@m-sct-m.bsky.social
Lawyer, husband, dad. Believer in pluralistic, liberal democracy. Worried for my country. Midwest native -> coastal non-elite. Indentured to my dog.
“All that is human must retrograde if it does not advance” - Edward Gibbon
“All that is human must retrograde if it does not advance” - Edward Gibbon
Especially where SCOTUS basically said their ruling couldn’t be cited as precedent in future cases - so not even really acting as a court.
November 17, 2025 at 2:03 AM
Especially where SCOTUS basically said their ruling couldn’t be cited as precedent in future cases - so not even really acting as a court.
I suspect this was never really a negotiation but cynical posturing to try to appease the Democratic base for awhile. And for a party that always tries to court the fabled “median voter” they’ve just confirmed the belief that Dems are weak and unreliable, making it much harder to win the mid-terms
November 10, 2025 at 7:07 PM
I suspect this was never really a negotiation but cynical posturing to try to appease the Democratic base for awhile. And for a party that always tries to court the fabled “median voter” they’ve just confirmed the belief that Dems are weak and unreliable, making it much harder to win the mid-terms
Merkley says he’s a “no” vote
November 10, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Merkley says he’s a “no” vote
As if they are “above politics@. As my representative said in a phone town hall, “I’m a policy maker, not a politician.” And as a result fundamental issues, values, and reforms are never addressed, and the status quo is maintained - as no doubt many very wealthy donors would prefer
November 9, 2025 at 6:26 AM
As if they are “above politics@. As my representative said in a phone town hall, “I’m a policy maker, not a politician.” And as a result fundamental issues, values, and reforms are never addressed, and the status quo is maintained - as no doubt many very wealthy donors would prefer
Yes, they tend to see their job as narrowly constrained to what the median voter would accept, or what would receive bipartisan acceptance, and therefore have a managerial or administrative mindset. What is really galling is that a certain kind of Dem promotes this as some kind of high-minded virtue
November 9, 2025 at 6:26 AM
Yes, they tend to see their job as narrowly constrained to what the median voter would accept, or what would receive bipartisan acceptance, and therefore have a managerial or administrative mindset. What is really galling is that a certain kind of Dem promotes this as some kind of high-minded virtue
In the spirit of egalitarianism, can we also dispense with calling former office holders “Mr. President,” “Justice,” “Judge,” etc? When they leave office, they should have to leave that greeting behind as well – it’s not a hereditary title. Mr./Ms./Mx. is sufficiently respectful in a democracy.
November 5, 2025 at 11:08 PM
In the spirit of egalitarianism, can we also dispense with calling former office holders “Mr. President,” “Justice,” “Judge,” etc? When they leave office, they should have to leave that greeting behind as well – it’s not a hereditary title. Mr./Ms./Mx. is sufficiently respectful in a democracy.
I’m already wondering what outrageously partisan ruling/procedural maneuver SCOTUS would use to screw the Dems over. How about this: dismissing as non-justiciable b/c there’s somehow a discretionary aspect to the swearing-in?
October 21, 2025 at 10:55 PM
I’m already wondering what outrageously partisan ruling/procedural maneuver SCOTUS would use to screw the Dems over. How about this: dismissing as non-justiciable b/c there’s somehow a discretionary aspect to the swearing-in?
How about “WE are the PEOPLE” or some variation? it’s simple, highlights the vox populi aspect, and harks back to the Constitution
October 18, 2025 at 5:02 PM
How about “WE are the PEOPLE” or some variation? it’s simple, highlights the vox populi aspect, and harks back to the Constitution
And what has always astonished me is that it seems to have become received wisdom among the right thinking sort that the Court-packing scheme was a shameful overreach on FDR’s part. No, it was a necessary and good thing; it precipitated that “switch in time that saved nine” and democracy itself
October 14, 2025 at 10:26 PM
And what has always astonished me is that it seems to have become received wisdom among the right thinking sort that the Court-packing scheme was a shameful overreach on FDR’s part. No, it was a necessary and good thing; it precipitated that “switch in time that saved nine” and democracy itself
As others have noted, this may track with education levels and media consumption, but I also wonder whether New England’s heritage as the cradle of the American Revolution might also be a factor.
October 14, 2025 at 9:09 PM
As others have noted, this may track with education levels and media consumption, but I also wonder whether New England’s heritage as the cradle of the American Revolution might also be a factor.
… and after all this rant (sorry) some of my replies got lost or somehow didn’t get posted …
Anyway, just primary them all. I’m a lifelong Democrat, but I’m just sick of this shit. Maybe we’ll scrape together a majority in 2026, but then we’ll just be back in the same place again in 2028. Done
Anyway, just primary them all. I’m a lifelong Democrat, but I’m just sick of this shit. Maybe we’ll scrape together a majority in 2026, but then we’ll just be back in the same place again in 2028. Done
August 28, 2025 at 1:46 AM
… and after all this rant (sorry) some of my replies got lost or somehow didn’t get posted …
Anyway, just primary them all. I’m a lifelong Democrat, but I’m just sick of this shit. Maybe we’ll scrape together a majority in 2026, but then we’ll just be back in the same place again in 2028. Done
Anyway, just primary them all. I’m a lifelong Democrat, but I’m just sick of this shit. Maybe we’ll scrape together a majority in 2026, but then we’ll just be back in the same place again in 2028. Done
A thing of the past, and we can all act as adults and work across the aisle on a bipartisan basis. This vision is meant to ensure there will never be any fundamental change to the interests of powerful party donors. The only solution I can possibly see is for there to be across the board primaries
August 28, 2025 at 1:42 AM
A thing of the past, and we can all act as adults and work across the aisle on a bipartisan basis. This vision is meant to ensure there will never be any fundamental change to the interests of powerful party donors. The only solution I can possibly see is for there to be across the board primaries
Finance system engineered by corrupt SCOTUS justices - whereby the Dem party has become severely compromised in its ability to act as an opposition party, but instead seems to be designed to try to preserve some long dead “status quo” where sharp political differences between the parties are …
August 28, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Finance system engineered by corrupt SCOTUS justices - whereby the Dem party has become severely compromised in its ability to act as an opposition party, but instead seems to be designed to try to preserve some long dead “status quo” where sharp political differences between the parties are …
Population. The contempt this exhibits for the Dem constituency on the part of these Dems (I’m looking at you, New Dems) and their consultants is outrageous. For so long we’ve had a situation- brought about by several factors, but brought to a tipping point by a profoundly corrupt campaign
August 28, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Population. The contempt this exhibits for the Dem constituency on the part of these Dems (I’m looking at you, New Dems) and their consultants is outrageous. For so long we’ve had a situation- brought about by several factors, but brought to a tipping point by a profoundly corrupt campaign
So many voters don’t trust the Dem party or perceive them as lacking credibility or seriousness. So they hire more consultants to figure out how to appeal to the these same voters - and it’s usually the same old shabby kitchen table pivot or worse, picking on trans folks or some other vulnerable..
August 28, 2025 at 1:26 AM
So many voters don’t trust the Dem party or perceive them as lacking credibility or seriousness. So they hire more consultants to figure out how to appeal to the these same voters - and it’s usually the same old shabby kitchen table pivot or worse, picking on trans folks or some other vulnerable..
If a major donor thinks it’s too “divisive.” For years the party in general has treated that oath as a pro forma ritual - time and again they’ve fought tooth and nail against openly acknowledging our situation and acting on it as a matter of principle. And the they pretend to be mystified when …
August 28, 2025 at 1:23 AM
If a major donor thinks it’s too “divisive.” For years the party in general has treated that oath as a pro forma ritual - time and again they’ve fought tooth and nail against openly acknowledging our situation and acting on it as a matter of principle. And the they pretend to be mystified when …
The oath requires them to support and defend the constitution. That duty does not depend on them having a majority, or bipartisan agreement - the oath requires them to do whatever they can to protect the constitution regardless of whether some damn consultant thinks it polls well or …
August 28, 2025 at 1:19 AM
The oath requires them to support and defend the constitution. That duty does not depend on them having a majority, or bipartisan agreement - the oath requires them to do whatever they can to protect the constitution regardless of whether some damn consultant thinks it polls well or …
Ultimately a party has to stand for certain fundamental values - stand for them in the sense of making express commitments to those values and expressly promising specific action to uphold and protect those values. There is no more fundamental value for a MOC than honoring their oath of office …
August 28, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Ultimately a party has to stand for certain fundamental values - stand for them in the sense of making express commitments to those values and expressly promising specific action to uphold and protect those values. There is no more fundamental value for a MOC than honoring their oath of office …
For my money, McCabe & Mrs. Miller will always be Altman’s best. Not least because of the Leonard Cohen soundtrack - in a Western! Almost all the conventions subverted, and it all works so beautifully.
August 15, 2025 at 4:28 AM
For my money, McCabe & Mrs. Miller will always be Altman’s best. Not least because of the Leonard Cohen soundtrack - in a Western! Almost all the conventions subverted, and it all works so beautifully.
The majority of Dems in both houses are like this and need to be primaried. Last week I was in a phone town hall with my rep and they explained they weren’t doing more (e.g. pushing for impeachment) because “I’m a policy-maker, not a politician.” Just unbelievable.
July 30, 2025 at 6:05 AM
The majority of Dems in both houses are like this and need to be primaried. Last week I was in a phone town hall with my rep and they explained they weren’t doing more (e.g. pushing for impeachment) because “I’m a policy-maker, not a politician.” Just unbelievable.
Would the fall of the Roman Republic be a better analogy, or at least offer some useful parallels that the right-wingers would have a harder time countering?
May 28, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Would the fall of the Roman Republic be a better analogy, or at least offer some useful parallels that the right-wingers would have a harder time countering?
You meant they’re doing it in the Midwest? That wasn’t the norm when I was growing up there. The PNW however …
May 23, 2025 at 9:52 PM
You meant they’re doing it in the Midwest? That wasn’t the norm when I was growing up there. The PNW however …
To be clear, I'm not trying to be defeatist when I say the party is hamstrung - there's a lot of D's really trying to do the right thing, and they're our only real hope of getting through this, but I also think we should keep in mind what's behind the D's refusal to really harm the R brand
May 17, 2025 at 4:50 AM
To be clear, I'm not trying to be defeatist when I say the party is hamstrung - there's a lot of D's really trying to do the right thing, and they're our only real hope of getting through this, but I also think we should keep in mind what's behind the D's refusal to really harm the R brand