Stuff You Should Consume - Dec 9, 2022
Welcome to this week’s edition of “Stuff You Should Consume,”— a weekly compilation of interesting political content for Message Box readers.
“Senator Warnock’s Victory Speech” — a great example of how Dems should communicate
“The Dangerous Illusion of a Presidential Third Party in 2024” by Aliza Astrow, Third Way
Given that Trump’s base of support actually expanded after four tumultuous years of his presidency, there is no reason to believe that some portion of his base would abandon him in 2024 for a third-party candidate. Rather, a third-party candidate would be more likely to divide the anti-Trump vote, as it did in 2016.
We can think about Trump support as a slice of pie. Despite the fact that Trump won in 2016 and lost in 2020, his portion did not shrink between 2016 and 2020; it actually grew. So, what changed to flip the results? In 2016, there was a third slice eating into Clinton’s support. In 2020, that third party segment shrank, so that Biden’s support eclipsed Trump’s.
“Stop the SCOTUS Coup” — a State by State assessment of the danger to democracy from the Supreme Court from Take Back the Court) (As many of you know, I am long time advisor to TBTC)
If the Supreme Court sides with Republicans and legitimizes ISLT in Moore v. Harper, state legislatures all across the country could radically change the rules for elections and even overturn the will of voters. ISLT was the cornerstone of Trump-backed attempts to overturn the 2020 election, but at the time, it didn’t work, because the theory didn’t have any serious institutional backing. However, if the Supreme Court lends ISLT legitimacy through its ruling in Moore, we could see a very different result in 2024.
“What Is Fascism?” by Ruth Ben Ghiat, Lucid Newsletter
The GOP politicians who now feign outrage at Trump's association with Nazis such as Nick Fuentes had no problem with his mainstreaming of extremism, perhaps because some of them are extremists themselves (Paul Gosar and Marjorie Taylor Greene have appeared with Fuentes).
It’s time to accept that the GOP, which was complicit with Trump's Jan. 6 attempted authoritarian takeover, has become a party that furthers Fascist values and practices. That means the hate crimes that have skyrocketed in America since 2016 will likely continue to expand.
“Top evangelicals are backing away from Donald Trump” by Shelby Talcott, Semafor
Call it a crisis of faith. Despite appointing the conservative judges who ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade — and fervently courting the religious right during his presidency — prominent evangelicals are beginning to shy away from supporting former President Donald Trump’s third bid for office.
A major factor is the same issue driving leaders in other parts of the conservative coalition away from his campaign: They’re not sure he can win.
Dan, I know this is off-topic for this post, but is Sinema switching to be an independent the most cynical political move you’ve seen in a while? Seems pretty clear she’s doing this to hold a gun to democrats head - if they run someone against her she stays in and a Republican is guaranteed to win.
What a shame, I enjoyed that week of not having to think about her.
The pod cast by Ruth Be-Ghiat is excellent--and I have already shared it with my students who are registered for "Dictatorships and Tyranny" next spring semester. She is very good---her book "STRONGMEN" is highly recommended too.