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Reposted by Danny Blinderman

southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 5d

“No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.”

George Pearkes @peark.es · 5d

Well that's not how appropriations work at all

*WHITE HOUSE TO TRANSFER TARIFF REVENUE TO FUND WIC: LEAVITT

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Danny Blinderman @dannyblinderman.bsky.social · 7d

If you haven't already, you have to listen to "The Age of Napoleon"--a fantastic podcast series on his life and career.

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 13d

the idea that you could just pass specific bills on specific areas with simple majorities is just beyond the ability and comprehension of most lawmakers in congress it seems

Reconstructionist @unavaleable.bsky.social · 14d

Its insane that American politics now more or less revolves around infrequently passing a single comically large overstuffed money bill instead of like... normal legislation

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Laura Belin @laurarbelin.bsky.social · 16d

Breaking news from Des Moines: ICE has detained Dr. Ian Roberts, the superintendent of Iowa's largest school district.
The Des Moines Public Schools said "We have no confirmed information as to why Dr. Roberts is being detained or the next potential steps."
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/09/26/i...

ICE detains Des Moines Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts

Iowa's largest school district had "no confirmed information" on why ICE detained Dr. Ian Roberts, the superintendent since 2023.

www.bleedingheartland.com

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Danny Blinderman @dannyblinderman.bsky.social · 16d

Napoleon: Conquerer, Statesman, and, according to Goethe, A Pleasure to Have In Class

Via the Age of Napoleon podcast, episode 114 "The Limits of Power".

Transcript from the age of napoleon podcast

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The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · Sep 10

Sen. Ruben Gallego: "Ashli Babbitt was a traitor. She was a traitor to this country. She was part of a violent mob that tried to overthrow our democracy...She didn't die protecting our country. She died trying to turn it down...She wasn't a martyr. She was and is a traitor."

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Danny Blinderman @dannyblinderman.bsky.social · Sep 10

Biden did not literally sell the office, as Trump is doing, but he definitely conceptualized it as belonging to him--as his to keep or give away.

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Danny Blinderman @dannyblinderman.bsky.social · Sep 10

Personalizing this sort of decision, as Biden and his inner circle tried to do, is a symptom of believing that you own the office, rather than it being a trust borrowed and earned from
The people by a party and movement.

Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · Sep 10

Kamala Harris in her new book: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

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Open New York @opennewyork.org · Sep 9

WE WON!!!! @BOENYC just voted UNANIMOUSLY to approve the 4 housing ballot questions!!!

Thanks to hundreds of calls and emails from Open New York members, these historic housing questions will be put to voters—and they’re going to pass.

Photo of press interviewing Annemarie Gray and Amit Bagga in a hallway

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Michael Li (李之樸) @mcpli.bsky.social · Sep 9

New NYT/Siena poll of the NYC mayoral race has-

*Mamdani: 46%
*Cuomo: 24%
*Sliwa: 15%
*Adams: 9%

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/n...

Mamdani Holds Huge Lead in Mayor’s Race, Times/Siena Poll Finds

www.nytimes.com

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Danny Blinderman @dannyblinderman.bsky.social · Sep 8

Pretty clear at this point that, while the district and circuit courts are functioning in a modestly normal/healthy way, the Supreme Court is fully captured and is simply an extension of the Trump administration.

Danny Blinderman @dannyblinderman.bsky.social · Sep 8

Biden opposing reform and/or expansion of the Supreme Court is going to cast a long, long shadow.

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · Sep 8

RIP, Humphrey’s Executor.

I didn’t know a single justice, acting alone, could ignore precedent, but I guess I just lack the imaginative gutlessness of John Roberts.

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · Sep 8

But, let’s be clear what John Roberts did this morning:

Roberts effectively overturned the Humphrey’s Executor precedent and both lower courts’ rulings in this case in order to allow Trump to fire Slaughter for now — on the shadow docket and through an “administrative” stay issued by him alone.

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Danny Blinderman @dannyblinderman.bsky.social · Sep 8

Incredible. The authors actually tried to empirically test who was right in the debates between Orthodox Marxists and Bernstein's revisionists!
direct.mit.edu/rest/article...

Testing Marx: Capital Accumulation, Income Inequality, and Socialism in Late Nineteenth-Century Germany

Abstract. We study the dynamics of capital accumulation, income inequality, capital concentration, and voting up to 1914. Based on new panel data for Prussian regions, we reevaluate the famous revisio...

direct.mit.edu

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Danny Blinderman @dannyblinderman.bsky.social · Sep 8

A lot about Zohran's campaign is new and innovative, but plenty of what has made it successful is not losing sight of the tried and true fundamentals. It is the combination of the two that makes the campaign so impressive.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · Sep 8

"Leadership is not about clinging to the old playbook. It’s about recognizing when the playbook needs to change."

At @nydailynews.com, retired lieutenant commander Shamsul Haque, a 21-year veteran of the NYPD, endorses our campaign for Mayor.

Why this cop backs Zohran Mamdani

New York City is at a crossroads. For years, we’ve endured recycled leadership and outdated approaches to public safety. We face real challenges — rising costs of living, homelessness, mental healt…

www.nydailynews.com

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Danny Blinderman @dannyblinderman.bsky.social · Sep 7

What's funny is at the time I thought that *Brady* was the one trying to hang on too long in a way that would tarnish his legacy, but the opposite has very much happened!

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Eric Columbus @ericcolumbus.bsky.social · Sep 7

Interesting shutdown politics thread by health policy expert and former OMB official Topher Spiro.

Topher Spiro & @TopherSpiro
X.com
Agree with @ezraklein: Democrats must not be party to a government funding bill that does not meet key demands. As a former OMB official, here's what Democrats could demand:
Opinion | Stop Funding Trump's Takeover
From nytimes.com
10:26 AM • 9/7/25 • 3.3K Views

Topher Spiro & @TopherSpiro • 1h
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1. Restore Medicaid cuts, or increase other Medicaid funding, so that no one loses Medicaid coverage (as certified by CBO).
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Topher Spiro & @TopherSpiro • 1h
Democrats have the upper hand politically on this. And this demand leaves a lot of flexibility for negotiation, while fulfilling a core, popular principle.
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Topher Spiro & @TopherSpiro • 1h
2. An iron-clad requirement to spend congressionally-appropriated funds.
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Topher Spiro & @TopherSpiro • 1h
....
The Impoundment Control Act (ICA) already prohibits the president from withholding funds.
The problem is judicial enforcement is too slow.
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Topher Spiro @@TopherSpiro •1h
Amend the ICA to give the appropriations committees (chair or ranking member) an express cause of action to bring an action in federal district court to enforce the ICA.
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Topher Spiro
@TopherSpiro • 1h
Require the court to hold a hearing and issue a ruling within 30 days, and allow for direct appeal to the Supreme Court within 10 days.
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Topher Spiro
@TopherSpiro •1h
In addition, make the OMB Director personally liable (civil penalty up to $50,000) for withholding funds.
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Topher Spiro & @TopherSpiro • 1h
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Ban "pocket rescissions." Under the ICA, the president can propose rescissions (cancellation of funds) and withhold the funds for 45 days; but if the proposal is transmitted <45 days from the expiration of funds, the funds will expire!
This is a pocket rescission.
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Topher Spiro & @TopherSpiro • 1h
3. Provide for fast-track congressional review of tariffs that increase prices for consumers (as determined by the CBO). This can be modeled after the Congressional Review Act (i.e., disapproval can't be filibustered).

Topher Spiro @@TopherSpiro •34m
4. Require insurance coverage of all vaccines recommended by the CDC as of September 1, 2025. Parents and doctors must retain choice.
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Topher Spiro &@TopherSpiro • 12m
5. Provide funding for states and localities to hire and train local police officers, and prohibit the president from deploying the National Guard for local law enforcement purposes.

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Matt Darling @besttrousers.bsky.social · Sep 7

It's incredibly weird that folks have convinced themselves that the Covid vaccines - which had an ~82^% take up rate - were unpopular.

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · Sep 7

Wow. New NBC poll finds 78% support vaccines, including 72% of independents and 67% of Republicans.

As I keep trying to argue, Democrats should polarize the shit out of the vaccine/public health debate. Make people take sides. It will split Republicans and MAGA.

See this:

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · Aug 31

Trump/RFK are decapitating our public health system, a pillar of American greatness. So Dem Govs should scour every corner of the law for creative new ways to defend their people from this madness.

Dems should polarize this debate to the max.

Thoughts on this here:

newrepublic.com/article/1998...

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Danny Blinderman @dannyblinderman.bsky.social · Sep 7

Louis Philippe, King of the French 1830-1848. Came to power after the July Revolution of 1830. Overthrown by the February revolution in 1848

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Danny Blinderman @dannyblinderman.bsky.social · Sep 6

Also, it isn't going to work. People have phones! If there are protests or booing, someone will record it and post it online.

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Sep 6

Another example of civil society censoring itself, creating a simulacrum of normality when things are not normal

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · Sep 6

More news breaking at Bounces about Donald Trump's visit to the US Open men's final.

The US Open has sent an email to broadcasters, obtained by Bounces, ordering them to censor any reactions or protests from the crowd to Trump's appearance.

Read more here:

www.benrothenberg.com/p/us-open-do...

Reposted by Danny Blinderman

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Sep 6

Another example of civil society censoring itself, creating a simulacrum of normality when things are not normal

Ben Rothenberg @benrothenberg.bsky.social · Sep 6

More news breaking at Bounces about Donald Trump's visit to the US Open men's final.

The US Open has sent an email to broadcasters, obtained by Bounces, ordering them to censor any reactions or protests from the crowd to Trump's appearance.

Read more here:

www.benrothenberg.com/p/us-open-do...

U.S. Open Orders Broadcasters to Censor Reactions to Trump

An email obtained by Bounces includes instructions from the U.S. Open on supporting Trump's planned stagecraft during the National Anthem.

www.benrothenberg.com

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Danny Blinderman @dannyblinderman.bsky.social · Sep 6

Congress was supposed to be the sovereign branch! The president was envisioned as basically the chief clerk, charged with executing congressional mandates. The courts were, and are, a creation of congress via the judiciary act of 1789.

🎃 Harm City Slasher 🔪 @sprawlhater.bsky.social · Sep 6

The degree to which approximately nobody in the US media seems to know or care that the Legislative Branch is the overwhelming behemoth of the constitutional structure is just wild to me. The outlets are running headlines saying Trump renamed the DoD. No he didn't! That isn't true!

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Danny Blinderman @dannyblinderman.bsky.social · Sep 6

Media elites, they're days defined by an imperial presidency and overbearing high court, are starting to forget that congress *ever* played a central governing role.

Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · Sep 6

This @washingtonpost.com editorial doesn’t make it past the second paragraph without a glaring (and telling) factual error.

President Washington didn’t create the War Department in 1789; *Congress* did:

www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/...

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Danny Blinderman @dannyblinderman.bsky.social · Sep 6

More and more people are saying that Thaddeus Stevens was right.

Reconstructionist @unavaleable.bsky.social · Sep 6

get in gang we're bringing back the 39th and 40th Congresses

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · Sep 5

there will not be a liberal unitary executive. it is possible, perhaps, to have a liberal imperial congress and we should strive for it.

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Danny Blinderman @dannyblinderman.bsky.social · Sep 5

The logic endpoint of a servile, cowardly legislature is an imperial presidency.

Evan Bernick, a finite mode with a smol hooman and a lorg floof @evanbernick.bsky.social · Sep 5

This is so wildly inadequate. If taken at face value, it‘s a claim that Article II empowers the President to kill people whenever wherever in the world because “U.S. interests“ as defined by him.

I know. But this is a legal claim. And no, no law gives him that power.

Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · Sep 5

As expected the War Powers report justifies the attack in the Caribbean solely on the basis of the President's authority under Article II of the Constitution as "Commander in Chief and Chief Executive." 2/n