Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 5h

There was a time when this would actually be a scandal. Now it's not even a surprise.

Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 5h

Oh hey, check this out. They talk the same way in their private chats as they do on Twitter www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat

Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

www.politico.com

1 18 66

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 12h

4

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 12h

Single-winner districts w/ just two-parties? Very bad for diverse representation! We know this. Or at least, we should know this. (And if not: why do we not know this already!? It is 2025!)
nyulawreview.org/issues/volum...

1 6

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 1d

Time for everyone to read Lani Guinier, and contemplate what might have been had everyone taken her arguments about proportional representation and racial representation more seriously when she wrote them.
ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/louis...

Louisiana v Callais: The Republicans Justices Are Getting Ready to Finish Off the Voting Rights Act

In Louisiana v Callais, John Roberts will have the chance to finish his decades-long war on. voting rights.

ballsandstrikes.org

5

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 1d

well, I for one, am hardly surprised waging the same old fight on the same old healthcare subsidies is not breaking through.
leedrutman.substack.com/p/how-democr...

How Democrats could win a shutdown fight, and why they won’t

Notes on a theory of strategic conflict (Or: why Democrats should stop rehearsing Bach fugues for a punk rock battle of the bands)

leedrutman.substack.com

1 8

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 1d

Voters still trust Republicans on the economy more than Democrats. I guess waging the same tired old fights on ACA are not changing anyone's mind. Who could have predicted it??? .
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

10 12 80

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 1d

But this raises a question for me. Obviously, Republicans continue to win elections. So, something else besides responsiveness to public opinion is going on. Are we over-rating responsiveness to public opinion as a measure?

20 43

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 1d

New study finds Democrats represent public opinion better than Republicans: "the quality of statehouse democracy, here meaning the dynamic relationship between opinion and policy, is substantially weakened by Republican Party control of state government."

www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10....

9 230 820

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 2d

Thermostatic public opinion, reacting against the governing regime, like old faithful.
globalaffairs.org/research/pub...

14 110 530

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 2d

Trump is sort of following the authoritarian playbook, but unlike other authoritarians he is chaotic and unpopular. Yet: He may still succeed. Smart thoughts here from @raders.bsky.social: www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/whats-the-...

What’s the endgame here?

The White House does not care how bad this looks

www.ifyoucankeepit.org

2 7

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 5d

Not much left-wing violence in America, apparently.
(If you trust The Economist, that socialist rag.)
www.economist.com/graphic-deta...

4 21 55

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 6d

I am perpetually confused by politicians who say "this not about politics" or accuse the other side of "playing politics" Of course it's politics. Just state your damn values and stop trying to gaslight us.

3 14 110

Reposted by Lee Drutman

Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 14d

A new report from Protect Democracy's Alex Tausanovitch explains how we can restore some functionality to Congress by empowering “sub-parties.” Read more here: https://protectdemocracy.org/work/democratize-congress/

To Break Two-Party Gridlock, Democratize Congress

How American politics could work better if our two major parties embrace their internal divisions.

protectdemocracy.org

7 18

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 8d

or we could just move to proportional representation, make one statewide multimember district for Utah, and stop all this goddamn endless litigation.

Democracy Docket @democracydocket.com · 8d

UPDATE: Shortly after Utah GOP lawmakers passed another congressional gerrymander, pro-voting plaintiffs challenging the current map submitted fair map proposals to the court, arguing the legislature’s plan still violates Prop 4. A judge will decide which map complies by November.

Utah GOP Passes Gerrymandered Map, While Handcuffing Courts

Read more here.

www.democracydocket.com

5 13 72

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 8d

The Democratic Party coalition is too big, and Democrats should just split up into three different parties (progressive, liberal, populist), each of which runs in separate types of districts/states.
But the how-to-split-up is the hard part.

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias.bsky.social · 8d

Safe seat members face strong incentives to endorse interest group laundry lists regardless of the politics, which then defines the national party brand in a way that is hard for frontline members to overcome in an era of nationalized politics.

www.slowboring.com/p/the-groups...

2 2

Reposted by Lee Drutman

Center for Ballot Freedom @centerforballotfreedom.org · 13d

🎧 Just dropped: the latest episode of our podcast #ThisOldDemocracy! @msifry.bsky.social talks to @jrdresden.bsky.social from @protectdemocracy.org about fusion voting and proportional representation. Give it a listen now. centerforballotfreedom.org/this-old-dem...

7 4

Reposted by Lee Drutman

Center for Ballot Freedom @centerforballotfreedom.org · 12d

A must-listen! 🎙️ @reedgalen.bsky.social from @lincolnproject.us & @leedrutman.bsky.social from @newamerica.org @politicalreform.newamerica.org break down how fusion voting, proportional representation, and party reform could open up USA politics beyond the broken two-party system. A must-watch! 🎙️ ️

4 4

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 14d

all of our national leaders are unpopular.

1 3 11

Reposted by Lee Drutman

Steve Randy Waldman @interfluidity.com · 14d

“Both the attention theory and moderation theory share the same fundamental flaw: they accept the existing conflict terrain as given and static. The moderation data nerds and shutdown commentators are bringing the same one-dimensional view.” @leedrutman.bsky.social

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 14d

"If we are concerned about America's slide into authoritarianism, as we well should be, the response isn't asking Democrats to fight harder or 'moderate.' The answer is to stop accepting Republican conflicts and create new ones."
leedrutman.substack.com/p/how-democr...

How Democrats could win a shutdown fight, and why they won’t

Notes on a theory of strategic conflict (Or: why Democrats should stop rehearsing Bach fugues for a punk rock battle of the bands)

leedrutman.substack.com

2 11

Reposted by Lee Drutman

Kevin Collins @kwcollins.bsky.social · 14d

A thoughtful essay worth your time.

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 14d

"If we are concerned about America's slide into authoritarianism, as we well should be, the response isn't asking Democrats to fight harder or 'moderate.' The answer is to stop accepting Republican conflicts and create new ones."
leedrutman.substack.com/p/how-democr...

How Democrats could win a shutdown fight, and why they won’t

Notes on a theory of strategic conflict (Or: why Democrats should stop rehearsing Bach fugues for a punk rock battle of the bands)

leedrutman.substack.com

1 1 1

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 14d

"If we are concerned about America's slide into authoritarianism, as we well should be, the response isn't asking Democrats to fight harder or 'moderate.' The answer is to stop accepting Republican conflicts and create new ones."
leedrutman.substack.com/p/how-democr...

How Democrats could win a shutdown fight, and why they won’t

Notes on a theory of strategic conflict (Or: why Democrats should stop rehearsing Bach fugues for a punk rock battle of the bands)

leedrutman.substack.com

2 5

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 15d

My read is that the White House wants a shutdown more than Democrats do. This suggests to me that this shutdown could last a long time.

2 1 5

Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 15d

I fear Democrats are being goaded into a shutdown that they have not strategically prepared for.
I don't think the same old healthcare fight is a winner for them.
More from me on Democrats' failures to develop a strategic theory of conflict: leedrutman.substack.com/p/how-democr...

How Democrats could win a shutdown fight, and why they won’t

Notes on a theory of strategic conflict (Or: why Democrats should stop rehearsing Bach fugues for a punk rock battle of the bands)

leedrutman.substack.com

4 5 18

Reposted by Lee Drutman

Fix Our House @fixourhouse.bsky.social · 18d

The @nytimes.com and @natecohn.bsky.social shared their readers' ideas for how to stop gerrymandering. The most popular proposal? Proportional representation.

"Proportional representation would make gerrymandering irrelevant. But it would do a lot more than that." t.co/1nLM8D02E8

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/upshot/redistricting-gerrymandering-alternatives.html

t.co

2 10 21

Reposted by Lee Drutman

Nathan Kalmoe (he/him) @nathankalmoe.bsky.social · 19d

“The authors contend that although policy positions are often dressed up in principled language, justifications based on some essential compass are misleading.”

Exactly right. Most media & academics pros mistake US rhetoric for beliefs, which leads to total misunderstandings of actual politics.

Good Authority @goodauth.bsky.social · 19d

The GOP crackdown on free speech isn’t a big ideological change.

A recent book argues that U.S. parties change positions when it suits them, not because they’re sticking to conservative or liberal principles.

Read: goodauthority.org/news/the-gop...

The GOP crackdown on free speech isn't a big ideological change.

A recent book argues that U.S. parties change positions when it suits them, not because they’re sticking to conservative or liberal principles.

goodauthority.org

2 3 10