Wannabe Apparatchik
@apparatchikwannabe.bsky.social
he/him
History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.
History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
i am somewhat convinced that he's going to try to get bondi to charge obama with something before the end of his term
lol what
*TRUMP: OBAMA GAVE AWAY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION ON ALIENS
*TRUMP: OBAMA GAVE AWAY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION ON ALIENS
February 19, 2026 at 7:37 PM
i am somewhat convinced that he's going to try to get bondi to charge obama with something before the end of his term
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
You know, I kept meaning to write up something like this, but @hawkwinglb.bsky.social has done such a fine job, now I don't have to.
Go read and then stop asking about Aragorn's tax policy!
Go read and then stop asking about Aragorn's tax policy!
Here, have the thread as a blog post: lizbourke.wordpress.com/2026/02/19/1...
137. Aragorn’s tax policy and other weird shibboleths
Yesterday I found myself diverted by people on Bluesky revisiting the issue of Aragorn’s tax policy that George R.R. Martin so memorably quibbled over back in 2014. The vast majority of my wr…
lizbourke.wordpress.com
February 19, 2026 at 7:40 PM
You know, I kept meaning to write up something like this, but @hawkwinglb.bsky.social has done such a fine job, now I don't have to.
Go read and then stop asking about Aragorn's tax policy!
Go read and then stop asking about Aragorn's tax policy!
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
The next president should just immediately seize Trump's assets to the dollar value of all of these corrupt emoluments on the grounds that because emoluments are unconstitutional, the money was never Trump's in the first place.
Let him try to get them back in the civil asset forfeiture process.
Let him try to get them back in the civil asset forfeiture process.
Wow the exact same amount he was suing the IRS for. He just took it. Not only impeachable but [Redacted] as well.
February 19, 2026 at 7:00 PM
The next president should just immediately seize Trump's assets to the dollar value of all of these corrupt emoluments on the grounds that because emoluments are unconstitutional, the money was never Trump's in the first place.
Let him try to get them back in the civil asset forfeiture process.
Let him try to get them back in the civil asset forfeiture process.
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
Finland did not stave off fascism lmfao, just cause it had a nominally left wing elected government, it collaborated with the Nazis in Barbarossa. I will concede the Finns generally protected the Jews but “co-belligerent for four years with Nazi Germany” is not “defeating fascism”
How Finland Defeated Fascism in the 1930s. "A violent, conservative, political movement...almost pushed Finland into authoritarianism. But then something happened. They managed to stave off fascism, and they've remained a stable democracy ever since." [kottke.org]
How Finland Defeated Fascism in the 1930s
In the 1930s, a radical conservative political group almost succeeded in overthrowing Finland’s democracy:
Called the Lapua movement, it was a far-right group of Finns who sought to overthrow the republic, margina
kottke.org
February 19, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Finland did not stave off fascism lmfao, just cause it had a nominally left wing elected government, it collaborated with the Nazis in Barbarossa. I will concede the Finns generally protected the Jews but “co-belligerent for four years with Nazi Germany” is not “defeating fascism”
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
the real hot take is that democrats are the actual party of capitalism (complimentary) but neither capital nor democrats want to acknowledge that for reasons that have nothing to do with economics in either case
The funny thing about modern economic discourse is that The Wealth of Nations is very clear that market failure requires regulation.
I am a capitalist because “planned economy” vs “lawless markets”‘is a false choice.
A smartly regulated economy is literally what Smith articulated.
I am a capitalist because “planned economy” vs “lawless markets”‘is a false choice.
A smartly regulated economy is literally what Smith articulated.
for lack of other options, i am nominally a capitalist, and i think we should get back to first principles about making capital productive. any one person having tens or hundreds of billions of dollars is grossly unproductive and bad for business.
February 19, 2026 at 6:05 PM
the real hot take is that democrats are the actual party of capitalism (complimentary) but neither capital nor democrats want to acknowledge that for reasons that have nothing to do with economics in either case
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
i can't read and i'm going to make that your problem: the case of the bsky reply guys
February 19, 2026 at 3:45 PM
i can't read and i'm going to make that your problem: the case of the bsky reply guys
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the main reason to go after the rich is that if you don’t the entire structure of your society is predicated on the whims of people who are entirely disconnected from ordinary life
billionaires are simply too dangerous to exist, and any budgetary stuff that comes out of it is just a bonus
billionaires are simply too dangerous to exist, and any budgetary stuff that comes out of it is just a bonus
It will not work, and is wrong in principle
Don’t go after the rich to fix broken budgets
It will not work, and is wrong in principle
econ.st
February 19, 2026 at 4:56 PM
the main reason to go after the rich is that if you don’t the entire structure of your society is predicated on the whims of people who are entirely disconnected from ordinary life
billionaires are simply too dangerous to exist, and any budgetary stuff that comes out of it is just a bonus
billionaires are simply too dangerous to exist, and any budgetary stuff that comes out of it is just a bonus
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
chat is it good when a judge cites historical precedent pertaining to Charles I of England
February 19, 2026 at 6:34 AM
chat is it good when a judge cites historical precedent pertaining to Charles I of England
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
"Democrats could have totally just dissolved the government and called snap elections to fix their problems," I say, definitely knowing how the American system of government works
If democrats are so shit at ruling with a slim majority then I suggest you declare the government failed and have new elections
Any functioning democracy does it
You’re just explaining how a shitty government that can’t act has to stay inept for two years if not forever because that’s why
Any functioning democracy does it
You’re just explaining how a shitty government that can’t act has to stay inept for two years if not forever because that’s why
February 19, 2026 at 3:15 AM
"Democrats could have totally just dissolved the government and called snap elections to fix their problems," I say, definitely knowing how the American system of government works
this is just the fundamental issue with all popularism, because it’s a strategy cooked up in seeming complete ignorance of how elections work at a very basic level. like, the popularist position is that even doing the original Median Voter Theorem strategy is too radical!
"Obama should pivot on [x issue]" dawg you know that the democratic base is highly educated and the primary system tends to select for people who *are* social liberals, right?
disregarding the point about gender stuff, i feel like this explains so much about why Helen Lewis seems to struggle how US politics works. the Democrats are not the Labour Party. there is no top-down whip by Obama
February 19, 2026 at 3:42 PM
this is just the fundamental issue with all popularism, because it’s a strategy cooked up in seeming complete ignorance of how elections work at a very basic level. like, the popularist position is that even doing the original Median Voter Theorem strategy is too radical!
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
disregarding the point about gender stuff, i feel like this explains so much about why Helen Lewis seems to struggle how US politics works. the Democrats are not the Labour Party. there is no top-down whip by Obama
February 19, 2026 at 3:33 PM
disregarding the point about gender stuff, i feel like this explains so much about why Helen Lewis seems to struggle how US politics works. the Democrats are not the Labour Party. there is no top-down whip by Obama
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
The US is a Russian vassal state
⚡️ US reportedly presses allies to block Ukraine from full participation at NATO summit.
The reported move would limit Kyiv's role at a key gathering of NATO leaders.
The reported move would limit Kyiv's role at a key gathering of NATO leaders.
US reportedly presses allies to block Ukraine from full participation at NATO summit
The reported move would limit Kyiv's role at a key gathering of NATO leaders.
kyivindependent.com
February 19, 2026 at 12:37 PM
The US is a Russian vassal state
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
I would probably delete the tweet if I were misinforming my audience this badly, unless my intention was to lie
(Will Stancil did not say this)
(Will Stancil did not say this)
February 19, 2026 at 1:03 PM
I would probably delete the tweet if I were misinforming my audience this badly, unless my intention was to lie
(Will Stancil did not say this)
(Will Stancil did not say this)
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
oil.
no not the black stuff in the ground but the idea of it as it exists to explain the iraq war with the mistake being we didnt just steal it
no not the black stuff in the ground but the idea of it as it exists to explain the iraq war with the mistake being we didnt just steal it
Why the fuck are we going to war with Iran?
February 19, 2026 at 4:19 AM
oil.
no not the black stuff in the ground but the idea of it as it exists to explain the iraq war with the mistake being we didnt just steal it
no not the black stuff in the ground but the idea of it as it exists to explain the iraq war with the mistake being we didnt just steal it
someone joked last year around Liberation Day that by 2028 they’d be trying to use Grok to centrally-plan the economy, and i still believe this might actually happen
i do wonder if we end up seeing price controls at some point if things go to shit
we probably wouldn't get gas lines, they'd just raise the price this time
February 19, 2026 at 1:03 AM
someone joked last year around Liberation Day that by 2028 they’d be trying to use Grok to centrally-plan the economy, and i still believe this might actually happen
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
i find that Atlantic article on white collar automation somewhat silly because if tech ever got to that level, that is essentially the Das Kapital moment
Maddening genre of writing about AI which blithely describes the conditions that to a civil war that killed one person in ten in China and proceeds on the basis that it would be less politically disruptive than deindustrialisation in the UK in the 1980s was.
This article is very strange. While saying this is very unlikely it treats it wholly as an employment problem with no solution, but never contends with the fact that this would lead to an economic depression!
February 19, 2026 at 12:53 AM
i find that Atlantic article on white collar automation somewhat silly because if tech ever got to that level, that is essentially the Das Kapital moment
this type of prison abolitionism is basically the same as the various advocates of “socialism where 80% of the workers produce Theory and bad poetry”, which is that it’s not really a policy proposal at all, it’s just a stated ideal of what one wishes were true.
if we're doing this again i feel obligated to say something in support but i basically haven't got anything new
it is actively harder to make any changes to the criminal justice system if the people who consume the most attention are saying things like this
it is actively harder to make any changes to the criminal justice system if the people who consume the most attention are saying things like this
February 19, 2026 at 12:53 AM
this type of prison abolitionism is basically the same as the various advocates of “socialism where 80% of the workers produce Theory and bad poetry”, which is that it’s not really a policy proposal at all, it’s just a stated ideal of what one wishes were true.
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
i'm going to be real with you, if a Iran war goes badly i do not think the electorate is choosing Gavin Newsom
February 19, 2026 at 12:21 AM
i'm going to be real with you, if a Iran war goes badly i do not think the electorate is choosing Gavin Newsom
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
(and, yes, the obvious question to ask is "can it actually do that" and the answer is "probably not")
February 19, 2026 at 12:27 AM
(and, yes, the obvious question to ask is "can it actually do that" and the answer is "probably not")
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
"what if AI can completely replace knowledge workers" is an economic transformation somewhere between "the industrial revolution" and "agriculture"
This would be the worst calamity to hit the American economy since 1929!! It's very weird that it is never treated as such!
February 19, 2026 at 12:27 AM
"what if AI can completely replace knowledge workers" is an economic transformation somewhere between "the industrial revolution" and "agriculture"
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
closing the strait of hormuz is kinda a "welps that was a mess, we got it reopened (dragged out that wreckage...), stuff is moving again" problem.
abqaiq is a facility in saudi that ~85% of their oil has to pass through. it's a complex desulfurization plant. How long would it take to rebuild that.
abqaiq is a facility in saudi that ~85% of their oil has to pass through. it's a complex desulfurization plant. How long would it take to rebuild that.
people think iran closing the strait is their main threat but it's actually flattening the facilities at abqaiq
February 18, 2026 at 11:57 PM
closing the strait of hormuz is kinda a "welps that was a mess, we got it reopened (dragged out that wreckage...), stuff is moving again" problem.
abqaiq is a facility in saudi that ~85% of their oil has to pass through. it's a complex desulfurization plant. How long would it take to rebuild that.
abqaiq is a facility in saudi that ~85% of their oil has to pass through. it's a complex desulfurization plant. How long would it take to rebuild that.
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
that’s the sound of a seal breaking
JUST IN: Judge Provinzino in Minnesota has held a Justice Department attorney in civil contempt for violations of her order requiring the return of a released ICE detainee’s ID documents. He must pay $500 a day until the documents are returned.
February 18, 2026 at 11:50 PM
that’s the sound of a seal breaking
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
“Walter, how are you going to get those robots to pay your union dues?” gibed the boss of Ford Motor Company.
Without skipping a beat, Reuther replied, “Henry, how are you going to get them to buy your cars?”
Without skipping a beat, Reuther replied, “Henry, how are you going to get them to buy your cars?”
This would be the worst calamity to hit the American economy since 1929!! It's very weird that it is never treated as such!
February 19, 2026 at 12:31 AM
“Walter, how are you going to get those robots to pay your union dues?” gibed the boss of Ford Motor Company.
Without skipping a beat, Reuther replied, “Henry, how are you going to get them to buy your cars?”
Without skipping a beat, Reuther replied, “Henry, how are you going to get them to buy your cars?”
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
Incidentally, so many of the scandals around sex abuse on college campuses are about predatory teachers and students who get the same “he said he was sorry now move on” accountability processes that someone caught plagiarizing might get
February 18, 2026 at 10:18 PM
Incidentally, so many of the scandals around sex abuse on college campuses are about predatory teachers and students who get the same “he said he was sorry now move on” accountability processes that someone caught plagiarizing might get
Reposted by Wannabe Apparatchik
In the world of academia and campus life if you commit misconduct (be it plagiarism or an actual crime) you either get expelled/fired and aren’t heard from again or you go through humiliating accountability processes where everyone grovels and at the end you get to move on like nothing happened
February 18, 2026 at 10:16 PM
In the world of academia and campus life if you commit misconduct (be it plagiarism or an actual crime) you either get expelled/fired and aren’t heard from again or you go through humiliating accountability processes where everyone grovels and at the end you get to move on like nothing happened