Tom Nichols
@radiofreetom.bsky.social
Staff writer at The Atlantic. Cat guy, democracy defender. Actor for a day on Succession, Jeopardy champ. New Englander and curmudgeon.
Pinned
Pete Hegseth Should Sit This One Out
By inserting himself into the situation in Minnesota, the secretary of defense is only making things worse.
www.theatlantic.com
"Pete Hegseth might consider adding another task to his many duties, one that would be of immense help to the nation and to the armed forces: He should shut up."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
February 1, 2026 at 9:02 PM
Reposted by Tom Nichols
I’ve had to change my mind about so many people over the last ten years but Dr. Chomsky is one of the people I have not had to change my mind about
we’ve known Chomsky was a piece of shit since he tried to downplay and deny the Khmer Rouge genocide back in the 70s, but I’m glad more people are *finally* figuring this out
February 1, 2026 at 7:48 PM
I’ve had to change my mind about so many people over the last ten years but Dr. Chomsky is one of the people I have not had to change my mind about
None of your business, but one of them was after some drinks on the Sunset Strip the night I won on Jeopardy
Ok Tom.
You can’t drop that and not give us the deets.
Let’s see your ink!
You can’t drop that and not give us the deets.
Let’s see your ink!
February 1, 2026 at 6:10 PM
None of your business, but one of them was after some drinks on the Sunset Strip the night I won on Jeopardy
I agree, but here's the thing: You should not make public policy as if the problems people are creating for themselves are also problems that are amenable to public solutions. It's true that affordability is a real problem, but factoring in food deliveries should not be part of that equation.
Not saying it's WISE behavior but from a human psychology standpoint it's not hard to see why it's common, truly broke people face an entirely different set of carrots and sticks than even just-barely-getting-by people do.
February 1, 2026 at 6:07 PM
I agree, but here's the thing: You should not make public policy as if the problems people are creating for themselves are also problems that are amenable to public solutions. It's true that affordability is a real problem, but factoring in food deliveries should not be part of that equation.
Ahem. My TV is mounted where it should be.
But I am making a nice family room/den out of my basement and I'm putting a big TV down there.
Also: A 55 inch TV costs less now than a 19 inch did in 1985. Which is insane. That 19 inch, adjusted for inflation, would cost over a grand now.
But I am making a nice family room/den out of my basement and I'm putting a big TV down there.
Also: A 55 inch TV costs less now than a 19 inch did in 1985. Which is insane. That 19 inch, adjusted for inflation, would cost over a grand now.
Is this because you ignored the Experts and mounted your last TV wrongly?
February 1, 2026 at 6:03 PM
Ahem. My TV is mounted where it should be.
But I am making a nice family room/den out of my basement and I'm putting a big TV down there.
Also: A 55 inch TV costs less now than a 19 inch did in 1985. Which is insane. That 19 inch, adjusted for inflation, would cost over a grand now.
But I am making a nice family room/den out of my basement and I'm putting a big TV down there.
Also: A 55 inch TV costs less now than a 19 inch did in 1985. Which is insane. That 19 inch, adjusted for inflation, would cost over a grand now.
Not me. I'm going out today to buy a TV and then take my wife to dinner.
Too cold for the Sedan chair, tho, we're taking the SUV.
Too cold for the Sedan chair, tho, we're taking the SUV.
Tom, are you really ready to delve headfirst, on a quiet Sunday, into Burrito Taxi Discourse (TM)? Because it’s way worse than all the other Discourses you’ve waded into. You may never know peace again.
February 1, 2026 at 5:53 PM
Not me. I'm going out today to buy a TV and then take my wife to dinner.
Too cold for the Sedan chair, tho, we're taking the SUV.
Too cold for the Sedan chair, tho, we're taking the SUV.
"I didn't read the article"
It looks like you're trying to demonize the poor on the basis of a very unusual odd case that doesn't represent them.
Why are you doing that?
What do you gain from punching down?
Why are you doing that?
What do you gain from punching down?
February 1, 2026 at 5:52 PM
"I didn't read the article"
There's nothing wrong with take-out - or delivery! - but it's gotten insane and ruinous for people who think they're financially stretched when in fact they're doing it to themselves with a service that only recently came into being.
We get pizza on Thursday nigh. Our only take-out meal of the week. Including making our lunches for work! (Leftovers or turkey burgers we make and keep in the freezer)We also pick up our pizza since it's 15 minutes away and is our favorite pizza!! We've literally never used a food delivery service.
February 1, 2026 at 5:48 PM
There's nothing wrong with take-out - or delivery! - but it's gotten insane and ruinous for people who think they're financially stretched when in fact they're doing it to themselves with a service that only recently came into being.
Some years ago a paper did a story on the poor in Rhode Island, and they noted that the budget for one family included their weekly payment for the debt they owed to the tattoo parlor and I was like
February 1, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Some years ago a paper did a story on the poor in Rhode Island, and they noted that the budget for one family included their weekly payment for the debt they owed to the tattoo parlor and I was like
I was watching a documentary about a murder in my hometown, and what struck me was not how poor it was, but how every single person they spoke to had a *ton* of body ink.
Nothing against body art. (I have some, including one that cost some bucks even back in the day.) But that's some big bucks.
Nothing against body art. (I have some, including one that cost some bucks even back in the day.) But that's some big bucks.
Thank you!
My niece can't pay rent, but CAN afford:
ALL meals out somewhere
Crazy expensive long natural hair extensions
Monthly 'subscription' for salon shampoo/blowouts
Outrageous acrylic nails & designs
Cruises
Long weekend getaways...
Affordability is an issue. We also have a PRIORITIES issue
My niece can't pay rent, but CAN afford:
ALL meals out somewhere
Crazy expensive long natural hair extensions
Monthly 'subscription' for salon shampoo/blowouts
Outrageous acrylic nails & designs
Cruises
Long weekend getaways...
Affordability is an issue. We also have a PRIORITIES issue
February 1, 2026 at 5:40 PM
I was watching a documentary about a murder in my hometown, and what struck me was not how poor it was, but how every single person they spoke to had a *ton* of body ink.
Nothing against body art. (I have some, including one that cost some bucks even back in the day.) But that's some big bucks.
Nothing against body art. (I have some, including one that cost some bucks even back in the day.) But that's some big bucks.
I dunno, man, I think making spaghetti from affordable components is pretty much the same process now as it was in 1985.
"Why, when I were a lad...."
We Olds need to be wary of falling into those stories.
We Olds need to be wary of falling into those stories.
February 1, 2026 at 5:36 PM
I dunno, man, I think making spaghetti from affordable components is pretty much the same process now as it was in 1985.
who are you, so wise in the ways of science
If only there was a way to make some meals on your day off that you could store in some sort of box that keeps it at a cold temperature. A storage system that could freeze some of the food for use at a later time.
February 1, 2026 at 5:34 PM
who are you, so wise in the ways of science
The Protestant work ethic! Boy, glad we're over that
No, he is an old school Republican dinosaur. Judgment from privilege is just baked in so hard that he is totally oblivious to it. "You are coping wrong" goes way back to the "Protestant work ethic." Very 20th century.
February 1, 2026 at 5:33 PM
The Protestant work ethic! Boy, glad we're over that
Reposted by Tom Nichols
The simple thought of “I shouldn’t order a taxi for my burrito” would solve a lot of financial stress for many people.
February 1, 2026 at 5:29 PM
The simple thought of “I shouldn’t order a taxi for my burrito” would solve a lot of financial stress for many people.
I was single until I was 32 and cooked my own meals alone; I could make spaghetti with meat sauce faster than any restaurant could possibly deliver it, and still have leftovers for a fraction of the money. Being broke taught me how to eat cheap.
And if it's just spaghetti with sauce, it takes no time and almost no effort to cook at home.
February 1, 2026 at 5:32 PM
I was single until I was 32 and cooked my own meals alone; I could make spaghetti with meat sauce faster than any restaurant could possibly deliver it, and still have leftovers for a fraction of the money. Being broke taught me how to eat cheap.
This sentence has no content for me
You do know it’s not for you to judge right ?
February 1, 2026 at 5:29 PM
This sentence has no content for me
"Another reason Mr. Layne stays at it is to pay off his debt from ordering too much food delivery. He has since cut back on the habit."
He delivers food to pay off the debt from ...having food delivered
He delivers food to pay off the debt from ...having food delivered
an older man in a suit and pink shirt is sitting at a table with a notebook and water bottles .
ALT: an older man in a suit and pink shirt is sitting at a table with a notebook and water bottles .
media.tenor.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:26 PM
"Another reason Mr. Layne stays at it is to pay off his debt from ordering too much food delivery. He has since cut back on the habit."
He delivers food to pay off the debt from ...having food delivered
He delivers food to pay off the debt from ...having food delivered
"From her roughly $50,000 annual salary as a data processor in San Diego, Ms. Reedy, 34, spends at least $200 to $300 a week on food delivery."
If you're spending at least 20 percent of your salary on *delivered* food, maybe affordability isn't the main issue.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/d...
If you're spending at least 20 percent of your salary on *delivered* food, maybe affordability isn't the main issue.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/d...
Freedom With a Side of Guilt: How Food Delivery Is Reshaping Mealtime
www.nytimes.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:20 PM
"From her roughly $50,000 annual salary as a data processor in San Diego, Ms. Reedy, 34, spends at least $200 to $300 a week on food delivery."
If you're spending at least 20 percent of your salary on *delivered* food, maybe affordability isn't the main issue.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/d...
If you're spending at least 20 percent of your salary on *delivered* food, maybe affordability isn't the main issue.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/d...
Reposted by Tom Nichols
"... for the most part, the movie reveals how well insulated she is from anything resembling human life, like a cheetah in the house of a Russian oligarch."
Thirty-five million dollars were spent marketing this! It is like someone eating spoonfuls of gold-encrusted garbage and beckoning you to watch. Look at how much gold I’ve put on it! More gold than anyone! Doesn’t it look delicious?
'Melania' Is a Horror Movie
The first lady is trapped, and she doesn’t seem to know it.
www.theatlantic.com
February 1, 2026 at 4:59 PM
"... for the most part, the movie reveals how well insulated she is from anything resembling human life, like a cheetah in the house of a Russian oligarch."
Reposted by Tom Nichols
I’ve been thinking more about this nonsense and what it means. I don’t think it’s a flex — a performative expression of power and intimidation — like the advertisements for ICE positions. Too obscure and lacking in flair. Instead I think it likely reflects real internal problems.
/1
/1
JOIN THE LEAGUE FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE LAW!
February 1, 2026 at 4:42 PM
I’ve been thinking more about this nonsense and what it means. I don’t think it’s a flex — a performative expression of power and intimidation — like the advertisements for ICE positions. Too obscure and lacking in flair. Instead I think it likely reflects real internal problems.
/1
/1
Reposted by Tom Nichols
I'm aware of all this. But regardless, in my experience, a 20-point swing stretches the realm of possibility. 31 points is 31 points.
The special election was purely symbolic. Texas Senate won’t convene again until 2027. Republicans weren’t motivated to vote.
Republicans will be motivated come November
Republicans will be motivated come November
February 1, 2026 at 3:51 PM
I'm aware of all this. But regardless, in my experience, a 20-point swing stretches the realm of possibility. 31 points is 31 points.
Reposted by Tom Nichols
Public outrage, sustained attention, and effort by elected officials can together make a real difference.
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 4:01 PM
Public outrage, sustained attention, and effort by elected officials can together make a real difference.
Reposted by Tom Nichols
Trump went on Truth Social yesterday telling everyone to get out and vote. He doesn’t usually do that for state legislature races!
truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...
truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...
February 1, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Trump went on Truth Social yesterday telling everyone to get out and vote. He doesn’t usually do that for state legislature races!
truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...
truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...