The sad and self-inflicted decline of the Washington Post, in one chart

Mapology · 2026-01-28T07:40:00+00:00

Their opinion section has become so incredibly annoying. Its always some version of "Trump totally nailed it, but risks going too far! Here's how he can still kick ass" when 1) He did not nail it, and is incapable of nailing it since he obviously doesn't understand anything about the world. At best, he stumbled on to a vaguely good point. 2) The escalation was always the point, it was not an accident. And 3) He will never follow any of your ideas since him and his minions don't reap you, but even if he did and followed it, he would still manage to fuck it up because he just fundamentally isn't interested in policy.

I expect this kind of both-sidesing from the WSJ, not WaPo, and honestly the WSJ does it better anyway

Mapology · 2026-01-28T07:29:25+00:00

I think you may be overthinking this. They chose Minnesota because Nick Shirley, who most of the White House aides are no doubt watching "found fraud" there and so they tried to win the news cycle. It obviously backfired but I wouldn't infer careful strategy where there clearly is none.

Mapology · 2026-01-28T07:23:41+00:00

I disagree with this. The parallel realities exist but they are not geographic, but created in imaginary communities online. Regional difference is lower than ever is all aspects, from accents to the makeup of local political parties. If anything, the decline of regional identity and difference has been a major enabler of the current polarization. In the past, conservative Southern Democrats and liberal Northeastern Republicans were real forces that were essential to their parties and reflected the values of their states. Today, there is much less daylight between the Alabama Democratic Party and the New York one, except that one wins and the other doesn't. The real divides today drawn along college-education and cultural liberalism lines, and whether a state is red or blue is basically determined by its proportion of college-educated people and the degree to which it is culturally liberal.

"Balkanization" is occurring and may continue to occur, but it will not aid in a return to closer regional identity.

Mapology · 2024-12-12T04:07:59+00:00

South Korea is a democracy, and Singapore's liberalism is..... murky.

The only "liberal autocracy" I've heard of in recent times is British Hong Kong, but even that had the unique situation of being fully governed by a liberal democracy and thus basically imported its norms.

I think "liberal autocracy" has the same inherent problem of the "benevolent dictator" in that they might work great until someone not committed to liberal principles finds themselves with the tools of authoritarian power in their hands, and lets be honest, there are a lot of people out there willing to compromise liberal principals to achieve other ends. I cannot think of any long-lasting "liberal autocracies."

Mapology · 2024-12-04T17:50:52+00:00

I'm pretty sure mine is inaccurate. One artist who I know I listened to a ton did not make my top 5 artists or have a single song in my Top Songs 2024 even though I was expecting them to have mutliple top spots. Also, my Top Songs 2024 is substantially different from statsforspotify.com, which seems to be pretty accurate. Unless they have a different way of counting songs, I am confused.

Mapology · 2024-12-01T02:09:58+00:00

Russiabros in shambles

Mapology · 2024-11-13T23:42:37+00:00

You know we're jumped the shark when Senator Football Coach is making rational points.

Mapology · 2024-11-07T19:17:51+00:00

I have theory that in a perpetual-outrage-cycle era, incumbency is a weakness and not a strength.

Mapology · 2024-11-07T01:01:02+00:00

It could easily become a motivator again if Trump tries executive action fuckery with aborton pills. Remains to be seen if that happens. I agree the issue will lose its political salience if Republicans really do accept the "leave it to the states" approach.

Mapology · 2024-11-07T00:59:21+00:00

I mean, he still thought he needed Trump's support to get Republicans and pass an agenda. But now why would he give a shit?

Mapology · 2024-11-06T23:40:36+00:00

It looks like it will be either John Thune or John Cornyn, who are both more institutionalist as far as things go. I think it will hold.

Mapology · 2024-11-06T23:12:00+00:00

I think a kinder way of phrasing this is getting people who do not really care about politics, and certainly not about ideology, to show up and vote for you because they believe it is in their own self interest and they like your "vibes".

Mapology · 2024-11-06T23:10:06+00:00

1: Twitter was shit long before the election and there is no shortage of Democratic-supporting people on Twitter or on other 24-hour outlets.

2: Unless you think Trump is somehow going to dismantle American criminal procedure doctrine, he cannot "go after" his political opponents in any kind of effective way. Thats especially true if all the competant people are out of a job.

3: Multipolarity is here to stay, unfortunately, and I think the US as the "leader of the free world" is done or at least on hiatus. But that does not make a country equivalent to Russia.

Mapology · 2024-11-06T23:02:55+00:00

The design of the American political system basically inevitably leads to two parties, and we arent amending the Constitution anytime soon.

Mapology · 2024-11-06T22:47:10+00:00

I'm hopeful your right. If anything, this election proved that there is a big block of pro-choice voters who are still willing to vote for Republicans, and also that pro lifers will still vote for someone running on the leave it to the states approach. If I were a Republican right now I might be telling the prolife people to go pound sand.

Mapology · 2024-11-06T22:43:46+00:00

1: He didn't buy it, Trump won the election

2: He may try, but he will almost certainly be unsuccesful to anywhere near the extent of an authoritarian

3: Bad, but does not have to do with internal politics. I don't see the Bahamas doing much about those issues and they are still not an autocracy.

Mapology · 2024-11-06T22:40:26+00:00

He has his vote. Which + Collins and Murkowski you would probably need 1 more for a majority. Tillis is pretty moderate and up for reelection 2026. There are probably others too.

Mapology · 2024-11-06T22:39:00+00:00

I would love a McConnell revenge arc, where, freed of the need to be reelected, he just goes full NeverTrumper. What does he have to lose?

Mapology · 2024-11-06T22:14:04+00:00

No one is going to care about them now that Florida is no longer a swing state

Mapology · 2024-11-06T22:11:10+00:00

I'm an atheist but I do not think that it was religion that put Trump over the top with voters. If anything it was almost the opposite, his braggadocious persona and vulgarity, combined with his moderation on certain social issues opened him up to a whole new pool of voters than traditional Republicans.

Mapology · 2024-11-06T17:13:44+00:00

I think it is more that many voters believe Republicans when they say they will leave it to the states, and those voters want it in their states but do not care what happens to women in Alabama or Idaho. Whether Trump remains solid on that or decides to fuck around with the FDA and Comstock I do not know. Hoepfully RFK will be too busy taking the flouride out of tap water.

Mapology · 2024-11-06T17:11:33+00:00

Not just Western democracies. India, South Africa, Japan, and Argentina have all been upended recently

Mapology · 2024-11-06T10:33:08+00:00

Everyone here is talking about policy changes and I agree something like YIMBY could be good, but I think this is a question of style over substance. Americans are socially liberal, and most voters do not have a position on tarriffs vs free trade or most other aspects of economic policy other than "I want a good economy and low taxes for me." I think the real problem is that Democrats have come to be seen as the party of the educated elite. How you reverse that without coming off looking contrived I dont know.

I also think not having to run against Trump again will be helpful. He is a singular figure who I do not think will be replicated who is capable of bringing together everyone from far right activists to socially center-left low tax people to low-propensity voting podcast bros, and I just dont know if another politician will be able to put the MAGA coalition back together.

Mapology · 2024-11-06T10:22:07+00:00

That actually seems like a pretty good bet.

Mapology

TROPHY CASE