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Found in Translation: New York Times Says Democrats Shouldn’t Challenge Oligarchy
A few days after the Nov. 2 election, the New York Times published a vehement editorial calling for the Democratic Party to adopt “moderate” positions and avoid seeking “progressive policies at the expense of bipartisan ideas.”
It was a statement by the Times editorial board, which the newspaper describes as “a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values.”
The editorial certainly reflected “longstanding values” — since the Times has recycled them for decades in its relentless attacks on the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
Translation: Stick to corporate-friendly policies of the sort that we applauded during 16 years of the Clinton and Obama presidencies.
To decipher the rest of the Times’ editorial, read Norman Solomon & Jeff Cohen’s commentary on The Edge.
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White Supremacy: ‘The Most Significant Threat that We Face from Extremist Violence’
In April 2021, the Center for American Progress and the McCain Institute for International Leadership released a blueprint providing a comprehensive set of federal policies critical to combating white supremacist violence.
The most crucial note in the blueprint is the need to curb white supremacist activities and infiltration in law enforcement, military, and veteran communities — the core government entities charged with embodying and protecting American ideals and security.
To discuss countering white supremacist activities and infiltration, the Center for American Progress hosted a Zoom event attended by Rep. Anthony Brown (D-MD) and former Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL).
Read a roundup of their conversation on The Edge.
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‘The Facebook Papers’ Confirm Commitment to ‘Profit Over Safety’
Whistleblower and former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen released thousands of pages of Facebook’s internal documents, known as “The Facebook Papers,” to various media outlets in October, revealing and confirming many troubling details about the company and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
“Facebook routinely makes exceptions for powerful actors when enforcing content policy,” favoring right-wing figures. Zuckerberg’s public claims were frequently contradicted by internal research outlined in these documents, which also revealed that the company knew its platform was used to enable human trafficking and that its “core product mechanics” allow misinformation to flourish on the site.
Read the full report on The Edge.
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November Elections: Youngkin’s Virginia Win, Democratic Losses
On Tuesday, November 2, voters across the U.S. cast ballots for off-year governor elections, mayoral candidates, and policing measures. Here are some of the most pressing developments in key states.
Virginia: In a startling defeat for Democrats, Virginian voters elected a new governor. After weeks of polls showing a deadlock between incumbent Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin, the GOP candidate prevailed, despite the state’s Democratic lean in recent decades and Biden’s electoral college win in 2020.
New York: Eric Leroy Adams, a former New York City police captain, was elected on Tuesday as New York’s 110th mayor, and the second Black mayor in the city’s history. Adams will take office on Jan. 1, facing numerous challenges as the city grapples with the consequences of the pandemic, economic recovery, and concerns of crime and quality of life.
Minneapolis: Nearly a year and a half after a white police officer murdered George Floyd, voters in the city decided not to replace their police department with the proposed Department of Public Safety. Voters also reelected Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey, whom progressive organizers have pushed to take more action on policing.
Read the full roundup on The Edge.
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The World Needs More Than Empty Promises from COP26
From a superficial perspective, the developments at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow would appear triumphant and encouraging. In a show of change after the Trump administration’s lack of interest in climate talks and positive climate policies, most of Biden’s Cabinet was present in Glasgow.
Over 100 world leaders have pledged to end deforestation by 2030. There was much serious talk about the need for “Net Zero” emissions, and even conservative world leaders, such as Boris Johnson, have given powerful speeches indicating they’ll be taking a serious approach to combatting climate change.
But looking at the COP26 summit through a more critical eye, there is more to be frustrated than encouraged about.
Read the full report on The Edge.
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Todd Miller Talks ‘Build Bridges, Not Walls’
On Thursday, October 28, journalist and author Todd Miller spoke to a live and virtual audience of over 60 people about his latest of four books on border issues, “Build Bridges, Not Walls: A Journey to a World Without Borders.”
Miller’s personal tales from the U.S. border and broader insights on global nationhood shed light on borders’ function as intentionally designed deterrents, which rely on violence to keep people away.
He explained, “the border is constructed for a displacement crisis — not a ‘border crisis’ — hundreds, or even thousands, of miles from the border.” Further, border militarization budgets are continuing to rise, even as nations ignore the existential threat of climate change.
Watch Miller’s full talk here.
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In Other News
1. Capitol riot committee can see Trump White House records, court finds (The Independent)
2. The Right’s Total Loss of Proportion (The Atlantic)
3. Democrats Hope Build Back Better Is The Answer To Inflation. Now They Have To Convince Voters. (HuffPost)
4. US prices rising at 6.2%, fastest rate for three decades (BBC)
5. Republicans who voted for Biden’s infrastructure bill threatened with retaliation (The Guardian)
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