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Alan Elrod

@aselrod.bsky.social
21K followers 9.9K following 14K posts

Arkie. Anti-Dirtbagist. President & CEO, Pulaski Institution. Columnist & Contrib. Editor, @LiberalCurrents.com Words: @thebulwark.com, @ms.now, @foreignpolicy.com, @theunpopulist.net Writing a book (Broadleaf) Go Knicks, Cubs, Birds He/Him

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Reposted by Alan Elrod
Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 54m
I really think Jon Ossoff, James Talarico, and a few others are in the process of creating a new kind of language, a new politics, for the era of Late Stage Trumpism. As I argue in the piece, the banal cruelties of sunsetting Trumpism are all around us, and some Dems are pointing to a way out.
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Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 1h
“…people want something higher, something better. We all do. Democrats: Don’t hold back. Speak to this still-flickering sense of hopefulness forthrightly and unflinchingly.” Yes, @gregsargent.bsky.social! Shout it from the rooftops. The people crave genuine, moral leadership.
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Liberal Currents @liberalcurrents.com · 8h
“No society is guaranteed perpetual peace and prosperity. New generations—effectively new societies—bring new challenges with them. Historical events and processes ought to serve as lessons for the present, rather than monoliths to be worshipped or derided.” www.liberalcurrents.com/how-chile-re...
liberalcurrents.com
How Chile Recovered Its Democracy
A leader operating beyond the margins of the law can yet eventually be defeated in a free and fair election.
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Liberal Currents @liberalcurrents.com · 3h
"We must think carefully about how we are going to win the long game, and how we are going to produce the political will to turn those thoughts into aggressive action—to throw the fascists out of power, put the guilty into our jails, and to fix our broken system."
liberalcurrents.com
Americans Are Angry. The Democratic Base Is Furious.
We must channel our anger at current injustices into productive direct action.
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Lindsey Boylan @lindseyboylan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This man is a monster. He seeks out women survivors because he hates them. And he hates them because he hates himself. He has harassed me and other women survivors many times over the years. It must end. He should never have a job anywhere.
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Marty St George @martysg.com · 7h
So many thoughts…but fundamentally a good article
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William B. Fuckley @opinionhaver.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Lots of people think Taylor Lorenz is paid off by social media but I think the relationship is closer to a Chaos cultist: she worships Phone, works tirelessly to spread the influence of Phone and weaken the veil between the real world and it’s domain, and in exchange she is given boons by it.
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Silly Pseudonym @sillypseudonym.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Time to learn how to save the Republic.
A copy of The Reconstruction Papers on a countertop. Ignore the cat hair.
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Nicholas Handler @nicholashandler.bsky.social · 21h
You have staffers to know about sports and stuff so you don’t get embarrassed like this. The problem with hiring groypers is that all of their normal guy knowledge has been removed and replaced with theories about skull shapes.
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Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I endorse this @cameroncorduroy.bsky.social piece. Wealth taxes are mostly slopulism. We can tax rich people in a way that works and that is good for our economy and society as a whole.
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Jennifer Brokaw @jenniferbrokaw.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Worth every minute of the 20 mins it takes to read. If you don’t have the time, the tldr (I still think worth the time) is there are plenty of tax loopholes to close without having to enact a wealth tax (that don’t work anyway). #economics #wealthtax
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Dr. Samantha Hancox-Li @sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com · 29/09/2026
if you want to be the party of government, you have to be the party of good government. this is another way of saying details matter. if you want to attack inequality, you need to make sure it *works.* and it turns out the design of tax systems matters quite a lot.
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Cameron 🇺🇸🗽🦅 @cameroncorduroy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
it's finally here! been working on this one for a while but now we can all agree to stop talking about wealth taxes, right guys?
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The Inner Life of Liberalism @liberalpractice.org · 28/09/2026
New episode of The Inner Life of Liberalism: @aselrod.bsky.social joins us to talk about political cruelty, “dirtbagism,” sincerity, cringe, doomerism, and why liberal politics needs not just good policy, but also better habits of feeling, relating, and living together.
liberalpractice.org
006: Against the Politics of Cruelty — with Alan Elrod
A conversation about how politics is about more than just policy.
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Guardian US @us.theguardian.com · 28/09/2026
"The US has grown used to the swift and dramatic erosion of women’s health and status that has followed Dobbs," writes @moiradonegan.bsky.social, "to the horror stories and upward ticking body counts, grown into ease, and even a kind of compliant boredom, with women’s death and indignity."
theguardian.com
Why has abortion faded from America’s national conversation? | Moira Donegan
The US has already grown used to the horror caused by abortion bans. And Republicans have sought to quash the stories
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Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Russ Vought needs to be criminally prosecuted and likely jailed when all is said and done
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Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
As someone who tends to have a strong immune response to vaccines, this is a surefire sign I'll need to plan a few days off for mine.
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The Editorial Board @editorialboard.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Nom nom nom for @adamgurri.liberalcurrents.com's latest. www.liberalcurrents.com/americans-ar...
liberalcurrents.com
Americans Are Angry. The Democratic Base Is Furious.
We must channel our anger at current injustices into productive direct action.
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Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Really enjoyed this conversation with @aaronrosspowell.com and @uncanonical.net Have a listen!
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Aaron Ross Powell @aaronrosspowell.com · 28/09/2026
Today on the show, @aselrod.bsky.social joined @uncanonical.net and me for a conversation about dirtbagism and how to do better.
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The Editorial Board @editorialboard.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The wheels are coming off yet Senate GOP can't quit Trump. A week of panic as well as paralysis. A THREAD.
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Historian Jen @historianjenfl.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Andy Beshear has an entire chapter in his new book about backing the LGBTQ community and it's worth a read. He talks about how the anti-trans ads were tested in KY during his election and how vetoing anti-trans legislation didn't hurt his reelection campaign.
However the anti-trans ads had less to do with Kentucky and more to do with the fact that we were in an election. Terry Schilling, the head of the APP, decided to test the ads in our election to determine whether or not the issue could win votes for the Republican Party. Earlier in the summer of 2019, Scholling had partnered with a behavioral science firm to try to find a wedge issue that resonated with suburban voters. That's right. The anti-trans ads did not come out of some firmly held conviction but was a purely political stance. Their research landed on trans athletes, specifically trans women, competing in women's sports. They tested their theory in the 2019 Kentucky gubernatorial general election. Although I won, APP considered their test successful, because their research showed the ads delivered thirteen thousand votes for Trump Lite, which made the race tighter than anticipated.You might hask how, in this political climate, I was reelected after vetoing the anti-trans bill. Because people respect authentic faith. The day I vetoed it, I explained my why. I said I believe all children are children of God and that I don't want people picking on these kids. I then countered their anti-trans ads with commercials talking about good jobs, healthcare, roads and bridges, public education, and public safety. The result? The biggest win of my career. So don't tell me the Democratic Party should stop fighting for the rights of all people. Just explain your authentic why, and then get back to focusing on issues that touch all our lives on a daily basis.
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Astreia @redoubters.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
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Robert Black @hurricanexyz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Yeah although..... it's funny I don't even think the claim is exactly "X, which you think is vice, is actually virtue" It's at a higher level than that, it's a single toggle: "vice, which you think is bad, is actually good"
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Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Is there a man in America whose inner child wouldn’t be healed by Kyle Chandler saying “great arm, kid” #LantersHBO #Lanterns
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A. Cosmographer @acosmographer.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
These people want to sell a version of themselves that's so above it all, but what they're doing is creating an environment where it is fairly impossible for a victim to make an effective case of SA, both at the events (blanket consent is NOT a thing!), and at their jobs.
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Robert Black @hurricanexyz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Mmmmmmmmkay I am kind of feeling like what should happen at Slutcon is that Olivia Benson and all her friends should bust down the joint and arrest all the organizers
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Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Man, what?
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Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 27/09/2026
The bizarre culture that’s sprung up around Silicon Valley AI companies - which overlaps hugely with rationalist and effective altruist circles - appears to be seriously pressuring some women into attending sex parties for the sake of networking. This is, needless to say, horrifying.
taco belle
@ animalologist
Multiple things can be true at once
22h
The purpose of SlutCon is to help ease men who are scared of approaching women, and for women who simply enjoy flirting to be in an environment where that happens a lot, since there's generally a dearth of that
At the same time, many - probably most! - women do Not want to be flirted with or propositioned by men they don't know. When a small scene only has a handful of large, well-known events, each one has disproportionate impact on everybody's ideas of acceptable behavior among other members of their milieu.
Attending the same events = specific shared context. Means
you're somewhat on the same page.
I suspect that the men who publicly raised concerns about SlutCon's impact on the scene are being megaphones for private objections and distresses they've heard from women in the scene who would NOT be comfortable at an event like that, but who don't voice it publicly because they suspect they'd suffer socially for doing so. That going to SlutCon to be flirted with gives women social cachet, and squirming at the idea means you're [not cool, can't get with the program, are probably a wokescold or a prude etc etc other pejoratives] and therefore, that you'll be excluded or held at a distance
Now, if this scene were purely a social scene, that'd be perfectly fine. Don't go to parties that don't suit you!! The issue arises because it's NOT purely a social scene. This scene is inarguably tied up with Al safety, research, and the SF tech scene in general.
When consistently being invited to the right parties is professionally advantageous, and when SlutCon itself **is** going to be an excellent networking opportunity for people in those fields, it's not neutral that {sexual proclivities} are the filtering mechanism that determines who's in the room. It means that promiscuity & forwardness is explicitly professionally advantageous.
And, if the norms of SlutCon influence the norms of that milieu outside of the e…My suspicion is that men come out of the event more bold, more forward, and with the expectation that events attended by former flirt-girls are fair game for SlutCon-style forwardness. This creates a hostile environment for women who just want to socialize and work with these men, without being propositioned. And without pretending that they're cool with being sexualized for the sake of their inclusion in the scene.
I don't think we have solutions yet, but it's important that we can talk about it, at least.
Jakeup • @ myhandle
Sep 25
the purpose of SlutCon is to help men who are scared of women to start liking women, by putting them in proximity to women who like men and aren't scared of men
I'm not attending or involved in any way, but this is very aligned to my own mission and I'm rooting for their success
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Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I wonder what it would be like to write the same column, over and over again, endlessly. Seems like it’d be boring. But maybe it brings one comfort, like having your parents read you the same story every night before you go to bed.
Opinion
Opinion by Megan McArdle
The Great Awokening is over.
This lesbian bar shows why.
A meltdown over masking shows where cancel culture is now.
Today at 07:00 ET
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Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
She's much likelier to win Senate, but also not running for president pulls the field to the left more than running would. Running means she has the leftmost lane locked up and everyone else is competing over the rest. Not running means those votes are up for grabs, they're worth trying to get.
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Pleasebury Doughboy ✨ @plsburydoughboy.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
This is where all the money Americans used to spend on video games is also going
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New York Times Opinion @nytopinion.nytimes.com · 27/09/2026
“Our government is being run by a clique of middle-aged men,” Molly Jong-Fast writes. “Marco and Pete don’t drink identical Iced Banana Bread Matchas or wear pink on Wednesdays, but the social-emotional engine behind our government is the same as the one that runs the popular girls’ clique.”
nyti.ms
Opinion | The Mean Girls Presidency
Our government is being run by a clique of middle-aged guys.
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Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Evan Barker says Democrats are the party of the rich bsky.app/profile/ronf...
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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
These people make Marie Antoinette look connected to the people and empathetic by comparison. They laugh at what their own voters are going through as they continue to mock them as they enrich themselves and have a great time.
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Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
You’d think if it’s an epidemic that I would have a bunch of friends who are no contact with a parent. And yet I do not!
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Dr. Samantha Hancox-Li @sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com · 26/09/2026
we saw a wave of "woke is overrrr!!!" pieces after the election, mostly typed one-handed. just now we're starting to see some very sotto-voce "we need to talk about woke 1" pieces, whether that's the lesbian bar piece or the nikole hannah-jones education piece.
liberalcurrents.com
What Is Woke 2?
Woke 2 is Woke 1 with an honest relation to power.
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Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Heads up, Benton and Bryant.
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Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
We may be at The Olive Garden, but we ain’t family.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection SUV with Olive Garden and sign in background
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The Dad Without Life Insurance @lhommedauphin.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
sounds pretty fascist to me. attacking and killing people just because. just to attack and kill people. even traditional american chud voters who think we should have nuked iraq because of 9/11 mostly don’t want to initiate it www.liberalcurrents.com/pervert-poli...
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Micah @rincewind.run · 26/09/2026
I think it is very important that Big Balls, personally, goes to jail there are a lot of young goons who think they are invincible and it is important to make it clear that they are not
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Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I see this as of a kind with Taylor Lorenz’s recent fawning over X and why I left the left schtick. Just a society of strung out fame-junkies looking for that next big hit
Taylor Lorenz V @TaylorLorenz
X.com
I know I got cancelled for it but I stand firm that X is back. This platform is where the most influential people post about tech, media, business.
TBPN
time
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Conte Mosca @contemosca.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
took me less than 24 hrs to go from “who is Evan Barker” to “ok that’s all I need to know about Evan Barker” 😑
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Laura Gottsman @lauragottsman.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
@everystatebluemo.bsky.social does just that by crowdfunding for Missouri Democratic state legislative candidates. In 2026, only 5/163 state House races have no Dem running, down from 32/163 in 2024 and 66/163 in 2022. Small recurring donations are pooled to fund yard signs, gas, and flyers for
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Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I got into this concept in more detail in an interview for the @arktimes.bsky.social last summer arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...
arktimes.com
‘A moment of complete change’: Rising political thinker Alan Elrod on status anxiety and the heartland - Arkansas Times
Alan Elrod has a big brain for politics, and a big vision for the country. The founder of The Pulaski Institution, Elrod is using his think tank to study the threat of nationalism and overlooked regio...
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William Moss @williammoss.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
American CEO: “We can’t control it!” American CEO 2: “It will destroy us all!” American CEO 3: “The apocalypse!” French CEO [hitting a Gauloise, exhaling slowly]: “C’est une issue de skill.”
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Danforth @danforth.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
To be from Little Rock is to be forever misinterpreted and probably initially overlooked.
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Nate @cheersinnit.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I'm from Schenectady too. I think Alan's "status anxiety" is a pretty good descriptor of what is going on upstate
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Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Love to make weirdly horny videos telling accused rapist Graham Platner to “be a bad boy” for Democrats. Truly this is the salt-of-the-earth heartland common sense that Acela Corridor elites do not understand
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Glonzo Wants No Scrubs @anasterisk.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
So she's stockpiling cocktail party slights and forgetting that Texas has looked more promising than Missouri for nearly a decade.
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