Andrew Sinclair
@jandrewsinclair.bsky.social
Ast. Prof. of Gov't, Claremont McKenna College. Interested in political reform, public policy process, public administration, electoral institutions, and political behavior. Polling at the Rose Institute of State and Local Government.
Good advice for the internet, from Catcher in the Rye (Salinger, 1951, Ch. 25). When you see people posting things you don't like, don't argue with them. Just block and move on, because it is impossible to defeat all the accounts with wrong opinions on the internet.
Or the way railroads influenced the Supreme Court (ie Leland Stanford’s friend, Justice Stephen Field).
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse@whitehouse.senate.gov · 1h agoFace it. The Court is captured by right-wing billionaire interests, just the way railroad barons used to capture the railroad rate commissions, or mining barons the mine safety commissions. Look up “regulatory capture” or “agency capture.” thehill.com/opinion/judi...
It’s possible to get a mixed result here, too, if he wins MI SEN but the Democrats lose WI GOV.
Seth Masket@smotus.bsky.social · 2h agoNew at the Smotus Report: If El-Sayed wins in November, that will encourage progressive candidates in 2028, including presidential candidates. If he loses and Dems lose the Senate as a result, you will never hear the end of the I-told-you-sos.
Universal claims about the ideology of any country or civilization will always fall short. The multiple traditions interpretation of US history is much more helpful. www.researchgate.net/publication/...
(PDF) Beyond Tocqueville, Myrdal, and Hartz: The Multiple Traditions in America
PDF | Analysts of American politics since Tocqueville have seen the nation as a paradigmatic “liberal democratic” society, shaped most by the... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on Rese...
researchgate.net
Robert L. Tsai@robertltsai.bsky.social · 6h agoSkeleton key accounts of history fall short
One challenge is that people tend to pay more attention to close races and expect polls to be predictive in those races.
Don't just blame the power company and move on, though. Unless we have better public policies, fires like this are going to happen again and again from a variety of sources. Urgently needed: more fire-resistant neighborhoods; firefighting capacity; and plans for speeding recovery.
The New York Times@nytimes.com · 19h agoThe deadly blaze that devastated the Altadena neighborhood in Los Angeles County early last year was ignited by a transmission tower belonging to the utility company Southern California Edison, fire officials said in a report released on Tuesday.
Cool (long-available!) research---with a clever strategy for identifying dates on ballots: the author found a dataset of gravesite information "helpful for identifying obscure politicians that held even more obscure offices" (f7, p4). www.vote.caltech.edu/documents/14...
vote.caltech.edu
If you are interested in thinking (in some intellectual way) about whether a new party (actually conservative, not corrupt) could challenge Trump's Republican Party, this is an interesting book. press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
Third Parties in America
press.princeton.edu
I think Bluesky is better than old Twitter. I do miss the density of elected officials, government agencies, and scholars — but there is a lot here to like. The board game community is great.
#Altadena —> My friend Patrick Atwater is running for the foothill municipal water district board. See here: jotpy.notion.site/Future-of-th...
Future of the Foothills || Campaign | Notion
Overview
jotpy.notion.site
This is completely unacceptable language for a public official.
Chris Hayes@chrislhayes.bsky.social · 2d agoIt was this one, and, yes, I do believe that was an All In first.
The front page of this morning’s Spokesman-Review, Aug. 2, 2026, the day after one of the worst wildfires in Washington state history. More than 600 structures, mostly homes, have been lost in the #OldTrailsFire. Read local news.
This administration is staggeringly corrupt. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/b...
Republicans Let Trump Keep Unparalleled Benefit: I.R.S. Immunity (Gift Article)
The rebellion against Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general, now seemingly contained, at no point fundamentally questioned President Trump’s new protections from the I.R.S.
nytimes.com
Collis P. Huntington, 1878: "This Congress is, I think, the worst set of men that have ever been collected together since man was created."
I wonder if anyone will respond by saying “Impeach and remove Hegseth and Trump.” Because that would actually be a real blow to Iran’s war effort.
Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 2d agoPENTAGON: Anyone got any ideas? @cnn.com www.cnn.com/2026/08/03/p...
This is banana republic stuff - we all know that, right?
Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 2d agoFLAG: Trump gets to keep tax immunity for himself, his sons, and the Trump Organization under the new 'deal' struck by Todd Blanche. The new order also reaffirms that Trump won't have to pay any taxes he might have owed the IRS.
Another thought about wildfires: they burn Democratic and Republican homes alike, voters and nonvoters. They are a reminder of the tremendous incentive we have to get along and work together, and the tremendous costs of failing to do so.
Andrew Sinclair@jandrewsinclair.bsky.social · 3d agoHeartbreaking: www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/u...
Heartbreaking: www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/u...
Spokane Wildfires Destroy Hundreds of Buildings as Thousands Evacuate (Gift Article)
Firefighters were hopeful that improving weather conditions in Washington state could help efforts to contain the blaze, which officials described as the largest natural disaster in the history of Spo...
nytimes.com
Interesting.
Sam@samd.bsky.social · 3d agoI love Talarico and hope he wins. But he’s already raised $70M On the flipside, control of critical state legislatures will come down to seats where candidates raise 0.1% of that. I’ve researched the highest leverage swing district candidates you should donate to secure.actblue.com/donate/donat...
I took this picture recently around town: 18 months after the Eaton Fire, lot after lot remains nothing but weeds. It is awful to see this unfold elsewhere, and to know what a long road fire-damaged communities have ahead. This issue needs urgent public policy attention.
Andrew Sinclair@jandrewsinclair.bsky.social · 3d agoSome of this exists, but not at the scale climate change requires. And it will only get worse. Much of Altadena still looks like a war zone. You do not want this to happen to your community, and many places are vulnerable. We need to work together to address fire risk. 2/fin
Having lived through this in California, and watching in horror as it unfolds in Spokane WA now—there is real need for federal fire emergency capacity: (1) preparation and mitigation everywhere before fires; (2) resource pooling for rapid response during; and (3) better recovery assistance. 1/
Are you feeling like the world is lousy? Well, in too many ways, it is. But, importantly, in other ways, it isn't. Here's to you, cute high-five people. Here's to you.
ryan cooper@ryanlcooper.com · 3d agothis owns www.inverse.com/input/cultur...
If you are interested in the state constitutions of the American West --- I think this is a cool paper (from 2008): Amy Bridges, "Managing the Periphery in the Gilded Age: Writing Constitutions for the Western States." doi.org/10.1017/S089...
Managing the Periphery in the Gilded Age: Writing Constitutions for the Western States | Studies in American Political Development | Cambridge Core
Managing the Periphery in the Gilded Age: Writing Constitutions for the Western States - Volume 22 Issue 1
doi.org
The Spokane fire is at 600+ destroyed buildings. My god. www.cnn.com/2026/08/02/u...
Live updates: Hundreds of structures destroyed as crews battle multiple major wildfires in Washington | CNN
Authorities have declared a state of emergency as three major wildfires in Spokane County, Washington, force thousands of families to evacuate their homes. Follow live updates.
cnn.com
Andrew Sinclair@jandrewsinclair.bsky.social · 3d agoAlso, instead of having idiotic fights with Canada and Mexico, it would be great if our government could work with our neighbors to increase firefighting capacity and make better plans to pool resources for emergencies.
Also, instead of having idiotic fights with Canada and Mexico, it would be great if our government could work with our neighbors to increase firefighting capacity and make better plans to pool resources for emergencies.
Andrew Sinclair@jandrewsinclair.bsky.social · 3d agoThinking of all the people in the path of the wildfire in Spokane, WA. www.spokesman.com/stories/2026...
Thinking of all the people in the path of the wildfire in Spokane, WA. www.spokesman.com/stories/2026...
'When the sun rises, we are going to be in shock': Thousands evacuated in north Spokane as wildfire crosses river into city
Walls of flames destroyed dozens of homes and other structures in the Indian Trail Neighborhood and more areas of Spokane on Saturday evening amid one of the worst natural disasters in the city's hist...
spokesman.com
