Ramaswamy is an avatar for Musk

How to Escape 'the Worst Possible Timeline'. Cultural pessimism is widespread. But there's a way out

How to Escape ‘the Worst Possible Timeline’

Cultural pessimism is widespread. But there’s a way out.

By Tara Isabella Burton

The government is paralyzed by toxic polarization. Our economic and social systems make the rich richer and keep the poor poorer. Marginalized groups continue to fight against centuries of systemic injustices. A pandemic has killed more than 1 million Americans. Meanwhile, preventable “deaths of despair”—including suicide and deaths related to substance abuse—are on the rise. Fewer and fewer people are choosing to have children, citing not only economic concerns but moral ones: How could anyone bring an infant into a world as benighted by cruelty and injustice as this one? The thinking goes like this: The inevitable march of climate change will probably wipe out humanity, anyway. At least, if artificial intelligence doesn’t get there first.

[link:https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/06/doom-pessimism-worst-possible-timeline/674441/|

Is MAGA an expression of "cultural pessimism"

Cultural pessimism arises with the conviction that the culture of a nation, a civilization, or humanity itself is in a process of irreversible decline. It is a variety of pessimism formulated by a cultural critic.

Almost 9:00 AM after Biden's visit to Ukraine and it's not trending on Twitter?

Charlie Kirk is trending on Twitter but not Biden? Seems contrived somehow?

Does Musk have enough power to swing elections?

I think twitter already can and has swung elections. The scariest parts is how it can force multiply extreme rightwing positions, distribute those positions and reinforce the general Republican propaganda platform of well crafted lying and gaslighting.

What can Democrats and democrats do in response?

ALEC has gone from writing laws to actually governing! Joe Manchin is loyal to his creation!

ALEC has been building this extraordinary political machine for 5 decades and Joe Manchin got in very early. The more sabotage Manchin does the more he benefits himself and ALEC. The American Legistlative Exchange Council is far more politically powerful than Trump but they operate almost unknown to the average voter!


https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/04/exposing-alec-how-conservative-backed-state-laws-are-all-connected/255869/

ALEC posterchild, Joe Manchin's Deep Corporate ties

Joe Manchin’s Deep Corporate Ties
An underexamined aspect of Manchin’s pro-business positions in the Senate is his early membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council.


Last month, as Democrats were struggling to craft a passable version of the Build Back Better Act, a $3.5-trillion bill that contains much of the Biden Administration’s domestic agenda, Joe Manchin, the Democratic senator from West Virginia, told a group of reporters, “I cannot accept our economy, or, basically, our society, moving towards an entitlement mentality.” The Democrats are attempting to pass the measure through the budget-reconciliation process, an effort that will take every Democratic vote in the Senate. In return for his support, Manchin is reportedly demanding that the bill be cut by more than half, eliminating or radically scaling back key provisions such as the expansion of Medicare to cover dental, hearing, and vision; paid family and medical leave; the child tax credit; and the clean-electricity program, which would penalize gas- and coal-fired power plants in an effort to mitigate climate change.



https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/joe-manchins-deep-corporate-ties

Beau of the 5th column finally comes out and says "vote Democratic"

When progressive voters don’t vote Democrat, they don’t really punish politicians but punish constituencies such as young people, black people, women, LGBT, IMMIGRANTS, Jews, Muslims, Asians, all “others”

The tragedy infused Jason Isbell/Amanda Shires version of Springsteen's Born in the USA

This is one of the saddest songs I have ever heard. Amanda’s strings and Jason’s drawl, maybe. Bruce also has excellent sad versions.

An analysis claiming one million voters switched to the GOP last year was fatally flawed

Do you remember an article from earlier this week that claimed one million voters switched to the GOP last year? Turns out it was completely wrong. The authors mistook modeled party ID scores for actual party registration. Political numeracy matters!


https://twitter.com/gelliottmorris/status/1542622912653524993?s=21&t=Bqx1rFoAQT7eg5a4dZHuIQ