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Epolitics (Colin Delany)

@epolitics.bsky.social
301 followers 364 following 471 posts

Doing digital politics and advocacy since 1996. Writing about it at Epolitics.com since 2006. Digital consultant for nonprofit organizations and Democratic political groups. Campaigns & Elections columnist. Bass player for Manic Obsession.

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Reposted by Epolitics (Colin Delany)
Trout Wrangler @tsadler.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The lessons of our past are clear: long-term economic prosperity depends on science-based management and conservation.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Damning: The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
propublica.org
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way
After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Guess what! #AI almost hallucinated us into a war with China this year. Pro tip: Don't do that. epolitics.substack.com/p/ai-almost-...
epolitics.substack.com
AI Almost Got Us into a War with China
It’s all fun and games until we hallucinate ourselves into war with a nuclear power
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Literally fake news: Twitter videos claiming to be from news outlets, showing celebrities supposedly "blaming" Democrats for their relatives' gender transitions. All fake, of course. No evidence they were seen by much beyond bots. www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/p/russia-fab...
newsguardrealitycheck.com
Russia Fabricates Celebrity Attacks on Democrats as Midterms Approach
A Kremlin-linked influence operation just in time for the midterms fabricates news video reports claiming celebrities blame Democrats for their relatives’ gender transitions.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I worry less about robots taking over than I do about some idiot letting AI hallucinate us into a war. www.cnn.com/2026/09/18/p...
cnn.com
Exclusive: US military had close call after using AI for false intelligence report, sources say | CNN Politics
The episode shows the risks of using this new, relatively poorly understood technology in the middle of the Iran war
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Iran and China launched AI-driven fake social media campaigns in bulk. Sounds scary, but how many people actually noticed them? Twitter's already filled with bots. Half my new Bluesky "friends" are bots. Let's keep some perspective here. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/t...
nytimes.com
Iran and China Create First-of-Their-Kind Autonomous A.I. Influence Campaigns
The countries, along with Israeli firms, combined Chinese open-source A.I. models and A.I. agents for the campaigns, foreshadowing future online manipulation.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
NSPM-7 Directed Trump’s DOJ to Target Left-Leaning Ideology. It’s Going After Randos Online. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/nspm-7-...
talkingpointsmemo.com
NSPM-7 Directed Trump’s DOJ to Target Left-Leaning Ideology. It’s Going After Randos Online.
National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, the Trump White House’s memo directing federal...
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Democrats must be thinking long-term this year even if they're in a long-shot/doomed campaign. Leave something for the next candidate or organizer, whether it's volunteers, data, technology or a crack in the Fox News bubble. epolitics.substack.com/p/democrats-...
2008 Obama field team, via Wikimedia
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
In which Vance implies that James Talarico is a pervert. Remember when Vance was supposed to be the thoughtful one in the Republican tent? nymag.com/intelligence...
nymag.com
J.D. Vance Previews Republicans’ Nasty Midterm Smears
In his GOP Midterm Convention speech, the vice-president called Democrats anti-American “crazies” and played fast and loose with the facts.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Wide but not deep: Lots of workers are using #AI for a few tasks, but few jobs are going full AI. I suspect a similar pattern is playing out in political campaigns and orgs this year newrepublic.com/article/2153...
newrepublic.com
A New Report Reveals Why Robots Aren’t Taking Your Job Anytime Soon
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis has been researching the adoption of AI in the workplace—and found that the reality doesn’t match the industry’s puffery. For now.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
In which we learn that Kash Patel REALLY hates online criticism www.thebulwark.com/p/out-of-gas...
thebulwark.com
Out of Gas. Out of Ideas. Out of Time.
The Republicans’ window to stave off a blue wave has all but closed.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
"I’d certainly love for a few influential people in the Democratic political space whatever to embark on whatever exploration process could lead them to enter the current decade. Looking up the numbers for YouTube, Hulu and Roku would be a good start." epolitics.substack.com/p/will-trump...
epolitics.substack.com
Will Trump Spend His 2026 Money on TV? Will He Spend It at All?
Which is worse: Stupid money or no money?
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
"The DNC is launching a new digital ad campaign this week targeting right-leaning voters across conservative YouTube channels...The ad clips Trump’s own comments about inflation and the economy...tying rising prices to his unpopular war with Iran." www.politico.com/newsletters/...
politico.com
How Dems are countering Trump’s convention
And MAGA Inc. is starting to unload its immense pile of cash around the map ...
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“If you wanted to corrupt those midterm elections and you wanted to use AI, all you needed to do was get detailed information on U.S. citizens. And what DOGE did looked like just what you would do.” variety.com/2026/film/fe...
variety.com
Elon Musk’s MAGA Shift, Self-Driving Cars, Myths About Mars and More Get Examined in New Documentary: 5 Biggest Revelations
Here are five takeaways from Alex Gibney's Elon Musk documentary "Musk," which premiered at Venice Film Festival.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
"But if I were Jimmy Talarico in Texas and I needed someone to have my back, I think I’d prefer tens of thousands of volunteers and a few hundred thousand grassroots donors over a couple of whiney, racist billionaires who could walk away at any moment." epolitics.substack.com/p/will-trump...
epolitics.substack.com
Will Trump Spend His 2026 Money on TV? Will He Spend It at All?
Which is worse: Stupid money or no money?
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
OF COURSE Cong. Max Miller might be using Facebook glasses for nefarious purposes nypost.com/2026/09/01/u...
nypost.com
Max Miller denies using Meta smart glasses to spy on ex-wife Emily’s lawyers in court
Embattled Rep. Max Miller denied using Meta smart glasses to make surreptitious recordings during a July court hearing after his ex-wife’s lawyers raised concerns that something seemed off.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Fred Kaplan: "And so we have a power-mad president who holds astonishingly little power, owing mainly to his misuse of very lethal power in a war that was never necessary and that he now finds impossible to win or escape." slate.com/news-and-pol...
slate.com
It’s Becoming Clearer Than Ever That “America First” Has Taken a Toll on American Power
This trade war signifies, more than any other single event, Trump’s mindless exertion of American power.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Not a headline you see every day: MAGA Influencer Outed as a Pentagon Employee in Bizarre Turn After Botching ‘Scoop’ State Dept. Spox Gave Her www.yahoo.com/news/politic...
yahoo.com
MAGA Influencer Outed as a Pentagon Employee in Bizarre Turn After Botching ‘Scoop’ State Dept. Spox Gave Her
Jennica Pounds has been revealed to be an employee of the Pentagon after serving as a credentialed member of the media and on DOGE's staff.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Inside the firm that brought us Platner nymag.com/intelligence...
nymag.com
Rebecca Katz’s Risky Formula for Winning Elections
The political consultant has an uncanny gift for finding charismatic progressives. Why do so many of them implode?
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Reposted by Epolitics (Colin Delany)
Greg Greene (he/him/his) @greene.haus · 21/08/2026
I haven't written any effusive letters to Trump, don't worry — but I realized this week that I have a unique perspective on this Natalie Harp business. Thanks to @newrepublic.com for granting space to write about it.
newrepublic.com
Natalie Harp Should Concern Everyone—I Should Know, I Once Had Her Job
When I ran President Obama’s socials, I treated that work as needing checks and restraint at every point of the process. Its absence in the Trump White House is scary.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
"Can viral moments and novel gimmicks...actually be enough to win elections? Are such tactics the future of electoral politics, or is the battle to win the attention economy a doomed journey toward a shimmering mirage?" www.politico.com/news/magazin...
politico.com
James Fishback Is Probably About to Lose. His Politics Might Be Winning.
He’ll likely lose the Republican gubernatorial primary in Florida. But is he winning a larger war?
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Yet another reminder that the things you say to an AI may not stay private. Which includes political data and client information. nymag.com/intelligence...
nymag.com
ChatGPT Is a Huge Snitch
Never say anything to AI that you wouldn’t want read aloud in a court of law.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
"Trump has been faking it all along and now it's catching up to him." newrepublic.com/article/2143...
newrepublic.com
Trump’s Angry Tirade over Gas Prices Backfires in Humiliating Self-Own
As Trump’s rhetoric about the Iran war gets worse for the GOP, MS NOW’s Steve Benen explains why Trump’s political implosion increasingly resembles George W. Bush’s in 2006.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Ladies and gentlemen of the fundraising community, start your engines. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/u...
nytimes.com
Google Just Made It Easier for Campaigns to Send You Fund-Raising Emails (Gift Article)
Republicans previously sued Google claiming its spam filter was biased, but the case was dismissed. The company will now allow verified campaigns to more easily bypass the spam filter.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
"As his popularity collapses among almost every other demographic, Trump seems to recognize that the criminal-American community is his last and most loyal constituency." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
Trump’s Last Loyal Constituency
The administration delivers a win for financial crooks at the expense of honest businesses.
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Reposted by Epolitics (Colin Delany)
Marine Fish Conservation Network @conservefish.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
It's common sense: "This winter, the amazing crew assembled in Sitka...installed a parallel hybrid diesel-electric system in my 50-foot steel longline/troller...I am saving 20% on fuel over last year, despite skyrocketing fuel costs across the country." www.adn.com/opinions/202...
adn.com
Opinion: A quieter boat points toward a new future for Alaska fisheries
Aboard the F/V Mirage, hybrid power is saving fuel and money while reducing the emissions that threaten fisheries and coastal livelihoods.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Among many other comments: "His digital footprint continues to dog him. In the days before Mr. Johnson rallied for Mr. Herrera...a video resurfaced of the YouTuber using crude, sexualized insults against a female gun-control activist in 2022." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/16/u...
nytimes.com
How Republicans Embraced Brandon Herrera, a Texas Republican Candidate and Gun Influencer
Brandon Herrera, long an anti-establishment outsider, is trying to help the party defend a red-leaning House district in West Texas. It’s proving messy.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Why it can go wrong if you act like you are. epolitics.substack.com/p/you-are-no...
epolitics.substack.com
You Are Not a Presidential Campaign
Who says you can't have it all? Reality.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
What resistance looks like: A Band of Plucky Protesters Nets One Against ICE. Defeating Trumpism for the long term will require big wins, yes, but also many small victories like this one. harrylitman.substack.com/p/a-band-of-...
harrylitman.substack.com
A Band of Plucky Protesters Nets One Against ICE
Showing how it can be done.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
"Speaking of Iran: How is Trump’s war going? If having to conceal himself inside a catering truck is any indication, not well." slate.com/news-and-pol...
slate.com
The Iran War Is Going So Well That Trump Is Resorting to Wacky Hijinks to Stay Safe
Our very cool and normal era continues.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Max Miller: "'He doesn’t pay consequences for the things he does,' added another [high school friend]. This is of course the defining quality of the Trump era, but it is worth an examination of how Miller perfected it." prospect.org/2026/08/11/m...
prospect.org
Max Miller’s Endless Wars - The American Prospect
The Ohio congressman fabricated a wild story of death threats on Interstate 90 and casually destroyed the life of a constituent. It’s one of many accusations Miller, now facing a spousal abuse scandal...
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Tragic news: Taylor Swift songs removed from White House, Trump campaign posts www.reuters.com/business/med...
reuters.com
Taylor Swift songs removed from White House, Trump campaign posts
Swift has not spoken recently about Trump, although she endorsed his Democratic rival, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, in 2024.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Keep an eye on Mississippi! Pro tip: A dollar donated there will go a lot farther than a dollar donated in TX apnews.com/article/miss...
apnews.com
Will Mississippi send a Black Democrat to the US Senate? Scott Colom says don't count him out
Scott Colom is a Black man and a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Mississippi, a state traditionally led by white conservatives.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
"Democratic turnout for House primaries in a majority-Black Tennessee county surged to the highest level in a decade, the latest sign that redistricting may be energizing Black voters across the South." www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
One chart shows the backlash to gutting the Voting Rights Act
Democratic turnout for House primaries in Shelby County, Tennessee, a majority-Black county, surged to the highest level in a decade.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
#SAD! newrepublic.com/post/214099/...
newrepublic.com
Trump Majorly Flips Out as Judges Rule His Ballroom Is Illegal
A federal appeals court panel ruled that Donald Trump must stop aboveground construction on his beloved ballroom.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
"CyberWell identified nearly identical narratives surrounding recent wildfires in Norway, France, and Spain, reinforcing...a recurring pattern of event-driven antisemitism, in which major crises are exploited to spread hate toward Jews." cyberwell.org/news-release...
cyberwell.org
CyberWell Warns of Antisemitic Conspiracies Blaming Jews for Wildfires Across Europe - CyberWell
CyberWell identified similar narratives around wildfires in Norway, France, and Spain, reinforcing a pattern of event-driven antisemitism.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
ICE does not like the 1st Amendment: "The Department of Homeland Security [is] targeting online critics of ICE by trying to force them to sign a heretofore unheard of “Warning Notice” admitting that their criticisms were unlawful." morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.com/p/revealed-t...
morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.com
REVEALED: The Scope of ICE’s Surveillance of Its Online Critics
INSIDE: Markwayne Mullin ... Todd Blanche ... Jeanine Pirro
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
When all else fails, break out the Bolshies! New on Epolitics: John McCain Cried “Communist,” Too — Before He Lost to Obama. epolitics.substack.com/p/john-mccai...
Soviet flag
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
"The shifts add to a growing body of evidence that suggests the audience for pro-Trump content has fallen from its heights and, for some creators, has reached new lows." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/u...
nytimes.com
How the Pro-Trump Media Ecosystem Is Splintering Ahead of the Midterms
Once united in support of President Trump, right-wing influencers are embroiled in feuds and losing viewers, creating a problem for Republicans in the midterm elections.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
One reason grassroots fundraising may offset the Republicans' big-money advantage this year? Campaigns and orgs can get water from the well again and again. epolitics.substack.com/p/will-grass...
Quote from a Substack post about grassroots fundraising
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
"In other words, on TikTok as elsewhere in Trumpworld, there is no pretense of governing for the betterment of the entire country or of speaking to Americans across political lines. There is merely a taste for triggering their political enemies..." slate.com/life/2026/07...
slate.com
The Trump Administration Is Finally Allowed to Post on TikTok. What They’re Doing Is, Frankly, Insane.
In one, a bloody, battered RFK Jr. emerges from the darkness in search of "real food," then solemnly cradles some snow.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Republicans are outraising the Democratic party committees, but individual candidates are raising big bucks. The difference? Grassroots fundraising. epolitics.substack.com/p/will-grass...
epolitics.substack.com
Will Grassroots Democrats Save Us from the DNC?
Small donors to the rescue?
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
A big deal, particularly if they leave a structure behind for next time. www.politico.com/live-updates...
politico.com
Senate Democrats announce $40M ground game spend in 10 battlegrounds
The broad investments in organizing, communications and research show Democrats’ vision for a big map as they seek to take back the Senate.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
The @NRCC is running digital ads attacking Dems candidates over their opposition to tariffs. Thanks guys, for reminding voters that Trump is raising prices! www.cnbc.com/2026/07/28/t...
cnbc.com
New Republican ads slam Democrats opposed to Trump's tariffs
As the 2026 midterm elections approach, the National Republican Congressional Committee is knocking Democrats who have opposed President Donald Trump's tariffs.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Re TwitterX: "Very little of what happens there matters to normal people because all the normal people left." www.garbageday.email/p/monday-iss...
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Caveat: It's an internal poll. As always, too, could be a one-off. "A new internal poll shows a Democratic House candidate is in a dead heat with his Republican challenger in an upstate New York district President Donald Trump won by 20 points in 2024." www.politico.com/news/2026/06...
politico.com
A district that went +20 for Trump now in play for Democrats
Democrat Blake Gendebien is in a dead heat with Republican Anthony Constantino in a deep-red upstate New York congressional district, internal poll shows.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
“The aesthetic is a way to make the political physically present...” www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
Trump's gilded White House makeover is all about power
On this week’s “More To The Story,” art historian Erin Thompson examines the ways societies build and destroy monuments—and why Trump is so focused on remaking Washington in his own image.
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
"If you need to turn a press release into a bunch of social-media posts optimized for various platforms, Claude's got you covered. But that process requires someone to know which messages are important to highlight and which platforms to employ." epolitics.substack.com/p/ai-is-not-...
epolitics.substack.com
AI is Not an “I Win” Button for Political Campaigns
AI is not magic, and it won't help campaigns win on its own
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Epolitics (Colin Delany) @epolitics.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
"For campaigns, AI can help a small team fight at the same level as a much larger one, and it can help a larger one get even more done. But you have to have that team in the first place..." epolitics.substack.com/p/ai-is-not-...
epolitics.substack.com
AI is Not an “I Win” Button for Political Campaigns
AI is not magic, and it won't help campaigns win on its own
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Reposted by Epolitics (Colin Delany)
Marine Fish Conservation Network @conservefish.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
A terrific discussion - where science meets policy. Watch the Network's Waterside Chat with Meredith Moore of The Ocean Conservancy: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX4R...
youtube.com
Where Science Meets Policy: Waterside Chat with Meredith Moore
YouTube video by Marine Fish Conservation Network
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