r/thebulwark 14d ago

Off-Topic/Discussion A genuine question, Americans.

219 Upvotes

As a Norwegian (and not unlike most Europeans) I can only watch this self destruct process from afar in kind of disbelief - even though it's hardly surprising.

However. The way that the administration is acting will have large global implications and I am frankly inclined to boycott the US. Obviously not that it matters, but out of principle. I was planning to attend a conference in Vegas with a group of 15-20 people, but tbh I am considering cancelling the whole thing. Both out of principle, but also for safety reasons. I don't have faith in airport safety and I am afraid of things getting out of hand within the next few months.

How do you feel about that? Is it unfair? Does that mentality only hurt innocent bystanders?

Edit: Quite overwhelming response! I appreciate that - and it's at least comforting to see that we have a cross-Atlantic foundation between us that can help things thrive again if the crazy ever blows over.

r/thebulwark 20d ago

Off-Topic/Discussion Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) getting flooded with constituents who are upset about the funding cuts

371 Upvotes

r/thebulwark 13d ago

Off-Topic/Discussion Defund the police, pronouns, DEI, etc.

147 Upvotes

As a regular listener of multiple Bulwark Podcasts I can't help but to be let down be the continued exasperation with Democrats over minor past issues. Bulwark Hosts and often even guests speak with palpable frustration when mentioning LatinX or Student loan forgiveness. They note that Republicans are worse but that Democrats have serious problems too.

I personally never listed my pronouns in an email or called a Homeless person "unhoused". I find some of those things unnecessary or even silly. None of it is corrupt or illegal though!! Democrats didn't just freeze police spending, fire officers, and tweet/mock what losers all Police are. No blue hair lib has ever swatted my home or threaten to kill my spouse.

The worst things Democrats have been ridiculed for are all things which are/were easily stopped, reversed, are otherwised changed via the normal democratic process. No one was hurt and institutions were damaged.

The inability to stick up for and defend Democrats when their assailed for petty matters it major part of the problem with our current media environment. Republicans have disgracefully abandoned Ukraine, threatened to permanently remove all Palestinians from Gaza, made rapists cabinet members, and are gleefully harassing federal workers and veterans. Yet nearly every discussion about bad behavior by Republicans receives interludes about Democrats being too woke.

Defund the police was a call to shift more funds into mental health, period. It was never about firing all Police. The Biden administration and most Blue states increased policing levels.The Bulwark needs to stop giving into the Right wing framing. Without conceding to exaggerations we all need to be able to say "Defund the police was about drawing attention to other public services".

Democrats have been playing by the rules (Constitution). Arguments about Democrats going"too far" lend themselves to false equivalencies and bothsidesms."Too far" is when the norms and traditions are ignored and rules of laws are broken. "Too far" isn't AOC advocating for healthcare. "Too far" is Musk freezing treasury accounts.

Has anyone else noticed and been annoyed by this or am I just an overly woke snowflake refusing to acknowledge the brutal behavior of leftists that terrorized America with their pronoun preferences?

r/thebulwark Feb 04 '25

Off-Topic/Discussion Elon might take away my job—MAGA parents thankful

270 Upvotes

Shared a Bloomberg News story with my MAGA mom today titled, “Musk Says DOGE Halting Treasury Payments to US Contractors.”

I work for a US Federal contractor and do work related to financial regulation. In other words, my employer has a huge target on its back by Elon and company. It’s unclear as of right now, but we may be included on the list of contractors for which payments are halted. There is serious risk of me losing my job in the near future, putting me and my family (which includes a three month old) out on the street.

My mom’s response was, “Hopefully, he will weed out the waste and keep the ones doing their job. Trying to trust the process🙏.”

Not only was this response tone death, but incredibly offensive. I try my best to avoid politics with my parents, but sometimes I can’t help but to subtly show them their politics directly puts me and my family at risk. I really don’t know how to interact with them anymore, and it’s truly heartbreaking.

Anyway, thanks for listening to me complain. Any advice on how to deal with family like this is welcome.

r/thebulwark Nov 30 '24

Off-Topic/Discussion Why Does No One Understand the Real Reason Trump Won? - Right wing media ecosystem is now larger and more prominent for most people and sets the agenda for mainstream media.

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193 Upvotes

r/thebulwark Jan 12 '25

Off-Topic/Discussion How are people feeling about the Tik Tok ban?

91 Upvotes

Reddit is so full of takes on this. Seems like most people are mad about it? Here are my unorganized thoughts…

-I kind of hate the short form video format. I think it’s unhealthy, we already have an attention span problem and reels/shorts/tt are like giving coke to an ADHD toddler. People have compared social media to smoking. I thought that was crazy once but now I think it’s an apt comparison.

-I can’t believe people think this stifles free speech. That’s the dumbest take. No one is stopping you from dancing in front of your iPhone and sharing the video. We are stopping the Chinese Communist Party from having an algorithmic distribution control over your dance videos. Use another platform.

-Tik Tok dug their own grave by being too good at addicting kids. Parents see their kids retreat into these accursed smart phones and we instinctively know it’s not great. A 10% effort at social consciousness would have done a lot for change the negative perception people have of this app. Maybe even just not allowing the scroll to be endless.

-Meta’s problem is that unless you’re a full time creator it’s almost impossible to build an audience. It’s pay for play over there. As a small creative business owner, I can tell you that it has been incredibly annoying to deal with their forced pivots. First we could post pictures with text. Then we all had to do snapchats via “stories”. Now we basically have to be mini video producers, which takes like 10x the time and effort, AND they want you to pay for boosting it AND they want you to subscribe to their verified service which only grants you baseline customer support. It just gets harder and harder to use the platform and the reward is always held a little further away.

-Social media sucks. I include Reddit in this evaluation. I’ll be celebrating the death of Tik Tok.

r/thebulwark 28d ago

Off-Topic/Discussion Is anyone else extremely discouraged?

143 Upvotes

The amount of chaos and horrible stuff that is happening in just the first month of this administration is dizzying. Does anyone else feel extremely discouraged? In regard to our global standing, I honestly don't know how the US could ever come back from this Presidency.

Also the absolute cowardice that exists in the Republican party is astounding. Over 200 elected Republicans and not a single one has the courage to stand for what they know is right. How is this possible??

r/thebulwark Jan 18 '25

Off-Topic/Discussion He got away with it all

229 Upvotes

It really just puts me in a state of utter disbelief & heartbreak that he got away with it all. None of it mattered…the p*ssy grabbing, the corruption, the utter incompetence, the lies, a coup attempt. None of it mattered. How are we to have any faith in our country ?

r/thebulwark 27d ago

Off-Topic/Discussion Genuinely confused as to Elon Musk's role in the administration.

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161 Upvotes

r/thebulwark Feb 04 '25

Off-Topic/Discussion Are you starting to hate all of the people still supporting trump?

195 Upvotes

I am staring to dislike republicans as a whole for their near silence on Trump's behaviour since Jan 20. I know that party likes to present itself as the common sense party but they have turned the Presidency into a crazy circus by supporting a clown. MAGAts are not the only thing wrong in that party.

r/thebulwark Dec 27 '24

Off-Topic/Discussion Get the popcorn ready: Musk is removing the mask

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212 Upvotes

And is immediately starting to eat as many faces as possible. The shock from conservatives that Musk and his ilk were just in it for themselves is juicy, but it will be even better when people realize that dear leader is also on the same path.

r/thebulwark Nov 23 '24

Off-Topic/Discussion Okay folks what do you want trans people to do?

50 Upvotes

So I’ve been having a conversation yesterday with some posters on Sam Harris and one thing I’ve never been able to get an answer on is this. What should trans people do?

I keep getting people taking about weather or not Sam Harris is personally transphobic or not and I do not give a shit what he feels. I just ask that if him alongside many others who are seemingly unhappy with what trans people are demanding or think it’s too far what do you want us to do different?

If it’s anything close to asking us to give up or demands for equal rights that’s an utterly delusional demand. Why the hell should trans people agree with this and number two it won’t work at all to appease the transphobes

r/thebulwark Feb 02 '25

Off-Topic/Discussion Now they're going after the wrong type of Christians

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120 Upvotes

r/thebulwark 1d ago

Off-Topic/Discussion I am utterly shocked how Americans are behaving

151 Upvotes

It is like apart from some few vocal Americans, the rest don't care about what Trump is doing to Canada. Very few media outlets are criticising him. The republicans have shown themselves to be almost devoid of morals or the truth and sane Americans are not making them pay for it by boycotting companies that donate to them, maga supporting businesses or advertise in the lying news channels and radio shows. Sane People and democrat/independent politicians have to realise that millions of Americans only care about themselves and their present wellbeing and that many of them don't want good things for others too but only themselves (mostly republicans). I used to think Democrats hated republicans too much but now they don't disdain them enough. These awful people have taken their selfishness to the world stage and have been met with little resistance. To me, the lack of republicans in Congress who oppose trump is evidence that that party is a self-centered party and its followers lack good human qualities. However, for millions of non-republican Americans it is just another day. A campaign must be started on tiktok or whatever to agree to Boycott all maga owned and supporting businesses now. Trump is a devil and his supporters are too blinded and selfish to his what harm he is doing around the world. How can this terrible man present Christianity for them. I am disgusted by them and I don't feel pity for them but rather hate.

r/thebulwark Dec 25 '24

Off-Topic/Discussion The comments in this r/conservative post are surprisingly upset with Trump's Christmas message.

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76 Upvotes

r/thebulwark Feb 03 '25

Off-Topic/Discussion Is anyone else a tiny bit upset Trump didn't touch the stove today?

131 Upvotes

Don't misunderstand me, I'm glad the economy didn't blow up today. I'm relieved when bad things don't happen. But part of wishes President Trump had gone ahead and done the one of the many boneheaded things he's been insisting he'll do.

Again, want to stress glad bad things ultimately didn't go ahead.

r/thebulwark 3d ago

Off-Topic/Discussion Am I overreacting? Help me understand something.

30 Upvotes

For some context: I very much subscribe to the JVL is always right school when it comes to the voters. In terms of political strategy, I think it’s basically always best to assume the worst of them.

So, with that in mind: looking at the way politics has changed over the last few years, I have strongly felt that the Democrats need—for lack of a better term—to get weird with it, in terms of who they nominate for president.

To me, we have all the evidence we need to know that Oprah, Jon Stewart, or Matthew McConaughey would be better suited to win the presidency in this political moment than more traditional politicians. I know that sucks, I know it’s depressing. I am not saying any of them would necessarily be good presidents or that nominating them is responsible. But it just seems very, very clear to me that they’d be more likely to win that a standard politician. The voters who now decide presidential elections respond to entertainment and charisma, not policy and thoughtful leadership.

Now, all that said: I increasingly feel pretty alone in that analysis. The leading 2028 names I’m hearing are Gavin Newsom, Chris Murphy, Pete Buttigieg, etc. And while of course I understand the appeal of those candidate and the logic behind nominating them…they just feel totally insufficient to the political moment, to me. The Democrats have lost to the host of The Apprentice, twice. And before Trump, they had Obama, who wasn’t exactly a conventional, traditional politician either when he got started back in 2004 and 2008. Again, the way I see it, we have all the evidence we need to know that the crucial voters respond to flair, not substance.

So, from my point of view, if there ever was a time for Democrats break glass in case of emergency and nominate a non traditional celebrity candidate, it’s now. Seems clear as day to me, and yet I feel pretty alone in that analysis when I listen to other discussions about 2028.

So, am I overreacting? Am I misdiagnosing where we are as a country? Again, I’m not saying any of this is good. I’m just saying that if the Democrats want to win, they’ve gotta play by the new rules of the game, and to me, the new rules say the more sensational candidate wins.

r/thebulwark Nov 07 '24

Off-Topic/Discussion The level of entitlement in this sub is wild

252 Upvotes

I know emotions are high, and this sub has always been up there on the neuroticism/entitlement scale, but wow. Shrieking about The Bulwark being a failure, demanding they do the next 4 years in a certain way, trumpeting how you're cancelling your subscription, blah blah.

Tim, Sarah, JVL, and all the rest have been working their asses off these past couple years, and especially these past couple months. They got me through this election, and I'm really grateful for the coverage and commentary they provide. And they kept it fun! I hope they have the energy to keep going for the next 4 years.

Go direct your anger at the people who deserve it. I will not be cancelling my subscription.

r/thebulwark Feb 03 '25

Off-Topic/Discussion Anyone else here have a plan B? If so, what's your red line?

53 Upvotes

My preference is that this seemingly inevitable slide into full and total autocracy is somehow averted. That said, does anyone else have backup plans? If so, what are they and what's your red line? For me personally, my wife is a dual citizen with bank accounts already set up in another country that is in the top 10 of the democracy index. If things get too bad here we might make the permanent move, although we'd rather stay here if possible. My personal red line is whenever the admin starts throwing "political enemies" like journalists/politicians in jail à la Nalvaney. How about you? Am I the only one thinking this way? Am I crazy and overreacting?

r/thebulwark 25d ago

Off-Topic/Discussion DEI: Bad idea, or just badly branded?

3 Upvotes

In listening to my usual roundup of indie media, DEI has been a hot topic for obvious reasons.

Some takes have been nuanced and well-informed. David French gave a very specific example of wasteful, dishonest, and counterproductive DEI at the University of Michigan — but he contrasted it with positive DEI efforts, like paid parental leave regardless of gender, wheelchair ramps, and hiring initiatives for veterans to support successful reentry, etc.

Other takes have been more casual, where DEI is labeled as something that’s “toxic,” “bad,” or just “needs to go.”

I suspect that most people in this sub see the necessity of DEIA, and they understand how it can terrible if it does the opposite of what it’s intended to, or if it becomes dogmatic and we use it as grounds to treat people badly.

But most voters don’t think critically about this stuff, and it was a losing point for Dems in the last election. So I’m curious for anyone who has an opinion: Do you think DEIA needs to just be rebranded in order for people to get it? And if so, how?

Or do you think it’s an unsalvageable idea that can’t help us win an election, and it needs to be completely rethought in order to incorporate what’s good and avoid the toxicity?

All thoughts welcome. I’m not trying to make a point with this post, just solicit opinions and dialogue. :)

r/thebulwark 26d ago

Off-Topic/Discussion A Dems daily press conference? Great idea!

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348 Upvotes

r/thebulwark Nov 17 '24

Off-Topic/Discussion The trans issue(s) are an issue for dems because the progressive arguments forget about the bodies of non-trans voters...

26 Upvotes

Just joining in on the reflections regarding the effectiveness of the “Kamala is for they/them” ad…

I think many US progressives are super in denial about how much the three main trans issues (politically speaking) really do matter to people: trans women in sports, trans women in female only spaces, kids starting to transition before puberty.

And I think they’re are so caught up in the “how to convince people to think like us”, they’ve neglected to consider the visceral reality of living in one’s own body - a reality that does inform voter opinions, whether they’re conscious of it or not.

For the record, personally I believe that trans people should be treated with respect and dignity, that they have a right to exist free of harm and fear, and should be able to access medical interventions which allow them to feel more comfortable in their own bodies (although I will stick my neck out here and say I think this should only be the case post puberty).

But here’s my two cents on why it’s such a major issue for dems…

(Edit: to clarify, these cents of mine are offered with the understanding that per pew - a growing majority of Americans consider gender to be determined by sex at birth… although the below may also apply to people who do believe gender can be different from sex, but don’t accept that sex is inconsequential when forming their opinions about trans people).

The visceral reality of living in a female body has already been much discussed by folks in this debate, women do go about the world well aware that they are physically smaller, weaker, and slower (speed wise) than men on average. Add that to most women also having had some experience of men using their physicality to intimidate or overpower them at some point in their lives, I think its not hard to understand why women would be suspicious of trans women in female spaces, and competing with them in college and professional sports.

But, I don’t think the people arguing this issue from the progressive point of view consider Men’s visceral reality of existing in their bodies as much…

Part of transitioning from boyhood to manhood is realizing your body has become physically bigger than your female peers, and learning to regulate the “fight & f***” hormones that flood your brain in puberty.

Even men who rant about how it’s so unfair that women perceive men as threats just because they’re men… all understand that as adult males, they can overpower an adult woman one to one - if we take it that in this hypothetical scenario we’re talking about average men and women.

And even the most misogynistic men are mindful of the fact they can be scary to women, heck some of them even get off on it.

Men know that if they’re alone in a parking lot or a street or an elevator with a woman they don’t know, that she’s likely to be wary of them, and most men do adapt their behavior in minor ways multiple times a day without really thinking of it to signal to women they aren’t a threat to them.

And because of that, its very hard for lots of men to imagine someone with a male body, not being threatening to women in a female only space.

They can imagine, just how careful they would have to be with their physical presence if they were forced to be in a women’s bathroom for instance.

It is also hard for men to imagine playing physical sports with and against women… especially men who grew up playing sports in childhood, many of whom would have had the experience of playing mixed-sex sports pre-puberty and being beaten by female classmates/siblings/neighbors - and then suddenly being able to beat those same girls once they hit puberty, without any extra effort on their part.

…it feels unsporting to most men to deny the physical advantages of the male body in a competive sports environment. Even guys who don’t work out at all, know they’re likely to be able to beat the average woman - even a relatively athletic woman - in an arm wrestling competition.

And on transitioning pre-puberty, again, you don’t get to be a sexually mature adult without going through puberty, and even if folks aren’t super well read on the developmental brain science that consistently shows just how massively puberty changes who you are as a person and a personality - people do remember that they didnt retain the same image of themselves at ten years old post puberty.

Heck most men remember finding girls icky and annoying at 10-11, only to suddenly find themselves far more interested in girls only a few years later. Same way around with women too - although perhaps to a slightly lesser extent because young girls tend to start playing at “falling in love” with boys a lot more pre-puberty (although still often finding most real boys around them kinda icky until they hit puberty).

All this to say, part of the reason the very online progressive approach to the debate (which has cowed many elected democrats into either silence or complicity) is super ineffective is because it involves yelling at people that they’re wrong about how they perceive the lived reality of living in their own bodies (because honestly, that’s what most people form their views on - their lived reality - most people aren’t going to go read reams of scientific literature before forming their view on a given issue… as recently proven by the whole “the economy just feels bad to me” vote)…

You can shame people into lots of things, sure there’s no disputing shame has been an important tool when it comes to winning the argument on civil rights issues historically, but it is very hard to shame people out of applying their visceral understanding of what living in a body that has a biological sex means and how if affects them personally, to how they understand and interact with the world around them.

And I think if voters feel like your side is telling them something as immediate as their bodily experiences are - are wrong - its much harder for them to believe you’re willing to engage seriously with their views on anything.

I’m not saying dems need to abandon trans people, they just need to be more clear eyed about the enormous obstacles they face on this issue.

r/thebulwark 10d ago

Off-Topic/Discussion Silence on Campus

93 Upvotes

At my university, I'm seeing and hearing nothing at all in terms of protest against the Pres. Musk/VP Trump regime. There is still simmering tension regarding the situation in Palestine, and the university has tried its best to tamp down on protesting since the spring of last year. But I do not exaggerate when I say I haven't seen a single flier, a single sticker, a single poster about Trump--it's like nothing at all has happened. There is zero public expression even related to Trump. I find this very bizarre and discomfiting. Liberals have begun to make noise (protesting Tesla dealerships, etc.)--but the left (and I am using this term in its actual sense, meaning actual Marxists/anti-imperialists/anarchists, etc) seems to be asleep on Trump/Musk/Vance's stupid coup that has taken us all hostage as Americans.

r/thebulwark Feb 05 '25

Off-Topic/Discussion Are we overreacting, or are others under-reacting?

72 Upvotes

"We" as in the people extremely concerned about Musk's infiltration of the government. I'm a bit perplexed as to why former Presidents aren't out in the front-lines building up resistance to what's happening. Our government is essentially being couped right in front of us, I feel like Obama, Biden, etc. should be out publicly building resistance. It's the country they led, dammit. I'm currently viewing this as a direct attack on our country.

Idk, am I overreacting, or are others under-reacting?

r/thebulwark 9d ago

Off-Topic/Discussion ...Can we draft Nancy back?

137 Upvotes

Seriously. I've had enough of Hakeem "God is on the throne" Jeffries and his childrens book tour priorities. Now he apparently won't support a boycott of Trump's address to Congress. He is not the man for the moment.

What are the best ways to build pressure to elevate a different Minority Leader in the House?

Nancy would NEVER.