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David S. Bernstein

@dbernstein.bsky.social
17K followers 672 following 11K posts

Journalist. Politics and policy. Contributing editor Boston Magazine, bylines Politico Magazine, Atlantic, many more. Formerly of Boston Phoenix. Substack: goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 1h
It feels like we’ve reached a point where Republicans annoy voters by their mere presence. Tough for midterm candidates to improve their standing when that’s the case. My new column in the newsletter (with My Fair Lady lyrics slipped in, for some odd reason): open.substack.com/pub/goodpoli...
open.substack.com
Voters Seem Annoyed
I can’t get over the fact that the President offered $5,000 to every adult American, and adult Americans, according to polls, said “Ugh, would you please stop bothering me with your lame ideas?”
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 2h
New DOD SECDEF video just dropped. I think their shirt maker misspelled “short-term military engagement”
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 2h
😐
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 3h
Maybe not the right analogy to make in a Yankees +9 environment
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 13h
OK we’ll spot the Yankees this one
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 14h
I love these MadLibs that ask for random famous names
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 14h
If the Dems really do win big, can we say it was clearly a referendum on trans issues and the American people have decided? (New CLF ad in lean-R NC-01)
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 15h
You know Bo French, the Texas Republican candidate who tweeted about Indian-looking people at a UT Longhorns game? Imagine what a campaign event of his might look like. Yup. Pic posted by Nate Fischer, an investor who advocates a “vigorous Christian approach to the cultural challenges of our day”
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 17h
I was out and about the past few hours, did Trump really say that it’s fine that North Korea has nuclear weapons, because Kim Jong Un is cool?
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 22h
“There’s a belief that there should be tremendous self-regulation” —President Trump, at today’s White House meeting with AI CEOs
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 23h
2 women at the table along with 32 dudes, for today’s big White House AI confab Of the 19 industry leaders, I count 10 born outside the US, including 5 from India, the subject of intense MAGA disdain two weeks ago
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
At America.com launch announcement, President Trump says he is going to start calling the press “artificial news” rather than “fake news.”
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
New Boston Magazine cover feature I assembled, on the data showing how superior Massachusetts is to all those other states. Something to peruse before the Sox-Yankees series starts tonight. www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2026/09...
bostonmagazine.com
We're No. 1! Obviously.
Sure, Massachusetts gives us plenty to complain about. But from schools and healthcare to sports and Dunkin’, here are 61 reasons we’re still awfully hard to beat.
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
In a new interview with popular podcaster Vince Coglianese, JD Vance bemoans that “the people who lord over us” and “a lot of our leadership” in America don’t appreciate the widespread benefits that would come from deporting millions of illegal immigrants. (He doesn’t specify who lords over POTUS)
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Trump is venturing boldly into (what have been, at least) safe red districts in safe red states
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Hoo-boy, there are books coming out over the next few weeks from Jack Posobiec’s co-author Joshua Lisec; Peter Navarro, writing about Fauci; Rod Martin, a rich guy who appears regularly on Eric Metaxas’s podcast; Alan Dershowitz, explaining how the Democratic Party lost him; and…
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The MAGA online outrage of the day is that Gov Sarah Huckabee Sanders has a new campaign ad about her welfare-to-work requirement, and the depicted laze-about welfare mooch in the ad forced to get a job is [gasp!] a white male. I swear to you, there is OUTRAGE
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
There are women behind Trump for today’s announcement, but what an odd visual: a line of 10 men, and then five women in a separate grouping. (The women include Iowans Reynolds, Ernst, Miller-Meeks, and Hinson)
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I think it’s time for me to start reading (and writing about) 2028 contenders’ campaign books. Any you’re aware of I should consider? 2026 releases I know of: Andy Beshear Cory Booker Gavin Newsom Josh Shapiro JD Vance Will consider older ones (I’m not counting Ted Cruz’s Justice Thomas book)
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It begins
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Reposted by David S. Bernstein
Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
BREAKING: DOJ asks SCOTUS to erase trans people from the law in case over trans care in prison. Solicitor General John Sauer made the alarming, all-encompassing argument — previously covered at Law Dork — to the Supreme Court on Monday morning. Today, at Law Dork:
lawdork.com
Breaking: DOJ asks SCOTUS to erase trans people from the law in case over trans care in prison
Solicitor General John Sauer made the alarming, all-encompassing argument — previously covered at Law Dork — to the Supreme Court on Monday morning.
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It is now seven months since more than 100 girls were killed in the Minab school bombing, and the U.S. government has still not acknowledged that we were responsible, or explained how it happened.
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Look at Turning Point Action going all DEI by including a woman in their key endorsements instead of making it 12 white dudes, so woke
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I’m beginning to think that the Patriots might not return to the Super Bowl this season
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
This poll, on the Herald’s front page today, A) was released Thursday, and B) shows Healey ahead by 16 points. Herald is really trying to push a narrative to sell papers; there must be a lull between sensational trials.
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Could mean bribes, maybe not.
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Larry Kudlow is hosting Sunday Morning Futures today, and he’s making me nostalgic for Maria Bartiromo. Apparently he’s going to host through the midterms, which they should tell their digital folks b/c the Fox News website schedule says it’s Jason’s show. He hosted it once? Maybe?
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
MarkWayne Mullin’s DHS feels compelled, around midnight ET on a Saturday, to tweet a denial of a Daily Wire report saying ICE is being told “to stop arresting non-criminals.”
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Trump announces on Truth Social that tomorrow the WH will announce new fuel economy standards, which means allowing car makers to make less fuel-efficient cars, which means — aside from hastening climate change — means consumers will need to buy more gasoline. Great messaging at this moment.
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
GOP gubernatorial nominee Steve Hilton speaking at this MAGA-rific event on a Saturday five days before the election kinda suggests to me that he’s not trying real hard to win the election. (This is happening 2 miles from me. I couldn’t be bothered, sorry.)
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
UNH Survey Center poll finds a toss-up for #mapoli jungle primary ballot Q #3: Yes: 41% No: 39% Undecided: 19% www.telegram.com/story/news/p...
telegram.com
Healey, Markey lead GOP challengers. See new poll on races, ballot q's
A push to rollback marijuana legalization in Massachusetts looks likely to fail, at least according to new poll numbers.
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Musical artist and occasional candidate for federal office Scott Brown tweets bitterly from Scotland that upon entering Parliament, police made him cover his hideous Blue Lives Matter shirt, which they considered to be a political statement.
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Sen. Susan Collins statement decries “unlawful” $810 million pocket rescissions. “It is a usurpation of Congress’s appropriations powers… I will work with my colleagues to address these illegal actions.”
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Trump administration is launching America.com, “a new front door to government,” Tuesday, and if the site used the same proofreaders as the announcement I’m sure it’s gonna be great
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Reposted by David S. Bernstein
Julia Azari @juliaazari.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Midterm election predictions are still kind of all over the place. I look at the assumptions behind different approaches about how politics works. 1/ goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com/p/studying-f...
goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com
Studying for the midterms
There’s been a lot of bad news for Republicans.
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I’m a little disappointed that BlueSky isn’t filled with people humblebragging that they can’t really comment on that NYT best TV shows list because they just don’t have time to watch television what with spending so much time reading books and taking in artistic works and performances
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I keep expecting battleground R campaigns to put out good internal polls to counter the growing doom narrative, but not seeing any. Maybe the internals are even worse.
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I was just reminded that Sara Carter (former Blaze Network News host) is director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ie the Drug Czar), and honestly everything is just so stupid
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Great photo from NYT’s Doug Mills appears to show authoritarian Xi Jinpeng gesturing toward the WH wall where Joe Biden is depicted as an autopen. Xi’s expression, to me, says “even I couldn’t get away with this shit”
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Only a handful of prominent Republicans are publicly criticizing Trump for hosting Xi (and the fawning way he’s doing it), but VERY few are saying anything positive. I’m getting the sense that there’s a lot of intraparty displeasure about it, both for policy and political reasons.
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This jackass is about to become governor of a US state
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I dunno, I kinda think fawning over as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party steps just a bit on the Trump/GOP messaging that communism is the greatest threat to the US
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I’m sorry, told who this?
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
NYT has dirt on Peltola’s behavior, and I gotta say it makes her look pretty bad. Don’t know if it will (or should) affect the race, but it’s not great. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/u...
nytimes.com
Mary Peltola’s Campaign in Alaska Senate Race Is Rocked by Tumult, With Angry Outbursts and Slurs
Democrats hope that Mary Peltola can flip a Republican Senate seat in Alaska. Former aides describe a campaign and congressional office marked by chaos.
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Don’t worry your heads ladies, the menfolk are handling US-China relations (Seriously, not one female at the table. US side is 10/10 dudes.)
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Re: VPOTUS being the source of one of the Politico pieces the WH cites as phony WH: Um… yeah, we *meant* to do that
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Marjorie Taylor Greene is on with Alex Jones right now. No I will not listen and report back to you.
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Don’t worry your heads ladies, the menfolk are handling U.S.-Russia relations
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Don’t worry your heads ladies, the menfolk are handling the Americas
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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Perhaps I am (definitely) a pedantic prig, but I can’t abide a documentary that can’t adequately proofread its first trailer.
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