Andrew Sabl
@andysabl.bsky.social
Political theorist (Univ. of Toronto). Toronto/NYC. Realism, liberalism, toleration, privilege and opportunity, Hume, political ethics—and politics, humo(u)r, puns. Also husband, dad, stepdad.
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
“No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law"
Article I, Section 9.
Article I, Section 9.
January 7, 2026 at 12:33 AM
“No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law"
Article I, Section 9.
Article I, Section 9.
Machado offering her Peace Prize to Trump reminds me of the time Whitey Bulger “won” the Massachusetts lottery.
Wresting a prize from its real winner through extortion doesn’t make you a winner. It just makes you a gangster.
Wresting a prize from its real winner through extortion doesn’t make you a winner. It just makes you a gangster.
January 6, 2026 at 9:49 PM
Machado offering her Peace Prize to Trump reminds me of the time Whitey Bulger “won” the Massachusetts lottery.
Wresting a prize from its real winner through extortion doesn’t make you a winner. It just makes you a gangster.
Wresting a prize from its real winner through extortion doesn’t make you a winner. It just makes you a gangster.
🌶️ kimchi spaced with sliced avocado on toast is delicious.
This place needs some Innocuous Discourse pronto. Quote this with a take that’s not political or aggressive
January 6, 2026 at 1:35 PM
🌶️ kimchi spaced with sliced avocado on toast is delicious.
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
1/ Trump's War Powers Report to Congress on the #Venezuela strikes and seizure of #Maduro is in.
I've read/coded every WPR report and used to work on them in the White House. (See this searchable database & graphics warpowers.lawandsecurity.org/%F0%9F%91%87)
Here's what stands out about this one🧵:
I've read/coded every WPR report and used to work on them in the White House. (See this searchable database & graphics warpowers.lawandsecurity.org/%F0%9F%91%87)
Here's what stands out about this one🧵:
January 6, 2026 at 5:52 AM
1/ Trump's War Powers Report to Congress on the #Venezuela strikes and seizure of #Maduro is in.
I've read/coded every WPR report and used to work on them in the White House. (See this searchable database & graphics warpowers.lawandsecurity.org/%F0%9F%91%87)
Here's what stands out about this one🧵:
I've read/coded every WPR report and used to work on them in the White House. (See this searchable database & graphics warpowers.lawandsecurity.org/%F0%9F%91%87)
Here's what stands out about this one🧵:
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
🧵Day 3 and we have a new meaning for "running Venezuela," courtesy of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the nation's top diplomat, who is in charge of Venezuela as well as the National Archives. We're going to insist they do what's in the US national interest. Time for some principal-agent theory. 1/
January 5, 2026 at 1:50 PM
🧵Day 3 and we have a new meaning for "running Venezuela," courtesy of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the nation's top diplomat, who is in charge of Venezuela as well as the National Archives. We're going to insist they do what's in the US national interest. Time for some principal-agent theory. 1/
One example among many: breathless reporting on why María Machado isn’t now Venezuela’s leader. People: she was an opposition activist but not the presidential candidate (in the previous, stolen election). Under no possible theory of legitimacy should she be in office.
Indeed, far too many are applying the *Death Race 2000* theory of political legitimacy.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_R...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_R...
January 5, 2026 at 1:16 PM
One example among many: breathless reporting on why María Machado isn’t now Venezuela’s leader. People: she was an opposition activist but not the presidential candidate (in the previous, stolen election). Under no possible theory of legitimacy should she be in office.
Indeed, far too many are applying the *Death Race 2000* theory of political legitimacy.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_R...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_R...
January 5, 2026 at 1:12 PM
Indeed, far too many are applying the *Death Race 2000* theory of political legitimacy.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_R...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_R...
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
I have a new paper w Andrea Prat & Jake Spitz. We show that Republican appointed Supreme Court Justices vote in favor of the richer party by over 70% today, as compared to D’s at 30%. In the 1950s and both were at 50%. This strong trend may contribute to rising inequality. www.nber.org/papers/w34643
Ruling for the Rich: the Supreme Court over Time
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
www.nber.org
January 5, 2026 at 9:14 AM
I have a new paper w Andrea Prat & Jake Spitz. We show that Republican appointed Supreme Court Justices vote in favor of the richer party by over 70% today, as compared to D’s at 30%. In the 1950s and both were at 50%. This strong trend may contribute to rising inequality. www.nber.org/papers/w34643
Missed this at the time (a few weeks ago) but this by @adamgurri.liberalcurrents.com is exactly the kind of thinking we need.
“A 2027 Democratic Congress could impeach any number of officials in the Trump administration and the judiciary, and conduct the trial with a secret ballot. That does not guarantee that they would get enough Republicans for any of them. But it would increase their chances.”
Impeach and Remove the Bastards
A scenario for 2027.
www.liberalcurrents.com
January 4, 2026 at 10:58 PM
Missed this at the time (a few weeks ago) but this by @adamgurri.liberalcurrents.com is exactly the kind of thinking we need.
Hume got this right in the *History of England*. The Crusades were a war between civilization and barbarism—in which the Christian marauders were the barbarians.
Glorifying the crusades, which were mounted to conquer and kill.
January 4, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Hume got this right in the *History of England*. The Crusades were a war between civilization and barbarism—in which the Christian marauders were the barbarians.
The Globe and Mail (Canada’s sober, establishment, slightly centre-right paper): Trump plans to treat Canada as Athens treated Melos—“the strong do what they please; the weak suffer what they must”—and Canada must regard itself as in a “national emergency.”
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/f9f7c04...
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/f9f7c04...
The Sunday Editorial: Venezuela’s fate is a warning for Canada
The U.S. military action to seize Nicolás Maduro marks the formal debut of an imperial America
www.theglobeandmail.com
January 4, 2026 at 1:23 PM
The Globe and Mail (Canada’s sober, establishment, slightly centre-right paper): Trump plans to treat Canada as Athens treated Melos—“the strong do what they please; the weak suffer what they must”—and Canada must regard itself as in a “national emergency.”
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/f9f7c04...
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/f9f7c04...
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
Is the Senate possess’d of this?
January 3, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Is the Senate possess’d of this?
It’s distinctly possible that Trump is even more “personalist” in his approach to politics than anyone imagined.
To him, Venezuela is just Maduro’s gang. And once you dispose of the previous boss, you’re the new boss. No sense of enduring political attachments (or even interest groups) at all.
To him, Venezuela is just Maduro’s gang. And once you dispose of the previous boss, you’re the new boss. No sense of enduring political attachments (or even interest groups) at all.
January 3, 2026 at 5:56 PM
It’s distinctly possible that Trump is even more “personalist” in his approach to politics than anyone imagined.
To him, Venezuela is just Maduro’s gang. And once you dispose of the previous boss, you’re the new boss. No sense of enduring political attachments (or even interest groups) at all.
To him, Venezuela is just Maduro’s gang. And once you dispose of the previous boss, you’re the new boss. No sense of enduring political attachments (or even interest groups) at all.
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
Caine, in what happened when the military invaded Maduro’s compound: “On arrival into the target area, the helicopters came under fire, and they replied to that fire with overwhelming force in self-defense.”
We’re going to be reading that sentence for years.
We’re going to be reading that sentence for years.
January 3, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Caine, in what happened when the military invaded Maduro’s compound: “On arrival into the target area, the helicopters came under fire, and they replied to that fire with overwhelming force in self-defense.”
We’re going to be reading that sentence for years.
We’re going to be reading that sentence for years.
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
Some thoughts on what Trump has done in Venezuela and what it might mean for US national security. Caveat: not a Latin America scholar so this is focused on US policy. Clearly huge consequences for Venezuela that others can address.
First, despite the buildup, I didn't think Trump would do it.
1/
First, despite the buildup, I didn't think Trump would do it.
1/
January 3, 2026 at 2:37 PM
Some thoughts on what Trump has done in Venezuela and what it might mean for US national security. Caveat: not a Latin America scholar so this is focused on US policy. Clearly huge consequences for Venezuela that others can address.
First, despite the buildup, I didn't think Trump would do it.
1/
First, despite the buildup, I didn't think Trump would do it.
1/
For all Trump’s rants about how Mexico is run by cartels, not its (female) president, it’s Trump who’s acting like a cartel boss, using the military as his personal kidnapping force so as to grab some loot.
January 3, 2026 at 3:35 PM
For all Trump’s rants about how Mexico is run by cartels, not its (female) president, it’s Trump who’s acting like a cartel boss, using the military as his personal kidnapping force so as to grab some loot.
“The results showed that chaos and violence were likely to erupt within Venezuela, as military units, rival political factions and even jungle-based guerrilla groups jockeyed for control of the oil-rich country.”
U.S. Ran a War Game on Ousting Maduro. Venezuela Fell Into Chaos.
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 3:28 PM
“The results showed that chaos and violence were likely to erupt within Venezuela, as military units, rival political factions and even jungle-based guerrilla groups jockeyed for control of the oil-rich country.”
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
Get ready for Phase Two: a raid on Oslo to seize the Peace Prize.
January 3, 2026 at 11:15 AM
Get ready for Phase Two: a raid on Oslo to seize the Peace Prize.
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
January 3, 2026 at 10:52 AM
Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
I want to make 1 quick point here: the entire discourse around "Merrick Garland did nothing wrong, quit picking on him" V "Merrick Garland moved to slowly" misses the point. Yes, Garland was the wrong make, model, & type of AG for the moment we were & are in. But the failure was a category error. 1/
The issue, & not one @qjurecic.bsky.social has demonstrated in her reporting, is how the majority of the news media, politicians, & other elites & notables responded to & framed the attack on 6 January, how the attack came about, & its aftermath. 1/
my theory of Jan 6 is that nobody (except for a few weirdos) likes to think about it. from 2021-2025, the investigations/prosecutions meant that Biden was the guy who was making people think about it (which they hated). now Trump is the guy making them think about it and they also hate that
January 3, 2026 at 1:11 AM
I want to make 1 quick point here: the entire discourse around "Merrick Garland did nothing wrong, quit picking on him" V "Merrick Garland moved to slowly" misses the point. Yes, Garland was the wrong make, model, & type of AG for the moment we were & are in. But the failure was a category error. 1/
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
This is a thread of major media outlets falsely anthropomorphising the "Grok" chatbot program and in doing so, actively and directly removing responsibility and accountability from individual people working at X who created a child pornography generator (Elon Musk, Nikita Bier etc)
#1: Reuters
#1: Reuters
January 2, 2026 at 8:02 PM
This is a thread of major media outlets falsely anthropomorphising the "Grok" chatbot program and in doing so, actively and directly removing responsibility and accountability from individual people working at X who created a child pornography generator (Elon Musk, Nikita Bier etc)
#1: Reuters
#1: Reuters
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
Cover reveal. It's about how & why colonies/states controlled international & domestic migration until 1888, why in the late 19th c the feds took over, & what it was like for politically disfavored groups to live under that arrangement of power. You can't understand voluntary migration history 1/
January 2, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Cover reveal. It's about how & why colonies/states controlled international & domestic migration until 1888, why in the late 19th c the feds took over, & what it was like for politically disfavored groups to live under that arrangement of power. You can't understand voluntary migration history 1/
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
I got asked if I had any Fantastic Four puns. I handed them a segment of Reed Richards. They said that was a bit of a stretch.
January 2, 2026 at 12:57 PM
I got asked if I had any Fantastic Four puns. I handed them a segment of Reed Richards. They said that was a bit of a stretch.
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
Magic Johnson was the grand marshal of the Rose Parade today, and as someone who remembers his November 1991 HIV announcement: if you had told anybody that day that he would be alive and healthy 34+ years later, I don't think they would have believed you. Medicine and research—they work.
January 1, 2026 at 6:17 PM
Magic Johnson was the grand marshal of the Rose Parade today, and as someone who remembers his November 1991 HIV announcement: if you had told anybody that day that he would be alive and healthy 34+ years later, I don't think they would have believed you. Medicine and research—they work.
It’s always head-spinning when Left commentators cite Bill Clinton to illustrate “liberal” (meaning centrist or conservative-Democratic) perfidy.
Clinton and his “New Democrat” supporters proudly proclaimed themselves *anti-liberals*—and self-styled liberals in the Democratic Party hated New Dems.
Clinton and his “New Democrat” supporters proudly proclaimed themselves *anti-liberals*—and self-styled liberals in the Democratic Party hated New Dems.
January 1, 2026 at 9:14 PM
It’s always head-spinning when Left commentators cite Bill Clinton to illustrate “liberal” (meaning centrist or conservative-Democratic) perfidy.
Clinton and his “New Democrat” supporters proudly proclaimed themselves *anti-liberals*—and self-styled liberals in the Democratic Party hated New Dems.
Clinton and his “New Democrat” supporters proudly proclaimed themselves *anti-liberals*—and self-styled liberals in the Democratic Party hated New Dems.