Brian Cook
@2ndadminstate.bsky.social
Tinkering with the Constitution has failed. The American commercial republic must be reconstructed.
Professor Emeritus of Public Administration & Policy, Virginia Tech.
"Speech is silver, silence is gold. Self is universe."
--Ursula Le Guin
Professor Emeritus of Public Administration & Policy, Virginia Tech.
"Speech is silver, silence is gold. Self is universe."
--Ursula Le Guin
Pinned
Brian Cook
@2ndadminstate.bsky.social
· Feb 25
Here is the essence of the American republic’s dilemma. Those with considerable wealth and control over productive assets do not necessarily need a regime of self-government to sustain their lifestyle and wealth-generating pursuits. But the republic needed them if was to prosper over time.
Reposted by Brian Cook
I am once asking people to take seriously Jon Michaels' and my idea of "vigilante capture." It is tragically a real thing.
The President pardoned members of his private militia after they failed to overturn an election; they, in turn, pledge their support to him and urge him to use them to police civil society.
New:
On The Gateway Pundit's podcast yesterday, Stewart Rhodes announced he's relaunching the Oath Keepers
He also urged Trump to “call us up as a militia" & "order us all to come together in our counties under his command."
www.mediamatters.org/oath-keepers...
On The Gateway Pundit's podcast yesterday, Stewart Rhodes announced he's relaunching the Oath Keepers
He also urged Trump to “call us up as a militia" & "order us all to come together in our counties under his command."
www.mediamatters.org/oath-keepers...
November 10, 2025 at 5:21 PM
I am once asking people to take seriously Jon Michaels' and my idea of "vigilante capture." It is tragically a real thing.
Way back in the misty depths of time, I engaged my policy analysis students in a discussion about whether human dignity should be the baseline criterion for assessing public policy proposals. It was a terrific conversation. People will be receptive to the idea, so let's get to it.
Dignity agenda, free from fear and want 🥰
I just want everyone to have the experience of living in dignity with access to sufficient food, safe housing, needed medical care, high quality education, and time to engage with what sparks their curiosity and spirit
this should not be controversial 🫠
this should not be controversial 🫠
November 10, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Way back in the misty depths of time, I engaged my policy analysis students in a discussion about whether human dignity should be the baseline criterion for assessing public policy proposals. It was a terrific conversation. People will be receptive to the idea, so let's get to it.
The Senate deal is not great. If this is a war, though, we have to take lessons from each battle, and assess gains and setbacks. The ultimate aim is to crush Trumpism and transform the ruling classes. Keep up the pressure, folks.
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-qui...
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-qui...
A Quick Take on Team Cave’s Big Win
I have what I suspect is a somewhat counterintuitive take on the...
talkingpointsmemo.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:03 PM
The Senate deal is not great. If this is a war, though, we have to take lessons from each battle, and assess gains and setbacks. The ultimate aim is to crush Trumpism and transform the ruling classes. Keep up the pressure, folks.
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-qui...
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-qui...
I think the appropriate response from states is, “Your request violates federal and state laws. If you want it, come and get it, or bring suit to recover the funds. In the meantime, at least we help the citizens we are obliged to help & we actually pay our civil servants for the hard work they do.”
The US Department of Agriculture has ordered that "states must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025".
November 9, 2025 at 6:20 PM
I think the appropriate response from states is, “Your request violates federal and state laws. If you want it, come and get it, or bring suit to recover the funds. In the meantime, at least we help the citizens we are obliged to help & we actually pay our civil servants for the hard work they do.”
I'm here to support Don's @donmoyn.bsky.social message, but to add that administrative power is real, it can be done well or poorly, and it is usually the other branches of the federal government that make administration worse. Also, the chaos crushes the civil servants trying to do their jobs.
This is an absolutely insane administrative process. Within the space of a week, states were told by judges/White House
*no SNAP benefits
*half benefits
*full benefits
*pause provision of benefits.
Result is chaos, uncertainty, and uneven access to benefits depending on where people live.
*no SNAP benefits
*half benefits
*full benefits
*pause provision of benefits.
Result is chaos, uncertainty, and uneven access to benefits depending on where people live.
NEW: The Trump admin told states it must immediately "undo" the work to provide full food stamp benefits, or face penalties. The feds sent this in a late-night memo, only adding to the chaos and confusion around SNAP. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/09/b...
November 9, 2025 at 4:16 PM
I'm here to support Don's @donmoyn.bsky.social message, but to add that administrative power is real, it can be done well or poorly, and it is usually the other branches of the federal government that make administration worse. Also, the chaos crushes the civil servants trying to do their jobs.
Did ICE and the other federal invaders bring their snowplows? Maybe Chicago should just leave the streets unplowed around the facilities the invaders have taken over.
One of the most intense lake-effect snow storms of the past 15 years hits Chicago tonight.
NWS Chicago is saying that if the snow band stays over Chicago for more than a couple hours, we could see 2-4 FEET of snow
BRING IT ON
BRING IT ON
November 9, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Did ICE and the other federal invaders bring their snowplows? Maybe Chicago should just leave the streets unplowed around the facilities the invaders have taken over.
Thanks. But I have chosen to consume as little as I possibly can from big MAGA collaborators like Apple. @magacollaborators.bsky.social
Pluribus, the new series from Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan, is phenomenal. Best to go in without knowing too much about it, but it has a lot to say about the world today. And Rhea Seehorn is on course for that Emmy.
November 8, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Thanks. But I have chosen to consume as little as I possibly can from big MAGA collaborators like Apple. @magacollaborators.bsky.social
Strain of the presidency? Give me a break. It’s the strain of being the world’s most noxious psychopath.
“.. A Washington Post analysis of multiple video feeds found that Trump spent nearly 20 minutes apparently battling to keep his eyes open at the Thursday event. .. a seemingly stark illustration of the strain of the presidency on a 79-year-old ..
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
November 8, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Strain of the presidency? Give me a break. It’s the strain of being the world’s most noxious psychopath.
Generations are arbitrary
www.td.org/content/td-m...
www.td.org/content/td-m...
November 8, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Generations are arbitrary
www.td.org/content/td-m...
www.td.org/content/td-m...
Nothing will stop the SCOTUS 5 from ensuring their grant of unlimited power to DJT 47 expands exponentially. Except possibly when taxes (tariffs) are involved.
The stay on the SNAP payments order issued by the SCt will continue for 2 days after the 1st Cir rules, thereby giving Trumped Justices the opportunity to order the starvation of children if, as seems likely, the 1st Cir declines to do so.
www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?...
www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?...
Search
www.supremecourt.gov
November 8, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Nothing will stop the SCOTUS 5 from ensuring their grant of unlimited power to DJT 47 expands exponentially. Except possibly when taxes (tariffs) are involved.
Reposted by Brian Cook
"Oh we don't have the votes, impeachment won't do anything".
Literally a single member of Congress introduced impeachment articles in late April and it freaked out Trump so much he made a rapid shift towards the midterms, miscalculated, and got Brian Kemp to announce he wasn't running for Senate.
Literally a single member of Congress introduced impeachment articles in late April and it freaked out Trump so much he made a rapid shift towards the midterms, miscalculated, and got Brian Kemp to announce he wasn't running for Senate.
GOP amps up Trump impeachment talk in midterm battle as party leaders woo Kemp for Senate | CNN Politics
President Donald Trump and GOP leaders are beginning to plot their midterm push to hang onto power amid a shaky political environment, courting key candidates in critical battleground House and Senate...
www.cnn.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:33 PM
"Oh we don't have the votes, impeachment won't do anything".
Literally a single member of Congress introduced impeachment articles in late April and it freaked out Trump so much he made a rapid shift towards the midterms, miscalculated, and got Brian Kemp to announce he wasn't running for Senate.
Literally a single member of Congress introduced impeachment articles in late April and it freaked out Trump so much he made a rapid shift towards the midterms, miscalculated, and got Brian Kemp to announce he wasn't running for Senate.
SNAP benefit interruptions is a 6.5 on the political earthquake scale. Interruptions to several Social Security benefits programs would be a 9.0. The first GOP senator or representative to declare that people shouldn't complain will be crushed by falling debris.
NEW: SSA employees are getting extremely worried about how the agency will continue to provide benefits to some 70 million Americans, according to meeting minutes obtained by @wired.com. @zoeschiffer.bsky.social and @leahfeiger.bsky.social w/ the scoop: www.wired.com/story/social...
Social Security Employees Grill Management During Tense Shutdown Meeting
WIRED obtained notes from a Social Security Administration management meeting, where employees pressed leadership on plans for the agency.
www.wired.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:48 PM
SNAP benefit interruptions is a 6.5 on the political earthquake scale. Interruptions to several Social Security benefits programs would be a 9.0. The first GOP senator or representative to declare that people shouldn't complain will be crushed by falling debris.
My semi-informed opinion: it is a mistake to start a regime design with analogs, templates, concepts. Start with evidence of what worked under what circumstances, then sketch out some basic design principles, as James Madison did. We now may not like what emerged in 1787, but it proved adjustable.
If the goal is for multiple parties to reflect local concerns, and put an end to four-year cycle of all-or-nothing politics, you’d do much better by making the head of government institutionally dependent on the legislature. Westminster-style government and colonial legacies FTW!
/end
/end
November 7, 2025 at 7:18 PM
My semi-informed opinion: it is a mistake to start a regime design with analogs, templates, concepts. Start with evidence of what worked under what circumstances, then sketch out some basic design principles, as James Madison did. We now may not like what emerged in 1787, but it proved adjustable.
Reposted by Brian Cook
Between 2015 and 2023, support for restoring Poland’s democracy grew even as the autocratic government tightened its grip. How did their pro-democracy forces endure amid darkness? Here’s what we can learn from Poland’s democratic comeback. https://www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/keep-going
Keep going
A story of resilience from Poland
www.ifyoucankeepit.org
November 7, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Between 2015 and 2023, support for restoring Poland’s democracy grew even as the autocratic government tightened its grip. How did their pro-democracy forces endure amid darkness? Here’s what we can learn from Poland’s democratic comeback. https://www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/keep-going
Impeach, Convict, Remove
Congress, this is a five-alarm fire. As you dither on your oath bound responsibilities, he is remaking the military. I am *begging* you to contemplate what that means.
Hegseth Is Purging Military Leaders With Little Explanation
We spoke with 20 current and former military officials about the purge.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
We spoke with 20 current and former military officials about the purge.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
November 7, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Impeach, Convict, Remove
In Massachusetts, we can’t even find enough Republicans to squeeze into one district.
Remember when Republicans drew Virginia's Congressional map so Black people were packed into one district and said we should be grateful they gave our community this district. NOW they can have one district and see how much they love it.
November 7, 2025 at 5:52 PM
In Massachusetts, we can’t even find enough Republicans to squeeze into one district.
Great 🧵from @wihorne.bsky.social. I live in a city and a state where GOP officials are a disappearing breed so I am focusing on going after fascist adjacent businesses. A comprehensive list: @magacollaborators.bsky.social. Do whatever you can, and let them know that you are doing it!
Like the antifascist rallies, the recent election results show the fascist program to be deeply unpopular & open the way to both grassroots & institutional defiance. However, like the rallies, this alone will not be sufficient to dislodge the lawless GOP from power. They only create the opportunity.
November 7, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Great 🧵from @wihorne.bsky.social. I live in a city and a state where GOP officials are a disappearing breed so I am focusing on going after fascist adjacent businesses. A comprehensive list: @magacollaborators.bsky.social. Do whatever you can, and let them know that you are doing it!
Beautiful. Had the nonpartisan civil servants been free to act rather than under the thumb of the degenerate Trump appointees, none of this awful fiasco would have happened.
McConnell: "When you can't fix irreparable harm, you've lost the benefit of using your discretion."
Becker is getting really agitated and kind of yelling at the judge. He's still blaming the states for not getting the payments out. Says this is the first he's hearing that this has been a problem
Becker is getting really agitated and kind of yelling at the judge. He's still blaming the states for not getting the payments out. Says this is the first he's hearing that this has been a problem
November 6, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Beautiful. Had the nonpartisan civil servants been free to act rather than under the thumb of the degenerate Trump appointees, none of this awful fiasco would have happened.
Reposted by Brian Cook
If ICE agents come onto my campus, or the campus of K-12 schools, I want the school to use active shooter protocols: lock them out, hide the kids and staff, and call the police to inform them of armed gunmen on campus.
November 6, 2025 at 4:22 PM
If ICE agents come onto my campus, or the campus of K-12 schools, I want the school to use active shooter protocols: lock them out, hide the kids and staff, and call the police to inform them of armed gunmen on campus.
The neoliberal attack on good government long predated the current fascist acceleration. When we gather together to reconstruct the American republic, giving the civil service bedrock constitutional protection from the whims of presidents, legislators, and judges is always an option.
As we lament cancelled and delayed flights, a reminder of what air traffic controllers have been going through. It's insane that we pay them so little to begin with that they live paycheck to paycheck, and now there's the shutdown. It's not right, and it makes me very worried for air safety too.
OPINION by Jack Criss, air traffic controller:
“After my shift, I don’t go home to rest. I clock into DoorDash, trying to make ends meet for my daughter and me.”
READ MORE:
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
“After my shift, I don’t go home to rest. I clock into DoorDash, trying to make ends meet for my daughter and me.”
READ MORE:
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
November 6, 2025 at 2:20 PM
The neoliberal attack on good government long predated the current fascist acceleration. When we gather together to reconstruct the American republic, giving the civil service bedrock constitutional protection from the whims of presidents, legislators, and judges is always an option.
Early in the 1912 presidential election, one of the candidates made this argument 👇. No, it was not Theodore Roosevelt or Eugene V. Debs.
November 6, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Early in the 1912 presidential election, one of the candidates made this argument 👇. No, it was not Theodore Roosevelt or Eugene V. Debs.
This is really worth a couple minutes of your time.
skepticalscience.com/debunk-rogan... Debunking Joe Rogan, Dick Lindzen, and Will Happer climate misinformation . . .
skepticalscience.com/debunk-rogan... Debunking Joe Rogan, Dick Lindzen, and Will Happer climate misinformation . . .
Debunking Joe Rogan, Dick Lindzen, and Will Happer
Joe Rogan has one of the most popular podcasts on the Spotify and Apple Podcasts platforms, and a combined 50 million followers on YouTube, Spotify, and Instagram. And like nearly all of the most popu...
skepticalscience.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:21 PM
This is really worth a couple minutes of your time.
skepticalscience.com/debunk-rogan... Debunking Joe Rogan, Dick Lindzen, and Will Happer climate misinformation . . .
skepticalscience.com/debunk-rogan... Debunking Joe Rogan, Dick Lindzen, and Will Happer climate misinformation . . .
Reposted by Brian Cook
Again, the troops should learn from the Spanish Army of Flanders: take control of a nearby town and hold it as their own until all backpay has been settled.
Army closes only dining facility on Kansas base due to government shutdown trib.al/5WGvUOq
Army closes only dining facility on Kansas base due to government shutdown
The only dining facility for junior troops at the Army’s Fort Leavenworth in Kansas has been closed due to funding issues.
trib.al
November 6, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Again, the troops should learn from the Spanish Army of Flanders: take control of a nearby town and hold it as their own until all backpay has been settled.
Reposted by Brian Cook
Re ICE: "Organizational standards of professional practice are either absent, or completely at odds with what the public expectations of those standards should be." donmoynihan.substack.com/p/whos-threa...
bsky.app/profile/chab...
bsky.app/profile/chab...
Getting new details on this now:
As the arrest unfolded, teachers pleaded with the agents telling them the teacher had a work permit. The agents went into multiple rooms looking for teachers while children were present. One teacher hid with a child in her care while the agents stormed the facility.
As the arrest unfolded, teachers pleaded with the agents telling them the teacher had a work permit. The agents went into multiple rooms looking for teachers while children were present. One teacher hid with a child in her care while the agents stormed the facility.
Raids inside day cares had been off limits until this year, when, on his first day in office, President Donald Trump removed that protection.
The arrest reportedly took place in front of children.
19thnews.org/2025/11/chil...
The arrest reportedly took place in front of children.
19thnews.org/2025/11/chil...
November 5, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Re ICE: "Organizational standards of professional practice are either absent, or completely at odds with what the public expectations of those standards should be." donmoynihan.substack.com/p/whos-threa...
bsky.app/profile/chab...
bsky.app/profile/chab...