Who is stunned here, really?

The Government Has Been Shut Down for Months Today is the day we stop pretending that it’s not.

We've been in a slow-motion government shutdown for months, as the Trump administration withheld appropriated funds and engaged in mass firings. Now we're going to finally admit it. From me and @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social:
prospect.org/politics/202...

@dandrezner.bsky.social @yair-rosenberg.bsky.social @halbfinger.bsky.social help us understand the latest Israel-Gaza peace proposal. Surely both sides have had varying ceasefire proposals on the table for nearly 2 years now. How is this one different from all other ones?

Aren't all these tariffs illegal?

Um, I forgot what he said when, and whatever he said have not his weekly comments over the last 8 months set a more clear tone?

Smart people can and do say wrong or inartful things that they later correct, no?

I'm just a normie GenX'er following center-left accounts here and ordinary non-memey groups on metabook, and I've not seen any video or even a link to a video

Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Plotting Coup in Brazil

Amazing how we couldn’t do what Brazil did: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Plotting Coup www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/w...

I hear you, but, ok what are you saying exactly? There's a presumption that straight news reporters are not telling it to us *as* clearly as opinion-mongers in the partisan press... but, is that really true? And are there people in the U.S. truly being duped by a diet of strictly straight news?

Ok but there's a limit to how many net seats this will produce. IL is 14-3 Dems, NY is 19-7.

Bear in mind NY Dems have believed they could beat Lawler in '26 based on current lines.

Moreover, tell us more about this magic 5 U.S.C §2954 "Rule of Five" quasi-subpoena. As there is other stuff that the administration is not openly sharing, what is stopping our brave senators from sending §2954 requests every other day of the week (aside from the public's flaky attention, of course)

cc: @emptywheel.bsky.social @normeisen.bsky.social as well. Are the Dems not able to articulate a public reason for the release of the Epstein files? Is it the case that justice wasn't done here? What about the "Follow the Money" angle via @wyden.senate.gov and @joycewhitevance.bsky.social ?

I'm confused about some things here. Help me @joshtpm.bsky.social @davidcorn.bsky.social

1) Surely the real reason for pressing for the release of the "Epstein files" is to embarrass Trump and split the MAGA movement. But what's the *public* reason? That he's breaking a campaign promise to QAnon?

That's probably not how it works. Yes, I know, constitutional lawyers work to convince district judges, who try their darnedest to write something sensible as to not be overturned at the appellate level and then on to the supremes who lately have been just saying "never mind"

Court Records Show Texas Flipped Its Stance on Use of Race in Drawing Maps Read more here.

I'm no lawyer, but isn't there some remedy of just suing the shit out of them? Not just an ordinary lawsuit, but one where the remedy is to reach into the offending bowels and squeeze? & it goes straight to the rocket-shit docket... @marcelias.bsky.social
www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

i.e. "His campaign is earning these numbers because they’re putting digital practitioners in charge who understand what’s going to resonate online."

I have reached out to numerous political savants (and Mamdani fans) here in my suburban district -- nobody has a vision of how this translates here.

I don't quite follow.
Sure, "centrists" as a rule tend to be more cautious in what they say. As do incumbents -- challengers have more freedom to be authentic.
But what Sargent is specifically celebrating here is Mamdani's media skills.

I called Amazon's 800#, and the bot gave me a link to a customer chat. problem solved.

Oh I'm sure they're consuming.. It's just that we are very few influencers who are doing much beyond helping local businesses. Politics and policy minded bloggers/substackers have very small followings.

huh? I don't know who you are where your attitude comes from... But I'm in a competitive district where the Dems are more than trying.
My point is that anyone hyping Mamdani needs to clearly translate it for other areas of the country outside NYC.

I don't always use Amazon customer service, but when I do, I expect the world's leading retailer in 2025 to have a chatbot that is easy to find.
It's not here: www.amazon.com/hz/contact-u...

@consumerreports.org @consumerwatchdog.bsky.social @timothynoah.bsky.social

Google's preview says it is:

ok now translate this strategy for a suburban/exurban purple congressional district where there doesn't seem to be as much of a progressive culture or even social media culture...

I guess that's why they had to dismantle USAID (the source of the report)

Rep. Mike Lawler discusses 'Big Beautiful Bill,' 2026 GOP race for governor Lawler believes that his candidacy will appeal to a broad coalition of voters.

Lawler: "There’s not going to be a primary. There can’t be a primary. It’s a waste of time, money and effort on everybody’s part."

translation: Lawler is scheming with the White House to find an ambassadorship for Stefanik.

cc: @joshtpm.bsky.social

spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-...

Tyrannies have commonalities.

buff.ly/ah2uBgN

Context...?

Has anyone asked Mamdani directly, what does he *personally* think of the phrase "globalize the Intifada"?
I haven't heard his personal answer on that.

As Ezra and Chris both earned their stripes as serious journalists -- and they still are -- I'd imagine they'd like to see a vision of politics with less images and more wonk -- something in which new media can allow us to press for, and get, direct answers from politicians.

We're still not there.

Daniel Boorstin discuses his book "The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America" Discussing the book "The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America" and interviewing the author Professor Daniel Boorstin.

"Does this kind of attentional dominance net out as a positive?" Ezra asked Chris. A positive for winning? A positive for democracy?

We're in a bit of a Boorstin trap here-- the shift from "ideals to images." Worth a re-read and re-visit... studsterkel.wfmt.com/programs/dan...

How Social Media Videos Fueled Zohran Mamdani’s Success

There's also a key point they made about Mamdani as TikTok communicator -- perhaps covered better here in the news section:
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/n...

And yet, how does this translate out to the sticks? Out here in NY-17 suburbia, there no parochial TikTok culture. (am I missing it?)

Mamdani's slogans/memes had some vitality & virality, because, in the socialist tradition, he was promoting a lot of free stuff, and free stuff is popular among many voters, particularly in blue cities. (And sadly, just as well, authoritarian slogans also have gotten a scary amount of traction).