A New Type of American Voter

I’m not sure if you guys have heard of the Bulwark, but it’s a news site made up of Never Trumpers (a few key people worked for The Weekly Standard and started the site after the former shut down.) Three of the pundits there, Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell, and Jonathan V. Last (JVL), recently had a discussion about the impact the Epstein story is having on Trump. I haven’t been paying attention to the Epstein story, ever, but Longwell’s explanation as to why she think this could really affect Trump’s support interested me.

To get a better understanding of it, I’m going to try and sum it up here.

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The New York Times 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

I was debating whether to start a separate thread or include this in the thread about Film Comment’s best films of the 2010s, but a separate thread seems appropriate, even though there is a lot of overlap. In this thread, I’m going to discuss the list ten films per post, starting with the 100th film. Here’s the link to the article: The New York Times 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century (Note: I had trouble making this a gifted article, but if you want that, let me know, and I’ll try again.)

Some random thoughts before I begin:

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A Plan to Culture Jam Trump

(Note: I wrote this in 2018, and I think it’s still relevant today in 2025.)

In this thread, I want to discuss and develop a blueprint for beating Trump based on the essay, How to Culture Jam a Populist in Four Easy Steps by Andres Miguel Rondon. Rondon is a Venezuelan who opposed and tried to defeat Hugo Chavez, the populist dictator. In the op-ed, he gives advice to Americans who oppose Trump, drawing on lessons he’s learned from opposing Chavez. In my opinion, Rondon’s analysis is spot on, and if Trump opponents fail to understand his points, they could keep Trump in power.

Here’s a summary, based on my understanding of Rondon’s position. Continue reading “A Plan to Culture Jam Trump”

What Should Be Done?

Several political commentators have expressed surprise not at the slide to authoritarianism, but the speed and variety of ways this has occurred. The amount of these actions has been overwhelming and paralyzing. What actions, by the Trump administration, should patriotic Americans oppose? What should patriotic Americans, do? Answering this is not easy, but I will say that identifying and focusing on one theme or policy is preferable to addressing many. But which one? In this thread, I’m going to mention a idea or narrative that should be considered.

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Edward Hopper Thread

I recently watched a PBS documentary on Hopper–Edward Hopper: a Love Story (an odd subtitle, if it references Hopper’s relationship with his wife, Josephine Verstille Hopper, as the subtitle doesn’t seem like a great fit), and I wanted to jot some thoughts that came to mind while looking at Hopper’s work.

The Films of Azazel Jacobs

I’ve heard about Azazel Jacobs, an independent filmmaker, a while ago, but I never got around to watching his films (They were not readily available as far I know.)–which are in the vein of Cassavetes, Mike Leigh and more recently mumblecore filmmakers like Andrew Bujalski.

I recently watched four of his films, and I really liked them (with the possible exception of one of the films). Interestingly, three out of the four films were so slow and boring, I struggled to stick with them. Yet, all three of these films, about a third of the way, came alive for me, in a way that surprised me. How could a film that seemed so boring all of sudden become interesting? The funny thing is that the film that didn’t start slow (Terri) ended up being the least interesting and in my view least successful of the four films. (I wondered I was the problem, more than the films. Maybe I watched too much YouTube videos recently, making me impatient. But I got into Terri fairly quickly so I don’t think I was the problem.)

I’m going to use this thread to discuss Jacobs’s films.

Notes on Visiting the L.A. County Museum of Art (LACMA)

In the last 6 months one of the more enjoyable and memorable experiences has been at art museums. I have liked art for a long time, but, to be honest, for much of that time, appreciating art wasn’t always fun–not in the conventional sense of the world. The patience and attention that would be necessary to have a fulfilling experience required effort. Because of that, I would mostly go to a museum with the right frame of mind and mood, which wasn’t all that frequent. Recently, that seems to have changed–specially visiting several NYC museums and today visiting LACMA (Then again, maybe the art I have recently experienced was more exceptional or more resonant with me. In this thread I want to jot down several thoughts and observations I had, from comments about specific pieces to more general thoughts about art.

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2024 NFL Offseason/2025 Pre-season

I know the 2024 season isn’t over, but the coaching carousel has begun, and I wanted to discuss that.

First, Pete Carroll has interviewed with the Bears and will be interviewing with the Raiders. In terms of culture-building and working with players, getting them to perform at their best, I think he’s an attractive candidate for both franchises. With the Bears, Carroll’s old school philosophy is the Bears traditional approach. It would be great to see a physical team with a great defense and run game. Plus, I think he has the QB of the future, and he would know how to utilize a sandlot QB. With the Raiders, his philosophy of letting the players be themselves would make a good fit. But they have a big holes to fill, especially at the QB position. I think the key is who his coordinators will be, as well as the GM. Also, is he going back to the 4-3 or will he install a 3-4. (He’s a less attractive candidate if it’s the latter.) Depending on the alternatives, I’d be happy if he were got the Raiders job.

Second, Mike Vrabel. I would like him to get the Raiders job, too, but it sounds like he’s the next Patriots coach. I hope not. I’ve grown to dislike Robert Kraft, so I’m rooting against the Patriots.