That was a cataclysm. Electoral map wipeout. Senate D practical ceiling is now 52 seats. R's is 62.
Time to rebuild the left.
We are out of touch with the crisis of meaning/purpose fueling MAGA. We refuse to pick big fights. Our tent is too small.
1/ Some early thoughts:
2/ The left has never fully grappled with the wreckage of fifty years of neoliberalism, which has left legions of Americans adrift as local places are hollowed out, rapacious profit seeking cannibalizes the common good, and unchecked new technology separates and isolates us.
3/ The things that mattered are disappearing. We spend half as much time with friends as a generation ago. Hard work no longer guarantees economic mobility. Institutions (like churches) are delegitimized. Place based identity evaporates as we all become "global citizens."
4/ The left skips past the way people are feeling (alone, impotent, overwhelmed) and straight to uninspiring solutions (more roads! bulk drug purchasing!) that do little to actually upset the status quo of who has power and who doesn't.
5/ Does racism explain part of the attraction of the right's nativism? Of course. But mass deportation is a (terrible) response to Americans' real sense they are helpless in the face of global forces (like increased migration). The left largely ignores this pain.
6/ We don't listen enough; we tell people what's good for them.
And when progressives like Bernie aggressively go after the elites that hold people down, they are shunned as dangerous populists. Why? Maybe because true economic populism is bad for our high-income base. 😬
7/ Meanwhile, men tumble into a different kind of identity crisis, as the patriarchy, society's primary organizing paradigm for centuries, rightly crashes. The right pushes an alluring dial back. The left says "get over it". Again, a refusal to listen/offer responsible solutions.
8/ We cannot be afraid of fights - especially with the economic elites who have profited off neoliberalism. The right regularly picks fights with elites - Hollywood, higher ed, etc. Democrats (e.g. the Harris campaign) are tepid in our fights with billionaires and corporations.
9/ Real economic populism should be our tentpole.
But here's the thing - then you need to let people into the tent who aren't 100% on board with us on every social and cultural issue, or issues like guns or climate.
10/ Those are hard things for the left.
A firm break with neoliberalism.
Listen to poor and rural people, men in crisis. Don't decide for them.
Pick fights. Embrace populism.
Build a big tent. Be less judgmental.
But we are beyond small fixes.
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2/ You cannot erase the context. Trump has been calling Zelensky a corrupt dictator and spreading Russian propaganda that Russia didn't invade Ukraine.
All these lies are Trump's pretext to sign a deal with Russia that hands Ukraine to Putin. Zelensky knows this.
3/ Zelensky - who's been cut out of the talks - knows what Trump and Putin are scheming. A "ceasefire" without any guarantee for Ukraine's future security is a trap. Trump's deal will require Ukrainian forces to withdraw, and when they do, Putin will pounce. It's a set up.
2/ Back in January, Trump ordered a 90-day pause on all foreign aid. It was a lie. He was always planning to eliminate USAID.
But that's illegal and a court reversed it. Because Congress is in charge of spending, not the President - a foundational feature of our democracy.
3/ Why is Congress in charge? Because if a unitary executive decides who gets money, then he can use it to reward friends and punish enemies. That's what despots do. So our founders VERY INTENTIONALLY put a politically diverse Congress in charge of spending.
2/ First, they pardoned all the Jan 6th rioters. This was done to protect violence when it's used to target Trump critics (remember, the rioters were there to kill Pence and Democrats).
Today I will be holding a citizen meeting in West Hartford to talk about what I'm doing and what people can do to fight back against Trump's seizure of government for the billionaire class.
1/ Unfortunately, we've maxed out the space, so here's a 🧵 on what you can do.
2/ First, I know that I have a unique responsibility, as your Senator, to lead this fight. That's why I'm using every tool I have. I'm not supporting any Trump nominees until this crisis ends. I'm helping support the legal fight. I'm working behind the scenes to move Republicans to action. I'm speaking out publicly - on TV, social media, at rallies - every day to try to rally opposition to this power seizure. I'm working 24/7 to lead this effort.
3/ And listen, I know it's a scary time. But remember, their tactics of shock, awe and constant chaos are DESIGNED to get you to check out. They want you to feel overwhelmed, despondent, and powerless.
But you aren't. Like @aoc says, we have more people than they do.
This is pure gaslighting. There is no working waiver process. Marco can pretend the the real Secretary of State, Elon Musk, didn't shut down USAID, but he did.
1/ My national security team looked into the functionally nonexistent "wavier process" and here's what they found:
2/ First, let's state the obvious. Despite Musk and Trump's lies, U.S. funded international orgs don't have a political agenda. They save lives, they fight terrorist groups, they counter Chinese and Russian influence. They are a key part of our national security strategy.
3/ Musk and Trump are dismantling our counter-China efforts, including USAID. It's not a coincidence that they and their billionaire friends have outsourced millions of jobs to China (Musk makes half his cars there!) and they don't want China to be mad and hurt their profits.
1/ Let me explain why the total destruction of USAID - happening as we speak - matters so much.
China - where Musk makes his money - wants USAID destroyed. So does Russia. Trump and Musk are doing the bidding of Beijing and Moscow. Why? apnews.com/article/trump-…
2/ Over the last week, 50% of the Global Health Bureau and 60% of the Humanitarian Assistance Bureau have been fired. Aid programs everywhere have been closed. The U.S. is in full retreat from the world.
Dystopian. No good reason for it.
3/ The immediate consequences of this are cataclysmic. Malnourished babies who depend on U.S. aid will die. Anti-terrorism programs will shut down and our most deadly enemies will get stronger. Diseases that threaten the U.S. will go unabated and reach our shores faster.