Jared Hardesty
@drhardesty.bsky.social
Professor of History at Western Washington University. Historian of colonial America, labor, and slavery.
Most recent book:
https://hackettpublishing.com/the-suriname-writings-of-john-gabriel-stedman
Most recent book:
https://hackettpublishing.com/the-suriname-writings-of-john-gabriel-stedman
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
Right.
If you want a good explanation of why the American system of government worked well enough for 200 years and then suddenly stopped, it's because Republicans in Congress suddenly started letting their partisan interests COMPLETELY override their institutional interests
If you want a good explanation of why the American system of government worked well enough for 200 years and then suddenly stopped, it's because Republicans in Congress suddenly started letting their partisan interests COMPLETELY override their institutional interests
a lot of problems wouldn't exist if we had a congress with even an ounce of self interest
Honestly insane they didn't brief the gang of eight until it was underway
January 4, 2026 at 10:47 PM
Right.
If you want a good explanation of why the American system of government worked well enough for 200 years and then suddenly stopped, it's because Republicans in Congress suddenly started letting their partisan interests COMPLETELY override their institutional interests
If you want a good explanation of why the American system of government worked well enough for 200 years and then suddenly stopped, it's because Republicans in Congress suddenly started letting their partisan interests COMPLETELY override their institutional interests
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
yep. i can identify any number of structural issues but at the end of the day the basic problem is the republican party. this has been apparent for at least 20 years. it is also an incredibly unpopular observation to make among “serious” people.
Right.
If you want a good explanation of why the American system of government worked well enough for 200 years and then suddenly stopped, it's because Republicans in Congress suddenly started letting their partisan interests COMPLETELY override their institutional interests
If you want a good explanation of why the American system of government worked well enough for 200 years and then suddenly stopped, it's because Republicans in Congress suddenly started letting their partisan interests COMPLETELY override their institutional interests
a lot of problems wouldn't exist if we had a congress with even an ounce of self interest
January 4, 2026 at 11:52 PM
yep. i can identify any number of structural issues but at the end of the day the basic problem is the republican party. this has been apparent for at least 20 years. it is also an incredibly unpopular observation to make among “serious” people.
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
In the 19th century, George Santos would have led a filibustering expedition to Venezuela and gotten shot by a firing squad in Caracas.
January 4, 2026 at 8:59 PM
In the 19th century, George Santos would have led a filibustering expedition to Venezuela and gotten shot by a firing squad in Caracas.
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
this is repulsive, but for those who didn't live through "shock and awe" in iraq: it's the norm with the bootlickers who largely make up the dc/nyc press
January 4, 2026 at 6:04 PM
this is repulsive, but for those who didn't live through "shock and awe" in iraq: it's the norm with the bootlickers who largely make up the dc/nyc press
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
I don't see what's hard about telling Americans the truth: The aged lying self-obsessed president who tariffed your stuff while blocking the Epstein Files & taking multiple cognitive tests just started a war you didn't ask for, for no coherent reason other than he thinks it makes him look good on TV
January 4, 2026 at 4:03 PM
I don't see what's hard about telling Americans the truth: The aged lying self-obsessed president who tariffed your stuff while blocking the Epstein Files & taking multiple cognitive tests just started a war you didn't ask for, for no coherent reason other than he thinks it makes him look good on TV
![Screen shot from the show Andor. Someone says to Mon Mothma “They [meaning the Empire] don’t even bother to lie badly anymore.” Mon replies “I suppose that’s the final humiliation.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ny5w2k6brb2kdubxnevke6li/bafkreibrxbmhwrnkwo2ztnczubpnzpup3uf6dpyhs7mk2uxpeoeynhjo2q@jpeg)
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
this is your mission. our pedophile president needs you to jump out of a helicopter to kidnap a head of state and his wife so some oil ceos can make a lot of money. we’ll be watching from a resort in florida that still serves wedge salad and checking how many retweets we get. good luck soldier
January 3, 2026 at 10:57 PM
this is your mission. our pedophile president needs you to jump out of a helicopter to kidnap a head of state and his wife so some oil ceos can make a lot of money. we’ll be watching from a resort in florida that still serves wedge salad and checking how many retweets we get. good luck soldier
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
They like Trump and want to help him. The "this was illegal and awful" editorial they ran this morning means nothing if they coat the front page in stories normalizing this after
The most junior copy editor at the nation’s worst college paper could find a way to squeeze “which killed an estimated 40 people” somewhere into these top 6 grafs of the NYTimes story.
It was a conscious decision to bury it in the bottom half.
It was a conscious decision to bury it in the bottom half.
January 4, 2026 at 5:33 AM
They like Trump and want to help him. The "this was illegal and awful" editorial they ran this morning means nothing if they coat the front page in stories normalizing this after
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
absolutely bizarre to see a violent, rogue american regime, which is threatening military attacks on a bunch of major trading partners and close allies, and openly fantasizing about hitler-style wars of territorial conquest, covered in the tone of horse-race political commentary
January 4, 2026 at 3:14 AM
absolutely bizarre to see a violent, rogue american regime, which is threatening military attacks on a bunch of major trading partners and close allies, and openly fantasizing about hitler-style wars of territorial conquest, covered in the tone of horse-race political commentary
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
So the US can abduct anyone—including heads of state—as long as they’ve been indicted in the US. But the SC has also ruled it’s impossible for the US to prosecute its own President. The natural conclusion: some sort of mutually beneficial system of authoritarian kidnap-exchange. A Coasean Sargon.
January 4, 2026 at 1:27 AM
So the US can abduct anyone—including heads of state—as long as they’ve been indicted in the US. But the SC has also ruled it’s impossible for the US to prosecute its own President. The natural conclusion: some sort of mutually beneficial system of authoritarian kidnap-exchange. A Coasean Sargon.
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
Compare this to Biden leaving Afghanistan & think about what the incentives are for every American politician
everyone on the tv wants you to know that this is good actually
January 4, 2026 at 12:09 AM
Compare this to Biden leaving Afghanistan & think about what the incentives are for every American politician
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
some thoughts on all of this madness from earlier in the morning youtu.be/-yUi-0vNlDA
Donald Trump’s War in Venezuela (Congratulations to the Winners of the “Fell for it Again Award”)
YouTube video by Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie
youtu.be
January 3, 2026 at 9:40 PM
some thoughts on all of this madness from earlier in the morning youtu.be/-yUi-0vNlDA
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
Insane how much these people hate their own country
January 3, 2026 at 8:52 PM
Insane how much these people hate their own country
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
Their messaging is so fucking incoherent. Maduro was an illegitimate leader who lost in 2024, which is why we're replacing him with his VP instead of the person who won in 2024. We did this to stop fentanyl, which is why he's indicted for cocaine.
We're also occupying Venezuela via Zoom call.
We're also occupying Venezuela via Zoom call.
January 3, 2026 at 9:18 PM
Their messaging is so fucking incoherent. Maduro was an illegitimate leader who lost in 2024, which is why we're replacing him with his VP instead of the person who won in 2024. We did this to stop fentanyl, which is why he's indicted for cocaine.
We're also occupying Venezuela via Zoom call.
We're also occupying Venezuela via Zoom call.
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
oh my god he posted so many action shots from the makeshift mar a lago situation room and they were just looking at tweets together on a gigantic screen
January 3, 2026 at 6:31 PM
oh my god he posted so many action shots from the makeshift mar a lago situation room and they were just looking at tweets together on a gigantic screen
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
Trump just posted this photo of the sharpest minds in our intelligence community hard at work during the Venezuelan operation.
January 3, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Trump just posted this photo of the sharpest minds in our intelligence community hard at work during the Venezuelan operation.
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
Double-checking quotes for my copy edits for my forthcoming book.
This speech about why England should make war on Spain (given in Charles I’s Privy Council April 1625) to gain colonies in the Caribbean is feeling relevant today.
This speech about why England should make war on Spain (given in Charles I’s Privy Council April 1625) to gain colonies in the Caribbean is feeling relevant today.
January 3, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Double-checking quotes for my copy edits for my forthcoming book.
This speech about why England should make war on Spain (given in Charles I’s Privy Council April 1625) to gain colonies in the Caribbean is feeling relevant today.
This speech about why England should make war on Spain (given in Charles I’s Privy Council April 1625) to gain colonies in the Caribbean is feeling relevant today.
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
Everybody’s got “I will make them lose (to whom, Karl?)” covered, so I’ll just point and laugh at the idea that anybody next week, let alone in November or three Novembers from now, is going to base their vote on disliking Jeffries’ press release on this. Insane stuff.
January 3, 2026 at 7:06 PM
Everybody’s got “I will make them lose (to whom, Karl?)” covered, so I’ll just point and laugh at the idea that anybody next week, let alone in November or three Novembers from now, is going to base their vote on disliking Jeffries’ press release on this. Insane stuff.
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
I DECLARE A PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY
January 3, 2026 at 4:55 PM
I DECLARE A PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
APNewsAlert: CARACAS, #Venezuela (AP) — No visible signs yet that US is running Venezuela after Trump claims, as country's security forces control key sites.
January 3, 2026 at 5:04 PM
APNewsAlert: CARACAS, #Venezuela (AP) — No visible signs yet that US is running Venezuela after Trump claims, as country's security forces control key sites.
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
With Trump's cognitive collapse and Vance sinking into a cesspit of delusionally online groyperism perhaps Stephen Miller and Marco Rubio are now the most powerful figures in America
January 3, 2026 at 4:39 PM
With Trump's cognitive collapse and Vance sinking into a cesspit of delusionally online groyperism perhaps Stephen Miller and Marco Rubio are now the most powerful figures in America
Reposted by Jared Hardesty
Don't you usually have to traditionally...defeat and occupy a country before you announce that you're occupying that country?
January 3, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Don't you usually have to traditionally...defeat and occupy a country before you announce that you're occupying that country?