The Daly Weekly (7/4)

Nancy Mace, Don Bacon, Zohran Mamdani, and my thoughts on last weekend's online situation with Jessica Riedl.

Hi everyone, and Happy Fourth of July! I hope you all have a safe, fun weekend.

Let’s get right to this week’s subscriber questions…

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Here's my question: What do you think of the controversy over the Dispatch and Jessica Riedl? I didn't even realize this was such a big deal when Jessica first came out as transgender. Although I was concerned some of the extreme anti - trans people might do something bad. But I made the mistake of going on X recently, and saw that the announcement of the hire was met with a lot of vitriol.

And it's not just the trolls and haters like Megan Basham who have had a negative reaction. People I respect like Kimberly Ross have also questioned TD over this (I guess not so much for the promotion from freelancer to employee, but going along with the name / identity change). Jessica has mentioned being harassed and doxxed, and that's terrible and totally uncalled for. But I also don't think everyone who questions how TD has handed the situation, is an anti- trans bigot, either.

Meanwhile, some on the Left are accusing TD of being anti- trans for hiring Jesse Singal. It's sad that this issue is so divisive. Your thoughts? —Aylene W.

Hi Aylene. There’s a lot to this question, but since I was following the events you’re describing pretty closely last weekend, I think I have a good handle on the controversy. (Reader warning: this will be a long, involved response).

First, for those unfamiliar with who we’re talking about: Renowned economist and policy wonk, Jessica Riedl (of The Manhattan Institute), used to be Brian Riedl, who wrote pretty often for The Dispatch (among many other places). Some may remember Riedl as a guest on my Daly Express podcast last October.

In February, Riedl wrote a piece announcing the aforementioned change, describing the complicated personal history behind it, and stating no interest in becoming any kind of activist for transgenderism, or even giving anyone a hard time over preferred pronouns. At the time, a few notable folks on the political right (along with a ton of online trolls) weighed in on the matter. But for the most part, you’re right, Aylene, that it wasn’t treated as all that big of a deal. Riedl continued to write for The Dispatch and other places.

Last weekend, however, The Dispatch more officially announced Riedl as a “contributing writer” with a byline graphic (something they’ve been doing with dozens of other writers over the past couple months, as part of a branding/promotional effort). And for whatever reason, a number of notable righties saw that development as a bridge too far, and got especially upset with conservative columnist David French for publicly complimenting Riedl. Many of those who took offense basically argued that transgenderism is morally wrong and antithetical to conservatism, and thus The Dispatch (a conservative publication) was, I guess, discrediting itself with its continued/renewed relationship with Riedl.

Anyway, as you said, Aylene, the situation invited a lot of nastiness, including death threats, people doxing the Riedl family (and posting pictures of their young children online), and outright lying about Riedl “abandoning his family.”

You brought up Kimberly Ross (a friend of mine) and described her view accurately. She’s no bigot. Unlike Megan Basham, she’s a good person with morally consistent principles. We do differ on some things. She’s more socially conservative than I am, and more attuned to gender issues. I frankly wasn’t offended (nor care) when Bruce Jenner became Caitlyn Jenner years go. And interestingly, I don’t recall there being much of an uproar from the political right when Fox News made Jenner a network contributor. Likewise, I wasn’t offended by Riedl’s choice, nor The Dispatch’s choice to continue publishing Riedl’s work. For me, this isn’t even a transgender issue — nothing related to sports-competition, bathrooms, surgeries for minors, etc. It’s about economic analysis, and I find Riedl’s work (at The Dispatch and elsewhere) just as valuable now as I always have.

I don’t know enough about Jesse Singal to weigh in on him, Aylene, but like you, it does sadden me how divisive and ugly this issue sometimes is. Riedl didn’t deserve the online hatred, bullying, and doxing. I actually parted ways with some people over the ugliness they displayed on the matter.

John: Is Zorhan Mamdani's version of hard democratic socialism going to be the Democrats' version of the MAGA movement, pushing out traditional members of the party and creating a new populist normal? Something tells me not, because Mamdani's appeal is to the coastal elite, whereas Trump connected with non-college educated voters in vast geographic swaths of Middle America. I can't believe Mamdani would have any broad appeal beyond a few zip codes in NYC and Cali, but many said the same about Trump. Mamdani is a full-on Communist anti-Semite and isn't even hiding the ball on this. The Democrat-Media Complex calls Trump crazy and dangerous, but Mamdani is telling us, "Oh yeah? Hold my beer!" — Steve R.

No, I do not believe that Mamdani’s platform will become a purity test for the Democratic party, and that’s for the reasons you describe. Trump was a pop-culture celebrity for decades before he entered politics — a national figure with a well-established (though somewhat bogus) brand, who had a boatload of charisma and knew how to sell a branded message. Mamdani doesn’t have anything resembling that kind of appeal, and I think most people outside of New York City, even in the Democratic party, recognize how ludicrous many of his ideas are.

What are your thoughts on the Nancy Mace pajama incident? — Alex D.

The same as with every other dopey social-media stunt she’s performed. Mace is so desperate for attention, and so eager to beclown herself in front of cameras, that many people believe she has serious psychological problems. I don’t know about that. What I do know is that today’s politics tend to reward juvenile and unhinged behavior.

The freshly passed Big Beautiful Bill will pile trillions of new borrowing on top of already growing deficits. Is fiscal conservatism dead? — Jen R.

Yes. Despite all the posturing, neither party cares one bit about runaway spending or the debt crisis. It’s the biggest threat to our country, and our political leaders treat it like an absolute joke. And they’ve been granted permission to do so by a majority of the U.S. electorate that is either ignorant to, or in denial of, the implosion that will absolutely come. Congratulations, everyone.

Happy Independence Day Sir John: What do you think the chances are of the Iranians gaining independence from the theocrats? Do you think the current Shah will be welcomed back to Iran? —“Make Iran Great Again” regards from The Emperor

I don’t know, Emperor. I’ve never had a great feel for the Iranian people, and have long struggled to understand all the cultural dynamics at play. For many years, I’ve seen demonstrations on television that make me think the citizens may indeed take their country back from the regime, but it doesn’t happen, and it’s of course easier said than done. The Middle East is a tough region for many of us outsiders to grasp, so I don’t feel confident enough to even speculate on the likelihood of such a thing.

Republican congressman Don Bacon announced his retirement this week. I think he may be the last ideologically principled Republican left in Congress. Any thoughts on this? — Ben G.

I basically have the same thoughts on Bacon as I did my former congressman, Ken Buck. For years, Bacon went along to get along when it came to Trump and MAGA. He kept a low profile, held his tongue on things he knew were wrong, and voted “no” on Trump’s impeachment after January 6. But I think his conscience finally caught up with him. He’s spent the last year or so clearing it, I think, by loudly defending conservatism and conservative principles, and standing up to MAGA populism and obedience to Donald Trump. Buck did the exact same thing, and when a Republican chooses to go down that path, they’re making an informed decision to end their political career. Buck and Bacon wanted to leave with their heads held high. While I appreciate and respect that, I think they took a less honorable route than those who stood up when much more was on the line.

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Thanks everyone! You can send me questions for next week by leaving a comment in the comment section.