Noah Smith 🐇@Noahpinion
"Voting democracy once every 4 years" vs. the "Whole-process democracy" of never being able to vote, ever
Hua Chunying 华春莹 @SpokespersonCHN
The right to define #democracy should not be monopolized by the #US & its allies. A key criterion is whether the country can meet people's expectations. https://t.co/IRFbKjHwGK
8:42 AM · Aug 21, 2021
109 Reposts · 1.29K Likes
Matthew Yglesias@mattyglesias
One odd conceit of current discourse is that if US troops were still in Afghanistan propping up one side in a stalemated civil war, that various translators and their families wouldn’t still like the opportunity to immigrate to the much richer and safer United States. https://t.co/OWt7g9t0Wg
Reza Khaasteh @Khaaasteh
Taliban knows Iranians better than themselves:
Taliban spokesman: If US announces right now in any country in the world that its planes will take people to America, wouldn't people rush to get on board?
Iranian TV presenter: Iranians wouldn't do so.
Taliban: I'm sure they will. https://t.co/VvyRSzkp0w
2:06 PM · Aug 22, 2021
33 Reposts · 395 Likes
Matthew Yglesias@mattyglesias
It’s funny that it’s the Taliban which recognizes that the United States is a really good place to live and lots of people would like to come here.
Maybe they should consider some implications of that….
2:07 PM · Aug 22, 2021
25 Reposts · 512 Likes
Matthew Yglesias@mattyglesias
What’s happening is that leaving is popular, but it’s unpopular with natsec elites and their allies in the media.
So to punish Biden and send a message to future presidents they’ve cooked up this fake middle ground position that you are now espousing.
Mark Remy @realdumbrunner
@mattyglesias Isn't it possible that the decision to leave is popular, but the *way* we left is not?
4:02 PM · Aug 22, 2021
1.22K Reposts · 6.25K Likes
Matthew Yglesias@mattyglesias
Obviously everyone would prefer an indefinite extension of the situation where we had a deal with the Taliban so no Americans got killed and also the Taliban didn’t take Kabul.
And the press has done a really good job of obscuring from people why that’s not possible.
4:04 PM · Aug 22, 2021
280 Reposts · 2.28K Likes
Matthew Yglesias@mattyglesias
These people spent twenty years and hundreds of billions of dollars building up anti-Taliban forces that were *weaker* than the ones in the field on September 12, 2001.
How does that happen?
4:10 PM · Aug 22, 2021
329 Reposts · 2.61K Likes
Trevor@trevorjtweets
It's not that I oppose opening the door, it's that I oppose the *way* we opened the door. I would simply have gotten all of the bowls out beforehand.
3:20 PM · Aug 22, 2021
3.34K Reposts · 21.9K Likes
Elle M. (they/them)@ellle_em
Cat: HUMAN CAT HAVE POÉM FOR U
Me: oh god
Cat: ROSES R RED
Me: please
Cat: VIÓLETS R BLUE
Me: please no
Cat: I CHEWED ON UR LAPTOP CORD
AND NOW CORD IS BROKE
Me:
Cat:
Me:
Cat:
Me: that didn't even rhyme
Cat: CAT AM POSTMODERNIST
8:00 PM · Aug 22, 2021
436 Reposts · 2.77K Likes
Matthew Yglesias@mattyglesias
Great hair
Special Puppy🧦🐵 @SpecialPuppy1
What's the story on how John Edwards was able to defeat a non-controversial Republican incumbent in a R+13 state when the national environment was pretty neutral and Edwards wasn't a popular governor or anything like that? https://t.co/AYxXm7V50K
9:22 PM · Aug 22, 2021
2 Reposts · 159 Likes