And a third thing is true: Republicans have repeatedly blocked Democrats from passing a nationwide ban on gerrymandering.

Doesn’t the blockade hurt the US/world more and faster than it hurts Iran? Keeps reminding me of Sheriff Bart pointing the gun at himself in Blazing Saddles.

It’s kinda like the scene in Blazing Saddles where Sheriff Bart points his gun at himself.

Some chud who kinda thinks he’s Hunter S. Thompson. Which ain’t DJT.

Great piece. Impossible to have a functioning two-party democracy if one of the parties is actively hostile to democracy. So we need more parties, so we need PR & fusion.

And key point at the end: thermostatic effects are muted in multiparty systems. So important.

Excellent piece.

One way of sharpening the point: It is impossible to have a functioning two-party democracy if one of the parties is actively hostile to democracy.

So we MUST create a multi-party system. PR (& fusion where necessary) is the way to get there.

Fatigue from the midweek game surely played a role. But I don’t mind!

FWIW I think your original post is spot on. I've never been antivax. But when I was a new parent (22yrs ago), I heard some stuff on Pacifica Radio about vaccines/thimerosal/mercury/autism. I later learned it's all bs. But it made me nervous at the time. Our pediatrician explained it very nicely.

Fantastic performance from the lads! I loved it. A point would have been nice (and deserved), but can’t fault the performance. Absolutely brilliant. A joy to watch.

Got it. Thank you. I still haven’t seen it. Based on the descriptions I wrongly assumed it was inadvertent. That and I am always eager to plug no pen for inadvertent handball! Crazy huge punishment for a nothing foul imo.

Wouldn’t be this way if inadvertent handball in the box wasn’t a pen. Change the rule to make it an ifk. Problem solved.

I must be missing something. What primary? I thought Golden announced he wasn’t running, citing threats against his family.

I’m not sure I know what you mean by “the platform must be…” Do you mean Ds must *run on* institutional reform? I’m not sure that’s a winning electoral strategy.

If you mean: Ds must do whatever it takes to win a trifecta & then immediately enact sweeping institutional reform, then I agree 100%.

Really good. Thank you. Some of the points seem similar to things Isabella Weber has been saying for a while.

What do you make of this? He seems to say the reason the Dem brand is toxic in the heartland is Carter appointed Volcker, whose policies killed the heartland’s economy. Is that the most plausible causal story?

I read Ferguson’s Golden Rule years ago but never read Right Turn. Would that help?

Violence in apartheid South Africa was pretty dangerous, & the folks who recorded it were seen as courageous & heroic by everyone except…um…the white racists.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang-Ba...

Is it possible there was one broadcaster who wouldn’t have gotten any Boxing Day games and held out in order to screw everyone else? Presumably all parties have to agree to modify the contract. It’s the only answer I can think of. I too find the situation baffling.

Brighton owner Tony Bloom faces questions over allegations he bet on his own teams Exclusive: Billionaire is claimed to be anonymous figure behind $70m of wins in US legal case. He denies betting on his own teams

FWIW according to the Guardian "Bloom is one of a handful of club owners who was given in 2014 a 'carve-out' to allow him to carry on gambling, but not on any of his own teams or competitions they take part in." But maybe the Guardian is wrong. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Thanks very much.

Got it. So it's uncomfortable because Benham/Bloom can bet on football, just not on teams they own or competitions they're in, but players are prohibited from betting on any football at all. Is that it?

Not trying to be difficult. Just genuinely trying to understand the issue.

What’s the potential scandal or uncomfortable juxtaposition? My understanding is that Bloom is banned from betting on teams he owns & competitions they’re in, and Starlizard is regularly audited. Is the worry that the ban might be easy to evade anyway?

Elon v. Hannah: You Make The Call The text messages started mid-morning on Election Day.

If you know what fusion voting is, and you know they have fusion voting in NYC mayor elections, then you know more than Elon Musk.

centerforballotfreedom.substack.com/p/elon-v-han...

Actually it’s a lot more rigorous than that. When gerrymandering was before SCOTUS in Rucho, statisticians/poli sci scholars proposed various statistical tests for it. One of them was used in HR1. The issue is basically if the map produces way more “wasted votes” for one party than another.

How about this: Elizabeth Warren couldn’t win a senate race is Nebraska. But Dan Osborn running as an independent might. But Dan Osborn running as a Dem would be toast.

Very clear and totally devastating. Thank you.

This is very helpful. Thanks.

Thank you. That’s very helpful.

Bitter primaries hurt high-profile candidates' chances in the general election, Stanford research shows Stanford political scientist Andrew Hall found that contentious primaries that receive heavy media coverage and voter attention tend to produce nominees who do less well in the general election.

Thanks. I can’t access the article. And this isn’t my field. Just a nonexpert trying to understand what the finding is and what the basis for it is. Found this piece, but it didn’t really help.

news.stanford.edu/stories/2016...

Thank you. I found the abstract kinda unclear. But if that’s what it means, then we know Platner v Mills won’t be a “divisive primary,” because Maine does not have runoff primaries. So maybe Jake’s claim is correct, but it’s not supported by the research he cited.

I haven’t read the paper you linked to, but what is a “divisive primary”? And do we know Platner v Mills (and others) will be a “divisive primary”?