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Culture War Roundup for the week of October 31, 2022

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I felt similarly when I read this fivethirtyeight piece:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-happened-to-stacey-abrams/

Wow, apparently the only reason Abrams might be struggling in Georgia is incumbent advantages, sexism, and racism. Maybe a side of voter suppression.

Not even gonna mention her refusal to accept the 2018 loss, her horrible reputation on Covid-19 mask mandates for kids (think this infamous photo), her frankly embarrassing attempt to lobby to become Biden's VP.

Fine, I guess.

This is what passes for even-handed these days.

They're still handling her with kid gloves, but one gets the sense her star is fading due to complete inability to actually advance politically.

I'm not sure how to make this observation tactfully, but any inventory of Abrams' electoral weaknesses seems lacking without at least acknowledging that she is also extremely fat and ugly. Whether we might wish it so or not, politics is at least in part a contest of personal popularity.

I don't see being fat or ugly as true impediments to electoral success. At least, not on the state-level.

But when you put it that way it is funny they didn't add fatphobia to the list of explanations.