The Atlantic: Twitter Is a Far-Right Social Network

Pensito Editors

The Atlantic: “As a public figure, [Twitter owner Elon Musk] has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the right’s culture war against progressivism—which he refers to as “the woke mind virus”—and his $44 billion Twitter purchase can easily be seen as an explicitly political act to advance this specific ideology. Now the site itself has unquestionably transformed under his leadership into an alternative social-media platform—one that offers a haven to far-right influencers and advances the interests, prejudices, and conspiracy theories of the right wing of American politics…

“Twitter is essentially following the playbook of platforms like Rumble, which used to be the go-tos for canceled and deplatformed right-wingers seeking a soft landing and the promise of revenue. Like Rumble, which pivoted from a struggling YouTube alternative into a full-fledged far-right platform in the late 2010s, Twitter appears to be dipping into the well of popular right-wing shock jocks as a way to revive the financially adrift website…

“If Musk weren’t too preoccupied lapping up approval from trolls, reactionaries, and Dogecoin enthusiasts—a few of the constituencies left on his site that still seem to adore him—the Parler statement should worry him. Right-wing alt-tech platforms may attract investors and a flood of indignant new users with persecution complexes, but they are, ultimately, bad businesses.”

Target Bows to Right-Wing Terror Threats, Pulls Trans and Gay Items from Shelves

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AP: “Target is removing certain items from its stores and making other changes to its LGBTQ+ merchandise nationwide ahead of Pride month, after an intense backlash from some customers including violent confrontations with its workers.

“’Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,’ Target said in a statement Tuesday. ‘Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior.’

“Target declined to say which items it was removing but among the ones that garnered the most attention were ‘tuck friendly’ women’s swimsuits that allow trans women who have not had gender-affirming operations to conceal their private parts. Designs by Abprallen, a London-based company that designs and sells occult- and satanic-themed LGBTQ+ clothing and accessories, have also created backlash.”

NAACP Hits the Wingnut Outrage Button

Buck Banks

stardem.com

From The Daily Beast’s Confider:

While claiming Gov. Ron Desantis (R-FL) has shown that “African Americans are not welcome” in his state, the NAACP recently advised people of color against traveling to Florida due to the state’s “sustained, blatant, relentless, and systemic attack on democracy and civil rights.” Naturally this prompted the expected outcry from Republicans and conservative media, with Fox News and Newsmax mentioning it more than 30 times by Monday afternoon, but some prominent right-wing media stars decided to use it as an opportunity to go in a decidedly more ugly and racist direction. “Five minutes after the advisory went up, 49 of the governors called the NAACP [and] asked if they could be added to the list,” beleaguered shock jock Steven Crowder “joked” on Monday. His co-host Nick DiPaolo took it even further, adding: “Some people say good, you know, stay the hell away. It’s the Sunshine State and you guys obviously don’t need any more sunshine. Look at you.” Far-right podcaster Matt Walsh, meanwhile, insisted that white people never commit crimes against Black people but that “Black people committing crimes against white people for sport is common.” Walsh’s Daily Wire colleague Candace Owens also trafficked in racist stereotypes, saying the NAACP travel advisory “probably means that everybody’s property is going to be valued much higher in the state of Florida.”

The GOP Is the Party of ‘F**k You’

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Mediaite.com

David Rothkopf has an excellent — if expletive-laden (but that’s the point) — opinion piece in the Daily Beast wherein he explains how the Grand Old Party became the party of “fuck you.” how it went from being a true political party with a philosophy to being “a nihilistic, corrupt, fake populist scam.”

The Republican Party has become the party of “Fuck you.” “Fuck you” is the motivation of its alienated voters. It is its legislative strategy. It is its views toward the laws and Constitution of the United States. It is its reaction to morality and values. It is its foreign policy mantra with our allies. “Fuck you” is even its message to the historians of the future.

Sadly, we live in an age in which the political discourse of the United States results in every idea floated by Democrats, independents, and even the elusive “reasonable Republicans,” in which every constructive thought floated about the direction our country should take, or how we should behave, or why the law matters is met by a chorus of Republican leaders with their signature “Fuck you.”

As a New Jerseyite, I worry they will discredit the term so much that we will have to find another way to express ourselves. My concern is due to the fact that the MAGA-ized GOP has only gotten more outrageous… which is to say more committed to the politics of outrage, to obliterating norms of decency, as the signature activities to which they devote themselves.

They do it because their base is angry. They do it because it drives social media wild. They do it because they have no ideas and their leaders are profoundly immoral, disgusting people.

As a denizen of New Jersey, Rothkopf knows what of he speaks.

Poll Finds Growing Dem Support for Biden

Comes on the heels of a Washington Post/ABC News poll that showed Biden trailing Trump by 6 points

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Yahoo! News: “Yahoo News and YouGov found that 43% of Americans currently approve of the president’s performance in office while 48% disapprove, a negative margin of just 5 points.

“Among registered voters, the gap was even smaller: 47% approve to 50% disapprove. And Biden (45%) continues to cling to a slight edge over both Trump (43%) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (42%) on the question of whom voters would choose if the 2024 election were held today…

“Far from collapsing at the official start of his 2024 effort, then, Biden’s job approval and standing against his potential Republican rivals have remained remarkably consistent. If anything, the president has shown some small signs of improvement in recent weeks.”

Tucker Carlson Yearned for Beating Death of Antifascist: ‘I Could Smell Blood’

In the Test that Got Him Fired

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Tucker Carlson’s text: “A couple of weeks ago, I was watching video of people fighting on the street in Washington. A group of Trump guys surrounded an Antifa kid and started pounding the living shit out of him. It was three against one, at least. Jumping a guy like that is dishonorable obviously. It’s not how white men fight. Yet suddenly I found myself rooting for the mob against the man, hoping they’d hit him harder, kill him. I really wanted them to hurt the kid. I could taste it.”


[…]

Steve Schmidt: Ron DeSantis’ Campaign Has Collapsed ‘under the Weight of His Disordered Personality’

Schmidt: 'It's Over'

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Excerpt from “The Warning” by Steve Schmidt Starts at 0:40:

Watching Ron DeSantis’ belly flop onto the empty concrete of the proverbially empty pool has been astonishing. It is very very rare to see a loss of 30 points. There hasn’t been a debate. The campaign hasn’t effectively started, and he’s collapsed under the weight of his disorder personality.

The newspapers are filled with stories. Ron DeSantis doesn’t like to talk to people. Ron DeSantis doesn’t like to make phone calls. Marco Rubio talked about the fact in the Wall Street Journal story that details the 30 point point collapse that he hasn’t talked to the governor of his state in months…

Not only does Trump have a score of congressional endorsements a few months later, while his behavior has become more outrageous, more dangerous and more unhnged. eight of those congressional endorsements are from the state of Florida.

Ron DeSantis just isn’t ready for prime time. He has no path to a comeback. He’s an extremely poor debater. It’s over.

Three Travel Advisories are in Effect for Florida Because of Its War on “Woke”

The Legislature Continues to Focus on Issues Gov. DeSantis Can Boast About on the Campaign Trail

Trish

Equality Florida logoA third travel advisory has been issued for Florida. Equality Florida, the state’s largest organization devoted to fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender idenity, is warning not to visit or relocate to Florida. The group joins The Florida Immigrant Coalition and state chapters of the NAACP in the same message:

Don’t come to Florida

The move comes in response to…the passage of laws that are hostile to the LGBTQ community, restrict access to reproductive health care, repeal gun safety laws, foment racial prejudice, and attack public education by banning books and censoring curriculum.

Florida’s legislature continues to churn out culture war laws devised by Gov. Ron DeSantis. One source from within the body even told a Politico Florida reporter that the governor’s office must sign off on any changes to bills as they work through the legislature.

Florida’s elected Republicans find themselves ignoring serious problems like a crisis in homeowners insurance that is causing Florida residents to sell their homes. They have also produced no bills dealing with climate change even as the Fort Lauderdale airport had to be shut down from torrential rain and flooding. Instead, they focus on issues that Ron DeSantis wants to be able to boast about in his primary challenge to disgraced former Pres. Trump.