In off-the-record conversations where Klein’s notes are hidden in an Indiana Jones vault, elected Democrats confide in NY Times columnist and Vox cofounder Ezra Klein in private, saying things like, “I can live with Donald Trump winning.”
“I’ve had senior Democrats say to me ‘I don’t see why all these Dems who think Trump is an existential threat to our democracy are acting the way they are,’” the well-connected operative stated during an appearance this week on The Bulwark Podcast with host Tim Miller. However, I don’t believe that which is why I’m acting the way I am.”
According to Klein, the usual exchange with those anonymously elected Democrats went something like this:
“You are uncertain about the party’s plans to replace him.” You wish to avoid taking responsibility for any of this. You simply keep silent and take the composed route to failure.” I believe it to be evident… These are the items that people are weighing. For example, an elected official declared a preference to “live with Donald Trump winning” and stated, “It would be pretty painful for me personally to go against the president and ponder what would happen if Donald Trump wins. To be honest, I’ve heard similar sentiments from individuals who prefer not to speak publicly.”
Translation: “As long as Biden doesn’t drag me down with him, I can live with Trump winning since he poses no real threat to democracy.”
This is the same Ezra Klein who, as a result of President Joe Biden’s profound denial, writes in his Thursday NYT column that “Democrats Are Drifting To the Worst of All Possible Worlds”:
He rejects the negativity surrounding his prospects and abilities. He believes that undervaluing him has happened before and is happening now. He believes the polls are inaccurate. He believes that he is the target of media prejudice. Rather than a continuous decline, he thinks that his performance at the debate was a product of a terrible cold and a poor night. Furthermore, he is not receiving any overwhelming support to stand down from the discussions he is having or the applauding audiences he is witnessing for himself.”
Podcast host Miller is a self-described “conservative” who began his career in national politics in 2008 as a staffer for John McCain. In 2012, he worked as the national media secretary for the Jon Huntsman presidential campaign (do you remember him?). In 2016, he was the communications director for Jeb Bush’s “Please Clap” campaign for president.
Since then, Miller has continued to write for The Bulwark, the ultra-conservative magazine, where he has collaborated with notable conservative writers including William Saletan, Cathy Young, and Bill Kristol.
It’s reasonable to assume that he has no concept of “winning.”
But it is “GALLING” — all capitals.
Miller foreshadowed his program on X, warning about his “GALLING exchange with @ezraklein regarding his conversations with top Dems who are resigned to Trump.”
If you’re looking for a soothing, dulcet-toned voice that offers a blistering viewpoint on Democratic elites’ cynicism and hypocrisy in the face of the impending Trump menace, I have the podcast for you!
Isn’t it funny that elected Democrats are prepared to acknowledge, in private at least, that Trump poses no threat to democracy, but Miller and the rest of the Bulwark gang continue to make their living by peddling the same falsehood to their naïve public?
Author: Steven Sinclaire