Grew up on Scene in the mid-late 90's. It's a tough business model these days, but luckily in Madison @isthmusmadison.bsky.social has gone non-profits (ala @propublica.org.web.brid.gy ) and is getting on stable feet.

The Trump bill is unusual in two ways;
*Unlike prior tax cuts, which tended to throw the poor a bone or hold them harmless, this bill makes them materially worse off
*It connects safety net reductions with tax cuts. There was a time politicians did not dare to do so. No more.

Definitely doing cute little human tricks with their paws!

There are equally bleak infographics lying around here somewhere ...

I agree with both the specifics/tactics and longer-term/strategic answer here. Specifically I don't think she helped herself by courting the right (easy to say with hindsight though). But I also agree with the idea that political goals should be focused and clear with tangible results.

I'm reminded of the (paraphrased) saying: if you want to know someone's priorities don't ask them, look at their budget. It's one thing to say "I support climate change" it's another to not provide sufficient budget to address climate change.

Agreed here, too. I think the two things you are really getting at here is: consistency and transparency. Again, stated differently: small (community) banks pay for their mistakes, big (multinational) banks get bailed out.

Do we just not do a good enough job of touting success or is it too difficult for a government to get that message to individuals in a meaningful way? Or, stated differently, is the government itself just not the right messenger of good news?