My views are my own and do not reflect the views of my university or the state of Virginia.
Arlington, VA
Joined December 2013
- Tweets44.5K
- Following737
- Followers37K
- Likes15.2K
Destructive and arbitrary tariffs and Swat team-style ICE raids in major cities to capture nonviolent offenders turned out to be extremely unpopular, and neither of those involved running to the middle.
Texas went blue because the state GOP was an absolute nuthouse, and nominated a man of terrible character who's claim to the nomination was that he was not a normie like his opponent.
Saying, “We’ve got to start talking to independent voters,” here is Swamp talk for “run to the middle.” Running to the middle is not what got Trump popularly elected in 2024, but it is what got Republicans crushed in the midterms. Bold conservatism is what will attract independent voters and win elections.
The Justice Department needs to proactively monitor what community organizations will be getting this first shot, and whether they are connected to Mamdani's and the DSA's political machine.
Progress isn’t inevitable. It’s fought for and earned.
New York City will now give community organizations the first shot at buying eligible homes — not flippers who are just looking to extract a profit.
This is the largest Opportunity to Purchase program in the nation.
Thank you @CMSandyNurse for your leadership on the COPA bill. Our city’s tenants are stronger because of it.
The choice isn't between imperfect markets and perfect government policy.
It's been imperfect markets and whatever comes out of the legislative and regulatory sausage factory.
False dichotomies. The choice is not "unfettered markets" vs. "the government properly regulating them in the public interest."
The choice is generally free markets vs. whatever combination of foolish and wise policies come out of the political process.
History, experience, and common sense are on the side of "mostly foolish."
And to make matters worse, businesses have to spend time and money they could spend becoming more competitive in world markets and making better, cheaper products lobbying the government.
The predecessors of Oren Cass were predicting in the late 1980s that Japan and its interventionist industrial policy was going to dominate the world economy and easily surpass the US.
US GDP per capita is now around 95K a year, Japan 38K, a much greater gap than in the late 1980s.
My @nytimes essay today: "The Reaganites must also struggle with their own baggage, filled with the failures that led voters to abandon them for Mr. Trump in the first place. If Paul Ryan and Dick Cheney are your answers, what was the question?"
nytimes.com/2026/11/11/opini…
Apparently this post confused some. Pew Research Center Data show that people who "just consider themselves Jewish in some way" but aren't Jews by religion are the most left-leaning "Jewish" group they surveyed, not only to the left of Jews in general but to the left of already very left-leaning Reform Jews.
So if you get 47% for El Sayed including such individuals, if you limited the poll to Jews by religion the numbers would look worse for El Sayed.
Based on my hobbyist knowledge of Jewish demographics, I'd say that all people who identify as Jews by religion are Jews as a practical matter, whereas the category "people of no religion who consider themselves Jewish in some way" includes a large % of people who are not Jews as a practical matter (like my atheist friend who if you ask will acknowledge he is one-eighth Jewish by ancestry, but is no more "Jewish" beyond that than the average non-Jewish American.)
PS: For obvious reasons "people with some Jewish connections but who are not actually Jews" besides being more on the left are obviously less like to care about El Sayed's views on Jewish-related issues and vote against him for that reason than actual Jews are.
Note that Shadi seems to believe that the people who disagree with him "want Palestinians to be killed."
Now, I know a lot of people in the pro-Israel camp, Americans and Israelis from far left to far right.
And I've never, ever, heard any of them express the desire for "Palestinians to be killed."
Palestinian terrorists? Yes.
Palestinians? No.
What a great example of someone who utterly fails an ideological Turing test (being unable to articulate what people who disagree with him believe).
Actually as I lay out in my @unherd piece, criticizing the US relationship with Israel, opposing Israel's wars, and not wanting Palestinians to be killed is now the mainstream, more popular position in American politics. That's where the median voter is.
unherd.com/2026/11/the-power…
Helps explain why so many cling to the illusion that if they wait things out long enough, Israel will eventually be defeated and the Jews will leave or be massacred.
(Correct answer: 7.3 million as of 2023, 400K more if you include people from the FSU who don't have "Jewish" legal status but are of Jewish descent and live as part of the Jewish population).
This video of an unintentionally humorous scene from an Indian movie is going around Tik Tok as "Israel dropping hundreds of snakes on Gaza" and has 200K likes.
There is nothing too idiotic for Hamasniks to believe.
So in fact only 47 pc of Jews voted for El Sayed, and that’s only after including people who aren’t actually Jews, but just “consider themselves Jewish in some way.”
And that was a massive 44 pc swing from the 2024 presidential vote among the same polling cohort.
Principled on Palestinian rights would mean accountability for the PA , which denied rights to those who govern, and utter defeat for Hamas, a brutal theocracy that brought ruin on Gazans.
But Shadhi doesn’t mean to include any of that, bc he ain’t post-woke on “Palestine.”
My roadmap for a post-woke Left in @unherd.
1. Focus relentlessly on affordability
2. Demonstrate competence at every level of government
3. Stay principled on Palestinian rights while reimagining the US relationship with Israel.
4. Resist the twin temptations of cultural overreach and political retribution
unherd.com/2026/11/the-power…
Shocking but not surprising
Hasan Piker is not an election analyst. He is a streamer with a long, public record of antisemitism and of justifying terrorism.
Yet NPR gave him four uninterrupted minutes on a national broadcast without asking a single question about the hate he has promoted to his audience.
Instead, he was met with softball questions and allowed to present his audience as though he were part of the mainstream Democratic coalition.
National news organizations should not be platforming people who espouse hate. At a minimum, if they choose to do so, they have an obligation to ask the hard questions.
ajc.org/news/hasan-piker-twi…
All else aside, military tech and intelligence-sharing is mutually beneficial, so this isn't only anti-Israel posturing, it's contrary to US interests.
Thank you @ChrisVanHollen for leading this letter demanding US-Israel military tech and intelligence-sharing provisions be removed from the NDAA. We were proud to support it.
No deepening of our military relationship with Israel unless they comply with the Gaza peace agreement, end settler violence and reverse their de facto annexation of the West Bank.
Is a fighter jet used to bomb Hezbollah missile launchers aimed at Israeli civilians an "offensive" or "defensive" weapon?
New J Street position on restrictions on aid and selling offensive (but not defensive) weaponry to Israel. Strikes me as sensible. jstreet.org/fundamental-rese…
Except they implicitly or explicitly support Hamas, which does not, to say the least, believe in universal rights.
Nor does the Palestinian Authority, for that matter.
Nor does any significant political movement in the Palestinian Territories.
There is exactly zero chance that a Palestinian state on all or part of "historic Palestine" created in 2026 would be a state that respects human rights as liberal Westerners conceive them. 1/
"Palestine’s advocates speak not the language of special pleading — 'as a member of oppressed class X' — but that of universal rights. At stake is the principle that Washington can’t underwrite a permanent military occupation."
Shadi Hamid in UnHerd. unherd.com/2026/11/the-power…
The only "universal human right" they are referring to, then, is "national self-determination." Which is not a "human right" at all because it takes no account of whether that national self-determination is itself respectful of human rights.
So by "universal human rights," they ultimately mean "Palestinian nationalism."
Evergreen tweet: Whatever inadequacies you perceive in Israel's response to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, now or in the past, always keep in mind that the underlying cause of the situation is Hamas refusing to surrender and end the war, despite having been defeated militarily.
Indeed, it has been intentionally exacerbating the humanitarian situation, both to give it leverage over the civilian population it controls, and to try to get world pressure on Israel to end the war without Hamas surrendering, so it can survive to restart it genocidal agenda.
"until it is confirmed that Israel is no longer violating U.S. laws and values"
How do you confirm that a state is not violating amorphous, contested "values?"
The entire agenda is a joke, but that line itself should stop anyone serious from taking it seriously.
Today J Street is releasing our policy agenda, which we hope can be embraced by the incoming U.S. Congress, primary candidates, and ultimately the next President of the United States. Our hope is that this eventually becomes the new consensus around U.S policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Middle East.
The United States needs a fundamental reset of its approach to the Middle East, one that redefines the U.S.-Israel relationship and reorients American policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the broader region. American policy should reflect U.S. interests in a secure, stable, and prosperous Middle East that no longer draws the U.S. into costly wars. This future is only possible if all Israelis and Palestinians can live in freedom, dignity, security, and prosperity. America must prioritize the twin goals of Palestinian statehood living alongside a Jewish, democratic Israel with freedom and equal rights for all citizens of both countries. And it must put forward a clear choice to Israel: moving toward a 23-state solution with Israel at peace with all of its neighbors, including the State of Palestine, or a much more limited U.S.-Israel relationship.
1. Pursue a U.S.-Israel security relationship that is consistent with U.S. values, law, and policy goals, conditioning U.S. support on Israeli actions. Rapidly and responsibly phase out direct U.S. financial subsidies for Israeli weapons. Pause delivery of offensive weapons until it is confirmed that Israel is no longer violating U.S. laws and values, including allowing the free flow of aid and recovery materials to Gaza. Evaluate arms sales on a case-by-case basis according to U.S. interests and Israeli actions in Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank, and elsewhere, while continuing to ensure Israel is able to obtain Iron Dome and other exclusively defensive systems. Link implementation of any new significant U.S.-Israel defense and technology cooperation programs to Israeli cooperation on U.S. policy goals in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, and Lebanon, including MOUs or other agreements signed by the Trump Administration.
2. Recognize the State of Palestine and help the Palestinians build it. The United States must help the Palestinians establish a government that enjoys legitimacy among its own people. This begins with recognizing Palestinian statehood, which would confer political legitimacy, strengthen Palestine’s ability to pursue its interests through international institutions, and help overcome U.S. legal barriers to normal diplomatic relations. Washington should press for free and fair Palestinian elections, requiring all participating parties and candidates to renounce violence, while advancing a Gaza plan that includes the phased disarmament of Hamas. It must also press Israel to stop undermining Palestinian statehood by demanding the release of billions in withheld Palestinian tax revenues under threat of U.S. economic penalties. Finally, the United States should repeal remaining legal restrictions on U.S.-Palestinian relations and work with the Palestinian Authority and international partners to strengthen Palestinian institutions and combat corruption.
3. Pursue a regional vision of a 23-state solution in which a secure Israel lives at peace with all of its neighbors, including the State of Palestine. America should make the choice clear to the Israeli people: a comprehensive, regional agreement in which Israel has a secure and prosperous future inside its own borders alongside a Palestinian state and full acceptance by its neighbors – or continued occupation, conflict, and growing isolation, including from the United States. It must also be clear to all in the region that the United States will pursue a new Middle East strategy that emphasizes diplomatic and economic tools and that while the U.S. is not militarily abandoning the region, it will no longer serve as a backstop for regional security.
4. Reverse Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and the settlement project using economic pressure. Use targeted economic sanctions and other economic pressure tools to prevent and punish settler violence and to deter and reverse settlement construction and other steps towards de facto annexation. Israeli individuals, businesses, and government officials should have to choose between living in, doing business in, and subsidizing settlements and remaining fully connected to the U.S., Europe, and the rest of the international economic and financial system.
5. Disarm Hamas and replace it with Palestinian security and governance institutions in Gaza. Work with Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey to press Hamas – a terrorist organization – and Israel to agree to a plan for Hamas disarmament, Israeli withdrawal, and the gradual introduction of Palestinian Authority security forces and governance institutions that have legitimacy with the local population, bringing an end to Hamas’s repressive rule in Gaza. Work with Gulf states and the international community to invest in and help reconstruct Gaza, starting with an immediate surge in early recovery and humanitarian assistance. Phase out the Board of Peace and impose real consequences on both Hamas and Israel for failure to cooperate.
6. End the unnecessary war with Iran. Use diplomacy to secure U.S. interests, including freedom of navigation and preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Terminate the destructive war of choice with Iran. Work with Gulf states to pursue an agreement with Iran that ensures the reliable, free flow of energy and goods through the Strait of Hormuz while building resilient alternatives that bypass the chokepoint and pursuing energy policies that reduce dependence on oil. Seek verifiable restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Encourage regional efforts to engage Iran and de-escalate tensions. Deter and contain the destabilizing regional activities of Iran’s proxies. Make clear that the U.S. will not support offensive Israeli military action against Iran unless there is a clear and imminent threat.
7. Vote according to U.S. interests and values at the United Nations and support international accountability. Vote in favor of resolutions that are consistent with U.S. policy, values, and interests, even when they are critical of Israel. Vote against actions at the United Nations that unfairly single out Israel. Remove U.S. sanctions on the International Criminal Court, allowing it and the International Court of Justice to pursue their work.
8. Take a strong stand against antisemitism and all forms of hate while protecting legitimate debate and free speech. Support a comprehensive national strategy against antisemitism to protect and support American Jews. Speak out forcefully against antisemitic rhetoric and actions from the right and the left. Oppose efforts to label legitimate criticism of Israel as antisemitism or to use antisemitism as a justification for attacks on free speech, universities, or immigrants. Recognize that a critical component of fighting antisemitism is to stand up against all forms of hate and discrimination and work in coalition with other minority groups, including with the Muslim community to combat Islamophobia and with the Black community to counter racism.
jstreet.org/fundamental-rese…
A significant percentage of Jewish voters, especially between 18-29, are very orthodox Jews who either don't use or severely limit their use of the internet. You can't capture them by doing a "high quality online panel." That's a big caveat to this poll.
