Democratic (Party) Direction

hey Fred i'm building a movement right now. a bowel movement

You're full of shit

https://theconcourse.deadspin.com/bitchin-politician-just-blasts-himself-right-in-the-eye-1826750610

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--XpmA1nYm--/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/h8th3pwt8uq0h7kyxyik.png

The Intercept has a few annoying writers and some very fine ones, like any other publication. Their owners are sketchy, but so are WaPo's.

When I am less than familiar with the details of a candidate's positions, I pay attention to endorsements from labor unions, environmental groups, and politicians I think are credible. They often tell a coherent story.

― A is for (Aimless)

that's another good factor - how easy is it for the new york electorate to be informed? in indiana it was fucking impossible, because the state is run by republicans, who thrive on ignorance. in oregon it's a lot easier for anyone who's literate - all voting is by mail and the state sends out pamphlets before the election where all the candidates tell you why they should vote for them and tell you who's endorsed them. if the candidates' own words are too mealy-mouthed and vague to decide anything, i do find it sometimes helps me to make a decision to see that one candidate is endorsed by everybody and the other candidate is endorsed by, uh, nambla. i also tend to make voting decisions by voting for anyone who's not a white man.

^ very rarely can you go too badly wrong with that last heuristic. Except for one school board race here where the white man was fine and the black woman was a charter schooler

I live within a mile of Ocasio-Cortez's district and know a bunch of people involved, they are very much involved in movement-building. The virality is just a nice way to get money to come in, Crowley raises a ridiculous amount and it's hard to compete otherwise.

I can also tell you that most of the people in her district don't give a shit what libdems think about the Intercept.

I mean don't get me wrong, she is still a longshot and if she wins it will be a political coup on par with Eric Cantor's unseating. But I think it could happen. And even if it doesn't, her campaign is definitely contributing to organizing in the area, and the attention she is bringing is also boosting state-level campaigns that are also DSA-endorsed, like Julia Salazar.

Does she have a national DSA endorsement or just NY DSA? I know the former has a rule about only endorsing candidates they think have at least a fighting chance of winning.

The virality is just a nice way to get money to come in, Crowley raises a ridiculous amount and it's hard to compete otherwise.

Lol, that sounds like something Moser would say as well. Look how well she did.

Fred, you don't know what you're talking about

Evergreen posts

25K views on yr youtube ad is ok - i would not call it viral

RIP Liberal Contrarianism

This is long, but worth reading.

stopped at "goddamn Glenn Greenwald" is Putin's tool etc. I mean, we have Frederik for that.

the Mark Lilla critique is perfect

stopped at "goddamn Glenn Greenwald" is Putin's tool etc.

I should probably have mentioned in my initial post that you shouldn't bother reading it at all. But then, you should have known better yourself.

Ocasio seems good and it’s possible she’s not familiar w Greenwald beyond the boiler plate thing she quoted today but it’s a democratic primary which we can’t get mad if she loses after associating with the guy who has made it his new weird crusade to defend the fascist president at all costs.

Yes that's clearly a fair description of GG's project

But think of the wonks who made their way into national publications from that blogosphere. People you would never have heard of but for that grassroots architecture. Scott Lemieux. Amanda Marcotte. Lindsay Beyerstein. Roxanne Cooper. Roy Edroso. Jessica Valenti. Matt Yglesias. Kevin Drum. They came from the bloggy swamps, and now they write for The American Prospect and Slate and Salon and Raw Story and In These Times and the Village Voice and Mother Jones and the Grauniad, I mean The Guardian; and Ezra Klein, for goodness’ sake.

tbh i'd be none the worse if i'd never heard of most of these ppl, especially marcotte and yglesias

I've never heard of at least half those people

yglesias is great. lemieux, too

didn't know Nerdstrom was illiterate til now!

i never think about the Village Voice since they ended print. But yeah, anyone who knows all those pundits needs to read less.

xp this yglesias #longread from 2015 is so good https://www.vox.com/2015/3/2/8120063/american-democracy-doomed

Yglesias has improved somewhat but deserves at least some eternal suspicion for backing the Iraq war.

But GG does not, right?

Eternal suspicion of everyone is the way to go.

Oh GG absolutely deserves suspicion, but this idea he's some kind of Trump cheerleader is bizarre.

how about "useful idiot"

to reject any evaluation that Trump is the absolute worst at everything and has no precedent in any of his behavior in US history is to reveal one's collection of 300 MAGA caps

oh listen to motherfucking Schumer's latest "imagine meeting a dictator on equal terms" sound bite. Eat my ass, Schmuck. You *do* look like Roy Cohn too.

When someone goes on the racist talk show regularly to talk about why the president’s critics are bad and you haven’t written him off you kind of have to question how badly you want to see someone “own the libs” and why.

Yglesias has improved somewhat but deserves at least some eternal suspicion for backing the Iraq war.

― Simon H., Tuesday, June 12, 2018 4:49 PM (sixteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

wasn't he like 18 years old at the time tho?

Greenwald went on Bill Maher? xp

As people were tweeting last night, the Dems and their lackeys sound exactly like the Repugs did when Obama went to that baseball game with Fidel.

GG's been on Maher's show several times

But think of the wonks who made their way into national publications from that blogosphere. People you would never have heard of but for that grassroots architecture. Scott Lemieux. Amanda Marcotte. Lindsay Beyerstein. Roxanne Cooper. Roy Edroso. Jessica Valenti. Matt Yglesias. Kevin Drum. They came from the bloggy swamps, and now they write for The American Prospect and Slate and Salon and Raw Story and In These Times and the Village Voice and Mother Jones and the Grauniad, I mean The Guardian; and Ezra Klein, for goodness’ sake.

I think he meant to say they emerged from the same political landscape, J.D., i.e. the netroots of the mid 2000s.

Netroots…there's a name I haven't heard in many years…

Greenwald went on Bill Maher? xp

― the ignatius rock of ignorance (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, June 12, 2018 5:06 PM

GG's been on Maher's show several times

― Οὖτις, Tuesday, June 12, 2018 5:09 PM

Probably in reference to him being a regular on Tucker Carlson, but six of one...

Not a fan of Maher but I hope we realize Tucker is far far worse.

I used to think Carlson was cute when he was thinner and younger and looked less like an argyle sock with a dead penis sticking through it.

lol

now do bill maher

I don't care who goes on what show tbh. Lots of fine people have on on Maher. (tbc he really sucks and if he died it would be the first laugh he got out of me)

*gone on

I don't like GG palling around w Carlson but idgaf about people going on Fox in general, it's just a means to reach an audience

tbh it does matter if greenwald goes on tucker carlson to basically echo right-wing lines about the "deep state" and "cold war hysteria."

All things considered no one should be surprised he errs (heavily, at times) on the side of skepticism in such matters

lol @ the greenwald defenders

I don't even know why I care to speak up at all given I probably haven't read a full column of his in years, he just seems like the 500th most evil person in US media

That said I earnestly like most of the other intercept folks