There are exactly two moods when running a race:

The most unrealistic part of this book/movie is that an American would bother to learn another language.

Reciprocal political socialization within contemporary American families: Evidence from two randomized experiments April 23-26, 2026 | #MPSA2026 In Event: Speech and Political Expression Sun, April 26, 8 to 9:30 CDT Roberto F. Carlos et al University of Michigan Center for Political Studies

Children can influence their parents’ politics, especially on new issues. In diverse, tech-connected families, parents are receptive to political cues from their children, particularly on emerging topics like AI regulation. Don't miss @robertocarlos.bsky.social et al at #MPSA2026.

Do the clothes make the candidate? In my paper with Steven Perry, we find candidates who dress more formally were perceived as more politically sophisticated, & indirectly had increased support. The text complexity of candidate messages had no effect.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Today in class I was discussing a Supreme Court case and kept accidentally referring to Justice Frankfurter and Justice “Frank-n-furter”. I am both relieved and dismayed that all of the students appeared to be too young to understand why this was an unfortunate mistake to make.

FWIW - over a week later and no one at the college or university level has so much as reached out to faculty about whether course reviews even happened

This still from their 2020 “Avengers” ad takes on a whole new meaning today

I now have a week's worth of material that apparently I can't teach. Other faculty are in worse positions.
This process has been an exercise in humiliation, condescension, betrayal, and disdain towards faculty at the college, university, and system level. Wasting hours of faculty time for nothing.

Texas Tech regents take no public action on teaching race, gender Some professors are waiting for a final decision on acceptable instruction under a review policy created by the system’s new chancellor.

The disrespect that Texas Tech, as an institution, has shown towards its faculty is unconscionable. I, and many other faculty, spent hours carefully writing justifications for carefully thought out syllabi for review. The Board of Regents couldn't be bothered.
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/26/t...

It is out! We find that linked fate (or lack thereof) helps explain 2024 Trump support in young Latinos. @mattlamb.bsky.social @landgravephd.bsky.social spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

In a new paper with @melissabaker.bsky.social and @landgravephd.bsky.social , we find that amongst young Latino college students, linked fate (or lack thereof) predicted vote choice in 2024. Generational status and language predicted higher linked fate:
spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

I've had a bad flu/head cold the past week. I'm mostly fine now, but for the past two days I've sounded like actor Bob Einstein and it kind of makes me disappointed that this wasn't timed so that I could attempt to give my presentation at SPSA next week fully in character as Marty Funkhouser

Lukewarm take: coffee shops are generally noisy, uncomfortable, and terrible places to try to get work done. I don't know why anyone pretends otherwise.

I don’t exactly how I’m supposed to teach a course entitled “Minorities in U.S. Politics” when I don’t know if I’ll be allowed to acknowledge the existence of certain minorities until mid-February at the earliest.

Psycho is a Christmas movie

My favorite factoid about Houston is that though the suburbs are currently impossible to live in without cars, in the 1940s and 1950s the suburban areas were serviced by a sophisticated network of electric interurban rail cars, like this one in my home town of Baytown, TX

If you’re a grandparent of a student, please be careful. We are about to enter the most dangerous time of the year for you.

Moving forward, I honestly don’t know why any professor would try to teach anyone anything ever.

Very few shows portray academia/professors correctly, but season two of “Man On the Inside” pretty much nails it.

When you are unable or unwilling to argue a position on the merits, you say it’s just common sense.

a poster for son of a griffin shows a young man sitting in a chair ALT: a poster for son of a griffin shows a young man sitting in a chair

Me to students: affordability is likely to become a bigger political issue with the holiday shopping season coming up. What's the hot gift item this year?

Students: hmmm, probably Labubus!

Me: What are those?

Students: well, um....

Me: Does it have something to do with "skibidi"?

Students:

You have to be 25 to rent a car. That seems like a reasonable age given how the typical undergrad drives.

Why do we not have an Armando Iannucci style farce about the 1876 election?

The weird thing about conservatives in higher ed is that they’ll often argue that gender and ethnic studies don’t teach the technical skills needed prepare students for the workforce yet conservative donors will insist on things like offering a BA in Free Thinking or a Certificate in Western Thought

But his emails.

“What you are, we once were. What we are, you one day will be”

"So, wait. Victor, you created a living being from dead tissue, capable of intelligent & complex thought, speech, emotion & had it been nourished & educated since creation, it could have been a perfectly fine, if not productive, member of society?"

"yeah, but it was ugly so..."

#scumbagvictor