Nicole Hemmer
@pastpunditry.bsky.social
71K followers 1.4K following 1.7K posts
Historian of conservatism, media, and the presidency at Vanderbilt. Author of PARTISANS & MESSENGERS OF THE RIGHT. Cohost of @thisdaypod.com from Radiotopia. Frequently posting on IG stories @pastpundit
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Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
ceaubin.bsky.social
Last night’s show was so fun and I’m so grateful whenever I get to do history in public. Shout out to @pastpunditry.bsky.social for traumatizing the audience with the details of Richard Nixon’s preferred breakfast!
Three people (Kevin Schultz, Nicole Hemmer, and Claire Aubin) sit in armchairs on a stage, holding microphones. Claire is talking into hers and gesturing.
Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
radleybalko.bsky.social
The guy Trump picked to lead the office that’s now investigating Jack Smith:

— said Niki Haley is ineligible to be president
— has neo-Nazi ties
— was Andrew Tate’s lawyer
— 2x Claremont fellow
— wrote for Gateway Pundit
— called for Pence to be hanged
— called for secession after 2020 election
Paul Ingrassia (lawyer) - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
pastpunditry.bsky.social
i can attest that your third factor reallllly matters!
pastpunditry.bsky.social
get it!! what an amazing way to start another year!
Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
thomaszimmer.bsky.social
I wrote about the bizarrely credulous way the New York Times’ flagship podcast “The Daily” presented Russell Vought, how it is indicative of blind spots and fallacies that undermine the public response to Trumpism - and what we actually need to understand about this dangerous man:
thomaszimmer.bsky.social
We need to talk about Russell Vought – But Properly

Why certain mainstream outlets insist on sanitizing Vought as a devout “small government” conservative – and what actually animates his war against pluralistic democracy.

Some thoughts from my new piece:

🧵
We need to talk about Russell Vought – But Properly
Why certain mainstream outlets insist on sanitizing Vought as a devout “small government” conservative – and what actually animates his war against pluralistic democracy
steady.page
Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
jesswash.bsky.social
I wrote about the inherent contradiction between the Trump administration's MAHA agenda and its refusal to investigate or halt the dumping of toxic chemicals into our food, water and air.

theintercept.com/2025/10/02/r...
Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
jamellebouie.net
the latest effort to try to find the switch to turn off liberalism (also these people hate the idea of a free society)
bradheath.bsky.social
President Donald Trump's threatened crackdown on the finances and activities of liberal non-profits and groups opposed to his agenda is a multi-agency effort with top White House aide Stephen Miller playing a central role, according to officials.

www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
www.reuters.com
Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
robertltsai.bsky.social
My new essay (with Bojan Bugaric): “How long can judicial resistance last when it is to come from unelected lower court judges, if it comes at all? We believe that the momentary flurry of judicial activity is fool’s gold.”
Can Judicial Resistance Last?
The law can protect democracy—but only up to a certain point. After that, it’s up to the people. And there’s the challenge.
democracyjournal.org
Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
bostonreview.bsky.social
The liberal-heterodox alliance over “free speech” engineered by people like Bari Weiss is precisely what has eased the way for the most authoritarian, anti-free speech government the United States has seen since the McCarthy era, argues @pastpunditry.bsky.social:
The actual politics of free speech is fueled by a right-wing political strategy. - Boston Review
Nicole Hemmer responds to Alex Gourevitch’s “The Right to Be Hostile.”
www.bostonreview.net
Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
vermontgmg.bsky.social
So unexpected that letting people keep their freedom, safety, and not be arbitrarily deported to foreign torture gulags might resonate with voters….
gregsargent.bsky.social
A top Mamdani adviser tells me internal data shows taking on Trump's authoritarian abuses resonates. It appeals to working class voters across all demographics, countering the frequent claim that this is a "distraction" from issues working people "really" care about.

newrepublic.com/article/2011...
Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
jamellebouie.net
my latest is expanding on the observation that your view of the politics of opposition to the administration depend largely on your view of the election (gift link)
Opinion | Trump Has No Mandate to Destroy America
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
revnancyg.bsky.social
Great piece by @pastpunditry.bsky.social

"For the right, this crackdown wasn’t a sign of the excesses of the early Cold War but rather the proper role of government: to police public life to make sure it conformed to conservative values."

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/o...
Opinion | The Right Didn’t Catch Cancel Culture From the Left
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
victorsilverman.bsky.social
Like the supposed "originalism" of so much of the right, the claims to defend "free speech" were simply instrumental, a cudgel to attack the left.

Excellent essay by @pastpunditry.bsky.social on the censorious history of the US right
jamellebouie.net
great piece from the always-great @pastpunditry.bsky.social and a welcome antidote to vacuous commentators whose historical memories seem to go back no further than the first iron man movie
Opinion | The Right Didn’t Catch Cancel Culture From the Left
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
donmoyn.bsky.social
The idea that what is happening at the moment is just a backlash or response to left wing censoriousness is rapidly becoming a conventional wisdom, a shibboleth that must be uttered to engage with centrist punditry. This is an excellent rebuttal.
jamellebouie.net
great piece from the always-great @pastpunditry.bsky.social and a welcome antidote to vacuous commentators whose historical memories seem to go back no further than the first iron man movie
Opinion | The Right Didn’t Catch Cancel Culture From the Left
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
katz.theracket.news
A good oped! Props to @pastpunditry.bsky.social for getting one in.
jeffjarvis.bsky.social
History: "But the right did not learn cancel culture from the left; the modern right in America emerged as a censorious movement."
The Right Didn’t Catch Cancel Culture From the Left www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/o...
Opinion | The Right Didn’t Catch Cancel Culture From the Left
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
vscharff.bsky.social
Your history lesson for today. Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/o...
Opinion | The Right Didn’t Catch Cancel Culture From the Left
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
larryglickman.bsky.social
This is a superb essay by @pastpunditry.bsky.social. The only thing I would add is that one could backdate the history of conservative "cancel culture" even earlier, if we consider the first Red Scare in the WWI era and the "gag rule" in the antebellum period. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/o...
Opinion | The Right Didn’t Catch Cancel Culture From the Left
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
dannagal.bsky.social
Always love when Nicole Hemmer brings the history receipts to the chat!!
@pastpunditry.bsky.social
curdknupfer.bsky.social
Excellent Op-ed by @pastpunditry.bsky.social, on the history of the censorious right.
What she observes here for the US also goes for other national contexts, where formations on the far right often self-depict & are seen as free-speech absolutists, when they're anything but...
pastpunditry.bsky.social
newt gingrich, the clear authority on the politics of government shutdowns 🙃