Claire Bond Potter
@clairepotter.com
Opinion writer, reviewer & essayist | Emeritus History prof | podcaster | http://clairepotter.substack.com | antifascist | NYC & Northampton, MA | Repped by Roz Foster, Francis Goldin Literary Agency
On this week's podcast, Neil and I talk about how Trump and the GOP squandered their governing trifecta (you can subscribe on YouTube or the Political Junkie Substack!) youtu.be/XRu8mQ3DbTQ
How To Lose An Election
YouTube video by Political Junkie Substack
youtu.be
I love it when people ask Eagles QB1 Jalen Hurts what allows him to "stay so poised" in the final 90 seconds with the game on the line. Would anyone ask a cardiac surgeon what allows them to "stay so poised" in an emergency surgery? If you can't stay poised, you shouldn't do the damn job. #GoBirds
Heartbreaking and brave. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/m...
In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own?
A decade ago, I made a decision about my daughter’s education that I hoped would challenge New York City’s separate and unequal school system. Now 16, she thinks I made the wrong choice.
nytimes.com
What's the best way to get my podcast without filling your inbox with more annoying newsletters? Subscribe on Apple iTunes, Spotify, or YouTube (where you get to actually see @neiljyoung.bsky.social and me being adorable.) Until then, try this one on Trumpian corruption! youtu.be/IWzbpq_Tgps
Casino Politics
YouTube video by Political Junkie Substack
youtu.be
Which means seniors actually don't get to retire? Why not just send us all to concentration camps to do factory work and be done with it, John?
Headquarters@headquartersnews.bsky.social · 2w agoRepublican New Hampshire Senate candidate John Sununu says he supports a work requirement for seniors on Medicare: "I certainly support a work requirement for able-bodied Medicare recipients."
Instead of the abortion that would have saved her life, Texas doctors told her she was crazy and let her die--and that was legal. Her family is suing @KenPaxtonTX, and people should take pictures of her to every Paxton campaign event. www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-a...
Family blames Texas' "merciless" abortion ban for woman's death, files lawsuit targeting Paxton, doctors
The family of 37-year-old Tierra Walker filed a lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and others, saying she was denied an abortion that could have saved her life.
cbsnews.com
Surprised to learn that ICE actually has standards.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 3w agoNEW: DHS's Inspector General releases a scathing report about the Everglades detention camp known as "Alligator Alcatraz." The OIG finds that the now-closed camp, violated multiple ICE standards. The OIG also confirms detainees were punished with placement in a metal cage in the Florida heat.🧵
This piece @ the @chronicle.com about the Arday scandal reflects my thinking: why is it that, for many, he shared none of the blame, not just for the dismantling of his reputation, but for the media attention that he actively courted and that exposed his many lies? www.chronicle.com/article/jaso...
Opinion | Jason Arday and the Corruption of Science
An editorial in “Nature” chooses progressive ideology over basic honesty.
chronicle.com
Claire and @neiljyoung.bsky.social launch a new season with a discussion about the feminists we lost this summer—Dolly Parton, Gloria Steinem, and Robin Morgan—and their legacies clairepotter.substack.com/p/remember-t...
Remember the Women
Claire and Neil launch a new season with a discussion about the feminists we lost this summer—Dolly Parton, Gloria Steinem, and Robin Morgan—and their legacies
clairepotter.substack.com
1. For about a fortnight, I have been offering readers a variation on a theme of insanity. www.editorialboard.com/trump-make/
So the most powerful person in the world is insane. Now what?
The lesson? Never put a mad man in the White House.
editorialboard.com
There's been much NYT coverage of the island lately--why I am not sure. But this story is by far the best. At first I thought: well the water isn't *that* cold (I too swim every morning here, rain or shine) and then I learned that they stay in for two hours! www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/s...
The Black Polar Bears of Martha’s Vineyard (Gift Article)
For 80 summers, vacationers on the island have waded into bracing water to satisfy a desire for fellowship and light cardio.
nytimes.com
4 yrs ago today, a family member managed a truly spectacular own goal, splintered his domestic bliss, & in the process, united the world for a day. On popular request, I shall now recreate the livetweet thread from that day So gather around children, for this is the tale of The Rice Truck Saga
They really should give credit where credit is do to teachers who are doing surgery under such primitive conditions.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 4w agoAttorney General Todd Blanche was on Fox News last night railing against "Secret School Gender Transitions," which Blanche described as a "pandemic that's happening in some school districts around the country"
@paulgoldberger.bsky.social on decisions made—and not made—at Ground Zero www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/o...
Opinion | What Ground Zero Should Have Been
25 years on, some regrets.
nytimes.com
Something not mentioned in this obit: she was so kind to young people . www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/u...
Gloria Steinem, Personification of the Women’s Movement, Dies at 92
She challenged sexist assumptions, helping women develop a sense of self-worth and gain a measure of equality at work, at home and in society at large.
nytimes.com
@rachelcleves.bsky.social Hope Cleves wrote the book about a lesbian marriage in Early America; then, a decade later, Vermont cartoonist Tillie Walden wrote it again. clairepotter.substack.com/p/who-owns-h...
Who Owns History?
Rachel Hope Cleves wrote a pathbreaking book about a lesbian marriage in Early America: now, cartoonist Tillie Walden has written and illustrated a similar book, graced with the same title
clairepotter.substack.com
My instinct is also that Natalie Harp has been ill, but she did not have cancer. But this person really dug into it. rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/is-natalie...
Is Natalie Harp Faking Cancer?
“Right to Lie” Beneficiary
rasmussenretorts.substack.com
Under Trump's watch, Pete Hegseth is destroying the military in real-time. It is only by the grace of God we have not ended up in a hot war provoked by opportunists.
The Editorial Board@editorialboard.bsky.social · last mo.Military leaders basically held a no-confidence vote on the commander-in-chief, and he lost. A THREAD.
"When people have strong moral identities, they view unethical behavior as a violation — not just of the rules but also of their own values. They anticipate more guilt at the thought of wrongdoing and more pride at the prospect of doing the right thing." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/26/o...
Opinion | There’s Really Only One Way to Stop Students From Cheating
Blue-book exams are fine, but we need to address the issue at its root.
nytimes.com
Before Europeans arrived, these were some of the names for The Great Lakes: Superior: gichi-gami (great sea) Erie: erielhonan (long tail) Michigan: michigami (long body of water) Ontario: Ontarí'io\kanadario (great lake\beautiful water) Huron: karegnondi (fresh water sea)
Historian and podcaster extraordinaire @clairepotter.com interviews Dolly Parton biographer @marthaackmann.bsky.social in this episode of Political Junkie, “What would Dolly do?” www.youtube.com/watch?v=Btlc...
In Dolly, We Trust
Dolly Parton was non-partisan, but a powerful political figure all the same https://clairepotter.substack.com/p/in-dolly-we-trust?utm_source=youtube
youtube.com
I stumbled upon yet another, more oblique, attempt to force the American Historical Association to take a position condemning Israel. Let me just say: the organization calling itself Historians for Palestine has no names on its website. Do not sign a document whose authorship is anonymous.
"Dolly and Carl’s long marriage, much like the decades-long partnership between Loretta Lynn and her husband Oliver (known as Doolittle, Doo or Mooney), may have exactly depended on allowing the non-performing, male, partner to have his own life." clairepotter.substack.com/p/in-dolly-w...
It is not a first amendment right to record someone without their permission
Chris⚖️Justice@chrisjustice01.bsky.social · last mo.🫣 Darline Graham gets angry with a South Carolina voter exercising their First Amendment rights. “Is your phone recording me? It bothers me that you’re recording me without my permission.”
Many of us out here are devastated to lose Dolly: she was one of the kindest, and most decent, people of her generation. Here's a conversation I had with her biographer, Martha Ackman, for my podcast: clairepotter.substack.com/p/what-would...
What Would Dolly Do?
Claire talks to historian Martha Ackman about the queen of country music and her new biography, "Ain't Nobody's Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton."
clairepotter.substack.com