Russell Berman
@russellberman.bsky.social
Staff writer, The Atlantic
Reposted by Russell Berman
“Every Democrat, including the squishes, needs to understand that this president is unpopular, becoming more unpopular by the day, and is pushing wildly unpopular proposals. This is not some 800-pound gorilla,” @jamespmanley.bsky.social tells @russellberman.bsky.social.
How Democrats Backed Themselves Into a Shutdown
Democrats surrendered a spending fight in March—and it all but foretold the October shutdown.
www.theatlantic.com
October 1, 2025 at 2:04 PM
“Every Democrat, including the squishes, needs to understand that this president is unpopular, becoming more unpopular by the day, and is pushing wildly unpopular proposals. This is not some 800-pound gorilla,” @jamespmanley.bsky.social tells @russellberman.bsky.social.
Reposted by Russell Berman
🎙️ ON AIR:
We're speaking with @sarahdwire.bsky.social, @russellberman.bsky.social, KQED's Adhiti Bandlamudi and Politico's Nicholas Wu about what's at stake if the government shuts down and how it could impact California.
❓What are your questions?
📻 Listen:
We're speaking with @sarahdwire.bsky.social, @russellberman.bsky.social, KQED's Adhiti Bandlamudi and Politico's Nicholas Wu about what's at stake if the government shuts down and how it could impact California.
❓What are your questions?
📻 Listen:
How a Government Shutdown Will Impact California | KQED
We talk about the stakes of a government shutdown and what one could mean for California.
buff.ly
September 29, 2025 at 5:01 PM
🎙️ ON AIR:
We're speaking with @sarahdwire.bsky.social, @russellberman.bsky.social, KQED's Adhiti Bandlamudi and Politico's Nicholas Wu about what's at stake if the government shuts down and how it could impact California.
❓What are your questions?
📻 Listen:
We're speaking with @sarahdwire.bsky.social, @russellberman.bsky.social, KQED's Adhiti Bandlamudi and Politico's Nicholas Wu about what's at stake if the government shuts down and how it could impact California.
❓What are your questions?
📻 Listen:
New Jersey is no one's idea of a swing state. But it's been moving rightward the past few years, and its governor's race in November has become a must-win for Democrats. My look at the clash between Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The Blue State That’s Now a Bellwether
New Jersey is no one’s idea of a swing state. Or is it?
www.theatlantic.com
September 29, 2025 at 2:56 PM
New Jersey is no one's idea of a swing state. But it's been moving rightward the past few years, and its governor's race in November has become a must-win for Democrats. My look at the clash between Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Reposted by Russell Berman
“New Jersey is no one’s idea of a swing state,” @russellberman.bsky.social writes. This year, however, operatives in both parties believe New Jersey is an accurate barometer of how voters are reacting to the first year of Trump’s return tour in the White House:
The Blue State That’s Now a Bellwether
New Jersey is no one’s idea of a swing state. Or is it?
bit.ly
September 29, 2025 at 12:30 PM
“New Jersey is no one’s idea of a swing state,” @russellberman.bsky.social writes. This year, however, operatives in both parties believe New Jersey is an accurate barometer of how voters are reacting to the first year of Trump’s return tour in the White House:
Reposted by Russell Berman
Charlie Kirk’s allies are calling his murder a “turning point,” @elainegodfrey.bsky.social and @russellberman.bsky.social write. Defining the phrase may determine “whether the next few weeks bring confrontation, de-escalation, or something in between”:
What If This Is a Turning Point?
Charlie Kirk’s closest allies will help determine whether the next few weeks bring confrontation, de-escalation, or something in between.
bit.ly
September 13, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Charlie Kirk’s allies are calling his murder a “turning point,” @elainegodfrey.bsky.social and @russellberman.bsky.social write. Defining the phrase may determine “whether the next few weeks bring confrontation, de-escalation, or something in between”:
Reposted by Russell Berman
Democrats are relying on a familiar strategy for key 2026 Senate races: old candidates. @russellberman.bsky.social on why the party thinks it’s the best option:
The Democrats’ Biggest Senate Recruits Have One Thing in Common
They’re old.
bit.ly
August 16, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Democrats are relying on a familiar strategy for key 2026 Senate races: old candidates. @russellberman.bsky.social on why the party thinks it’s the best option:
Reposted by Russell Berman
When it comes to matching Republican gerrymandering, Democrats’ hands are largely tied—and the party itself provided the rope, Russell Berman argues.
How Democrats Tied Their Own Hands on Redistricting
Their threat to match Republican gerrymandering could be difficult to fulfill.
bit.ly
August 7, 2025 at 1:30 PM
When it comes to matching Republican gerrymandering, Democrats’ hands are largely tied—and the party itself provided the rope, Russell Berman argues.
While Missouri health advocates hoped Hawley might hold the line, former Sen. John Danforth—a mentor-turned-critic—told me his vote was never in doubt: “It would just be impossible to be a Republican in good standing in this era & vote against it." www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The Contortions of Josh Hawley
Why the Missouri senator is trying to reverse Medicaid cuts he voted for
www.theatlantic.com
July 23, 2025 at 6:18 PM
While Missouri health advocates hoped Hawley might hold the line, former Sen. John Danforth—a mentor-turned-critic—told me his vote was never in doubt: “It would just be impossible to be a Republican in good standing in this era & vote against it." www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Hawley's Medicaid contortions were the starkest illustration of how a GOP, under pressure from Trump, ended up slashing a core safety-net program more deeply than most expected—and more than many of them wanted, Trump possibly included www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The Contortions of Josh Hawley
Why the Missouri senator is trying to reverse Medicaid cuts he voted for
www.theatlantic.com
July 23, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Hawley's Medicaid contortions were the starkest illustration of how a GOP, under pressure from Trump, ended up slashing a core safety-net program more deeply than most expected—and more than many of them wanted, Trump possibly included www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
“I did believe that he was genuine." I spoke with health-care advocates in Missouri about Sen. Josh Hawley's Medicaid journey—warning the GOP against cuts, voting for the bill that contained them, then immediately trying to reverse them www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The Contortions of Josh Hawley
Why the Missouri senator is trying to reverse Medicaid cuts he voted for
www.theatlantic.com
July 23, 2025 at 6:17 PM
“I did believe that he was genuine." I spoke with health-care advocates in Missouri about Sen. Josh Hawley's Medicaid journey—warning the GOP against cuts, voting for the bill that contained them, then immediately trying to reverse them www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul, and Thomas Massie are some of the last remaining elected Republicans willing to criticize and vote against Trump. Their stands have left the president's diehard supporters in Kentucky feeling oddly unrepresented in DC: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The Red State Where Republicans Aren’t Afraid of Trump
Some of the last remaining GOP holdouts hail from the same state.
www.theatlantic.com
June 28, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul, and Thomas Massie are some of the last remaining elected Republicans willing to criticize and vote against Trump. Their stands have left the president's diehard supporters in Kentucky feeling oddly unrepresented in DC: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Kentucky voted for Trump last year by more than 30 points, but it has become an unlikely hotbed of Republican resistance in his second term. I went there to find out what GOP voters think of their rebelling representatives: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The Red State Where Republicans Aren’t Afraid of Trump
Some of the last remaining GOP holdouts hail from the same state.
www.theatlantic.com
June 28, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Kentucky voted for Trump last year by more than 30 points, but it has become an unlikely hotbed of Republican resistance in his second term. I went there to find out what GOP voters think of their rebelling representatives: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
To guard against reprisal from the Trump administration, most honorees at this year's Sammies did not take the stage or deliver an acceptance speech. It was a startling sign of how much fear pervades the federal workforce right now: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The New Danger in Trump’s Washington: Honoring Federal Employees
Can recognition for outstanding work suddenly be a bad thing?
www.theatlantic.com
June 18, 2025 at 6:28 PM
To guard against reprisal from the Trump administration, most honorees at this year's Sammies did not take the stage or deliver an acceptance speech. It was a startling sign of how much fear pervades the federal workforce right now: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Is it now risky for a federal employee to accept an award in Trump's Washington? My dispatch from the Sammies, known as the Oscars for government, which were different this year: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The New Danger in Trump’s Washington: Honoring Federal Employees
Can recognition for outstanding work suddenly be a bad thing?
www.theatlantic.com
June 18, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Is it now risky for a federal employee to accept an award in Trump's Washington? My dispatch from the Sammies, known as the Oscars for government, which were different this year: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Reposted by Russell Berman
@russellberman.bsky.social: “What’s most striking about candidate Trump of June 2015 is how similar he is to President Trump of June 2025. To the pride of his supporters and the chagrin of his opponents, he has changed American politics more in the past decade than it has changed him.”
A Decade of Golden-Escalator Politics
It was here that Donald Trump descended into American politics.
www.theatlantic.com
June 16, 2025 at 5:54 PM
@russellberman.bsky.social: “What’s most striking about candidate Trump of June 2015 is how similar he is to President Trump of June 2025. To the pride of his supporters and the chagrin of his opponents, he has changed American politics more in the past decade than it has changed him.”
Looking back on Trump's political debut, what's clear to both his supporters and critics is this: He has changed American politics over the past decade more than it has changed him www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
America’s Most Famous Escalator, a Decade Later
It was here that Donald Trump descended into American politics.
www.theatlantic.com
June 16, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Looking back on Trump's political debut, what's clear to both his supporters and critics is this: He has changed American politics over the past decade more than it has changed him www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
To mark the 10th anniversary of Donald Trump's descent down the golden escalator, I revisited Trump Tower—and the speech that launched his first presidential campaign: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
America’s Most Famous Escalator, a Decade Later
It was here that Donald Trump descended into American politics.
www.theatlantic.com
June 16, 2025 at 1:47 PM
To mark the 10th anniversary of Donald Trump's descent down the golden escalator, I revisited Trump Tower—and the speech that launched his first presidential campaign: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Reposted by Russell Berman
Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign a decade ago today. @russellberman.bsky.social was there, and recently took a trip back to the escalator that started it all.
America’s Most Famous Escalator, a Decade Later
It was here that Donald Trump descended into American politics.
bit.ly
June 16, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign a decade ago today. @russellberman.bsky.social was there, and recently took a trip back to the escalator that started it all.
Reposted by Russell Berman
This is an important piece.
“We have a people-pleasing problem in our party." Democratic organizers are hesitant to admit when get-out-the-vote efforts don’t work. One group is trying to change that. My new piece:
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The Real Problem With the Democrats’ Ground Game
Democratic organizers are hesitant to admit when get-out-the-vote efforts don’t work. One group is trying to change that.
www.theatlantic.com
June 9, 2025 at 2:01 PM
This is an important piece.
Vote Forward will release a study today disclosing that a major part of its letter-writing program in 2024 failed to boost turnout. Such admissions are rare. “We’ve got to actually be honest about both what works & what doesn’t work,”
Yasmin Radjy told me: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Yasmin Radjy told me: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The Real Problem With the Democrats’ Ground Game
Democratic organizers are hesitant to admit when get-out-the-vote efforts don’t work. One group is trying to change that.
www.theatlantic.com
June 9, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Vote Forward will release a study today disclosing that a major part of its letter-writing program in 2024 failed to boost turnout. Such admissions are rare. “We’ve got to actually be honest about both what works & what doesn’t work,”
Yasmin Radjy told me: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Yasmin Radjy told me: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
“We have a people-pleasing problem in our party." Democratic organizers are hesitant to admit when get-out-the-vote efforts don’t work. One group is trying to change that. My new piece:
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The Real Problem With the Democrats’ Ground Game
Democratic organizers are hesitant to admit when get-out-the-vote efforts don’t work. One group is trying to change that.
www.theatlantic.com
June 9, 2025 at 1:04 PM
“We have a people-pleasing problem in our party." Democratic organizers are hesitant to admit when get-out-the-vote efforts don’t work. One group is trying to change that. My new piece:
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Reposted by Russell Berman
🎙️ ON AIR:
We're speaking with @cgrisales.bsky.social and @russellberman.bsky.social about what’s in President Trump's 1000-plus page budget bill and its political implications.
❓ What are your questions about the Republican budget bill?
📻 Listen:
We're speaking with @cgrisales.bsky.social and @russellberman.bsky.social about what’s in President Trump's 1000-plus page budget bill and its political implications.
❓ What are your questions about the Republican budget bill?
📻 Listen:
How Trump’s Massive, Wide Ranging Budget Bill Could Affect You | KQED
We talk with reporters about what’s in the 1000-plus page budget bill and its political implications.
buff.ly
June 2, 2025 at 4:01 PM
🎙️ ON AIR:
We're speaking with @cgrisales.bsky.social and @russellberman.bsky.social about what’s in President Trump's 1000-plus page budget bill and its political implications.
❓ What are your questions about the Republican budget bill?
📻 Listen:
We're speaking with @cgrisales.bsky.social and @russellberman.bsky.social about what’s in President Trump's 1000-plus page budget bill and its political implications.
❓ What are your questions about the Republican budget bill?
📻 Listen:
Reposted by Russell Berman
“Rather than avoid the transgressions they’ve alleged Democrats have committed, Republicans have instead used them as license to go even further,” @russellberman.bsky.social writes:
The Big, Beautiful Republican Shrug
Republicans routinely criticized Democrats for rushing bills through Congress. Now that they’re in power, they don’t seem to mind.
bit.ly
May 24, 2025 at 1:45 PM
“Rather than avoid the transgressions they’ve alleged Democrats have committed, Republicans have instead used them as license to go even further,” @russellberman.bsky.social writes:
Rep. Tim Burchett started this week with a warning for GOP leaders: Conservatives, he told me, might tank the 'big, beautiful bill' if forced to bend too much. But as is so often the case, Burchett & his allies found they could not say no to Trump. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Republicans Still Can’t Say No to Trump
The GOP has mounted little resistance to the president. His “big, beautiful bill” was another test.
www.theatlantic.com
May 22, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Rep. Tim Burchett started this week with a warning for GOP leaders: Conservatives, he told me, might tank the 'big, beautiful bill' if forced to bend too much. But as is so often the case, Burchett & his allies found they could not say no to Trump. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
House hardliners have said no to Speaker Mike Johnson, but can they say no to Trump? They haven’t yet. My new piece on the GOP’s struggle to pass the president’s “big, beautiful bill”: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com
May 21, 2025 at 11:32 PM
House hardliners have said no to Speaker Mike Johnson, but can they say no to Trump? They haven’t yet. My new piece on the GOP’s struggle to pass the president’s “big, beautiful bill”: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...