Steven L. Taylor
LightNews LightNews
banner
sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor
@sltaylor.bsky.social
680 followers 270 following 410 posts

Professor Emeritus of PoliSci and former Dean of Arts & Sciences. My research is focused on comparative democratic institutions.🖖🤘

I write about politics at www.outsidethebeltway.com

Videos
Business 49%
Psychology 16%
Posts Replies Media Videos

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 3h
Harrison Ford.

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 14h
Cruelty Quotas – Outside the Beltway outsidethebeltway.com/cruelty-quot...
Cruelty Quotas – Outside the Beltway
outsidethebeltway.com

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 15h
In Writing Headline, NYT Shows its Inadequacy for this Moment – Outside the Beltway outsidethebeltway.com/in-writing-h...
In Writing Headline, NYT Shows its Inadequacy for this Moment – Outside the Beltway
outsidethebeltway.com

Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner, Robert C. Richards, Steven S. Taylor

rgoodlaw.bsky.social
Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · 16h
Fox News legal contributor Andy McCarthy knocks down Hegseth's defense:

"Neither Hegseth’s statement nor the explanation attributed to Bradley ... makes legal sense.
...
It cannot be a defense to say, as Hegseth does, that one has killed because one’s objective was 'lethal, kinetic strikes.'"
‘We Intended the Strike to Be Lethal’ Is Not a Defense | National Review
The laws of war, incorporated in the federal war crimes statute, prohibit the killing of people who have been rendered hors de combat.
www.nationalreview.com

Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner, Steven S. Taylor

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 17h
Mark Kelly says Pete Hegseth's reported double tap strike on a boat "seems to" be a war crime, and adds, "if what has been reported is accurate, I've got serious concerns about anybody in that chain of command stepping over a line that they should never step over. We are not Russia. We are not Iraq"

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Joanna Bourke, Robert Wolfe , and 4 more

pbump.com
Philip Bump @pbump.com · 18h
Good front-paging.

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 6d
The game has been an INTfest.

Substack
Is Doctor Doom Actually ABD?

Stolen academic valor by a major Marvel villain? Earlier today, I noticed that political writer Matthew Yglesias was stirring the eternal pot of who can go by the honorific “Dr.” on Twitter.

Reposts 1 6d

Substack
Tom and Steven Discuss Zelazny's First Amber Series

Come walk Shadow with us! What if our reality isn’t just one universe among many, but is just a shadowy reflection of the one true reality? And what if the ultimate reality is ruled by really terrible people? That was the premise of Roger Zelazny’s Amber series. There was nothing like Amber when our younger selves discovered these books, and it’s still distinct in the world of f…

Reposts 0 6d

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 6d
That and the finale was full of “the music will tell you how you should feel about the scene” instead of the, you know, writing and acting cluing you in.

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 7d
I culled a while back and still have a ridiculous number. I remain ready.

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 7d
It has become an expensive soap opera.

Substack
SLT Recommends (Or Not)

Scanvegers Reign I have long flirted with doing some short reviews/recommendations over where I normally write about politics, but here at the Anicent Geeks substack is a more natural fit. So here we go with hopefully at least an irregular feature.

Reposts 0 7d

Reposted by Steven S. Taylor, Simon Lester

cwolbrecht.bsky.social
Christina Wolbrecht @cwolbrecht.bsky.social · 9d
Same week, y’all.

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 10d
It was the first thing I thought of when I saw your post--we have all been The Dingus.

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 10d
In Front of Our Noses: A President Who Calls for the Execution of Members of Congress – Outside the Beltway outsidethebeltway.com/in-front-of-...
In Front of Our Noses: A President Who Calls for the Execution of Members of Congress – Outside the Beltway
outsidethebeltway.com

Reposted by Daniela Gabor, Colin F. Camerer, Jacob Montgomery , and 5 more

nytpitchbot.bsky.social
NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · 13d
If an attractive young woman a third my age didn't want to date me, then why did she ask me for feedback on an economics paper?

by Larry Summers

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 14d
I mean, is it even political “analysis” if it isn’t horse race analysis?

Reposted by Pierre Martin, Daniel W. Drezner, Stacy D. VanDeveer , and 2 more

jasonkander.bsky.social
Jason Kander @jasonkander.bsky.social · 18d
Best case: The President of the United States knew about a pedophilia ring and did nothing to stop it.

Medium case: He also used his office to protect the perpetrators.

Worst case: Because he was one of the perpetrators.

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 19d
Northern lights down south in Alabama.

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 19d
This is like insisting your team would have won the game if it had tried a 99-yard FG. You can insist all day long that it would have worked, but it doesn't change the fact that it can't happen save in some fantasy.

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 19d
There is absolutely no way to force the GOP to restore the subsidies. I am not saying that it is an unworthy goal, but the reality is that a minority party cannot force the majority in the Senate and House (not to mention the President) to pass and sign legislation they oppose.

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 19d
More on why it was always going to end this way, and an ongoing reminder about how American parties work.

Nonhierarchical Parties in Action – Outside the Beltway outsidethebeltway.com/nonhierarchi...

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 20d
Serious question: what was the shutdown stopping Trump from doing?

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 20d
I honestly think the Ds would have done well regardless, but I am open to the argument it helped with margins in VA. Still, that moment is over and so that has little to do with the vote to reopen now.

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 20d
Shutdowns don't work to force majorities to make real concessions.

It Was Always Going to End This Way – Outside the Beltway outsidethebeltway.com/it-was-alway...
It Was Always Going to End This Way – Outside the Beltway
It all starts with this: I do not believe that there is any real chance for the Democrats to get what they want on healthcare. This is not a moment in which, this time, finally, the hostage-taking minority party is going to get what it wants.
outsidethebeltway.com

Reposted by Steven S. Taylor

mattgrossmann.bsky.social
Matt Grossmann @mattgrossmann.bsky.social · 21d
The PR was fine. The polling was good. The ask was targeted. And it still didn't matter. You can't win real concessions so the question is whether the base likes a long fight with little to show for it or if it just angers them more because you caved in the end.
mattgrossmann.bsky.social Matt Grossmann @mattgrossmann.bsky.social · Sep 7
Shutting down is the easy part, starting up on your terms very hard. Maybe a lost shutdown fight would bring catharsis, but last time (DACA in 2018) it angered base & public because it was fruitless. Ask would need to be something Rep lawmakers want, not stop all Trump is doing

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 21d
This largely fits my initial assessment as well.
guygrossman.bsky.social Guy Grossman @guygrossman.bsky.social · 21d
I will probably get excommunicated from Bsky for saying that, but I can see a case for ending the shutdown now.

- Millions of civil servants did not get a salary for over a month, and millions are losing SNAP going into the holiday season.

- But, just as important...

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 21d
How is the minority party going to force the majority into that outcome?

sltaylor.bsky.social
Steven L. Taylor @sltaylor.bsky.social · 21d
But I don’t think the Democrats in the Senate have made any case that they see it as a fight over the regime (nor do I think they see it that way). Again: I wanted them to do so, but they didn’t so I don’t see how this can be assessed as a fight over the regime.