Aubrey Gilleran
@aubreygilleran.bsky.social
Episcopalian | North Carolinian | father | husband | English teacher | liberal | lost on Jeopardy! | IG: @aubreygilleran
We will circle back to that “whatever happens” in a few months.
Our primary program will include both the House and Senate. And after the primary — whatever happens — we will rally behind the winner and crush the regime electorally in the midterms just like we did this last week.
We get the party we demand and we intend to demand a Democratic Party that fights.
We get the party we demand and we intend to demand a Democratic Party that fights.
Democratic leaders have failed us again. It's time to get new leaders.
After yet another capitulation by Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats, it's clear we need new leadership capable of mounting a serious opposition to Trump's authoritarian regime. We're launching our la...
www.indivisible2026.org
November 11, 2025 at 1:16 AM
We will circle back to that “whatever happens” in a few months.
Another teacher overheard some students saying nice things about me and passed that on. (I highly encourage doing this for your colleagues if you work in education, by the way.)
Best comment was that I have “warm and cozy vibes,” apparently.
Best comment was that I have “warm and cozy vibes,” apparently.
November 10, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Another teacher overheard some students saying nice things about me and passed that on. (I highly encourage doing this for your colleagues if you work in education, by the way.)
Best comment was that I have “warm and cozy vibes,” apparently.
Best comment was that I have “warm and cozy vibes,” apparently.
People like Andy Beshear and Rachel Hunt are in office because they’re the children of popular former governors. It’s silly to act like it’s just about money.
A lot of people claim they hate MONEY, yet MONEY keep winning elections for a reason. Sometimes it’s just that MONEY is something you can get from your parents.
A lot of people claim they hate political dynasties, yet political dynasties keep winning elections for a reason. Sometimes it’s just that political talent is something you can get from your parents.
November 10, 2025 at 10:04 PM
People like Andy Beshear and Rachel Hunt are in office because they’re the children of popular former governors. It’s silly to act like it’s just about money.
Man what.
JFC. Does @schumer.senate.gov not get that by caving, Democrats make it *harder,* not easier, to make the ACA subsidies expiring stick politically to Trump/GOP? This effort to shame Republicans in this context risks signaling to low-info voters that Rs are standing on conviction and Dems aren't.
November 10, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Man what.
Reposted by Aubrey Gilleran
“Rather than taking over the Democratic Party the same way the right took over the Republican Party, we should take the easier route and just start up a new party ourselves!”
I’m about to fill my pockets with stones and walk into the sea.
I’m about to fill my pockets with stones and walk into the sea.
November 10, 2025 at 8:29 PM
“Rather than taking over the Democratic Party the same way the right took over the Republican Party, we should take the easier route and just start up a new party ourselves!”
I’m about to fill my pockets with stones and walk into the sea.
I’m about to fill my pockets with stones and walk into the sea.
Reposted by Aubrey Gilleran
The quintessential example of the pro-Israel motte and bailey in action: it's not apartheid because the occupied West Bank is not a part of Israel, but everything in the occupied West Bank is a domestic issue for Israelis and the US has no business dictating to the Israelis on this.
November 10, 2025 at 8:24 PM
The quintessential example of the pro-Israel motte and bailey in action: it's not apartheid because the occupied West Bank is not a part of Israel, but everything in the occupied West Bank is a domestic issue for Israelis and the US has no business dictating to the Israelis on this.
Reposted by Aubrey Gilleran
"When it comes to the issue of Palestinian rights going forward, I will say that the younger generation, of both Jews and non-Jews, take seriously the idea that we should have a principled, rights-based foreign policy— something I've long believed in"
Senator Chris Van Hollen on Zohran & Palestine.
Senator Chris Van Hollen on Zohran & Palestine.
November 10, 2025 at 8:04 PM
"When it comes to the issue of Palestinian rights going forward, I will say that the younger generation, of both Jews and non-Jews, take seriously the idea that we should have a principled, rights-based foreign policy— something I've long believed in"
Senator Chris Van Hollen on Zohran & Palestine.
Senator Chris Van Hollen on Zohran & Palestine.
Actually a little surprised independents are so evenly split on this.
From Oct. 16-24, 2025 Catawba-YouGov Survey of 1,000 North Carolinians:
"Who do you feel is responsible for the government shutdown?"
Democratic Party
Republican Party + President
All equally responsible
Overall & Partisan Self-ID (overall MOE +/- 3.79%; higher MOEs for subgroups)
#ncpol
"Who do you feel is responsible for the government shutdown?"
Democratic Party
Republican Party + President
All equally responsible
Overall & Partisan Self-ID (overall MOE +/- 3.79%; higher MOEs for subgroups)
#ncpol
November 10, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Actually a little surprised independents are so evenly split on this.
Reposted by Aubrey Gilleran
I should write the argument up properly somewhere, but I think this is fundamentally wrong. A decisive fraction of the capitalist class does oppose addressing the climate crisis, but *not* because it would be bad for profits. If anything, a green New Deal type program would raise aggregate profits.
Yes, this is correct. And the reason is because our capitalist classes have decided that it is not sufficiently profitable, so they're not going to do it.
We must understand this reality. Capital *cannot* be relied upon to address the climate crisis.
We must understand this reality. Capital *cannot* be relied upon to address the climate crisis.
November 10, 2025 at 4:18 PM
I should write the argument up properly somewhere, but I think this is fundamentally wrong. A decisive fraction of the capitalist class does oppose addressing the climate crisis, but *not* because it would be bad for profits. If anything, a green New Deal type program would raise aggregate profits.
Reposted by Aubrey Gilleran
“Democrats inarguably got at least one very important win: They have placed a glaring spotlight on Republicans’ refusal to renew the Obamacare healthcare subsidies, hanging the blame for spiking healthcare costs around their necks as the midterms draw near.”
www.thebulwark.com/p/dems-rewar...
www.thebulwark.com/p/dems-rewar...
Dems Reward the Hostage-Taker
Perhaps ending the shutdown was the responsible thing to do. But by caving, Democrats risk legitimizing Trump’s maximum-pain shutdown tactics.
www.thebulwark.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:52 PM
“Democrats inarguably got at least one very important win: They have placed a glaring spotlight on Republicans’ refusal to renew the Obamacare healthcare subsidies, hanging the blame for spiking healthcare costs around their necks as the midterms draw near.”
www.thebulwark.com/p/dems-rewar...
www.thebulwark.com/p/dems-rewar...
Reposted by Aubrey Gilleran
what’s remarkable about this is that there are zero winners at all, one of the biggest lose-lose deals I can remember
the Dem cavers will catch incandescent shit for it
the rest of the Dems will catch collateral fury
the big R win is… jacking everyone’s health care costs ahead of midterms
the Dem cavers will catch incandescent shit for it
the rest of the Dems will catch collateral fury
the big R win is… jacking everyone’s health care costs ahead of midterms
November 10, 2025 at 1:25 AM
what’s remarkable about this is that there are zero winners at all, one of the biggest lose-lose deals I can remember
the Dem cavers will catch incandescent shit for it
the rest of the Dems will catch collateral fury
the big R win is… jacking everyone’s health care costs ahead of midterms
the Dem cavers will catch incandescent shit for it
the rest of the Dems will catch collateral fury
the big R win is… jacking everyone’s health care costs ahead of midterms
On the first issue, that was a pretty common take on Bluesky when the Democrats decided that ACA subsidies would be the main shutdown demand. That's why people here criticized it at the time.
November 10, 2025 at 1:51 PM
On the first issue, that was a pretty common take on Bluesky when the Democrats decided that ACA subsidies would be the main shutdown demand. That's why people here criticized it at the time.
Reposted by Aubrey Gilleran
Uncomfortable truth about US politics is we’ve been in a constitutional crisis this whole century, and there is no way out short of a revolution. Kind of a midwit thing where the super low-info voters get that and the polisci professors get that and everybody else is like, Dems gotta try harder!!
The Republican Senate majority is built on minority rule, enabled by unequal representation & the two-party system.
The GOP hasn’t won more total votes or represented more people than Dems since the 1990s. They’ve won the Senate in 7 of 13 elections since 2000 anyway
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
The GOP hasn’t won more total votes or represented more people than Dems since the 1990s. They’ve won the Senate in 7 of 13 elections since 2000 anyway
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
November 10, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Uncomfortable truth about US politics is we’ve been in a constitutional crisis this whole century, and there is no way out short of a revolution. Kind of a midwit thing where the super low-info voters get that and the polisci professors get that and everybody else is like, Dems gotta try harder!!
Y'all are Sephiroth posting. None of these people are going to be "run out of office."
Yup, and the damage isn’t so much in the story as in the proof of weakness. Trump now knows he has new torture tools to make Dems do what he wants. It’s why at least one of the 7 capitulators oughta be run out of office now, mid session. Get that number down to 6. www.offmessage.net/p/16-thought...
November 10, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Y'all are Sephiroth posting. None of these people are going to be "run out of office."
Reposted by Aubrey Gilleran
The paranoid style of American politics, continued.
How long till we learn American, United & Delta worked the phones on Senate Dems?
November 10, 2025 at 12:30 PM
The paranoid style of American politics, continued.
I mean, it's the NYT. Did they ever frame the shutdown as good for Democrats?
Great job, @schumer.senate.gov. You've changed the story from "GOP hurting millions of Americans to please unpopular, failing, delusional despot who's destroying his party" to "Dems are too weak and divided in the face of Trump's strength to take a stand and protect Americans"
November 10, 2025 at 12:11 PM
I mean, it's the NYT. Did they ever frame the shutdown as good for Democrats?
Reposted by Aubrey Gilleran
This term is so social media-brained. Coined by people who can't imagine themselves without an audience, or that anyone could genuinely want to pass time in any other form than Stare at Phone
November 10, 2025 at 11:34 AM
This term is so social media-brained. Coined by people who can't imagine themselves without an audience, or that anyone could genuinely want to pass time in any other form than Stare at Phone
Reposted by Aubrey Gilleran
Bernie voted to fund the Iraq war wow… see how stupid this logic is.
November 10, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Bernie voted to fund the Iraq war wow… see how stupid this logic is.
Some of you all need to go to bed.
I would accept the death of ten million Americans to deal with this problem. I do not care about some people's paychecks.
November 10, 2025 at 5:12 AM
Some of you all need to go to bed.
So they’ll get blamed for the rates going up. I don’t see the problem.
Had the shutdown continued, Republicans would have been blamed for holiday travel chaos — and by the time the next CR fight comes along, rates will have already gone up for millions.
We gave away all our leverage for literally no reason.
We gave away all our leverage for literally no reason.
November 10, 2025 at 4:26 AM
So they’ll get blamed for the rates going up. I don’t see the problem.
Reposted by Aubrey Gilleran
The PR was fine. The polling was good. The ask was targeted. And it still didn't matter. You can't win real concessions so the question is whether the base likes a long fight with little to show for it or if it just angers them more because you caved in the end.
Shutting down is the easy part, starting up on your terms very hard. Maybe a lost shutdown fight would bring catharsis, but last time (DACA in 2018) it angered base & public because it was fruitless. Ask would need to be something Rep lawmakers want, not stop all Trump is doing
November 10, 2025 at 3:55 AM
The PR was fine. The polling was good. The ask was targeted. And it still didn't matter. You can't win real concessions so the question is whether the base likes a long fight with little to show for it or if it just angers them more because you caved in the end.
Reposted by Aubrey Gilleran
Yeah I think the dynamics of what happened here are more like Schumer effectively being coupled by the people who were always against this and viewed the GOP’s intransigence as a sign it wasn’t working
this is kinda true, but also kinda not true, King and CCM were anti-shutdown from Day 1 and they probably got enough support to roll Schumer (now, is being weak enough to be rolled over by Angus King a tenable political position? no.)
The coordinated nature of this—none are facing voters in 2026—means that either Schumer approved it or failed in his job as Senate Majority Leader to stop it.
Dems voting "no" get zero credit until they demand a change in leadership. Schumer out as Leader, Durbin out as Whip.
Dems voting "no" get zero credit until they demand a change in leadership. Schumer out as Leader, Durbin out as Whip.
November 10, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Yeah I think the dynamics of what happened here are more like Schumer effectively being coupled by the people who were always against this and viewed the GOP’s intransigence as a sign it wasn’t working
Reposted by Aubrey Gilleran
Folks forget that politics-obsessed Bluesky users are not the only constituency Democratic lawmakers have to pay attention to. Mood tonight is approaching early 2010s RedState comment section. Like dozen Erick Ericksons promising vengeance on the establishment.
November 10, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Folks forget that politics-obsessed Bluesky users are not the only constituency Democratic lawmakers have to pay attention to. Mood tonight is approaching early 2010s RedState comment section. Like dozen Erick Ericksons promising vengeance on the establishment.
Keeps health care a live issue going into 2026.
not snark, actually asking: after pushing a comma strategy that focused on health care, what is the case for the Democrats making a deal to end the shutdown now that doesn't involve a win on health care?
November 10, 2025 at 3:03 AM
Keeps health care a live issue going into 2026.
Reposted by Aubrey Gilleran
I just scrolled my timeline for almost ten minutes and
November 10, 2025 at 2:59 AM
I just scrolled my timeline for almost ten minutes and