Liberals have convinced themselves that the left lost them the election in 2024—but that’s nonsense. Left voters who won’t vote D are never a huge group, and they weren’t in 2024 either—Trump lost because low-info voters without strong ideological commitments were upset about inflation, not because of Gaza. Running around the internet berating left voters isn’t going to alter election results much one way or another. But treating Gavin Newsom as the party’s one true champion can help to elevate an empty suit who pretty clearly does not want to crush fascism the way it needs to be crushed if we are ever going to save our democracy.

The Trump presidency is destined to remain unpopular, for a quite obvious reason: Trump is a bullshitter. He doesn’t have an actual strategy for making energy costs or groceries more affordable. So voters who thought he would make their lives better were always going to end up disappointed. And when reality ends up conflicting with Trump’s fantasy, Trump has one go-to response, which is to simply lie: to say that in fact, prices are down, the immigration enforcement operations are targeting dangerous criminals, etc. People can see what’s in their own bank accounts, and they can see the raids in the streets, so this strategy cannot work long-term. If everyone can see with their own eyes that Trump is lying (rather than having to trust media fact-checkers), how can his bluster possibly be successful? This creates an opportunity for the opposition.

Over the last years, Newsom has rushed to position himself as a centrist moderate who can appeal to MAGA voters. In a grotesque act of right wing propaganda, he filmed himself removing and destroying homeless people’s possessions, and he’s led an effort to raze homeless encampments and terrorize homeless people in his state. He’s compulsively vetoed progressive measures, including a cap on insulin prices; a measure to make it easier for women to access insurance treatments for menopause; and a whole range of pro-union and pro-employee bills. He’s also fighting to prevent a tax on billionaires in the state. And he’s blocked pro trans legislation in his state, targeting trans athletes with particular cruelty.

And on every other issue, Vance or another Republican president woiuld be immeasurably worse than any Democrat. What's maddening to me is that the Republicans in my lifetime who were elected president when the left abandoned the Democratic Party are some of the worst and cruelest presidents of all time: Richard Nixon in 1968, George W. Bush in 2000, Donald Trump in 2016 and 2024.

The case for Newsom, insofar as Young Man in a Hurry makes one, is a fun-house mirror version of that slogan: It’s his turn. Having conquered sports, business, and state politics, there’s only one chapter left for Newsom to write, and it takes place in the White House. The Democratic Party, for its part, has swung from fretting over toxic masculinity and white privilege to desperately courting white men. (See, for instance, “White Dudes for Harris.”) It’s a perfect storm for Gavin Newsom. It may not matter that he lacks firm political commitments. There’s no substantive platform here because the platform is him. He’s asking you to believe in Gavin, and Gavin, bless him, already does. Dippity-do, Dippity-do.

I don't think we should free the nipple, i think we need to cage the nipple at every level. I think nipple mystery should be a right of all creatures. I believe everyone needs the experience of sweaty itchy bra titty. We may not be able to make periods a universal experience but we can make sweaty itchy summertime too tight bra breast an experience of all people.