1. We really need to rethink how we—and how others—use polling data. Sometimes it’s not aimed at reporting. It’s an attempt to persuade—an electoral strategy—more than anything else.
1/ So…in the same way that the DJT presidency revealed the profound vulnerabilities of “norms,” the erosion of Twitter is revealing a vulnerability of democracy.
2/ It certainly isn’t THE public square. But it has acted as an important one.
I’ve been saying for quite some time that we’re in the midst of a crisis of “we.”
For better and worse—sometimes much worse—Twitter was a “we”-creator.
3/ It has been a place where groups can talk and cohere and plan.
Sometimes, the outcome of that has been VERY ugly.
But sometimes, it has forged community in a positive sense.
They removed anti-choice statements from campaign websites.
As the thread below states, they distracted us w/planes of asylum seekers sent to other states—this election’s “caravans.”
(“Non-white people coming to get us”—a visceral non-fail prod for some)
They’re banking on “women are the weaker sex” nonsense to defuse righteous anger at rights removed, and give men on the right a sense of righteousness of their own.
This is what I'm interested to see--how Biden's address balances the dire need to discuss threats vs democracy vs how it deals w/issues of partisanship
They're related but not identical
Having a president directly address the preservation of American democracy is a big event.
1/ A few words on honor and the founders -- that relate to politics today. (Trust me.)
Elite men in early America DID worry about their honor - a combination of their reputation and their "value" as men -- particularly, public men (i.e. politicians).
2/ As I’ve said countless times, the idea of American exceptionalism—the idea that the US can’t & won’t fall because it’s special—is blinding us to what’s happening all around us.
3/ The foundations of democracy—free & fair elections, the *belief* in free & fair elections, the accountability of public servants to the American people & the rule of law—are being destroyed right in front of us.