K-8 curriculum developer. Milwaukee YIMBY. Cohost of “Did You Do Your Homework,” a monthly pop culture podcast. @dydyhpodcast Profile picture: "An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump." Joseph Wright (1768).
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If we’re going to do this, I guess it’s good to do it early while he’s weak, but it’s surreal. It’s surreal that we were a stable and incredibly wealthy country and we’re going to tear ourselves apart so conservatives don’t have to admit they went insane and elected a criminal madman. Never forgive
you'd think the governor of illinois basically going "we're being invaded by an authoritarian" would be something you'd see real easy on the front page of most everything an hour later
Hate to burst this because it would be so good if true, but it’s not Prince. The symbol looks like the Love Symbol, but it’s horizontal instead of vertical and has some different squiggles. It’s actually the storyboard artist, who intentionally chose a symbol SIMILAR to Prince’s.
Again, the key divide within the Democratic party does not map onto a left/right axis: It is between those who want to fight back forcefully, like Pritzker, and those who can’t/won’t shake the impulse to accommodate, appease, and uphold “normalcy.”
Seems Trump might be trying an end-run in which Texas mobilizes its National Guard. That would be Texas invading Illinois, which as you can imagine is unconstitutional. One wonders about potential remedies, such as IL seizing assets of TX corporations like X, xAI, and SpaceX. Just a thought. 🤔
I know, I know, but: The president of the US saying, literally, "we're going in" in reference to sending the military to an American city for no reason beyond terrorizing the local population should be the most immediately impeachable shit imaginable
Great Khan Pritzker Gets It
the democratic party's bias to normalcy is gonna kill us off. the gop is literally talking about a military junta and the democratic leader is operating like he can just cut a deal with republicans like its normal times.
Happy to see the Illinois Democrats showing the rest of the party how to fight back.
As officially predicted, something is clearly amiss but will certainly not be investigated further at this time by anyone in that press room. bsky.app/profile/mike...
Pritzker says the press should be asking this question, too, and he's right.
Really time for for the Michigan-Superior States (MN, WI, IL, MI... not Indiana, obviously) to start thinking of some sort of compact. Mutual defense pact. Federal tax payment refusal.
Pritzker: "When did we become a country where it's ok for the US president to insist on national television that a state should call him to beg for anything? Especially something we don't want. Have we truly lost all sense of sanity in this nation that we treat this as normal?"
Do I think Trump is alive? Yes. Do I think they are trying to pump him full of some drug cocktail so he retains some semblance of coherence for 20 minutes? Also yes.
But when things do start going bad––enrollment or subscription figures drop, tech money dries up due to an AI-bubble bursting, the lawsuits finally end up in court dates, etc––it's way, way too late. The reputation is catastrophically damaged, the subscriber base has moved elsewhere. 4/
This gives us organizations and outlets that are 1) uniquely bad at judging medium- and long-term risks, 2) do not receive enough "consequence" inputs to make effective short-term decisions. Everything will just continue along as it is, forever! (This is all propped up with infinite tech money.) 3/
This might be survivable if leadership was trained and attuned to long-term thinking. But since the mid-80s, the focus has been on quarterly earnings report and maximizing shareholder value 2/
Idea I'm workshopping: one of the failures of our elites, and especially of elite media, is that consequences come slowly, if at all. Obviously there's the much-delayed legal system (even more so for the wealthy), but things like reputational damage take time to show up. 1/
Vance follows a coterie of online Nazis on X, has described Curtis Yarvin as a major intellectual influence, and openly attacks immigrants in blood and soil terms. The response of most of the political press? "Doesn't look like anything to me."
I don't like this new rule. I much preferred a presidency subject to checks and balances. But thanks to Trump and the Supreme Court, we don't have that anymore. And Democrats aren't going to get it back by acting like the adults in the room. They'll only wind up ceding more power to the arsonists.
NONE of these plans are any more extreme than what Trump is currently doing with the help of the Supreme Court. If Trump can shut down the Department of Education and CFPB, President AOC can shut down ICE. If Trump can kill green energy projects, President Newsom can kill the fossil fuel industry.
👀
This is why multi-party democracy is the only one that really works. Voters need to have a viable outlet to voicing their frustration at the party in power without it being forced choice. If the GOP actually had to compete as an opposition party, they wouldn’t be as supportive of fascism
I don't get how people don't realize that a technology that replaces junior and entry level positions in a field destroys that field. There's no skipping steps. You have to be a junior before you can be a senior, and if you don't have senior people, you don't have a field.
GOP lost that chance in 2016. They are a civic tumor that needs to be treated as malignant to the body politic. That being said, I agree with your general thrust—the Dems need some sort of opposition for accountability, even if it’s internal.
this is the ur- falsehood of our political era and everything from "schools shouldn't have locked down during covid" to "trans women in sports is a national crisis" are downstream of it and the through line of all of them is national media's willfull ignorance and complicity
Both: “we’ll find out weirdly long after it actually happened”
Best I can tell, Andrew Wehde has shot every episode of the bear, and I gotta say—he shoots Ayo Edebiri fucking beautifully. (Just finished season 4, that last ep was beautifully lit)
My dad was a gaffer in Chicago in the 90s, worked on a bunch of commercials with Jordan. Anyway, first day on set, Jordan ribs all the crew members wearing adidas, sketchers, whatever. Next day, everyone’s wearing Nikes, if not Air Jordans. Jordan didn’t pay for anyone’s shoes, to be clear.
This goes hand-in-hand with Americans' (and especially pundits') inability to correctly answer the question, "Who was the president in 2020?" Dems somehow get the blame for Trump's catastrophic handling of the first few months.
Not the point, but calling RFK Jr “a recent presidential candidate” is insane.
THE GREAT KHAN RAISES HIGH THE SWORD OF GLONZO
Hahahahaha shit like this makes me willing to ride for the Khan of Khans, shiny and chrome, on the fury road to Valhalla
Why don’t you send everyone proof of life first? (Either way, Chicago doesn’t want you here)
The Cased Meat Celestials have come to pass judgement, just as Jack Kirby foretold
Using this piece by @reallygoodwizard.bsky.social in my introductory lectures for my design students.
Most charitable read is that the Nords are an oppressed people overthrowing a colonialist yoke. Given everything else, I’m not certain it deserves that charitable reading. But it does exist.
“Woah, this Sauron sounds like a most heinous dude”
Nutritionists Warn Taco Bell $3 Steak Burrito A $3 Steak Burrito https://theonion.com/nutritionists-warn-taco-bell-3-steak-burrito-a-3-steak-burrito/
my father-in-law is a “I know a guy” Guy. sadly all the old Guys are aging out of the Guy Economy. Guys are fundamentally incompatible with Hustle Culture because it’s not about “winning” a deal, it’s about collecting favors and goodwill in a mutually-beneficial cycle. protect your local Guy Economy
lmfao republican converts are infinitely better soldiers than most congressional dems, it's insane.
“When Democrats take back power, RFK Jr and all his accomplices will be removed from office and prosecuted as the first step towards restoring the rule of law” is what Dems SHOULD say next.
Stop Making Sense... ideally projected onto the wall of your college apartment while your theatrical lighting designer roommate has set up some color-changing LEDs. Hypothetically, of course.
Old Soviet joke for today: A man walks into a newsstand every day, looks around, and leaves. After a long time of this, the owner says “Can I help you find something?” “I’m looking for the obituaries.” “The obituaries are in the back of the newspaper, comrade.” “Not the one I’m looking for.”
Feel like rewatching THE DEATH OF STALIN for no particular reason.
so many people are going to die because not enough people were willing to believe that RFK jr would actually try to do exactly what he has said for decades that he wanted to do
RFK Jr looks like he’s been sampling the diseases at the CDC
Art depicting “Sandwich Guy” now at the scene of the alleged misdemeanor.
“But Grant won unfairly! He wasn’t *gentlemanly* about it! He was a mere drunken butcher who had more resources!” -Multiple generations of Americans brought up on Lost Cause propaganda
cough Education cough
People are often surprised to learn that Lee was an officer who never made it past colonel. The purported promotion to general was awarded by a treasonous cabal calling itself the "confederate states of america" which was put down by force by the Union army, which also had superior generals.
Fucking losing it how little of the reporting I’m reading about the CDC not mentioning how an anti-vaxxer gunman killed a police officer and fired hundreds of rounds at the building 2 weeks ago. An end to end ouroborous of delusional mania. The GOP will probably give the shooter a posthumous medal.
If that guy had thrown a sandwich at a different guy, the cops would have laughed at how funny it was and MAYBE said “break it up” or something, it’s only a crime if it happens *to* a cop.
Zodiac?
“Kennedy would be less hazardous if he decided to do cardiac surgery. Then he would kill people only one at a time rather than his current ability to kill by the thousands. Why is it that killing a single person is seen as murder but killing masses is excused if you are a politician?” Dr Bill Foege
More courage here––by normal people––than in Congressional Democratic leadership, leadership of major media outlets, leadership of colleges and universities, leadership of prestigious law firms... This has been a trend of Trump's second term. Normal Americans showing more courage than our leaders.
I think he desperately wants to understand the Right––he seems like an empathic interviewer, often a strength––but that leaves him susceptible to falling for people who tell him things in his own schema: logic and policy and well-reasoned arguments, rather than base emotion and grievances.
Yeah, I think this is it. He believes—or seems to believe—that the respectable, academic Right-wing apologists are 1) on the level and 2) accurately describing the movement and 3) leading the movement, rather than back-filling.
they do, but this also illustrates how SOCIAL APPROVAL IS THE PRIMARY PERSUASIVE MECHANISM FOR MOST PEOPLE most people choose their opinions by seeking out ideas they believe will garner acceptance/approval from their peers, which requires analysis not of data or experience but of social consensus
"They want you to believe that you must choose between liberal activists and ordinary voters. But Third Way doesn’t represent ordinary voters, they represent CEOs. If you kick out the activists, Third Way’s corporate allies will step into the void."
“While the light in front of us appears to be red, that’s just a distraction from the red light three blocks away.”
“Kitchen table issues” clearly don’t include things like health and well-being of the family.
This is such a no-brainer that the lack of a coordinated response feels deeply damning. A Democratic leadership team that can't mobilize an instant all-hands-on-deck effort on RFK Jr. isn't a leadership team at all.
Honestly, it’d be the greatest day of my life. Shoot the shit with fellow jurors, talk about jury nullification, easiest decision to decline, two middle fingers to the State.
some guy off the street: "yeah this is pretty fucking bad" most of our green room pundits: "ah but you see, trump has an advantage on crime so democrats should be careful not to sound too opposed"
a huge point that decorum-obsessed Democrats are missing is that everyone I know is literally boiling with rage 24/7 watching their country fall to fascism and desperately want to hear a politician acknowledge that and say "I am also angry"
It's Minnesota State Fair time! It's time for Minnesotan folk art! Here, for example, is Saturn Devouring His Corn, in the seed art category!
Don’t know who made this but thank you
say what you will about donald trump he got cracker barrel to put the gay guy back in its logo
My takeaway from being on juries is that the Ivy leaguers are weaker than you think it’s just that they apply to everything and are overrepresented because others are under-encouraged. the blood is in the water however so apply for that competition, that grant, that fellowship — you never know
"We at Cracker Barrel value our loyal customers. And we hear you. We know we made some mistakes, but we're committed to listening and learning. In that spirit, we're pleased to announce that we've removed the gay frogs from our logo." (re-release the new logo again with no changes)
“Old Neptune, shake thy hoary locks!”
In Milwaukee especially, can you imagine if they dropped prices to $5 beers? You’d have a packed stadium every game. Short-term thinking and short-term greed through and through.
Everything the rich have ever wanted is being delivered, a further weakened labor movement, a gutted regulatory regime, a public sector being strangled in a puddle. The rest was hokum invented by academic scribblers searching for a logical rationale for the rich to be more dominant.
First book is great. It’s all downhill from there.
What I'm looking for in the 2028 primary is someone who will put Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem in jail, and so far, that's Pritzker
the “be warned, we are taking names” part is what has been missing from most major politicians’ responses
*If* it is enforced in some unjust way—Kid A gets write-ups while Kid B gets a warning, etc—then… maybe? But this is the case with all school policies. And especially knowing the author, this has the vibe of “how can I critique any innovation in a way to boost my own standing?”
“Hypothetically. If complimenting Trump meant that there would definitely be 2026 elections—“ Imma stop you there. What about instead of wondering if we should be licking his boots, you spend 5 of your 6 billion dollars doing everything and anything to destroy the GOP in the eyes of the public?
Has anyone had a better 10 year run than John Williams from 1975 to 1985? • Jaws (‘75) • Star Wars AND Close Encounters (‘77) • Superman (‘78) • Empire Strikes Back (‘80) (gives us Vader’s theme AND the Han/Leia Love theme) • Raiders of the List Ark (‘81) • E.T. (‘82)
you’ll notice that Third Way isn’t concerned about management speak as much as they want Dems to use *their* management speak.
the crisis in which the University of Chicago is now engulfed -- one entirely of its own making, and which has led to the (hopefully temporary) suspension of admissions into numerous PhD programs in the humanities -- represents I think a seismic event in the history of American higher education 1/
DEMOCRATS: 1. THE WAY TO MOVE PUBLIC OPINION IS TO ATTRACT ATTENTION 2. THE WAY OT ATTRACT ATTENTION IS TO AMPLIFY GENUINE CONFLICT AND REAL CRISIS 3. THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF WASHINGTON, D.C. IS A GENUINE CONFLICT AND A REAL CRISIS
You know what's crazy? There have been no op-eds or editorial statements in major newspapers this year calling on Trump to resign. None calling for his impeachment. None asking if he's medically fit to be in office. Not one in any major newspaper all year.
Party leadership is mostly Legislators who see the limits of their role as winning elections and passing laws. They don’t have a theory of politics beyond that, and rankle when we demand they do more. “We’re out of the majority! What can we do?”
"everyone will see how criminal and corrupt these people are so we don't have to make that argument ourselves" is one of the most singularly wrong pieces of conventional political wisdom in Dem circles and yet it will not die
As a dog owner… unless the store is specifically pro-animals (dog treats behind the counter, etc), do not bring your pet into stores. (Real, actual, trained service animals are of course fine; people who buy fake “service animal” harnesses for their clearly untrained dogs are the worst)
Can’t see what’s wrong with putting MBAs who have been trained to think in terms of quarterly reports and maximizing shareholder value in charge of every single institution in our society.
Anime: Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue. Also Kon’s Millennium Actress kiiinda, but it’s not really the vibe you’re going for; more experimental bittersweet exploration of memory than paranoia. Film Bro answer: Momento. Mulholland Drive, but that’s more oneiric than paranoid. Ditto Lost Highway.
A reckoning is coming between the wing of the Democratic Party that is willing and able to confront the rise of American authoritarianism with the strategy and tactics that it demands and those who are not. And it is obvious to me which side of that fight the party's base is going to be on.
I know this is antithetical to Global Tetrahedron's ethos, but it turns out you don't need "infinite growth forever" if you instead of "moderate and sustained growth and solid rates or return driven by a quality product".
i think the next leader of the democratic party should be someone who punches the right rhetorically harder than they hit and also supports lgbtq equality and progressive ideas. i dont think it is a unicorn or purity. i think its, to be honest, extremely middle of the road and center-leaning.
if you can't sell the american public on the idea that federal troops in the streets is fundamentally unacceptable then you have no business being in politics. and if you do not forcibly believe this at your core such that you can't shut up about it, that goes double for you
Some real, "Quick, how much cash does everyone have on them right now" bribe.
