Karrin Vasby Anderson
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kvanderson.bsky.social
Karrin Vasby Anderson
@kvanderson.bsky.social
she/her
I write about the culture of politics and the politics of culture | Professor of Communication Studies @ Colorado State University | The Conversation (https://tinyurl.com/yzbmdpuw) | Views represent my expertise, not my university.
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Hey, #TeamRhetoric and Poli Comm friends, I created a list from my Rhetoric and Poli Comm Starter Pack: bsky.app/profile/did:.... Follow it to get the latest from Rhetoric/Communication scholars staving off the end of democracy.
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
Right, the answer isn't to abandon the party to these weasels.

The answer is to flood the party with people who will take it over and transform it.
Hey, a lot of people are talking about changing affiliation from Democratic to Independent.

Let me tell you why you shouldn’t do that in Colorado.

One of the main ways to get a primary challenge candidate on a ballot is to caucus for your party. You need to be registered as a Dem to caucus.
November 10, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Evergreen.
American politics makes a lot more sense when you realize that the GOP is afraid of pissing off the GOP base, and the Dems are afraid of pissing off the GOP base, but neither party is afraid of pissing off the Dem base.
November 10, 2025 at 10:09 PM
True! More details on how the process works on the SoS website: www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/electio...
November 10, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Especially now. Bravery is literally the only thing that can beat authoritarianism.
MSNBC reported Schumer's office felt that the longer that shutdown went on, the more likely it was that people would start to blame the Dems.

My kingdom for Democrats that don't govern out of fear. I've said it before and I'll say it again: The American people are far braver than their reps.
November 10, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
the thing that upsets me about this the most is that Dems had all the momentum, republicans were reeling, and we were getting intra-GOP fighting over the filibuster, all while voters were blaming republicans for their incompetence

this destroys all of this. just a total gut punch
November 10, 2025 at 5:06 AM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
After their resounding victory in Tuesday’s elections, the Democrats had no choice but to surrender.
November 10, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
Apparently, it is negotiable!
Health care isn’t negotiable.

We need to both reopen the government and work together to protect access to affordable health care by extending the ACA enhanced premium tax credits.
November 10, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
Any D running for Senate in 2026 must vow to oust Schumer as leader. Maybe he would quit
November 10, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
Six people died from tampered Tylenol and the company pulled 30 million bottles off the market. ChatGPT is accused of urging seven people towards suicide, and OpenAI just assures us they’re still working out the kinks. Billions in investment, zero accountability.
OpenAI faces 7 lawsuits claiming ChatGPT drove people to suicide, delusions
OpenAI is facing seven lawsuits claiming ChatGPT drove people to suicide and harmful delusions even when they had no prior mental health issues.
apnews.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
I havent read such a banger of an essay in a very long time. This is so well-written!
Maybe Don’t Talk to the New York Times About Zohran Mamdani
It’s remarkable, the people you’ll hear from. Teach for even a little while at an expensive institution—the term they tend to prefer is “elite”—and odds are that eventually someone who was a studen…
lithub.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
ah, perhaps instead of pumping millions into endless factional infighting Dem donors could invest in making local Dem organizations genuine civic spaces that can reach people during and between elections
November 5, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
The main electoral fight is to ensure fair federal elections that begin to hold Republicans accountable.

And the positive vision has to be a focus on meaningfully improving daily lives of all working people without disregarding anyone’s rights.
November 5, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
"To get through any of us, you will have to get through all of us!"
a group of people standing in a room with the words " we 're family " in the corner
Alt: from Buffy the vampire slayer - a group of people standing in a room with the words " we 're family " in the corner
media.tenor.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:06 AM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
"Here we believe in standing up for those we love, whether you are an immigrant, a member of the trans community, one of the many black women Trump has fired, a single mom waiting for the cost of groceries to go down, or anyone else with your back against the wall. Your struggle is ours too."
November 5, 2025 at 4:47 AM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
“The impossible was made possible.”
November 5, 2025 at 4:32 AM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
California passes proposition 50, which will mean multiple anti-LGBTQ+ Republican congress people will likely lose their seat.

A continual bloodbath for anti-LGBTQ+ Republicans tonight.
November 5, 2025 at 4:05 AM
Thank them for their journalism.
thank you for the outpouring of support!

those of us laid off from Teen Vogue yesterday are now sharing our GoFundMe to help us cover our emergency expenses now that we've lost our incomes, as we get back on our feet.
Donate to Help Laid-Off Teen Vogue Staffers Recover, organized by Lexi McMenamin
More than half the team at Teen Vogue was laid off this week by our parent co… Lexi McMenamin needs your support for Help Laid-Off Teen Vogue Staffers Recover
www.gofundme.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:03 AM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
Don't forget that Zohran Mamdani spent his entire campaign standing proudly beside the trans community. He went to trans rights rallies just to show support. He proudly waved trans rights flags without hesitation. He refused to back down in support of trans rights. That makes me happy.
November 5, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
People who are leaving NYC, please post pix of your U-Hauls!
November 5, 2025 at 2:34 AM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
I sincerely hope Democrats pay attention to tonight’s results across the country. They won’t learn anything but still. Maybe. People are excited by change and original campaigns and bold ideas and candidates under the age of 50!
November 5, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
The factional grifters will hate this, but the Mamdani-Spanberger-Sherrill axis actually suggests the outlines of a broad, emerging Dem coalition organized around both anti-Trump *and* affordability politics, not a party bitterly divided against itself.
These big wins will embolden Dems to take on Trump's lawbreaking and show there's a price for GOP enabling of him. Folks hate to hear this, but normal patterns are asserting themselves: Liberalism isn't dead, Rs are likely to lose in 2026, and Trump is really unpopular, not a magical exception.
November 5, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
Today is an absolute rebuke of anti-transgender politics, and a real sign that the anti-trans panic is fading.

From VA Gov to Loudoun County to New Jersey to New York City and Pennsylvania, anti-trans Republicans are falling left and right.
Democrats are currently ahead in 63 (!!!) races in the Virginia House of Delegates.

If this holds, it would be one of the largest state legislature swings in the last 4 years.

Its an absolute bloodbath for anti-trans Republicans.
November 5, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
Andrew Cuomo may have lost, but he can take consolation that he lost with class, his dignity intact *touches earpiece* I'm getting an update
November 5, 2025 at 3:03 AM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
you can win without billionaires supporting you

you can win without party leadership endorsing you

you can win unapologetically standing with every persecuted minority pundits say are too politically toxic to touch

we could do everything about this process differently if we wanted to
Can’t stop thinking about all the robber baron fucks that held secret meetings and spent MILLIONS AND MILLIONS in bribes and campaign investments and attack ads and media manipulation trying to tank Mamdani currently having the dawning realization that their money is completely and utterly useless.
November 5, 2025 at 3:03 AM
Reposted by Karrin Vasby Anderson
this is genuinely wild
Looks like the Dems will pick up 12 seats in the VA House of Delegates, which will go from 51-49 to 63-37 D-R. That's an honestly shocking result.
November 5, 2025 at 2:17 AM