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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Unions are the only major institution that has gained and not lost support since the Great Recession. Yet after Labor Day, the people who write about “the working class” for a living will manage not to say the word “union” out loud again for 364 days. www.contrariannews.org/p/labor-day-...

Unions: The only institution to recover from the Great Recession

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Greg Greene (he/him/his) @greene.haus · 08/09/2026

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Most of Democratic "affordability" messaging is about what things cost. The missing half of that equation is what you make. Unions are the “one neat trick” we have to improve wages, benefits, and more. They're incredibly popular. So why don't Dems talk about unions—or show up for them—much more?

contrariannews.org

Labor Day 2026

Democrats need to build a durable governing coalition that deserves the support of unions and working people

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Democrats won’t become the “party of the working class” by finding the right message. Instead, Dems need to stop treating working-class voters as consumers to be marketed to, and start treating them as partners again. www.contrariannews.org/p/labor-day-...

When I first came to Washington, D.C. in 1975, organized labor was still a mass-membership pillar of the Democratic Party. But in the decades that followed, two developments changed that: union membership collapsed under escalating attacks from organized corporate interests, and federal campaigning was reorganized around a paid industry of pollsters, media consultants, and data vendors. Over time, the Democratic Party replaced its direct knowledge of and engagement with working class voters with a set of professional services that structurally cannot deliver that same knowledge or engagement.

Today, too many Democratic and media professionals talk about working people the same way that Coca-Cola executives would talk about regaining a prized market segment they’ve lost to Pepsi — which is not the way anyone in a democracy should be talking about its citizens, regardless of their demographic group. That most commentators ask how Democrats can “win back” the working class — not “represent” or “answer to” them — reveals this dynamic in action.

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Republicans will face a drubbing in the midterms, and Dem consultants are already mistaking working-class anger at Republicans for working-class attraction to their genius "affordability" messaging. How can Dems build a durable governing coaliation that actually deserves working people's support?

contrariannews.org

Labor Day 2026

Democrats need to build a durable governing coalition that deserves the support of unions and working people

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Nathan Kalmoe, write-in candidate for WI Senate (27th Dist) @nathanforsenate.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Good article by @mikepod.bsky.social on what Democrats need to do better to earn the support of unions & working people. It’s not just the right thing to do. It’s also good strategy for the party to win. www.contrariannews.org/p/labor-day-...

contrariannews.org

Labor Day 2026

Democrats need to build a durable governing coalition that deserves the support of unions and working people

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Watch this "State of the Unions" address from @lizshuler.bsky.social featuring new @aflcio.org polling data: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8QK...

youtube.com

2026 State of the Unions | AFL-CIO

YouTube video by AFL-CIO

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Jay Rosen @jayrosen.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

This from @mikepod.bsky.social's Midterm Overview is a good example of why I say: "Not the odds but the stakes." www.weekendreading.net/p/poll-washi...

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Join me today at 1pm ET with special guest @perrybaconjr.bsky.social on “Meeting the Moment” with @anatosaurus.bsky.social! We’ll talk about the midterms and get an insider’s perspective on the media environment. open.substack.com/live-stream/...

open.substack.com

LIVE SOON: Meeting the Moment with Anat Shenker-Osorio and Perry Bacon

Starting Aug 26 at 1:00 PM EDT

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Anat Shenker-Osorio @anatosaurus.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Absolutely thrilled to be interviewing @naomiaklein.bsky.social in a few hours! We will dive deeply into how we got here and how we get out. Join us.

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Few thinkers can match @naomiaklein.bsky.social in explaining the disorientation of this moment—how capitalists and authoritarians manufacture chaos, then exploit it to control us. Join me and @anatosaurus.bsky.social live today at 4pm ET/1pm PT: open.substack.com/live-stream/...

open.substack.com

LIVE SOON: Meeting the Moment with Anat Shenker-Osorio and Naomi Klein

Starting Aug 19 at 4:00 PM EDT

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Join me, Anat, and Sarah Mehta right now to discuss this pact, Michigan, and more! open.substack.com/live-stream/...

open.substack.com

LIVE NOW: Meeting the Moment with Anat Shenker-Osorio and Sarah Mehta

Michael Podhorzer on Substack

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Join me with constitutional law professor Kermit Roosevelt right now for some great insights on the Declaration of Independence! open.substack.com/live-stream/...

open.substack.com

LIVE NOW: Weekend Reading Live with Kermit Roosevelt

Michael Podhorzer on Substack

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Anat Shenker-Osorio @anatosaurus.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

As we lurch toward November, we're going to be getting the same advice dressed up as novelty: beat the opposition by becoming them. An examination of the failures of that approach: open.substack.com/pub/anatosau...

open.substack.com

Don't Make the Argument

The battle cry of the reactionary centrist, or how we helped usher in authoritarianism

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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Read this whole thread. The Platner implosion provides occasion to recollect what we learned about Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh, our two sexual predator Supreme Court justices. bsky.app/profile/mike...

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Anat Shenker-Osorio @anatosaurus.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

All of this. And, the additional hubris is assuming they will sail through anyway. That the women will not be believed or that the allegations will not matter -- assuming the public will see the women as these men have and do.

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

1/ Here's what we too rarely talk about when a man seeking high office is credibly accused of sexual misconduct. Platner, Swalwell, Kavanaugh, Thomas—these men almost always have the option to keep the allegations private. They almost never take it.

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Anat Shenker-Osorio @anatosaurus.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Tomorrow 1pm ET @mikepod.bsky.social & I host convo with your favorite organizer’s, favorite organizer: Doran Schrantz. She helped establish the “Minnesota Miracle” and is now the go-to person across states for getting folks out to confront fascist threats. open.substack.com/live-stream/...

open.substack.com

LIVE SOON: Meeting the Moment with Anat Shenker-Osorio and Doran Schrantz

Starting Jul 1 at 1:00 PM EDT

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

"How did our country get so broken? In short, it broke when the billionaires broke it." I wrote this in October of 2024. It's about to get even worse after the Roberts Court's ruling in NRSC v. FEC. www.weekendreading.net/p/the-john-r...

weekendreading.net

The John Roberts Election

Politicians in Robes Part II: How the billionaires captured the Court to remake American “democracy” in their own image

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Anat Shenker-Osorio @anatosaurus.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Under appreciated about NY winners is that they ran better campaigns. They talked to voters & got voters to talk to each other about them. Magnetism 101: if you want people to come to your cause, be attractive. Pollingists can't comprehend or recreate this: donors are their audience.

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Words to Win By @wordstowinby.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Watch this week's Meeting the Moment with @anatosaurus.bsky.social where @mikepod.bsky.social explains how the Callais decision essentially reintroduces the effects of the 3/5 clause. Really important history lesson through the years of Southern voter suppression. Watch Here:

weekendreading.net

All Roads Lead to the South

The effects of Callais, and more on "Meeting the Moment" with Anat Shenker-Osorio

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

This is in 10 minutes! Join me and Anat for some fresh insights on the Callais ruling: open.substack.com/live-stream/...

open.substack.com

LIVE SOON: "Meeting the Moment" with Anat Shenker-Osorio: Callais and Beyond

Starting May 13 at 1:00 PM EDT

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

When I heard Shaun Ossei-Owusu on the "Strict Scrutiny" podcast recently, I knew I needed to talk to him. His new book exposes the many ways that law school education and the legal profession actually perpetuate the injustices that people become lawyers to try to fix. Many valuable insights here:

weekendreading.net

Law on Trial

Weekend Reading Live with Shaun Ossei-Owusu

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Did someone say politicians in robes? www.weekendreading.net/p/politician...

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

I'm live now with Shaun Ossei Owusu, author of "Law on Trial: An Unlikely Insider Reckons with Our Legal System," to talk about the Callais ruling on the VRA: open.substack.com/live-stream/...

open.substack.com

LIVE NOW: Weekend Reading Live with Shaun Ossei-Owusu and Michael Podhorzer

Michael Podhorzer on Substack

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

ICYMI: For #MayDay, an extremely thorough roundup of research on why unions are good for all of us, not just their members: www.weekendreading.net/p/more-than-...

weekendreading.net

More Than the Weekend: Unions, the Past and the Future of Democracy

WIthout strong unions, “democratic capitalism” is an oxymoron.

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Today's May Day actions (no school, no work, no shopping) are a way to flex our collective economic power, and a way to build our organizing muscles for bigger actions down the road. www.weekendreading.net/p/tax-day-an...

weekendreading.net

Tax Day and May Day

With Saqib Bhatti of ACRE on "Meeting the Moment"

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Indivisible ❌👑 @indivisible.org · 01/05/2026

TODAY: Americans are walking out of school and work to wield our power as workers, consumers, and students. Join us for the nationwide day of economic disruption: survey.alchemer.com/s3/8705046/i... Find one of the more than 3,000 events planned for May Day: www.mobilize.us/mayday/map/?... #MayDay

MAY DAY 2026

NO WORK
NO SCHOOL
NO SHOPPING

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Anat Shenker-Osorio @anatosaurus.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

The ability to cast a vote (already deliberately constrained given work day, restrictions on mail, registration, lines, etc) does not democracy nor even "representation" make. A "free and fair" election is one where you can actually choose leaders who represent you & act in your name.

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

I was lucky to have Amy Walter of @cookpolitical.com as my guest on "Weekend Reading Live" yesterday after the Roberts Court VRA decision (Louisiana v. Callais) to help make sense of what it will mean for the midterms and beyond: www.weekendreading.net/p/rip-vra-an...

weekendreading.net

RIP VRA and What's Next, with Amy Walter

How the Roberts Court ruling will affect coming elections, the 2026 midterm landscape, and more on "Weekend Reading Live"

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Black voter participation soared right after the VRA passed in 1965. But not until 1992, after Congress strengthened the VRA to require majority-minority districts, did we start getting closer to proportional Black representation in Congress. Because Black votes finally counted more in the South.

Black representation in the US House, Confederacy vs. rest of the US: chart showing a brief surge during Reconstruction, then almost none during Jim Crow, then a big surge after the VRA (mostly in the rest of the US, not the Confederacy), then a big surge all over the US, especially the Confederacy. Only in the last 10 years has Black representation in the House grown to about the same proportion as the US black population.

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

RIP VRA, 1965-2026. John Roberts’s life's work has been dismantling what these civil rights leaders gave their lives to build. And if the public doesn't like that, as he told us in 2009, that's just "too bad." www.weekendreading.net/p/americas-s...

Civil rights leaders murdered seeking the right to vote, starting top left: Martin Luther King, Jr., Medgar Evers, Cpl. Roman Ducksworth Jr., Dr. Thomas Hency Brewer, Henry Hezekiah Dee, Charles Moore, Herbert Lee, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, Jimmie Lee Jackson, Johnnie Mae Chappell, Jonathan Daniels, Lamar Smith, Louis Allen, Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn, Rev. Bruce Klunder, Sammy Younge Jr., Vernon Dahmer, Rev. George Lee, Viola Gregg Liuzzo, Rev. James Reed, William Lewis Moore, and Willie Brewster.

In October 2009, John Roberts said this on C-SPAN:

“The most important thing for the public to understand is that we’re not a political branch of government. They do not elect us. If they don’t like what we’re doing, it’s more or less just too bad.”

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

RIP VRA, 1968-2026. RIP all of the civil rights leaders who were murdered while fighting for the rights it secured. www.weekendreading.net/p/americas-s...

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Majorities of Democrats and independents are concerned about politicians drawing maps "to protect their own political party, at the direct expense of minority voters" and about Republicans "making it very difficult for Democrats to ever hold a majority in Congress."

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

The Roberts Court continues the work of the Second "Redemption" to undo the work of the Second Reconstruction. www.weekendreading.net/p/americas-s...

There have been two long marches to Reconstruction in American history. The first Reconstruction was codified in the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, and the second Reconstruction was codified in the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, both of which immediately and dramatically broke down the barriers to Black political participation.

There have also been two swift, brutal regional backlashes to those long marches, when both judicial and extrajudicial actors stoked the infernal wildfires of white grievance. And both of those were followed by national “redemptions,” where many elements of the regional “redemptions” were extended to the nation by supportive presidents—first Woodrow Wilson, and now Donald Trump. Furthermore, Wilson and Trump both made aggressive use of the federal government to stifle dissent broadly, including deportation. That history is well told in books like American Midnight, which chronicles the earlier attacks by the Justice Department on domestic dissent (Palmer Raids) and aggressive deportations.

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Anat Shenker-Osorio @anatosaurus.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

The Roberts Court majority may be pretending they don't know the Voting Rights Act is what ended Jim Crow and their decision to gut it is license to take us back ("again") to stealing power from Black voters, but Americans do:

60% of voters believe that it's likely that if Supreme Court strikes down the Voting Rights Act, (Callais decision), "politicians redraw districts strictly to protect their own political party, at the direct expense of minority voters."

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Michael Podhorzer @mikepod.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Reminder that without section 2 of the VRA, Republicans could create as many as 19 new safe GOP House seats: blackvotersmatterfund.org/wp-content/u... And about 191 state legislative seats currently held by Democrats: blackvotersmatterfund.org/wp-content/u...

blackvotersmatterfund.org

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