Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 10

This was a very persuasive piece that changed my mind!

Matt Glassman @mattglassman312.bsky.social · Sep 9

My view on strategic shutdowns: bad policy, bad politics.

open.substack.com/pub/mattglas...

A Strategic Shutdown is a Terrible Idea

It's bad policy. It's worse politics. But a lot of liberal Dems are pushing for it.

open.substack.com

16 10

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 9

The point is not to make immigration an 80-20 issue, it's to neutralize it as a tool of radicalization. Black Chicagoans who witnessed their city crumble under a few thousand immigrants were infuriated that social supports went to migrants instead of them. apnews.com/article/chic...

Chicago's response to migrant influx stirs longstanding frustrations among Black residents

Chicago is one of several big American cities grappling with a surge of migrants. With help from state and federal funds, the city has spent more than $300 million to provide housing, health care and ...

apnews.com

9 2 10

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 9

Yes, die-hard xenophobes are not moveable. But anyone doing immigration work (including many advocates, left thinktankers, and immigrants themselves) witnessed widespread negative polarization against immigration because of very material concerns.

4 2 11

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 9

I feel like everyone has just memory holed the liberal backlash to immigration under Biden.

Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · Sep 6

There is no compromise policy Democrats can offer Republicans to make them act normal on this issue. We simply have to state the basic reality — immigrants contribute to our country in myriad ways — and fight for it. I don't know how so many journalists convinced themselves this isn't an option.

5 13

Reposted by Jerusalem Demsas

Matt Zeitlin @zeitlin.bsky.social · Sep 9

almost as good as the freedom of speech guy speaking up in opposition to taxes to pay for a new school because the old one burned down

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias.bsky.social · Sep 9

The filibuster in Mr Smith goes to Washington was about trying to stop the construction of a hydroelectric dam in order to preserve a campsite.

1 1 23

Reposted by Jerusalem Demsas

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias.bsky.social · Sep 9

I liked this take on the Abundance conference

www.theargumentmag.com/p/a-tale-of-...

5 1 47

Reposted by Jerusalem Demsas

Ned Resnikoff @resnikoff.bsky.social · Sep 9

"The hard right’s only cohesive goal is to shred liberal values, and the movements that flow from them. To ally with these groups is to court self-destruction." @jerusalem.bsky.social www.theargumentmag.com/p/a-tale-of-...

A tale of two ballrooms

Last week’s National Conservatism and Abundance gatherings in Washington laid out two clashing visions of America’s future.

www.theargumentmag.com

3 45 160

Reposted by Jerusalem Demsas

Maia @maiamindel.bsky.social · Sep 9

Truth Nuke

2 5 68

Reposted by Jerusalem Demsas

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social · Sep 9

There's something so telling about the Trumpist right's insistence that using a slur for people with a disability is a sign of bravery

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 9

In which I spent $425 to hear a couple guys say "retarded" www.theargumentmag.com/p/a-tale-of-...

A tale of two ballrooms

Last week’s National Conservatism and Abundance gatherings in Washington laid out two clashing visions of America’s future.

www.theargumentmag.com

2 16 89

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 9

In which I spent $425 to hear a couple guys say "retarded" www.theargumentmag.com/p/a-tale-of-...

A tale of two ballrooms

Last week’s National Conservatism and Abundance gatherings in Washington laid out two clashing visions of America’s future.

www.theargumentmag.com

6 9 43

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 5

The biggest problem American liberalism faces is how to maintain high levels of immigration while respecting the democratic will of the public. I have an idea.

www.theargumentmag.com/p/liberals-d...

Liberals don’t have to lose on immigration

“Moderating” on immigration doesn't mean abandoning it

www.theargumentmag.com

410 11 82

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 2

> and was America not YIMBY from 1950 to 2002, then YIMBY from 2002 until 2022, and now no longer is? etc...

And yes, housing costs were much lower from 1950 to 2002 and then from 2002 until 2020/2021-ish

1 2

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 2

? I did not say that YIMBY was a driver of these sentiments. My point is that lowering housing costs (or any major costs tbh) could make raising taxes easier because people think about their costs as a total portfolio.

2 2

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 2

I wouldn't be surprised if that played a role (since uh, Republicans do very much focus on lowering taxes as a major part of their platform), but I still think "why were people so mad about taxes during Covid" seems much more likely to be about inflation than anything else

1 4

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 2

eh looking at the actual underlying data that doesn't seem that clean

2 5

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 2

doesn't seem implausible to me? Poll isn't granular enough to be certain but do you have an alternate hypothesis?

1 3

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 2

I do think that this is largely a proxy for costs in general. There was not some major tax increase in 2020, people are just reacting to inflation!

There's a lesson here... lowering people's costs is a necessary prerequisite to raising taxes!

Can I interest you in a little YIMBY-ism?

11 18 130

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 2

Meme in replies this time. Happy @stephenjacobsmith.com?

12

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 2

Ok we've made fun of deficit hawks forever but @jhweissmann.bsky.social has a convincing case that if you care about social welfare programs you actually do need to start worrying about the debt! www.theargumentmag.com/p/how-i-lear...

How I learned to start worrying and hate the deficit

It's time for liberals to wake up about the national debt

www.theargumentmag.com

9 5 34

Reposted by Jerusalem Demsas

Max Dubler 🏳️‍🌈 @maxdubler.com · Sep 1

“The intellectual victory of the YIMBYs can sometimes obscure how precarious our position really is: A whole edifice of opposition to land-use reforms is still in place — people in power with formative political experiences and assumptions from a prior era.”

Recommended reading!

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 1

This morning, OG YIMBY @profschleich.bsky.social argues that the pro-housing movement needs to focus more on the problem of state trial court judges.

6 8 71

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 1

honestly struggling to decide whether it's more important people see this meme or subscribe sorry @profschleich.bsky.social

3 13

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 1

Read more & subscribe! www.theargumentmag.com/p/yimbys-bea...

YIMBYs beat the politicians. Now they have to beat the judges.

As legislatures have said yes to new housing, obstacles still remain.

www.theargumentmag.com

1 8 36

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 1

The problem, of course, is local "democracy".

1 12

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 1

This has been one of the most frustrating dynamics of YIMBY politics -- a long, hard fought legislative battle gets thwarted by a NIMBY district court judge.

Yes, the judge is often overruled later but as we know well, housing delayed is housing denied.

1 1 26

Jerusalem Demsas @jerusalem.bsky.social · Sep 1

This morning, OG YIMBY @profschleich.bsky.social argues that the pro-housing movement needs to focus more on the problem of state trial court judges.

4 9 81