for him, and saying that the Dems gave no alternative--nor did they try. Both parties offer nothing to working class americans.
Meanwhile, serious, professional analysts say things like this:
"Democrats are famously in very poor shape these days. Despite the unpopularity of many of Donald Trump’s specific moves, Democrats’ popularity has not been rising. Indeed, in many polls it is mired at historic lows. Democrats’ lead in the generic congressional ballot for 2026 is alarmingly modest and the situation in the Senate is dire. And no, the Democrats’ strong showing in the idiosyncratic 2025 elections, boosted by favorable terrain, disapproval of the incumbent Trump administration, and their now-traditional advantage in lower turnout elections where their educated, engaged supporters flock to the polls, does not change these fundamental problems." - Ruy Teixeira
I think that the NJ showing was the most illuminating for the Republican party. 20% turnout was what I saw being reported. There was a lot of hope that Scott Pressler's help with the ground game could do in the garden state, what he was able to help pull off just across the Delaware river in PA.
I asked Copilot, "Could there have been a poorer candidate than Winsome Earle-Sears?"
The reply: "I need to tread carefully here. I can’t give my own opinion about Winsome Sears or any other political figure, nor can I rank or compare them as “better” or “worse” candidates."
So it's up to me to say what it could not: A can of Beanee Weenee would have beaten the GOP candidate. And maybe by a greater margin.
Doubt you have to worry about that. Thune and Schumer will make a back room deal and reopen the government so they can keep the filibuster in place. Of course the democrats will end it the moment they win back control.
Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?
William Roper:
Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!
Sir Thomas More:
Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
I love that play and film. Saw it first around age 12, my dad took me to a brief re-run at a local movie house.
I have quoted that, and posted the film clip, more times in recent years than I have fingers and toes, but it seems that I beat my head against a brick wall.
These overgrown infants have not learned to think, not really. Unfortunately, many people live out their lives so.
My sister, one of the cadre of liberals who, though otherwise quite intelligent, believes the fallacy that progressivism is not incompatible with liberalism, though it is and has been since inception, is an adjunct lecturer at an NYC college (she lives upstate, therefore I cannot place any Mamdani blame at her door directly).
She tells me it is an excruciating experience to grade papers, even those of her best students, as none of them can write worth a tinker's damn, sine none of them reads.
I have never understood the ability to live without reading. I usually have two or three books in hand at any time.
Currently book #1 is Conan Doyle's The White Company, to be joined in short order by whatever Matt and Walter have up their sleeves.
I lay the blame at the feet of the teachers. They came up with this notion children do not need the skill of handwriting. I'm a geologist. One of the skills I highlight on my resume is neat handwriting. We've fired people for poor handwriting. I routinely rewrite data on sample boxes. Handwriting is a critical skill.
Teachers don't listen to the industry. They take their orders from the WEF- That Weingarten lady just announced that the WEF is directing the educational policies.
I can relate from "inside sources" at a graduate department at a Big Ten university that homework has been deprecated since the "students" (er, I thought that meant you wanted to learn) can just leverage ChatGPT or whatever LLM for their homework. The grades are now entirely determined by in-class, closed book, no cellphone exams.
I'm actually envious of the kids today in having these tools though my own motivation would not be to obviate but augment the learning process. The convenience of these resources is genuinely awesome but it means nothing if one does not recognize that a tool is just a tool!
It's truly nuts. These kids are being allowed to deny themselves of their own education. The "system" is acting like an enabler of a substance (in this case AI/LLM/etc) abuser.
Same here. The Dems would love for the Reps to do it. I am 65 years old. During my lifetime, Democrats have had unified control of the US Government (Presidency and majorities in the House and Senate) for a much longer time than Republicans have had unified control. Indeed, in my life time, there have been periods where the Dems had unified control that included a filibuster proof majority in the Senate, something the Reps have never had...ever.
It would be a very bad idea to ditch the filibuster because the Dems have made it clear that they would use that power to try and make their unified control of the government permanent.
I voted for Trump three times, and even I’m unsettled by the chaos the current administration has unleashed on the country, like they are trying to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Couldn’t fomenting a regime change in Venezuela have waited? I too am horrified at the genocide of Christians in Nigeria, but we are still sinking from the net we’re entangled in in Ukraine and Israel, not the mention the catastrophic game of chicken prolonged government shutdown. Do we need to be sending National Guard troops to clean up crime cities *right now*, when there’s already plenty of chaos around ICE trying to do their job? WHO is crafting this plan of action?
I realize this admin really has only a two year period of time to implement their agenda, but this is going to guarantee a bloodbath at the midterms if we continue on this path.
I guess I’m saying I’m a long time Trump supporter, but JFC it’s a painful, bumpy ride, even for me.
I welcome any and all enlightenment on this issue. I want to understand if there is method behind this madness I’m not seeing.
His foreign policy has been terrible. His use of tariffs as sanctions undermines creating a predictable market. At this point tariffs seem like more of a tool of foreign policy than domestic policy to strengthen manufacturing, etc. the worst thing is that none of this foreign policy is for his base, it’s for his donor class. Terrible mistake.
That isn’t happening. It will be interesting to see the evangelicals vs. the no foreign wars hard core MAGA fight if Trump is serious about putting boots on the ground in Nigeria to ostensibly save Christians from marauding Muslims.
Maybe, maybe not. I have no problem with Trump promising overwhelming force as an answer to threats against US security. Looking for things to do with American might “while we’re at it” is a different matter in my book.
I hear you...that said, the media is really amping up the reporting precisely to make it seem chaotic. They politicians and 'deep state' did it during Trump's first term, by constantly creating legal action after legal action, impeachment, censure etc etc.....hang in there - the Dems are great at creating noise...
The bumpy ride was inevitable no matter what as the mid 20th century arrangements were coming to an end.
It is better to be having a bumpy ride uphill than over a cliff - see England, Germany, Venezuela…
And no domestic security- including Venezuela- couldn’t wait.
As far as what’s the plan- as the opposition doesn’t respect rules or elections, and shoots people, no.
As far as there being a nice academic plan 🤣 no, as far as a century of entrenched and fossilized interests being painlessly displaced- no, as far as any foreign policy maneuver- it’s all centered around rebuilding America as a manufacturing and resources, energy powerhouse. Since 1987 that’s what is the center of what Trump has been about all along; Making America GO Again.
How does Venezuela -as of this moment- so critically affect our domestic security to the extent we have to initiate a regime change action? Not being snarky. I’d appreciate your input. I’m not under the impression it’s a drug issue, because Mexico and Columbia are more problematic. Of course the US wants their oil and minerals. Is there a factor I have missed?
Our Foreign policy is centered on the western hemisphere.
That includes the Americas.
That Venezuela if you recall is involved in drugs, worse human trafficking, immigrant gangs and probably the International Left - and so Atlanticists. The latter group being the core of the coup against Trump in 2020 and before, since. That’s more important than oil/minerals. <<
To the extent it’s about oil/Minerals it’s about Guyana- which Venezuela was threatening.
So they are being threatened.
Venezuela is also close with China (as was- is Canadian government and banking/ Criminal elements) so this is a broader message to the Americas and the world about any actions in the Americas.
I don’t think we’ll invade or overthrow Venezuela, we’re checking Venezuela from idiotic adventures against us or Guyana, and absolutely a lot of this is domestic order and our own security needs/perceptions.
Human Trafficking for the moment is dead at the border, that leaves drug trafficking- which is quite important to Trump/MAGA.
If you want to consider the alternative policy , it was the previous policy of malign neglect. Rampant drug, human trafficking and gangs in the USA. The alternative wasn’t acceptable to MAGA nor Trump.
This is nothing new BTW, using the military against the drug trade goes back to the 1980s.
It doesn’t affect our domestic security, now that the border has been effectively secured. Maduro is flipping the bird to Trump, and Trump can’t stand that perceived disrespect. Are those boats full of drugs-yes, likely, Venezuela is a perfect transshipment hub-no domestic security to worry about, and the cartels can be bypassed in Mexico by other organizations. That said, those boats aren’t full of meth and fentanyl and that is what is causing havoc in JD Vance country-that stuff still comes from Mexico.
No, as a I clearly said, fentanyl and meth are coming in from Mexico, where they are refined in labs. The drug boats from Venezuela are all cocaine-they aren’t producing much, if any, fentanyl or meth in Colombia/Venezuela.
He has multiple balls in the air. We are just now approaching our first year. Keep positive. I think we are showing great progress. Look at all that has been done…. Lots!
I voted for Trump 3 times, & all I can say is, being a Trump supporter involves a lot of eyerolling, and head scratching. Personally, I feel like he's lost the plot. He has long since forgotten the "Forgotten Man" he promised he would fight for. Now he's cozying up to Lindsey Graham, and whatever tech bro is in town at the time. Meanwhile, we're still struggling to buy groceries. Gas prices have come down (here in Phoenix, they're around $3.50/gallon), but everything else is still way too high.
Our gas prices here in Arizona are largely determined by our dependence on California refineries- a situation that galls me to the utmost. Valero is shutting down another refinery there due to continued and ongoing fines levied by the California state government as a means to extort money for their empty coffers. Gas prices have increased 15-20 cents/gallon in the past 2 days...
The GOP had zero chance in VA or NYC. Same in CA. The NJ results were less than they expected but I don’t think that most gave that guy more than an outside chance. This election was kind of a measure of MAGA inroads into Dem strongholds and the Dems proved stronger than they themselves had expected so in that respect it was good news for them. But to win in places you won last year and claim a sweeping national mandate in absurd.
The nuclear option repeal of the filibuster is not Johnson’s call to make, it’s Thune’s. And it’s not a good idea. Ask the Democrats how doing that for judicial nominees has turned out—a conservative dominant Supreme Court. MTG’s big complaint is that Johnson has told them to stay in their districts instead of going on the road to sell their message. She’s right, that made no sense.
Agreed on all of that with the addition of enacting all the DOGE cuts into the budget and statute.
Have to add though, that Tucker sure seems determined to fracture the MAGA coalition which is kind of fragile to begin with. That’s probably by design and his motives are suspect. It’s nothing short of a minor miracle that Trump, Vance, Kennedy, Gabbard, et al. came together as a coalition to win the presidency. It’s not a small matter when a major conservative influencer is playing softball with the likes of Tate, Smith, and Fuentes but reaming Ted Cruz. Lose a few percent of the voting public and the democrats will be back in business.
You're suddenly against having actual Nazis in your party? You're ALL Nazis and you're just too fucking cowardly to say so! I wish Nick Fuentes all the luck in the world with the GOP. You deserve each other.
Too funny Karen. You accuses us as being all members of the National Socialist German Workers party? Mamdani would seem to be closest elected official to fit that definition-he hates Jews, is a socialist and looks more German than Arabic
He's not getting Nick Fuentes's endorsement. Your boy Trump is. Also, his campaign was entirely about making New York cheaper to live in and not at all about stupid 'social issues' like your side constantly runs on. (The existence of a trans girl playing volleyball does not affect me; laws banning birth control absolutely do. You want to ban the Pill.)
Are you ignorant of the science of men v women in terms of physical strength? But, to continue your logic-let's have one team for all sports and men and women can try out for spots on the team. Result: You will get zero XX players for any sport. Is that your idea of fairness?
Um, this whole piece was about the NYC mayor's race and who won. All those who voted for Mamdani cared about the NYC they live in. And that's why they voted for him.
He says he's part of MAGA, and he was interviewed by Tucker Carlson, who identifies as MAGA, who handled him with kid-gloves about his nazi and anti-semitic views. It has roiled and divided MAGA. Some support him, some seek to disavow him. I suppose it says something good about you that you want to disavow him. Not all of MAGA feels the same way.
Remember this, people. They call you a Nazi, not because you are a Nazi, but so they feel justified to attack you, hurt you, and literally kill you. Nazis were socialists who hijacked private enterprise to pay for their government and imperialistic vision. Antifa were communists who shared the same goals as Nazis, but would have lined their streets with the decapitated heads of local business owners.
They did not hijack private enterprise, they crushed the working class and its organizations to help private enterprise. They only called themselves socialist, but they were the last line of defense of the capitalist class to protect their system in the most brutal way possible. All those German corporations were very pleased with the result.
Yes, they did in the sense that private corporations were conscripted (no choice) into the service of the National Socialist government. If they didn't co-operate, they disappeared and were replaced. Sure, those capitalists that went along with the fascists were allowed to profit as long as they stayed in line and did what they were told in a command economy. The communists would have just killed them all leaving only the criminals and serfs, as happened in Russia, China, Cambodia, Burma, Cuba, etc.
"So over the past 30+ days all Republicans have done is bitched about how the Democrats won't negotiate to reopen the government and who Tucker Carlson has had on his fucking podcast. That's it......that's all they've done."
Well said. The dumpfuckery of the Republicans is allowing the worst of the Wokism of the Democrats to gain momentum.
They make up a very small percentage of the population.
Manhattan typically votes 90 to 95% Democratic in the presidential elections. And Brooklyn with the largest population of the boroughs is even more leftwing.
I always wondered who was pulling Biden’s strings that he would appoint Lina Khan to head up the Federal Trade Commission (my first instinct was that whoever is was, used the argument that it was important to appoint a women of color to solidify DEI principals at the highest governmental levels). But now with Mamdani selecting her to head up his transition team, I’m now wondering who is behind the curtain of his campaign, and am starting to believe that just as Biden was a useful idiot to achieve certain goals by deep state players, Mamdani is the latest face man for those same deep state players.
What are the president's "agendas and mandates"? It's hard for me to discern real policy solutions from stream of consciousness rhetoric. Also, isn't an inability to rally the troops on the leader, not the troops?
In most cases yes, it's the president's responsibility to rally the troops. Unfortunately congress is still stuffed with legacy republicans stonewalling and trying to wait out Trump so they can get back to fleecing the country.
Congress is undermining him but he's got a lot of self owns. While I originally was sympathetic to the tariffs, as I think our past free trade deals were horrible for the country, his use of tariffs has been chaotic and messy. He's using them as a form of sanctions, instead of trying to create a new stable economic framework that attracts businesses and starts the process of more manufacturing taking place domestically. I have no idea what we are doing in Venezuela, and am very concerned where middle east policy goes from here as his purposefully chaotic approach to foreign policy leaves everyone confused. I would greatly prefer no more adventurism abroad and a total focus on domestic issues until the midterms.
Not if US oil interests had control over that oil, which is what they want. They couldn't care less where it actually gets pumped, so long as they control it.
Tariff policy, like everything else he does, is incoherent. And the clapping sea lions say tariffs are going to raise revenue and reduce the debt. They're too dumb to realize that tariffs can successfully be used to raise revenue or to get other countries to lower theirs but not both. If you're successful at one, then tariffs become useless for the other. Another incoherency is foreign policy. I admire Tulsi and Rubio but they represent opposite ends of the foreign policy spectrum and Trump bangs of the walls like a pinball. All this, while the debt continues to blow up.
It's not incoherent it just appears that way. Setting tariffs, changing them multiple times creates uncertainty among export/import firms and encourages them to stop trading. This puts immediate pressure on foreign govts like China to come to the table. He just completed a big deal with China to sell them food and in return we get rare earths and a bunch of other things. China is desperate for food. Trump appears chaotic but he is doing pretty well. He slipped past the Israelis without doing the Iran war. He's Teflon Don baby.
100% Truth. Checking my Mega Millions ticket to see if I can become a self absorbed don’t give a shit anymore gazillionaire….i wouldn’t blame Trump if he resigned , “ they” are not going to let him succeed even if that means “ eliminating “ him….
Do you mean Republicans like Thomas Massie, who he's running a GOP candidate against. The sooner we realize that Trump is moron at best and Dem operative at worst, the better.
I like Massie but I get Trump’s annoyance with him too. Idealism has little place in politics and Massie is an idealist. I also find Massie’s economic views to be a bit childish honestly. Trump didn’t create the system we have but he has to win using it.
Cutting govt spending in a spending-addicted economy will simply lose the next election to the Dems who will do the opppsite anyway. It’s a serious problem but no one is going to fix it without raising taxes on someone and that someone has to be the people who made out like bandits for the last 40 years. That means capital controls and even price controls and no one is prepared for that currently. Wake me when someone explains this to the American people and gets elected.
Ignore what Trump says. He is performing by either trolling, triangulating or speaking to a specific audience, sometimes all three at once. Watch what he does. Trump’s approval rating at 46% is higher than the house, the senate and the judiciary. Rasmussen poll last week showed that economic populism (i.e., Maganomics) is best delivered by Democrats (46%) vs Republicans (26%). As Rasmussen interpreted it, Trump gets the highest marks, but he’s battling alone on the field.
The GOP is the albatross. They have no understanding of what Trump is trying to accomplish. Trump has seven months to correct that problem. It’s simple, stop running on social issues. Run on economic issues. The bases of both parties have already hardened. The battle will be for the independents (aka narcissists and libertarians) and moderates (wind vanes in meat suits). If history is any guide, it is foolish to underestimate Trump’s political instincts. After all, he’s the first person since FDR to win three presidential elections in a row.
Evan, I am sorry that you used Marjorie T Green as an example of one to which we should be listening. She is in the same clique of very sad representatives and podcasters who merit absolutely nothing. She has no gravitas at all. She is the MAGA version of the Dems’ Eric Swalwell. Her comments are incendiary and divisive. The heart of the MAGA movement should ignore her.
Fair enough my friend. I like MTG as someone who I believe calls balls and strikes but there are others I like as well (Eli Crane, Andy Biggs, Chip Roy, Anna Paulina Luna, Rand Paul). Who would you put out front in Congress that is a good example of the MAGA/America First movement?
Hi Evan, As you know, I read what you write and enjoy your point of view, your efforts to link pertinent articles and at times, your colorful language. I agree with your list, especially Luna. Rand Paul is always interesting and I admire his independence. I just think people like Greene diminish a point of view. Take care of yourself.
I totally get it and can appreciate where you’re coming from. I just don’t subscribe that she’s the bogeyman that a lot on the right believe she is. That said I could be wrong as I have been about a zillion times in my life. Have a great week, my friend.
Thank you. She is not a bogeyman--she is vacuous and for me, at least, not worth a listen. She is part of the right that I would like to see diminished.
Your "fucking cretin" won rather handily by speaking of how to make New York city affordable to ordinary people - free childcare, free bus rides to work, affordable housing, city-run grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods, etc. Democrats and Republicans also offer free things - to billionaires and the very rich.
Venezuelans suffer not because of socialism but because of United States blockades, sanctions, seizures of foreign assets, etc. If we just respected their sovereignty and left them alone they would be thriving just as socialist China is thriving
Ah, the old argument of “The US is giving us our problems. So you think it has nothing to do with the low trust culture of Venezuela, their frequent power outages, their not talking care of their oil wells, so now it’s expensive to pump oil from them; and from a populace so demoralized that they will believe anything any socialist candidate says during a campaign. Socialism is based on envy, a highly toxic emotion. Socialist governments always fail.
If socialist countries always fail why the sanctions, blockades, coups, seizing of assets? Why not just stand back and let them fail. Socialism in China has in my lifetime produced the fastest and most widespread economic growth in human history. Socialism is based on democracy and fairness, not envy. I'm a socialist, and I don't envy anyone. As a socialist I want prosperity for everyone, not just for a tiny elite. I care about people. Today's monopoy capitalists don't. They are parasites, bloodsuckers. Early capitalism as advocated by Adam Smith actually made life better for everyone. Those days are long gone.
A tiny elite are the only ones prosperous in a socialist country. 🤣 It’s never socialism’s fault either. It’s always the mean ol boogey man that prevents it from working and has nothing to do with it being completely incompatible with human nature or the need for violence to enforce its grand visions of utopia.
The United States is run by a sleazebag real estate developer who regularly screwed the contractors who built his hotels. He thinks he is God. Venezuela would be a paradise if the United States simply respected it's sovereignty, removed it's blockades, allowed food and medicine to enter the country, unfrozen it's foreign assets, quit medding with its democratically elected government, and allowed it to process it's oil.
Tax breaks, military interventions all over the world to increase their wealth, subsidies, bailouts, elimination of the social and economic safety net, ending consumer protection, privatization, etc. In Amererica we have socialism for the rich and rugged individualism for everyone else.
Sarcasm intended. By my definition of socialism what I mentioned is not socialism. But by your apparent but inaccurate definition - handouts to undeserving people - they are indeed socialism.
Republican Congress Critters are largely disinterested in effecting any real change; they seem happiest when they can complain about those crazy Dems across the aisle.
When Democrats win, they hit the ground running, and pass all sorts of stuff almost immediately -- which is exactly what will happen if they retake the WH. We can expect no more filibuster, a packed Supreme Court, and Democrat rule from sea to shining sea, as they perfect vote fraud on a nationwide basis (with a lot of assistance from namby-pamby Republicans in office).
Peacemaker here for the most coherent comment wtitten about this fiasco. Further, I believe if our legislative branch had been doing its job, we wouldn't have been subjected to this ping-pong game of Trump's executive orders/actions and Supreme Court decisions since he took office this second term.
Sept. 11, 2026. The mayor’s presence at Ground Zero will be an abomination. Not to mention all the rousing speeches he’ll give “celebrating” America’s 250th year of existence.
I’m sick at the thought of it. It’s a total disgrace. Of course he won mostly among people who weren’t born here. Voters who were born here favored Cuomo, from the numbers I saw. They didn’t forget.
Interesting how both sides are becoming what they were accused of in completely unfounded ways (at the time). The left truly is adopting open borders and socialism and the right, quickly losing faith in the democratic process especially since immigration is now being wielded by the left, is slowly becoming more comfy with the idea of a real strong man taking the reigns (something like El Salvador).
What I never did see coming is the gender dynamics in all this. If it continues there will be no learning lessons, as it will be a fully tribal dynamic, where it's less about voting based on a belief system and more about staying faithful to your gender tribe.
CC, here in the NYC, white women of all ages have gone batty. I have seen many in the streets advocating for Mamdani’s courses pushing flyers for working families/democratic socialists and rent freeze on us. When my husband tried to explain that we had lived under socialism and were happy to get away from it as far as possible decades ago, we were told, of course, that we simply don’t understand and how they would do it better. With a condescending smile.
I agree. The beauty of the American experiment was each group setting aside their tribal affiliations in exchange for a unified nationalism. It’s worked for a couple of centuries. But we’re now backsliding from this and slope is looking pretty steep. History shows us that people groups long ago self segregated into very specific geographies. That may be our fate too, but I hope not.
I hate to be a downer but I’m afraid it’s inevitable in some form, although we have a large state that will probably try and make this harder as it gets increasingly desperate to force things to stay together (expect far more censorship and more as we are seeing in the uk). Let’s be honest. The us has never tried to integrate this many cultures, so the case could be made that in the past integration was difficult but there was some important cultural similarities that made it more possible (like almost all immigrants coming from Christian nations).
The best case scenario might be the us adopting something like Russia. If I understand it correctly they have strong Christian parts and strongly Islamic parts (to name only two factions). Putin and the central government allow each part to live by their traditions, which has created a pretty harmonious balance, with each group still participating in the war with Ukraine even. I won’t pretend to be a Russians expert on this however but this is what I’ve heard.
Peter Brimelow predicted this in his 1995 book, "Alien Nation". Thirty years ago! And it triggered a substantial subculture of discussion on the matter, so no whining. There's been plenty of warning.
"But I also suspect that the immigration cutoff [referencing a previous assertion that immigration could simply be ended entirely, to which I say, dream on!] will be too late. Diversity, the buzzword of the 1990s, will prove divisive—the now-forgotten buzzword of the 1970s. The contradictions of a society as deeply divided as the United States must now inexorably become, as a result of the post-1965 influx, will lead to conflict, repression and, perhaps, ultimately to a threat thought extinct in American politics for more than a hundred years: secession.
"Deep into the twenty-first century, throughout the lifetime of my little son, American patriots will be fighting to salvage as much as possible from the shipwreck of their great republic. It will be a big wreck, and there will be a lot to salvage. But the struggle must be contrasted sadly with the task of completing the 'Great Society' upon which Americans were encouraged to think they were embarking in 1965.
"And the politicians and pundits who allowed this to happen truly deserve, and will certainly receive—in the words of the epigraph heading Chapter 5—the curses of those who come after."
You are right that past assimilations in USA were largely Christian and also ‘spaced out’ somewhat. The other important but now largely overlooked factor is US during past large migrations had the physical space to accommodate newcomers and allow them to thrive (Go West Young Man). This new physical space doesn’t exist anymore. In fact, arrival to many urban zones presents one with sky high rents and housing prices. Much of it fueled by artificial urban growth boundaries, which prevent sprawl, but inevitably drive up real estate prices inside those zones.
In can also be noted that in past large migrations, the people groups arriving did self segregate upon arrival. That’s why we still have China towns, Jewish quarters, Polish heavy communities. We can look at Boston North End which was last mass occupied by Italians. But before this it was Irish heavy.
Is your reply a perfect example of Matt's article. Do you not understand that by "going for the real thing," you are advocating for civil strife, war, poverty and hunger?
My take is the coming ‘Socialist’ experiment in NYC must happen. Must happen because youth today don’t know their history. Most people’s ‘history’ only goes as far back as the oldest person they know, and who wants to listen to warning of an older person? So, this generation needs to repeat history a bit and taste it’s just desserts. Ya’ll shouldn’t worry too much though, we still have a strong 2A.
Yes, 4th Turnings also call for a climax. Wonder how long this winter season will last and what will be the final ice storm before a new, spring and society coming back together. History says the climaxes of 4th Turnings involve a fair amount of bloodletting. Enough that good people get sick of it and say ‘enough!’ I don’t think we are quite there yet.
Actually, we are close to the end of the current 4th Turning.
Furthermore, most Americans are not on the left, and that was clearly apparent in the failed "no kings" marches a few weeks ago.
Right now, the democrats, who used to care about the middle, have gone far to the left and therefore are becoming increasingly irrelevant in eyes of most Americans. All the republicans have to do is hang on.
And Mamdani? He is likely going to be looking at how to get out unscathed after he learns how many agencies and organizations there are in New York that do not automatically bend the knee to the mayor. Winning the election is one thing. Managing a city of competing organizations run by people uninterested in his leftist twaddle is something else entirely. Stock up on popcorn for January 1st.
Right, and (prediction) muslim and Chi-comm $ will keep it afloat while they take over NY starting w NYC. E.h., Saudi “investment” will be only in the forms that put them in leverage positions and as landlords; zero value added. Corrections welcome.
Problem is it will take decades for them to get it. I agree with Val. And I'm not sure one city will convince the rest of the youth either. So it will metastasize first. And the problem with even considering the second amendment or civil war at any point is our country is not divided ideologically -geographically anymore. So not seeing that happen, just chaos.
Maybe it will happen faster than you think. There is about to be an arms race of re-districting (US House seats). See Texas and now California, Prop 50 passage last night. I predict a tit-for-tat across red and blue states will now accelerate, which will promote one party to be elected to power, and other constituents, marginalized. I think only SCOTUS wil be able to put the brakes on this. If left unchecked we will self segregate on party/ideological grounds whether we like it or not, which is the ‘new tribes’ here in America.
Hm, well I am pretty old to move to Texas and have family property in MI. But I have property also in Michigan's upper peninsula, one of the few places it might be ok to live here. But this is pretty scary.
We did the "socialist city candidate" thing here in Seattle, it didn't innoculate anyone to be sure. She failed horribly, was replaced, but we keep getting socialist or socialist-adjacent candidates succeeding. The only thing that seems to happen is you might get someone who is 1% more "moderate" than the outright socialist, but institutes 99% of the same policies and represents the same ideas (and is viciously hated and propagandized against by the activists for that 1% difference).
Rather, the feeling I get from personal experience is that when you get one socialist like this succeeding in an area, it's going to lead to more. That's why the DSA is so very excited, and you see grassroots socialists celebrating. They want to be normalized, they know it will lead to more of them being elected. It doesn't matter if his policies suck and end in disaster, enough people will think it's good or that it only failed because it was opposed. You'll get more of it.
Terrifying. We're going to get more of it for sure. And I'm with Megyn Kelly about voting in all these Muslims who I do not believe have American values. Has nothing to do with race otherwise.
AS long as the 'new experiment' stays confined to NYC - I'm good and even fascinated to watch it happen...albeit I fear for the value of my city real estate...
There is this fantastical idea that if we just suffer through some incredibly bad time of evil and suffering, people will learn permanently. I see no evidence of this. The modern and quasi-modern era seems to be an endless, repeating cycle of suffering from the same mistakes over and over, with small interludes where people remember how bad it was, only to forget and do it all over again.
It's interesting because for thousands of years we didn't have "mistakes" of this scale, so you have to figure it's something to do with the modern thinking and philosophy. I don't know, the lack of religion being a dominant factor in people's lives maybe? It's the only thing I can think of, secularism is a big part of socialist societies to be sure.
It is obvious there is a pattern across Western countries of immigrant Muslims, and some Sikhs, using the political system to get themselves elected to power. And then to implement extremism within the systems. To turn the Western culture and power to their own culture and power.
I am sure this has been planned for decades. As a Trojan Horse takeover. Requires more time than a military invasion, but is far less expensive. And many people of the original culture will fail to catch-on to what is happening until it is too late. Their own gullibility will assist the invaders.
London England has already been taken over by a Mayor like Zohran. I suspect they are targeting major Western cities.
There are precedents for this kind of Muslim invasion. Although in the past, without mass communication to assist, it was more often done militarily.
The Iberian Peninsula of what is now Spain and Portugal, was taken over in the 8th century by Muslims. Lasted from the initial conquest in 711 AD to the fall of Granada in 1492 AD. However, Christian culture prevailed after that. They kicked out the Muslims at last.
In 1683 there was also the Battle of Vienna, where a combined Christian army commanded by King John III Sobieski defeated the Ottoman Turks. The Muslim invasion was successfully turned back at the gates of Vienna.
But we don't want to wait 800 years to get our countries back.....do we?
Your Islamophobia stinks to high heaven. And it is anti-American. I don't judge people by their religion. There are good and bad Christians, good and bad Muslims, good and bad Jews.
I would like to add a bit more nuance here. You must judge people by their religion. Just like you must judge people by their behavior. Unreformed Islam is a malevolent force on this planet. Adherents should be admonished in and castigated from polite society. Unreformed Islam means invasion. It means subjugation. It means Sharia. And it operates on a thousand year horizon. The west (USA specifically) operates on a 4 sometimes 8 year horizon. Our sheep are no match for that wolf.
To be clear on where I stand, I think that reformed Muslims are welcome everywhere. And, I don't think that Mamdami is a radical Islamist. He is too opportunistic and insincere. But he will happily get in bed with them.
I am not certain what you mean by "reformed Muslims". I have been led to understand there is no such thing. That you are either in or you are out. It is a totalitarian political movement, after all. And if you are a questioner or dissenter, it does not bode well for you.
You consider there is an equivalent in the Muslim world to moderate Christianity or reformed Judaism? How so?
Reformed as in secularized. I do think there are earnest believers in Allah who would resist Shariah with the same enthusiasm as moderate and right Americans. Just as many Christians reject the more legalistic sects like Pentecostals and the end-times sects. Belief is a personal, sliding scale for all religions.
But I wholeheartedly agree that walking away from Islam or departing from you family’s/clan’s version is dangerous for some people. And I also agree that Islam is primarily about governance and is girded by the spiritual.
Lastly, Islam is sticky like tribalism. And I’m not naive enough to believe that most would choose liberalism over sharia.
You've been fed a lot of nonsense. Yes, there is an equivalent in the Islamic world to moderate Christianity or reformed Judiasm. Look at the Central Asian countries. It's really mostly the Arab world that's extremist.
Iranians for example aren't extremist, haven't really been, they got taken over by a trojan horse in the form of the Ayatollah who claimed he would do the opposite of what he did. That said, the majority of Iranians don't identify as Muslim anymore.
Unreformed Christianity is also a malevolent force on this planet. Unreformed atheism is also a malevolent force on this planet. Religious stereotypes are unAmerican. Strict adherence to the darkest side of Sharia Law is actually quite rare in the Islamic world. Yes, it is practiced by the Wahhabbis in Saudi Arabia, but it is anathema to the vast majority of Muslims. Quite frankly I think Christian, Jewish, and atheistic Zionism is every bit as evil as Islamic Jihadism. As to invasions, the US in the name of spreading democracy and freedom has killed more than 20 million people in 37 “victim nations” since World War II. Since 1945, the U.S. Government has perpetrated 297 invasions of foreign countries and at least 60 coups.
"darkest side of Sharia Law" What a weird qualifier. Roughly 1/3 of Muslims in UK support the transition to Sharia Law. 25% believe that Hamas committed any atrocities on October 7. But it's fine. Nothing to see here.
Regarding the Big Bad US of A.
We are not living in a post-history world, and this intellectually-lazy inter-temporal moralism is just so boring. Power is the deciding factor in world history. And humans are fallible until the end. So, what's your point?
If you cannot take even the tiniest step to understand what a normal person could mean by unreformed or fundamentalist Islam, we have nothing to talk about.
Humans, under the banner of religion, have committed grave evil in the past and present. Not sure what your point is. Are you making a moral equivalence between modern day fundamentalist Islam and modern day fundamentalist Christianity?
What is there to reform about moderate Christianity? Christianity is moderate by definition; if a once-Christian group becomes extremist, they are no longer practicing Christianity. Be careful of the definitions.
Christianity gave the West the concept of human rights, and education for all. It gave the West the concept of charity. And human compassion....even for those outside your tribe -- a huge evolutionary leap.
You do understand that the Muslim incursion into the Iberian Penninsula brought wealth, science and art to the area? And that the Inquisition was an attack on enlightenment and a throwback to the dark ages?
You have odd opinions, KG. But in the name of democratic free speech, you are welcome to them.
I noted here many moons ago that the Spanish emphasis on orthodox Catholicism was a very good bulwark against the Muslim invasion.
However, it eventually went too far to the right. Much like the Christian Puritans of the 17th century. Both were enlightened Christian groups as long as they remained in the centre of the psychological spectrum.
I have explained all of this many, many times. I have no control over whether you read it or not. And I am under no obligation to keep repeating these explanations with every post. If you want the information, the reading effort is your own obligation.
Many good points but... I don't it was planned. More like unintended consequences of a long series of self-interested decisions made for personal gain. The desire for cheap labor and ever-more-consumers drove immigration. And an ever-growing population is needed to prop up pyramid-scheme-like social programs.
I will read it later today, T. Although I see it comes from El Gato, or Bad Cattitude. He banned me some time ago, because my truths interfered with his Influencer business. Therefore I haven't much faith in what he says. Unless he took it from my own posts.
I would not be surprised if he had cribbed his information from me. Because I was the only one on Substack pointing this out some years ago. From my formal background in Totalitarianism studies. There are few of us out here.
The comments in that piece about taking over the gullibles who are soft-headed and soft-hearted is absolutely true. I have to say that he has this correct.
I used to explain this to people by telling them to go to YouTube and watch the Christmas 1971 Coca-Cola TV ad that was tremendously popular in its day: "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (in Peaceful Harmony)". That was a very good example of propaganda, using the subliminal approach in popular entertainment. Telling millions of viewers that the virtue they were to be encoded with was "Multiculturalism plus 'Link Arms and Sing Kumbaya'". Lord....the naivety! The softer they became, and the more self-denigrating, the more the would-be invaders rubbed their hands in glee.
The Trojan Horse types were making it a virtue to denigrate Western culture and to raise every other culture of the world. Mainly the undeveloped ones, as it happens. Communist Pierre Troodo of Canada began pushing these concepts in North America by 1968. He was also a member of the Club of Rome; they were very keen on eugenics.
When you denigrate yourself or your own culture, what you are doing psychologically is inviting in the predators.
Well, I agree with the stupidity bit. However, there are reasons beyond that. Such as the fact that extremists on either side of the psychological spectrum will attract one another if they are polar opposites. Then at some future point they turn against each another and fight for supremacy.
Well, Klaus Schwab of WEF assisted Communist China in developing its economic plan, and thereby working to crush the West, in many ways.
So I would suspect that the cabal of powerful Globalists is behind this. You need only go back to the WWII era to find that Nazis were collaborating with leading Palestinians and Muslim groups. See the work of former UPenn Anthropologist Francisco Gil-White. When two equally extremist groups share the same scapegoat(s) -- in this case both the Jews and the West)-- they are likely to work together up to a point.
The other issue to remember here is that the more powerful of the Globalists are psychopathic in nature.
How can you be sure? Perhaps they all play different positions for the same team to both advance various parts of the overall agenda while sending everyone's confused attention in divergent directions... Those in charge are interested in one thing and one thing only: absolute power, and they don't care how they get it.
I am sure because I have done all of the cross-disciplinary study. And invested the experience.
This was a tiny niche field that interested no one for decades but observant and inquisitive Intuitives like me. Until March 2020, when all of a sudden, the answers were in high demand.
If "a fox knows many things, but a hedgehog knows one big thing", Mamdani is most definitely a hedgehog.
The one thing he knows is that in the liberal West he just needs to speak the patois of Oppression Studies, making sure to center himself and his identity points as a darker-than-white Muslim who thus has had our colonial power-knowledge etched into his brown body from birth, and maybe add a dash of generic "Power to the People" socialism—and this will make bourgeois white liberals processed by the Marxist madrassas of academia swoon and drop their panties, or at least drop to their knees in atonement. (And he is far from the first aristocrat from a former Western colony who's come to the West and played liberals like a lyre, knowing that once you show your scars and tap into their white guilt they can do nothing but submit.)
Mamdani is like one of those cheesy pickup artists that were popular maybe a decade ago. He's rehearsed all the right lines, the right gestures and phrases, to localize his target and tap into their needs and insecurities, to make them believe that he might just be THE ONE. He is a hipster Hamasnik hologram, as much a brand as a man, suitable for printing on a totebag. Just as Trump tapped into the amygdalas of his Deplorables, Mamdani has done the same for the hipsters of Brooklyn and our entire Portlandia class. He is much more TikTok than tankie.
It's not a bad move if your goal is to win. It's easy to manipulate the well to do into believing they are the oppressed because poor them..... someone paid for their Columbia tuition and rent controlled apartment and now it costs $1.25 for a banana at Whole Foods. There's no way they're going to slum it with the dirty people at Aldi.
Great comment. I asked Grok if ZM is a hedgehog .. here's the reply ...
"Zohran's intellectual and political style revolves around one big unifying idea: a radical, systemic critique of inequality and capitalism, often channeled through democratic socialism. He applies this lens consistently to issues like housing affordability, public safety, child care, and foreign policy (e.g., his vocal stances on Gaza and anti-imperialism, which echo his father's postcolonial themes)."
Democrat victories last night were in deep blue New Jersey and NYC. Purple Virginia went blue because all the rent-seeking laid off federal workers worried for their sinecures. So I wouldn't overstate the importance of these results.
On the other hand, we are now seeing the results of young Americans who know little of civics and economics, much less science, and the result of years of being taught about white privilege, the need for DEI, reparations and safe spaces. We reap what we sow. If socialism ever wins in America, they will have the teacher's unions and academia to thank.
I really do wonder how the “conservatives” just gave up education to the left. It’s wild that they never cared to take up those positions in politics. And then people are surprised homeschooling is such a big thing…
I have to say that I expected Spanberger to win in VA but Jay Jones is an abomination. I do believe he wants conservatives dead, well since he admits that he wrote that he did, but Virginians apparently don't care. I have family in VA and it turns my stomach.
Yeah, I was surprised too that he won. But according to polls I've seen, it's consistent with the views of many Democrats who are willing to consider violence as an acceptable means to what they see as a better outcome. Democratic politicians also paint every opponent and proposition (like 50 in California) as a vote against Trump. Trump really seems to get their goat like no other, though I remember similar outrage against W and even Reagan. Emotional outrage is their currency, and it will transfer to the next Republican that comes along.
The main reason I got disillusioned with the Right was because I saw how far the pundits and talking head propagandists went to label everything Democrats and Obama did as pure evil straight from hell and literally communist and so forth.
It's just how politics works in this world. People shoot off their mouths in the most dramatic possible ways because a reasonable point is no point at all.
I still remember how Michelle Obama saying we should eat real food was generally castigated as the worst evil and anti-American, but now RFK saying the same things is a hero and savior of the west. The hypocrisy is just part of the game. The Right has no moral center, just opportunism just like the left.
That's a fair point, Andrew. Both parties have both their moderate and extreme views, no question.
I'm a lifelong independent. The difference I observe between the parties is that conservatives are more "life and let live" with respect to policy, while liberals seem to feel they know best and want to control how people live. The latter ultimately leads to an unfree society.
I'm naturally more aligned to the Right, and spend far more time interfacing with it and its ideas, but I fundamentally distrust its leadership, and the insincerity of its members. Most of what anyone says is just an effort to buy votes.
I have a relative who keeps insisting that "Democrats" are the cause of all the faults of America, including globalization, financialization, etc. I'm willing to have the discussion of whether or not globalization is good for America, but which free trade deal did not have the majority of the Republican Party backing it?
If there was a reasonable, pragmatic, AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE right I would support it. I'm tired of being lied to by people who claim to value these things, and don't: i.e. virtually all of them.
While you may not like either of them, should they be grouped together just because they had elections on the same day? One guy wants to make a city better, the other said he wanted to put two bullets in the head of his political opposition.
“One guy wants to make a city better”. You’ve got to be joking. Opening prisons, replacing police with social workers, selling groceries in government stores, eliminating programs for gifted and talented children and testing in public schools because … racist. I could go on. Which of these will improve the city? Oh, I forgot free bus rides. NY city and state taxes are already the highest per capita and as a % of personal income in the nation, and the city debt is the highest of all large and medium size cities.
Affordability is the new magical word. Time to retire “saving democracy” and “existential threat”. We are now in the era of making everything affordable to everyone, no matter fiscal reality. Time for tic tockers and podcasters to take the wheel. They will pay for everything with their iPhones.
Agree. Compare this to the “news” put out by Lawrence O’Donnell and company. We wouldn’t be in this position as a nation if journalists hadn’t transformed into “journalists”.
The Zohrantifada will destroy nyc. Establishment Dems engineered their own extinction through mass migration. They are going the way of the DODO - Demographically Obsolete Democrat Oafs: https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/dodo-democrat-extinction
I would agree except the mayor doesn't really have that much power. The city council and state hold most of the reins. We'll see how much they kowtow to him given his massive win. The city council and state legislature answer to the real estate barons and banksters not the mayor.
I’ve been trying to raise this issue in most comment sections lamenting Mamdani’s win. I live close to Seattle, where even the leftist of left mayors struggle to deliver the grand utopia each and everyone of them promises, mostly because the Seattle City Council acts in their own individual self interests.
The word on the socialist web is Cuban land reforms- or land value taxes/wealth taxes. Perhaps high enough to let the city take the buildings. Manhattan.
The state could let NYC fall into bankruptcy. Insurance companies with muni bond exposure will be tricky (or perhaps too big to fail)?
I've thought about this myself. Milwaukee had 3 socialist mayors (thank you Alice Cooper for making me remember that) and Milwaukee is still around. Would Mamdani really be that bad? (I dont know much about the brand of Wisconsin socialism compared to Mamdani's current flavor).
Yes, the things he and his dog-absuing friend Piker about socialist revolution, the USSR are all vile and dismiss some of the worst horrors in human history, but he is, at the end of the day, just a mayor. And one who will learn quickly that the people of New York will not tolerate incompetent transit
He sells snake oil. It’s one of his promises that when all added up, projects a message of “the people” getting their “fair share” to those who are high on him.
Won’t matter. Most NYC people don’t ride buses, they take the subway. Majority of folks in NYC could care less about city politics have no opinion on this whatsoever. Now of he’d said free subways . . . THAT would turn heads and make them pay attention.
If you are trying to compare NYC to Milwaukee, and socialist mayors in both cities, then I do not believe anyone can give you helpful information..at least information you can comprehend.
They have been tolerating incompetent transit for a long time. Former Mayor DeBlasio (who I actually voted for) had a massive sum of money supposedly to help the mentally ill. No one seems to know or care where it disappeared to.
It should be mentioned that Mamdani won a majority of foreign born New Yorkers, but not a majority of American-born ones. I’m sure he won a majority of Gen Z in both categories, so the historical illiteracy argument Matt is making does apply there. But there is this other axis/dimension to elections in urban areas now that can’t be overlooked: transformation of electorates by immigrants who hold worldviews and ideologies more different from native-born Americans than the gaps between the Irish/Italians and WASPs in New York in the 19th century.
Also, maybe I’m in a minority of Racket readers now, but I still wonder about (hope for?) an alternate history when Bernie won the nomination in 2016 (not 2020 Bernie - yuck), and fused a new coalition in the party without all the illiterate regressive identitarian nonsense now pervading the DSA types.
Back in 2016 if it was Trump V Bernie I think Bernie would have won. That said, the fact that he rolled over and said thank you to Clinton in 2016 and through 2019 tells me he would have been a horrible president. Bernie post-2016 has been nothing but a disappointment to me. So in hindsight I'm glad he never had the chance to show his true colors sitting in the oval office.
It seems to me that the unbridled immigration has brought two types of political immigrants: Those fleeing what they were in and wanting to assimilate into becoming an actual American and those coming here with no intention of assimilating but of living as they did and changing the new country into what they left....much like what Christians did but on a larger level. The commies and the Islamists have the same goal of world domination. Both think that they will win over the other but make complimentary bedfellows for now.
What can you say about a guy who thinks violence is a false social construct but will likely have plenty of things to censor??? Free speech will be the enemy
An excellent and important essay. One thing that brings down my alarm level is this: the elite vanguard who ushered in the Leninist hell in Russia had already been through hell: Tsarist rule, famine, pogroms, the First World War, etc. These were hard, hard people. They were profoundly good at sticking to a brutal ideological program to see their vision of the future realized. Today's intersectional "creatives," progressive wine moms, and DSA bloggers? What have they been through? Student debt? Having to get a roommate to live in Park Slope? They will flee at the first sign of tangible discomfort.
Also, wonderful use of "grotesquerie," one of my favorite words and the perfect way to describe Obamacare.
The hope is that they will form a circular firing squad and self-destruct over perceived grievances. Worried about Linda Sarsour however -- she seems like may act as a "blocking unit" for the Mamdani vanguard
"Mamdani is a capable and agile politician. He has chosen whatever lies required in the moment because you can’t govern if you can’t get elected. He will no more dismantle the police than he will put Gristedes out of business. Children will go to school; the stock market will open and close. The earth will turn." jj745@substack.com
In the meantime, life goes on. There will be no mass NYC destruction. The hysterics are funny.
Recently I asked someone how they differentiate between Fascists and Authoritarian Right, and got the same sort of "wow, you're so compromised to even ask such questions."
I see you and him as being the same person, only different in what narrow minded hair trigger you choose to focus your life around.
Honestly the worst infrastructure I've seen in my life was in Ukraine, Moldova, Luisiana, and Wyoming, in terms of highway quality. Louisiana in particular seems almost on a mission to prove that roads can be absolutely abysmal in quality.
Texas roads are just a nightmare though. I'd rather ride a train across Kazakhstan than drive across Texas again given the choice.
Yeah, I'm still waiting for some political party to take the deficit / debt seriously instead of just pretending to. That one's going to blow up big time one day.
I agree with you. People outside of NYC have no clue how little the mayor can do against entrenched establishment and special interests, and how little NYC people care at all about city government or politics.
There’s a good chance NYC will decay now like mid 80s because of weak police force, but there won’t be any real “socialist” let alone communist revolution in NYC
Mamdani is not the one in charge. He may have been elected mayor but there is a big organized colossus behind him that will “help” him govern ala Biden administration. He will perform or else per Linda Sarsour.
Like Republicans circa 2015, the Democratic Party is very unpopular and keeps running the same unlikeable losers (does Mamdani win if the Dems best alternative wasn’t a ghoul like Cuomo?). Trump broke that and has changed the Republican Party.
I suspect Dems are seeing the same thing now- their old guard can’t do anything well, so let’s lurch to the left and animate our most ardent supporters.
Now we’ll have two parties that lurch between extremes until both sides start supporting centrists in primaries, and until some of those centrists have a winning pitch.
I completely agree with you. I’ve been trying to think of a national Democrat who isn’t an unlikable loser, and it’s tough! I was thinking maybe Ro Khanna and Sherrod Brown. But Brown lost his senate bid, so by definition, he’s a loser lol.
Lurching between extremes is correct, but the result will not be support of centrists. Lurching extremes will force the extremes to become even more extreme to counteract the former opposite extreme. National divorce is inevitable, the only question is whether it requires civil war to get there.
Divorce is impossible since we're too geographically integrated. As the dollar continues to devalue, which is inevitable no matter who's at the helm, average people will get poorer in real terms, and they'll stay mad at the other team. With that dark future in mind, I expect the "civil war" may take the form of domestic terrorism: more political assassinations; bombings a la Weather Underground; armed roadblocks like we see in Mexico. Eventually, if you have a nice home, you'll need good security.
Glueskamp-Perez comes to mind, as do Jared Polis and Beshear in KY. But even the likes of Schumer, Pelosi, and Jefferies aren’t hard left even if they are very unlikable and moving farther left. You may dislike them but the next generation is a lot worse.
Beshear is an asshole who cow to insane trans ideology over rights of women and girls. Listen to him weaseling on this on Bill Maher 2 weeks ago. I swear he convinced me to vote Republican for the rest of life. Some “centrist”.
Except the dems took in the deep staters with an (R) next to their names, so the deep state has nowhere to go if Dems kick them out.
Prediction time: if the new mayor decides to tax the hell out of the rich people of NYC, those rich people will all get it back and then some through well hidden budget subsidies.
The deep state is ok with the appearance of losing. They are not ok with actual losing
“ To people who grew up behind the Iron Curtain, Mamdani is an immediately recognizable type, a disciple of the Leninist school of agitation that teaches effortless insincerity as a necessary means to reaching power.”. And if our schools and universities were more interested in teaching history and not creating social justice warriors, a lot of younger voters would have had some perspective.
Democrats last night did what they always do best…..elect the worst fucking cretin they can find. Of course the Republicans being totally asleep at the wheel got their asses handed to them. BTW……you know who predicted this very thing happening? That's right kids......Marjorie Taylor Greene. She has continuously stated that Republicans will get smoked b/c they are lazy and unwilling to pass the presidents agendas/mandates. Congress (both the House and Senate) convened for 14 days in September and October combined. Johnson & Thune could have required GOP members to remain in DC and fast track Trumps agenda items and confirm his appointments, but instead they sent everyone home. Thune could have invoked the nuclear option and reopened the government, but he is a feckless chickenshit. So over the past 30+ days all Republicans have done is bitched about how the Democrats won't negotiate to reopen the government and who Tucker Carlson has had on his fucking podcast. That's it......that's all they've done. Keep it up and the 2026 midterms will make last night look like vacation bible school.
You don’t hate the media enough…..you think you do, but you don’t. https://x.com/evans_wroten
So Republicans 'got smoked' by losing in states that voted for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz just one year ago, when President Trump won a landslide victory across the nation? More like many in the public 'got smoked', and fell for another media horse race hoax, suspending the belief that Republicans had no chance of winning.
It's how bad they lost. Yes being Virginia and having so many federal employees changes things but I think on "kitchen table" issues Trump is doing poorly. It's so stupid they raised the budget for military and all this other stuff and are not focused like a laser on the issues that affect his base the most. So unless something changes I would suggest that this will be reflected in 2016 even in redder state, but we shall see.
Well ... maybe. But here in Arizona the bond/budget issues (the only things on the ballot) are so close they haven't been called. Last year my school district lost for the first time to spend more than they are constitutionally allowed (every two years they ask for a suspension of their budget so they can spend whatever they want.) So they put it on the ballot again in this special, mail ballot election. With less than 25% turnout and absolutely NO money spent on the NO side, they are only winning by less than 1000 votes. They'll probably win when everything is counted, but it's super close and they spent a lot of money trying top get the YES vote out. But we didn't have any candidates on the ballot (that's next year.) I still think that the red states will get redder and the blue states will get bluer and our country is going to be more divided than ever. It's depressing.
No matter how much money they throw at the (public) schools here, there's no putting the charter-school genie back in the bottle. You just reminded me that I did vote and hadn't checked the results...
I voted no because they need to learn to live within their budgetary means. My youngest daughter is a teacher and did student teaching at a Deer Valley Unified elementary school. They don't deserve any money until they fix their ample problems, which have nothing to do with money. Specifically, the upside down expenditures for administration vs. money in the classrooms. (Because of her awful experience, she only applied to charter and private schools and is now teaching at a Catholic school.)
I have no sympathy for anyone whining about more money for schools. They waste money on so much nonsense, that I don't want to hand them any more.
One year, just after school closed for the summer, I had to visit one of my children's classrooms, to retrieve something. I could see large cardboard boxes outside every classroom door, filled with those fancy bulletin board borders, letters, banners, etc. I asked one of the janitors if this stuff was going to be put into storage for the summer, but he said no, they were headed for the dumpster.
And parents were continually badgered for supplies at the beginning of each year, including Kleenex, wipes, etc. My parents were never asked to provide any of this stuff, and I went to a public school in the 1960's.
Your tax dollars at work!
Ack!
Now I feel guilty because I didn't bother to vote in this election.
I told my daughter I'd been voting no on this crap for 40 years, but the yes votes always won -- because of all the bureaucrats/teachers/assorted NGO interests turning out.
They're still tabulating, but the West-Mec and Deer Valley bonds are passing by 3,000 votes and 800 votes respectively. In a very low turnout election, which was done on purpose because they lost in 2024. The money will be raised via tax increases on property owners. I always vote no on bonds, and budgets should never be dependent on selling bonds. Bonds (if used at all) should only be sold for major capital projects (like building a bridge.) But schools will never learn to budget if they are always given more money when they put their hands out. Nor will there be any incentive to improve education.
My daughter will never let me hear the end of this.
This is the first election I’ve skipped since my children were little, when I wasn’t really following the news, or elections, or much of anything outside of diapers and whatnot.
Other than that, I routinely voted no on all bonds, because, as you stated, they need to learn to live within their means.
Trump isn’t running,
Last night he had a totally losing hand in some off season bush league games and lost.
That’s it.
2016?
Guessing you meant 2026?
Yeah of course. I tried to edit it but on the app on my iPhone I didn’t see the option. Sorry for the confusion.
Tarrifs will help Trump's base by bring manufacturing back and decreasing price differencial between imports and US made but it takes time.
They lost in Pennsylvania and got absolutely shellacked in Georgia. They lost their supermajority in the Mississippi state house. Prop 50 was called within ten minutes of the polls closing. They lost in New Jersey by 13 points. They lost in school boards, city council races, state legislatures. They're having to brag about winning Texas Constitutional amendment races -- those ALWAYS win -- because that's all they've got! Your party was obliterated in what should be the first of years of getting beaten like an old mule in every election from now on.
No way of knowing what motivates any voter of course, but IMV the constant negativity of anything Trump, the continued message of Trump hatred, of distorting facts, carefully curating each story in a way that trains news consumers to hate Trump, that is fed to American voters by the news media (faithfully following the lead of the Democratic Party), has more to do with the wins by the Democratic candidates than any real honest substantial issues. The news media teaches Americans to hate Trump and that motivates them to vote for the Democratic candidates. It sounds like too simple of an explanation but based on casual observation from folks I know I strongly believe that is the main reason - extreme, persistent, bias of the news coverage has convinced far too many voters that Trump must be opposed at any cost. Far too many voters look no further than that. You could call them single issue voters - their single issue being opposition to Trump. They believe things that are simply not true, because that is what they heard in the news.
The same news media that pushed "safe & effective" until it had caused suffering and death of millions worldwide. Neither political party represents the truth about almost anything because pols, however idealistic as novices, turn into pond scum when elected. The system is scum of the highest density, controlled by venal sociopaths who lie when they say "hello." Americans have no idea how mean, deceptive and destructive its leaders are-- because they control the narrative and prevent the truth from being known by all but a few.
Well said Richard. I've grown to view contemporary domestic politics as a battle for control for an ever expanding empire that is our federal government - with the main motivator the control of the bottomless pit of gold that is our tax dollars. There's no denying the fact that DC has become the place to go if you're motivated to become extremely wealthy, without having to work for it
"You can’t get rich in politics unless you’re a crook.”
— Harry S. Truman
I think Truman's quote, sadly, defines pretty much all of them in DC, the politicians, the lobbyists, the lawyers, all of the hangers on
Yes, you are correct. In California, the insane millionaire Tom Steyer purchased his own TV commercials in favor of Prop 50 by specifically and expressly saying voting yes for Prop 50 was a way of “sticking it to Trump,” which he even spelled out in bold letters. This ad ran forever before yesterday’s election. What Tom Steyer cynically proposed to Californians is the main reason to vote yes for Prop 50 is just to Get Trump™️. And it worked.
Both California and New York allow non-citizens to vote, which was probably a factor.
Also, the mail-in envelopes on Prop. 50 exposed all No votes to anyone looking at the envelope, so who knows how many of those never got counted?
People are reacting to what they see affecting their own lives, not media propaganda. (If that were true, he never would have won in the first place.) I'm no fan of the Democrats, but like it or not, Trump has done nothing about much of what his voters cared about, and his lavish parties don't help. Gives off "Let them eat cake" vibes.
I agree with you that Trumps win in 2024 proved that most voters were not swayed by news media propaganda, but I still contend that the bias in the news has a very significant influence on how voters view Trump. With regard to Trump not doing much of what his voters care about, I wonder if you may agree that Trump ran on issues like immigration control, biological males out of women's sports, eliminating DEI from federal agencies, increasing domestic energy production, and many others which he has made progress on, and I believe Trump voters have noticed and approve. It's not all perfect, but it could be a whole lot worse if Harris and Walz had been the winners
The best thing Trump did was secure the southern border.
I do not think these issues resonated with voters. The candidates did not run on these issues hence no bounce. But the question is, "would they?" Personally, I doubt it. When campaigns emphasize personal freedom there isn't much free stuff to promise. Every generation since Kennedy has been spoon fed entitlement as a given. This puts conservatives at a fundamental disadvantage.
That's true. Credit where credit is due.
It's been 9 months.
He said very early on that it wasn't going to be easy, and my even be painful- look.it up.
Returning manufacturing and self reliance to the US is at least a 20 year project if it isn't too late already.
Thinking he can fix 40 years of neo liberal destruction of the quality of life issues affecting Americans is just dumb.
This is for our children and future generations; the rest of us just need to pull whatever weight we can to help recover.
I wasn't talking about me; I had no expectations for him whatsoever, just as I don't for any politician or any president. I'm talking about all those who voted for him who have been disappointed and even angered by the result.
So if you are angry with those who expected him to fix things quickly, talk to his supporters themselves who are now angry that prices have not come down like he says they have.
And, he may have said at one time that it would be painful, but that was after he was elected, and after he said many times that all of these problems would be taken care of on Day One. Blame those supporters for believing him, I suppose.
*thinking he can fix it in the short term
It’s not Trump’s job to fix your life. No politician can do that, whatever pretty words they use to promise it. They ain’t your daddy and mommy. The only useful thing they can do is provide a fair playing field. But that wouldn’t satisfy the megalomaniacs who get into the power game.
I wasn't talking about me; I had no expectations for him whatsoever, just as I don't for any politician or any president. I'm talking about all those who voted for him who have been disappointed and even angered by the result.
Every single thing about Trûmp is entirely hateful and disgusting. Making him into anything that isn’t utterly repulsive is a lie. If you don’t hate Trûmp ànd all his words ànd works you’re a damned fool.
proving the point. TDS lives strongly in your head
My view of Trump is based on a cool and rational observation of the worthless piece of shit, since back in his tabloid days. No Trumper has ever once tried to convince me that anything he did would i prove my life one iota. His ONLY platform is bigotry plus making the libs cry and if he destroys the world to do those things he will. He is a monster and anyone who doesn’t hate him is also a monster.
A poem in one of my books is called, "Find Something to Love." I suggest for your well-being and effectiveness that you Find Something to Hate Besides Trump. There's AI, NATO, IsraHell. Trump is just another politician. They are all bought by people with more money than what you or I have.
True. And to my point in another comment, so is Mamdani. So Taibbi's Mamdani Derangement Syndrome is way overblown.
What is your opinion on Thomas Jefferson?
I agree completely with this, while also understanding why at least some people voted for him, and saying that the Dems gave no alternative--nor did they try. Both parties offer nothing to working class americans.
Wah! Wah! Wah!
LOL. Frothing at the mouth again Karen.
You may want to address the issues.
NYC will get the government they deserve, good and hard.
What worries me is how that election starts to remind me of the UK and we can all see how that contagion is going…
Mississippi was required to draw 3 new districts based on race. They still hold majority.
mules. ?? isnt that your party?
You are correct. People ignore the down-races. Those affect the up-races in the next election and they also change local governance.
Oh, Karen. You know what wishcasting is, right?
Meanwhile, serious, professional analysts say things like this:
"Democrats are famously in very poor shape these days. Despite the unpopularity of many of Donald Trump’s specific moves, Democrats’ popularity has not been rising. Indeed, in many polls it is mired at historic lows. Democrats’ lead in the generic congressional ballot for 2026 is alarmingly modest and the situation in the Senate is dire. And no, the Democrats’ strong showing in the idiosyncratic 2025 elections, boosted by favorable terrain, disapproval of the incumbent Trump administration, and their now-traditional advantage in lower turnout elections where their educated, engaged supporters flock to the polls, does not change these fundamental problems." - Ruy Teixeira
Eat 1000 dicks whore
Maybe, but in the end we all lose.
I think that the NJ showing was the most illuminating for the Republican party. 20% turnout was what I saw being reported. There was a lot of hope that Scott Pressler's help with the ground game could do in the garden state, what he was able to help pull off just across the Delaware river in PA.
I asked Copilot, "Could there have been a poorer candidate than Winsome Earle-Sears?"
The reply: "I need to tread carefully here. I can’t give my own opinion about Winsome Sears or any other political figure, nor can I rank or compare them as “better” or “worse” candidates."
So it's up to me to say what it could not: A can of Beanee Weenee would have beaten the GOP candidate. And maybe by a greater margin.
Fuck it. I’m moving to the Free State of Florida.
I just love how easily the word 'hoax' gets thrown around in these comment sections...
Put me down as against dismantling the filibuster - sorry.
Doubt you have to worry about that. Thune and Schumer will make a back room deal and reopen the government so they can keep the filibuster in place. Of course the democrats will end it the moment they win back control.
You Mean Thune and Schumer. Johnson's House of Reps already voted and passed the clean CR.
Yes. Corrected.
Yeah, you're probably right about that.
100%
So Republicans should end it now. At least, for continuing resolutions.
Of course. The VP called it
William Roper:
So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!
Sir Thomas More:
Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?
William Roper:
Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!
Sir Thomas More:
Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
--Robert Bolt, A Man For All Seasons
I love that play and film. Saw it first around age 12, my dad took me to a brief re-run at a local movie house.
I have quoted that, and posted the film clip, more times in recent years than I have fingers and toes, but it seems that I beat my head against a brick wall.
These overgrown infants have not learned to think, not really. Unfortunately, many people live out their lives so.
As Matt very aptly put it, "the new book-averse, Tik-Tok raised population has lost touch with history."
I've also read the term "post-literate society".
It's genuinely crazy and scary, given the stratospheric self-opinion of the same group of people.
Detached. Unconnected. Society starting over ala "Lord of the Flies".
My sister, one of the cadre of liberals who, though otherwise quite intelligent, believes the fallacy that progressivism is not incompatible with liberalism, though it is and has been since inception, is an adjunct lecturer at an NYC college (she lives upstate, therefore I cannot place any Mamdani blame at her door directly).
She tells me it is an excruciating experience to grade papers, even those of her best students, as none of them can write worth a tinker's damn, sine none of them reads.
I have never understood the ability to live without reading. I usually have two or three books in hand at any time.
Currently book #1 is Conan Doyle's The White Company, to be joined in short order by whatever Matt and Walter have up their sleeves.
I lay the blame at the feet of the teachers. They came up with this notion children do not need the skill of handwriting. I'm a geologist. One of the skills I highlight on my resume is neat handwriting. We've fired people for poor handwriting. I routinely rewrite data on sample boxes. Handwriting is a critical skill.
Teachers don't listen to the industry. They take their orders from the WEF- That Weingarten lady just announced that the WEF is directing the educational policies.
I can relate from "inside sources" at a graduate department at a Big Ten university that homework has been deprecated since the "students" (er, I thought that meant you wanted to learn) can just leverage ChatGPT or whatever LLM for their homework. The grades are now entirely determined by in-class, closed book, no cellphone exams.
I'm actually envious of the kids today in having these tools though my own motivation would not be to obviate but augment the learning process. The convenience of these resources is genuinely awesome but it means nothing if one does not recognize that a tool is just a tool!
It's truly nuts. These kids are being allowed to deny themselves of their own education. The "system" is acting like an enabler of a substance (in this case AI/LLM/etc) abuser.
One of the best movies ever too.
And with one of the greatest performances ever put on film.
I love that play. I love that scene.
Same here. The Dems would love for the Reps to do it. I am 65 years old. During my lifetime, Democrats have had unified control of the US Government (Presidency and majorities in the House and Senate) for a much longer time than Republicans have had unified control. Indeed, in my life time, there have been periods where the Dems had unified control that included a filibuster proof majority in the Senate, something the Reps have never had...ever.
It would be a very bad idea to ditch the filibuster because the Dems have made it clear that they would use that power to try and make their unified control of the government permanent.
They will do it anyway. Next time in power..
Along with packing the Supreme Court, opening the borders, and issuing a massive amnesty.
Well said.
I voted for Trump three times, and even I’m unsettled by the chaos the current administration has unleashed on the country, like they are trying to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Couldn’t fomenting a regime change in Venezuela have waited? I too am horrified at the genocide of Christians in Nigeria, but we are still sinking from the net we’re entangled in in Ukraine and Israel, not the mention the catastrophic game of chicken prolonged government shutdown. Do we need to be sending National Guard troops to clean up crime cities *right now*, when there’s already plenty of chaos around ICE trying to do their job? WHO is crafting this plan of action?
I realize this admin really has only a two year period of time to implement their agenda, but this is going to guarantee a bloodbath at the midterms if we continue on this path.
I guess I’m saying I’m a long time Trump supporter, but JFC it’s a painful, bumpy ride, even for me.
I welcome any and all enlightenment on this issue. I want to understand if there is method behind this madness I’m not seeing.
His foreign policy has been terrible. His use of tariffs as sanctions undermines creating a predictable market. At this point tariffs seem like more of a tool of foreign policy than domestic policy to strengthen manufacturing, etc. the worst thing is that none of this foreign policy is for his base, it’s for his donor class. Terrible mistake.
Same here. A 3X Trump voter. Wasn't excited the first two times, though.
Trump is getting carried away with the use of police and military force. Lord knows we didn't think he'd start looking for trouble in other countries.
Hopefully, someone will pull him down off his high.
That isn’t happening. It will be interesting to see the evangelicals vs. the no foreign wars hard core MAGA fight if Trump is serious about putting boots on the ground in Nigeria to ostensibly save Christians from marauding Muslims.
Maybe, maybe not. I have no problem with Trump promising overwhelming force as an answer to threats against US security. Looking for things to do with American might “while we’re at it” is a different matter in my book.
I hear you...that said, the media is really amping up the reporting precisely to make it seem chaotic. They politicians and 'deep state' did it during Trump's first term, by constantly creating legal action after legal action, impeachment, censure etc etc.....hang in there - the Dems are great at creating noise...
The bumpy ride was inevitable no matter what as the mid 20th century arrangements were coming to an end.
It is better to be having a bumpy ride uphill than over a cliff - see England, Germany, Venezuela…
And no domestic security- including Venezuela- couldn’t wait.
As far as what’s the plan- as the opposition doesn’t respect rules or elections, and shoots people, no.
As far as there being a nice academic plan 🤣 no, as far as a century of entrenched and fossilized interests being painlessly displaced- no, as far as any foreign policy maneuver- it’s all centered around rebuilding America as a manufacturing and resources, energy powerhouse. Since 1987 that’s what is the center of what Trump has been about all along; Making America GO Again.
How does Venezuela -as of this moment- so critically affect our domestic security to the extent we have to initiate a regime change action? Not being snarky. I’d appreciate your input. I’m not under the impression it’s a drug issue, because Mexico and Columbia are more problematic. Of course the US wants their oil and minerals. Is there a factor I have missed?
I think with reason;
Our Foreign policy is centered on the western hemisphere.
That includes the Americas.
That Venezuela if you recall is involved in drugs, worse human trafficking, immigrant gangs and probably the International Left - and so Atlanticists. The latter group being the core of the coup against Trump in 2020 and before, since. That’s more important than oil/minerals. <<
To the extent it’s about oil/Minerals it’s about Guyana- which Venezuela was threatening.
So they are being threatened.
Venezuela is also close with China (as was- is Canadian government and banking/ Criminal elements) so this is a broader message to the Americas and the world about any actions in the Americas.
I don’t think we’ll invade or overthrow Venezuela, we’re checking Venezuela from idiotic adventures against us or Guyana, and absolutely a lot of this is domestic order and our own security needs/perceptions.
Human Trafficking for the moment is dead at the border, that leaves drug trafficking- which is quite important to Trump/MAGA.
If you want to consider the alternative policy , it was the previous policy of malign neglect. Rampant drug, human trafficking and gangs in the USA. The alternative wasn’t acceptable to MAGA nor Trump.
This is nothing new BTW, using the military against the drug trade goes back to the 1980s.
It doesn’t affect our domestic security, now that the border has been effectively secured. Maduro is flipping the bird to Trump, and Trump can’t stand that perceived disrespect. Are those boats full of drugs-yes, likely, Venezuela is a perfect transshipment hub-no domestic security to worry about, and the cartels can be bypassed in Mexico by other organizations. That said, those boats aren’t full of meth and fentanyl and that is what is causing havoc in JD Vance country-that stuff still comes from Mexico.
It comes in through the border in trucks. And drones. It’s still being smuggled in. Are you saying no fentanyl is coming into the US now from Mexico?
No, as a I clearly said, fentanyl and meth are coming in from Mexico, where they are refined in labs. The drug boats from Venezuela are all cocaine-they aren’t producing much, if any, fentanyl or meth in Colombia/Venezuela.
He has multiple balls in the air. We are just now approaching our first year. Keep positive. I think we are showing great progress. Look at all that has been done…. Lots!
I voted for Trump 3 times, & all I can say is, being a Trump supporter involves a lot of eyerolling, and head scratching. Personally, I feel like he's lost the plot. He has long since forgotten the "Forgotten Man" he promised he would fight for. Now he's cozying up to Lindsey Graham, and whatever tech bro is in town at the time. Meanwhile, we're still struggling to buy groceries. Gas prices have come down (here in Phoenix, they're around $3.50/gallon), but everything else is still way too high.
Our gas prices here in Arizona are largely determined by our dependence on California refineries- a situation that galls me to the utmost. Valero is shutting down another refinery there due to continued and ongoing fines levied by the California state government as a means to extort money for their empty coffers. Gas prices have increased 15-20 cents/gallon in the past 2 days...
I cannot stand gavin newsom.
The GOP had zero chance in VA or NYC. Same in CA. The NJ results were less than they expected but I don’t think that most gave that guy more than an outside chance. This election was kind of a measure of MAGA inroads into Dem strongholds and the Dems proved stronger than they themselves had expected so in that respect it was good news for them. But to win in places you won last year and claim a sweeping national mandate in absurd.
The nuclear option repeal of the filibuster is not Johnson’s call to make, it’s Thune’s. And it’s not a good idea. Ask the Democrats how doing that for judicial nominees has turned out—a conservative dominant Supreme Court. MTG’s big complaint is that Johnson has told them to stay in their districts instead of going on the road to sell their message. She’s right, that made no sense.
Corrected
They proved stronger ... at voting? Or did they actually convince voters to change sides?
The Democrats wanted to use the shutdown to stoke their turnout and it worked...
Agreed on all of that with the addition of enacting all the DOGE cuts into the budget and statute.
Have to add though, that Tucker sure seems determined to fracture the MAGA coalition which is kind of fragile to begin with. That’s probably by design and his motives are suspect. It’s nothing short of a minor miracle that Trump, Vance, Kennedy, Gabbard, et al. came together as a coalition to win the presidency. It’s not a small matter when a major conservative influencer is playing softball with the likes of Tate, Smith, and Fuentes but reaming Ted Cruz. Lose a few percent of the voting public and the democrats will be back in business.
No. It’s the new taking over from the old.
You're suddenly against having actual Nazis in your party? You're ALL Nazis and you're just too fucking cowardly to say so! I wish Nick Fuentes all the luck in the world with the GOP. You deserve each other.
Too funny Karen. You accuses us as being all members of the National Socialist German Workers party? Mamdani would seem to be closest elected official to fit that definition-he hates Jews, is a socialist and looks more German than Arabic
There were (are) plenty of Arab Nazis
He's not getting Nick Fuentes's endorsement. Your boy Trump is. Also, his campaign was entirely about making New York cheaper to live in and not at all about stupid 'social issues' like your side constantly runs on. (The existence of a trans girl playing volleyball does not affect me; laws banning birth control absolutely do. You want to ban the Pill.)
Fuentes endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024, madame.
Are you ignorant of the science of men v women in terms of physical strength? But, to continue your logic-let's have one team for all sports and men and women can try out for spots on the team. Result: You will get zero XX players for any sport. Is that your idea of fairness?
Let’s see you swim against Katie Ledecky.
wasn't about stupid social issues?
He's going to IMPORT trans wannabes from out of state and give them free transtion at taxpayers' expense, including children.
He's going to INCREASE the already insane city spending on illegal immigrants.
He's going after white neighborhoods to placate his POC base.
He's going to raise taxes on the wealthy as a class gotcha more than anything else.
This is all about stupid social issues, bitch.
He won.
yes we do. the blue pill...NYC has never been “cheap to live in”. and really who cares about NYC anyway..
Um, this whole piece was about the NYC mayor's race and who won. All those who voted for Mamdani cared about the NYC they live in. And that's why they voted for him.
Fuentes is NOT a Trump supporter, Karen.
Try to keep up.
He says he's part of MAGA, and he was interviewed by Tucker Carlson, who identifies as MAGA, who handled him with kid-gloves about his nazi and anti-semitic views. It has roiled and divided MAGA. Some support him, some seek to disavow him. I suppose it says something good about you that you want to disavow him. Not all of MAGA feels the same way.
Remember this, people. They call you a Nazi, not because you are a Nazi, but so they feel justified to attack you, hurt you, and literally kill you. Nazis were socialists who hijacked private enterprise to pay for their government and imperialistic vision. Antifa were communists who shared the same goals as Nazis, but would have lined their streets with the decapitated heads of local business owners.
They did not hijack private enterprise, they crushed the working class and its organizations to help private enterprise. They only called themselves socialist, but they were the last line of defense of the capitalist class to protect their system in the most brutal way possible. All those German corporations were very pleased with the result.
Yes, they did in the sense that private corporations were conscripted (no choice) into the service of the National Socialist government. If they didn't co-operate, they disappeared and were replaced. Sure, those capitalists that went along with the fascists were allowed to profit as long as they stayed in line and did what they were told in a command economy. The communists would have just killed them all leaving only the criminals and serfs, as happened in Russia, China, Cambodia, Burma, Cuba, etc.
Give it a rest, Karen.
You don't know what you're talking about -- again.
Would you kindly depart, please? Such a nuisance
chill 🧊 ooh
Hogwash.
"So over the past 30+ days all Republicans have done is bitched about how the Democrats won't negotiate to reopen the government and who Tucker Carlson has had on his fucking podcast. That's it......that's all they've done."
Well said. The dumpfuckery of the Republicans is allowing the worst of the Wokism of the Democrats to gain momentum.
The Republicans were not asleep at the wheel.
They make up a very small percentage of the population.
Manhattan typically votes 90 to 95% Democratic in the presidential elections. And Brooklyn with the largest population of the boroughs is even more leftwing.
After conducting a nationwide search for the worst possible candidate, Mamdani has appointed Lina Khan to head his transition team.
This is not satire.
I always wondered who was pulling Biden’s strings that he would appoint Lina Khan to head up the Federal Trade Commission (my first instinct was that whoever is was, used the argument that it was important to appoint a women of color to solidify DEI principals at the highest governmental levels). But now with Mamdani selecting her to head up his transition team, I’m now wondering who is behind the curtain of his campaign, and am starting to believe that just as Biden was a useful idiot to achieve certain goals by deep state players, Mamdani is the latest face man for those same deep state players.
What are the president's "agendas and mandates"? It's hard for me to discern real policy solutions from stream of consciousness rhetoric. Also, isn't an inability to rally the troops on the leader, not the troops?
In most cases yes, it's the president's responsibility to rally the troops. Unfortunately congress is still stuffed with legacy republicans stonewalling and trying to wait out Trump so they can get back to fleecing the country.
Congress is undermining him but he's got a lot of self owns. While I originally was sympathetic to the tariffs, as I think our past free trade deals were horrible for the country, his use of tariffs has been chaotic and messy. He's using them as a form of sanctions, instead of trying to create a new stable economic framework that attracts businesses and starts the process of more manufacturing taking place domestically. I have no idea what we are doing in Venezuela, and am very concerned where middle east policy goes from here as his purposefully chaotic approach to foreign policy leaves everyone confused. I would greatly prefer no more adventurism abroad and a total focus on domestic issues until the midterms.
Venezuela is oil. That is all.
And gold.
We have plenty of oil and getting Venezuelan output up to pre-Chavez levels would hurt our oil industry, not help it. But whatevs.
Not if US oil interests had control over that oil, which is what they want. They couldn't care less where it actually gets pumped, so long as they control it.
Tariff policy, like everything else he does, is incoherent. And the clapping sea lions say tariffs are going to raise revenue and reduce the debt. They're too dumb to realize that tariffs can successfully be used to raise revenue or to get other countries to lower theirs but not both. If you're successful at one, then tariffs become useless for the other. Another incoherency is foreign policy. I admire Tulsi and Rubio but they represent opposite ends of the foreign policy spectrum and Trump bangs of the walls like a pinball. All this, while the debt continues to blow up.
It's not incoherent it just appears that way. Setting tariffs, changing them multiple times creates uncertainty among export/import firms and encourages them to stop trading. This puts immediate pressure on foreign govts like China to come to the table. He just completed a big deal with China to sell them food and in return we get rare earths and a bunch of other things. China is desperate for food. Trump appears chaotic but he is doing pretty well. He slipped past the Israelis without doing the Iran war. He's Teflon Don baby.
There's literally nothing Trump could do that his followers won't attribute to 18D chess
Lol
100% Truth. Checking my Mega Millions ticket to see if I can become a self absorbed don’t give a shit anymore gazillionaire….i wouldn’t blame Trump if he resigned , “ they” are not going to let him succeed even if that means “ eliminating “ him….
Do you mean Republicans like Thomas Massie, who he's running a GOP candidate against. The sooner we realize that Trump is moron at best and Dem operative at worst, the better.
I like Massie but I get Trump’s annoyance with him too. Idealism has little place in politics and Massie is an idealist. I also find Massie’s economic views to be a bit childish honestly. Trump didn’t create the system we have but he has to win using it.
Cutting govt spending in a spending-addicted economy will simply lose the next election to the Dems who will do the opppsite anyway. It’s a serious problem but no one is going to fix it without raising taxes on someone and that someone has to be the people who made out like bandits for the last 40 years. That means capital controls and even price controls and no one is prepared for that currently. Wake me when someone explains this to the American people and gets elected.
And by "the people who made out like bandits for the past 40 years," you must mean the extremely rich, right? Just clarifying.
Of course.
Ignore what Trump says. He is performing by either trolling, triangulating or speaking to a specific audience, sometimes all three at once. Watch what he does. Trump’s approval rating at 46% is higher than the house, the senate and the judiciary. Rasmussen poll last week showed that economic populism (i.e., Maganomics) is best delivered by Democrats (46%) vs Republicans (26%). As Rasmussen interpreted it, Trump gets the highest marks, but he’s battling alone on the field.
The GOP is the albatross. They have no understanding of what Trump is trying to accomplish. Trump has seven months to correct that problem. It’s simple, stop running on social issues. Run on economic issues. The bases of both parties have already hardened. The battle will be for the independents (aka narcissists and libertarians) and moderates (wind vanes in meat suits). If history is any guide, it is foolish to underestimate Trump’s political instincts. After all, he’s the first person since FDR to win three presidential elections in a row.
42D chess. I get it.
Evan, I am sorry that you used Marjorie T Green as an example of one to which we should be listening. She is in the same clique of very sad representatives and podcasters who merit absolutely nothing. She has no gravitas at all. She is the MAGA version of the Dems’ Eric Swalwell. Her comments are incendiary and divisive. The heart of the MAGA movement should ignore her.
Fair enough my friend. I like MTG as someone who I believe calls balls and strikes but there are others I like as well (Eli Crane, Andy Biggs, Chip Roy, Anna Paulina Luna, Rand Paul). Who would you put out front in Congress that is a good example of the MAGA/America First movement?
Hi Evan, As you know, I read what you write and enjoy your point of view, your efforts to link pertinent articles and at times, your colorful language. I agree with your list, especially Luna. Rand Paul is always interesting and I admire his independence. I just think people like Greene diminish a point of view. Take care of yourself.
I totally get it and can appreciate where you’re coming from. I just don’t subscribe that she’s the bogeyman that a lot on the right believe she is. That said I could be wrong as I have been about a zillion times in my life. Have a great week, my friend.
Thank you. She is not a bogeyman--she is vacuous and for me, at least, not worth a listen. She is part of the right that I would like to see diminished.
I like MTG.
She is rightfully calling Trump out on his broken promises, and on his military shenanigans.
Very smart comment.
Yes. One step closer to revolution.
✅ ok
Your "fucking cretin" won rather handily by speaking of how to make New York city affordable to ordinary people - free childcare, free bus rides to work, affordable housing, city-run grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods, etc. Democrats and Republicans also offer free things - to billionaires and the very rich.
Hey, it all works fine until the money runs out. Just ask the Venezuelans that aren't being blown out of the water.
Venezuelans suffer not because of socialism but because of United States blockades, sanctions, seizures of foreign assets, etc. If we just respected their sovereignty and left them alone they would be thriving just as socialist China is thriving
Ah, the old argument of “The US is giving us our problems. So you think it has nothing to do with the low trust culture of Venezuela, their frequent power outages, their not talking care of their oil wells, so now it’s expensive to pump oil from them; and from a populace so demoralized that they will believe anything any socialist candidate says during a campaign. Socialism is based on envy, a highly toxic emotion. Socialist governments always fail.
If socialist countries always fail why the sanctions, blockades, coups, seizing of assets? Why not just stand back and let them fail. Socialism in China has in my lifetime produced the fastest and most widespread economic growth in human history. Socialism is based on democracy and fairness, not envy. I'm a socialist, and I don't envy anyone. As a socialist I want prosperity for everyone, not just for a tiny elite. I care about people. Today's monopoy capitalists don't. They are parasites, bloodsuckers. Early capitalism as advocated by Adam Smith actually made life better for everyone. Those days are long gone.
A tiny elite are the only ones prosperous in a socialist country. 🤣 It’s never socialism’s fault either. It’s always the mean ol boogey man that prevents it from working and has nothing to do with it being completely incompatible with human nature or the need for violence to enforce its grand visions of utopia.
Can you point to socialism where no one is "more equal than others" as things are divvied up?
Where is all that "democracy and fairness" when it comes to Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists worshiping as they please?
China is socialist again?
Really.
🤣
Venezuela is run by a bus driver who thought he was a gangster.
But listen move there, I’m sure it’s paradise.
The United States is run by a sleazebag real estate developer who regularly screwed the contractors who built his hotels. He thinks he is God. Venezuela would be a paradise if the United States simply respected it's sovereignty, removed it's blockades, allowed food and medicine to enter the country, unfrozen it's foreign assets, quit medding with its democratically elected government, and allowed it to process it's oil.
How many "socialist" countries have you actually lived in -- as a longtime resident, not as a foreign worker, or tourist?
Overspending and price controls in the face of falling oil prices doomed their economy.
What would those free things be?
Tax breaks, military interventions all over the world to increase their wealth, subsidies, bailouts, elimination of the social and economic safety net, ending consumer protection, privatization, etc. In Amererica we have socialism for the rich and rugged individualism for everyone else.
None of that is socialism. Your complaints are ludicrous.
Sarcasm intended. By my definition of socialism what I mentioned is not socialism. But by your apparent but inaccurate definition - handouts to undeserving people - they are indeed socialism.
That is not my definition of socialism.
Socialism is when the government owns the means of production like nationalizing the oil industry or health care industry.
🤣🤣🤣 if so wonderful a future why did the future exile you?
Those of us outside the 5 boros look forward 🍿 to the spectacle.
Republican Congress Critters are largely disinterested in effecting any real change; they seem happiest when they can complain about those crazy Dems across the aisle.
When Democrats win, they hit the ground running, and pass all sorts of stuff almost immediately -- which is exactly what will happen if they retake the WH. We can expect no more filibuster, a packed Supreme Court, and Democrat rule from sea to shining sea, as they perfect vote fraud on a nationwide basis (with a lot of assistance from namby-pamby Republicans in office).
Peacemaker here for the most coherent comment wtitten about this fiasco. Further, I believe if our legislative branch had been doing its job, we wouldn't have been subjected to this ping-pong game of Trump's executive orders/actions and Supreme Court decisions since he took office this second term.
It is surreal that 17 years ago Republicans said Obama was a Muslim socialist not born in America. And here we are.
Sept. 11, 2026. The mayor’s presence at Ground Zero will be an abomination. Not to mention all the rousing speeches he’ll give “celebrating” America’s 250th year of existence.
I had not thought of that. I might have to media blackout myself that day or 2.
He’ll make it about his fake aunt feeling sad about riding the subway, maybe, though unverified because she’s dead.
I’m sick at the thought of it. It’s a total disgrace. Of course he won mostly among people who weren’t born here. Voters who were born here favored Cuomo, from the numbers I saw. They didn’t forget.
He may be bold enough to declare that the terrorists won 25 years ago.
Then he'll blame capitalism for it instead of the corporate socialist country we actually became.
. . . If the child mayor makes it that long!
Interesting how both sides are becoming what they were accused of in completely unfounded ways (at the time). The left truly is adopting open borders and socialism and the right, quickly losing faith in the democratic process especially since immigration is now being wielded by the left, is slowly becoming more comfy with the idea of a real strong man taking the reigns (something like El Salvador).
What I never did see coming is the gender dynamics in all this. If it continues there will be no learning lessons, as it will be a fully tribal dynamic, where it's less about voting based on a belief system and more about staying faithful to your gender tribe.
Educated, liberal white women have gone completely batty....
CC, here in the NYC, white women of all ages have gone batty. I have seen many in the streets advocating for Mamdani’s courses pushing flyers for working families/democratic socialists and rent freeze on us. When my husband tried to explain that we had lived under socialism and were happy to get away from it as far as possible decades ago, we were told, of course, that we simply don’t understand and how they would do it better. With a condescending smile.
We should be concerned about the 'feminization of society' - it might end up being the country's downfall
https://substack.com/@sashastone/note/p-177196384?r=ipi30&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
AWFL's - Affluent, White, Female Liberals... truly AWFUL.
We need a Charlie Kirk for young women.
I saw a video of a young progressive white woman happy that Mamdani won because her MAGA parents will be upset. Completely immature.
I won’t date a white woman. Give me a Hispanic or black woman over the white woman any day of the week.
I agree. The beauty of the American experiment was each group setting aside their tribal affiliations in exchange for a unified nationalism. It’s worked for a couple of centuries. But we’re now backsliding from this and slope is looking pretty steep. History shows us that people groups long ago self segregated into very specific geographies. That may be our fate too, but I hope not.
I hate to be a downer but I’m afraid it’s inevitable in some form, although we have a large state that will probably try and make this harder as it gets increasingly desperate to force things to stay together (expect far more censorship and more as we are seeing in the uk). Let’s be honest. The us has never tried to integrate this many cultures, so the case could be made that in the past integration was difficult but there was some important cultural similarities that made it more possible (like almost all immigrants coming from Christian nations).
The best case scenario might be the us adopting something like Russia. If I understand it correctly they have strong Christian parts and strongly Islamic parts (to name only two factions). Putin and the central government allow each part to live by their traditions, which has created a pretty harmonious balance, with each group still participating in the war with Ukraine even. I won’t pretend to be a Russians expert on this however but this is what I’ve heard.
Peter Brimelow predicted this in his 1995 book, "Alien Nation". Thirty years ago! And it triggered a substantial subculture of discussion on the matter, so no whining. There's been plenty of warning.
"But I also suspect that the immigration cutoff [referencing a previous assertion that immigration could simply be ended entirely, to which I say, dream on!] will be too late. Diversity, the buzzword of the 1990s, will prove divisive—the now-forgotten buzzword of the 1970s. The contradictions of a society as deeply divided as the United States must now inexorably become, as a result of the post-1965 influx, will lead to conflict, repression and, perhaps, ultimately to a threat thought extinct in American politics for more than a hundred years: secession.
"Deep into the twenty-first century, throughout the lifetime of my little son, American patriots will be fighting to salvage as much as possible from the shipwreck of their great republic. It will be a big wreck, and there will be a lot to salvage. But the struggle must be contrasted sadly with the task of completing the 'Great Society' upon which Americans were encouraged to think they were embarking in 1965.
"And the politicians and pundits who allowed this to happen truly deserve, and will certainly receive—in the words of the epigraph heading Chapter 5—the curses of those who come after."
You are right that past assimilations in USA were largely Christian and also ‘spaced out’ somewhat. The other important but now largely overlooked factor is US during past large migrations had the physical space to accommodate newcomers and allow them to thrive (Go West Young Man). This new physical space doesn’t exist anymore. In fact, arrival to many urban zones presents one with sky high rents and housing prices. Much of it fueled by artificial urban growth boundaries, which prevent sprawl, but inevitably drive up real estate prices inside those zones.
In can also be noted that in past large migrations, the people groups arriving did self segregate upon arrival. That’s why we still have China towns, Jewish quarters, Polish heavy communities. We can look at Boston North End which was last mass occupied by Italians. But before this it was Irish heavy.
er NBC's exit polls.
Female voters under 30.
81% for Mamdani in NYC
80% for Sherrill in NJ
78% for Spanberger in VA
Any questions?
Bane of society
With little to no accountability for their choices. Like abortion?
This time, we're going for the real thing.
Is your reply a perfect example of Matt's article. Do you not understand that by "going for the real thing," you are advocating for civil strife, war, poverty and hunger?
Perhaps he’s being sarcastic.
My take is the coming ‘Socialist’ experiment in NYC must happen. Must happen because youth today don’t know their history. Most people’s ‘history’ only goes as far back as the oldest person they know, and who wants to listen to warning of an older person? So, this generation needs to repeat history a bit and taste it’s just desserts. Ya’ll shouldn’t worry too much though, we still have a strong 2A.
This kind of history doesn't unfold in 3 years. This will take decades. Sadly.
Yes, 4th Turnings also call for a climax. Wonder how long this winter season will last and what will be the final ice storm before a new, spring and society coming back together. History says the climaxes of 4th Turnings involve a fair amount of bloodletting. Enough that good people get sick of it and say ‘enough!’ I don’t think we are quite there yet.
Actually, we are close to the end of the current 4th Turning.
Furthermore, most Americans are not on the left, and that was clearly apparent in the failed "no kings" marches a few weeks ago.
Right now, the democrats, who used to care about the middle, have gone far to the left and therefore are becoming increasingly irrelevant in eyes of most Americans. All the republicans have to do is hang on.
And Mamdani? He is likely going to be looking at how to get out unscathed after he learns how many agencies and organizations there are in New York that do not automatically bend the knee to the mayor. Winning the election is one thing. Managing a city of competing organizations run by people uninterested in his leftist twaddle is something else entirely. Stock up on popcorn for January 1st.
Right, and (prediction) muslim and Chi-comm $ will keep it afloat while they take over NY starting w NYC. E.h., Saudi “investment” will be only in the forms that put them in leverage positions and as landlords; zero value added. Corrections welcome.
Problem is it will take decades for them to get it. I agree with Val. And I'm not sure one city will convince the rest of the youth either. So it will metastasize first. And the problem with even considering the second amendment or civil war at any point is our country is not divided ideologically -geographically anymore. So not seeing that happen, just chaos.
Maybe it will happen faster than you think. There is about to be an arms race of re-districting (US House seats). See Texas and now California, Prop 50 passage last night. I predict a tit-for-tat across red and blue states will now accelerate, which will promote one party to be elected to power, and other constituents, marginalized. I think only SCOTUS wil be able to put the brakes on this. If left unchecked we will self segregate on party/ideological grounds whether we like it or not, which is the ‘new tribes’ here in America.
Hm, well I am pretty old to move to Texas and have family property in MI. But I have property also in Michigan's upper peninsula, one of the few places it might be ok to live here. But this is pretty scary.
We did the "socialist city candidate" thing here in Seattle, it didn't innoculate anyone to be sure. She failed horribly, was replaced, but we keep getting socialist or socialist-adjacent candidates succeeding. The only thing that seems to happen is you might get someone who is 1% more "moderate" than the outright socialist, but institutes 99% of the same policies and represents the same ideas (and is viciously hated and propagandized against by the activists for that 1% difference).
Rather, the feeling I get from personal experience is that when you get one socialist like this succeeding in an area, it's going to lead to more. That's why the DSA is so very excited, and you see grassroots socialists celebrating. They want to be normalized, they know it will lead to more of them being elected. It doesn't matter if his policies suck and end in disaster, enough people will think it's good or that it only failed because it was opposed. You'll get more of it.
Terrifying. We're going to get more of it for sure. And I'm with Megyn Kelly about voting in all these Muslims who I do not believe have American values. Has nothing to do with race otherwise.
AS long as the 'new experiment' stays confined to NYC - I'm good and even fascinated to watch it happen...albeit I fear for the value of my city real estate...
Maybe NYC can follow the lead of British Columbia and give portions of Manhattan back to its original inhabitants, the Wappinger tribe.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-04/vancouver-ruling-on-indigenous-land-triggers-real-estate-angst
There is this fantastical idea that if we just suffer through some incredibly bad time of evil and suffering, people will learn permanently. I see no evidence of this. The modern and quasi-modern era seems to be an endless, repeating cycle of suffering from the same mistakes over and over, with small interludes where people remember how bad it was, only to forget and do it all over again.
It's interesting because for thousands of years we didn't have "mistakes" of this scale, so you have to figure it's something to do with the modern thinking and philosophy. I don't know, the lack of religion being a dominant factor in people's lives maybe? It's the only thing I can think of, secularism is a big part of socialist societies to be sure.
That's still my favorite law-fare: Birther Gate. Anyone else remember how enthusiastically Trump went after the fake birth certificate?
Why is it surreal? It didn’t work then, why would it have worked now?
Ohhh! It’s surreal that the GOP never matures! (Now I get it!)
Ouch!
It is obvious there is a pattern across Western countries of immigrant Muslims, and some Sikhs, using the political system to get themselves elected to power. And then to implement extremism within the systems. To turn the Western culture and power to their own culture and power.
I am sure this has been planned for decades. As a Trojan Horse takeover. Requires more time than a military invasion, but is far less expensive. And many people of the original culture will fail to catch-on to what is happening until it is too late. Their own gullibility will assist the invaders.
London England has already been taken over by a Mayor like Zohran. I suspect they are targeting major Western cities.
It won't be long for places like Chicago, Atlanta, LA, Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis...
There are precedents for this kind of Muslim invasion. Although in the past, without mass communication to assist, it was more often done militarily.
The Iberian Peninsula of what is now Spain and Portugal, was taken over in the 8th century by Muslims. Lasted from the initial conquest in 711 AD to the fall of Granada in 1492 AD. However, Christian culture prevailed after that. They kicked out the Muslims at last.
In 1683 there was also the Battle of Vienna, where a combined Christian army commanded by King John III Sobieski defeated the Ottoman Turks. The Muslim invasion was successfully turned back at the gates of Vienna.
But we don't want to wait 800 years to get our countries back.....do we?
Your Islamophobia stinks to high heaven. And it is anti-American. I don't judge people by their religion. There are good and bad Christians, good and bad Muslims, good and bad Jews.
I would like to add a bit more nuance here. You must judge people by their religion. Just like you must judge people by their behavior. Unreformed Islam is a malevolent force on this planet. Adherents should be admonished in and castigated from polite society. Unreformed Islam means invasion. It means subjugation. It means Sharia. And it operates on a thousand year horizon. The west (USA specifically) operates on a 4 sometimes 8 year horizon. Our sheep are no match for that wolf.
To be clear on where I stand, I think that reformed Muslims are welcome everywhere. And, I don't think that Mamdami is a radical Islamist. He is too opportunistic and insincere. But he will happily get in bed with them.
I am not certain what you mean by "reformed Muslims". I have been led to understand there is no such thing. That you are either in or you are out. It is a totalitarian political movement, after all. And if you are a questioner or dissenter, it does not bode well for you.
You consider there is an equivalent in the Muslim world to moderate Christianity or reformed Judaism? How so?
Reformed as in secularized. I do think there are earnest believers in Allah who would resist Shariah with the same enthusiasm as moderate and right Americans. Just as many Christians reject the more legalistic sects like Pentecostals and the end-times sects. Belief is a personal, sliding scale for all religions.
But I wholeheartedly agree that walking away from Islam or departing from you family’s/clan’s version is dangerous for some people. And I also agree that Islam is primarily about governance and is girded by the spiritual.
Lastly, Islam is sticky like tribalism. And I’m not naive enough to believe that most would choose liberalism over sharia.
You've been fed a lot of nonsense. Yes, there is an equivalent in the Islamic world to moderate Christianity or reformed Judiasm. Look at the Central Asian countries. It's really mostly the Arab world that's extremist.
Iranians for example aren't extremist, haven't really been, they got taken over by a trojan horse in the form of the Ayatollah who claimed he would do the opposite of what he did. That said, the majority of Iranians don't identify as Muslim anymore.
Unreformed Christianity is also a malevolent force on this planet. Unreformed atheism is also a malevolent force on this planet. Religious stereotypes are unAmerican. Strict adherence to the darkest side of Sharia Law is actually quite rare in the Islamic world. Yes, it is practiced by the Wahhabbis in Saudi Arabia, but it is anathema to the vast majority of Muslims. Quite frankly I think Christian, Jewish, and atheistic Zionism is every bit as evil as Islamic Jihadism. As to invasions, the US in the name of spreading democracy and freedom has killed more than 20 million people in 37 “victim nations” since World War II. Since 1945, the U.S. Government has perpetrated 297 invasions of foreign countries and at least 60 coups.
Can you give us an example of this global movement of Unreformed Christianity?
"darkest side of Sharia Law" What a weird qualifier. Roughly 1/3 of Muslims in UK support the transition to Sharia Law. 25% believe that Hamas committed any atrocities on October 7. But it's fine. Nothing to see here.
Regarding the Big Bad US of A.
We are not living in a post-history world, and this intellectually-lazy inter-temporal moralism is just so boring. Power is the deciding factor in world history. And humans are fallible until the end. So, what's your point?
Not sure what "Unreformed" Islam means, but I guess I would continue by saying "Unreformed" Christianity has done the exact same thing.
If you cannot take even the tiniest step to understand what a normal person could mean by unreformed or fundamentalist Islam, we have nothing to talk about.
Humans, under the banner of religion, have committed grave evil in the past and present. Not sure what your point is. Are you making a moral equivalence between modern day fundamentalist Islam and modern day fundamentalist Christianity?
What is there to reform about moderate Christianity? Christianity is moderate by definition; if a once-Christian group becomes extremist, they are no longer practicing Christianity. Be careful of the definitions.
Christianity gave the West the concept of human rights, and education for all. It gave the West the concept of charity. And human compassion....even for those outside your tribe -- a huge evolutionary leap.
What's not to like?
Oh it's you again, Exile from the Future. Trying your tricks.
They don't work on me. So save yourself the typing.
You do understand that the Muslim incursion into the Iberian Penninsula brought wealth, science and art to the area? And that the Inquisition was an attack on enlightenment and a throwback to the dark ages?
You have odd opinions, KG. But in the name of democratic free speech, you are welcome to them.
I noted here many moons ago that the Spanish emphasis on orthodox Catholicism was a very good bulwark against the Muslim invasion.
However, it eventually went too far to the right. Much like the Christian Puritans of the 17th century. Both were enlightened Christian groups as long as they remained in the centre of the psychological spectrum.
I have explained all of this many, many times. I have no control over whether you read it or not. And I am under no obligation to keep repeating these explanations with every post. If you want the information, the reading effort is your own obligation.
..violently, yes
It appears that Minneapolis has retained leftie progressive Frey, but it was very close.
Houston.
That’s what the Muslim Brotherhood recommends.
Many good points but... I don't it was planned. More like unintended consequences of a long series of self-interested decisions made for personal gain. The desire for cheap labor and ever-more-consumers drove immigration. And an ever-growing population is needed to prop up pyramid-scheme-like social programs.
No it was most definitely planned. You need to learn the history of this. Going back to WWII.
You are still too gullible.
London is a mess - used to like visiting - don't go there anymore...too dystopic
Britain as a whole is swirling the drain. In more ways than anyone could have imagined.
I found this somewhat eye-opening. https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/why-radical-islam-votes-left
I will read it later today, T. Although I see it comes from El Gato, or Bad Cattitude. He banned me some time ago, because my truths interfered with his Influencer business. Therefore I haven't much faith in what he says. Unless he took it from my own posts.
I would not be surprised if he had cribbed his information from me. Because I was the only one on Substack pointing this out some years ago. From my formal background in Totalitarianism studies. There are few of us out here.
Oh, OK. Basically, he's saying that Muslims ally with liberals because liberals are stupid and will believe anything.
The comments in that piece about taking over the gullibles who are soft-headed and soft-hearted is absolutely true. I have to say that he has this correct.
I used to explain this to people by telling them to go to YouTube and watch the Christmas 1971 Coca-Cola TV ad that was tremendously popular in its day: "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (in Peaceful Harmony)". That was a very good example of propaganda, using the subliminal approach in popular entertainment. Telling millions of viewers that the virtue they were to be encoded with was "Multiculturalism plus 'Link Arms and Sing Kumbaya'". Lord....the naivety! The softer they became, and the more self-denigrating, the more the would-be invaders rubbed their hands in glee.
The Trojan Horse types were making it a virtue to denigrate Western culture and to raise every other culture of the world. Mainly the undeveloped ones, as it happens. Communist Pierre Troodo of Canada began pushing these concepts in North America by 1968. He was also a member of the Club of Rome; they were very keen on eugenics.
When you denigrate yourself or your own culture, what you are doing psychologically is inviting in the predators.
Well, I agree with the stupidity bit. However, there are reasons beyond that. Such as the fact that extremists on either side of the psychological spectrum will attract one another if they are polar opposites. Then at some future point they turn against each another and fight for supremacy.
Yep.
New Yorkers will be crying about their rents in a year as they are awoken at 5AM by the call to prayer blasting from loudspeakers.
Absolutely. But some people have to learn the hard way.
Unfortunately, they tend to take everyone else along for the ride.
What extremism are Sikhs implementing within the system?
Wow, conspiracy theory much?
Please read The Myth of the Muslim Tide.
Now do this with Jews
Who’s behind it? The WEF? China? I don’t think it’s the boys in robes.
Well, Klaus Schwab of WEF assisted Communist China in developing its economic plan, and thereby working to crush the West, in many ways.
So I would suspect that the cabal of powerful Globalists is behind this. You need only go back to the WWII era to find that Nazis were collaborating with leading Palestinians and Muslim groups. See the work of former UPenn Anthropologist Francisco Gil-White. When two equally extremist groups share the same scapegoat(s) -- in this case both the Jews and the West)-- they are likely to work together up to a point.
The other issue to remember here is that the more powerful of the Globalists are psychopathic in nature.
How can you be sure? Perhaps they all play different positions for the same team to both advance various parts of the overall agenda while sending everyone's confused attention in divergent directions... Those in charge are interested in one thing and one thing only: absolute power, and they don't care how they get it.
I am sure because I have done all of the cross-disciplinary study. And invested the experience.
This was a tiny niche field that interested no one for decades but observant and inquisitive Intuitives like me. Until March 2020, when all of a sudden, the answers were in high demand.
If "a fox knows many things, but a hedgehog knows one big thing", Mamdani is most definitely a hedgehog.
The one thing he knows is that in the liberal West he just needs to speak the patois of Oppression Studies, making sure to center himself and his identity points as a darker-than-white Muslim who thus has had our colonial power-knowledge etched into his brown body from birth, and maybe add a dash of generic "Power to the People" socialism—and this will make bourgeois white liberals processed by the Marxist madrassas of academia swoon and drop their panties, or at least drop to their knees in atonement. (And he is far from the first aristocrat from a former Western colony who's come to the West and played liberals like a lyre, knowing that once you show your scars and tap into their white guilt they can do nothing but submit.)
Mamdani is like one of those cheesy pickup artists that were popular maybe a decade ago. He's rehearsed all the right lines, the right gestures and phrases, to localize his target and tap into their needs and insecurities, to make them believe that he might just be THE ONE. He is a hipster Hamasnik hologram, as much a brand as a man, suitable for printing on a totebag. Just as Trump tapped into the amygdalas of his Deplorables, Mamdani has done the same for the hipsters of Brooklyn and our entire Portlandia class. He is much more TikTok than tankie.
It's not a bad move if your goal is to win. It's easy to manipulate the well to do into believing they are the oppressed because poor them..... someone paid for their Columbia tuition and rent controlled apartment and now it costs $1.25 for a banana at Whole Foods. There's no way they're going to slum it with the dirty people at Aldi.
NY is a pathetic but it's not surprising.
Great comment. I asked Grok if ZM is a hedgehog .. here's the reply ...
"Zohran's intellectual and political style revolves around one big unifying idea: a radical, systemic critique of inequality and capitalism, often channeled through democratic socialism. He applies this lens consistently to issues like housing affordability, public safety, child care, and foreign policy (e.g., his vocal stances on Gaza and anti-imperialism, which echo his father's postcolonial themes)."
thanks!
glad to know im grok-aligned.
He’ll preside over a poorer and less safe New York City but whatever happens, it will always be the fault of the rich, even if they leave.
well said my dude. the pickup artist is a perfect metaphor.
sent from my i-think-therefore-i-am phone
Thanks braaaa
Democrat victories last night were in deep blue New Jersey and NYC. Purple Virginia went blue because all the rent-seeking laid off federal workers worried for their sinecures. So I wouldn't overstate the importance of these results.
On the other hand, we are now seeing the results of young Americans who know little of civics and economics, much less science, and the result of years of being taught about white privilege, the need for DEI, reparations and safe spaces. We reap what we sow. If socialism ever wins in America, they will have the teacher's unions and academia to thank.
Come on, were we really shocked at these results? The only shock I saw from last nights elections was the attorney general in VA.
I really do wonder how the “conservatives” just gave up education to the left. It’s wild that they never cared to take up those positions in politics. And then people are surprised homeschooling is such a big thing…
And the MSM..............
I was commenting elsewhere earlier that Dems winning in deep blue areas isn't surprising to me.
But if a Dem/Socialist were to win in Cut n Shoot, Texas I might be a bit surprised.
I have to say that I expected Spanberger to win in VA but Jay Jones is an abomination. I do believe he wants conservatives dead, well since he admits that he wrote that he did, but Virginians apparently don't care. I have family in VA and it turns my stomach.
Yeah, I was surprised too that he won. But according to polls I've seen, it's consistent with the views of many Democrats who are willing to consider violence as an acceptable means to what they see as a better outcome. Democratic politicians also paint every opponent and proposition (like 50 in California) as a vote against Trump. Trump really seems to get their goat like no other, though I remember similar outrage against W and even Reagan. Emotional outrage is their currency, and it will transfer to the next Republican that comes along.
The main reason I got disillusioned with the Right was because I saw how far the pundits and talking head propagandists went to label everything Democrats and Obama did as pure evil straight from hell and literally communist and so forth.
It's just how politics works in this world. People shoot off their mouths in the most dramatic possible ways because a reasonable point is no point at all.
I still remember how Michelle Obama saying we should eat real food was generally castigated as the worst evil and anti-American, but now RFK saying the same things is a hero and savior of the west. The hypocrisy is just part of the game. The Right has no moral center, just opportunism just like the left.
That's a fair point, Andrew. Both parties have both their moderate and extreme views, no question.
I'm a lifelong independent. The difference I observe between the parties is that conservatives are more "life and let live" with respect to policy, while liberals seem to feel they know best and want to control how people live. The latter ultimately leads to an unfree society.
I'm naturally more aligned to the Right, and spend far more time interfacing with it and its ideas, but I fundamentally distrust its leadership, and the insincerity of its members. Most of what anyone says is just an effort to buy votes.
I have a relative who keeps insisting that "Democrats" are the cause of all the faults of America, including globalization, financialization, etc. I'm willing to have the discussion of whether or not globalization is good for America, but which free trade deal did not have the majority of the Republican Party backing it?
If there was a reasonable, pragmatic, AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE right I would support it. I'm tired of being lied to by people who claim to value these things, and don't: i.e. virtually all of them.
You sound like an independent thinker, Andrew. It must be lonely...
Im surprised it took so long to see a comment similar to my own feelings.
Even republicans seemed to approach this day as if they'd love to win, but only if they don't have to try or spend money.
A party that elected Mamdani and Jay Jones is a party too vile and anti-American to be treated as anything other than an enemy.
And this is the party beside themselves, consumed, with Russian presence in the United States as their party has been taken over by communists.
While you may not like either of them, should they be grouped together just because they had elections on the same day? One guy wants to make a city better, the other said he wanted to put two bullets in the head of his political opposition.
Better? How? By introducing an economic/political system that has never produced anything other than misery, want, repression and murder? Grow up.
By not continuing to leave it to the billionaires.
What's with the "grow up"? I thought we were boys. Can't we disagree without the ad hominem stuff?
You are delusional. "One guy wants to make a city better". Now that's purely laughable.
>>One guy wants to make a city better
Bless your heart.
“One guy wants to make a city better”. You’ve got to be joking. Opening prisons, replacing police with social workers, selling groceries in government stores, eliminating programs for gifted and talented children and testing in public schools because … racist. I could go on. Which of these will improve the city? Oh, I forgot free bus rides. NY city and state taxes are already the highest per capita and as a % of personal income in the nation, and the city debt is the highest of all large and medium size cities.
Affordability is the new magical word. Time to retire “saving democracy” and “existential threat”. We are now in the era of making everything affordable to everyone, no matter fiscal reality. Time for tic tockers and podcasters to take the wheel. They will pay for everything with their iPhones.
Then do something you pussy
This might be the best article you've written in the years I've been subscribing. An absolute gem of a summary of politics gone awry the past 20 years
Agree. Compare this to the “news” put out by Lawrence O’Donnell and company. We wouldn’t be in this position as a nation if journalists hadn’t transformed into “journalists”.
The Zohrantifada will destroy nyc. Establishment Dems engineered their own extinction through mass migration. They are going the way of the DODO - Demographically Obsolete Democrat Oafs: https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/dodo-democrat-extinction
I would agree except the mayor doesn't really have that much power. The city council and state hold most of the reins. We'll see how much they kowtow to him given his massive win. The city council and state legislature answer to the real estate barons and banksters not the mayor.
I would not assume this. The damage karen bass is doing to LA is notable.
I’ve been trying to raise this issue in most comment sections lamenting Mamdani’s win. I live close to Seattle, where even the leftist of left mayors struggle to deliver the grand utopia each and everyone of them promises, mostly because the Seattle City Council acts in their own individual self interests.
The word on the socialist web is Cuban land reforms- or land value taxes/wealth taxes. Perhaps high enough to let the city take the buildings. Manhattan.
The state could let NYC fall into bankruptcy. Insurance companies with muni bond exposure will be tricky (or perhaps too big to fail)?
I've thought about this myself. Milwaukee had 3 socialist mayors (thank you Alice Cooper for making me remember that) and Milwaukee is still around. Would Mamdani really be that bad? (I dont know much about the brand of Wisconsin socialism compared to Mamdani's current flavor).
Yes, the things he and his dog-absuing friend Piker about socialist revolution, the USSR are all vile and dismiss some of the worst horrors in human history, but he is, at the end of the day, just a mayor. And one who will learn quickly that the people of New York will not tolerate incompetent transit
"Free buses" will turn into homeless shelters.
He sells snake oil. It’s one of his promises that when all added up, projects a message of “the people” getting their “fair share” to those who are high on him.
Won’t matter. Most NYC people don’t ride buses, they take the subway. Majority of folks in NYC could care less about city politics have no opinion on this whatsoever. Now of he’d said free subways . . . THAT would turn heads and make them pay attention.
So it's a meaningless campaign promise?
I would never live anywhere that a bus was the way to commute. Problem solved
Yes, but for a lot of working people that's their only option. They are the ones who will have to put up with the buses being public urinals...
You are nothing but a dreamer. Milwaukee is akin to NYC? That's a joke right? And yes, NY WILL tolerate incompetent transit. They just voted for it.
No, its not a joke. Why would it be a joke? Do you have something to contribute to the conversation?
I am admitting I do not know and want to learn more about some of these concerns. I can tell I won't get any helpful information from you.
If you are trying to compare NYC to Milwaukee, and socialist mayors in both cities, then I do not believe anyone can give you helpful information..at least information you can comprehend.
Thank you for your input. Get bent.
They have been tolerating incompetent transit for a long time. Former Mayor DeBlasio (who I actually voted for) had a massive sum of money supposedly to help the mentally ill. No one seems to know or care where it disappeared to.
THE NY Fire Commissioner just resigned today - won't work for an anti-Semite
Jewish supremacists are in a full blown panic.
Highly entertaining. Tell me more about the Islamic Stalin regime that will run NYC. Will there be pogroms?
If it is possible, I hope they leave NYC.
Did anyone find out the percentage of Jewish vote for Mamdani? My Jewish friends here in FL are appalled that he won
It should be mentioned that Mamdani won a majority of foreign born New Yorkers, but not a majority of American-born ones. I’m sure he won a majority of Gen Z in both categories, so the historical illiteracy argument Matt is making does apply there. But there is this other axis/dimension to elections in urban areas now that can’t be overlooked: transformation of electorates by immigrants who hold worldviews and ideologies more different from native-born Americans than the gaps between the Irish/Italians and WASPs in New York in the 19th century.
Also, maybe I’m in a minority of Racket readers now, but I still wonder about (hope for?) an alternate history when Bernie won the nomination in 2016 (not 2020 Bernie - yuck), and fused a new coalition in the party without all the illiterate regressive identitarian nonsense now pervading the DSA types.
Back in 2016 if it was Trump V Bernie I think Bernie would have won. That said, the fact that he rolled over and said thank you to Clinton in 2016 and through 2019 tells me he would have been a horrible president. Bernie post-2016 has been nothing but a disappointment to me. So in hindsight I'm glad he never had the chance to show his true colors sitting in the oval office.
It seems to me that the unbridled immigration has brought two types of political immigrants: Those fleeing what they were in and wanting to assimilate into becoming an actual American and those coming here with no intention of assimilating but of living as they did and changing the new country into what they left....much like what Christians did but on a larger level. The commies and the Islamists have the same goal of world domination. Both think that they will win over the other but make complimentary bedfellows for now.
London... Paris... And now New York has joined the race. Exciting times!
2016 I had wished for a Trump / Bernie ticket. But that would have never been allowed and Bernie wrongly thought that he could work in the system.
What can you say about a guy who thinks violence is a false social construct but will likely have plenty of things to censor??? Free speech will be the enemy
Nothing too small!
Ominous words.
An excellent and important essay. One thing that brings down my alarm level is this: the elite vanguard who ushered in the Leninist hell in Russia had already been through hell: Tsarist rule, famine, pogroms, the First World War, etc. These were hard, hard people. They were profoundly good at sticking to a brutal ideological program to see their vision of the future realized. Today's intersectional "creatives," progressive wine moms, and DSA bloggers? What have they been through? Student debt? Having to get a roommate to live in Park Slope? They will flee at the first sign of tangible discomfort.
Also, wonderful use of "grotesquerie," one of my favorite words and the perfect way to describe Obamacare.
The hope is that they will form a circular firing squad and self-destruct over perceived grievances. Worried about Linda Sarsour however -- she seems like may act as a "blocking unit" for the Mamdani vanguard
"Mamdani is a capable and agile politician. He has chosen whatever lies required in the moment because you can’t govern if you can’t get elected. He will no more dismantle the police than he will put Gristedes out of business. Children will go to school; the stock market will open and close. The earth will turn." jj745@substack.com
In the meantime, life goes on. There will be no mass NYC destruction. The hysterics are funny.
Sometimes people really do mean what they say. The Jews of Europe found that out the hard way. So will you.
Oh look, the antisemitism card immediately from the intellectually vacant.
Brendan, I do not know who you are but you do not know history.
It's unjustifiable hysterical nonsense.
Idiot
I can’t wait for the pogroms in NYC headed by Chairman Mamdani. Should New Yorkers all prepare to hide in their attics?
We heard that one before too.
Been to Portland lately?
Detroit? Memphis? DC? Chicago? LA? The list of destroyed cities is long....
Which of those have you been to lately?
Portland and LA in the last 8 months, Memphis 2 years ago.
How about you, cupcake?
Chicago, DC, Detroit, LA, Portland in the last couple years, sunshine dear.
And yet you seem dismissive of the filth, the crime, the drug dealers and users, the homeless chaos, the failing infrastructure of those places...
How positively blind of you.
Recently I asked someone how they differentiate between Fascists and Authoritarian Right, and got the same sort of "wow, you're so compromised to even ask such questions."
I see you and him as being the same person, only different in what narrow minded hair trigger you choose to focus your life around.
Honestly the worst infrastructure I've seen in my life was in Ukraine, Moldova, Luisiana, and Wyoming, in terms of highway quality. Louisiana in particular seems almost on a mission to prove that roads can be absolutely abysmal in quality.
Texas roads are just a nightmare though. I'd rather ride a train across Kazakhstan than drive across Texas again given the choice.
"Gradually. Then suddenly."
We may not be there yet, but anyone who knows history or economics is deeply concerned about the direction we're heading.
Yeah, I'm still waiting for some political party to take the deficit / debt seriously instead of just pretending to. That one's going to blow up big time one day.
Muslims block vote and probably have even fewer scruples than even secular leftists. Corrections welcome.
I agree with you. People outside of NYC have no clue how little the mayor can do against entrenched establishment and special interests, and how little NYC people care at all about city government or politics.
There’s a good chance NYC will decay now like mid 80s because of weak police force, but there won’t be any real “socialist” let alone communist revolution in NYC
The NY Fire Commissioner just resigned - won't work for an Anti-Semite. Mamdani's first task....
Mamdani is not the one in charge. He may have been elected mayor but there is a big organized colossus behind him that will “help” him govern ala Biden administration. He will perform or else per Linda Sarsour.
The hysterics come out above, see?
Like Republicans circa 2015, the Democratic Party is very unpopular and keeps running the same unlikeable losers (does Mamdani win if the Dems best alternative wasn’t a ghoul like Cuomo?). Trump broke that and has changed the Republican Party.
I suspect Dems are seeing the same thing now- their old guard can’t do anything well, so let’s lurch to the left and animate our most ardent supporters.
Now we’ll have two parties that lurch between extremes until both sides start supporting centrists in primaries, and until some of those centrists have a winning pitch.
I completely agree with you. I’ve been trying to think of a national Democrat who isn’t an unlikable loser, and it’s tough! I was thinking maybe Ro Khanna and Sherrod Brown. But Brown lost his senate bid, so by definition, he’s a loser lol.
Lurching between extremes is correct, but the result will not be support of centrists. Lurching extremes will force the extremes to become even more extreme to counteract the former opposite extreme. National divorce is inevitable, the only question is whether it requires civil war to get there.
Divorce is impossible since we're too geographically integrated. As the dollar continues to devalue, which is inevitable no matter who's at the helm, average people will get poorer in real terms, and they'll stay mad at the other team. With that dark future in mind, I expect the "civil war" may take the form of domestic terrorism: more political assassinations; bombings a la Weather Underground; armed roadblocks like we see in Mexico. Eventually, if you have a nice home, you'll need good security.
Hope I'm wrong.
That's a realistically depressing outcome.
Basically, the U.S. becomes Brazil- like California is quickly becoming. If it’s Newsom in ‘28 we’ll be right on the way.
I agree, I was just hoping we can somehow recapture the center before a national divorce or civil war happens.
Please name the centrists standing by in the Democrat party.
Glueskamp-Perez comes to mind, as do Jared Polis and Beshear in KY. But even the likes of Schumer, Pelosi, and Jefferies aren’t hard left even if they are very unlikable and moving farther left. You may dislike them but the next generation is a lot worse.
How do they vote? I realize Beshear has put on his Mr. Rogers sweater, but have you seen his Twitter feed?
Beshear is an asshole who cow to insane trans ideology over rights of women and girls. Listen to him weaseling on this on Bill Maher 2 weeks ago. I swear he convinced me to vote Republican for the rest of life. Some “centrist”.
Except the dems took in the deep staters with an (R) next to their names, so the deep state has nowhere to go if Dems kick them out.
Prediction time: if the new mayor decides to tax the hell out of the rich people of NYC, those rich people will all get it back and then some through well hidden budget subsidies.
The deep state is ok with the appearance of losing. They are not ok with actual losing
“ To people who grew up behind the Iron Curtain, Mamdani is an immediately recognizable type, a disciple of the Leninist school of agitation that teaches effortless insincerity as a necessary means to reaching power.”. And if our schools and universities were more interested in teaching history and not creating social justice warriors, a lot of younger voters would have had some perspective.
"effortless insincerity as a necessary means to reaching power" sounds like Taqiyya to me.
The victor’s speech last night was quite breathtaking. Even Van Jones took note of its “tone.” Get ready nonbelievers, The Party is coming for you.
I am sure what is coming will make the severe oppression by leftists during the Covid debacle seem like we were watching Mary Poppins back then.