Kevin Elliott
@kjephd.bsky.social
Political theorist studying democracy, ethics, & institutions. Author of Democracy for Busy People (https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/D/bo194847654.html); more at kevinjelliott.net. Generally poasting my way through this thing
Pinned
Kevin Elliott
@kjephd.bsky.social
· Jun 24
New article out from me, in which I consider: what if I'm wrong about everything re: what's important for a flourishing democracy?
I use a recent book attacking institutions & advocating disintermediated localism to explore the limits of my view.
Get it free here: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...
I use a recent book attacking institutions & advocating disintermediated localism to explore the limits of my view.
Get it free here: academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
frankly I appreciate that they misspelled his name here
First trailer for Darren Aranofsky's new AI animated series 'On This Day... 1776'
• Tells short narrative stories about the Revolutionary War
• Uses Gen AI tools, including tech made by Google DeepMind
• Has SAG voice actors
• Tells short narrative stories about the Revolutionary War
• Uses Gen AI tools, including tech made by Google DeepMind
• Has SAG voice actors
January 29, 2026 at 9:12 PM
frankly I appreciate that they misspelled his name here
That this same poll finds Trump approval at 37%—while approval of his *policies* is at Bush II nadir levels of 27%—reminds us once again that his appeal has little to do w policy.
I'd add that it also suggests a technocratic view of politics as fundamentally about policy cannot make sense of Trump.
I'd add that it also suggests a technocratic view of politics as fundamentally about policy cannot make sense of Trump.
Confidence in Trump dips, and fewer now say they support his policies and plans.
Read more here:
Read more here:
Confidence in Trump Dips, and Fewer Now Say They Support His Policies and Plans
Only 27% of Americans say they support all or most of Trump's policies – down since last year, with the change coming entirely among Republicans.
www.pewresearch.org
January 29, 2026 at 9:13 PM
That this same poll finds Trump approval at 37%—while approval of his *policies* is at Bush II nadir levels of 27%—reminds us once again that his appeal has little to do w policy.
I'd add that it also suggests a technocratic view of politics as fundamentally about policy cannot make sense of Trump.
I'd add that it also suggests a technocratic view of politics as fundamentally about policy cannot make sense of Trump.
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
"Oh yeah I forgot that he was cruel and ignorant and bigoted and unfathomably corrupt and possessing of several untreated mental illnesses that render him unfit for any political office"
We must remind the public every 4 years that they hate Donald Trump because collectively they have no long-term memory.
January 29, 2026 at 9:00 PM
"Oh yeah I forgot that he was cruel and ignorant and bigoted and unfathomably corrupt and possessing of several untreated mental illnesses that render him unfit for any political office"
"As demand for fossil fuels stagnates or declines, these economies of scale will invert, leaving shrinking user bases to carry growing liabilities, and infrastructure designed for expansion to instead weather contraction."
Fascinating: "We identify a risk of collapses in service availability as specific elements of fossil infrastructures reach what we term 'minimum viable scale,' a level of throughput past which existing physical, financial, & managerial infrastructures can no longer effectively operate as expected."
Fossil energy minimum viable scale
Unseen infrastructural threats to safety and decarbonization may arise as fossil energy systems are phased out
www.science.org
January 29, 2026 at 9:02 PM
"As demand for fossil fuels stagnates or declines, these economies of scale will invert, leaving shrinking user bases to carry growing liabilities, and infrastructure designed for expansion to instead weather contraction."
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
Fascinating: "We identify a risk of collapses in service availability as specific elements of fossil infrastructures reach what we term 'minimum viable scale,' a level of throughput past which existing physical, financial, & managerial infrastructures can no longer effectively operate as expected."
Fossil energy minimum viable scale
Unseen infrastructural threats to safety and decarbonization may arise as fossil energy systems are phased out
www.science.org
January 29, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Fascinating: "We identify a risk of collapses in service availability as specific elements of fossil infrastructures reach what we term 'minimum viable scale,' a level of throughput past which existing physical, financial, & managerial infrastructures can no longer effectively operate as expected."
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
So, incredibly, the White House has chosen to escalate in blue Minnesota and retreat in Maine to protect a vulnerable GOP Senator.
It's confirmation that Trump-Vance-Miller view ICE as a partisan govt-backed militia to attack blue America while propping up their regime. 1/
It's confirmation that Trump-Vance-Miller view ICE as a partisan govt-backed militia to attack blue America while propping up their regime. 1/
Maine Senator Susan Collins said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem informed her that ICE will end the immigration enforcement surge in the state.
ICE ending Maine surge, Senator Collins says - The Boston Globe
Collins said in a statement that she had pushed Noem and other Trump administration officials to have ICE “reconsider its approach to immigration enforcement in the state.”
trib.al
January 29, 2026 at 12:55 PM
So, incredibly, the White House has chosen to escalate in blue Minnesota and retreat in Maine to protect a vulnerable GOP Senator.
It's confirmation that Trump-Vance-Miller view ICE as a partisan govt-backed militia to attack blue America while propping up their regime. 1/
It's confirmation that Trump-Vance-Miller view ICE as a partisan govt-backed militia to attack blue America while propping up their regime. 1/
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
Great thread for #USgov teachers as well as everyone with interested in living in a constitutional republic. #iteachsocialstudies
@tribelaw.bsky.social harshly criticizes Jill Lepore's new history of the Constitution in @nybooks.com. Two thoughts about this important exchange.
1. Tribe is entirely right to fault her for effectively dismissing the unwritten elements of the US Constitution. This the center of his whole critique
1. Tribe is entirely right to fault her for effectively dismissing the unwritten elements of the US Constitution. This the center of his whole critique
Is the Constitution ‘Dead, Dead, Dead’? | Laurence H. Tribe
The difficulty of amending the Constitution does not mean that it is a flawed and outdated relic of a distant past.
www.nybooks.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Great thread for #USgov teachers as well as everyone with interested in living in a constitutional republic. #iteachsocialstudies
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
Sabato’s moves:
GA-Sen to Lean D from Tossup
FL-Sen to Likely R from Safe R
GA-Sen to Lean D from Tossup
FL-Sen to Likely R from Safe R
January 29, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Sabato’s moves:
GA-Sen to Lean D from Tossup
FL-Sen to Likely R from Safe R
GA-Sen to Lean D from Tossup
FL-Sen to Likely R from Safe R
This is a sign of our education system failing since apparently nobody at this company has heard of a calzone
January 29, 2026 at 5:50 PM
This is a sign of our education system failing since apparently nobody at this company has heard of a calzone
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
Trump's not the most unpopular president ever (yet!), but he is smashing some records and is in range for more. My look at the numbers. Plus the 40% rule. At GP/BP. goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com/p/trump-unpo...
Trump, Unpopular
Enough to start convincing Republicans that there's a problem.
goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Trump's not the most unpopular president ever (yet!), but he is smashing some records and is in range for more. My look at the numbers. Plus the 40% rule. At GP/BP. goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com/p/trump-unpo...
In light of Brooks's call for a "national civic uprising" last spring, could this actually move the Atlantic incrementally toward constitutional restorationism? I haven't been following if he's continued on the Kristol-Bulwark golden path of radicalization (complimentary)
We’re excited to announce that David Brooks is joining The Atlantic as a staff writer. The Atlantic will be the home for all of his writing, and he will also host a new weekly video podcast that will launch later this spring. www.theatlantic.com/press-releas...
The Atlantic hires David Brooks as a staff writer
New home for his writing, and to launch a video podcast
www.theatlantic.com
January 29, 2026 at 5:42 PM
In light of Brooks's call for a "national civic uprising" last spring, could this actually move the Atlantic incrementally toward constitutional restorationism? I haven't been following if he's continued on the Kristol-Bulwark golden path of radicalization (complimentary)
@tribelaw.bsky.social harshly criticizes Jill Lepore's new history of the Constitution in @nybooks.com. Two thoughts about this important exchange.
1. Tribe is entirely right to fault her for effectively dismissing the unwritten elements of the US Constitution. This the center of his whole critique
1. Tribe is entirely right to fault her for effectively dismissing the unwritten elements of the US Constitution. This the center of his whole critique
Is the Constitution ‘Dead, Dead, Dead’? | Laurence H. Tribe
The difficulty of amending the Constitution does not mean that it is a flawed and outdated relic of a distant past.
www.nybooks.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:45 PM
@tribelaw.bsky.social harshly criticizes Jill Lepore's new history of the Constitution in @nybooks.com. Two thoughts about this important exchange.
1. Tribe is entirely right to fault her for effectively dismissing the unwritten elements of the US Constitution. This the center of his whole critique
1. Tribe is entirely right to fault her for effectively dismissing the unwritten elements of the US Constitution. This the center of his whole critique
Nobody knows that the premise of Children of Men came from the author thinking that it was fundamentally indecent that their own precious child, who properly deserved to be loved and cherished by the entire world, wasn't the very last one born
I think young people should be banned
January 28, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Nobody knows that the premise of Children of Men came from the author thinking that it was fundamentally indecent that their own precious child, who properly deserved to be loved and cherished by the entire world, wasn't the very last one born
I asked my class today whether they had any memory at all of the financial crisis, thinking they might have been like 6 or 7 at the time, and one of them said they were 2
I spoke to a woman at the protest in minneapolis and she explained she wanted to be there in part because "i was a kid when george floyd got killed" and i nearly dropped my recorder
January 28, 2026 at 10:08 PM
I asked my class today whether they had any memory at all of the financial crisis, thinking they might have been like 6 or 7 at the time, and one of them said they were 2
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
The sagacious @kjephd.bsky.social identifies as the aim of friend/enemy politics "accumulate publicly legible tokens of [my] side’s dominance, or of the defeat of [my] enemy."
Now, I think friend/enemy politics is bad. But i'm sure enjoying these symbolic tokens of my enemy's (cultural) defeat.
Now, I think friend/enemy politics is bad. But i'm sure enjoying these symbolic tokens of my enemy's (cultural) defeat.
Melania, 6pm, Brooklyn Alamo. Ok, which two of you is this
January 28, 2026 at 9:26 PM
The sagacious @kjephd.bsky.social identifies as the aim of friend/enemy politics "accumulate publicly legible tokens of [my] side’s dominance, or of the defeat of [my] enemy."
Now, I think friend/enemy politics is bad. But i'm sure enjoying these symbolic tokens of my enemy's (cultural) defeat.
Now, I think friend/enemy politics is bad. But i'm sure enjoying these symbolic tokens of my enemy's (cultural) defeat.
The story also says Tesla expects further decline in 2026.
Let's make sure it's so by sustaining the stigma Musk has so richly and enduringly earned
Let's make sure it's so by sustaining the stigma Musk has so richly and enduringly earned
New: Tesla 4th quarter profit plunges 61% year-over-year; annual profit down 46%
the brand damage:
-1 million lost vehicle sales, per study
-Declining revenue, profits, deliveries in 1st half of '25
-Lower total production/deliveries than '24
-Lost crown as world's leading EV seller
wapo.st/3LYTef1
the brand damage:
-1 million lost vehicle sales, per study
-Declining revenue, profits, deliveries in 1st half of '25
-Lower total production/deliveries than '24
-Lost crown as world's leading EV seller
wapo.st/3LYTef1
Tesla bet big on Elon Musk. His politics continue to haunt it.
Tesla struggles to regain its footing in the electric vehicle market, hindered by Elon Musk’s political activity, impacting its stock price and performance.
wapo.st
January 28, 2026 at 9:53 PM
The story also says Tesla expects further decline in 2026.
Let's make sure it's so by sustaining the stigma Musk has so richly and enduringly earned
Let's make sure it's so by sustaining the stigma Musk has so richly and enduringly earned
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
Ah, here’s that softened tone: rather than shooting Minnesotans dead, the administration will play nice by setting them up for stochastic harassment and death threats.
Since we published this, Pam Bondi's X account has started posting mugshots of Minnesotans arrested for impeding ICE/CBP. Sharing a defendant's photo publicly in this way is forbidden under DOJ rules
ICE and CBP are at the head of Trump's campaign to terrorize Minnesotans. But the Justice Department is not far behind.
January 28, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Ah, here’s that softened tone: rather than shooting Minnesotans dead, the administration will play nice by setting them up for stochastic harassment and death threats.
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
Another world leader realizing Donald Trump is not a calculated genius with an Andy Kaufman-like commitment to playing a character in public as manipulation and negotiating strategy, and in fact what you see in public is the real thing, is simultaneously a positive development and very frustrating.
European leader spoke of shock at Trump’s state of mind after Mar-a-Lago meeting
The Slovak PM, a Trump ally, told leaders at last week’s EU summit he was concerned about the way the U.S. president spoke to him, European diplomats said.
www.politico.eu
January 28, 2026 at 8:24 PM
Another world leader realizing Donald Trump is not a calculated genius with an Andy Kaufman-like commitment to playing a character in public as manipulation and negotiating strategy, and in fact what you see in public is the real thing, is simultaneously a positive development and very frustrating.
This should have become SOP for every news outlet reporting on this movement waaaaaay back in 2017.
This is also not the appropriate place for a statement like this, as an op-ed. It should be a policy statement by the newspaper as a whole.
This is also not the appropriate place for a statement like this, as an op-ed. It should be a policy statement by the newspaper as a whole.
"Today, it is more than prudent, it is good citizenship to assume that everything ICE says, and everything the administration says in support of its deportation mania, is untrue until proved to be otherwise."
The latest from George F. Will:
The latest from George F. Will:
Opinion | Assume this loutocracy is lying about ICE until proven otherwise
Kristi Noem isn’t the only reason millions of Americans increasingly distrust the deportation mania.
wapo.st
January 28, 2026 at 8:06 PM
This should have become SOP for every news outlet reporting on this movement waaaaaay back in 2017.
This is also not the appropriate place for a statement like this, as an op-ed. It should be a policy statement by the newspaper as a whole.
This is also not the appropriate place for a statement like this, as an op-ed. It should be a policy statement by the newspaper as a whole.
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
This should be standard operating procedure for journalists and outlets
"Today, it is more than prudent, it is good citizenship to assume that everything ICE says, and everything the administration says in support of its deportation mania, is untrue until proved to be otherwise."
The latest from George F. Will:
The latest from George F. Will:
Opinion | Assume this loutocracy is lying about ICE until proven otherwise
Kristi Noem isn’t the only reason millions of Americans increasingly distrust the deportation mania.
wapo.st
January 28, 2026 at 7:46 PM
This should be standard operating procedure for journalists and outlets
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
we've got Schumer calling for Miller's head, folks
we're dragging them kicking and screaming in the right direction, keep it up
we're dragging them kicking and screaming in the right direction, keep it up
Schumer calls for Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller to be removed from their jobs.
January 28, 2026 at 7:26 PM
we've got Schumer calling for Miller's head, folks
we're dragging them kicking and screaming in the right direction, keep it up
we're dragging them kicking and screaming in the right direction, keep it up
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
The reason congressional Dems are becoming more and more vocal about firings and impeachments is because the base pushed them towards it. *That's* why we should be critical of them when need be.
January 28, 2026 at 7:51 PM
The reason congressional Dems are becoming more and more vocal about firings and impeachments is because the base pushed them towards it. *That's* why we should be critical of them when need be.
The Mayor speaking to the discourse today about people leaving (Democratic) states and cities because of refusals to address the cost of living.
For all the fearmongering about capital flight from New York City, there’s an exodus few want to talk about: working people.
Sky-high rents and outrageous child care costs are already pushing families out of the city they keep running.
That’s what we have to change.
That’s what we have to change.
January 28, 2026 at 7:55 PM
The Mayor speaking to the discourse today about people leaving (Democratic) states and cities because of refusals to address the cost of living.
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
Related, "polarization" as a problem is one of the most destructive ideas US political science has ever helped popularize.
This is why I have real fucking problem with blithe criticisms of "polarization" or "congressional dysfunction." We have a Republican member blaming his colleague for being attacked.
The problem isn't polarization or dysfunction. It's the Republican Party.
The problem isn't polarization or dysfunction. It's the Republican Party.
Rep. Randy Fine on Ilhan Omar getting attacked: "I blame Ilhan Omar for what happened"
January 28, 2026 at 4:14 PM
Related, "polarization" as a problem is one of the most destructive ideas US political science has ever helped popularize.
Reposted by Kevin Elliott
GOP: We won't continue assistance for people trying to purchase health plans even though many will become uninsured or underinsured, but of course we can continue to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to needlessly terrorize American cities.
It's hard to imagine why they're scared of midterms.
It's hard to imagine why they're scared of midterms.
Congressional Budget Office: “Federal troop deployments to US cities cost a total of $496 million in 2025, CBO estimates. Continuing current deployments will cost $93 million a month; 1,000 Guard personnel deployed to a city will cost at least $18 million a month.” www.cbo.gov/publication/...
www.cbo.gov
January 28, 2026 at 7:24 PM
GOP: We won't continue assistance for people trying to purchase health plans even though many will become uninsured or underinsured, but of course we can continue to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to needlessly terrorize American cities.
It's hard to imagine why they're scared of midterms.
It's hard to imagine why they're scared of midterms.