Jonathan Alter
@jonathanalter.bsky.social
đ€ 5943
đ„ 49
đ 58
Journalist, historian, documentary filmmaker
A scary scenario:
oldgoats.substack.com/p/stopping-t...
loading . . .
Stopping Trumpâs Rolling Coup
An all-too-plausible scenario of how the GOP tried and failed to steal the midterms
https://oldgoats.substack.com/p/stopping-trumps-rolling-coup
28 days ago
0
7
3
A tribute to the writers and producers who worked on both Colbert showsâincluding my wife.
share.google/PzmZ0Nayqkjf...
loading . . .
Inside Colbertâs Success
My wife, Emily Lazar, worked at both The Colbert Report and The Late Show and she helps me look under the hood.
https://share.google/PzmZ0NayqkjfXseNV
about 2 months ago
1
11
3
We need to name this outrage: How about âThe Self-Deal Steal.â Justice Dept. Sets Up $1.8 Billion Fund That Could Funnel Money to Trump Allies
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/u...
loading . . .
Justice Dept. Sets Up $1.8 Billion Fund That Could Funnel Money to Trump Allies
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/us/politics/trump-irs-lawsuit.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
2 months ago
1
3
1
Here's a little historical context for No Kings Day. Hope to see you out there tomorrow in your community. Please subscribe--free or paid.
oldgoats.substack.com/p/then-and-n...
loading . . .
THEN and NOW: Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam (1969) and No Kings Day (2026)
Julian Zelizer and I put the March 28 No Kings rallies in historical context. Be a part of the largest mass movement in all of American history!!!
https://oldgoats.substack.com/p/then-and-now-moratorium-to-end-the
4 months ago
0
4
0
reposted by
Jonathan Alter
Tom Tomashek
5 months ago
Speaker Johnson doesn't want Gonzalez to resign despite office affair. The Bible-thumping speaker is willing to turn the other cheek to protect his slim House margin. He's a type-A hypocrite.
105
1371
302
reposted by
Jonathan Alter
Max Berger
5 months ago
The American president is more insulated from accountability than a British royal. Our political system provides the elite with immunity. It has to change.
784
25843
6104
Breaking: @NickMiroff of Atlantic has THREE sources saying the original training period of 13-16 weeks for ICE recruits was originally reduced to 47 days because Trump is the 47th president. This is worse than Caligula making his horse the consul of Rome.
Oldgoats.substack.com
loading . . .
OLD GOATS with Jonathan Alter | Substack
Ruminating with friends. Click to read OLD GOATS with Jonathan Alter, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.
https://Oldgoats.substack.com
6 months ago
0
5
1
The REAL story behind Trumpâs unhinged take on Greenland
share.google/raTjLN42KPno...
loading . . .
Greenland and the Benjamins
Thereâs a method behind Trumpâs madness and itâs colored green.
https://share.google/raTjLN42KPnoJUoiM
6 months ago
1
3
4
The Renee Good case in historical perspective.
oldgoats.substack.com/p/how-the-mu...
loading . . .
How the Murder of Good Changes the Stakes for Good
ICE wonât melt, but traumatic events of this kind create their own force fields that bring change
https://oldgoats.substack.com/p/how-the-murder-of-good-changes-the
6 months ago
0
4
3
reposted by
Jonathan Alter
Brandon Friedman
7 months ago
If this happened to a conservative organizer, Republicans would make her a hero, a household name and a congressional candidate. Elected Democrats just pretend it isn't happening.
115
6820
904
Thanks,
@patti4040.bsky.social
!!
add a skeleton here at some point
7 months ago
2
3
0
reposted by
Jonathan Alter
Wen Z
9 months ago
"No Kings is brilliant because it's so capacious": You need only believe in âAâmerica's founding principlesâ to be a part of it. â Historian
@jonathanalter.bsky.social
, discussing
#NoKings
with
@jenrubin.bsky.social
and
@normeisen.bsky.social
of
@contrariannews.org
1
10
3
Hereâs the final chapter of the wildest story Iâve ever written. âNick Rockefeller,â who died with his secret intact, may be the most successful imposter in US history.
share.google/K0qYhyU1HbbM...
loading . . .
Nicholas Rockefeller's 40-Year Con: Part III
Beneath the âwonderful manâ described by a Yale Law School classmate lurked a dark, abusive Mr. Hyde.
https://share.google/K0qYhyU1HbbMdd5h7
10 months ago
0
8
1
Hey,
@susanchumsky.bsky.social
you may be right! But my people were in the Pale of Settlement then.
add a skeleton here at some point
10 months ago
0
1
0
Here's Part II of the most bizarre story I've ever written.
airmail.news/issues/2025-...
loading . . .
Nicholas Rockefeller's 40-Year Con: Part II
After faking his way into Harvard Law SchoolâtwiceâSpiro Pavlovich turns up at Yale Law School with a new name: Nicholas Rockefeller.
https://airmail.news/issues/2025-9-27/the-40-year-con-part-ii
10 months ago
0
5
0
I'm so saddened by the death of Bob Barnett, who represented me (for 27 years) and so many others on both sides in politics and journalism. It's cool to deride "insiders" and "elitists" and they have their faults. But they (we) have brought continuity and decency to the system. RIP, Bob.
10 months ago
2
145
10
They're swimming in the Chicago River! This is the fulfillment of the vision of my late mother, Joanne Alter, who in 1972 was elected to the Sanitary District on a "Clean Water" platform. Thanks to all who helped her.
www.nytimes.com/card/2025/09...
loading . . .
Chicagoans Avoided Their âFilthyâ River for Years. On Sunday, They Swam in It.
Decades of work to clean the Chicago River culminated with the first swim in almost 100 years. It was the latest sign of how the cityâs relationship with its river has changed.
https://www.nytimes.com/card/2025/09/21/us/chicago-river-swim
10 months ago
0
14
2
Bill Pulte, wo has been sliming the Fed's Lisa Cook, should look inside his own family. His parents have committed what he calls "mortgage fraud."
www.reuters.com/world/us/bil...
loading . . .
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/bill-pulte-accused-fed-governor-lisa-cook-fraud-his-relatives-filed-housing-2025-09-05/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
10 months ago
1
6
0
Vance lied. The very conservative Cato Institute reports that since 1975 (excluding 9/11), 10 percent of political murders have been from the left, 23 percent from Islamicists, and 63 percent from the right. My latest Old Goats. Please subscribe--free or paid.
oldgoats.substack.com/p/can-spence...
loading . . .
Can Spencer Cox Prevent a Civil War?
Amid all the hypocrisy and projection, focusing on social media might help us avoid becoming the Donner Party
https://oldgoats.substack.com/p/can-spencer-cox-prevent-a-civil-war
10 months ago
2
21
8
My take on shutdown: Clinton-Era Lessons for Democrats Confronting Trump
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/o...
loading . . .
Opinion | Clinton-Era Lessons for Democrats Confronting Trump
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/opinion/clinton-era-democrats-trump.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
10 months ago
1
4
1
Please read
@marcelias.bsky.social
here for a fuller understanding of the thugs, creeps and liars now running our government.
loading . . .
Iâm not panicking. Iâm outraged.
https://newsletters.democracydocket.com/im-not-panicking.-im-outraged?ecid=ACsprvvlUj1ndoMplSGl3T1U-nzPBaxrN1r2rVgujPZBUF2S2o51j4VcmOROLhkwnnJS9KmIsdMq
12 months ago
1
21
7
Then and Now: Right-Wing Conspiracy Politics We discuss the John Birch Society, Dr. Strangelove and how much worse and more mainstream conspiracy theories are today. Five minutes only! Please subscribe to Old Goats, free or paid.
open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats...
loading . . .
Then and Now: Right-Wing Conspiracy Politics
Julian Zelizer and I discuss the John Birch Society calling Ike a commie and Trumpâs conspiracies boomeranging.
https://open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats/p/then-and-now-right-wing-conspiracy?r=3ljtf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
about 1 year ago
1
14
5
As Congress gets set to approve THE BIG UGLY BILL, it's essential that it be called that in EVERY reference to it--over and over again through the midterms. Americans are already overwhelmingly against THE BIG UGLY BILL, but need to call it by one name so the stigma sticks.
about 1 year ago
1
10
2
The Police State is the Point. We're headed for one. Believe it.
open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats...
loading . . .
The Police State is the Point
Weâre rapidly moving toward one. Believe it.
https://open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats/p/the-police-state-is-the-point?r=3ljtf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
about 1 year ago
2
23
13
CBS Prez George Cheeks can resign and be an American heroâor be condemned by history. Whatâll it be, George?
loading . . .
Shari Redstone Might Be Headed for Jail
If Paramount's heiress chief settles with Trump, it will be seen as extortion and bribery. Plus: A new "Past and Presidency" video on Elon Musk and Joe McCarthy.
https://open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats/p/shari-redstone-might-be-headed-for?r=3ljtf
about 1 year ago
0
10
4
Watch âPast and Presidencyâ with me and Prof. Julian Zelizer today at 11 am est. Weâll discuss the Big Ugly Bill.
about 1 year ago
1
2
1
reposted by
Jonathan Alter
TeeGee
about 1 year ago
@jonathanalter.bsky.social
a 21 year survivor of a stage 4 cancer, says Bidenâs cancer prognosis is 30% at 5 years. He says âsomeone has to be in the good percentages It might as well be Joe Biden. Heâs a man of great decency & integrity & an awful lot of people in this country are rooting for himââ€ïž
0
17
4
Tank vs. Tesla
x.com/SethAbramson...
loading . . .
Seth Abramson on X: "RETWEET https://t.co/FPkrnlXIeT" / X
RETWEET https://t.co/FPkrnlXIeT
https://x.com/SethAbramson/status/1920185775389356293
about 1 year ago
0
0
0
Our new show debuts: Past and Presidency with Jonathan Alter and Julian Zelizer
open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats...
loading . . .
Past and Presidency with Jonathan Alter and Julian Zelizer
A recording from Jonathan Alter and Julian Zelizer's live video
https://open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats/p/past-and-presidency-with-jonathan?r=3ljtf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
about 1 year ago
0
7
1
Good news! Bezos backed off his idea to break out tariffs on Amazon products but the cat is out of the bag. When the toys parents buy (almost all from China) are more than twice as expensive, they will know to blame Trump
open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats...
loading . . .
Good News! Bezos Screws Trump
Even though he backed off on breaking out the Trump Tariff on Amazon products, the cat is out of the bag
https://open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats/p/good-news-bezos-screws-trump?r=3ljtf
about 1 year ago
0
21
7
FDR calmed and unified the country; Trump has terrified and further divided us
about 1 year ago
2
36
10
open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats...
loading . . .
Hey, TV, Donât Bend the Knee!
The producer of 60 Minutes and the Evening News resigned today because he wouldnât apologize for an accurate story.
https://open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats/p/hey-tv-dont-bend-the-knee?r=3ljtf
about 1 year ago
0
15
5
Whyâs that
@gastropoda.bsky.social
? Thereâs a lot of new stuff in my book after the Reagan victoryâincluding his entire post -presidency.
add a skeleton here at some point
over 1 year ago
1
0
0
It was his brother Billy, an alcoholic, who mismanaged Carterâs Warehouse but he also faced poor market conditions.
add a skeleton here at some point
over 1 year ago
0
11
2
reposted by
Jonathan Alter
Alan Frady
over 1 year ago
Must read from
@jonathanalter.bsky.social
on
#FFELON
tariff exemption process. "This lawlessness makes it clear that he wants the âblack holeâ on tariff exemptions (and other key decisions) to be as dark as possible as soon as possible."
oldgoats.substack.com/p/trumps-hug...
loading . . .
Trumpâs Huge Tariff Exemption Grift
The latest shakedown makes Tammany Hall and the Daley Machine look like the League of Women Voters
https://oldgoats.substack.com/p/trumps-huge-tariff-exemption-grift?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=340335&post_id=161259454&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=9qtak&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
1
12
9
Please subscribe.
open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats...
loading . . .
Wisconsin Watershed Will Shape Midterms
Musk is now an albatross around the neck of MAGA candidates and Trump knows it.
https://open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats/p/wisconsin-watershed-will-shape-midterms?r=3ljtf
over 1 year ago
0
9
2
reposted by
Jonathan Alter
Harry Litman
over 1 year ago
HERE YOU HAVE IT, an ALL-NEW
@talkingfeds.bsky.social
w/ a killer panel of
@jonathanalter.bsky.social
,
#AlisynCamerota
, &
@davidfrenchjag.bsky.social
. The Signal-Gate debacle + coverup; more good news from the courts; & an overall assessment of where we are on the road to ruin. Link:
bit.ly/SignalTF
5
209
32
reposted by
Jonathan Alter
Talking Feds with Harry Litman
over 1 year ago
In âHegsethive Pride,â
@jonathanalter.bsky.social
,
#AlisynCamerota
&
@davidfrenchjag.bsky.social
joins Harry to assess the colossal screwup & brazen coverup of Signal-Gate before moving to legal developments and an overall assessment of the state of the Republic. Donât miss it! Link:
bit.ly/SignalTF
2
55
16
Please subscribeâfree or paid
open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats...
loading . . .
The Character Test of Our Time
Weâll all have to explain our choices to our grandchildren
https://open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats/p/the-character-test-of-our-time?r=3ljtf
over 1 year ago
0
5
2
reposted by
Jonathan Alter
Frank
over 1 year ago
@jonathanalter.bsky.social
just read today's email from you. You closed with an allusion to the phrase I keep telling my wife about Trump - "he who sows the wind, shall reap the whirlwind". Hopefully, Trump will reap it - November 2026 cannot get here too soon.
0
2
1
reposted by
Jonathan Alter
Joan Eisenstodt
over 1 year ago
Very much worth subscribing to this great substack.
add a skeleton here at some point
1
3
1
Please subscribe to Old Goats on Substack
open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats...
loading . . .
A Constitutional Crisis is Already Underway
Trumpâs defiance of Judge Boasbergâs court order crossed a scary line
https://open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats/p/a-constitutional-crisis-is-already?r=3ljtf
over 1 year ago
2
13
1
Please subscribeâfree or paid
open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats...
loading . . .
Will Trump Reap the Whirlwind?
The Orange Menace and his flunkies think a recession would be 'worth it.' They're right about that.
https://open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats/p/will-trump-reap-the-whirlwind?r=3ljtf
over 1 year ago
0
7
2
Do you like this idea for the Democrats? Subscribe and let me know.
loading . . .
Letâs Create âTown Hall Night in Americaâ
Itâs time for Democrats to institutionalize our oldest form of democracy
https://open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats/p/lets-create-town-hall-night-in-america?r=3ljtf
over 1 year ago
4
39
12
reposted by
Jonathan Alter
Alan Cantor
over 1 year ago
An excellent, heartfelt synopsis by
@jonathanalter.bsky.social
of the disgusting scene in the Oval office today. Jon puts into words why this was so horrendous on every level.
oldgoats.substack.com/p/a-low-poin...
loading . . .
Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom ...
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6606597478
1
6
1
Caesar, Napoleon, Nixonâand Trump.
loading . . .
Tsar Trump Thinks Heâs the State
As he tries to wreck everything, a little history and hope to tide us over
https://open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats/p/tsar-trump-thinks-hes-the-state?r=3ljtf
over 1 year ago
10
84
14
Terrific piece on âTrumpâs Medicaid Raid.â Make sure to call it that in the weeks ahead
mailchi.mp/e3ea4c6e38a0...
loading . . .
My New Op-Ed: Beware Republicans Claiming Massive but âPainlessâ Medicaid Cuts
https://mailchi.mp/e3ea4c6e38a0/my-new-op-ed-beware-republicans-claiming-massive-but-painless-medicaid-cuts?e=af7cc51e10
over 1 year ago
0
8
3
Terrific Sam Harris piece on Musk on Substack
samharris.substack.com/p/perhaps-th...
loading . . .
Perhaps the Message is the Message
There are two, irreconcilable accounts of what is happening in (and to) the U.S.
https://samharris.substack.com/p/perhaps-the-message-is-the-message?utm_campaign=posts-open-in-app&r=3ljtf
over 1 year ago
1
13
3
open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats...
loading . . .
Confronting Chaos, Corruption, Cruelty and Cowardice
Four ways to hold the line on Trump and the Muskrats
https://open.substack.com/pub/oldgoats/p/confronting-chaos-corruption-cruelty?r=3ljtf
over 1 year ago
2
16
7
Load more
feeds!
log in