Keith Bates
@profkbates.bsky.social
Professional dead person interpreter (historian). Books: Mainstreaming Fundamentalism (2021); Civil Religion and American Christianity (2020)
Reposted by Keith Bates
AHA member David Blight (Yale Univ.) was interviewed on CNN about the sweeping review of the Smithsonian ordered by President Trump. “They want to try to roll back about 60–70 years of historical scholarship. . . . They call it ‘wokeness.’ We call it good history.” 🗃️
Trump escalates his attacks on cultural institutes | CNN
Eleni Giokos speaks to historian David Blight about President Donald Trump’s attack on Smithsonian Institution museums, and his comments on slavery.
www.cnn.com
August 21, 2025 at 7:01 PM
AHA member David Blight (Yale Univ.) was interviewed on CNN about the sweeping review of the Smithsonian ordered by President Trump. “They want to try to roll back about 60–70 years of historical scholarship. . . . They call it ‘wokeness.’ We call it good history.” 🗃️
Reposted by Keith Bates
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is now censoring its own exhibits to serve the political goals of the Trump administration. How much longer before we must conclude that it is no longer interpreting American history for the general public? www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Smithsonian removes Trump from impeachment exhibit in American History Museum
A temporary placard, on display since 2021, described the president's historic impeachments. Officials said the exhibit was restored to an earlier version following a review of legacy content.
www.washingtonpost.com
July 31, 2025 at 11:08 PM
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is now censoring its own exhibits to serve the political goals of the Trump administration. How much longer before we must conclude that it is no longer interpreting American history for the general public? www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Reposted by Keith Bates
As metaphors go, this is a bit on the nose.
Mike Johnson Gives Trump Speaker’s Gavel After Bill-Signing
Mike Johnson Gives Trump Speaker’s Gavel After Bill-Signing
Speaker Mike Johnson gave President Donald Trump a speaker's gavel on Friday, immediately after Trump signed a massive spending bill into law.
The post Mike Johnson Gives Trump Speaker’s Gavel After Bill-Signing first appeared on Mediaite.
dlvr.it
July 4, 2025 at 10:34 PM
As metaphors go, this is a bit on the nose.
Reposted by Keith Bates
Never thought I’d be living in Pottersville.
July 1, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Never thought I’d be living in Pottersville.
Reposted by Keith Bates
Trump keeps holding up dictators and strongmen as his model, keeps saying how much he hates our democracy, keeps bad mouthing America and its core values and his cult claps along like seals and calls it “patriotism”
Trump: "In China, you know how long it takes? One day. It's called President Xi. 'Boom. It's okay.' Over here we're gonna have almost the same thing. We're getting fast approvals."
June 29, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Trump keeps holding up dictators and strongmen as his model, keeps saying how much he hates our democracy, keeps bad mouthing America and its core values and his cult claps along like seals and calls it “patriotism”
Reposted by Keith Bates
It's incredible that neither the president nor VP was here. The politicization of all facets of American life is coming from the White House. No other American president would have failed to pay their respects. www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...
Tim Walz eulogizes slain lawmaker as a historic Minnesotan — and friend
After a hug with Kamala Harris, Gov. Tim Walz eulogized slain state Rep. Melissa Hortman as “the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history.”
www.washingtonpost.com
June 29, 2025 at 11:40 AM
It's incredible that neither the president nor VP was here. The politicization of all facets of American life is coming from the White House. No other American president would have failed to pay their respects. www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...
Reposted by Keith Bates
An authoritarian bootlicker - the Founders are rolling in their graves. They thought the Congress would defend its prerogatives against a tyrannical executive branch.
House Speaker Mike Johnson calls for the Senate to "censure" Alex Padilla after he was restrained and handcuffed by FBI agents at Kristi Noem's presser, adding that it is "wildly inappropriate behavior."
So it looks like Republicans want to escalate this!
So it looks like Republicans want to escalate this!
June 12, 2025 at 8:38 PM
An authoritarian bootlicker - the Founders are rolling in their graves. They thought the Congress would defend its prerogatives against a tyrannical executive branch.
Reposted by Keith Bates
This sounds like the kind of story told breathlessly by a six-year-old holding action figures.
This is deranged and completely untethered from reality.
May 30, 2025 at 12:45 PM
This sounds like the kind of story told breathlessly by a six-year-old holding action figures.
I think I’ll grab a slice of cake and see how this ends.
May 29, 2025 at 3:04 PM
I think I’ll grab a slice of cake and see how this ends.
Reposted by Keith Bates
So a respected journalist warned the nation that the Trump administration is a threat to free speech and, true to form, its state media outlet warns that there will now surely be retribution by the administration against that same journalist and his network for his act of free speech.
Fox News' Harris Faulkner reacts to Scott Pelley's commencement speech by saying the White House could soon strip CBS of "funding" for supposedly being antisemitic.
"The administration has an answer for this. And Scott Pelley, I don't know, maybe it won’t be 60 Minutes anymore."
"The administration has an answer for this. And Scott Pelley, I don't know, maybe it won’t be 60 Minutes anymore."
May 27, 2025 at 8:07 PM
So a respected journalist warned the nation that the Trump administration is a threat to free speech and, true to form, its state media outlet warns that there will now surely be retribution by the administration against that same journalist and his network for his act of free speech.
Paging Dr. Bill Cassidy. You must be so proud.
A huge step from HHS that is at odds with science showing significant risks for young children and pregnant women — and that directly contradicts *the FDA's own publication* from last week listing pregnancy as a high-risk condition that would qualify people for this fall's Covid vaccine
May 27, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Paging Dr. Bill Cassidy. You must be so proud.
Reposted by Keith Bates
This is so dangerous - the SecDef and high-ranking military in a religious service treating an elected civilian leader as chosen by God. They swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
In his sermon, the pastor said, “We pray for our leaders who you have sovereignly appointed — for President Trump, thank you for the way that you have used him to bring stability and moral clarity to our land. And we pray that you would continue to protect him, bless him, give him great wisdom.”
Pete Hegseth Leads Christian Prayer Service in the Pentagon
www.nytimes.com
May 21, 2025 at 9:05 PM
This is so dangerous - the SecDef and high-ranking military in a religious service treating an elected civilian leader as chosen by God. They swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Reposted by Keith Bates
He assured us the country of origin would pay the tariff. Why would Walmart have any need to eat something he says has already been paid?
May 17, 2025 at 3:03 PM
He assured us the country of origin would pay the tariff. Why would Walmart have any need to eat something he says has already been paid?
Sniveling little coward
Mike Johnson: "Look, I've been a little busy on reconciliation, so I'm not following all the twists and turns of the Qatar jet. My understanding is it's not a personal gift to the president ... other nations give us gifts all the time ... it's not my lane."
May 14, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Sniveling little coward
Reposted by Keith Bates
Props to Donald Trump: every day, in every way, his administration is finding dynamic new ways to wallow in corruption. abcnews.go.com/Politics/tru...
Trump administration poised to accept 'palace in the sky' as a gift for Trump from Qatar: Sources
President Trump poised to accept "palace in the sky" as a gift from Qatar: Sources
abcnews.go.com
May 11, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Props to Donald Trump: every day, in every way, his administration is finding dynamic new ways to wallow in corruption. abcnews.go.com/Politics/tru...
Reposted by Keith Bates
I’m still baffled at how America took one of the basic principles of the presidency — the occupant shouldn’t be able to benefit financially from the office — and just said, nah, that just doesn’t count for this one guy.
An international trucking logistics firm is buying as much as *** $20 MILLION *** worth of President Donald Trump’s crypto coins to influence the administration’s trade policy.
www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
Company Boasts Spending Up To $20 Million On Trump Crypto Coin To Buy Influence
The arrangement puts money in Trump’s pocket in return for the opportunity to change policy — exactly the sort of pay-to-play scheme critics warned about.
www.huffpost.com
May 3, 2025 at 3:07 PM
I’m still baffled at how America took one of the basic principles of the presidency — the occupant shouldn’t be able to benefit financially from the office — and just said, nah, that just doesn’t count for this one guy.
Reposted by Keith Bates
WATCH: Chris Murphy gives a masterclass in how to dismantle the cosplay queen, AKA Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
When a government is out of control it’s time to say so
Chris Murphy gives a masterclass in how to dismantle the cosplay queen, AKA Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
open.substack.com
May 9, 2025 at 11:31 AM
WATCH: Chris Murphy gives a masterclass in how to dismantle the cosplay queen, AKA Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
Reposted by Keith Bates
You can’t love America without being honest about America.
Stephen Miller: "Children will be taught to love America. Children will be taught to be patriots. Children will be taught civic values for schools that want federal taxpayer funding ... we're gonna make sure these funds are not being used to promote communist ideology."
May 1, 2025 at 3:28 PM
You can’t love America without being honest about America.
“Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?”
Peter Navarro on CNBC reacts to the shrinking GDP number by insisting it's actually good news because if you strip out the effect of tariffs "you have 3 percent growth. So we really like where we're at now."
April 30, 2025 at 5:01 PM
“Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?”
Oh look, a new slide for my Social Darwinism lecture 😠
April 5, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Oh look, a new slide for my Social Darwinism lecture 😠
Reposted by Keith Bates
Trump is clearly drunk on the publicity he has been getting: the frenzied applause from MAGA, the dismay from the libs. He can't go a day without doing something else totally shocking and outrageous, just for the sake of it, and getting these reactions. This is not going to end well.
March 4, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Trump is clearly drunk on the publicity he has been getting: the frenzied applause from MAGA, the dismay from the libs. He can't go a day without doing something else totally shocking and outrageous, just for the sake of it, and getting these reactions. This is not going to end well.
Reposted by Keith Bates
The absolute smugness and the absolute ignorance.
What a combo.
What a combo.
February 28, 2025 at 9:09 PM
The absolute smugness and the absolute ignorance.
What a combo.
What a combo.
Reposted by Keith Bates
At what point do leaders in the GOP band together (since they seem to lack courage individually) & say enough is enough? The party of Reagan becomes the tool of Putin if they don’t, especially after last night.
NEW — 19-year-old DOGE engineer Edward Coristine turns out to be the grandson of former KGB spy Valery Martynov, who played a role in a sprawling 1980s espionage saga.
www.jacobsilverman.com/p/prominent-...
www.jacobsilverman.com/p/prominent-...
Prominent DOGE Staffer Is Grandson Of Turncoat KGB Spy
Edward “Big Balls” Coristine happens to be the descendant of Valery Martynov, a KGB agent who spied for the US.
www.jacobsilverman.com
February 22, 2025 at 3:53 PM
At what point do leaders in the GOP band together (since they seem to lack courage individually) & say enough is enough? The party of Reagan becomes the tool of Putin if they don’t, especially after last night.
As Americans didn’t exchange one King George for another King George, so they haven’t now anointed a King Don.
February 19, 2025 at 10:32 PM
As Americans didn’t exchange one King George for another King George, so they haven’t now anointed a King Don.
Reposted by Keith Bates
This is where we are now: An elementary school at Fort Campbell has removed all books from its library that so much as *allude* to slavery or the civil rights movement.
The wholesale erasure of history in real time.
The wholesale erasure of history in real time.
Books mentioning slavery, civil rights removed from shelves at Fort Campbell schools - ClarksvilleNow.com
At an elementary school at Fort Campbell, home of the 101st Airborne Division, librarians are hard at work scrubbing the shelves for books that contain references to slavery, the civil rights movement...
clarksvillenow.com
February 16, 2025 at 3:14 PM
This is where we are now: An elementary school at Fort Campbell has removed all books from its library that so much as *allude* to slavery or the civil rights movement.
The wholesale erasure of history in real time.
The wholesale erasure of history in real time.