Really loved this convo for the historical perspective Bob brings, from how he helped write the Community Reinvestment Act of 1975 to how Dems lost their way by embracing neoliberalism instead of becoming better New Dealers. Many “Notes for Next Time,” for which his new book by that title is a must.

It’s time for a fresh approach that will not only free us from the gerrymander wars but also produce fair representation and an end to the artificial binary of the two-party system. Plus, what the #MayDayStrong "structure test" revealed. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...

In a country where only 48% know what Memorial Day represents, I wonder what % knows what May Day is talkerresearch.com/research-rev... So do we meet people where they are or insist on a historical term that few recognize? #MayDayStrong

My colleague @danielcantor.bsky.social explains how the killing of the Voting Rights Act today by the #StolenSupremeCourt isn’t the end of the road. open.substack.com/pub/centerfo...

Prove me wrong: Most human group meetings are actually Post-It's way of reproducing itself. We only think we have agency, but we're basically just around to spread the usage of Post-Its.

This Friday, May 1, we'll get our first real sense of how much the people opposed to authoritarianism and oligarchy in America can go on offense. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...

While the recent election in Hungary can't be mapped directly to what we're facing here in the US, there are lots of lessons to ponder as we gear up for 2026, 2028 and beyond. Here's what I've gleaned so far. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...

While Dems warn about the SAVE Act and voter suppression, they’re ignoring how their own voter engagement tools make them miss many voters and waste resources. While nearly everyone wants an upgrade, so far the money to pay for it is absent. More in my latest post: open.substack.com/pub/theconne...

So our president threatened a genocide Tuesday night and it’s Saturday night now and we’re at a bar listening to a local band, and you wouldnt know anything was amiss.

I built a thing: whereisiran.netlify.app Please play (no cheating).

First time I've seen a big activist org use Pol.is to try to crowd-source ideas on how to respond to breaking news. Worth checking out. #civictech

I'm beginning to understand what my parents must have felt during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The prediction markets don't appear to allow the 'will Trump nuke Iran' question, but I'm sure I'm not the only person worried he will. He's already disinhibited and stupid enough to think it will work.

If you read any Substack newsletters that cover democracy, you’ll be interested in seeing how your favorite sites stack up, and whether they’re serving you with a lot of doom-and-gloom content or ways to organize and who’s doing the work. Check out my new post open.substack.com/pub/theconne...

#NoKings3 was successful in demonstrating that the movement against Trump is growing and spreading to more places. But, look closer and there are warning signs: it's predominantly ppl > 50 & highly educated and that hasn't changed since it started. (1/n)

Can the No Kings movement keep growing? There are signs it may be leveling off, and its key challenge is growing past its predominantly older, well-educated base. More in my latest post. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...

If the estimates were right, there were about 9 million people at No Kings rallies today. That would mean this protest was THIRTY TIMES AS LARGE AS THE TEA PARTY PROTEST which we were told, over and over again, was a massively important sign that US politics had shifted dramatically to the right

Hastings and Yonkers #NoKings3 marches met up, about 750 ppl in all. @nycd16-indivisible.bsky.social, local Yonkers NAACP, Concerned Families of Westchester co-sponsored.

Most interesting fresh data about #NoKings3 from Indivisible's @leahgreenberg.bsky.social: 66% of RSVPs this time coming from outside urban centers; up nearly 40% from NoKings1 last June. Big surges in bellwether suburban counties in PA, GA and AZ. Double-digit # of events in ID, WY, MO, UT.

I took a medium-deep dive into how some of the biggest name pro-democracy authors on Substack treat topics like the upcoming No Kings 3 protests (many have said nothing about them!) and how much they tend to talk to each other rather than actual organizers. (1/n)

The arc of the anti-Trump No Kings movement bends toward...growth and impact. So I argue in my latest post: open.substack.com/pub/theconne...

The latest episode of “This Old Democracy” where I got to talk with Miles Rapoport, one of the prodemocracy world’s veteran organizers, is my favorite yet. Give it a listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Add @chrisrabb.com to your list of progressives running for Congress who will be a true public servant, not another corporate-funded politician. I’ve known Chris since 2004 and he’s the real deal.

Stand for Campus Freedom is launching this urgent petition from alumni to university presidents to reject ICE cooperation agreements and defend campus freedom. Please sign and share: alumni.standforcampusfreedom.org/petitions/re...

March 28 is less than 3 weeks away. If you are serious about organizing to built the power to protect our democracy and stop Trump, now is the time to be planning for how you will bring new people in, welcome them and involve them in ongoing local efforts. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...

1. It’s all based on lies. 2. There will be blowback. 3. Killing a country’s leader is not ‘regime change’. 4. The Trump regime also has many heads. 5. The Iran War splits MAGA. 6. The Iran War splits Democrats. 7. Our pro-democracy job remains the same. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...

Dark thoughts on a dark speech, which was all too reminiscent in its content and reception of a book many of us have probably read. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...

There’s an answer to the question of how we crawl out of the present-day polarized quicksand. It’s called fusion voting through minor parties, and its time has come. @danielcantor.bsky.social democracyjournal.org/magazine/79/...

I'm back from a week of vacation with a report on the next wave of the Defiance: The Singing Resistance. It's easy to join; it's addictive once you do it; and it converts rage into loving action. Link below: open.substack.com/pub/theconne...

Highlighting the speaker who stood in front of the Surprise mayor and told him to consider what the Mayor of Ohrdruf must’ve thought before he died by suicide: “He might have thought ‘how is this my fault I had no jurisdiction over this’ maybe he said ‘this site was not subject to local zoning.’”

Since I was a child, organisations like the Anne Frank Foundation have told me that what happened to her should be taken as a warning for what could happen in the future. Analogisation isn't just allowed, it is called for.

When is it ok to analogize what we’re experiencing in America now to the rise of the Nazis? And who should be the judge of that? In this week’s post, I examine how the US Holocaust Memorial Museum has gone astray. (1/3)

The wait is over — our newest #ThisOldDemocracy podcast episode is live! @msifry.bsky.social and @andycraig.bsky.social go deep on democracy reform. centerforballotfreedom.org/this-old-dem...

“the Democrats’ list of demands appears to have shrunk after internal deliberations.” 🙃

Three cheers for Michael J. Fox.

Suddenly, we have new protest songs! Billy Bragg www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKOW... and ...

Current mood: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRHx...

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., rolls out his demand for supporting a DHS appropriations bill: fire Stephen Miller

Today, as the uproar over Pretti’s murder crests, there are signs that they are instead going for a package that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called “restrain, reform and restrict ICE.” (1/n)

Why do so many Democratic officeholders, candidates and political operatives keep following the same playbook, the one that says that if they want to win elections they have to raise tons of money, spend nearly all of it on targeted media... (1/n)

A report from Chester, NY, where unofficial word that ICE is planning to build a new mass detention center in a former Pep Boys warehouse has turbocharged local activists already more in motion because of Renee Good’s murder and the attack on Minneapolis. (1/2)

ICE plans to site a mass detention center in Chester, NY (1hr north of NYC) has spurred a huge turnout at the monthly town board mtg. 400-500 protestors have shown up in the cold.

About 250 residents of Hastings on Hudson, Yonkers and Dobbs Ferry out to demand #ICEOutForGood and for NY to pass #NYForAll and the MELT Act. @nycd16-indivisible.bsky.social and CFOW cosponsored this rally.

Current mood: youtu.be/jAl05lQm4nQ?...

We put out a call for #ICEOutForGood vigils 24 hours ago. There are now more than 1000 events taking place across the country this weekend. Find yours: www.mobilize.us?tag_ids=2913...

Holy shit. Eight minutes of a man so far past giving a fuck that he’ll just deliver truth bomb after truth bomb — former MN Governor Jesse Ventura: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FKc...

This.

The man who literally wrote the book on the use of vehicles as ramming weapons says any claim Good used hers as such is false, and that her execution, followed by the false claim, is "death squad behavior."

We restarted our weekly protest in Yonkers today! Melt ICE! Health Care not Warfare! @nycd16-indivisible.bsky.social @indiviswestchester.bsky.social @indivisible.org @msifry.bsky.social @lizrdeb.bsky.social

🎙️ Your next listen is here. A brand new podcast #ThisOldDemocracy episode just hit the feed! @jefftimmer.bsky.social is working on building the Common Sense Party in Michigan, a fusion party committed to protecting the rule of law and democracy.

Adding this to my current "to-read" list: www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...