Eliot Sumner
@eliotsumner.bsky.social
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
-James Baldwin
-James Baldwin
Pinned
Eliot Sumner
@eliotsumner.bsky.social
· Oct 21
The Official Digital Authoritarian Aesthetic: Traditionalist Ideals in a Futurist Code
When Vice President JD Vance recently defended racist texts from a Republican group chat, he didn't engage with the content. Instead, he ...
write.as
3/3 Reaffirming the ideology shifts this from plausible to implausible deniability. The "denial" (and attacking the journalist) isn't meant to be believed; it's an assertion of power & contempt for accountability.
My essay decodes the playbook. It's strategy, not just memes write.as/eliot-sumner...
My essay decodes the playbook. It's strategy, not just memes write.as/eliot-sumner...
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
We have gotten so used to Great Replacement becoming normalized that most people hardly noticed that a racist, antisemitic, xenophobic conspiracy theory popularized by mass shooters and 4chan trolls is now government policy.
The U.S. State Department is repeating a white nationalist conspiracy theory.
On Friday, it claimed that “mass migration poses an existential threat to Western civilization.”
That line comes straight from the Great Replacement myth: the lie that immigration is a plot to erase white populations.
On Friday, it claimed that “mass migration poses an existential threat to Western civilization.”
That line comes straight from the Great Replacement myth: the lie that immigration is a plot to erase white populations.
November 24, 2025 at 9:00 PM
We have gotten so used to Great Replacement becoming normalized that most people hardly noticed that a racist, antisemitic, xenophobic conspiracy theory popularized by mass shooters and 4chan trolls is now government policy.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
“He must have got this from K.”: How a Russian operative used the American media to bring a risible “peace deal” into existence
The 28-point plan looks like a Russian information op, not a serious diplomatic effort, Michael Weiss @michaeldweiss.bsky.social argues.
The 28-point plan looks like a Russian information op, not a serious diplomatic effort, Michael Weiss @michaeldweiss.bsky.social argues.
“He must have got this from K.”: How a Russian operative used the American media to bring a risible “peace deal” into existence
Rhetoric around Russia’s war in Ukraine has once again shifted to discussions about a potential “diplomatic solution.” However, the “deal” on the table — a 28-point plan that contains many of Moscow’s...
theins.press
November 21, 2025 at 11:01 PM
“He must have got this from K.”: How a Russian operative used the American media to bring a risible “peace deal” into existence
The 28-point plan looks like a Russian information op, not a serious diplomatic effort, Michael Weiss @michaeldweiss.bsky.social argues.
The 28-point plan looks like a Russian information op, not a serious diplomatic effort, Michael Weiss @michaeldweiss.bsky.social argues.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
It is bad that Trump wants to use American soldiers against their fellow Americans. And it is also bad that Trump wants foreign powers to exploit his unnecessarily, artificial, and pre-scripted civil war.
Trump to generals: "Last month, I signed an executive order to provide training for a quick reaction force that can help quell civil disturbances. This is gonna be a big thing for the people in this room, because it's the enemy from within & we have to handle it before it gets out of control"
September 30, 2025 at 3:49 PM
It is bad that Trump wants to use American soldiers against their fellow Americans. And it is also bad that Trump wants foreign powers to exploit his unnecessarily, artificial, and pre-scripted civil war.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
It’s not just that this is puerile and lawless. It’s that it is completely out of touch with the issues relevant to contemporary warfare. Russia fights like this. It makes Russians criminals. But it doesn’t make them winners.
Hegseth: "We unleash overwhelming and punishing violence on the enemy. We also don't fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement."
October 1, 2025 at 3:45 PM
It’s not just that this is puerile and lawless. It’s that it is completely out of touch with the issues relevant to contemporary warfare. Russia fights like this. It makes Russians criminals. But it doesn’t make them winners.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
SPECIAL: We got this conversation up as fast as possible because Tim Snyder's analysis of the Trump administration's agenda and methods is so important. Also: Why No Kings matters, and what’s at stake in Ukraine. This is, if I may say so, a must-watch.
youtu.be/qq-V_k3HPLY?...
youtu.be/qq-V_k3HPLY?...
Timothy Snyder on the Trump Administration at Home, and What’s at Stake in Ukraine
YouTube video by Conversations with Bill Kristol
youtu.be
October 16, 2025 at 12:05 AM
SPECIAL: We got this conversation up as fast as possible because Tim Snyder's analysis of the Trump administration's agenda and methods is so important. Also: Why No Kings matters, and what’s at stake in Ukraine. This is, if I may say so, a must-watch.
youtu.be/qq-V_k3HPLY?...
youtu.be/qq-V_k3HPLY?...
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
This study show that using poems to jailbreak LLMs is... super effective? What the heck.
November 20, 2025 at 5:36 PM
This study show that using poems to jailbreak LLMs is... super effective? What the heck.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
Some background on “Don’t Give Up the Ship” & why it’s a great battle cry for America at this moment (from someone who grew up on the shores of Lake Erie, and may just have this flag hanging around somewhere). 1/7
November 19, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Some background on “Don’t Give Up the Ship” & why it’s a great battle cry for America at this moment (from someone who grew up on the shores of Lake Erie, and may just have this flag hanging around somewhere). 1/7
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
The value of reading history is you know that in 1860 there were abolitionists who were so demoralized that they thought chattel slavery would be permanent. 5 years later those still alive had lived to see its end.
November 12, 2025 at 8:05 PM
The value of reading history is you know that in 1860 there were abolitionists who were so demoralized that they thought chattel slavery would be permanent. 5 years later those still alive had lived to see its end.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
Civil society has to hold together and pull forward until the Democratic Party changes. It makes no sense to wait for the Democrats as a party. What makes sense is shifting the ground underneath them.
From street marches to court battles to the ballot box - we’ve challenged the power of this exceptionally unpopular president.
The lesson from each success we've had is that we need to ramp the political pressure up, always up, not back down, now more than ever.
The lesson from each success we've had is that we need to ramp the political pressure up, always up, not back down, now more than ever.
November 13, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Civil society has to hold together and pull forward until the Democratic Party changes. It makes no sense to wait for the Democrats as a party. What makes sense is shifting the ground underneath them.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
"We’re no longer in the usual realm of Republicans whitewashing or downplaying the darkness in our history... This administration has upgraded the earlier model, showing through word and action that it believes the shameful sides of America’s past were, in fact, good—even examples to follow today."
The Pro-Massacre, Pro-Segregation, Pro-Eugenics Administration
The Trump administration is seeking to rewind the clock on an entire century of legal—and moral—progress.
www.liberalcurrents.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:03 PM
"We’re no longer in the usual realm of Republicans whitewashing or downplaying the darkness in our history... This administration has upgraded the earlier model, showing through word and action that it believes the shameful sides of America’s past were, in fact, good—even examples to follow today."
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
One of the slave power secessionist complaints was that Northern juries kept acquitting people who obstructed the Fugitive Slave Act. But even when the bastards had the federal government on their side, there was no way around the Sixth Amendment's requirement of not just a jury but a local one.
November 7, 2025 at 3:01 AM
One of the slave power secessionist complaints was that Northern juries kept acquitting people who obstructed the Fugitive Slave Act. But even when the bastards had the federal government on their side, there was no way around the Sixth Amendment's requirement of not just a jury but a local one.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
This is the facility that I and many others have been protesting. We’ve been hit, thrown, gassed, and shot with pepper bullets but none of that holds a candle to what is being done to people *in* the actual facility.
Read this thread. Don’t look away. Keep your eyes and the pressure on Broadview.
Read this thread. Don’t look away. Keep your eyes and the pressure on Broadview.
A family friend was telling us about what her husband shared about his experience in Broadview before he was deported back to Mexico. She's been sharing to friends and family because she's just in disbelief & horror what her husband told her. She wasn't able to talk to him until he was in Mexico.
November 7, 2025 at 3:29 PM
This is the facility that I and many others have been protesting. We’ve been hit, thrown, gassed, and shot with pepper bullets but none of that holds a candle to what is being done to people *in* the actual facility.
Read this thread. Don’t look away. Keep your eyes and the pressure on Broadview.
Read this thread. Don’t look away. Keep your eyes and the pressure on Broadview.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
“Trump is saying we should have ethnic cleansing against Latinos and Latinas."
“Taken: The Agents Raiding Communities and the People Trying to Stop Them”: Maria Hinojosa
A new special report from Futuro Media follows the Trump administration’s federal immigration raids and the growing community resistance against them. “Taken: The Agents Raiding Communities and the Pe...
www.democracynow.org
November 6, 2025 at 4:01 PM
“Trump is saying we should have ethnic cleansing against Latinos and Latinas."
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
Folks, saying ABOLISH ICE isn't hard. Quite easy. The water is warm here. Jump in. Mainstream it. People will follow.
November 5, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Folks, saying ABOLISH ICE isn't hard. Quite easy. The water is warm here. Jump in. Mainstream it. People will follow.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
"Tuesday’s election night was a resounding repudiation of those who insist that Democrats must cut their trans constituents loose in order to win elections."
For @msnbc.com I wrote about how Tuesday's election gives Democrats the blueprint for overcoming Republican anti-trans attacks and how thus should settle all the talk about throwing trans people under the bus.
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Opinion | Democrats’ election wins showed they don't need to hide their support for trans rights
Republicans repeated Trump's anti-trans strategy from 2024 and lost big. This should be instructive for Democrats.
www.msnbc.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:36 PM
"Tuesday’s election night was a resounding repudiation of those who insist that Democrats must cut their trans constituents loose in order to win elections."
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
The Chicago Sun-Times reports on how Homeland Security creates recruiting videos while terrorizing Chicagoans. Remember the Blackhawk-helicopter-aided raid on an apartment building? “Security footage … shows a camera crew of at least nine people wearing street clothing filming the entire raid.”
Watch how government ‘propaganda’ techniques portray Chicago as a city at war with the feds
The government’s social media storytelling doesn’t always match what’s happening in communities across the nation’s third-largest city and its suburbs. Nick Cull, a professor at USC's communications a...
chicago.suntimes.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:09 PM
The Chicago Sun-Times reports on how Homeland Security creates recruiting videos while terrorizing Chicagoans. Remember the Blackhawk-helicopter-aided raid on an apartment building? “Security footage … shows a camera crew of at least nine people wearing street clothing filming the entire raid.”
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
It's the exact same ideology embraced by the elite enslavers before the Civil War: some people are better than others, and have the right-- and maybe the duty-- to rule. It was the Mudsill Theory then, and it's the Mudsill Theory today, dress it up in whatever elegant language you may.
When Hillary said there was a vast right wing conspiracy, she was, as usual, correct. It's become more entrenched, secretive, organized, & scary.
Armed w knowledge, we will #PushBack 🐸
#WeAreDemocracy
#DemocracyNotAutocracy
Gifted article. wapo.st/3Jsvgrl
#Voices4Victory
#USDemoctacy
Armed w knowledge, we will #PushBack 🐸
#WeAreDemocracy
#DemocracyNotAutocracy
Gifted article. wapo.st/3Jsvgrl
#Voices4Victory
#USDemoctacy
The secretive donor circle that lifted JD Vance is now re-writing MAGA’s future
Chris Buskirk put tech elites in power in Trump’s Washington. His efforts are grounded in a controversial theory — an ‘aristocracy’ is needed to move the country forward.
wapo.st
November 4, 2025 at 5:43 PM
It's the exact same ideology embraced by the elite enslavers before the Civil War: some people are better than others, and have the right-- and maybe the duty-- to rule. It was the Mudsill Theory then, and it's the Mudsill Theory today, dress it up in whatever elegant language you may.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
The mural features a masked ICE agent, in a Dodgers hat, escorting a handcuffed Fernando Valenzuela, the iconic Dodgers pitcher.
Below the painting, a vinyl sticker on the wall declares: “I LOVE THE #DODGERS. But I Love My Community More! Community Over Profit.”
#WorldSeries
Below the painting, a vinyl sticker on the wall declares: “I LOVE THE #DODGERS. But I Love My Community More! Community Over Profit.”
#WorldSeries
Boyle Heights art shows Valenzuela arrested by ICE in Dodgers cap
At Distrito Catorce in Boyle Heights, a new painting replaces a beloved Dodgers tribute, capturing the disappointment and activism of longtime fans in response to the team’s silence on immigration rai...
boyleheightsbeat.com
November 2, 2025 at 4:27 AM
The mural features a masked ICE agent, in a Dodgers hat, escorting a handcuffed Fernando Valenzuela, the iconic Dodgers pitcher.
Below the painting, a vinyl sticker on the wall declares: “I LOVE THE #DODGERS. But I Love My Community More! Community Over Profit.”
#WorldSeries
Below the painting, a vinyl sticker on the wall declares: “I LOVE THE #DODGERS. But I Love My Community More! Community Over Profit.”
#WorldSeries
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
I find this distraction discourse unhelpful. Trump's video was appalling and significant and should be analyzed and denounced, and part of the work of politics is to turn it into a major controversy in its own right, as a symbol of Trump's autocratic disdain for the people.
Obama: The weird videos of a U.S. President with a crown on his head flying a fighter jet and dumping poop on protesting citizens… All of that is designed to distract you from the fact that your situation has not gotten better.
November 1, 2025 at 8:04 PM
I find this distraction discourse unhelpful. Trump's video was appalling and significant and should be analyzed and denounced, and part of the work of politics is to turn it into a major controversy in its own right, as a symbol of Trump's autocratic disdain for the people.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
genuinely crazy-making how much the national press is indifferent to the verifiable fact that jd vance is buddy buddy with internet nazis, and the degree to which this is almost certainly a form of solidarity among people with a similar institution pedigree
mainstream media report on jd vance’s twitter mutuals, challenge level: impossible
He has already chosen, what the fuck are we doing here
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
November 1, 2025 at 7:23 PM
genuinely crazy-making how much the national press is indifferent to the verifiable fact that jd vance is buddy buddy with internet nazis, and the degree to which this is almost certainly a form of solidarity among people with a similar institution pedigree
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
How people think authoritarian governments work: they're hacking your phones, watching your every move with facial recognition cameras, men in black come and grab you at night.
How they actually work: someone like Laura Loomer tweets about you, men in black come and grab you in the night.
How they actually work: someone like Laura Loomer tweets about you, men in black come and grab you in the night.
October 31, 2025 at 7:29 PM
How people think authoritarian governments work: they're hacking your phones, watching your every move with facial recognition cameras, men in black come and grab you at night.
How they actually work: someone like Laura Loomer tweets about you, men in black come and grab you in the night.
How they actually work: someone like Laura Loomer tweets about you, men in black come and grab you in the night.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
the DHS socials are staffed by actual nazis designed to make posts that appeal to nazis, they want genuine believers in a white state. there is not a single ICE agent that “is just following orders”, they’re all buying into an intentionally fascistic project
hey guys are we ever going to talk about what's happening with DHS on social media
October 30, 2025 at 5:19 PM
the DHS socials are staffed by actual nazis designed to make posts that appeal to nazis, they want genuine believers in a white state. there is not a single ICE agent that “is just following orders”, they’re all buying into an intentionally fascistic project
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
Kevin Roberts' defense of Nick Fuentes is a watershed moment: the right has officially declared open, unabashed Hitlerism to be an acceptable position in their coalition
www.vox.com/politics/466...
www.vox.com/politics/466...
The GOP’s top think tank just defended an open Nazi
Reasonable people can disagree about whether Hitler was good, says the Heritage Foundation.
www.vox.com
October 31, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Kevin Roberts' defense of Nick Fuentes is a watershed moment: the right has officially declared open, unabashed Hitlerism to be an acceptable position in their coalition
www.vox.com/politics/466...
www.vox.com/politics/466...