Matthew Shugart
@laderafrutal.bsky.social
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science, UC Davis. Researching electoral systems, parties, legislatures. 🍑🍊🌻 Orchardist. 🇺🇸 🇮🇱🇺🇦🇹🇼🇰🇷 Zionist and small-d democrat. Blog/links to pubs: fruitsandvotes.wordpress.com
Thanks for the shoutout
(Bluesky had this interesting note when I opened the reply window!)
(Bluesky had this interesting note when I opened the reply window!)
November 3, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Thanks for the shoutout
(Bluesky had this interesting note when I opened the reply window!)
(Bluesky had this interesting note when I opened the reply window!)
Yeah, I want to look more like this.
October 29, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Yeah, I want to look more like this.
Well, the campaign is underway. The bills to put this on the ballot passed the legislature only yesterday. But the opposition hasn’t been sitting around waiting.
(My posting this is not an endorsement of any position.)
(My posting this is not an endorsement of any position.)
August 22, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Well, the campaign is underway. The bills to put this on the ballot passed the legislature only yesterday. But the opposition hasn’t been sitting around waiting.
(My posting this is not an endorsement of any position.)
(My posting this is not an endorsement of any position.)
It was a good morning to be in the orchard.
August 13, 2025 at 3:19 PM
It was a good morning to be in the orchard.
One of the outdoor cats I feed. Rocky. He looks a lot like one of our recent adoptees (i.e. now indoor only), Rusty, and might be his brother. Rocky is less friendly, which is fine. We can’t take in any more!
Like Tortie before him (see recent posts) and others before her, he loves this fig tree.
Like Tortie before him (see recent posts) and others before her, he loves this fig tree.
July 8, 2025 at 11:15 PM
One of the outdoor cats I feed. Rocky. He looks a lot like one of our recent adoptees (i.e. now indoor only), Rusty, and might be his brother. Rocky is less friendly, which is fine. We can’t take in any more!
Like Tortie before him (see recent posts) and others before her, he loves this fig tree.
Like Tortie before him (see recent posts) and others before her, he loves this fig tree.
Just an afternoon sitting on the garden recliner enjoying the view (and now and then the fruit) of that Blenheim apricot tree. Wishing more summer days could be like this (93F with a breeze). But a big heatwave is on its way for the rest of the week, at least.
July 8, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Just an afternoon sitting on the garden recliner enjoying the view (and now and then the fruit) of that Blenheim apricot tree. Wishing more summer days could be like this (93F with a breeze). But a big heatwave is on its way for the rest of the week, at least.
Breakfast with Boots.
July 8, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Breakfast with Boots.
Tortie is doing the Velcro thing right now to me! Something I never could have imagined all those years I was feeding her outside.
Two of our other cats were kittens of a pregnant roaming cat who showed up 12 years ago. Here they are: Swirls and Polly.
Two of our other cats were kittens of a pregnant roaming cat who showed up 12 years ago. Here they are: Swirls and Polly.
July 7, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Tortie is doing the Velcro thing right now to me! Something I never could have imagined all those years I was feeding her outside.
Two of our other cats were kittens of a pregnant roaming cat who showed up 12 years ago. Here they are: Swirls and Polly.
Two of our other cats were kittens of a pregnant roaming cat who showed up 12 years ago. Here they are: Swirls and Polly.
Here is Tortie, a by now well adjusted indoor cat (here cuddling on my chest) after being an outdoor roaming cat for presumably all or most of her life. I’d been feeding her for almost six years and she was always wary. But suddenly in early April she turned very friendly. So we took her in.
July 6, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Here is Tortie, a by now well adjusted indoor cat (here cuddling on my chest) after being an outdoor roaming cat for presumably all or most of her life. I’d been feeding her for almost six years and she was always wary. But suddenly in early April she turned very friendly. So we took her in.
Swirls, ready for the rays of morning sun and whatever else might come her way.
July 1, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Swirls, ready for the rays of morning sun and whatever else might come her way.
Good morning from Plainfield. We had a little thunder roaring around 2 this morning.
July 1, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Good morning from Plainfield. We had a little thunder roaring around 2 this morning.
From Rabbi David Wolpe, over at the other place.
June 13, 2025 at 2:31 PM
From Rabbi David Wolpe, over at the other place.
Many cats don’t like their belly being rubbed. But little Flory sure does.
June 6, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Many cats don’t like their belly being rubbed. But little Flory sure does.
I spent the morning before the heatwave putting up some shade cloth to protect two young avocado trees, a late-planted nectarine that has barely leafed out, and the ripening fruit of my White Knockout apricot. These setups aren’t perfect, but they should help.
May 30, 2025 at 6:22 PM
I spent the morning before the heatwave putting up some shade cloth to protect two young avocado trees, a late-planted nectarine that has barely leafed out, and the ripening fruit of my White Knockout apricot. These setups aren’t perfect, but they should help.
May you enjoy as good a nap as Asher is having.
May 26, 2025 at 11:23 PM
May you enjoy as good a nap as Asher is having.
The two victims of this terrorist attack, young, about to be engaged, active in peace-building work and humanitarian projects, murdered by a far-left activist for “free Palestine.”
We’ve been sounding this warning. And now, in DC. I’m sad, disgusted, exhausted, and angry.
We’ve been sounding this warning. And now, in DC. I’m sad, disgusted, exhausted, and angry.
May 22, 2025 at 1:33 PM
The two victims of this terrorist attack, young, about to be engaged, active in peace-building work and humanitarian projects, murdered by a far-left activist for “free Palestine.”
We’ve been sounding this warning. And now, in DC. I’m sad, disgusted, exhausted, and angry.
We’ve been sounding this warning. And now, in DC. I’m sad, disgusted, exhausted, and angry.
One of ours likes to sit in my desk chair and “go for a ride.” I rotate it (slowly) and she purrs and mews. So happy.
Here is Polly relaxing in a different chair in my office because I couldn’t immediately find a pic of her in the rotating one.
Here is Polly relaxing in a different chair in my office because I couldn’t immediately find a pic of her in the rotating one.
May 6, 2025 at 5:25 PM
One of ours likes to sit in my desk chair and “go for a ride.” I rotate it (slowly) and she purrs and mews. So happy.
Here is Polly relaxing in a different chair in my office because I couldn’t immediately find a pic of her in the rotating one.
Here is Polly relaxing in a different chair in my office because I couldn’t immediately find a pic of her in the rotating one.
Just published in Frontiers in Political Science!
"Majoritarian politics in a consensus democracy: how judicialization of politics helped lay bare the contradictions of Israel’s constitution," by Johanan D. Mussel & me.
www.frontiersin.org/journals/pol...
"Majoritarian politics in a consensus democracy: how judicialization of politics helped lay bare the contradictions of Israel’s constitution," by Johanan D. Mussel & me.
www.frontiersin.org/journals/pol...
April 7, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Just published in Frontiers in Political Science!
"Majoritarian politics in a consensus democracy: how judicialization of politics helped lay bare the contradictions of Israel’s constitution," by Johanan D. Mussel & me.
www.frontiersin.org/journals/pol...
"Majoritarian politics in a consensus democracy: how judicialization of politics helped lay bare the contradictions of Israel’s constitution," by Johanan D. Mussel & me.
www.frontiersin.org/journals/pol...
Of all the stone fruits I grow, few can top the ‘Canadian White Blenheim’ apricot for blossom beauty.
March 27, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Of all the stone fruits I grow, few can top the ‘Canadian White Blenheim’ apricot for blossom beauty.
Just a couple of kitties snuggling.
Polly (L) and Asher.
Polly (L) and Asher.
March 4, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Just a couple of kitties snuggling.
Polly (L) and Asher.
Polly (L) and Asher.
Lots of folks are sharing this map. I wish it showed shading by margin or vote share. I imagine a lot of those AfD pluralities in the East are closer to 25% of the vote than to 50%. Still very bad, of course, but would be less dramatic.
February 23, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Lots of folks are sharing this map. I wish it showed shading by margin or vote share. I imagine a lot of those AfD pluralities in the East are closer to 25% of the vote than to 50%. Still very bad, of course, but would be less dramatic.
I think we can all learn from Boots (L) about how to make the best of a situation.
February 14, 2025 at 9:07 PM
I think we can all learn from Boots (L) about how to make the best of a situation.
Absolutely awful headline by The Economist. Civil servants are not employees of the President. They are hired to work on behalf of the public, as is the President himself.
February 3, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Absolutely awful headline by The Economist. Civil servants are not employees of the President. They are hired to work on behalf of the public, as is the President himself.
The sisters, Polly (in the bed) and Swirls, enjoying some sun. Swirls has a mysterious fever and hasn’t been feeling well but she seems to be improving.
January 21, 2025 at 8:49 PM
The sisters, Polly (in the bed) and Swirls, enjoying some sun. Swirls has a mysterious fever and hasn’t been feeling well but she seems to be improving.
Well that didn’t take long. From Saturday night to Tuesday morning.
(I don’t use TikTok and wouldn’t even know how to log in. I set up an anonymous account a few years ago and quickly realized I am way too old for TikTok)
(I don’t use TikTok and wouldn’t even know how to log in. I set up an anonymous account a few years ago and quickly realized I am way too old for TikTok)
January 21, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Well that didn’t take long. From Saturday night to Tuesday morning.
(I don’t use TikTok and wouldn’t even know how to log in. I set up an anonymous account a few years ago and quickly realized I am way too old for TikTok)
(I don’t use TikTok and wouldn’t even know how to log in. I set up an anonymous account a few years ago and quickly realized I am way too old for TikTok)