Honest question: Assuming there is something damaging or even criminal in these materials, why would this administration release any of it? Regardless of a congressional vote, court order, or burning bush.

Yes. But more recently the problem has become ownership by oligarchs happy to appease or outright support fascism.

What Yglesias has stumbled upon, without realizing it, is that in the modern information environment, Democrats have very poor control over their own identity.

Democrats are defined not by their own rhetoric, but by the rhetoric of their enemies. This is not a problem a policy agenda can fix.

"The ‘60 Minutes’ interview with Trump showcased everything that is wrong with US political interviews in general. The deferential tone. The lack of preparation. The failure to ask follow-up questions or dig deep into answers. The inability (unwillingness?) to fact-check in real time."

"People like Merrick Garland think that they’re eschewing politics. The reality is the opposite: The careful avoidance of anything that appears political is itself a political act. It is a performance, intended to convey to your audience that you are neutral and unbiased. It’s institutional PR."

Still this: "I disliked Biden because [thing Trump did], and I missed Trump because [thing Biden did]. I voted for Trump again because I wanted [thing Harris promised], But I really hope that Trump doesn't [core Trump campaign promise]."

Lazy, incompetent, and largely complicit.