Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
@kjephd.bsky.social
Political theorist studying democracy, ethics, & institutions. Author of Democracy for Busy People (https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/D/bo194847654.html); more at kevinjelliott.net. Generally poasting my way through this thing
Pinned
New article out from me, in which I consider: what if I'm wrong about everything re: what's important for a flourishing democracy?
I use a recent book attacking institutions & advocating disintermediated localism to explore the limits of my view.
Get it free here: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...
I use a recent book attacking institutions & advocating disintermediated localism to explore the limits of my view.
Get it free here: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
Recent CBS News news:
1. Anderson Cooper leaves 60 Minutes after two decades
2. Stephen Colbert reveals network won’t let him air interview with Dem
3. Producer says politics dictating what airs
4. Owner’s bid for CNN parent back on the table.
5. Not firing Epstein pal.
1. Anderson Cooper leaves 60 Minutes after two decades
2. Stephen Colbert reveals network won’t let him air interview with Dem
3. Producer says politics dictating what airs
4. Owner’s bid for CNN parent back on the table.
5. Not firing Epstein pal.
February 17, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Recent CBS News news:
1. Anderson Cooper leaves 60 Minutes after two decades
2. Stephen Colbert reveals network won’t let him air interview with Dem
3. Producer says politics dictating what airs
4. Owner’s bid for CNN parent back on the table.
5. Not firing Epstein pal.
1. Anderson Cooper leaves 60 Minutes after two decades
2. Stephen Colbert reveals network won’t let him air interview with Dem
3. Producer says politics dictating what airs
4. Owner’s bid for CNN parent back on the table.
5. Not firing Epstein pal.
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
I really hope that translates into "The DHS is dead on arrival, then."
The GOP giving the Dems the line of "The admin wants us to pick between the Constitution and the DHS" is one hell of a gift.
The GOP giving the Dems the line of "The admin wants us to pick between the Constitution and the DHS" is one hell of a gift.
"[the 4th Amendment] is dead on arrival," according to three sources close to the administration and a GOP strategist
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
‘Complete nonstarter’: Administration allies say judicial warrants a red line for White House in DHS funding talks as shutdown looms
The seeming stalemate sets up a clash between the Trump administration and Democrats ahead of a Friday night deadline.
www.politico.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:11 AM
I really hope that translates into "The DHS is dead on arrival, then."
The GOP giving the Dems the line of "The admin wants us to pick between the Constitution and the DHS" is one hell of a gift.
The GOP giving the Dems the line of "The admin wants us to pick between the Constitution and the DHS" is one hell of a gift.
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
I just wrote a column about rich people being accorded the presumption that they’re smart when they’re really dumb and it is publishing tomorrow but …she just skeeted it out.
February 17, 2026 at 5:07 AM
I just wrote a column about rich people being accorded the presumption that they’re smart when they’re really dumb and it is publishing tomorrow but …she just skeeted it out.
Sinking ships, etc.
The longtime correspondent, who is also a CNN anchor and host, said he wanted to spend more time with his family. on.wsj.com/4aAGuDo
Anderson Cooper will be leaving CBS News’s “60 Minutes” after the current season
The longtime correspondent, who is also a CNN anchor and host, said he wanted to spend more time with his family.
on.wsj.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:11 AM
Sinking ships, etc.
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
gotta do investigations into DHS “waste, fraud and abuse” as pretext for killing the agency
The interior of Kristi Noem’s new billionaire-class luxury jet is complete with two bidets and a wet bar with a wine chiller. It will be purchased on our dime from the slush fund Congress approved in the One Big Beautiful Bill.
open.substack.com/pub/newsnotn...
open.substack.com/pub/newsnotn...
Let Them Fly First Class: Kristi Noem’s DHS Luxury Jet Scandal
Inside Noem's flying palace. Plus: Pentagon demands obedient, deadly AI. The race to deploy untested nuclear reactors. Lawmakers move to rein in presidential pardons. And remembering Robert Duvall.
open.substack.com
February 17, 2026 at 2:53 AM
gotta do investigations into DHS “waste, fraud and abuse” as pretext for killing the agency
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
This is the last thing you have to do before you finish your degree in physics.
#ITeachPhysics another relative velocity video for you
February 17, 2026 at 3:35 AM
This is the last thing you have to do before you finish your degree in physics.
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
I mostly argue online to figure out what my own opinion is
The secret to engaging in social media debate is knowing you will never win anyone over. The best you can hope for is to have people who already agree with tell you you're awesome. You might great a dopamine thrill from the righteousness of your anger! Fine benefits, all. But you will never win.
February 17, 2026 at 1:12 AM
I mostly argue online to figure out what my own opinion is
Thanks, I hate it
February 17, 2026 at 1:09 AM
Thanks, I hate it
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
A rapid transition to renewable energy would save tens of trillions $ in savings. We'd no longer have to pay for constant deliveries of coal, gas & oil. Instead, having financed the upfront costs of solar panels & wind turbines, we’d be able to take advantage of the free energy coming from the sun.
Very funny Bill McKibben reply to a critical letter in NYRB:
"I’m grateful to Mark Roller for producing an almost pitch-perfect summary of the anti-renewable talking points that have been in circulation for decades. These would have been wrong in, say, 2016, but in 2026 they are just silly."
"I’m grateful to Mark Roller for producing an almost pitch-perfect summary of the anti-renewable talking points that have been in circulation for decades. These would have been wrong in, say, 2016, but in 2026 they are just silly."
Is It Easy Being Green? | Mark Roller, Bill McKibben
To the Editors: Regarding Bill McKibben’s review of The Story of CO 2 Is the Story of Everything , and with all due respect to McKibben, I believe that
www.nybooks.com
February 16, 2026 at 11:01 PM
A rapid transition to renewable energy would save tens of trillions $ in savings. We'd no longer have to pay for constant deliveries of coal, gas & oil. Instead, having financed the upfront costs of solar panels & wind turbines, we’d be able to take advantage of the free energy coming from the sun.
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
This touches on an important point @joshtpm.bsky.social has been talking about a good deal lately.. Sample...
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/rethi...
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/rethi...
February 16, 2026 at 11:07 PM
This touches on an important point @joshtpm.bsky.social has been talking about a good deal lately.. Sample...
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/rethi...
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/rethi...
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
I am increasingly appreciative of efforts to grapple with what's actually happening and how we should respond to what's actually happening, compared to well-intentioned only-maybe-effective efforts aimed at keeping people engaged by make it look like democracy is holding on more than it is.
I'm not trying to add snark. I keep hearing versions of this and think it's useful to consider.
Let's assume for the sake of argument that it is true that the lower courts are working. That forcing lawyers for immigrants to prove 4,400 times that the .gov breaking the law is the system working. +
Let's assume for the sake of argument that it is true that the lower courts are working. That forcing lawyers for immigrants to prove 4,400 times that the .gov breaking the law is the system working. +
February 16, 2026 at 8:34 PM
I am increasingly appreciative of efforts to grapple with what's actually happening and how we should respond to what's actually happening, compared to well-intentioned only-maybe-effective efforts aimed at keeping people engaged by make it look like democracy is holding on more than it is.
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
I'm not trying to add snark. I keep hearing versions of this and think it's useful to consider.
Let's assume for the sake of argument that it is true that the lower courts are working. That forcing lawyers for immigrants to prove 4,400 times that the .gov breaking the law is the system working. +
Let's assume for the sake of argument that it is true that the lower courts are working. That forcing lawyers for immigrants to prove 4,400 times that the .gov breaking the law is the system working. +
February 15, 2026 at 5:59 PM
I'm not trying to add snark. I keep hearing versions of this and think it's useful to consider.
Let's assume for the sake of argument that it is true that the lower courts are working. That forcing lawyers for immigrants to prove 4,400 times that the .gov breaking the law is the system working. +
Let's assume for the sake of argument that it is true that the lower courts are working. That forcing lawyers for immigrants to prove 4,400 times that the .gov breaking the law is the system working. +
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
If you want to understand why rich guys are turning back to eugenics and recreating the rhetoric and theology of slavery, it’s because they know on some level this level of wealth inequality is unjustifiable bsky.app/profile/marl...
February 16, 2026 at 6:06 PM
If you want to understand why rich guys are turning back to eugenics and recreating the rhetoric and theology of slavery, it’s because they know on some level this level of wealth inequality is unjustifiable bsky.app/profile/marl...
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
This is a nice move in an interview www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/u...
February 16, 2026 at 6:54 PM
This is a nice move in an interview www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/u...
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
Reading American history will break your heart a thousand times but it will also fill you with such admiration and awe for all the people who were excluded from the protection of America’s founding principles and fought to promote, protect and expand them anyways
February 16, 2026 at 12:19 AM
Reading American history will break your heart a thousand times but it will also fill you with such admiration and awe for all the people who were excluded from the protection of America’s founding principles and fought to promote, protect and expand them anyways
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
The Dow was at 43,488 when Trump took office. It just hit 50,000.
So if you had invested $43,488 in the US, you would now have $50,000. But if you had invested the same amount in the rest of the world, you would now be worth $60,000.
Lemme do a expla-youtube-nation
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYL5...
So if you had invested $43,488 in the US, you would now have $50,000. But if you had invested the same amount in the rest of the world, you would now be worth $60,000.
Lemme do a expla-youtube-nation
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYL5...
"Dow 50,000" Sound Nice. Until Justin Wolfers Shows You That U.S. Markets Are Coming 21st Out of 23.
What does “Dow 50,000” actually tell you—anything about the economy, or just that a number got bigger?
Dow 50,000 is a milestone, not a measurement. The level of the Dow is basically arbitrary: it’s…
www.youtube.com
February 15, 2026 at 12:52 PM
The Dow was at 43,488 when Trump took office. It just hit 50,000.
So if you had invested $43,488 in the US, you would now have $50,000. But if you had invested the same amount in the rest of the world, you would now be worth $60,000.
Lemme do a expla-youtube-nation
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYL5...
So if you had invested $43,488 in the US, you would now have $50,000. But if you had invested the same amount in the rest of the world, you would now be worth $60,000.
Lemme do a expla-youtube-nation
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYL5...
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
A child dying of cancer spent her final days fighting to free her wrongfully detained father from ICE custody.
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
Not one dime for this cruelty.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
Not one dime for this cruelty.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...
Ofelia Torres, teen who fought to have her father released from ICE custody, dies from rare cancer
Ofelia Torres, 16, died on Friday from Stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, her father's lawyer confirmed.
www.cbsnews.com
February 15, 2026 at 9:20 PM
A child dying of cancer spent her final days fighting to free her wrongfully detained father from ICE custody.
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
Not one dime for this cruelty.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
Not one dime for this cruelty.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
Yes! Why won't the Times publish articles like this instead?! (It's the same article www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/u...)
February 16, 2026 at 8:05 PM
Yes! Why won't the Times publish articles like this instead?! (It's the same article www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/u...)
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
BREAKING: FBI notifies Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension that it won’t provide access to evidence it’s collected on the killing of Alex Pretti by armed and masked federal agents.
Perhaps this would be a good time to note that 187 members of Congress are signed on to Impeach Kristi Noem:
Perhaps this would be a good time to note that 187 members of Congress are signed on to Impeach Kristi Noem:
Kristi Noem Must Be Impeached
Members of Congress have a constitutional duty to remove this gangster from office.
www.thenation.com
February 16, 2026 at 6:12 PM
BREAKING: FBI notifies Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension that it won’t provide access to evidence it’s collected on the killing of Alex Pretti by armed and masked federal agents.
Perhaps this would be a good time to note that 187 members of Congress are signed on to Impeach Kristi Noem:
Perhaps this would be a good time to note that 187 members of Congress are signed on to Impeach Kristi Noem:
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
So you're saying ICE is incompatible with the rule of law as practiced in this nation from the founding?
Think I see a pretty easy solution here, champ.
Think I see a pretty easy solution here, champ.
Rep. Mark Alford: "If you tie a judicial warrant to what ICE is doing, it will never happen"
February 16, 2026 at 8:07 PM
So you're saying ICE is incompatible with the rule of law as practiced in this nation from the founding?
Think I see a pretty easy solution here, champ.
Think I see a pretty easy solution here, champ.
Reposted by Former Ebike Owner, Kevin Elliott
The basis of this indictment is a failure of proportionality in political judgment—the inability to tell the difference in the scale of political goods & bads.
Such failure often looks like false equivalence & an empty-headed retreat to abstract principle.
Via: www.ms.now/opinion/libe...
Such failure often looks like false equivalence & an empty-headed retreat to abstract principle.
Via: www.ms.now/opinion/libe...
February 16, 2026 at 6:21 PM
The basis of this indictment is a failure of proportionality in political judgment—the inability to tell the difference in the scale of political goods & bads.
Such failure often looks like false equivalence & an empty-headed retreat to abstract principle.
Via: www.ms.now/opinion/libe...
Such failure often looks like false equivalence & an empty-headed retreat to abstract principle.
Via: www.ms.now/opinion/libe...
February 16, 2026 at 6:16 PM