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Rick Shenkman

@rickshenkman.bsky.social

210 followers 440 following 95 posts

Historian’s can’t predict the future. We can’t even agree on the past. Journalist & historian. Author of POLITICAL ANIMALS: How Our Stone-Age Brain Gets in the Way of Smart Politics (Basic Books).

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Rick Shenkman @rickshenkman.bsky.social · Nov 22

A quarter century ago I wrote and produced a series on TLC—The Learning Channel—called Myth America. These are the links to the 13 half-hour shows. Enjoy!

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Charlotte Clymer @charlotteclymer.bsky.social · 20h

"So, Democrats have three words for this: no fucking way. It's literally life or death. We will not let Republicans blow up our health care system."

This is, hands down, the best comms work Chuck Schumer has done in YEARS. Surprisingly good.

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Joanne Freeman @jbf1755.bsky.social · 1d

They’re liars—and bad at lying.

These photos of “war-ravaged Portland” are from other countries.

Not Portland.

If it weren’t so dangerous, it would be laughable.

Robert Mackey @robertmackey.bsky.social · 1d

The Oregon Republican Party tried to help Donald Trump make the case for military intervention in Portland with an image of a fiery protest — but since Portland is calm, they had to fabricate one by merging old photos of police in Ecuador and protesters in Brazil www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Republicans post fake image of Oregon protest – using photos of South America

A federal judge had blocked Trump’s request to deploy California national guard to Portland

www.theguardian.com

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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 2d

Yeah cool. Pull even more federal agents off counterterrorism, child porn, sex trafficking, drug trafficking, and fraud investigations to do absolutely nothing.

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Joanne Freeman @jbf1755.bsky.social · 6d

This applies to dictatorial regimes as well as chatbots.

Part of what keeps you sane is other people’s perspectives.

Silencing all opposition leads to crazy thoughts and actions.

Including violence.

Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 6d

Memorizing this

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Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 8d

Interesting for Hegseth and Trump railing about “political correctness” after the admin spent two weeks policing what people can and can’t say about Charlie Kirk

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Truthout @truthout.org · 9d

Trump shared a seemingly AI-generated video that included a deep-fake version of himself promoting a nonexistent product related to the broader QAnon conspiracy theory known as “MedBed,” fictional health care technology that supposedly heals the ailments of any individual who lays in it.

Trump Shares AI Deep-Fake Video of Himself Promoting Fictional “MedBed” Product

The “MedBed” conspiracy theory has led to websites seeking to scam people who wrongly believe that the product is real.

truthout.org

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Seth Abramson @sethabramson.bsky.social · 11d

I wonder how many people fully appreciate that Trump just falsely declared the blue state of Oregon to be in a state of Rebellion against the United States so he could deploy active-duty military from the Department of War to kill American citizens

Meanwhile, he *pardoned* the January 6 terrorists

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Angry @angrystaffer.bsky.social · 11d

Left: we want the Epstein files

Right: we also want the Epstein files

Trump: best I can do for you is the Amelia Earhart files

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Larry Glickman @larryglickman.bsky.social · 13d

Ezra Klein conducted a good interview with Corey Robin, about which I have some thoughts. The first is that Ezra's opening claim that the Reichstag fire analogy is "wrong" suggests a zero sum view that does not do justice to how most historians think about analogy.

In the hours and days after Charlie Kirk’s murder, there was a discussion on social media about whether this would be America’s Reichstag fire — a reference to the fire that was a rationale for Hitler’s crackdown on political freedom in Germany.

Many of us were worried hearing that, and I think what we’ve seen since suggests the fears were right. But the analogy was wrong. We should have been looking closer to home. This isn’t a Reichstag fire. This is more like the Red Scare.

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Rick Shenkman @rickshenkman.bsky.social · 17d

Yes let’s lower the flag for this person.

Schooley @schooley.bsky.social · 17d

The thing that's most striking about this is, in terms of podcasting, there's so many more doing pretty much the same thing. They're all children of Rush. I kind of wonder how many of the college kids he recruited even watched the podcasts and how many just liked being in that club of contrarians.

Jane @localnotail.bsky.social · 18d

Charlie Kirk Sept 27 2024: "Just so we're clear, the Haitians that are in Huntsville that are raping your women and hunting you down at night - it's only gonna get worse - unless Donald Trump wins
There will be hundreds of thousands of Haitians brought into Alabama and they will become your masters"

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Khashoggi's Ghost @urocklive1.bsky.social · 18d

Oh ffs.🙄

As far as I'm concerned this was a success. A prosecutor refused to indict because there wasn't any evidence. That is not a failure, it's the way it's supposed to happen.

Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 18d

“Failed”? Really?
The New York Times has a serious headline problem.

U.S. Attorney Who Failed to Charge President’s Foes Quits After uTrump’s Threat

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Just Jack @just-jack-1.bsky.social · 19d

You cannot celebrate Charlie Kirk as a advocate of free speech as well as Trump using the FCC to silence his critics.

Pick a lane, stupids.

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Jon Cryer @mrjoncryer.bsky.social · 19d

Wouldn’t it be wild if Kimmel ended up becoming our Zelenskyy

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DevinCow @devincow.bsky.social · 19d

youtu.be/ATxL1dLkPnY

The Word: Shhhhhh!

YouTube video by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

youtu.be

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Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 20d

I hate the New York Times’ use of the word “success“ in this headline. It’s not a sports contest. His “success” is our country’s disaster.

Kimmel suspension shows Trump’s success at bringing media to heel

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 20d

We've only moved deeper into the pattern of excusing polite racism, so I'll just repost this piece from the weekend:

campaign-trails.ghost.io/the-white-ci...

The White Civility Council

As the nation reckons with the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, there has been a notable trend from mainstream pundits and press outlets. They have tended to downplay or outright i...

campaign-trails.ghost.io

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Rachel Bitecofer @rachelbitecofer.bsky.social · 23d

🧵Fear Factory
Turning Point isn't a Debate Organization, its a Conflict Machine

Charlie Kirk didn’t invent conflict entrepreneurship, but he sure helped to perfect it. open.substack.com/pub/thecycle...

Fear Factory

Turning Point isn't a Debate Organization, its a Conflict Machine

open.substack.com

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Adam Parkhomenko @adamparkhomenko.bsky.social · 24d

I recommend everyone watches this

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Rick Shenkman @rickshenkman.bsky.social · 25d

Really?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 25d

Brian Kilmeade endorses euthanizing homeless people: "Involuntary lethal injection, or something. Just kill them."

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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 26d

When Nancy Mace thought the killer was trans, she wanted them dead. Now that she knows the killer is white, straight, and a Trump supporter, she just wants harmless prayers.

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Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 26d

It’s a deliberate information warfare strategy. There is a first mover advantage to putting out a narrative. Media is afraid to contest bc if that narrative is correct, they will be accused of bias. If IT’s wrong, they shift blame anyway (“leftist professors”). No accountability, win-win for MAGA

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Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 29d

The authorization of racial profiling from the Supreme Court.

Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 29d

The conservative majority simply blocks off reality to justify its ends. Today’s decision is as chilling as it gets.
open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...

SCOTUS, ICE Raids & The Matter of Facts

There is a lot one can say about today’s Supreme Court order lifting the stay issued by a federal district court in Noem v Vasquez Perdomo,[i]. This is the case that challenges the constitutionality o...

open.substack.com

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🎃🪦 BLOODSUGARSETHMASKET 🪦🎃 @smotus.bsky.social · Sep 6

I'm taking a required course on how to responsibly perform federally-funded research and it feels like taking a bootlegging course right after the 21st amendment was ratified

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Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · Sep 5

I wonder what percentage of Fox viewers know that Fox paid $787.5 million for spreading lies about the 2020 election. I'll bet it's a low number. They don't know because they watch Fox.

Fox News thrives two years after court settlement, but 2020 election coverage fight goes on

Fox News seemed to be dealt a crippling blow in a $787 million settlement of a libel lawsuit more than two years ago, but has instead thrived.

apnews.com

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Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · Sep 5

Trump isn’t coming to the rescue…

📌 Hundreds of Arkansas farmers are begging the federal government for emergency aid as their farm economy collapses. They’re on the edge of bankruptcy.

Watch until the end. Wow!

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