Simon Birenbaum
@simonbirenbaum.bsky.social
One way out....climb.
Really in store for an unexpected year here.
January 1, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Really in store for an unexpected year here.
Gave a little head nod of recognition to Fernando Viña outside the St Louis Galleria
Right folks. Feeling rather down at the moment so bringing back an oldie
Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
December 29, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Gave a little head nod of recognition to Fernando Viña outside the St Louis Galleria
Hence the push to strangle the Department of Education and public schooling in general.
If non-fascists want to keep fascists out of power they need to do whatever is humanly possible to address the DoEd statistic that 54% of American adults read below a 6th grade level. You can't maintain a post-industrial democracy with a voter pool this lacking in reading comprehension skills.
December 23, 2025 at 5:54 AM
Hence the push to strangle the Department of Education and public schooling in general.
If you run the government and you conflate anti-fascism with anti-americanism, it really says a lot about what kind of government you're trying to run.
NEW: The FBI has launched "domestic terrorism" investigations into anti-ICE activity across the US. Some cases are under Trump's NSPM-7 order to crackdown on "anti-fascism" and "anti-Americanism."
Docs obtained by @propertyofthepeople.org + shared w/ Guardian include FBI map of cases in 30+ states:
Docs obtained by @propertyofthepeople.org + shared w/ Guardian include FBI map of cases in 30+ states:
Revealed: FBI opened domestic terrorism investigations into anti-ICE activity across US
Internal report shared with Guardian shows FBI has launched cases in 23 regions, some linked to Trump memo on thwarting ‘terroristic activities’
www.theguardian.com
December 20, 2025 at 1:48 PM
If you run the government and you conflate anti-fascism with anti-americanism, it really says a lot about what kind of government you're trying to run.
Plur1bus (2025)
December 18, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Plur1bus (2025)
Purchasing and smoking cigarettes is still legal, but it's been wildly curtailed through a combination of regulation, taxes, PSAs, education, and shame. The same thing is possible with guns! A better world is possible, even with the second amendment (which we should also repeal).
It’s crazy that people used to be able to just smoke cigarettes wherever they wanted
December 15, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Purchasing and smoking cigarettes is still legal, but it's been wildly curtailed through a combination of regulation, taxes, PSAs, education, and shame. The same thing is possible with guns! A better world is possible, even with the second amendment (which we should also repeal).
This, but also, when you make your brand "clever contrarian" you disincentivize agreeing with the data that everyone actually agrees with. It's the wonk equivalent of being Stephen A. Smith. No one puts you on TV for being normal!
Nate Silver is more obvious than most, but all the guys who once styled themselves as "wonks" and "data driven journalists" [the Vox promise] operate on pure vibes now
December 15, 2025 at 2:10 PM
This, but also, when you make your brand "clever contrarian" you disincentivize agreeing with the data that everyone actually agrees with. It's the wonk equivalent of being Stephen A. Smith. No one puts you on TV for being normal!
Just two guys beholden to Saudi money lifting each other up.
Bryson DeChambeau praises Trump for creating “the greatest economy we’ve ever had”
December 14, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Just two guys beholden to Saudi money lifting each other up.
Imagine feeling "targeted" in a country where you set up apartheid.
December 12, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Imagine feeling "targeted" in a country where you set up apartheid.
Brad Lander is a mensch.
I’m running for Congress because we need leaders who will fight, not fold. I recognize this moment, and I’m ready to meet it. #FightDontFold #LanderForNYC #LanderForCongress
December 10, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Brad Lander is a mensch.
Agreed! But The Pitt made the race for first interesting...
ANDOR was my favorite show of the year and frankly FRANKLY it’s not particularly close.
December 10, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Agreed! But The Pitt made the race for first interesting...
There are probably 50 people in America concerned about hitting some sort of "ceiling" and 45 of them are irredeemably fascist. It's insane to devote half of your messaging to trying to placate them. (This complaint is one of many here, of course.)
No value, no villain, no vision. Sounds like the tagline for the earnings call of a collapsing appliance retailer
November 30, 2025 at 8:06 PM
There are probably 50 people in America concerned about hitting some sort of "ceiling" and 45 of them are irredeemably fascist. It's insane to devote half of your messaging to trying to placate them. (This complaint is one of many here, of course.)
@profanity.accountant I doubt the count will be high, I don't post much.
November 29, 2025 at 1:22 PM
@profanity.accountant I doubt the count will be high, I don't post much.
"It's a dead parrot!"
November 28, 2025 at 2:57 PM
"It's a dead parrot!"
"And now that it's an issue that everyone knows and cares about, we will cave completely in full view of the public!"
Durbin said critics of his vote “need to understand how the Senate works”
November 10, 2025 at 1:19 PM
"And now that it's an issue that everyone knows and cares about, we will cave completely in full view of the public!"
Only Senate Democrats see an issue the public is mad at Republicans about and think, "The people might be mad at us like that one day, let's take this off the table, lest the people become fooled later on!"
MSNBC reported Schumer's office felt that the longer that shutdown went on, the more likely it was that people would start to blame the Dems.
My kingdom for Democrats that don't govern out of fear. I've said it before and I'll say it again: The American people are far braver than their reps.
My kingdom for Democrats that don't govern out of fear. I've said it before and I'll say it again: The American people are far braver than their reps.
November 10, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Only Senate Democrats see an issue the public is mad at Republicans about and think, "The people might be mad at us like that one day, let's take this off the table, lest the people become fooled later on!"
Who he voted for doesn't actually matter that much. What matters is that Schumer (and other party leaders) THINK that showing support for Mamdani is a liability. This is wrong on both a strategic and tactical level.
Reporter: Today is election day in New York City. Did you vote for Mamdani or Cuomo?
Schumer: Look, I voted. And I look forward to working with the next mayor to help New York City.
Schumer: Look, I voted. And I look forward to working with the next mayor to help New York City.
November 5, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Who he voted for doesn't actually matter that much. What matters is that Schumer (and other party leaders) THINK that showing support for Mamdani is a liability. This is wrong on both a strategic and tactical level.
"This is Simon"
October 26, 2025 at 11:37 PM
"This is Simon"
This is extremely impeachable and a competent Dem party would say so every day. (And a Rep party that cared about the ideals of America would say so, too, they're not off the hook.)
Trump and Bessent clarify that they will only help out Argentina as long as Milei is in power. Trump adds that the same thing goes with NYC, where the White House will hold up funds if Mamdani wins.
October 14, 2025 at 9:37 PM
This is extremely impeachable and a competent Dem party would say so every day. (And a Rep party that cared about the ideals of America would say so, too, they're not off the hook.)
It just really sucks that the most common use case for AI right now seems to be "make a woman appear to do something without needing her consent."
Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies
Want to See Marilyn Monroe in Game of Thrones? AI Could Make It Soon
Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies
www.scientificamerican.com
October 14, 2025 at 9:33 PM
It just really sucks that the most common use case for AI right now seems to be "make a woman appear to do something without needing her consent."
I have a different take, which is that these groups are being attacked by people who want to keep the current (or restore past) hierarchies. The possibility of self-improvement for marginalized groups brings the possibility of people who "should" be on the bottom inverting existing hierarchies.
You can tell a lot about a society by its folk devils so it's interesting that ours seem to be migrants, trans folks and students: very different groups but the common denominator seems to be... self-improvement? You can kinda see why they would elicit resentment in an aging, sclerotic society...
October 1, 2025 at 11:35 AM
I have a different take, which is that these groups are being attacked by people who want to keep the current (or restore past) hierarchies. The possibility of self-improvement for marginalized groups brings the possibility of people who "should" be on the bottom inverting existing hierarchies.
Reposted by Simon Birenbaum
Do you work for City Schools? Are you passionate about empowering youth and preparing them for their futures? Our students need your guidance and support! We are seeking dedicated district employees to volunteer as mentors in our Future Ready! Mentoring program. http://baltcityschools.org/42ivRSz
September 29, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Do you work for City Schools? Are you passionate about empowering youth and preparing them for their futures? Our students need your guidance and support! We are seeking dedicated district employees to volunteer as mentors in our Future Ready! Mentoring program. http://baltcityschools.org/42ivRSz
Reposted by Simon Birenbaum
My general belief is that Dems need to spend more time thinking about what they believe and less about what they think some imaginary swing voters want them to believe.
Political strategy will stem from an authentic set of beliefs.
Political strategy will stem from an authentic set of beliefs.
This was revealing. Worth reading. The basic demand is that Coates spend less time thinking/writing his true feelings and more time playing political strategist. Klein asks him over and over him to do Dem strategy; he says no, over and over. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/o...
Opinion | Ta-Nehisi Coates on Bridging Gaps vs. Drawing Lines
www.nytimes.com
September 28, 2025 at 5:06 PM
My general belief is that Dems need to spend more time thinking about what they believe and less about what they think some imaginary swing voters want them to believe.
Political strategy will stem from an authentic set of beliefs.
Political strategy will stem from an authentic set of beliefs.
Importantly, a blood libel is false, and the things people are saying about ICE are true.
JD Vance is now using the term "blood libel" to describe criticism of ICE, saying, "The Democrats and the media — because they so hate the idea of a real border — are engaging in a kind of blood libel against ICE agents."
Somewhere, our ancestors wept.
Somewhere, our ancestors wept.
September 27, 2025 at 4:19 AM
Importantly, a blood libel is false, and the things people are saying about ICE are true.