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Why are some liberals turning Charlie Kirk into a martyr for liberal democracy?
Holding him up as a champion of dialogue paints him in a false light to millions who might only know him in death, writes Lindsay Beyerstein.
www.editorialboard.com
My latest: Charlie Kirk was a gutter bigot who built his career on censorship and bussed insurrectionists to the Capitol on J6. Why are liberals like Ezra Klein trying to paint him as a paragon of reason and dialogue?
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
Somehow we’ve ended up in a position where the richest most powerful people in the world are innocent benevolent bystanders while a college professor with no tenure is part of a decadent and corrupt establishment that controls everything
The perfect Yglesias post: declaring “billionaires are good, actually,” as if it was some bold, counterintuitive take.
December 29, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Somehow we’ve ended up in a position where the richest most powerful people in the world are innocent benevolent bystanders while a college professor with no tenure is part of a decadent and corrupt establishment that controls everything
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
I like how this could be anything from an antivaxer to a Stalinist because everyone talks the same now
December 29, 2025 at 9:31 PM
I like how this could be anything from an antivaxer to a Stalinist because everyone talks the same now
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
![Comic. [Top panel: Long-necked dinosaur with red X over it.] [Bottom panel: two smaller dinosaurs the same shape except their neck isn’t long, while in the background there’s an extremely long neck criss-crossing the frame like a snake. Green check mark in center.] [caption] Thanks to modern paleontological reconstructions, we now know that most sauropods had short necks, and all those extra vertebrae belonged to the sauropod colony’s queen.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreigjcepbb3hjlvpjzmj6msuydmem6gdakkl5svr4kh4q7qi3c4m2fu@jpeg)
December 29, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
It appears the whole Putin “Ukraine tried to kill me with 91 drones last night” was entirely made up. And of course Trump repeated it and said he was mad at Ukraine.
Nightly Russia launched drones and missiles at innocent people.
And tried to Kill Zelensky every day
Spare me the gaslight
Nightly Russia launched drones and missiles at innocent people.
And tried to Kill Zelensky every day
Spare me the gaslight
December 29, 2025 at 8:41 PM
It appears the whole Putin “Ukraine tried to kill me with 91 drones last night” was entirely made up. And of course Trump repeated it and said he was mad at Ukraine.
Nightly Russia launched drones and missiles at innocent people.
And tried to Kill Zelensky every day
Spare me the gaslight
Nightly Russia launched drones and missiles at innocent people.
And tried to Kill Zelensky every day
Spare me the gaslight
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
It's a good commentary on 2025 that the US President announces a major military attack on a foreign country and even the straightest arrows think, 50% chance it's an attack, 50% chance president is on another cognition bender.
December 29, 2025 at 8:10 PM
It's a good commentary on 2025 that the US President announces a major military attack on a foreign country and even the straightest arrows think, 50% chance it's an attack, 50% chance president is on another cognition bender.
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
CNN broadcast audio of Trump obliviously announcing land strikes on Venezuela during an obscure radio interview last Friday
December 29, 2025 at 8:32 PM
CNN broadcast audio of Trump obliviously announcing land strikes on Venezuela during an obscure radio interview last Friday
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
little-known fact: folks MASSIVELY over-estimate how much $ is spent on foreign aid, ~20-25% of federal budget. they want to cut it drastically... to ~5%. figures from "Misreading the Public: The Myth of a New Isolationism," 1999, but echoed by more recent polls as well.
December 29, 2025 at 9:07 PM
little-known fact: folks MASSIVELY over-estimate how much $ is spent on foreign aid, ~20-25% of federal budget. they want to cut it drastically... to ~5%. figures from "Misreading the Public: The Myth of a New Isolationism," 1999, but echoed by more recent polls as well.
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
Putin in particular blames usaid for the color revolutions and his own near toppling. Thats why he wants McFaul.
Unfortunately he has also painted the UK as the ultimate existential enemy. Not sure how you walk that back.
Unfortunately he has also painted the UK as the ultimate existential enemy. Not sure how you walk that back.
December 29, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Putin in particular blames usaid for the color revolutions and his own near toppling. Thats why he wants McFaul.
Unfortunately he has also painted the UK as the ultimate existential enemy. Not sure how you walk that back.
Unfortunately he has also painted the UK as the ultimate existential enemy. Not sure how you walk that back.
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
also a LOT of foreign aid $ is spent right here in the US, especially food aid money from Trump-supporting farmers. again it's evil vs dumb.
December 29, 2025 at 9:03 PM
also a LOT of foreign aid $ is spent right here in the US, especially food aid money from Trump-supporting farmers. again it's evil vs dumb.
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
Every policy rationale is transient when you are Republican. There are no fixed beliefs except: accumulate more power.
December 29, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Every policy rationale is transient when you are Republican. There are no fixed beliefs except: accumulate more power.
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
Trump guys on Twitter are using Grok to “hunt” daycares in their nearest city to see if there are kids in them and, if there are, if they’re Somali.
December 29, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Trump guys on Twitter are using Grok to “hunt” daycares in their nearest city to see if there are kids in them and, if there are, if they’re Somali.
There’s also a long tradition of conservatives seeing foreign aid as a communist plot—even though it propped up more far right regimes than far left ones.
The last four words are also important here. The USAID cuts should primarily be seen as a eugenicist project. Elon Musk and the far right, generally, believe that foreign aid is a part of the Great Replacement.
This thought has been lingering in my head for a while but this tweet prompted me to write it out.
December 29, 2025 at 8:47 PM
There’s also a long tradition of conservatives seeing foreign aid as a communist plot—even though it propped up more far right regimes than far left ones.
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
very hard to imagine trump protecting a friend, esp when it's not politically expedient. outside of his children, he's treated every relationship as disposable or transactional, in service of self-gain or self-preservation.
December 29, 2025 at 7:56 PM
very hard to imagine trump protecting a friend, esp when it's not politically expedient. outside of his children, he's treated every relationship as disposable or transactional, in service of self-gain or self-preservation.
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
honestly I think it’s heartwarming that it’s still possible to milkshake duck as an internationally known icon posthumously at age 91
Chappell Roan shares follow-up story after deleting Brigitte Bardot tribute post:
“Holy shit i did not know all that insane shit Ms. Bardot stood for obvs I do not condone this. very disappointing to learn.”
“Holy shit i did not know all that insane shit Ms. Bardot stood for obvs I do not condone this. very disappointing to learn.”
December 29, 2025 at 8:04 PM
honestly I think it’s heartwarming that it’s still possible to milkshake duck as an internationally known icon posthumously at age 91
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
never taken a dime from a billionaire, I merely *incidentally* profited by publishing a complete horseshit story a billionaire wanted published, on the condition I do it on the platform he owns, so that I could convert the attention into subscribers on a different billionaire-funded platform
a lot of dumb dumbs at the Atlantic, but man, Caitlin Flanagan is on another level
December 29, 2025 at 6:45 PM
never taken a dime from a billionaire, I merely *incidentally* profited by publishing a complete horseshit story a billionaire wanted published, on the condition I do it on the platform he owns, so that I could convert the attention into subscribers on a different billionaire-funded platform
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
If only we had this thing called the United States Intelligence Community that could advise the old man.
Trump to a reporter: "You're saying maybe the attack didn't place? That's possible too I guess. But President Putin told me this morning it did."
December 29, 2025 at 6:47 PM
If only we had this thing called the United States Intelligence Community that could advise the old man.
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
How we beat back the corporate takeover of America:
1. Break up corporate monopolies
2. Continue building union power
3. End Citizens United and get big money out of politics
Let’s keep working to unrig the system.
1. Break up corporate monopolies
2. Continue building union power
3. End Citizens United and get big money out of politics
Let’s keep working to unrig the system.
December 29, 2025 at 7:00 PM
How we beat back the corporate takeover of America:
1. Break up corporate monopolies
2. Continue building union power
3. End Citizens United and get big money out of politics
Let’s keep working to unrig the system.
1. Break up corporate monopolies
2. Continue building union power
3. End Citizens United and get big money out of politics
Let’s keep working to unrig the system.
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
I went to Texas to write about the sudden end of one of America's most successful experiments: the six decades of welcoming India's most educated and ambitious citizens. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/o...
Opinion | One of America’s Most Successful Experiments Is Coming to a Shuddering Halt
www.nytimes.com
December 29, 2025 at 7:25 PM
I went to Texas to write about the sudden end of one of America's most successful experiments: the six decades of welcoming India's most educated and ambitious citizens. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/o...
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
"Norman Rockwell was antifa," his granddaughter says. (Fact check: literally true.)
www.thebulwark.com/p/norman-roc...
www.thebulwark.com/p/norman-roc...
The MAGAfication of Norman Rockwell
Trump uses the artist’s work—like other cultural icons—to promote Gestapo tactics and nativist ideas.
www.thebulwark.com
December 29, 2025 at 3:54 AM
"Norman Rockwell was antifa," his granddaughter says. (Fact check: literally true.)
www.thebulwark.com/p/norman-roc...
www.thebulwark.com/p/norman-roc...
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
The Russians have tried to assassinate Zelensky many times. Never seems to have bothered Trump.
Trump on a report that Ukraine tried to strike Putin's residence: "I don't like it. It's not good. I heard about it this morning. You know who told me about it? President Putin told me about it ... I was very angry about it."
December 29, 2025 at 6:50 PM
The Russians have tried to assassinate Zelensky many times. Never seems to have bothered Trump.
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
Look, I'm not "excusing Medicare fraud", I'm simply pointing out the fact that when Republican Rick Scott was caught doing it you silly fuckers elected him to the United States Senate
December 29, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Look, I'm not "excusing Medicare fraud", I'm simply pointing out the fact that when Republican Rick Scott was caught doing it you silly fuckers elected him to the United States Senate
Remittance of sins and forgiveness of debts, lads!
The funniest part is that the whole point of funding the crusades was to send your potential sources of domestic political instability (loud, violent lunatics) off on a mission where, worst case scenario, they were out of your hair for several years or, best case scenario, they died.
Far-right groups are co-opting the aesthetics of the Crusades for their own objectives, transforming an obsession with feudal justice into a campaign for a White Christian nation.
December 29, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Remittance of sins and forgiveness of debts, lads!
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
You FUCKED UP, your LEFTY politics have ALIENATED the BILLIONAIRES who run the CHILD BONE EXTRACTION FACTORIES and now they will do a MASS EXODUS from your STATE or CITY. Don’t CRY to ME when you no longer see their CHILD CATCHING VANS in your STATE or CITY, YOU IDIOT
December 29, 2025 at 7:20 PM
You FUCKED UP, your LEFTY politics have ALIENATED the BILLIONAIRES who run the CHILD BONE EXTRACTION FACTORIES and now they will do a MASS EXODUS from your STATE or CITY. Don’t CRY to ME when you no longer see their CHILD CATCHING VANS in your STATE or CITY, YOU IDIOT
Reposted by Lindsay Beyerstein
I simply cannot take popularism remotely seriously when nobody involved even tries to answer the question "what happened to keir starmer"
at best they point to a few policies they don't like, but "move right on social issues and immigration" is his main platform and look what fucking happened!
at best they point to a few policies they don't like, but "move right on social issues and immigration" is his main platform and look what fucking happened!
Keir Starmer was the model for centrists and popularists who insisted that moving right on issues, especially immigration, is how you win at politics.
Wonder if there will ever be any self-reflection here! Ah well nevertheless
Wonder if there will ever be any self-reflection here! Ah well nevertheless
December 29, 2025 at 5:19 PM
I simply cannot take popularism remotely seriously when nobody involved even tries to answer the question "what happened to keir starmer"
at best they point to a few policies they don't like, but "move right on social issues and immigration" is his main platform and look what fucking happened!
at best they point to a few policies they don't like, but "move right on social issues and immigration" is his main platform and look what fucking happened!