In this episode Shadi and Damir analyze the Virginia gubernatorial race and question whether it has any national implications. Shadi examines his biases around whether the outcome was bad or not. We then shift to a conversation about the Democratic Party's smug righteousness. Are Democrats too patronizing to retain enough swing voters to win in 2024? Do Democrats deserve a comeuppance for their smugness?

Part 2 of our conversation is available for subscribers. We discuss the impact of COVID in Eastern Europe and question how it should shape our feelings around COVID in America. Where is the vision of what returning to normalcy, and living with COVID, will look like? Should Shadi take a break from the Internet?

Required Reading:

• "The Fox News Fallacy" by Ruy Teixeira (The Liberal Patriot)
• "Why Is Everything Suddenly Racist?"  by Zaid Jilani
• "Nice Woke Parents" by Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic (Wisdom of Crowds)