To me the distinction between fake and real is muddier. They are narcissists and public figures of the sort whose entire identities are mediated things that have been artfully shown to us. Like that’s the base level of real here. They are taking conflicts public and airing the things they want to air. I think people like this gain too much power due to the sense of genuine reality the rubes get.
So do I think Musk is acting this all out because he’s secretly a genius and this has all been him pretending to have a drug addiction? Hell no. He’s a drug addict. Fuck it… like, who isn’t at some point before they die?
But is this a meaningful exchange? Nah… in part just because these kinds of asses aren’t going to be telling on themselves so whatever they whine about is what they think makes them look good.
IOW if Trump deports Musk I’ll believe this was real, like that. If Musk leaks Trump’s crimes fully, same. But I think TACO and Musk are just flooding the zone with their general bullshit and whatever bot armies they command to carry the noise further. And I think they are only doing so because they think they have something to gain by it. And… one or both might be right about that?
Gotta sus sus sus sus sus sus sus sus-pect device!
Elissa Slotkin, who frequently uses the word “astrategic,” tells the crowd that “being on ‘Team Normal’ right now really helps.”
Matt Yglesias is “greeted like a rock star” at the conference.
The primary goal of the conference, says a party strategist, is not to “look like losers.”
Slotkin reminds everyone that “people want practicality.”
Meanwhile, another NYT piece today reports that Trump has ordered two coal- and oil-powered plants, built in the 1960s and scheduled to close, to remain open, even though that’s going to increase prices for consumers.
I’m sorry, wasn’t she whinging about how “normal people” are too dumb to understand the concept of oligarchy…
Here is what I get when I google (duckgogo) that…
It defines the word as such:
An astrategic actor is one that has no strategy at all and is simply reacting to situations as they arise with nothing to cohere individual actions into a wider plan.
So, she’s using military terminology (which is an example of using highly specific language that isn’t in common terminology) while whinging about a perfectly accessible word like fucking OLIGARCHY…
Wasn’t the origin of this argument between Musk and Trump due to Musk hating the bill because it didn’t cut Medicaid enough or something? And the Democrats want the guy who thinks Trump doesn’t go far enough??
I understand the bus analogy, but if the Democrats are going to chase after Musk and Matty Iglesias (and Gavin Newsome), then they are not going in any kind of direction I want to go… and I might as well vote third party, because even though they probably won’t win at least I’ll be voting for principles I can believe in.
It’s not too late for the Democrats to change course and formally recommit to being the party of the people, and I seriously hope they do. With any luck it’s only a fringe group dedicated to this, because I find these stories incredibly demoralizing.
If that makes me YTA, I’m okay with it. I just cannot go any further with this neoliberal, neoconservative BS. I can’t be okay with throwing marginalized folks under the bus to “get ahead.” It’s not who I am and it’s not who I want to be going forward.
Edit to add: there’s still some hope, in some races. I’ll be happy to cast a ballot for Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Governor Senator primary, because from all I’ve been able to gather, he prioritzes people in the way I want politicians to do. (I voted for him over Whitmer in the last big Democratic primary, too, but he didn’t win.)
We’ll see what happens next.
Edited for correction, and I’m embarrassed it took me this long to realize the error. El-Sayed previously ran for Governor, this time he’s aiming at Senator. My bad, posted late and tired.
I’m just going to say it, shame on any of us who throws a trans child under the bus for thinking they’re going to get elected. That child deserves our support. Don’t worry about the pollsters calling it distractions, because we need to be the party of human dignity.
The party isn’t owned by the Republican mimics just yet. Here’s hoping it can stave them off.
