Oh God. Thank you for this post. I have been wondering lately what that toxic carpetbagger has been up to. EKV is the closest I get to the type of dysfunction most people get from reality TV. She’s got a lot of entertainment value!
Deferring to 81-year-old Carville and another old ass white guy for guidance on the future of the Democratic party is a WILD choice. The lack of self-awareness would be comical of it weren't so rampant in the party establishment.
I am not DSA or Green, but the far left didn't cost Democrats the white house. All the votes Jill Stein got could have gone to Kamala and she still would have lost. These votes are not evenly distributed throughout swing states. They are concentrated in places like California and NYC. DSA is not a kingmaker movement by any means. It's gaining a bit of momentum, but it's still a movement concentrated in urban areas in very blue states.
Could not have said it better! Thanks. She is so self-absorbed that she can't see the many reasons for her loss and is unable to move on. But we can move on...and we should.
I keep thinking about how my face would look if I ran into Esther at Cinepolis or Target or something. It would probably be a cross between horror and disgust with just a dash of panic.
If she saw that would she wonder, "is that one of the countless local residents I harassed online?" Or would she think, "wow, the moms around here are really looking like desperate housewives these days?"
Anyway, yeah, at this point she needs to go. She is delusional to think that the smallish number of DSA supporters who trolled her online swayed the vote in OC in any significant way.
(This first paragraph is more personal/subjective/hopeful). Actually, you and Esther have in common being good Moms, my faith in the goodness of people overall and no indication otherwise. Life outside politics, the chance for a pleasant interaction in the Target checkout line.
I'm looking a bit closer at the DSA, who they choose to recommend or endorse (two different categories), local vs. CA vs. national, and so forth. One of the criteria the DSA uses is labor/union support. Joe Kerr had a huge advantage for that with over 30 union actual endorsements. I think that the DSA also looks at other viability parameters, not sure what. Money may be one. Maybe that tipped the scales for the DSA to recommend (but not endorse) Lisa Ramirez.
Now, I've been comparing and following the Kluwe race vs the JJ Galvaz race. The DSA gives the glowing recommendation to Kluwe. In Galvaz's case, they have a "no recommendation" but instead of leaving it blank, they describe why Galvaz doesn't get a recommendation. This is leaning toward a no recommendation vs. just remaining neutral, as they do in many other races where they just state no recommendation without the additional verbiage for a specific candidate.
From what I’ve seen, Esther Kim Varet has stayed publicly engaged after the CA-40 race in a way that’s actually somewhat unusual for losing candidates. She’s continued posting about electoral strategy—especially around how Democrats might approach flipping the House in 2026—and analysis of recent races, including NYC elections and the role of DSA-aligned candidates within the broader Democratic coalition.
Since two Republicans advanced out of the primary in CA-40, the focus of that conversation has naturally expanded beyond a single district. That shift feels pretty consistent with how post-cycle strategy tends to evolve when people are thinking beyond just one race.
I don’t really assume anything about why other candidates from the race—Lisa Ramirez, Joe Kerr, or others—haven’t stayed as publicly active. People step back after campaigns for all kinds of reasons, and not everything has to turn into an ongoing public presence.
What stands out to me, honestly, isn’t the personality framing or questions of “belonging,” but the fact that Esther is still putting her thinking out in public. She’s engaging directly, too—both with supporters and critics—rather than everything going through staff or polished campaign channels. That makes her positions easier to actually evaluate, because they’re visible and ongoing.
Pearlman’s post doesn’t really engage with the substance of any of that. It mostly turns disagreement into a question of legitimacy—who is “from here,” who belongs in the party, who gets to speak at all. That kind of framing shows up a lot in intra-party fights, but it sidesteps the actual substance of what she’s arguing about electoral strategy and coalition dynamics.
You can agree or disagree with her conclusions, but at least that’s the level the conversation is actually most useful on. Otherwise, it just turns into a debate over who’s allowed to have a voice, and that doesn’t really get anyone closer to understanding what’s actually going on electorally.
Oh God. Thank you for this post. I have been wondering lately what that toxic carpetbagger has been up to. EKV is the closest I get to the type of dysfunction most people get from reality TV. She’s got a lot of entertainment value!
The footnote did me in 🤣 the petty bitch inside of me feels seen! Thank you for the laugh. She can’t go away soon enough!
I agree that she’s relegated to the past tense now. Fine.
How about some more Gracey to take her place? She puts the “loon” in “Looney Tunes”, and by now provides even more entertainment value.
Just sayin’.
And Ester, do like the man said. Go back to LA.
She is an arrogant "piece", isn't she!
Deferring to 81-year-old Carville and another old ass white guy for guidance on the future of the Democratic party is a WILD choice. The lack of self-awareness would be comical of it weren't so rampant in the party establishment.
I can't stand Varet but Carville is right most of the time and the far left populist dolts cost us the WH twice.
I am not DSA or Green, but the far left didn't cost Democrats the white house. All the votes Jill Stein got could have gone to Kamala and she still would have lost. These votes are not evenly distributed throughout swing states. They are concentrated in places like California and NYC. DSA is not a kingmaker movement by any means. It's gaining a bit of momentum, but it's still a movement concentrated in urban areas in very blue states.
Could not have said it better! Thanks. She is so self-absorbed that she can't see the many reasons for her loss and is unable to move on. But we can move on...and we should.
Dude who cares, just let her post
I keep thinking about how my face would look if I ran into Esther at Cinepolis or Target or something. It would probably be a cross between horror and disgust with just a dash of panic.
If she saw that would she wonder, "is that one of the countless local residents I harassed online?" Or would she think, "wow, the moms around here are really looking like desperate housewives these days?"
Anyway, yeah, at this point she needs to go. She is delusional to think that the smallish number of DSA supporters who trolled her online swayed the vote in OC in any significant way.
(This first paragraph is more personal/subjective/hopeful). Actually, you and Esther have in common being good Moms, my faith in the goodness of people overall and no indication otherwise. Life outside politics, the chance for a pleasant interaction in the Target checkout line.
I'm looking a bit closer at the DSA, who they choose to recommend or endorse (two different categories), local vs. CA vs. national, and so forth. One of the criteria the DSA uses is labor/union support. Joe Kerr had a huge advantage for that with over 30 union actual endorsements. I think that the DSA also looks at other viability parameters, not sure what. Money may be one. Maybe that tipped the scales for the DSA to recommend (but not endorse) Lisa Ramirez.
Now, I've been comparing and following the Kluwe race vs the JJ Galvaz race. The DSA gives the glowing recommendation to Kluwe. In Galvaz's case, they have a "no recommendation" but instead of leaving it blank, they describe why Galvaz doesn't get a recommendation. This is leaning toward a no recommendation vs. just remaining neutral, as they do in many other races where they just state no recommendation without the additional verbiage for a specific candidate.
Anyone who still goes to James Carville for political wisdom is seriously out of touch.
Um, no. Dude is spot on more often than the populist goofs on the far left.
From what I’ve seen, Esther Kim Varet has stayed publicly engaged after the CA-40 race in a way that’s actually somewhat unusual for losing candidates. She’s continued posting about electoral strategy—especially around how Democrats might approach flipping the House in 2026—and analysis of recent races, including NYC elections and the role of DSA-aligned candidates within the broader Democratic coalition.
Since two Republicans advanced out of the primary in CA-40, the focus of that conversation has naturally expanded beyond a single district. That shift feels pretty consistent with how post-cycle strategy tends to evolve when people are thinking beyond just one race.
I don’t really assume anything about why other candidates from the race—Lisa Ramirez, Joe Kerr, or others—haven’t stayed as publicly active. People step back after campaigns for all kinds of reasons, and not everything has to turn into an ongoing public presence.
What stands out to me, honestly, isn’t the personality framing or questions of “belonging,” but the fact that Esther is still putting her thinking out in public. She’s engaging directly, too—both with supporters and critics—rather than everything going through staff or polished campaign channels. That makes her positions easier to actually evaluate, because they’re visible and ongoing.
Pearlman’s post doesn’t really engage with the substance of any of that. It mostly turns disagreement into a question of legitimacy—who is “from here,” who belongs in the party, who gets to speak at all. That kind of framing shows up a lot in intra-party fights, but it sidesteps the actual substance of what she’s arguing about electoral strategy and coalition dynamics.
You can agree or disagree with her conclusions, but at least that’s the level the conversation is actually most useful on. Otherwise, it just turns into a debate over who’s allowed to have a voice, and that doesn’t really get anyone closer to understanding what’s actually going on electorally.
Now who or what political party helped fill her campaign coffers????🤔🤔
She has really lost it. I hope she gets the help she needs. Rather have all the DSs than a DINO who doesn't even know when she's been played.
She's really lost it. I truly hope she gets the help she needs. Rather have ALL the DSs than DINO who doesn't even know when she's been played.
Hilarious! Regular updates please.
Boom!