Brian Beutler
@brianbeutler.bsky.social
Off Message, Politix.fm;
Formerly: Crooked Media, TNR, TPM; www.offmessage.net/subscribe
Formerly: Crooked Media, TNR, TPM; www.offmessage.net/subscribe
Reposted by Brian Beutler
February 13, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Brilliant analysis of where we are and how we got here, and applies more broadly than just in the US. The so-called resurgence of far-right politics around the globe is a mirage propped up via social media by self-serving shills on the right and cowardly doomsayers on the left. Fuck them all.
Trump has lost the culture. But what if the universal conventional wisdom—that he won the culture in the first place—was never true? What if our warped media environment, then Trump's victory, created an illusion of MAGA cultural dominance that is now slipping. This is a long one, so strap in.
The Nonresponse To Donald Trump
How an obscure quirk of statistics and human nature explains the liberal crisis of confidence—and why it may finally be lifting.
www.offmessage.net
February 13, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Brilliant analysis of where we are and how we got here, and applies more broadly than just in the US. The so-called resurgence of far-right politics around the globe is a mirage propped up via social media by self-serving shills on the right and cowardly doomsayers on the left. Fuck them all.
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Now ask, by what rhyme or reason did American elites come to view a 49.8 percent popular vote plurality as a landslide? www.offmessage.net/p/the-nonres...
February 13, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Now ask, by what rhyme or reason did American elites come to view a 49.8 percent popular vote plurality as a landslide? www.offmessage.net/p/the-nonres...
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Why, for most of the past year, did Trump feel so unstoppable? Why did his opponents seem so helpless? Consider the phenomenon in survey methodology called "nonresponse bias." www.offmessage.net/p/the-nonres...
February 13, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Why, for most of the past year, did Trump feel so unstoppable? Why did his opponents seem so helpless? Consider the phenomenon in survey methodology called "nonresponse bias." www.offmessage.net/p/the-nonres...
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Worth the ride:
Trump has lost the culture. But what if the universal conventional wisdom—that he won the culture in the first place—was never true? What if our warped media environment, then Trump's victory, created an illusion of MAGA cultural dominance that is now slipping. This is a long one, so strap in.
The Nonresponse To Donald Trump
How an obscure quirk of statistics and human nature explains the liberal crisis of confidence—and why it may finally be lifting.
www.offmessage.net
February 13, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Worth the ride:
Trump has lost the culture. But what if the universal conventional wisdom—that he won the culture in the first place—was never true? What if our warped media environment, then Trump's victory, created an illusion of MAGA cultural dominance that is now slipping. This is a long one, so strap in.
The Nonresponse To Donald Trump
How an obscure quirk of statistics and human nature explains the liberal crisis of confidence—and why it may finally be lifting.
www.offmessage.net
February 13, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Trump has lost the culture. But what if the universal conventional wisdom—that he won the culture in the first place—was never true? What if our warped media environment, then Trump's victory, created an illusion of MAGA cultural dominance that is now slipping. This is a long one, so strap in.
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Current state of things: One Fox News host casually declares that Epstein’s money comes from “Jewish billionaires” and a “Jewish banking family,” another responds that he was a “sex rabbi.” www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/jes...
February 13, 2026 at 12:25 PM
Current state of things: One Fox News host casually declares that Epstein’s money comes from “Jewish billionaires” and a “Jewish banking family,” another responds that he was a “sex rabbi.” www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/jes...
“[V]oters who tune out politics are regularly buffeted by gale force deluges of information from all directions. Their convictions about public policy—and their views on what the parties stand for—are shallowly rooted at best.”
Yep. Mass persuasion ≠ one-on-one persuasion of intimates.
Yep. Mass persuasion ≠ one-on-one persuasion of intimates.
How the Democrats Can Play Offense on Immigration
Typically, Democrats run for the hills when immigration comes up. But as two blue-state governors are showing, the winning play is actually to confront ICE and MAGA xenophobia head on.
newrepublic.com
February 13, 2026 at 2:14 PM
“[V]oters who tune out politics are regularly buffeted by gale force deluges of information from all directions. Their convictions about public policy—and their views on what the parties stand for—are shallowly rooted at best.”
Yep. Mass persuasion ≠ one-on-one persuasion of intimates.
Yep. Mass persuasion ≠ one-on-one persuasion of intimates.
Reposted by Brian Beutler
This but also if some of the execs of those companies, and many of their hangers on with financial interest in the arms race, were fascists.
February 13, 2026 at 3:56 AM
This but also if some of the execs of those companies, and many of their hangers on with financial interest in the arms race, were fascists.
Weird how this keeps happening.
BREAKING: DOJ moves to drop criminal charges in alleged shovel/broom attack in Minneapolis that led ICE to open fire. "Newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations in the Complaint Affidavit," prosecutors say. www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
February 13, 2026 at 2:14 AM
Weird how this keeps happening.
Reposted by Brian Beutler
BREAKING: DOJ moves to drop criminal charges in alleged shovel/broom attack in Minneapolis that led ICE to open fire. "Newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations in the Complaint Affidavit," prosecutors say. www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
February 12, 2026 at 11:47 PM
BREAKING: DOJ moves to drop criminal charges in alleged shovel/broom attack in Minneapolis that led ICE to open fire. "Newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations in the Complaint Affidavit," prosecutors say. www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Reposted by Brian Beutler
The problems with AI are primarily ones of corporate power and governance—a tiny handful of billionaires are deciding the future of this increasingly powerful technology.
I tend to believe the whistleblowers here; but whether you do or not, the real problem is that the public doesn’t decide.
I tend to believe the whistleblowers here; but whether you do or not, the real problem is that the public doesn’t decide.
Anthropic safety researcher quits, warning ‘world is in peril’
Other AI safety researchers have also left leading firms, citing concerns about potentially catastrophic risks.
www.semafor.com
February 12, 2026 at 6:39 PM
The problems with AI are primarily ones of corporate power and governance—a tiny handful of billionaires are deciding the future of this increasingly powerful technology.
I tend to believe the whistleblowers here; but whether you do or not, the real problem is that the public doesn’t decide.
I tend to believe the whistleblowers here; but whether you do or not, the real problem is that the public doesn’t decide.
Reposted by Brian Beutler
I imagine this being spoken by Columbo to the villain
February 12, 2026 at 11:56 PM
I imagine this being spoken by Columbo to the villain
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Actual footage of Vince Guaraldi performing "Linus and Lucy". I'm gobsmacked that this exists, but utterly thrilled too. www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EMf...
Vince Guaraldi - earliest television recording of "Linus and Lucy"
YouTube video by Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc.
www.youtube.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Actual footage of Vince Guaraldi performing "Linus and Lucy". I'm gobsmacked that this exists, but utterly thrilled too. www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EMf...
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Dem Senator Pushes Ice Director To Admit His Officers Have No Place at Polling Stations talkingpointsmemo.com/where-things...
Dem Senator Pushes Ice Director To Admit His Officers Have No Place at Polling Stations
Democrats have been warning for some time that there is a potential...
talkingpointsmemo.com
February 12, 2026 at 11:23 PM
Dem Senator Pushes Ice Director To Admit His Officers Have No Place at Polling Stations talkingpointsmemo.com/where-things...
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Trump nominated a legit white nationalist to a top post at the State Department. I asked him some basic questions about his belief in the “erasure of white culture”. Watch this embarrassing, fumbling answer. Like he has never before been asked to explain his views.
February 12, 2026 at 9:15 PM
Trump nominated a legit white nationalist to a top post at the State Department. I asked him some basic questions about his belief in the “erasure of white culture”. Watch this embarrassing, fumbling answer. Like he has never before been asked to explain his views.
Reposted by Brian Beutler
ブルースカイで流れてきた、ワシントン・ポストに関する文章。「右も左もどっちもどっち」論者には怒られそうな内容だけれども、これはなかなかに読ませる。
アマゾンのジェフ・ベゾスが経営し、最近はスタッフを大量に解雇した同紙がどこで間違ったのかについての考察。
www.offmessage.net/p/a-requiem-...
アマゾンのジェフ・ベゾスが経営し、最近はスタッフを大量に解雇した同紙がどこで間違ったのかについての考察。
www.offmessage.net/p/a-requiem-...
A Requiem For The Old MSM
Time to go back to basics.
www.offmessage.net
February 12, 2026 at 3:53 PM
ブルースカイで流れてきた、ワシントン・ポストに関する文章。「右も左もどっちもどっち」論者には怒られそうな内容だけれども、これはなかなかに読ませる。
アマゾンのジェフ・ベゾスが経営し、最近はスタッフを大量に解雇した同紙がどこで間違ったのかについての考察。
www.offmessage.net/p/a-requiem-...
アマゾンのジェフ・ベゾスが経営し、最近はスタッフを大量に解雇した同紙がどこで間違ったのかについての考察。
www.offmessage.net/p/a-requiem-...
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Here's Judge Leon's exclamatory opinion and order blocking Pete Hegseth and the Department of Defense from retaliating against retired Navy captain Sen. Mark Kelly for exercising his First Amendment freedoms. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
![MEMORANDUM OPINION February 11. , 2026 [Dkt. #2] United States Senator Mark Kelly, a retired naval officer, has been censured by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for voicing certain opinions on military actions and policy. In addition, he has been subjected to proceedings to possibly reduce his retirement rank and pay and threatened with criminal prosecution if he continues to speak out on these issues. Secretary Hegseth relies on the well-established doctrine that military servicemembers enjoy less vigorous First Amendment protections given the fundamental obligation for obedience and discipline in the armed forces. Unfortunately for Secretary Hegseth, no court has ever extended those principles to retired servicemembers, much less a retired servicemember serving in Congress and exercising oversight responsibility over the military. This Court will not be the first to do so! Worse still, Secretary Hegseth contends that this Court is not yet competent to decide the issues in this case. He and his fellow Defendants argue that military personnel](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:wovz3whdkughp6decczypkqq/bafkreibwrkcfdaslzaym44dyre4vicizh7yyo2225kprf3hjf4hycekoza@jpeg)
![ORDER February ~ Civil Case No. 26-81 (RJL) 2026 [Dkt. #2] For the reasons set forth in the accompanying Memorandum Opinion, it is hereby ORDERED that Plaintiff Mark Kelly's [Dkt. #2] Motion for Preliminary Injunction and Stay under 5 U.S.C. § 705 is GRANTED in part; and it is further ORDERED that Defendants and their agents are preliminarily ENJOINED from implementing, enforcing, or otherwise giving effect to the Secretarial Letter of Censure dated January 5, 2026 and addressed to Plaintiff ("the Letter"); and it is further ORDERED that Defendants and their agents are preliminarily ENJOINED from implementing, enforcing, or otherwise giving effect to the Department of Navy's Notification of Retirement Grade Determination Proceedings dated January 5, 2026 and addressed to Plaintiff ("the Notification"); and it is further](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:wovz3whdkughp6decczypkqq/bafkreifaui2piyaag7mif6xe5vcnraelkogobobua7zaptrlfpkh6nt6ey@jpeg)
February 12, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Here's Judge Leon's exclamatory opinion and order blocking Pete Hegseth and the Department of Defense from retaliating against retired Navy captain Sen. Mark Kelly for exercising his First Amendment freedoms. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Excellent critique by Brian Beutler
Be "a bit more resilient to subversion by returning to a first principle: that the purpose of journalism as a vocation isn’t to produce reportage that appeals to every sliver of the political spectrum. It’s to best inform the citizens who wish to be informed."
Be "a bit more resilient to subversion by returning to a first principle: that the purpose of journalism as a vocation isn’t to produce reportage that appeals to every sliver of the political spectrum. It’s to best inform the citizens who wish to be informed."
A Requiem For The Old MSM
Time to go back to basics.
www.offmessage.net
February 12, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Excellent critique by Brian Beutler
Be "a bit more resilient to subversion by returning to a first principle: that the purpose of journalism as a vocation isn’t to produce reportage that appeals to every sliver of the political spectrum. It’s to best inform the citizens who wish to be informed."
Be "a bit more resilient to subversion by returning to a first principle: that the purpose of journalism as a vocation isn’t to produce reportage that appeals to every sliver of the political spectrum. It’s to best inform the citizens who wish to be informed."
Reposted by Brian Beutler
There's a long time between now and November, and the damage that has been done is a lot more than a few good election cycles can undo, but it's pretty important to get a first good election cycle ASAP...
February 12, 2026 at 4:00 PM
There's a long time between now and November, and the damage that has been done is a lot more than a few good election cycles can undo, but it's pretty important to get a first good election cycle ASAP...
Reposted by Brian Beutler
I don’t really know what I expect in posting this, but maybe some people see it and can learn from it.
I’ll call it “lessons from an unwilling immigration attorney.”
1/
I’ll call it “lessons from an unwilling immigration attorney.”
1/
February 11, 2026 at 9:56 PM
I don’t really know what I expect in posting this, but maybe some people see it and can learn from it.
I’ll call it “lessons from an unwilling immigration attorney.”
1/
I’ll call it “lessons from an unwilling immigration attorney.”
1/
Reposted by Brian Beutler
More than 400 people, including hundreds of citizens, were “sorted” at gun point into racial and ethnic groups by 200 ICE agents who fired flash-bang grenades into cars with people inside, pointed guns at children & demanded their zip tied parents not comfort them. apple.news/Ausdx6kWtT0e...
Idaho families sue over immigration raid that swept up hundreds, including U.S. citizens — NBC News
About 400 people, including children and U.S. citizens, were detained for four hours while they were denied food and water in the raid, according to the lawsuit.
apple.news
February 12, 2026 at 1:35 AM
More than 400 people, including hundreds of citizens, were “sorted” at gun point into racial and ethnic groups by 200 ICE agents who fired flash-bang grenades into cars with people inside, pointed guns at children & demanded their zip tied parents not comfort them. apple.news/Ausdx6kWtT0e...
Reposted by Brian Beutler
So, like, are the QAnon folks reacting at all to discovering that Trump’s inner circle is basically just Jeffrey Epstein’s rolodex, or have they found some delusional way to explain it all away? (The question is largely rhetorical.)
Dr Oz inviting ol Jeffrey to his V Day bash in 2016
February 12, 2026 at 12:24 AM
So, like, are the QAnon folks reacting at all to discovering that Trump’s inner circle is basically just Jeffrey Epstein’s rolodex, or have they found some delusional way to explain it all away? (The question is largely rhetorical.)
Reposted by Brian Beutler
As Baron himself said, they had roughly six years of profitable or break-even performance when positioned as a rigorous, national newspaper. That is the model that featured an audience willing to pay. Bezos shunned that audience when he turned on his own purported ideals— and American democracy.
Marty Baron's Post thrived because it took meaningful steps away from false balance, toward a defensible north star. As long as media execs insist financial pressures require wooing back right-wing audiences, why help them build a false sense that this is possible? www.offmessage.net/p/a-requiem-...
February 11, 2026 at 10:31 PM
As Baron himself said, they had roughly six years of profitable or break-even performance when positioned as a rigorous, national newspaper. That is the model that featured an audience willing to pay. Bezos shunned that audience when he turned on his own purported ideals— and American democracy.
Reposted by Brian Beutler
My analogy.
After they published “J’accuse”, the editors of “L’Aurore” didn’t publish counterpoint from an antisemitic junta. They were devoted to the French Republic.
Our press are agnostic about our form of government. They are not committed to a United States governed under the Constitution.
After they published “J’accuse”, the editors of “L’Aurore” didn’t publish counterpoint from an antisemitic junta. They were devoted to the French Republic.
Our press are agnostic about our form of government. They are not committed to a United States governed under the Constitution.
Marty Baron's Post thrived because it took meaningful steps away from false balance, toward a defensible north star. As long as media execs insist financial pressures require wooing back right-wing audiences, why help them build a false sense that this is possible? www.offmessage.net/p/a-requiem-...
February 11, 2026 at 10:47 PM
My analogy.
After they published “J’accuse”, the editors of “L’Aurore” didn’t publish counterpoint from an antisemitic junta. They were devoted to the French Republic.
Our press are agnostic about our form of government. They are not committed to a United States governed under the Constitution.
After they published “J’accuse”, the editors of “L’Aurore” didn’t publish counterpoint from an antisemitic junta. They were devoted to the French Republic.
Our press are agnostic about our form of government. They are not committed to a United States governed under the Constitution.