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
I suspect that if we interrogate this further, we'll find that people want more/better safety nets, not cash savings. A heavy lift, but at least it amounts to a galvanizing political project. Make Beef Cheaper, by contrast...
www.offmessage.net/p/taking-aff...
www.offmessage.net/p/taking-aff...
November 24, 2025 at 6:09 PM
I suspect that if we interrogate this further, we'll find that people want more/better safety nets, not cash savings. A heavy lift, but at least it amounts to a galvanizing political project. Make Beef Cheaper, by contrast...
www.offmessage.net/p/taking-aff...
www.offmessage.net/p/taking-aff...
If, OTOH, we treat complaints about affordability as proxies for a subjective sense of precariousness in American economic life, we can try to get to the bottom of why Americans feel like things are more precarious than hard data says they are. www.offmessage.net/p/taking-aff...
November 24, 2025 at 6:03 PM
If, OTOH, we treat complaints about affordability as proxies for a subjective sense of precariousness in American economic life, we can try to get to the bottom of why Americans feel like things are more precarious than hard data says they are. www.offmessage.net/p/taking-aff...
The problem with affordability literalism is that we have just about as much purchasing power as ever before. So if there’s an economic component to this era of bad feelings, it’s probably not mechanically tied to sticker prices. www.offmessage.net/p/taking-aff...
November 24, 2025 at 6:00 PM
The problem with affordability literalism is that we have just about as much purchasing power as ever before. So if there’s an economic component to this era of bad feelings, it’s probably not mechanically tied to sticker prices. www.offmessage.net/p/taking-aff...
The good AND bad news is that Dems seem disinclined to do Merrick Garlandism all over again. But that means they’re going to have to prepare for a plot against America that’ll make the subversions of 2016, 2020, and 2024 seem quaint. www.offmessage.net/p/maga-disar...
November 21, 2025 at 4:35 PM
The good AND bad news is that Dems seem disinclined to do Merrick Garlandism all over again. But that means they’re going to have to prepare for a plot against America that’ll make the subversions of 2016, 2020, and 2024 seem quaint. www.offmessage.net/p/maga-disar...
The Epstein coverup is unraveling at the moment. But the likelihood of Trump and Pam Bondi using bad-faith revenge investigations to slow disclosure—or, worse, the destruction of evidence—militates for raising the specter of the dread i-word.
www.offmessage.net/p/maga-corru...
www.offmessage.net/p/maga-corru...
November 18, 2025 at 5:14 PM
The Epstein coverup is unraveling at the moment. But the likelihood of Trump and Pam Bondi using bad-faith revenge investigations to slow disclosure—or, worse, the destruction of evidence—militates for raising the specter of the dread i-word.
www.offmessage.net/p/maga-corru...
www.offmessage.net/p/maga-corru...
Main point of this exercise is to get pro-democracy Dems thinking the way Republicans think. But there may be a real fight over this stuff. www.offmessage.net/p/imagining-...
November 17, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Main point of this exercise is to get pro-democracy Dems thinking the way Republicans think. But there may be a real fight over this stuff. www.offmessage.net/p/imagining-...
They don’t have quite enough power to time the reseizure of power for the 2028 lame duck. But they are already fretting out loud about how exposed they’ll be if Dems win the presidency with all the precedents Trump has set. www.offmessage.net/p/imagining-...
November 17, 2025 at 4:09 PM
They don’t have quite enough power to time the reseizure of power for the 2028 lame duck. But they are already fretting out loud about how exposed they’ll be if Dems win the presidency with all the precedents Trump has set. www.offmessage.net/p/imagining-...
Dr. Strangelove, or how I learned to stop worrying and love being comrades in arms with @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social. (Though I don’t get invited to these meetings or conferences.) www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-eps...
November 17, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Dr. Strangelove, or how I learned to stop worrying and love being comrades in arms with @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social. (Though I don’t get invited to these meetings or conferences.) www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-eps...
1. Scandal politics win elections pretty often.
2. THIS scandal divides the GOP more than affordability or really anything.
3. If Dems want to win the fight (pry the files loose, rather than give up after Trump says no) they need to make a referendum out of it. www.offmessage.net/p/force-a-re...
2. THIS scandal divides the GOP more than affordability or really anything.
3. If Dems want to win the fight (pry the files loose, rather than give up after Trump says no) they need to make a referendum out of it. www.offmessage.net/p/force-a-re...
November 14, 2025 at 7:12 PM
1. Scandal politics win elections pretty often.
2. THIS scandal divides the GOP more than affordability or really anything.
3. If Dems want to win the fight (pry the files loose, rather than give up after Trump says no) they need to make a referendum out of it. www.offmessage.net/p/force-a-re...
2. THIS scandal divides the GOP more than affordability or really anything.
3. If Dems want to win the fight (pry the files loose, rather than give up after Trump says no) they need to make a referendum out of it. www.offmessage.net/p/force-a-re...
Shutdown fight shows the basic cunning of the default GOP move: never give Dems an inch, no matter how unpopular our position, and wait for them to fracture. www.offmessage.net/p/epstein-re...
November 13, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Shutdown fight shows the basic cunning of the default GOP move: never give Dems an inch, no matter how unpopular our position, and wait for them to fracture. www.offmessage.net/p/epstein-re...
On the psychology of the cave caucus. www.politix.fm/p/quick-cave...
November 12, 2025 at 6:38 PM
On the psychology of the cave caucus. www.politix.fm/p/quick-cave...
Go ahead and hit Trump on “affordability.” Whatever works. But they need to be really clear in their own minds that there’s no empirical mechanism here. People are mad at Trump about a bunch of stuff. www.offmessage.net/p/democrats-...
November 12, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Go ahead and hit Trump on “affordability.” Whatever works. But they need to be really clear in their own minds that there’s no empirical mechanism here. People are mad at Trump about a bunch of stuff. www.offmessage.net/p/democrats-...
The fact that Dems said “affordability” a bunch then won elections has given Democrats hope that the rules they thought governed politics have reasserted themselves. Fight Trump on all fronts? Pshaw! www.offmessage.net/p/democrats-...
November 12, 2025 at 4:59 PM
The fact that Dems said “affordability” a bunch then won elections has given Democrats hope that the rules they thought governed politics have reasserted themselves. Fight Trump on all fronts? Pshaw! www.offmessage.net/p/democrats-...
I think a more accurate headline would note that Epstein alleged Trump *participated* in the bad conduct.
November 12, 2025 at 3:00 PM
I think a more accurate headline would note that Epstein alleged Trump *participated* in the bad conduct.
Yup, and the damage isn’t so much in the story as in the proof of weakness. Trump now knows he has new torture tools to make Dems do what he wants. It’s why at least one of the 7 capitulators oughta be run out of office now, mid session. Get that number down to 6. www.offmessage.net/p/16-thought...
November 10, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Yup, and the damage isn’t so much in the story as in the proof of weakness. Trump now knows he has new torture tools to make Dems do what he wants. It’s why at least one of the 7 capitulators oughta be run out of office now, mid session. Get that number down to 6. www.offmessage.net/p/16-thought...
Idea: Tell Durbin to retire early. www.offmessage.net/p/16-thought...
November 10, 2025 at 4:12 AM
Idea: Tell Durbin to retire early. www.offmessage.net/p/16-thought...
This is why we subscribe to Off Message! www.offmessage.net/p/exploit-th...
November 9, 2025 at 6:39 PM
This is why we subscribe to Off Message! www.offmessage.net/p/exploit-th...
If you’re gonna cave, cave strong. www.offmessage.net/p/are-we-hea...
November 7, 2025 at 10:24 PM
If you’re gonna cave, cave strong. www.offmessage.net/p/are-we-hea...
Visiting the scene of the crime in honor of acquittal.
November 6, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Visiting the scene of the crime in honor of acquittal.
This week's mailbag owes a lot to @mschmitt9.bsky.social, who goes unnamed here. www.offmessage.net/p/are-we-hea...
November 6, 2025 at 5:25 PM
This week's mailbag owes a lot to @mschmitt9.bsky.social, who goes unnamed here. www.offmessage.net/p/are-we-hea...
Indeed. With somewhat speculative but important implications. www.offmessage.net/p/25-thought...
November 6, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Indeed. With somewhat speculative but important implications. www.offmessage.net/p/25-thought...
Twenty-five thoughts on the 2025 elections. One of them is that @schumer.senate.gov should give John Bel Edwards another call, because… www.offmessage.net/p/25-thought...
November 5, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Twenty-five thoughts on the 2025 elections. One of them is that @schumer.senate.gov should give John Bel Edwards another call, because… www.offmessage.net/p/25-thought...
This doesn’t mean Dems never need to pander to public opinion, but the how of it is very important. www.offmessage.net/p/the-scourg...
November 4, 2025 at 6:00 PM
This doesn’t mean Dems never need to pander to public opinion, but the how of it is very important. www.offmessage.net/p/the-scourg...
The Dems who ducked questions about Mamdani embody the former. If Dems pick a fight with Paramount and CBS News, they’ll embody the latter. www.offmessage.net/p/the-scourg...
November 4, 2025 at 5:56 PM
The Dems who ducked questions about Mamdani embody the former. If Dems pick a fight with Paramount and CBS News, they’ll embody the latter. www.offmessage.net/p/the-scourg...
Backstab the blue. www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...
November 3, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Backstab the blue. www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...