Andrew Sabl
@andysabl.bsky.social
Political theorist (Univ. of Toronto). Toronto/NYC. Realism, liberalism, toleration, privilege and opportunity, Hume, political ethics—and politics, humo(u)r, puns. Also husband, dad, stepdad.
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
Sowing fear of "ICE at the polls!" could do more to suppress votes than any actual ICE at the polls. Here's an explanation of the right's strategy on this, along with my recommendations for what to do instead of playing along.
katestarbird.substack.com/p/effective-...
katestarbird.substack.com/p/effective-...
February 17, 2026 at 8:45 PM
Sowing fear of "ICE at the polls!" could do more to suppress votes than any actual ICE at the polls. Here's an explanation of the right's strategy on this, along with my recommendations for what to do instead of playing along.
katestarbird.substack.com/p/effective-...
katestarbird.substack.com/p/effective-...
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
“Please provide free labor describing your past free labor so we can improve your future free labor.”
February 17, 2026 at 2:12 PM
“Please provide free labor describing your past free labor so we can improve your future free labor.”
Provocative new essay by Cyril Hédoin (who’s not on here but should be): ideal theory was simply more useful in the 1990s than it is now.
open.substack.com/pub/cyrilhed...
open.substack.com/pub/cyrilhed...
Should We All Be Realists Now?
On Seeing Politics for What It Is
open.substack.com
February 17, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Provocative new essay by Cyril Hédoin (who’s not on here but should be): ideal theory was simply more useful in the 1990s than it is now.
open.substack.com/pub/cyrilhed...
open.substack.com/pub/cyrilhed...
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
The drunk uncle theory.
You don’t argue with the casually homophobic uncle at Thanksgiving dinner to change his mind; you argue so that the closeted cousin at the kids table knows there’s safe people and better possibilities out there
You don’t argue with the casually homophobic uncle at Thanksgiving dinner to change his mind; you argue so that the closeted cousin at the kids table knows there’s safe people and better possibilities out there
agree with this (hah) but also think a particular mistake the left made for a long time online, and still makes to an extent, is failing to understand that the person whose mind you may actually change is the one reading the argument you're having, not the one you're arguing with
The secret to engaging in social media debate is knowing you will never win anyone over. The best you can hope for is to have people who already agree with tell you you're awesome. You might great a dopamine thrill from the righteousness of your anger! Fine benefits, all. But you will never win.
February 16, 2026 at 11:35 PM
The drunk uncle theory.
You don’t argue with the casually homophobic uncle at Thanksgiving dinner to change his mind; you argue so that the closeted cousin at the kids table knows there’s safe people and better possibilities out there
You don’t argue with the casually homophobic uncle at Thanksgiving dinner to change his mind; you argue so that the closeted cousin at the kids table knows there’s safe people and better possibilities out there
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
Now posted ahead of print:
"Conceptualizing Academic Freedom," forthcoming, Annual Review of Political Science.
(Uncorrected proofs, so a few minor edits different from the version that will be published in June.)
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
"Conceptualizing Academic Freedom," forthcoming, Annual Review of Political Science.
(Uncorrected proofs, so a few minor edits different from the version that will be published in June.)
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
February 16, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Now posted ahead of print:
"Conceptualizing Academic Freedom," forthcoming, Annual Review of Political Science.
(Uncorrected proofs, so a few minor edits different from the version that will be published in June.)
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
"Conceptualizing Academic Freedom," forthcoming, Annual Review of Political Science.
(Uncorrected proofs, so a few minor edits different from the version that will be published in June.)
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
"Eighty percent of Americans said voters have a responsibility to keep up with the news, but just 8% said they had a responsibility to pay for it." www.semafor.com/newsletter/0...
February 16, 2026 at 3:29 PM
"Eighty percent of Americans said voters have a responsibility to keep up with the news, but just 8% said they had a responsibility to pay for it." www.semafor.com/newsletter/0...
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
Am I going to be the only one to suggest that firing a public school teacher for speaking out on a matter of public concern raises profound First Amendment issues, and we should pause before cheering on such actions when that power can be weaponized against progressive teachers in red places? 1/3
This “beloved” Chicago teacher, James Heidorn, believes he was pushed out of his job due to a two-word post on his Facebook account.
Oddly enough, the heavily Hispanic district didn’t appreciate him posting “GO ICE”.
#ProudBlue #FuckICE #Chicago
Oddly enough, the heavily Hispanic district didn’t appreciate him posting “GO ICE”.
#ProudBlue #FuckICE #Chicago
'Beloved' Chicago teacher fired over two word post about ICE
A "beloved" Chicago teacher is reeling after he describes being pushed out of his job for a two-worded pro-ICE Facebook post
www.the-express.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:37 PM
Am I going to be the only one to suggest that firing a public school teacher for speaking out on a matter of public concern raises profound First Amendment issues, and we should pause before cheering on such actions when that power can be weaponized against progressive teachers in red places? 1/3
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
Yes. But worth noting that UCLA also didn't fight. Its faculty and staff did all on their own.
Once more: Columbia could have fought; it chose not.
NEW: The Trump administration has dropped its appeal of a federal court order blocking its $1.2-billion settlement demand to UCLA over alleged campus civil rights violations: www.latimes.com/california/s...
February 14, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Yes. But worth noting that UCLA also didn't fight. Its faculty and staff did all on their own.
Explainer on the signifiance of UCLA’s unions' and faculty associations’ win in court. (Tl;dr: the Trump Administration must now respect actual laws—rather than withholding funding arbitrarily so as to extort policy changes—with immediate remedies if it doesn't.)
www.legalish.me/trump-drops-...
www.legalish.me/trump-drops-...
UCLA Faculty Beat the Trump Admin. Other Schools Should Take Notes.
Trump's DOJ drops appeal of court order blocking massive UCLA settlement that would have banned diversity programs and declared transgender people don't exist.
www.legalish.me
February 15, 2026 at 8:44 PM
Explainer on the signifiance of UCLA’s unions' and faculty associations’ win in court. (Tl;dr: the Trump Administration must now respect actual laws—rather than withholding funding arbitrarily so as to extort policy changes—with immediate remedies if it doesn't.)
www.legalish.me/trump-drops-...
www.legalish.me/trump-drops-...
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
Marco Rubio didn't mention Russia or the Ukraine war in his speech on European security. Not once in his prepared remarks.
But he did push a racial/religious supremacist version of Western civilization and chastise them for immigration.
Basically the same speech as Hegseth, less boorishly phrased.
But he did push a racial/religious supremacist version of Western civilization and chastise them for immigration.
Basically the same speech as Hegseth, less boorishly phrased.
The Rubio speech really is appalling, and if you haven’t read it yet, you should.
www.state.gov/releases/off...
www.state.gov/releases/off...
February 15, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Marco Rubio didn't mention Russia or the Ukraine war in his speech on European security. Not once in his prepared remarks.
But he did push a racial/religious supremacist version of Western civilization and chastise them for immigration.
Basically the same speech as Hegseth, less boorishly phrased.
But he did push a racial/religious supremacist version of Western civilization and chastise them for immigration.
Basically the same speech as Hegseth, less boorishly phrased.
This is both cause and reflection of the MAGA obsession with ancestry and settlement (as a good thing). The Eric Schmitt claim (link in reply) that American “pioneers” were flighting not for a “proposition” but for a “homeland for themselves and their descendants” is actually logical—just evil.
i’ll end this little brainstorm by just asking what it is, exactly, that the MAGA right likes about the United States, since it explicitly rejects those things that make this nation distinctive — its pluralism, its revolutionary heritage and egalitarian aspirations, and its republican institutions
February 15, 2026 at 6:07 PM
This is both cause and reflection of the MAGA obsession with ancestry and settlement (as a good thing). The Eric Schmitt claim (link in reply) that American “pioneers” were flighting not for a “proposition” but for a “homeland for themselves and their descendants” is actually logical—just evil.
Didn’t know @number10cat.bsky.social was on Bluesky! Good to see you here, your mouserness.
15 years ago today I arrived on Downing Street in a cage.
I've seen off Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak and I'm still going strong.
Only two Prime Ministers have ever done longer stints here: William Pitt the Younger and Sir Robert Walpole.
Bill and Bob - I'm coming for you...
(Photos AP)
I've seen off Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak and I'm still going strong.
Only two Prime Ministers have ever done longer stints here: William Pitt the Younger and Sir Robert Walpole.
Bill and Bob - I'm coming for you...
(Photos AP)
February 15, 2026 at 1:28 PM
Didn’t know @number10cat.bsky.social was on Bluesky! Good to see you here, your mouserness.
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
In its ongoing war against higher ed—and law firms—the battles MAGA has won are those where the other side surrendered in advance. (The Columbia/UT Austin/Paul Weiss "strategy," vs the Harvard/UCLA/Perkins Coie/etc strategy.)
Resistance is not just braver but also smarter and more effective.
Resistance is not just braver but also smarter and more effective.
This is a genuinely huge, sweeping victory today for the University of California—or rather, for us, its faculty, acting through our faculty associations, while the UC itself maintained a strict policy of deer-in-headlights silence.
The Trump admin has given up its appeal of a powerful injunction:
The Trump admin has given up its appeal of a powerful injunction:
Trump administration drops appeal of court order blocking $1.2-billion UCLA settlement
The Trump administration dropped its appeal of a major higher education case in which a federal judge blocked its $1.2-billion settlement proposal to UCLA over alleged civil rights violations. It will...
www.latimes.com
February 14, 2026 at 4:04 PM
In its ongoing war against higher ed—and law firms—the battles MAGA has won are those where the other side surrendered in advance. (The Columbia/UT Austin/Paul Weiss "strategy," vs the Harvard/UCLA/Perkins Coie/etc strategy.)
Resistance is not just braver but also smarter and more effective.
Resistance is not just braver but also smarter and more effective.
🎶 I live in here in Brooklyn
With a cat with no name
My snails feel good to be out of the rain 🎶
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/n...
With a cat with no name
My snails feel good to be out of the rain 🎶
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/n...
February 14, 2026 at 4:03 PM
🎶 I live in here in Brooklyn
With a cat with no name
My snails feel good to be out of the rain 🎶
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/n...
With a cat with no name
My snails feel good to be out of the rain 🎶
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/n...
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
Billionaires who lobbied Trump to halt Canadian bridge praise EZ-Bribe App
Billionaires who lobbied Trump to halt Canadian bridge praise EZ-Bribe App
DETROIT, MI - Billionaire Matthew Moroun, whose family recently lobbied the Trump administration to publicly threaten the Gordie Howe International Bridge which competes with their interests, has prai...
www.thebeaverton.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Billionaires who lobbied Trump to halt Canadian bridge praise EZ-Bribe App
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
The antisemitism on the right that JD Vance, friend and promoter of antisemites, says doesn't exist.
Current state of things: One Fox News host casually declares that Epstein’s money comes from “Jewish billionaires” and a “Jewish banking family,” another responds that he was a “sex rabbi.” www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/jes...
February 13, 2026 at 1:27 PM
The antisemitism on the right that JD Vance, friend and promoter of antisemites, says doesn't exist.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand…
Notice who’s missing when she mentions whom Canada has historically relied on to defend it?
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/f9f7c04...
Notice who’s missing when she mentions whom Canada has historically relied on to defend it?
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/f9f7c04...
February 13, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand…
Notice who’s missing when she mentions whom Canada has historically relied on to defend it?
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/f9f7c04...
Notice who’s missing when she mentions whom Canada has historically relied on to defend it?
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/f9f7c04...
I hadn’t thought of this frame, but it seems powerful.
here's the thing:
What these detransitioners are experiencing is *gender dysphoria*. They need therapy, not a fucking political platform. What this person experiences now, being in a body that doesn't suit them, is what every single trans person goes through when they experience puberty.
What these detransitioners are experiencing is *gender dysphoria*. They need therapy, not a fucking political platform. What this person experiences now, being in a body that doesn't suit them, is what every single trans person goes through when they experience puberty.
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Feb 12:
WSJ continues assault on GAC w/ anomalous lead op-ed by detransitioner who realized top surgery at age 19 was wrong bec. "there was no way to be born in the wrong body at all." Her lawsuit before TX Supreme Court seeks to overturn 2-yr statute of limitations.
WSJ continues assault on GAC w/ anomalous lead op-ed by detransitioner who realized top surgery at age 19 was wrong bec. "there was no way to be born in the wrong body at all." Her lawsuit before TX Supreme Court seeks to overturn 2-yr statute of limitations.
February 12, 2026 at 5:15 PM
I hadn’t thought of this frame, but it seems powerful.
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
THREAD: Occupy Democrats posted about "Jewish billionaire Les Wexner" in the Epstein files.
It looks small. It's not.
(h/t @joelhs.bsky.social)
It looks small. It's not.
(h/t @joelhs.bsky.social)
February 11, 2026 at 11:50 PM
THREAD: Occupy Democrats posted about "Jewish billionaire Les Wexner" in the Epstein files.
It looks small. It's not.
(h/t @joelhs.bsky.social)
It looks small. It's not.
(h/t @joelhs.bsky.social)
Breaking out of my break to celebrate the move of my Department,
@uoft-poli-sci.bsky.social ,
from Occupied Twitter to here.
@uoft-poli-sci.bsky.social ,
from Occupied Twitter to here.
January 13, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Breaking out of my break to celebrate the move of my Department,
@uoft-poli-sci.bsky.social ,
from Occupied Twitter to here.
@uoft-poli-sci.bsky.social ,
from Occupied Twitter to here.
I know right now seems an impossible time to take a break from Bluesky…
…which is why I’m doing just that; I know an addiction when I feel one. See you all soon. #skyjanuary
…which is why I’m doing just that; I know an addiction when I feel one. See you all soon. #skyjanuary
January 12, 2026 at 5:03 AM
I know right now seems an impossible time to take a break from Bluesky…
…which is why I’m doing just that; I know an addiction when I feel one. See you all soon. #skyjanuary
…which is why I’m doing just that; I know an addiction when I feel one. See you all soon. #skyjanuary
Please read the comments before reposting. The claim that it was a fascist slogan appears to be mistaken.
Noem, of course, *is* a fascist. But not on account of this.
Noem, of course, *is* a fascist. But not on account of this.
January 12, 2026 at 2:32 AM
Please read the comments before reposting. The claim that it was a fascist slogan appears to be mistaken.
Noem, of course, *is* a fascist. But not on account of this.
Noem, of course, *is* a fascist. But not on account of this.
Reposted by Andrew Sabl
You did not see this kind of statement from the Turkish central bank before Erdogan staffed it with sycophants because he had carefully laid the groundwork to do so without resistance over the course of 15 or so years. And then once he did do it, inflation went from 10% to 86% in two years.
Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
Statement by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell
YouTube video by Federal Reserve
www.youtube.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:06 AM
You did not see this kind of statement from the Turkish central bank before Erdogan staffed it with sycophants because he had carefully laid the groundwork to do so without resistance over the course of 15 or so years. And then once he did do it, inflation went from 10% to 86% in two years.
At the No Kings-No War-No ICE protest in NYC
January 11, 2026 at 11:01 PM
At the No Kings-No War-No ICE protest in NYC