Aaron S. Veenstra
@asveenstra.bsky.social
FAU Journalism Prof and UFF-FAU Steward, political communication & digital media // The Press and Democratic Backsliding from Lexington Books, LXFANDF30 for 30% off // he/him
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Aaron S. Veenstra
@asveenstra.bsky.social
· Dec 12
Getting There | Official Trailer
YouTube video by Aaron S. Veenstra
youtu.be
Six months ago I landed in Perth and started working on this project in earnest. Today I have a trailer.
Bari Weiss is a right-wing propagandist but she's first and foremost a troll, and it would be cool if people could stop feeding her.
January 27, 2026 at 9:46 PM
Bari Weiss is a right-wing propagandist but she's first and foremost a troll, and it would be cool if people could stop feeding her.
This is, IMO, modern midwestern urbanism in a nutshell and it is great. I've just finished a documentary that's partly about not being comfortable in Boca Raton, and the screaming lack of this is a major contributor. Heard it even from interviewees who love Boca!
One thing I found deeply moving about resistance in the Twin Cities was the universalism of loving your neighbor, the philosophy driving the opposition to the ICE/BP invasion. I couldn't help but notice the contrast with the blood and soil-ism of Miller and Vance. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
January 27, 2026 at 6:08 PM
This is, IMO, modern midwestern urbanism in a nutshell and it is great. I've just finished a documentary that's partly about not being comfortable in Boca Raton, and the screaming lack of this is a major contributor. Heard it even from interviewees who love Boca!
This is a good launch and probably about as a good a candidate as we could get (at least two DOA Dems already running). Highlighting the $40B to a corrupt Latin American bustout regime is a good move.
Alex Vindman, he of the first impeachment trial, is running against Sen. Ashley Moody in Florida
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTXv...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTXv...
Patriot
YouTube video by Alexander S. Vindman
www.youtube.com
January 27, 2026 at 2:19 PM
This is a good launch and probably about as a good a candidate as we could get (at least two DOA Dems already running). Highlighting the $40B to a corrupt Latin American bustout regime is a good move.
Stratton is JB Pritzker's lieutenant governor and has his endorsement for Senate, if factional positioning is something that interests you.
🚨‼️I'm the ONLY one in this Senate race who will not support Chuck Schumer as leader. Watch here:
January 27, 2026 at 1:50 AM
Stratton is JB Pritzker's lieutenant governor and has his endorsement for Senate, if factional positioning is something that interests you.
What they mean by this is that, rather than dressing like an Oberführer in the SS, he dresses like an executive at Volkswagen.
CNN calling Tom Homan "well respected" and "not as hardline as Bovino" is an interesting choice. The dude took a $50,000 bribe in a fucking Cava bag and says all the same fascist shit as Bovino and Noem.
January 27, 2026 at 1:04 AM
What they mean by this is that, rather than dressing like an Oberführer in the SS, he dresses like an executive at Volkswagen.
Watching Étoile and only realizing after 25 years that Amy Sherman-Palladino is a crypto-Calvinist.
January 27, 2026 at 12:40 AM
Watching Étoile and only realizing after 25 years that Amy Sherman-Palladino is a crypto-Calvinist.
An important implication here is that a dropbox exists somewhere with terabytes of incriminating evidence in it, and next year's Democratic majority in the House should subpoena it on day one.
Didn't realize the extent to which ICE are "content creators first and Gestapo second," as @ryanhatesthis.bsky.social is reporting.
A paramilitary force whose violence is shaped by what will produce the highest-engagement Instagram Reel. www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/202...
A paramilitary force whose violence is shaped by what will produce the highest-engagement Instagram Reel. www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/202...
January 26, 2026 at 8:29 PM
An important implication here is that a dropbox exists somewhere with terabytes of incriminating evidence in it, and next year's Democratic majority in the House should subpoena it on day one.
Send whoever's picking the music going to commercials to the Super Bowl.
January 26, 2026 at 2:28 AM
Send whoever's picking the music going to commercials to the Super Bowl.
Didn't hear about it or see video 5% | 16%
Didn't hear about it
or see video
...
Didn't hear about it
or see video
...
% who say the shooting of Alex Pretti was | wasn't justified
U.S. adults 20% | 48%
Saw video of shooting 25% | 63%
Heard about it; didn't see video 22% | 41%
Didn't hear about it or see video 5% | 16%
Democrats 4% | 83%
Independents 13% | 50%
Republicans 44% | 13%
today.yougov.com/politics/art...
U.S. adults 20% | 48%
Saw video of shooting 25% | 63%
Heard about it; didn't see video 22% | 41%
Didn't hear about it or see video 5% | 16%
Democrats 4% | 83%
Independents 13% | 50%
Republicans 44% | 13%
today.yougov.com/politics/art...
January 26, 2026 at 1:55 AM
Didn't hear about it or see video 5% | 16%
Didn't hear about it
or see video
...
Didn't hear about it
or see video
...
Brett Kavanaugh and the justices who joined his opinion should be impeached, removed, and disbarred. Unrelatedly, their brazen financial corruption should be thoroughly investigated.
Target in Minneapolis has pulled Hispanic employees off of pick-up order duty after ICE arrested two US citizen Hispanic employees while on the job.
“I’m literally a U.S. citizen!” one shouted as they escorted him into a van.
“I’m literally a U.S. citizen!” one shouted as they escorted him into a van.
January 26, 2026 at 1:27 AM
Brett Kavanaugh and the justices who joined his opinion should be impeached, removed, and disbarred. Unrelatedly, their brazen financial corruption should be thoroughly investigated.
Condoleezza Rice is in the Broncos owner's box if you're curious what happened to the last group of rank criminals to take hold of the US federal government.
January 25, 2026 at 10:11 PM
Condoleezza Rice is in the Broncos owner's box if you're curious what happened to the last group of rank criminals to take hold of the US federal government.
Reposted by Aaron S. Veenstra
Every one of the factors that now convince him Trump is fascist was present in the first term (even if unsuccessful). Lots of folks who accurately described Trump as fascist were called unserious. I'ed much rather someone admit why they were wrong (left-punching, bias, etc.) than this. Gift link
Yes, It’s Fascism
Until recently, I thought it a term best avoided. But now, the resemblances are too many and too strong to deny.
www.theatlantic.com
January 25, 2026 at 9:12 PM
Every one of the factors that now convince him Trump is fascist was present in the first term (even if unsuccessful). Lots of folks who accurately described Trump as fascist were called unserious. I'ed much rather someone admit why they were wrong (left-punching, bias, etc.) than this. Gift link
The buck stops literally anywhere else.
Sen Cassidy: “Claiming that risk from vaccines is greater than the threat from disease has led to highest rate of measles in decades. Undermining faith in polio vaccine will lead to paralyzed children. What others are doing will be blamed on President Trump. Unfair but true.”
January 25, 2026 at 9:12 PM
The buck stops literally anywhere else.
This was a bigger failure than Garland's, or at least a less understandable one. This movement blew up a federal building and three successive administrations basically did nothing about it. The fourth was theirs.
Remember the Bundy insanity during the Obama years? Armed guys occupied a federal office and one of their buddies took position with a sniper rifle aimed at federal agents?
Exactly how many of those guys were shot and killed?
Exactly how many of those guys were shot and killed?
January 25, 2026 at 5:40 PM
This was a bigger failure than Garland's, or at least a less understandable one. This movement blew up a federal building and three successive administrations basically did nothing about it. The fourth was theirs.
Reposted by Aaron S. Veenstra
For what it’s worth, current events seem to vindicate the most strident “no platform for fascists” activists who argued that allowing their bile in the public square is inherently corrosive. The square is amply corroded, and we should shunned and shut down the fascists at the start.
This! I was researching at the Values Voters in 2016, and the old Bircher manning the JBS stand told me, ‘oh, you’re from Canada? - you have SO many problems up there”. I was like, ok? For ie? And bro says “yeah, all those hate speech laws”.
When people like Ross Douthat complain about Canada's censorious approach to speech, what they actually mean is you face greater repercussions for using racial slurs or deadnaming trans people.
This idea of American free speech absolutism has long been a myth, and it's stone dead by now.
This idea of American free speech absolutism has long been a myth, and it's stone dead by now.
January 25, 2026 at 2:51 PM
For what it’s worth, current events seem to vindicate the most strident “no platform for fascists” activists who argued that allowing their bile in the public square is inherently corrosive. The square is amply corroded, and we should shunned and shut down the fascists at the start.
This thing that we've said is happening literally any time people oppose us is unique to Minneapolis.
Putin pioneered this. No opposition is legitimate. Regular, decent, “ordinary” people cannot possibly be against us because only we represent “the real people.”
Tell-tale sign of authoritarianism.
Tell-tale sign of authoritarianism.
January 25, 2026 at 2:52 PM
This thing that we've said is happening literally any time people oppose us is unique to Minneapolis.
Yeah. But the problem with any demand is you're negotiating with a plague of liars. Something like a leadership purge is at least hard to undo, but the purged will be replaced by equally bad people. Pull out of MN to get yeses and go into PA next month. They still haven't released the Epstein files.
With Rosen, Cortez Masto, and Warner all now No’s on cloture on DHS Approps, the filibuster will get above 40 (I assume they’ll get pretty much every Dem senator). The question then will be what the Dems demand to let it go forward. Get ICE and CBP out of MN is the easiest message. It’s also right.
January 24, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Yeah. But the problem with any demand is you're negotiating with a plague of liars. Something like a leadership purge is at least hard to undo, but the purged will be replaced by equally bad people. Pull out of MN to get yeses and go into PA next month. They still haven't released the Epstein files.
Reposted by Aaron S. Veenstra
This is important. And partly why the entire rightwing infrastructure from GOP to Heritage to Manhattan to ALEC were so terrified of 2020. Millions of the folks marching for racial justice and demanding a racial reckoning were *white*
Showing cross-racial solidarity is a potential death sentence. There are few things white supremacists hate more.
37 year old white male citizen with a lawful permit to carry a firearm, says the Minneapolis Police Department.
January 24, 2026 at 6:46 PM
This is important. And partly why the entire rightwing infrastructure from GOP to Heritage to Manhattan to ALEC were so terrified of 2020. Millions of the folks marching for racial justice and demanding a racial reckoning were *white*
Reposted by Aaron S. Veenstra
Most House Dems voted against a June resolution that "expresses gratitude to law enforcement officers, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, for protecting the homeland."
Six of eight running for higher office, though, voted for it. clerk.house.gov/Votes/202515...
Six of eight running for higher office, though, voted for it. clerk.house.gov/Votes/202515...
January 23, 2026 at 10:28 PM
Most House Dems voted against a June resolution that "expresses gratitude to law enforcement officers, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, for protecting the homeland."
Six of eight running for higher office, though, voted for it. clerk.house.gov/Votes/202515...
Six of eight running for higher office, though, voted for it. clerk.house.gov/Votes/202515...
I think we should keep saying this but I also don't think it's really true. ICE has plenty of funding and clawing it back would be vetoed. If it runs out, Trump has shown that he won't be bound by approps language. If he's removed, Vance wouldn't change anything. We need root and branch removal.
Reminder: All it would take to end the murder of American citizens by an untrained government goon squad is 16 Republicans in Congress voting with Dems to defund ICE (or 23 to impeach and remove Trump — 3 in House & 20 in Senate). That’s it. 23 Americans can vote for the public and end all of this.
January 24, 2026 at 7:24 PM
I think we should keep saying this but I also don't think it's really true. ICE has plenty of funding and clawing it back would be vetoed. If it runs out, Trump has shown that he won't be bound by approps language. If he's removed, Vance wouldn't change anything. We need root and branch removal.
This thread is 100% disincentives for congressional Democrats to do anything. If someone you don’t like does something good it’s OK to just shut the fuck up!
Today we marched together in below zero weather. Thanks to the thousands and thousands of Minnesotans who turned out to stand up and speak out. ICE OUT.
January 24, 2026 at 2:56 AM
This thread is 100% disincentives for congressional Democrats to do anything. If someone you don’t like does something good it’s OK to just shut the fuck up!
Saving this specifically as an example for my Public Opinion students of other ways of thinking about public opinion, which they usually think of only as surveys.
For example, when polls show that by a 70-30 margin people think ICE's use of force is too extreme, this is what that looks like in real life.
January 24, 2026 at 2:46 AM
Saving this specifically as an example for my Public Opinion students of other ways of thinking about public opinion, which they usually think of only as surveys.
This might as well be a Bible story.
“I was hit so hard with the fact that this man would not do this for me"...“We were willing to do for this man, this human, what they were not willing to do for Renee Good,” Zemien said.
January 24, 2026 at 2:40 AM
This might as well be a Bible story.
Reposted by Aaron S. Veenstra
For those absolutely awed by Minnesota, this is the site organizers set up to support all of the efforts from mutual aid to direct resistance:
www.standwithminnesota.com
www.standwithminnesota.com
Stand With Minnesota Donation Directory
Stand With Minnesota is a hub for supporting, learning, and taking action to support Minnesotans impacted by ICE and federal enforcement.
www.standwithminnesota.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:52 PM
For those absolutely awed by Minnesota, this is the site organizers set up to support all of the efforts from mutual aid to direct resistance:
www.standwithminnesota.com
www.standwithminnesota.com
Reposted by Aaron S. Veenstra
In solidarity with today's ICE OUT OF MINNESOTA blackout, MinnMax is donating $1 to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota for every share of this Bluesky post for the next hour.
January 23, 2026 at 4:01 PM
In solidarity with today's ICE OUT OF MINNESOTA blackout, MinnMax is donating $1 to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota for every share of this Bluesky post for the next hour.