Josh Zingher
@zingherpolisci.bsky.social
Political Scientist. Author of “Political Choice in a Polarized America” @OUP. Dad. Sauna enthusiast. Crossword solver. Powerlifter. Cyclist. ✡️ ∞
Views are mine alone. RT!=endorsement
Views are mine alone. RT!=endorsement
Pinned
Everything that’s happened over the past six months has been a response to an imaginary crisis. There is no immigrant invasion. No trade crisis. No scientific or governance crisis. Just people completely high off their own supply trying to fundamentally reorder society. None of this had to happen.
Reposted by Josh Zingher
It’s 2026. This current Era feels like the most unstable period I’ve experienced. We’re dealing with disruptive technologies that are running out way ahead of regulations and the culture’s ability to handle them. Know nothing populism is rampant. Yet, I’m pretty hopeful despite the chaos. 1/x
January 1, 2026 at 7:31 PM
It’s 2026. This current Era feels like the most unstable period I’ve experienced. We’re dealing with disruptive technologies that are running out way ahead of regulations and the culture’s ability to handle them. Know nothing populism is rampant. Yet, I’m pretty hopeful despite the chaos. 1/x
Reposted by Josh Zingher
Fascism is about exerting power over others. Some power is physical coercion, but more insidious is that fascists want to force you to accept lies that contradict with what you observe with your own eyes. Thus, it’s no surprise that fascists love AI slop.
This video, viewed millions of times on TikTok, Facebook and X, claims to show Venezuelans taking to the street to thank the US for detaining Maduro.
But the video is a combination of four AI-generated clips and was first posted on TikTok by a user who frequently shares AI videos. It's not real.
But the video is a combination of four AI-generated clips and was first posted on TikTok by a user who frequently shares AI videos. It's not real.
January 4, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Fascism is about exerting power over others. Some power is physical coercion, but more insidious is that fascists want to force you to accept lies that contradict with what you observe with your own eyes. Thus, it’s no surprise that fascists love AI slop.
Reposted by Josh Zingher
Trump is reportedly asking advisors what countries we can invade to obtain VHS tapes, Ford Taurus station wagons, and smoking inside restaurants.
A reminder that Trump has been fantasizing about seizing oil from other countries for more than a decade, before he even ran for president: www.nationalreview.com/2015/07/dona...
Donald Trump’s Odd Fixation on Seizing Middle Eastern Oil Fields | National Review
Trump has in recent years repeatedly endorsed the bizarre, bellicose fantasy that the U.S. could and should seize oil fields in Iraq and Libya.
www.nationalreview.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:09 PM
Trump is reportedly asking advisors what countries we can invade to obtain VHS tapes, Ford Taurus station wagons, and smoking inside restaurants.
Trump is reportedly asking advisors what countries we can invade to obtain VHS tapes, Ford Taurus station wagons, and smoking inside restaurants.
A reminder that Trump has been fantasizing about seizing oil from other countries for more than a decade, before he even ran for president: www.nationalreview.com/2015/07/dona...
Donald Trump’s Odd Fixation on Seizing Middle Eastern Oil Fields | National Review
Trump has in recent years repeatedly endorsed the bizarre, bellicose fantasy that the U.S. could and should seize oil fields in Iraq and Libya.
www.nationalreview.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:09 PM
Trump is reportedly asking advisors what countries we can invade to obtain VHS tapes, Ford Taurus station wagons, and smoking inside restaurants.
Fascism is about exerting power over others. Some power is physical coercion, but more insidious is that fascists want to force you to accept lies that contradict with what you observe with your own eyes. Thus, it’s no surprise that fascists love AI slop.
This video, viewed millions of times on TikTok, Facebook and X, claims to show Venezuelans taking to the street to thank the US for detaining Maduro.
But the video is a combination of four AI-generated clips and was first posted on TikTok by a user who frequently shares AI videos. It's not real.
But the video is a combination of four AI-generated clips and was first posted on TikTok by a user who frequently shares AI videos. It's not real.
January 4, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Fascism is about exerting power over others. Some power is physical coercion, but more insidious is that fascists want to force you to accept lies that contradict with what you observe with your own eyes. Thus, it’s no surprise that fascists love AI slop.
Reposted by Josh Zingher
So if this is accurate reporting (originally from October) then it makes the current talk of investment and “transition” governments much clearer. It seems Maduro was exploring possible negotiated settlements but Rubio drew a hard line at his remaining in power.
www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...
www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...
Exclusive: Venezuelan leaders offered U.S. a path to stay in power without Maduro
Delcy and Jorge Rodríguez used Doha backchannels to offer Washington a 'Cartel Light' plan for a managed Venezuela transition that keeps chavismo in power.
www.miamiherald.com
January 4, 2026 at 4:15 AM
So if this is accurate reporting (originally from October) then it makes the current talk of investment and “transition” governments much clearer. It seems Maduro was exploring possible negotiated settlements but Rubio drew a hard line at his remaining in power.
www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...
www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...
Whispers <Venezuela is twice the size of Texas and still has a government>
Trump says Venezuela's oil wealth "goes also to the United States of America in the form of reimbursement for the damages caused us by that country"
January 4, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Whispers <Venezuela is twice the size of Texas and still has a government>
Reposted by Josh Zingher
At the end of the day, these are just some not very bright guys who are in way over their heads.
January 3, 2026 at 1:15 PM
At the end of the day, these are just some not very bright guys who are in way over their heads.
Reposted by Josh Zingher
In this vein, what I keep coming back to is that this group of principals -- especially Trump -- have strong generalized dispositions about how social life works but unusually weak cognitive & institutional frameworks for translating that into policy. (3/n)
January 3, 2026 at 11:46 PM
In this vein, what I keep coming back to is that this group of principals -- especially Trump -- have strong generalized dispositions about how social life works but unusually weak cognitive & institutional frameworks for translating that into policy. (3/n)
Reposted by Josh Zingher
for me, the apparent absence of any serious policy process, clear thinking about the national interest or more concrete foreign-policy goals, or effort to look down the game tree is impressive even by Trump standards (1/n)
“.. There is no evidence that anyone on the Trump team has thought about what will happen tomorrow, or next week, or next year ..
“.. we’re not even 24 hours into this .. Decades later, we’re still dealing with the aftermath in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
fallows.substack.com/p/blind-into...
“.. we’re not even 24 hours into this .. Decades later, we’re still dealing with the aftermath in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
fallows.substack.com/p/blind-into...
January 3, 2026 at 11:46 PM
for me, the apparent absence of any serious policy process, clear thinking about the national interest or more concrete foreign-policy goals, or effort to look down the game tree is impressive even by Trump standards (1/n)
Reposted by Josh Zingher
Thank god Chuck Schumer isn’t alive to see this.
January 3, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Thank god Chuck Schumer isn’t alive to see this.
Thank god Chuck Schumer isn’t alive to see this.
January 3, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Thank god Chuck Schumer isn’t alive to see this.
This thing is gonna make Iraq look like an exercise in competence
January 3, 2026 at 6:15 PM
This thing is gonna make Iraq look like an exercise in competence
Congress is a dead letter.
News: Gang of Eight in Congress were only notified about Trump's Venezuela operation after it began, source familiar tells me. That means the heads of the Intelligence Committees in Senate and House were *not* consulted. Just crazy.
January 3, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Congress is a dead letter.
Reposted by Josh Zingher
The president is getting intravenous drugs and taking repeated cognitive exams and MRIs with no explanation and the entire country is going along as if business as usual. We need something to pop this bubble of delusion.
The entire 2024 campaign was a hallucination. There is no other way to put it. The whole thing was a collective fever dream.
I’m thinking this morning about all the people I spoke to last year who were absolutely convinced, and tried to convince me, that Trump would be antiwar compared to Biden and Harris.
In the past week alone he has attacked Nigeria and then Venezuela and also threatened to attack Iran (again).
In the past week alone he has attacked Nigeria and then Venezuela and also threatened to attack Iran (again).
January 3, 2026 at 4:46 PM
The president is getting intravenous drugs and taking repeated cognitive exams and MRIs with no explanation and the entire country is going along as if business as usual. We need something to pop this bubble of delusion.
The president is getting intravenous drugs and taking repeated cognitive exams and MRIs with no explanation and the entire country is going along as if business as usual. We need something to pop this bubble of delusion.
The entire 2024 campaign was a hallucination. There is no other way to put it. The whole thing was a collective fever dream.
I’m thinking this morning about all the people I spoke to last year who were absolutely convinced, and tried to convince me, that Trump would be antiwar compared to Biden and Harris.
In the past week alone he has attacked Nigeria and then Venezuela and also threatened to attack Iran (again).
In the past week alone he has attacked Nigeria and then Venezuela and also threatened to attack Iran (again).
January 3, 2026 at 4:46 PM
The president is getting intravenous drugs and taking repeated cognitive exams and MRIs with no explanation and the entire country is going along as if business as usual. We need something to pop this bubble of delusion.
Reposted by Josh Zingher
The entire 2024 campaign was a hallucination. There is no other way to put it. The whole thing was a collective fever dream.
I’m thinking this morning about all the people I spoke to last year who were absolutely convinced, and tried to convince me, that Trump would be antiwar compared to Biden and Harris.
In the past week alone he has attacked Nigeria and then Venezuela and also threatened to attack Iran (again).
In the past week alone he has attacked Nigeria and then Venezuela and also threatened to attack Iran (again).
January 3, 2026 at 1:29 PM
The entire 2024 campaign was a hallucination. There is no other way to put it. The whole thing was a collective fever dream.
Reposted by Josh Zingher
Reuters spent only two sentences of this bulletin on events that took place in the last nine hours.
Holy Yellow Journalism, Batman.
Nicolas Maduro's heavy-handed rule in Venezuela is finally ended by Trump reut.rs/3YWbo3K
January 3, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Reuters spent only two sentences of this bulletin on events that took place in the last nine hours.
Holy Yellow Journalism, Batman.
Nicolas Maduro's heavy-handed rule in Venezuela is finally ended by Trump reut.rs/3YWbo3K
Nicolas Maduro's heavy-handed rule in Venezuela is finally ended by Trump
Nicolas Maduro ruled Venezuela with a heavy hand for more than 12 years, presiding over deep economic and social crises and resisting pressure from domestic opponents and foreign governments for political change.
reut.rs
January 3, 2026 at 2:28 PM
Holy Yellow Journalism, Batman.
@mcopelov.bsky.social are we at an unprecedented Article I crisis yet?
January 3, 2026 at 2:19 PM
@mcopelov.bsky.social are we at an unprecedented Article I crisis yet?
Reposted by Josh Zingher
The media has a tremendous amount of culpability for this.
The entire 2024 campaign was a hallucination. There is no other way to put it. The whole thing was a collective fever dream.
I’m thinking this morning about all the people I spoke to last year who were absolutely convinced, and tried to convince me, that Trump would be antiwar compared to Biden and Harris.
In the past week alone he has attacked Nigeria and then Venezuela and also threatened to attack Iran (again).
In the past week alone he has attacked Nigeria and then Venezuela and also threatened to attack Iran (again).
January 3, 2026 at 1:45 PM
The media has a tremendous amount of culpability for this.
The entire 2024 campaign was a hallucination. There is no other way to put it. The whole thing was a collective fever dream.
I’m thinking this morning about all the people I spoke to last year who were absolutely convinced, and tried to convince me, that Trump would be antiwar compared to Biden and Harris.
In the past week alone he has attacked Nigeria and then Venezuela and also threatened to attack Iran (again).
In the past week alone he has attacked Nigeria and then Venezuela and also threatened to attack Iran (again).
January 3, 2026 at 1:29 PM
The entire 2024 campaign was a hallucination. There is no other way to put it. The whole thing was a collective fever dream.
Any Democratic member of Congress who wants to run for president in 2028 should file or endorse articles of impeachment before noon.
January 3, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Any Democratic member of Congress who wants to run for president in 2028 should file or endorse articles of impeachment before noon.
At the end of the day, these are just some not very bright guys who are in way over their heads.
January 3, 2026 at 1:15 PM
At the end of the day, these are just some not very bright guys who are in way over their heads.
Reposted by Josh Zingher
"He has redirected resources away from the administration of justice and towards the purging of his personal enemies, and has “erected” the phony office DOGE in order to harass the lawful administrators of American government. Need I go on?" www.liberalcurrents.com/unfit-to-be-...
Unfit to Be the Ruler of a Free People: The Anti-American Presidency of Donald Trump
The Trump administration is an affront to everything good that America has become and everything America has ever sought to be.
www.liberalcurrents.com
January 2, 2026 at 10:30 PM
"He has redirected resources away from the administration of justice and towards the purging of his personal enemies, and has “erected” the phony office DOGE in order to harass the lawful administrators of American government. Need I go on?" www.liberalcurrents.com/unfit-to-be-...