I’m back from a trip east for this conference and usually when I get back from DC I am drained, but I am fired up and following up on 100 great conversations, all thanks to the visionary @jenancona.bsky.social. Let’s go get it @waytowinus.bsky.social ✊

The government is in full shutdown and the Republicans are refusing to call the House back into session. Want to know why? Because we have secured the final vote on releasing the Epstein Files and they don’t want it out. Call GOP and tell them to swear in @adelitaforcongress.bsky.social.

This @perrybaconjr.bsky.social interview with @vanhollen.senate.gov was one of the #Persuasion2025 highlights. Don't miss the framing of the first question; that single question set the bullshit-free tone for the entire day.

“We need to go back to being a party that tells the truth. It’s the only way to rebuild the Democratic Party as the party of working people. In this race, the ground is fertile to build power locally and then build that into structural power.” @grahamformaine.bsky.social #Persuasion2025

“Voters were struggling with an affordability crisis but had given up hope a mayor could do anything about it. Zohran wasn’t scared of naming villains and proposing solutions.” Morris Katz #Persuasion2025

"There’s a concerted effort... to make sure that Democrats just focus on raising more corporate money, to engage in the failed strategy of then spending a ton of that money on mail and TV at the very last minute." Rep @gregcasar.bsky.social #Persuasion2025

"The thing Mamdani is doing, people think he cares about them. They’ll forgive him the other stuff. The reason they like Trump? They think Trump’s on their side... Democrats can say the right words but if they don't feel it, people don’t believe them.” @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social #Persuasion2025

The core of the argument that ran through the whole day was the need move past defensive politics into a compelling vision that speaks to people’s real lives. Affordability. Security. Stability. As Graham Platner said during the event, “the big things.” And the opposite of what Trump is delivering.

Our inaugural #Persuasion2025 DC event has drawn praise and stirred up opinions across DC. We partnered with the ad testing platform Swayable and invited a spectrum of voices to join us for a day of new thinking and finding a path forward. A 🧵, and stay tuned for clips and session video.

It was a day of tremendous content. Congratulations to James Slezak of Swayable and @jenancona.bsky.social and @torygavito.bsky.social for taking on risk and landing a big complicated plane in a hurry. And thanks to all of you for following this conversation, and for sharing your thinking. 🇺🇸🏳️‍🌈🗽

Fantastic writeup of our Tuesday #Persuasion2025 meeting in DC from @climatebrad.hillheat.com.

Love this recap, thank you @climatebrad.hillheat.com!

whoa @grahamformaine.bsky.social @repcasar.bsky.social @vanhollen.senate.gov @katmabu.bsky.social @patrioticmillionaires.org @waytowinus.bsky.social @jenancona.bsky.social @swayable.bsky.social @torygavito.bsky.social @bhavik.bsky.social so wow much civics

Garrett Bucks nails it!

According to a @washingtonpost.com poll, Americans blame Trump and Republicans in Congress for the shutdown by a 17-percentage-point margin.

Trump is pushing America into the fuck around and find out stage of history on so many levels— in today’s Trump foolery: what happens when we mess with our strongest state economies? I can’t see how this doesn’t immediately help competitors like China.

Hello! Just a reminder that if you work for or contract with the federal government and have information you'd like to share securely with a @wired.com reporter, you can use a non-work device to contact me on Signal at timmarchman.01 and I can connect you to someone who covers your area.

It's Time for White Moderates To Become White Radicals MLK Jr warned about the danger of "white moderates" who prefer civility to justice and are perfectly fine telling the rest of us to "wait." Well, it's time for white moderates to radicalize. open.substack.com/pub/thelefth...

Somebody could write a whole dissertation unpacking what's going on with Rafael Cruz, Cuban-American elected in Texas, insulting a Slavic woman from Minnesota by calling her Hispanic.

The Vought shutdown purge has begun: new mass layoffs at CDC

Check out GSG's @will-jordan.bsky.social ‪who spoke on Catalist's panel all about what happened during the 2024 election. He discussed his analyses of demographic trends alongside Ilyse Hogue of New America and Tory Gavito of Way to Win, and Hillary Anderson of Catalist.

An honor! Go @grahamformaine.bsky.social Go!

I served with the National Guard in Afghanistan. American cities are not “training grounds.” What a disgusting concept.

Side note: every progressive conference should have these debates ie Anat v Sarah. Important Sarah’s begging the room: Stop talking about democracy, talk about America Don’t fight about centrism vs progressives. People don’t care. *Every single focus group just want Dems to be aggressive*

At a conference about how we- the left- take more seriously our responsibility to broaden the tent and level up our approach to persuasion. Hosted by @waytowinus.bsky.social and @swayable.bsky.social and the brainchild of @jenancona.bsky.social Sharing my takeaways live…

“The cavalry isn’t coming. It’s here in this room.”- @lateefahsimon.bsky.social @waytowinus.bsky.social

We’re looking at solutions and working to understand voters across the diverse pro-democracy coalition. We can’t keep fighting battles and losing the war. Thanks to @politico.com for this preliminary coverage of our meeting today.

79. American citizen.

Latinos are souring on Trump. Can Democrats win them back? @torygavito.bsky.social lays out the opportunity and the peril for Democrats with these essential voters chartingthewayforward.substack.com/p/latinos-ar...

Fun new Charting ep today with @heathergtv.bsky.social. If you are not familiar with Heather's work you're in luck. She's hilarious and brilliant. Her and Maddie get into what's worth fighting for - 🔉 open.spotify.com/episode/7wkq... 📺 youtu.be/tWNRZRjyf9A 🍎 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...

I was back at 26 Federal Plaza today, where an ICE agent violently threw this bereft woman to the ground in front of her kids. She had not touched him. She did not pose any threat. She had to be taken to the hospital. (🎥: Elias Eliahu)

My latest: Latinos are souring on Trump. Can Democrats win them back? substack.com/@gavito/note... Hispanic Heritage month is more than just mariachi music-- let's go.

Forty special elections across the country since November 2024 and average margin of Democratic over-performance is 15 points. This is huge headed into next year's midterms.

Once again, if you are just repeating shit from this administration, including especially Kash Patel, you are most likely repeating lies and spreading misinformation

A monologue worth watching. Kimmel’s speech is clear and rooted in values, and makes a case for freedom of speech in a way that is sorely needed in this moment. It is also moving to watch him fight back tears at times, good modeling for non-toxic masculinity.

Ezra Klein's suggestion that Dems can win in red states with pro-life candidates is entirely consistent with his theory of the case as to why Democrats are underperforming. But, as @jessicavalenti.bsky.social lays out so clearly here, this is an obvious, objectively nonsensical suggestion. Quick 🧵.

shit ain’t over til it’s over

It's very important for our democracy that many people in this regime go to prison during the coming era of truth, reconciliation, and accountability.

In which Lina Khan gives a locker room pep talk to America… into it! Also pro tip: Mexico selling fifa tickets with a price cap. One could afford a vacation + futbol and still come out on top versus US price gouging.

Really critical show for you all today with @simonwdc.bsky.social. We're at a moment of serious peril for this country. As the craziness ratchets up, our efforts have to also. An excellent ep to send to your less involved friends! 📺 youtu.be/bhMxRP1ugRw 🍎 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...

"We're looking at congressional districts across the South & Southwest that have real Latino swing voters in them to make sure they understand just how extreme the impact of Trump's budget bill has been in gutting Medicaid & food assistance," Tory Gavito tells Axios. www.axios.com/2025/09/18/d...

I honestly do not care about some pundit’s opinion on what a government shutdown may or may not look like in an election a year from now. We are beyond that. Whatever can be done to slow down this speed run towards authoritarianism is necessary and should be done.

Receipts, proof, timeline 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

We're noticing another uptick in focus on voters who flipped from Biden in 2020 to Trump in 2024. This is an odd selective focus as they were roughly offset by the number of Trump to Harris voters, and there were roughly 3x as many skippers - Biden voters that sat out 2024. A 🧵 with research:

We had @ronbrownstein.bsky.social on Charting The Way Forward this week—this guy never misses! Just a gusher of good intel about the emerging electorate, 2024/2026 & more. With @torygavito.bsky.social! Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m... YT: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HEL...

I wrote my own Charlie Kirk obituary, and about valuing truth over manners: www.thenation.com/article/poli...

wrote on charlie kirk for the newsletter this weekend

Good analysis on the strategies that Democrats need to take to win back missing voters for the midterms and beyond. @ronbrownstein.bsky.social @torygavito.bsky.social @waytowinus.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...

Now that Kirk's killer seems to be caught, maybe the news could spare a moment's attention for the right wing, from the commentariat up to the GOP and president, whose immediate reaction was not mourning, but to seize the opportunity to try to incite violence against groups they hate

To get out of the wilderness, we have to identify who/what led us on the wrong path. Truly a must read not just about the conditions that led to 2024, but a strategy to fight back!