the principal problem with this argument is it completely lacks any sense that institutions and circumstances change, or that authoritarian government doesn’t simply appear fully formed motherjones.com/kevin-drum/202…
drum cites jim crow as a real example of anti-democratic government but jim crow emerged slowly over the course of two decades.
if liberals didn’t worry about the electoral college 50 years ago, for instance, its because it had no actual effect on the outcome of elections. the impact of the institution changed, and views changed accordingly 
*who* is a liberal and what the liberal-left looks like has changed too, although drum — who is clearly writing to a moderate white guy liberal like himself — doesn’t appear to see that
to elaborate on this a little bit, you could make a drum-style argument about the basic soundness of the political status quo in 1898 north carolina, since ostensibly nothing happened in that election that hadn’t happen in previous elections in other parts of the south.
https://twitter.com/jbouie/status/1320053735117213697
but of course, circumstances and contexts change, and the particulars of 1898 end up meaning a great deal for the future of southern politics and the creation of a region-wide one party state.
anyway, if i were sensible i’d clearly understand that nothing is ever as bad as it appears
good thread on this bad piece
https://twitter.com/williamhogeland/status/1320081790263042053
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