Amanda Marcotte
@AmandaMarcotte
Followers
84K
Following
14K
Media
422
Statuses
5K
Senior writer, Salon. Subscribe to my newsletter, Standing Room Only. https://t.co/j8JdhDNZsM Post: amandamarcotte Mastodon: @[email protected]
Joined March 2007
New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt: Why Elon's word games about "German pride" aren't as clever as he thinks. Subscribe today! Music by Agender.
2
6
14
Both Texas and Georgia are destroying evidence of all maternal mortality, blocking proof that women are dying from abortion bans. This story has a lot more going on than you think. Especially since Republicans are lying about the public cases.
261
5K
9K
There's genuine confusion about why the Christian right wants to ban IVF. "Don't they want women to be mothers?" folks ask. No. They want women to be second class. Forced childbirth is one weapon. But so is denying motherhood to others. My explainer.
150
2K
8K
As I wrote Thursday, "Normal people, of course, do not feel defensive when someone points out that Nazis tend to be violent. But for the MAGA crowd, that accusation stings in an incredibly personal way.".
119
1K
5K
Democrats need to start talking up the Michigan miracle. Because Whitmer's party is providing a real roadmap towards saving this country. She's not falling into all the traps Democrats often fall into.
46
611
3K
A new cache of Ken Chesebro documents has been released by @TPM. It's a doozy. It also underscores why it's critical that Jack Smith try his "January 6" case this year. The public needs to know how sprawling the coup was. It wasn't just one day.
27
1K
2K
Taking a closer look at Erin Hawley, who argued against abortion pills at the Supreme Court. She's not just another Republican woman building a career by stepping on other women. Her lack of empathy for other women was so chilling I literally gasped.
52
669
2K
The power trip is in getting a smart, beautiful, ambitious woman to give it all up to be your wife. So of course you want to show off to the world that she submits to you. And if she's the one doing the work, even better. The money is a nice bonus.
35
199
2K
It also helps explain something that troubled me as I wrote this, which is why these "traditional" men will let their supposed housewives have what is actually a full-time and lucrative career as an influencer. Because it's about status.
17
169
2K
The details in the lawsuit against Rudy Giuliani are hard to read. But it's important, because the "right" to abuse women and be a debauched racist without consequence is the MAGA definition of "freedom.". That's why they're so afraid of "cancel culture." .
24
445
1K
One thing I really enjoyed about this book is how @lyzl explains how single mothers often have more free time and less work than married mothers. I have heard this from so many mothers I know: Leaving your husband is a good way to get him to co-parent.
69
179
1K
The crowd's laughing at rape during Trump's CNN town hall is just the tip of the iceberg. In this deep-but-readable dive, I look at how the religious right is abandoning the "protect women" pretense. Their misogyny is bolder, more shameless.
49
448
1K
Boy, the right's outrage over this removes what lingering shred of doubt remained that they're just super super super racist. I mean otherwise, what's the argument here? That tapdancing is too new-fangled for the White House?.
A bit of magic, wonder, and joy brought to you by the talented tappers of Dorrance Dance, performing their playful interpretation of The Nutcracker Suite. Enjoy! 💕
64
117
1K
Over the weekend, Republicans had an extended fit because Jill Biden posted a video of people tap dancing to Duke Ellington. We are apparently in the "Nazis want to ban jazz" phase of the MAGA movement. Analysis of the fascist tantrum.
63
329
1K
The Fox News texting scandal should be the biggest story in the country, but it's already fading. Why? Because we all know they won't lose a single viewer over this. 2-3 minute read this morning explaining why their audience doesn't feel betrayed.
48
375
1K
I see that the Wall Street Journal is hyping a fake trend of "stay-at-home girlfriends." As with tradwives, it's obvious that these women are actually selling softcore porn to very dumb men. Here's my recent writing on this: .
16
240
1K
"Frankenstein" was a warning, y'all! Republicans created RFK Jr. to be a spoiler, but now he's threatening to pull votes from Trump. Trump should be worried. He depends on the crackpot vote. RFK is a shiny new object that will be attractive to cranks.
36
209
1K
As promised, my reaction to Romney's retirement — and the ridiculous praise he's getting. The notion that "traditional" Republicans were sober-minded policy wonks is silly. It's their lack of serious policy ideas that opened the door to Trump.
52
260
1K
"Both times, the unanimous juries of 12 people resoundingly rejected Durham's claims. "It's worth remembering that federal prosecutors have around a 97% conviction rate, casting Durham's failures into an even more comical light.".
8
248
969
As I was saying yesterday, the fig leaf of "protecting children" is slipping. The GOP attitude towards LGBTQ people is becoming more openly genocidal. I don't use that word lightly, but how else to think of this?
33
287
953
It cannot be emphasized enough how easy it would be — and likely was — for Russian and Chinese spies to rifle through the documents Trump put out for them. Remember this incident? .
14
239
925
Of course RFK Jr. is hyping Aaron Rodgers as a potential, uh, running mate. His campaign is a grift whose primary marks are young, insecure men who turn to conspiracy theories to soothe their fragile egos. An analysis.
36
273
846
Basically, book fairs with books no kid wants to read. The end goal here is destroying all interest kids have in reading at all. Because people who enjoy reading often develop qualities like empathy and critical thinking.
31
258
865
Far too many voters think that because Trump is terrible for women, it means he's good for men. But Trump offers men *nothing*. He can tank the economy, dudes, but he can't make your wife come back.
11
235
828
One thing that occurred to me writing this: Women are right to be outraged at all the articles about male loneliness. Because it's always framed as women's problem to solve, not men's.
34
199
875
No surprise both Boebert and Taylor Greene nuked their marriages once they had better options. Many red state women do!. Their stories are about more than the hypocrisy of GOP women. It's a window into why GOP men are escalating the politics of misogyny.
9
201
839
Whenever I write about how Republicans don't really believe half the shit they say, I get condescending men telling me I don't understand, but they do believe it. As if I didn't grow up in the Bible Belt. So here's why it's so important to me.
18
249
804
"Woke" is now every third word out of Republican faces. But when pressed on what "woke" means, they stammer and dodge. This isn't by accident. "Woke" is an empty word that means whatever a Republican needs it to mean. In this article, I dig into why.
44
261
769
The GOP has turned into "a coalition of men who fear, often for very good reason, that their repulsive personalities exclude them from a world where sexual expression requires consent.".
22
264
749
Seems like people are finally getting that it wasn't an "affair." . The Stormy Daniels testimony was unnerving, but necessary. Along with E. Jean Carroll and Dobbs, it was a griping reminder of how deeply misogynist Trump is.
23
236
728
There's a tendency in the mainstream media to talk about GOP leaders like they are cynical operators merely exploiting the religious fundamentalism and racism of "the base." But nah, the leaders are also true crackpots. The abortion decision shows it.
14
174
705
"Ultimately, it comes down to this: Who care if MAGA voters are mad? They're always mad. "If they aren't whining about Trump being thrown off the ballot, they're whining about tap-dancing Christmas routines or Taylor Swift taking pictures with her cat.".
23
172
670
I see Republicans are parroting the lie that this affirmative action decision just makes admissions merit-based. Not for white students! Nearly half of white students at Harvard got in on a handicap.
32
260
637
This is why DeSantis's "they only took it out of the elementary school" gambit is so sinister. The implication is that people who share Nazi propaganda are the appropriate people to choose which books kids in elementary school read.
5
142
681
"Conservatives view IVF as a cheat code for feminists who want to have children on their own terms. "They would prefer a system where the only path to motherhood is being trapped with a Trump-voting husband who controls your checking account.".
6
147
674
Re-upping this as Elon and his followers realize the people they envy won't pay for blue checks. If Elon's cultists want to understand why he and they aren't cool, they should consider their failure to distinguish between social and financial capital.
11
145
622
The fact that SCOTUS is playing games to delay Trump's trial proves one thing:. They know he'd be convicted. So they are knowingly protecting a man they know to be a felon and a traitor.
43
256
633
Lots of people are saying "how can you be a tradwife and a senator?" I can't answer that question, but will point this out:. The "tradwives" on social media are also not unpaid housewives. They are professional content creators who work for money.
18
133
662
"One upside to the Vance event: There was no line to use the ladies' room. "There was one kind of diversity in this small but weirdly intense crowd. "Every type of white man that gets a hasty 'swipe left' on his dating profile was in attendance.".
22
124
606
We're in the midst of a conservative push, aided by the mainstream media, to bully women into young marriage. We're told it will cure everything from male loneliness to child poverty. Then Lauren Boebert offered a look at the realities of young marriage.
48
174
614
Interviews with Iowa Republican voters reveals an important truth: Trump voters know he is not joking about being a dictator. They may gaslight reporters (who they hate), but a dictator is exactly what they want Trump to be.
52
250
617
Elon Musk's harassment of random federal employees is alarming. But it's also a sign of weakness. And a reminder that Timothy Snyder is right: don't obey in advance.
11
374
740
Heroes alert! . Moms for Liberty, using subterfuge, has been taking over school boards across the country. Meet the parents fighting back, in one small community in swing state Pennsylvania. It's part of a grassroots resistance sweeping the nation.
12
258
600
Taylor Swift went to her second NFL game. The GOP vitriol ain't slowing down. It's not just about voter registration or covid shots. Why Swift hooking up with Travis Kelce is aggravating to MAGA dudes: It's a reminder of their vast sexual insecurities.
39
105
555
I thought Marco Rubio calling the E. Jean Carroll jury a "joke" was a one-off. But in the John Durham "report," he repeatedly dismisses jury findings. With Trump's legal woes mounting, looks like "juries don't count" is the new GOP talking point.
37
207
554
Today's song is a heartbreaker that I'm dedicating to E. Jean Carroll, for her immense courage. While judges and politicians cower in fear of Trump, she is standing up to him. Be more like Carroll, everyone.
18
68
569
Trump-branded Bibles make a mockery of Christianity. Liberals assume MAGA doesn't get this. I disagree. I think MAGA loves Trump's contempt for the Bible. He gives them permission to redefine "Christianity" as a religion of hate, instead of Jesus' love.
39
177
569
"It's hard to convey to non-nutty people how obsessively angry conservatives are with women who wait until they're independent adults before they marry.". They use phrases like "fulfillment of personal lifestyle desires" like that's a bad thing.
3
100
569
Morning! E. Jean Carroll's verdict is a victory for the #MeToo movement. It's also one that various prosecutors with cases against Trump should pay attention to. He is not invincible. Juries can hear evidence against him and render fair verdicts.
20
109
519
A new report shows that the Proud Boys took a dramatic dive in activity in the latter half of 2023, dwindling to nearly nothing. There's lots of reasons for this. But the biggest, I believe? All the Proud Boys who went to prison.
15
129
537
"Stand where he tells you to stand, wear what he tells you to wear, and do what he tells you to do.". Quote from a pastor at one of Texas's biggest megachurches. It's gross on its own. It also tells us why the GOP is doubling down on misogyny.
13
250
522
Rep. Ken Buck's resignation isn't just tasty fun. It underscores an important truth about MAGA and most authoritarian movements: The people involved hate each other. It's why fewer than half the GOP caucus showed up for this week's retreat.
15
168
491
Remember, Trump is only invincible if we start treating him that way. So please, keep defeatist rhetoric to yourself. It's not helpful and not true. He can be beaten.
34
112
484
Handwringing about "people" (read: women) being single always had an implicit "lower your standards" vibe. Now the pressure to marry Trump voters has grown more explicit. This is a terrible idea. Here's why it's good most young women won't date MAGA.
32
125
517
Last year, Florida's GOP was held out as the future of the Republican party. Now their governor is a national joke. Moms for Liberty is a disaster. And the state GOP chair is being pushed out of leadership after a rape allegation.
18
195
507
Republicans keep trying to downplay drag bans and "don't say gay" laws as merely protecting kids from "sexually explicit" materials. That's a lie. They define merely *being* LGBTQ is "sexually explicit". The goal is eradication.
12
178
487
Elon Musk is a distraction. The goal is not to eliminate federal jobs, but replace them with what the head of Project 2025 called an "army" of Christian nationalists. Pete Hegseth and Pam Bondi are the most prominent examples. But the plan is extensive.
21
367
607
It's not just that she used the tradwife aesthetic. Katie Britt's bizarre SOTU response was part of a larger trend: Republicans dropping the "pro-life" pretense and tacitly admitting their goal is to force women into subservience.
16
148
483
While the manhunt for the Maine shooter continues, the Supreme Court is about to hear a case that could end mental health and domestic violence-based restrictions on who can have guns. This court is so radical there's a strong chance they'll go there.
19
297
471
E. Jean Carroll testified about Trump raping her yesterday. It was harrowing, but effective against the Trump defense strategy: Pure misogyny. I've been following the trial closely. Here's my analysis of how Trump's lawyer exploits sexist stereotypes.
12
136
469
It's not just Elon. The hyper-wealthy are showing us that too much money is bad for people's mental health and reality-comprehension. For their own good, we need to tax them until they are merely rich.
12
107
459
The big hero in the Trump fraud case is Tish James. But let's take a moment to remember the role @AOC played in this. Because AOC used a hearing to ask real questions, instead of just grandstand like most politicians, she got the ball rolling.
9
115
455
This narrative is cropping up that James Comer and Tucker Carlson are "dupes" of the Russians. Nah, they're fully complicit. They know they're laundering lies generated by a murderous dictator. And they're so happy to do it for him.
15
143
437
Libs of TikTok is popular on the right, which has turned harassing LGBTQ people into a major pasttime. A GOP mayor got the Libs of TikTok treatment from a right wing blog. He killed himself. Now a lot of conservatives don't think it's funny anymore.
2K
128
464
Republican women keep talking about rape, trying to act like they give a crap about victims. But at every turn, they show their true face: They don't care about rape victims. They exploit them, sneer at them and silence them.
10
170
432
It was shocking to me that Fox, however reluctantly, admitted the "homeless vets get displaced by migrants" story was a hoax. The backtrack makes sense in light of how the mainstream media resisted taking the bait. Which they might not have in the past.
18
141
433
Book banners successfully bullied Scholastic into censoring books about people of color and LGBTQ people. This one hits home, because I was (no surprise) a Book Kid, as I imagine many readers are. It also shows how this is not about "parents rights.".
8
175
431
Mike Johnson's fake "Jefferson prayer" didn't read like an honest mistake, but a deliberate provocation. He even mocked historians in his intro. I put his stunt into context. Fake history is a linchpin weapon of Christian nationalists.
23
303
522
Why read past headlines: Delicious on-the-ground details about how Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kari Lake could barely rouse any interest in their book signings.
9
91
401
It has come to my attention that a infamous fraudster has written a reponse to this for the Federalist. In it, he portrays me as a bougie feminist who doesn't understand the salt-of-the-earth beauty of teen pregnancy. He's scum, but also a liar.
21
81
406
A lot of the coverage of the E. Jean Carroll trials assume that MAGA doesn't "believe" the allegation that Trump sexually assaulted her in the 90s. Oh, they believe her. They just don't care. This is what feminists mean by the term "rape culture.".
14
115
407
Divorce is usually framed like a tragedy. The dirty secret: A lot of women find life on the other side is a beautiful thing. I spoke with @lyzl about her new book celebrating divorce. Great counterpoint to all the pressure on women to get married!.
13
75
444
So many wild quotes in this article from the right: "Sanctioning masturbation for the sake of collecting sperm is dubious.". Or: ""Does Taylor Swift have any eggs left?". They are *weird* people and this IVF decision is proving it.
3
46
422
The viewership of Hallmark Christmas movies show it's dominated by older Republican-voting women. It shows the power of the "kids moving back home" fantasy has with the Trump-voting woman. The irony is that it's their votes driving their kids off.
9
88
408
Why read past headlines: Sure, you saw it on TV, but my ears are still ringing from the volume at the Harris rally. More to the point, I've got all the tasty details of how different it was from the JD Vance event, which was literally 60 times smaller.
9
63
383
With a couple minutes to kill, I want to pull out an observation that I make towards the end of this article that mostly goes unremarked: "Tradwives" are not actually housewives, as they pretend. They are paid professionals.
11
88
398
I figure 95-99% of Republicans at this point are Confederate Lost Causers, but seems like the billionaire power player Clarence Thomas kicks around with is also a Nazi Lost Causer.
29
139
381
It's true: White evangelicals have embraced cheesecake and other sexy imagery they used to decry as "immodest." . Don't get it twisted, though. They hate sex as much as ever. They still want to punish women and LGBTQ people who choose to have sex.
37
94
384
Fellow liberals, it is not beneath you to share this widely. We need less "Trump scary unbeatable strongman" messaging. We need more "Trump is an overcompensating bully" messaging. This helps.
27
116
370
Year-end reflections on the story that is often politely ignored: The rapid expansion of conspiracy thinking is why Trump won.
40
220
455
She's now arguing that "we've never been a racist country." That erases, of course, slavery, Jim Crow, lynching and bans on families like hers from immigrating her prior to the 60s.
36
106
356
Despite the strain caused from my eyerolling, I wrote a response to the Washington Post op-ed from Christine Emba. Men are not in "danger" because Taylor Swift and Beyoncé are popular. Women don't "leave men out" by celebrating their independence.
18
90
370
Why to read this short article past headlines: I've covered the anti-choice movement for nearly 20 years, so I can explain this. Plus, the details are weird: Counting Taylor Swift's "eggs." Denouncing masturbation into a cup. "Procreative Anarchy.".
2
44
385
This isn't just about rainbow flags at Target, to be clear. Everyone who spreads the "groomer" lie is encouraging terrorism. After the mass shooting at Club Q, they can't pretend this isn't about encouraging murder.
8
152
357
The hot new "masculinity influencer," Nick Adams, distills something I've long noticed about these "alpha male" leaders: . Their advice couldn't be better designed to make their sad, lonely followers even more alienated from others, especially women.
28
104
369
"It's about sexism. "It's definitely not about a sincere concern for embryonic life.". When they're talking to each other (I bring quotes), that becomes quite clear.
1
40
383
Because Speaker Mike Johnson sucks in every way, it's been hard to find one narrative to define him. My humble suggestion: The guy is serving creepy incel vibes. His bitter obsession with other people's sex lives is what will stick out to voters.
13
91
346
Seriously, I'm so annoyed by all the pundits making pouty faces and saying this is a "sad" day. That's just well-heeled elites having a viscerally negative reaction to a member of their class being held accountable. @digby56 is right.
10
70
336
Book bans get the lion's share of attention. But Oklahoma Republicans just opened up a new attack on secular education. The goal? Getting a case before the Supreme Court, so the Federalist Society judges can kill the First Amendment once and for all.
20
209
320
As a reminder, haters, hate email sent to me is not a private communication between you and me. It's an invitation to share your email with all of Twitter.
7
34
338
"In one especially chilling moment, Hawley said more women were seeking aftercare for abortions at E.R. instead of from the doctor who provided the abortion. "What she failed to mention is that she, personally, is largely to blame for this shift.".
4
91
335
Morning! Republicans want to blame the Silicon Valley Bank collapse on "wokeness." In reality, it's a reminder that tech bro billionaires are no different than Wall Street types — anti-regulation, entitled brats. They just wear hoodies instead of suits.
10
125
361
The fascist obsession with monarchy is among the top reasons I don't love the American press hyping the Windsors. It doesn't seem like a harmless diversion to me, because it unwittingly reinforces anti-democratic messaging from the far right.
19
49
357
Voters backed both Trump and progressive policies like minimum wage hikes and abortion rights. This disconnect is the answer to the "how did this happen" question. A lot of voters are profoundly ignorant. More so than in the past. I explore why.
24
137
375