Why did Bush admin embed reporters in Iraq? To narrow aperture of frame: make reporting be how war was fought & not questioning motives & legitimacy of it. And to have reporters become dependent on troops for safety & therefore unable to have objectivity.

If you're hungry for way more, here's my full breakdown of some of what I raise below.
www.weekendreading.net/p/bringing-a...

The appropriate Democratic response is that the president is out of control.

You don’t need to repeat his Maduro talking points. Stop being pussies.

Bombing another country and kidnapping its leader would also be wrong with Congressional approval. The outrage, and call for impeachment, should be over the evil and illegal outcome not merely the failure to follow the prescribed process.

This is a very good read, and worth sharing with anyone you know who is preparing a run for office in 2026.

These insights are consistent with the research that @waytowinus.bsky.social conducted on the missing Biden voters from 2020 who didn't show up in 2024 -- they don't want Democrats to be more "moderate," they want candidates who will fight for them and prioritize their issues.

In my county Dems and the GOP have been losing voter registration as people are increasingly registering independent. These folks are not centrists or moderates! They are angry at a political system that doesn't care about them, and they are insulted when we try to serve them centrist pablum.

This is a truly excellent analysis of a major problem plaguing Democratic strategy 👇

Key insight from Biden pollster Celinda Lake on this kind of language:

When we deride bold policies as “unrealistic” or “unaffordable,” swing voters hear “bullshit.”

They believe:

1) Trump is delivering the unimaginable daily;

2) Taxing the rich + corporations would pay for it.

Key insight from Biden pollster Celinda Lake:

When we deride bold policies as “unrealistic” or “unaffordable,” swing voters hear “bullshit.” It's electoral poison.

They believe:

1) Trump is delivering the unimaginable daily;

2) Taxing the rich + corporations would pay for it.

Something Dem pollsters want to *scream* at the party: Stop imagining swing voters as centrists!

They're largely idiosyncratic, anti-system, economics-focused and think both parties are corrupt.

“You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve heard in focus groups!” –
@admcrlsn.bsky.social

We spoke to five Democratic messaging gurus on how to win big against Trump on affordability.

They seemed exasperated – not with voters, but with the party.

Four things they’re *desperate* for us to internalize 🧵

(feat. @anatosaurus.bsky.social, @admcrlsn.bsky.social and @celindalake.bsky.social)