Colin Woodard

Opinion | Opponents of JD Vance’s Story of America Need to Speak Up

As Vance is, for some reason, part of today’s discourse, I’d add his explicit blood-and-soil ethnonationalism, as I wrote about in @nytimesoped.bsky.social (gift link): www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/o...

Rhode Islanders: get your American politics and history fix in convenient, portable, fashionable book form, signed by the author no less, at your Warwick B&N:

Metro Boston West-ish: these fine, newly signed works of staggering genius await you at the B&N in Burlington. And Lobster Coasts too (not pictured.)

Hey Seacoast, NH: these signed books await you at the Newington B&N. Be the envy of your friends,
co-workers, and enemies alike.

The Antebellum South’s public intellectuals VERY MUCH gave them credit in their championing of a slaveholder’s republic.

🤡

Idaho is latest red state to reject DOJ voter roll grab The refusal places Idaho alongside a growing number of red states pushing back against the department’s campaign.

Idaho — a deeply Republican state — has become the latest to refuse the Trump Justice Department’s demand for unredacted statewide voter rolls. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Perfect for a 250th-oriented talk.

Tonight’s speaking venue (1739.)

Wow, the Dem primary turnout among Hispanic voters in Texas is going to be giving the GOP sweats for the next 8 months.

Take Zapata County - turnout in the Dem primary there yesterday was 143% the total number of votes Harris won in the 2024 general election. That's wild.

When we talk about Baby Boomers not getting off the stage: In 1997, the US president was born in 1946.

In 2007, the US president was born in 1946.

In 2017, the US president was born in 1946.

And next year in 2027? The US president will have been born in 1946.

“I’m giving you a performance evaluation here, I’m not looking for a response.”

Tillis is a Republican Senator.

I agree with your point, but not with it applying to the Spanish bases. Just try landing and taking off (and getting refueled) in a country that said you can’t do that. NATO one no less.

Sorry, that’s for tomorrow night’s event. Tonight, no, though I can bring a Nations Apart tonight at Salve if you really want one!

Yes, I think Newport Historical is selling them. Nations Apart for sure.

Hey, remember how we let a nazi near-trillionaire annihilate the US state capacity? I know it was a whole year ago, but it turns out that this has consequences beyond "murdering 14 million people by ending USAID" (which apparently no one cared about).

By “persuadable non voters,” I mean the ones who don’t usually vote but can be persuaded to if they believe their party’s candidate will actually try to “do something.” Trump & Obama both did this for their side.

Half of Americans Don’t Vote. What Are They Thinking? Inside the largest ever survey of the politically disengaged.

The big picture: if everyone voted, the results would be about the same. But of most persuadable voting blocs, Dems have a numerical advantage. Key is persuading your persuadable non-voting people to turn out & your opponent’s most persuadable non-voters to stay home www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Trump Administration Abandons Efforts to Impose Orders on Law Firms

Again, when it's time to put up or shut up in court, the Trump Admin loses. This is a moment to commend the law firms that refused to appease a bullying president & shame those who capitulated.
 
History — and hopefully future clients — will remember who stood firm & who folded.

They also just did “War is Peace.”

Coming up today:

"Nations Apart: How Clashing Regional Cultures Shattered America" with Colin Woodard - Newport Historical Society Wednesday, March 4th, 2026 The Colony House | Washington Square, Newport Admission $15 – $20 per person | *Student Discounts now available $10 with valid student ID 6pm to 7pm; doors …

Newport, Rhode Islanders: I'm presenting Nations Apart and the work of @pellcenter.bsky.social's Nationhood Lab Mar. 4 at (your incredible) Colony House, hosted by Newport Historical Society. Shovels optional, hopefully....

newporthistory.org/event/nation...

Yes, Iowa Still Matters It's the perfect thermometer for a deep current in American political culture.

I wrote about this in some detail here, btw (in 2015, when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth): www.politico.com/magazine/sto...

They are all failed celebrities who think the job is being a celebrity, exemplified by kash patel who thinks his job is having government jets fly him and his girlfriend from one event to another bsky.app/profile/jkar...

Violating sovereignty, you say.

If America still had the rule of law, this would be the easiest prosecution ever, but we all know absolutely nothing will happen.

War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Etc.

Frankly, I expected better from a FIFA Peace prize winner

Congratulations to all the tools who supported Trump because he’d be a “peace president.”

Radiohead is demanding that the Trump administration take down a pro-ICE promotional video featuring a version of its song “Let Down” without permission.

Full statement from the band: