Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
@joshstein.bsky.social
Philosopher by training; cranky by nature. Professional in science and technology policy. Also photography, combatting antisemitism, politics, and ethics.
Pinned
Tonight, I am going to see the worst team in the Eastern Conference play the worst team in the Western Conference. A friend gave us her excellent season tickets, because (for some reason) no one wanted to buy them.
February 1, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Tonight, I am going to see the worst team in the Eastern Conference play the worst team in the Western Conference. A friend gave us her excellent season tickets, because (for some reason) no one wanted to buy them.
Two thoughts:
(1) As I've said many times, no serious group thinks US GDP will hit 5%. Goldman (historically bullish) is at 2.8%. Most of Wall Street is 2-2.5%. CBO is at 1.8%. All of these assume AI growth isn't a bubble.
(2) It just hit me that he sounds like Mark Proksch. Get Mark on SNL.
(1) As I've said many times, no serious group thinks US GDP will hit 5%. Goldman (historically bullish) is at 2.8%. Most of Wall Street is 2-2.5%. CBO is at 1.8%. All of these assume AI growth isn't a bubble.
(2) It just hit me that he sounds like Mark Proksch. Get Mark on SNL.
February 1, 2026 at 6:11 PM
Two thoughts:
(1) As I've said many times, no serious group thinks US GDP will hit 5%. Goldman (historically bullish) is at 2.8%. Most of Wall Street is 2-2.5%. CBO is at 1.8%. All of these assume AI growth isn't a bubble.
(2) It just hit me that he sounds like Mark Proksch. Get Mark on SNL.
(1) As I've said many times, no serious group thinks US GDP will hit 5%. Goldman (historically bullish) is at 2.8%. Most of Wall Street is 2-2.5%. CBO is at 1.8%. All of these assume AI growth isn't a bubble.
(2) It just hit me that he sounds like Mark Proksch. Get Mark on SNL.
There are a lot of state parties within the GOP that are in really bad position, for a range of reasons. MI, AZ, GA... if the fundraising continues to develop on these lines (and I think it will), it'll exacerbate the already very blue environment.
A tale of two #copolitics political party. The Colorado GOP raised about $125k in the last six months, is $167k in debt 1/2
February 1, 2026 at 4:25 PM
There are a lot of state parties within the GOP that are in really bad position, for a range of reasons. MI, AZ, GA... if the fundraising continues to develop on these lines (and I think it will), it'll exacerbate the already very blue environment.
We're about to have one of the most hotly contested primaries with two dozen highly qualified candidates. If you can't find three candidates you like in this field, then I don't know what to tell you.
Also, Jon Stewart lacks the knowledge and temperament to be a politician, much less President.
Also, Jon Stewart lacks the knowledge and temperament to be a politician, much less President.
“Got that take?”
“Yeah, absolutely brain bleedingly awful, just like you wanted.”
Good old reliable Nathan
“Yeah, absolutely brain bleedingly awful, just like you wanted.”
Good old reliable Nathan
February 1, 2026 at 4:09 PM
We're about to have one of the most hotly contested primaries with two dozen highly qualified candidates. If you can't find three candidates you like in this field, then I don't know what to tell you.
Also, Jon Stewart lacks the knowledge and temperament to be a politician, much less President.
Also, Jon Stewart lacks the knowledge and temperament to be a politician, much less President.
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
As an adult survivor of child abuse who interpreted the silence of the adults who failed me as evidence I deserved it, I just want to say a hearty FUCK YOU to everyone logging on to say some version of “it doesn’t make me a bad guy for working with a rich, well connected child rapist.” Yes it does!
February 1, 2026 at 2:47 PM
As an adult survivor of child abuse who interpreted the silence of the adults who failed me as evidence I deserved it, I just want to say a hearty FUCK YOU to everyone logging on to say some version of “it doesn’t make me a bad guy for working with a rich, well connected child rapist.” Yes it does!
Johnson, like all Republicans, is fine with the corrupt self-dealing of this DOJ. The party of open corruption, and this should be a constant narrative. Any Dem (especially national leaders) too chickenshit to make this argument has no place in contemporary politics.
BASH: This is a sitting president suing American taxpayers for $10 billon. Are you comfortable with that?
RON JOHNSON: I don't doubt the federal government deserves to be sued. The problem is we don't have $10 billion.
RON JOHNSON: I don't doubt the federal government deserves to be sued. The problem is we don't have $10 billion.
February 1, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Johnson, like all Republicans, is fine with the corrupt self-dealing of this DOJ. The party of open corruption, and this should be a constant narrative. Any Dem (especially national leaders) too chickenshit to make this argument has no place in contemporary politics.
People who study homophily should notice a trend among the academic subgroup of Epstein associates: branded heterodox figures who push back against contemporary stigmas. Christakis fits in pretty neatly with Krause, Pinker, Dershowitz, inter alia.
I promise you, even if someone is your mentor and friend, you should have the ability to say they made a mistake in FUCKING COMMUNICATING CASUALLY AND ALL FRIENDLY WITH JEFFREY EPSTEIN NOT WRITE AN EIGHT POST THREAD ON HOW WE SHOULDNT JUDGE
February 1, 2026 at 3:27 AM
People who study homophily should notice a trend among the academic subgroup of Epstein associates: branded heterodox figures who push back against contemporary stigmas. Christakis fits in pretty neatly with Krause, Pinker, Dershowitz, inter alia.
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
straight up Gestapo shit
January 31, 2026 at 8:54 PM
straight up Gestapo shit
One of the largest failures of major public institutions (government, media, academia, and others) is missing what many experts in online culture were warning about over a decade: we see it with extremist message boards, with propo campaigns and manipulation, CSAM/NCII networks...
It appears that 4chan was used as a massive psyop by Jeffrey Epstein and his associates to help install pro-pedophilia rightwing figures into the American government:
"The potential for manipulation is huge"
www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
"The potential for manipulation is huge"
www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
January 31, 2026 at 7:50 PM
One of the largest failures of major public institutions (government, media, academia, and others) is missing what many experts in online culture were warning about over a decade: we see it with extremist message boards, with propo campaigns and manipulation, CSAM/NCII networks...
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
yeah, definitely one of those, "you're saying this like it's a bad thing," moments. Miller's concept of immigration as purely "importing labor" also erases the benefits of socio-cultural exchange, presenting a reified assessment that misunderstands the nature of value.
I like how correct this is though, maybe more than he meant. One of the beefs the Declaration of Independence has with the king is English meddling in naturalization (ie the right to buy land) of foreigners, Common Sense mentions how Pennsylvania was speaking all sorts of languages.
January 31, 2026 at 7:28 PM
yeah, definitely one of those, "you're saying this like it's a bad thing," moments. Miller's concept of immigration as purely "importing labor" also erases the benefits of socio-cultural exchange, presenting a reified assessment that misunderstands the nature of value.
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
Some of their greatest hits are those like Nick "Blacks are more stupid than white's" Bostrom taking the stage to tell us about so-called "superintelligence", and other eugenicists we discussed in this paper: firstmonday.org/ojs/index.ph....
The TESCREAL bundle: Eugenics and the promise of utopia through artificial general intelligence
| First Monday
firstmonday.org
January 10, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Some of their greatest hits are those like Nick "Blacks are more stupid than white's" Bostrom taking the stage to tell us about so-called "superintelligence", and other eugenicists we discussed in this paper: firstmonday.org/ojs/index.ph....
Ariely should've been fired years ago for gross misconduct in his research. But hey... now's a fine time too.
Also, I have a particular loathing for Ariely as a major popularizer of the Gino-style work that everyone in business schools insists is "real scientific support" for their bullshit.
Also, I have a particular loathing for Ariely as a major popularizer of the Gino-style work that everyone in business schools insists is "real scientific support" for their bullshit.
Here’s Duke behavioral economist Dan Ariely asking Jeffrey Epstein for “the name and email of the redhead that was here with you.” This is four years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for procuring a child for prostitution.
Doo do doo
January 31, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Ariely should've been fired years ago for gross misconduct in his research. But hey... now's a fine time too.
Also, I have a particular loathing for Ariely as a major popularizer of the Gino-style work that everyone in business schools insists is "real scientific support" for their bullshit.
Also, I have a particular loathing for Ariely as a major popularizer of the Gino-style work that everyone in business schools insists is "real scientific support" for their bullshit.
There is something perfect about Jeffrey Epstein having to get so literal and explicit with Musk that it makes Musk ever denying knowledge impossible.
Cross-posting this comment from Jeet Heer over on Twitter. It really is kind of funny that Musk is just totally unable to pick up on code and innuendo.
January 31, 2026 at 5:45 PM
There is something perfect about Jeffrey Epstein having to get so literal and explicit with Musk that it makes Musk ever denying knowledge impossible.
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
btw the civility panic a few years ago was about precisely this: the ability to have polite conversations about how black people are racially inferior in public without criticism or backlash bsky.app/profile/hann...
Jeffrey Epstein sent a link to the white nationalist podcast The Right Stuff, whose core hosts played an active role in the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally. He did so in February 2016. Before TRS made national news, really.
Genuinely bizarre.
Genuinely bizarre.
January 31, 2026 at 12:33 PM
btw the civility panic a few years ago was about precisely this: the ability to have polite conversations about how black people are racially inferior in public without criticism or backlash bsky.app/profile/hann...
I'm shocked to learn the guy in Nazi officer cosplay is antisemitic. Very surprised.
Bovino Is Said to Have Mocked Prosecutor’s Jewish Faith on Call With Lawyers www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/u...
Bovino Is Said to Have Mocked Prosecutor’s Jewish Faith on Call With Lawyers
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 4:57 PM
I'm shocked to learn the guy in Nazi officer cosplay is antisemitic. Very surprised.
Media: But they changed *the tone*.
January 31, 2026 at 3:34 PM
Media: But they changed *the tone*.
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
ICE Expands Power of Agents to Arrest People Without Warrants
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Last year, I had a conversation with a friend who has been involved in international diplomacy and trade for ~20 years. His point was simple: "Trading partners could write off 2017-2020 as an aberration, but when he was reelected, that all changed. Now it's a problem with America as a country."
New in PN: Trump blames Canada
"It isn’t just Trump that Canada can’t trust. It’s us, the American people. Trump may have low approval now, but his numbers were even worse after J6 and we still returned him to power. At this point, no one can have faith that everything will go back to normal."
"It isn’t just Trump that Canada can’t trust. It’s us, the American people. Trump may have low approval now, but his numbers were even worse after J6 and we still returned him to power. At this point, no one can have faith that everything will go back to normal."
Trump blames Canada
And tears our closest international relationship apart.
www.publicnotice.co
January 31, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Last year, I had a conversation with a friend who has been involved in international diplomacy and trade for ~20 years. His point was simple: "Trading partners could write off 2017-2020 as an aberration, but when he was reelected, that all changed. Now it's a problem with America as a country."
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
Yes. Michelle Obama in 2018: "I have been at probably every powerful table that you can think of, I have worked at nonprofits, I have been at foundations, I have worked in corporations, served on corporate boards, I have been at G-summits, I have sat in at the U.N.: They are not that smart." #LeSigh
I have spent fifty years rolling my eyes at conspiracy theories where all the elite rich people are in a secret evil gang, and thrillers where everyone remotely important has the same Dark Secret, and now sodding look.
January 31, 2026 at 2:52 PM
Yes. Michelle Obama in 2018: "I have been at probably every powerful table that you can think of, I have worked at nonprofits, I have been at foundations, I have worked in corporations, served on corporate boards, I have been at G-summits, I have sat in at the U.N.: They are not that smart." #LeSigh
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
1/10. Tory peer Daniel Hannan has posted a potted history of slavery that demonstrates how historical understanding is being twisted by politicians. I’ll examine it in light of historians’ research.
January 31, 2026 at 12:13 PM
1/10. Tory peer Daniel Hannan has posted a potted history of slavery that demonstrates how historical understanding is being twisted by politicians. I’ll examine it in light of historians’ research.
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
A Bush-appointed judge documented 96 court order violations by ICE in one month—more than some agencies violate "in their entire existence," the judge said.
@birchsmith.bsky.social
@birchsmith.bsky.social
Has the Trump Administration Crossed the Rubicon When Lawlessness Makes Lawful Transition Impossible?
It may have reached a point when its only option for avoiding accountability would be keeping Democrats out of power
www.theunpopulist.net
January 30, 2026 at 7:00 PM
A Bush-appointed judge documented 96 court order violations by ICE in one month—more than some agencies violate "in their entire existence," the judge said.
@birchsmith.bsky.social
@birchsmith.bsky.social
January 30, 2026 at 9:06 PM
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
My favorite Christopher Guest film is A Mighty Wind. Thinking of this scene.
youtu.be/QwLZfPPM7GQ?...
youtu.be/QwLZfPPM7GQ?...
Mitch & Mickey - A Kiss At The End Of The Rainbow
YouTube video by mayhew7
youtu.be
January 30, 2026 at 8:14 PM
My favorite Christopher Guest film is A Mighty Wind. Thinking of this scene.
youtu.be/QwLZfPPM7GQ?...
youtu.be/QwLZfPPM7GQ?...
Reposted by Not the Governor of North Carolina; got the handle first
"I will never forget this episode, the ugliest moment in the ugliest campaign of my lifetime. They attempted to spark what amounted to a pogrom in a small city, a city run by their own party, in a state run by their own party, and there were no consequences for it whatsoever."
Terror Returns to Springfield
Ohio is preparing for the next occupation. We need to prepare with them.
www.liberalcurrents.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:08 PM
"I will never forget this episode, the ugliest moment in the ugliest campaign of my lifetime. They attempted to spark what amounted to a pogrom in a small city, a city run by their own party, in a state run by their own party, and there were no consequences for it whatsoever."