Ben Phelps
@thisisbenphelps.bsky.social
Musician and self-declared public intellectual
I do not understand why the focus is on ranked choice instead of multimember districts.
Press Release: Raskin, Beyer, Welch Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Expand Ranked Choice Voting to all Congressional Elections www.arlnow.com/press-releas...
December 10, 2025 at 11:56 PM
I do not understand why the focus is on ranked choice instead of multimember districts.
I really don't understand why conservatives think the unitary executive theory is such a good idea.
December 10, 2025 at 11:51 PM
I really don't understand why conservatives think the unitary executive theory is such a good idea.
so am I going to downgrade the family to a silver plan and still pay more? This shit is real.
December 10, 2025 at 6:05 AM
so am I going to downgrade the family to a silver plan and still pay more? This shit is real.
11 months until the midterms
Three weeks ago:
Trump give his “Complete and Total Endorsement” to Emilio Gonzalez in the Miami mayoral race. (Trump also misspells his name.)
Tonight:
Gonzalez loses by 20 points.
Trump give his “Complete and Total Endorsement” to Emilio Gonzalez in the Miami mayoral race. (Trump also misspells his name.)
Tonight:
Gonzalez loses by 20 points.
December 10, 2025 at 5:45 AM
11 months until the midterms
I feel like I did a version of this tweet circa 2019-2020 but it's important to note that electing a president that doesn't understand anything about anything and also has no intellectual curiosity to improve that position has its consequences
December 10, 2025 at 5:06 AM
I feel like I did a version of this tweet circa 2019-2020 but it's important to note that electing a president that doesn't understand anything about anything and also has no intellectual curiosity to improve that position has its consequences
Trump to Americans: you only need 2 pencils. 37 is too many.
Trump: "You can give up certain products. You could give up pencils. Because under the China policy, every child can get 37 pencils. They only need 1 or 2. They don't need that many. You always need steel. You don't need 37 dolls for your daughter. 2 or 3 is nice. So we're doing things right."
December 10, 2025 at 4:51 AM
Trump to Americans: you only need 2 pencils. 37 is too many.
The tariffs themself are illegal but there's no fucking way Trump can executively appropriate $12 billion dollars to farmers without congressional approval can some major media organization please mention this.
December 9, 2025 at 5:48 AM
The tariffs themself are illegal but there's no fucking way Trump can executively appropriate $12 billion dollars to farmers without congressional approval can some major media organization please mention this.
The shit going down from the Trump's to enrich themselves and more importantly entrench their power in this is simply insane, banana republic stuff.
Team Oligarch Suits Up to Torpedo Netflix/WBD Merger talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/team-...
Team Oligarch Suits Up to Torpedo Netflix/WBD Merger
Simply extraordinary stuff coming out this morning about the battle over what...
talkingpointsmemo.com
December 9, 2025 at 4:42 AM
The shit going down from the Trump's to enrich themselves and more importantly entrench their power in this is simply insane, banana republic stuff.
Reposted by Ben Phelps
the thing is, in no meaningful way is any of this actually even conservatism! their entire project is “overturn the traditions, laws, and customs of the American people, as enshrined in their national polity, and replace them with an alien ideological vision with no regard for the current order
the idea that a handful of conservative legal scholars have an understanding that should supersede a settlement affirmed my generations of american is astoundingly arrogant, and the idea that trump — or any president — can unilaterally overturn that settlement is just despotism
December 7, 2025 at 8:45 PM
the thing is, in no meaningful way is any of this actually even conservatism! their entire project is “overturn the traditions, laws, and customs of the American people, as enshrined in their national polity, and replace them with an alien ideological vision with no regard for the current order
anyway, if the supreme court decides birthright citizenship isn't real, I think that can correctly be understood as coup by supreme court
the idea that a handful of conservative legal scholars have an understanding that should supersede a settlement affirmed my generations of american is astoundingly arrogant, and the idea that trump — or any president — can unilaterally overturn that settlement is just despotism
December 8, 2025 at 8:16 AM
anyway, if the supreme court decides birthright citizenship isn't real, I think that can correctly be understood as coup by supreme court
so apparently we are all now trying to figure out if this cat video is AI generated.
The future is terrible.
The future is terrible.
God, even here, in the beating heart of anti-AI fanaticism, AI cat videos going viral. Grim
December 8, 2025 at 6:15 AM
so apparently we are all now trying to figure out if this cat video is AI generated.
The future is terrible.
The future is terrible.
Going to Netherlands next week!
December 8, 2025 at 6:12 AM
Going to Netherlands next week!
Reposted by Ben Phelps
For reasons completely unrelated to any opinions about regulatory policy, a Day 1 executive order here in the US should be ending every government agency account on X. Just delete them all, plain as that. For the same reason the US government need not have accounts on Stormfront or 4chan.
Pretty crazy that nearly all of the EU Commission is still on X even as Elon Musk is literally talking about destroying the EU.
You can leave X. It's really not that difficult.
You can leave X. It's really not that difficult.
So what's the outcome?
2️⃣5️⃣ of the 27 Commissioners have posted in the last week
2️⃣4️⃣ of the 27 generally post every week (Albuquerque has never been on X, Ribera is sporadic, McGrath has somehow stopped)
0️⃣ have stopped as a result of what Twitter has become since the Musk takeover
2️⃣5️⃣ of the 27 Commissioners have posted in the last week
2️⃣4️⃣ of the 27 generally post every week (Albuquerque has never been on X, Ribera is sporadic, McGrath has somehow stopped)
0️⃣ have stopped as a result of what Twitter has become since the Musk takeover
December 7, 2025 at 11:28 PM
For reasons completely unrelated to any opinions about regulatory policy, a Day 1 executive order here in the US should be ending every government agency account on X. Just delete them all, plain as that. For the same reason the US government need not have accounts on Stormfront or 4chan.
going to Netherlands next week anybody want to hang out?
December 7, 2025 at 5:52 AM
going to Netherlands next week anybody want to hang out?
Reposted by Ben Phelps
Nobody, AND I MEAN NOBODY, beats the Indiana Hoosiers 31 times in a row!
December 7, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Nobody, AND I MEAN NOBODY, beats the Indiana Hoosiers 31 times in a row!
it's pretty insane how little engagement I get on here when I reveal something about my actual life
I'll come out and say it as someone whose livelihood depends on several Warner bros. properties Warner bros Netflix deal merger sucks.
December 7, 2025 at 5:31 AM
it's pretty insane how little engagement I get on here when I reveal something about my actual life
I'll come out and say it as someone whose livelihood depends on several Warner bros. properties Warner bros Netflix deal merger sucks.
December 7, 2025 at 4:10 AM
I'll come out and say it as someone whose livelihood depends on several Warner bros. properties Warner bros Netflix deal merger sucks.
Here's a whole NPR story where the host
(Marie Louise) keeps asking a version of "how do you explain Trump cracking down on supposed drug boats while simultaneously pardoning a convicted drug lord" and former ambassador Robinson continuously avoids just saying "he's fucking insane". Just say it.
(Marie Louise) keeps asking a version of "how do you explain Trump cracking down on supposed drug boats while simultaneously pardoning a convicted drug lord" and former ambassador Robinson continuously avoids just saying "he's fucking insane". Just say it.
A look at the White House's actual drug enforcement strategy
President Trump has been bullish on stopping the flow of drugs from Latin America. What exactly is this administration's strategy for stopping drug trafficking?
www.npr.org
December 3, 2025 at 6:03 AM
Here's a whole NPR story where the host
(Marie Louise) keeps asking a version of "how do you explain Trump cracking down on supposed drug boats while simultaneously pardoning a convicted drug lord" and former ambassador Robinson continuously avoids just saying "he's fucking insane". Just say it.
(Marie Louise) keeps asking a version of "how do you explain Trump cracking down on supposed drug boats while simultaneously pardoning a convicted drug lord" and former ambassador Robinson continuously avoids just saying "he's fucking insane". Just say it.
I'm seeing the Falklands coming up on the timeline quite a bit the past two days wtf is this about
December 3, 2025 at 5:56 AM
I'm seeing the Falklands coming up on the timeline quite a bit the past two days wtf is this about
Trump jut out here pardoning convicted drug traffickers
December 2, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Trump jut out here pardoning convicted drug traffickers
Worst authoritarian regime ever.
a cartoon character holding a book titled peace
ALT: a cartoon character holding a book titled peace
media.tenor.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:13 AM
Worst authoritarian regime ever.
Reposted by Ben Phelps
Pete Hegseth stands behind our troops and behind Admiral Mitch Bradley - juuuuuuuust far enough behind to make sure they go to jail instead of him for the illegal strike that Pete Hegseth ordered.
Here for the tough man talk, gone for the tough many consequences. Profiles in cowardice.
Here for the tough man talk, gone for the tough many consequences. Profiles in cowardice.
Ladies and gentlemen: let’s all watch the chest-beating lethality macho warfighter dude trying to scurry away at the first sign of trouble.
December 2, 2025 at 5:04 AM
Pete Hegseth stands behind our troops and behind Admiral Mitch Bradley - juuuuuuuust far enough behind to make sure they go to jail instead of him for the illegal strike that Pete Hegseth ordered.
Here for the tough man talk, gone for the tough many consequences. Profiles in cowardice.
Here for the tough man talk, gone for the tough many consequences. Profiles in cowardice.
Got a new MacBook and the first thing I did was turn off Apple Intelligence like I'll turn it on once I understand what it is.
Stop forcing this shit on me. Hate you guys.
Stop forcing this shit on me. Hate you guys.
December 1, 2025 at 6:13 AM
Got a new MacBook and the first thing I did was turn off Apple Intelligence like I'll turn it on once I understand what it is.
Stop forcing this shit on me. Hate you guys.
Stop forcing this shit on me. Hate you guys.
Eric Swalwell, who I don't much like and have never supported that much, emailed me 5 times today asking for money
December 1, 2025 at 6:06 AM
Eric Swalwell, who I don't much like and have never supported that much, emailed me 5 times today asking for money
Whoever runs in 2028 better campaign on tearing down the Trump ballroom. It's a winning issue.
November 28, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Whoever runs in 2028 better campaign on tearing down the Trump ballroom. It's a winning issue.