@MaggieAstor@EJDionne Please pay more attention to the "confidence" nonsense. Yes, the Big Lie is bad. But another GOP trick is to claim voting restrictions are needed to restore confidence.
This lets Rs obscure their radicalization while still deceiving voters the same way:
Stop saying Republicans are "cowards" who "fear Trump." This lets them off the hook in a very fundamental way. They *want* a future in which they treat hated election outcomes as subject to invalidation. They are building this future right now. New piece: washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
One ally of Liz Cheney told @sbg1 that she is a "living reproach to all these cowards."
This got lots of buzz. But it's a weak frame. It implies Rs would prefer on principle to defend democracy and would do so if only they didn't fear the consequences:
1) My defense of liberalism and criticism of where we're falling short has generated a lot of thoughtful and interesting responses -- thanks for that! -- so I thought I'd do a thread with a bunch of further reading on this topic.
2) @HelenaRosenblat's lost history of liberalism captures a lot of the neglected ways in which liberals sought to develop a conception of the common good, which liberalism is constantly (and wrongly) criticized for lacking:
@HelenaRosenblat 3) The great Stephen Holmes' "Anatomy of Antiliberalism" is a really useful cataloging of the criticisms thrown at liberalism over the centuries, and why they falter under scrutiny. Many critiques you hear today have their roots in these old arguments:
Time to retire the wretched phrase "economic migrant."
Severe material deprivation is not somehow a "bad" reason to try to migrate. We need to lean harder into being part of actual regional solutions, for our own good.
Never forget: Trump told us that if Biden won, he'd fall prey to the radical left, driving us into depression. Instead, a broad Dem center-left is crafting ambitious solutions that are very popular, and Rs are the ones sinking into extremism. New piece: washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
The next phase of Biden's plan, the caregiving phase, will include another $1 trillion in spending.
This draws heavily on core insights of progressive economics, which is why I think @DouthatNYT is off in claiming Biden is primarily repurposing Trumpism:
Let's stop saying the 1/6 commission is the victim of "partisan infighting." Only one side wants a real accounting. The party of Trump, Stop the Steal and Marjorie Taylor Green cannot credibly pretend its objections are about its structure. My latest: washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Until Republicans fully admit to these three things, they can't participate in a genuine accounting:
* Insurrection was incited by Trump
* Rioters were inspired by lies that Republicans themselves fueled
@RonWyden Some GOP senators want Democrats to do a separate bill focused just on "real" infrastructure. But Republicans won't raise corporate tax rates to pay for it.
Some Democrats see this as a trap. I gamed out how this might work here: