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MAGA Lite: What “Bari Weiss Conservatism” Is, and Why It’s Dangerous

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 1d

"The metaphor that I’ve thought about the most is sort of a cold civil war, a cold war, something like the confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States. There are moments of actual, violent conflict, but it’s really about two opposing ideologies." newrepublic.com/article/2014...

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 1d

"Pritzker and Newsom said to the NGA, 'Hey, if you’re not going to say something about National Guard troops coming into our states without our request, we’re going to drop out of this organization.' That’s a healthy response to something that’s not working anymore." newrepublic.com/article/2014...

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 1d

"Part of the reason we’ve been more focused on governors and attorneys general is that they have a lot more they can do to successfully obstruct" Trump, says Dem strategist Arkadi Gerney, arguing Hill Dems have limited tools against Trump. newrepublic.com/article/2014...

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Reposted by Perry Bacon

Vince Outlaw @vinceoutlaw.com · 2d

"What’s important is the rise of Bari Weiss conservatives, who are putting a respectable sheen on Trump and MAGA’s autocratic aims. Polite Trumpism may not be as radical or obnoxious as the real kind, but it will still destroy America as we know it."

Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 2d

Bill Maher says he still votes for Democratic candidates. But Weiss has helped provide language for Maher, Bezos and other coastal, non-evangelical people to express their views and resentments. It's a new version of "moderate" conservatism. newrepublic.com/article/2014...

The new CBS executive isn’t exactly MAGA. But her polite Trumpism will still help destroy America as we know it.

Transcript: Democrats Got Something Really Big Done in New Mexico

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 2d

Not related to today's news. But in 2002, when I first started covering politics, the pundits compared all Democratic campaigns to what they viewed as the pinnacle of Dem electoral success---Clinton 1992. I worry my generation of pundits now compares everything (unfavorably) to Obama 2008.

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 2d

Yes. Well said.

BeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 2d

another thing Weiss does is give other very dull people a vehicle to spout bog-standard right-wing ideas and pretend they're being iconoclasts or innovative.

Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 2d

Weiss very intentionally does not describe herself as a conservative or Republican and wraps her politics in terms like "free press." That makes more useful at advancing Trumpism than explicitly right-wing figures. newrepublic.com/article/2014...

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 2d

I interviewed @govmlg.bsky.social and she explained how New Mexico gradually built its universal childcare program (first in the nation) and how other states could do the same. Some good things are happening! newrepublic.com/article/2013...

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham explains how New Mexico became the first state with universal childcare and why Democrats should look to states and governors for leadership.

MAGA Lite: What “Bari Weiss Conservatism” Is, and Why It’s Dangerous

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 2d

Weiss very intentionally does not describe herself as a conservative or Republican and wraps her politics in terms like "free press." That makes more useful at advancing Trumpism than explicitly right-wing figures. newrepublic.com/article/2014...

The new CBS executive isn’t exactly MAGA. But her polite Trumpism will still help destroy America as we know it.

MAGA Lite: What “Bari Weiss Conservatism” Is, and Why It’s Dangerous

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 2d

Bill Maher says he still votes for Democratic candidates. But Weiss has helped provide language for Maher, Bezos and other coastal, non-evangelical people to express their views and resentments. It's a new version of "moderate" conservatism. newrepublic.com/article/2014...

The new CBS executive isn’t exactly MAGA. But her polite Trumpism will still help destroy America as we know it.

MAGA Lite: What “Bari Weiss Conservatism” Is, and Why It’s Dangerous

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 2d

Weiss has done journalism that mattered--Free Press reporting got the interim Columbia president dumped. She will make CBS more conservative. But her real influence has been in politics, not media. She has helped create a conservatism that coastal elites can embrace. newrepublic.com/article/2014...

The new CBS executive isn’t exactly MAGA. But her polite Trumpism will still help destroy America as we know it.

MAGA-Lite: What “Bari Weiss Conservatism” Is, and Why It’s Dangerous

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Reposted by Perry Bacon

Andrew Prokop @awprokop.bsky.social · 3d

Another analysis from @perrybaconjr.bsky.social of Bari Weiss as the convener of a new political faction.

newrepublic.com/article/2014...

The new CBS executive isn’t exactly MAGA. But her polite Trumpism will still help destroy America as we know it.

newrepublic.com/article/2014...

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 3d

MAGA-Lite: What “Bari Weiss Conservatism” Is, and Why It’s Dangerous

The new CBS executive isn’t exactly MAGA. But her polite Trumpism will still help destroy America as we know it.

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 3d

It's worth reading this as a guide to what progressive candidates/causes in particular should do to win in purple/red areas. For many center-left candidates and pundits, Dems moving to the right is fine because that want a more conservative party anyway. www.weekendreading.net/p/bringing-a...

“Pollingism” Has Failed Democrats and Voters. Here’s Why, and What to Do Instead.

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 3d

In reading this @anatosaurus.bsky.social piece, it's worth thinking about what strategies/tactics can be used by ALL Democratic candidates. Many successful candidates in red areas (like Jared Golden) succeed by bashing the party. Everyone can't do that. www.weekendreading.net/p/bringing-a...

“Pollingism” Has Failed Democrats and Voters. Here’s Why, and What to Do Instead.

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 3d

Sidelining marginalized groups/causes for electoral purposes is morally bad, as Ta-Nehisi Coates argued so well recently. @anatosaurus.bsky.social is making an important case---that strategy's electoral benefits are often limited or non-existent. A must-read. www.weekendreading.net/p/bringing-a...

“Pollingism” Has Failed Democrats and Voters. Here’s Why, and What to Do Instead.

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 3d

"Polling-ism" versus "Magnet-ism" is such a sharp frame. It's the difference between an approach that can win in the right circumstances (Spanberger) versus one that creates and changes circumstances (Mamdani.) Yes, I get that Mamdani's advisers read polls! www.weekendreading.net/p/bringing-a...

“Pollingism” Has Failed Democrats and Voters. Here’s Why, and What to Do Instead.

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 3d

Confronted with the "The left must move right to help Dems electorally" argument, Ta-Nehisi Coates distinguished between politicians and everyone else. But @anatosaurus.bsky.social
articulates the electoral flaws of moving right and offers alternatives. www.weekendreading.net/p/bringing-a...

“Pollingism” Has Failed Democrats and Voters. Here’s Why, and What to Do Instead.

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 4d

"And I will scold anyone who points out I was totally wrong and made a huge strategic error.'

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 4d

The problem with elected Dems is not just age. Schatz is 52. But he 1. likely has internalized and sincerely believes the Polling-ism strategies 2. understands that advancing within the party (he wants to be Senate Dem Leader) is helped by publicly articulating this perspective.

aaron from queens from twitter @aaronnarraph.bsky.social · 4d

absolutely brutal

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 4d

This piece is just an essential, important and excellent intervention as Coates' Vanity Fair essay was. One NYT column isn't that important, but an accommodationist mindset has spread in center-left elite circles. And it should be rejected forcefully. democracyamericana.com/posts/c5d024...

On Ezra Klein, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and the struggle to define the boundaries of what is acceptable in America

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 4d

"Democracy depends on all of us, and especially with a broader public platform, drawing the line. It is an obligation we must accept. Who are we to draw the line? We are citizens who demand to live in a democratic Republic," writes @thomaszimmer.bsky.social. democracyamericana.com/posts/c5d024...

On Ezra Klein, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and the struggle to define the boundaries of what is acceptable in America

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 4d

"Finding ways to do politics with the other side is not the same as creating fiction of the other side. There is acknowledging political realities and adapting to a new situation – and then there is denying reality so you can continue to do “normal politics." democracyamericana.com/posts/c5d024...

On Ezra Klein, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and the struggle to define the boundaries of what is acceptable in America

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 4d

"The idea that if a political movement garners mass support, it can’t possibly be extremism, incompatible with democratic self-government, or beyond the pale in a broader cultural and societal sense is utterly implausible and historically illiterate."
democracyamericana.com/posts/c5d024...

On Ezra Klein, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and the struggle to define the boundaries of what is acceptable in America