Michael Podhorzer
@mikepod.bsky.social
Former political director, AFL-CIO. Senior fellow, CAP. My Substack: www.weekendreading.net
“Turnout” and “persuasion” have become ideologically coded as “progressive” and “moderate,” respectively—but that’s not how people decide who to vote for, or whether to vote at all.
November 10, 2025 at 10:58 PM
“Turnout” and “persuasion” have become ideologically coded as “progressive” and “moderate,” respectively—but that’s not how people decide who to vote for, or whether to vote at all.
Democrats should be much more ambitious about how many races are put in play when it could be a wave year. In 2006, Rahm Emanuel arguably cost Democrats seats by discouraging investment in a number of winnable races—including one candidate in Minnesota by the name of Tim Walz.
November 10, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Democrats should be much more ambitious about how many races are put in play when it could be a wave year. In 2006, Rahm Emanuel arguably cost Democrats seats by discouraging investment in a number of winnable races—including one candidate in Minnesota by the name of Tim Walz.
Discourse has been captured by a group of analysts and strategists who have lost sight of how you actually win elections and make big gains—as if the only thing that matters in football is extra points and field goals, not touchdowns.
November 10, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Discourse has been captured by a group of analysts and strategists who have lost sight of how you actually win elections and make big gains—as if the only thing that matters in football is extra points and field goals, not touchdowns.
My big takeaway from last week's election, as I told @perrybaconjr.bsky.social , is that this should be an accountability election not just for MAGA, but for the commentariat that keeps telling us the wrong thing about what’s going on in America.
www.weekendreading.net/p/election-d...
www.weekendreading.net/p/election-d...
November 10, 2025 at 10:58 PM
My big takeaway from last week's election, as I told @perrybaconjr.bsky.social , is that this should be an accountability election not just for MAGA, but for the commentariat that keeps telling us the wrong thing about what’s going on in America.
www.weekendreading.net/p/election-d...
www.weekendreading.net/p/election-d...
8️⃣ Baldwin warned that nothing can be changed until it is faced.
Douglass reminded us that “the limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
Power concedes nothing without a demand, but demands and struggle require clarity.
Douglass reminded us that “the limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
Power concedes nothing without a demand, but demands and struggle require clarity.
October 28, 2025 at 3:17 PM
8️⃣ Baldwin warned that nothing can be changed until it is faced.
Douglass reminded us that “the limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
Power concedes nothing without a demand, but demands and struggle require clarity.
Douglass reminded us that “the limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
Power concedes nothing without a demand, but demands and struggle require clarity.
4️⃣ Five of the six were nominated by presidents who lost the popular vote and confirmed by senators representing less than half the country.
The media still calls them “justices.” History will call them agents.
The media still calls them “justices.” History will call them agents.
October 28, 2025 at 3:17 PM
4️⃣ Five of the six were nominated by presidents who lost the popular vote and confirmed by senators representing less than half the country.
The media still calls them “justices.” History will call them agents.
The media still calls them “justices.” History will call them agents.
3️⃣ Dayenu—it should have been enough.
Enough that the Roberts majority intervened to ensure Trump could be elected.
Enough that their confirmation was uniquely partisan.
Enough that they were vetted and financed by the Federalist Society.
How much proof of capture is “enough”?
Enough that the Roberts majority intervened to ensure Trump could be elected.
Enough that their confirmation was uniquely partisan.
Enough that they were vetted and financed by the Federalist Society.
How much proof of capture is “enough”?
October 28, 2025 at 3:17 PM
3️⃣ Dayenu—it should have been enough.
Enough that the Roberts majority intervened to ensure Trump could be elected.
Enough that their confirmation was uniquely partisan.
Enough that they were vetted and financed by the Federalist Society.
How much proof of capture is “enough”?
Enough that the Roberts majority intervened to ensure Trump could be elected.
Enough that their confirmation was uniquely partisan.
Enough that they were vetted and financed by the Federalist Society.
How much proof of capture is “enough”?
It’s no wonder the three branches of government no longer check each other. The Roberts Court, Trump, and the Republican House/Senate caucuses are all on the same team—shadows of the same shadowcasters.
September 17, 2025 at 4:38 PM
It’s no wonder the three branches of government no longer check each other. The Roberts Court, Trump, and the Republican House/Senate caucuses are all on the same team—shadows of the same shadowcasters.
Almost no one talks about democracy in the workplace, which is absurd given that we spend a third of our lives there.
Unions give us that. @ositanwanevu.com
www.weekendreading.net/p/osita-nwan...
Unions give us that. @ositanwanevu.com
www.weekendreading.net/p/osita-nwan...
September 12, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Almost no one talks about democracy in the workplace, which is absurd given that we spend a third of our lives there.
Unions give us that. @ositanwanevu.com
www.weekendreading.net/p/osita-nwan...
Unions give us that. @ositanwanevu.com
www.weekendreading.net/p/osita-nwan...
Democracy isn’t something that was created in 1787 that we occasionally dust off and maintain. It’s an ongoing project.
We can be depressed at how undemocratic our system is now—or we can be galvanized to be part of a generational project to remake it based on OUR values. @ositanwanevu.com
We can be depressed at how undemocratic our system is now—or we can be galvanized to be part of a generational project to remake it based on OUR values. @ositanwanevu.com
September 12, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Democracy isn’t something that was created in 1787 that we occasionally dust off and maintain. It’s an ongoing project.
We can be depressed at how undemocratic our system is now—or we can be galvanized to be part of a generational project to remake it based on OUR values. @ositanwanevu.com
We can be depressed at how undemocratic our system is now—or we can be galvanized to be part of a generational project to remake it based on OUR values. @ositanwanevu.com
The monsters didn’t rise alone. Liberal elites—politicians, media, civil society—failed to act when it mattered. They kept mistaking rhetoric for resolve, promising guardrails but never building them.
That unwitting complicity is the other half of the story.
www.weekendreading.net/i/173279124/...
That unwitting complicity is the other half of the story.
www.weekendreading.net/i/173279124/...
September 10, 2025 at 4:55 PM
The monsters didn’t rise alone. Liberal elites—politicians, media, civil society—failed to act when it mattered. They kept mistaking rhetoric for resolve, promising guardrails but never building them.
That unwitting complicity is the other half of the story.
www.weekendreading.net/i/173279124/...
That unwitting complicity is the other half of the story.
www.weekendreading.net/i/173279124/...
Trump is a consequence, not the cause. The real story is the coalition behind him: plutocrats + white Christian nationalists.
Together, they form what I call the Neo-Confederacy—a modern Southern strategy that captured the GOP, the Court, and half the states.
Together, they form what I call the Neo-Confederacy—a modern Southern strategy that captured the GOP, the Court, and half the states.
September 10, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Trump is a consequence, not the cause. The real story is the coalition behind him: plutocrats + white Christian nationalists.
Together, they form what I call the Neo-Confederacy—a modern Southern strategy that captured the GOP, the Court, and half the states.
Together, they form what I call the Neo-Confederacy—a modern Southern strategy that captured the GOP, the Court, and half the states.
“The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.”
A century ago, Gramsci diagnosed Europe’s crisis. His warning feels eerily familiar.
I use that frame to ask: who are today’s monsters, and who enabled them?
www.weekendreading.net/i/173279124/...
A century ago, Gramsci diagnosed Europe’s crisis. His warning feels eerily familiar.
I use that frame to ask: who are today’s monsters, and who enabled them?
www.weekendreading.net/i/173279124/...
September 10, 2025 at 4:55 PM
“The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.”
A century ago, Gramsci diagnosed Europe’s crisis. His warning feels eerily familiar.
I use that frame to ask: who are today’s monsters, and who enabled them?
www.weekendreading.net/i/173279124/...
A century ago, Gramsci diagnosed Europe’s crisis. His warning feels eerily familiar.
I use that frame to ask: who are today’s monsters, and who enabled them?
www.weekendreading.net/i/173279124/...
"The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters." -Gramsci
We have to be part of the birth of a new, better America. And the same leaders who got us here won't be the ones who get us out.
www.weekendreading.net/p/a-consumer...
We have to be part of the birth of a new, better America. And the same leaders who got us here won't be the ones who get us out.
www.weekendreading.net/p/a-consumer...
September 5, 2025 at 8:11 PM
"The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters." -Gramsci
We have to be part of the birth of a new, better America. And the same leaders who got us here won't be the ones who get us out.
www.weekendreading.net/p/a-consumer...
We have to be part of the birth of a new, better America. And the same leaders who got us here won't be the ones who get us out.
www.weekendreading.net/p/a-consumer...
On this point:
What union presidents say is only interesting to the media when, like O’Brien, it fits into the “Democrats losing the working class” story.
What union presidents say is only interesting to the media when, like O’Brien, it fits into the “Democrats losing the working class” story.
September 2, 2025 at 12:20 AM
On this point:
What union presidents say is only interesting to the media when, like O’Brien, it fits into the “Democrats losing the working class” story.
What union presidents say is only interesting to the media when, like O’Brien, it fits into the “Democrats losing the working class” story.
Stunning charts show how disproportionately the Roberts Court favors the Trump regime.
"This pattern exemplifies what scholars call 'autocratic legalism'—the systematic weaponization of legal institutions to consolidate power while maintaining the appearance of legal process."
"This pattern exemplifies what scholars call 'autocratic legalism'—the systematic weaponization of legal institutions to consolidate power while maintaining the appearance of legal process."
July 19, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Stunning charts show how disproportionately the Roberts Court favors the Trump regime.
"This pattern exemplifies what scholars call 'autocratic legalism'—the systematic weaponization of legal institutions to consolidate power while maintaining the appearance of legal process."
"This pattern exemplifies what scholars call 'autocratic legalism'—the systematic weaponization of legal institutions to consolidate power while maintaining the appearance of legal process."
Franklin D. Roosevelt echoed Lincoln, affirming that the Constitution was not a legal straitjacket but a living framework for self-governance—something that belonged to the people, not to a priesthood of legal experts.
www.weekendreading.net/p/the-courts...
www.weekendreading.net/p/the-courts...
June 27, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Franklin D. Roosevelt echoed Lincoln, affirming that the Constitution was not a legal straitjacket but a living framework for self-governance—something that belonged to the people, not to a priesthood of legal experts.
www.weekendreading.net/p/the-courts...
www.weekendreading.net/p/the-courts...
June 27, 2025 at 3:41 PM
The anti-MAGA majority isn’t necessarily pro-Democratic.
The reality of American politics today is not a “realignment,” but a “dealignment” from both parties. Voters are clamoring for substantial change that neither party is delivering, so they keep punishing the incumbents.
The reality of American politics today is not a “realignment,” but a “dealignment” from both parties. Voters are clamoring for substantial change that neither party is delivering, so they keep punishing the incumbents.
May 23, 2025 at 3:39 PM
The anti-MAGA majority isn’t necessarily pro-Democratic.
The reality of American politics today is not a “realignment,” but a “dealignment” from both parties. Voters are clamoring for substantial change that neither party is delivering, so they keep punishing the incumbents.
The reality of American politics today is not a “realignment,” but a “dealignment” from both parties. Voters are clamoring for substantial change that neither party is delivering, so they keep punishing the incumbents.
This same pattern (2024 nonvoters are less aligned with Trump/MAGA than 2024 voters) holds true even for the “Trumpiest” demographic, white non-college voters. And even 2024 voters in that demographic aren’t as Trumpy as you might think on many issues.
May 23, 2025 at 3:39 PM
This same pattern (2024 nonvoters are less aligned with Trump/MAGA than 2024 voters) holds true even for the “Trumpiest” demographic, white non-college voters. And even 2024 voters in that demographic aren’t as Trumpy as you might think on many issues.
Now let’s go deeper. “Anti-MAGA” is about VALUES, not partisanship.
Recent high-quality surveys that dig into these values show that 2024 nonvoters (brown) are even more liberal/anti-MAGA, and less aligned with Trump, than voters (green).
Recent high-quality surveys that dig into these values show that 2024 nonvoters (brown) are even more liberal/anti-MAGA, and less aligned with Trump, than voters (green).
May 23, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Now let’s go deeper. “Anti-MAGA” is about VALUES, not partisanship.
Recent high-quality surveys that dig into these values show that 2024 nonvoters (brown) are even more liberal/anti-MAGA, and less aligned with Trump, than voters (green).
Recent high-quality surveys that dig into these values show that 2024 nonvoters (brown) are even more liberal/anti-MAGA, and less aligned with Trump, than voters (green).
Trump’s approval ratings are consistently worse with those who didn’t vote than with those who did.
Compare Trump’s electoral margin (the dotted line) with his net approval among voters (green) and nonvoters (brown), according to four recent high-quality surveys.
Compare Trump’s electoral margin (the dotted line) with his net approval among voters (green) and nonvoters (brown), according to four recent high-quality surveys.
May 23, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Trump’s approval ratings are consistently worse with those who didn’t vote than with those who did.
Compare Trump’s electoral margin (the dotted line) with his net approval among voters (green) and nonvoters (brown), according to four recent high-quality surveys.
Compare Trump’s electoral margin (the dotted line) with his net approval among voters (green) and nonvoters (brown), according to four recent high-quality surveys.
In surveys that ask people how (or if) they would vote in a do-over today, we see substantially more Trump voters switching to Harris than vice versa—and she wins those who didn’t vote but would now. For example:
May 23, 2025 at 3:39 PM
In surveys that ask people how (or if) they would vote in a do-over today, we see substantially more Trump voters switching to Harris than vice versa—and she wins those who didn’t vote but would now. For example:
Clearly, Trump’s earlier support depended on voters not understanding or believing he would do what he said he would.
First, public opinion has turned against Trump in an unprecedented way. He’s the ONLY president whose 100-day approval ratings trail his popular vote margin.
First, public opinion has turned against Trump in an unprecedented way. He’s the ONLY president whose 100-day approval ratings trail his popular vote margin.
May 23, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Clearly, Trump’s earlier support depended on voters not understanding or believing he would do what he said he would.
First, public opinion has turned against Trump in an unprecedented way. He’s the ONLY president whose 100-day approval ratings trail his popular vote margin.
First, public opinion has turned against Trump in an unprecedented way. He’s the ONLY president whose 100-day approval ratings trail his popular vote margin.
Trump's bad polls tell us less about Trump than about the catastrophic failure of not just Dems, but also civil society and the media, to effectively inform voters of the consequences of their choice.
Trump is now doing almost exactly what he said he would. www.weekendreading.net/p/the-re-eme...
Trump is now doing almost exactly what he said he would. www.weekendreading.net/p/the-re-eme...
May 21, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Trump's bad polls tell us less about Trump than about the catastrophic failure of not just Dems, but also civil society and the media, to effectively inform voters of the consequences of their choice.
Trump is now doing almost exactly what he said he would. www.weekendreading.net/p/the-re-eme...
Trump is now doing almost exactly what he said he would. www.weekendreading.net/p/the-re-eme...