Looks like it was a push-up contest after all bsky.app/profile/grah...

In case it was not already apparent that Schumer and Jeffries have all the political instincts of sheep led to the slaughter, their refusal to endorse the most charismatic Democrat since Obama is truly the pièce de résistance

Fascist loyalty oaths or a push-up contest, it's a coin toss really

"Democratic leaders have had six months to come up with a plan. If there’s a better plan than a shutdown, great. But if the plan is still nothing, then Democrats need new leaders." Democrats are repeatedly paying the price for abysmal leadership. Schumer needed to be gone months ago.

This guy is just *so* good at this

They're all patriots and we should be damn proud of them.

I genuinely believe that part of the reason we're in this mess is because Dem leaders have decided that mean-spirited humiliation of the fascists is beneath them

This seems like an awesome job for data science folks who want to make a difference in the world.

The path forward is very, very clear: do everything possible to regain power, then nuke the filibuster and ram through national-level reforms to end gerrymandering in all 50 states. Tell voters that we do this to force *both* parties to play by the rules, and tell the fascists to fuck off.

This is the best article about tennis that I've read in some time. Cracking the top 100 in a highly physical, fully global, one on one sport is very hard. This guy was ranked 129 in the world -- 129 out of ~8 billion --and you couldn't pay me to have his life. www.theguardian.com/sport/articl...

Every day I think about what the end of US liberal hegemony means for global pro-democracy movements. It's not good news. But it may not be horrible, either. Movements have won in the past even w/o US support. And, global liberalism may prove more resilient than US observers currently believe.

This is the one, folks.

Yes! And this problem will only get worse the longer that Dem leaders fail to embrace a reform agenda. Dems *cannot govern* with current institutions. The fight cannot be avoided. Dems need to wield anti-corruption as both substance (tax the rich) and process (accountability + institutional change)

Ok, here's a 2 minute summary: in this piece, I try to use ANDOR as a way to illuminate several “hard truths” that many nonviolent pro-democracy movements face:

Don't worry, the New York Times assures us that Trump has put this one to bed

Today, I wrote for @wpr.bsky.social on Andor and its lessons for nonviolent resistance. Andor is truly a masterpiece, and my writing can't do it justice. Still, I hope you find as much inspiration in the show (and this commentary) as I did!

Trump is in zugzwang: every move he makes on Epstein only fuels the scandal, because the only exculpatory move (true transparency) would incriminate him.

It's #2. The GOP knows that old guard Dems lack the stomach to punish norm violations. They think they'll get away with it. And for now, they're right! But nothing lasts forever. The Dem base wants to punish fascist GOP elites, and they will vote for candidates who promise to make the GOP pay.

But here's the kicker: he should run as the Republican.

Lol, lmfao

I don’t know how you can read stuff like this and not conclude that ICE is committing unconscionable crimes against humanity. We, as a nation, cannot survive this without aggressive accountability. ICE is rank evil, and it needs to face remorseless justice.

This is in the top 10 commentaries I've read this year. It captures the crux of the chasm separating elected Dems and the base: The Dems are stuck in the "policy moderation" paradigm, while the base instinctively recognizes that what they need to do is aggressively reassert liberal values.

cc Democrats: invite the nurses to Washington and interview them about what it's like to have anonymous armed thugs invade a fucking hospital

🚨JOB ALERT🚨 We (pdri-devlab) are hiring a research manager! Come join our team engaged in policy-relevant collaborative research (mostly migration, climate, enviormnet, big data for dev) in the great city of brotherly love. Pls share widely with your network. wd1.myworkdaysite.com/en-US/recrui...

Alternatively, you could save that 20 million for when Zohran inevitably wins and taxes you losers But hey, you do you I guess

I know this is not top of mind for a lot of Americans these days, but *wow*

In all seriousness: I am convinced that the greatest threat to US democracy today is not a Trump 3rd term. It's that Dems win in 2028, but chicken out on the institutional reforms + elite accountability processes necessary to marginalize right-wing fascists and deter future transgressions.

My entire social circle is just exhausted with me blurting out TIT FOR TAT DETERRENCE WORKS YOU MORONS at random points in polite conversation

This is the clearest distillation of why political "moderation" doesn't work against reactionary conservatism. It's not about the policies: it's about the values! www.thebulwark.com/p/when-moder...

The fundamental dilemma here, in my mind, is: i) Unapologetic, severe punishment of elite norm violators is needed to re-establish democratic norms, but ii) the legal system can't punish fascist GOP elites b/c blanket pardons. This leaves only norm-violating punishment options.

Beating back autocracy can't be doom and gloom all the time. We need this, too.

Dimitrov, up 2 sets to love against world #1 Sinner at Wimbledon, hits an ace and then immediately collapses. Looks like a freak, horrible shoulder injury. This guy just cannot catch a break.

Here, Yglesias bemoans that Dems have neglected healthcare messaging b/c they are too focused on "post-materialist concerns" like democracy. "We just had great No Kings protests ... those could have been about medicaid." Here's the thing: no, they couldn't have. 1/

I'm anything but proud of this monstrosity of a government. But I am incredibly proud of the millions of Americans who are refusing to kneel to injustice -- living out the oldest and greatest of American traditions. Their efforts are worth celebrating, even in the moments when we come up short. 🇺🇸

It is remarkable to me how much more effective a communicator AOC continues to be than any of her colleagues. "I'm sorry" is conveying a hell of a lot from the Democrat least responsible for our present disaster.

Ok I take it back -- Sen. Wyden gets it. Democrats need to get comfortable with aggressive, overt threats to punish the fascists and anyone else who goes along with their lawlessness.

Part of the reason we are in this mess is because Dem leaders can't even pretend to care about holding fascist elites to account for this country's destruction. At this point, Trump really could shoot a man on 5th avenue. Everybody knows that even the Democrats would just look the other way.

It would be easy to make fun of Zverev for yet another choke. BUT: Medvedev, Musetti, Tsitsipas, Rune, Shapovalov, Rublev, Berrettini, and Cerúndolo ALSO lost in R1, and Alcaraz and Fritz barely won close 5 setters. Wtf did @wimbledonltc.bsky.social put in the strawberries and cream this year?

Exactly. This bill encapsulates a fact emphasized in much recent social science: MAGA voters are motivated more by status anxiety / white grievance than their actual economic well-being.

Again: the fascists are out WAY over their skis. Dissent this costly is rare. But what it reveals is that, beneath the surface party loyalty, Americans sense that Trump's tyranny is irreconcilable with US values. Indulging fatalism about making this case is just another form of obeying in advance.

How do nonviolent alternatives affect international support for violent rebel groups? @matthewcebul.bsky.social (@usip.org) and Jonathan Pinckney (University of Texas at Dallas) explore this question in a new article drawing on two cross-national survey experiments spanning 30+ countries.

We could have this normal, decent guy as Senate minority leader, or we could let Chuck Schumer, gutless wonder continue to steer the ship. I dunno, it's a close one! (Now please return to your scheduled Big Ugly Bill programming)

This is the type of language I expect to hear from elected Democrats. We're done hiding -- give us control and the Roberts court is toast.

Like y'all, I'm furious. But I also truly believe that the civic backlash to heartless MAGA tyranny will be a titanic cultural force for democratic rejuvenation. The worst of us revel in fascist power, but they are overreaching. More and more Americans see it. The stain on the GOP is indelible.

Dem electeds have desperately clung to the belief that "the institutions will save us," while refusing to acknowledge the fact that THEY, CONGRESS, ARE ONE OF THE INSTITUTIONS WHO NEED TO BE DOING THE SAVING

If the Democrats were eve remotely competent, every Senate Dem would sign a statement excoriating the court's disgusting hypocrisy and proclaiming their intent to enact major SCOTUS reform by the end of the day.

What Mamdani Mania is highlighting for me is how starved the Democrats have been for candidates with even a hint of genuine charisma, for the better part of a decade, now.

Part of the reason that this happens is because Congressional Dems consistently prioritize civility over telling their white nationalist colleagues to eat glass. If Ogles wants to be a gutter racist, then Democratic leadership should call him as much, to his face, on national television.

"Elect me and 51 Democratic Senators, and I will enact comprehensive immigration reform and put this appalling horror show behind us for good. NO MORE EXCUSES." The only thing stopping Dems from steamrolling the GOP on immigration is Senate Dems' hesitance to actually govern.