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Ambition motivates Gavin Newsom. According to the Founders, that’s actually good.

Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · Aug 29

Dr. Smith helps to put Gavin Newsom's recent political surge and strategy into historical perspective at this latest MoF post. The Founders designed the system to leverage politicians' ambitions to serve as a check on power.

Jacob Smith @jacobfhsmith.bsky.social · Aug 27

I have a @misofact.bsky.social guest post today on Gavin Newsom, the Founders, and political ambition. open.substack.com/pub/misofact...

The US system was designed to keep power in check by pitting the politically ambitious against one another.

two dogs , one black and one white , are sitting next to each other in the grass .

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Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · Aug 26

ALT: two dogs , one black and one white , are sitting next to each other in the grass .

media.tenor.com

Democrats and Republicans Disagree about What Makes a Winner

Reposted by Mischiefs of Faction

Jennifer N. Victor @jenvictor.bsky.social · Aug 26

Turns out it's not really true that Democrats want to fall in love (with their candidates) while Republicans fall in line. Great post at @misofact.bsky.social by @bcburden.bsky.social using cool data he, et al collected by talking to party convention delegates.
misofact.substack.com/p/democrats-...

Democrats tend to think Republicans win when they moderate their position; Republicans tend to think they win when they turn out the base. Both are driving forces.

Democrats and Republicans Disagree about What Makes a Winner

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Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · Aug 26

Thank you for this great contribution. Is it surprising that Republicans have more uniformity in their beliefs about what works for both parties, while Dems are more heterogeneous?

Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · Aug 26

Do parties do better when they moderate to appeal to the median voter, or stick to principles? @bcburden.bsky.social shows that Republicans believe they do better sticking to principles but think Dems do better by moderating. Dems have an entirely different POV. misofact.substack.com/p/democrats-...

Democrats tend to think Republicans win when they moderate their position; Republicans tend to think they win when they turn out the base. Both are driving forces.

Some impressions of domestic politics after taking a hiatus from the news.

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Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · Aug 19

Matthew Green took a two-week break from the news. His thoughts on what happened in U.S. politics during that period: misofact.substack.com/p/two-weeks-...

Two weeks in August

Scandals and Wedge Issues

Reposted by Mischiefs of Faction

Opinion Today @opiniontoday.bsky.social · Jul 30

Scandals and Wedge Issues: Why the Epstein affair has been an ideal topic for Democrats to exploit.
(@mattngreen.bsky.social @misofact.bsky.social)
misofact.substack.com/p/scandals-a...

Why the Epstein affair has been an ideal topic for Democrats to exploit.

Authoritarians are attacking universities. Here's how it's going at one public school.

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Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · Jul 31

To document and make sense of the executive overreach at her university, @jenvictor.bsky.social provides a timeline of key events. Transparency is the best disinfectant.
misofact.substack.com/p/authoritar...

I'm publicly documenting an event timeline to help bring order to the chaotic nature of events and help other schools plan the responses they are likely going to need.

Scandals and Wedge Issues

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Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · Jul 29

Wedge issue + scandal = a politically fruitful topic for the minority party. An analysis of the Epstein papers affair by @mattngreen.bsky.social. misofact.substack.com/p/scandals-a...

Why the Epstein affair has been an ideal topic for Democrats to exploit.

Partisan polarization destroys democracies. Here's how.

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Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · Jul 21

What happens when societies polarize by partisanship? First the norm of mutual tolerance erodes, then institutional forbearance. The US case is textbook under Trump 2.0, explains @jenvictor.bsky.social

open.substack.com/pub/misofact...

As polarization grows, partisans struggle to respect one another, then fail to show self-restraint. Loss of these norms erodes the institutions that create free societies.

Will the “One, Big Beautiful Bill” hurt Republicans in 2026?

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Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · Jul 16

@mattngreen.bsky.social reviews what political science literature, and his own recent research, suggests will be the electoral consequences -- if any -- of voting for the One Big Beautiful Bill. misofact.substack.com/p/will-the-o...

What political science tells us.

The big GOP reconciliation bill is now law. Did Trump browbeat Congress into passing it?

Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · Jul 11

@mattngreen.bsky.social argues that Trump didn't bully Congress into passing last week's reconciliation bill, nor was he the only person who helped get it enacted. misofact.substack.com/p/the-big-go...

The president helped get the bill across the finish line, but so did others – and Trump used tactics with lawmakers that are typical for presidents.

Why do populist governments pass unpopular policies?

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Reposted by Mischiefs of Faction

Jennifer N. Victor @jenvictor.bsky.social · Jul 10

In my latest at @misofact.bsky.social I draw on political science findings to explain why Trump’s populist government passed a deeply unpopular and regressive set of policies. open.substack.com/pub/misofact...

Populists don't stay in power by being popular—they stay in power by keeping people mad.

Why do populist governments pass unpopular policies?

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Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · Jul 10

New at Mischiefs of Faction, @jenvictor.bsky.social explains why populist governments sometimes pass very unpopular policies.
Read.
Share.
Subscribe.
open.substack.com/pub/misofact...

Populists don't stay in power by being popular—they stay in power by keeping people mad.

Do Voters Support the “One Big Beautiful Bill”? And Does it Matter?

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Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · Jun 17

@mattngreen.bsky.social asks, do voters support the GOP's "One Big Beautiful Bill"? And if not, does it matter? open.substack.com/pub/misofact...

Lawmakers respond to many inputs. The public’s preferences are just one of them.

Are Members of Congress Pushing Back against President Trump? Part II

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Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · Jun 10

@mattngreen.bsky.social notes some early signs of resistance to Trump from congressional Republicans. misofact.substack.com/p/are-member...

Some (Small) Signs of GOP Resistance

What the giant House spending bill tells us about Republicans’ vision for America

Reposted by Mischiefs of Faction

Jennifer N. Victor @jenvictor.bsky.social · May 30

My latest at @misofact.bsky.social breaks down the audacity of the "Big Beautiful Bill" -- spending more to do less, putting the US on weak financial footing.
open.substack.com/pub/misofact...

Why it’s a bad idea to let the guy who bankrupted casinos run your fiscal house, in four charts.

What the giant House spending bill tells us about Republicans’ vision for America

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Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · May 30

Can the US afford the "Big Beautiful Bill?" @jenvictor.bsky.social breaks it down. [Spoiler: No.]
open.substack.com/pub/misofact...

Why it’s a bad idea to let the guy who bankrupted casinos run your fiscal house, in four charts.

How shrinking the government adds power to the presidency

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Jennifer N. Victor @jenvictor.bsky.social · May 21

Trump’s dramatic, unauthorized cuts to federal government are an executive power grab, I argue at @misofact.bsky.social

open.substack.com/pub/misofact...

Asserting authority to cut government is DOGE's most profound accomplishment to date

How shrinking the government adds power to the presidency

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Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · May 21

“Trump math”—how federal cuts are an expansion of the executive power. @jenvictor.bsky.social explains.

open.substack.com/pub/misofact...

Asserting authority to cut government is DOGE's most profound accomplishment to date

Mischiefs of Faction | Substack

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Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · May 19

Can confirm.

Jennifer N. Victor @jenvictor.bsky.social · May 19

Hi! Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social lives and fills that void. Our first submission form is linked at the bottom of each post.

misofact.substack.com

A political science blog focused on analysis of current events, managed by professors Jennifer N. Victor (George Mason U.) and Matthew N. Green (Catholic U.), editors-in-chief. Our staff list is dynam...

One example of how Trump’s tariffs affect niche industries that Americans value.

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Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · May 15

Playing board games is a fun hobby for many -- one that will be harmed by Trump's protectionist tariffs, as @mattngreen.bsky.social explains. misofact.substack.com/p/tariffs-an...

Tariffs and Board Games

Are Members of Congress Pushing Back against President Trump?

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Mischiefs of Faction @misofact.bsky.social · May 8

@mattngreen.bsky.social discusses some of the ways that congressional Democrats have been pushing back against Trump and the GOP - despite being in the deep minority. misofact.substack.com/p/are-member...

Part I: What Congressional Democrats are doing

The US crisis is political, not constitutional

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Reposted by Mischiefs of Faction

Heath Brown @heathbrown.bsky.social · May 1

Must read this morning from @jenvictor.bsky.social @misofact.bsky.social “US Constitution is imperfect, but it has clear instructions for resolving the current crisis.” misofact.substack.com/p/the-us-cri...

The Constitution provides instructions for how to resolve the crises generated by executive overreach, but partisanship thwarts the remedy.