Tom Pepinsky
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tompepinsky.com
Tom Pepinsky
@tompepinsky.com
Teacher, researcher, globalist, republican.

tompepinsky.com
maybe all you referees who didn’t want to publish our paper on programmatic subsidies in competitive authoritarian regimes want to know what happens when regimes do this
President Trump has again floated giving out rebates from tariff funds, but sending direct payments to Americans would be difficult and ultimately unlikely.

Here’s what’s going on with tariffs and the pledge of dividends:
Trump floated tariff rebates for Americans. That faces many challenges.
President Trump's plan to give Americans tariff rebates faces significant challenges and may not happen.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Mother Superior: “you need one more hit?"
Democrat base: “no I don’t think so."
The 2026 primaries could be the bloodbath Dem incumbents largely avoided in 2018
November 10, 2025 at 2:30 PM
If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t blame the Democrats before they caved. But I do blame them now.
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 1:18 PM
Unbelievable timing.

No one rubs the Democrats’ nose in their own shit like Trump. No one even comes close
November 10, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Democrat leaders are doing their very best to ruin their party’s brand even further.

The words that come to mind this morning are contempt, disgust, and outrage. And anger.
November 10, 2025 at 11:52 AM
to pledge allegiance to the frat, with liberty and fraternity for all
Trump, despite the loud boos, leads an enlistment ceremony for incoming military members at the Washington Commanders game
November 10, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Personal Top 4:

1. London Calling
2. Unknown Pleasures
3. The Specials
4. Inflammable Material

The first five seconds of the opening track of each album… simply iconic. Locks in a vibe immediately.
46 Years Ago

1979 was also a year with great punk rock, post-punk, and ska albums.

Here's a selection—is your favorite among them?

Mine is definitely Ramones - It's Alive

#punk #punks #punkrock #postpunk #ska #vinyl #legends #musiclegends #history #punkrockhistory
November 9, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Douthat: "Is there not a certain unique potency in the monarchy that some ambitious figure might try to revive and use before the end?"

Summon Orwell!

www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-f...
November 8, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Reposted by Tom Pepinsky
Give Rosalind Franklin a tenth of the advantages he had and she’d be recognized as the “discoverer” of DNA. As it was, he and his colleagues had to use her (stolen!) notes to get there.
James Watson died yesterday. He was a bad man with many bad ideas. We owe a debt of gratitude to the unknown hero who uploaded this picture of him to Wikipedia.
November 8, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Rod Dreher: “I sleep in a racing car. Do you?”
incredible that these guys have a massive hard on for a country that, if it were a state, would rank behind kansas in terms of wealth and which would be a total backwater if it weren’t economically integrated with more functional countries
November 8, 2025 at 5:55 PM
No matter how productive your Saturday is, it cannot beat mine: I concluded that I cannot replace a 3-way light switch on a house wired in the 1980s, and therefore I did not burn my house down. In essence, I built a house today.
November 8, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Reposted by Tom Pepinsky
<I_Am_Your_Audience.gif>
November 7, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Reposted by Tom Pepinsky
Presidentialism itself remains a major problem in the US constitutional order. Whether it's the main one is hard to say, since it boasts such an embarrassment of riches in fatal constitutional defects
If the goal is for multiple parties to reflect local concerns, and put an end to four-year cycle of all-or-nothing politics, you’d do much better by making the head of government institutionally dependent on the legislature. Westminster-style government and colonial legacies FTW!

/end
November 7, 2025 at 5:24 PM
My read is not different, necessarily, but perhaps more qualified. My opposition to PR + presidentialism is inspired primarily by three cases: Argentina, Brazil, and Indonesia. Although all three are electoral democracies, I don’t think PR advocates in the US are hoping the US becomes like them

1/
This is a half-baked thought spurred by @tompepinsky.com arguing against PR + Presidentialism -- I assume because of Indonesia as a reference point where the legislature is incredibly weak.

But in most of South America we've seen fairly stable democratic development for close to 40 years
November 7, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Reposted by Tom Pepinsky
Perhaps you would be interested in this crabby take on PR in the USA which has sat unedited on my desktop since fall 2020
November 7, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by Tom Pepinsky
I would put more money on continuing to harvest infinite energy from the sun over assuming that forcing everyone to use The Machine The Lies To You is the steady basis of an entire economy
A fun question. In 5 years time, what looks better? The US’s enormous bet & capex on AI? Or China’s equally enormous bet and capex on renewables?
China has made cheap, clean energy available in huge quantities. The world should take the win econ.st/4oqFszB

Photo: Eyevine
November 7, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Make no mistake: Gen X is in charge of contemporary capitalism
This R.E.M. x Trader Joe’s collab is unexpected but I don’t hate it

cc @michaelstipe.bsky.social
November 6, 2025 at 10:34 PM
who knew that it would prove difficult to hold together a movement whose philosophy is hatred, division, and judgment?
🚨 WaPo SCOOP: Inside the crisis at the Heritage Foundation

The group behind Project 2025 is facing a rebellion — and has been for months.

The Tucker Carlson/Nick Fuentes/antisemitism saga is just what caused it to break into the open.

🎁 Gift link:
Heritage staff in open revolt over leader’s defense of Tucker Carlson
At least five members of Heritage’s antisemitism task force resigned after Roberts defended Carlson’s interview with antisemitic white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
wapo.st
November 6, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Reposted by Tom Pepinsky
🧵The gender views Douthat is platforming are widespread on the right, y'all. 1/X
Reporting this story, I heard near universal concern from Heritage staff of discrimination against unmarried women.

Then I obtained a letter to the Heritage board from anonymous staffers that alleged the same thing — and more.

Heritage is aware that alleged behavior could create legal trouble.
November 6, 2025 at 4:48 PM
No hot dog, only khlav kalash (laudatory)
November 6, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Reposted by Tom Pepinsky
Heritage Foundation’s endorsement of Haman may be inconsistent with stated agenda of Project Esther.
November 6, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Camp Hill, PA Bluesky must not be very big. It might be just me and @jrslu.bsky.social and @anildash.com. But Christine Line winning a judgeship as a Democrat is an amazing fact about yesterday

www.facebook.com/people/Chris...
Christine L. Line for Magisterial District Judge
Christine L. Line for Magisterial District Judge, Camp Hill. 38 likes · 75 talking about this. Christine has spent twenty years serving the people of Pennsylvania, advocating for a wide range of...
www.facebook.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:15 AM
FIFA launches participation trophy for special losers
November 5, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Reposted by Tom Pepinsky
Seeing Like a Nate.
Ah the Nates- the most chosen of data pundits. Only thy can truly tell us what the numbers mean.
"Ah but not so fast--this is nothing compared to what Glenn Youngkin did four years ago." Never change, Nate Cohn, never change

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/u...
November 5, 2025 at 7:14 PM
so delightful to realize that Tommy “Bag of Hammers” Tuberville supports invading Nigeria to support Christians but not accepting Nigerian Christians as refugees in America
Tommy Tuberville says he supports Trump invading Nigeria
November 5, 2025 at 6:51 PM