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LeftOfTheDial Profile picture
LeftOfTheDial
@EricShapiro3
New Yorker. Non-denominational lefty. Backer of progressive primary challengers. “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” He/him #NotMeUs #LGM
2 subscribers
Oct 31, 2023 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
It’s a lonely time to be a Jew in America who grew up taking the progressive values of Reform Judaism seriously only to watch too many forsake them to justify Israel’s war crimes/collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza. Moral bankruptcy. #CeaseFireInGaza The Reform movement is a large and diverse; by no means do all of its members condone Israel’s policy in Gaza (many do good work in their communities). But far too many of its leaders do and it feels like a betrayal to many “Jews in America.”
Oct 3, 2023 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
We went from Obama to Trump for many reasons that can be summed us as: NOTHING FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED. And it STILL hasn’t. So there’s a real risk we’ll now go from Biden to Trump. I don’t understand why so many Dems are baffled by the U.S. going from Obama to Trump. While Donald Trump was the worst possible outlet for a populist (and white supremacist) backlash, it’s really not that hard to grasp.
Feb 26, 2023 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Fascism is the GOP using the state to target trans people for persecution, strip them of human rights and promote violence. Defending a marginalized group from persecution is fighting AGAINST fascism. I can’t get over the irony of being called a fascist for insisting that trans rights are not up for debate when Ron DeSantis and GOP governors are engaging in a fascist campaign against LGBTQ+ people. Almost Orwellian.
Feb 26, 2023 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
99% of leftists who call Bernie Sanders a “sheepherder” would be liberals stanning Joe Biden or apolitical if he never ran for POTUS. Bernie must herd sheep left. 🐑 It’s ok to move left of Bernie Sanders. But those who dismiss his importance to the movement have no understanding of (recent!) history and/or are grifting.
Feb 25, 2023 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Libs of TikTok is morally repugnant. It exists solely to spread transphobic, homophobic hate for fascist bigots to feed on. Multiple times, it’s provoked violence. Chaya Raichik lives to make the world a little worse. What perverse, immoral impulse drives people who pride themselves on their “values” to get off on the hate porn Libs of TikTok cranks out every day? So sick, so sad, so pathetic. Transphobic bigots are exactly what they accuse their targets of being.
Feb 25, 2023 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
I’m not sold on a Marianne Williamson campaign, but some progressives are tearing her down based on her image/non-political views (or for attention) without considering the positive impact she could potentially have. Progressives should evaluate a primary campaign based in part on whether it is USEFUL to the movement, not just whether a candidate perfectly reflect our views. Marianne Williamson is a gifted communicator with a dedicated following; sounds useful.
Feb 25, 2023 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
When I hear this, I think I just might understand what broke Glenn Greenwald’s brain. Nancy Pelosi is breathlessly praising George W. Bush, an unrepentant war criminal, and no one objects. Will it be Donald Trump in a decade? Elite impunity is a hell of a drug.
Feb 24, 2023 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
Sam Harris is the the epitome of the smug, condescending academic who thinks his expertise in one field makes him an expert on everything. Why did all the New Atheists turn to the dark side (or start out there without adolescent me noticing)? Sam Harris is right about vaccines, but his message that we all must submit to elite opinion is an awful one considering the fact that the establishment has run this country into the ground/imperiled the planet. No thanks.
Feb 24, 2023 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
In all seriousness, why bother calling out The New York Times? Because it enjoys a reputation among powerful elites (including Joe Biden) of being “the paper of record.” When it defends the Kochs or JK Rowling, it has ripple effects. Fox News, NY Post and all of Rupert Murdoch’s rags are clear about what they are. But when Jeff Bezos buys the Washington Post and The New York Times platforms transphobia, climate denial etc, it influences liberals and shifts politics further right.
Feb 24, 2023 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
What could have the Koch family have POSSIBLY done to warrant such “vilification?” I can’t figure it out! Oh wait… 🙄 The New York Times sinks to a new low with this one. Actually, The New York Times op-ed defending JK Rowling sank even lower. But Koch family apologia is also VERY bad!
Dec 20, 2022 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
Defining fascism exclusively in economic terms, as a synonym for corporatism, does NOT capture its full meaning. Corporatism can exist without fascism and fascism (at least early on) can exist without corporatism. As fascism becomes more of a real threat than at any time since the 20th century, we have to simultaneously be less afraid of using it (or “neofascism”) and more careful to use it in a way that is meaningful. Fascism = corporatism is too broad.
Dec 20, 2022 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
MAGA is rebranded movement conservatism. There are some distinctions, but mostly there is continuity. Donald Trump and Liz Cheney have different methods but a similar goal: minority rule/illiberal democracy. Donald Trump sought to impose autocracy by overturning an election with an insurrection that violated the rule of law. Movement conservatives like Liz Cheney want to do so within the law through institutions like state legislatures and SCOTUS.
Dec 19, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
It’s hard for me to believe that the “suburban moderates” who love Liz Cheney (and perhaps Liz Cheney herself) will not ditch the Dems to back “normal Republican” Ron DeSantis in 2024. By framing Donald Trump as THE PROBLEM rather than the solution and calling for a “strong Republican Party” or praising “rational Republicans,” Liz Cheney and Dem leaders have given “suburban moderates” tacit permission to jump ship.
Dec 19, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
I hope Donald Trump pays a price for Jan 6, but whoever replaces him will likely be even worse and in the unlikely event that elite impunity fails and he’s punished, it will not vindicate our broken system or redeem our politics. #Jan6Committee I don’t know how many times it must be said: Donald Trump is a symptom of the disease that afflicts America, not the disease itself. And we have not treated the disease; if anything, we’ve made it worse. #Jan6Committee
Dec 19, 2022 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
Thomas Frank, a (former?) conservative, wrote one of the best critiques of the modern Democratic Party/liberalism I’ve seen in a mainstream publication. I’m a bit surprised NY Times published it. Something @thomasfrank_ does effectively is critique neoliberalism (although he does not use the term) using populist rather than leftist language. A lot of people are still suspicious of socialism and stop listening if an argument sounds “too radical.”
Dec 18, 2022 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
Liberals can’t simultaneously defend the existence of billionaires and be outraged by Elon Musk. While he receives/courts more public attention, Musk is not fundamentally worse than any other billionaire. Considering the human and economic impact of Amazon, Jeff Bezos is WORSE than Elon Musk. I don’t hear liberals complaining that he own WaPo, one of their favorite publications or calling to break up Amazon.
Dec 18, 2022 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
Elon Musk didn’t purge Taylor Lorenz for “doxxing” any more than he bought Twitter to protect “free speech,” both are mere excuses to seize power/punish enemies. Under fascism, all allegedly cherished principles are dispensable means to an end. As someone who values/enjoys debate, it’s been hard for me to accept that debating neofascists actually serves to ENABLE fascism by helping them maintain the illusion that their “principles” are real and not just a means to gain power.
Dec 18, 2022 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
Elon Musk’s use of Twitter as a virtual space for the far right to live out its fantasies of purging ideological enemies and dehumanizing marginalized groups is a preview of what’s in store IRL if fascism achieves unified control of government. These things are already happening in IRL to a degree and the U.S. already contains many ingredients of fascism (nothing new; we’re built on genocide/slavery), but anyone who thinks things are not on verge of getting much worse could be in for a rude awakening.
Dec 18, 2022 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
How about we allow students to decide what they want to study and what careers they want to pursue. It’s THEIR education? Rich students already have this right, so it’s just a matter of expanding it to everyone else. Oh and tax the rich to pay for it. High school is subsidized; why not college?Numerous studies show it’s just as essential as K-12 in 2022. Higher education is a human right and that includes choosing what to study.
Dec 17, 2022 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
There are few words more misunderstood in politics than fascism. On the one hand, we often apply it broadly to describe everything we don’t like. On the other hand, we don’t take the threat of ACTUAL fascism seriously enough. Historians have a hard time arriving at a consistent, consensus definition of fascism, so there is an element of subjectivity to the term. One distinguishing feature I find useful: revolutionary MEANS to achieve conservative/reactionary/ethnonationalist ENDS.
Dec 12, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
If Marjorie Taylor Greene wasn’t (further) defiling Congress with her foul presence, she’d 100% be in a right-wing militia planning attacks on the U.S. government. What does it say about modern Republicans that they would elect would-be domestic terrorists like Marjorie Taylor Greene to office?