mollrat
@mollrat.bsky.social
Lover of democracy and of fun silly things like musicals
Reposted by mollrat
I fully believe Trump will smash the authoritarianism button harder and harder as he feels the midterms wipe out approaching, I'm less sure that doing so will prevent or mitigate said wipe out
February 2, 2026 at 7:49 PM
I fully believe Trump will smash the authoritarianism button harder and harder as he feels the midterms wipe out approaching, I'm less sure that doing so will prevent or mitigate said wipe out
Reposted by mollrat
Can't believe I hadn't put these together. The reason MeToo caused a panic and we're still living with the subsequent Gender reverberations is the very same as that huge swathes of the international business, entertainment, political, and academic elite were besties with a sex-trafficking paedophile
in retrospect in the wake of the epstein files being released, no wonder ‘me too’ was met with such anger and ultimately those in power it meant to target never face many consequences
February 2, 2026 at 12:52 PM
Can't believe I hadn't put these together. The reason MeToo caused a panic and we're still living with the subsequent Gender reverberations is the very same as that huge swathes of the international business, entertainment, political, and academic elite were besties with a sex-trafficking paedophile
Reposted by mollrat
I think about strategic nonviolence like this: you are trying to defeat the greatest chess grandmaster in world history. The good news is you get to pick the game.
Don’t pick chess.
Don’t pick chess.
what do you make of the theory i’ve seen in various places that nonviolence really only works when it has a violent wing to back it up? “how to blow up a pipeline” argues that many successful nonviolent movements had such an arrangement
February 2, 2026 at 1:02 PM
I think about strategic nonviolence like this: you are trying to defeat the greatest chess grandmaster in world history. The good news is you get to pick the game.
Don’t pick chess.
Don’t pick chess.
Reposted by mollrat
Like the very center point of this is that men are superior to women. They believe this is biological rather than theological and pay scientists who will back them up.
It’s less specific on race, but it is ruthlessly anti-Black and welcomes all sorts of niche ethnocentric takes.
It’s less specific on race, but it is ruthlessly anti-Black and welcomes all sorts of niche ethnocentric takes.
There’s something of a thruline imo in which Epstein’s predatory behavior with teenage girls was ultimately *ideological*. It’s not a paraphilia or a compulsion he was unable to control.
It was inherent to a worldview and one he shared with many other powerful people.
It was inherent to a worldview and one he shared with many other powerful people.
February 1, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Like the very center point of this is that men are superior to women. They believe this is biological rather than theological and pay scientists who will back them up.
It’s less specific on race, but it is ruthlessly anti-Black and welcomes all sorts of niche ethnocentric takes.
It’s less specific on race, but it is ruthlessly anti-Black and welcomes all sorts of niche ethnocentric takes.
Reposted by mollrat
the Epstein files make it very clear why the MeToo backlash was so extreme and why so much of elite society preferred Donald Trump ruling us like a king to the barest hint of accountability
February 1, 2026 at 9:27 PM
the Epstein files make it very clear why the MeToo backlash was so extreme and why so much of elite society preferred Donald Trump ruling us like a king to the barest hint of accountability
Reposted by mollrat
Conspiracy theorists are paranoid reactionaries looking for a strongman to protect them and I have been fully validated in this belief.
The funny thing about a certain type of angry conspiracy guy is that they’re literally being confronted with an elite paedophile ring and a tyrannical government at the same time right now, and because it isn't being done by the people they wanted it to be done by they’re all being pussies about it
February 1, 2026 at 9:32 AM
Conspiracy theorists are paranoid reactionaries looking for a strongman to protect them and I have been fully validated in this belief.
Reposted by mollrat
also remains hilarious that he's like become this avatar of rural reactionary masculinity and machismo when he's a fat, actively anti-athletic, theater queen
February 2, 2026 at 12:30 AM
also remains hilarious that he's like become this avatar of rural reactionary masculinity and machismo when he's a fat, actively anti-athletic, theater queen
Reposted by mollrat
The government published CSAM???
NEW: The Justice Department published dozens of unredacted images of nude women (and possibly teens) as part of its Epstein release.
The faces of those people were also left unredacted.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/u...
The faces of those people were also left unredacted.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/u...
The Government Published Dozens of Nude Photos in the Epstein Files
www.nytimes.com
February 2, 2026 at 1:05 AM
The government published CSAM???
Reposted by mollrat
This is good, actually.
This is what a movement fracturing looks like.
This is what a movement fracturing looks like.
February 2, 2026 at 2:57 AM
This is good, actually.
This is what a movement fracturing looks like.
This is what a movement fracturing looks like.
Reposted by mollrat
Two things can be true: we’re a competitive authoritarian state with all sorts of efforts to put a thumb on the scale of who has power AND we have sufficiently free and sufficiently fair elections that every month we see the party in power lose.
JUST IN: Democrats flip a red seat in the Texas Senate.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
February 1, 2026 at 6:28 AM
Two things can be true: we’re a competitive authoritarian state with all sorts of efforts to put a thumb on the scale of who has power AND we have sufficiently free and sufficiently fair elections that every month we see the party in power lose.
Reposted by mollrat
The common 🧵 in every single election, from Susan Crawford in Wisconsin to Zohran Mamdani in NYC to Taylor Rehmet in Texas, is that a clear majority of voters don't like evil, hate, incompetence, & far right authoritarianism. The policy details are election-specific, but that's the hummable tune.
Data / quant note: What model or message testing predicted how public opinion would shift 32 points in one year in this Texas seat?
None. No quant data could solely determine the correct message for this, no linear model could based on ad tests or issue polls.
None. No quant data could solely determine the correct message for this, no linear model could based on ad tests or issue polls.
Blue wave watch: Democrat flips Trump +17 Texas Senate seat in 32-point swing
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/blue-wave-...
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/blue-wave-...
February 1, 2026 at 6:05 PM
The common 🧵 in every single election, from Susan Crawford in Wisconsin to Zohran Mamdani in NYC to Taylor Rehmet in Texas, is that a clear majority of voters don't like evil, hate, incompetence, & far right authoritarianism. The policy details are election-specific, but that's the hummable tune.
Reposted by mollrat
The President trusted a fart and it betrayed him JUST LIKE HE BETRAYED THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
RT AND FOLLOW IF YOU AGREE
RT AND FOLLOW IF YOU AGREE
February 1, 2026 at 9:17 PM
The President trusted a fart and it betrayed him JUST LIKE HE BETRAYED THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
RT AND FOLLOW IF YOU AGREE
RT AND FOLLOW IF YOU AGREE
Reposted by mollrat
worth scanning the whole 50-page document here, but even this topline is stunning. imagine if, say, the fbi had a crime rate like this.
February 1, 2026 at 10:12 PM
worth scanning the whole 50-page document here, but even this topline is stunning. imagine if, say, the fbi had a crime rate like this.
Reposted by mollrat
Am I positive that video shows the president shitting himself on camera? No.
Do I think we should spend an entire week debating it? Oh yes.
Do I think we should spend an entire week debating it? Oh yes.
February 1, 2026 at 8:55 PM
Am I positive that video shows the president shitting himself on camera? No.
Do I think we should spend an entire week debating it? Oh yes.
Do I think we should spend an entire week debating it? Oh yes.
Reposted by mollrat
What do you MEAN the president audibly SHIT himself live on camera and they immediately cancelled the press conference and rushed everyone out of the room like it's a fire drill, and it happened two days ago, and I'm just hearing about it NOW?
February 1, 2026 at 4:00 PM
What do you MEAN the president audibly SHIT himself live on camera and they immediately cancelled the press conference and rushed everyone out of the room like it's a fire drill, and it happened two days ago, and I'm just hearing about it NOW?
Reposted by mollrat
BREAKING: The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...
www.propublica.org
February 1, 2026 at 9:10 PM
BREAKING: The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
Reposted by mollrat
Oh yeah for sure man
February 1, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Oh yeah for sure man
Reposted by mollrat
one of the key motions of protest is that it places the adversary in zugzwang: either they abide the protest, and look weak, or attack the protest, and look cruel
February 1, 2026 at 5:49 AM
one of the key motions of protest is that it places the adversary in zugzwang: either they abide the protest, and look weak, or attack the protest, and look cruel
Reposted by mollrat
It's not just that Tarrant was red. It's the type of red that it is. That isn't a purple district that swung hard in 24. It's basically ground zero for the religious right in Texas. It's -red- red.
February 1, 2026 at 3:22 PM
It's not just that Tarrant was red. It's the type of red that it is. That isn't a purple district that swung hard in 24. It's basically ground zero for the religious right in Texas. It's -red- red.
Reposted by mollrat
Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from Dilley detention center. I picked them up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
February 1, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from Dilley detention center. I picked them up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
Reposted by mollrat
2008: Epstein is convicted of procuring a minor for prostitution
2018: Despite that conviction, [files indicate] he was invited by Rowling’s team - along with a guest of his choosing - to the Broadway opening of Harry Potter and the private after-party
Protecting women and children, is it?
2018: Despite that conviction, [files indicate] he was invited by Rowling’s team - along with a guest of his choosing - to the Broadway opening of Harry Potter and the private after-party
Protecting women and children, is it?
JK Rowling's team invited Jeffery Epstein to the deathly hallows play and to a Harry potter dinner.
www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
www.justice.gov
February 1, 2026 at 5:38 PM
2008: Epstein is convicted of procuring a minor for prostitution
2018: Despite that conviction, [files indicate] he was invited by Rowling’s team - along with a guest of his choosing - to the Broadway opening of Harry Potter and the private after-party
Protecting women and children, is it?
2018: Despite that conviction, [files indicate] he was invited by Rowling’s team - along with a guest of his choosing - to the Broadway opening of Harry Potter and the private after-party
Protecting women and children, is it?
Reposted by mollrat
Yeah, I think this sometimes gets missed in the overall logic of protest planning. A protest against an authoritarian government is basically daring it to overstep. By protesting peacefully and being tear-gassed anyway, they're setting up the administration to overreact and look terrible.
So believe me I understand this is deeply frustrating and unfair, but a march that does everything right and still gets tear gassed is a successful march that is winning.
A lot of the strategy of protest is luring the authorities into engaging in obviously, transparently unjust uses of force.
A lot of the strategy of protest is luring the authorities into engaging in obviously, transparently unjust uses of force.
It's hard to overstate how ell-organized the portland march that got gassed was... organizers made the crowd promise to be peaceful, said the march would slow in front of the ICE building but not stop, that we would stick to one chant (ICE Out). They did absolutely everything right and got gassed.
February 1, 2026 at 6:39 AM
Yeah, I think this sometimes gets missed in the overall logic of protest planning. A protest against an authoritarian government is basically daring it to overstep. By protesting peacefully and being tear-gassed anyway, they're setting up the administration to overreact and look terrible.
Reposted by mollrat
The GOP has become so totally defined by escalating purity tests and poster culture that they've selected out anyone actually capable of responding to public sentiment by any means other than defiant trolling.
February 1, 2026 at 6:48 AM
The GOP has become so totally defined by escalating purity tests and poster culture that they've selected out anyone actually capable of responding to public sentiment by any means other than defiant trolling.
Reposted by mollrat
Not for the first time, I find myself reflecting on how insane it is that top to bottom, in the entire hierarchy of the GOP, there is not a single person with any meaningful decision-making power who has a shred of political instincts. These people are all, to an individual, monumental idiots.
Genuinely wild that the GOP could have had a potentially durable multiracial working class majority, and they threw it all away because they’d rather be heinously racist and brutal than position themselves to hold and retain power.
February 1, 2026 at 6:46 AM
Not for the first time, I find myself reflecting on how insane it is that top to bottom, in the entire hierarchy of the GOP, there is not a single person with any meaningful decision-making power who has a shred of political instincts. These people are all, to an individual, monumental idiots.
Reposted by mollrat
A noteworthy takeaway from tonight's Texas result is that the Republicans spent a metric truckload of money on this race. They spent millions more than the Democrats. The loss itself aside, this is a gigantic, flashing warning sign for the GOP's finances.
February 1, 2026 at 6:54 AM
A noteworthy takeaway from tonight's Texas result is that the Republicans spent a metric truckload of money on this race. They spent millions more than the Democrats. The loss itself aside, this is a gigantic, flashing warning sign for the GOP's finances.