Benjamin McKean
@blmckean.bsky.social
associate professor of political science at Ohio State University // global justice, supply chains, populism, climate change, critical theory, etc // all tweets (skeets?) produced accidentally by having my phone in a pants pocket while I walk the dog
You don’t have to be the parent of an eight-year-old to find this absolutely horrifying but I am and I do
November 10, 2025 at 5:34 PM
You don’t have to be the parent of an eight-year-old to find this absolutely horrifying but I am and I do
TFW it snows in early November
November 10, 2025 at 1:51 PM
TFW it snows in early November
I’ve always taken this mural at the Columbus airport for granted but I have decided to appreciate it as one of the visible public uses of a semi-colon I can think of
November 6, 2025 at 6:52 PM
I’ve always taken this mural at the Columbus airport for granted but I have decided to appreciate it as one of the visible public uses of a semi-colon I can think of
This is the meanest thing I’ve ever seen anyone say about Mamdani
November 6, 2025 at 2:18 PM
This is the meanest thing I’ve ever seen anyone say about Mamdani
I’ve done plenty of Vogel posting about yesterday’s election, but what do people make of the Columbus school board election results? Seems like DSA endorsing Lynch and CEA endorsing Keyes were just swamped by the Franklin County Democratic Party sample ballots. Campaigning made no difference at all?
November 5, 2025 at 11:29 PM
I’ve done plenty of Vogel posting about yesterday’s election, but what do people make of the Columbus school board election results? Seems like DSA endorsing Lynch and CEA endorsing Keyes were just swamped by the Franklin County Democratic Party sample ballots. Campaigning made no difference at all?
Comical framing from WOSU - Vogel’s grassroots support “forced” Ross to corruptly accept $155K from the incumbents who picked to run? Come on. It’s Columbus’s ridiculous system requiring Vogel to run citywide that forced him to raise like $500K just for a chance at a single city council seat!
November 5, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Comical framing from WOSU - Vogel’s grassroots support “forced” Ross to corruptly accept $155K from the incumbents who picked to run? Come on. It’s Columbus’s ridiculous system requiring Vogel to run citywide that forced him to raise like $500K just for a chance at a single city council seat!
Check out this comparison - in Detroit, for their City Council, also for their District 7, progressive Denzel McCampbell wins the seat with the backing of DSA. How many votes did he need? He won a city council seat with a little over 7K votes. In Columbus, Vogel wins more than 50K votes and loses.
November 5, 2025 at 5:14 AM
Check out this comparison - in Detroit, for their City Council, also for their District 7, progressive Denzel McCampbell wins the seat with the backing of DSA. How many votes did he need? He won a city council seat with a little over 7K votes. In Columbus, Vogel wins more than 50K votes and loses.
Well, the Columbus establishment can rest easy a little longer - Vogel is down about 1500 votes with 99% precincts reporting.
As in the primary, Vogel handily wins District 7 but narrowly loses citywide, thanks to the city’s ridiculous fake ward system. Time for real electoral reform in this city!
As in the primary, Vogel handily wins District 7 but narrowly loses citywide, thanks to the city’s ridiculous fake ward system. Time for real electoral reform in this city!
November 5, 2025 at 3:49 AM
Well, the Columbus establishment can rest easy a little longer - Vogel is down about 1500 votes with 99% precincts reporting.
As in the primary, Vogel handily wins District 7 but narrowly loses citywide, thanks to the city’s ridiculous fake ward system. Time for real electoral reform in this city!
As in the primary, Vogel handily wins District 7 but narrowly loses citywide, thanks to the city’s ridiculous fake ward system. Time for real electoral reform in this city!
with 53% of the vote in, starting to think Vogel may pull this off - it would be a political earthquake in Columbus, Ohio, as he'd be the first outsider candidate not handpicked by the establishment to be elected by city council in living memory
November 5, 2025 at 2:52 AM
with 53% of the vote in, starting to think Vogel may pull this off - it would be a political earthquake in Columbus, Ohio, as he'd be the first outsider candidate not handpicked by the establishment to be elected by city council in living memory
ironically this study makes me have less trust in social scientists
November 4, 2025 at 1:31 PM
ironically this study makes me have less trust in social scientists
Vermeule being explicit that he thinks anti-Semites like Nick Fuentes are on his team shows terrible judgment. Worse even than the time he called John Rawls "a master of rhetoric and evocative phrasemaking"
November 3, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Vermeule being explicit that he thinks anti-Semites like Nick Fuentes are on his team shows terrible judgment. Worse even than the time he called John Rawls "a master of rhetoric and evocative phrasemaking"
I thought he was every kid’s favorite action figure?
November 2, 2025 at 10:00 PM
I thought he was every kid’s favorite action figure?
Compare this fundraising message from Dani Isaacsohn, which acknowledges and defends the Ohio Dems supported for the maps. Whatever you think of the deal, this is more honest communication that trusts voters to understand what’s going on (even as it still omits the possibility of a referendum, etc)
November 1, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Compare this fundraising message from Dani Isaacsohn, which acknowledges and defends the Ohio Dems supported for the maps. Whatever you think of the deal, this is more honest communication that trusts voters to understand what’s going on (even as it still omits the possibility of a referendum, etc)
Just got this unbelievably cynical fundraising appeal from Rep. Emilia Sykes, correctly calling this “the Ohio GOP’s most gerrymandered House maps yet.” But she doesn’t mention that she and Ohio Democratic Party leadership also approved the maps or how they *help* her! punchbowl.news/article/camp...
October 31, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Just got this unbelievably cynical fundraising appeal from Rep. Emilia Sykes, correctly calling this “the Ohio GOP’s most gerrymandered House maps yet.” But she doesn’t mention that she and Ohio Democratic Party leadership also approved the maps or how they *help* her! punchbowl.news/article/camp...
Hell yeah, *finally*, it’s been a long wait but today is the day I look forward to all year, my favorite holiday on the calendar - that’s right, October 31st, OPEN ENROLLMENT is here!!
Goddamn, I cannot wait to evaluate my benefit options and make selections for the upcoming year!!! Woohoo!!!
Goddamn, I cannot wait to evaluate my benefit options and make selections for the upcoming year!!! Woohoo!!!
October 31, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Hell yeah, *finally*, it’s been a long wait but today is the day I look forward to all year, my favorite holiday on the calendar - that’s right, October 31st, OPEN ENROLLMENT is here!!
Goddamn, I cannot wait to evaluate my benefit options and make selections for the upcoming year!!! Woohoo!!!
Goddamn, I cannot wait to evaluate my benefit options and make selections for the upcoming year!!! Woohoo!!!
I’ve been saying this
October 30, 2025 at 1:57 PM
I’ve been saying this
hahaha this sucks man
October 29, 2025 at 6:33 PM
hahaha this sucks man
I hope your voicemail is ready for a 🔥scorching🔥 phone call, Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission
October 27, 2025 at 12:45 PM
I hope your voicemail is ready for a 🔥scorching🔥 phone call, Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission
Found the next trending kids meme
October 27, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Found the next trending kids meme
“Turnips, the Original Jack-O-Lanterns” is the most Abe Simpson coded Halloween event imaginable
October 26, 2025 at 9:02 PM
“Turnips, the Original Jack-O-Lanterns” is the most Abe Simpson coded Halloween event imaginable
Why didn’t Spirit Halloween label this costume “Trump Cabinet Secretary”
October 24, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Why didn’t Spirit Halloween label this costume “Trump Cabinet Secretary”
Spirit Halloween now has a section devoted to Trump’s economic policies
October 24, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Spirit Halloween now has a section devoted to Trump’s economic policies