The Rise of the Claremonsters

Laura K. Field on the decline of a once-distinguished think tank.

Leading The Bulwark…

What the Hell Happened to the Claremont Institute?

LAURA K. FIELD: How the once-distinguished conservative think tank plunged into Trumpism, illiberalism, and lying about the election.

🎧 On the Pods… 🎧

Special Adam Kinzinger and Chris Krebs Doubleheader

On today’s doubleheader podcast, Adam Kinzinger talks about being the GOP’s Lone Survivor; and cyber security expert Chris Krebs talks about being fired by tweet, and the fight against this disinformation.

ATMA: 'Black Widow' Podcast

Plus: The ethics of viral short story "Cat Person" called into question.

For Bulwark+ Members… 🔐

MORNING SHOTS: What The Hell Happened To The Claremont Institute?

CHARLIE SYKES: Nativist, racist, illiberal, and post-truth.

THE TRIAD: Let's Talk About Happy Things 🔐

JVL: On the Home Run Derby and wrestling.

ATMA: The MCU's Villain Problem

On this special members-only episode, Sonny, Alyssa, and Peter discuss the biggest problem in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: the lack of a decent stable of villains.

From The Bulwark Aggregator…

• The Man Sowing Fear About ‘Home Intrusion by Vaccine Squads’ – Michael Daly, The Daily Beast

• Babe Ruth Was Never This Versatile – Will Leitch, Intelligencer

• Pet Startups Are Having a Field Day – Arielle Pardes, Wired

• ‘I Alone Can Fix It’ book excerpt: Inside Trump’s Election Day and the birth of the ‘big lie’ – Carol D. Leonnig and Philip Rucker, The Washington Post

• Trump’s Revenge Begins in Georgia – Russell Berman, The Atlantic

• The USPS’ Semi-Secret Internet Surveillance Apparatus – Elizabeth Nolan Brown, Reason

• Fired and defiant, former Social Security chief is cut off from agency computers – Lisa Rein, The Washington Post

In Today’s Bulwark...

Why Harrison Ford’s Best Roles Are Neither Han Nor Indy

BILL RYAN: How Ford surpassed his blockbuster-era films by following them with the most interesting performances of his career.

Right-Wing Violence Threatens Georgian Democracy

BESIKI KUTATELADZE AND DAVID J. KRAMER: Bloody anti-LGBTQ riots have claimed at least one life in the struggling Caucasian country.

🚨OVERTIME 🚨

Happy Tuesday! I have good news. My former college bar, where I worked as a bouncer and closed a few years back, might be getting a new lease on life. It’s the basis for the movie One Night at McCool’s, which was written by regular Stan Seidel, who died during filming.

Brian Kunderman @BKunderman

They’re doing some work at Humphrey’s. Miss this place!

The kids are alright…

Students from Columbus Academy respond to the criticisms by two now very famous on the right parents.

The money behind the right wing CRT panic. A good read by Judd Legum.

Is Los Angeles hideous? I’ve only been there once, I think, but my friend and former roommate and multi-time Angelino Andrew Heaton has written a book of poems about his former city, out today.

Here’s a verse from one that made me chuckle (all of the poems are funny because Heaton is a comedian.)

If highways are a city’s arteries
Los Angeles is begging for a heart attack
And a stroke so prodigious
It makes a popping noise
Audible in Arizona.

A burgh most constipated
Squatting on a toilet
Straining, straining,
To squeeze out a Prius.

And when it succeeds
Teeth clenched, sweat drenched
Guess what?
The toilet is clogged

Because that’s LA:
The septic tank of hopes and dreams

Angelinos spend
128 hours in their cars
Each year

But it only takes an hour
To drive the fuck away.

In Washington, we spend an average of 102 hours in our cars. Except not me, not anymore because I work from home. I know the 101 is bad, but trying to cross the Beltway can be almost as bad. 

The Six Way Fracturing of Evangelicalism… Today’s must read (outside of Laura K. Field’s item.)

You hate to see it…

Axios @axios

Trump unloads on Brett Kavanaugh for his Supreme Court votes: "Where would he be without me? I saved his life. He wouldn't even be in a law firm. Who would have had him? Nobody. Totally disgraced. Only I saved him."

axios.com“He wouldn’t even be in a law firm”: Trump unloads on Brett Kavanaugh in new Wolff book“There were so many others I could have appointed, and everyone wanted me to.”

You hate to see it, continued…

Will Sommer @willsommer

An Oklahoma Senate candidate courted QAnon voters at a Q convention. Then he posted a pic of his daughter wearing red shoes — which QAnon believers see as a symbol of the cabal. Now QAnon is convinced he's a child trafficker.

rightwingwatch.orgMAGA Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer Discovers the Downside of QAnon | Right Wing WatchMAGA pastor Jackson Lahmeyer launched a primary challenge to Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma earlier this year because he was outraged by

Don’t worry about inflation… Unless it’s cars.

Jeremy Horpedahl 🍞🔕 @jmhorp

Unless you are trying to buy or rent a car, inflation is at very normal levels

Council of Economic Advisers @WhiteHouseCEA

Cars once again accounted for a large share of the increase. Used cars, new cars, auto parts, and car rentals together made up about 60 percent of core month-over-month inflation 2/ https://t.co/SeYSQZXRjy

Reminds me of an old joke from the Ron Paul days… END INFLATION! (Except for Blimps.)

What the fresh hell is going on in Tennessee?

Brian Chandler @BrianChandlerSA

@JimSwiftDC Not even flu shots lmao

That’s it for me for today. We’ll see you back here tomorrow. Tech support questions? Email support@substack.com. Questions for me? Drop me a line: swift@thebulwark.com

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Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.