Bill Scher

Louis C.K.’s Saudi Arabia Defense Is Terrible Just because Louis C.K. can tell his favorite jokes at the Riyadh Comedy Festival doesn’t mean he struck a blow for free speech.

“Louis C.K.’s Saudi Arabia Defense Is Terrible” — my latest for @washingtonmonthly.com

washingtonmonthly.com/2025/10/07/l...

Marjorie Taylor Greene apparently is reading me in the @washingtonmonthly.com washingtonmonthly.com/2025/10/01/s...

This fact is not breaking through. Republicans have the power to open the government by themselves.

They just need to use the “nuclear option” to suspend or change the filibuster.

Rs nuked three weeks ago for judges, so we know they’re able.

But they’d rather keep it closed and blame Dems.

When Trump tried to remove FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, SCOTUS set the case for arguments—but kept Slaughter fired in the meantime.

When Trump tried to remove the Fed's Lisa Cook, SCOTUS set the case for argument—but *let Cook keep serving* in the meantime.

That difference says a lot.

Boston Mayor’s Blowout Victory Jilts CEOs Seeking New Direction Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is coasting to reelection after her main opponent quit the race, giving her a commanding mandate that’s putting city business leaders on edge.

Don't sleep on Michelle Wu, one of this country's most quietly effective climate leaders, cruising to a second term in Boston. It's telling that business interests tried and failed to stop her and are pouting about it now

Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Republicans Can End the Government Shutdown Today Republicans can kill the filibuster and end the government shutdown without any Democrats. But will they do it?

Republicans Can End the Government Shutdown Today

If Republicans don’t want a bipartisan deal, they can kill the filibuster. So why aren’t they? –– @billscher.bsky.social

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“Republicans Can End the Government Shutdown Today” — my latest for @washingtonmonthly.com

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"My counsel to Democrats was and is to walk away from the negotiating table completely, because Republicans have already broken faith by clawing back money from the last bipartisan spending deal. With Trump and his budget director explicitly trashing the idea of a bipartisan appropriations process, Democrats have additional ground to say: Republicans want to keep the government open by themselves, so any shutdown is their problem to solve, not ours. If that means Republicans need to suspend or end the filibuster to do it, that’s also on them. Last week, Trump even said of the opposition party, “Don’t even bother dealing with them.”

I think I agree with this, from @billscher.bsky.social.

The federal government has been continually operating for 2̶4̶4̶0̶ zero consecutive days

Say if Rs don’t like then they can suspend or eliminate the filibuster

Exactly. De are not obligated to give their votes to partisan-drafted spending bills or nominal deals negotiated in bad faith. If Rs don’t want true bipartisanship, then Rs alone have the power & responsibility to keep the government open washingtonmonthly.com/2025/09/26/d...

The Democrats’ Shutdown Strategy Is Bad. Trump’s Is Worse Trump’s threat of mass federal layoffs makes Democrats’ risky shutdown strategy even worse. Here’s why they should walk away.

The president’s decision to threaten mass layoffs of federal workers in the case of a shutdown should prompt Democrats to shift course. You can’t win a game with someone playing an entirely different game. So, stop playing.

washingtonmonthly.com/2025/09/26/d...

The Democrats’ Shutdown Strategy Is Bad. Trump’s Is Worse Trump’s threat of mass federal layoffs makes Democrats’ risky shutdown strategy even worse. Here’s why they should walk away.

“The Democrats’ Shutdown Strategy Is Bad. Trump’s Is Worse.”

My latest for @washingtonmonthly.com washingtonmonthly.com/2025/09/26/d...

Why is NYT using the informal “Obamacare” in headline and first mention when reporting on a policy decision made by Republicans who opposed Obama’s creation of the program?

Perhaps I should have said "throuple" but that would have implied Trump has the capacity for commitment

Thank you! And good to see you here!

Happening this week, starting tomorrow: Utah’s legislature is meeting to adopt a new congressional map after a court order.

All five draft maps would transform a safely GOP seat into a swing district that’d be very winnable for Dems.

Free Kimmel. Impeach Carr. Impeach Trump Kimmel's show was pulled from the air after his comment about Charlie Kirk's assassin prompted the FCC to threaten ABC's broadcast license.

Thank you @billscher.bsky.social Absolutely right. www.impeachtrumpagain.org @fsfp.bsky.social

“impeachment is the lone and proper constitutional remedy for an unconstitutional president and his unconstitutional apparatchiks.”

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Trump is destroying America. Are his voters starting to realize that? Democrats are on the right track by picking a shutdown fight over cruel Republican health care choices.

Do 2024 Trump voters and non-voters see what he’s wrought—what they’ve wrought—in the last 8 months? He still gets too much benefit of the doubt. What will it take? More inflation, job loss, disease and death? Maybe a government shutdown? It's all coming. My latest
open.substack.com/pub/jilllawr...

Creatively, I have also been underwhelmed by the Trump obsession from late night comics but

1) It is Trump that has culturally divided the country and made it difficult for those who must satirize news daily to transcend the divide

2) not reason for POTUS to unconstitutionally silence comedians

Free Kimmel. Impeach Carr. Impeach Trump Kimmel's show was pulled from the air after his comment about Charlie Kirk's assassin prompted the FCC to threaten ABC's broadcast license.

Free Kimmel. Impeach Carr. Impeach Trump

washingtonmonthly.com/2025/09/19/f...

YouTube video by Matt Lewis & The News Charlie Kirk: Martyr or Menace? Free Speech in Crisis!

Charlie Kirk’s assassination sparks heated debate: Martyr or menace? @billscher.bsky.social & yours truly dive into his legacy, cancel culture, & free speech threats in this explosive DMZ episode! 🎙️ Watch now

A Successful College Should Not Look Like A Country Club - WORT-FM 89.9 Our guest, Paul Glastris, says that higher education excellence is not catering to the wealthy, but meeting the needs of the average student.

🎙️Higher education excellence is not catering to the wealthy but meeting the needs of the average student, says @glastris.bsky.social. He's the editor of @washingtonmonthly.com which just put out its 2025 college rankings.

Listen here: www.wortfm.org/a-successful...

"It's worth noting that somehow Bill Scher and Ezra Klein, two of the worst democratic pundits in the country, somehow got to the right place ahead of our actual professional pols." www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2025/09/do-d...

Thank you!

Thanks!

The Biden-Harris Relationship Makes Sense Now The published excerpt from Harris’s memoir provides evidence that Joe Biden didn’t intend for his VP to succeed him in 2024.

“The Biden-Harris Relationship Makes Sense Now” — my latest for the @washingtonmonthly.com

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Remember when the world was on fire in 2024?

Here’s a Shocking Idea: Democrats Don’t All Have to Sound Alike Four candidates in wildly different races show the value of being yourself.

Will Democrats ever stop arguing over what they should say, how they should say it, and where they should say it? They really should, because the answers are obvious: It all depends—on who you are, where you live, and what you believe. New from me @thebulwark.com www.thebulwark.com/p/shocking-i...

Ezra Klein (Almost) Gets It Right Democrats shouldn't abet Republicans by supporting their spending bills. Nor should they own a government shutdown, as Klein argues.

@billscher.bsky.social: The choice Dems face is not limited to abetting GOP authoritarianism and embracing a government shutdown. Dems have a third option: End all negotiations with Republicans and tell them it’s their responsibility to keep the government open. washingtonmonthly.com/2025/09/09/e...