Mark Copelovitch
@mcopelov.bsky.social
Professor of Political Science & Public Affairs & Director of European Studies, University of Wisconsin - Madison. International political economy, international relations, & international finance. 🇺🇸 & 🇪🇺 politics & economic policy. Tradeoffs in everything.
A political party is a network of factions that negotiate a policy agenda through the nominations process, and then seek to win elections to implement that negotiated agenda in government
Jordan Uhl@jordanuhl.com · 7h agoAnyway, what was that you were saying about Tom Morello leaving his ballot blank in a safe blue state?
it was the fuck-aroundest of times, it was the find-outest of times (gift link) www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Really is surprising the Libs got football in the national divorce.
James Talarico@jamestalarico.bsky.social · 11h agoTonight, we’re kicking off our Clear Eyes, Full Hearts Tour with some special guests from the cast of Friday Night Lights. We’ve come this far together. Now it’s time to leave it all on the field. Join us: www.mobilize.us/talaricofort...
Issue ownership is very sticky so no surprise that Democrats seen as better on healthcare/education but pretty stunning that they are more trusted on traditional Republican issues like immigration and war. Parties want to emphasize issues you're strong on so hard when disadavantaged on multiple.
Opinion Today@opiniontoday.bsky.social · 7h agoAmericans trust Democrats over Republicans to handle 10 out of 12 issues measured in the new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll. (@emgusk.bsky.social) More, via Opinion Today: opiniontoday.substack.com/p/261018
Annoyingly, I was wrong. The modal number of citations to a political science article *is* zero. The data back it up. But the good news is, that's not that meaningful of a statement. Read on 👇 tompepinsky.com/2026/10/18/t...
The Modal Number of Citations to a Political Science Article is Zero
When I was a first-year PhD student, many years ago, a respected professor told a class of my fellow PhD students that the modal number of citations to a political science article is zero. At the t…
tompepinsky.com
Tom Pepinsky@tompepinsky.com · 6d agoAny political science academics ever hear someone senior say "the modal number of citations to a political science article is zero?" I have always thought that that was an absurd claim, and also demoralizing for junior colleagues. So I checked 16 English-language journals across the subfields.
"What should the government do about a media that's largely owned by a handful of right wing oligarchs that are openly hostile to political liberalism?" is an extremely important question for pro-democracy Americans going forward.
mtsw@mtsw.bsky.social · 7h agoremember that "BIDEN IS SENILE" was a stop the presses, every day story and they just let this shit go like its normal
Why are we here, you ask? This. This is why we are here. Again, I ask why GOP Senators like Lankford are able to leave their houses without immediately facing endless questions about their cowardice & oath violation?
Kai Ryssdal@kairyssdal.bsky.social · 15h agoIt’s the cowardice that gets me. Every damn time.
Nine years since he started openly monetizing the presidency & using family members in place of diplomats. Unreal it took this long.
Lindsay Beyerstein@beyerstein.bsky.social · 4h agoSuddenly, Trump's corruption feels like a salient political issue. I don't know why it took this long, but it's happening. Even Republicans are telling pollsters they're souring on Trump's grift.
Sometimes, we can have nice things
Michael Stipe — “E-Bow the Letter” (LIVE R.E.M song in 2026)
YouTube video by BobSeger1981
youtube.com
Mark Copelovitch@mcopelov.bsky.social · 15h agoWhen your two best friends get together for your favorite thing and don’t invite you 😂😢❤️ Look up, what do you see? All of you and all of me I’ll take you over, there
Kydland and Prescott (1977) bsky.app/profile/mcop...
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 8h agoOssoff: "I have no interest in running for president in 2028, and to be very frank, with just 16 days before the polls close, I want to urge everybody out there to remain focused on the task at hand. The Trump admin is out of control, they've lied us into war, they've sent prices skyrocketing ... "
I absolutely never, ever, ever again want to hear about how the Republican Party is the Party of National Security in my lifetime. The <only> way to begin to start to change that is for a sufficient number of GOP Reps & Senators to cooperate with Congressional Democrats to remove Trump immediately.
Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 6h agoBREAKING WSJ: Vladimir Putin has proposed that he, Trump, and Xi Jinping meet next month to talk about Ukraine in an attempt to negotiate an end to the four-year conflict that would favor Moscow.
They should come up with a cool name for their team, something that implies the world revolves around their power
Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 6h agoBREAKING WSJ: Vladimir Putin has proposed that he, Trump, and Xi Jinping meet next month to talk about Ukraine in an attempt to negotiate an end to the four-year conflict that would favor Moscow.
Death by malicious negligence is a defining characteristic of concentration camps
Robert Downen@robertdownen.bsky.social · 8h agoA 56-year-old Mexican man held at a federal immigration facility in Laredo was found dead in his cell Saturday morning. His family says the center would not give him medicine for diabetes, high blood pressure and a heart condition. He is the 7th person to die in ICE custody in Texas this year.
It is no longer very early, & I remain perplexed
Cardinals vs. Rams (Oct 18, 2026) Live Score - ESPN
Live coverage of the Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams NFL game on ESPN, including live score, highlights and updated stats.
espn.com
Mark Copelovitch@mcopelov.bsky.social · 3w agoIt's still very early, of course, but I remain perplexed about the offseason & preseason Rams hype
If you think the NYT has covered Trump's cognitive state with even 1% of the seriousness and alarm they covered Biden's you are either a liar or an idiot
"Compared to what?" is always the essential question:
Brendan Cantwell@cantb.bsky.social · 7h agoIn these United States of America MAGA and the GOP are less popular than something with the word socialism in it
Not only is this not an immediate presidency-ending scandal, it's not even reported on the front pages today. Just gone, as if it never happened, from the National Conversation™️ "Reverse Emails," again & again & again & again: bsky.app/profile/mcop...
Mark Copelovitch@mcopelov.bsky.social · yesterdayI remain merely a small-town international relations professor, but I think it should be an immediate presidency-ending scandal that the President of the 🇺🇸 admits to violating the UN Charter by invading another UN member-state, kidnapping its leader, & seizing its assets. www.un.org/en/about-us/...
remember that "BIDEN IS SENILE" was a stop the presses, every day story and they just let this shit go like its normal
MAKS 26 👀🇺🇦@maks23.bsky.social · 9h agoNo words… 🇺🇸🇺🇦🫠
Once again, the NYT & every other media outlet know how to make something a central, nonstop feature of the National Conversation™️ when they want do. It is 100% a choice to sanewash & "Reverse Email" stuff like this, & other more serious choices are readily available.
Mark Copelovitch@mcopelov.bsky.social · yesterdayAnd again, all of this is a <choice>. The NYT & every other major media outlet knows full well how to make a story the nonstop, central framing Narrative™️ of everything for months on end.
As expected, total 🦗🦗 on the front pages & Sunday shows & National Conversation™️
Mark Copelovitch@mcopelov.bsky.social · yesterdayThe fact that this will not appear on the NYT front page tomorrow, let alone appearing & being reported on as an unprecedented scandal, nor will it do anything at all to change how the NYT or other outlets cover Trump going forward, is precisely why I cannot take questions like 👇 seriously anymore.
I'm more optimistic than a year ago that the authoritarians will fail to consolidate the authoritarianism. But Dems winning in 26/28 is only a start. If we don't fix the broken institutions, we'll be right back here again after the next economic crisis. Winning every election forever is not a plan.
Mark Copelovitch@mcopelov.bsky.social · 2mo agoThe platform needs to be institutional reform, & if Democrats & their voters just think winning every election forever without fixing any of the institutions is going to work, then we are in for a generation or more of disappointment & constantly being on the precipice of authoritarianism.
The fact that no one, including Trump, faced any consequences st all for the previous coup attempt was already a sign of the total failure of our constitutional order. The fact that the only answer anyone has now is “hope Democrats win so big that he doesn’t try a second coup” is another.
The Eagles are not good & have not played well, but this is the worst officiated football game I've seen in a long time, & that is saying something. NFL officiating is an absolute joke. You are not supposed to be the main characters, missing elementary penalties & inventing game-deciding others.
OMG. That is not unnecessary roughness on DeJean. Unbelievable.
In any actual functioning parliamentary democracy, the chief executive declining to say, "No, I won't try to steal an election by invoking quasi-martial law" would immediately trigger a no confidence vote & collapse of the government.
Unusual Whales@unusualwhales.bsky.social · 13h agoBREAKING: President Trump has declined to rule out declaring a national emergency related to the 2026 midterms, per Reuters
Illegal hands to Steen's face. Not called. NFL officiating. Just an absolute joke.
👇🎯 Juan Linz was right, but also this:
🎃Darin S Pumpkins🎃@darinself.com · 11h agoPresidentialism isn't great, but two-round elections are certainly better than single-round, because a lot of the "oh that guy couldn't actually win" realize "oh sh*t, he could actually win" and get off the bench. Trump doesn't win 2016 if we use 2-rounds.
