The article, I mean. Two examples: first, it opens with Wendy Davis filibustering the anti-abortion bill. She won because she argued until sine die (you won’t learn that in the article), the state constitutionally mandated end of the regular session. She won because the Lege ran out of time to vote. Anybody with any sense in Texas knew that wasn’t the end of it, because Rick Perry just called a special session. Even Wendy Davis couldn’t filibuster for 30 days. End of story.Books like this are largely artifacts of liberal self-loathing, as perhaps the “liberal establishment” can only be critiqued by … reporters from the nytimes https://t.co/2vwB4KXMx7
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) June 4, 2024
Except apparently NYT journalists thought they understood Texas politics (or thought they didn’t need to). Because that failure is presented as an unexpected failure. And somehow, in the article, Davis’ failure equates with Hillary’s failure (in 2016), and RBG’s refusal to resign (and apparently her friendship with Scalia? What is this, high school?) to all add up to liberals failing to convince people Roe was in danger. Because Wendy Davis’ pink sneakers were a high water mark for abortion rights supporters. Until it wasn’t. And that’s why liberals lost Roe. Not because American culture is fundamentally conservative and fundamentally dominated by white males, but because liberals failed to warn us. Or Cassandra didn’t persuade us.
Because when everyone thinks things are the way they always will be, and are content with their situation and the status quo, it’s Cassandra’s fault for not making them realize the one constant in the world is change. The very thing they don’t want to hear. Ever.
Well, except for people who think they should be in control. Then they want things to change, to please them.
The more accurate analysis here would be that the liberalism of American politics from Kennedy/LBJ to Carter was an aberration in American history, and the national rubber band we have stretched as far as we could, has snapped back to original form. I’m old enough to remember when Texas politics was dominated by liberals, in the’70’s. (Texas government was actually formed in 19th century Populism, the liberals of the day. LBJ came out of that tradition in Texas. The Constitution established an elected Railroad Commission to manage the hated railroad companies, and tightly controlled equally hated bankers. By the time Spindletop came in, railroads were welcome (money talks) and the RRC, was handed the job of regulating the Texas oil market. When Texas was Saudi Arabia, and so controlled the global oil market. And pretty soon, predictably, controlled it for the oil companies. OPEC learned everything it knew from the TRRC. You’re welcome.)
I’m sure that diversion through local history equally proves that liberals have been at fault since at least 1854.
I said I was going to give you two examples. But the other was going to be Hillary, whose continuing failure is now her refusal to blame herself for what happened in 2016; according to the analysis. I use the term loosely. Her failure, of course, doomed Roe. Well, that and her failure to warn us enough to win in 2016, or otherwise later save us from ourselves.
I am not making this up.
JMM helps me bring this to the usual swift close.
Ultimately, this article and the book it is about, seem very much like the view from NYC. Nothing wrong with that; but it’s hardly the only view, or the authoritative position, or the highest tower. And as the article unironically says, it’s always easier to blame others than to try to solve the problem. Or to even see the problem for what it is.I'm not sure there are different definitions. It's a very expansive word. It's very weird stuff. I've lived in the professional liberalism space for a few decades and pretty much that entire time everyone has been running around with hair on fire about Roe. So this stuff just…
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) June 5, 2024
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