Anonymous WPA Bureaucrat
@charlesdeguava.bsky.social
Regardless of what you think of the merits of the shutdown, it is pretty undeniable that there is a visceral gap between how regular people are experiencing this government and how some senators are behaving. If you don’t think that gap is real, I don’t know what to tell you
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 11, 2025 at 5:07 AM
Regardless of what you think of the merits of the shutdown, it is pretty undeniable that there is a visceral gap between how regular people are experiencing this government and how some senators are behaving. If you don’t think that gap is real, I don’t know what to tell you
For everyone who spent the year saying Dems needed to cause political damage to the GOP and voters needed to “touch the stove”, this is what that looks like. Ds will help Rs blow up the insurance market and fuck over voters in states without legal weed, and the president will take most of the blame
oh the paul amendment is going down 78-22
November 11, 2025 at 4:24 AM
For everyone who spent the year saying Dems needed to cause political damage to the GOP and voters needed to “touch the stove”, this is what that looks like. Ds will help Rs blow up the insurance market and fuck over voters in states without legal weed, and the president will take most of the blame
Reposted by Anonymous WPA Bureaucrat
I think what is going to happen is that lab-grown meat will gradually catch up with real animals and when that happens we will all quietly admit that the vegans were right about factory farming
i'm convinced if we ever tried to touch the rail of meat politics in America (something that's going to eventually need to happen in order to reduce CO2 emissions), it would lead to a huge right-wing shock
remembering the time a random catholic priest got mad at me about a hypothetical about the government restricting meat production on the other site
meat politics is going to be insane for the next Dem administration which takes climate change seriously, imo
meat politics is going to be insane for the next Dem administration which takes climate change seriously, imo
November 11, 2025 at 3:14 AM
I think what is going to happen is that lab-grown meat will gradually catch up with real animals and when that happens we will all quietly admit that the vegans were right about factory farming
Reposted by Anonymous WPA Bureaucrat
![Joyce Carol Oates quoting a tweet that says “wherever he [Elon Musk] goes, he wants to leave”:
"wherever he goes, he wants to leave"-- that's because when he gets there, he has brought his own self along; & whatever club he's invited to join has been devalued by the invitation.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:buy3qvqcj3o76leo6ap7pn2p/bafkreifilfbsxemfsambf4kqwolr24ld2ekqcrz4ybgv3bv7kzi5e6kppm@jpeg)
Reposted by Anonymous WPA Bureaucrat
All of the answers for “fixing cannabis” are gonna come at the legislative level. Presidential politics is a sucker’s bet for weed. The overarching categories for unwinding weed from federal law and enforcement would be:
- Controlled Substance status
- Banking laws
- Expungement
- Social Equity
- Controlled Substance status
- Banking laws
- Expungement
- Social Equity
November 11, 2025 at 2:37 AM
All of the answers for “fixing cannabis” are gonna come at the legislative level. Presidential politics is a sucker’s bet for weed. The overarching categories for unwinding weed from federal law and enforcement would be:
- Controlled Substance status
- Banking laws
- Expungement
- Social Equity
- Controlled Substance status
- Banking laws
- Expungement
- Social Equity
As a bureaucrat, this is more true than you can imagine
November 11, 2025 at 1:21 AM
As a bureaucrat, this is more true than you can imagine
Republicans don’t believe in this stuff! Like we all continue to be in awe of it because we’re viewing it through the lens of electoral calculus, but they aren’t! They really do believe this stuff (like the ACA) shouldn’t exist
he's going to ask Vought to nuke SNAP even after the government reopens, isn't he
Trump claims that food stamps "puts the country in jeopardy. People that are able-bodied can do a job, they leave their job because they figure they can pick this up, it's easier."
November 11, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Republicans don’t believe in this stuff! Like we all continue to be in awe of it because we’re viewing it through the lens of electoral calculus, but they aren’t! They really do believe this stuff (like the ACA) shouldn’t exist
I really don’t know where the desire to kill CBD came from all of a sudden
November 11, 2025 at 1:16 AM
I really don’t know where the desire to kill CBD came from all of a sudden
Reposted by Anonymous WPA Bureaucrat
I've written about Pericles, Lincoln, and the decay of civic life. You're welcome. I know this is the content everyone wanted.
othermeans.io/p/the-conspi...
othermeans.io/p/the-conspi...
The Conspiracy Against America
National Populism and the United States
othermeans.io
November 10, 2025 at 11:32 PM
I've written about Pericles, Lincoln, and the decay of civic life. You're welcome. I know this is the content everyone wanted.
othermeans.io/p/the-conspi...
othermeans.io/p/the-conspi...
Ah nevermind, seems like this one was a fake. Got got! At least for another six months until they actually announce it
If you’re seeing this viral claim that Trump is working on 15-year car loans, it’s fake.
November 10, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Ah nevermind, seems like this one was a fake. Got got! At least for another six months until they actually announce it
Reposted by Anonymous WPA Bureaucrat
Does Sanders have a protégé *in Vermont* ready to take over for him? You hear a lot about his acolytes elsewhere but none is eligible to replace him at his actual job. Any Vermonters know what the plan is there?
November 10, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Does Sanders have a protégé *in Vermont* ready to take over for him? You hear a lot about his acolytes elsewhere but none is eligible to replace him at his actual job. Any Vermonters know what the plan is there?
Reposted by Anonymous WPA Bureaucrat
America’s chickenshit elites problem continues to be the biggest obstacle to fighting Trump www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
November 10, 2025 at 3:25 PM
America’s chickenshit elites problem continues to be the biggest obstacle to fighting Trump www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Throwing the rest of your party under the bus is generally the job of the Senate, and yet I am amazed at how much it has abused the trust of the rest of the party this year
November 10, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Throwing the rest of your party under the bus is generally the job of the Senate, and yet I am amazed at how much it has abused the trust of the rest of the party this year
Reposted by Anonymous WPA Bureaucrat
I would somehow be significantly less annoyed if Democrats were honest about why they're caving (no stomach for a continued shutdown through the holidays) rather than pretending the "concessions" they got are worth anything. stop wasting my time with the bullshit at least.
November 10, 2025 at 8:27 AM
I would somehow be significantly less annoyed if Democrats were honest about why they're caving (no stomach for a continued shutdown through the holidays) rather than pretending the "concessions" they got are worth anything. stop wasting my time with the bullshit at least.
Something that I know doesn’t work is letting this unbelievable fucking moron in front of a camera to do any communications about this
November 10, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Something that I know doesn’t work is letting this unbelievable fucking moron in front of a camera to do any communications about this
Reposted by Anonymous WPA Bureaucrat
I do think senate dems have fundamentally wrecked their credibility tho, both in the party network and with the republicans
November 10, 2025 at 4:58 AM
I do think senate dems have fundamentally wrecked their credibility tho, both in the party network and with the republicans
“We got nothing out of this” will largely be the sentiment among Democratic voters, which is not going to help the already rock bottom favorability for the party among their own partisans—even if realistically there was never much they could’ve have gotten from it
November 10, 2025 at 4:49 AM
“We got nothing out of this” will largely be the sentiment among Democratic voters, which is not going to help the already rock bottom favorability for the party among their own partisans—even if realistically there was never much they could’ve have gotten from it
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 Anonymous WPA Bureaucrat
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.
so currently defectors are:
Kaine (2030)
Shaheen (Retiring)
Hasan (2028)
Fetterman (2028)
Durbin (Retiring)
CCM (2028)
Rosen (2030)
King (2030)
Kaine (2030)
Shaheen (Retiring)
Hasan (2028)
Fetterman (2028)
Durbin (Retiring)
CCM (2028)
Rosen (2030)
King (2030)
November 10, 2025 at 3:08 AM
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.)
It is absolutely insane to go out in front of the press and throw your colleagues under the bus like this
November 10, 2025 at 3:12 AM
It is absolutely insane to go out in front of the press and throw your colleagues under the bus like this
Reposted by Anonymous WPA Bureaucrat
Whatever else is in the deal, agreeing to merely have a vote on ACA is a fig leaf. Even if it passes the Senate, it won't in the House, which also makes it an easy yes vote for the Senate Rs who might want to, defusing it as an attack on them.
It is a stupid ask even on Team Schumer's own terms.
It is a stupid ask even on Team Schumer's own terms.
November 10, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Whatever else is in the deal, agreeing to merely have a vote on ACA is a fig leaf. Even if it passes the Senate, it won't in the House, which also makes it an easy yes vote for the Senate Rs who might want to, defusing it as an attack on them.
It is a stupid ask even on Team Schumer's own terms.
It is a stupid ask even on Team Schumer's own terms.
Reposted by Anonymous WPA Bureaucrat
should dems have settled for the deal? no. is this really going to shape 2026 outside of activating the base to primary everyone who looks like a squish? i doubt it
like as much as this site is in a fit of justified anger over this, the GOP... does not actually win anything by fucking over insurance markets
if they don't fix Obamacare credits and/or fuck it by replacing it with HSAs, next year is going to be uhhhh a healthcare election
November 10, 2025 at 2:06 AM
should dems have settled for the deal? no. is this really going to shape 2026 outside of activating the base to primary everyone who looks like a squish? i doubt it
Even if you disagree with the shutdown, Durbin has been an abysmally bad representative of his state throughout all of this. Sometimes symbolic actions do matter and his actions all year have been that he lacks any self-respect
It’s crazy that a Democratic senator who represents Illinois could see everything this administration is doing in Chicago and its suburbs and vote to reopen the government. Like these should be the Senators demanding so much more than everyone else to reopen the government.
November 10, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Even if you disagree with the shutdown, Durbin has been an abysmally bad representative of his state throughout all of this. Sometimes symbolic actions do matter and his actions all year have been that he lacks any self-respect
Reposted by Anonymous WPA Bureaucrat
The average SNAP benefit per month is $177 a person.
The average ACA benefit per month is up to $550 a person.
People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives.
And working people want leaders whose word means something to them.
The average ACA benefit per month is up to $550 a person.
People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives.
And working people want leaders whose word means something to them.
November 10, 2025 at 1:49 AM
The average SNAP benefit per month is $177 a person.
The average ACA benefit per month is up to $550 a person.
People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives.
And working people want leaders whose word means something to them.
The average ACA benefit per month is up to $550 a person.
People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives.
And working people want leaders whose word means something to them.
The only win condition Dems could have on the shutdown was obliterating as much support for the WH as possible. The GOP majority does not care about the ACA. Sparing the GOP the worst of that public erosion at a time they were most sensitive is a failure. You can rationalize it, but it was a failure
November 10, 2025 at 1:16 AM
The only win condition Dems could have on the shutdown was obliterating as much support for the WH as possible. The GOP majority does not care about the ACA. Sparing the GOP the worst of that public erosion at a time they were most sensitive is a failure. You can rationalize it, but it was a failure