October 26, 2020

"But fears of a Biden presidency leading to a woke takeover misunderstand the way public opinion moves in America."

"Because Trump’s ample failings have given the most misguided claims of the far left a superficial veneer of plausibility, Trump himself has been the far left’s biggest ally. And if the Biden administration does overreach on key cultural issues, that will likely set the stage for a course correction—a cascade back to moderation. If you want to combat illiberalism, casting a vote for Donald Trump is the worst possible thing you can do.'

186 comments:

iqvoice said...

Do any of these fools think Joe will ever be inaugurated? It will be super-radical left President Harris, who because of her skin color, will be allowed to implement the far-left destruction of american capitalism.

Jake said...

The cited "attacks on America's constitutional traditions" are awfully weak.

Tom T. said...

"He probably won't, but if he does, he might stop."

madAsHell said...

But fears of a Biden presidency leading to a woke takeover misunderstand the way public opinion moves in America.

These are the types of reassurances that women like. They end up repeating it to their friends as gospel.

OldManRick said...

More dreck - Democrats have already told us how "woke" they are going to be on policy - kill big oil, defund the police, transsexual men competing in women's sports-- I could go on but you know the list.

I fear both woke and zombie takeovers!


https://twitter.com/TeamTrump/status/1320531087873945603

Jake said...

Straw men are the best to argue against.

Bob Boyd said...

Joe Biden 2020
He'll put America to sleep
Like an unclaimed dog at the pound

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"Trump himself has been the far left’s biggest ally."

True, in a sense. They've certainly been able to exploit the hysterical using his name. But to pretend the Democrat Establishment hasn't been eagerly complicit in that is laughable.

Kai Akker said...

The Biden administration -- LOL!

LYNNDH said...

Should have your BS tag.

Expat(ish) said...

Before you know what he's gonna do you have to elect them then wait for a correction.

Right.

No thanks.

-XC

Kyzer SoSay said...

I smell desperation.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Hahahahahah.

Just point and laugh at their transparent lies. That's all they deserve.

Gk1 said...

If Biden wins Harris will be president so this article is nonsense right off the bat. Trump is anti-wokeness incarnate, so this is a pretty easy call.

Dan in Philly said...

Most of Trump's policies are popular, so they have attacked the man. Allowing them to succeed will not trigger a backlash, it will set a precedent which future liberals will follow. Anyone can be misquoted, taken out of context, villified, and then blamed for being decisive. If future Republicans are more polite they will continue to be smeared.

YoungHegelian said...

This is the voice of the moderate Left trying to assure us all that they can keep the Far Left in check, if only we give them power.

Sorry, I don't believe it. Not for a minute. Show me an institution where the moderate Left has kept the Far Left in line in recent memory. What this is is rather a plea from the moderate Left to please keep us in power, fuck-ups though we may be, because Orange Man Bad!

Lucid-Ideas said...

Biden is so woke, he's anti-woke, and Trump is Hitler. Got it. It's a good thing I put this on a post-it and keep it in my wallet for consistent reference in case I forget.

What's emanating from your penumbra said...

More evidence they think we're idiots.

Big Mike said...

So the idea is that the way to combat “wokeness” is to vote for Joe Biden so it can get worse!?!? and the reaction will, eventually, result in “moderation”?

How about if we vote for Donald Trump, plus Republicans for senator, House of Representatives, governor, and mayor, and give a great big middle finger to the Karens, pajama boys, and AWFLs of the world?

gspencer said...

"If you want to combat illiberalism, casting a vote for Donald Trump is the worst possible thing you can do"

Makes sense if you're willing to practice George Constanza Opposite-ism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKUvKE3bQlY

Otherwise, voting for Trump is the best thing to do for Americanism.

Biotrekker said...

The Classical Liberals are getting pushed out of their sinecures at places like the Atlantic, TNR, The New Yorker (think Andrew Sullivan) and they have been completely powerless to prevent the extreme Woke Left from implementing their Critical race Theory and intersectional garbage. But they want us to put our trust in them to get the job done aftr Trump is gone . Ridiculous

Biotrekker said...

The Classical Liberals are getting pushed out of their sinecures at places like the Atlantic, TNR, The New Yorker (think Andrew Sullivan) and they have been completely powerless to prevent the extreme Woke Left from implementing their Critical race Theory and intersectional garbage. But they want us to put our trust in them to get the job done aftr Trump is gone . Ridiculous

Immanuel Rant said...

I remember when the Atlantic had articles worth reading.

But then I am very, very old now.

NCMoss said...

"If he wins reelection, the idea that racism not only shaped the country’s past but continues to define its essence in the present will become much more difficult to refute."

Let's hope the Atlantic is right on both counts.

Butkus51 said...

Oh please dont throw me into the briar patch.

Freeman Hunt said...

"And if the Biden administration does overreach on key cultural issues, that will likely set the stage for a course correction"

If Trump wins, consider that your course correction.

Steven said...

If the left wants to win, they should stop being crazy first. You can't do it the other way around. There's no way I'd vote for Biden after seeing what the left wants. Trump is obnoxious, but he's too ineffective to do any real damage.

Wince said...

Why does messaging that's supposed to get normal people to still vote for Democrats always reek of psychological warfare tactics?

DarkHelmet said...

Hmm. Just out of curiosity, what are Trump's "ample failings" as regards the execution of his office? I'm not talking about his personal manner, his tweeting, etc. But from his official actions -- what are the ample failings?

I'm liking his court picks. I approve of most of the executive orders he's issued, even though I'm not a fan of executive orders in the abstract. I think his tax cut was pretty good. He's done well in the Middle East. He's stood up to Chinese expansionism.

COVID has happened on his watch, but I'm not sure what course he could have taken that would have produced better results. COVID seems to be following its course all around the world regardless of what policies are thrown at it.

And, just no. The way to combat illiberalism is NOT to vote for Biden, who will usher in an executive branch full of illiberalism. And when Biden steps down due to his rapid mental decline we'll get Kamala Harris, who will double down on illiberalism.

Ah, the ways the lefty intellectuals go about trying to comfort themselves for doing what they know at some level to be destructive. Very entertaining if a bit obscene.

RK said...

These articles are just desperate grasps by the self-proclaimed "elite" to hang on to influence.

Todd said...

In other words: The beatings will continue until moral improves and chocolate rations are being increased from 50g to 35g per week!

wild chicken said...

Normally I'd agree, but he picked Harris. That's the wildcard.

I was hoping Obama would move to the center and be more unifying but instead he played the race card.

Is she better than him? I don't think so.

DarkHelmet said...

It appears that Yascha Mounk has not managed to fool a single commenter here. But I don't suppose we're the intended audience.

He's aiming for the "Yeah, I know Biden is past it, and I don't like the way Sanders and AOC have pulled my party to the left, but geez, you expect me to vote for Donald Freekin' Trump to stop the madness? I can't do it. I have to vote for Biden, so I'll just have to hope he can keep the far-left crazies in check. Bernie's gonna die pretty soon anyway, and if that AOC woman will just be quiet for a while we can go back to being genteel, wealthy socialists who don't run the risk of getting screamed at in restaurants. That BLM sign in yard really messes up the look of the place, honestly, and the landscaping was darned expensive."


Michael E. Lopez said...

I get very tired of these "Hey conservatives... don't you know that if you really want to win, you need to win by losing?" articles.

It seems like one pops up every couple of weeks-- election or no. I never hear anyone say "Gee we should elect Donald Trump to usher in the people's glorious revolution," though. NEVER.

Maybe the key to winning is really winning.

narciso said...

yasha monck was the cheerleader of the lockdown, comeone man,

holdfast said...

If you like your insurance you can keep your insurance.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

Just more concern trolling from the Atlantic.

Bob Boyd said...

Trump's symbol: The American Flag
Biden's symbol: a black mask

Big Mike said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kevin said...

This is in The Atlantic, right?

(checks)

Yep, The Atlantic.

Iman said...

LOL... that’s a sstttrrrreeeeeeeeeeetttttttcccccchhhhhhhhhhhhh.

PM said...

He's right. Remember how last week the radical left's power totally disintegrated when feinstein hugged graham?

Kevin said...

We've seen this game before:

While various moves have been devised for Monte, there is one basic move which is overwhelmingly used with virtually all Monte games. It has to do with the way the cards are held and tossed to the table. The dealer will pick up one of the cards with one hand, and two with the other. This is the key: although it appears that the dealer is tossing the lowermost card to the table, in actuality they can toss either the top or the bottom card at will. Thus, having done so, and while mixing up the cards, the mark will be following the wrong card from the beginning. The move, done properly, is undetectable. Even the shills pretending to play are often unaware of where the money card actually is without the dealer employing signals of various kinds to let them know where it is.

bagoh20 said...

If there were "ample failures" we would hear what they are instead of just alluding to them. So what are they?

Achilles said...

Democrats are just stupid people.

hombre said...

They never give up. Part of the pretext is apparently that people likely to vote for Trump read The Atlantic. The other part of the pretext is that there will be such a thing as a “course correction” from Bidenism.

Trump is/was the course correction. In response, Democrat Brownshirts took to the streets while Democrat Congressmen and the Obama DOJ/FBI engaged in sedition. There will be no non-violent course correction from Democrat excesses.

mandrewa said...

Bullshit.

We are having a fake election right now -- a mockery of democracy -- and things aren't going to get better in the future.

bagoh20 said...

The woke were throwing rocks, and eggs, and pepper spraying Jewish families in New York this weekend. I"m starting to think that when they call Trump "Hitler" they mean it as a compliment.

pacwest said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
pacwest said...

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. Demographic bubbles are what makes their world go around.

MayBee said...

What would Biden do to stop Critical Race Theory from being pushed in government institutions?
Or to stop trans athletes from competing against women?
Or to stop college men from being persecuted with dubious rape charges?
Or to do anything to curtail the "no person is illegal" immigration movement.

The first and third, he's already supported. The second I see him making no effort to stop, considering it was the Obama admin who first started going after high schools for creating separate locker rooms for trans students.
He's already indicating he thinks 8 year olds can know they are trans.
He's called Trump xenophobic about immigration.

Trump sends out bad tweets, but a lot of his failures have been tempests in a teapot created by the media. And that media environment isn't going away. Yasha is thoughtful, but he can't think the people who pushed Bari Weiss out of the NYT news room are going to just go away. But then, he didn't think they were going to leave the college campus.

bobby said...

Once Joe is in place, the Bernie Bros who are running his campaign and transition team will be taking over, and then the Sanders coup against the Democrat Party will be complete.

And if you're looking to the Bernie Bros for moderation, I have a bridge I'd like to sell to you.

SGT Ted said...

Biden will appoint woke fascists into positions where they can engage in their racist and sexist power trips over whites and heterosexuals. Trump has already outlawed critical race theory being used in the Federal Government.

This is simply more gas lighting by the Atlantic.

tim maguire said...

That's the latest meme I'm seeing around the internet--if you hate the left, vote for Biden. The insanity of the left is Trump's fault because they are driven by hatred of Trump.

It's BS, yet another sign of desperation among Democrats. But there is a sense in which the claim, "fears of a Biden presidency leading to a woke takeover misunderstand the way public opinion moves in America" is right--the election of Trump made very little difference in most people's day to day lives. A Biden victory will be equally irrelevant to most people's day to day lives. No mater who wins, on Nov 4, we will get up in the same house with the same family and go work in the same job the same way we always did.

It doesn't matter that much who sits in the White House.

narciso said...

right:


https://thefederalist.com/2020/10/26/head-of-biden-transition-team-endorses-blowing-up-supreme-court/

TreeJoe said...

This presumes the rest of the world sits silent and we don't have external enemies, only internal policies on a scale of left to right.

Reality has a habit of exerting itself and this type of zero-sum thinking of the U.S. as on an island is just willful blindness.

Amexpat said...

I do think that a general equilibrium will eventually be found that works for the US. The question is how much turmoil and damage will occur to get there. Predicting the course is impossible to determine - there are too many random factors that will come into play.

DavidUW said...

Yes, you must lose the war, become a slave, and then, only then will you be winning.

Fucking idiots who think everyone else is even more idiotic.

mikee said...

I, for one, approve the message that supporting the opposite of one's own goals isthe path to success. By this reasoning, every non-Antifa leftist should vote for Trump, because that will lead to a correction back to Howard Dean type Democrats.

buwaya said...

Trump is the "cascade to moderation". The normal political option.
But after him, if it doesn't work, is the counter-revolution, and, also, probably, the revolution proper. These things get complicated.

DanTheMan said...

>>Biden is so woke, he's anti-woke, and Trump is Hitler. Got it. It's a good thing I put this on a post-it and keep it in my wallet for consistent reference in case I forget.

Soon, carrying that Post It note will be mandatory in California.

Joe Smith said...

Pure garbage.

That's like when people were saying conservatives should vote for Clinton, and then everyone would see how terrible her policies are.

Yeah, that'll show 'em.

John henry said...

Is a candidate who announced that he will do no campaigning and will talk to no press or anyone else still a candidate.

Just read a NYT article about how wealthy the Biden's are. All legal but just barely if we believe them.

Is the press turning on "lunchbucket Joe"?

And what's up with the press referring to Jill as Hunter's "mom" or "mother"? She's his stepmother.

John Henry

Temujin said...

Like pretzels, twisting their logic around and around until it makes sense...to them.

Pretzel Logic

Greg The Class Traitor said...

"And if the Biden administration does overreach on key cultural issues, that will likely set the stage for a course correction—a cascade back to moderation."

Really? Facebook and Twitter decided that they're get to decide what we're allowed to say. That sounds like an "overreach" to me, or any other sane person.

So far the only "course correction" I've seen is that the entire MSM is backing them up, and suppressing the speech, too.

"If you want to combat illiberalism, casting a vote for Donald Trump is the worst possible thing you can do."

If you want to combat illiberalism, casting a vote for Donald Trump is the BEST possible thing you can do. Because the way you combat illiberalism is that you tell the Left they will get no power until they shut down their illiberal thugs.

When every rioted is arrested, charged, prosecuted, convicted, and punished for their crimes, we'll know the Left is once against serious about civil values and civil society.

Until then? Only the insane would give you power

Richard Dolan said...

So, when it comes to the policies that a Biden presidency will press, you can believe the Biden campaign or you can believe this guy who wants you to vote for them despite what they say. So go ahead, make your choice.

elkh1 said...

Biden's former boss would have said Mounk is a bullshitter.

MountainMan said...

Biden-Harris Administration + Dem House + Dem Senate + Court Packing + DC Statehood + PR Statehood + Amnesty + Quick Path to Citizenship -> Dem Control Forever

wendybar said...

BAHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHAHHAH!!! snort....BHAHAHHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHHAHAHHAHHAHHA!!!

Ken B said...

I dunno.

James Lindsay argues the woke operate by taking over administrative hierarchies. Hence the public debate is less important than who makes mid level staffing decisions.

Doesn’t Mounk's argument sound a little bit like appeasement too?

Birkel said...

One wonders what it is like to be so stupid or so inherently corrupt as to write that article.

MikeR said...

"More evidence they think we're idiots." +1

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Oh, and Dear Lefties:

Let us know when the Institutions you control, like Academia, become exemplars of liberal values, like freedom of speech, freedom of association, and freedom of religion.

Until then? No one who favors liberal values can favor you

Rosalyn C. said...

We've seen what has been happening in Portland, OR. The woke mayor wasn't woke enough. Haven't heard anything about him since he had to move out of his condo and go into hiding because of "mob" justice. Somehow the thought of Joe hiding in the White House isn't much better.

AlbertAnonymous said...

WTF? Vote for the socialists because only then can we see the error of our ways and FINALLY have the pendulum swing back to the center?

Seriously? AYFKM?

As they say, you can vote your way INTO socialism, but you have to SHOOT your way out!

effinayright said...

"I fear both woke and zombie takeovers!"
***********

I call them "the Walking Woke".

Owen said...

"...a cascade back to moderation." Marvelous word salad. Must remember.

Ice Nine said...

What bullshit. The article is a paragon of concern trolling, diminished only by its preposterousness.

BarrySanders20 said...

Political jiujutsu. Clever, grasshopper.

David R. Stewart said...

Thankful I've lived long enough that I can remember when The Atlantic wasn't so predictable and tiresome in its POV.

Russell said...

I get the rationale but it misses one super important point. When the left overreaches, they put in place bad laws that are nearly impossible to back out. So, sure they lose future elections, but they win the policy war because they don't give two craps about bipartisanship. Obama's policies in his first two years created nearly unprecedented GOP electoral gains. But we still have Obamacare. We still have the Dodd Franklin. And on and on. We are still living with the failures of the war on poverty. The ponzi scheme that is social security. Hell, even something like prohibition still has lasting artificial damage to the market place. Ditto the drug war (which is not purely a left wing thing). Bad laws are extremely difficult to remove. Hell, our health care industry is so messed up because ever more attempts to 'reform' it. Bad government generates the movement to create even more government to fix it.

Sure, a far left Biden admin may sow the seeds of their future electoral defeat. But , at what cost to the long term health of the country?

Bilwick said...

I'm so old now I feel like I've seen this movie or heard this record many, many times before. Essentially it's "Give the Hive more power over your lives and property, and through some strange political alchemy, you'll end up with MORE freedom!" Never seems to work out, however. Why, it's almost as if the Left is deliberately trying to deceive you!

Michael K said...

Blogger YoungHegelian said...
This is the voice of the moderate Left trying to assure us all that they can keep the Far Left in check, if only we give them power.


Yup. the internal polls must be really bad. Bernie and AOC are already picking out office furniture.

They are trying to make Joe the "generic Democrat" but he keeps opening his mouth.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

If you hate wokeness, you should vote for Joe Biden.

A Biden/Harris win wouldn't make wokeness go away, it would just put something of a lid on it and allow it to simmer.

A Trump/Pence victory is going to cause a wokness boil over, which means that while we'll have to deal with short term chaos wokeness will eventually flame out*.

So, sorry, but NO!


*And hopefully the resulting fireball will burn certain lefty elitist asses!

Chris Lopes said...

Not quite "The conservative case for socialism", but close.

stevew said...

"Ample Failings" made me laugh. I doubt it was intended as a joke.

This is how Leftists speak to you when they believe you see things the same way they do. It is funny because they all do it, and doing so exposes and amplifies their in-the-bubble view of the world. I suppose it could be a propaganda tactic, but doubt this author intends it that way.

Francisco D said...

Check out James Lindsay. He will vote for Trump, despite a lot of misgivings, because the woke Left will very likely take over a Biden Administration.

He made a great comparison of Biden to George Whatshisname, President of Evergreen College.

Fernandinande said...

I fear both woke and zombie takeovers!

If you want to combat zombieism, voting against zombies is the worst possible thing you can do.

sparrow said...

Makes no sense at all

Greg The Class Traitor said...

I think Bari Weiss (former writer for the New York Times) has some words to say about the "forces of illiberalism", and who is, or isn't, resisting them

https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/stop-being-shocked

n.n said...

Diversity of individuals. Minority of one. Woke and drowsy.

Yancey Ward said...

You could literally have introduced any potential worry to Mounk, and the answer would have been "the worst thing you could do is vote for Trump":

(1) If you are afraid systemic racism, the worst thing you could do is vote for Trump;
(2) If you are afraid of defunding the police, the worst thing you could do is vote for Trump;
(3) If you are afraid of global warming, the worst thing you could do is vote for Trump;
(4) If you are afraid of the Green New Deal, the worst thing you could do is vote for Trump;

As This Person writes, they do think we are that stupid.

Lurker21 said...


The "woke left" is very keyed up, edgy, hungry for action and change, right now. Is that all going to end if Biden is elected? Are they all going to see their shadows and scurry back into their burrows?

In the 1960s, electing LBJ only encouraged the left. Would electing Humphrey have calmed them down? It's possible. If Humphrey had won and ended the draft and the Vietnam war, the campuses would have cooled down. But there was so much expectation and momentum on the radical left, so much hatred of Johnson and contempt for Humphrey. Would it just have dissipated overnight if the Democrats held onto the White House?

We don't have Vietnam to get agitated about now, but Biden may not exactly win the love and respect of today's left.

But then there's the other side to worry about. How popular would President Harris be with the right or with Middle America (or even with Black America)?

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

With the Hunter Biden Expose, Suppression is a Bigger Scandal Than The Actual Story

Rick said...

Title IX is an example. The far left invented the requirements out of thin air, issued them illegitimately, and executed them incompetently. When given the opportunity to wipe the nonsense off the books Devos only rescinded the most outrageous requirements which left the insanely biased enforcement apparatus intact and legitimized its existence. No matter what the "law" says staffing the sex police with the 100,000 craziest radfems in the country ensures the bias and insanity remain.

So the idea a turn away from the far left gets us back to reasonable point is wrong.

frenchy said...

That's one off the wall cocktail of magical thinking and political jui jitsu.

donald said...

Joe Biden 2020
He'll put America to sleep
Like an unclaimed dog at the pound

This is simply the most accurate and succinct analysis of a Biden presidency. Brilliant Bob. I’d buy a t-shirt, I know that.

n.n said...

A vote for Bide/Harris is advocacy for global corruption, and pedophilia, too? Water Closet resists efforts to stop the overflow and clear the residual muck.

With the Hunter Biden Expose, Suppression is a Bigger Scandal Than The Actual Story

It's both: suppression and projection... all of the above and Biden's socially progressive adventurism to evade American standards of morality and law.

gilbar said...

so, let me see, if i've got this straight?

IF you are concerned about woke overreach, you should vote for Jo Biden; 'cause then there will be a backlash against wokedness and a return to moderation?

do i have that right?
The way to keep from getting something, is to get So Much of it that people will get sick of it?

Democracy: the idea that people do NOT want something, and they deserve to get it good and hard?

Sally327 said...

To believe this you'd have to forget how we got Trump in the first place, which was after 8 years of Obama and the threat of at least 4 with Hillary Clinton.

Yancey Ward said...

If you worry about ghosts in your house, the worst thing you can do is vote for Trump.

If you worry about static discharge, the worst thing you could do is vote for Donald Trump.

If you worry about Joe Biden's Alzheimers Disease, the worst thing you could do is vote for Donald Trump.

Yancey Ward said...

I can't imagine getting paid for such drivel- it would embarrass me.

Static Ping said...

Ah, thank you for my daily dose of concern trolling.

There is always the argument that you have do something counterproductive to trigger a series of convoluted events that produce the desired result. I believe this sometimes actually works. That said, if someone told me this was the plan and that someone was not God or perhaps Hari Seldon I would assume the person did not have my best interests in mind. In this regard, on the trust levels writers for The Atlantic rank somewhere below three-year-olds and columnists from Salon on the believability scale.

Gusty Winds said...

Sounds just like Gretchen Whitmer holding the people of Michigan hostage saying on Meet the Press “If you’re sick of lock-downs vote for Biden.” Democrats have purposefully held the country hostage with lock downs, masks, mask shaming, violent protests, and skyrocketing crime rates in the cities they run. Even if in places like Madison, WI you blame it on cowardly woke capitulation, why would anybody believe ANTIFA, BLM and the Critical Race Theory Hustlers are going to stop? Last week Robert Reich said we need a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission”. Sounds a lot like the French Revolutionary “Committee for Public Safety”.

bagoh20 said...

"It doesn't matter that much who sits in the White House."

That's true on some things, but electing Obama cost me my health insurance and my doctor both of which I loved, and now I pay more than double what I did, and I pay that every single paycheck, and when I need actual healthcare it's a pain in the ass when it used to be simple, cheap, and effective. It does matter. It's hard to see because you need to actually imagine what would be different with a different President for 4 or 8 years. It may take years for that to trickle down, but it's coming, and some of it is pretty quick.

The difference in the attitude and optimism among business people was palpable when Trump came in. It led to investment and hiring almost immediately that was not even planned if Hilary won. I could see it and feel it, and watched it change the business world around me for the better. The opposite will happen if Biden wins, and it couldn't happen at a worse time.

Bilwick said...

I wonder where Robert Reich's proposed re-education camps (of course he doesn't call them that) would fit into this "soft" wokeness.

Francisco D said...


A vote for Trump is a vote to:

Make Orwell Fiction Again

bagoh20 said...

According to Rasmussen Trump Jumps to 48% to 47% National Lead over Biden. Among polls, this is an outlier, but just two weeks ago, Biden held a 12 point lead in this same poll.

JaimeRoberto said...

Harris is endorsing a proposition in California to allow for discrimination, which will be used against whites and Asians. Tell me again how having her in office will work against wokeness.

doctrev said...

https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/book/stranger-in-my-own-country-a-jewish-family-in-
modern-germany

Little Yascha, born to a mother who is apparently a Romulan, never felt that he was regarded as truly German. Well, of course not. It's the same reason he's not truly American: because he is not one. Oh, he could be, but some cultures only ever pretend to assimilate into the American fabric. Lightly press them, and their true selves come screaming to the fore. Like many of his fellow tribe members, Yascha is very reticent to talk about his father, possibly because he doesn't actually know the man. That's all fascinating news, but please, little Yascha. Don't insist on being a public figure until you get all of your pathological complexes sorted out first.

Oh- attack the argument, not the man? First off, you're not the boss of me. Second of all, no author who ignores Big Tech's assault on the New York Post is at all credible in worrying about the NYT, much less press freedom in general. Thirdly, one of Yascha's complaints against Trump is that he gave a thumbup pose with Goya products on Instagram! Is this Hebrew retarded or something? Does he have some new variety of Tay-Sachs? Holy shit- our best and brightest meritocrats, ladies and gentlemen. Fourthly, the establishment isn't holding ground against Antifa and BLM terrorists. They're funding the burning of blue cities. So destroy Antifa the way we destroyed ISIS. Go after the money, and drag the leaders/ financiers screaming from their homes. Then starve the foot soldiers into submission.

Boy oh boy, I can't wait for my merit to earn a place writing for a major intellectual publication!

Gunner said...

Was it Trump who made Harry Reid lie about Mitt Romney being a tax cheat in 2012? Was it Trump who made the MSM depict John McCain as demented even though there was less evidence than there is now with Biden? Getting rid of Trump will do nothing to tone these people down.

Thuglawlibrarian said...

Sure....

Jupiter said...

This Person said...
"More evidence they think we're idiots."

Althouse made essentially the same argument just last week. "Give them four years, or maybe eight, and they'll no longer want to destroy our nation." It's actually true, for the same reason that if you gobble up a plate of steak and eggs, you no longer want breakfast.

Bilwick said...

" Last week Robert Reich said we need a 'Truth and Reconciliation Commission'. Sounds a lot like the French Revolutionary 'Committee for Public Safety'."

Indeed. I can imagine bring sent to one of Reich's re-education camps and finding it run by Commissar Inga in her Rosa Klebb outfit.

Gk1 said...

"but just two weeks ago, Biden held a 12 point lead in this same poll."

This is the week were the polls "tighten" so the media doesn't look like total assholes again like 2016. It's kind of the s.o.p. Run push polls all summer giving republicans 0 hope and then run more believable ones the week of the election.

The media already has a built in excuse that it was covid that threw off their polling this time.

Lewis Wetzel said...

"Because Trump’s ample failings have given the most misguided claims of the far left a superficial veneer of plausibility, Trump himself has been the far left’s biggest ally."

This is really dumb. Hard to believe an intelligent human being could have written it. It falls apart like tissue paper at the lightest touch of reason.

Super-reverse ju-jitsu psychology does not really work. Just try a rephrase:
"Because Obama’s ample failings have given the most misguided claims of the far right a superficial veneer of plausibility, Obama himself has been the far right’s biggest ally."

Sebastian said...

"if the Biden administration does overreach on key cultural issues, that will likely set the stage for a course correction.

Possibly. But what is overreach, and how could such a course correction happen?

Progs think anti-systemic racism and BLM are simply right, not overreach. They think men who think they are women are women, and anyone who denies it is evil. They already control the narrative, and there is little room in the media or higher ed for any correctors to raise their voice consistently. Nothing will be be "corrected," except insofar as some Dems may have to pay lip service to some old-fashioned ideas a bit longer, but only for electoral effect, as long as they have to pretend to take the Althouses of America seriously.

Prog rules rule. Trump is just a convenient foil.

Skeptical Voter said...

War is Peace. And this piece is pretzel logic.

Clyde said...

I'm certain that all of the brave journalists from mainstream media outlets and social media platforms that are investigating Hunter Biden's laptop and other malfeasances can be expected to hold Joe Biden to account.

/sarcasm

Darrell said...

If you want to keep your foot-job-giving niece, you can keep your foot-job-giving niece.

--Hunter Biden

Nicholas said...

The Atlantic managing to combine fear of what the real polls are telling it, with jaw-droppping cognitive dissonance. It's another variant on the Obama messaging that, for a tranquil life, vote Sundown Joe.

TJM said...

According to Trafalgar Polling (which called 2016 correctly) Trump is up by 2 in Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania and 3 in Arizona

BUMBLE BEE said...

If you vote for Biden, who will Kamala's Vice president be?

FullMoon said...

Meanwhile, progressive NYC has a "list" of Jews to summon and explain their behavior.

Seems like history repeating itself

https://twitter.com/i/status/1320792238335643649

Howard said...

You people are Losers because you have no faith in the USA.

Balfegor said...

I think this misunderstands wokeness as a matter of public opinion. Wokeness exists in in the wild on twitter and among college activists but no one would care if it were just in-group status seeking. It's a free country, after all. Or should be. It hardly even matters that celebrities and media figures get woke -- they're already scientologists or NXIUM sex cultists, or follow weird health fads or whatever that Goop thing is. People can tune it out.

It's only when the woke gain control of the levers of institutional power that they become a threat. In other words, they're not a threat because public opinion supports them. They're a threat because they can exercise institutional power without regard to public opinion (at least until the money runs out).

Now it's just corporate HR departments, the staff of the New York Times, and the censorship departments of Twitter and Facebook. Do we really want to see what happens when you let them run the government? And a counter reaction in public opinion . . . voting for Trump or against the woke is the counter reaction! How else is that supposed to manifest if not through voting?

JAORE said...

If you hate [fill in the blank] vote Biden.

Man, this journalism is easy.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

Courts. It does matter.

Robert Cook said...

"It will be super-radical left President Harris...."

Hahahaha!

That's as ridiculous a notion as monkeys flying out of your ass (the modern day equivalent to "a camel passing through the eye of a needle"), or a super-smart, always-ethical, never-lying, Christian Donald Trump.

404 Page Not Found said...

So, if we sum up the article:

"Vote for us and against Trump. Somebody will stop us from doing all the insane things we've pledged to do."

Not compelling.

rcocean said...

Using that logic, anyone who supports climate change, open borders, left-wing judges and antifa violence, should support Trump. After all, he'll "Over-reach" in which case they'll be a correction. Or he'll do about the same as Biden.

See how easy it is. Do people REALLY believe these stupid left/liberal arguments that ALWAYS end with why you need to vote D or hate the R's or be against Trump?

Robert Cook said...

"If the left wants to win, they should stop being crazy first. You can't do it the other way around. There's no way I'd vote for Biden after seeing what the left wants."

What do "the left" want, and how does that have any bearing on what the Democrats might or will do?

rcocean said...

Biden supports transgendered surgery for 8 y/o. He's as liberal/left as you get on social issues and "Wokeness". He's said "Antifa" is an "idea" and refused to attack their violence, except in a grudging, "Guess i have to do it" way.

If you're dumb enough to think "Good ol' moderate Joe" is just pretending to be a leftist, and will change in office, you're going to be unpleasantly surprised.

Joe Smith said...

"Hahahaha!"

So you're denying Harris is the most liberal member of the senate?

Pull the other one...

She's an affirmative action quota hire who slept her way to the top, stopping only to flunk the bar exam along the way.

Best and brightest.

Tom said...

We find ourself in a cultural game of tetherball. Electing Trump was a major smash by the non-woke. (Btw, non-woke doesn’t mean people who are against equal rights - it means people who are against PC and cancel culture and who think the woke-scolds have gone too far).

The Left’s response to Trump won’t be to slow the game of tetherball down - it will be to smash the ball even harder in the opposite direction. That’s what the riots and the lockdowns are for.

404 Page Not Found said...

I miss the time when The Atlantic provided readers with long, interesting, well-written stories on things they had never thought about before.

Now it's a worthless rag. Congratulations, liberals: you destroyed another good thing. Add that to the NFL, the NBA, university life, Hollywood movies, the Oscars, the Emmys, family gatherings, Detroit, and so many others.

Patrick Henry said...

I highly recommend listening to this Podcast about Biden and wokeness.

Godot said...

There is man in his entirety, blaming his shoe when his foot is guilty.

Michael K said...

Blogger Robert Cook said...
"It will be super-radical left President Harris...."

Hahahaha!

That's as ridiculous a notion as monkeys flying out of your ass (the modern day equivalent to "a camel passing through the eye of a needle"), or a super-smart, always-ethical, never-lying, Christian Donald Trump.


Moral of the story? There is no president who will ever be left wing enough for Cook.

If only Comrade Stalin were alive.

tcrosse said...

Let's be honest: a vote for Joe Biden is not a vote for a Biden Presidency.

Michael K said...

Blogger Howard said...
You people are Losers because you have no faith in the USA.


Howard, I have lots of faith in the USA. It's your team that is trying to burn it down. I also have an AR 15 with a 30 round magazine, just bin case some of your team find my house.

TheOne Who Is Not Obeyed said...

I see Howie and Cookie are busy keeping warm torching straw men again. At least Cookie is trying to repeat the Dem talking points he was given this morning. Howie's totally phoning it in. Maybe he's gone bot?

Lewis Wetzel said...

or a super-smart, always-ethical, never-lying, Christian Barack Obama.
Fixed it for ya'!

Matt Sablan said...

I tried the "if you really want me to learn my lesson, give me what I want," trick once too.

0_0 said...

Does the author really think this will work? that anyone is that stupid?

5M - Eckstine said...

The left should own the "idea" of wokeness and the actual people its killed in the streets in this election cycle. Don't try and foist it on Trump. That makes them all sound like sociopaths.

bagoh20 said...

According to her voting record,

"In 2019, GovTrack, a non-partisan organization that tracks bills in Congress, ranked Harris as the "most liberal compared to All Senators." One measure the organization uses is comparing how many bipartisan bills each senator cosponsors to how many bills they co-sponsored in total. Harris had the lowest at 15% in 2019." ~ CNN

Poor Bernie is only second to Harris in leftism. So, I don't know what standard Cook is using, if Bernie is some kind of centrist by comparison.

5M - Eckstine said...

Hunter needs to go full whistleblower and seek witness relocation to a rehab facility. He'll like himself better then.

bagoh20 said...

" Last week Robert Reich said we need a 'Truth and Reconciliation Commission'"

It's very telling that the left never imagines themselves being on the short end of such a thing. You know why? Because although they admit they would do it, they don't worry about the Right being assholes like them when they get power. If you just listen, they tell you how despicable and un-American they are everyday.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Biden wins - all his crimes are washed clean and all your criticisms of him will be censored.

You will not be allowed to know about Democrat crime.

Hyphenated American said...

By the same logic, if you concerned about systemic racism, white supremacy, and police violence, you need to vote for Trump.

Qwinn said...

I seriously don't get the perspective from which Robert Cook always, and I mean *ALWAYS*, denigrates everyone on the American left as not being nearly left enough. The notion that anyone, Obama, Harris, ANYONE in American politics would qualify as radical left always sends him laughing. But see, I am a child of Cuban exiles, and I know what the radical left is. I've read the Communist Manifesto multiple times, as well as Marx's other writings, enough to know that all the claims that communism is egalitarian are bullshit (everyone thinks that everyone qualifies as either bourgeois or proletariat, but there was a third category, *peasants*, which per Marx was larger than both other categories and those classified as such were fit "neither to rule nor to be ruled!". Guess which one you are?

But anyway, back to Cookie. Who qualifies as radical left in your mind, Cook, such that you wouldn't laugh at us for describing them as such? Does it require that person advocate for gulags? The actual abolition of the family? Making all monotheistic religions illegal? What exactly would be left ENOUGH for Robert Cook?

Bill said...

Did you know that:

The Obama administration’s OPIC authorized a $6.5 million taxpayer-backed loan for Frank Biden’s (Joe’s brother) Costa Rican Country Club project? Frank wanted to build casinos and a country club in Costa Rica and Obama gave him our money. (Google: Sun Fund Americas)

Obama administration then launched Caribbean Energy Security Initiative (CESI). Frank then “negotiated” deals to build solar facilities in Jamaica. Then Obama gave him $47.5 Million taxpayer dollars.

The rot is endless, but #OrangeManBad

tim in vermont said...

"According to a bombshell new report, ex-Biden associate Tony Bobulinksi will be joining Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Tuesday evening to play recordings of Biden family operatives, begging him to stay quiet.”

I wish I had Fox. The Bidens fucked over a few business partners, and it comes back to haunt them.

Drago said...

Antifa Fanboy Howard: "You people are Losers because you have no faith in the USA."

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Yes.

Howard wrote that.

Just now.

As if the democraticals hatred for the US and their love for Iran and China hasn't been on full display for the last 3 years.

But the last 3 years was all more than 15 minutes ago so Howard's History Reset has been triggered and he has already completely forgotten all of that.

n.n said...

Progs think anti-systemic racism and BLM are simply right, not overreach. They think men who think they are women are women, and anyone who denies it is evil

Some, Select Color... Black Lives Matter is a corporate sect of the Progressive Church, not unlike the Democrat legacy KKK.

Diversity (i.e. denial of individual dignity, individual conscience, intrinsic value) dogma and other em-pathetic euphemisms, not limited to racism, sexism, selective-child.

They conflate sex and gender (e.g. sexual orientation) and force normalization of the transgender spectrum: "LBGTQ", with the sociopolitical construct: political congruence ("="), and where the democratic consensus favors principled tolerance and inclusion, they override through a judiciary steeped with a quasi-religious (e.g. "ethical", special and peculiar interests) temperament and conflicts of interest in order to promote their quasi-religious doctrine of selective exclusion.

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

What if BLM/Antifa held a riot and the cops actually did their job and shut them down? In Bellevue, WA about 100 rioters showed up to shut downtown Bellevue down. The cops let the rioters parade down the streets and kept them from throwing objects and starting fires. The mayor proclaimed a civil emergency and banned possession of weapons (rocks, knives, throwing object, etc., but not guns), incinerdinary devices, etc. The cops corralled them in all sides, so they couldn't break windows or set fires. The rioters paraded around for about an hour before they grew tired and went home. Businesses stayed open, especially the Bellevue Square complex, which had been looted back in May.

BUMBLE BEE said...

With the How Can I Change My Vote search string leading the pack, I doubt those are Trump Voters.

Paul Doty said...

Wut? That reads like something Biden himself came up with, when he was tired at 10:00 am...on a day they short of adrenochrome.

bagoh20 said...

Couldn't resist passing it on.

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╚═╗╔═╝───────────────╚══╗║╔═╗╠══╗║╔═╗║─║║║║║║
──║║─╔══╦╗╔╦════╦══╗─╔══╝║║─║╠══╝║║─║║─║║║║║║
──║║─║╔═╣║║║╔╗╔╗║╔╗║─║╔══╣║─║║╔══╣║─║║─╚╝╚╝╚╝
──║║─║║─║╚╝║║║║║║╚╝║─║╚══╣╚═╝║╚══╣╚═╝║─╔╗╔╗╔╗
──╚╝─╚╝─╚══╩╝╚╝╚╣╔═╝─╚═══╩═══╩═══╩═══╝─╚╝╚╝╚╝
────────────────║║
────────────────╚╝.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

will there be more Turkey Funerals the last Thursday in Nov?

We've been told that only 6 people are allowed to meet for Thanksgiving, but 30 for a funeral. With this, I announce that we will be holding a funeral for our pet turkey that will pass away on Nov. 26. Refreshments provided.

In lieu of flowers please bring a side or dessert.

per Daniel Bobinski (www.MeWe.com/i/NewBookofDaniel)
@NewBookofDaniel

Rick said...

Qwinn said...
I seriously don't get the perspective from which Robert Cook always, and I mean *ALWAYS*, denigrates everyone on the American left as not being nearly left enough.


No True Scotsman. Claiming everyone isn't really left is his effort to avoid accepting the negative outcomes of their policies. It's very common, Paul Krugman does the same thing.

JeanE said...

I'm confused- I thought all the best and the brightest people were woke. If people who hate wokeness should vote for Biden, does that mean that voting for Trump makes me one of the cool, woke kids?

Rory said...

"...the "if you really want me to learn my lesson, give me what I want," trick once too."

The Partridge Family did this, and after a couple days Danny decided that he really should go back to school.

Jupiter said...

Qwinn said...
"I seriously don't get the perspective from which Robert Cook always, and I mean *ALWAYS*, denigrates everyone on the American left as not being nearly left enough."

You're looking at it the wrong way. Cookie's trip is that EVERYTHING is totally fucked up. Except Cookie. You will never see him make a favorable statement about ANYTHING except his own moral superiority. It is true that his criticisms are generally couched in Marxist terms, but that does not mean that there is some person, policy or state that he is willing to defend. Whatever you got, Cookie's agin it!

doctrev said...

Guys, at the risk of steel manning an argument that doesn't deserve it, Robert Cook is hard left- and obviously despises neoliberalism. He almost certainly watches the Jimmy Dore Show (as do I), and wonders why the hell government can't give every American healthcare. By those standards, Biden and Harris are unbelievably weak candidates. He'd be closer to the Canadian NDP than any faction of the Democrats. POSSIBLY less authoritarian than Big Tech or Hillary Clinton, though he'll happily guillotine the financial elite of New York.

If you can't understand the other guy's argument, you're not even in the game.

Drago said...

Looks like Team Antifa/1619 Project/Hate America has suddenly decided that perhaps, perhaps, the polls really aren't in the democraticals/marxists/LLR-lefties favor so its time to pretend to actually like America.

Too late.

Too. Late.

Dude1394 said...

No wonder the news media is on deaths door. Anyone actually paying to read that dreck needs a lobotomy.

gilbar said...

"Hahahaha!"

protip:
whether someone is more (or less) left than you, has Little to do with whether or not they are left

see also: absolute vs relative position
see also: some people are Absolutely Idiotic, and live in Cloud Cuckoo Land
see also: Robert Cook

Achilles said...

0_0 said...

Does the author really think this will work? that anyone is that stupid?

Look at democrat voters in general.

Look at Howard.

They figure they have a chance.

Birkel said...

doctrev,
I understand Robert Cook's argument quite well.
He is the One True Scotsman.

LakeLevel said...

No more mister nice guy. All my democrat friends and relatives are going to hear what I really think of them and their leaders, fucking idiots.

Matthew Heintz said...

. XX
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XXX XXXxxXXX XXX YOU
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Lurker21 said...


One thing about today's left: no folk songs (unless the occasional rap recording counts).

I don't know if that's a plus or a minus, but it isn't a pop culture phenomenon, like the Sixties left (or even the Thirties left).

On the other hand, there are enough radicals in the universities that the movement certainly has a long bibliography, if that counts for anything.

Lurker21 said...

Left and right aren't absolutes. What's left and what's right change over time. And what's far left or far right in one country may be closer to the middle in another. Our bitterly divided left and right are closer to the center compared to the extremes that have existed in the past. It does appear like one is stacking the deck if it's so easy to be "far right" that Don or Mitch or Lindsey qualify, and only anarchists or Stalinists are "far left" though.

kevin lenihan said...

The problem is not what Biden will do, or even AOC. The problem is that the Left is absolutely corrupting our culture on other fronts. Congress had nothing to do with schools all around the nation treating the 1619 Project as though it was actual history. It was no executive order from the President that led to various federal agencies launching leftist indoctrination programs. You vote Trump because there is at least he chance he will have some effect at stopping some of the nonsense. But at the end of the day, it's up to citizens everywhere to be aware that: a) the left is insane, and b) they are forcing their ideas on people, including our children, all over the country.

Phil 314 said...

You know maybe I could have considered that a vague possibility earlier this year but after the riots and the chaos and the "defund the police" and the Democratic leadership kneeling with Kente cloths and masks I concluded the "center will not hold"

Just like Joe thought Hunter is "a smart kid" and said nothing, I feel confident that Joe will do the same "whatever" approach

I think Trump losing will be bad news for the Democratic party as it will inevitably lead to a horrible fight between the far left and the middle in 2022. And the far left seems to have no compunction about who it will cancel, doxx and worse.

PaoloP said...

Lame

PaoloP said...

It's psychopathic blackmail:
- leftist violence does not exist because we don't report about it in our media
- Trump's reaction to a non existing threat is Fascism
- this Fascism could unleash leftist violence (wink wink)
- you are alerted: do not vote for Trump, or else.

Big Mike said...

Democrats are just stupid people.

@Achilles, the people who vote for Democrats — at any level — are even worse.

Will Cate said...

Somebody commenting above used the expression "concern-trolling" ... that about covers it. I have a hard time following the pretzel-logic Mr. Mounk presents here. But I guess it's similar to the idea that "CNN will miss Trump when he's gone"

DEEBEE said...

Ahh! See the cruel neutrality again. Since you cornered yourself into not voting fir Biden, so you say, you are going to reference soft porn articles against a Trump but not the soft porn against Biden — a la NY POST. Definitely sophisticated and interesting crock full of crap.

Larvell said...

It’s so convenient that the solution to MY problems is to vote for THEIR candidate.

JAORE said...

No more mister nice guy. All my democrat friends and relatives are going to hear what I really think of them and their leaders, fucking idiots.

Me too. I avoided most political statements on FB until a few weeks ago. The Charlottesville lie TOLD REPEATEDLY by BIDEN and unchecked by the media was the straw that broke this camel's back.

Drago said...

Phil 314: "I think Trump losing will be bad news for the Democratic party as it will inevitably lead to a horrible fight between the far left and the middle in 2022. And the far left seems to have no compunction about who it will cancel, doxx and worse."

What?!

Trump losing is the democrat dream as they will, with or without the Senate, allow massive inflows of illegal immigrants and will use executive action and election fraud to secure large scale democrat victories in the hopes of delivering the Senate to the dems in 2022.

And that doesn't even begin to describe how the left with the establishment republicans will work together to move aggressively in re-weaponizing the deep staters to target any and all republicans.

The masks are completely off and everyone should just stop lying to themselves about what is at stake. The entire democrat contingent in DC has already openly stated what they intend to do and those steps will end the Republic and create a permanent-one party nation.

Cormac Kehoe said...

James Lindsay has the better argument. A Biden win emboldens the CRT folkx, who will take over the left.