Jonathan Ladd
@jonathanmladd.com
I'm a political scientist in @mccourtschool.bsky.social. I study trust in institutions and media effects on the public.
Web page: https://www.jonathanmladd.com/
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=J6tt69QAAAAJ&hl
Apologies for typos.
Web page: https://www.jonathanmladd.com/
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=J6tt69QAAAAJ&hl
Apologies for typos.
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
One under-appreciated part of this: note the bit below about “and their dependents.”
Under the Trump admin’s new policy, dependent children of visa applicants are not allowed to have their social media set to private during the entire visa process. They MUST make their social media public.
Under the Trump admin’s new policy, dependent children of visa applicants are not allowed to have their social media set to private during the entire visa process. They MUST make their social media public.
December 12, 2025 at 1:04 AM
One under-appreciated part of this: note the bit below about “and their dependents.”
Under the Trump admin’s new policy, dependent children of visa applicants are not allowed to have their social media set to private during the entire visa process. They MUST make their social media public.
Under the Trump admin’s new policy, dependent children of visa applicants are not allowed to have their social media set to private during the entire visa process. They MUST make their social media public.
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
Many Christians and many non-Christians believe that Christmas trees began as a pagan tradition that Christianity later adopted. But it's not true. This practice dates to 15th century France and Germany. Myth debunker @Dan McClellan explains. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW5v...
Christmas trees are not pagan
YouTube video by Dan McClellan
www.youtube.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Many Christians and many non-Christians believe that Christmas trees began as a pagan tradition that Christianity later adopted. But it's not true. This practice dates to 15th century France and Germany. Myth debunker @Dan McClellan explains. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW5v...
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
December 11, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
Short thread. Can't emphasize this point enough. This plus the worldwide context (that most incumbent parties did even worse. Also my guess is always that the swing to GOP and other out-parties was part economy and part/most post-pandemic general unhappiness, not just economy).
It's inconvenient for people interested in Dem factional fights, or Obama 2012 veterans trying to get consulting work. But we have known since several days after the election that Trump gained fewer votes from 2020-2024 in swing states that were exposed to campaign messages than in other states. /1
December 11, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Short thread. Can't emphasize this point enough. This plus the worldwide context (that most incumbent parties did even worse. Also my guess is always that the swing to GOP and other out-parties was part economy and part/most post-pandemic general unhappiness, not just economy).
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
One of the most blatantly authoritarian threats in a Trump term full of them
December 11, 2025 at 4:51 PM
One of the most blatantly authoritarian threats in a Trump term full of them
It's inconvenient for people interested in Dem factional fights, or Obama 2012 veterans trying to get consulting work. But we have known since several days after the election that Trump gained fewer votes from 2020-2024 in swing states that were exposed to campaign messages than in other states. /1
December 11, 2025 at 4:21 PM
It's inconvenient for people interested in Dem factional fights, or Obama 2012 veterans trying to get consulting work. But we have known since several days after the election that Trump gained fewer votes from 2020-2024 in swing states that were exposed to campaign messages than in other states. /1
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
GRADE B:
The earth makes a sound as of sighs. To find a form that accommodates the mess, that is the task of the artist now.
The earth makes a sound as of sighs. To find a form that accommodates the mess, that is the task of the artist now.
My Grading Scale for the Fall Semester, Composed Entirely of Samuel Beckett Quotes
A There is a little of everything, apparently, in nature, and freaks are common. Yes, there were times when I forgot not only who I was but that I ...
buff.ly
December 11, 2025 at 2:30 PM
GRADE B:
The earth makes a sound as of sighs. To find a form that accommodates the mess, that is the task of the artist now.
The earth makes a sound as of sighs. To find a form that accommodates the mess, that is the task of the artist now.
There's lots of bad work in every type of human endeavor. And that's true of political science. But there's lots of great work as well.
I'll just note that Keynes famous quote about economic ideas applies to political science ideas frequently.
I'll just note that Keynes famous quote about economic ideas applies to political science ideas frequently.
December 10, 2025 at 8:08 PM
There's lots of bad work in every type of human endeavor. And that's true of political science. But there's lots of great work as well.
I'll just note that Keynes famous quote about economic ideas applies to political science ideas frequently.
I'll just note that Keynes famous quote about economic ideas applies to political science ideas frequently.
Many Christians and many non-Christians believe that Christmas trees began as a pagan tradition that Christianity later adopted. But it's not true. This practice dates to 15th century France and Germany. Myth debunker @Dan McClellan explains. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW5v...
Christmas trees are not pagan
YouTube video by Dan McClellan
www.youtube.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Many Christians and many non-Christians believe that Christmas trees began as a pagan tradition that Christianity later adopted. But it's not true. This practice dates to 15th century France and Germany. Myth debunker @Dan McClellan explains. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW5v...
Individual political candidates, even up to presidential campaigns if you only include the official campaign organization, can engage in message discipline. But an entire broad party coalition in a two-party system cannot engage in message discipline in any meaningful way. How could that even work?
December 10, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Individual political candidates, even up to presidential campaigns if you only include the official campaign organization, can engage in message discipline. But an entire broad party coalition in a two-party system cannot engage in message discipline in any meaningful way. How could that even work?
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
December 10, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
There is lots of bad political science. There is lots of bad strategy by practitioners. There are also lots of smart, serious, careful people who do all these things. So there is probably not a simple trick out there that would be easy to execute that would lead your preferred party to win forever.
November 18, 2025 at 3:25 PM
There is lots of bad political science. There is lots of bad strategy by practitioners. There are also lots of smart, serious, careful people who do all these things. So there is probably not a simple trick out there that would be easy to execute that would lead your preferred party to win forever.
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
If you relatively recently started studying politics and think you have discovered a simple trick to generate a perpetual majority party and then win elections forever, and a large portion of the world is just too stupid to see it, I would ask you to consider that you might be overconfident.
November 18, 2025 at 2:45 PM
If you relatively recently started studying politics and think you have discovered a simple trick to generate a perpetual majority party and then win elections forever, and a large portion of the world is just too stupid to see it, I would ask you to consider that you might be overconfident.
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
One reason why any healthy democracy needs at least two relatively healthy political parties where each sometimes wins an election, and neither destroys the democratic system when it does, is that winning elections is hard.
The idea that everyone who ever lost an election is stupid is not correct.
The idea that everyone who ever lost an election is stupid is not correct.
November 18, 2025 at 2:43 PM
One reason why any healthy democracy needs at least two relatively healthy political parties where each sometimes wins an election, and neither destroys the democratic system when it does, is that winning elections is hard.
The idea that everyone who ever lost an election is stupid is not correct.
The idea that everyone who ever lost an election is stupid is not correct.
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
7 months ago, some of us argued that young people are highly responsive to the "nature of the times" (Campbell et al 1960) because they are relatively less politically engaged. Thus, their pro-Republican movement in 2024 was likely not a stable generational difference. It looks like we were right.
December 8, 2025 at 7:20 PM
7 months ago, some of us argued that young people are highly responsive to the "nature of the times" (Campbell et al 1960) because they are relatively less politically engaged. Thus, their pro-Republican movement in 2024 was likely not a stable generational difference. It looks like we were right.
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
🎶 Bulwark Pope doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo 🎶
The cardinals elected a never-Trump Pope.
This guy just doesn't miss
December 10, 2025 at 4:12 PM
🎶 Bulwark Pope doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo 🎶
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
I have 2 concerns about the misuse of political science ideas: 1) The public displays thermostatic tendencies in some wealthy democracies, including the United States since 1950. And I would include the tendency for midterm backlash as a thermostatic pattern as well.
March 3, 2025 at 3:27 PM
I have 2 concerns about the misuse of political science ideas: 1) The public displays thermostatic tendencies in some wealthy democracies, including the United States since 1950. And I would include the tendency for midterm backlash as a thermostatic pattern as well.
The cardinals elected a never-Trump Pope.
December 10, 2025 at 4:08 PM
The cardinals elected a never-Trump Pope.
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
4/ (Of course, this started before the Roberts Court—Congress gave itself the legislative veto as a check; the Court gave us the unconstrained executive in Chadha. See papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... )
The <i>Chadha </i>Presidency
Where is Congress? Why hasn’t it reined in some of the worst abuses of the Trump Administration? This Article argues that a significant part of the answer to th
papers.ssrn.com
December 10, 2025 at 9:47 AM
4/ (Of course, this started before the Roberts Court—Congress gave itself the legislative veto as a check; the Court gave us the unconstrained executive in Chadha. See papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... )
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
3/ Congress gave us independent agencies; the Court is about to give us Kelly and has already given us PCAOB, Seila Law, etc. Congress gave us broad delegations of certain powers; the Court gave us the major questions doctrine.
December 10, 2025 at 9:46 AM
3/ Congress gave us independent agencies; the Court is about to give us Kelly and has already given us PCAOB, Seila Law, etc. Congress gave us broad delegations of certain powers; the Court gave us the major questions doctrine.
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
2/ First, when Congress has legislated in response to national problems, the Roberts Court has repeatedly either struck it down or interpreted it into a nullity. Congress gave us the Voting Rights Act and its reauthorizations; the Court gave us Shelby County, Brnovich, etc.
December 10, 2025 at 9:45 AM
2/ First, when Congress has legislated in response to national problems, the Roberts Court has repeatedly either struck it down or interpreted it into a nullity. Congress gave us the Voting Rights Act and its reauthorizations; the Court gave us Shelby County, Brnovich, etc.
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
Churches are a key part of the Undocumented Underground that is confronting ICE.
One volunteer told me: "The Christian right, the Christian nationalists, they tend to focus on, like, the Old Testament or Paul. They skip right through the Gospels and Jesus." talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/insi...
One volunteer told me: "The Christian right, the Christian nationalists, they tend to focus on, like, the Old Testament or Paul. They skip right through the Gospels and Jesus." talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/insi...
Inside the Secret Network Offering Sanctuary to Immigrants Amid Trump’s ICE Onslaught
They call them the “forgotten migrants.” Of the approximately 11 million undocumented...
talkingpointsmemo.com
December 9, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Churches are a key part of the Undocumented Underground that is confronting ICE.
One volunteer told me: "The Christian right, the Christian nationalists, they tend to focus on, like, the Old Testament or Paul. They skip right through the Gospels and Jesus." talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/insi...
One volunteer told me: "The Christian right, the Christian nationalists, they tend to focus on, like, the Old Testament or Paul. They skip right through the Gospels and Jesus." talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/insi...
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
Some of the same churches that are part of the Undocumented Underground in New York played key roles in the fight against slavery.
They are springing back into action to defend migrants.
talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/insi...
They are springing back into action to defend migrants.
talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/insi...
Inside the Secret Network Offering Sanctuary to Immigrants Amid Trump’s ICE Onslaught
They call them the “forgotten migrants.” Of the approximately 11 million undocumented...
talkingpointsmemo.com
December 9, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Some of the same churches that are part of the Undocumented Underground in New York played key roles in the fight against slavery.
They are springing back into action to defend migrants.
talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/insi...
They are springing back into action to defend migrants.
talkingpointsmemo.com/feature/insi...
At base, the issue with Humphrey's Executor is the same issue as with impoundment: Is the federal government required to follow federal law, as described in the Federalist Papers and in Article 2's take care clause? Or is the entire federal lawmaking process merely advisory?
December 9, 2025 at 2:23 PM
At base, the issue with Humphrey's Executor is the same issue as with impoundment: Is the federal government required to follow federal law, as described in the Federalist Papers and in Article 2's take care clause? Or is the entire federal lawmaking process merely advisory?
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
New York City went 12 days without a murder in November / December. That's tied for the longest stretch in history, according to the NYPD. As someone who was here when there were 6+ murders per day in this town, it continues to amaze me how safe the place is.
December 8, 2025 at 2:57 PM
New York City went 12 days without a murder in November / December. That's tied for the longest stretch in history, according to the NYPD. As someone who was here when there were 6+ murders per day in this town, it continues to amaze me how safe the place is.