Omar Wasow
@owasow.bsky.social
Asst Prof, UC Berkeley, Political Science. Study protests, stats & race: 1/ Agenda Seeding http://j.mp/agenda-seeding 2/ Race as a Bundle of Sticks http://j.mp/bundle-of
Pinned
Omar Wasow
@owasow.bsky.social
· Feb 6
I’ve been studying civil rights protests for 20 years. With new mobilization against Trump’s agenda, I’m sharing a thread summarizing my research on how nonviolent & violent actions by 1960s activists and police influenced media, elites, public opinion & voters. 1/ www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Reposted by Omar Wasow
‘Death remains my intimate shadow partner. It has been with me since birth, always hovering close by. I understand one day we will finally waltz together into the ether. I hope when that time comes, I die with the satisfaction of a life well-lived, unapologetic, joyful, & full of love.’
—Alice Wong
—Alice Wong
November 15, 2025 at 6:12 AM
‘Death remains my intimate shadow partner. It has been with me since birth, always hovering close by. I understand one day we will finally waltz together into the ether. I hope when that time comes, I die with the satisfaction of a life well-lived, unapologetic, joyful, & full of love.’
—Alice Wong
—Alice Wong
Plausible that Trump’s policy of mass deportations will not just end a “temporary shift” among Hispanic voters but also lead to a more durable U-turn. In California, the 1994 “anti-immigrant ballot measure Prop 187 marked the death knell of the Republican Party.” calmatters.org/commentary/2...
The New Jersey governor’s race is the first significant sign that Trump’s success with Hispanic voters in 2024 may have been a temporary shift.
Via @christinezhang.bsky.social and @shanegoldmacher.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/15/u...
Via @christinezhang.bsky.social and @shanegoldmacher.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/15/u...
Maps Show How Latinos Who Shifted Right in 2024 Snapped Back Left in 2025
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Plausible that Trump’s policy of mass deportations will not just end a “temporary shift” among Hispanic voters but also lead to a more durable U-turn. In California, the 1994 “anti-immigrant ballot measure Prop 187 marked the death knell of the Republican Party.” calmatters.org/commentary/2...
Reposted by Omar Wasow
2/🧵 New piece with @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social in @NewRepublic: We analyzed 60,000+ respondents in the 2024 Cooperative Election Study. Gen Z has the lowest racial resentment of any generation. The generational shift overwhelms the education divide that supposedly defines modern politics.
The Shocking Truth About Gen Z Voters Is That They’re Pretty Great
Stop panicking: They are the most progressive generation ever, especially on race. If that surprises you, you’ve been listening to the wrong story.
newrepublic.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:44 PM
2/🧵 New piece with @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social in @NewRepublic: We analyzed 60,000+ respondents in the 2024 Cooperative Election Study. Gen Z has the lowest racial resentment of any generation. The generational shift overwhelms the education divide that supposedly defines modern politics.
November 14, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Sentences that should haunt a writer:
“But beautiful women are only a part of it. Because here’s the thing about Epstein: As some collect butterflies, he collects beautiful minds.” nymag.com/nymetro/news...
“But beautiful women are only a part of it. Because here’s the thing about Epstein: As some collect butterflies, he collects beautiful minds.” nymag.com/nymetro/news...
Jeffrey Epstein: International Moneyman of Mystery
“Terrific guy,” Donald Trump booms from a speakerphone. “He’s a lot of fun to be with.”
nymag.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Sentences that should haunt a writer:
“But beautiful women are only a part of it. Because here’s the thing about Epstein: As some collect butterflies, he collects beautiful minds.” nymag.com/nymetro/news...
“But beautiful women are only a part of it. Because here’s the thing about Epstein: As some collect butterflies, he collects beautiful minds.” nymag.com/nymetro/news...
Have to wonder if Epstein could explain Trump’s seeming fear of possible Russian kompromat?
Conspiracy-minded friend asks if Trump is a Russian agent.
There’s a simpler explanation.
See “A Theory of Trump Kompromat” by Adam Davidson in 2018. www.newyorker.com/news/swamp-c...
There’s a simpler explanation.
See “A Theory of Trump Kompromat” by Adam Davidson in 2018. www.newyorker.com/news/swamp-c...
November 13, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Have to wonder if Epstein could explain Trump’s seeming fear of possible Russian kompromat?
Maybe burning bridges to the world to build White-kanda isn’t such a good idea?
I wonder if the United States can learn anything from the last time a major industrialized country decided to isolate itself from the rest of the world?
Almost a decade after the Brexit vote, GDP in the UK is around 6-8% lower relative to peer countries. (Source: www.nber.org/papers/w34459)
Almost a decade after the Brexit vote, GDP in the UK is around 6-8% lower relative to peer countries. (Source: www.nber.org/papers/w34459)
November 11, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Maybe burning bridges to the world to build White-kanda isn’t such a good idea?
“A plainclothes ICE agent pointed his gun at a female driver in Santa Ana…The incident is one of many nationwide raising concerns about plainclothes agents being mistaken for criminals and visa versa, prompting the FBI to urge proper identification.” www.latimes.com/california/s...
Fullerton police stop man pointing gun at female driver, only to learn he is ICE agent
A Fullerton police officer told the agent he couldn't help 'with someone following or recording him if no crime had occurred.' Under state law, local police cannot enforce federal immigration law.
www.latimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:49 PM
“A plainclothes ICE agent pointed his gun at a female driver in Santa Ana…The incident is one of many nationwide raising concerns about plainclothes agents being mistaken for criminals and visa versa, prompting the FBI to urge proper identification.” www.latimes.com/california/s...
Reposted by Omar Wasow
Bike advocates in Princeton have put out an urgent message for supporters to come to the Council Meeting tonight (400 Witherspoon St or Zoom at 7 p.m)
A platoon of angry car-drivers are expected to speak out in protest at the newly-installed buffered bike lanes on North Harrison Street.
A platoon of angry car-drivers are expected to speak out in protest at the newly-installed buffered bike lanes on North Harrison Street.
November 10, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Bike advocates in Princeton have put out an urgent message for supporters to come to the Council Meeting tonight (400 Witherspoon St or Zoom at 7 p.m)
A platoon of angry car-drivers are expected to speak out in protest at the newly-installed buffered bike lanes on North Harrison Street.
A platoon of angry car-drivers are expected to speak out in protest at the newly-installed buffered bike lanes on North Harrison Street.
Reposted by Omar Wasow
Who had a BlackPlanet?
November 10, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Who had a BlackPlanet?
Nominal determinism FTW www.nytimes.com/athletic/677...
How Jess Rowe and Miriam Payne made history rowing the Pacific Ocean
It took Jess Rowe and Miriam Payne six months, plenty of snacks and sleepless nights to row from Peru to Australia
www.nytimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Nominal determinism FTW www.nytimes.com/athletic/677...
New study “explores century-long persistence of buraku discrimination in Japan. We find that in 1912—40 years after liberation edict—land prices in buraku areas were 53% lower. Even in 2018, 150 years post-liberation, buraku areas had approximately 14% lower land prices.” voxdev.org/topic/instit...
November 9, 2025 at 2:27 PM
New study “explores century-long persistence of buraku discrimination in Japan. We find that in 1912—40 years after liberation edict—land prices in buraku areas were 53% lower. Even in 2018, 150 years post-liberation, buraku areas had approximately 14% lower land prices.” voxdev.org/topic/instit...
From 2016: “Almost half of the people who die at the hands of police have some kind of disability, according to a new report, as officers are often drawn into emergencies where urgent care may be more appropriate than lethal force.” www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
ICE agents in Chicago violently detain a non verbal autistic man for being “non compliant”
He couldn’t “comply” because of his disability…they don’t care
This is not the first time they’ve gone after a disabled person
They target the most vulnerable because it’s an easy way to meet their quota
He couldn’t “comply” because of his disability…they don’t care
This is not the first time they’ve gone after a disabled person
They target the most vulnerable because it’s an easy way to meet their quota
November 8, 2025 at 8:32 PM
From 2016: “Almost half of the people who die at the hands of police have some kind of disability, according to a new report, as officers are often drawn into emergencies where urgent care may be more appropriate than lethal force.” www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Reposted by Omar Wasow
There was a protocol a while back that never got popular: 8 second sprints with 12 s recovery, repeated for 20 m (total sprint time 160 s), & I suspect this is a refinement of that. 8 s sprint was the lower bound of what the researcher thought he could measure.
I got great results with that.
I got great results with that.
My latest fitness obsession: “Four seconds of intense intervals, repeated until they amount to a minute of total exertion, led to rapid improvements in strength and fitness in middle-aged and older adults.” Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2020/12/30/w...
Can 4 Seconds of Exercise Make a Difference? (Published 2020)
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:52 PM
There was a protocol a while back that never got popular: 8 second sprints with 12 s recovery, repeated for 20 m (total sprint time 160 s), & I suspect this is a refinement of that. 8 s sprint was the lower bound of what the researcher thought he could measure.
I got great results with that.
I got great results with that.
The American/Trump Paradox: consumed with anti-Black animus and obsessed with Black aesthetics.
initially thought that this was a shadow being projected on his face. didn’t realize he was in blackface
incredible new trump photo
November 8, 2025 at 6:44 PM
The American/Trump Paradox: consumed with anti-Black animus and obsessed with Black aesthetics.
Earlier this year, we showed Trump built a remarkable “plutopopulist” coalition in his campaigns, drawing money from both wealthy elites and an unprecedented surge of small, first-time donors. With Tuesday’s elections, though, that coalition seems to be fraying. What happened? 1/ cup.org/4cfm0Az
November 8, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Earlier this year, we showed Trump built a remarkable “plutopopulist” coalition in his campaigns, drawing money from both wealthy elites and an unprecedented surge of small, first-time donors. With Tuesday’s elections, though, that coalition seems to be fraying. What happened? 1/ cup.org/4cfm0Az
“The jury determined that the launching of the 12-inch deli sandwich from what the government described as *’point-blank range’* was not an attempt to cause bodily injury, preventing a conviction.” Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
Jurors Find Sandwich Hurler Not Guilty of Assault
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:42 AM
“The jury determined that the launching of the 12-inch deli sandwich from what the government described as *’point-blank range’* was not an attempt to cause bodily injury, preventing a conviction.” Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
Reposted by Omar Wasow
Last night’s election results, in a nutshell.
(watching this legitimately made me laugh out loud)
(watching this legitimately made me laugh out loud)
November 6, 2025 at 6:19 AM
Last night’s election results, in a nutshell.
(watching this legitimately made me laugh out loud)
(watching this legitimately made me laugh out loud)
Reposted by Omar Wasow
LA County developed a publicly owned and open source voting system that supports 18 different languages. It's ADA compliant. (Though a second generation voting machine is coming out to make it easier for low vision and blind voters).
No Diebold, etc. no proprietary black box software
No Diebold, etc. no proprietary black box software
November 6, 2025 at 6:18 AM
LA County developed a publicly owned and open source voting system that supports 18 different languages. It's ADA compliant. (Though a second generation voting machine is coming out to make it easier for low vision and blind voters).
No Diebold, etc. no proprietary black box software
No Diebold, etc. no proprietary black box software
Reposted by Omar Wasow
The change in county-level vote gubernatorial margins in Virginia since 2013 and 2021. (About 140 more maps and charts at the link.)
www.pbump.net/o/what-chang...
www.pbump.net/o/what-chang...
November 6, 2025 at 4:03 AM
The change in county-level vote gubernatorial margins in Virginia since 2013 and 2021. (About 140 more maps and charts at the link.)
www.pbump.net/o/what-chang...
www.pbump.net/o/what-chang...
Reposted by Omar Wasow
I did not write the headline, but I have an op ed on Prop 50 over at the @sfchronicle.com.
Shorter version: the nationalization and polarization of our politics is what got us here, and it's also the most likely way out. It will take national partisan Democratic hardball to enact anti-hardball.
Shorter version: the nationalization and polarization of our politics is what got us here, and it's also the most likely way out. It will take national partisan Democratic hardball to enact anti-hardball.
California’s Prop 50 passed. Now, here’s how to end partisan redistricting once and for all
OPINION: We need a new federal statute of mutual disarmament — ideally before we reach the point where there are zero California Republicans and zero Texas Democrats, Joseph Fishkin writes.
www.sfchronicle.com
November 5, 2025 at 6:10 AM
I did not write the headline, but I have an op ed on Prop 50 over at the @sfchronicle.com.
Shorter version: the nationalization and polarization of our politics is what got us here, and it's also the most likely way out. It will take national partisan Democratic hardball to enact anti-hardball.
Shorter version: the nationalization and polarization of our politics is what got us here, and it's also the most likely way out. It will take national partisan Democratic hardball to enact anti-hardball.
“In a study I led earlier this year, my colleagues and I found that if big new power users curbed demand just 0.25 percent of the time — about 22 hours a year — the United States could accommodate more data centers without burdening household electricity users.” Gift: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/o...
Opinion | A Simple Fix to America’s Soaring Electricity Prices
www.nytimes.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:16 PM
“In a study I led earlier this year, my colleagues and I found that if big new power users curbed demand just 0.25 percent of the time — about 22 hours a year — the United States could accommodate more data centers without burdening household electricity users.” Gift: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/o...
“Gary Kamimori, a longtime Army blast safety researcher, said that repeated small exposures may cause damage that accumulates unnoticed.“
“Stretch a rubber band a hundred times and it bounces back, but there are micro tears forming,” he said. “The hundred-and-first time, it breaks.”
Gift link:
“Stretch a rubber band a hundred times and it bounces back, but there are micro tears forming,” he said. “The hundred-and-first time, it breaks.”
Gift link:
How Gun Blasts From Indoor Shooting May Cause Brain Injuries (Gift Article)
The Times tested the blast waves of several popular civilian guns at an indoor range and found that repeated firing could add up to potentially harmful exposure.
www.nytimes.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:01 PM
“Gary Kamimori, a longtime Army blast safety researcher, said that repeated small exposures may cause damage that accumulates unnoticed.“
“Stretch a rubber band a hundred times and it bounces back, but there are micro tears forming,” he said. “The hundred-and-first time, it breaks.”
Gift link:
“Stretch a rubber band a hundred times and it bounces back, but there are micro tears forming,” he said. “The hundred-and-first time, it breaks.”
Gift link:
Reposted by Omar Wasow
The biggest project I've worked on for the last chunk of years was just published. It asks, how big are US Black-white lifespan differences?
This might seem like a narrow question. I hope to convince you by the end that there are answers you didn't anticipate. And I hope some of them will move you.
This might seem like a narrow question. I hope to convince you by the end that there are answers you didn't anticipate. And I hope some of them will move you.
Three Ways of Looking at Black–White Mortality Differences in the United States | Annual Reviews
Everyone agrees that US Black deaths happen earlier than white deaths on average, but it is surprisingly challenging to find the best ways to summarize, quantify, and compare this gap. This review arg...
www.annualreviews.org
April 30, 2025 at 8:27 PM
The biggest project I've worked on for the last chunk of years was just published. It asks, how big are US Black-white lifespan differences?
This might seem like a narrow question. I hope to convince you by the end that there are answers you didn't anticipate. And I hope some of them will move you.
This might seem like a narrow question. I hope to convince you by the end that there are answers you didn't anticipate. And I hope some of them will move you.
Reposted by Omar Wasow
This is such an interesting paper. #suffrage
“Can political activism foster electoral participation?” Study examines “1913 Pilgrimage, a large-scale nationwide march in support of women’s suffrage.” Finds “women’s activism can drive political participation even in the virtual absence of women politicians.” www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
November 2, 2025 at 9:02 PM
This is such an interesting paper. #suffrage