David W. Carstens
@davidwcarstens.bsky.social
Writer. Former Democratic Nominee for TX HD-66
Now, I'm just trying to figure out a way forward for our politics, our culture, and our world.
https://www.davidcarstens.com
&
https://carstens.substack.com/
Now, I'm just trying to figure out a way forward for our politics, our culture, and our world.
https://www.davidcarstens.com
&
https://carstens.substack.com/
Pinned
I’d appreciate it if y’all went and read my recent Substack — I happen to think I have some pretty good ideas in there: https://open.substack.com/pub/carstens?r=q0udl&utm_medium=ios
I've decided to take up streaming! If you happen to like the best sport (soccer/football) and nerdy simulation games, you should tune in and chat with me! I'm happy to talk sports, or politics, or video games, or culture, or life! www.twitch.tv/davidwcarstens
Twitch
Twitch is the world
www.twitch.tv
June 18, 2025 at 5:58 PM
I've decided to take up streaming! If you happen to like the best sport (soccer/football) and nerdy simulation games, you should tune in and chat with me! I'm happy to talk sports, or politics, or video games, or culture, or life! www.twitch.tv/davidwcarstens
The Digital Millenium Copyright Act is so deeply outdated, ill-constructed, anti-consumer, and anti-creativity.
April 15, 2025 at 6:18 PM
The Digital Millenium Copyright Act is so deeply outdated, ill-constructed, anti-consumer, and anti-creativity.
Trading Luka is unhinged. I’m in shock.
February 2, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Trading Luka is unhinged. I’m in shock.
I do, in fact, dislike social media still. The character limit here is a pain.
January 11, 2025 at 7:48 PM
I do, in fact, dislike social media still. The character limit here is a pain.
Everyone trying to fit the fires in California into neat ideological boxes is a fool. Climate change contributes to fires, not refilling the reservoirs was dumb, and yes — the LA Fire Department is overly concerned with liberal political posturing. These are all true. We gotta focus on the fires!
January 10, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Everyone trying to fit the fires in California into neat ideological boxes is a fool. Climate change contributes to fires, not refilling the reservoirs was dumb, and yes — the LA Fire Department is overly concerned with liberal political posturing. These are all true. We gotta focus on the fires!
Snow is so much prettier from far away. This is especially true in urban areas.
January 10, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Snow is so much prettier from far away. This is especially true in urban areas.
Now that I'm finally all moved in up here in DC, I imagine I'll be posting a bit more.
January 8, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Now that I'm finally all moved in up here in DC, I imagine I'll be posting a bit more.
Language learning is so difficult— I have this unreasonable disappointment in 4 year old me for not thinking to learn Mandarin while it was easiest.
December 19, 2024 at 5:41 AM
Language learning is so difficult— I have this unreasonable disappointment in 4 year old me for not thinking to learn Mandarin while it was easiest.
Reposted by David W. Carstens
Gonna start a school for politicians to learn how to go on podcasts and I'm going to charge so much money and also the entire thing is going to be rephrasing the sentence, "Now, for this next part, you're going to want to pretend like you're currently a human person."
December 5, 2024 at 8:09 PM
Gonna start a school for politicians to learn how to go on podcasts and I'm going to charge so much money and also the entire thing is going to be rephrasing the sentence, "Now, for this next part, you're going to want to pretend like you're currently a human person."
Honestly, banning cigarettes makes far, far, far more sense than banning cannabis.
December 5, 2024 at 6:25 PM
Honestly, banning cigarettes makes far, far, far more sense than banning cannabis.
Look: being against cannabis legalization is silly and morally inconsistent if you are not also in favor of making cigarettes and alcohol illegal. Call me a libertarian or whatever - the government doesn't have a genuine reason to keep people from (knowingly) ingesting (relatively) harmless drugs.
December 5, 2024 at 6:24 PM
Look: being against cannabis legalization is silly and morally inconsistent if you are not also in favor of making cigarettes and alcohol illegal. Call me a libertarian or whatever - the government doesn't have a genuine reason to keep people from (knowingly) ingesting (relatively) harmless drugs.
This isn't just a drug crisis. The drug crisis is a symptom. This is a mental health care crisis.
In 2023, 74,702 Americans were killed by fentanyl.
This an annual death toll higher than car accidents and even higher than gun violence.
Our people are being poisoned right before our very eyes.
This an annual death toll higher than car accidents and even higher than gun violence.
Our people are being poisoned right before our very eyes.
December 5, 2024 at 1:45 AM
This isn't just a drug crisis. The drug crisis is a symptom. This is a mental health care crisis.
I fear the bots have arrived
December 5, 2024 at 1:08 AM
I fear the bots have arrived
You know what’s funny: I don’t even like politics.
December 4, 2024 at 10:21 PM
You know what’s funny: I don’t even like politics.
For those that have not seen it: carstens.substack.com/p/where-did-...
Where Did All The Men Go?
Men didn't fail us; we failed them
carstens.substack.com
December 4, 2024 at 5:23 PM
For those that have not seen it: carstens.substack.com/p/where-did-...
Thinking of writing an entire political manifesto, don't test me.
December 4, 2024 at 4:20 PM
Thinking of writing an entire political manifesto, don't test me.
You know what I miss: real internet community on discussion forums. The consolidation of social media into the ~bad platform~ has done a lot of damage here. Maybe Bluesky growing might signal that internet forums can make a return. Maybe I'll make one.
December 3, 2024 at 4:37 PM
You know what I miss: real internet community on discussion forums. The consolidation of social media into the ~bad platform~ has done a lot of damage here. Maybe Bluesky growing might signal that internet forums can make a return. Maybe I'll make one.
Sorry to bring something from the bad site, but here:
December 3, 2024 at 4:26 PM
Sorry to bring something from the bad site, but here:
Uh oh! :0
South Korean president declares emergency martial law
South Korean president declares emergency martial law
Yoon Suk Yeol vows to ‘eradicate pro-North Korean forces’ and protect order during televised briefing
South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has declared an “emergency martial law”, accusing the opposition of controlling the parliament, sympathising…
www.theguardian.com
December 3, 2024 at 3:30 PM
Uh oh! :0
I think we need to expect our public figures (politicians, intellectuals, influencers, etc.) to be multifaceted people. No one likes a political robot, and political robots often make bad political decisions. Tweet about a movie or something from time to time.
December 2, 2024 at 11:08 PM
I think we need to expect our public figures (politicians, intellectuals, influencers, etc.) to be multifaceted people. No one likes a political robot, and political robots often make bad political decisions. Tweet about a movie or something from time to time.
Reposted by David W. Carstens
Good branding, political and otherwise, is all about repetition, repetition, repetition. The problem is that political solutions and innovation cannot be repetitive. They must be new.
November 27, 2024 at 3:10 PM
Good branding, political and otherwise, is all about repetition, repetition, repetition. The problem is that political solutions and innovation cannot be repetitive. They must be new.
While running, I recommended this book almost every time I was asked for a book recommend (which was frequent, because of my background in writing).
Written in the 1960s ( and 1950s) but could absolutely be applied to today
December 2, 2024 at 8:21 PM
While running, I recommended this book almost every time I was asked for a book recommend (which was frequent, because of my background in writing).
Bluesky's logo is honestly pretty nice. I like it.
December 2, 2024 at 8:17 PM
Bluesky's logo is honestly pretty nice. I like it.
Biden shouldn't have pardoned Hunter. I understand why he did. Trump shouldn't have pardoned Charles Kushner. I understand why he did. The problem is the complete lack of checks on the pardoning power. Presidents are only human. We can't expect them to be saints. Design systems around human flaws.
December 2, 2024 at 7:55 PM
Biden shouldn't have pardoned Hunter. I understand why he did. Trump shouldn't have pardoned Charles Kushner. I understand why he did. The problem is the complete lack of checks on the pardoning power. Presidents are only human. We can't expect them to be saints. Design systems around human flaws.
We need a national project: something that brings us together, gives us a goal, encourages innovation and free-thinking. The Space Race was that goal for the 20th century. I believe fighting climate change could, and should, be that project for the 21st century.
November 28, 2024 at 12:39 AM
We need a national project: something that brings us together, gives us a goal, encourages innovation and free-thinking. The Space Race was that goal for the 20th century. I believe fighting climate change could, and should, be that project for the 21st century.