Why a diary/journal? Unlike histories that impose a coherence on events that didn’t exist, a daily chronicle reflects confusion, distractions, false starts, and self-delusions. It could be embarrassing, because if I’m wrong it goes on my permanent record (again).
I’ve been asking the same thing since 2017. Will historians be able to capture the pace of news, the toxicity of social media, the chaotic whirl of Trump-era politics, with its stew of shock, numbness, cowardice, alternative realities, and anger?
In comparison, Watergate now feels like a gentler, more naive time, when we actually had a news cycle, some semblance of guard-rails, and we could still be shocked by the idea that our president was a liar.
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Ruy Teixeira has been making the case that Democrats need to move to the center, because it is the “center of gravity of American public opinion.”
ON PATRIOTISM: “America is not perfect, but it is good to be patriotic and proud of the country.”
71% of Democrats and 93% of Republicans agreed.
ON IMMIGRATION:
“America benefits from the presence of immigrants, and no immigrant — even if illegal — should be mistreated. But border security is still important, as is an enforceable system that fairly decides who can enter the country.”
A bit of personal nostalgia for me tonight. I’m about to do the final show on Milwaukee’s 620 WTMJ broadcast from legendary Radio City… With my old producer, Scott Warras…Lots of memories.
Imagine a short history of the near future: in 2023/24 a GOP Congress held hostage by its president-in-waiting, who would bully, threaten, and goad it into overreach and paralysis. morningshots.thebulwark.com/p/the-one-thin…
Trump would have Kevin McCarthy’s testicles in a lock box, next to Lindsey’s — and even Speaker Marjorie Taylor Greene would be loath to vote for anything that Trump would shadow veto.
So we’d get endless hearings into Hunter’s laptop, one or two impeachments of Biden, radical culture war legislation, national abortion bans, endless relitigation of the 2020 election, gridlock, government shutdowns, and perhaps even defaults on the debt.
Two years ago today (when Pete was 15 1/2 yrs old):
Every morning he would lead the German Shepherds on a ramble through the woods. He was the Alpha and an adventurer 1/6
But as he got older he knew his limits.
This was our ritual every morning:
He’d wake me up but wait at the top of the steps; he wanted to snuggle.
Then I would put my hand on him and walk him down the stairs…