piquant nefesh

The SAVE Act is Bad for the Midterm Elections, Here’s a Better Option The SAVE Act is the Trump administration’s latest attempt to federalize elections. Lee Drutman argues for an independent federal elections agency instead.

My latest ->

I think we have a reconcile with this: our elections are increasingly nationalized. The question is how to manage that reality.

www.newamerica.org/the-thread/s...

See below.

It is astonishing how similar this is to the UK Labour discourse about Jeremy Corbyn. I really, really hope Democrats learn from what a disaster that proved to be in 2019.

Trump Has Lost the Plot in Iran Tehran hopes that he will declare a hollow victory and abort the mission.

Tehran’s hope for the war is that Donald Trump will abruptly declare a hollow victory and abort the mission, Karim Sadjadpour reports:

Don't play dumb. "this is trump's and Israel's war, they both wanted it" is a VERY different statement from "Americans are dying for Israel's war" and you know it

Overwhelming Majority of Jews (93%); Minority of Arabs (26%) Support Operation in Iran (total sample: 82%) The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) is an independent, nonpartisan, center of research and action dedicated to strengthening the foundations of Israeli democracy.

New March 2-3 Israel Democracy Institute poll produces results very similar to those of a March 1-2 INSS poll.
93% of Jewish centrists, 76% of Jewish leftists "support 'Operation Roaring Lion'" (how the question was phrased). For Jewish Israelis on the right - 97%.
en.idi.org.il/articles/63617

What predicts midterm election results? - Niskanen Center The historical pattern suggests Democrats are on the way to big congressional gains.

Predicting Congressional Election Results

Presidential approval & ideological direction of public opinion, not economics or party conflict, predict election results. That looks good for Dems

New #ScienceOfPolitics podcast/transcript with Carlos Algara

www.niskanencenter.org/what-predict...

Other points of note:
- Analysis of a phenomenon ≠ approval
- People and political actors who are extreme or radical can become more extreme or radical (see: American politics over the last decade, Trump I vs Trump II)
- There is a difference between covert and overt conflict in geopolitics

Was away for a bit, see that some on here decided to outrage farm about a tweet I didn't write for an article of mine they didn't read or link. Since that seems to be the preferred mode of consumption, here are a few other headlines! Always do the reading; don't let the engagement farmers con you.

Turns out a lot of people were just looking for a permission structure to say this openly.

It's "funny" to me how people across the political direction become wildly more credulous towards Trump Administration talking points when they can dredge a criticism of Israel out of them.

It is alarming to see how many people are reacting to some bullshit Marco Rubio spitballed to the press by saying, "Hmmm maybe we DO have a Zionist occupied government."

The open antI-Semitism this has unleashed, visible in the horseshoe right and left over at the other site, is something to behold

If, as Ferdinand Kronawetter said, "antisemitism is the socialism of fools," then anti-Zionism is apparently the anti-imperialism of fools.

The data from an INSS snap poll is out now. Over 80% of Israelis support the attack in Iran and only 14.5% object. 63% support continuing until regime change.

Interestingly, trust in Netanyahu’s government is the 30s.

I get why Republicans are running with the "Israel made us do it" frame -- it gives them a ready-made escape hatch if things go south -- but I don't get why* so many progressives are eager to promote this narrative absolving the GOP of responsibility.

* I absolutely get why

I really don't love that "Israel owns the US, and the best thing American Jews can do is denounce them" is becoming the left-wing line on here.

“America hates Iran because of Israel.” Oh yeah man, American Islamophobia is only because of Israel uh huh, sure. Everyone is 12 Theory remains undefeated. Nation of boors.

“A popular vet podcast” is a terribly euphemistic way to describe “conspiratorial neo-Nazi podcast.” I would almost respect it more if they would just be honest and admit they don’t find Nazi associations to be disqualifying.

antisemitism among young people is:
-heavily rewarded on tiktok and other youth-heavy social media
-not confined to any one ideology
-often directed explicitly at jewish people and jewishness, not israel

I was recently asked why I don't post on BlueSky more. Well, if Jamelle Bouie isn't pure enough to survive here...

A left that demands complete submission to maximalist demands on questions of Jewish self-definition or the ultimate outcome to the I/P conflict as a *precondition* for belonging or safety is, in effect, an anti-Jewish movement

is it antisemitism when i say that the jews eat children for their talmudic rituals? really? that's antisemitism? you just can't say anything these days wow

Good example of the way anti-trans hate and antisemitism continue to be intertwined in American discourse. Once more subtly, now far more overtly.

I've seen some polling in Israel that hasn't been released yet, and the difference is striking. I'll share the exact numbers when they're out, but overwhelming support for the attack here.

Platner discourse now includes “The conspiracy theorist whose podcast Platner went on isn’t antisemitic because criticizing Israel
Isn’t antisemitic and he has compelling ideas about how Israel secretly assassinated Charlie Kirk and how George Soros got Mamdani elected to be an Israeli puppet”

the seemingly inexorable march of antisemitism into the very heart of US politics from both the left and right is pretty depressing

The DropSite folks want to build an anti-establishment right-left crossover politics against the center, where antisemitic conspiracies about Israel become a way of pulling in people from across the political spectrum. If Platner wins, that will be seen as a viable political path going forward.

Tweet from Ryan Grim: "Understand what Neera is arguing for here: she thinks that no Democratic candidate should appear on any podcast where a host has flirted with conspiracy theories around Charlie Kirk and Israel. I don't think she understands how many podcasts that includes. And if you make the opposite argument, and say no, actually, tens of millions of people love those shows, Democrats should be on them, she says I'm "defending anti-semitic conspiracy podcasters." The good news is that this stuff doesn't work anymore. Save your breath, nobody cares."

I really don't think "There are so many antisemitic podcasts out there that you just can't help but appear on them" is the defense they think it is.

A curious choice to singularly blame Israel for challenging the "rules based order." For years now, Iran has been supplying and designing the terror weapons that Russia regularly uses to attack children.

This is a good, short thread that is worth your attention, time, and consideration.

Take a minute to mull this over, particularly if you aren’t Jewish, but go out of your way to downplay ordeny antisemitism when Jews try to talk to you about it.