Matthew Stiegler

Oliver Bateman: Conor Lamb shares hard-won lessons about modern politics In March 2018, Democrat Conor Lamb defeated Republican Rick Saccone by 627 votes in a special election for Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District,...

Here’s a recent Lamb profile where he discusses the political lessons he learned from his loss. I confess it didn’t inspire confidence in his political future for me. But we’ll see, and I remain grateful for the speaking up he’s doing now.

www.post-gazette.com/opinion/insi...

I admire how he’s speaking out these days, though.

No, I’m not. I don’t know where you got that, professor. But, since you ask, I do believe that more people paying attention would help make it harder for the president and the Senate to confirm the worst ones.

Time and again, the story of the successful resistance to Trump’s authoritarianism is in the strength and courage of individuals, often at great personal risk, set against marked cowardice by institutions and elected officials in positions of actual power.

The Braddock man John Fetterman confronted with a shotgun in 2013 says that should not stymie his Senate bid In letters from prison, Christopher Miyares says John Fetterman "lied about everything" regarding their 2013 confrontation in Braddock. Still, Miyares wrote, “I hope he gets to be a Senator.”

I recall being struck by this at the time.

www.inquirer.com/news/senate-...

🧵

Not so

Shoulda gone with @ electionlawing

I thought he ran a savvy 1994 primary campaign 3 decades too late.

My “pivoting off the Manchin-ville” may be overstating the case, but I do think he ceded the reliable Dem ground, the ‘fighter for things Dems always have fought for’ pitch. He talked up electability and endorsements, but I didn’t see him as working to convince primary voters he’d be a normie Dem.

You’re on

I’d be interested to hear more, or to hear your read on why he lost.

Easy to say in hindsight, but I think it was an absolute blunder for Lamb to cede the “I’m the reliable Dem” ground to Fetterman while pivoting off to Manchin-ville. The most alienating version of a moderate’s primary candidacy.

This is an insightful thread by someone who knows of what he speaks. While I’ve been quite critical of Fetterman and have said voting for him was my worst-ever voting mistake, I tend to think Adam’s on the mark here.

I had a fairly positive view of Lamb before that campaign, and I have a positive view of him since that campaign. But boy oh boy did that campaign suck.

Here are 4 people I listen to and learn from on judicial nominations who you may not follow already:
@profjpc.bsky.social
@patrickryne.bsky.social
@jakefaleschini.bsky.social
and the 🐐, @lzwarensteyn.bsky.social

2/2

Judicial nominations are a big deal. Conservatives have fixated on them for a generation, the left hasn’t, and the consequences have been enormous.

With 3 new circuit court vacancies and maybe a Supreme Court vacancy coming, now’s a great time to start paying closer attention.

1/2

Noooo (but congratulations)

*exist, grr.

I’m resolving to do try to do that sort of lifting up more myself.

🤌

I think this is kind of a fun idea but not actually a good one. Better solutions exists already.

I’ve often found specific experts here bc someone lifted them up. Someone whose judgment I trusted said, “hey, listen to her on this, she knows what she’s talking about.” I love when people do that.

I think we’re getting at why it’s a dumb idea.

Sure. I’m a lawyer, and I go on a lot here about how consistently wrong about the Supreme Court a lot of the most credentialed legal experts have been.

Tbh I am disconcerted by this meeting so far. The US’s violation of the charter is red letter, blazing, clear as day. Many of the US’s allies are mentioning it in passing. I suspect they wont like what follows from signaling they are less committed to the UN charter than they are to countering Iran

I've seen a few posts about the lack of congressional comms response from the Democrats.

For the record, my entire time in the Senate, I never once saw long term messaging planning for literally anything in a coordinated way.

On reflection, the ratings should distinguish between opinions posted in your real name and anonymous-account opinions. Big difference.

Let the record show, here I’m a 4.

10 I’m the expert
9 I’m an expert
8 I’ve got some meaningful expertise
7 I above-average know what I’m talking about
6 I’m not an expert but I care enough to post about this regularly
5 Just my opinion but I really think I’m right
4 Just an opinion
3 Hot take
2 Ok I’m probably wrong
1 I am a troll

You should really delete this, it’s embarrassing.

Sounds right