Identity Politics

 

Caitlyn Jenner announced she's running to be governor of California. I checked her website and there's nothing about any platform or policies but there are links to buy merchandise. That's all you need to know about her priorities right there.

— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) April 23, 2021

I mean, what do you expect? This is what they do now. Doesn't make me think there's anything insincere about the campaign, just that policy isn't its subject matter. Even the merch isn't, though it's important, not so much as a fundraising strategy, I think, as a vehicle for expressing brand identification. 

I get a little dizzy trying to comprehend the way Republicans play identity politics, because it has different levels that seem superficially to contradict each other: they pick representatives from more or less marginal groups, sometimes relatively sober examples like Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, sometimes really silly ones like this Caitlyn Jenner thing, and then get shocked and indignant with how the Black community, or the LGBTQ+ community, or whoever it might be, don't welcome them. 

Terror in the Bath

After the Bath. Drawing by Edgar Degas ca. 1900, Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Such a pleasure to see the Supreme Court frustrating the presidency with their refusal today to take on bullshit gun rights cases and the DOJ desire to challenge "sanctuary cities" laws, but obviously the big thing is their recognition, by a 6-to-3 margin, that LGBTQ people can be discriminated against under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act since "sex" became a protected category in 1991. Apparently because, as I suspected, Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Gorsuch (who wrote the very well crafted opinion) have some limits as to how low they're willing to go in gratifying Republicans. Not that they're nice people, and I don't think you should be too optimistic about the survival of the Affordable Care Act or the exposure of the Trump tax returns (I'm going to express a tiny hope on both, and a stronger one on the survival of the DACA program), but they see themselves as true aristocrats, too good to follow the Republicans all the way into the swine trough.

Bret Kavanaugh, in infuriated dissent:

For the record: Arguing with Tomi Lahren

The young woman who denounces the Affordable Care Act while enjoying the fact that it gets her free coverage on her parents' policy was weighing in on the topic of transgender troops.

SMBC-Comics, via Language Log.

Do you have an argument why Italian-American men should be allowed to serve? People over 6'5"? Natve speakers of Chinese?

— Yastreblyansky (@Yastreblyansky) July 30, 2017

The American way is everyone who passes the physical can serve. Burden of proof for making an exception is on you.

— Yastreblyansky (@Yastreblyansky) July 30, 2017

And the military already studied all the arguments you can come up with, and they're worthless. https://t.co/2bJUuwVdPn

— Yastreblyansky (@Yastreblyansky) July 30, 2017

That's why, sweetcakes. There's no good reason to create this category of persons who must not serve.

— Yastreblyansky (@Yastreblyansky) July 30, 2017

Cheap shot: Pat McCrory

Why is this governor smiling? "I'm Pat McCrory, and I approved forcing this so-called 'trans man' into the ladies' room in North Carolina because it says on his birth certificate he's a lady!" Authentic image from the StandWithPat website. Not sure what they meant to accomplish with it. H/t Tengrain.