That may be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen.

(Also: those shorts cost $1,000?!)

(I had the opposite opinion last night, btw. I was livid about the Dems caving! But today I feel differently.)

It's also worth pointing out: politics never stops. There was never going to be a point at which we could declare victory and go home on any of these -- not on the ACA, not on the RIFs, or any Dem priority, at least for the next 3 years. We are where we are, and we make the progress we can.

The only honest answer is, "it depends." On whether the language included in the bill re: staving off RIFs actually handcuffs Vought, and on the vote on ACA subsidies in December. Most are assuming it's DOA right now; imo, there's a non-zero chance it goes much differently.

This may be cold comfort, but I think the Dems’ striking while the iron was hot re: ACA subsidies was still the smart (and right) thing to do. I don’t see how they could have banged that drum louder, or left a more indelible impression in voters’ minds as to who’s responsible for that mess.

CC: @bluestein.bsky.social ☝️

If that’s the case, people are gonna start asking why the hell we did this in the first place. (And they’ll be right.)

Surely the Dems know that the moment the ink is dry on this, Trump, the Congressional GOP + the whole right-wing media machine is going to be howling nonstop with how they caved, right?

One of the wealthiest men in the world is apparently afraid to criticize Fuentes? That’s… interesting 🤔

Who can afford to save a meaningful enough amount in an HSA, though?

@schnorkles.bsky.social Your thoughts?

Which (it sounds like) he has

Meanwhile...

Ahhh, Sean Duffy. The REAL victim in all of this.

In all honesty, what did they (the GOP) think was going to happen when they voted for all these healthcare cuts and to end the ACA subsidies? This isn't just cruel and heartless and shifting money from the poor + middle class to the rich -- it's mind-boggling political malpractice.

Wow. For those of us looking for the silver lining in this, "a weak though not collapsing labor market" is a pretty slender reed to hang your hopes on.

Oh I believe everything you're saying. It just makes me deeply sad how cynical the place sounds. I was a reporter once too, and looked up to the NYT as the pinnacle of American journalism. It sounds completely soul-crushing.

I wonder if all you're describing is even more the case now, seeing that they're basically the only (or one of very few) big establishment media institutions that's doing well financially. Journalists have far fewer options today than they did 20 or 30 years ago.

Who is the "them" in this scenario?