David Shumway
@nearleft.bsky.social
Professor of English, Carnegie Mellon. Film, popular music, literature. All opinions are my own.
Reposted by David Shumway
This isn't "internal recriminations." It's voters expressing overwhelming opposition to what the people they elected to represent them are doing, and anyone--either in journalism or politics--who characterizes it as infighting is either not seeing and hearing what's right in front of them or lying.
The sooner we get past internal recriminations and back to fighting united, the better off we all are — the likelier our victory next November.
November 10, 2025 at 11:14 PM
This isn't "internal recriminations." It's voters expressing overwhelming opposition to what the people they elected to represent them are doing, and anyone--either in journalism or politics--who characterizes it as infighting is either not seeing and hearing what's right in front of them or lying.
Reposted by David Shumway
Time for change in some high places in the Democratic Party if we are to meet the greater challenges of the moment in this country. My latest. www.thedailybeast.com/why-these-vi...
Why These Vichy Dems and Their Spineless Boss Need to Go Now
We need courage and clarity from our leaders. Schumer and these eight in the Senate have shown they have failed that test. Time to turn the page.
www.thedailybeast.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Time for change in some high places in the Democratic Party if we are to meet the greater challenges of the moment in this country. My latest. www.thedailybeast.com/why-these-vi...
Reposted by David Shumway
Chuck Schumer Helps Pull Democrats Back From Brink Of Courage
November 10, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Chuck Schumer Helps Pull Democrats Back From Brink Of Courage
Reposted by David Shumway
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.
March 14, 2025 at 10:24 PM
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.
Democrats trounce GOP, but it’s Schumer who concedes.
November 7, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Democrats trounce GOP, but it’s Schumer who concedes.
Reposted by David Shumway
I fully believe in the corporate death penalty and believe we would be a better world if OpenAI lost its corporate charter and was forcibly dissolved.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
ChatGPT encouraged college graduate to commit suicide, family claims in lawsuit against OpenAI | CNN
A 23-year-old man killed himself in Texas after ChatGPT ‘goaded’ him to commit suicide, his family says in a lawsuit.
www.cnn.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:12 AM
I fully believe in the corporate death penalty and believe we would be a better world if OpenAI lost its corporate charter and was forcibly dissolved.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
Reposted by David Shumway
I’m just a small-town political scientist, & it’s still relatively early, but it appears that The Actual Democrats did not Need To Do any of the Things or Learn any of the Obvious Lessons that Ezra Douthglesias said they Must Do & Learn.
November 5, 2025 at 2:08 AM
I’m just a small-town political scientist, & it’s still relatively early, but it appears that The Actual Democrats did not Need To Do any of the Things or Learn any of the Obvious Lessons that Ezra Douthglesias said they Must Do & Learn.
Reposted by David Shumway
Eagerly awaiting tomorrow's New York Times headlines explaining why this wave of victories is actually bad for the Democrats
November 5, 2025 at 3:04 AM
Eagerly awaiting tomorrow's New York Times headlines explaining why this wave of victories is actually bad for the Democrats
Reposted by David Shumway
Politicians should probably get on Bluesky to get better in touch with the American electorate.
November 5, 2025 at 2:42 AM
Politicians should probably get on Bluesky to get better in touch with the American electorate.
Despite your best efforts.
November 5, 2025 at 3:11 AM
Despite your best efforts.
Reposted by David Shumway
Looks like the Dems will pick up 12 seats in the VA House of Delegates, which will go from 51-49 to 63-37 D-R. That's an honestly shocking result.
November 5, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Looks like the Dems will pick up 12 seats in the VA House of Delegates, which will go from 51-49 to 63-37 D-R. That's an honestly shocking result.
Reposted by David Shumway
Important to compare and contrast the behavior of a Schumer with that of a Raskin— another Jewish Democrat who is obviously quite pro Israel but who has, interestingly, not made his support of other members of the party contingent upon them internalizing his particular preferences.
November 5, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Important to compare and contrast the behavior of a Schumer with that of a Raskin— another Jewish Democrat who is obviously quite pro Israel but who has, interestingly, not made his support of other members of the party contingent upon them internalizing his particular preferences.
Reposted by David Shumway
Kevin Roberts' defense of Nick Fuentes is a watershed moment: the right has officially declared open, unabashed Hitlerism to be an acceptable position in their coalition
www.vox.com/politics/466...
www.vox.com/politics/466...
The GOP’s top think tank just defended an open Nazi
Reasonable people can disagree about whether Hitler was good, says the Heritage Foundation.
www.vox.com
October 31, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Kevin Roberts' defense of Nick Fuentes is a watershed moment: the right has officially declared open, unabashed Hitlerism to be an acceptable position in their coalition
www.vox.com/politics/466...
www.vox.com/politics/466...
Reposted by David Shumway
"Developing our linguistic capacities — to master diverse concepts, to follow an intricate argument, to form judgments, to communicate those to others — is the development of our capacity to think. Cognitive degradation threatens democratic processes."
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/o...
Opinion | Why Even Basic A.I. Use Is So Bad for Students
www.nytimes.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:49 AM
"Developing our linguistic capacities — to master diverse concepts, to follow an intricate argument, to form judgments, to communicate those to others — is the development of our capacity to think. Cognitive degradation threatens democratic processes."
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/o...
Reposted by David Shumway
This was just posted by a CBS News producer on their Instagram stories.
October 29, 2025 at 9:44 PM
This was just posted by a CBS News producer on their Instagram stories.
Reposted by David Shumway
Not a hard question, except for the culture that pretends it's not the answer
1) right-wing media lies incessantly, so anyone truth-based doesn't trust it, and anyone who trusts it doesn't trust anything else
2) other media treats those lies as legitimate, for "fairness," getting trust from no one
1) right-wing media lies incessantly, so anyone truth-based doesn't trust it, and anyone who trusts it doesn't trust anything else
2) other media treats those lies as legitimate, for "fairness," getting trust from no one
October 27, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Not a hard question, except for the culture that pretends it's not the answer
1) right-wing media lies incessantly, so anyone truth-based doesn't trust it, and anyone who trusts it doesn't trust anything else
2) other media treats those lies as legitimate, for "fairness," getting trust from no one
1) right-wing media lies incessantly, so anyone truth-based doesn't trust it, and anyone who trusts it doesn't trust anything else
2) other media treats those lies as legitimate, for "fairness," getting trust from no one
“Tackiness and tyranny go hand in hand.” Paul Krugman, today.
October 24, 2025 at 3:34 PM
“Tackiness and tyranny go hand in hand.” Paul Krugman, today.
Reposted by David Shumway
Reposted by David Shumway
What is the Times doing calling this extrajudicial murder spree “cartel strikes”? On what evidence do they ape the killers’ propaganda?
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/u...
Trump Says He Will Not Seek Authorization for Cartel Strikes
www.nytimes.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Reposted by David Shumway
I’m thinking of Marshall Berman’s brilliant work on urbicide—the purposeful destruction of the city’s built environment after WWII—and how Trump’s minions are trying to finish the job by disappearing Black and Brown people. That’s why Mamdani’s coalition is so frightful to them
October 24, 2025 at 2:26 AM
I’m thinking of Marshall Berman’s brilliant work on urbicide—the purposeful destruction of the city’s built environment after WWII—and how Trump’s minions are trying to finish the job by disappearing Black and Brown people. That’s why Mamdani’s coalition is so frightful to them
Reposted by David Shumway
I’ve been writing about politics in some capacity for over 25 years now and it’s still stunning how the mainstream media refuses to tell the public basic truth
October 21, 2025 at 12:13 PM
I’ve been writing about politics in some capacity for over 25 years now and it’s still stunning how the mainstream media refuses to tell the public basic truth
Reposted by David Shumway
Those with sharp eyes might detect a subtle difference in NYT play last month of an event in one city, w 100,000+ attendees, versus play this morning of some 2500+ events w many millions of attendees, in all 50 states.
See if you can spot it! /s
Then you can find today's story on p A23
See if you can spot it! /s
Then you can find today's story on p A23
October 19, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Those with sharp eyes might detect a subtle difference in NYT play last month of an event in one city, w 100,000+ attendees, versus play this morning of some 2500+ events w many millions of attendees, in all 50 states.
See if you can spot it! /s
Then you can find today's story on p A23
See if you can spot it! /s
Then you can find today's story on p A23
The New York Trump Times lies about size of the No Kings protests.
October 19, 2025 at 1:56 PM
The New York Trump Times lies about size of the No Kings protests.
Reposted by David Shumway
Reposted by David Shumway
"However, we may not interview any of these millions of people unless they meet us at a MAGA diner."
More than 2,600 protests against the Trump administration are scheduled to take place across the U.S. on Saturday in a demonstration known as No Kings Day. Here’s what we know about the protests. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/u...
October 18, 2025 at 3:50 PM
"However, we may not interview any of these millions of people unless they meet us at a MAGA diner."