Author | Lightnews

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 59m

Yes. Focus on actually winning votes. Five them something to vote FOR. Don’t wait for them to turn away from Trump. Be a winner.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 1h

It doesn’t offer anything to voters. They need to know what Dems are for. Trump will do whatever he wants until Dems demonstrate they are an electoral threat. Criticizing him for vandalizing the WH isn’t winning. And,

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

1

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 2h

Better response…

Counterpoint: www.economist.com/united-state...

In the race for Virginia governor, Democrats see boring as a plus

Abigail Spanberger’s campaign has been strikingly substantive

www.economist.com

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 3h

A-fucking-men man. Stop ceaselessly bitching about vile Trump is and hope his errors will save you and try to actually WIN fucking votes. You have to save yourself Dems. Persuade. Be popular. Win.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Severian

Movies Silently @moviessilently.bsky.social · 8h

Beatrice Lillie and the timeless art of seduction

7 65 350

Reposted by Severian

Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 12h

Good morning.

11 140 900

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 19h

Democrats need to give people something clear and compelling to vote FOR. Hoping people will turn against the metastasizing Trumpian grotesquities hasn’t worked, isn’t working.

We have to be winners. Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 19h

Fucking unreal

Reposted by Severian

Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 1d

I've been working with Demos to turn the Verification, Deliberation, and Accountability (VDA) Framework into a report that lays out how it can be used to diagnose the state of democracy and build solutions around building the capacity for those functions in institutional and public spaces.

Demos @demos-uk.bsky.social · 1d

🧵 Across the world, democracy isn’t just under pressure, it’s facing epistemic collapse: a breakdown in the shared ability to know what’s true, to reason together and to hold power to account.

A new guest paper by @eliothiggins.bsky.social and @drnataliemartin.bsky.social explores how to fix it.

Verification, Deliberation, Accountability: A new framework for tackling epistemic collapse and renewing democracy

Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think-tank. We produce original research, publish innovative thinkers and host thought-provoking events.

demos.co.uk

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Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 1d

Asshole. But it doesn’t matter. He does whatever he wants, will keep shitting on is all, because Dems aren’t a threat. We have to be winners, people.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 1d

That’s fair. But the evidence cited in that article is damn convincing. Moderation > holding fast to unpopular ideologies.

But it’s not the only thing. Candidate performance matters. And *persuasion* can work too.

What clearly don’t work: GOTV / turn out the base strategies. Proven loser, that.

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Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 1d

I don’t care if MAGA or hard core leftists are happy. I care about defeating MAGA.

Win normies: be centrist, but also aggresive, angry, authentic: that’s the battle plan.

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Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 1d

Seems like a not great signal. We need to be ruthless about candidate selection.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

1 1

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 1d

Also, do what it takes to win. Elect popular candidates, not people whose attitudes and ideologies are alienating to gettable voters. Win.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 1d

Doesn’t matter if Dems aren’t a threat. Stop being impotent and win elections people.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 1d

What do you mean? They have already devastated us, you. Stop F’ing around and win elections.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 1d

Then stop F’ing around and win elections.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

1 2

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 1d

Then stop F’ing around and win elections.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Severian

Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 1d

I have been traveling and today I present to you...the thing I saw in the Frankfurt airport.

Is it efficient? Undeniably. Does it probably work better than the normal way? Oh certainly. Produce less of a mess? Probably?

But the existence of Condiment Udders gives me a deep, aghast disquiet.

A hotdog and pretzel stand with large hanging bottles of mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise. The bottoms contain squeeze tubes to dispense the condiments.

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Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 1d

Dude. We’re on the same team.

I think Dems are better off with candidates that try to win the center than moving further left. I would like to win, you see.

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Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 1d

Did you read the article?

1

Reposted by Severian

Demos @demos-uk.bsky.social · 1d

🧵 Across the world, democracy isn’t just under pressure, it’s facing epistemic collapse: a breakdown in the shared ability to know what’s true, to reason together and to hold power to account.

A new guest paper by @eliothiggins.bsky.social and @drnataliemartin.bsky.social explores how to fix it.

Verification, Deliberation, Accountability: A new framework for tackling epistemic collapse and renewing democracy

Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think-tank. We produce original research, publish innovative thinkers and host thought-provoking events.

demos.co.uk

3 78 130

Reposted by Severian

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 1d

> @newyorker.com

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Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 1d

People, Mamdani is fine for NCY, but a liability for national Dems and Dems in swing districts. Y’all are out of touch and out of your minds if you think socialism is winning platforms in the states Ds need to pick up.

Again: Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

1

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 2d

Embezzlement. But it doesn’t matter how wrong it is if Dems aren’t a threat. You have to win elections.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

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