Jesse Watters can’t seem to stop admiring Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. The Fox News host loves to talk about how Michigan’s Democratic nominee for the Senate is “in great shape” and how “Abdul . . . beat the machine” — meaning the party establishment’s candidate, Rep. Haley Stevens — in a hard-fought primary. During an interview in August, Watters clearly enjoyed El-Sayed’s jokes and blunt speech, which included calling his opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers, a “beta,” and asking the host if he was circumcised when Watters tried to corner him on gender-affirming surgery for minors. The next day, Watters made no bones about El-Sayed’s appeal. “I like him,” he said. “I don’t want to like him. I like him for some stupid reason.”
But the reason was obvious. The doctor-turned-politician has an aggressive bro style that appeals to someone like Watters. Quick-witted with bulldog energy, El-Sayed never backs down from a fight. But despite Watters’ admiration, Fox News has become obsessed with taking El-Sayed down. It’s not because he’s Muslim, though Republicans are ratcheting up the racism in their efforts to derail his campaign. It’s because he is a model for how Democrats can escape their reputations for being weak and feckless.
Ugh. Can we talk about his politics without turning it into some weird gender thing? I want to relate to his policies and goals. Pointless masculine aggression makes me not want to have anything to do with someone.
I agree, but if you actually listen to El-Sayed, that isn’t what he’s doing or who he is. It’s easy for confidence to be misunderstood as aggression, particularly in politics. The right always tries to attack their opponents as “weak”. Their understanding of that term is based on toxic masculinity as their only role model.
El-Sayed is a case study in the difference between toxic masculinity and healthy masculinity. He is a fighter, but he’s fighting to help people, not to bully anyone. That is only an issue because his opponents keep bringing it up.
Right! Like, if that’s not who he is, then who are they preaching to when they characterize him that way? Who are they appealing to? What I want to bring people across the aisle is improved empathy and understanding, not “our guy is your style” kind of compromises. The problem seems to exist in the media pipeline.
That’s kinda the point of the story though right? That Jesse is a weirdo that is actually taken by that attitude
If you can’t change someone’s mind without appealing to their problematic side, then you’ve failed to change their mind, and they’ve succeeded at compromising your integrity.
I dunno that changing a fox news host’s mind is the main game here…
Re-read the comment I was replying to.
Take your own advice. You’re the only one talking about changing minds.
I did. I would still make the same point. We don’t need to make every conservative a true progressive believer. We need to see material change that makes things better for everyone (which will probably help change many conservatives view of what is OK/good).
This is not a “by any means necessary” thing, it’s a “use what levers you have access to” thing.
This just seems like extending purity politics to a cultural affect.
There’s a debate to be had on purity politics in respect to actual policies and positions like supporting genocide, trans rights etc.
But if it’s in regards to how you express those policies and positions that’s just limiting your voting base with no real gain.
I"m just disappointed that this is the limit to the progress achievable from the best candidates the left can offer. I don’t like having to compromise on anything considering how uncompromisingly awful this administration has been about everything. Making sure your hands are thoroughly washed isn’t about some goofball idea of purity, it’s a practical precaution.
Too fucking bad. You need votes. Getting bros excited to vote is about the only fucking chance you have to non violently avoid literal death camps being built out.
Whether you like it it not large swaths of humans act emotionally and how bros are feeling about a progressive is very much tied to our future.
It’ll be a future that doesn’t represent me or people like me, but I’d still be paying taxes. Hope they enjoy meeting the new boss who’s the same as the old boss.
👌👍
So you’ll just be in the same predicament that any American a who isn’t a straight white cis male capital owner has always been in.
The people in that predicament right NOW don’t have anything to loose.
Yeah about that. I’m trans and bi. So that is indeed my situation and I’m tired of every president, left or right, either merely tolerating my existence or wanting me dead. I’m willing to vote for the least of the evils when it counts, but I will not stop protesting that the people who are supposed to be progressive are okay falling right back in line behind the same kind of people that drove us to this point to begin with. Call me idealist, call me naive, call me ignorant, say whatever you like. I don’t care. None of the people replying to me understand what the fuck I’m saying and they all act like I’m some kind of secret agent trying to nitpick and sow division among the left, when the truth is most of the left doesn’t actually care about trans rights nearly as much as they claim, when it actually matters. They’ll still say “maybe later” and vote for another cisgendered symbol of masculinity. Well, fuck that. And fuck this thread, too.
You just know that if he was a woman, they’d be foaming at the mouth about how she’s “emotional”, “unstable”, or “shrill” instead.
It would be his opponents saying those things, not fans. It’s his fans saying these things about him now and it doesn’t fill me with confidence for a future not led by yet another shining symbol of masculine aggression.
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Literally no, we can’t
Politicians have broken faith so many times that talking about policy doesn’t work. People will not simply vote for their self interest
A good candidate has to dress up their policies in presentation. They have to stand out in people’s minds in a way that inspires confidence with limited exposure
What is gender but a bucket of traits and behaviors we group into a social role. It’s ultimately a mental shortcut - if people see certain traits or behavior, people assume other associated traits and behaviors
The way that people are engaging with the gender presentation of a candidate is really important in politics (and pretty much nothing else)
All of this is true and serves not as an excuse, but as an indictment.
Yeah well… You can spend your time upset about how the world sucks, or you can look at it accurately so you can effectively do something to make it better
Politics is a dumb game, but it’s really important to play it well
This makes no sense. If I’m upset about how the world sucks, it’s because I am looking at it accurately. I’m accurately evaluating it as a thing that sucks and should be changed. This isn’t change, this is just the same shit creeping back in under the flag of change, and I’m not buying it. Have a nice day.
El-Sayed isn’t toxically masculine like that MAGAt idiots. Don’t confuse a guy that stands up for himself as more the same shit we have already. Talarico in Texas is similar. They both display “healthy” masculinity. So does Pete Buttigeig, that matter. There’s a night and day difference between healthy and toxic masculinity. We need more of the healthy and truckload less of the toxic. El-Sayed is NOT more of the same. It’s a different energy. It’s very much the same difference of Obama versus Trump. If you think Obama and Trump are the same kind of man…then you need psychological help.
They’re so completely different that people who admire toxic masculinity find him appealing. Yep. Definitely buying that.
No, you’re upset that someone with good positions is being praised for qualities that shouldn’t matter instead of their policies
But those traits do matter - the fact that El-Sayed delivers his message in a way that inspires confidence in low information voters doesn’t take away from his positions. Instead, it empowers his positions. It enables positive change
This is what forward progress looks like. This is what winning looks like. It’s progressive policy in a pretty package. It’s good delivery of a good message
Nothing about that is a compromise
Yikes. Blocked.
That’s how I feel about your nonsense! Bye.
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