too many books club

communist, organizer, oil painter. ☭

[Zito @_Zeets]

You’d think Ezra Klein is the biggest loser you could come across, but then his co-author appears like a new challenger in a fighting game.

[too many books club @paintedred11]

Thompson and Klein are here to make sure you blame poor people.

[too many books club @paintedred11]

That's like 1000 words trying to explain why you went on a softball interview with Colbert instead of voting on whether to send more weapons to a genocidal army.
Also ya voted to send weapons every time before, sooooo I don't believe you

[Sen. Elissa Slotkin @SenatorSlotkin]

Last night I unfortunately missed a vote series on two Joint Resolutions of Disapproval regarding the sale of weapons to Israel.

I have struggled with this Joint Resolution of Disapproval more than any previous votes in the nearly two years since Hamas initiated the attacks of October 7. I represent a state with a large Arab and Muslim population and a large Jewish population. And over these last two years, few issues have been as raw as this one. I have therefore worked very hard to call balls and strikes based on my experience and the facts on the ground, even as most people fall firmly into one side or another, and are often reluctant to consider new information.

I owe it to my state to make clear where I stand: Had I made it back for the vote yesterday, I would have voted yes to block offensive weapons to Israel based on my concerns over lack of food and medicine getting to civilians in Gaza.

I have been a strong supporter of the Jewish State of Israel my whole life. And I still am. But despite the fact that Hamas began this bloody round of conflict—and refuses to release the hostages—the images of emaciated children are hard to turn away from. As are the calls from Michiganders who have friends and family trying to survive in Gaza.

This issue is now widely acknowledged across the political spectrum. Even President Trump this week has expressed concern over the humanitarian situation and urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to ensure the safe delivery of assistance to those in need.

In general, I think these Disapproval votes are a bad way to do foreign policy. The Executive Branch, whether run by Democrats or now Republicans, has the responsibility to set U.S. foreign policy, and to lead negotiations with both allies and adversaries.

But it appears today that the Netanyahu government thinks that there are no limits to what they can do while still receiving U.S. support. And so, I believe a message has to be sent. Should similar votes on offensive weapons come up in the future, I will take them on a case-by-case basis, with the hope of important humanitarian course corrections. I continue to support the U.S.-Israel security relationship and sale of defensive weapons such as the Iron Dome.

My views on this come from my experience of serving three tours in Iraq alongside the U.S. military. It was a very bloody war zone, including terrible violence on U.S. forces and Iraqi civilians, carried out by terrorist groups and militias. But even in the most violent years of the war, the U.S. still had the responsibility to facilitate humanitarian supplies into places like Fallujah. And militaries that can pull off dangerous and complex operations overseas can also ensure aid is safely distributed in occupied areas.

While the leaders of Hamas deserve what they’re getting in response to October 7, and Israel — like any other country in the world — has the right to defend itself, that doesn’t include letting children go hungry. That is despite Hamas’ sick refusal to relent, prevent further destruction, negotiate in good faith and release the hostages.

Lastly, I make this statement today because of my deep concern and conviction for Israel’s long-term security. I believe the Israeli people have the right to live a safe and secure life, free from threat, and chart their own destiny. The Israelis are right to demand the release of all the hostages, living and deceased, immediately and not in stages.

And it has to be said that Israel has dealt with threats to its existence every day since its founding, which is hard for the average American to comprehend. But the actions being taken now by the Netanyahu government threaten the longstanding bipartisan consensus that have helped keep Israel safe since its inception.

No one leader should so significantly threaten the long-term security of the state of Israel. I urge the Trump Administration and the Israeli Prime Minister to get aid in as soon as possible and save lives.

[too many books club @paintedred11]

Derek Thompson makes Ezra Klein look charismatic

[Derek Thompson @DKThomp]

I think it's rude to over-generalize, but my opinion of a lot of left-wing media is unfortunately well-summarized by these two facts:

1. The Chapo guys refused, repeatedly, to talk to me and Ezra after we were pitched for their show during the abundance tour.

2. Now, Will insists that my inviting Mamdani on my show to discuss our political disagreements (like, half the podcast is about how we don't see eye to eye on housing policy and transit costs) amounts to my total capitulation to the tenets of democratic socialism.

If you think the only way to talk to somebody you disagree with is to first surrender to them, you don't have a theory of persuasion. You have a theory of insularity and insecurity.

Anyway, Mamdani was really wonderful to talk to, and we still disagree about housing, rent freezes, transit costs, public sector unions, the degree to which NYC's problems are principally a function of insufficient spending, etc. It's okay to have conversations with people you think are wrong and who think you're wrong. It's fine! Not that painful. Kinda fun even.

[too many books club @paintedred11]

@TheAtlantic @JosephdeWeck sure.

[too many books club @paintedred11]

The Democrats' bold new strategy: become republicans

[Adam Wren @adamwren]

New @playbookdc: Last month, a group of moderate Democratic consultants, campaign staffers, elected officials & party leaders gathered in Loudoun County, Virginia, for a retreat where they plotted their party’s comeback.

We got their takeaways.

[Will 🦥 Menaker @willmenaker]

Glad they're moving away from the dominance of small-dollar donors whose preferences may not align with the broader electorate to big-dollar donors whose preferences perfectly align with the electorate.

[too many books club @paintedred11]

@TheAtlantic Thank god that’s never happened before, other than France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Greece after ww2, and much of the rest of the planet over the following 60 years.

[barbarism critic @barbarismcrit]

Does anybody, and I mean anybody, have faith that even if you gave dems a trifecta they would have the organization and political will to repair all the damage that has been done in the last two weeks alone? Anyone?

[too many books club @paintedred11]

@TheAtlantic @ebruenig He facilitated a genocide

[Beep🇺🇸 @fiercefreckled]

If there’s ever a movie made a/b Luigi Mangione, THIS needs to be the song at the beginning of the film. What a singer — he’s a modern day Bob Dylan! 🎶👍💸 #UnitedHealthCare

[Samantha Ruddy @samlymatters]

The conspiracy isn’t that it’s the wrong guy, it’s that the government has just been using the NSA to harvest location data and messages of American citizens since Snowden times and they had him illegally so now they’re following a murky, clumsy path of parallel construction.

[too many books club @paintedred11]

@JonathanAKRolfe @TheAtlantic @gcaw I can’t tell if this joke is intentional or not

[too many books club @paintedred11]

@TheAtlantic @ebruenig He also send another $600 million in weapons to Israel as they are accused of genocide by the ICC… but yea I’m very concerned about his son pardon

[Ghost Maggie Serota @maggieserota]

Can’t believe “Dick Cheney is brat” failed to resonate with voters.

[Justin Charles @justincharles]

What’s misleading this graphic is Trump didn’t add votes. He had 3 million fewer than ‘20. What this doesn’t show you is Harris got 14 million fewer votes than Biden did in ‘20. Because no compelling case beyond “not that guy” was made to show up for her.

[Jerry Iannelli @jerryiannelli]

Throwing your hands up and going "I guess people are just really fascist!" is total baby-brain nonsense when we live in a catroonishly corrupt country structured to produce these outcomes. This is by no means an easy fix but "guess everyone except me is evil" is stupid hogwash

[too many books club @paintedred11]

@TheAtlantic @zoeschlanger Both presidential candidates are bragging about their support for fracking and the historic amount of oil they produced while in power.

[too many books club @paintedred11]

Both candidates are bragging about how much oil they are producing

[The Atlantic @TheAtlantic]

Hurricane Milton is exactly the type of storm that scientists have been warning could happen. @zoeschlanger reports on how climate change set up the Gulf of Mexico to birth a storm this strong, this fast: https://t.co/JM5V9EiRg8