David Watkins
@djw172.bsky.social
Political Science at the University of Dayton, occasional blogging at @lawgunsmoney.bsky.social.
Something like this was inevitable, and I'm sure there's more to come, but I figured it'd be a fringe-major leaguer journeyman. Clase hadn't made big money yet but it's not hard to imagine him getting an 80-100 million dollar contract in the next few years.
November 9, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Something like this was inevitable, and I'm sure there's more to come, but I figured it'd be a fringe-major leaguer journeyman. Clase hadn't made big money yet but it's not hard to imagine him getting an 80-100 million dollar contract in the next few years.
This article suggests fare-free transit is "normal" in Europe; it's far more common in the US.
Europe: Tallinn, Luxembourg, Dunkirk, Komarno (17th largest city in Slovakia)
US: Kansas City, Lawrence, Albuquerque, Chapel Hill, Alexandria, Worchester, Missoula, dozens of smaller systems.
Europe: Tallinn, Luxembourg, Dunkirk, Komarno (17th largest city in Slovakia)
US: Kansas City, Lawrence, Albuquerque, Chapel Hill, Alexandria, Worchester, Missoula, dozens of smaller systems.
Europeans recognize Zohran Mamdani’s supposedly radical policies as ‘normal’ -- Critics of New York City’s mayor-elect have said his pledges of free bus service and universal childcare are unrealistic, but in Europe it’s a given www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Europeans recognize Zohran Mamdani’s supposedly radical policies as ‘normal’
Critics of New York City’s mayor-elect have said his pledges of free bus service and universal childcare are unrealistic, but in Europe it’s a given
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:07 PM
This article suggests fare-free transit is "normal" in Europe; it's far more common in the US.
Europe: Tallinn, Luxembourg, Dunkirk, Komarno (17th largest city in Slovakia)
US: Kansas City, Lawrence, Albuquerque, Chapel Hill, Alexandria, Worchester, Missoula, dozens of smaller systems.
Europe: Tallinn, Luxembourg, Dunkirk, Komarno (17th largest city in Slovakia)
US: Kansas City, Lawrence, Albuquerque, Chapel Hill, Alexandria, Worchester, Missoula, dozens of smaller systems.
I'll do a brief thread about this in the next few days, but I just noticed my contribution to the Oxford Handbook of Republicanism, on the place of Public Administration in Republican theory, has gone live. Happy to send a PDF to interested parties w/o access.
academic.oup.com/edited-volum...
academic.oup.com/edited-volum...
Public Administration
AbstractThis chapter considers the place of administrative state actors and the choices they face in republican political theory. Under Philip Pettit’s inf
academic.oup.com
November 3, 2025 at 4:26 PM
I'll do a brief thread about this in the next few days, but I just noticed my contribution to the Oxford Handbook of Republicanism, on the place of Public Administration in Republican theory, has gone live. Happy to send a PDF to interested parties w/o access.
academic.oup.com/edited-volum...
academic.oup.com/edited-volum...
Ventured out into the wilds of East Dayton this afternoon to try Taqueria La Cuchilla. Well worth it; cachete (torta) and al pastor (taco) both exceptional. The creamy/spicy avocado sauce they give you is something I had no idea how much I needed in my life.
November 2, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Ventured out into the wilds of East Dayton this afternoon to try Taqueria La Cuchilla. Well worth it; cachete (torta) and al pastor (taco) both exceptional. The creamy/spicy avocado sauce they give you is something I had no idea how much I needed in my life.
Reposted by David Watkins
Happy Middle Housing Day in Berkeley. As of today, multifamily housing up to 3 stories at 70 units per acre is byright and ministerial on all Berkeley lots in the flatlands and foothills for the first time in history, stretching from Kensington to Oakland.
November 1, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Happy Middle Housing Day in Berkeley. As of today, multifamily housing up to 3 stories at 70 units per acre is byright and ministerial on all Berkeley lots in the flatlands and foothills for the first time in history, stretching from Kensington to Oakland.
Apparently, it's national cat day. Here's Willow and Nova, stealing my chair just seconds after I made the mistake of getting up.
October 31, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Apparently, it's national cat day. Here's Willow and Nova, stealing my chair just seconds after I made the mistake of getting up.
Pleased to see DSA's better angels prevail on a very important vote. If you're voting for Mamdani and want his mayoral term to be successful on his own terms, passing these propositions is not optional.
NYC: Vote YES on ballot props 2-4. We at DSA' Social Housing campaign @housethefuture.bsky.social support them to move affordable and social housing along at the city AND state levels.
October 27, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Pleased to see DSA's better angels prevail on a very important vote. If you're voting for Mamdani and want his mayoral term to be successful on his own terms, passing these propositions is not optional.
This is revealing. Fryer is, for all intents and purposes, a Harrell campaign operative. He's given this prime real estate for an opinion piece a week before the election, and the number of specific, positive Harrell accomplishments he chooses to identify and promote in the piece is zero.
I don't know who Alex is talking to other than "Seattle cops," but what I have heard consistently is that the race for mayor is about affordability and quality of life in an increasingly unequal city—not "let's take our anger at Trump out on City Hall." www.seattletimes.com/opinion/race...
If the Seattle electorate is angry at Trump, does it make sense to take it out on City Hall?
At a national inflection point, voters face a choice between incumbents who have met the moment and challengers who want to tax, spend and take us backward.
www.seattletimes.com
October 27, 2025 at 10:25 PM
This is revealing. Fryer is, for all intents and purposes, a Harrell campaign operative. He's given this prime real estate for an opinion piece a week before the election, and the number of specific, positive Harrell accomplishments he chooses to identify and promote in the piece is zero.
An early memory of mine is asking my parents to explain the (utterly deranged) Bircher political messages on this sign as a kid. It gives me a small amount of pleasure to learn it is now owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis reservation.
October 25, 2025 at 12:40 AM
An early memory of mine is asking my parents to explain the (utterly deranged) Bircher political messages on this sign as a kid. It gives me a small amount of pleasure to learn it is now owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis reservation.
Reposted by David Watkins
People kvetch about the chaos-inducing serial comma, but you can also do a lot with a colon! Beware, biographers!!
October 24, 2025 at 4:47 PM
People kvetch about the chaos-inducing serial comma, but you can also do a lot with a colon! Beware, biographers!!
Is there any remotely plausible path toward some sort of sanction or punishment for Adrienne Adams, or whoever whoever else is directly behind these obviously illegal mailers?
@council.nyc.gov is blatantly violating the City Charter's prohibition on using government resources for electioneering with their mailers and social media posts opposing pro-housing measures 2-4. Chapter 49, §1136.1: there is no ambiguity about how illegal this is. www.nyccfb.info/law/charter/...
October 23, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Is there any remotely plausible path toward some sort of sanction or punishment for Adrienne Adams, or whoever whoever else is directly behind these obviously illegal mailers?
Good. Pujols deserves better.
Albert Pujols won't be the Angels' manager, per Mark Feinsand.
Orioles and Padres remain interested.
Orioles and Padres remain interested.
October 20, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Good. Pujols deserves better.
Regardless of whether this guy gets a windfall by selling, "people who value not living near apartments more than they value being in the walkshed of a major transit stop moving out of that walkshed" seems like a highly desirable bit of Tiebout sorting.
The funny thing is that if Gerisch decides to move because he finds living near apartments intolerable, he'll probably make a killing by selling his home to a multifamily developer.
won't anyone think of the uhhhh sales executives who will be harmed by transit-oriented development in California
October 12, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Regardless of whether this guy gets a windfall by selling, "people who value not living near apartments more than they value being in the walkshed of a major transit stop moving out of that walkshed" seems like a highly desirable bit of Tiebout sorting.
Harrell's campaign is leaning hard on the "experience managing large, complex organizations" argument. And yet here's a story where SDOT ultimately follows its own policies and does the right thing, but *in spite of* Harrell's leadership, thanks to pressure from his opponent's activist organization.
First, it was eliminating a bus lane advocates fought for for years after developers wanted space for their right turns from the East side. Advocates fought back and the city immediately reversed.
www.theurbanist.org/2025/10/02/s...
www.theurbanist.org/2025/10/02/s...
SDOT Backpedals on Plans for Capitol Hill Bus Lane Removal » The Urbanist
# Work will continue on upgrades to E Union Street that will allow Route 2 buses to return to the corridor, but the idea of reopening the street to all westbound traffic has been taken off the table -...
www.theurbanist.org
October 10, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Harrell's campaign is leaning hard on the "experience managing large, complex organizations" argument. And yet here's a story where SDOT ultimately follows its own policies and does the right thing, but *in spite of* Harrell's leadership, thanks to pressure from his opponent's activist organization.
Quite the impressive leader Harrell picked for SPD. If your internal promotions cannot hope to withstand an article in local indie media factually recounting the incidents in the promoted individual's disciplinary file, maybe that promotion isn't the right call?
publicola.com/2025/10/09/r...
publicola.com/2025/10/09/r...
Reversing Decision, SPD Removes Controversial Captain Tietjen from East Precinct - PubliCola
By Erica C. Barnett Two days after PubliCola exclusively reported that Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes had promoted controversial police…
publicola.com
October 9, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Quite the impressive leader Harrell picked for SPD. If your internal promotions cannot hope to withstand an article in local indie media factually recounting the incidents in the promoted individual's disciplinary file, maybe that promotion isn't the right call?
publicola.com/2025/10/09/r...
publicola.com/2025/10/09/r...
Rough baseball day for us upper left corner folk, but a nice silver lining.
Happy "Yankees Elimination Day" to all who celebrate.
Happy "Yankees Elimination Day" to all who celebrate.
October 9, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Rough baseball day for us upper left corner folk, but a nice silver lining.
Happy "Yankees Elimination Day" to all who celebrate.
Happy "Yankees Elimination Day" to all who celebrate.
Reposted by David Watkins
Rumor is that Gavin Newsom is wavering on housing and might veto SB 79. If you live in California, please reach out to the governor’s office today: cayimby.org/call-sb-79/
Call the Governor to sign SB 79!
Please call the Governor and urge him to sign SB 79!
cayimby.org
October 3, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Rumor is that Gavin Newsom is wavering on housing and might veto SB 79. If you live in California, please reach out to the governor’s office today: cayimby.org/call-sb-79/
Tip for others returning to blue books: The key to grading a big pile of hand-written exams w/o losing your mind is to identify the ones with the worst handwriting and grade them first. Then you're "grading downhill." I am amazed at how effective this simple bit of psychological self-manipulation is
September 30, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Tip for others returning to blue books: The key to grading a big pile of hand-written exams w/o losing your mind is to identify the ones with the worst handwriting and grade them first. Then you're "grading downhill." I am amazed at how effective this simple bit of psychological self-manipulation is
Adam Bonica leans into comparative trends to argue that anti-corruption is a strong campaign strategy for Democrats. This leaves me conflicted.
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-democr...
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-democr...
The Democrats' Path Forward: Become the Anti-Corruption Party
But to reform the system they first need to reform the Democratic Party.
data4democracy.substack.com
September 29, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Adam Bonica leans into comparative trends to argue that anti-corruption is a strong campaign strategy for Democrats. This leaves me conflicted.
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-democr...
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-democr...
Happy Astros elimination day to all who celebrate.
In maybe the most Guardians thing ever, they just made the playoffs on a bases-loaded hit by pitch.
That also means the Astros missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. They had 92% playoff odds when they reacquired Carlos Correa from the Twins at the trade deadline.
That also means the Astros missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. They had 92% playoff odds when they reacquired Carlos Correa from the Twins at the trade deadline.
September 28, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Happy Astros elimination day to all who celebrate.
The "pretend my conservative policy preference (no new housing) is actually progressive by making sure the poison pills sound leftish" gambit is rarely quite so transparent and nakedly cynical.
requiring union labor to build an ADU is absurd lol. god why are so many democrats so unserious about housing
Some sort of “limitations and local review” and a union labor requirement for an ADU (lol) sounds like, in effect, Chicago has chosen to not allow ADUs
September 26, 2025 at 12:18 PM
The "pretend my conservative policy preference (no new housing) is actually progressive by making sure the poison pills sound leftish" gambit is rarely quite so transparent and nakedly cynical.
For any scholars of human rights or related topics: the Human Rights Center here at Dayton is having its biannual conference in April, and proposals are due at the end of the month. Consider submitting!
If you come, remind me of this post and I'll buy you a beer.
udayton.edu/blogs/udhuma...
If you come, remind me of this post and I'll buy you a beer.
udayton.edu/blogs/udhuma...
SPHR26 Call for Proposals : University of Dayton, Ohio
Call for proposals for the Social Practice of Human Rights Conference in April 2026.
udayton.edu
September 21, 2025 at 9:44 PM
For any scholars of human rights or related topics: the Human Rights Center here at Dayton is having its biannual conference in April, and proposals are due at the end of the month. Consider submitting!
If you come, remind me of this post and I'll buy you a beer.
udayton.edu/blogs/udhuma...
If you come, remind me of this post and I'll buy you a beer.
udayton.edu/blogs/udhuma...
I know this is all bad-faith and pretextual, but the fact that these NIMBYs think this might work as a pretext reveals a incredibly grim, dark worldview.
What’s happening here is that somebody is trying to build some homes and a council member is turning it into some creepy sexualized true crime podcast episode
Here is the full quote not cut off (and alt text for the full appeal).
September 21, 2025 at 2:29 PM
I know this is all bad-faith and pretextual, but the fact that these NIMBYs think this might work as a pretext reveals a incredibly grim, dark worldview.
Another flag there's something off about this model: The AL are collectively slight favorites. Perhaps I've drunk from the CW well too deeply but that seems obviously wrong to me. Gambling community is at AL +120, NL -140
I don't know what to make of the degree to which the fangraphs model is so bullish on the Mariners. Beyond the WS question, 60/40 to win the division when the H2H games are in Houston?
September 19, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Another flag there's something off about this model: The AL are collectively slight favorites. Perhaps I've drunk from the CW well too deeply but that seems obviously wrong to me. Gambling community is at AL +120, NL -140
I don't know what to make of the degree to which the fangraphs model is so bullish on the Mariners. Beyond the WS question, 60/40 to win the division when the H2H games are in Houston?
September 19, 2025 at 12:59 AM
I don't know what to make of the degree to which the fangraphs model is so bullish on the Mariners. Beyond the WS question, 60/40 to win the division when the H2H games are in Houston?