đ FACEOFF đ
Doom and gloom for the holidaysâŚ
Seeing as I am going to be away for the holidays, itâs not going to be the typical Christmas where we bring presents in a car for all the kiddos and haul their presents back. Weâre flying. That would be stupid. Even if weâre flying Southwest, which we love, and might be a bit of a headache.
You may have seen by now, whether itâs online, a national cable channel, or your local news sources, supply chains are messed up. Theyâre not lying. They are! COVID messed with everything.
President Biden is trying to show that he is doing something about it. Itâs a good start, but really, itâs window dressing. A lot of kids are going to get IOUs in boxes this year. And thatâs not his fault. Lots of businesses are cautious, and thatâs not Joe Bidenâs doing, though you canât blame people who saw the TFG shitshow run by Jared Kushner and did a little hedging. And some, like Southwest, were perhaps a little too optimistic in booking flights.
We didnât get what Tim Miller called the âHot Joe Summer.â Maybe things will be better in a few months, but there isnât much time left on the clock. And supply chains are often slow to adapt.
Donât wait for Black Friday. Buy now if you want to be sure. But donât worry if it doesnât get there in time. The important thing is making sure people are safe and healthy, and being able to spend time with them.
Presents may arrive on time, or they may not. But if we can make visits contingent on people doing whatâs right for society? Maybe itâll be a happier Christmas after all.
Leading The BulwarkâŚ
America Is Still Dopesick
DANIEL MCGRAW: Take stock of Americaâs opioid crisis in 2021.
đ§ On the Pods⌠đ§
Emma Green: Is the Claremont Institute saying the silent part out loud?
The Claremont Institute is the intellectual home of America's Trumpist right â as well as election theft mastermind John Eastman. The Atlantic's Emma Green joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.
THE SECRET PODCAST: Political Squid Games đ
Sarah, Tim, and JVL talk about the Texas governorâs race, the reconciliation mess, Stephanie Grisham, and Squid Game in this super-sized episode.
From The Bulwark AggregatorâŚ
Conservatives Want to Launch Their Own Anti-Vax Airlines - Kelly Weill, The Daily Beast
Republicans Are Rehabilitating the Participants in Trumpâs Attempted Coup - Jonathan Chait, Intelligencer
Americaâs Blue and Red Tribes Arenât So Far Apart - Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic
MAGA Gun Church That Worships With AR-15s Has Bought a Giant Mountain Property in Tennessee - Tess Owen, Vice News
Biden is going big on testing. It still may not be enough. - David Lim, Politico
Biden Seeks to Spearhead New Attack on Supply-Chain Delays - Jennifer Epstein, Bloomberg Businessweek
Federal Court Upholds California's Oppressive Restrictions on Freelance Writers - Scott Shackford, Reason
In Todayâs Bulwark...
Jonah Goldbergâs Narcissism of Small Differences
MONA CHAREN: In a world of trouble, why snipe at allies?
THE TRIAD: 5 Reasons Biden Could Do Better Than I Think đ
JVL makes the optimist's case.
CHARLIE SYKESâS MORNING SHOTS đ
đ¨OVERTIME đ¨
A worthwhile COVID stat deep diveâŚ
Texas is gonna Texas.
Hey Siri, what contributed to Republicans losing control of the Senate in the special elections? Jim, hereâs what Iâve found: Telling people the elections are all fraudulent depressed turnout for Republicans.
Will Trump change his tune or make the same mistake twice?
Why CEOs hate slack. (But some like it.) Behind the digital watercooler of the present and future in The Atlantic.
Captain Kirk goes to space. Where no Shatner has gone before⌠Jump to the end, where Jeff Bezos misses that Shatner wants to give a speech and acts like a college kid. But stay for the speech. Pretty cool stuff.
An update on the Maryland missing Zebras. Itâs the best local story in D.C. right now.
Thatâs it for me for today. Weâll see you back here tomorrow for THURSDAY NIGHT BULWARK. Tech support questions? Email support@substack.com. Questions for me? Drop me a line: swift@thebulwark.com
â30â
Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.