Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 14/07/2024FDR was almost killed by an assassin before he took office in March 1933. 170
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 13/07/2024Only cold takes from me for a while. And nothing that has not been and confirmed again by the mainstream news media. 5220
Reposted by Walter ShapiroBrendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 13/07/2024amplify this not unverified reports until we know more 6332246
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 10/07/2024Another brutally honest assessment in the subject line of a DNC fund-raising email: "You deserve an explanation." Boy, do I ever. 2110
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 09/07/2024A small reminder that Thomas was appointed by the supposedly sainted GOP president, George H. W. Bush. 4164
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 09/07/2024My Roll Call column: "For all the hyper-partisanship of the Reagan era, a GOP president was not a threat to democracy. This is not a moment to say — as the Democrats did in the 1980s — that Mondale and Dukakis are laudable public figures, and we cannot abandon them." rollcall.com/2024/07/09/t...rollcall.comThe sad folly of Biden’s defiance - Roll CallThe most successful intervention in modern political history took place a half-century ago on Aug. 7, 1974. After the Supreme Court ordered the release of the Watergate “smoking gun” tape, three leadi... 240
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 09/07/2024I cannot stress how important being vetted is in a presidential candidate. No surprises with Harris unlike every other would-be. 1161
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 07/07/2024The greatest scene in any film. Once again, I teared up watching it. I hope and pray that never changes. Viva La France on a day like today. 151
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 06/07/2024My mental health strategy for the rest of the weekend (if I can manage it) : Hidin from Biden. 020
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 05/07/2024Not sure this is the best subject line for the Biden campaign fund-raising efforts today: "Trump is closer than ever to retaking power." And why is that? 071
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 05/07/2024My favorite British columnist on the election: Marina Hyde in Guardian. Her kicker invoking Sir Edward Gray saying in 1914, "The lights are going out in Europe," is powerful. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...theguardian.comSunak axed, the cast eviscerated: at last, it’s the Tories’ season finale | Marina HydeIt was worthy of a TV special. Truss, Rees-Mogg, Shapps, Liam Fox: so many erased after 14 years of dystopian soap opera, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde 061
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 05/07/2024I noticed the same thing. I was surprised by "cuppa" after the "tuppence" debacle. Chimney sweeps like Dick Van Dyke should sue. 110
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 04/07/2024I assume if Sunak loses, Tory supporters will storm the Parliament. 4101
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 04/07/2024"After Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii, a physician, asked Mr. Biden questions about the status of his health, Mr. Biden replied that his health was fine. 'It’s just my brain,' he added." Joke or reality? You make the call. www.nytimes.com/2024/07/04/u...nytimes.comBiden Tells Governors He Needs More Sleep and Less Work at NightThe president’s opening remark to a group of key Democratic leaders — that he was in the race to stay — chilled any talk of his withdrawal, participants said. 110
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 03/07/2024It says something about my mood over politics that my escape has been to belatedly binge watch "Babylon Berlin." When Berlin in 1929 looks good, boy, are we in trouble. 051
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 03/07/2024Such an important point -- everything is up for grabs at an open convention. All you need is a majority to change the rules. And, yes, superdelegates can vote on rule changes. 010
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 03/07/2024My latest in @tnr.bsky.social: "For years, party leaders mocked Republicans for sticking with Trump when it was clear he was unfit for office. Now that Joe Biden is unfit for office, they’re mostly silent." newrepublic.com/article/1834...newrepublic.comDemocrats Are Panicking. Why Aren’t Their Leaders Doing Anything?For years, party leaders mocked Republicans for sticking with Trump when it was clear he was unfit for office. Now that Joe Biden is unfit for office, they’re silent. 040
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 01/07/2024Another day in which I better stay away from sharp objects and open windows. 0101
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 28/06/2024I have never been a panicked Democrat. But the Atlanta debacle changed the equation for me. Biden must withdraw to save the nation from Trump. Me in @tnr.bsky.social. newrepublic.com/article/1832...newrepublic.comJoe Biden Is Facing the Biggest Decision of His Political CareerCan he beat Trump and save American democracy? If not, he should step aside. 4123
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 27/06/2024You have undoubtedly made the right life choice. 110
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 27/06/2024Medical mystery: I can't tell if my sense of mal de mer is caused by Covid bounce-back or debate fears. 240
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 27/06/2024Teddy White on JFK on debate day in 1960: "[He] lay on his bed in a white, open-necked T-shirt...and fired questions at his intimates. He held in his hand the fact cards that Goodwin and Feldman had prepared for him...and, as he finished each, he sent it spinning off the bed to the floor." 041
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 27/06/2024I hope to hell that Joe Biden is happily sleeping right now and not staring at the ceiling thinking of debate one-liners. 150
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 27/06/2024It has been an amazing four years for getting me to dramatically change my opinion of the Cheney family. 010
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 26/06/2024I thought they would be writing the previews in finger paint without a particular political bias. 010
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 26/06/2024Me in @tnr.bsky.social: "In keeping with the enduring principles of journalistic overkill, the only entities that have not yet weighed in with debate previews are two laggard preschools in Wichita, Kansas, and isolated pockets of Ukrainian soldiers in heavy combat." newrepublic.com/article/1831...newrepublic.comJoe Biden Should Be Boring in Thursday’s DebateVoters don’t need zingers or put-downs. They need to be reminded that an adult is in charge. 141
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 25/06/2024Extra! Extra! Stunning news from the NY Times: "With less than five months to go, new poll averages from The New York Times, which debut today, show a very close race nationally and in the critical battleground states." www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/u...nytimes.comIntroducing Our 2024 Poll TrackerIt starts by showing a very close race nationally and in critical battleground states. 1131
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 25/06/2024We are working out the details but I think you have a 2025 gig. 010
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 25/06/2024Next year I will live out my dream and go on the road as a rock star. It will be my Errors Tour. 141
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 25/06/2024I hate this headline formulation: "Why Do We Love ‘The Bear’ So Much?" I have never seen the show, so while I am sure it is great, I hate being lumped in with the "We." www.nytimes.com/2024/06/24/d...nytimes.comWhy Do We Love ‘The Bear’ So Much?The grit, the merch, the biceps. Charting the cultural phenomenon that sparked new interest in the people behind the scenes at restaurants — or at least, in their stuff. 020
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 24/06/2024Best thing that happened to the Democrats in 1924: Bad weather conditions knocked some of the convention sessions off the air in some places. 000
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 24/06/2024This afternoon—a century ago—the Democrats began their 1924 convention that lasted 103 exhausting ballots and climaxed with a battle over denouncing the KKK by name. In two parts for the New Republic, I bring the chaos to life with the help of a fellow named Mencken. newrepublic.com/article/1830...newrepublic.comThe Craziest Convention in American HistoryThink this year’s Democratic convention is going to be nuts? One hundred years ago, Democrats took 103 ballots—and more than two weeks—to choose a candidate. 030
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 23/06/2024No one should be enough of a martyr to rewatch a Trump 2020 super-spreader debate. www.wsj.com/politics/ele...wsj.com 050
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 19/06/2024That's a vicious attack on Burr. Our dueling VP had real talent, although horribly misapplied. 150
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 19/06/2024Thank you for this. I overlapped with McPherson at the Post (though I only knew the byline) and remember the down-and-out piece about him. 210
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 19/06/2024The Guardian on Will Lewis with a bit about the effort "codenamed Operation Save Big Dog – that tried but ultimately failed to salvage Johnson’s premiership. Lewis was awarded a knighthood in 2023 for his political service to the conservative prime minister." www.theguardian.com/media/articl...theguardian.comWashington Post publisher alleged to have advised Boris Johnson to ‘clean up’ phone during Partygate Covid scandalSources’ claim suggests advice by Will Lewis, an informal adviser to then prime minister, contradicted instructions to staff 130
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 19/06/2024Probably played a much bigger role in obscuring his greatness. 010
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 19/06/2024Throw into the mix the issue of whether tv ads five months before the election have much interest for meh voters who won't be paying attention for months. 000
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 19/06/2024In a prescient column, @jilldlawrence.bsky.social highlights a key factor hurting Trump plus his GOP enablers and sycophants: "The Supreme Court’s rulings mean that politically inconvenient and sometimes traumatic reminders keep surfacing." And we're not done yet. www.thebulwark.com/p/if-trump-l...thebulwark.comIf Trump Loses, We Might Owe the Supreme CourtThey keep handing Biden all the arguments he needs to win. 033
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 19/06/2024Sadly, the steroid-scarred Barry Bonds is now unequivocally the best living baseball player. 120
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 19/06/2024About a year ago,I got a call my my best friend in the third grade. We had a dinner -- and, mostly relevantly, I got to apologize. For all the 8-year-old debates in which I so wrongly claimed that Mantle was better than Mays. Say hey. www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...washingtonpost.comWillie Mays, baseball star of prodigious power and grace, dies at 93Willie Mays, the “Say Hey Kid,” dazzled for most of a generation with the New York and San Francisco Giants and was arguably the greatest player in major league history. 040
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 18/06/2024Can't Nvidia (which sounds like an artificial sweetener just banned by the FDA) use some of its new-found wealth to find a new name in which the second letter is maybe a vowel. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...washingtonpost.comNvidia pushes out Apple, Microsoft to become world’s most valuable companyThe computer chipmaker’s stock market value rose to $3.3 trillion, surpassing Apple and Microsoft. 010
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 18/06/2024This is the best government document of the decades. Kudos to the FTC. 030
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 17/06/2024When "Waiting for Godot" made its American debut at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in 1956 starring Bert Lahr and Tom Ewell, it was advertised as "the laugh sensation of two continents. " 180
Walter Shapiro @mrwaltershapiro.bsky.social · 16/06/2024I woke up this morning. Checked to see if my name was Will Lewis. When I realized that wasn't me, I went back to sleep with a smile on my face. 140