Jesse Valentine
@jessemvalentine.bsky.social
I write about politics. Former Dem strategist.
Pinned
Introducing myself: I used to work on political campaigns—now I write about them. I'm also a published poet and a collector of VHS tapes. Subscribe to the newsletter 👉 americanjournalnews.com/newsletter/
Reposted by Jesse Valentine
Something every 2026/28 Dem should commit to is investigations of any company that did deals with Trump. A kind of forward guidance to get companies to think twice in advance of what’s coming.
Fox News will applaud this but can you imagine their coverage if President Biden hatched a secret plan to take over Fox News and revamp its programming to be nicer to him
New WSJ reporting: "During a December visit to Washington, David Ellison offered assurances to Trump administration officials that if he bought Warner, he'd make sweeping changes to CNN, a common target of President Trump's ire, people familiar with the matter said..."
December 9, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Something every 2026/28 Dem should commit to is investigations of any company that did deals with Trump. A kind of forward guidance to get companies to think twice in advance of what’s coming.
Jasmine Crockett's Senate campaign is going to throw an interesting wrench into a race that Democrats have no chance of winning.
December 8, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Jasmine Crockett's Senate campaign is going to throw an interesting wrench into a race that Democrats have no chance of winning.
The weird thing about this question is RFK has been in charge of America's public health for almost a year now.
Over many interviews, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Michael Scherer about how he plans to remake America’s public-health system. Can he lead the scientific establishment he’s spent much of his life crusading against?
Read more in our new cover story: theatln.tc/q9hXxlbM
Read more in our new cover story: theatln.tc/q9hXxlbM
November 24, 2025 at 8:15 PM
The weird thing about this question is RFK has been in charge of America's public health for almost a year now.
Steyer is the only candidate in the CA gov race who sends me a xmas card, so take anything I say with a large grain of salt. But he is truly a class traitor, committed to giving his way his money and raising his own taxes. Dismissing him as "just another billionaire" is a mistake.
Tom Steyer enters California governor's race
Tom Steyer enters California governor's race
The Democratic megadonor laid a foundation to run by spending millions for Proposition 50.
dlvr.it
November 19, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Steyer is the only candidate in the CA gov race who sends me a xmas card, so take anything I say with a large grain of salt. But he is truly a class traitor, committed to giving his way his money and raising his own taxes. Dismissing him as "just another billionaire" is a mistake.
Everyone made fun of Johnson saying Trump was an FBI informant. But he maybe was. Trump appears in multiple indictments of New York mobsters doing illegal stuff but never faced charges himself. Seems entirely possible he ratted on Epstein in exchange for immunity.
November 13, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Everyone made fun of Johnson saying Trump was an FBI informant. But he maybe was. Trump appears in multiple indictments of New York mobsters doing illegal stuff but never faced charges himself. Seems entirely possible he ratted on Epstein in exchange for immunity.
Reposted by Jesse Valentine
We’re not going to make this country better with an army of Buttigiegs and Slotkins
November 12, 2025 at 1:02 PM
We’re not going to make this country better with an army of Buttigiegs and Slotkins
Egotistical billionaires are some of my least favorite people, but Dem flacks complaining to Politico about prominent people boosting their campaigns is weird.
Steyer says his ads helped ‘push Prop 50 over the finish line.’ The campaign begs to differ.
Steyer says his ads helped ‘push Prop 50 over the finish line.’ The campaign begs to differ.
The Proposition 50 campaign tested 13 ads to rate their effectiveness — and Steyer’s two ads ranked at the very bottom.
dlvr.it
November 4, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Egotistical billionaires are some of my least favorite people, but Dem flacks complaining to Politico about prominent people boosting their campaigns is weird.
Dick Cheney ordered the torture of Iraq War detainees by name.
November 4, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Dick Cheney ordered the torture of Iraq War detainees by name.
Perennial reminder that this dude committed election fraud 👇
October 23, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Perennial reminder that this dude committed election fraud 👇
Platner does not have a "Nazi tattoo" and accusing him of such is silly, bad-faith politics. But also he should be saying that and not giving it power with bizarre pledges to "remove it."
October 22, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Platner does not have a "Nazi tattoo" and accusing him of such is silly, bad-faith politics. But also he should be saying that and not giving it power with bizarre pledges to "remove it."
Reminder that the most dangerous aspect of AI is not its capacity to fake things, but its capacity to extend plausible deniability to bad people.
New: Before withdrawing this evening, Paul Ingrassia wrote to Republicans after Politico story, asking for a “fair hearing” and said he had “no recollection” of the offensive texts and said they could be AI or “doctored”
October 21, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Reminder that the most dangerous aspect of AI is not its capacity to fake things, but its capacity to extend plausible deniability to bad people.
I don’t mind Trump effectively pardoning Santos, but I do mind the beneficial treatment prominent people get in our justice system.
October 18, 2025 at 12:50 PM
I don’t mind Trump effectively pardoning Santos, but I do mind the beneficial treatment prominent people get in our justice system.
Some mornings the fascism depressed me. Others it’s the discourse from our incredibly stupid political media.
October 17, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Some mornings the fascism depressed me. Others it’s the discourse from our incredibly stupid political media.
Reposted by Jesse Valentine
AOC has just officially become the top House fundraiser, beating out Hakeem Jeffries. Now lemme take a big sip of coffee as I look at the age distribution of donors to AOC vs Jeffries
October 16, 2025 at 8:51 PM
AOC has just officially become the top House fundraiser, beating out Hakeem Jeffries. Now lemme take a big sip of coffee as I look at the age distribution of donors to AOC vs Jeffries
Not to sound myopic, but I'm so glad I'm a liberal and don't live in an embittered fever dream where, even in power, I insist on clinging to imagined resentments as tightly as my cross and guns.
Trump: "I won Georgia three times. But they say twice. I won it big the second time but we had criminals that didn't allow- I hope they're gonna go into that. I hope they go into the votes which are being stored in Fulton County and take a real look at those votes, because I won it the 2nd time too"
October 15, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Not to sound myopic, but I'm so glad I'm a liberal and don't live in an embittered fever dream where, even in power, I insist on clinging to imagined resentments as tightly as my cross and guns.
These guys say violence is being incited when they're called a "threat to democracy"... give me a break.
Mike Johnson on the No Kings Protests: “The Hate America rally that'll happen Saturday…I bet you see pro-Hamas supporters. I bet you you see Antifa types. I bet you see the Marxist in full display, the people who don't want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic.”
October 15, 2025 at 7:35 PM
These guys say violence is being incited when they're called a "threat to democracy"... give me a break.
There is a rash of moderate Dems missing the point. Moulton is center right and thinking he can beat Markey just because of age is insanely myopic. It’s akin to thinking Mamdani won “because of social media.”
Seth Moulton to seek Massachusetts Senate seat held by Ed Markey in generational fight
Markey is one of the oldest members of Congress.
www.politico.com
October 15, 2025 at 12:08 PM
There is a rash of moderate Dems missing the point. Moulton is center right and thinking he can beat Markey just because of age is insanely myopic. It’s akin to thinking Mamdani won “because of social media.”
Reposted by Jesse Valentine
Janet Mills already has what appears to be a joint fundraising operation with the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. There are 8 other Democratic candidates in the Maine Senate race.
October 14, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Janet Mills already has what appears to be a joint fundraising operation with the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. There are 8 other Democratic candidates in the Maine Senate race.
Reposted by Jesse Valentine
Time owner Marc Benioff (and Salesforce CEO) just announced a few days ago that he's eager to start sucking Trump's dick full time. He even wants troops deployed to San Francisco. But as we see here, it's never enough. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...
October 14, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Time owner Marc Benioff (and Salesforce CEO) just announced a few days ago that he's eager to start sucking Trump's dick full time. He even wants troops deployed to San Francisco. But as we see here, it's never enough. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...
Huh. The same week every news source is incredulous that he didn't get the peace prize.
Trump announces another strike "just off the Coast of Venezuela" that killed 6 people
October 14, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Huh. The same week every news source is incredulous that he didn't get the peace prize.
A candidate of advanced age requires an honest discussion of the consequences. Leadership believes if they flip this seat now, they'll hold it forever. But there is no guarantee that Maine won't elect a GOP governor (they have before) and if Mills has to leave office early, the seat is lost again.
I appreciate the intentions behind promising to only run for one term - but man, if you have to make that promise right out of the gate, why even run? www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...
Maine Gov. Janet Mills launches Senate run against one of Democrats' top 2026 targets
Mills, who is 77 years old, told NBC News she doesn't plan to serve more than one term and cast herself as the Democrat best positioned to defeat GOP Sen. Susan Collins.
www.nbcnews.com
October 14, 2025 at 1:16 PM
A candidate of advanced age requires an honest discussion of the consequences. Leadership believes if they flip this seat now, they'll hold it forever. But there is no guarantee that Maine won't elect a GOP governor (they have before) and if Mills has to leave office early, the seat is lost again.
No sympathy, but imagine being Marco Rubio and doing all the leg-work to secure a peace deal in Israel and then you have to lick Trump's boots and give him all the credit.
October 13, 2025 at 5:02 PM
No sympathy, but imagine being Marco Rubio and doing all the leg-work to secure a peace deal in Israel and then you have to lick Trump's boots and give him all the credit.
The winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature looks like the writer I dreamed of being when I was in college.
October 10, 2025 at 12:23 PM
The winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature looks like the writer I dreamed of being when I was in college.
Trump lobbied so hard for a Nobel Peace Prize that our dumbass media started treating it as a real possibility. Bad sign that the American press is so easily seduced.
October 10, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Trump lobbied so hard for a Nobel Peace Prize that our dumbass media started treating it as a real possibility. Bad sign that the American press is so easily seduced.
Look, who am I, but AOC has to run for president and stop with the "or maybe Senate" talk. She is the only one with the name recognition and popularity to carry the progressive mantle forward on the national stage.
We believe healthcare is a right for every American.
But starting today, millions of people will be notified that they are being priced out of their insurance thanks to Republican policies.
Enough is enough. The GOP may shut down the government, but we will stand tall for YOU.
But starting today, millions of people will be notified that they are being priced out of their insurance thanks to Republican policies.
Enough is enough. The GOP may shut down the government, but we will stand tall for YOU.
October 9, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Look, who am I, but AOC has to run for president and stop with the "or maybe Senate" talk. She is the only one with the name recognition and popularity to carry the progressive mantle forward on the national stage.