Public policy folks: What should we call policies in the (?) space? Chuck Cameron's policy tool kit names policies that pencil out and actually work (but aren't popular) WALLFLOWERS. Policies that work and are politically okay, but costs outweigh the benefits for society STINKERS.

Yeah whoever jacked up tariffs on coffee from Brazil earlier this year must be a real bonehead

This is why I don't think charting Trump's approval rating was the way to gauge if Democrats should have extended the shutdown, for better or worse, the Trump show goes on.

They're really having fun with it on tiktok.

I wonder if the United States can learn anything from the last time a major industrialized country decided to isolate itself from the rest of the world? Almost a decade after the Brexit vote, GDP in the UK is around 6-8% lower relative to peer countries. (Source: www.nber.org/papers/w34459)

It's very academia coded to have a meeting scheduled when you're about to be fired, or in academia speak "denied tenure."

This is why I teach Skowronek's "The Politics Presidents Make." It gets at this motivation presidents have to "be great" and then helps explain whether they achieve that (rarely) or not.

As predicted, they’re going after the entire childhood vaccination schedule (second slide, from WaPo).

What a cursed institution

2013: GOP shut down govt to DEFUND ACA 2025: Democrats shut down govt to FUND ACA 2013: GOP surrender after 17 days 2025: Democrats surrender after 37 days 2014: GOP +9(!!) in Sen, +13 in Hou 2026: ??? To change policy this was doomed from the start, and will be judged on electoral impact.

The local story I'd like to read is why was the Senate Shutdown Surrender™️ engineered by an unlikely trio of New England Senator?

Remember that insurance is actually a thing you hope never to use, and then read this critique.

I've got great news for you if you'd like the shutdown to be extended. This is going to take the Senate DAYS to sort out and then Mike Johnson has to do some actual speakering, likely without Dem. support.

The dissension in Democratic ranks today can be traced back to launching the shutdown over the "Subsidies for ACA Individual Exchanges." Policy wise, are the subsidies themselves as important as the consequences the shutdown has now presented (SNAP and airline chaos)? I'd argue no.

7) If it were me, I wouldn't agree to fund the FSGG approps bill that funds the WH/OMB without policy riders that take away the administration's funding to pursue things like impoundment, etc. Why should Russ Vought have any staff? Saying "no" here is a policy win. If they do it.

3. Republicans were playing good cop, bad cop, crazy cop. Good cop: Senate Republicans Bad cop: House Republicans (Johnson) Crazy cop: Russ Vought + Trump Vought's plan was always to use impoundment/rescissions/starving people + firing feds to force Dems to surrender on the power of the purse.

Congressional Democrats are discovering the lessons that Republicans learned by launching shutdowns as the minority, they don't end when the governing party capitulates on policy, eventually the hold outs just give up.

It took several weeks to draw Trump into the government shutdown fray. I think Dems were hoping he'd be willing to negotiate on the ACA subsidies, but he came in hard against the ACA subs and Republicans are showing a willingness to touch the third rail health insurance stuff from 2018.

I’m old enough to remember when people thought Dems shouldn’t shut the govt down over ACA subsidies because the Repubs would do it anyways. They’ve since dug in deeply on that position. So the shutdown clarified those positions and heightened health care as an issue. It’s an okay time to get out.

If they really wanted to stop enriching insurance companies, they would revisit Medicare Advantage not ACA subsidies

the thing is as a leftist i could easily come up with a better plan than the aca. republicans can't because the aca is the best conservative healthcare plan that exists

Millions of Americans who will no longer be able to afford healthcare need to know the names of those who took it from them. Democrats should rent billboards in South Carolina: THE COST OF YOUR HEALTHCARE DOUBLED BECAUSE OF LINDSEY GRAHAM

“Concepts of a plan” forever.

Encouraging thaw in the Senate, but this would only kick the responsibility for ending the shutdown over to the House.

On the legacy of House Speakers I'm still exceedingly fond of "the man in the green hat," the guy Sam Rayburn semi-openly allowed to sell liquor to Congressmen during Prohibition. Rayburn's "office hours" (ie, drinking sessions) were vital to building the New Deal. history.house.gov/Historical-H...

X is lamenting that Republicans are getting blamed, but I wonder why that is?

Democrats have spent the last nine months wringing their hands about how now one cares about climate or energy policy, blah blah blah. Meanwhile, HIGH ELECTRICITY PRICES were key to Democrats winning in Georgia, New Jersey and Virginia. Maybe, uh, people do care? www.axios.com/2025/11/05/n...

ah yes just the message Thune and Johnson want being spread

In a sign that things are even happening in places without headline races, Democrats took over our county legislature for the first time in 50 years.

This is looking like 18/18.

Maybe they should also run some editorials about how X is out of touch and an echo chamber.

NYT forecast* is Spanberger+12, which puts it in "don't read too much into it" territory. Dems have a lot to celebrate. This margin would be three points ahead of Northam's margin in '17, and twice Harris' margin in '24. Democrats are, for now, loaded for bear.

Sadly I can also report that Needham High School will be without an elected Governor alumnus for the first time since 2014.

Neustadt can also be updated: "presidential power is the power to level an entire wing of the White House overnight"

I'm teaching Skowronek tomorrow, whose belief that "the presidency is a battering ram" has held up. Although, his statement should probably be updated that the POTUS is a "foreign-made excavator" to keep up with the times.

THE ANDREW FORMERLY KNOWN AS PRINCE

This shows how lobbying works in a polarized age. The hotel trade association just hired Scalise's chief, and from his mind, the need to build coalitions only includes Republicans. via POLITICO Influence

Why is this dragging on with no end in sight? 1) The House being out is simply not building political pressure on House Dems 2) Trump was eager for shut down. They dressed up Vought like grim reaper! 3) Many Dems are okay with Senate Repubs nuking filibuster, so that consequence is not foreboding.

This week the #GarlickBLT makes it to @usnews.com, where I drop some important new economic insights. www.usnews.com/news/best-st...

Democrats mostly campaign on economics. In addition to @rachelporter.bsky.social's evidence, this is true for the national party's platforms and legislative priorities, and what Dem MCs tweet about, regardless of their district or if they are a Progressive! www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

The Trump admin is trying to get Harvard to sponsor trade schools? I thought Harvard was a trade school.

Is it just me or are journals getting a little quicker from approval to publishing online?

At some point the parties are going to have to move on from just subsidizing demand for health care and get serious about lowering prices. To see how this usually fails, have I got a book for you...

AZ's lawsuit re: Grijalva. It won't work, for reasons that were already settled black-letter law before this immediate context. This is a case of awful but lawful, so to speak. The political and normative context is bad, but the legal question isn't a close call or even all that interesting.

This isn’t Twister. It’s not “stretching the limits.” There are laws. He’s breaking them.

The @Newsweek.com reviewed my book highlighting how negative lobbying is a key driver of health care inflation. www.newsweek.com/study-finds-...

Monday Giggle!

My book does not advocate for a single "silver bullet" to make health care more affordable. But Vermont needs to think more holistically about increasing the supply of providers to ease costs, either with the federal rural health care dollars or by building more housing. #YIMBY