Nick Rafter

The Olympic Spirit Meets Donald Trump's Ego A Faltering President Shows Us Who He Thinks The Only Real Winners Are

Olympic medalists usually visit the White House as a team, where all medalists across all sports come.
Trump didn't want the figure skaters, skiers, or curlers at the State Of The Union. He only wanted the gold medalists he thought mattered and would help his image. open.substack.com/pub/nickraft...

Hasan Piker's Bullying Tactics Won't Work The Party Electorate Won't Give In To Intimidation Tactics, Especially From The Left

The Left cannot bully the Democratic electorate into nominating a Leftist in 2028:
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MAGA Never Actually 'Won' The Culture Trump Won Reelection With The Multiethnic Coalition His Supporters Never Wanted

Trump’s reelection happened because he, momentarily, built a diverse coalition – one that included Bad Bunny fans. Trump’s standing has collapsed because he handed his administration over to advisers pushing a white/Christian nationalist ideology
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You Can't Save Newspapers. Trust Me, I Know My Experience Running a Newsroom Proved How Financially Unviable It Has Become

You cant save newspapers. Trust me, i know.
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Primaries Are Destroying American Politics In Defense Of Choosing Nominees In Smoke-Filled Rooms

I admit. I oppose primaries.

Heres why

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Democrats Just Won This Shutdown Battle So Why Is The Left Pretending They Didn't?

Democrats Just Won This Shutdown Battle, so why is the Left acting like they didn't?
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The Defining Image Of Trump 2.0 MAGA Doesn't Want Trump To Help Them, They Just Want Him To Validate Their Hate

The Defining Image Of Trump 2.0
A significant number of our fellow Americans are willing to endure any adverse consequences that come with seeing a billionaire bully push around the people they hate.
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America's Fascist Demons Haunt Minneapolis Our Nation's Descent into Authoritarianism Isn't an Accident. We Allowed It to Happen

America's Fascist Demons Haunt Minneapolis
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26 Predictions I'm Making For 2026 Let's See How Many Come True

MY 26 PREDICTIONS FOR 2026.

How many do you think will happen?

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We Don't Live In The World Of 'Heated Rivalry' Imagine What The Internet, MAGA And Manosphere Would Say About Gay Sports Icons

Sports journalists, pundits, and the LGBTQ community hope #HeatedRivalry can be the catalyst that leads closeted professional athletes to come out. Still, as cynical as it may be, it’s worth remembering this is fiction. We don’t live in a world this accepting. open.substack.com/pub/nickraft...

The MAGA Radicalization Of Northeast Queens Once An Area Fruitful For Democrats, This Diverse Part Of NYC Zoomed To The Right

A diverse, multicultural part of New York City with a highly educated population, Northeast Queens was a fertile area for Democrats in the 2010s.

Today, it is a MAGA bastion. What happened here?

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Trump Gets A Hoosier Smackdown Indiana Redistricting Fail Is Another Sign Of MAGA's Collapsing Power

Indiana Republicans defied Donald Trump on redistricting, even after threats and acts of intimidation. It's the first time Trump's mob boss tactics did not work on members of his own party, and it's evidence that Trump's power and influence are rapidly declining.
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New York City is the safest big city in the country, perhaps one of the safest in the world, yet it has a reputation for being dangerous. I take a look at why that belief has sustained decades of low crime rates.
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The Coming Campaign For Congress In NYC's Commie Corridor In New York's 7th District, A Chance For NYC's Left To Flex It's Mamdani-Era Muscles

An open Congressional seat in one of the most left-wing places in the United States – the heart of gentrified Brooklyn and Queens – will be a battle between two factions of the Populist left.

I break down the coming race for NY07, the "Mae West District" here:

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Christmas Makes Me Understand Modern American Conservatism Much Like Conservatives, I Get Irrationally Angry And Scared When People Don't Share My Traditions

How Christmas Makes Me Understand Modern American Conservatism open.substack.com/pub/nickraft...

Lesson To Learn For Democrats in Tennessee Aftyn Behn's Performance Would Win The House, But It Came With A Few Warnings

The results in the special election for Tennessee’s 7th District were unquestionably good for Democrats and a disaster for Republicans. Still, it wasn’t as catastrophic as it could have been and offered some red flags for Democrats and the Left
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Zohran Mamdani's First Political Setback The City Council Elects A Speaker Unlikely To Support His More Ambitious Proposals

Zohran Mamdani's First Political Setback.
Julie Menin won the Speakership because progressives fumbled winning on the New York City Council, and that could be a major obstacle to much of their agenda under the new mayor. open.substack.com/pub/nickraft...

Notes On The Mamdani-Trump Mashup Fewer Events In The Trump Era Have Made People This Insane

Everyone expected a UFC cage match. Instead, they got a senile old man fanboying a good-looking young guy. Progressives shouldn't read too deep into this bromance, though; like all things with Trump, it's all just an act.
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The Left Engages In Blatant Electoral Hypocrisy Chuy Garcia's Shady Exit Erodes Leftists' Chief Complaint Against The Establishment

My take on the irrational rage toward Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez from some on the Left, and their hypocritical defense of Rep. Chuy Garcia. Take a read:

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The Big City Can Offer Kids Safety And Security Bullying Can Make A Child Feel Trapped, And Living Amongst Millions Can Ease That

It’s a widely accepted narrative that big cities like New York are not great places to raise children, but here I share a story from my youth growing up in New York City that counters that narrative. Take a read.
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Epstein Emails And Trump's Declining Power Trump's Strength Is Relevance, And His Increasing Lame Duck Status Takes That Away

Epstein Emails And Trump's Declining Power.
How the Trump era might come to an end. open.substack.com/pub/nickraft...

Nancy Pelosi Proved Everybody Wrong First Dismissed And Underestimated, She May Be The Best To Ever Hold The Gavel

When Democrats picked Nancy Pelosi to be Minority Leader in 2002, the consensus was that they were making a huge mistake. She turned out to be probably the Greatest Speaker In American History.
Here's a look at her legacy:
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It's (Maybe) The End Of MAGA As We Know It... ...And I Feel Fine

My election night roundup on what was a banner election for the Democratic Party, we thought was beleaguered.

Plus thoughts on what it means for the debate over whether the party should go left or right to win, and whether that debate is even relevant at all.

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The Obama Generation Lost Hope, And Elections The Far Left And Right Gained Because Democrats Are Scared To Make Promises

Why does it feel like Democrats have no grand vision?
I explore my theory here:

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I'm happy to announce that my first novel, Lower Than the Angels, has been published. It is available in all formats, including ebook, here a.co/d/gygW1jb

What Ezra Klein Is Right About It May Not Be On Abortion, But Compromise Will Be Necessary To Win Red States

Ezra Klein caught a lot of heat for suggesting Democrats should compromise on abortion rights to win red states, but the larger point, which is cultural issues are hurting the party’s ability to rebuild the Clinton/Obama-era tent is correct. Read here:

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This Government Shutdown Ain't It Doing Something With No Exit Strategy Just To 'Do Something' Is Unspeakably Stupid

This Government Shutdown Ain't It:
Doing something for the sake of doing something is dumb. open.substack.com/pub/nickraft...

The Obama Moment That Sparked MAGA The Price Black Americans Pay To Have Power And Influence Is To Abandon Blackness

One Friday afternoon in 2012, Americans learned that their President was black. It triggered a backlash that brought us to this moment. Read more: open.substack.com/pub/nickraft...

Could Susan Collins Lose To A Leftist? Graham Plater is Giving Moderates Heartburn, But Maine is Winnable Even With Him

Could Susan Collins Lose To A Leftist? Check out my take on #MESen and Graham Platner open.substack.com/pub/nickraft...