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Dante Atkins

@danteatkins.bsky.social

5.9K followers 400 following 4.8K posts

Fiona and Rowan's dad, basically. Spider guy, Lefty Dem, pragmatic progressive. Win elections with the majority you have, not the majority you wish you had.

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Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · Jul 8

"Freedom of maneuver" is a military term designed to distinguish between pacified and hostile territory in an occupation setting, in case that helps inform you of how the federal government views American cities.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · Jul 7

Military documents confirm that the LA operation today was a “show of presence” intended to send a message to LA residents about the power of the federal government.

After staging with armed soldiers and Border Patrol agents on horse, they packed up and left after a short walk.

Per the briefing:
"On order, 1-18th Cavalry Squadron provides static interagency site protection, mounted mobile security, and Joint Force Land Component Command UFLCC) Reserve support to Customs and Border Patrol (CRP) and supporting federal agencies, whose intent at MacArthur Park is to demonstrate, through a show of presence, the capacity and freedom of maneuver or federal law enforcement within the Los Angeles Joint Operations Area (JOA)."

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Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 38m

I agree with that. But, I think Platner has the edge there too. If he didn't, I think it would be a very thorny question.

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Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 41m

Putin is gearing up for years and years of war. He just further weakened his own economy by raising the VAT to fund his huge military budgets. This isn't a sunk costs fallacy. It's an imperialist state policy. He won't accept a peace that stops his imperialist ambitions.

Reposted by Dante Atkins

Renee DiResta @noupside.bsky.social · 1h

I'm sorry, is the Trump Administration talking to a tech platform?

Is it...requesting content moderation?

Today following outreach from @thejusticedept, Facebook removed a large group page that was being used to dox and target @ICEgov agents in Chicago.
The wave of violence against ICE has been driven by online apps and social media campaigns designed to put ICE officers at risk just for doing their jobs. The Department of Justice will continue engaging tech companies to eliminate platforms where radicals can incite imminent violence against federal law enforcement.

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Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 55m

That was a stretch. Which is presumably where your exercise comes from?

Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 56m

The amount of redundancy, paperwork, and documentation we have to do really makes the idea of systemic election rigging unthinkable. As an election coordinator here, I feel it's obligatory for me to try to dispel a lot of conspiracy theories I see pop up from time to time.

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Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 59m

"Sprachgenie" ja einigermassen. Ich lerne schnell. Ich bin Amerikaner aber ich kann auch Französisch, Spanisch und etwas Italienisch. Aber Deutsch ist die einzige Sprache, dass ich im Ausland gelernt habe, im Gegensatz zum Lernen aus Büchern oder von Muttersprachlern here in den USA

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Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 1h

No. I'm an election site coordinator here in DC. We use either pen and paper ballots, or Diebold ballot marking machines, which electronically mark paper ballots. They're then read by scantron and results transmitted electronically along with airgapped paper and electronic backups.

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Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 1h

You yourself are one person. But you are one of many many who have gone in on hating Bernie and anyone he endorses.

Which, I mean, Bernie's whining about how unfair a primary is was really funny, in a sad sort of way

Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 1h

Look, a lot of you need to understand that people are supporting Platner or curious about him for plenty of reasons beyond the fact that Bernie endorsed him. If you think this is all about Bernie you're going to be barking up a lot of really wrong trees

Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 1h

Obviously Mills and I would work my ass off to see that happen. Why is that even a question here?

Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 1h

Ja, eigentlich! Seit langer Zeit habe ich sehr selten Deutsch gesprochen. Ich habe Deutsch im Sommer von '99 gelernt, als ich ein Paar Monate in Berlin verbrachte, und seitdem habe ich kaum die Gelegenheiten gehaben, neue Worte und Vokabeln zu lernen! Aus diesem Jahrtausend ist jede Neologismus neu.

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Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 1h

"Googeln"? Jeden tag lerne ich aus deinem Feed ein neues Wort

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Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 1h

Everyone is untested until they win. By that token, nobody should ever be a first-time candidate

Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 1h

It's not even corporate Dems! It's a leadership structure that is so institutionalist and risk-averse that they think an unpopular 80-year-old is the best choice just because she's a current statewide officeholder.

Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 1h

Yeah Bernie makes shitty decisions a lot of the time. Do you really think everyone who's supporting Platner or curious about him is doing it because Bernie told them to?

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Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 1h

2026 is not going to be that. It's shaping up to be a Dem wave year. I think Mills can also beat Collins just because of the national environment, but I think Platner has more appeal as an outsider and would be better for the national Democratic brand.

Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 1h

Part of the reason is that in 2020 we didn't have a Dem wave environment. We were so bullish on everything that we thought we were going to make Texas and a whole bunch of other races competitive, and it turns out we barely won the presidency when you take a look at the swing state margins.

Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 1h

The people in Maine will make their decision. That doesn't mean the rest of us have to stay silent and who we would prefer they pick and why

This "shut up" thing that anti-Platner people have going is both very bizarre and a bad look

Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 1h

Hi idiot. Talarico is a candidate in Texas, McMorrow is a candidate in Michigan.

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Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 1h

uh...haven't done any yet? Because, these are the two that are capturing national attention right now? And they're capturing national attention specifically because of the actions of Democratic leaders in both not endorsing Mamdani and recruiting an 80-year-old in an already dense field?

Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 2h

You fuckin kidding me here

I live and breathe electoral politics and am a paid subscriber to The Downballot

Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 2h

I think that's exactly the type of thing that should be discussed and litigated in a primary

Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 2h

Good lord they're terrified of these protests

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2h

Scalise: "Chuck Schumer is throwing a temper tantrum here at home just to appease the most radical elements of his base so that on the 18th when they have the Hate America Rally that everybody knows is coming ... "

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Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 2h

No, it absolutely is not, any more than it wasn't weird for people around the country to have an opinion about the NYC primary or any other vast numbers of hot-button primaries. It isn't weird at all to have an opinion in a primary. You just don't like mine. Which, fine.

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Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 2h

MEDICAID IS INTENDED FOR THE POOR. FOR THE POOR. WHETHER THEY ARE ELDERLY, DISABLED, WORKING POOR, PREGNANT, CHILDREN, OR NOT EMPLOYED. IT IS FOR THE POOR. PEOPLE DO NOT STAY POOR FOR THE MEDICAID.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2h

Mike Johnson says Medicaid is "intended for vulnerable populations, the elderly, disabled, and young pregnant women, and not young able-bodied men without dependents who are playing video games."

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