Brian Beutler
@brianbeutler.bsky.social
Off Message, Politix.fm;
Formerly: Crooked Media, TNR, TPM; www.offmessage.net/subscribe
Formerly: Crooked Media, TNR, TPM; www.offmessage.net/subscribe
Reposted by Brian Beutler
It's been a long 10 years, but I think this is still true: The decisions mainstream outlets make can still tip close elections. So it's important that those decisions be responsible, defensible, rooted in stakes rather than e.g. pursuit of false balance. www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
November 2, 2026 at 6:05 PM
It's been a long 10 years, but I think this is still true: The decisions mainstream outlets make can still tip close elections. So it's important that those decisions be responsible, defensible, rooted in stakes rather than e.g. pursuit of false balance. www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
Good question!
Relatedly: As you read this good piece from @brianbeutler.bsky.social, ask yourself this: Why is NYT more focused on a nothingburger "scandal" in Alaska and largely meaningless D infighting in Michigan rather than on the utter collapse of the entire Trump agenda?
www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
29 Thoughts On Election Eve
If you have 2016 PTSD, you're not alone: Mainstream media is still failing in the same ways, and Democratic infighting still threatens to surrender the country to fascists.
www.offmessage.net
November 2, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Good question!
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Relatedly: As you read this good piece from @brianbeutler.bsky.social, ask yourself this: Why is NYT more focused on a nothingburger "scandal" in Alaska and largely meaningless D infighting in Michigan rather than on the utter collapse of the entire Trump agenda?
www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
29 Thoughts On Election Eve
If you have 2016 PTSD, you're not alone: Mainstream media is still failing in the same ways, and Democratic infighting still threatens to surrender the country to fascists.
www.offmessage.net
November 2, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Relatedly: As you read this good piece from @brianbeutler.bsky.social, ask yourself this: Why is NYT more focused on a nothingburger "scandal" in Alaska and largely meaningless D infighting in Michigan rather than on the utter collapse of the entire Trump agenda?
www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Some closing observations on our elites and their shitshow response to the threat of fascist entrenchment. www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
29 Thoughts On Election Eve
If you have 2016 PTSD, you're not alone: Mainstream media is still failing in the same ways, and Democratic infighting still threatens to surrender the country to fascists.
www.offmessage.net
November 2, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Some closing observations on our elites and their shitshow response to the threat of fascist entrenchment. www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
I think THEY think headlines screaming “DOJ INVESTIGATES” draw inherent suspicion—the way they did against Clinton in 2016 and Trump for much of the last 10 years—and don’t appreciate how badly they’ve wrecked the presumption of good faith. Suspicion now points inward at the investigation itself.
One thing worth noting about DOJ's last-minute election frenzy: It seems to be freaking out laypeople, but my impression after speaking to election experts is that all this is more like a toddler throwing a tantrum and smearing feces on the wall
thE 60 daY RuLe
November 2, 2026 at 6:50 PM
I think THEY think headlines screaming “DOJ INVESTIGATES” draw inherent suspicion—the way they did against Clinton in 2016 and Trump for much of the last 10 years—and don’t appreciate how badly they’ve wrecked the presumption of good faith. Suspicion now points inward at the investigation itself.
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Once again the so called neutral corp. media incl. but not limited 2 NYT "lost track entirely of the substantive stakes of the election (for policy, for democracy) in favor of driving attention to its own obsessions: a medium-sized political controversy in Alaska, and a personal drama in Michigan."
29 Thoughts On Election Eve
If you have 2016 PTSD, you're not alone: Mainstream media is still failing in the same ways, and Democratic infighting still threatens to surrender the country to fascists.
www.offmessage.net
November 2, 2026 at 5:58 PM
Once again the so called neutral corp. media incl. but not limited 2 NYT "lost track entirely of the substantive stakes of the election (for policy, for democracy) in favor of driving attention to its own obsessions: a medium-sized political controversy in Alaska, and a personal drama in Michigan."
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Facing defeat, the Trump Regime is dead set on screwing around with the election; but just as at this very time during 2016, it is the press -- and shiny object chasers -- that are providing the enemies of democracy with crucial assistance in distracting the nation from what really matters.
If you have 2016 PTSD this midterm eve, you're not alone: Mainstream media is still failing in many of the same ways, and Democratic infighting still threatens to surrender the country to fascists. Some closing thoughts on the last day of the election... 🧵
www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
29 Thoughts On Election Eve
If you have 2016 PTSD, you're not alone: Mainstream media is still failing in the same ways, and Democratic infighting still threatens to surrender the country to fascists.
www.offmessage.net
November 2, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Facing defeat, the Trump Regime is dead set on screwing around with the election; but just as at this very time during 2016, it is the press -- and shiny object chasers -- that are providing the enemies of democracy with crucial assistance in distracting the nation from what really matters.
November 2, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Further thoughts at the link about why the Haley Stevens betrayal could be salutary for the democracy movement in the long run. But just as in 2016, what matters *today* is unified purpose to defeat fascism. I think it survived the cycle's turbulence.—but I worry...
29 Thoughts On Election Eve
If you have 2016 PTSD, you're not alone: Mainstream media is still failing in the same ways, and Democratic infighting still threatens to surrender the country to fascists.
www.offmessage.net
November 2, 2026 at 6:13 PM
Further thoughts at the link about why the Haley Stevens betrayal could be salutary for the democracy movement in the long run. But just as in 2016, what matters *today* is unified purpose to defeat fascism. I think it survived the cycle's turbulence.—but I worry...
If you have 2016 PTSD this midterm eve, you're not alone: Mainstream media is still failing in many of the same ways, and Democratic infighting still threatens to surrender the country to fascists. Some closing thoughts on the last day of the election... 🧵
www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
29 Thoughts On Election Eve
If you have 2016 PTSD, you're not alone: Mainstream media is still failing in the same ways, and Democratic infighting still threatens to surrender the country to fascists.
www.offmessage.net
November 2, 2026 at 6:02 PM
If you have 2016 PTSD this midterm eve, you're not alone: Mainstream media is still failing in many of the same ways, and Democratic infighting still threatens to surrender the country to fascists. Some closing thoughts on the last day of the election... 🧵
www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
Reposted by Brian Beutler
“There appears to be a different standard for Trump than President Clinton. In 1999 WSJ, Wash Post & NYT “all published news stories about Juanita Broaddrick’s allegation that she was raped in a hotel room by then-Arkansas Attorney General Clinton in April 1978.” open.substack.com/pub/populari...
November 2, 2026 at 3:59 PM
“There appears to be a different standard for Trump than President Clinton. In 1999 WSJ, Wash Post & NYT “all published news stories about Juanita Broaddrick’s allegation that she was raped in a hotel room by then-Arkansas Attorney General Clinton in April 1978.” open.substack.com/pub/populari...
Reposted by Brian Beutler
"Back then, the worst offender was the New York Times. Remember the infamous front page heading this article? This cycle…it’s also the New York Times, whose politics desk has once again lost track entirely of the substantive stakes of the election..."
Some closing observations on our elites and their shitshow response to the threat of fascist entrenchment. www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
29 Thoughts On Election Eve
If you have 2016 PTSD, you're not alone: Mainstream media is still failing in the same ways, and Democratic infighting still threatens to surrender the country to fascists.
www.offmessage.net
November 2, 2026 at 3:26 PM
"Back then, the worst offender was the New York Times. Remember the infamous front page heading this article? This cycle…it’s also the New York Times, whose politics desk has once again lost track entirely of the substantive stakes of the election..."
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Efforts to pressure legacy media into reforming their election-coverage practices have failed, writes @brianbeutler.bsky.social, singling out the NYT for front-paging Dem. "controversies."
"Media criticism won’t fix this, only sustained investment in the development of superior products will."
"Media criticism won’t fix this, only sustained investment in the development of superior products will."
29 Thoughts On Election Eve
If you have 2016 PTSD, you're not alone: Mainstream media is still failing in the same ways, and Democratic infighting still threatens to surrender the country to fascists.
www.offmessage.net
November 2, 2026 at 2:44 PM
Efforts to pressure legacy media into reforming their election-coverage practices have failed, writes @brianbeutler.bsky.social, singling out the NYT for front-paging Dem. "controversies."
"Media criticism won’t fix this, only sustained investment in the development of superior products will."
"Media criticism won’t fix this, only sustained investment in the development of superior products will."
Some closing observations on our elites and their shitshow response to the threat of fascist entrenchment. www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
29 Thoughts On Election Eve
If you have 2016 PTSD, you're not alone: Mainstream media is still failing in the same ways, and Democratic infighting still threatens to surrender the country to fascists.
www.offmessage.net
November 2, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Some closing observations on our elites and their shitshow response to the threat of fascist entrenchment. www.offmessage.net/p/2026-midte...
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Probably the biggest story of this election cycle… the strategic (and false) narrative of widespread non-citizen voter fraud the Trump admin has been consistently pushing using arrests and press releases and now with their (demonstrably false) allegations of 20,000 non-citizens on the rolls in CA.
We've done 2 pieces on how the Trump admin, DOJ, and DHS are strategically creating content — thru press releases, arrests, and directives to states — to create an illusion of widespread non-citizen voter fraud:
Oct 6: uwcip.substack.com/p/federal-fr...
Oct 30: uwcip.substack.com/p/tip-of-the...
Oct 6: uwcip.substack.com/p/federal-fr...
Oct 30: uwcip.substack.com/p/tip-of-the...
Tip of the Icecube: How DOJ and DHS Press Releases Turn Rare Allegations of Non-Citizen Voting Into Evidence of Widespread Fraud
An Election Rumor Deep Dive
uwcip.substack.com
November 1, 2026 at 4:09 AM
Probably the biggest story of this election cycle… the strategic (and false) narrative of widespread non-citizen voter fraud the Trump admin has been consistently pushing using arrests and press releases and now with their (demonstrably false) allegations of 20,000 non-citizens on the rolls in CA.
Their holy honor requires them to forever treat this as a huge deal, which means muddying the reality quite a lot.
It takes halfway through the article for them to acknowledge that this makes no sense, since RCV means that confused voters who put the wrong Sullivan in position 1 will still end up voting for the correct Sullivan in position 2.
www.nytimes.com/2026/11/01/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/11/01/u...
Did the Peltola Campaign Seal the Fate of Alaska’s Ranked Choice Vote?
Beyond hotly contested Senate and governor’s races, Alaskans will decide Tuesday whether to scrap the state’s unique ballot. The campaign of Mary Peltola may have bolstered critics of the system.
www.nytimes.com
November 2, 2026 at 1:46 AM
Their holy honor requires them to forever treat this as a huge deal, which means muddying the reality quite a lot.
Reposted by Brian Beutler
It takes halfway through the article for them to acknowledge that this makes no sense, since RCV means that confused voters who put the wrong Sullivan in position 1 will still end up voting for the correct Sullivan in position 2.
www.nytimes.com/2026/11/01/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/11/01/u...
Did the Peltola Campaign Seal the Fate of Alaska’s Ranked Choice Vote?
Beyond hotly contested Senate and governor’s races, Alaskans will decide Tuesday whether to scrap the state’s unique ballot. The campaign of Mary Peltola may have bolstered critics of the system.
www.nytimes.com
November 1, 2026 at 1:15 PM
It takes halfway through the article for them to acknowledge that this makes no sense, since RCV means that confused voters who put the wrong Sullivan in position 1 will still end up voting for the correct Sullivan in position 2.
www.nytimes.com/2026/11/01/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/11/01/u...
Reposted by Brian Beutler
woahhhh
November 2, 2026 at 1:34 AM
woahhhh
Reposted by Brian Beutler
![Check this shit out motherfucker! [I slide one foot out from under me and fall on my ass, its not clear what kind of move I was trying to do]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:d7cxynfva4ff62b3ia7mclwn/bafkreibllbkfp3y3msvjhv4ditcnnwv6henwmtfs7c45lbcw2drdemmj7q)
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Credit where it's due: This Sunday top-of-front-page @nytimes.com story by @peterbakernyt.bsky.social + @dylanfreedman.nytimes.com may break the major-media taboo on discussing Trump's obvious mental collapse.
www.nytimes.com/2026/11/01/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/11/01/u...
November 1, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Credit where it's due: This Sunday top-of-front-page @nytimes.com story by @peterbakernyt.bsky.social + @dylanfreedman.nytimes.com may break the major-media taboo on discussing Trump's obvious mental collapse.
www.nytimes.com/2026/11/01/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/11/01/u...
Reposted by Brian Beutler
This was the most obvious shuck ever. Since homeboy couldn't pull off ending the war before the midterms, he postponed it until later.
Breaking Off Message exclu: Operatives aligned with the president spent months devising a plan to resume the war—only after ballots had been cast. Republicans have worked studiously to avoid tipping off voters. www.offmessage.net/p/donald-tru...
Inside Donald Trump’s Secret Plan To Restart The Iran War After The Election
Operatives aligned with the president spent months devising a plan to resume the war—only after ballots had been cast. Republicans have worked studiously to avoid tipping off voters.
www.offmessage.net
October 30, 2026 at 2:19 PM
This was the most obvious shuck ever. Since homeboy couldn't pull off ending the war before the midterms, he postponed it until later.
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Six of the last seven of this NYT reporter whose beat is elections have been about Haley Stevens. I just went and checked. This in the most interesting Senate midterms since 2006.
October 31, 2026 at 10:34 PM
Six of the last seven of this NYT reporter whose beat is elections have been about Haley Stevens. I just went and checked. This in the most interesting Senate midterms since 2006.
Peltola’s response to all this should be a bit less “distraction from health care” (which makes her seem evasive) and a bit more “get Trump’s federal goons out of here and off our people’s backs.” Fish family and gtfo.
The state of Alaska denounces Trump DOJ's "meritless" lawsuit:
"The Court should immediately dismiss this lawsuit with prejudice and allow state officials to conduct the general election—including ballot counting and certification—free from unwarranted federal interference."
Doc buff.ly/4byQcGm
"The Court should immediately dismiss this lawsuit with prejudice and allow state officials to conduct the general election—including ballot counting and certification—free from unwarranted federal interference."
Doc buff.ly/4byQcGm
October 31, 2026 at 10:36 PM
Peltola’s response to all this should be a bit less “distraction from health care” (which makes her seem evasive) and a bit more “get Trump’s federal goons out of here and off our people’s backs.” Fish family and gtfo.
Reposted by Brian Beutler
Indeed.
In other words, the Times and other outlets exercise immense discretion over what becomes salient in elections. And we can infer a great deal about their intentions and biases from the choices they make. www.offmessage.net/p/donald-tru...
Inside Donald Trump’s Secret Plan To Restart The Iran War After The Election
Operatives aligned with the president spent months devising a plan to resume the war—only after ballots had been cast. Republicans have worked studiously to avoid tipping off voters.
www.offmessage.net
October 31, 2026 at 3:47 AM
Indeed.
Reposted by Brian Beutler
gotta say, the contrast between Haley Stevens’ unhinged crashout and Francesca Hong being a no-drama good sport and supporting Dems up and down the ballot is crazy
October 31, 2026 at 4:02 PM
gotta say, the contrast between Haley Stevens’ unhinged crashout and Francesca Hong being a no-drama good sport and supporting Dems up and down the ballot is crazy