On the other, Rahm is seemingly trying to offend some corners of the Dem coalition by throwing Trans people under the bus. Neither example is occurring on text-based social media but both approaches read to me as triangulation rather than authentic views.

As we transition to something else, you can see some Dem elites wrestling with that rhetorical style and it’s playing out in strange ways post ‘24. On one end, Newsom is bending over backwards to find common ground with Bannon/Kirk.

Ding ding ding! I think that dynamic is particularly difficult for the Left - there is a premium on pleasing (and not offending) other groups when you’re building or maintaining a an Obama-era coalition.

Let’s add “will attend one or more bachelor parties this calendar year” to the list.

That’s a deep cut.

1) Your base wants a fight.

2) They do not see any fight in their leaders.

3) CR is your last chance to show some back bone in FY25. Everyone knows Dems will blink during a debt ceiling fight. TCJA extension may be ugly but will happen. There are no opportunities to pick up a W after this.

Probably worth adding "do not obey in advance" to the list. Quickly becoming the hackneyed expression that causes me to involuntarily roll my eyes.

Seems like speeding up the retirement plans of older federal workers and threatening telework policies are the only areas where they will move the needle.

The IRA does a lot of good things, but it did not have any significant impact on reducing inflation. I tip my cap to the staffer or member of congress who slapped that title on it though.