Max Gordon
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makrgo.bsky.social
Max Gordon
@makrgo.bsky.social
I live in Olympia, WA 🇺🇸
Born in 1983, grew up in Seattle
Love the outdoors!
Reposted by Max Gordon
Indiana Lawmakers Reject Trump’s New Political Map
www.nytimes.com
December 11, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Reposted by Max Gordon
"Raskin says Maryland should redistrict if Indiana does"

The Hill picks up our interview with Rep Jamie Raskin increasing pressure on MD state senate president:
thehill.com/homenews/hou...
Raskin says Maryland should redistrict if Indiana does
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) fiercely defended Democrats’ push to redraw congressional maps in Maryland — saying he expects the issue to take on new importance if Republicans succeed at redistricting …
thehill.com
December 10, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Reposted by Max Gordon
1/2
Did a Substack two days ago, on some encouraging signs re NYT 'framing' of political news in last Saturday's paper.

Positive examples here, followed by an example of backsliding. (Examples are before paywall.)

[Cont]

fallows.substack.com/p/here-today...
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow.
Saturday's NYT shows what its editors can do, when they want to. Why not do this every day?
fallows.substack.com
December 10, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Reposted by Max Gordon
This deck is mandatory reading for anyone working in politics. It's long. It's worth it. docs.google.com/presentation...
social signals 2025_v5
social media signals 2025_v5 WELCOME BACK
docs.google.com
December 10, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Reposted by Max Gordon
2026 is going to be a great year to run for office. It’s not too late in most places! runforwhat.net
December 10, 2025 at 2:24 AM
Reposted by Max Gordon
A thorough convo on the history of @runforsomething.net and specific next-steps for anyone thinking about running for office.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhJI...
How To Actually Run For Office Now with Amanda Litman (Run for Something)
YouTube video by The Democratic Dilemma
www.youtube.com
December 7, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Reposted by Max Gordon
The Kyiv Independent has selected 10 of the best books published in 2025 related to Ukraine. Curious readers should use this list as a guide on the path to discovering even more books from this and previous years, with the anticipation of what is to come in 2026 as well.
Looking for the 10 best Ukraine-related books of 2025? We’ve got you
The year 2025 brought us more books about and from Ukraine that carry an inescapable heaviness, with war present on almost every page. Lives once shaped by literary ambitions continue to be cut short ...
kyivindependent.com
December 7, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Reposted by Max Gordon
So it turns out that, with the TX GOP's new gerrymander, there are no fewer than 18 of what you might call "Aftyn Behn" districts. That is to say, seats between Trump +20 to +25—seats Dems probably won't win, but where they could throw a serious scare into the GOP.

Via @donnermaps.bsky.social
December 5, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Reposted by Max Gordon
The GOP is deeply unsettled by the big Dem showing in #TN07. On The Downballot podcast this week, @davidnir.com & @dwbeard.bsky.social explain why they're right to be.

We also geek out w/Lou Jacobson about the Almanac of American Politics, a seminal resource for all political nerds. Listen here!
GOP in disarray after Tennessee special
Listen now | And Lou Jacobson explains the Almanac of American Politics
www.the-downballot.com
December 4, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Reposted by Max Gordon
For pretty much any critique you can level at any source of energy -- inefficient, too much pollution, takes too much land, has too many externalities, is propped up by subsidies, whatever -- it's worse for corn ethanol.

It's worse in all dimensions. It has zero redeeming features.
Corn’s clean-energy promise is clashing with its climate footprint
Corn dominates U.S. farmland and fuels the ethanol industry. But the fertilizer it relies on drives emissions and fouls drinking water.
floodlightnews.org
December 3, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Reposted by Max Gordon
Before tonight, the average Dem overperformance in special elections was 13 points.

Aftyn Behn matched that figure almost exactly.

If anything remotely like this holds next year, GOP hopes of holding the House will be very slim.

Track all these races with our special election Big Board →→→
The Downballot's special elections Big Board for the 2025-26 cycle
docs.google.com
December 3, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Reposted by Max Gordon
If you knew, read, or wrote that #TN07 went for Trump by 22 points last year, that's almost certainly thanks to The Downballot's complete collection of presidential results for all 435 congressional districts—a massively difficult project we undertake every four years.
The Downballot's calculations of presidential election results by congressional district, sponsored by Grassroots Analytics
Our one-of-a-kind collection spans from 2008 to the present
www.the-downballot.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Reposted by Max Gordon
Their relationship with the president is not personal; their job is to report on who he really is, and provoking him to reveal himself lets them do their job even better. An insult is a confession in this context, and they might as well be field biologists documenting baboons doing baboon things.
An Insult Is a Confession: Notes on Journalism in the Time of Trump
There's been a lot of fuss about Trump recently calling female journalists "stupid" and "piggy" though there's nothing really new about his misogyny toward that sub-population (I am so old I remember ...
www.meditationsinanemergency.com
November 29, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Reposted by Max Gordon
"Michael Mann To Bill Gates: What World Are You Living In?" by Carolyn Fortuna for @cleantechnica.bsky.social: cleantechnica.com/2025/11/29/m...
Michael Mann To Bill Gates: What World Are You Living In? - CleanTechnica
Mann offers a roadmap against an "ecocidal agenda" driven by plutocrats, polluters, petrostates, propagandists, and much of the press.
cleantechnica.com
November 29, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Reposted by Max Gordon
Really enjoyed talking to @atrupar.com's great Public Notice Substack about the need for Dems to rethink their approach to the information wars in a comprehensive way:
www.publicnotice.co/p/greg-sarge...
Happy Thanksgiving! And a special convo with Greg Sargent
Also, a holiday offer for free subscribers.
www.publicnotice.co
November 28, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by Max Gordon
Today on Volts: I've had more requests to cover this than almost any other topic in the pod's history, so now, at long last, balcony solar! We dig into how "plug-in solar" took off in Europe & how it's making its way to the US, starting in Utah. Backyard DIY types rejoice!
What's the deal with balcony solar?
Cora Stryker joins me to explain how "plug-in" solar took Europe by storm and is finally, via Utah (?), making its way to America.
www.volts.wtf
November 26, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Reposted by Max Gordon
An entire 45 minute @hankgreen.bsky.social video answering the question of why boomers run the government - in case you need some Thanksgiving eve viewing material that perfectly sums up why @runforsomething.net exists. youtu.be/IwgzuSqb7ys?...
Why Was Every President Born in the Same Year?
YouTube video by Hank Green
youtu.be
November 27, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Reposted by Max Gordon
Good Fast Times article on New York Times headlines. I was interviewed. One thing I should have noted: the rage-bait comes increasingly from the opinions section.

www.fastcompany.com/91450316/nyt...
Annoyed by a 'New York Times' headline? It seems like that's increasingly the Gray Lady's goal
Several ‘New York Times’ headlines in 2025 have earned severe social media backlash. Is it happening on purpose?
www.fastcompany.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Reposted by Max Gordon
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, keeps shooting out of the ground in Oklahoma.

Experts say it means even more wastewater is spreading underground, poisoning the state’s water supply.

With @readfrontier.bsky.social
Toxic Wastewater From Oil Fields Keeps Pouring Out of the Ground. Oklahoma Regulators Failed to Stop It.
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, is spewing from old wells. Experts warn of a pollution crisis spreading underground and threatening Oklahoma’s drin...
www.propublica.org
November 26, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Reposted by Max Gordon
Had a good, in-depth chat with @patdennis.bsky.social about how public opinion takes shape and (thus) what constitutes the best means of persuasion. Do people come to political views in a mostly atomized fashion, or does group psychology dominate? A lot rides on the answer! Give it a watch/listen.
Differing Views On How Persuasion Works
...and why the Democratic Party became so toxically unpopular.
www.offmessage.net
November 25, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Reposted by Max Gordon
Donald Trump’s ICE is breaking the law and violating Americans’ rights.

Oversight Dems have launched a new immigration enforcement dashboard. We will hold this Administration accountable.
November 24, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Reposted by Max Gordon
I thought this was fairly well established, but: here's another new study showing that wind and solar complement each other and make for a more stable grid when combined.
Intermittent solar and wind complement each other for a more stable grid
A study finds combining wind and solar leverages their alternating peak periods, significantly boosting total generation capacity while providing a constant, predictable power curve critical for grid ...
pv-magazine-usa.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Reposted by Max Gordon
My chat with the great @timothysnyder.bsky.social on Ukraine and the United States. Was meant to be 30 minutes and ended up going for an hour. open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/o…
November 25, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Reposted by Max Gordon
This article is from @markhertling.bsky.social - a retired three-star Army general - and everyone should read it.
November 24, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Reposted by Max Gordon
Hey folks:

For those who missed it, here's a link to this morning's "What the Heck Just Happened? With Heather and Joanne"

AND NO I DIDN'T GO FOR A RUN

www.youtube.com/watch?v=etZz...
What the Heck Just Happened? With Heather and Joanne
YouTube video by Dr. Joanne Freeman
www.youtube.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:11 PM