What the Weird Clash Over Gas Stoves Tells Us About Conservatives and Risk
Plus, The World Through a Copyeditor’s Eyes
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ADDISON DEL MASTRO: What the Weird Clash Over Gas Stoves Tells Us About Conservatives and Risk.
I’ve been thinking recently about a tweet I saw last year from a prominent conservative commentator. I won’t name names or quote directly, but the gist was: The people very concerned about Ukraine are the same people who wore masks in their profile pictures during the pandemic, and that tells me all I need to know.
I’ve been reminded of that reactionary statement in the last couple of weeks as the simmering (sorry) culture war over gas stoves was dialed up to a full boil (sorry) by remarks from one member of the Consumer Product Safety Commission suggesting that the sale of new gas stoves might be banned. And although President Joe Biden would prefer the issue remain on the back burner (I’ll see myself out), the commission, which is an independent agency, might still act.
The Atlantic’s Ron Brownstein joins the group to discuss Kevin McCarthy giving the crazies the keys. Plus, Biden’s attempt to pivot on immigration, and will Ukraine get the tanks it needs?
Republicans are back to extortion and holding the debt ceiling hostage after adding $4.7 trillion to the deficit during the Trump years — and that was before the pandemic. Why risk financial market chaos? Catherine Rampell joins Charlie Sykes for the weekend pod.
Bulwark+ members can listen to an ad-free version of these podcasts on the player of their choice. Learn more at Bulwark+ Podcast FAQ.
JEFF REIMER: The World Through a Copyeditor’s Eyes.
That thing you just said: I was editing it in my head as you spoke. And that email you sent me earlier today: I edited that, too. Sorry, I don’t think less of you. It’s because I’m a copyeditor. My mind just sort of does it automatically. PowerPoint slides, interstate billboards, restaurant menus, church bulletins: We live in a world of typos, and it’s my job to see them. The measure of a book’s quality, they say, lies in what’s left on the cutting-room floor. Copyeditors are the ones employed to do the cutting.
In general, there are four types of editing in the book world. Developmental editing takes place at the level of the big picture and organizing concepts. In line editing, an attentive editor will help a writer to say what they mean in a voice that best expresses the spirit of their ideas. Copyediting, my own domain, involves cleaving to the precepts of one style guide or another while making precise adjustments to word choice, order, rhythm, and so forth. And proofreading is a safari hunt for any last remaining typos and solecisms.
CATHY YOUNG: At Soledar, the Battle of the Damned.
January 18 was an anxiously anticipated day in Ukraine, with reports that Vladimir Putin—scheduled to appear in his native St. Petersburg at a memorial event for the 80th anniversary of Soviet troops breaking the German siege of the city, then called Leningrad—was likely to make a major announcement, perhaps the start of a new round of mobilization or possibly a declaration of war against Ukraine. (Nearly one year on, Putin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine is not a formally declared war.) As it turned out, the wait ended anticlimactically. Putin said nothing new: He declared that victory in Ukraine was inevitable and claimed that the goal of this operation was to stop a war—one waged by “Ukrainian neo-Nazis” against ethnic Russians in the Donbas. All that was just the reiteration of standard Russian propaganda tropes.
Still, there is a widespread sense that the war may be nearing a new turning point.
🚨OVERTIME 🚨
What a night! The reports are in: the LA event was a success! (We’ll be posting recordings from the events in the coming days!) For those in Seattle this weekend? Have a great time. Sad to miss you, but enjoy yourselves. While JVL, Sarah, and Tim were confabbing with readers, I was burning the midnight oil installing an Insinkerator. Thankfully, my 20 year old Eddie Bauer Swiss Army knife was there to help! (It’s apparently worth more than a new disposal.)
Now we’re cooking with gas… Or not! My old little league friend Robert Rains, a Bulwark+ member, has this report from Washington Analysis on the efforts to ban or restrict the use of gas.
Give Hannah Yoest all the awards… Our esteemed colleague shares 52 of her many great works to illustrate the site from 2022. Click throw to see the year that was.
Skipping stones… The link to the Gambler 500 brought me, via reader Adam G., to reading about the joy of skipping stones, competitively or not.
An America worth fighting for… The Biden presidency turns 2.
The Santos Scandals… Ranked. Will he be in office long enough for us to see if/where his pledged salary goes?
Meanwhile, in North Dakota… The legislature is considering banning “sexually explicit” material from public libraries, something that is clearly a top-level problem for the 700,000 residents in the state’s 83 libraries.
But in Iowa… The cruelty towards SNAP recipients seems to be the point of Hawkeye state Republicans.
Satellite? Take a picture of this. You can get your own custom satellite photos, scheduled, for $175.
Here are the 5 stories you missed… If you don’t watch Fox News.
RAIN DANCE! The history of cinema’s most favorite hoops scene.
That’s it for me. Tech support questions? Email members@thebulwark.com. Questions for me? Respond to this message.
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Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.