Paul Waldman
@paulwaldman.bsky.social
Columnist for MSNBC, Public Notice, Daily Beast. Formerly: Washington Post, The Week, American Prospect. Subscribe to my newsletter! The Cross Section: paulwaldman.substack.com
Dr. Oz is clearly a moron who, incredibly, doesn't understand anything about how the insurance system works.
But also: Conservatives genuinely believe that people want to spend endless hours "choosing the insurance that's best for them." They don't. They want good, secure health care. It's simple.
But also: Conservatives genuinely believe that people want to spend endless hours "choosing the insurance that's best for them." They don't. They want good, secure health care. It's simple.
Dr Oz: "If you had a check in the mail, you could buy the insurance you thought was best for you"
November 16, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Dr. Oz is clearly a moron who, incredibly, doesn't understand anything about how the insurance system works.
But also: Conservatives genuinely believe that people want to spend endless hours "choosing the insurance that's best for them." They don't. They want good, secure health care. It's simple.
But also: Conservatives genuinely believe that people want to spend endless hours "choosing the insurance that's best for them." They don't. They want good, secure health care. It's simple.
The ultrawealthy live lives in which literally the only human beings they ever come in contact with are either other rich freaks or people who are being paid to serve them.
Of course that turns them into sociopaths. How could it not?
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/tr...
Of course that turns them into sociopaths. How could it not?
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/tr...
The Ultrarich Are Spending a Fortune to Live in Extreme Privacy
In Miami and elsewhere, the wealthy are moving in increasingly private spheres, shelling out big money to bypass the indignities of public life.
www.wsj.com
November 16, 2025 at 4:17 AM
The ultrawealthy live lives in which literally the only human beings they ever come in contact with are either other rich freaks or people who are being paid to serve them.
Of course that turns them into sociopaths. How could it not?
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/tr...
Of course that turns them into sociopaths. How could it not?
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/tr...
Reposted by Paul Waldman
Worse: Rep Mike Collins used a photo of Jon Ossoff to create a deepfake video putting words into Ossoff's mouth he did not say.
And now he and his campaign are bragging about it and promising to do more
www.ajc.com/politics/202...
And now he and his campaign are bragging about it and promising to do more
www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Jon Ossoff warned about deepfakes. Now he is one.
A Mike Collins campaign video uses AI to make Sen. Jon Ossoff say outlandish things. A proposed state law would rein in such uses of AI in campaigns.
www.ajc.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Worse: Rep Mike Collins used a photo of Jon Ossoff to create a deepfake video putting words into Ossoff's mouth he did not say.
And now he and his campaign are bragging about it and promising to do more
www.ajc.com/politics/202...
And now he and his campaign are bragging about it and promising to do more
www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Democrats have been defending Obamacare for 15 years. It's time for them to start planning for the next phase of their long health care reform journey, so the next time they have power they're ready to act.
My latest at MSNBC: www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
My latest at MSNBC: www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Opinion | Democrats should think bigger than just defending the Affordable Care Act
The law has done a tremendous amount of good, but it’s far from perfect.
www.msnbc.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Democrats have been defending Obamacare for 15 years. It's time for them to start planning for the next phase of their long health care reform journey, so the next time they have power they're ready to act.
My latest at MSNBC: www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
My latest at MSNBC: www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Also in addition to the corruption they're using hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money to make ads for Kristi Noem's ill-fated 2028 presidential campaign
NEW: A company run by the husband of Kristi Noem’s chief DHS spokesperson (and that has personal and business ties to Noem and her aides) secretly got money from $220 million DHS ad contracts 👀 by @justinelliott.bsky.social @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
The company is run by the husband of Noem’s chief DHS spokesperson and has personal and business ties to Noem and her aides. DHS invoked the “emergency” at the border to skirt competitive bidding rule...
www.propublica.org
November 14, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Also in addition to the corruption they're using hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money to make ads for Kristi Noem's ill-fated 2028 presidential campaign
Reposted by Paul Waldman
Millions of people have, probably unknowingly, streamed a dreadful country song created entirely by AI. This is a harbinger of things to come.
It's going to get increasingly more difficult to hang on to our humanity, but we have to keep at it. My latest:
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/todays-ai-...
It's going to get increasingly more difficult to hang on to our humanity, but we have to keep at it. My latest:
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/todays-ai-...
Today’s AI Slop Panic That Is Both Fake and Real, In the Worst Way
What's here now is bad, and what's coming is worse. Hang on to your humanity.
paulwaldman.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Millions of people have, probably unknowingly, streamed a dreadful country song created entirely by AI. This is a harbinger of things to come.
It's going to get increasingly more difficult to hang on to our humanity, but we have to keep at it. My latest:
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/todays-ai-...
It's going to get increasingly more difficult to hang on to our humanity, but we have to keep at it. My latest:
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/todays-ai-...
Reposted by Paul Waldman
“Housing shortage – Jews to blame," letter sticker, German Reich, 1938
zwangsraeume.berlin/en/context
zwangsraeume.berlin/en/context
November 14, 2025 at 2:16 AM
“Housing shortage – Jews to blame," letter sticker, German Reich, 1938
zwangsraeume.berlin/en/context
zwangsraeume.berlin/en/context
This is a core element of conservative philosophy: If a single "undeserving" person is getting a government benefit, the answer is to take it away from millions.*
*Offer does not apply to tax loopholes or any other benefit enjoyed by the wealthy
*Offer does not apply to tax loopholes or any other benefit enjoyed by the wealthy
Brooke Rollins: "SNAP is a broken program. SNAP is full of corruption. We found 186,000 dead people."
November 13, 2025 at 4:16 PM
This is a core element of conservative philosophy: If a single "undeserving" person is getting a government benefit, the answer is to take it away from millions.*
*Offer does not apply to tax loopholes or any other benefit enjoyed by the wealthy
*Offer does not apply to tax loopholes or any other benefit enjoyed by the wealthy
We've heard your objections, but those shirtwaists aren't going to make themselves
A bill that would allow Ohio teenagers 14 and 15 years old to work till 9 p.m. throughout the year is heading to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk, though federal law still stands in the way.
via @ohiocapitaljournal.com
via @ohiocapitaljournal.com
Ohio lawmakers send bill to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk that would let teenagers work later hours
A bill that would allow Ohio teenagers 14 and 15 years old to work till 9 p.m. throughout the year is heading to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk, though federal law still stands in the way.Ohio Senate Bill…
www.newsfromthestates.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:13 PM
We've heard your objections, but those shirtwaists aren't going to make themselves
Reposted by Paul Waldman
What really comes through in the birthday book and the emails is how many of these rich and powerful guys were amazed and jealous of how Epstein devoted his entire life to the rape and abuse of children while they could only dabble in it
November 13, 2025 at 4:49 AM
What really comes through in the birthday book and the emails is how many of these rich and powerful guys were amazed and jealous of how Epstein devoted his entire life to the rape and abuse of children while they could only dabble in it
Reposted by Paul Waldman
The Republican president is a pedophile who has doubled my healthcare costs and let scores of violent criminals out of jail. But a Democratic mayor-elect wants to make busses free in a city I don't live in. I have never felt more politically homeless.
November 13, 2025 at 12:47 PM
The Republican president is a pedophile who has doubled my healthcare costs and let scores of violent criminals out of jail. But a Democratic mayor-elect wants to make busses free in a city I don't live in. I have never felt more politically homeless.
What really comes through in the birthday book and the emails is how many of these rich and powerful guys were amazed and jealous of how Epstein devoted his entire life to the rape and abuse of children while they could only dabble in it
November 13, 2025 at 4:49 AM
What really comes through in the birthday book and the emails is how many of these rich and powerful guys were amazed and jealous of how Epstein devoted his entire life to the rape and abuse of children while they could only dabble in it
Reposted by Paul Waldman
I like how the standard line from all these people is: “I regret associating with Jeffrey Epstein.”
Yeah no shit! Of course you do!
Yeah no shit! Of course you do!
November 13, 2025 at 2:46 AM
I like how the standard line from all these people is: “I regret associating with Jeffrey Epstein.”
Yeah no shit! Of course you do!
Yeah no shit! Of course you do!
The tax system is designed so ultrawealthy ghouls like Scott Bessent don't have to pay what they owe, and the Trump administration is working every day to skew it even more in favor of people like him.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
The I.R.S. Tried to Stop This Tax Dodge. Scott Bessent Used It Anyway.
www.nytimes.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:45 AM
The tax system is designed so ultrawealthy ghouls like Scott Bessent don't have to pay what they owe, and the Trump administration is working every day to skew it even more in favor of people like him.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
On this Epstein stuff, just a reminder that multiple contestants in the Miss Teen USA pageant - to repeat, TEENAGERS - said that when Trump owned it, he would walk into the dressing room so he could watch them changing clothes
www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kend...
www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kend...
Teen Beauty Queens Say Trump Walked In On Them Changing
“Don’t worry, ladies, I’ve seen it all before.”
www.buzzfeednews.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:35 PM
On this Epstein stuff, just a reminder that multiple contestants in the Miss Teen USA pageant - to repeat, TEENAGERS - said that when Trump owned it, he would walk into the dressing room so he could watch them changing clothes
www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kend...
www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kend...
Reposted by Paul Waldman
And it would help this effort if every Dem said something along the lines of "We *know* he rapes women. The only question is does he also rape girls."
The message from Dems the rest of the year should be simple: Trump must resign over Epstein
"House Democrats on Wednesday released emails in which Jeffrey Epstein wrote that President Trump had “spent hours at my house” with one of Epstein’s victims, among other messages that suggested that the convicted sex offender believed Mr. Trump knew more about his abuse than he has acknowledged."
November 12, 2025 at 2:34 PM
And it would help this effort if every Dem said something along the lines of "We *know* he rapes women. The only question is does he also rape girls."
In 2018 people started talking about a "techlash" against Silicon Valley. The word kind of disappeared, but the anger is only increasing, especially now with AI being shoved down everyone's throats.
This could become a real political movement.
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/the-real-t...
This could become a real political movement.
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/the-real-t...
The Real Techlash Is Coming
Anger at the tech companies is growing, and it could become a genuine political movement.
paulwaldman.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:08 PM
In 2018 people started talking about a "techlash" against Silicon Valley. The word kind of disappeared, but the anger is only increasing, especially now with AI being shoved down everyone's throats.
This could become a real political movement.
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/the-real-t...
This could become a real political movement.
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/the-real-t...
Kid Rock says Charlie Kirk spoke to him from beyond the grave and helped him write a new verse to add to a hit song somebody else wrote:
tasteofcountry.com/charlie-kirk...
Not sure why Kirk's ghost didn't help Kid Rock write a whole new song, but the afterlife is a mystery
tasteofcountry.com/charlie-kirk...
Not sure why Kirk's ghost didn't help Kid Rock write a whole new song, but the afterlife is a mystery
Kid Rock Adds a New Verse to Cody Johnson's ''Til You Can't' For Charlie Kirk
Kid Rock says Charlie Kirk's heavenly presence told him to add this verse to the song.
tasteofcountry.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Kid Rock says Charlie Kirk spoke to him from beyond the grave and helped him write a new verse to add to a hit song somebody else wrote:
tasteofcountry.com/charlie-kirk...
Not sure why Kirk's ghost didn't help Kid Rock write a whole new song, but the afterlife is a mystery
tasteofcountry.com/charlie-kirk...
Not sure why Kirk's ghost didn't help Kid Rock write a whole new song, but the afterlife is a mystery
Reposted by Paul Waldman
"It may not be much comfort for those bitter about what they see as a needless surrender. But there’s at least a chance that we’ll look back at this moment as a key turning point, one that produced a Democratic Party less willing to live on its knees." — @paulwaldman.bsky.social
Cue the rebellion
The Democratic base is enraged at their party's capitulation — and that's a good thing.
www.publicnotice.co
November 11, 2025 at 4:50 PM
"It may not be much comfort for those bitter about what they see as a needless surrender. But there’s at least a chance that we’ll look back at this moment as a key turning point, one that produced a Democratic Party less willing to live on its knees." — @paulwaldman.bsky.social
So Border Patrol thug-in-chief Greg Bovino is 100% Sean Penn's character from "One Battle After Another," it's almost eerie
November 11, 2025 at 5:33 PM
So Border Patrol thug-in-chief Greg Bovino is 100% Sean Penn's character from "One Battle After Another," it's almost eerie
The Republican base felt this way about Mitch McConnell for years, but the difference was that McConnell was extremely effective at the art of opposition and he didn't care that the base hated him
I guess you can quantify the massive disconnect between party leaders and the party base they loathe
November 11, 2025 at 3:04 PM
The Republican base felt this way about Mitch McConnell for years, but the difference was that McConnell was extremely effective at the art of opposition and he didn't care that the base hated him
One important result of the Dems' surrender on the shutdown: It is already producing a rebellion from the party's base.
Which is a good thing! Anger is the most powerful force in politics.
I explore in my latest for Public Notice:
www.publicnotice.co/p/shutdown-d...
Which is a good thing! Anger is the most powerful force in politics.
I explore in my latest for Public Notice:
www.publicnotice.co/p/shutdown-d...
Cue the rebellion
The Democratic base is enraged at their party's capitulation — and that's a good thing.
www.publicnotice.co
November 11, 2025 at 2:29 PM
One important result of the Dems' surrender on the shutdown: It is already producing a rebellion from the party's base.
Which is a good thing! Anger is the most powerful force in politics.
I explore in my latest for Public Notice:
www.publicnotice.co/p/shutdown-d...
Which is a good thing! Anger is the most powerful force in politics.
I explore in my latest for Public Notice:
www.publicnotice.co/p/shutdown-d...
Reposted by Paul Waldman
an underrated part of this turducken of garbage is Elon posting an image of the Odyssey while discussing the Iliad, but it's all so terribly, terribly pathetic
*maximum alpha at 1.25x speed* continuously lives on in my head, unfortunately.
November 11, 2025 at 1:48 AM
an underrated part of this turducken of garbage is Elon posting an image of the Odyssey while discussing the Iliad, but it's all so terribly, terribly pathetic
Let a single person feed their family with food stamps when they don't "deserve" the benefit and Republicans will be filled with such rage that they'll take away those benefits from millions of others.
Meanwhile the administration is doing this:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/b...
Meanwhile the administration is doing this:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/b...
November 11, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Let a single person feed their family with food stamps when they don't "deserve" the benefit and Republicans will be filled with such rage that they'll take away those benefits from millions of others.
Meanwhile the administration is doing this:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/b...
Meanwhile the administration is doing this:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/b...