Ken Mayer
@uwkenmayer.bsky.social
Emeritus professor of political science UW Madison. Presidency, election administration, sifting and winnowing, the Wisconsin Idea, Golden Retrievers, and pineapple on pizza.
https://www.wisc.edu/
https://www.wisc.edu/
Every sentence in this book would have won the Bulwer-Litton contest.
December 9, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Every sentence in this book would have won the Bulwer-Litton contest.
Well, I guess they solved the online elections security problem.
Sort of.
Sort of.
Cryptographers Held an Election. They Can’t Decrypt the Results.
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Well, I guess they solved the online elections security problem.
Sort of.
Sort of.
Reposted by Ken Mayer
Indiana Professor Removed From Class Over White Supremacy Lesson
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Reposted by Ken Mayer
If you have tenure at Texas A&M and aren't maliciously emailing the president a dozen times every day to ask if you can say this or you can say that, then what's the point in having tenure?
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M adopts policy requiring professors to get OK from school president to discuss certain race and gender issues.
November 13, 2025 at 11:18 PM
If you have tenure at Texas A&M and aren't maliciously emailing the president a dozen times every day to ask if you can say this or you can say that, then what's the point in having tenure?
Reposted by Ken Mayer
If you have to get permission to teach in your area of expertise from people who are definitionally not qualified to adjudicate your expertise then you are no longer working at a university.
You’re working at a state propaganda factory.
You’re working at a state propaganda factory.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M adopts policy requiring professors to get OK from school president to discuss certain race and gender issues.
November 13, 2025 at 11:48 PM
If you have to get permission to teach in your area of expertise from people who are definitionally not qualified to adjudicate your expertise then you are no longer working at a university.
You’re working at a state propaganda factory.
You’re working at a state propaganda factory.
Reviewer two has thoughts.
In honour of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.
rm -rf ~/
rm -rf ~/
"The chancellor approved it"
October 13, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Reviewer two has thoughts.
Reposted by Ken Mayer
Sad news. They buried the lede: "A proud son of the Midwest, Barnett was born in Illinois and attended the University of Wisconsin...He was married to Braver for 53 years."
Bob & Rita have been huge supporters of UW Political Science for many years. True mensches. May his memory be a blessing.
Bob & Rita have been huge supporters of UW Political Science for many years. True mensches. May his memory be a blessing.
Washington, DC, superlawyer Bob Barnett dead at 79 | CNN Politics
Robert B. Barnett, a Washington, DC, lawyer and dealmaker who represented some of the most notable American political figures over the last half century, has died. He was 79.
www.cnn.com
September 26, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Sad news. They buried the lede: "A proud son of the Midwest, Barnett was born in Illinois and attended the University of Wisconsin...He was married to Braver for 53 years."
Bob & Rita have been huge supporters of UW Political Science for many years. True mensches. May his memory be a blessing.
Bob & Rita have been huge supporters of UW Political Science for many years. True mensches. May his memory be a blessing.
Reposted by Ken Mayer
A professor who was actually canceled - fired - and crickets from the hysterical “anti-cancel culture” crowd.
A lot of people who were panic mongering about a woke cultural revolution are conspicuously quiet about a youth activist denouncing a professor for wrong think and that professor being fired as part of a campaign of public shaming by political leaders.
Update on the Texas A&M professor / cell phone video situation: the professor has been fired by the A&M president
president.tamu.edu/messages/an-...
president.tamu.edu/messages/an-...
September 10, 2025 at 1:36 PM
A professor who was actually canceled - fired - and crickets from the hysterical “anti-cancel culture” crowd.
Hitler: Operation Sea Lion.
Churchill: "we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."
NYT: Settlement Talks Stall between Churchill and Hitler
Churchill: "we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."
NYT: Settlement Talks Stall between Churchill and Hitler
Online this morning, NYT update from "Harvard is about to cave" team.
Today's update: Well, actually..... See headline below. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/06/u...
For context of this narrative, please see my piece yesterday fallows.substack.com/p/harvard-vs... (Full timeline before paywall.)
Today's update: Well, actually..... See headline below. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/06/u...
For context of this narrative, please see my piece yesterday fallows.substack.com/p/harvard-vs... (Full timeline before paywall.)
September 6, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Hitler: Operation Sea Lion.
Churchill: "we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."
NYT: Settlement Talks Stall between Churchill and Hitler
Churchill: "we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."
NYT: Settlement Talks Stall between Churchill and Hitler
Aaron Swartz was prosecuted by the feds and faced decades in prison and millions in fines for downloading articles from JSTOR, which asked the gov to not pursue the case.
The prosecution destroyed his life. He died by suicide in 2013.
www.internethalloffame.org/inductee/aar...
The prosecution destroyed his life. He died by suicide in 2013.
www.internethalloffame.org/inductee/aar...
August 20, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Aaron Swartz was prosecuted by the feds and faced decades in prison and millions in fines for downloading articles from JSTOR, which asked the gov to not pursue the case.
The prosecution destroyed his life. He died by suicide in 2013.
www.internethalloffame.org/inductee/aar...
The prosecution destroyed his life. He died by suicide in 2013.
www.internethalloffame.org/inductee/aar...
Reposted by Ken Mayer
Eliot Cohen, quoting the British general W.F. Butler:
“The nation that will insist on drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking done by cowards.”
www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
“The nation that will insist on drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking done by cowards.”
www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
Hegseth’s Headlong Pursuit of Academic Mediocrity
His military-education reforms seem designed to ensure fighting men can’t think and thinking men can’t fight.
www.theatlantic.com
August 10, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Eliot Cohen, quoting the British general W.F. Butler:
“The nation that will insist on drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking done by cowards.”
www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
“The nation that will insist on drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking done by cowards.”
www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
Reposted by Ken Mayer
GPT-5 regularly asks you why you are not citing its work. GPT-5 always believes your estimator is biased. GPT-5 has more of a comment than a question. Sometimes GPT-5 tells you stories about grad school and expresses regret about getting a PhD. GPT-5's mom wonders when it will start making money.
“GPT-5 is the first time that it feels like talking to an expert in any topic — a Ph.D.-level expert,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said.
OpenAI Unveils GPT-5, Its Latest and Most Powerful Model, After Two-Year Wait
CEO Sam Altman said using the chatbot will be like talking with a doctorate-level expert in any topic.
www.wsj.com
August 7, 2025 at 8:22 PM
GPT-5 regularly asks you why you are not citing its work. GPT-5 always believes your estimator is biased. GPT-5 has more of a comment than a question. Sometimes GPT-5 tells you stories about grad school and expresses regret about getting a PhD. GPT-5's mom wonders when it will start making money.
Reposted by Ken Mayer
Wow. A group of top scholars at Harvard just sent a letter to its president, Alan Garber, warning against surrendering to Trump.
Signatories include Steven Levitsky, Dani Rodrik, Ryan Enos, Theda Skocpol, and Steven Walt.
Someone forwarded it to me. Read it here:
Signatories include Steven Levitsky, Dani Rodrik, Ryan Enos, Theda Skocpol, and Steven Walt.
Someone forwarded it to me. Read it here:
July 31, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Wow. A group of top scholars at Harvard just sent a letter to its president, Alan Garber, warning against surrendering to Trump.
Signatories include Steven Levitsky, Dani Rodrik, Ryan Enos, Theda Skocpol, and Steven Walt.
Someone forwarded it to me. Read it here:
Signatories include Steven Levitsky, Dani Rodrik, Ryan Enos, Theda Skocpol, and Steven Walt.
Someone forwarded it to me. Read it here:
This story is totally and completely hilarious.
With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.
July 27, 2025 at 10:29 PM
This story is totally and completely hilarious.
Waited on Fred Grandy at a Capitol Hill restaurant. Decent tipper.
Right folks. Feeling rather down at the moment so bringing back an oldie
Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
June 13, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Waited on Fred Grandy at a Capitol Hill restaurant. Decent tipper.
Show us your writing process in a gif
May 18, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Show us your writing process in a gif
Paging @mcopelov.bsky.social
Happy trails, Tony Kemp. Thank you for testing Mookie’s arm in the 2018 playoffs. It was an awesome moment for me. youtu.be/ele_6M4rUHQ?...
Mookie Betts throws out Tony Kemp with a laser
YouTube video by MLB
youtu.be
May 15, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Paging @mcopelov.bsky.social
The fatality rate for measles is generally between 0.1% and 0.3%.
So, this means thousands of completely preventable deaths from a completely preventable disease that was eliminated from the U.S in 2000.
So, this means thousands of completely preventable deaths from a completely preventable disease that was eliminated from the U.S in 2000.
Breaking news: The United States faces millions of measles cases over the next 25 years if vaccination rates for the disease drop 10 percent, according to new research published Thursday.
Millions of U.S. measles cases forecast over 25 years if shots decline
Measles, once virtually wiped out in the United States, could become commonplace again if declining vaccination rates continue, a new model shows.
www.washingtonpost.com
April 24, 2025 at 3:36 PM
The fatality rate for measles is generally between 0.1% and 0.3%.
So, this means thousands of completely preventable deaths from a completely preventable disease that was eliminated from the U.S in 2000.
So, this means thousands of completely preventable deaths from a completely preventable disease that was eliminated from the U.S in 2000.
For comedy nerds and patriots everywhere.
Fight Fiercely, Harvard
YouTube video by Tom Lehrer - Topic
m.youtube.com
April 16, 2025 at 12:26 PM
For comedy nerds and patriots everywhere.
There are 19 *public* U.S. universities in the global top 100* rankings, more than in any other country in the world has in total (and another 19 privates in the top 100).
Andreessen's claim is just asinine and provably false,
*world university rankings 2025, times higher education
Andreessen's claim is just asinine and provably false,
*world university rankings 2025, times higher education
Marc Andreessen really, really hates universities, which seems to be a pretty common sensibility from billionaires who have spent too much time online. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/18/o...
April 11, 2025 at 4:08 PM
There are 19 *public* U.S. universities in the global top 100* rankings, more than in any other country in the world has in total (and another 19 privates in the top 100).
Andreessen's claim is just asinine and provably false,
*world university rankings 2025, times higher education
Andreessen's claim is just asinine and provably false,
*world university rankings 2025, times higher education
"JFC" also works nicely.
I predict a renaissance for the 🤡 emoji.
April 9, 2025 at 5:54 PM
"JFC" also works nicely.
Apropos of nothing, here's data on annual coal mining deaths from 1900-2023.
arlweb.msha.gov/stats/centur...
arlweb.msha.gov/stats/centur...
arlweb.msha.gov
April 8, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Apropos of nothing, here's data on annual coal mining deaths from 1900-2023.
arlweb.msha.gov/stats/centur...
arlweb.msha.gov/stats/centur...
Unless you were already wealthy your choices were basically:
- work until you die
- don’t get hurt or sick
- move in with with your children
- live in poverty
- some combination of these
- work until you die
- don’t get hurt or sick
- move in with with your children
- live in poverty
- some combination of these
I’m sure the young guys who’ve been told the world owes them an easy life will jump at the chance to work a twelve hour shift at a blast furnace
White dudes are just bored, that’s why we need to destroy the economy.
April 5, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Unless you were already wealthy your choices were basically:
- work until you die
- don’t get hurt or sick
- move in with with your children
- live in poverty
- some combination of these
- work until you die
- don’t get hurt or sick
- move in with with your children
- live in poverty
- some combination of these