Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 16h

So, uh, I'm sure you would be just fine with someone making an edgy Charlie Kirk joke?

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 16h

Vance on public outrage over the "I love Hitler" group chat: "Grow up! Focus on the real issues. Don't focus on what kids say in group chats... The reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys — they tell edgy, offensive jokes. That's what kids do."

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 18h

Looks like they're playing all the hits, I have read versions of this article a million times, get some new material dudes

Sharon @sharonk.bsky.social · 22h

lol Claremont is mad at the pope

americanmind.org/salvo/christ...

Christianity and the West, Part III

Pope Leo XIV needs to shun humanitarian progressivism in favor of the moral and political realism of a decidedly Augustinian character.

americanmind.org

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 18h

I also don't know this for sure but I'm guessing the MAGA-adjacent stuff was already bubbling under in 2015.

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 18h

Yeah, I'm sure it was out there but I guess back in my day (ugh) we didn't even have group chats so anyone who was doing this was literally doing it in among friends and there was no record of it. I also genuinely think people with these views would have been shunned in the pre-2010 era of Hillsdale

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 19h

Meanwhile, a ton of my super-conservative classmates from Hillsdale have become so disgusted with the state of "conservatism" that it's caused them to actually reexamine their belief systems and think "Oh shit, I don't believe this!" and have moved left, rejecting all of the Hillsdale bullshit.

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 19h

I think what we're finding now is that those people who were actually gutter racists have taken control of the Republican party and the American conservative movement in general, and they've made it so that the people who were maybe afraid to express their racist beliefs before can do so freely.

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 19h

Of course, there were probably a lot of people I thought were decent people were actually secretly super racist neo-fascists. But I guess the point is that nobody felt comfortable speaking that way and if you did most people rightly thought you were a freak.

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 19h

I wasn't a College Republican (I found out pretty quickly when I got to Hillsdale that I wasn't a conservative at all) but Hillsdale is filthy with them. Most of them back then were Reason-mag libertarian or super religious types. There just weren't that many openly disgusting gutter racists then.

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 19h

As someone with a degree from Hillsdale College (2004-2008) I have a unique perspective here: Were all College Republican types racist and sexist back then? No. Were there some who were? Sure. HOWEVER, this gutter racism, the open Nazi, "I love Hitler!" shit was DEFINITLEY not mainstream.

Amanda Marcotte @amandamarcotte.bsky.social · 1d

For those tempted to say Young Republicans have always been this way, they really have not. When I worked on campus and did bipartisan college events after, they were very much not like this.

That’s why groups like YCT and eventually TPUSA formed — because Young Republicans weren’t radical enough.

Politico @politico.com · 1d

EXCLUSIVE: Thousands of leaked messages show leaders of Young Republican groups joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape in a private Telegram chat.

Inside rising GOP leaders’ racist chats — obtained by POLITICO and spanning more than 7 months👇

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 21h

"Did somebody say paychecks?"

Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 21h

Just don't wear your LA Kings jersey unless you wanna get your ass kicked.

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 22h

Hope the M’s can give the Jays a real Shellac-ing tonight.

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 23h

Hmm, I’m sure this is going to be fine, Bill Burr seems very respectful and for sure knows why people are mad that he went there, I’m positive he’s not going to mischaracterize the controversy at all.

Screenshot of Conan podcast where the description is highlighted: “ Bill Burr joins Conan live at the Fonda Theater in Los Angles to discuss the Riyadh Comedy Festival”

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 1d

One Battle After Another goes so fucking hard, it absolutely deserves all the accolades it is getting, any movie which is forcing America to mass order Thomas Pynchon novels and make them impossible to find is a success in my book.

Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 1d

When you’re doing great and everything is fine and you are happy to answer any and all questions about the topic, you of course answer questions for comment with what is essentially an out of office reply.

Screenshot from Star Tribune story:

When asked about the airport’s refusal to play the video, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Star Tribune in an email “it is TSA’s top priority to ensure that travelers have the most safe, pleasant and efficient airport experience possible. However, Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, most of our TSA employees are working without pay. While this creates challenges for our people, our security operations remain largely unimpacted at this time. It’s unfortunate our workforce has been put in this position due to political gamesmanship. Our hope is that Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government.”

Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 1d

Perfect of encapsulation of our shitty current day politics: "At higher level, Rs are resolutely pro-[very awful thing] and Ds are conflicted."

Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 1d

Went to the DC exurbs to write about a growing political trend — citizens who don’t want more data centers, and are looking for politicians who’ll help.

Locally they’re getting help from both parties. At higher level, Rs are resolutely pro-data center and Ds are conflicted. t.co/Ir0QW8FUey

https://www.semafor.com/article/10/13/2025/as-electricity-bills-rise-candidates-in-both-parties-blame-data-centers

t.co

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Reposted by Jack Hittinger

Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 1d

Showing up to No Kings with a sign reading “monarchy is an affront to human dignity but, when incorporated into a liberal democratic system, may nevertheless be a useful safety valve for nationalist and/or authoritarian impulses” and then getting clobbered by a Buttigieg-supporting grandmother

Jo Kershaw @mthrjo.bsky.social · 1d

Incidentally, I’ve been chafing a bit at the “No Kings” thing, because there are loads of monarchies that have more limits on executive power than the US does, but it has the great advantage that it makes Americans who want to oppose it sound, well, unamerican….

Dr. Samantha Hancox-Li @sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com · 2d

one of the reasons they're so mad at "no kings" is that they thought they were going to get a different kind of protest. they *want* the black bloc to be out there fighting with the cops. those are the images they've been trying to generate from "go." instead--

newrepublic.com/article/2016...

64 390 3K

Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 2d

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 2d

The Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners both have S-tier uniform sets, which is the main reason we need that to be the World Series matchup.

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Reposted by Jack Hittinger

Luke O'Neil @lukeoneil47.bsky.social · 2d

To be clear this is not an old guy take this is a good taste having take. Young people are making great music all over the place like they always have and always will. Sometimes SNL even puts some of it on.

Luke O'Neil @lukeoneil47.bsky.social · 2d

I cannot begin to explain how much this fucking sucks. Good god. m.youtube.com/watch?v=xf0R...

Role Model: Sally, When The Wine Runs Out (Live) - SNL

YouTube video by Saturday Night Live

m.youtube.com

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 2d

John LeCarre is the best English language novelist of the latter half of the 20th century.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 2d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 2d

No we‘re on Bluesky, where things are always serious and no irony is allowed

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 2d

Legitimately have seen more than 10 posts where people say they have no idea who Marc Maron was until today. LMAO what, you're telling me you're a left-leaning person on the internet who was in their 30s and 40s in the 2010s and do not know who Marc Maron is? C'mon guy. Nice try.

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 2d

The one with Jimmy Pardo from a week or two ago was really good FWIW.

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Jack Hittinger @jackhitts.bsky.social · 2d

Nice to see everybody being cool and normal about the final episode of WTF with Marc Maron today.

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