Ryan LaRochelle
@rlarochelle.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer at the Cohen Institute for Leadership and Public Service at the University of Maine. Researching and teaching about American political development and political history. Views are mine, not my employers. https://www.ryanlarochelle.com
The UMaine economics department is hiring an assistant professor with expertise in applied economics. fa-ewca-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
#academicjobs #econjobs
#academicjobs #econjobs
Assistant Professor of Economics
The University of Maine is a community of more than 11,900 undergraduate and graduate students, and 2,500 employees located on the Orono campus, the regional campus in Machias, and throughout the stat...
fa-ewca-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:29 AM
The UMaine economics department is hiring an assistant professor with expertise in applied economics. fa-ewca-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
#academicjobs #econjobs
#academicjobs #econjobs
My (untestable) theory is that gerontocracy is bad not because really old political elites lack cognitive capacity or are "out of touch", but because their long tenures and socialization within political institutions makes them less able to understand existential threats to those institutions.
November 11, 2025 at 3:22 AM
My (untestable) theory is that gerontocracy is bad not because really old political elites lack cognitive capacity or are "out of touch", but because their long tenures and socialization within political institutions makes them less able to understand existential threats to those institutions.
It’s hard to think of anything in modern American politics and culture with as much staying power as the myth that there are millions of people out there totally fleecing the government by “taking advantage” of our stingy welfare state.
Trump claims that food stamps "puts the country in jeopardy. People that are able-bodied can do a job, they leave their job because they figure they can pick this up, it's easier."
November 11, 2025 at 1:36 AM
It’s hard to think of anything in modern American politics and culture with as much staying power as the myth that there are millions of people out there totally fleecing the government by “taking advantage” of our stingy welfare state.
Looking over the list of books I’ve read over the past two years (I don’t count books that I assign/read for class) and it’s a hilarious mix of academic political science and history, books about wood/trees/woodworking, and murder mystery novels by Tana French, Louise Penny, and Anthony Horowitz.
November 11, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Looking over the list of books I’ve read over the past two years (I don’t count books that I assign/read for class) and it’s a hilarious mix of academic political science and history, books about wood/trees/woodworking, and murder mystery novels by Tana French, Louise Penny, and Anthony Horowitz.
Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm pretty sure the shutdown itself is not very popular and is inflicting real pain on people. And if the Dems get fleeced with their ACA subsidies "deal," which they very well could, they can still blame the GOP for raising health care costs in an election year.
November 10, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm pretty sure the shutdown itself is not very popular and is inflicting real pain on people. And if the Dems get fleeced with their ACA subsidies "deal," which they very well could, they can still blame the GOP for raising health care costs in an election year.
Reposted by Ryan LaRochelle
I've got the unenviable task of taking over as editor of Clio, the APSA Politics and History newsletter after @shamiragelbman.bsky.social made good on her threat to step down 😉
The call for submissions for the Winter 25-26 issue is live. Please be in touch if you're interested in writing something!
The call for submissions for the Winter 25-26 issue is live. Please be in touch if you're interested in writing something!
November 6, 2025 at 7:17 PM
I've got the unenviable task of taking over as editor of Clio, the APSA Politics and History newsletter after @shamiragelbman.bsky.social made good on her threat to step down 😉
The call for submissions for the Winter 25-26 issue is live. Please be in touch if you're interested in writing something!
The call for submissions for the Winter 25-26 issue is live. Please be in touch if you're interested in writing something!
Reposted by Ryan LaRochelle
I’ve been looking for a political biography of Pelosi for our Congressional Leaders series at Kansas. If you’re interested in writing one, send me an email or DM.
i think this is a pretty good take on pelosi, who is unquestionably one of the most consequential house speakers in the history of the institution
Opinion | Nancy Pelosi Is an American Political Giant
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:26 PM
I’ve been looking for a political biography of Pelosi for our Congressional Leaders series at Kansas. If you’re interested in writing one, send me an email or DM.
Reposted by Ryan LaRochelle
"Golden got it. Our electoral rules are obsolete. He understood why representatives who don’t fit easily into either party are so rare: the electoral system works against them."
leedrutman.substack.com/p/politics-k...
leedrutman.substack.com/p/politics-k...
Politics Keeps Driving Out the People Who Want to Reform It
Jared Golden is the latest problem-solving politician to decide Congress isn’t worth the cost. And so the doom loop takes another turn.
leedrutman.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:38 PM
"Golden got it. Our electoral rules are obsolete. He understood why representatives who don’t fit easily into either party are so rare: the electoral system works against them."
leedrutman.substack.com/p/politics-k...
leedrutman.substack.com/p/politics-k...
I've got the unenviable task of taking over as editor of Clio, the APSA Politics and History newsletter after @shamiragelbman.bsky.social made good on her threat to step down 😉
The call for submissions for the Winter 25-26 issue is live. Please be in touch if you're interested in writing something!
The call for submissions for the Winter 25-26 issue is live. Please be in touch if you're interested in writing something!
November 6, 2025 at 7:17 PM
I've got the unenviable task of taking over as editor of Clio, the APSA Politics and History newsletter after @shamiragelbman.bsky.social made good on her threat to step down 😉
The call for submissions for the Winter 25-26 issue is live. Please be in touch if you're interested in writing something!
The call for submissions for the Winter 25-26 issue is live. Please be in touch if you're interested in writing something!
Golden often frustrated me. But I know that his district (where I live) is much more conservative than I am. He would always give detailed explanations for his votes, especially when he bucked his party. I think he was a dedicated public servant who tried to accurately represent his constituents.
Exclusive BDN Opinion from U.S. Rep. Jared Golden: "What I could accomplish in this increasingly unproductive Congress pales in comparison to what I could do in that time as a husband, a father and a son."
Jared Golden: I won’t seek reelection. Here’s why.
"What I could accomplish in this increasingly unproductive Congress pales in comparison to what I could do in that time as a husband, a father and a son."
www.bangordailynews.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Golden often frustrated me. But I know that his district (where I live) is much more conservative than I am. He would always give detailed explanations for his votes, especially when he bucked his party. I think he was a dedicated public servant who tried to accurately represent his constituents.
Reposted by Ryan LaRochelle
In Maine, voters yesterday were asked to vote on a set of election changes that would have made voting more difficult.
The question went down in flames, with 63% voting against it.
But importantly, it was unpopular even in _many_ places that Trump won last year.
Voters want to make voting easier!
The question went down in flames, with 63% voting against it.
But importantly, it was unpopular even in _many_ places that Trump won last year.
Voters want to make voting easier!
November 5, 2025 at 7:09 PM
In Maine, voters yesterday were asked to vote on a set of election changes that would have made voting more difficult.
The question went down in flames, with 63% voting against it.
But importantly, it was unpopular even in _many_ places that Trump won last year.
Voters want to make voting easier!
The question went down in flames, with 63% voting against it.
But importantly, it was unpopular even in _many_ places that Trump won last year.
Voters want to make voting easier!
Political campaigns should be shorter and the period between the end of the campaign and the publication of post-election takes should be much, much longer.
November 5, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Political campaigns should be shorter and the period between the end of the campaign and the publication of post-election takes should be much, much longer.
Turns out that living through a potential critical juncture is pretty wild. Who would've thunk it?
I've heard a number of smart people make the case that the time we're in is akin to the Civil War & Reconstruction, or the Great Depression, or other major turning points in US history. A time of major chaos and upheaval, a time of mass suffering, but also a time where things *could* really change.
November 5, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Turns out that living through a potential critical juncture is pretty wild. Who would've thunk it?
Folks, I know there are a bunch of elections today. But the biggest news is that Radiohead returned to the stage for the first time since 2018.
November 5, 2025 at 1:29 AM
Folks, I know there are a bunch of elections today. But the biggest news is that Radiohead returned to the stage for the first time since 2018.
Read this as an undergrad in @isanetexdir.bsky.social's European politics seminar. Probably the most influential book I read in college.
Teaching this tomorrow. Just can't recommend enough. For running a seminar, it's like fishing with dynamite
November 4, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Read this as an undergrad in @isanetexdir.bsky.social's European politics seminar. Probably the most influential book I read in college.
Please, pundits, tell me more about Trump's ability to build that "multiracial working class coalition."
November 4, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Please, pundits, tell me more about Trump's ability to build that "multiracial working class coalition."
Has anyone done any follow-up research on GOTV strategies to see how effective certain tactics are in our new information environment? I know one of the more successful messaging strategies is the "make a plan" cue, but I wonder if the ubiquity of certain messages dilutes their effects?
November 3, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Has anyone done any follow-up research on GOTV strategies to see how effective certain tactics are in our new information environment? I know one of the more successful messaging strategies is the "make a plan" cue, but I wonder if the ubiquity of certain messages dilutes their effects?
I watch a lot of baseball and I still have no idea what kind of business Strauss is.
November 2, 2025 at 1:49 AM
I watch a lot of baseball and I still have no idea what kind of business Strauss is.
@kimberleynyc.bsky.social's latest book (unsurprisingly) looks fantastic! Can't wait to read this.
Taking sage advice of @unlawfulentries.bsky.social I’m posting cover of forthcoming book Dark Concrete: Black Power Urbanism and the American Metropolis
October 31, 2025 at 3:39 PM
@kimberleynyc.bsky.social's latest book (unsurprisingly) looks fantastic! Can't wait to read this.
Reposted by Ryan LaRochelle
The combination of the shutdown and the Trump tax cut bill’s measures coming into effect highlights the fact that the welfare state is essential to the survival for tens of millions because the American political economy systematically fails to produce adequate income, healthcare, and housing.
October 31, 2025 at 3:07 PM
The combination of the shutdown and the Trump tax cut bill’s measures coming into effect highlights the fact that the welfare state is essential to the survival for tens of millions because the American political economy systematically fails to produce adequate income, healthcare, and housing.
Reposted by Ryan LaRochelle
Excellent post by @samuelmoyn.bsky.social reminiscent of where @jamellebouie.net is going. The stirrings are there; the calls for a restoration, for an “imperial Congress” grow stronger on the left! 🙏🙏🙏
Opinion | Resistance to Trump Isn’t Enough
www.nytimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Excellent post by @samuelmoyn.bsky.social reminiscent of where @jamellebouie.net is going. The stirrings are there; the calls for a restoration, for an “imperial Congress” grow stronger on the left! 🙏🙏🙏
Scored a pristine Pioneer SX-737 today. I don’t understand why my wife doesn’t want all of this audio equipment to live permanently in our library.
October 30, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Scored a pristine Pioneer SX-737 today. I don’t understand why my wife doesn’t want all of this audio equipment to live permanently in our library.
Reposted by Ryan LaRochelle
I also believe that students who can read, write, and think for themselves will continue to have a leg up in life over those who can't. Quaint, I know.
October 30, 2025 at 12:01 PM
I also believe that students who can read, write, and think for themselves will continue to have a leg up in life over those who can't. Quaint, I know.
Too many pundits and campaign consultants also think folks who identify as "independent" or "moderate" on surveys and polls means they are in the center politically, when it's more likely that they have a bunch of weird, seemingly divergent and contradictory political opinions.
The existence of this photograph (which is a real photo of a real person at a Mamdani campaign event) is enough to establish for me that voters writ large have absolutely no grasp of what policy is or how any given policy impacts their lives. It's all vibes.
October 30, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Too many pundits and campaign consultants also think folks who identify as "independent" or "moderate" on surveys and polls means they are in the center politically, when it's more likely that they have a bunch of weird, seemingly divergent and contradictory political opinions.
Students who have heard me in my American Law class for the last decade rant and rave about the fact that "Congress is Article I for a reason!" will be glad to see this.
consider this part one of what will be an ongoing series making the case for an imperial congress (gift link)
Opinion | The Empty Promises of Trump’s Imperial Presidency
www.nytimes.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Students who have heard me in my American Law class for the last decade rant and rave about the fact that "Congress is Article I for a reason!" will be glad to see this.