Share this page!

David Roberts Profile picture
Twitter logo
16 Oct, 4 tweets, 1 min read
Tonight's big loser: Donald Trump. Tonight's big winner: Joe Biden. vox.com/2020/10/15/215…
lol
❄️
Trump's not used to encountering journalism. vox.com/policy-and-pol…

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with David Roberts

David Roberts Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @drvox

David Roberts Profile picture
17 Oct
In the name of copping to mistakes, I will say, I assumed at the beginning of this race that the right would be able to do to ANY candidate what it did to Hillary. But it has really failed to touch Biden. I don't fully get it. washingtonpost.com/politics/trump…
So is the explanation:
A) Hillary had unique vulnerabilities.
B) It was misogyny -- they woulda slimed Warren too.
C) Biden has unique strengths.
D) The RW slime machine is losing its touch.

Or some mix?
Obviously one can't run such experiments, but it would sure be interesting to re-run the campaign w/ Warren (to see whether they could Hillary her or whether the 20yr headstart on Hillary was crucial) or a different old white man (to see how much teflon is unique to Biden).
Read 10 tweets
David Roberts Profile picture
16 Oct
"Donald Trump’s re-election campaign poses the greatest threat to American democracy since World War II." nytimes.com/interactive/20…
Trump is a classic leader of a reactionary movement. He was elected to stomp in & piss all over the elites, their institutions, their norms, their precious procedures & habits. Yes, GOP elites want the judges & the tax cuts, but the base wants the cruelty & crudeness.
The problem is that reactionary movements are purely destructive. Once they piss all over everything, they have nothing to do but ... find other things to piss on, other enemies. There's nothing TO them but organized resentment. There's no generative project.
Read 7 tweets
David Roberts Profile picture
16 Oct
Everyone is accurately calling this projection but I dunno that it's widely appreciated how *fundamental* projection is to the reactionary mindset -- it's an engine of moral self-justification that is common to reactionaries across times & cultures.
Want to see some raw projection & how it works? Read this piece about what conservatives say when there's no media or libs around. "This is a spiritual battle we are in. This is good versus evil. We have to do everything we can to win."

washingtonpost.com/investigations…
They are getting together & psyching one another up to suppress votes. How? By telling each other scary campfire tales about what the dread Dems are doing. They activate one another's fears until being racist & suppressing votes feels like something they simply *must* do.
Read 4 tweets
David Roberts Profile picture
14 Oct
Don't wanna be grumpy old guy but: ACB's views on climate change really don't matter. Her legal opinion is that the vast bulk of the administrative state is unconstitutional, including the parts devoted to mitigating climate change. That's what matters.
If she "believed" climate change but still held that view, it wouldn't be any better. Conversely, if she was a hardcore skeptic but viewed the administrative state as legitimate, it would be a vast improvement. We need to start judging public figures based on their roles/powers.
I guess I just wish Dems -- both commenters & legislators -- spent more time explicitly defending a progressive view of LAW. They should be bashing originalism & defending a more sane approach. That's what is bad about ACB; that's the disagreement that functionally matters.
Read 4 tweets
David Roberts Profile picture
14 Oct
I've been too chicken to write it, but I have a theory about the small but noticeable movement of black & hispanic men to Trump, namely: for some men, the attraction of patriarchy & toxic masculinity exceeds aversion to racism. Support for this theory: nytimes.com/2020/10/14/us/…
One of the more memorable conversations of my life was with a wealthy gay man at an LGBTQ Dem fundraiser in ... 2012 I think? We were both, uh, somewhat intoxicated. He put his hand on my shoulder, gestured at the crowd of well-heeled attendees, & said:
"In a few years, we will all be Republicans." I asked why. "We're rich white people! Once we don't face formal discrimination for being gay, we will revert to our natural selfishness & vote to keep our taxes low." At my dismay & horror, he grinned & said, "pray Rs stay dumb."
Read 4 tweets
David Roberts Profile picture
12 Oct
#EnergyTwitter: I have a vague theory that the massive Chinese effort to subsidize silicon PV panels did drive their cost down, but also had the effect of stifling research into advanced PV, which will come back to haunt us when silicon reaches limits. Is there anything to this?
Didn't @vsiv advance this theory at some point? Or am I making that up.
Ha, ask and @ITIFdc will deliver! itif.org/publications/2…
Read 4 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Like this author's thread?

Get email notifications when new thread is out from this Author!

Check out other threads from this Author!

Read all threads by @drvox