How the Internet Broke J.D. Vance's Brain
Plus: Our Veterans, Ourselves
Recently in The Bulwark:
BILL KRISTOL & ANDREW EGGER: Harris Can WināOr Loseāin the Next Three Weeks
JVL: Kamala Has Lift-Off
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MARTYN WENDELL JONES: How the Internet Broke J.D. Vance's Brain
BY NOW, YOUāVE PROBABLY SEEN a recently recirculated 2021 clip of thenāSenate candidate JD Vance attacking Vice President Kamala Harris as a representative of āchildless cat ladiesā who are so āmiserable at their own lives and . . . choicesā that they want nothing else but to bring the rest of us down, too.
Itās an ugly and misogynistic sentiment, and if it were coming from a more typical right-wing pug, it would probably have ended thereāa nasty, sweaty soundbite. But Vance has a more capacious mind. He wasnāt satisfied with the insult alone; he knew he needed to sharpen his stick into a spear. So he worked in this point: āThe entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children. . . . Weāve turned our country over to people who donāt have a direct stake in it.ā
ILYSE HOGUE: Iāve spent a lifetime championing womenās rights. Harris should pick a male running mate.
THERE IS AN OLD POLITICAL ADAGE that no one pulls the lever for the second in line.
Thatās out the window this election cycle. Kamala Harrisās choice of running mate will shape the race in the next four months. And itās for precisely this reason that Democrats need to resist magical thinking about an all-female ticket going up against Donald Trump, a man with a history of misogyny whoās been found liable for sexual abuse.
READ THE REST, & watch Ilyse talk with Sam Stein about her item. š„
š„ PODCASTS AND VIDEOS š§
Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller: Rick Perlstein: The Alternative Is Apocalyptic
The Next Level: Kamala's Perfect Storm š
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WILL SELBER: Our Veterans, Ourselves
WHEN I TALK TO MY FELLOW AMERICANS about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, I get uncomfortable looks. Over hundreds of conversations, Iāve learned how to calibrate the truth about these wars. Because most of the time, most people donāt want to hear the full truth about them. They want stories of gallantry and courage, not despair and horror. In more intimate settings, like small gatherings of friends, Iāve had people ask me to change the subject. During a private dinner party in my early thirties, I told a gruesome story about the Talibanās penchant for raping childrenānot exactly ātable talk,ā I know. My date grabbed my arm and looked at me with an unmistakable message: Please stop horrifying my friends.
READ THE REST, and take a listen to Will on the Write About Now podcastš§.
A.B. STODDARD: Nancy Pelosi: How She Got the Job Done
ON SATURDAY NIGHT, as Democrats were abandoning a sick and sequestered President Biden, Nancy Pelosi stepped up on a small stage in Raleigh to the song āLetās Give Them Something to Talk About.ā
None of the speakers at the North Carolina state party dinner were talking about the saga then playing out in the Democratic party. And Pelosiās performance was flawless. The former speaker of the House energetically touted the accomplishments of the Biden administration but not the candidacy of the president as she rallied the assembled, bewildered Democrats.
CATHY YOUNG: Bidenās Exit: Views from Moscow and Kyiv
JOE BIDENāS WITHDRAWAL from the presidential race, and the all-but-certainty of Kamala Harris as his replacement atop the Democratic ticket, dominated Russian television news on Sunday and Mondayāand, not surprisingly, conspiracy theories recycled from right-wing American Twitter ran wild.
šØOVERTIMEšØ
Happy Wednesday! Todayās Overtime will be shorter than usual today.
They donāt like him! Voters really donāt like JD Vance.
Fix the Insurrection Act! Tomorrow, a valuable webinar from the Brennan Center for Justice Thursday (RSVP Reqād).
Rep. Spartz is just asking questionsā¦ And Chris Wray (rightly) got angry with her.1 His reaction when she keeps going and going is priceless.
Welcome to Hog Cityā¦ Ohio voters have put gerrymandering reform on the ballot. And I am here for it! (The Rooster).
Meanwhile, in Missouriā¦ Gubernatorial candidate Bill Eigel seems to have hired ad people similarly offensive and cringeworthy to Kelly Loefflerās.
You love to see itā¦ Extremist webpage VDARE is shutting down, thanks to the work of NY AG Letitia James (Newsweek) Some background is in order from the SPLC.
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Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.
Yes, the same Rep. who tried to bring a gun through security at Dulles.
