Chris Sardo
@mcsardo.bsky.social
Recovering political theorist, current history/government teacher, long-suffering Sabres fan.
Politics, pedagogy, music, Sabres, and other sad things. He/his.
Politics, pedagogy, music, Sabres, and other sad things. He/his.
Pinned
Chris Sardo
@mcsardo.bsky.social
· Nov 17
Hi there, I used to be a political theorist who worked on questions of political responsibility in both the history of political thought (esp Kant, Nietzsche, and Arendt) and contemporary questions (especially climate change and global justice). Now I teach high school history and government.
You'll be visited by three spirits.
The three spirits
The three spirits
November 26, 2025 at 12:12 AM
You'll be visited by three spirits.
The three spirits
The three spirits
Reposted by Chris Sardo
With every passing day, America needs a bigger third reconstruction.
November 21, 2025 at 1:51 PM
With every passing day, America needs a bigger third reconstruction.
The utter erosion of public institutions and the destruction of all trust in them is going to have such long-lasting and far reaching consequences that it makes me genuinely fear for the future.
For the first time in my career, I can’t tell people to trust what the CDC website says. And that is an incredibly sad and devastating place for this country to be.
CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”
November 20, 2025 at 5:15 AM
The utter erosion of public institutions and the destruction of all trust in them is going to have such long-lasting and far reaching consequences that it makes me genuinely fear for the future.
You cannot make me care about Nuzzi.
November 18, 2025 at 4:57 PM
You cannot make me care about Nuzzi.
My biggest takeaway from all the Epstein emails is that having that much wealth really does corrupt your soul.
November 15, 2025 at 10:19 PM
My biggest takeaway from all the Epstein emails is that having that much wealth really does corrupt your soul.
So, I've been giving the Lincoln-Douglas debates an actual close read (not just the highlights that get excerpted in a course reader), and wow Douglas says some wild stuff in there.
November 15, 2025 at 4:42 AM
So, I've been giving the Lincoln-Douglas debates an actual close read (not just the highlights that get excerpted in a course reader), and wow Douglas says some wild stuff in there.
Odysseus 's Taxi Service. We'll get you where you're going...eventually.
Theseus' Marina and Repairs. We can replace *everything*
Pandora’s home organizer. Hire us and all your boxes will be emptied.
November 14, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Odysseus 's Taxi Service. We'll get you where you're going...eventually.
Reposted by Chris Sardo
One’s identity as a consumer organizes one’s politics in part because the thicker social structures that once performed that role — unions, fraternal orgs, churches, etc. — have mostly faded away.
October 23, 2025 at 8:21 PM
One’s identity as a consumer organizes one’s politics in part because the thicker social structures that once performed that role — unions, fraternal orgs, churches, etc. — have mostly faded away.
so there's lots of garbage and racist stuff in this, but my follow up question:
This language implies that every citizen has a "right" to own a house. Would you support legislation that would make that right a reality?
This language implies that every citizen has a "right" to own a house. Would you support legislation that would make that right a reality?
JD Vance: "A lot of young people are saying housing is way too expensive. Why is that? Because we flooded the country with 30 million illegal immigrants who were taking houses that ought by right go to American citizens."
November 13, 2025 at 10:37 PM
so there's lots of garbage and racist stuff in this, but my follow up question:
This language implies that every citizen has a "right" to own a house. Would you support legislation that would make that right a reality?
This language implies that every citizen has a "right" to own a house. Would you support legislation that would make that right a reality?
Reposted by Chris Sardo
Not to diminish law review articles & law school committee work, but right now law professors should be working collectively on an intellectual & service project of immense, existential importance: building consensus around a revolutionary constitutional framework-of a Reconstruction 2.0 magnitude.
October 22, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Not to diminish law review articles & law school committee work, but right now law professors should be working collectively on an intellectual & service project of immense, existential importance: building consensus around a revolutionary constitutional framework-of a Reconstruction 2.0 magnitude.
abolish states
the thing about this is that a) small states do not have any interests that are inherent to their size (no less than james madison understood this) b) the senate is organized along party lines which makes the small/big distinction almost irrelevant and c) the filibuster has never been used this way
Underrated aspect of killing the filibuster is making pundit hacks at Cook Political p-p-p-piss their pants
November 8, 2025 at 10:28 PM
abolish states
One of the coolest things I've ever seen - @clppng.bsky.social used a bunch of tiny robots and everyday junk and trash to create the backing tracks live for a tiny desk concert. I'm seeing them in February, I wonder if the robots will be hitting the road?
clipping.: Tiny Desk Concert
YouTube video by NPR Music
www.youtube.com
November 8, 2025 at 10:24 PM
One of the coolest things I've ever seen - @clppng.bsky.social used a bunch of tiny robots and everyday junk and trash to create the backing tracks live for a tiny desk concert. I'm seeing them in February, I wonder if the robots will be hitting the road?
As usual, @stevevladeck.bsky.social does a good job parsing out the moving parts to explain Jacksons administrative stay this evening.
190. SNAP WTF?
A very quick explainer on what (and why) Justice Jackson issued an "administrative stay" in the SNAP case late on Friday night, and on what's likely to happen next
open.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:29 AM
As usual, @stevevladeck.bsky.social does a good job parsing out the moving parts to explain Jacksons administrative stay this evening.
So I'm glad that Gorsuch is worried about the "continual accretion" of executive power, but...come on. After Trump v. Hawaii, Trump v. US, Trump v. CASA and all of the shadow docket rulings that allowed the President to circumvent the spending clause of Article I,...
November 6, 2025 at 4:43 AM
So I'm glad that Gorsuch is worried about the "continual accretion" of executive power, but...come on. After Trump v. Hawaii, Trump v. US, Trump v. CASA and all of the shadow docket rulings that allowed the President to circumvent the spending clause of Article I,...
A clear demonstration of the power of framing. If you only saw this headline you probably would have a knee jerk aversion to Prop 50. Context matters. In a world where we know people aren't clicking past the notification we need to find ways to contextualize better.
November 4, 2025 at 9:38 PM
A clear demonstration of the power of framing. If you only saw this headline you probably would have a knee jerk aversion to Prop 50. Context matters. In a world where we know people aren't clicking past the notification we need to find ways to contextualize better.
I'm fairly convinced by the argument (made by KYE and others) that the buffoonishness of Trump's public appearances has greased the wheels of authoritarianism because it's hard to admit to ourselves or convince others that this person's administration is steamrolling over the republic.
Really worth reading the entire 60 minutes interview transcript but admit this part got me laughing out loud.
November 4, 2025 at 5:16 AM
I'm fairly convinced by the argument (made by KYE and others) that the buffoonishness of Trump's public appearances has greased the wheels of authoritarianism because it's hard to admit to ourselves or convince others that this person's administration is steamrolling over the republic.
Big Buckley Energy
Ben Shapiro is outright trying to kick Tucker Carlson out of the conservative movement in this video. The right's civil war is truly here www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaRJ...
Tucker Carlson Sabotages America
YouTube video by Ben Shapiro
www.youtube.com
November 3, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Big Buckley Energy
This post from @benjaminjriley.bsky.social was lab grown to appeal to my interests: the dangers of AI for democratic self-government, the value of in person face to face dialogue in schools for democratic subject formation, and the danger that young men will just further retreat into AI sex paradise
Sexbots, students, and schools
AI is warping our understanding of what public education is for
open.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 4:32 PM
This post from @benjaminjriley.bsky.social was lab grown to appeal to my interests: the dangers of AI for democratic self-government, the value of in person face to face dialogue in schools for democratic subject formation, and the danger that young men will just further retreat into AI sex paradise
Reposted by Chris Sardo
Game 7 of the 2016 World Series broke the space-time continuum.
Maybe this game 7 is resetting it.
Maybe this game 7 is resetting it.
November 2, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Game 7 of the 2016 World Series broke the space-time continuum.
Maybe this game 7 is resetting it.
Maybe this game 7 is resetting it.
It's time for a Grand Remonstrance!
This is the kind of blatant abuse of fiscal discretion that Charles I used during Personal Rule, when he tried to govern England as an absolute monarch without ever having to call parliament again.
IOW, it's king shit & represents the most dangerous possible breach of the constitutional order
IOW, it's king shit & represents the most dangerous possible breach of the constitutional order
The White House says it’s going to use procurement dollars to illegally pay the troops for rather than do it the legal way of enacting a military pay bill.
You cannot w/ a straight face tell me using procurement dollars to pay the military adheres to the purpose statute and the Antideficiency Act.
You cannot w/ a straight face tell me using procurement dollars to pay the military adheres to the purpose statute and the Antideficiency Act.
October 29, 2025 at 11:02 PM
It's time for a Grand Remonstrance!
But don't worry, it's the intolerant Left that needs to think more about how they can unite the country and engage with people who disagree with rather than isolating themselves.
Vance says it is "totally reasonable and acceptable" for people to not want to live next door to people who speak a different language than they do
October 29, 2025 at 9:09 PM
But don't worry, it's the intolerant Left that needs to think more about how they can unite the country and engage with people who disagree with rather than isolating themselves.
Teaching about the value of an independent bureaucracy is a challenge because the ideas of "unelected bureaucrats" is persuasive within their folk political psychology - even for high school students.
October 28, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Teaching about the value of an independent bureaucracy is a challenge because the ideas of "unelected bureaucrats" is persuasive within their folk political psychology - even for high school students.
I tried to give up on this game and go to bed, but my wife keeps texting me the play by play from downstairs...
October 28, 2025 at 5:38 AM
I tried to give up on this game and go to bed, but my wife keeps texting me the play by play from downstairs...
Is this the MLB's plan to re-open the government? Keep this game going until the shutdown ends?
October 28, 2025 at 5:22 AM
Is this the MLB's plan to re-open the government? Keep this game going until the shutdown ends?
Imagine teaching US history and government to high schoolers.
Yeah, this is what I wrestle with -- a college freshman today was only nine when Trump first ran for president. They've grown up with him as a baseline, not an aberration.
It's odd for me to realize that my first-year undergraduates are at an age where they don't really remember that there was a form of US politics prior to Donald Trump. For them, Trump is not an aberration from the normal course of political discourse, but just how US politics is done.
October 26, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Imagine teaching US history and government to high schoolers.