Tom Nichols
@radiofreetom.bsky.social
Staff writer at The Atlantic. Cat guy, democracy defender. Actor for a day on Succession, Jeopardy champ. New Englander and curmudgeon.
The Populist Left Has a Theory. We’re All About to Test It. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/o...
Opinion | Abdul El-Sayed Thinks Progressives Have a Way to Win. I Hope He’s Right. (Gift Article)
Abdul El-Sayed is quick, magnetic, overflowing with infectious confidence. But he also has a blind spot endemic to his movement.
nytimes.com
Speaking of which, I'll be joining Deadline White House for the full hour starting at 5pm
I will never tire of pointing out that people who say this don't understand elections and that's why they lose. To paraphrase Agent Colson, it's in their nature.
CharleyM@cmonagan.bsky.social · 53m agoHRC got 3 million more votes than her opponent.
Like many of the people here who have a strange obsession with The Atlantic, he has attacked the magazine. JD Vance has mentioned me, but not warmly. And Pete Hegseth's office has trolls working in it who do not speak highly of me on X.
schwanderer.bsky.social@schwanderer.bsky.social · 25m agoHas #47 ever attacked @radiofreetom.bsky.social ??
Supermajority in California doesn't count. She was a bad candidate, she ran a bad campaign, and we've all had this argument a zillion times. She lost for a lot of reasons but "centrism" wasn't one of them.
DesertYETI@desertyeti.bsky.social · 30m ago*AWFUL campaign *AWFUL candidate ***STILL WON THE POPULAR VOTE BY MILLIONS** Being a centrist didn't get her. Being coronated rather than vetted and not being able to be bothered to campaign in swing states sunk her.
This, also, is a stupid interpretation. People on the left point to HRC and Cuomo - two people with immense personal baggage - and say "well, see, centrists." HRC didn't lose because she's a centrist. She lost because: HRC, who ran a bad campaign, and was a bad candidate.
R5_to_philly / R5Philly@r5-to-philly.bsky.social · 1h agoSo if all of the folks that were uninspired by centrists in 2016/2024 are more likely to vote for AES and those that supported him and Stevens and McMorrow now come together, we should be in better shape come November Glad Tom is on board!!
This is always such a dumb strawman. "GOPers won't vote for us!" Right. They won't. But *Dem voters* could decide to just skip it and stay home. Like they did in Michigan in 2016, and then again nationally in 2024. It's not about flipping voters, it's about the voters who stay home.
Eggman@420eggman69.bsky.social · 2h agoAES needs to worry about urban centers flipping red? Idk Tom. Sounds like you're grasping at straws.
Probably should've waited for the final results before using too many metaphors
@frumiousm.bsky.social · 18h agoAbdul El-Sayed crushes Stevens like an empty soda can & the centrists immediately clutch their pearls. They're terrified he's gonna win it all & make them irrelevant.
Yes, I would say the same, and have little expectation that AES voters would support her. The voting pattern last night suggests that AES is weak in the urban areas where he needs to be strongest, but the torpedo's been launched and there's no do-over here.
Future Man@originalfutureman.bsky.social · 5h agoIf Stevens won by a slim 20k votes, would you say the same thing about the dem party? No, you wouldn’t because you believe all the El-Sayed voters would support her. Two-way street here. Dems will vote him in.
I agree. JVL has a balanced look here, but I disagree that AES edges it out. www.thebulwark.com/p/the-case-a...
The Case Against El-Sayed Doomerism
He could win. But it won’t be a gimme.
thebulwark.com
Tom Cooper@grandparanty.bsky.social · 2h agoI encourage followers to read JV Last's analysis in today's Bulwark. He shares interesting data about the road ahead in MI.
“...Trump has now passed from being a stubborn narcissist to a cocooned authoritarian.” Concise and insightful, Nichols provides essential reading once again.
Tom Nichols@radiofreetom.bsky.social · 22h agoThe war in Iran has shown that Trump’s inability to perceive reality has become truly dangerous. Iran is a disaster, but Trump’s irrationality could create other, even more perilous situations. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
By the time the GOP is done with him, being an Arab-American won't matter. Plenty of other ad material to work from.
Derek Vandivere@vandivere.net · 5h ago"You shouldn't nominate an Arab-American candidate because America is too bigoted to elect them" is a pretty depressing opinion to have.
Mike Rogers doesn't think so either, and the polls agree
Babaganoush O'Reilly@admiralbeefheart.bsky.social · 5h agoYou don't think el sayed can beat Rogers?
What works for them (sing it, chorus)
Safetypup Steph@safetypup.bsky.social · 7h agoWhat did Trump have on his resume?
Fortunately, he romped to an easy win last night
elkovigge.bsky.social@elkovigge.bsky.social · 6h ago
Trump’s outburst over the Reflecting Pool is a sign of dangerous dysfunction in the Oval Office, @radiofreetom.bsky.social argues. theatln.tc/OMivBxpl
 have these candidates ever met a political scientist
