Matthew Lebo
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matthewlebo.bsky.social
Matthew Lebo
@matthewlebo.bsky.social

American politics professor in Canada at the University of Western Ontario.

Political science 38%
Economics 27%

This is a very well funded program with awards of $8M and $4M over 8 years "to establish ambitious research programs." Western's ad has some specifics about polarization and democratic decline. Check out Western Political Science: politicalscience.uwo.ca/index.html
Department of Political Science
The main page of Western University's Department of Political Science. The page includes links to the Department's social media accounts, news items, and academic programs, as well as advertises events hosted by the Department. Sub-fields include: Comparative Politics, Canadian Politics, Political Theory, International Relations, Urban Politics/Local Government, Undergraduate Program, Graduate Program, Local Government Program.
politicalscience.uwo.ca

Western is searching for Canada Impact+ Chairs in 8 themes including "democratic and community resilience." The program is meant for senior researchers not at Canadian unis.

Moving to Canada is a thing that profs really can do. Spread the word & get in touch.

www.uwo.ca/facultyrelat...
www.uwo.ca

In November 2023 the unemployment rate was 3.7 and inflation was 3.1. That's good. But Consumer Sentiment was an awful 61 out of 200, in part due to bad reporting from CNN like this. Trump inherited a very healthy economy from Biden - don't lie for him.

Tuition and provincial grants need to go up in Ontario. They have been stuck at the same spot for about 12 years (not even adjusting for inflation). Is there anything you can buy for the same price in 2025 as it was in 2012 that hasn't degraded in quality? Nope.

www.thestar.com/opinion/edit...
Star Editorial Board: Blame Doug Ford, not international students, for the catastrophe facing Ontario colleges and universities
The federal government might have let in too many students and then cut back, but chronic underfunding by the Ford government is the real catalyst of this mess
www.thestar.com

In Gore Universe, 9/11 likely happens but Republicans rally around the flag a lot less and blame Gore. In 2004 (much like 1992), Gore does not win a 4th consecutive term for his party, maybe losing to John McCain without a stunt VP. McCain and then Romney keep the R Party from going off the rails.

In a different universe, SCOTUS allowed counting to continue and a guy who won a Nobel Prize for his work on climate change became president. In this one, we got an oil man and the Iraq War.
25 years ago today, SCOTUS elected George W Bush president of the United States by blocking completion of a voting canvass in Florida. A subsequent canvass by the Associated Press showed that Bush's rival, Al Gore, had won the race in Florida—and thus the contest for the presidency—by 700 votes.
25 years ago today, SCOTUS elected George W Bush president of the United States by blocking completion of a voting canvass in Florida. A subsequent canvass by the Associated Press showed that Bush's rival, Al Gore, had won the race in Florida—and thus the contest for the presidency—by 700 votes.

These big research chairs are getting rolled out fast. More of a brain trickle than a brain drain. But for big researchers who are serious about leaving the US, here’s a chance.
Canada’s new government is investing big to attract world-class talent in science and technology — and become an innovation powerhouse.
Canada’s new government is investing big to attract world-class talent in science and technology — and become an innovation powerhouse.

How about: "Latest polls show some unenthusiastic Trump voters who were unhappy with him last month have forgotten why and reverted back to being ok with him."?

NEW from me - NSF cancels grant scheme for social science research.

Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Today's biggest science news: Doomed comet explodes | Comet 3I/ATLAS course alteration | Dark matter detected?
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.
www.livescience.com
NEW from me - NSF cancels grant scheme for social science research.

Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Today's biggest science news: Doomed comet explodes | Comet 3I/ATLAS course alteration | Dark matter detected?
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.
www.livescience.com

And then ask the anchor why they frame the Republican majority's removal of healthcare subsidies as the failure of Democrats to keep them from doing that.

www.researchgate.net

Yes, Canadian Bacon seems more appropriate and also a better movie.

Reposted by Matthew Lebo

📢 Apply now! @westernu.ca Political Science offering MA & PhD Fellowship w/ Drs. Alcantara & Stephenson’s @sshrc-crsh.canada.ca project on “The Determinants of Public Support for Indigenous Reconciliation Policies”🪶 Deadline: Feb 1, 2026
#WesternU #Reconciliation #Research #ldnont #Grads #Indigenous

Now you tell me. I blew all my money on Oasis tickets.
Three German universities offering post-docs for researchers "who cannot conduct or continue their work in the USA appropriately because of actual political pressure. "
www.uni-konstanz.de/zukunftskoll...
Early Career Rescue Fellowship
www.uni-konstanz.de

Worried about getting into or out of the US for APSA 2026? Or about what kind of paper you can present? Today is the deadline for Canadian PSA proposals for June 2-4 at U of Ottawa. Propose a paper or a whole panel. But do it today!

Reposted by Matthew Lebo

A mama lasagna and four babies.

At 40%, T still has solid support in Congress and the party. He went below 40 in term 1 and it didn't harm him much or get him convicted in the Senate in Jan 2021. If there's a tipping point for loud R opposition, it's far below here. 32% means losing 1 in 5 current approvers. That's a lot.
Taken together, the results reinforce what polls have shown for months: that Trump's approval is crashing with the voters who swung behind him in 2024. Young, ethnically diverse voters whose top issues are the economy and cost of living www.economist.com/graphic-deta...

Reposted by Matthew Lebo

Taken together, the results reinforce what polls have shown for months: that Trump's approval is crashing with the voters who swung behind him in 2024. Young, ethnically diverse voters whose top issues are the economy and cost of living www.economist.com/graphic-deta...

I mean when looking at month to month changes in presidential approval.

I buy that 2-yr inf predicted sentiment better under Biden. How far back does that hold? Is 2-yr inf a better predictor of presidential elections the last 40 yrs? Or did anti-Biden/Dem feeling push people and media in 2023-24 to rely on smthng different than usual to justify their partisanship/vote?

My book in progress shows inflation was disconnected from consumer sentiment under Biden to a ridiculous degree. Republicans drove down sentiment, the media did too, independents too. Had consumer sentiment reflected the actual economy to usual extent, Harris wins by 4 points.

No matter how you weight various polls, so long as the weighting doesn't change the ups and downs of approval over time are real. Like, no matter how badly you think my bathroom scale works, if it says I gained weight, I did.

Trump's approval among independents is not good but numbers like these can be deceiving. Like, many disapprovers may have called themselves Democrats in February but now say they're independents.
Trump has lost 15 points with independents since February