Steven S. Taylor | Lightnews

Steven L. Taylor

@sltaylor.bsky.social

750 followers 270 following 500 posts

Professor Emeritus of PoliSci and former Dean of Arts & Sciences. My research is focused on comparative democratic institutions.🖖🤘

I write about politics at www.outsidethebeltway.com

Videos

Business 49%

Psychology 16%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 2d

In Front of Our Noses: Judicial Nominees and Their Public Obeisance – Outside the Beltway outsidethebeltway.com/in-front-of-...

In Front of Our Noses: Judicial Nominees and Their Public Obeisance – Outside the Beltway

outsidethebeltway.com

Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 2d

If only there were some other, more representative way to run elections...

Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 2d

It is profoundly frustrating that the only way that exists, given SCOTUS's treatment of actual scholarship on this topic as “gobbledygook,” is over-the-top political gerrymandering. It is doubly annoying to hear Rs complain about the recent redistricting wars that they started.

Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 2d

How could I have left Weird Al off my list?

Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 2d

Fair.

But I would counter that Samberg has Muppet energy, and I feel like more people need to see Ego.

Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 2d

Also:

Tawny Newsome
Jack Quaid

Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 2d

To add to the list:

Conan
Ego Nwodim
Andy Samberg
Bowen Yang
Hugh Laurie

Adam Rothman aced his cognitive test @adamrothman.bsky.social · 2d

I'd watch a muppet show movie where the muppets infiltrate an academic conference.

Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 3d

I agree. This is a truly remarkable display and is a bit of a gut-punch to think that these individuals will be in positions of power and authority.

Adam Sternbergh @sternbergh.bsky.social · 3d

this should be disqualifying

Jay Willis @jaywillis.net · 5d

Another batch of Trump's judicial nominees refused in their confirmation hearings today to publicly acknowledge that Joe Biden won the 2020 election, which annoyed Sen. Richard Blumenthal enough for him to call them "monkeys" and "puppets"

Reposted by Steven S. Taylor

Adam Sternbergh @sternbergh.bsky.social · 3d

this should be disqualifying

Jay Willis @jaywillis.net · 5d

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Richard E. Lenski, Bryan D. Jones , and 7 more Anna O. Law, Richard E. Lenski, Bryan D. Jones, Evelyne de Leeuw, Cathy N. Davidson, Julia Lynch, Federico Ortino, Jen Schneider, Steven S. Taylor, Karen O’Leary

Mary L Trump @maryltrump.bsky.social · 4d

Every American needs to watch this:

Reposted by Steven S. Taylor

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d

LLAMAS: Will you trust the results of the midterms if Republicans lose control of Congress?

TRUMP: I will, if the elections are honest. Look, I'm the last one that wants to complain.

Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 5d

Reminds me of a simpler time when a student cut-and-pasted a huge chunk of a Wikipedia article into an assignment and did so in a way that the entire pasted section had a slightly different background color than the rest of the file.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 6d

KAITLAN COLLINS: What would say to Epstein survivo---

TRUMP: You are so bad. You are the worst report. No wonder CNN has no ratings. She's a young woman. I don't think I've ever seen you smile. They should be ashamed of you.

Reposted by Steven S. Taylor

Ancient Geeks @ancientgeeks.bsky.social · 6d

someancientgeek.substack.com/p/a-blakes-7...

A Blake's 7 Reboot?

Count me in!

someancientgeek.substack.com

Reposted by Steven S. Taylor

Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 7d

Ha! It looks like Trevor Noah touched a raw nerve at the Grammy Awards. Trump is such a snowflake! 🤣🤣

Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 8d

January 2026 Was a Long Month – Outside the Beltway outsidethebeltway.com/january-2026...

January 2026 Was a Long Month – Outside the Beltway

outsidethebeltway.com

Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 9d

Judge Biery signed the order with a photo of Liam and two bible verses: The first is "But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." The second is simply "Jesus wept."

Astonishing thing for a judge to do.

Philadelphia, September 17, 1787: "Well, Dr. Franklin, what do we have?" "A republic, if you
can keep it."
With a judicial finger in the constitutional dike,
It is so ORDERED.
SIGNED this 31st day of February, 2026.
_________________________________________________
FRED BIERY
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

[photo of Liam]
Credit: Bystander
Matthew 19:14
John 11:35

Reposted by Steven S. Taylor

Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 10d

Among the many reasons why Juan Linz was right that presidentialism was a grave mistake, is that it puts the Justice Minister outside of the Parliament & under the purview of a separately elected Chief Executive, rather than under the control of the legislative branch by direct no confidence vote.

space gun earth meme: Wait it's all in Linz? Always has been

1/26/21 tweet: Everything is in Linz. The rest is commentary. (Perils of presidentialism, Juan Linz).

- Legislative accountability of the executive depends on future elections or extraordinary measures (impeachment) rather than votes of confidence

- MInority/divided government fuels gridlock & competing, unresolvable claims of legitimacy

Reposted by Steven S. Taylor

JK Woodward @jkwoodward.bsky.social · 11d

"MindMeld". #gouache #commission on 9"x12" coldpressed cotton paper. #startrek #doctorwho #comicprofessional #art #scifiart #comicart

Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 12d

So, Noem Was Just Following Orders? – Outside the Beltway outsidethebeltway.com/so-noem-was-...

So, Noem Was Just Following Orders? – Outside the Beltway

“Everything I’ve done, I’ve done at the direction of the president and Stephen,” Noem told a person who relayed her remarks to Axios.

outsidethebeltway.com

Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 12d

In Front of Our Noses: Trump’s Values – Outside the Beltway outsidethebeltway.com/in-front-of-...

In Front of Our Noses: Trump’s Values – Outside the Beltway

outsidethebeltway.com

Reposted by Steven S. Taylor

Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 13d

The Texas Monthly's food editor was stopped by ICE agents.

He wrote about it: www.texasmonthly.com/food/taco-ed...

What It Feels Like Getting Stopped by ICE

My work for Texas Monthly demands hundreds of hours on the road each year. Being pulled over by immigration enforcement officers has felt like an inevitability for months.

www.texasmonthly.com

Reposted by Steven S. Taylor

Ancient Geeks @ancientgeeks.bsky.social · 14d

This week on Ancient Geeks:

ancientgeeks.podbean.com/e/ancient-ge...

Ancient Geeks episode 51: Zardoz | Ancient Geeks

ZARDOZ IS PLEASED YOU ARE LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! When John Boorman's movie Deliverance became a smash hit, Hollywood gave him $1.5 million to make any movie he wanted. The result? Sean Connery in ...

ancientgeeks.podbean.com

Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 14d

Keeping in mind I am not a fan of carrying a gun as a general matter, but Patel is wrong. Just carrying is NOT incitement. This is just lying to defend an execution.

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 15d

Kash Patel: "You cannot bring a firearm loaded with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want. It's that simple. You don't have the right to break the law and incite violence."

Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 15d

I still can’t believe the Broncos didn’t take the points. Even I knew the weather was going to be bad in the second half.

Reposted by Richard E. Lenski, Robert Wolfe, Els Torreele , and 7 more Richard E. Lenski, Robert Wolfe, Els Torreele, Umut Özkırımlı, Gerardo Martí, Steven S. Taylor, Richard M. Carpiano, Magda Teter, Charles T. Mathewes, Virginia Sapiro

Sarah Longwell @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social · 15d

A thread of MAGA protesting with guns and not getting murdered for it...

Arizona, November 2020

Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 15d

First, all of that is protected by the First Amendment, unless this administration thinks they have repealed it.

Second, if you don’t want to be likened to the Gestapo, don’t act like the Gestapo.

Also: don’t disappear people if you don’t want to be accused of kidnapping.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 15d

Bovino: "When politicians, community leaders, & some journalists engage in that heated rhetoric we keep talking about, when they make the choice to vilify law enforcement calling law enforcement 'Gestapo' or using the term 'kidnapping,' that is a choice & there are actions & consequences."

Reposted by Rebecca Solnit, Richard E. Lenski, Mark A. Lemley , and 30 more Rebecca Solnit, Richard E. Lenski, Mark A. Lemley, David M. Farrell, Peter Thorne, Kevin J. Anchukaitis, Steve Peers, Peter Holmes, David S. Cohen, Brooks D. Simpson, Michelle Everson, Robert Black, Daniel W. Drezner, Rosanna E. Guadagno, Janet Murray, David R. Miller, Aaron Sojourner, Sebastiaan Faber, Juan Moreno‐Cruz, James Goodwin, Christian Fisch, Ann Bartow, Steven S. Taylor, Matthew P. McAllister, Sara K. Johnson, Alan McNally, Olivier Mannoni, Alvin Tillery, Aviel Roshwald, Kevin Grant, Timothy D. McBride, Dunlap, Steven H. Seggie

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 15d

Reposted by Aaron Sojourner, Steven S. Taylor

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 15d

Kash Patel: "You cannot bring a firearm loaded with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want. It's that simple. You don't have the right to break the law and incite violence."

Add to Home Screen

Light up
your news

Add to Home Screen

Light upyour news

Sign in to Lightnews

Sign up to start reading

Connect Bluesky

Connect with Bluesky

Light up
your news