Stop calling them Republicans. It's all MAGA all the way down. All the real Republicans have left the party or are cowering in a corner somewhere. The MAGA Party of America has stolen the brand and sells something entirely different using the label.
I grew up in Michigan, have enjoyed lots of time in OH (I drove to Cleveland to hear their orchestra, had a girlfriend in Dayton, and was a Pere Ubu fan), and don't recognize this deep-South Ohio: How Religious Schools Became a Billion-Dollar Drain on Public Education | The New Yorker https://share.google/ITXdiw2hoJnEwm1uO
What a great piece of writing, Jim! Ohio is increasingly interesting, competitive, and crucial this year. Acton’s promising campaign, Brown’s potential to put Dems over the top in the Senate, and the insanely bipartisan data center referendum effort could all use your unique perspective. (The petition drive appears to be approx. 50% Indivisible libs and 50% Let’s Go Brandon—fascinating!)
Coming back from the Capital of Data Centers (Northern Virginia)... I have some thoughts! But I haven't done a deep dive... yet! Thanks for the kind words!
Great piece! I so appreciate this voice in Morning Shots and loved having a whole piece written from your perspective. You have a very unique voice that balances integrity with pretty funny - I guess snark, but kind. Kind snark. I know nothing about Ohio except this amazing vacation we had in Cleveland where we saw a Guardians game, visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and ate some amazing food. My introduction to realizing that Ohio is the mid-west is when my Massachusetts vehicle took a right on red while a pedestrian was crossing the street and subsequently realized that even during the commute all traffic stops for a pedestrian. Shame made us hide the vehicle in a garage for the rest of the week.
This reminds me of my all time favorite 30 Rock quip: “We’d all love to flee to the Cleve, but if we all moved in our favorite vacation spots, then the whole world would live in Hawaii and Italy and Cleveland.”
JIM! You took one for our team. Thank you! While I couldn't possibly sit through that, I found your account of it enjoyable. I look forward to finding more opportunities to join forces with you to get irresponsibility out of government.
which White Castle to stop at? Just one? There are so few (at least in my area of NJ and NONE in NYC where i work) that i think its important to stop at a couple for a small sack of sliders. But the young man who was worried that it was the Jews use of Usury to "keep us down", was he in fact, "down"? Was he thin, hungry, forced by evil Jewish henchmen to live on the edge, or did he arrive in a Silverado or F-250? i have had ups and downs in my life, like most everyone but never once did i ever suspect any good or bad thing that ever happened had been the result of meddling by jews or anyone else. Its like the constant vilification of Gorge Soros, if he was actually involved in 1/100th of the accusations from Fox News, hed be dead from exhaustion. i think its the same with antisemites, somehow 2% of the US population controls the other 98%. weird.
The thing about Jews and usury goes back to the Middle Ages when the Catholic Church (the only Christians back then) prohibited money lending as a sin, and the prohibitions on Jews that kept them out of other professions (the Guilds didn’t allow Jews to be members) pushed the Jews into money lending. Jewish law at the time (12th-16th centuries) did prohibit Jews from charging interest to other Jews, so naturally that became one more thing for non-Jews to be mad about.
As time progressed, laws and religious customs changed, and the banking industry matured, with everyone able to partake. Jewish law changed with the times. Nevertheless, the stigma born in the Middle Ages stuck like glue to Jews, especially since some Jewish families became very influential in the banking business (the Rothschild family being the most famous, founding their business in the 1760’s in Frankfurt, Germany).
As an antisemitic slur, this usury business is particularly nasty because the Jews were kept out of other professions by law, the Christians were kept out of money lending by the Church, and the Jews needed to earn money while the Christians needed to borrow money. And since the whole thing ended centuries ago, it’s not affecting the lives of anyone living today. But far right ignorance puts that aside in favor of a hatred they don’t want to let go of.
Really enjoy your on-the-ground reporting from the hinterlands, Jim. (full disclosure: I live in Wisconsin :-) ) Seriously. It feels familiar, and yet underreported. Thank you.
Has Bulwark stopped posting Sarah's focus group on Saturday mornings
You passed up the Hyde Park ??
Thanks for this keen and entertaining dispatch, Jim. I love the subversion of the mime and clown.
Stop calling them Republicans. It's all MAGA all the way down. All the real Republicans have left the party or are cowering in a corner somewhere. The MAGA Party of America has stolen the brand and sells something entirely different using the label.
I grew up in Michigan, have enjoyed lots of time in OH (I drove to Cleveland to hear their orchestra, had a girlfriend in Dayton, and was a Pere Ubu fan), and don't recognize this deep-South Ohio: How Religious Schools Became a Billion-Dollar Drain on Public Education | The New Yorker https://share.google/ITXdiw2hoJnEwm1uO
Link,
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/01/20/religious-education-public-schools-vouchers-taxes-catholic-church-ohio
What a great piece of writing, Jim! Ohio is increasingly interesting, competitive, and crucial this year. Acton’s promising campaign, Brown’s potential to put Dems over the top in the Senate, and the insanely bipartisan data center referendum effort could all use your unique perspective. (The petition drive appears to be approx. 50% Indivisible libs and 50% Let’s Go Brandon—fascinating!)
Coming back from the Capital of Data Centers (Northern Virginia)... I have some thoughts! But I haven't done a deep dive... yet! Thanks for the kind words!
Good article JS
Ramaswamy represents the juvenilization of America, especially men. A 40 year old talking like a 20 year old and 70 year olds love it
Great piece! I so appreciate this voice in Morning Shots and loved having a whole piece written from your perspective. You have a very unique voice that balances integrity with pretty funny - I guess snark, but kind. Kind snark. I know nothing about Ohio except this amazing vacation we had in Cleveland where we saw a Guardians game, visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and ate some amazing food. My introduction to realizing that Ohio is the mid-west is when my Massachusetts vehicle took a right on red while a pedestrian was crossing the street and subsequently realized that even during the commute all traffic stops for a pedestrian. Shame made us hide the vehicle in a garage for the rest of the week.
This reminds me of my all time favorite 30 Rock quip: “We’d all love to flee to the Cleve, but if we all moved in our favorite vacation spots, then the whole world would live in Hawaii and Italy and Cleveland.”
Great piece, and I sincerely hope you opted for the jalapeno cheese sliders when you stopped at White Castle. Pure joy.
Jim! Write more and edit less! This was great!
JIM! You took one for our team. Thank you! While I couldn't possibly sit through that, I found your account of it enjoyable. I look forward to finding more opportunities to join forces with you to get irresponsibility out of government.
which White Castle to stop at? Just one? There are so few (at least in my area of NJ and NONE in NYC where i work) that i think its important to stop at a couple for a small sack of sliders. But the young man who was worried that it was the Jews use of Usury to "keep us down", was he in fact, "down"? Was he thin, hungry, forced by evil Jewish henchmen to live on the edge, or did he arrive in a Silverado or F-250? i have had ups and downs in my life, like most everyone but never once did i ever suspect any good or bad thing that ever happened had been the result of meddling by jews or anyone else. Its like the constant vilification of Gorge Soros, if he was actually involved in 1/100th of the accusations from Fox News, hed be dead from exhaustion. i think its the same with antisemites, somehow 2% of the US population controls the other 98%. weird.
The thing about Jews and usury goes back to the Middle Ages when the Catholic Church (the only Christians back then) prohibited money lending as a sin, and the prohibitions on Jews that kept them out of other professions (the Guilds didn’t allow Jews to be members) pushed the Jews into money lending. Jewish law at the time (12th-16th centuries) did prohibit Jews from charging interest to other Jews, so naturally that became one more thing for non-Jews to be mad about.
As time progressed, laws and religious customs changed, and the banking industry matured, with everyone able to partake. Jewish law changed with the times. Nevertheless, the stigma born in the Middle Ages stuck like glue to Jews, especially since some Jewish families became very influential in the banking business (the Rothschild family being the most famous, founding their business in the 1760’s in Frankfurt, Germany).
As an antisemitic slur, this usury business is particularly nasty because the Jews were kept out of other professions by law, the Christians were kept out of money lending by the Church, and the Jews needed to earn money while the Christians needed to borrow money. And since the whole thing ended centuries ago, it’s not affecting the lives of anyone living today. But far right ignorance puts that aside in favor of a hatred they don’t want to let go of.
The beauty of Ohio is we have a lot of choices in that regard. (I picked Grove City. I couldn't wait until Cincy.)
Really enjoy your on-the-ground reporting from the hinterlands, Jim. (full disclosure: I live in Wisconsin :-) ) Seriously. It feels familiar, and yet underreported. Thank you.
Well written, and a very amusing tale, Jim!
Thanks, Annemarie!
Thanks for sharing, Jim! Glad you were able to focus on the important things after that mess... White Castle.