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Putin Propagandists Befuddled by Assad Defeat
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Overtime

Putin Propagandists Befuddled by Assad Defeat

Plus: What It Took to Fix the Democratic Brand Last Time Around

Jim Swift's avatar
Jim Swift
Dec 10, 2024
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Putin Propagandists Befuddled by Assad Defeat
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Recently in The Bulwark:

  • BILL KRISTOL & ANDREW EGGER: Stay on the Road to Damascus

  • JVL is off today.

Overtime is for everyone. If you’re a subscriber: thank you. If you’re not, there’s no better time to subscribe to Bulwark+ than today. If you like today’s issue, you can share this newsletter with someone you think would value it.


CATHY YOUNG: Putin Propagandists Befuddled by Assad Defeat

ON SUNDAY NIGHT, BOTH THE HOST AND THE GUESTS on Evening with Vladimir Solovyov, the top show on Kremlin propaganda TV, wore such glum and downcast expressions that you’d think Vladimir Putin had canceled Christmas. But the subject was ā€œthe Syrian questionā€ā€”the downfall of Bashar al-Assad, who had just arrived in Moscow after his regime had rapidly crumbled before a rebel onslaught. ā€œFor Russia, the Syria question is a painfully sensitive one,ā€ Solovyov, whose subdued demeanor was a striking contrast to his usual shouty bravado, said in his opening monologue. ā€œFor one thing, our guys have shed blood for that country.ā€

READ THE REST.


šŸŽ„ PODCASTS AND VIDEOS šŸŽ§

  • Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller: Bill Kristol and Michael Weiss: Catastrophic Success [YouTube Kristol, Weiss ]

  • Bulwark+ Live:

    • Trump Calls for Jailing Jan. 6th Committee Members in First Post-Election Sitdown Interview

    • Illegal Immigrants for Trump?

    • Suspect in CEO’s Murder Taken Into Custody at McDonalds. Internet Erupts

    • Drunk At 10AM?! GOP Senator Gives Wild Hegseth Defense

    • Trump Details Alarming Agenda! RFK Jr.'s Role, Tax Cuts, & Jan 6. Pardons!

  • The Focus Group: An 'Unserious' Show (with Jonathan V. Last) [YouTube]

  • The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood: The Copyrighted Material Being Used to Train AI

Did you know? Bulwark+ members can listen to an ad-free version of these podcasts on the player of their choice.
Learn more at Bulwark+ Podcast FAQ.
šŸ“£Bulwark+ members can now listen to ad-free podcasts on Spotify! Learn more here.
Our šŸŽ„YouTube offerings are the free-versions of shows, and they do have ads.
āœļøAlso: Did you know that every podcast has a transcript for B+ members? Yes! If you’re more a reader than a listener/viewer, open any podcast and the transcript button is beneath the player.

AL FROM: What It Took to Fix the Democratic Brand Last Time Around

DEMOCRATS PONDERING WHAT TO DO NEXT after November’s defeat would do well to remember how the party came back the last time it was in the political wilderness.

After the 1988 election, respected political analysts believed Republicans had a lock on the presidency. Democrats had lost five of the previous six presidential elections. In 1972 and again in 1984, the Democratic candidate lost 49 states. In the three elections in the 1980s, the Republican candidate won landslide victories, averaging 54 percent of the popular vote and nearly 90 percent of Electoral College votes.

READ THE REST.


🚨OVERTIME🚨

A book Christmas Tree coming together at the Mercantile Library in Cincinnati.

Happy Monday! Hope you had a good weekend. The Bulwark’s Cincinnati Bureau is in full holiday cheer mode. While I am not a big Christmas person (you know what I mean), one thing I’ve taken an interest in, at least relative to years prior, is Christmas decoration. In part because Cincinnati neighborhoods take this seriously with their Luminarias. Can’t be the bah-humbug new neighbor!

Save the date… On December 19th at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C., Tim and Sarah will have a friendly debate with Nick Gillespie and Matt Walsh of Reason Magazine to debate whether ā€œyou have to pick a sideā€ in politics. Get tickets here.

Tariffs Are Trump's Tool… to Consolidate His Hold on Power, writes Steve Chapman at The Unpopulist.

Enron is back… A few years ago, the company’s trademark was purchased for $275. Now, one of the guys involved in ā€œBirds Aren’t Realā€ is the CEO of Enron.

Hegseth appears to have Ernst… The Iowa Senator’s most recent remark seemingly suggests that her previously tepid support is now, in fact, quite warm.

Your new $3,000 couch… Might be in the garbage before the next presidential election. WSJ on why.

Iowa moderates… should run independent campaigns, puncture polarized politics, argues Bulwark+ member and founder Mike Michener in The Des Moines Register.

Asking Tulsi Gabbard About Bashar al-Assad… Jake Lahut writes:

ā€œBack when I was at a local newspaper in New Hampshire, I had an interesting exchange with Gabbard on what would become the top issue facing her nomination for Director of National Intelligence.ā€

Gridiron Eavesdropping? The folks at SpyTalk noticed a pic of former CIA acting director Mike Morell was operating a parabolic mic during Monday Night Football. An Ohioan and Browns fan, here’s an interview he did where he talks about the experience with KOA’s Ross Kaminsky.

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.

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The American Age Is Over
Emergency Triad: The United States commits imperial suicide.
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AOC, solidarity, and people power.
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ā€œHow Can You Look at Yourself in the Mirror?ā€
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