"Aside from his loyalists, virtually everyone in the party agrees: It’s time to move on from Trump. But ask them how they plan to do that, and the discussion veers into hopeful hypotheticals...This magical thinking pervaded my recent conversations..."
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Bill Kristol
@BillKristol
Director, defendingdemocracytogether.org. Editor at large, thebulwark.com. Host, conversationswithbillkristol.org.
Joined October 2014
Bill Kristol’s Tweets
"Today we have come to the heart of Europe because Ukraine has become the center of our continent. A place where values are upheld, where freedom is defended, and where the future of Europe is written."
-- EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
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“'Trump would be a preferred candidate,' said Jay Jacobs, chairman of the NY Dems..."
Ugh, for so many reasons.
Here's just one:
Average Democratic margin in popular vote for president, 1992-2012: 4.7%.
Average Dem margin in 2016 & 2020: 3.2%.
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This wasn’t the most important part of the pod. The most important part is where said he’s not just “NeverTrump” but is “Never” for anyone who would be for Trump. Count me in, bro.
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Larry Hogan and Chris Sununu were the normal ones...right? Plus, Nikki Haley's narrow path to victory and the hurdles facing the police reform debate.
The Next Level with @JVLast, @SarahLongwell25, and @Timodc premiers at 7pm: youtube.com/watch?v=zJUa9z
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Is Trump way up or way down?
The polls are extraordinarily split, but the higher-quality surveys suggest he might be pretty weak.
nytimes.com/2023/02/03/ups
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These 1965 remarks by James Baldwin are very much worth reading.
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"It would be easy to dismiss the pro-Russia, anti-Ukraine statements that so frequently emanate from the former President [if there weren't] an increasingly empowered group of his acolytes on Capitol Hill and in the far-right media who agree with him."
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3. "Two decades ago, I would have said this dynamic was almost entirely exclusive to conservatives, at least in the American context. But there is a growing sphere of progressives dedicated to copying a version of this style."
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2. "When the sane do speak up, they must couch their concerns in the softest terms. Usually it is wrapped in the guise of some fantasy, projecting imaginary beliefs onto the party in order to avoid grappling with some unacceptable position...
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From 's newsletter:
"The conservative movement has developed internal political norms that make it difficult, and frequently impossible, for people with sane beliefs to speak out candidly against insane beliefs...
mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?zx=s
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"America has a strong interest in a stable and prosperous Europe. Twice during the 20th c., we sought to stay out of Europe’s problems, but we were drawn into them. And it was far more costly in terms of lives and treasure than if we had acted earlier."
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Can I be a China hawk without being a balloon alarmist?
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Sometimes a balloon is just...a balloon.
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Nine months ago Dems were wary of Biden in 2024; now "nearly all have come to the same conclusion: It’s Biden or bust."
But:
1. Couldn't things change again in the next months?
2. It's not "Biden or bust." It's Biden or Whitmer, Buttigieg, Harris, etc.
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A year has passed since I wrote this, and it's all still true: Why Putin invaded Ukraine
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“Gone are any illusions of reforms, fantasies of redeemers, hopes for economic miracles, and patience for better days. What was once a distant wish is now an irrevocable demand for freedom.” My deeply personal take on Iran’s transformational protests:
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If the balloon had anti-black history messages stenciled on it, or if it were dropping anti-trans pamphlets down to earth, or if it were broadcasting denunciations of wokeness non-stop, MAGA would be pro-balloon. They’d be welcoming the balloon. They’d be worshipping the balloon.
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Bob Kagan joins Eric Edelman and Eliot Cohen to discuss the ambivalence of American thinking about the necessity of global order and our reluctance to play a leading role in securing it, and the role of moral and ideological impulses in U.S. policy making.
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On what “Never Trump” means, on what the Trumpists are up to, and what to do about the all-important Commie balloon. Your weekend podcast with and .
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"It was a very joyous occasion when Ben-Gurion read the Declaration...He left. He went to deal with the impending military invasion. In his diary, he wrote, 'At 4:00 PM we declared independence. The nation was jubilant, but I mourn amidst the rejoicers.'"
conversationswithbillkristol.org/video/neil-rog
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Plutarch: Then it was, too, that Solon uttered the famous saying, that earlier it had been easier for them to hinder the tyranny, while it was in preparation; but now it was a greater and more glorious task to uproot and destroy it when it had been already planted and was grown.
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“Reforming a complex institution like law enforcement is hard enough when you’re trying to untangle all of the real causes for a catastrophic failure. Having people muddy the waters because they’re pursuing some other political agenda makes reform harder.”
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The Iranian Struggle for Freedom: A Call for Global Solidarity.
Sign the petition here:
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FWIW, am enjoying balloon Twitter.
🎈🎈🎈
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“This really shouldn’t be a difficult question. But it speaks depressing volumes that even at this late date — with everything we know — even anti-Trump Republicans are having a hard time saying that Never Again Trump, actually means never.”
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Among those voting to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee was...Rep. George Santos, who has faced no disciplinary action at all.
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Ukrainian decathlete Volodymyr Androshchuk will not be representing his country at the Paris Olympics because he was just killed by the Russian armed forces. In other news, the IOC announces that Russian athletes are welcome in Paris.
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"For me, working on the founding of Israel has been a story of growing admiration for Ben-Gurion...his [practical wisdom] came from political experiences, but also from reading books...He developed an ability to see political things as they are."
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"A combined 67% of voters in the NBC poll say they have reservations or are very uncomfortable about Biden running for president in 2024, versus 32% who are enthusiastic or comfortable. (Trump’s numbers on this question are almost identical: 66% vs 34%.)
mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2
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Solidarity with the brave women and men fighting for freedom in Iran!
You can sign the petition here.
#IranSolidarity
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"Governments should take diplomatic, economic, and symbolic measures to punish the regime and bolster the protestors. All involved in repressions, from Khamenei down to Basij commanders, should be sanctioned. The IRGC should be added to terrorism lists."
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"Whitmer is plausible as a 2024 presidential contender only in the circumstance that would allow any other Democrat on the party’s surprisingly deep bench to become competitive: the absence of Biden...Circumstances could change..."
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"When I began to transition—it was not that long ago—it seemed possible to hope that, at some point, that would not be the thing that defined me. I wanted 're-assimilation' into mainstream society, not revolution against it."
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"A reasonable politician could appeal to the broad middle that wants neither cruelty to trans people nor the disestablishment of the family...A moderate approach would spare the populace from the cultural carnage and improve the lot of transgender people."
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"Trump was dog-whistling...Gone is the we’re-just-trying-to-protect-kids-and-save-women’s-sports façade, replaced by naked efforts to prevent transition for all, and attacks on therapeutic and medical systems...The agenda is equal parts fear and loathing."
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Walter Duranty, call your office.
"Orbán invited...reporters who would never dare to criticize him, but only nod with enthusiastic agreement instead. (This happy group included, in addition to Dreher, Sohrab Ahmari, Gladden Pappin...)"
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"When it comes to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s designs on Taiwan, it’s the smaller states of Eastern Europe that are pushing the boundaries on what democracies can—and should—do to combat the influence of tyrants and authoritarian regimes."
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"President-elect Pavel’s resounding victory is hugely significant for the West...Pavel represents a school of thought that believes the only way to uphold liberal democracy at home is to bullishly support those fighting for it abroad."
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