Also, I’m not sure if Politico thinks of insincerity as something to be overcome, as much as there’s a post-Trumpian awareness that it doesn’t need to be overcome…if one can craft a compelling persona that is open about its insincerity.

I also think the other big hook of the article is that Newsom uniquely gets social media in a way that makes him an ideal candidate for the Dems…but that hook has to ignore, for example, AOC’s superior and earlier facility with it.

This serves those in power, and the artistic people who also aspire to privilege, and perhaps, worst of al,l this serves us.

For even if we give the writer the most savage of online roastings, the most we've done is burn only what's been offered as sacrifice.

And so nothing changes. 3/3

The subjects are given benefits of the doubt they would not have otherwise earned.

And we as readers—by being emotionally moved on a topic we were otherwise decided one—are given leave to do nothing, to neither judge nor condemn the mechanisms of power. 2/3 (sorry!)

Congratulations!

(Someone may have cut crucial corners on the ALT text, tho)

John Milius’ Barton Fink might be largely the same!

WEREWOLF ON A CRUISE SHIP

I think it would be helpful today to remember the No. 1 rule of American political punditry: Nothing can *ever* be a good development for the Democratic Party.

Yeah, so heartily agreed!