If Walker, Then Fetterman
If Walker, Then Fetterman
Plus, Even the Sane Republicans Are Embracing Election Deniers.
Recently at The Bulwark:
CHARLIE SYKES: "What the Hell is Wrong With These People?"
ATMA: Is Hollywood in a Regressive Moment? Plus: ‘Ticket to Paradise,’ reviewed!
You can support The Bulwark by subscribing to Bulwark+ or just by sharing this newsletter with someone you think would value it.
A.B. STODDARD: If Walker, Then Fetterman.
Everyone agrees that John Fetterman had a bad debate last week. Also, the general consensus is that Herschel Walker recently had a good debate. Walker, faux police badge in hand, survived with several sentences intact amid the lowest of expectations, while Fetterman startled everyone with his pauses and jumbled—sometimes conflicting—answers.
Walker has been incoherent for much of his campaign and is surrounded by Roy Moore levels of personal scandal—accompanied by the requisite lying and hypocrisy. Yet Republicans, proud to have nominated a man not remotely suited to the job of U.S. senator, have now declared John Fetterman is incapable of doing the same job.
H. DAVID BAER: Education Protests in Hungary Rock the Orbán Government.
“History contains surprises for the victor too, and the most unpleasant ones are often just for him”—an astute observation from historian Golo Mann that Viktor Orbán, were he really the thoughtful statesman with capacious vision his Western apologists make him out to be, might do well to ponder.
Since cementing his hold on power in a landslide election last April, Orbán has been buffeted by a wave of economic and social problems largely beyond his control. A combination of profligate social spending before the election (intended to shore up his base), skyrocketing energy prices, and a dispute with the European Union which hasn’t released subsidies he needs, has forced Orbán to introduce austerity measures that undercut his populist playbook. In July his government announced what amounted to a major tax increase on small entrepreneurs, effective immediately. Shortly afterwards, the government rolled back its marquee program of subsidized energy prices, something Orbán had claimed the opposition would do if it were elected. Meanwhile, inflation in Hungary has reached 20.7 percent, well above the rate in neighboring Slovakia, Romania, and Czechia.
Musk may build rockets and electric cars, but he is ignorant about content moderation on social media. And Twitter is not a game – it’s a platform that is central to our political discourse. We need an adult at the helm. Charlie Warzel joins Charlie Sykes today.
Bulwark+ members can listen to an ad-free version of these podcasts on the player of their choice. Learn more at Bulwark+ Podcast FAQ.
MONA CHAREN: The GOP Can’t Whatabout the Pelosi Attack.
Most of them cannot even manage ordinary decency anymore. That’s what the GOP has become.
The House speaker’s husband was brutally attacked in his home by a hammer-wielding lunatic who was shouting “Where is Nancy?” and most GOP office holders—even the “good Republicans” we’ve been assured will usher us out of Trumpism—failed the test.
WILLIAM SALETAN: Even the Sane Republicans Are Embracing Election Deniers.
Chris Sununu, the governor of New Hampshire, is one of the saner people in today’s Republican party. He concedes that the 2020 election was free and fair. He acknowledges climate change. He has criticized Republican leaders for ostracizing Rep. Liz Cheney and other principled dissidents while protecting the party’s worst extremists.
That’s why Sununu’s decision in the final weeks of the 2022 campaign to embrace election deniers is a particularly bad sign. Like other Republican officials, he has decided that sabotage of public faith in democracy doesn’t matter, as long as the saboteurs are Republicans. And he’s defending their reckless behavior with pernicious excuses.
🚨OVERTIME 🚨
Happy Tuesday! Hope your Halloween went well. Ours was rainy, but I got triple the visits I anticipated. (I was prepared! And gave anyone a hotdog, since some of the neighbors give out adult beverages..) Did you know… Kids tell jokes in Saint Louis on Halloween? Seems like a good tradition!
Why is J.D. Vance so angry? Ben Mathis-Lilley at Slate has your must long-read to understand what’s going on in #OHSEN.
When Cleveland was where careers went to end… My friend Vince Guerrieri has a new book on that. If you love Cleveland sports or, well, hate Cleveland, this is a book for you. Pre-order it today for Christmas for the Cleveland fan in your life.
Rats are thriving… In the swamp. Here’s why.
Churches are crossing the line… And the IRS doesn’t seem to be doing anything about it.
We all do dumb things when we’re young… Like pay for abortions, apparently.
That’s it for me. Tech support questions? Email members@thebulwark.com. Questions for me? Respond to this message.
—30—
Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.