OPEN THREAD: Tuesday’s groovy.

THIS IS CALLED “REAPING WHAT YOU SOW”: And the hypocrisy charge is obvious projection.

OKAY, GROOMERS: 11-Year-Old Boy Used As Mascot At Pride Parade.

THE NEW SPACE RACE: China adds Belarus as partner for ILRS moon base.

#HEADDESK: No, Matthew Yglesias, ‘Biden’s Economy’ Is NOT ‘Great Everywhere.’

Liberal journos like Vox co-founder Matthew Yglesias continue to treat struggling Americans as stupid for not giving President Joe Biden kudos on his so-called “great” economy.

Yglesias published a ludicrous Oct. 22 op-ed for Bloomberg Opinion with a headline that was nothing short of comical: “Biden’s Economy Is Great Everywhere Except in the Polls.” In Yglesias’s condescending, escapist worldview, those darn average Americans just don’t know what’s good for them: “Like a lot of world leaders, the US president must contend with voters who remain unhappy even as economic conditions improve.”

Yglesias even outrageously attempted to make Biden out to be a victim of unfair public perception, despite his administration’s policies largely contributing to the inflation crisis that crippled the U.S. economy: “This is undoubtedly a frustrating situation for the president, his campaign and Democrats overall.”

Utterly “silly,” Heritage economist EJ Antoni told MRC Business of Yglesias’ argument. “It is reminiscent of when football commentators say an NFL team is better than its record,” Antoni added. “That may be true in the initial weeks of the season, but at some point, your record is your record, and it is indicative of the team’s performance. The American people have judged Bidenomics and found it wanting.”

To be fair gaslighting is definitely on-brand for Yglesias:

CHANGE: “Wilkommen” No More: Germany’s Chancellor Says the Country Must Begin Mass Deportations of Illegal Aliens.

BARI WEISS: On Double Standards and Deafening Silence.

When I was at The New York Times, an op-ed by a Republican senator led to a crisis at the paper, and the longest editor’s note that I could remember. At least until the one that was published yesterday about the Gaza hospital bombing (more about that in a moment).

Let’s stick, for a minute, to the brouhaha of June 2020. Perhaps you’ll remember some of the details, like the fact that hundreds of colleagues signed on to a statement saying that Tom Cotton’s op-ed “put the lives of black NYT staffers in danger.” My boss—and the paper’s former Jerusalem bureau chief, James Bennet—was pushed out after being humiliated in front of the paper’s entire staff. His deputy, Jim Dao, was reassigned and ultimately left the paper. Adam Rubenstein, the talented young editor (and loyal friend of The Free Press) who had a hand in working on the offending piece, was scapegoated and resigned. And you know what happened to me.

I mention all of this because on October 17, The New York Times sent a false report to all of its readers that presented, as fact, Hamas talking points. It claimed that Israel had bombed a hospital, killing 500 people: “Israeli Strike Kills Hundreds in Hospital, Palestinians Say.”

* * * * * * * *

More fun at The New York Times: Perhaps you’ve noticed the byline Soliman Hijjy in recent days connected to stories out of Gaza. Soliman Hijjy, it turns out, is a fan of Hitler.

“In a state of harmony as Hitler was during the Holocaust” he captioned a photo of himself from 2018. In 2012 he wrote “How great you are, Hitler” in Arabic alongside an image of Hitler.

The Times said in a statement: “We reviewed problematic social media posts by Mr. Hijjy when they first came to light in 2022 and took a variety of actions to ensure he understood our concerns and could adhere to our standards if he wished to do freelance work for us in the future.” We believe that people can change their minds, though we might draw the line at explicit adoration of Hitler.

As Ace notes, “They’ll try to get you fired for making an ‘OK’ sign, but an actual Hitler-lover? That gets you hired on the left. And note, he was hired twice.”

UPDATE (FROM GLENN): I remember when those people told us we should punch Nazis.

MARTHA’S VINEYARD RESIDENT BLOGS ABOUT HAMAS:

• The blogger’s advice: “This is an enormously difficult task. … The world is watching.” Israel should simply pursue “a strategy that can incapacitate Hamas [the terrorists who intentionally hide among civilians] while minimizing further civilian casualties.” One cannot help but marvel at such insight.

• Obama concluded, in so many words (so, so many): Why can’t we all just get along? He even suggested further reading, posting links to columns by Thomas Friedman and Ben Rhodes.

Crucial context: The island-dwelling multimillionaire, best known for his efforts to anoint Hillary Clinton as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee in 2016, has ties to some of America’s most prominent anti-Semites.

• Obama spearheaded the controversial nuclear deal with Iran, the leaders of which routinely call for the destruction of Israel and are the chief sponsors of Hamas.

Earlier: The Specter Of Barack Obama’s Deeply Held Anti-Israel Ideology Hovers Over Israeli Attacks.

A BACKLASH TO THE BACKLASH TO THE CONSERVATIVE BACKLASH AGAINST TAYLOR SWIFT:

American pop culture is in need of good criticism. The Left has lost the guts to do it, which puts the Right in the position of questioning what the entertainment industry is selling us.

A takedown of Taylor Swift, for example, recently went viral, and it’s notable where it appeared. Written by Armond White of the conservative National Review, the piece was brutal: ”The Swift circus doesn’t replace the thrill of originality and profundity that accompanied the advent of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Supremes, the Jackson Five, which Gen Z knows nothing about,” White wrote. “Instead, Swift specializes in degraded girl-pop — teenage solipsism, the silliness that kids will ideally outgrow. Yet her songs corrupt puppy love into jejune sophistication.”

White then ends with a warning: “Boomer parents may want to let [Swift fans] have their fun — same as toying with matches and playing in the traffic. But here’s a frightening fact of the Swifties phenom: These kids seem ready for a leader, anxious for totalitarianism. It will take a counterrevolution to repair Swift’s moral, aesthetic, and political damage.”

The liberal media jumped on this, calling it “unhinged” and “nonsense.” Yet White’s shellacking reminded me of an older, better time in music criticism, when journalists were not afraid to criticize pop stars, even globally famous ones such as Taylor Swift. So many of them are now deemed untouchable. When was the last time Beyonce, Olivia Rodrigo, Madonna, or Bruno Mars got torched in a tough and perceptive way? It’s part of the new atmosphere where certain groups, politicians, and celebrities are untouchable religious idols. It’s not healthy in a democracy.

The DNC-MSM deciding that pop stars are infallible (until they disagree with the approved message du jour) is reminiscent of the 2020 Babylon Bee headline: Man Who Agrees With The Media, Universities, Corporations, And Hollywood Thinks He’s Part Of The Resistance.

Here’s the link to Armond White’s column: Taylor Swift’s Asylum Seekers.

MYSTERY ANCESTORS. Unknown Human Lineage Found Buried in The Neanderthal Genome.

I’M GLAD I NEVER TRUSTED THEM ENOUGH TO USE THEM: 23andMe notifies customers of data breach into its ‘DNA Relatives’ feature.

EVERYTHING IS GOING SWIMMINGLY: Biden Just Up and Left in the Middle of a Live White House Event.

I’VE NEVER HEARD ANYONE SAY THAT XANAX DIDN’T WORK FOR THEM: New Study Questions Effectiveness of Xanax.

FLASHBACK: We’re At War, But Let’s Talk About Sex.

HOARDING VIRTUAL OBJECTS NEXT? Virtual reality program may help people fight hoarding.

READER FAVORITE: Keurig K-Compact Single-Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker. #CommissionEarned

AMERICA’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD: FBI Races Past Protesters Screaming ‘Kill The Jews’ To Arrest Woman Praying Silently Outside Abortion Clinic.

COURT DOCS: Pilot who tried to shut off plane engines mid-flight took psychedelic mushrooms.

TEACH WOMEN NOT TO RAPE! (CONT’D): Calif. nanny accused of molesting infant and sharing disturbing images of victim to man over social media.

UPDATE NEWSPEAK DICTIONARIES ACCORDINGLY: New York Magazine Writer Splits Hairs Between ‘Beheaded’ Babies and Babies That ‘Were Found Headless.’

THE DOGS DON’T LIKE THE DOG FOOD: Mercedes is finding that customers aren’t as excited about new EVs as it is.

SARAH HOYT’S SHOCKED FACE REQUIRES A CLEANUP ON AISLE FOUR: Government-Run Grocery Store Is Predictably Losing Money. “In Chicago, officials envision a city-owned grocery store as a way to address food deserts in neighborhoods where privately owned stores have closed and moved away. But rather than trying—and inevitably failing—to duplicate those services at the public’s expense, Johnson should instead listen to why the likes of Walmart and Safeway have bailed. ‘Grocery operators have pointed to crime and homelessness as reasons they’ve needed to invest more in security, driving up costs,’ the Chicago Sun-Times reported earlier this year.”

LOOKS LIKE I PICKED THE WRONG WEEK TO QUIT READING ABOUT ‘AIRPLANE’: Building the Perfect Comedy: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at ‘Airplane!’

AIN’T NO PRIVILEGE like the Harvard Privilege.

EVEN A FLATWORM IS SMART ENOUGH TO TURN AWAY FROM PAIN: Democratic mayor flips on post-George Floyd police reforms as crime skyrockets in nation’s capital.