Reposted by Matty Wilder
Everything wrong with political journalism in one graf. This is not a policy proposal that exists but that doesn’t matter, what matters is that someone “won” by asking it bsky.app/profile/larr...
What a strange framing and characterization. How does one describe his blatantly dishonest, racist question about taxes as “press[ing] the Mayor-elect on his policy proposals”? In what way does this lying troll emerge as a “winner“?
November 24, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Everything wrong with political journalism in one graf. This is not a policy proposal that exists but that doesn’t matter, what matters is that someone “won” by asking it bsky.app/profile/larr...
Reposted by Matty Wilder
I wrote about the "Appeasement Eight" Senate Democrats getting the party to fold to Trump in the government shutdown, and why it shows that pro-democracy Americans badly need a real opposition party, full of leaders who recognize the United States isn't a normal rule of law democracy anymore.
Democrats Have to Get Out of a Normal Democracy Mindset
By folding in the government shutdown in exchange for virtually nothing, eight Democratic senators aid Trump's authoritarian takeover rather than oppose it
www.arcdigital.media
November 10, 2025 at 8:10 PM
I wrote about the "Appeasement Eight" Senate Democrats getting the party to fold to Trump in the government shutdown, and why it shows that pro-democracy Americans badly need a real opposition party, full of leaders who recognize the United States isn't a normal rule of law democracy anymore.
Reposted by Matty Wilder
New: The Supreme Court DENIES Kim Davis' request to overturn Obergefell, the marriage equality decision. No noted dissents. www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
November 10, 2025 at 2:31 PM
New: The Supreme Court DENIES Kim Davis' request to overturn Obergefell, the marriage equality decision. No noted dissents. www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
Reposted by Matty Wilder
Unfortunately still true bsky.app/profile/adam...
American politics makes a lot more sense when you realize that the GOP is afraid of pissing off the GOP base, and the Dems are afraid of pissing off the GOP base, but neither party is afraid of pissing off the Dem base.
November 10, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Unfortunately still true bsky.app/profile/adam...
Reposted by Matty Wilder
look I know being an engaged citizen IS the work of democracy but it is also the work of elected officials not to create situations where everyone has to be mobilized all the time to prevent them from allowing some kind of Dickensian horror on a Sunday night while you're in between loads of laundry
November 9, 2025 at 11:37 PM
look I know being an engaged citizen IS the work of democracy but it is also the work of elected officials not to create situations where everyone has to be mobilized all the time to prevent them from allowing some kind of Dickensian horror on a Sunday night while you're in between loads of laundry
Reposted by Matty Wilder
The depth of the shame of a country this wealthy and abundant allowing its people to go hungry is impossible to measure. The fact that a handful of people could fix this by paying their fair share of taxes while still remaining obscenely wealthy makes it even worse.
October 28, 2025 at 4:09 PM
The depth of the shame of a country this wealthy and abundant allowing its people to go hungry is impossible to measure. The fact that a handful of people could fix this by paying their fair share of taxes while still remaining obscenely wealthy makes it even worse.
Reposted by Matty Wilder
What, if anything, did the No Kings protests accomplish?
I've seen that pop up in everything from genuine inquiry to sneering dismissal. For anyone asking or facing that question, here's an answer.
Everything isn't all fixed, of course. But the protests accomplished at least these seven things:
I've seen that pop up in everything from genuine inquiry to sneering dismissal. For anyone asking or facing that question, here's an answer.
Everything isn't all fixed, of course. But the protests accomplished at least these seven things:
7 Things the No Kings Protests Accomplished
The political emergency isn't over, of course, but who thought it would be. Here are seven things this weekend's protests accomplished.
www.arcdigital.media
October 21, 2025 at 3:56 PM
What, if anything, did the No Kings protests accomplish?
I've seen that pop up in everything from genuine inquiry to sneering dismissal. For anyone asking or facing that question, here's an answer.
Everything isn't all fixed, of course. But the protests accomplished at least these seven things:
I've seen that pop up in everything from genuine inquiry to sneering dismissal. For anyone asking or facing that question, here's an answer.
Everything isn't all fixed, of course. But the protests accomplished at least these seven things:
"The dominant aesthetic of the administration comes not from antiquity but from A.I. slop, the tackier and more juvenile the better."
Opinion | Trump Posted a Video of Himself Dumping Excrement on Our Cities. It’s a Glimpse of His Deepest Drives.
www.nytimes.com
October 21, 2025 at 3:12 PM
"The dominant aesthetic of the administration comes not from antiquity but from A.I. slop, the tackier and more juvenile the better."
Reposted by Matty Wilder
![Can you put into words what that purpose is? You and the frog have really become icons of this protest.
There’s been a nice overall whimsy that has shown up. The frog is amazing. We had a bunch of other inflatable people here last night, too. I saw people playing Twister the other day.
What they rely on is fear. So by coming out in an absurdist manner, it speaks to them, to some extent, that we’re actually not that afraid.
It also dismantles their narrative a little bit. When they try to describe this situation as “war-torn,” it becomes much harder to take them seriously when they have to post a video saying [U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security] Kristi Noem is up on the balcony staring over the Antifa Army and it’s, like, eight journalists and five protesters and one of them is in a chicken suit.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:lzlqyldh7nfc34pfffvd24ko/bafkreiap6asa64jdjb2vlv4c2sdritjrntsibvsv7baj6o4cgwcfgsjeny@jpeg)
October 10, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Reposted by Matty Wilder
if you’ve ever watched the apprentice, that’s the world without arts or humanities degrees
October 8, 2025 at 1:12 PM
if you’ve ever watched the apprentice, that’s the world without arts or humanities degrees
Reposted by Matty Wilder
the thing about the “official antifa” citation is that it is just definitive evidence that she’s a stone cold dumbass
gonna go to my grave muttering about how this charlatan unironically cited an "Official Antifa" Twitter account in the NYT bsky.app/profile/jame...
perhaps the biggest story TFPever ran was a catastrophically shoddy argument that George Floyd ackshully died of an overdose. When confronted with irrefutable evidence that the piece was simply wrong, Weiss didn’t take it down, she asked her critic, @radleybalko.bsky.social, to come on a podcast.
October 6, 2025 at 2:57 PM
the thing about the “official antifa” citation is that it is just definitive evidence that she’s a stone cold dumbass
Reposted by Matty Wilder
Let it never again be said that a woman with no real reporting experience who fell for a Twitter account called "Official Antifa" cannot be the head of a huge news organization
October 6, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Let it never again be said that a woman with no real reporting experience who fell for a Twitter account called "Official Antifa" cannot be the head of a huge news organization
Reposted by Matty Wilder
I think it’s very interesting how emphatically these conversations are about inevitability—it’s time, it’s happening, like it or not, and in particular, a sense of: “You have to.”
When it comes to treating an AI product as a person, I assure you that I do not have to. And you do not have to.
When it comes to treating an AI product as a person, I assure you that I do not have to. And you do not have to.
It’s time to prepare for AI personhood | Jacy Reese Anthis
It’s time to prepare for AI personhood | Jacy Reese Anthis
Technological advances will bring social upheaval. How will we treat digital minds, and how will they treat us?
www.theguardian.com
September 30, 2025 at 1:13 PM
I think it’s very interesting how emphatically these conversations are about inevitability—it’s time, it’s happening, like it or not, and in particular, a sense of: “You have to.”
When it comes to treating an AI product as a person, I assure you that I do not have to. And you do not have to.
When it comes to treating an AI product as a person, I assure you that I do not have to. And you do not have to.
Reposted by Matty Wilder
I love that there are millions of Americans over the age of forty who can be manipulated like 3rd graders in 1996 by deploying “that’s gay” in euphemism and that’s enough to make them think something is bad bsky.app/profile/atru...
Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Fox: "We're announcing today expanded programs to help the American coal industry. We're helping it because for years it has been under assault. It was out of fashion with the chardonnay set in San Francisco, Boulder, and NYC ... coal just makes the world go round."
September 29, 2025 at 2:22 PM
I love that there are millions of Americans over the age of forty who can be manipulated like 3rd graders in 1996 by deploying “that’s gay” in euphemism and that’s enough to make them think something is bad bsky.app/profile/atru...
Reposted by Matty Wilder
separate from everything, the idea that 2020 was a squeaker but 2024 represents a historical mandate will simply be the death of me
September 28, 2025 at 2:32 PM
separate from everything, the idea that 2020 was a squeaker but 2024 represents a historical mandate will simply be the death of me
Reposted by Matty Wilder
The people calling for a cool down of public and political rhetoric just spent a week honoring their hate speech hero by threatening those with whom they disagree.
September 25, 2025 at 12:21 PM
The people calling for a cool down of public and political rhetoric just spent a week honoring their hate speech hero by threatening those with whom they disagree.
Reposted by Matty Wilder
"Common decency stigmatizes people that do not participate in it—removes them from voluntary association. We indeed have to live with one another, but terms and conditions apply."
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
How Can We Live Together? - Boston Review
Ezra Klein is wrong: shame is essential.
www.bostonreview.net
September 23, 2025 at 5:09 PM
"Common decency stigmatizes people that do not participate in it—removes them from voluntary association. We indeed have to live with one another, but terms and conditions apply."
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
Reposted by Matty Wilder
It's very easy after a shooting for authorities to say "we're looking into it and will keep you informed" and wildly irresponsible to make confident declarations and level accusations when they don't know.
A conscious choice to stoke division, and try to use violent incidents for their own ends.
A conscious choice to stoke division, and try to use violent incidents for their own ends.
September 24, 2025 at 5:57 PM
It's very easy after a shooting for authorities to say "we're looking into it and will keep you informed" and wildly irresponsible to make confident declarations and level accusations when they don't know.
A conscious choice to stoke division, and try to use violent incidents for their own ends.
A conscious choice to stoke division, and try to use violent incidents for their own ends.
Same, Annie 🍂
This is Annie. She freaking loves fall. 13/10 (FB: James Osborne)
September 22, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Same, Annie 🍂
Reposted by Matty Wilder
NEWS --> Anna Gomez, the lone Dem on the FCC, tells me the Trump admin's pressure to oust Jimmy Kimmel may be unlawful as well as unconstitutional. FCC chair Brendan Carr may be committing censorship in violation of federal law.
That and much more in my new piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2006...
That and much more in my new piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2006...
Trump’s Ouster of Jimmy Kimmel Is Much Worse than You Think It Is
Anna Gomez, the FCC’s lone Democratic commissioner, tells TNR that her boss’ move violates both the First Amendment and the Communications Act. Democrats must extract consequences.
newrepublic.com
September 18, 2025 at 5:34 PM
NEWS --> Anna Gomez, the lone Dem on the FCC, tells me the Trump admin's pressure to oust Jimmy Kimmel may be unlawful as well as unconstitutional. FCC chair Brendan Carr may be committing censorship in violation of federal law.
That and much more in my new piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2006...
That and much more in my new piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2006...
“While thanking his colleagues onstage, Hiller noted that with Somebody Somewhere, the writers had put together ‘a show about connecting and love in this time when compassion is seen as a weakness.’ He lingered on the last word, letting it hover for a beat in the room.”
Couldn’t love this win more
Couldn’t love this win more
The Emmys Speech That Captured the Hollywood Slog
One of the night’s most unexpected winners made a case for sticking with it.
www.theatlantic.com
September 16, 2025 at 3:17 PM
“While thanking his colleagues onstage, Hiller noted that with Somebody Somewhere, the writers had put together ‘a show about connecting and love in this time when compassion is seen as a weakness.’ He lingered on the last word, letting it hover for a beat in the room.”
Couldn’t love this win more
Couldn’t love this win more
“But along with its creator and star, Bridget Everett, Somebody Somewhere's beating heart was Hiller, whose work as Joel was indelible, unforgettable and utterly unique. It is exactly the kind of performance that should win and very rarely does, and the win is cause for celebration.”
8 takeaways from a so-so Emmys night
The Studio, The Pitt and Adolescence took home top prizes on Sunday. And while the wins were deserving, the telecast was meh. Here are a few takeaways from a night that was a real mixed bag.
www.npr.org
September 15, 2025 at 3:29 PM
“But along with its creator and star, Bridget Everett, Somebody Somewhere's beating heart was Hiller, whose work as Joel was indelible, unforgettable and utterly unique. It is exactly the kind of performance that should win and very rarely does, and the win is cause for celebration.”
Reposted by Matty Wilder
the person behind this unhinged, anti-factual editorial is set to decide coverage at one of the nation’s major news networks
September 12, 2025 at 10:33 PM
the person behind this unhinged, anti-factual editorial is set to decide coverage at one of the nation’s major news networks
Reposted by Matty Wilder
You can write this only if, by virtue of your income, identity, or both, you are utterly removed from the consequences of politics. To pretend that the racist, misogynistic, anti-gay vileness that Kirk spent his life spreading is secondary to the fact that he spread it "the right way" is appalling.
Charlie Kirk Was Practicing Politics the Right Way
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/o...
Opinion | Charlie Kirk Was Practicing Politics the Right Way
www.nytimes.com
September 11, 2025 at 12:21 PM
You can write this only if, by virtue of your income, identity, or both, you are utterly removed from the consequences of politics. To pretend that the racist, misogynistic, anti-gay vileness that Kirk spent his life spreading is secondary to the fact that he spread it "the right way" is appalling.
Reposted by Matty Wilder
Explicit calls for violence, even war on many Americans, is very bad. Even worse since they have no idea who killed Kirk or why.
But if you’re not familiar with these prominent right-wing figures, they regularly advocate violence and repression against the broadly defined Left, often based on lies.
But if you’re not familiar with these prominent right-wing figures, they regularly advocate violence and repression against the broadly defined Left, often based on lies.
Very, very bad stuff coming from leading right-wingers
September 10, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Explicit calls for violence, even war on many Americans, is very bad. Even worse since they have no idea who killed Kirk or why.
But if you’re not familiar with these prominent right-wing figures, they regularly advocate violence and repression against the broadly defined Left, often based on lies.
But if you’re not familiar with these prominent right-wing figures, they regularly advocate violence and repression against the broadly defined Left, often based on lies.