US elections 2021-2022

[BlueRidge]

Eugene Robinson has a word for those who are jumping on the "anti-woke" bandwagon:

The word “woke” once meant something, kind of. But now it’s just an empty, all-purpose insult hurled by conservative propagandists, anti-vaccine fabulists, lazy journalists and people who don’t want to know our history. Give it a rest, folks.

"Woke" made a brief appearance in the mainstream and was immediately co-opted by the rightwing and flipped into the 21st Century version of "political correctness." I mean, do we have to fall for this everytime?

Robinson says, "To “stay woke” was to stay involved with issues of public concern. It meant being an active citizen and insisting that one’s voice be heard. In its original sense, or senses, wokeness was clearly a good thing."

So why are some who consider themselves left of center buying the rightwing demonization of the term?

Robinson:

What drives me crazy is that journalists who should know better have begun using wokeness as shorthand without even examining, let alone challenging, the right-wing narrative. Commentators have posited that wokeness in the Virginia public schools gave Republican Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin his narrow victory over Democrat Terry McAuliffe — without bothering to note that what is being taught is not critical race theory but simply truthful American history, the good along with the bad. If there’s something wrong with learning our history, we’re in serious trouble.

Wake up to these 'woke' distortions (Washington Post)

 

[Vagabond]

Robinson says, "To “stay woke” was to stay involved with issues of public concern. It meant being an active citizen and insisting that one’s voice be heard. In its original sense, or senses, wokeness was clearly a good thing."

It meant more than that.

Originally posted by topaz

.... when one becomes "woke". This is ... a culture, spiritual, and political awakening.

I think topaz's definition is more accurate than Robinson's.

 

[DORISPULASKI]

In the sense I first heard "woke" used, it referred to microagressions and dog whistles you never noticed before, but once you began seeing them, once you were woke to them, you suddenly saw them continually.

 

[BlueRidge]

Why is it that the rightwing is able to so effectively flip positive left terms into ones widely perceived as something bad, from "politically correct" to "woke" to Green New Deal? As soon as a term is used by liberals or progressives the right jumps on it and turns it toxic for more than just conservatives.

 

[Vagabond]

Why is it that the rightwing is able to so effectively flip positive left terms into ones widely perceived as something bad, from "politically correct" to "woke" to Green New Deal? As soon as a term is used by liberals or progressives the right jumps on it and turns it toxic for more than just conservatives.

I think it depends on the term, but it is often because the terms chosen open themselves up to being turned. "Black Lives Matter" and "Defund the Police" are two prime examples.

 

[BlueRidge]

I think it depends on the term, but it is often because the terms chosen open themselves up to being turned. "Black Lives Matter" and "Defund the Police" are two prime examples.

I don't see any similarity between "Defund the Police" and terms like Green New Deal and Black Lives Matter.

Defund the Police is pretty clearly saying we want less policing. Now of course its more complex than that but it is not a good slogan because of that.

I don't see that "woke" or "Green New Deal" are like that at all.

I don't think Black Lives Matter has been made a toxic term in the mainstream.

 

[Vagabond]

I don't see any similarity between "Defund the Police" and terms like Green New Deal and Black Lives Matter.

Defund the Police is pretty clearly saying we want less policing. Now of course its more complex than that but it is not a good slogan because of that.

I don't see that "woke" or "Green New Deal" are like that at all.

I agree about Green New Deal, but there are still people who think that the New Deal itself was a bad thing.

As for Black Lives Matter, some people who hear the term interpret it as saying that black lives matter more than others. I thin the death of George Floyd finally made many people understand what was really meant, but others still don't get it.

 

[BlueRidge]

I agree about Green New Deal, but there are still people who think that the New Deal itself was a bad thing.

As for Black Lives Matter, some people who hear the term interpret it as saying that black lives matter more than others. I thin the death of George Floyd finally made many people understand what was really meant, but others still don't get it.

I think that the rightwing has made a great effort to toxify Green New Deal. The question is why do those who aren't Fox News watchers buy into that?

 

[Vagabond]

I think that the rightwing has made a great effort to toxify Green New Deal. The question is why do those who aren't Fox News watchers buy into that?

Messaging. Rebrand it as job growth driven by private industry, and they are all in.

Opinion | Why Are Republicans Now Loving the Sweet Sound of Electric Vehicles?

Ford’s plans for multi-billion dollar manufacturing sites for electric vehicles has Tennessee and Kentucky singing a different tune on cleaner energy.

www.nytimes.com

“Altogether, the $5.6 billion in investment will directly create 5,800 jobs in addition to countless opportunities in supporting industries,” Ms. Blackburn said in a statement. “Through this historic project, our state will gain access to trainings and work force development for years to come.”

On the subject of electric vehicles, Mitch McConnell, the Republican senator from Kentucky, has also experienced a come-to-Jesus transformation of late. In July he decried Senate Democrats’ efforts “to wage war on fossil fuels,” but in September, when Ford announced it would be building its new BlueOval SK battery-manufacturing twin site in Kentucky, he too released a statement: “I applaud Ford for their decision to bring their new battery plants to Hardin County, which will provide a much-needed economic boost to the region and create thousands of well-paying Kentucky jobs.”

Just don't mention that government mandates and subsidies are spurring the changes in supply and demand.

 

[MacMadame]

Just going to throw in here that 90% of US media is owned by six corporations. And corporations lean conservative.

Which is very evident when you see the way Biden's administration is treated. Even his successes are positioned as failures in the headlines.

So why are some who consider themselves left of center buying the rightwing demonization of the term?

I think the term "woke" was kind of icky to start with. It begged for being made fun of. I know I have always hated it.

I was not asleep so therefore when I became more politically active, I didn't "wake up." I was always awake. I just puttering along in 1st gear. And now I'm in overdrive. But I was driving the whole time.

As for Black Lives Matter, some people who hear the term interpret it as saying that black lives matter more than others. I thin the death of George Floyd finally made many people understand what was really meant, but others still don't get it.

I don't agree with this. I think the people who say that it means "Black Lives Matter More: are being disingenuous. And/or any time you are nice to a minority, they see it as taking something away from them. There is nothing wrong with the slogan, which is why it's still around.

 

[Aussie Willy]

Why is it that the rightwing is able to so effectively flip positive left terms into ones widely perceived as something bad, from "politically correct" to "woke" to Green New Deal? As soon as a term is used by liberals or progressives the right jumps on it and turns it toxic for more than just conservatives.

Because the GOP and their media outlets depend on their supporters to have no critical thinking ability. Plus throw in a healthy dose of misogyny, homophobia and racism and you are onto a winner.

Most of the people who oppose anything that appears to come from a progressive or left wouldn't have a clue about what they are objecting to. They are just told by their echo chambers that it is bad and they believe it. Even F*cker Carlson has admitted he has no idea what CRT is but because it has something to do with race he doesn't like it. And the viral clip of the old guy during the Virginia governor election being interviewed asking what he understands it to be. He admits he knows nothing about it but it must be bad because someone told him so.

And why it appears worse these days is that the only thing the GOP can latch onto is attacking the Dems and progressives. They have no policies themselves except to work towards an authoritarian agenda which has a really f*cked up imposition of religious moral superiority. Unfortunately for society the people who believe this sh*t are angry and motivated because they are being challenged on their privileged lives and being made to feel they are victims, which Trump's rhetoric amplified. And they want civil war over nothing more than a hatred of the left. They don't even realise how close their country came to being a dictatorship and that they are their own worst enemies. You are not dealing with rationale people.

And a point made by Meidas Touch. Look at the top podcasts. They are all right wing extremists. There is an appetite for that BS.

 

[clairecloutier]

Unfortunately for society the people who believe this sh*t are angry and motivated because they are being challenged on their privileged lives and being made to feel they are victims, which Trump's rhetoric amplified. And they want civil war over nothing more than a hatred of the left. They don't even realise how close their country came to being a dictatorship and that they are their own worst enemies. You are not dealing with rationale people.

Many of these people may also be armed and dangerous. Evidence indicates that the country is seeing a huge surge in gun sales over the past 2 years. It's getting a bit scary.

Column: This UC firearms researcher says America is on a collision course with disaster. We need to listen

A study by UC Davis' Garen Wintemute of the California Firearms Violence Research Center notes that "The unprecedented surge in firearms purchasing … shows no sign of abating and risks becoming part of a new normal for the USA."

www.latimes.com

Gun sales skyrocketing to near-record numbers this year

2021 is on pace to see the second most firearm sale background checks in U. S. history following a record-shattering 2020 that saw background checks for firearm sales reach 21 million. The FBI, which manages background checks for gun sales, typically processes around 8. 6 million annually...

wjla.com

 

[caseyedwards]

In 2018 the left was tremendously effective on all their messaging! They said trump and republicans were going to end all Medicaid exampsion. Lol this was false. Trump and republicans were going to end the federal subsidy for Medicaid expansion. All states could have raised taxes or used other methods to fund their expansions of Medicaid. But the democrats and the media made it seem like republicans were cutting Medicaid throwing people off Medicaid. TBH republicans didn’t even make it clear what they were doing. And then democrats won huge landslide in 2018 election and won house senate and presidency in 2020 all on Medicaid expansion preservation.

 

[BittyBug]

Why is it that the rightwing is able to so effectively flip positive left terms into ones widely perceived as something bad, from "politically correct" to "woke" to Green New Deal? As soon as a term is used by liberals or progressives the right jumps on it and turns it toxic for more than just conservatives.

I think it’s a consequence of what we’ve been discussing previously - media - and specifically, Fox “News.”

Fox started with their “fair and balanced” “we report, you decide” campaign to convince their viewers that they are impartial, when they are a really just a mouthpiece for the right. First con job, along with putting News in their name, when most of their content is editorial.

Then right wing political strategists identify messaging opportunities and surgically implement them. They circulate talking points to an array of pundits and then Fox has a parade of guests and hosts who repeat the same thing over and over again and voila - it sticks.

Sinclair is actually worse because they have their news anchors spew their propaganda but the result is the same - endless repetition to burn things into people’s brains, where they are absorbed as “truth.”

The right is extremely disciplined about messaging and they have the vectors to distribute it. The left is far more diverse and fractured and other than MSNBC, which is only watched by true believers, doesn’t really have a secure distribution channel.

 

[BlueRidge]

I think it’s a consequence of what we’ve been discussing previously - media - and specifically, Fox “News.”

Fox started with their “fair and balanced” “we report, you decide” campaign to convince their viewers that they are impartial, when they are a really just a mouthpiece for the right. First con job, along with putting News in their name, when most of their content is editorial.

Then right wing political strategists identify messaging opportunities and surgically implement them. They circulate talking points to an array of pundits and then Fox has a parade of guests and hosts who repeat the same thing over and over again and voila - it sticks.

Sinclair is actually worse because they have their news anchors spew their propaganda but the result is the same - endless repetition to burn things into people’s brains, where they are absorbed as “truth.”

The right is extremely disciplined about messaging and they have the vectors to distribute it. The left is far more diverse and fractured and other than MSNBC, which is only watched by true believers, doesn’t really have a secure distribution channel.

One thing I saw recently that made sense was the explanation that it isn't that everyone is in their own bubble and never hears anything else (which is repeated ad infinitum without evidence) but that because those who are on the right have the powerful rightwing media along with mainstream media, they have the messages in their head and are persuaded so that they are armed to argue against whatever they hear in the MSM whereas everyone else doesn't get their marching orders in the same way.

And also those who listen to the rightwing commentators day and night hear things that those who don't listen don't hear so the clear messages can be made through rightwing channels while as with Glenn Youngkin much of the true nature of a message can be camouflaged for mainstream audiences.

Going back to @clairecloutier s article about guns. I read the figure now for the US is 120 guns for every 100 people. This is relevant where threats are concerned even if they are just threats.

The Post had an article about the disruptions and threats being experienced across the country by those on school boards and highlighted several people who are resigning or not running again because it is too stressful. The action at school boards by the rightwing is deliberate political intimidation and its working. Liberals resign or don't run, liberals don't want to go to the meetings to speak up. Make no mistake this will spread from school boards to other venues. Its a winning strategy to dominate with a minority of people, even without any actual resort to violence.

 

[Vagabond]

I think it’s a consequence of what we’ve been discussing previously - media - and specifically, Fox “News.”

Fox News was founded in 1996. I remember first coming across the term "politically correct" in the late '70's or very early '80's, but the Supreme Court used it in a 1793 opinion.

In the United States, and in the several States, which compose the Union, we go not so far: but still we go one step farther than we ought to go in this unnatural and inverted order of things. The states, rather than the PEOPLE, for whose sakes the States exist, are frequently the objects which attract and arrest car principal attention. This, I believe, has produced much of the confusion and perplexity, which have appeared in several proceedings and several publications on state-politics, and on the politics, too, of the United States. Sentiments and expressions of this inaccurate kind prevail in our common, even in our convivial, language. Is a toast asked? "The United States," instead of the "People of the United States," is the toast given. This is not politically correct.

It then apparently came back into vogue

among Communists in the 1930s as a semi-humorous reminder that the Party’s interest is to be treated as a reality that ranks above reality itself.

“Comrade, your statement is factually incorrect.”
“Yes, it is. But it is politically correct.”

The Rise of Political Correctness - Claremont Review of Books

From Marx to Gramsci to Trump.

claremontreviewofbooks.com

Did the left pick up the term again circa 1980, or did the right revive it to turn it against contemporary progressives? I am not sure. I first read or heard it being used derisively by the right, but I soon enough came across a student I knew wearing a "Politically Correct" button in dead earnest, and he was no rightist.

The right looks for ways to subvert progressive buzzwords, the media picks up on it, and the left makes it all too easy for this to happen. All of this was true before Fox News was a gleam in Rupert Murdoch's eye.

 

[BlueRidge]

I remember being at some leftwing event in the early 80s with my sister who was far left in those days, and we were looking at buttons on a table, and the woman selling them said, "if you get that one, you'll be politically correct." This was intended to be positive. My sister responded, "I'm never politically correct." It was a notably dumb term in the first place.

 

[clairecloutier]

An interview with NJ Gov Phil Murphy’s pollster. He talks about the NJ election:

Why Was the New Jersey Gubernatorial Race So Close?

A pollster for Governor Phil Murphy explains how Republicans nearly pulled off an upset in the Garden State.

www.newyorker.com

 

[DORISPULASKI]

There is quite a bit of questionable stuff written about the NJ race being close, because it was written too close to election day. The above article is from November 6. Receipt of mail in ballots was still open till Nov.8.

NJ Governor Race 2021: Live Election Results and Updates

New Jersey governor election live results for 2021. See live maps and result updates as NJ Governor Phil Murphy runs for re-election against Jack Ciattarelli.

www.nbcnews.com

As of 9 am EST, Nov. 11, only 91% of the vote is counted, because of mail in ballots. And those mail ins are skewing Democratic.

This morning, Gov. Murphy is up 51% to 48.1% over the Republican Ciattarelli, +2.9%, which is not that close. (There were several third party candidates, which is why this does not quite add to 100%.)

 

[clairecloutier]

Yeah, it wasn't incredibly close in NJ. However, Murphy's pollster said honestly that they expected a significantly bigger margin. Another article that I read was pointing out how NJ theoretically should be fertile ground for Democrats, as it has a very diverse population and is affluent. Dems won in NJ on Tuesday, but they also underperformed, I don't see any way around that.

Some interesting points from the interview with the pollster that I linked to above:

-- He said basically that, in Republican areas, Republicans turned out at a higher rate than Democrats turned out in Democrat areas

-- He argued that high taxes shouldn't have been an issue because NJ taxes have been high forever and they weren't an issue in 2017 (but I would say that the difference between 2017 and 2021 is that people were paying high taxes in both elections, but they lost one of of the prime benefits of those taxes (schools) for most of 2020-21.)

-- He posits that, on a basic level, elections are about the issue of whether people feel the government is looking out for them and shielding them from storms, so to speak. If they feel positive about that-- re-election for incumbents. If not-- not.

P.S. On another topic, there has been much discussion since Tuesday about whether Democrats should stop talking about racism/race issues so as to be more "electable" and stop Republicans from weaponizing these issues. I liked this viewpoint on the debate:

https://wapo.st/30gibug

 

[DORISPULASKI]

I like this last article about Biden, Warnock, etc. doing a good job on racial justice messaging without compromising Democratic principles.

 

[caseyedwards]

There is quite a bit of questionable stuff written about the NJ race being close, because it was written too close to election day. The above article is from November 6. Receipt of mail in ballots was still open till Nov.8.

NJ Governor Race 2021: Live Election Results and Updates

New Jersey governor election live results for 2021. See live maps and result updates as NJ Governor Phil Murphy runs for re-election against Jack Ciattarelli.

www.nbcnews.com

As of 9 am EST, Nov. 11, only 91% of the vote is counted, because of mail in ballots. And those mail ins are skewing Democratic.

This morning, Gov. Murphy is up 51% to 48.1% over the Republican Ciattarelli, +2.9%, which is not that close. (There were several third party candidates, which is why this does not quite add to 100%.)

51-48 is close. I know in New Jersey you have the 1997 1993 and 1981 races that were actually closer than that but just because the margin isn’t 1 percent it’s still close

 

[MacMadame]

We were talking about wokeness earlier in this thread so I figured you guys might be interested in this poll:

America’s Real ‘Wokeness’ Divide

A new poll finds little difference between people with and without college degrees on questions about “wokeness.”

www.theatlantic.com

 

[MacMadame]

I wasn't sure where to put this. It's about how Sinema sends a message with her clothing choices. (I put it here because. I think she is planning to run for re-election)

Opinion | How Kyrsten Sinema Uses Clothing to Signal Her Social Class

The senator is trying to play many roles in Washington at once.

www.nytimes.com

 

[MacMadame]

Some good advice to the Dems about "white appeasement"

https://wapo.st/3Hx06sP

 

[el henry]

Some good advice to the Dems about "white appeasement"

https://wapo.st/3Hx06sP

I think one needs to accept Perry Bacon's hypothesis (supported by the "progressive" voices he cites) that appealing to moderate Democrats (I don't know of many conservative Democrats, except perhaps the two Senate obstructionists, and no one I know wants to appeal to them) is "White Appeasement".

Having seen that the outreach to moderate Democrats wins just as many POC votes as White votes in my section of Pennsylvania, I reject that hypothesis. Needless to say, I don't agree with the conclusion.

ETA: I am particularly bemused by the fact that Bacon, and the folks he quoted, think that not supporting "police reform" as they define it, constitutes White appeasement. Uh, has he spent any time looking at election results among minority voters rather than quoting talking heads who already agree with him?

 

[DORISPULASKI]

The Republicans in CT want to roll back the police reform act CT passed last year.

What do they want ? Absolutely no police accountability and that children as young as 10 can be arrested.

State Republicans still pushing for criminal justice reform

Republicans including state Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-Wallingford, and House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, again made the case

www.theday.com

Yup. Kids at an age when some still believe in Santa, and whose ideas of crimes may boil down to "naughty or nice," need to be accountable for their crimes. Police who know every statute well are not to be accountable for theirs.

Somehow I think these Republicans are not picturing kids that look like their 10 year olds being arrested.

 

[clairecloutier]

This tweet offers some turnout numbers for the Virginia election and how they relate to Trump/Biden totals in 2020:

https://twitter.com/greggiroux/status/1460373569100263437

 

[MsZem]

I wasn't sure where to put this. It's about how Sinema sends a message with her clothing choices. (I put it here because. I think she is planning to run for re-election)

Sinema would prefer that you not talk about her clothes

Sinema speaks up — and shakes off her critics

The reticent Arizona Democrat granted a rare interview to talk about her negotiating style, disagreeing with her party and those relentless fashion critiques.

www.politico.com

 

[MacMadame]

Sinema would prefer that you not talk about her clothes

Sinema speaks up — and shakes off her critics

The reticent Arizona Democrat granted a rare interview to talk about her negotiating style, disagreeing with her party and those relentless fashion critiques.

www.politico.com

I don't believe that. People don't dress colorfully at work just because.

Also, that article seems like it was written by her PR team. They repeatedly refer to the infrastructure bill as "her infrastructure bill" as if she did it all herself. What nonsense.