David W. Carstens
@davidwcarstens.bsky.social
Writer. Former Democratic Nominee for TX HD-66
Now, I'm just trying to figure out a way forward for our politics, our culture, and our world.
https://www.davidcarstens.com
&
https://carstens.substack.com/
Now, I'm just trying to figure out a way forward for our politics, our culture, and our world.
https://www.davidcarstens.com
&
https://carstens.substack.com/
1.) Newsom isn’t even sure that the reason the pumps ran dry is the one that’s being reported, so he ordered an investigation into it.
2.) My initial claim on this didn’t have to do with resources? Just that the place of the fire department isn’t to posture politically.
3.) We can always prepare.
2.) My initial claim on this didn’t have to do with resources? Just that the place of the fire department isn’t to posture politically.
3.) We can always prepare.
January 12, 2025 at 6:36 AM
1.) Newsom isn’t even sure that the reason the pumps ran dry is the one that’s being reported, so he ordered an investigation into it.
2.) My initial claim on this didn’t have to do with resources? Just that the place of the fire department isn’t to posture politically.
3.) We can always prepare.
2.) My initial claim on this didn’t have to do with resources? Just that the place of the fire department isn’t to posture politically.
3.) We can always prepare.
Unrelated to the debate, but the idea of just throwing shit tons of goats at a problem is awesome.
January 12, 2025 at 6:29 AM
Unrelated to the debate, but the idea of just throwing shit tons of goats at a problem is awesome.
We, as a nation, HAVE to get serious about expanding our infrastructure to deal with the medium-and-long-term effects of climate change, like these fires.
January 12, 2025 at 1:41 AM
We, as a nation, HAVE to get serious about expanding our infrastructure to deal with the medium-and-long-term effects of climate change, like these fires.
In the end, since I have gathered from some of your posts that you are, in fact, in California: I hope you and your loved ones are safe and doing okay.
January 12, 2025 at 1:38 AM
In the end, since I have gathered from some of your posts that you are, in fact, in California: I hope you and your loved ones are safe and doing okay.
sources for each of my individual claims.
January 12, 2025 at 1:36 AM
sources for each of my individual claims.
Nothing, and I repeat, nothing I have said should indicate that to you. You have failed to point to a lie I have repeated. You seem, to me, to be looking for someone to pick a fight with online. I said that its complicated, that fitting it into a political narrative is a bad idea, and then provided-
January 12, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Nothing, and I repeat, nothing I have said should indicate that to you. You have failed to point to a lie I have repeated. You seem, to me, to be looking for someone to pick a fight with online. I said that its complicated, that fitting it into a political narrative is a bad idea, and then provided-
If this is true, we're capital-F Fucked. I still believe in the ability to persuede, to connect, etc. If you don't believe in that, the future of Democracy looks pretty bleak.
January 12, 2025 at 1:35 AM
If this is true, we're capital-F Fucked. I still believe in the ability to persuede, to connect, etc. If you don't believe in that, the future of Democracy looks pretty bleak.
The idea that no one could have predicted this is disingenuous. There have been increasingly bad fires for years. Anyone who reads up on the effects of climate change could have predicted this would eventually happen.
January 12, 2025 at 1:33 AM
The idea that no one could have predicted this is disingenuous. There have been increasingly bad fires for years. Anyone who reads up on the effects of climate change could have predicted this would eventually happen.
I understand why you feel a need to police the truth on this, because there is a lot of misinformation going around. You're just barking up the wrong tree here.
January 12, 2025 at 1:31 AM
I understand why you feel a need to police the truth on this, because there is a lot of misinformation going around. You're just barking up the wrong tree here.
I argued that climate change is the primary cause of the fires, which it is. I argued that the causes of the scale of the fires are complex, which they are. I argued it was unwise to not give some credence to the concerns of the right, which it is.
January 12, 2025 at 1:31 AM
I argued that climate change is the primary cause of the fires, which it is. I argued that the causes of the scale of the fires are complex, which they are. I argued it was unwise to not give some credence to the concerns of the right, which it is.
As previously established, I did not repeat any lies. I argued that it was dumb to empty parts of the resevoir, which they did do. I argued that they have insufficient water distribution and resevoir infrastructure, which they do. I argued that they are overfocused on political performance.
January 12, 2025 at 1:30 AM
As previously established, I did not repeat any lies. I argued that it was dumb to empty parts of the resevoir, which they did do. I argued that they have insufficient water distribution and resevoir infrastructure, which they do. I argued that they are overfocused on political performance.
And while I agree that the current fires are uniquely horrible, it’s the job of a well-run state to over-prepare, which California seems to have failed to do.
January 12, 2025 at 1:28 AM
And while I agree that the current fires are uniquely horrible, it’s the job of a well-run state to over-prepare, which California seems to have failed to do.
I’d argue the lack of controlled burns (source: https://cepr.net/publications/us-forest-service-decision-to-halt-prescribed-burns-in-california-is-history-repeating/) and the lack of proper water management are both major political issues relating to infrastructure and natural resource management.
January 12, 2025 at 1:27 AM
I’d argue the lack of controlled burns (source: https://cepr.net/publications/us-forest-service-decision-to-halt-prescribed-burns-in-california-is-history-repeating/) and the lack of proper water management are both major political issues relating to infrastructure and natural resource management.
If you think it’s a single off-hand comment than you’re being overly Pollyanna-ish about how our side rewards certain kinds of rhetoric.
January 12, 2025 at 1:23 AM
If you think it’s a single off-hand comment than you’re being overly Pollyanna-ish about how our side rewards certain kinds of rhetoric.
I’m not even “both-sides”-ing the issue. I’m pointing out that California has serious infrastructure problems and a toxic political culture. But, man, you were fast to react against someone whose primary statement was the one you agree with.
January 11, 2025 at 7:50 PM
I’m not even “both-sides”-ing the issue. I’m pointing out that California has serious infrastructure problems and a toxic political culture. But, man, you were fast to react against someone whose primary statement was the one you agree with.
But like I said — you’ve made up your mind. I’m a total and complete conservative who hates DEI, for sure. I probably don’t even think climate change is real, or the main cause of the fires. Surely I don’t have a long and public record of saying climate change is the number one problem atm.
January 11, 2025 at 7:46 PM
But like I said — you’ve made up your mind. I’m a total and complete conservative who hates DEI, for sure. I probably don’t even think climate change is real, or the main cause of the fires. Surely I don’t have a long and public record of saying climate change is the number one problem atm.
with social justice performance rather than, say, spending the large budget of the fire department on increasing pipe-flows to prepare for this sort of scenario. The statement from their equity chief was a bad look, because it was about something other than fighting fires.
January 11, 2025 at 7:45 PM
with social justice performance rather than, say, spending the large budget of the fire department on increasing pipe-flows to prepare for this sort of scenario. The statement from their equity chief was a bad look, because it was about something other than fighting fires.
You’ve, several times, blatantly accused me of saying things that I did not say (example: that the fire department had its funding cut). Consider, for a moment, that I am a progressive Democrat, who ran, in part, defending DEI. I don’t hate DEI, I think California is famously overly concerned —
January 11, 2025 at 7:44 PM
You’ve, several times, blatantly accused me of saying things that I did not say (example: that the fire department had its funding cut). Consider, for a moment, that I am a progressive Democrat, who ran, in part, defending DEI. I don’t hate DEI, I think California is famously overly concerned —
You can hold to our narrative of events, but if large swaths of people are seeing and experiencing something different and you aren’t willing to even engage with it, you will never, ever convince a single person to reconsider the flaws in their side of the narrative.
January 11, 2025 at 7:40 PM
You can hold to our narrative of events, but if large swaths of people are seeing and experiencing something different and you aren’t willing to even engage with it, you will never, ever convince a single person to reconsider the flaws in their side of the narrative.
culture (performing beliefs that I do, in fact agree with, but performing them none-the-less). We agree on almost everything, but you seem to want to be mad. If we don’t start being honest with ourselves, Republicans will keep winning.
January 11, 2025 at 7:39 PM
culture (performing beliefs that I do, in fact agree with, but performing them none-the-less). We agree on almost everything, but you seem to want to be mad. If we don’t start being honest with ourselves, Republicans will keep winning.
You are radically oversimplifying the point I’m trying to make in order to sort me into some odd, conservative box. I’ve not fallen for lies. I’m saying California has serious infrastructure problems, and their failure to address them is, at least in part, due to a focus on performative political —
January 11, 2025 at 7:37 PM
You are radically oversimplifying the point I’m trying to make in order to sort me into some odd, conservative box. I’ve not fallen for lies. I’m saying California has serious infrastructure problems, and their failure to address them is, at least in part, due to a focus on performative political —