Cory Haala 🎩🐱
@coryhaala.bsky.social
Views mine, not my employer's (obviously). Historian of liberalism, populism, the Democratic Party, and the Midwest: http://coryhaala.org
oh man then we're gonna love gopher-badger and HAT. absolute snowy FILTH incoming
November 29, 2025 at 8:31 PM
oh man then we're gonna love gopher-badger and HAT. absolute snowy FILTH incoming
With A Game, 🪓, and 🎩 today (all due respect to 🌽 and 🪣 yesterday), a line that's stuck with me on the 1988 election is that Bush-Dukakis was Harvard-Yale when voters really wanted a Big Ten slugfest.
Whether it's politics or football, deep down we're all absolute populist sickos.
Whether it's politics or football, deep down we're all absolute populist sickos.
November 29, 2025 at 8:12 PM
With A Game, 🪓, and 🎩 today (all due respect to 🌽 and 🪣 yesterday), a line that's stuck with me on the 1988 election is that Bush-Dukakis was Harvard-Yale when voters really wanted a Big Ten slugfest.
Whether it's politics or football, deep down we're all absolute populist sickos.
Whether it's politics or football, deep down we're all absolute populist sickos.
My daughter's daycare is LUCKY. Wonder if they're ordering Lou's or Giordano's.
November 24, 2025 at 2:07 PM
My daughter's daycare is LUCKY. Wonder if they're ordering Lou's or Giordano's.
...so yeah, I'd say recruitment to our Museum Studies minor at UWSP is going pretty well.
November 12, 2025 at 4:47 PM
...so yeah, I'd say recruitment to our Museum Studies minor at UWSP is going pretty well.
It's funny, because I THOUGHT there was a group called the Midwestern History Association that's been around for a decade doing exactly this. So I'm really curious as to why a recent winner of the organization's lifetime achievement award is pulling this.
November 11, 2025 at 4:13 AM
It's funny, because I THOUGHT there was a group called the Midwestern History Association that's been around for a decade doing exactly this. So I'm really curious as to why a recent winner of the organization's lifetime achievement award is pulling this.
Iconic, and yet "the Mike Kafka game" for me will always been when I was an HS senior in Minnesota, sure I wanted to go to Northwestern, and then Kafka did this to the Gophers in the funniest-ever montage of a tall, bald giraffe just ambling all over an inept Minnesota defense.
November 10, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Iconic, and yet "the Mike Kafka game" for me will always been when I was an HS senior in Minnesota, sure I wanted to go to Northwestern, and then Kafka did this to the Gophers in the funniest-ever montage of a tall, bald giraffe just ambling all over an inept Minnesota defense.
let me tell you about my summer 2025 and #newdealminneapolis, because i got some random ass local bridges for you
November 7, 2025 at 8:59 PM
let me tell you about my summer 2025 and #newdealminneapolis, because i got some random ass local bridges for you
23 years ago today.
It remains true: We all do better when we all do better.
It remains true: We all do better when we all do better.
October 25, 2025 at 4:35 PM
23 years ago today.
It remains true: We all do better when we all do better.
It remains true: We all do better when we all do better.
Went an hour out of the way to a Driftless Area farm, saw the sign out front, learned from an 80s organizer that North American Farm Alliance (all over my book) was organized in THAT farmhouse, plus stories about tractorcades and farm policy...
...I'm damn lucky to have my job.
...I'm damn lucky to have my job.
October 23, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Went an hour out of the way to a Driftless Area farm, saw the sign out front, learned from an 80s organizer that North American Farm Alliance (all over my book) was organized in THAT farmhouse, plus stories about tractorcades and farm policy...
...I'm damn lucky to have my job.
...I'm damn lucky to have my job.
It's a "home day" for the girls and Dad, so we've gone for a walk (to see a train with CPR livery), grabbed some nature stuff, and played with the talking globe...
...can you guess what country we're learning about? 😂
...can you guess what country we're learning about? 😂
September 29, 2025 at 2:26 PM
It's a "home day" for the girls and Dad, so we've gone for a walk (to see a train with CPR livery), grabbed some nature stuff, and played with the talking globe...
...can you guess what country we're learning about? 😂
...can you guess what country we're learning about? 😂
Fun example from @timmiller.bsky.social's interview (or at least the @ezraklein.bsky.social clip)! Let's see.
1984 presidential:
* South Dakota: R+27
* North Dakota: R+31
1986 Senate races, ft. incumbent Republicans:
* SD: Daschle, D+3
* ND: Conrad, DNPL+1
Wonder what those two guys ran on!
1984 presidential:
* South Dakota: R+27
* North Dakota: R+31
1986 Senate races, ft. incumbent Republicans:
* SD: Daschle, D+3
* ND: Conrad, DNPL+1
Wonder what those two guys ran on!
September 27, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Fun example from @timmiller.bsky.social's interview (or at least the @ezraklein.bsky.social clip)! Let's see.
1984 presidential:
* South Dakota: R+27
* North Dakota: R+31
1986 Senate races, ft. incumbent Republicans:
* SD: Daschle, D+3
* ND: Conrad, DNPL+1
Wonder what those two guys ran on!
1984 presidential:
* South Dakota: R+27
* North Dakota: R+31
1986 Senate races, ft. incumbent Republicans:
* SD: Daschle, D+3
* ND: Conrad, DNPL+1
Wonder what those two guys ran on!
Come get your boys, @sykescharlie.bsky.social. Or educate em. Or something.
September 27, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Come get your boys, @sykescharlie.bsky.social. Or educate em. Or something.
Playing the hits down in Mankato.
September 26, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Playing the hits down in Mankato.
From St Mary's (Sleepy Eye) cookbook: "Best Ever Meat Loaf" of Helen Zollner, who at Easter Mass '92 called my Grandma's broach "interesting," sparking a 21-yr standoff only thawed by a curt nod during the Sign of Peace at Christmas '13.
I pray this meatloaf continues our families' healing process.
I pray this meatloaf continues our families' healing process.
September 15, 2025 at 10:55 PM
From St Mary's (Sleepy Eye) cookbook: "Best Ever Meat Loaf" of Helen Zollner, who at Easter Mass '92 called my Grandma's broach "interesting," sparking a 21-yr standoff only thawed by a curt nod during the Sign of Peace at Christmas '13.
I pray this meatloaf continues our families' healing process.
I pray this meatloaf continues our families' healing process.
Tell you what, it's not the worst way I've ever spent a Saturday night in September.
September 14, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Tell you what, it's not the worst way I've ever spent a Saturday night in September.
Was talking about this with someone yesterday: similar vibes to 1978, when Northern Lights (indie film on the NPL) came out. Then activists in Iowa were screening it in Adair County in '82-83 and fighting for populist policies.
Curious if this could have similar legs. (Looks like a great doc, too.)
Curious if this could have similar legs. (Looks like a great doc, too.)
September 6, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Was talking about this with someone yesterday: similar vibes to 1978, when Northern Lights (indie film on the NPL) came out. Then activists in Iowa were screening it in Adair County in '82-83 and fighting for populist policies.
Curious if this could have similar legs. (Looks like a great doc, too.)
Curious if this could have similar legs. (Looks like a great doc, too.)
Feels wild to say: I'll be talking ag politics, activism, and history at @farmaid.org 40!
Please join this FREE event Tuesday, Sept 16, at 4pm in the Best Buy Theater at the U. of Minnesota: "Lessons in Mobilizing: From the Farmer Labor Movement to the Tractorcades to Today!"
(🔗 in replies)
Please join this FREE event Tuesday, Sept 16, at 4pm in the Best Buy Theater at the U. of Minnesota: "Lessons in Mobilizing: From the Farmer Labor Movement to the Tractorcades to Today!"
(🔗 in replies)
September 5, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Feels wild to say: I'll be talking ag politics, activism, and history at @farmaid.org 40!
Please join this FREE event Tuesday, Sept 16, at 4pm in the Best Buy Theater at the U. of Minnesota: "Lessons in Mobilizing: From the Farmer Labor Movement to the Tractorcades to Today!"
(🔗 in replies)
Please join this FREE event Tuesday, Sept 16, at 4pm in the Best Buy Theater at the U. of Minnesota: "Lessons in Mobilizing: From the Farmer Labor Movement to the Tractorcades to Today!"
(🔗 in replies)
Survived Day 1 of a new year. Rewarded myself with some writing time in the Northwoods. Year 3 at Point.
September 3, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Survived Day 1 of a new year. Rewarded myself with some writing time in the Northwoods. Year 3 at Point.
Time to fire up the ol' Mark Dayton Rx Express! Toot toot!
August 26, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Time to fire up the ol' Mark Dayton Rx Express! Toot toot!
In fall 2020 I flew to Texas twice a week to teach.
In spring 2021 I flew to Connecticut weekly to teach.
I 2021-22 I flew weekly to Houston to teach and only used public transit there.
But finally, living a boring suburban life in summer 2025, I've been caught by the 'vid.
In spring 2021 I flew to Connecticut weekly to teach.
I 2021-22 I flew weekly to Houston to teach and only used public transit there.
But finally, living a boring suburban life in summer 2025, I've been caught by the 'vid.
August 15, 2025 at 11:19 PM
In fall 2020 I flew to Texas twice a week to teach.
In spring 2021 I flew to Connecticut weekly to teach.
I 2021-22 I flew weekly to Houston to teach and only used public transit there.
But finally, living a boring suburban life in summer 2025, I've been caught by the 'vid.
In spring 2021 I flew to Connecticut weekly to teach.
I 2021-22 I flew weekly to Houston to teach and only used public transit there.
But finally, living a boring suburban life in summer 2025, I've been caught by the 'vid.
From student-submitted notes to a lecture on early republic America:
August 8, 2025 at 1:58 AM
From student-submitted notes to a lecture on early republic America: