Good morning! I want you to know before you start your doomscrolling... I looked at all the news and all the tweets. Nothing much has changed since last night, so you can go back to sleep or enjoy a cup of coffee.
Okay didn't expect this one to blow up but hey I am actually doing a popup a newsletter that comes out MWF on the issues and news affecting the post-election period- sign up: americaninterregnum.substack.com
Okay I've had enough responses and DMs about anxiety that I feel compelled to say- if your anxiety is overwhelming you are not alone. Reach out if you need help: crisistextline.org
Oh also someone tells me @karenkho is the inventor of the term "doomscrolling".... so props to her for an idea that has propagated completely into the lexicon!
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Good morning! Here are the articles I'm paying attention to this morning:
Part IV of the New York Times investigative series on Donald's taxes: "once Mr. Trump was in the White House, his family business discovered a lucrative new revenue stream: people who wanted something from the president." nytimes.com/interactive/20…
Pennsylvania is the new Florida. "Both parties are increasingly focused on the pivotal — and potentially messy — role that Pennsylvania could play in deciding the outcome of the presidential race." washingtonpost.com/politics/penns…
1/ I'm looking for some creative help from the crowd with a little thought experiment. Twitter just announced new rules to preclude unsubstantiated claims of victory in elections and slow the spread of disinfo. But what statements would trigger moderation?forms.gle/x6qx11N7bDgg9x…
2/ Can you imagine a tweet or statement that may walk up to the line of a false claim but may not trigger Twitter to act? Let's collect variations. If I get enough of them of quality to review, I'll put them up for people consider, and maybe Twitter too. forms.gle/x6qx11N7bDgg9x…
3/ Presumably Twitter did some kind of exercise like this internally, or they are preparing to as they train moderators to crack down on offenses from candidates, verified and influencer accounts, and others. forms.gle/x6qx11N7bDgg9x…
1/ All of this insanity only causes consternation if, as I try to do most hours of the day, you are trying to hang on to the idea that America is or can again be a sophisticated democracy. But, if you admit to yourself it is indeed just crumbling plutocracy, it all adds up.
2/ In this frame, the behaviors of these fools makes total sense. Just like one of his failing businesses, they have to pretend everything is great right up to the last gasp. They must never be honest about the situation because it would only exacerbate their losses.
3/ So even as the Trump administration enters into a figurative and possibly literal death spiral, everyone has to rally around Dear Leader and claim everything is normal. It's really not easy to do because you have to make lots of things up and attempt to be consistent.