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Dan Sally

@dansally.bsky.social
63 followers 16 following 184 posts

Electoral Reform Nerd. Internet Bigmouth. All Opinions my own. Podcast, newsletter, and other sundry content can be found here: linktr.ee/middleweightpolitics

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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 17/05/2025
Why isn’t Moody’s downgrading the US credit rating front page news? Reminder: if we cut all discretionary federal spending, the US would still run a deficit of $200B. There’s no way out of this hole that doesn’t involve entitlement reforms and raising taxes ratings.moodys.com/ratings-news...
ratings.moodys.com
Ratings.Moodys.com
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Shawn Griffiths @offbeattheater.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
LISTEN: @dansally.bsky.social and I unpack how Brian Kemp’s decision not to run for Senate reflects how the GOP’s biggest opponent in 2026 might not be the Democrats, but a primary system that seems to favor an increasingly extreme breed of Republican.
ivn.us
The GOP's Biggest Opponent In 2026 -- Itself
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has announced he won’t run for Senate in 2026 - a surprising move given his strong statewide appeal and proven ability to win over independents.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
What if the new pope is Biden?
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
Anyone interested in turning Congress into a governing body again should check this out: independentnationalcoalition.com/home I had a conversation with the org's founder, Austen Campbell (links in reply), but here's the gist:
independentnationalcoalition.com
Independent National Coalition
Deny the Duopoly, Empower the People. A Fulcrum Caucus Campaign to elect a slate of independents to the House of Representatives and deny both parties a majority.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
Democrats have long feared a left-wing candidate would scare away moderate voters. Is this fear misguided? @thatshawng.bsky.social and I discuss. Links below and details in thread for your reading types.... Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/4jfOkFP Spotify: bit.ly/42CFLxB YouTube: bit.ly/4jIH458
bit.ly
Are Democrats Having a MAGA Moment?
With only 562 days until the 2026 midterm elections, pundits have begun making predictions, and the Democrats' progressive wing has been very publicly asserting itself. In recent weeks, AOC and Bernie Sanders have held a series of high-profile rallies across the country, and activists have threatened primary challenges against centrist incumbents. Some see this as the bold shift the party needs to reconnect with young and working-class voters. Others worry it could push moderates away at a critical moment. In this episode, Dan and Shawn discuss how a progressive shift could help Democrats reclaim working-class voters lost to Trump, but also widen the ideological gulf between the two parties, fueling even greater polarization. (Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
The events of this week have solidified my belief that the best way to find out how much people hate you is to launch yourself into space.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
The progressive wing of the Democratic Party seems more eager to primary their more center-left leadership, which could result in an even further ideological distance between the MAGA-dominated GOP. www.politico.com/news/2025/04...
politico.com
Generational change could be coming fast for Senate Democrats
The ascendance of several young senators — and one big potential retirement — is reshaping power within the caucus.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
Trump's tariff policy is universally regarded as bad economically, but it may not be as terrible politically among the voters that matter to him. @thatshawng.bsky.social of Independent Voter News & I discussed this (links in reply) but here's the gist if you'd prefer it in 300 characters 🧵
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
For those worried about the future of American Democracy, Ted Cruz's recent break with the Trump administration over tariffs shows how presidential ambition and political competition can help safeguard democratic institutions. 🧵 www.politico.com/news/2025/04...
politico.com
Ted Cruz breaks ranks with Trump to advance his own agenda
The Texas Republican's rebuke of the president's tariff strategy was only the latest example of how the lawmaker is seeking to strike out on his own.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Since Trump’s arrival, the Democratic brand has mostly been about defending political norms—betting voters would see Trump as too extreme. That strategy has now lost twice. Some in the party are starting to question it. www.politico.com/news/magazin...
politico.com
A Rising Democratic Star Is Ready for New Leadership — Without Chuck Schumer
Michigan Democrat Mallory McMorrow says it’s time for a new generation to take on Trump.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
In the 1990's Bill Clinton co-opted the GOP's small government strategy. Is there evidence Democrats could benefit from the same approach now? @thatshawng.bsky.social at IVN and I discussed this in our most recent conversation. Links in reply...
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
A n number of people who build the atom bomb held ideologies viewed as treasonous at the time & some fled religious persecution to get here. America's edge has always been its ability to attract foreign brainpower & the current ideological purity tests being imposed on academia works against that.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
The press would better serve the public if they focused less on the horse race between the 2 major parties and more on the fact a growing number of voters don't like either horse. Case in point - this headline: bit.ly/3DTaBd8 I double clicked on the survey, and here's what I found.. (1/5)
bit.ly
CNN Poll: Democratic Party’s favorability drops to a record low | CNN Politics
The Democratic Party’s favorability rating among Americans stands at a record low, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, fueled in part by dimming views from its own frustrated supporters.
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Adam Kinzinger @adamkinzinger.substack.com · 18/03/2025
I’m wondering this too
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
Fusion Voting, a system that allows a candidate to be nominated by multiple parties, was banned in most states in the early 1900s after major parties feared it would undermine their power by helping smaller parties gain influence. One prominent Republican wants it back.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Journalists should be careful not to label what's going on as a "global trade war". The 1930s saw a global trade war, where all nations engaged in protectionism to prop up domestic industry. Currently, the US is the sole combatant, with everyone else trading as normal with each other.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
AK's open nonpartisan primary system means their GOP senator doesn't have to worry about being ousted by more extreme members of her own party when she speaks out against the Trump administration's apparent warming to Russia at the expense of our allies.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Before Zelenskyy signs any deal that gives the US a role in reconstructing Ukraine, he should look at what Trump did to Atlantic City. That zinger out of the way, beyond Trump's open derision of Zelenskyy, there are reasons Ukraine should be suspicious of any US-brokered deal.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
The flurry of executive orders in Trump's first 3 weeks have many concerned about executive overreach. In my latest conversation with @thatshawng.bsky.social of IVN (link in thread), we explore how this might be less about an overly muscular executive & more about a weak Congress.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
This might be naive, but would the Democrats be better off launching counter-proposals to address kitchen table issues than protesting Trump's executive overreach? The 1st draws a clear contrast, showing which party is addressing voters' concerns. The 2nd is a debate over Constitutional Law.
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Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
👀
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
That didn’t take very long. thehill.com/business/513...
thehill.com
DOGE staffer who accessed Treasury payment systems resigns after racist posts exposed
The Elon Musk deputy who accessed sensitive Treasury Department payment systems has resigned after social media posts of his came to light that espoused racist beliefs. Twenty-five-year-old Marko E…
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
In 1943, the US government used Donald Duck to convince Americans to pay their income tax. In the 1970s, the GOP used Santa Claus to convince them not to. I shall explain the history and how electoral incentives set the stage for America's fiscal dilemma in this thread...
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
I'm not an economist, but it seems to me that inflation is a tax on the majority of Americans after a decade of easy money policies capped off by COVID stimulus. It also seems like a small group of folks with investable assets benefitted disproportionately from these policies (1/x)
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
Last week's "surprise" announcement from the OMB freezing federal funding was part of a longer battle the GOP has been waging to lower government debt by lowering spending. But, there's some evidence this could be offset by economic growth. (1/6)
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
Is it just me or is Trump playing some master black belt level game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon where the goal is to link every event to DEI? www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/wat...
cbsnews.com
Trump speaks about D.C. plane crash and points blame at DEI
President Trump delivered remarks Thursday morning in the aftermath of the first major commercial plane crash in the U.S. in more than a decade.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
Deep Seek shows us more about how difficult it will be to preserve IP in the coming years than anything else. My understanding is it’s built on the work of Open AI, so you need to add the price tag of Open AI’s models to the nominal cost of developing Deep Seek.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
I’m only for this if “new media” includes Mr. Beast.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
Trump has completed his first week in office and, with it, ended the 10-year horror of President McKinley's absence from the US map. But is this the mandate voters gave him in November? I discussed this w @thatshawng.bsky.social from Independent Voter News last week ~ link to convo in thread (1/8)
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 26/01/2025
Those opposing Trump need only know one phrase: "What does that have to do with the price of eggs?" Voters pay closer attention to their wallets than any of the outrageous things Trump says and does. If you focus on the latter, you're missing an opportunity.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Some popular immigration reform measures aren't being talked about right now. Polling shows a vast majority of Americans support a pathway to citizenship for immigrants living in the US illegally and those brought here illegally as children (1/13)
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Some longer thoughts on the recently failed ban of TikTok, the problems of growing collusion between a handful of tech CEOs and the US government, and how open source platforms like this one can fix it. Enjoy. middleweightpolitics.substack.com/p/be-happy-t...
middleweightpolitics.substack.com
Be Happy the TikTok Ban Failed. Be Sad Why.
In one of the shortest blinking contests in American history, the TikTok ban passed by Congress earlier this year seemed to be all but overturned 12 hours after it went into effect.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
The recent TikTok ban and Congress's pattern of pressuring tech platforms over content moderation is reminiscent of how the federal government once regulated radio - not to manage frequencies, but to control who could say what. (1/13)
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 19/01/2025
And now it's back online. LOL. Way to blink first.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 19/01/2025
This is a repeat of an earlier post, but the TikTok ban is nothing more than a shakedown by the federal government. TikTok's data privacy issues could have been solved with data privacy legislation governing all tech platforms. The only constituency that disapproves of this is the tech lobby (cont)
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Here's an idea: Instead of banning TikTok, Congress could pass that data privacy law everyone's been asking for. Just a thought. #tiktokban #DataPrivacy
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Make Votes Matter @makevotesmatter.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
"In 2024 fewer than 10% of US House races were competitive. In a vast majority of districts, one party or the other wins by landslides." From the US to the UK, winner-takes-all systems lead to wasted votes, polarisation and disillusionment. Fixing democracy starts with Proportional Representation.
nytimes.com
Opinion | How to Fix America’s Two-Party Problem
Proportional representation could help restore American democracy.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
Outgoing AZ Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I) gave her farewell address to the Senate yesterday (link below). Here's a question: She was censured by her party (then D) in 22 for voting to protect the filibuster. With Republicans in control of the chamber,, was she right or wrong? Why? bit.ly/4ajQdNT
bit.ly
Sen. Sinema Delivers Farewell Speech
In her final floor speech, Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) talked about norms of the Senate, American ideals, and bipartisanship. She announced in March 2024 that she would not seek reelection. Sen. Sin...
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Felix L. (he/him) @perfectlygoodink.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
In case you missed it, the biggest advocate for #ProportionalRepresentation at the national level, @fixourhouse.bsky.social is now on BlueSky, and they also have a Starter Park: bsky.app/starter-pack... (and I'm on it, w00t!)
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
One question I've been exploring is why populism has thrived on the right in the US while seeming to stall out on the left. I had a chat with a former Democratic activist anf Milwaukee County Supervisor on the subject, and came away with a few insights (1/8)
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Two Democrats who won reelection in Trump-led districts have a few suggestions on how to make the House of Representatives more representative of the people they serve. Link to the full op-ed below, but here are the details (1/7) www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
msnbc.com
Opinion | Reps. Gluesenkamp Perez and Golden: Now’s the time to make the House more representative. We’ve got ideas.
Those of us in Congress have a responsibility to listen to voters’ calls for change
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
For months now, I've been saying the best way to bring down grocery prices is to annex Greenland. I'm just glad to finally have some validation.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
All this annexation talk is really doing a lot to tamp down on the Hitler comparisons, huh? thehill.com/homenews/adm...
thehill.com
Trump threatens economic, not military force, to annex Canada
President-elect Trump said Tuesday he was not considering using military force to make Canada part of the United States after repeatedly musing about the idea of the country becoming the 51st state…
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned yesterday and mentioned his one regret: not changing the way Canada elects its leaders. He said he wished Canadians “could simply choose a second choice or a third choice on the same ballot" (1/7)
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dr peppermint patty @jessespector.com · 07/01/2025
forever this
ANDRE THE GIANT
"I don't like to speak badly of people. I have grown up thinking and being told that if you cannot say something nice about someone, you should not say anything at all. But I must break that rule in this case because I hate Hulk Hogan very much. He is a big ugly goon and I want to squash his face.”
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
Courtroom artist in Rudy Giuliani's contempt hearing FTW.
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Dan Sally @dansally.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
Elon Musk recently entered Germany's upcoming snap elections by endorsing far-right party AfD. While his investment in US politics seems to have paid off, there's reason to believe he'll have less success in Germany. Here's the gist (1/8)
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