Will O'Donnell

They were kindergarteners. How can you celebrate this?

Weird flex but ok…

So sad and dumb. And not far from my home. What strikes me over and over again is the complete inability of this admin to deal with actual threats and crisis, while creating new crisis in their mad dog attempt at prosecuting political coded marginalia.

LCD Soundsystem was pretty good too.

The Nine Inch Nails concert was quite good.

Always great to be back in the San Juans.

IPhone 4 era was the pinnacle, with a slow slide to Cambridge Analytica in 2016 and a sharp plunge when Elon bought Twitter.

What a crowd! Congrats!

Someone who apparently follows me here on Bluesky is very, very, very mad at me in the comments on Techdirt because I have suggested that fixing society is a long, difficult process with no easy answers, and they say we don't have time for that.

I say: pining for magic wands will make things worse

Recent Podcast Rec's - Patter Familiar Politics makes strange bedfellows. And for me, the strangest bedfellow of late is David Frum. And not so much because he himself is strange, but strange that I find I agree with and am inspired by so ...

My son and i started a podcast last year. But only recorded one episode. Which we can’t quite figure out how to link, mostly because I’m cheap. Anyway, here’s a blog post about other people’s podcasts on our podcast website. pfpod.site/recent-podca...

On second thought the party’s job is absolutely to shape opinion- to vote for its candidates. But the politician’s job, once voted in, is to govern and govern well enough that the party can promote their success. Virtuous circle, etc…

Is the party’s job to change opinion, or to encourage its members to govern well and create real change in our communities? I think way too much time is spent on the former and more focus on the latter would make the first task much easier. (Yes I see the chicken and egg conundrum).

My Miserable Week in the ‘Happiest Country on Earth’ For eight years running, Finland has topped the World Happiness Report — but what exactly does it measure?

“the signs at Oodi said, “Please let others work in peace!” The Brooklyn version [“Please keep your voice down”] is a plea for self-control. The Finnish version is a request to acknowledge the existence of other people. You see the difference.” www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/m...

Me, a 25 year broadband policy expert: Ezra Klein's complaints about rural broadband suggest he didn't do his research because he misrepresents some programs, and ignores others that accomplished exactly what he's asking for.

Klein fans: you just don't understand what he's saying!

(repeat 40x)

No one celebrates. We only endure.

a woman in a red dress is standing in front of an american flag and saying the best . ALT: a woman in a red dress is standing in front of an american flag and saying the best .

I mean, he did once marry Kimberly Gilfoyle.

Our public power system shouldn't be an incubator for the private sector to poach local talent.
 
I introduced the bipartisan Reliability for Ratepayers Act to retain, recruit, and value the skilled folks at Bonneville Power who keep lights on and homes heated across the NW.

‘Unleash American blackouts’: Experts warn Bonneville job cuts bring immediate and long-term risks to Pacific Northwest The lost talent means the agency will have a harder time responding to weather emergencies and planning for future power growth, according to those who study the region’s power grid.

Our federal government must spend within its means, but Bonneville Power Administration is funded by ratepayers, not tax dollars.

Blunt cuts to linemen and dispatchers make BPA's work less safe and efficient – while institutional knowledge and boots on the ground should drive improvements. ⬇️

Agreed. And half of them were using it as an audition for their exploratory presidential campaign.

Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum is a new favorite

Boston hotel window. 20F on F20, 2025

Our electric utility is halfway through building a similar sized ARPA funded project in rural WA state. Also provides service at $65/mo for symmetrical fiber internet. Lots of good work still coming from that investment.

But also, the point of my comment was there are a lot of folks who’ve had their brains broke by being hopeful for and then betrayed by the ability of the last three democratic presidents to bring progressive change. Whether these folks were 100% sincere to start I don’t know.

I’ll take the crit. I’ve listened to Hamid’s joint podcast, I didn’t read his writing. In the podcast I mostly disagree with him but find him sounding sincere. A quick scan of his Atlantic articles makes it clear he’s more troll than I thought. And I’m for sure cishet 90s contrarian.

Pretty sure the working class is not a monolith.

I’m not trying to support him and even if I was I don’t see the point in insults.

The point of “jamming” those cases together was the timing of their career interruptions and the lack of clarity surrounding the infractions. Also the degree to which the right was able to take advantage of the tools of the left cultural movement to take down democrats. The point was it’s messy.

Uh, maybe. I do know some Bernie to Trump supporters, but in this case we’re talking about a writer (and writers) with a strong belief in economic justice who is very mad at “elite democrats” for selling out the interests of poor and working people.

Well none of them went to jail true, but all had their careers impacted significantly for a period of time. I’ll happily cede the point that the war on woke is dumb and cruel but online call out culture for sure turned toxic and did damage an attempt at a more just discourse.

Dude, you started this thread. I’m just trying to engage honestly because I think there’s more to it.