Perry Bacon
@perrybaconjr.bsky.social
Government and policy writer. Views are my own. pbacon@tnr.com
Yes. Well put.
It really bums me out that Klobuchar, who was instrumental in normalizing Trump as just another political adversary, is almost certainly going to be the next governor of Minnesota, a state currently paying a severe price for that normalization of fascism.
Here's all the Klobuchar v. Republican matchups from that SurveyUSA poll
Best Klobuchar lead is +20, worst is +14
Best Klobuchar lead is +20, worst is +14
February 3, 2026 at 12:05 PM
Yes. Well put.
Reposted by Perry Bacon
I am pretty sure that is not in the Minority Leader job description
February 2, 2026 at 3:18 AM
I am pretty sure that is not in the Minority Leader job description
Reposted by Perry Bacon
ICE agents act like they have no oversight because Republicans in Congress and Trump gave ICE $75 BILLION in the Big Ugly Bill (by cutting health care funding).
But Congress has the power to claw back those funds to stop ICE’s violence.
But Congress has the power to claw back those funds to stop ICE’s violence.
February 1, 2026 at 9:52 PM
ICE agents act like they have no oversight because Republicans in Congress and Trump gave ICE $75 BILLION in the Big Ugly Bill (by cutting health care funding).
But Congress has the power to claw back those funds to stop ICE’s violence.
But Congress has the power to claw back those funds to stop ICE’s violence.
Reposted by Perry Bacon
trained, body-camera equipped agents are doing the murders? Maybe we should revise our asks so they match the reality of the problem, and would make meaningful difference in existing capacity for violence.
February 1, 2026 at 11:05 PM
trained, body-camera equipped agents are doing the murders? Maybe we should revise our asks so they match the reality of the problem, and would make meaningful difference in existing capacity for violence.
Reposted by Perry Bacon
This is the U Penn donor who helped push the President out, pushed to eliminate arts & science offerings, and drafted Trumps "compact" with universities.
People like Rowan repeatedly claimed the moral high ground to impose their agenda on students and faculty.
People like Rowan repeatedly claimed the moral high ground to impose their agenda on students and faculty.
Top Apollo Global Management executives including chief Marc Rowan held wide-ranging discussions over the firm’s tax arrangements with Jeffrey Epstein throughout the 2010s www.ft.com/content/092d...
Apollo chief Marc Rowan consulted Epstein on firm’s tax affairs
New files reveal extensive talks between disgraced financier and key decision makers at US private capital firm
www.ft.com
February 1, 2026 at 8:53 PM
This is the U Penn donor who helped push the President out, pushed to eliminate arts & science offerings, and drafted Trumps "compact" with universities.
People like Rowan repeatedly claimed the moral high ground to impose their agenda on students and faculty.
People like Rowan repeatedly claimed the moral high ground to impose their agenda on students and faculty.
Reposted by Perry Bacon
I am going to Springfield, Ohio this week to report. If you are involved in community action to support immigrants or prepare for ICE in Springfield, I would like to be in touch with you. Please DM me here or email Hamilton.Nolan@gmail.com. Thank you.
January 31, 2026 at 8:11 PM
I am going to Springfield, Ohio this week to report. If you are involved in community action to support immigrants or prepare for ICE in Springfield, I would like to be in touch with you. Please DM me here or email Hamilton.Nolan@gmail.com. Thank you.
@michaelhobbes.bsky.social refers to The Atlantic as the "bible of reactionary centrists" in a podcast that I assume was taped right before the magazine hired David Brooks. To prove the point, Hobbes compares the Atlantic's Zohran coverage (hostile) to its RFK coverage (credulous.)
January 31, 2026 at 3:04 PM
@michaelhobbes.bsky.social refers to The Atlantic as the "bible of reactionary centrists" in a podcast that I assume was taped right before the magazine hired David Brooks. To prove the point, Hobbes compares the Atlantic's Zohran coverage (hostile) to its RFK coverage (credulous.)
"This is the dominant ideology of intellectual elites in America. ....both sides are to blame for everything, we have to dedicate roughly 50/50 time to the excesses of the left as we do to the excesses of the right," says @michaelhobbes.bsky.social. www.volts.wtf/p/all-about-...
All about "reactionary centrism"
Michael Hobbes joins me to diagnose the pundit class's obsession with scolding the left while the right burns down the house.
www.volts.wtf
January 31, 2026 at 2:54 PM
"This is the dominant ideology of intellectual elites in America. ....both sides are to blame for everything, we have to dedicate roughly 50/50 time to the excesses of the left as we do to the excesses of the right," says @michaelhobbes.bsky.social. www.volts.wtf/p/all-about-...
Getting attention and jobs in elite media reward those with takes that seem surprising or counterintuitive. But that model fails when we're in a "one-dimensionally evil era,"
as @michaelhobbes.bsky.social puts it. "GOP extreme, Dems normal" is the reality of most political news these days.
as @michaelhobbes.bsky.social puts it. "GOP extreme, Dems normal" is the reality of most political news these days.
January 31, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Getting attention and jobs in elite media reward those with takes that seem surprising or counterintuitive. But that model fails when we're in a "one-dimensionally evil era,"
as @michaelhobbes.bsky.social puts it. "GOP extreme, Dems normal" is the reality of most political news these days.
as @michaelhobbes.bsky.social puts it. "GOP extreme, Dems normal" is the reality of most political news these days.
I wanted to shout "Yes" and "Amen" at virtually every line of this @volts.wtf and @michaelhobbes.bsky.social discussion. I flagged one particularly important section, but the whole thing is essential. www.volts.wtf/p/all-about-...
January 31, 2026 at 2:44 PM
I wanted to shout "Yes" and "Amen" at virtually every line of this @volts.wtf and @michaelhobbes.bsky.social discussion. I flagged one particularly important section, but the whole thing is essential. www.volts.wtf/p/all-about-...
Reposted by Perry Bacon
So very grateful for and to everyone who keeps showing up right now. Thank you so much.
January 31, 2026 at 1:42 AM
So very grateful for and to everyone who keeps showing up right now. Thank you so much.
Reposted by Perry Bacon
Very important vote. It makes repealing ICE surge funding the mainstream position in the party, with bipartisan support.
👀 Every Senate Democrat + Collins and Murkowski just voted for the Bernie Sanders amendment to repeal the $75 billion in additional ICE funding under Trump’s “big beautiful bill.” The measure failed 49-51.
January 30, 2026 at 11:26 PM
Very important vote. It makes repealing ICE surge funding the mainstream position in the party, with bipartisan support.
"Immigration detention, quite frankly, just shouldn’t be a thing. We don’t need to detain people because we think they may be deportable. That’s perfectly ridiculous," says @jesspish.bsky.social. newrepublic.com/article/2057...
Transcript: The Problem Is Bigger Than ICE
Criminal justice expert Jessica Pishko says ICE’s abuses in Minneapolis are rooted in an over-criminalization of immigration policy and that Customs and Border Protection is even more radical than ICE...
newrepublic.com
January 30, 2026 at 5:41 PM
"Immigration detention, quite frankly, just shouldn’t be a thing. We don’t need to detain people because we think they may be deportable. That’s perfectly ridiculous," says @jesspish.bsky.social. newrepublic.com/article/2057...
"An embrace of policing and the kind of authoritarian politics behind them is an element of convergence between the center-left and the far right. They just both believe in handing money to the people with guns," says @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social. newrepublic.com/article/2059...
Transcript: Trump Is Losing a Lot. We Must Celebrate Our Victories
Georgetown philosophy professor Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò explains why it’s vital for those resisting Trump to acknowledge and share their successes, both large and small.
newrepublic.com
January 30, 2026 at 5:37 PM
"An embrace of policing and the kind of authoritarian politics behind them is an element of convergence between the center-left and the far right. They just both believe in handing money to the people with guns," says @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social. newrepublic.com/article/2059...
I talked to the brilliant @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social about the sentence he has been repeating for months, "I do not regret to inform you that we are going to win." We discussed anti-Trump organizing and the important of sharing resistance successes. newrepublic.com/article/2059...
January 30, 2026 at 5:20 PM
I talked to the brilliant @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social about the sentence he has been repeating for months, "I do not regret to inform you that we are going to win." We discussed anti-Trump organizing and the important of sharing resistance successes. newrepublic.com/article/2059...
"The Democrats are pushing reforms that they know won’t work because they are doing performative, perfunctory opposition to try to quiet their base, instead of real legislating and fighting to dismantle Trump’s ICE and CBP." newrepublic.com/article/2059...
Senate Democrats’ ICE Proposals Are a Huge and Inexcusable Whiff
Their opening bid should have been eight or 10 bold proposals. But as usual, the Democrats start by negotiating with themselves.
newrepublic.com
January 30, 2026 at 5:14 PM
"The Democrats are pushing reforms that they know won’t work because they are doing performative, perfunctory opposition to try to quiet their base, instead of real legislating and fighting to dismantle Trump’s ICE and CBP." newrepublic.com/article/2059...
Yes. I remember this.
January 28, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Yes. I remember this.
Worth watching.
“There’s a much colder breeze that’s blowing across America. Howling winds of xenophobia and hatred, and cruelty for cruelty sake.” —Sen. Raphael Warnock in Minneapolis
January 27, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Worth watching.
Reposted by Perry Bacon
Just say no to Shapiro ... I've never liked him due to his treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters. Now he is trying to exploit this ... he's just awful. We have much better potential candidates for 2028.
January 27, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Just say no to Shapiro ... I've never liked him due to his treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters. Now he is trying to exploit this ... he's just awful. We have much better potential candidates for 2028.
Good question. This is the true joy of social media.
Has anyone seen Bari Weiss and Kyrsten Sinema in the same place at the same time?
January 27, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Good question. This is the true joy of social media.
Reposted by Perry Bacon
Has anyone seen Bari Weiss and Kyrsten Sinema in the same place at the same time?
January 27, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Has anyone seen Bari Weiss and Kyrsten Sinema in the same place at the same time?
Reposted by Perry Bacon
reihan salam is the president of the manhattan institute, the right-wing think tank employing chris rufo
also the only two black people on this list are both outspoken minimizers of police brutality against black people
also the only two black people on this list are both outspoken minimizers of police brutality against black people
The new CBS contributors:
Elliot Ackerman, Peter Attia, Masih Alinejad, Arthur Brooks, Caroline Chambers, Clare de Boer, Niall Ferguson, Roland Fryer Jr., Andrew Huberman, Coleman Hughes, Mark Hyman, Janna Levin, Casey Lewis, HR McMaster, Patrick McGee, Reihan Salam, Lauren Sherman, Derek Thompson
Elliot Ackerman, Peter Attia, Masih Alinejad, Arthur Brooks, Caroline Chambers, Clare de Boer, Niall Ferguson, Roland Fryer Jr., Andrew Huberman, Coleman Hughes, Mark Hyman, Janna Levin, Casey Lewis, HR McMaster, Patrick McGee, Reihan Salam, Lauren Sherman, Derek Thompson
January 27, 2026 at 5:50 PM
reihan salam is the president of the manhattan institute, the right-wing think tank employing chris rufo
also the only two black people on this list are both outspoken minimizers of police brutality against black people
also the only two black people on this list are both outspoken minimizers of police brutality against black people
The tension isn't about antisemitism (as Axios hints) but policy. I don't think Pritzker will run these issues. Shapiro demanding UPenn officials break up encampments on campus and taking a very pro-Israel stance for much of 24 are stances that a lot of likely Dem primary voters don't agree with.
Shapiro's half-hearted attempt at falsely alleging that he was singled out by the Harris campaign for his Jewish identity rather than for his self-stated views and job history has done something beautiful: it's united both Obama and Biden alumna in anger.
Ex-Obama, Biden officials fume over Shapiro's claim in new book
Shapiro's account in his forthcoming book has exposed some of the tension over antisemitism between Democratic progressives and moderates.
www.axios.com
January 27, 2026 at 5:53 PM
The tension isn't about antisemitism (as Axios hints) but policy. I don't think Pritzker will run these issues. Shapiro demanding UPenn officials break up encampments on campus and taking a very pro-Israel stance for much of 24 are stances that a lot of likely Dem primary voters don't agree with.
There are many places to get news beyond CBS. But the undermining of outlets with really strong journalism infrastructures is a real loss for the public. You can't stand up a new 60 Minutes tomorrow. Same for the Washington Post foreign desk (if it get cuts as rumored.)
January 27, 2026 at 5:45 PM
There are many places to get news beyond CBS. But the undermining of outlets with really strong journalism infrastructures is a real loss for the public. You can't stand up a new 60 Minutes tomorrow. Same for the Washington Post foreign desk (if it get cuts as rumored.)