Kelci Burckhardt
@kelcib.bsky.social
PhD student in international studies @DU. Political psychology, democratization.
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
per Kate Manne, Katie Johnson already made these accusations...and was ignored. katemanne.substack.com/p/the-actual...
November 12, 2025 at 5:22 PM
per Kate Manne, Katie Johnson already made these accusations...and was ignored. katemanne.substack.com/p/the-actual...
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
I need people to stop saying NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s win proves that Democratic Socialists need to run in every race around the country, or that New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill is the blueprint for all Dems looking to run for office.
1/
1/
November 7, 2025 at 6:55 PM
I need people to stop saying NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s win proves that Democratic Socialists need to run in every race around the country, or that New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill is the blueprint for all Dems looking to run for office.
1/
1/
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
While elon becomes the world’s first trillionaire.
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 7, 2025 at 3:27 PM
While elon becomes the world’s first trillionaire.
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
This! 👇
And yet, I have no doubt that political consultants will claim that it was all about his innovative use of social media (which was also great, but only part of the story, and mostly successful because he came across as “authentic”).
And yet, I have no doubt that political consultants will claim that it was all about his innovative use of social media (which was also great, but only part of the story, and mostly successful because he came across as “authentic”).
For real though: the Zohran organizing and field operation was legendary. Absolutely setting the bar. Extraordinary work that can be learned from and emulated by any campaign with an actual theory of change.
November 5, 2025 at 8:33 PM
This! 👇
And yet, I have no doubt that political consultants will claim that it was all about his innovative use of social media (which was also great, but only part of the story, and mostly successful because he came across as “authentic”).
And yet, I have no doubt that political consultants will claim that it was all about his innovative use of social media (which was also great, but only part of the story, and mostly successful because he came across as “authentic”).
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
I wrote long today. open.substack.com/pub/danieldr...
The Weakness and Incompetence of American Authoritarianism
And why it needs to be continually highlighted.
open.substack.com
September 20, 2025 at 5:38 PM
I wrote long today. open.substack.com/pub/danieldr...
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
I would like Never Trump Republicans to demand that George W. Bush appear and speak up for democracy in this country. Why do ppl always ask Obama to do things and “where is Kamala”? Where is the 43rd President of the United States while democracy crashes & burns. This is the party he led. 1/
September 20, 2025 at 6:11 PM
I would like Never Trump Republicans to demand that George W. Bush appear and speak up for democracy in this country. Why do ppl always ask Obama to do things and “where is Kamala”? Where is the 43rd President of the United States while democracy crashes & burns. This is the party he led. 1/
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
A terrorist targeted federal workers last week. There wasn’t much reporting on it. But I’m not finished thinking about it! 🧵
An anti-vaxxer fired more than 500 gunshots into CDC Atlanta, shattering 150 “blast-proof” windows on 6 buildings. Employees were pinned down in terror.
An anti-vaxxer fired more than 500 gunshots into CDC Atlanta, shattering 150 “blast-proof” windows on 6 buildings. Employees were pinned down in terror.
August 17, 2025 at 1:35 AM
A terrorist targeted federal workers last week. There wasn’t much reporting on it. But I’m not finished thinking about it! 🧵
An anti-vaxxer fired more than 500 gunshots into CDC Atlanta, shattering 150 “blast-proof” windows on 6 buildings. Employees were pinned down in terror.
An anti-vaxxer fired more than 500 gunshots into CDC Atlanta, shattering 150 “blast-proof” windows on 6 buildings. Employees were pinned down in terror.
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
The story of how Trump sells access to the White House - to benefit himself and his family financially and to benefit his political operation - is shocking and sordid.
No President has ever monetized access like Trump has.
1/ It's a story you need to know.
No President has ever monetized access like Trump has.
1/ It's a story you need to know.
August 3, 2025 at 1:15 PM
The story of how Trump sells access to the White House - to benefit himself and his family financially and to benefit his political operation - is shocking and sordid.
No President has ever monetized access like Trump has.
1/ It's a story you need to know.
No President has ever monetized access like Trump has.
1/ It's a story you need to know.
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
Communist regimes insisted on a "propaganda of success," with the media daily and breathlessly reporting ever-higher quotas being met by the heroic workers and massive economic growth. Stalin sent the (few) authors of unfavorable economic reports to the gulag.
This of course is very different.
This of course is very different.
BREAKING: President Trump fires the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics hours after weak jobs report.
Trump fires labor statistics boss hours after weak jobs report
The president implied that the BLS commissioner, long-time federal employee Erika McEntarfer, manipulated the data "for political purposes."
nbcnews.to
August 1, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Communist regimes insisted on a "propaganda of success," with the media daily and breathlessly reporting ever-higher quotas being met by the heroic workers and massive economic growth. Stalin sent the (few) authors of unfavorable economic reports to the gulag.
This of course is very different.
This of course is very different.
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
In political science, there has been a long and frustrating debate over what about democracy, precisely, leads to growth. Of course, it’s multi-causal. But I always emphasize the information environment. Markets can’t work when info is bad. Info is likely to be bad in authoritarian circumstances.
August 2, 2025 at 12:47 AM
In political science, there has been a long and frustrating debate over what about democracy, precisely, leads to growth. Of course, it’s multi-causal. But I always emphasize the information environment. Markets can’t work when info is bad. Info is likely to be bad in authoritarian circumstances.
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
"Before January 2025 there had been no—zero, zilch—interest in killing off USAID. It wasn't something Trump ran on. It wasn't envisioned in Project 2025. It was only once Elon Musk decided that USAID was evil that destroying the agency became a policy goal for the Republican party."
The Boy Genius Who Killed 14 Million Poor People
What is the moral weight of responsibility for the men who carried out DOGE’s work?
www.thebulwark.com
August 1, 2025 at 2:36 AM
"Before January 2025 there had been no—zero, zilch—interest in killing off USAID. It wasn't something Trump ran on. It wasn't envisioned in Project 2025. It was only once Elon Musk decided that USAID was evil that destroying the agency became a policy goal for the Republican party."
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
Man who shut down the largest collective effort by America to help the most vulnerable people in the world, condemning millions to death, suggests that his businesses will save them donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-death-...
Man worth $370 billion says the way to solve poverty is “AI and robotics”
August 1, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Man who shut down the largest collective effort by America to help the most vulnerable people in the world, condemning millions to death, suggests that his businesses will save them donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-death-...
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
At only 6 months in, we’ve now entered the Ministry of Truth stage of the authoritarian regime.
Smithsonian bows to Trump pressure, removes any mention of his two impeachments from its presidential impeachment exhibit.
www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Smithsonian bows to Trump pressure, removes any mention of his two impeachments from its presidential impeachment exhibit.
www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Smithsonian removes Trump from impeachment exhibit in American history museum
A temporary placard, on display since 2021, described the president's historic impeachments. Officials said the exhibit was restored to an earlier version following a review of legacy content.
www.washingtonpost.com
August 1, 2025 at 2:11 AM
At only 6 months in, we’ve now entered the Ministry of Truth stage of the authoritarian regime.
Smithsonian bows to Trump pressure, removes any mention of his two impeachments from its presidential impeachment exhibit.
www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Smithsonian bows to Trump pressure, removes any mention of his two impeachments from its presidential impeachment exhibit.
www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
Wow. A group of top scholars at Harvard just sent a letter to its president, Alan Garber, warning against surrendering to Trump.
Signatories include Steven Levitsky, Dani Rodrik, Ryan Enos, Theda Skocpol, and Steven Walt.
Someone forwarded it to me. Read it here:
Signatories include Steven Levitsky, Dani Rodrik, Ryan Enos, Theda Skocpol, and Steven Walt.
Someone forwarded it to me. Read it here:
July 31, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Wow. A group of top scholars at Harvard just sent a letter to its president, Alan Garber, warning against surrendering to Trump.
Signatories include Steven Levitsky, Dani Rodrik, Ryan Enos, Theda Skocpol, and Steven Walt.
Someone forwarded it to me. Read it here:
Signatories include Steven Levitsky, Dani Rodrik, Ryan Enos, Theda Skocpol, and Steven Walt.
Someone forwarded it to me. Read it here:
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
Imagine: an intro to political theory class that is entirely done in the style of Subway Takes.
So, what’s your take?
Hobbes: people are the worst. government should restrain that.
Rousseau: social contracts can be just ~vibes~
Rawls: we would make better decisions if no one knew who they were.
So, what’s your take?
Hobbes: people are the worst. government should restrain that.
Rousseau: social contracts can be just ~vibes~
Rawls: we would make better decisions if no one knew who they were.
July 29, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Imagine: an intro to political theory class that is entirely done in the style of Subway Takes.
So, what’s your take?
Hobbes: people are the worst. government should restrain that.
Rousseau: social contracts can be just ~vibes~
Rawls: we would make better decisions if no one knew who they were.
So, what’s your take?
Hobbes: people are the worst. government should restrain that.
Rousseau: social contracts can be just ~vibes~
Rawls: we would make better decisions if no one knew who they were.
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
I doubt that there is a single family in America that hasn’t benefitted directly from the NIH.
July 28, 2025 at 5:37 PM
I doubt that there is a single family in America that hasn’t benefitted directly from the NIH.
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
Study finds A.I. LLMs advise women to ask for lower salaries than men. When prompted w/ a user profile of same education, experience & job role, differing only by gender, ChatGPT advised the female applicant to request $280K salary; Male applicant=$400K.
thenextweb.com/news/chatgpt...
thenextweb.com/news/chatgpt...
ChatGPT advises women to ask for lower salaries, study finds
A new study has found that large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT consistently advise women to ask for lower salaries than men.
thenextweb.com
July 20, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Study finds A.I. LLMs advise women to ask for lower salaries than men. When prompted w/ a user profile of same education, experience & job role, differing only by gender, ChatGPT advised the female applicant to request $280K salary; Male applicant=$400K.
thenextweb.com/news/chatgpt...
thenextweb.com/news/chatgpt...
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
You can read all the retrospectives about Epstein running now. But to really understand the case, go right to the @jkbjournalist.bsky.social series in the @miamiherald.com that ran 7 years ago (and for completely inexplicable reasons, never won a Pulitzer).
www.miamiherald.com/news/local/a...
www.miamiherald.com/news/local/a...
How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime
Palm Beach multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein was accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls. Prosecutors, including future Trump labor secretary Alexander Acosta, cut Epstein an extraordinary...
www.miamiherald.com
July 19, 2025 at 10:44 PM
You can read all the retrospectives about Epstein running now. But to really understand the case, go right to the @jkbjournalist.bsky.social series in the @miamiherald.com that ran 7 years ago (and for completely inexplicable reasons, never won a Pulitzer).
www.miamiherald.com/news/local/a...
www.miamiherald.com/news/local/a...
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
Now seems the time to repost this big story we did a few years ago... www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
I called everyone in Jeffrey Epstein's little black book.
What I learned about rich people, conspiracy, Ghislaine, stand-up comedy, and evil from 2,000 phone calls.
www.motherjones.com
July 13, 2025 at 1:28 AM
Now seems the time to repost this big story we did a few years ago... www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
The right has to lie about cities because cities, in all their successful bustling and dynamic pluralism, puts the lie to the right's claims about what's necessary for a society to function. If cities are great, then the right is wrong. So they have to tell their followers that cities suck.
Why the Right Lies About Cities
www.aaronrosspowell.com
July 10, 2025 at 2:04 PM
The right has to lie about cities because cities, in all their successful bustling and dynamic pluralism, puts the lie to the right's claims about what's necessary for a society to function. If cities are great, then the right is wrong. So they have to tell their followers that cities suck.
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
BREAKING: Emails given to Congress by DOJ whistleblower reveal new details about the Abrego Garcia fiasco. They show how Trump officials searched for ways to paint him as a dangerous criminal and gang "leader" and couldn't find any. But smears continued.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/1977...
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/1977...
Whistleblower Emails Expose Fresh Trump Abuses in Abrego Garcia Case
Newly released communications show the lengths the Trump administration went to in order to label Kilmar Abrego Garcia an MS-13 leader.
newrepublic.com
July 10, 2025 at 1:01 PM
BREAKING: Emails given to Congress by DOJ whistleblower reveal new details about the Abrego Garcia fiasco. They show how Trump officials searched for ways to paint him as a dangerous criminal and gang "leader" and couldn't find any. But smears continued.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/1977...
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/1977...
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
But universities are threatened with losing their tax exempt status if *students protesting the university* are too openly political.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/u...
I.R.S. Says Churches Can Endorse Candidates From the Pulpit
www.nytimes.com
July 8, 2025 at 1:26 AM
But universities are threatened with losing their tax exempt status if *students protesting the university* are too openly political.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/u...
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
The double standard here is stunning. Universities are losing grants, student aid, and endowments for being "too woke." But churches (which also receive federal funds, eg, for school vouchers, food banks, and marriage promotion programs) are now allowed to openly endorse political candidates.
July 8, 2025 at 12:53 PM
The double standard here is stunning. Universities are losing grants, student aid, and endowments for being "too woke." But churches (which also receive federal funds, eg, for school vouchers, food banks, and marriage promotion programs) are now allowed to openly endorse political candidates.
Reposted by Kelci Burckhardt
Coming from Theda Skocpol, this is absolutely bone-chilling analysis.
H/t @adamgurri.liberalcurrents.com
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/criti...
H/t @adamgurri.liberalcurrents.com
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/criti...
July 8, 2025 at 2:59 AM
Coming from Theda Skocpol, this is absolutely bone-chilling analysis.
H/t @adamgurri.liberalcurrents.com
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/criti...
H/t @adamgurri.liberalcurrents.com
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/criti...