Ben Raderstorf
@raders.bsky.social
defend democracy and build homes / policy advocate @protectdemocracy.org / author ifyoucankeep.it / board @sacyimby.bsky.social / rash opinions my own No kings but Sac Kings 📍Sacramento
I am embarrassed to admit I didn't really know the degree to which a) the DC occupation is ongoing b) it keeps growing c) it'll cost several billion dollars and d) it's going to extend to 2029. Madness. So destructive to the institution of the Guard www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/what-a-yea...
What a year in D.C. has cost the National Guard
Trump’s deployment is quietly unraveling the Guard’s core mission
ifyoucankeepit.org
The most humiliated we’ve ever been from the standpoint of humiliation
Scott Horton@robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 6h agoThe proposed deal now under discussion would give Iran a 5-7% toll for traffic through Hormuz, making the war a massive victory for the Iranians and insuring them a long-term dominant position in the Gulf. It would reflect pretty much an unconditional surrender by Trump to Tehran.
@dennislytton.bsky.social is very much on that beat www.liberalcurrents.com/the-american... Though I gotta say I met a VERY interesting political theorist when I was recently in DC who has me rethinking some things politicalscience.yale.edu/people/victo...
The American Presidency Can Never Be Trusted Again
It’s time for multiparty democracy and a limited executive.
liberalcurrents.com
EIGHT WAYS TO CHECK SCOTUS:* 1️⃣ Reform shadow docket 🧛♂️ 2️⃣ Require fact-finding 🔍 3️⃣ Make court show it's work 📝 4️⃣ Employment standards 💼 5️⃣ Make ethics rules enforceable 🤑 6️⃣ Require supermajority to overturn laws ⚖️ 7️⃣ Jurisdiction stripping 📍 8️⃣ Congressional constitutional interpretation 🏛️
EIGHT WAYS TO CHECK SCOTUS:* 1️⃣ Reform shadow docket 🧛♂️ 2️⃣ Require fact-finding 🔍 3️⃣ Make court show it's work 📝 4️⃣ Employment standards 💼 5️⃣ Make ethics rules enforceable 🤑 6️⃣ Require supermajority to overturn laws ⚖️ 7️⃣ Jurisdiction stripping 📍 8️⃣ Congressional constitutional interpretation 🏛️
I can't stress enough what a crisis this is. Trump's own intelligence agencies concluded that Iran attacked Minnesota's critical infrastructure and Trump is saying that it's Minnesota's own fault and denying it was Iran. The federal government won't defend blue states in a literal war.
U.S. Sees Iran as Likely Behind Cyberattack on Minnesota Water Systems (Gift Article)
Investigators cautioned that the assessment was preliminary. There were no indications that any water supply had been rendered unsafe to drink.
nytimes.com
I'm back at my day job and have Big Picture Thoughts about our democracy. Give it a read! www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/were-all-l...
We’re all looking at the midterms wrong
November isn’t just the endgame of authoritarianism. It’s the start of whatever comes next
ifyoucankeepit.org
[To the tune of Livin' on a Prayer] 🎶Ohhh-oh! Minus twenty-fiiivvvvee 🎵
Vacancies reform needs to be high on the list for the post-Trump agenda. There should be a hard, unambiguous, and fairly short time limit clearly applicable in all cases for actings without Senate confirmation. Even for principal deputies, as Blanche is. The status quo is an easily abused mess.
America is a multi-party country straining at the seams of its two-party system.
Sahil Kapur@sahilkapur.bsky.social · 6d agoNEW —> Democratic Senate candidates pursue a new strategy in rural states: Dropping out It’s happening in Nebraska & Idaho. Efforts underway to replicate in MT & SD. Dem brand is so tarnished there Ds have no shot. But independents may—in 1 on 1 vs Rs. www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...
This is a staggering weaponization of disaster aid. The next democratic president will have two options: (1) Get Congress to pass a law strictly preventing this sort of abuse. (2) if (1) fails, deny all red state requests until (1) succeeds.
Murshed Zaheed@murshedz.bsky.social · 7d ago“Trump has rejected disaster aid for Democratic-run states at the highest rate in the 47-year history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.” Right now people in blue states are basically paying federal taxes as if they’re colonized territories of red states. www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
Also, just to note — @benwikler.bsky.social in his excellent Politico interview: "I think we should be looking at proportional representation... There’s a whole bunch of Americans who would like to cast meaningful votes." ‼️ This man gets it. www.politico.com/news/magazin...
Can This Man Save Democrats?
Democratic guru Ben Wikler explains why state races, not Washington, will determine his party's future.
politico.com
Ben Raderstorf@raders.bsky.social · last wk."There’s Protect Democracy and Democracy Forward. You might find a common thread in the word “democracy” in each of those... I think they’ve been one of the most successful lines of resistance to the Trump administration." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/o...
The corruption in the Trump Administration is BRAZEN. Trump is talking about mass pardons for his cronies to try to get away with it all. We need a pardon-proof accountability plan. Here's where we can start. Give this a share if you like the idea!
The Democratic Party is trapped in a self-consciousness trap. 1. Their brand has been successfully smeared as latte sipping elitists 2. A decade of trying to outrun those smears with anxious message testing, brand discipline, and consultant-speak hasn't just failed, it's made the problem much worse
Urban Land Rent 🇸🇴🚰@urbanlandrent.bsky.social · last wk.There’s this weird thing going on in Dem politics where pollsters, Dem elected leaders, and center-left pundits have 1. All landed on this messaging consensus for more than a decade. 2. Oriented all their comms around this consensus and then 3. They all pretend this is not happening
Trump's own immigration agents admit it: they were ordered to target last summer’s redistricting rally in LA. Use federal law enforcement to target political opponents. Politicize the Department of Justice. Defy court orders. That is blatant authoritarianism, ordered by Trump.
The Daily Beast@thedailybeast.bsky.social · last wk.Leaked messages have shown that federal agents complained about being used for a “political stunt” targeting Trump's nemesis.
The prospect of this change, given the existing Labour Majority, genuinely excites me! I think that a FPTP Anglosphere country overhauling it's electoral system would have significant ripple effects wrt American political imagination.
Andy Craig@andycraig.bsky.social · last wk."There’s Protect Democracy and Democracy Forward. You might find a common thread in the word “democracy” in each of those... I think they’ve been one of the most successful lines of resistance to the Trump administration." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/o...
Opinion | The Democratic Party Needs Change
Ben Wikler, a former state party chair, thinks the Democratic Party needs to reinvent itself.
nytimes.com
I saw Glen Hansard in 2015 on the day Bowie died. He played a tribute of "ashes to ashes" that was one of the most moving live solo performances I've ever heard. NPR has the recording. Listen to it today Rest in peace, Glen www.npr.org/sections/all...
New Music From Ray LaMontagne, Lucius, A Bowie Cover From Glen Hansard, More
Our first new mix of 2016 includes a David Bowie cover from Glen Hansard, premieres from Ray LaMontagne, Thao & The Get Down Stay Down and Laura Gibson and more.
npr.org
There's a pretty strong argument that Thomas Jefferson completely understood slavery was a moral abomination but refused to free his slaves for fear of losing Monticello to debt collectors. Humans have a remarkable ability to recognize evil but still participate in it out of personal convenience.
Andy Craig@andycraig.bsky.social · last wk.Aristotle argued for natural slavery precisely because that was not uncontested. The surviving snippet we have from Alcidamis he alludes to is "God set all people free; nature has made no one a slave." To be sure, that was not necessarily abolitionism per se, but the proto-core of the idea existed.
I'm very proud to have helped organize this coalition through @techfreedom.org
Protect Democracy@protectdemocracy.org · last wk.NEW: A bipartisan coalition of former FCC officials, represented by Protect Democracy, filed an opposition urging the FCC to terminate its early renewal review of ABC's licenses — a proceeding they call "an assault on free speech disguised as regulatory process." https://protdem.org/3Rjacrj
The United States inherited our winner-take-all electoral system directly from England. That may not be an excuse for much longer. Awesome piece by @protectdemocracy.org's Grant Tudor in @theunpopulist.net www.theunpopulist.net/p/britains-n...
Britain's New Prime Minister Sees Proportional Representation as a Cure to Polarization
America needs a leader to champion similar electoral reforms in this country
theunpopulist.net
If we live in a democracy where federal regulators can even plausibly threaten to strip broadcast licenses from outlets that fail to please the president, then we don't actually live in a democracy.
Protect Democracy@protectdemocracy.org · last wk.NEW: A bipartisan coalition of former FCC officials, represented by Protect Democracy, filed an opposition urging the FCC to terminate its early renewal review of ABC's licenses — a proceeding they call "an assault on free speech disguised as regulatory process." https://protdem.org/3Rjacrj
NEW: A bipartisan coalition of former FCC officials, represented by Protect Democracy, filed an opposition urging the FCC to terminate its early renewal review of ABC's licenses — a proceeding they call "an assault on free speech disguised as regulatory process." https://protdem.org/3Rjacrj
In a modern political system with proportional representation, DSA, establishment Democrats, Blue Dogs and Never Trump Republicans could each have their own party. In our system, we’re all forced to pretend we agree. We should all stick together against the fascists for now—but also push for PR.
Proportional representation, explained
With proportional representation, parties don't win before elections even begin. And they can't manipulate the system to their advantage.
protectdemocracy.org
What Max fails to understand is that when a city blocks new market rate housing every household making above $60,000 simply ceases to exist. Snap out of existence. Like Thanos in the Avengers
Max Dubler 🏳️🌈@maxdubler.com · 2w agoThe idea that the wealthy, the middle class, and the poor are all in completely separate housing markets with no overlap ignores how things work in the real world. In the absence of new high end housing, wealthy people outbid the middle class for the best available existing housing and renovate it.
It's wild to me how many people do not understand this. "Luxury housing" is not some ontologically separate category from the rest of the housing market. Nor is "affordable housing." It's all one big fluid market & when you build more, everyone moves up & frees up the bottom end.
Max Dubler 🏳️🌈@maxdubler.com · 2w agoThe idea that the wealthy, the middle class, and the poor are all in completely separate housing markets with no overlap ignores how things work in the real world. In the absence of new high end housing, wealthy people outbid the middle class for the best available existing housing and renovate it.
