Daniel Schlozman
@daschloz.bsky.social
Political scientist (at Johns Hopkins) and political button collector.
"Why fill in the hollow parties when you can do much the same thing outside of them?" Not quite sure I buy everything here, but a smart, meaty analysis of Mamdani campaign's civic roots and possibilities.
And, I might add, exactly what an author wants to see with a book out in the world.
And, I might add, exactly what an author wants to see with a book out in the world.
Zohran Mamdani’s victory was rooted in organizations that took up the base-building and mobilization functions that once fell to parties. dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...
Partyism Without the Party - Dissent Magazine
Zohran Mamdani’s victory was rooted in organizations that took up the base-building and mobilization functions that once fell to parties.
dissentmagazine.org
November 25, 2025 at 5:52 PM
"Why fill in the hollow parties when you can do much the same thing outside of them?" Not quite sure I buy everything here, but a smart, meaty analysis of Mamdani campaign's civic roots and possibilities.
And, I might add, exactly what an author wants to see with a book out in the world.
And, I might add, exactly what an author wants to see with a book out in the world.
Reposted by Daniel Schlozman
The Eric Schickler essay in Larry Bartel's symposium on "What Trump Has Taught Us About Political Science" is one of the most insightful pieces I've read in 2025.
US institutions turned out to be weak, and we have to rethink conventional wisdom.
open access: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...
US institutions turned out to be weak, and we have to rethink conventional wisdom.
open access: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...
November 19, 2025 at 8:08 PM
The Eric Schickler essay in Larry Bartel's symposium on "What Trump Has Taught Us About Political Science" is one of the most insightful pieces I've read in 2025.
US institutions turned out to be weak, and we have to rethink conventional wisdom.
open access: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...
US institutions turned out to be weak, and we have to rethink conventional wisdom.
open access: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...
Reposted by Daniel Schlozman
Guess what just went live? Our latest #ThisOldDemocracy podcast episode — streaming on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. @msifry.bsky.social and @daschloz.bsky.social dive into the structural weaknesses plaguing American politics. centerforballotfreedom.org/this-old-dem...
November 14, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Guess what just went live? Our latest #ThisOldDemocracy podcast episode — streaming on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. @msifry.bsky.social and @daschloz.bsky.social dive into the structural weaknesses plaguing American politics. centerforballotfreedom.org/this-old-dem...
Reposted by Daniel Schlozman
with Pelosi retiring from Congress, there goes the last direct descendant of the San Francisco Burton Machine. but in a sense, it was going the way of the dodo since the Gingrich Revolution of 94. felt this story with Phil Burton’s office chair captured the feeling of extinction well
November 6, 2025 at 3:57 PM
with Pelosi retiring from Congress, there goes the last direct descendant of the San Francisco Burton Machine. but in a sense, it was going the way of the dodo since the Gingrich Revolution of 94. felt this story with Phil Burton’s office chair captured the feeling of extinction well
I always miss Cambridge, Mass., the most on municipal election days. Tomato-basil at Noch's, nocciola and burnt caramel at Toscanini's, a climb up the tower at the Mount Auburn Cemetery.
And the chance to give my old friend @marcgov.bsky.social my #1 vote, and to support the @abciepac.org slate.
And the chance to give my old friend @marcgov.bsky.social my #1 vote, and to support the @abciepac.org slate.
November 4, 2025 at 1:09 PM
I always miss Cambridge, Mass., the most on municipal election days. Tomato-basil at Noch's, nocciola and burnt caramel at Toscanini's, a climb up the tower at the Mount Auburn Cemetery.
And the chance to give my old friend @marcgov.bsky.social my #1 vote, and to support the @abciepac.org slate.
And the chance to give my old friend @marcgov.bsky.social my #1 vote, and to support the @abciepac.org slate.
In a just world, Dick Cheney, war criminal and architect of the contemporary imperial presidency, would have died in a cell in The Hague, but in a just world, felons would vote, so he could have cast his ballot for Kamala Harris all the same.
November 4, 2025 at 12:52 PM
In a just world, Dick Cheney, war criminal and architect of the contemporary imperial presidency, would have died in a cell in The Hague, but in a just world, felons would vote, so he could have cast his ballot for Kamala Harris all the same.
Take: moderating in swing districts in 2026 highly likely to work; moderating partywide in 2026 has some evidence it will work; moderating partywide for the long term as a strategy to rid off Trumpism has way more perils and risks than proponents acknowledge.
November 2, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Take: moderating in swing districts in 2026 highly likely to work; moderating partywide in 2026 has some evidence it will work; moderating partywide for the long term as a strategy to rid off Trumpism has way more perils and risks than proponents acknowledge.
The royalty statements suggest that not everyone read The Hollow Parties, but the paperback edition is out on Tuesday, so you can change that: press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
(Also, Jamelle is right.)
(Also, Jamelle is right.)
October 25, 2025 at 5:43 PM
The royalty statements suggest that not everyone read The Hollow Parties, but the paperback edition is out on Tuesday, so you can change that: press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
(Also, Jamelle is right.)
(Also, Jamelle is right.)
APD as I learned it in grad school/APD as it's happening today
October 21, 2025 at 12:03 AM
APD as I learned it in grad school/APD as it's happening today
Good noodling here. A part of the Democrats' story, I think, is that the vaunted community organizing model from, in different ways, IAF and the New Left has had trouble adapting to class dealignment and big foundation funding, so it's hard to figure out what real civil society looks like.
October 19, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Good noodling here. A part of the Democrats' story, I think, is that the vaunted community organizing model from, in different ways, IAF and the New Left has had trouble adapting to class dealignment and big foundation funding, so it's hard to figure out what real civil society looks like.
Reposted by Daniel Schlozman
Demagogic president seizes money to pay standing army, arrogating to himself legislative power, while his cronies keep Congress out of session is honestly more or less exactly how the Founders thought this would end
October 16, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Demagogic president seizes money to pay standing army, arrogating to himself legislative power, while his cronies keep Congress out of session is honestly more or less exactly how the Founders thought this would end
Reposted by Daniel Schlozman
I'd rather the next Dem president + Congress put into place a bunch of Court-curbing mechanisms *and* far more strenuous presidency-curbing mechanisms.
I don't think left-Caesarism is the best response here.
I don't think left-Caesarism is the best response here.
This is why I think the next Democratic president needs to use the EXACT tools that SCOTUS has handed Trump. Don't leave room for any distinctions.
Impound funds for deportation. Give ICE the USAID treatment. Refuse to collect government-backed debt. Purge MAGA loyalists from the executive branch.
Impound funds for deportation. Give ICE the USAID treatment. Refuse to collect government-backed debt. Purge MAGA loyalists from the executive branch.
October 9, 2025 at 3:44 PM
I'd rather the next Dem president + Congress put into place a bunch of Court-curbing mechanisms *and* far more strenuous presidency-curbing mechanisms.
I don't think left-Caesarism is the best response here.
I don't think left-Caesarism is the best response here.
Reposted by Daniel Schlozman
I think Ezra Klein's take is that America is on the verge of a major step up in terms of sectarian violence, and he is afraid of that, and thinks very major compromises are worth it to avoid that outcome. Admittedly sometimes he says/suggest otherwise, but it's my overall impression.
September 30, 2025 at 5:47 AM
I think Ezra Klein's take is that America is on the verge of a major step up in terms of sectarian violence, and he is afraid of that, and thinks very major compromises are worth it to avoid that outcome. Admittedly sometimes he says/suggest otherwise, but it's my overall impression.
Barney Frank liked to say that politics was all about working alongside people whom one finds morally repugnant, which seems, if one is going to be clear-eyed and also in the arena, the correct disposition.
This was revealing. Worth reading. The basic demand is that Coates spend less time thinking/writing his true feelings and more time playing political strategist. Klein asks him over and over him to do Dem strategy; he says no, over and over. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/o...
Opinion | Ta-Nehisi Coates on Bridging Gaps vs. Drawing Lines
www.nytimes.com
September 28, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Barney Frank liked to say that politics was all about working alongside people whom one finds morally repugnant, which seems, if one is going to be clear-eyed and also in the arena, the correct disposition.
Roger Stone is selling sets of Nixon-Agnew buttons (from his "personal collection" lol) that would have trouble commanding $5 on the open market for $45. stonezone.com/product/auth...
Authentic Richard Nixon Agnew Campaign Buttons (Set of 7) - StoneZone
These Nixon campaign buttons have been in Roger Stone's personal collection for decades.
stonezone.com
September 25, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Roger Stone is selling sets of Nixon-Agnew buttons (from his "personal collection" lol) that would have trouble commanding $5 on the open market for $45. stonezone.com/product/auth...
Wherever the dateline, "Regulars return once more to beloved local food place before it closes" is reliably the best genre of article. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/w...
Hong Kong’s Dim Sum Cart ‘Aunties’ Make Their Final Rounds
www.nytimes.com
September 20, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Wherever the dateline, "Regulars return once more to beloved local food place before it closes" is reliably the best genre of article. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/w...
I just want to say that it gives me great pleasure to answer questions about political buttons, so please send my way. Already this morning, I've replied to Ryan and, via text, identified a fake in a display on the wall at a prominent civic venue.
September 19, 2025 at 3:39 PM
I just want to say that it gives me great pleasure to answer questions about political buttons, so please send my way. Already this morning, I've replied to Ryan and, via text, identified a fake in a display on the wall at a prominent civic venue.
If the road to democratic renewal runs through better parties, and the formal Democratic Party is run by Jay Jacobs and his ilk, then we need a massive effort to unfuck the state parties and the "Bermuda triangle" of the DNC www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/n...
New York Democratic Chairman Won’t Endorse Mamdani for Mayor
www.nytimes.com
September 18, 2025 at 11:58 PM
If the road to democratic renewal runs through better parties, and the formal Democratic Party is run by Jay Jacobs and his ilk, then we need a massive effort to unfuck the state parties and the "Bermuda triangle" of the DNC www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/n...
Reposted by Daniel Schlozman
The real problem with the Biden-era Democratic Party?
They pursued policy goals rather than build the party.
@johnsides.bsky.social shares insight from @samrosenfeld.bsky.social & Danny Scholzman: goodauthority.org/news/the-rea...
They pursued policy goals rather than build the party.
@johnsides.bsky.social shares insight from @samrosenfeld.bsky.social & Danny Scholzman: goodauthority.org/news/the-rea...
The real problem with the Biden-era Democratic Party?
They pursued policy goals rather than build the party.
goodauthority.org
September 16, 2025 at 9:36 PM
The real problem with the Biden-era Democratic Party?
They pursued policy goals rather than build the party.
@johnsides.bsky.social shares insight from @samrosenfeld.bsky.social & Danny Scholzman: goodauthority.org/news/the-rea...
They pursued policy goals rather than build the party.
@johnsides.bsky.social shares insight from @samrosenfeld.bsky.social & Danny Scholzman: goodauthority.org/news/the-rea...
A good time to say, since we're talking about the Biden years, that @samrosenfeld.bsky.social and I wrote a paper for APSA, to be presented Sat. at noon, about why the Biden-era Democrats turned to policy as their salvation, and why it didn't work out. Here's the first paragraph.
September 11, 2025 at 1:36 PM
A good time to say, since we're talking about the Biden years, that @samrosenfeld.bsky.social and I wrote a paper for APSA, to be presented Sat. at noon, about why the Biden-era Democrats turned to policy as their salvation, and why it didn't work out. Here's the first paragraph.
“Whether 250 years later, with tyranny again at our door, Boston has still got it.” Right here, right now, at the @wutrain.bsky.social victory party, it still feels like we have a future to build together.
September 10, 2025 at 2:11 AM
“Whether 250 years later, with tyranny again at our door, Boston has still got it.” Right here, right now, at the @wutrain.bsky.social victory party, it still feels like we have a future to build together.
With video like this, Henry George would have won.
"How Are the Very Rich Feeling About New York’s Next Mayor?"
A Dramatic Reading of The Recent New York Times Dispatch from the Hamptons.
Presented by The Gilded Age's Morgan Spector.
A Dramatic Reading of The Recent New York Times Dispatch from the Hamptons.
Presented by The Gilded Age's Morgan Spector.
September 8, 2025 at 11:58 PM
With video like this, Henry George would have won.
Antitrusters and abundists are sniping about their opponents' unsavory dalliances--Lina Khan posing with Steve Bannon; fash-ish speakers at Abundance DC--but the underlying question of what's beyond the pale are the same for both. See @colmpm.bsky.social from June: renewal.org.uk/blog/the-cho...
The choices that lie beyond neoliberalism
Many Renewal readers yearn, I am sure, for a world ‘beyond neoliberalism’. A recent high-profile and intellectually fertile conference, which aimed to manifest precisely that, will no doubt be of inte...
renewal.org.uk
September 5, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Antitrusters and abundists are sniping about their opponents' unsavory dalliances--Lina Khan posing with Steve Bannon; fash-ish speakers at Abundance DC--but the underlying question of what's beyond the pale are the same for both. See @colmpm.bsky.social from June: renewal.org.uk/blog/the-cho...
A nicely wistful appreciation that captures just what Nadler's brand of liberalism meant, just why now feels like the end of the line.
Bella Abzug to Ted Weiss to Jerry Nadler in that seat is a hell of a run.
Bella Abzug to Ted Weiss to Jerry Nadler in that seat is a hell of a run.
Breaking News: Representative Jerry Nadler will not seek re-election, ending a 34-year career as one of Congress’s leading liberal voices.
Nadler, Pillar of Democratic Party’s Old Guard, Will Retire Next Year
Representative Jerrold Nadler, the ex-House Judiciary chairman who helped lead President Trump’s impeachments, will not seek re-election in New York.
nyti.ms
September 2, 2025 at 12:22 AM
A nicely wistful appreciation that captures just what Nadler's brand of liberalism meant, just why now feels like the end of the line.
Bella Abzug to Ted Weiss to Jerry Nadler in that seat is a hell of a run.
Bella Abzug to Ted Weiss to Jerry Nadler in that seat is a hell of a run.