Hakeem Jefferson

DO POLITICAL PROTESTS MATTER? EVIDENCE FROM THE TEA PARTY MOVEMENT* ANDREAS MADESTAM DANIEL SHOAG STAN VEUGER DAVID YANAGIZAWA-DROTT Can protests cause political change, or are they merely symptoms of underlying shifts in policy preferences? We address this question by studying the Tea Party movement in the United States, which rose to prominence through coordinated rallies across the country on Tax Day, April 15, 2009. We exploit variation in rainfall on the day of these rallies as an exogenous source of variation in attendance. We show that good weather at this initial, coordinating event had significant consequences for the subsequent local strength of the move-ment, increased public support for Tea Party positions, and led to more Republican votes in the 2010 midterm elections. Policy making was also af-fected, as incumbents responded to large protests in their district by voting more conservatively in Congress. Our estimates suggest significant multiplier effects: an additional protester increased the number of Republican votes by a factor well above 1. Together our results show that protests can build political movements that ultimately affect policy making and that they do so by influencing political views rather than solely through the revelation of existing political preferences. JEL Code: D72.

Need more of this 👇🏻

This paper is absolutely foundational to my views on ideology/ideological language. I cannot wait to get my hands on his new book!

I’m so happy this paper has been so useful to so many. Thanks for being kind, and engaging the work. Let me know if I can ever be of help!

Would love to be in touch about this! Please send it along whenever you’re ready—hakeem@stanford.edu.

And that means the world to me!

I’ll send you a note thru the professional email channels that you can feel free to respond to after your fellowship year!

But, of course, I thought about and re-engaged Thick while writing this book!

This is going to be a banger of a book when it’s out.

This is very kind of you to say, Shana. And having gone thru all the emotions with this project, I’m now in my, “Yeah, this shit is really f’ing good” phase. And because I’ve been through all the other phases, I’m ok hanging in this one for a bit!

I’ll admit I give more attention to what it has to say about black conservatism than nationalism. But respectability is such a pervasive worldview among black folks that I find it most useful to consider what work it does in shaping people’s politics w/out forcing it into either of those bins.

As I argue in the book, when we attend to respectability attitudes, which focus on & center Black ppl’s beliefs abt Black behavior, we can understand so much abt how ppl think abt a range of issues. And I think our standard ideological language, though often useful, gets in the way of this clarity.

As I argue in the book, when we attend to respectability attitudes, which focus on & center Black ppl’s beliefs abt Black behavior, we can understand so much abt how ppl think abt a range of issues. And I think our standard ideological language, though often useful, gets in the way of this clarity.

I’ll admit I give more attention to what it has to say about black conservatism than nationalism. But respectability is such a pervasive worldview among black folks that I find it most useful to consider what work it does in shaping people’s politics w/out forcing it into either of those bins.

This makes me very happy. I love talking about this work, so please pass on my sincere invitation to folks interested in this line of work to be in touch.

There are several PhD students here at SBU eagerly waiting on the book after reading your APSR two weeks ago. Here's to a straightforward review process for it!

The book is currently undergoing peer review, but I’m really excited to share all I’ve learned, which is the nice thing about writing a book: I got to share and think about a lot in those pages!

In the meantime, you can read my article on respectability here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

One of the interesting bits of the work I’ve been doing for nearly a decade to understand Black Americans’ embrace of respectability is the relatively limited relationship btwn age/cohort & respectability attitudes.

These ideas have so endured that you find them even among younger cohorts.

Thanks, friend! Book is under review, so fingers crossed that we get to talk a lot more about respectability and all of its interesting bits for a long time to come!

"I don’t think the Democratic Party is at its best when it tries to compete with the Republican Party for the bottom of the barrel. I have yet to talk to a black person who has said to me, “You know what I want the Democratic Party to do—abandon issues of race,” says @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social.

As @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social says, "This is a very race-conscious administration. It just happens to be the case that its policies, its prescriptions, its advocacy, its project is in service of whiteness. ...Whiteness is a race, too. It's also an ideology." bsky.app/profile/perr...

Race and Racism in Trump 2.0 With Victor Ray and Hakeem Jefferson Right Now With Perry Bacon

Thanks to @victorerikray.bsky.social and @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social for a great conversation. You can watch or download via Apple Podcasts and listen. newrepublic.substack.com/p/race-and-r...

Couldn’t agree more with @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social

"This is a very race-conscious administration. It just happens to be the case that its policies, its prescriptions, its advocacy, its project is in service of whiteness. ...Whiteness is a race, too. It's also an ideology," says @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social. newrepublic.substack.com/p/race-and-r...

Race and Racism in Trump 2.0 With Victor Ray and Hakeem Jefferson Right Now With Perry Bacon

I spoke with @perrybaconjr.bsky.social and @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social about Trump and the emerging post-colorblind racial order. Also, it's my Substack debut, so if you are over there, hit me up.

"The trans kids facing violence, the immigrants branded as invaders, the women losing bodily autonomy—they need to know their party won’t trade their humanity for swing votes. And so do their families and those who love them."

Scatterplot of federal agencies showing furlough rates vs ideological leaning. Liberal agencies (EPA, Dept. of Education) have high furloughs; conservative ones (DOD, DHS) nearly none. Rules structurally protect GOP priorities.

Shutdown rules aren’t neutral. They favor agencies aligned with GOP priorities, while those aligned with Democratic priorities bear the brunt of furloughs.

Furlough Rates:
EPA: 89%
Dept. of Education: 86%
Dept. of Labor: ~75%
DHS / ICE / CBP: ~0%

Bad incentives → biased outcomes.

Coates said it all when he noted that Ezra and others often appear more willing to do strategy in service of persuading outsiders while apparently willing to toss aside or ignore those already inside the tent. I agree w/Coates that if you’re going to trade on folks humanity, you owe them much more.

So grateful for the powerful way @adambonica.bsky.social is using his voice right now.

You should read his latest piece.

The entire piece is worth a read.

"The evidence suggests that compromising on basic humanity doesn’t broaden coalitions; it hollows them out. The work now is to find ways to expand our reach without abandoning our foundation—to bridge gaps, yes, but never at the expense of our neighbor’s humanity."

There is a difference between righteous anger, directed at injustice, and hateful anger, directed at those who are different. Authoritarian regimes deliberately conflate the two to silence criticism and create false equivalence. It's important we don't let those in power succeed in this endeavor.

YouTube video by The New Republic The Comey Indictment Echoes Watergate—But It’s Actually Worse

Great conversation with @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social, one of the smartest people I know about politics and policy. We discussed what's unique about Trump's authoritarianism compared to his 1st term and autocrats abroad and why Dem thinking is trapped in old paradigms. www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2up...