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We all know, far too well, the terrain of the culture wars, the places where the sides are deeply entrenched, where the pounding is heavy, where prisoners arent taken Brexit, face coverings and Covid restrictions, immigration, Harry and Meghan, ubiquitous union flags, trans rights, statues, BLM, taking the knee, institutional racism, woke values. But then there are the other, smaller, theatres of battle. At sea, Boris Johnson has deployed the idea of a new royal yacht (which has endured friendly fire from Buckingham Palace, whod rather it wasnt named after Prince Philip. On the airwaves theres the dogfight between GB News and the enlightenment. On land, the prime minister has embarked on what might be called culture skirmishes the return to imperial measures, the pledge to make television companies commission distinctively British programming, and the little crown emblem going back on the pint glasses.

And so the conflict goes on, distracting from the more traditional issues about living standards, jobs and the cost of living, what were called in Roman times bread and circuses, and which games are now conducted on social media. Like summoning up the ancient icons of the past, the initiative on imperial measures has recalled the metric martyrs of two decades ago, arguably the first casualties in what we came to know as the Battle for Britain, aka Brexit.

The issues are divisive, but mercifully minor. Even Nigel Farage couldnt start a riot just because someone doesnt want to sell cheese by the ounce or wheat by the bushel. The mile and the pint never disappeared anyway, and, besides, few people know what a quarter of toffees actually is. To understand how remote the return of widespread traditional measurements is, one only needs to try and answer the question: if a pound of Red Leicester sells for 5, how much is six ounces?

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Imperial measurements represent yet another battle in the culture wars - The Independent

It's hardly debatable anymore that the Left is out of control, increasingly influenced and even governed by a radical authoritarian culture that brooks no dissent and over-corrects on all fronts it sets its sights on. You would think this would present a perfect opportunity for Republicans to seize the moment and capture the confidence of moderates and even liberals deeply alienated by this woke authoritarian culture.

You would be wrong.

Through sheer stupidity, the GOP has repeatedly squandered opportunities to fight the righteous cause of left-wing overreach with sensible and popular counterproposals. Instead, Republicans have doubled down on culture war issues and their own extremism, mirroring rather than fighting the Left's overreach. In case after case, Republicans seem to be working overtime to alienate potential constituencies in the service of their most aggrieved and even unhinged base.

The most glaring example comes from the heart of Republican power: Texas. The state passed an abortion law so extreme it effectively bans all abortions while relying on private citizens to enforce it; the law deputizes individuals to bring civil lawsuits against their neighbors should they learn that they have performed or assisted in an abortion. The law bans abortions at six weeks and anyone who assists or performs an abortion can be sued.

The new law is so extreme it has the local business community "scratching their heads," as one Republican operative put it; business leaders were shocked to see Texas Governor Greg Abbot, a sometimes moderate, adopt such a far right stance. Like other far right pieces of legislation on things like the open carry of guns, the new law could become a barrier to attracting more companies to the Lone Star State; it's already generated a strong set of counter-measures among tech firms. Some have been kicking pro-life activist websites off their serves and offering protections to their own employees, including Uber and Lyft drivers who might be liable for transporting people to abortions.

And it's not just business leaders who are alienated. The abortion ban will not play well in in the suburban communities that are the state's prime political battlegrounds. As Gallup has consistently found, barely one in five Americans support a total ban on abortion, while fully one-third favor no restrictions at all.

The abortion law reminded voters how extreme large sections of the GOP have become, particularly in red states like Texas. But perhaps more critically, the abortion law and the way it deputizes vigilante justice undermines what was becoming a compelling case against progressive authoritarianism as it's being carried out in universities, on social media, and on major internet platforms.

After all, it's difficult to campaign against campus thought policing and the blatant politicization of information by Google and Facebook while urging citizens to spy on each other. And the fight against encroaching left-wing authoritarianism and censorship is popular according to recent surveys, not only among Boomers but the vast majority of millennials and Gen Zers, too.

This is a fight the GOP could winand win big. But to do so, it will need to stop focusing on the culture wars. Let the progressivesincreasingly the voice of the Democratskeep hammering away at the culture wars, embracing a repressive and widely unpopular agenda. Republicans should abandon these sorts of fights that appeal to the most extreme corners of their base, and should focus on moderating across the board.

They should start by ridding their party of the instinctive dislike of foreigners and the fear of cultural contamination, things which remain embedded in the party's core. The way to win a lasting victory is to realize the true nature of an increasingly diverse Texas; 95 percent of its growth this decade was among minorities. And yet, a dozen GOP county chairs were found tweeting conspiracy theories and openly racist memes, including from Harris County, where non-Hispanic whites are less than one-third of population.

This bigotry should be stamped out for its own sake. And failing to do so could staunch GOP progress among Hispanics who without this kind of racism would be a captive audience, alarmed as many are by the lack of border control and the Democrats' increasingly wacky cultural stance. Such Hispanics have been defecting to the GOP in surprising numbers; and yet Republicans are squandering this progress over conspiracy theories about George Soros.

Republicans also need to be smart about critical race theory, which has been widely adopted by the Biden Administration. It is awful pedagogy and not popular in the public, much like the entire PC agenda. But the battle needs to be carried out closer to the grassroots, at local school boards. Let common sense flow from below; blanket state bans also smack of right-wing version of authoritarianism from above.

As with the abortion law, the moral high ground of the fight against critical race theory is marred when attempts to stop it recapitulate the same authoritarian forces Republicans are trying to counteract.

The COVID-19 pandemic is another place where stupidity could undermine the GOP. Battles over vaccines may appeal to the GOP base, but the fact that several very red southern statesMississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Arkansasnow have fatality rates close to those of New York and New Jersey is not a good advertisement for ultra-loose policies. The argument on masks and lockdowns is complex, but rather than attack the lockdowns as repressive, the Republicans would do better to push the case that generally lockdown states have fared worse economically, if perhaps better on infections.

Equally foolish have been the continued claims of election fraud, which makes some Republicans sound like arms-toting junior confederatesdangerous at a time when faith in most national institutions are fading. Trump's refusal to admit defeat has actually been a soft form of voter suppression in that it depresses Republican turnout by convincing people that elections are rigged; this stupidity likely cost the party two Senate seats in Georgia.

Trumpism may stir the base, but it leads to a nihilistic dark alley from which it is hard to escape. Instead of leaning into the culture wars, Republicans need a positive agenda focused on opportunity and everyday concerns, including jobs, schools, and public safety, particularly when even most Democrats worry about rising crime. On climate change, they would do best not to deny what is likely occurring but to propose measures to reduce emissions in ways that do not hurt working and middle class Americans.

Class issues, which are compelling with racial minorities, represent the only sustainable path to Republican resurgence. The old country club version has been demolished by the essential merger of corporate America and the Democratic Party and its agenda.

The Democrats have helpfully become the party of the rich; it would be a shame for Republicans to squander this opportunity to become the party of the crazy.

To beat the Democrats, Republicans need to connect not just with people's fears and rage at an increasingly arrogant upper class but also their aspirations. They need to be the party of small businesses, homeowners and aspiring homeowners, of artisans, and technicians; essentially, the party of anyone interested in supporting their family.

It is here, in the intersection of the economy and society, that future political winners will emergenot from the lunatic cultural agendas of the far left or far right. Being owned by the oligarchy with its image defined by the loony left makes Democrats unnatural instruments to address the needs of the middle class. It opens an opportunity so large that only a profoundly stupid party could miss it.

Joel Kotkin is the Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University and executive director of the Urban Reform Institute. His new book, The Coming of Neo-Feudalism, is now out from Encounter. You can follow him on Twitter: @joelkotkin.

The views expressed in this article are the author's own.

Read more:
GOP Stupidity Is Squandering the Opportunity Created by Woke Authoritarians | Opinion - Newsweek

Boris Johnsons cabinet reshuffle has included the promotion of culture warriors, more rightwingers and a string of his Brexiter mates, but his supporters claim the shake-up was more about getting key fixers in place to deliver policy before the next election.

Tory insiders point to the promotion of Nadine Dorries a friend of Johnsons wife, Carrie to culture secretary and Kemi Badenoch to minister of state as a sign that culture warriors are in the ascendancy in government. The new-look cabinet also includes four more Brexiters than before, with big jobs for Dorries, Anne-Marie Trevelyan as trade secretary, Nadhim Zahawi as education secretary, and Simon Clarke as chief secretary to the Treasury.

Dorries, a critic of the BBC and leftwing snowflakes, will be in charge of the future of the BBC licence fee, the politically sensitive decision on Ofcom chair, and the new online harms bill. Badenoch, who is a senior housing minister with a second portfolio on equalities, is seen as an anti-woke voice, who has spoken out against schools supporting the anti-capitalist Black Lives Matter group or uncritically teaching political race theory.

With Jacob Rees-Mogg, Priti Patel and Dominic Raab keeping seats at the top table, plus a promotion to foreign secretary for Liz Truss, a free marketeer and darling of Tory activists, there has been no shift towards the centre ground.

Anna Soubry, a former Tory who sat in cabinet under David Cameron, described the appointment of Dorries as appalling but said she thought the reshuffle was just as much an example of chums getting rewarded as a victory for rightwingers in the party.

There has been a huge shift to the right, which is obviously linked to Brexit, but this is actually a cabinet of people doing as they are told and dont rock the boat, plus he wanted to bring in his mates, she said.

Zahawi is a longstanding backer of Johnson, while Nigel Adams, a friend of the prime minister, got a promotion to the Cabinet Office and another of his inner circle, Conor Burns, was installed as minister of state in the Northern Ireland Office.

One Tory MP described the reshuffle as a mixed bag, saying there was an element of pandering to the culture warriors who want to talk about wokery all the time but also that the decision to appoint Zahawi over the hotly tipped Badenoch in education appeared to reward his competence in vaccines, rather than prioritising picking political fights.

The decision to send Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government also appeared designed to seek a compromise over planning reforms and delivery, rather than necessarily stoking a row.

Tory opponents of the culture war approach to politics point to the disastrous argument over England players taking the knee in Euro 2020, which at one point appeared to pit ministers against Gareth Southgates popular team.

The culture war faction inside Number 10 is led by a husband-and-wife team of senior advisers, Dougie Smith and Munira Mirza, who former Tory aides say really believe this stuff.

It definitely is those two along with some influential voices around them, said one former staffer, who also mentioned the former BBC editor Robbie Gibb.

However, they said, sometimes it comes down to whether Boris can be bothered to have a fight on this stuff and it did not appear to be either a priority or a personal campaign for him.

It is understood that Mirza and Smith had previously championed Badenoch as education secretary, apparently in the hope that she would take the fight against the liberal metropolitan elite into Englands classrooms. However, she ended up being moved to Goves department with a promotion.

James Duddridge, a longtime supporter of Johnson, who lost his job as a Foreign Office minister in the reshuffle, said he felt he had personally had a good innings and Boris needed to freshen the team.

Like McKinseys, I think there is a bit of up or out and he had to balance his team as well, he said. My view is that definitely some of the promotions are around meritocracy and how well youve done like Nadhim Zahawi and Will Quince. Theres a lot of talent bubbling up and another generation biting at the ankles even of the people who have been appointed now. And thats great.

Duddridge said there was a view that Dorries had defended the line internally and externally well; she is a good communicator.

I dont think shes been sent in to pick a fight or a punch-up. Shes been a high-performing minister going into a department where there are some tricky issues and where we are in a different place from say Guardian readers or lefty liberals and there does need to be a bit of a robust defence of that, he added.

Other Conservative MPs said there was an element of trying to promote those who could speak more naturally to red wall voters than traditional Tories. Clarke, a hardline Brexiter who represents Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, is one example, and will be holding the purse strings when it comes to money for levelling up, as the new chief secretary to the Treasury.

One senior backbencher said: You would think Nadine could better relate to red wall voters than Oliver [Dowden], so maybe shell give it all a bit more energy. But personally, Ive always thought the whole business of culture wars was a very minority sport at both ends of the market.

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Johnsons reshuffle rewards Brexiters, culture warriors and key fixers - The Guardian

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Its Friday, Sept. 17. Im Laura J. Nelson, filling in for Justin Ray.

After years as the political underdogs in California, Republicans thought theyd found a winning campaign in their push to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom. Instead, the recall effort backfired badly, delivering Newsom and the Democratic Party a major victory and highlighting the fault lines in the state GOP.

As my colleagues Seema Mehta and Melanie Mason explain in this deep dive, the tug-of-war between ruby-red conservatives and moderate Republicans has made it hard for the party to make progress. Conservatives want to lean into the culture wars, focusing on such issues as abortion, gun control and illegal immigration, and moderates try to downplay those social issues and emphasize business-friendly policies.

Theres deep distrust among the grass roots of the professional political class of consultants, lobbyists and many elected officials. And no clear leader has emerged to unite those factions and mount a serious challenge to Newsom in 2022.

Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, long seen as the Republican with the best shot at winning statewide office, finished a distant third in the recall. Larry Elder, who captivated the conservative base, has cast doubt on whether he will run again, saying that even with a bigger war chest, the thing is daunting. And a new UC Berkeley poll, co-sponsored by the L.A. Times, has found that Newsom would win easily against any of the top four Republicans who ran in the recall election.

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the last Republican to win statewide office, said the partys behavior doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

The one thing Republicans seem to agree on is that the party needs to change. But how? You can read more here.

And now, heres whats happening across California.

Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing.

Wait, what is that? Times real estate reporter Roger Vincent has the scoop on the design for a bold new office tower on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. The architects call the $500-million, 28-story building the Star, but the Twitterati say the renderings look more like a chancla, a toe or an enormous see-through parking meter. Los Angeles Times

Our daily news podcast

If youre a fan of this newsletter, youll probably love our new daily podcast, The Times, hosted by columnist Gustavo Arellano, along with reporters from across our newsroom. Every weekday, it takes you beyond the headlines. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and follow on Spotify.

Does anyone want to be mayor of L.A.? One of Southern Californias most powerful politicians told Times City Hall reporter David Zahniser on Thursday that she wont run to replace Mayor Eric Garcetti. Known for her blunt public statements and focus on working-class issues, City Council President Nury Martinez would have upended the race, which features only two major political figures: City Atty. Mike Feuer and City Councilman Joe Buscaino. Los Angeles Times

Housing laws: Two zoning bills that Newsom signed Thursday are designed to make it easier to add small apartment buildings in existing neighborhoods. The first, SB9, aims to streamline the process to split lots and convert houses into duplexes, potentially creating up to four units on a property. The other, SB10, will allow cities to rezone some parcels in urban areas, including near public transit, for up to 10 units. San Francisco Chronicle

Sheriff gangs: Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has argued that theres little he can do to rein in gang-like groups among his deputies, saying that an attempt to stop them from joining would violate their constitutional rights. But in a confidential memo obtained by the L.A. Times, county lawyers say he does have the power to crack down on the groups, which have been accused of glorifying violence and have cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in legal payouts. Los Angeles Times

Impound controversy: A federal appeals court found four years ago that its unconstitutional for police officers to impound vehicles for 30 days if the drivers do not have valid licenses. The California Highway Patrol still seizes thousands of vehicles per year, often leaving the driver to pay more than $1,000 in towing and storage fees. Cal Matters

Take two: The effort to recall George Gascn, the progressive district attorney in Los Angeles County, has fizzled out. Organizers say they have fewer than half the 580,000 signatures needed to trigger an election but will try again. Los Angeles Times

The battle to protect the worlds largest trees: A wildfire is burning about a mile away from the most prominent grove of giant sequoias at Sequoia National Park, which includes the General Sherman Tree, thought to be the largest tree in the world. Firefighters are preparing to make a stand there, raking brush and wrapping the trees in fireproof blankets. The Mercury News

Snow in Death Valley? The blanket of white in the worlds hottest area is actually a phenomenon called salt flowers, caused by recent rainfall. Los Angeles Times

Bighorn sheep vs. high-speed rail: Plans for a high-speed rail line between Southern California and Las Vegas call for a 6-foot barrier in the middle of Interstate 15 that would separate cars from trains. Naturalists are now pushing for a wildlife bridge to be included in the project, saying it would help bighorn sheep cross the freeway. Los Angeles Times

He and Shonda were at each others throats. A juicy excerpt from a new book about Greys Anatomy sheds light on why showrunner Shonda Rhimes killed off television heartthrob Dr. Derek McDreamy Shephard after 11 seasons. The Hollywood Reporter

Manifesting weight loss: Marianne Williamson is best known for her woo-woo spiritualism and her debate performances during the 2020 election, but shes also the author of a diet book. (Who isnt, really.) Michael Hobbes and Aubrey Gordon take a deep dive into her advice, and her history with AIDS nonprofits in Los Angeles, on their podcast that debunks junk science in the worlds of wellness and nutrition. Maintenance Phase

Its pistachio season go nuts! Sure, you can buy them in the bulk bins whenever you want, but theyre fresh for only a few weeks per year in early fall. Our colleagues in the Food section suggest four ways to use them in recipes, including in the Middle Eastern dessert Knafeh Nabulseyeh. Los Angeles Times

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Wearing sunscreen is always a good idea in California, but especially today. Los Angeles: 78, sunny. San Diego: 74, sunny. San Francisco: 64, sunny. San Jose: 81, sunny. Fresno: 94, sunny. Sacramento: 87, sunny.

Todays California memory is from Mike Spencer:

In 1990 the senior police reporter at the Contra Costa Times sold me his Honda 400 motorcycle. It was just after covering Loma Prieta earthquake at UC-Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. I taught myself to ride, poorly, at Wildcat Canyon in Berkeley. In 1991 on a hot dry windy day, as a reporter, I followed firefighters on the motorcycle to a fire in the Oakland hills. A wall of flame came up over all of us. We ran. I found the bike three days later, burn marks on the seat but I rode it home.

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

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California Republicans agree they need to change. But how? - Los Angeles Times

Americas vaccination campaign has made slow, steady progress since its summer lulland is likely to accelerate as new public and private sector mandates take effect. At the same time, right-wing political and media figures, who have already held back the countrys pandemic response, are finding more moronic battles to fight in the COVID culture war. In recent weeks alone, MAGA conservatives have opted to take a horse dewormer over the safe vaccines; elected officials have likened Joe Biden to a violent dictator for instituting shot requirements a majority of Americans support; and Tucker Carlson has devoted time on his program to talk about what may or more likely may not have happened to Nicki Minajs cousins friends testicles after taking his jabs. As the ailing country struggles to get better, the anti-vax right seems even more determined to get worse.

Just how much worse could they get? Is it possible their attacks on common sense and the societal good get somehow more absurd? Will the rise of requirements give rise to a search for loopholes? Could their performative, but by now reflexive, opposition to COVID vaccine mandates extend to other vaccine requirements, including those already necessary for many kids to attend school?

So far, there hasnt seemed to be a new popular movement against the polio or measles vaccines already mandated for many school children; Ron Johnson hasnt been going on Fox News to promote a feline tick medication to treat tetanus or anything like that. But the sweeping manner in which prominent Republicans have denounced the new White House plan to combat the pandemic has led to concerns about opposition to other existing and future vaccine requirements. The 20th century was a century of incredible progress against leading killers, and much of that progress was because of vaccinations, Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told the Washington Post on Monday. If we turn our back on vaccines at this moment where vaccines are really having a scientific heyday...I think that would be tragic, and it would cause a lot of unnecessary suffering and death, particularly among children.

As the Post noted, while the right has been freaking out over Bidens COVID-specific public health precautions for a while now, some prominent GOP figures, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and some of his top allies, have made statements recently that imply more general opposition to public health mandates.

While there has been no immediate indication that McCarthy and his ilk have plans to include the mumps vaccine in their pitched battle against Biden, their wildly irresponsible political rhetoric around inoculations has public health officials worried that it is only a matter of time before other vaccines are swept up in the culture wars, whether intentional or not. My worry is that there will be a spillover effect from all of this anti-vaccine aggression, Peter Hotez,a professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, told the Post.

Even if these weird, anti-vaccine politics stay contained to the COVID shots, there is still, of course, plenty of damage to be done. While the United States has had access to COVID vaccines that most of the world remains in desperate need of, it is beginning to lag behind other similar nations, as former Biden adviser Andy Slavitt noted Monday. New mandates could help turn that around. (Dr. Anthony Fauci in a recent podcast interview said he would be in favor of a vaccine mandate for airline travel, which White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients on Monday suggested could be a possibility.) But there are concerns that anti-vaxxers are already seeking out ways to get around the requirements, including through religious exemptions. The consequences of these forced edicts are enormous, Mat Staver, founder of the conservative Christian Liberty Council, told the New York Times, describing a surge in interest in religious exemptions to the COVID shots.

See more here:
The Rights War on COVID Vaccine Mandates Is About to Get Scary - Vanity Fair