a Better Bubbleโ„ข

Kevin Drum ๐Ÿ•ธ

Maybe Democrats should ask Republicans only for the โ€œloanโ€ of their vote

2 years 8 months ago
In the 2002 presidential election in France, Jacques Chirac ended up in a runoff with Jean-Marie Le Pen, the odious founder of the racist National Front party. Many French voters found themselves in a tough position: not really liking Chirac, but knowing that they couldn't support the loathsome Le Pen. The French electorate did the ...continue reading "Maybe Democrats should ask Republicans only for the “loan” of their vote"
Kevin Drum

Meme of the day: Trump is a dangerous stain on humanity, but of course Iโ€™d still vote for him

2 years 8 months ago
Former attorney general William Barr illustrates a big problem for Democrats: Asked by NBC News' Lester Holt whether he considered Trump "responsible" for the violence at the Capitol, Barr said: "I do think he was responsible in the broad sense of that word, in that it appears that part of the plan was to send ...continue reading "Meme of the day: Trump is a dangerous stain on humanity, but of course I’d still vote for him"
Kevin Drum

Today brings yet another masterly discussion about wokeism on campus

2 years 8 months ago
Today the New York Times published an op-ed by Emma Camp, a senior at the University of Virginia. The topic was stifling wokeness on campus, and as you can imagine it was not well received on lefty Twitter. But it provides an interesting object lesson. David Roberts tweeted that the op-ed wasn't just bad, but ...continue reading "Today brings yet another masterly discussion about wokeism on campus"
Kevin Drum

Lunchtime Photo

2 years 8 months ago
This is the Hollywood/Vine subway station on the LA metro's Red Line, aka the B Line. The top photo is the . . . foyer? Lobby? Whatever. It's a large space with a couple of old-timey movie projectors and some art deco palm trees. The bottom photo provides a closer look at the walls as ...continue reading "Lunchtime Photo"
Kevin Drum

Omicron surge continues to fizzle out

2 years 8 months ago
COVID hospitalizations are continuing to plummet everywhere: I'm not sure why France is such a laggard, but even their hospitalization rate is declining rapidly. Within a couple of weeks, the US hospitalization rate should be at an all-time low.
Kevin Drum

Most Russians probably support the Ukraine war. Hereโ€™s why.

2 years 8 months ago
Do ordinary Russians support the Ukraine war? No one can say for sure, but a best guess is that most of them do. Why is this? It's not so hard to figure out. First off, as background, Russians spent centuries resenting the cultural and economic dominance of the West. They especially resented it because it ...continue reading "Most Russians probably support the Ukraine war. Here’s why."
Kevin Drum

White Christians of all types prefer Republicans to Democrats

2 years 8 months ago
Here is a chart from Ryan Burge: The most interesting part of this is that every single white Christian group feels closer to Republicans than Democrats. That includes not just white evangelicals, but white mainstream Protestants and white Catholics. It's only the white atheists and non-Christians who feel closer to Democrats. Also interesting: Every white ...continue reading "White Christians of all types prefer Republicans to Democrats"
Kevin Drum

China plans to ease up on COVID-19 restrictions

2 years 8 months ago
According to the Washington Post, China's annual work report is a little more militant than usual about "resolving" the Taiwan issue. The change from previous annual reports is the addition of “in the new era,” which I interpret as "taking over Taiwan before Xi Jinping dies." But that's just a cynical guess from someone who ...continue reading "China plans to ease up on COVID-19 restrictions"
Kevin Drum

Health Update

2 years 8 months ago
This edition of Health Update is a little less cheery than previous ones. First off, my M-protein levels continue to rise: My doctor reduced the dosage of my chemo med yet again, so this isn't surprising. But still not welcome. On the bright side, the smaller dosage does seem to have helped to keep my ...continue reading "Health Update"
Kevin Drum

The IRS has not been โ€œneglectedโ€ for decades. Quite the contrary.

2 years 8 months ago
The New York Times reports today on tax season: Decades of Neglect Leave I.R.S. in Tax Season ‘Chaos’ "Neglect" is the opposite of what's happened, as the body of the story makes clear: Tax-averse Republicans, who have spent years cutting the agency’s budget, have seized on the I.R.S.’s problems as proof it should not be ...continue reading "The IRS has not been “neglected” for decades. Quite the contrary."
Kevin Drum

Where are the pictures of the Ukraine war?

2 years 8 months ago
There is something peculiar about the photojournalism of the Ukraine war. I've seen pictures of missiles arcing through the sky. I've seen pictures of blasted out buildings. I've seen pictures of refugees piling into trains. I've seen pictures of Russian soldiers walking through the empty streets of Kherson. I've seen satellite pictures of Russian convoys. ...continue reading "Where are the pictures of the Ukraine war?"
Kevin Drum

Lunchtime Photo

2 years 8 months ago
A couple of weeks ago we were at the San Antonio Regional Hospital in Upland, where Marian was taking care of some administrative business for a relative. I stayed in the car and randomly shot pictures, including a series of high-shutter-speed photos of the fountain out front. This is one of them.
Kevin Drum