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Robert (Bob) Kubinec

@rmkubinec.bsky.social

9.9K followers 450 following 4.1K posts

Political scientist University of South Carolina. Interests: business politics/corruption, Middle East, measurement, Bayesian statistics The Bayesian Hitman: https://a.co/d/e4QmtKo Website: www.robertkubinec.com

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Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · Jan 20

🧵 👋 I'm a political scientist who wrote a book about the recent collapse of two democracies (Egypt & Tunisia).

Given the anxieties of today, let me present a 🧵 with thoughts & resources for:

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DEMOCRACY COLLAPSES:

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Kristina Šekrst @epiphenomenal.bsky.social · 5h

Accurate.

#academia #academy #philsky #philosophysky #philosophy #science

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Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 2h

you can do whatever you want to the fossil fuel industry...

Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 2h

Retribution should never be necessary. We have legal procedures for a reason. We need to follow them and let the chips fall where they may. Be as transparent as possible and go after the important people (i.e. the people making the decisions).

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Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 2h

I dunno, Ross, if by foreign policy you mean Trump supporting Netanyahu's occupation of Gaza, it seems his domestic policy is right in sync with foreign policy...

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/o...

Opinion | Why Can’t Trump’s Domestic Policy Be More Like His Foreign Policy?

www.nytimes.com

Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 2h

Yep, lots of bad pathways too, it'll be a while before we get out of this one.

So far, though, the opposition has shown a lot of restraint. Perhaps even too much.

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Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 2h

yes, though potentially a lot of electoral benefits to moderation, so once again democratic institutions can help quite a bit.

a huge number of Americans are turned off by the current political wreck.

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Federica Genovese @fgenovese.bsky.social · 6h

I do not know how you get out of this mess with party politics, even if the next election goes to the Ds. The tribal party lines are so deep and hurtful, the Ds will need a ton of self-discipline for not lashing back hard.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 17h

Q: How many layoffs have you authorized?

TRUMP: It'll be a lot. And it'll be Democrat-oriented.

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Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 3h

Blessed are you when they sub-tweet you or reply with strange fascist emojis, for great is the viewership of these posts.

Reverend Jesus "H" Christ @reverendjesus.com · 1d

Blessed are the frogs, for they keep making authoritarians look incredibly stupid

Three persons in inflatable frog costumes. One of them is holding a nicely painted sign with two little cartoon frogs holding hands, below the text "FROGS TOGETHER STRONG"

Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 3h

No Jake, he received a nudge via text message and had to take the vaccine due to a +0.7pp persuasion effect

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Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 13h

The preferences, they have been revealed

Meg Tirrell @megtirrell.bsky.social · 14h

President Trump got an updated Covid vaccine & flu shot at Walter Reed today www.cnn.com/2025/10/10/p...

Trump received Covid vaccine and flu shot during second physical of the year | CNN Politics

President Donald Trump received a Covid vaccine and flu shot during his visit to Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday, his physician said in a memo released by the White House.

www.cnn.com

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The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 21h

George was just trying to get to work.

ICE pepper-sprayed him, dragged him from his car, locked him in a detention center, and placed him on suicide watch. He even missed his young daughter’s birthday in the process.

This man is a veteran and American citizen. Don't look away.

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 21h

"They put me on suicide watch and they put me in the cell, I'm naked, in like a hospital dress and just a concrete bed with like a mattress, like a thin mattress and, they leave the light on 24/7."

@timmiller.bsky.social talked to a veteran who ICE wrongly detained and brutalized

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Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 4h

The thing I find bizarre about this discourse is that 1) Dubai has incredibly unaffordable housing and 2) basically everything affordable (ie childcare) is almost entirely due to their liberal visa regime.

Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 4h

How do I hit the switch where this feed is all frogs from Portland

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Alicia @alicialou.bsky.social · 16h

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Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 13h

I think what makes this effective is how Trump has been manufacturing crises to justify his scorched earth approach.

The animal costumes help people remember, "actually, no, there is no immigrant invasion, this is all very silly." Lighten up a bit for Pete's sake.

Jason❌ @gizmosspace.bsky.social · 1d

This is awesome.

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Bradley P. Moss @bradmossesq.bsky.social · 16h

I love this image.

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Sophie Sherry @sophiesherry.bsky.social · 20h

During a military-style raid on a building in Chicago’s South Shore, one resident heard a knock on his door.   It wasn’t the feds — it was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for help.

He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.

chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Neighbor shielded 7-year-old during South Shore federal raid: ‘I didn’t want them to take her’

During the Sept. 30 raid one tenant protected a terrified girl and her mom. Remnants at the complex, including a detailed map of all the units, offer clues to what authorities may have known before th...

chicago.suntimes.com

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Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 16h

If you can't confirm someone's identity on this website, then their comments don't matter, period.

Starfish Who Can’t Think Something Witty @irhottakes.bsky.social · 1d

Honestly, I think some accounts on here are ops meant to sow division by random drive by scoldings.

Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 23h

he would have thanked his RAs in a footnote, that is probably enough

Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 23h

Kind of funny that his big claim to expertise is writing opinion columns.

As in you should listen to my hot takes because I do a lot of hot takes.

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New York Attorney General Letitia James @newyorkstateag.bsky.social · 1d

This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.

I am not fearful — I am fearless.

We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights..

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Federica Genovese @fgenovese.bsky.social · 1d

The Department of Politics and IR (together with the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies and St Antony’s College) has opened an Associate Professor position in Latin America politics 🌎

Apply and become my departmental *and* college colleague:

my.corehr.com

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G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · 1d

If you want a break from the shutdown news, I will be doing a live video podcast with my friend Chaz Nuttycombe at 3:00 ET to talk about the Virginia elections. What’s the impact of last night’s debate? What could VA predict for national politics in 2026?

open.substack.com/live-stream/...

LIVE SOON: Talking Virginia Elections with Chaz Nuttycombe

Starting Oct 10 at 3:00 PM EDT

open.substack.com

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Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 1d

The fact that they gave it to a Venezuelan is *chef's kiss* 🤌

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 1d

Donald Trump is a loser.

Nobel Peace Prize awarded to María Corina Machado

Win for Venezuela’s main opposition leader dashes the hopes of US President Donald Trump

on.ft.com

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Robert (Bob) Kubinec @rmkubinec.bsky.social · 1d

If it had, no one's results would ever be significant, haha