It’s the Crime, Stupid
It’s the Crime, Stupid
Plus, Stop the Steal: The Sequel.
Recently at The Bulwark:
CHARLIE SYKES: "Falsehood Flies, And Truth Comes Limping After It"
SECRET POD: What the Hell is Wrong with These People? 🔐
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TIM MILLER: It’s the Crime, Stupid.
Ahead of the midterms, Republican ad wizards and Media Narrative Setters have determined that crime is a central issue that will propel the coming GOP wave.
So that leaves one to wonder: What is it that these voters want Republicans to do to address crime when they take power?
While polling often reveals that voters are inconsistent, opaque, and downright confused on how they want public policy issues addressed, on matters related to crime and safety the public sentiment is crystal clear.
BILL LUEDERS: The Unglamorous Work of Governing.
DeForest, Wisconsin
It’s just another working day. Marty Walsh, the U.S. secretary of labor, is touring an apprentice training facility in DeForest, just outside of Madison. He arrives at 10 a.m., right on time. He’s joined by U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Mark Pocan, both Democrats from Wisconsin; a handful of facility officials and personal staff; and about a dozen journalists.The October 26 event, less than two weeks before the midterm elections, was announced by press release the day before. Its stated purpose: “to highlight the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to reducing costs for American families and creating good-paying, union jobs through the investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act.”
The conspiracies and lies around the mass shooting at Sandy Hook were not a one-off — they laid the foundation for the age of disinformation and misinformation we live in. Elizabeth Williamson joins Charlie Sykes today.
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THE NEXT LEVEL 🎥: Elon’s Twitter Apocolypse.
CATHY YOUNG: Bernard-Henri Lévy and the Heroes of Ukraine.
A new documentary opens with familiar but still gripping footage: aerial shots of a column of Russian tanks being pounded by Ukrainian artillery fire—a moment that has become symbolic of Russia’s military ineptitude in a conflict in which Ukraine at first seemed hopelessly outmatched. Then we see Kyiv, “holding its breath” as the invasion begins, hauntingly beautiful and deserted; and then we go back eight years to where it all began: the “Euromaidan” protests of 2014.
The film is Why Ukraine?, and the filmmaker, the French philosopher, author, and public activist Bernard-Henri Lévy, is explicit about his goal: to make the case to Western audiences for a full and unflinching commitment to backing Ukraine in its battle for freedom and survival. Whether Why Ukraine?, cowritten by Gilles Herzog and codirected by Marc Roussel, will win new hearts and minds to the Ukrainian cause is hard to say. Its primary audience will surely be those who—like the attendees at last week’s American premiere at the U.N. Building in New York—already support that cause. Yet even those already familiar with the last eight months’ events in Ukraine will find the hour-long film engrossing and often shattering.
AMANDA CARPENTER: Stop the Steal: The Sequel.
Fact: As a political body, the GOP has fully embraced candidates and officeholders who deny the results of the 2020 election.
Question: Given that fact, if those election-denying candidates lose in the 2022 midterms, can anyone reasonably expect them to concede? Who is going to tell them they should? The state parties, donors, and other influential backers who rallied around their Stop the Steal fantasies? Fat chance.
Political observers are right to worry about election deniers and the 2024 election. But there is a more immediate threat. Marquee candidates such as Kari Lake won their primaries due to their dedication to the lost election cause. It’s what has made them famous. That makes it hard to believe that if she, and others like her, lose next week, they will change their tactics.
🚨OVERTIME 🚨
Happy Wednesday… The President will speak tonight about Democracy from… Union Station?
How grassroots funding has changed American politics. Our very own Tim Miller and Micah Sifry discuss at the NYT.
Jordan Klepper fingers the midterms… And does not paint a pretty picture of where our right-leaning fellow Americans are right now.
For the love of Matthew… A cute story from my local electric cooperative.
John Eastman has the best lawyers… That’s a whoopsie. But Eastman was worried! And turns out he was right! Trying to steal the election will attract attention from DAs.
Did we see any ‘Rainbow Fentanyl’? Perhaps I’ve missed the reports! But this is a real video from a Republican Senator.
Classy Claudia… Rep. Tenney has no class or honor.
Chuck Grassley's decade long beef with the History Channel has paid off… He’s doing a show with them about an Iowa veteran of the Korean war.
Right wing moms… And the school board wars.
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