Julia Azari

write a long blathering post (from July 25, not new) about executive branch power consolidation, they said. it'll be fun, they said. goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com/p/can-trumps...

(also, classes start here like the 25th so i'll share my syllabus on ... the 24th)

i'm still a teetotaler. #sorrynotsorry

Academic Freedom: How Universities Lost Their Way | Washington Monthly An issue of a Harvard scholarly journal examining education in Palestine was canceled. What this says about academic freedom in the Trump Era.

Important piece.

Academic Freedom: How Universities Lost Their Way washingtonmonthly.com/2025/08/05/a...

Excellent point. Here's my take on Trump and higher ed from last week, ICYMI goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com/p/the-classi...

The idea that President can negotiate/dictate bilateral “deals” by using the full force of the federal government to punish and humiliate his perceived enemies goes against the whole idea of the rule of law. That should be the story, rather than normalizing this authoritarian behavior.

(saw an upsetting pet death thing, not anyone's fault, i'm just pretty broken at the moment)

welp that's enough social media for now.

100!

someone probably also probably said this, but i wonder if Brown could also do what Beto O'Rourke likely did in 2018 in Texas, which is help get some House seats over with some strong campaign work. stealing your condenscion caveat for the exhausting commentariat on here.

The BLS firing is a textbook example of how personalist authoritarianism causes policy nightmares. It's like Trump is trying to prove why liberal democratic guardrails aren't some kind of luxury, but essential for good governance

The classic - and chilling - Trumpian tendencies driving the attacks on higher education These moves have the potential to change the presidency and the American state for the long term

It's mostly bad politics these days. ICYMI.

goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com/p/the-classi...

Democratic erosion on the march

no. six white men.

thank you! i guess i know what next week's blogging topic is...

and invent shit about electability

The classic - and chilling - Trumpian tendencies driving the attacks on higher education These moves have the potential to change the presidency and the American state for the long term

This week's piece- Trump's attacks on higher education have much larger implications open.substack.com/pub/goodpoli...

my mom asked me what had happened in the news today and i was able to describe the discourse to her but not any actual events. i know at one time i could converse normally with normal humans, but i'm not sure when that time was anymore

right. like i'm all for solving problems (and have lasting psychological damage from being the victim of a nonviolent but pretty awful crime) but solving problems can't do much politically when we're all swimming in a shit soup of misinformation

yeah, when people in this group tell me about the long-term political implications of things, i listen.

A few weeks after we lost Sydney, we found Astoria, who had been at the shelter much too long and is thriving with us, seen here helping me knit and also sunning her belly in the window.

i'm so very sorry, having just gone through this with my Sydney cat.

Murdering higher education, 1-2-3 The Trump administration is pursuing this goal from several directions

Timely analysis from @smotus.bsky.social:

smotus.substack.com/p/murdering-...

This really provided me with a much needed giggle today!

not pictured: a bunch of really unflattering ones of her on my lap while i work/podcast. she's the best.

she's pretty awesome and gets along well enough with her 18 yo sister, Brooklyn (yes, we have a city theme here). I feel weird being like NEW CAT so soon after losing Sydney, but after a pile of losses this past year i was ready for some joy, and Astoria was ready for a nice home

Black cat lying upside down on the back of a couch

I've recently welcomed Astoria into my life and she's taken pretty well to it

ICYMI, wrote a thing

coming for us

yeah. and i know we've got this deadline on this project we both actually enjoy! when i'm into it, i'm so into it. it's more like, spending sunday on admin work, blah