Sotek
@sotekprime.bsky.social
Professional software engineer, amateur game designer, hobbyist puzzler, bearer of a PhD in useless computer mathematics, and believer that everyone has a responsibility to try to make the world a better place.
Turns out minorities really really hate ICE and everything associated with it!
There might be other factors (the economy is Trump's fault due to tariffs, etc), but... Once the right-wing propaganda sphere cracks even a little the whole thing collapses, so...
There might be other factors (the economy is Trump's fault due to tariffs, etc), but... Once the right-wing propaganda sphere cracks even a little the whole thing collapses, so...
February 8, 2026 at 3:41 AM
Turns out minorities really really hate ICE and everything associated with it!
There might be other factors (the economy is Trump's fault due to tariffs, etc), but... Once the right-wing propaganda sphere cracks even a little the whole thing collapses, so...
There might be other factors (the economy is Trump's fault due to tariffs, etc), but... Once the right-wing propaganda sphere cracks even a little the whole thing collapses, so...
No, that's not what was said! *Harris* took that precinct 90-10, *Chastity* got 95-5.
(Black urban districts have always been heavily Dem but there have been a few special elections recently that have gone into "Putin is afraid to fake the polls this extremely" territory, lizardman constant level.)
(Black urban districts have always been heavily Dem but there have been a few special elections recently that have gone into "Putin is afraid to fake the polls this extremely" territory, lizardman constant level.)
February 8, 2026 at 3:24 AM
No, that's not what was said! *Harris* took that precinct 90-10, *Chastity* got 95-5.
(Black urban districts have always been heavily Dem but there have been a few special elections recently that have gone into "Putin is afraid to fake the polls this extremely" territory, lizardman constant level.)
(Black urban districts have always been heavily Dem but there have been a few special elections recently that have gone into "Putin is afraid to fake the polls this extremely" territory, lizardman constant level.)
I just wish he'd pointed out Trump regularly posts videos so vulgar the media can't show or even accurately describe them. (Remember the 'Trump shitting on America' video? I'm sure the media doesn't!)
February 7, 2026 at 7:08 PM
I just wish he'd pointed out Trump regularly posts videos so vulgar the media can't show or even accurately describe them. (Remember the 'Trump shitting on America' video? I'm sure the media doesn't!)
There's a propaganda network that spends billions of dollars to try to keep people like this from seeing the things that would break them out of supporting evil.
Not only should they be welcomed, they're our best hope for dragging more with them.
Not only should they be welcomed, they're our best hope for dragging more with them.
February 7, 2026 at 6:08 PM
There's a propaganda network that spends billions of dollars to try to keep people like this from seeing the things that would break them out of supporting evil.
Not only should they be welcomed, they're our best hope for dragging more with them.
Not only should they be welcomed, they're our best hope for dragging more with them.
"become", yes. I have a friend who has promised to write an essay about how they are incompatible with democracy and I find his arguments convincing.
February 7, 2026 at 3:09 AM
"become", yes. I have a friend who has promised to write an essay about how they are incompatible with democracy and I find his arguments convincing.
If they push it hard enough it might get banned even without a trifecta- they just have to rustle the GOP's jimmies sufficiently to get them to decide that gerrymandering is no longer pro-GOP, and then it gets banned before Dems get to fully reverse things.
February 7, 2026 at 3:04 AM
If they push it hard enough it might get banned even without a trifecta- they just have to rustle the GOP's jimmies sufficiently to get them to decide that gerrymandering is no longer pro-GOP, and then it gets banned before Dems get to fully reverse things.
Do prop rep across the states with minimums and maximums, but also weigh the power of each representative, so California gets 25 reps and Wyoming 3, and each of California's reps is 6x more powerful than a Wyoming rep - Congress is about the same size and the states have the same power as now.
February 7, 2026 at 2:57 AM
Do prop rep across the states with minimums and maximums, but also weigh the power of each representative, so California gets 25 reps and Wyoming 3, and each of California's reps is 6x more powerful than a Wyoming rep - Congress is about the same size and the states have the same power as now.
He did also say "pretending to be President" in the short. So there's two separate instances of apparent sedevacantism in the minute and thirty condemnation of Trump.
February 7, 2026 at 12:22 AM
He did also say "pretending to be President" in the short. So there's two separate instances of apparent sedevacantism in the minute and thirty condemnation of Trump.
slightly unfortunate they didn't leave juuust enough unredacted to identify that it was an edit they were redacting, but I get why they did it this way, oof.
February 5, 2026 at 10:34 PM
slightly unfortunate they didn't leave juuust enough unredacted to identify that it was an edit they were redacting, but I get why they did it this way, oof.
Nope, probable cause.
You lying or ignorant?
You lying or ignorant?
February 5, 2026 at 3:28 AM
Nope, probable cause.
You lying or ignorant?
You lying or ignorant?
Easy way to choose: grab like five obvious indie journos and tell them to start nominating more as a group.
February 4, 2026 at 8:52 PM
Easy way to choose: grab like five obvious indie journos and tell them to start nominating more as a group.
I have a shitty proposal: an org of indie journalists. Add people by vote of said journos, the site aggregates all your work, everyone in the org gets an equal share of all subscriptions, run it on donations, maybe with a min sub amount to unlock some posts. (Set by poster)
February 4, 2026 at 8:48 PM
I have a shitty proposal: an org of indie journalists. Add people by vote of said journos, the site aggregates all your work, everyone in the org gets an equal share of all subscriptions, run it on donations, maybe with a min sub amount to unlock some posts. (Set by poster)
Like... If this gets pushed hard enough it's absolutely a crisis! But I kind of think the people would side with not-the-admin in such a crisis, so...
February 4, 2026 at 6:44 AM
Like... If this gets pushed hard enough it's absolutely a crisis! But I kind of think the people would side with not-the-admin in such a crisis, so...
Yeah, no, it's messy. Judges have a lot more arrows in their quivers (deputization, etc) but it could get very ugly.
Still, the admin needs the courts too, so they don't really want to push the fight to the brink either, and they do keep backing down eventually if forced.
Still, the admin needs the courts too, so they don't really want to push the fight to the brink either, and they do keep backing down eventually if forced.
February 4, 2026 at 6:42 AM
Yeah, no, it's messy. Judges have a lot more arrows in their quivers (deputization, etc) but it could get very ugly.
Still, the admin needs the courts too, so they don't really want to push the fight to the brink either, and they do keep backing down eventually if forced.
Still, the admin needs the courts too, so they don't really want to push the fight to the brink either, and they do keep backing down eventually if forced.
Nope, civil contempt is non-pardonable. A judge can throw the head of an agency in jail until said agency head issues orders to follow the law, because he holds the metaphorical keys to his own jail cell - pardons do nothing because it's not a crime.
This would be an extreme remedy but ...
This would be an extreme remedy but ...
February 4, 2026 at 5:54 AM
Nope, civil contempt is non-pardonable. A judge can throw the head of an agency in jail until said agency head issues orders to follow the law, because he holds the metaphorical keys to his own jail cell - pardons do nothing because it's not a crime.
This would be an extreme remedy but ...
This would be an extreme remedy but ...
There is no way that's right. Do you mean 'Agree' for the second set?
February 4, 2026 at 12:23 AM
There is no way that's right. Do you mean 'Agree' for the second set?
I mean, sure, but that's dumb catastrophizing, because he was given that choice and did not choose to say "fuck the courts". The courts really do have all kinds of powers over contemnors and once they threaten to start using them these people consistently fold.
They're just slow. :<
They're just slow. :<
February 3, 2026 at 10:20 PM
I mean, sure, but that's dumb catastrophizing, because he was given that choice and did not choose to say "fuck the courts". The courts really do have all kinds of powers over contemnors and once they threaten to start using them these people consistently fold.
They're just slow. :<
They're just slow. :<
well they could threaten him with court appearances for an entire class of cases and see if he'd rather show up or moot them all...
(either one would solve it!! either he stops breaking the rules or his replacement starts figuring it out.)
(either one would solve it!! either he stops breaking the rules or his replacement starts figuring it out.)
February 3, 2026 at 10:04 PM
well they could threaten him with court appearances for an entire class of cases and see if he'd rather show up or moot them all...
(either one would solve it!! either he stops breaking the rules or his replacement starts figuring it out.)
(either one would solve it!! either he stops breaking the rules or his replacement starts figuring it out.)
I think they thought it was for drugs?
February 2, 2026 at 11:18 PM
I think they thought it was for drugs?
Yeah that's fair, we might be able to get some mitigation around the edges if they're looking at things like that recent special election in Texas and getting afraid...
February 2, 2026 at 7:49 PM
Yeah that's fair, we might be able to get some mitigation around the edges if they're looking at things like that recent special election in Texas and getting afraid...
... yeah, but until 2028 how are we going to change that?
Sweeping the midterms gives a narrow senate majority but that's not enough to override vetoes or sustain an impeachment without Republicans, who are, uh, not going to go along with these things.
Sweeping the midterms gives a narrow senate majority but that's not enough to override vetoes or sustain an impeachment without Republicans, who are, uh, not going to go along with these things.
February 2, 2026 at 7:11 PM
... yeah, but until 2028 how are we going to change that?
Sweeping the midterms gives a narrow senate majority but that's not enough to override vetoes or sustain an impeachment without Republicans, who are, uh, not going to go along with these things.
Sweeping the midterms gives a narrow senate majority but that's not enough to override vetoes or sustain an impeachment without Republicans, who are, uh, not going to go along with these things.
small subsample, so ~12% margin of error assuming no bias in the sample.
there could well be bias in the sample. (hispanics who disapprove of trump might be less willing to identify as such in phone app surveys for fear of ICE shenanigans, for instance).
Average it with other polls and move on.
there could well be bias in the sample. (hispanics who disapprove of trump might be less willing to identify as such in phone app surveys for fear of ICE shenanigans, for instance).
Average it with other polls and move on.
February 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM
small subsample, so ~12% margin of error assuming no bias in the sample.
there could well be bias in the sample. (hispanics who disapprove of trump might be less willing to identify as such in phone app surveys for fear of ICE shenanigans, for instance).
Average it with other polls and move on.
there could well be bias in the sample. (hispanics who disapprove of trump might be less willing to identify as such in phone app surveys for fear of ICE shenanigans, for instance).
Average it with other polls and move on.
I think this swing is gonna be stronger with Latinos and in places where ICE has been awful and weaker in rural white areas, but still, yeah ... if the GOP doesn't back off ICE, this could keep happening.
February 1, 2026 at 5:43 AM
I think this swing is gonna be stronger with Latinos and in places where ICE has been awful and weaker in rural white areas, but still, yeah ... if the GOP doesn't back off ICE, this could keep happening.
some point tonight, probably. they just gotta count it.
February 1, 2026 at 4:31 AM
some point tonight, probably. they just gotta count it.