Left Jabs

A story surfaced last month that I thought would get more traction than it has. When it made The Rachel Maddow Show, I thought it might have some legs. But it’s gone dormant, at least for now. It came from West Virginia, where the United Mine Workers unveiled a startling new plan — almost a manifesto. The union — which represents most of the hard-luck coal miners in West Virginia and Kentucky — admitted what everyone has long known: that coal is on a fast track to oblivion. The union, therefore, is henceforth committing to a transition that phases out fossil fuels and phases in clean energy practices. Yes, you read that right. In return, they’re asking the federal government for generous investments in their states to help them make that transition. They want tax incentives for renewable energy sources, preference in hiring for new jobs, extensive career retraining, and a bunch of other stuff geared towards digging miners out of a very deep hole and putting them, hopefully, on a...

As I have, in the last year, pretentiously weighed in on some of the more pressing issues of the Covid Era, any speculation about the future of Jeopardy might well strike my readers as frivolous. I totally agree. Nonetheless, I ask that you indulge me as I veer off my beaten track to acknowledge this fraught crossroads in American cultural history. Let’s be clear about the stakes here. Whoever replaces the late Alex Trebek might well take up a space in your living room — and your 7 p.m. time slot — for the next thirty years. So who will it be? Who will feed us the “final jeopardy answer” going forward? Who will lend sufficient gravitas to making the daily double a true one? These are not small matters. Because in an age of toxic know-nothing-ness — a time of arrogant ignorance and educational dysfunction — Jeopardy is unapologetically intelligent. Unlike any other regularly scheduled event in our culture, Jeopardy celebrates the know-it-all. It’s a safe space for eggheads,...

So how stupid was that whole Ukraine thing? Stupid enough to extort the new president of Ukraine into digging up dirt on Trump’s perceived enemies. Stupid enough to get a career diplomat fired because she wasn’t corrupt enough for the Trump administration. Stupid enough to get Trump himself impeached. Stupid enough to land Rudy Giuliani — “America’s Mayor” — in so much hot water he could easily die in prison. And for what? The announcement of an investigation. Not even an actual investigation, mind you, just the announcement of one. Just announce to the world that Hunter Biden broke the law. Which law? Of which country? Doesn’t matter. Hey Ukraine, just do us this one little favor, tell the press this one little lie, and we’ll make your problems go away. We’ll free up that weaponry you so desperately need from the bureaucratic crack it somehow fell through, so you can defend your eastern border from Trump’s pal Putin. What was in Rudy’s mind? Did he think this would be ...

After decades spent shooting themselves in the foot, Democrats are finally learning what Republicans have known for fifty years: marketing matters. There’s a billboard up in Times Square — a huge red, white, and blue electronic display. High tech, high visibility, letters several stories high, spelling out: “Thank You Joe Biden and Democrats.” Imagine that. Democrats taking credit for something. Democrats letting people know who’s responsible for that cash in their pockets and those shots in their arms. Admittedly, Times Square isn’t the media powerhouse it was pre-pandemic. But still. We’re talking Democrats. Democrats take blame better than credit. Or they used to. Now they seem to be doing real marketing. They’re putting out a coherent brand and they’re doing it with a degree of sophistication. Yes, they’ve long had the technology side covered. Yes, they’ve long known how to micro-target the electorate and put out custom messages to each zip code, and y...