Hey hey hey! I magically have a Blue Check again!

(Was removed in initial purge; then restored during mass-restoration; then I used option to turn it off; now Musky has removed that option. Presumably to make people who paid for this 'status' less obvious.)

Very proud day. /s

Agree we David Roberts here. And was true even back in 1990s, when I compared the questions that college students, local citizen groups, local radio interviewers etc asked Bill Clinton (while prez), w the pure-strategy-and-gaffe focus of standard WH press briefings.

Biden wants to be re-elected without doing the hard work of giving interviews. But no one deserves an important job that they didn't have to work for.

by A. G. Sulzberger

It's an ever-evolving contest, but based on what we know now...

More damaging, overall, to the US constitutional system and 'the American idea'?

For US-history buffs, actual question:

What's best turn-on-a-dime comparison for yesterday's 'free speech' absolutists [yesterday=2022], now on the warpath about shutting down protests?

Not looking for convenient changes by politicians. But 'thought leader' 180-degree-reversal.

Linguistic rather than political question:

When (in terms of years) did call-and-response chants, led by 'Repeat After Me' w Simon-Says echo from crowd, become a thing?

In Civil Rights/Vietnam era leaders started the chant ('2-4-6-8...') and others joined in. When the change?

Be sure to read the last line of this.

I already loved Cate Blanchett. And now .... !!

You can always move to DC and join us here. We're 2+ years into the new era.
fallows.substack.com/p/a-dance-of-l…

Why Bob Graham was one of the great public figures of the past few decades.

fallows.substack.com/p/election-cou…

Agree 100% w Jay Rosen here.

Frank Luntz prepared the soil from which the noxious 'fleurs du Trump' arose.

Frank Luntz was there at the beginning, advising Newt Gingrich, whose entire strategy was to boost political division by demonizing Democrats and liberals.

Hear, hear! The dog has finally caught the car. Frank Luntz is the guy responsible for such gems as 'death tax' to refer to the Federal estate tax paid by only the tiniest fraction of wealthy American households.

Interesting shift in tone in hourly emails from MAGA HQ.

- I'm used to 'we're doomed!' fund-raising notes from DNC.
- Used to 'I'm the real victim!' notes from Trump.

But not used to this 'even my friends don't like me' tone from DJT. (Emphasis/highlights in original)