Thank you for saying this. All of this. I want to see Dems relentlessly staking out positions based on truth rather than partisanship. If we on the left could do more of what you do in this article — be willing to acknowledge facts that aren’t always in our political favor — then I think we could win back some trust from the people who swung to Trump from Biden in 2024 AND take a lot of wind out of the sails of the people on the right who want to paint us as out of touch softies.
Exactly!! I’m soooo frustrated with both left wing politicians AND news outlets (I’m looking at you NYT - although they’ve maybe been making a bit more effort lately?) who seem to willfully refuse to examine things from different perspectives and I think it’s costing us votes
i absolutely do not identify as someone in the middle or moderate (i think im very left/progressive), but i agree with so much of what you just wrote. i had hope that trump would keep us out of wars, and RFK for all his stupidity would do something good for our health despite himself. alas. i really think a violent revolution based on class is within our lifetime, with this bill as a major catalyst. i doubt the bill will have social ramifications towards class revolt for many years, but it will come with time and hindsight
We can’t go on like this. That’s for sure. I’ve even seen some billionaires on social saying we better change things fast because they’d rather keep their heads 🤣
I can’t say you really changed my mind on anything, but I really enjoyed reading a piece that sums up my thoughts and feelings so well. Though I was just as fatigued by liberal culture, I didn’t vote for DT and thought that it would likely be a disaster. But when he was elected I kept saying over and over “I am willing to be wrong, I hope I am wrong,” because the echo chamber/tribalism is a problem bigger than one election, a really hard one to overcome in oneself, let alone culturally. I am still willing to be wrong, but my god, if it hasn’t become exponentially harder to have faith in that possibility (which honestly was already really difficult in November!) Thanks for this!
Thank you for writing! Sharing about politics is so brave because people are so opinionated. As a leftist/liberal, I agree with 99% of what you said. More importantly, I want to read things that don’t only reinforce my point of view, but question it too.
Also a middle person who has inhabited both worlds (hometown VS career space) and it's so hard to see the extremity of both sides. Really appreciate and am alarmed by this breakdown.
Thanks for writing this. I also consider myself in the middle, even though I have consistently voted democrat (I might have voted for Nikki Haley has she won the nomination). The Fugly Turd bill is a moral abomination. It is just devastating to see this pass. Let's vote out these assholes in the midterms!
The comments section of this article made me feel more hopeful than anything related to politics has in a long time. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I wish Substack had the option for a ‼️ reaction, I would have used it for every paragraph of this piece.
This was great thanks Elena - The most frustrating part of the betrayal on the economic and war campaigns for me is also the administrations understanding of media and our attention spans … they know they can keep people distracted about other non relevant issues to divert our attention from the wealth transfer which will ultimately serve to keep working people even more buried by stress and their phones as they try to stay afloat. Their alliance with big tech companies who basically deal in attention spans is so scary .
I'm Canadian and, every day, I thank my lucky stars that I was born here. 🇨🇦 At the same time, I'm deeply worried about America -- especially the vulnerable people living (or trying to live) in this new reality.
I'll be honest, I can't take anyone that believed Trump is the pro working class and pro peace president seriously. You have to be willfully ignorant to believe this, especially when tariffs were one of his big promises and they are an instant prove increase tool. Plus well everything else about this narcissistic liar
Thank you for saying this. All of this. I want to see Dems relentlessly staking out positions based on truth rather than partisanship. If we on the left could do more of what you do in this article — be willing to acknowledge facts that aren’t always in our political favor — then I think we could win back some trust from the people who swung to Trump from Biden in 2024 AND take a lot of wind out of the sails of the people on the right who want to paint us as out of touch softies.
Exactly!! I’m soooo frustrated with both left wing politicians AND news outlets (I’m looking at you NYT - although they’ve maybe been making a bit more effort lately?) who seem to willfully refuse to examine things from different perspectives and I think it’s costing us votes
i absolutely do not identify as someone in the middle or moderate (i think im very left/progressive), but i agree with so much of what you just wrote. i had hope that trump would keep us out of wars, and RFK for all his stupidity would do something good for our health despite himself. alas. i really think a violent revolution based on class is within our lifetime, with this bill as a major catalyst. i doubt the bill will have social ramifications towards class revolt for many years, but it will come with time and hindsight
We can’t go on like this. That’s for sure. I’ve even seen some billionaires on social saying we better change things fast because they’d rather keep their heads 🤣
I can’t say you really changed my mind on anything, but I really enjoyed reading a piece that sums up my thoughts and feelings so well. Though I was just as fatigued by liberal culture, I didn’t vote for DT and thought that it would likely be a disaster. But when he was elected I kept saying over and over “I am willing to be wrong, I hope I am wrong,” because the echo chamber/tribalism is a problem bigger than one election, a really hard one to overcome in oneself, let alone culturally. I am still willing to be wrong, but my god, if it hasn’t become exponentially harder to have faith in that possibility (which honestly was already really difficult in November!) Thanks for this!
Mostly just really glad to be in the middle zone with you, Elena. Smart and nuanced conversation is essential. Glad to partner up!
Middle people unite! I swear sometimes it feels like the loneliest space to inhabit. But there are more of us than you think. We’re just scared.
Email me any time if you want to go deeper on a subject with big questions! I’m actually a science writer too ;)
Love it. I’m biased but I tend to feel that science minded people are better at looking at things from all sides :)
Thank you for writing! Sharing about politics is so brave because people are so opinionated. As a leftist/liberal, I agree with 99% of what you said. More importantly, I want to read things that don’t only reinforce my point of view, but question it too.
Subscribed to your Substack finally just to read this and couldn’t be more delighted with my choice. THANK YOU, brava!
Also a middle person who has inhabited both worlds (hometown VS career space) and it's so hard to see the extremity of both sides. Really appreciate and am alarmed by this breakdown.
Thank you for writing this!
Thank you couch for writing this! You make me feel like I’m not alone in the middle🙏🏻
Thanks for writing this. I also consider myself in the middle, even though I have consistently voted democrat (I might have voted for Nikki Haley has she won the nomination). The Fugly Turd bill is a moral abomination. It is just devastating to see this pass. Let's vote out these assholes in the midterms!
The comments section of this article made me feel more hopeful than anything related to politics has in a long time. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I wish Substack had the option for a ‼️ reaction, I would have used it for every paragraph of this piece.
This was great thanks Elena - The most frustrating part of the betrayal on the economic and war campaigns for me is also the administrations understanding of media and our attention spans … they know they can keep people distracted about other non relevant issues to divert our attention from the wealth transfer which will ultimately serve to keep working people even more buried by stress and their phones as they try to stay afloat. Their alliance with big tech companies who basically deal in attention spans is so scary .
Love this! I like how you pointed out the left's classism, something I haven't quite been able to put my finger on before.
It’s so obnoxiously blatant once you start seeing it
Definitely have become a moderate over the last several years. I wish there was a moderate candidate so badly
I'm Canadian and, every day, I thank my lucky stars that I was born here. 🇨🇦 At the same time, I'm deeply worried about America -- especially the vulnerable people living (or trying to live) in this new reality.
I'll be honest, I can't take anyone that believed Trump is the pro working class and pro peace president seriously. You have to be willfully ignorant to believe this, especially when tariffs were one of his big promises and they are an instant prove increase tool. Plus well everything else about this narcissistic liar