Ash
@ashbowie.bsky.social
Psychologist, photographer, amateur woodworker, intrepid explorer of the labyrinthine caverns of the mind, lives in Mt. Lebanon PA.
Just cancelled Disney+.
September 19, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Just cancelled Disney+.
"Political violence...is political cowardice. It means that you cannot convince people of the correctness of your ideas, and you have to impose them through force." youtu.be/HlIvH6ozvv4
In Wake of Charlie Kirk Murder, Sen. Bernie Sanders Addresses Rising Political Violence in America
YouTube video by Senator Bernie Sanders
youtu.be
September 11, 2025 at 11:43 PM
"Political violence...is political cowardice. It means that you cannot convince people of the correctness of your ideas, and you have to impose them through force." youtu.be/HlIvH6ozvv4
"You will never live in a society when you have an armed citizenry and you won't have a single gun death. That is nonsense. It's drivel. But I am—I think it's worth it."
—Charlie Kirk
—Charlie Kirk
September 10, 2025 at 11:47 PM
"You will never live in a society when you have an armed citizenry and you won't have a single gun death. That is nonsense. It's drivel. But I am—I think it's worth it."
—Charlie Kirk
—Charlie Kirk
I'm going out on a limb here—yes call me crazy—but I predict the SCOTUS will say that all of Trump's tariffs are 100% fine and dandy.
September 9, 2025 at 11:56 PM
I'm going out on a limb here—yes call me crazy—but I predict the SCOTUS will say that all of Trump's tariffs are 100% fine and dandy.
Gavin Newsom would not be my first choice for president. Not by a long shot. But right now he's polling at the top of the Dem party and beating both T and Vance. If he's the nom, would anyone on the left work to undermine his campaign, thereby helping the GOP nom? I'm genuinely curious.
September 6, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Gavin Newsom would not be my first choice for president. Not by a long shot. But right now he's polling at the top of the Dem party and beating both T and Vance. If he's the nom, would anyone on the left work to undermine his campaign, thereby helping the GOP nom? I'm genuinely curious.
Mamdani has been hailed as the new template for progressive leadership in the Dem party. But let's look at the mayor of the most progressive city in the US, San Fran, Daniel Lurie. He currently has a 73% approval rating, and is positive among all groups. Asians like him best; progressives less so.
August 27, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Mamdani has been hailed as the new template for progressive leadership in the Dem party. But let's look at the mayor of the most progressive city in the US, San Fran, Daniel Lurie. He currently has a 73% approval rating, and is positive among all groups. Asians like him best; progressives less so.
In my purity swarm I saw several patterns. Here's one: purity activists do not discern between their approach to advocacy and the thing they are advocating for. So criticizing their political behavior is the same as rejecting or opposing their political aims. This is done to...
August 26, 2025 at 1:31 AM
In my purity swarm I saw several patterns. Here's one: purity activists do not discern between their approach to advocacy and the thing they are advocating for. So criticizing their political behavior is the same as rejecting or opposing their political aims. This is done to...
Alas, the purity left have not learned their lesson. They are still waiting for their ideal candidate before giving support and votes, no matter how bad the MAGA candidate might be. Moving forward, we anti-MAGA cannot expect them to help. We have no choice but to seek a majority with moderates.
August 23, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Alas, the purity left have not learned their lesson. They are still waiting for their ideal candidate before giving support and votes, no matter how bad the MAGA candidate might be. Moving forward, we anti-MAGA cannot expect them to help. We have no choice but to seek a majority with moderates.
I have decided that I am currently anti-MAGA. This is a position that prioritizes any legal/ethical means of defeating MAGA and tossing them onto the trash heap of history. This is an existential issue for everyone and must be priority number 1. We cannot afford the luxury or selfishness of purity.
August 22, 2025 at 1:44 PM
I have decided that I am currently anti-MAGA. This is a position that prioritizes any legal/ethical means of defeating MAGA and tossing them onto the trash heap of history. This is an existential issue for everyone and must be priority number 1. We cannot afford the luxury or selfishness of purity.
Purity politics 6/8. A review of the comments on my last post will reveal many of the common problems with purity. Mostly a slew of irrational insults, sarcasm, and logical fallacies, especially strawman arguments. Not one person addressed my post in an accurate or honest way. Zero good faith.
August 21, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Purity politics 6/8. A review of the comments on my last post will reveal many of the common problems with purity. Mostly a slew of irrational insults, sarcasm, and logical fallacies, especially strawman arguments. Not one person addressed my post in an accurate or honest way. Zero good faith.
Purity Politics 4/5: When a Democratic politician starts to gain popular traction, some portion of the activist left begins to undermine them. It happened with Bernie in '15, Harris in '24, and now it's happening with Newsom. This is a reliable pattern.
August 21, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Purity Politics 4/5: When a Democratic politician starts to gain popular traction, some portion of the activist left begins to undermine them. It happened with Bernie in '15, Harris in '24, and now it's happening with Newsom. This is a reliable pattern.
One doesn't have to like Newsom to admire his epic trolling against the GOP/Trump recently. The Trump-like posts and tit-for-tat redistricting moves are brilliant and demonstrate a fire that liberals have been screaming for for decades.
August 20, 2025 at 6:04 PM
One doesn't have to like Newsom to admire his epic trolling against the GOP/Trump recently. The Trump-like posts and tit-for-tat redistricting moves are brilliant and demonstrate a fire that liberals have been screaming for for decades.
Purity Politics 1/3. The job of activists is to move the Overton Window by pushing the boundaries of acceptable ideas. As it moves, the public and aligned politicians follow the Window. This is how new ideas can become popular and eventually encoded into law.
August 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Purity Politics 1/3. The job of activists is to move the Overton Window by pushing the boundaries of acceptable ideas. As it moves, the public and aligned politicians follow the Window. This is how new ideas can become popular and eventually encoded into law.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Brooks is wrong, as always. MAGA don't love him because of moral relativity. They love him because he is cruel towards people they have been taught to despise based on the lie that those people are the cause of their misery and American depravity in general.
Brooks is wrong, as always. MAGA don't love him because of moral relativity. They love him because he is cruel towards people they have been taught to despise based on the lie that those people are the cause of their misery and American depravity in general.
Why Do So Many People Think Trump Is Good?
The work of the moral philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre helps illuminate some central questions of our time.
www.theatlantic.com
August 13, 2025 at 3:49 PM
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Brooks is wrong, as always. MAGA don't love him because of moral relativity. They love him because he is cruel towards people they have been taught to despise based on the lie that those people are the cause of their misery and American depravity in general.
Brooks is wrong, as always. MAGA don't love him because of moral relativity. They love him because he is cruel towards people they have been taught to despise based on the lie that those people are the cause of their misery and American depravity in general.
Pete is saying the right things—when Dems get back in power, the goal can't be to restore the prior status quo. They need to take advantage of Trump's mindless destruction to build new and better systems.
www.npr.org/2025/07/28/n...
www.npr.org/2025/07/28/n...
Pete Buttigieg warns Democrats can't go back to status quo after President Trump
Steve Inskeep speaks with former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg about distrust in government and the status of the Democratic Party.
www.npr.org
July 31, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Pete is saying the right things—when Dems get back in power, the goal can't be to restore the prior status quo. They need to take advantage of Trump's mindless destruction to build new and better systems.
www.npr.org/2025/07/28/n...
www.npr.org/2025/07/28/n...
If/when Dems get back into power, the #1 priority is going as hard and fast as possible on bulldozing the neoliberal infrastructure and pivoting towards policies that bring quick economic results to the working and middle classes. Otherwise, Dems will be out of power again, and everyone will suffer
July 30, 2025 at 5:29 PM
If/when Dems get back into power, the #1 priority is going as hard and fast as possible on bulldozing the neoliberal infrastructure and pivoting towards policies that bring quick economic results to the working and middle classes. Otherwise, Dems will be out of power again, and everyone will suffer
While this has always been true, it is especially true now: the #1 priority is getting into power, and as much power as possible. Period. All other considerations are secondary. We can sort out the baggage afterwards. No more purity tests. All that matters is if a Dem can win.
July 30, 2025 at 5:27 PM
While this has always been true, it is especially true now: the #1 priority is getting into power, and as much power as possible. Period. All other considerations are secondary. We can sort out the baggage afterwards. No more purity tests. All that matters is if a Dem can win.
In addition to a bold pivot to class, Dems must embrace some version of Klein's "Abundance" argument, in spirit if not in his exact policy proposals. Saying, "We're going to make things happen" and then following up on it is critical to building back trust.
July 27, 2025 at 3:01 PM
In addition to a bold pivot to class, Dems must embrace some version of Klein's "Abundance" argument, in spirit if not in his exact policy proposals. Saying, "We're going to make things happen" and then following up on it is critical to building back trust.
Of course Dems must continue to prioritize protecting vulnerable groups. But they must do so with language that also speaks to non-college types, focusing on fairness, dignity, neighborliness, and (as Walz kept saying), minding your own business.
July 27, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Of course Dems must continue to prioritize protecting vulnerable groups. But they must do so with language that also speaks to non-college types, focusing on fairness, dignity, neighborliness, and (as Walz kept saying), minding your own business.
Democrats must heed Joan Williams: pivot to class politics by embracing predistribution—raising wages, protecting labor, and investing in stable jobs. That economic-first strategy can rebuild trust with working-class, non-college voters turned off by elite cultural posturing.
July 27, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Democrats must heed Joan Williams: pivot to class politics by embracing predistribution—raising wages, protecting labor, and investing in stable jobs. That economic-first strategy can rebuild trust with working-class, non-college voters turned off by elite cultural posturing.
The only way forward for Democrats is to (again) take up the mantle of Class Warriors. And they have to do it with boldness and anger at a system that screws everyone for the benefit of corporations and billionaires. Then if they get in power, they have to start making real changes.
July 27, 2025 at 2:48 PM
The only way forward for Democrats is to (again) take up the mantle of Class Warriors. And they have to do it with boldness and anger at a system that screws everyone for the benefit of corporations and billionaires. Then if they get in power, they have to start making real changes.
I agree with Ezra Klein that Dems regularly fail to make arguments that appeal to people outside of the liberal, educated, activist class. Future strategy needs to include learning the underlying frames of blue collar/rural voters and speaking to them in their language. #DumpBeltwayConsultants
July 20, 2025 at 12:57 AM
I agree with Ezra Klein that Dems regularly fail to make arguments that appeal to people outside of the liberal, educated, activist class. Future strategy needs to include learning the underlying frames of blue collar/rural voters and speaking to them in their language. #DumpBeltwayConsultants
Feminist Joan Williams and ex-director of director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, have now both made arguments that the activist left has failed and that new tactics are necessary to combat the rise of fascism. Williams argues for a focus on class and Roth on universal rights.
May 21, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Feminist Joan Williams and ex-director of director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, have now both made arguments that the activist left has failed and that new tactics are necessary to combat the rise of fascism. Williams argues for a focus on class and Roth on universal rights.