Rick Perlstein
@rickperlstein.bsky.social
"O, let America be America again—
The land that never has been yet..."
The land that never has been yet..."
The Pigeon Hustle | PBS Nature Documentary
YouTube video by Nature on PBS
youtu.be
November 25, 2025 at 1:44 AM
I feel like I spend half the day responding to people making fun of some logically incohetent thing some Repiblican says by pointing out, "It's not stupid. It's fascist." Which often requires a great deal of intelligence, of a sort.
November 24, 2025 at 3:06 AM
I feel like I spend half the day responding to people making fun of some logically incohetent thing some Repiblican says by pointing out, "It's not stupid. It's fascist." Which often requires a great deal of intelligence, of a sort.
What was that about Kafka's "The Trial" being superceced?
November 24, 2025 at 1:12 AM
What was that about Kafka's "The Trial" being superceced?
I'm re-reading Kafka's "The Trial" right now. It doesn't really work any more as literature, because of how many of the details that are supposed to be as surreal as a dream that are superceded by actual American reality. Like this.
Border Patrol has a surveillance program tracking millions of drivers by name and then gets them pulled over for lies. Listen to the officer admit that he is careful to conceal the reason for the stop so if it ever gets questioned, no one will know that there was NO PROBABLE CAUSE.
November 23, 2025 at 8:26 PM
I'm re-reading Kafka's "The Trial" right now. It doesn't really work any more as literature, because of how many of the details that are supposed to be as surreal as a dream that are superceded by actual American reality. Like this.
Reposted by Rick Perlstein
Border Patrol has a surveillance program tracking millions of drivers by name and then gets them pulled over for lies. Listen to the officer admit that he is careful to conceal the reason for the stop so if it ever gets questioned, no one will know that there was NO PROBABLE CAUSE.
November 22, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Border Patrol has a surveillance program tracking millions of drivers by name and then gets them pulled over for lies. Listen to the officer admit that he is careful to conceal the reason for the stop so if it ever gets questioned, no one will know that there was NO PROBABLE CAUSE.
Dear readers, I am a river you are my canyon.
November 23, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Dear readers, I am a river you are my canyon.
A left "anti-imperialist" of my acquaintance. The leader of a local county "peace" organization.
November 22, 2025 at 8:57 PM
A left "anti-imperialist" of my acquaintance. The leader of a local county "peace" organization.
AI will save/destroy the world; also misspells "Reagan."
November 22, 2025 at 7:40 PM
AI will save/destroy the world; also misspells "Reagan."
Why I'll never not love Terry G: she's OBSESSED with squeezing insights out of people about their techniqurle. The way her curiosity gets all the way down to the guts of things.
www.npr.org/2025/11/21/n...
www.npr.org/2025/11/21/n...
Marking 65 years of Hitchcock's 'Psycho' with actor Janet Leigh
Leigh shares stories about Psycho, including the infamous shower scene. Also, screenwriter Evan Hunter talks about working with the Hitchcock on his next film, The Birds. Originally broadcast in 1999.
www.npr.org
November 22, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Why I'll never not love Terry G: she's OBSESSED with squeezing insights out of people about their techniqurle. The way her curiosity gets all the way down to the guts of things.
www.npr.org/2025/11/21/n...
www.npr.org/2025/11/21/n...
"Let me see your identification."
("You don't need to see his identification.")
"We don't need to see his identification."
("These aren't the dialectics you're looking for.")
"These aren't the dialectics we're looking for."
("He can go about his business.")
"You can go about your business."
("You don't need to see his identification.")
"We don't need to see his identification."
("These aren't the dialectics you're looking for.")
"These aren't the dialectics we're looking for."
("He can go about his business.")
"You can go about your business."
November 21, 2025 at 11:40 PM
"Let me see your identification."
("You don't need to see his identification.")
"We don't need to see his identification."
("These aren't the dialectics you're looking for.")
"These aren't the dialectics we're looking for."
("He can go about his business.")
"You can go about your business."
("You don't need to see his identification.")
"We don't need to see his identification."
("These aren't the dialectics you're looking for.")
"These aren't the dialectics we're looking for."
("He can go about his business.")
"You can go about your business."
It's almost like Illinois Democratic senators could have said this too...
November 21, 2025 at 10:02 PM
It's almost like Illinois Democratic senators could have said this too...
Holy shiz Mamdabi turned Trump into a chump on Trump's home field. Skillz.
www.youtube.com/live/fD9h8xI...
www.youtube.com/live/fD9h8xI...
President Trump Meets with Zohran Mamdani, Mayor-Elect, New York City
YouTube video by The White House
www.youtube.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Holy shiz Mamdabi turned Trump into a chump on Trump's home field. Skillz.
www.youtube.com/live/fD9h8xI...
www.youtube.com/live/fD9h8xI...
They're investigating the investigators of the investigators. The revolution eats its children...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/20/p...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/20/p...
Justice Department is investigating handling of Adam Schiff mortgage fraud probe led by Ed Martin and Bill Pulte | CNN Politics
The Justice Department is investigating whether people impersonated federal agents in mortgage fraud probes of prominent Democrats, a development that could complicate efforts to prosecute political e...
www.cnn.com
November 21, 2025 at 7:51 PM
They're investigating the investigators of the investigators. The revolution eats its children...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/20/p...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/20/p...
Greg Bonino's job is to create a fog of violence and lies to create an excuse for the dictator to invoke the Insurrection Act, so people like you and me can be shot.
This is a thread detailing a series of incidents where federal Judge Ellis rules that Gregory Bovino and his agents lied or misrepresented what was happening on the streets of Chicago. In this one, she says body cam footage suggests they brake checked to cause accidents
November 20, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Greg Bonino's job is to create a fog of violence and lies to create an excuse for the dictator to invoke the Insurrection Act, so people like you and me can be shot.
1. UBuffalo student overheard threatening to "shoot up the school" with AR-15 in his backpack.
2. He is president of the campud chapter of the marquee conservativeb group Young Americans for Freedom.
3. This should be in the New York Times.
www.wgrz.com/article/news...
2. He is president of the campud chapter of the marquee conservativeb group Young Americans for Freedom.
3. This should be in the New York Times.
www.wgrz.com/article/news...
Student's alleged threat sparks concern at UB
Authorities search UB student's home amid alleged shooting threat. Multiple firearms confiscated; no ongoing campus threat, says UB Police.
www.wgrz.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:46 PM
1. UBuffalo student overheard threatening to "shoot up the school" with AR-15 in his backpack.
2. He is president of the campud chapter of the marquee conservativeb group Young Americans for Freedom.
3. This should be in the New York Times.
www.wgrz.com/article/news...
2. He is president of the campud chapter of the marquee conservativeb group Young Americans for Freedom.
3. This should be in the New York Times.
www.wgrz.com/article/news...
Very Chicago that few outside our town knew about Jahari Stampley, until he came "out of nowhere" to sweep the biggest jazz performance contest in 2023 (Herbie Hancock said he should be taking lessens from Jahari!); also that the band has his mom on bass, sax, keys.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL_Y...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL_Y...
WBGO Yamaha: Jahari Stampley
YouTube video by WBGO
www.youtube.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Very Chicago that few outside our town knew about Jahari Stampley, until he came "out of nowhere" to sweep the biggest jazz performance contest in 2023 (Herbie Hancock said he should be taking lessens from Jahari!); also that the band has his mom on bass, sax, keys.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL_Y...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL_Y...
I should add that the current metanarrative taking shape there is shaped by tons of items about people getting in trouble for using their guns against evildoers of various sorts. The narrative ratchets more authoritarian week by week: "we'll need our guns soon."
Really important to duck into right-wing media from time to time, if you can manage it. Blaze is Glenn Beck's site. Beck is still going very very strong. The editor is a top guys at the Claremont Institute, making Blaze the public face of that institution's efforts to build fascism--full stop.
November 20, 2025 at 6:41 PM
I should add that the current metanarrative taking shape there is shaped by tons of items about people getting in trouble for using their guns against evildoers of various sorts. The narrative ratchets more authoritarian week by week: "we'll need our guns soon."
Really important to duck into right-wing media from time to time, if you can manage it. Blaze is Glenn Beck's site. Beck is still going very very strong. The editor is a top guys at the Claremont Institute, making Blaze the public face of that institution's efforts to build fascism--full stop.
November 20, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Really important to duck into right-wing media from time to time, if you can manage it. Blaze is Glenn Beck's site. Beck is still going very very strong. The editor is a top guys at the Claremont Institute, making Blaze the public face of that institution's efforts to build fascism--full stop.
People don't get that George Wallace also always lost in court, too, often stupidly. Liberals would declare victory. But Wallace won where it counted for him: in performing for his base, and building extra-lega authoritarian powerl. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/due-to-...
Due to Botched Paperwork, Comey May Never Have Been Properly Indicted
ALEXANDRIA, VA—In a stunning admission, prosecutors in the James Comey case conceded that...
talkingpointsmemo.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:22 PM
People don't get that George Wallace also always lost in court, too, often stupidly. Liberals would declare victory. But Wallace won where it counted for him: in performing for his base, and building extra-lega authoritarian powerl. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/due-to-...
There's this fascinating thing nitwits do onlineb where they challenge an argument but do their settings so you can't respond. So I'll do so here:
fine, insert JD Vance. The point, which you missed, is that the authoritarianism built into GOP politics, transcends any mere individual.
fine, insert JD Vance. The point, which you missed, is that the authoritarianism built into GOP politics, transcends any mere individual.
November 19, 2025 at 7:00 PM
There's this fascinating thing nitwits do onlineb where they challenge an argument but do their settings so you can't respond. So I'll do so here:
fine, insert JD Vance. The point, which you missed, is that the authoritarianism built into GOP politics, transcends any mere individual.
fine, insert JD Vance. The point, which you missed, is that the authoritarianism built into GOP politics, transcends any mere individual.
Could the Epstein Files kerfuffle take down Trump? Sure, maybe. Which could end up with Russell Vought and Steve Miller transferring allegiance to a MJT or Tucker Carlson or whomever. Don't take your eye off the big picture. It's the fascism, stupid.
November 19, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Could the Epstein Files kerfuffle take down Trump? Sure, maybe. Which could end up with Russell Vought and Steve Miller transferring allegiance to a MJT or Tucker Carlson or whomever. Don't take your eye off the big picture. It's the fascism, stupid.