Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 02/09/2026This issue, in particular, is why I declined to use the Wharton Index in my own dissertation work. It is disappointing, but not altogether surprising, to learn that that's just one of several problems. The good news is better options (like the National Zoning Atlas) are being actively worked on! 030
Reposted by Henry WatsonRyan Enos @ryanenos.bsky.social · 18/08/2026Political Analytics is back. Washington, DC October 8 and 9th. Hosted by the Harvard Center for American Political Studies, Georgetown, and Washington University in St. Louis. Join us. politicalanalyticsconference.compoliticalanalyticsconference.comPolitical Analytics 2026are the numbers on the wall? October 8th & 9th, 2026 | Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. More details & registration information to follow 075
Reposted by Henry WatsonLibrary of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 29/07/2026It's NASA's birthday! 🚀 Did you know a Library of Congress researcher helped launch NASA? During the Sputnik crisis, Eilene Galloway was working as a National Defense Analyst for the Library's Legislative Research Service, now called the Congressional Research Service. 🧵 217257
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 15/07/2026There's always next World Cup (because it's never this World Cup) 010
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 12/07/2026Everyone at that England-Norway game looks too gassed to even celebrate the outcome 020
Reposted by Henry Watsonringwiss @ringwiss.bsky.social · 24/06/2026There’s a CRS report for everything: ‘Presenting Measures to the President for Approval: Possible Delays’ www.congress.gov/crs_external... 062
Reposted by Henry Watsonringwiss @ringwiss.bsky.social · 24/06/2026NB: Nowadays, the House and Senate can receive veto messages during adjournments, so pocket vetoes are only possible after the final adjournment sine die at the end of a Congress. 4559
Reposted by Henry WatsonDavid H. Montgomery @dhmontgomery.com · 04/06/2026If you don't like that Google Search is becoming increasingly just AI, but don't want to actually switch to another search engine, it's actually very easy to fix your Google searches to be just old-style blue links again. My walkthrough:dhmontgomery.comHow to fix your searchesA simple hack to make get better search results every time. 13612
Reposted by Henry WatsonMartin Austermuhle @maustermuhle.bsky.social · 14/05/2026Process is boring, and yes, it can be used to delay things to death. But it can give interested parties and the public a chance to weigh in, offering lawmakers a better insights in benefits, drawbacks, and tradeoffs. 132
Reposted by Henry WatsonMetro @wmata.com · 27/03/2026Celebrating 50 years … ✨ More than 15 billion trips … ✨ And even more memories! Thank you to all who made our anniversary ride unforgettable. What Metro means to you means the world to us! You keep us moving! 1499
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 26/03/2026This feels like a good take on a genuine puzzle: why is economic sentiment so much worse than the economic data? David French points to deepening inequality, and rational market responses to that inequality. Interesting stuff! 010
Reposted by Henry WatsonJonathan Bernstein @jonathanbernstein.bsky.social · 18/03/2026My reminder to stop thinking of policy positions as purely campaign stuff that candidates and parties are free to optimize for electoral reasons; they are instead substantive questions party actors deeply care about, and electoral considerations are at best only part of the decision. That said... 1202
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 16/03/2026A very smooth, predictable Oscars. That’s not a criticism. 000
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 16/03/2026Cinematography for Sinners is the first win I’d consider a genuine surprise (aside from Casting which was always going to be hard to call). 27% chance on GoldDerby. 000
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 15/03/2026Oscars 2026: Who I predict will win, and who I would vote for. Visual Effects: Avatar will win, and I would vote for it. Nothing in the same ballpark. Sound: F1 will win, and I would vote for it. A really powerful theater experience. 110
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 12/03/2026@ringwiss.bsky.social Has voting by thumbs up or thumbs down always been accepted in the U.S. Senate for roll call votes? Any interesting procedural history there? 210
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 05/03/2026Really thoughtful and nuanced work from NPR’s Planet Money!npr.orgIs the YIMBY movement doomed?For decades, rising home prices have been an engine for middle-class wealth. Now a growing movement wants to slow — or even reverse — that trend. Are the politics around new housing development inhere... 111
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 01/03/2026This phenomenon was the subject of my dissertation research, specifically in local politics where internal expertise can be particularly hard to come by. 000
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 10/02/2026This data collection is so valuable, and the qualitative work is very welcome! 010
Reposted by Henry WatsonSteven T. Dennis @steventdennis.bsky.social · 25/01/2026One irony here: a shutdown won't shut down ICE or the Border Patrol, which got massive infusion of money last year in the GOP's 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' and the White House would surely deem these operations 'essential.' 3121744
Reposted by Henry WatsonJosh Chafetz @joshchafetz.bsky.social · 08/01/2026Worth remembering, when you see passages like the one below, that this was not inevitable--the WPR mechanism does not allow for a presidential veto. It is only because of the Supreme Court's Chadha opinion that the president could veto the Venezuela resolution. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01... 715946
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 12/12/2025A solid crop of books this year! I definitely recommend the Fable app to anyone who loves reading (transferring your data from Goodreads is easy!) 020
Reposted by Henry WatsonJake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 24/10/2025The trend is real, but this NYT analysis at the Congressional district level has big ecological bias Poor *areas* vote Republican, but it's often the richer *individuals* within those poorer areas that are most Republican And many poor *individuals* rich blue urban *areas* vote Dem 451572304
Reposted by Henry WatsonMatt Grossmann @mattgrossmann.bsky.social · 11/09/2025Policymakers do listen to strong evidence & rate it more highly, regardless of ideological alignment with policy goodauthority.org/news/do-poli...goodauthority.orgDo policymakers listen to evidence or their own biases?A new experiment with local officials across the U.S. shows that yes, strong evidence can shift attitudes. 083
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 11/08/2025Note that terminating the emergency control of DC’s police before 30 days requires the “enactment into law of a joint resolution,” or “the end of such emergency” as determined by the President. A one-house resolution isn’t sufficient as of a 1984 amendment. code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/counci...code.dccouncil.gov§ 1–207.40. Emergency control of police. | D.C. Law Library 010
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 08/08/2025Amusing, but also a useful example. If you squint, this *looks* like the diagram as requested. But it doesn’t provide reliable or useful information; it is just an imitation of similar content. Worth keeping in mind whenever you use AI to generate “information” on a topic. 010
Reposted by Henry WatsonAlex Garlick @garlicksauce.bsky.social · 24/06/2025This article is now open access: www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...annualreviews.orgHow Lobbying Matters | Annual ReviewsFor decades, political scientists have struggled to provide empirical evidence that lobbying influences policymaking. A considerable gap arose between widespread public suspicions of lobbying and the ... 194
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 23/06/2025Any list of “Best Movies” is fraught, but these are ones that have stuck with me. 130
Reposted by Henry WatsonLibrary of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 28/05/2025Two separate plans hatched in 1960 by Congress—to build a third Library of Congress building & to dedicate a national monument to James Madison—eventually converged. Nine years after excavation began, the Library's James Madison Building opened to the public on this day in 1980. 1507
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 26/05/2025Mission Impossible very subjective Tier List: Tier 1: Fallout, Ghost Protocol Tier 2: Rogue Nation, Dead Reckoning, Final Reckoning Tier 3: The OG, Mission 3 Tier 4 (Much worse): Mission 2 000
Reposted by Henry WatsonLibrary of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 22/05/2025You asked to see how the custom boxes that house the Library’s miniature globe collection are made. Today, we are happy to show you the steps, materials and skills that go into protecting these (and many other) Library treasures. Let us know what else you’d like to see! 06612
Reposted by Henry WatsonLibrary of Congress @librarycongress.bsky.social · 24/04/2025What better day to launch a Bluesky account than our birthday? We turn 225 today! 🎂 🥳 Here's a brief summary of the Library's history, courtesy of Dr. Carla Hayden, the 14th Librarian of Congress. www.loc.gov/about/histor... 40790234
Reposted by Henry WatsonAlex Garlick @garlicksauce.bsky.social · 14/04/20252) Persuasion: Lobbyists do better when they have an informational advantage over legislators, and we talk about the different types of information that matters (e.g. business is advantaged) and who it works on (usually ideological allies) 141
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 11/02/2025Every year, I like to do a rundown of the Best Picture nominees once I’ve had a chance to see them all: 130
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 15/01/2025God bless the Metro Rewind metrorewind.commetrorewind.comMetro Rewind 030
Reposted by Henry WatsonJonathan Ladd @jonathanmladd.com · 04/01/2025I don't remember what I knew/thought before graduate school. But now I think the most important thing to know is this: You need to be very, very good. Among those who achieve that, some will get lucky. Being an outstanding graduate student and early career scholar gets you a ticket to the lottery. 2211
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 01/01/2025I usually align pretty well with popular opinion, so I’m surprised by just how much Anora underwhelmed me (I also really disliked Tangerine so maybe Sean Baker just isn’t for me). Between that and Emilia Pérez, I’m not really vibing with 2024’s crop of awards contenders! 110
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 20/12/2024This article gives interesting context about rent data, and how to reconcile reports of falling rents in Austin with reports that more renters than ever are cost burdened. 141
Henry Watson @henry-watson.bsky.social · 20/11/2024As a political scientist, Kingdon’s “Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies.” As a houser, Goetz’s “New Deal Ruins.” Countless honorable mentions, but that’s not the point! 000
Reposted by Henry WatsonTony Zombie-ano 🎃 @tonydamiano.bsky.social · 19/11/2024New Research Thread🧵: We examine the spatial patterns and eviction rates of single-family landlords in the Twin Cities. We find Private Equity firms and REITs each have their own distinct geographies and evict tenants at higher rates than smaller landlords. 1/ 511645