December 16th, 2024
Political theorists on the debacle on the left.

A party whose base consists of culturally liberal, largely well-educated white Americans and a shrinking share of voters of color is almost by definition going to find it impossible to defend American democracy…

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[The future] requires a flexible Democratic Party platform that is willing to compromise on various social and economic issues (immigration, trans rights, tax policies) in the short run to protect democracy in the long run. It requires an ideological pivot toward more moderate voters who may not always agree with socially and culturally liberal whites.

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One theme that repeatedly emerges in the comments of political analysts is the need for the Democratic Party and its candidates to regain the center and to avoid the adoption of more extreme cultural and social policies that alienate the middle and working classes.

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From the comments section on this opinion piece:

The problem now is Democrats never have found a successor to the New Deal policies to mitigate wealth inequality and, as a result, leaned into the more successful cultural element until it literally became self-parody, possibly cresting in 2020 with calls for free health care for illegal immigrants and taxpayer paid …. gender affirmation treatment for prison inmates.

Until the Democratic party recenters on cultural issues to a simple, non-strident goal of fair and equal treatment for all self-identifying groups and finds its voice, and policy prescriptions, addressing the growing economic disparity, they won’t have a viable philosophy of governance – just an amalgam consisting of a combination of radical cultural advocacy groups and lawmakers passively supporting the economic status quo with small tweaks that fall far short of what is needed.

Yup, and it’s what UD‘s always saying: Read Richard Rorty, Achieving Our Country. It’s short. It’s a terrific elaboration on this comment, and, for UD‘s money, remains the best account of the suicidality of the left.

November 21st, 2024
He leaves the nation a brief but distinctive juristic legacy…

Matty We Hardly Knew Ye

November 12th, 2024
‘Ruben Gallego Wins Arizona Senate Race, Defeating Kari Lake’

Some good news.

But this frees her up to be appointed Secretary of State.

November 11th, 2024
‘”For many, especially Iranian women, who know firsthand what that symbol represents in terms of gender-based oppression, it was deeply insulting, it was a shock and frankly a disappointment,”[Mina] Fakhravar told CBC News on Monday.’

No, you don’t have to react that strongly to an image of a woman in a hijab, and yes, hijabs obviously should be tolerated (UD‘s readers know she ain’t crazy about them); but the city of Montreal was kinda dumb to feature an image of a hijabi beetled over by two men in western garb in its WELCOME TO THE CITY sign in the town hall. The mayor has announced that it will be taken down — oodles of Montrealers have complained that this pic represents quite the opposite of the secularity near and dear to their hearts — and though there’s the usual insistence that acts of this sort will bring Montreal’s democratic values crashing down, everyone knows that this will not happen.

A small point also, but UD has noticed that, in discussions of the hijab, people tend to overlook the larger total body wrapping that often accompanies the headgear and certainly features in this image. It ain’t just that Montreal is boasting that it welcomes the hijab; it welcomes the total draping of the female body in a modesty gesture that tells the world the female body must be hidden. I wonder why it must be hidden.

Anyway, you’re welcome to traipse about Mont Royal all covered up except for your face and hands, but Montrealers have a right to object to that look for women being made a symbol of their city.

November 6th, 2024
‘Respecting the will of the people, there can be no doubt, lies at the heart of any democratic system…’

And UD will proceed on the assumption that a democratic system is in fact what the people continue to want.

For me, it’s a dark day. But an American majority has spoken, and respecting the will of the people lies at the heart, etc.

And so. We proceed.

November 4th, 2024
If Moldova can elect a woman who’s not a Putin stooge for its president…

so can we!

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LOLOLOL

[In a 2016 presidential run,] Sandu faced open discrimination during the race for being a single woman, and was openly attacked by former Moldovan president Vladimir Voronin who accused her of betraying “family values” and calling her the “laughingstock, the sin and the national disgrace of Moldova” in remarks widely regarded as profoundly misogynistic. She rejected the insults in an interview, replying that “I never thought being a single woman is a shame. Maybe it is a sin even to be a woman?”

November 4th, 2024
UD and her sister escape to Rehoboth Beach tomorrow.

UD voted awhile back, by mail, and would now rather ponder the cosmos than catastrophe. Catastrophic it would certainly be if my fellow Americans carry the clown show to victory, but meanwhile there are dolphins riding the waves, and there are meteor showers, and UD wants to see them.

October 31st, 2024
UD’s neighbor and friend Martin…

… finds a charming poster while getting out the vote in

York, PA.

October 11th, 2024
UD’s old buddy Peter (hair always, famously, askew), talks about the upcoming election…

… on the steps of the Wisconsin Capitol Building.

[Photographer Bennett Waara.]

October 9th, 2024
Worthless Pretty Things

Elites who read long eloquent essays in the Atlantic comparing George Washington and Donald Trump – the glorious first, the gruesome second – aren’t (if you ask ol’ UD) making very good use of their time, pre-electionwise. It’s by now a tired warhorse, the dangerous vileness of DJT, and one can certainly continue playing variations on it, as Tom Nichols has very prettily done all the way up and down the scale; but at this point the question is not How Existential a Threat is this Authoritarian to the American Republic? Or How Far Exactly Have We Fallen from George Washington?

The question is Why is Half of the Country Voting for an Authoritarian?

August 20th, 2024
‘The freedom to work with dignity and prosper, to worship as we choose or not.’

Refreshing. Hillary Clinton addresses thirty percent of our rapidly secularizing nation in her convention speech.

July 31st, 2024
‘The poll results showed majority support for Amendment 4 from Republican voters. 53% indicated they would vote affirmatively.’

Amendment 4 … enshrine[s] the right to abortion in the Florida Constitution.

WUH OH!!!!!

Mamma mia. Even Trump-mad Floridians aren’t on board the whole no contraception no IVF no abortion get a whole shitload of knocked up to carry out your uterine duty AND safeguard THE DEMOGRAPHIC FUTURE OF THIS COUNTRY thing. Childed VP candidate Vance will drag his wife and kids down to Tallahassee early next week to announce she’s preggers again – with triplets! – and then she’ll take the stage and announce she’s abandoning her legal career which has been frying her fallopian tubes.

July 26th, 2024
My childless dog lady buddy Nan …

… is beyond thrilled.

July 18th, 2024
More and more Dems worry that we are entering …

aging pope territory.

A scan of up to the minute news suggests Biden may soon drop out of the race.

May 31st, 2024
As long as people like Annabelle Jenkins are willing to live in Idaho, all is not lost.

But now that she’s done with high school she’s probably hoofing it out of there for a respectable college.

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