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Micah Sifry ❌👑

@msifry.bsky.social
8K followers 1.7K following 496 posts

Writer, organizer, theconnector.substack.com. Podcast: centerforballotfreedom.org/this-old…

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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss? If you don’t want to get fooled again, pay attention to how we keep the organizing going and push for new models of two-way engagement. There’s a wave of organizers about to go to DC, it’s time for something new. theconnector.substack.com/p/the-starfi...
theconnector.substack.com
The Starfish and the Sandcastle: When A Community Organizer Goes to Congress
There’s a lively group of new leaders headed for Washington after November. Will they figure out how to sustain the local organizing that fueled their rise?
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Thread.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A data-driven look at what Democrats and progressives are working on as the election approaches, plus a deeper dive into the fight against Flock cameras and some concerning news coming out of the Maine senate race. theconnector.substack.com/p/how-were-m...
theconnector.substack.com
How We’re Mobilizing as Election Day Approaches
The big picture as it surfaces via the organizing platform Mobilize.us. Plus why the anti-Flock upswelling gives privacy advocates fresh hope, and worrisome news from the battleground state of Maine.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
My signposts to a confusing and increasingly frenzied and money-driven debate. theconnector.substack.com/p/how-to-thi...
theconnector.substack.com
How to Think About AI Without Losing Your Mind
Signposts I recommend, plus a quick guide to the six factions now competing to shape the public debate.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I’m in Ardsley NY in a sports bar; why did I just see a Ken Paxton for Senate ad on ABC-7?
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Thinking through what it will take to defend the November elections. theconnector.substack.com/p/once-more-...
theconnector.substack.com
Once More Unto the Breach
America’s pro-democracy movement is preparing for an election crisis that will take more than lawsuits and rallies to surmount. Will we be ready if and when the call comes for mass action?
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
A few deep dives that you may have missed. theconnector.substack.com/p/snapshots-...
theconnector.substack.com
Snapshots From Our Summer of Madness
You can’t make any of this stuff up anymore. Notes from Canada, Iran, Wyoming, California, the Supreme Court, Democratic fundraising, the data center wars and more.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Why you should add "This is the Plan" to your late summer reading list. theconnector.substack.com/p/ben-wikler...
Promo photo from The Flaming Sword of Justice, a Ben Wikler radio show.
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Lee Drutman @leedrutman.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Exactly! www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/o...
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The Nexus Project @nexusproject.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
This shocking act by the Trump Administration should send a chill down the spine of everyone who cares about dismantling white supremacy and authoritarianism.
erickward.substack.com
She Warned Us What Was Coming. Now the Government Is Prosecuting Her
The case against Heidi Beirich should get civil society’s attention
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
In MN, organizing against ICE from the winter is now powering a surge of growth across the whole Democratic Party's base. Plus, why the GOP power-grab underway in the South shows it's time to junk the "battleground" map. theconnector.substack.com/p/why-we-nee...
theconnector.substack.com
Why We Need a Bigger Map
How the deep investment in year-round state-level organizing is paying dividends in one state, and why the old-fashioned "battleground" map isn't helping.
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Center for Ballot Freedom @centerforballotfreedom.org · 29/07/2026
On the latest episode of This Old Democracy, @msifry.bsky.social talks with @sbagen.bsky.social, the Frank G. Millard Professor of Law at @umich.edu and a professor of public policy at @fordschool.bsky.social. The main topic: a lawsuit he's helped bring to get us out of the two-party "doom loop."
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Must read from Arundhati Roy on India’s moment thewire.in/rights/cockr...
thewire.in
Cockroach Democracy: Unarmed and Dangerous
Can all the people be fooled all the time? Can a country with a population of a billion-and-a-half be dragged around like a corpse forever? It cannot. The Cockroaches are out and about.
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Center for Ballot Freedom @centerforballotfreedom.org · 28/07/2026
A noted civil rights lawyer and law professor makes the constitutional case for reviving fusion voting (and fusion parties) — and explains why he thinks the timing is right. @sbagen.bsky.social @msifry.bsky.social Read more: substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
Podcast: Sam Bagenstos on litigating our way to a multi-party system in Michigan
A noted civil rights lawyer and law professor makes the constitutional case for reviving fusion voting (and fusion parties) — and explains why he thinks the timing is right.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Going out on a limb here. But if Ken Martin steps down, I predict the next DNC chair will be another ex-corporate lobbyist like Jaime Harrison. If the main metric for judging the chair is the DNC bank account, that is.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
I was about to close down work for the next two weeks, but then this got on my radar. Some very bracing brass tacks from one of America's top progressive organizers. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...
open.substack.com
This Can't Wait: What it Will Take to Stop a 2026 Power Grab
An essential memo by a top progressive organizer is now public. Go read it. And get ready.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
And according to a new, comprehensive study of the disaffected electorate, when people feel a greater sense of belonging, they are more likely to take part in the political arena. Details in my latest post. (Plus a quick take on the good news coming out of Maine.) open.substack.com/pub/theconne...
open.substack.com
With Millions Disaffected from Politics, An Answer Beckons: Belonging.
New research on "the disaffected electorate" and how to engage people in the long process of revitalizing civic life. Plus a quick take on the good news coming out of Maine.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
A huge number of Americans are deeply alienated from politics. Many question the value of voting, and indeed, about 90M out of the total potential electorate of 245M didn’t bother to vote in '24. But here’s what’s interesting: not voting doesn’t correspond to not participating in civic life. (1/2)
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
In my humble opinion, that’s because we’re counting the wrong thing. What matters is not how many people turn out or even how many localities host actions; what matters is how many well-organized, locally-led groups we have. theconnector.substack.com/p/why-the-35...
theconnector.substack.com
Why the 3.5% Rule is the Wrong Metric for The Defiance
Organizers in Minnesota pushed back ICE this winter with a fraction of that number, but with a much more serious approach to capacity-building.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
if there’s one strategy that captured the imagination of most grassroots opponents of Trump II, it was the effort to build mass protest towards the goal of mobilizing something like 12 million Americans (ie 3.5%) in coordinated action. And sadly, that effort has not worked, giving people false hope.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
I guess all of his previous Big Lies weren’t big enough.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Looking forward to this!
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Ten questions to test your knowledge. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...
open.substack.com
Think You Understand American Politics? Take This Quiz.
Come for the trivia. Stay for the existential dread. (And don't peek at the links first.)
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Many thanks, Josh!
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
NY showed that voters who are increasingly cranky and inclined to taking chances on newcomers who sound like fighters for ordinary people rather than more cautious institutionalists and appeasers. That’s the main shift underway (3/3). theconnector.substack.com/p/new-yorks-...
theconnector.substack.com
New York's Hollow Party Wars
What last Tuesday's primaries tell us about weak Democratic institutions, organized challengers, and the limits of low-turnout victories.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Let's be honest: This wasn't a "political earthquake"; turnout last week was half that of June 2025, when Mamdani toppled Cuomo. It was another reminder of our hollow parties and the power of small group organizing in low turnout elections. As for the ideological implications...(2/3)
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Everyone's debating what New York's primaries say about the Democratic Party's ideological future as if Israel or socialism were the top issues on voters minds--and all sides of those debates have good reasons to hype things out of proportion--it's good for clicks or fundraising! (1/3)
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Didn’t Jeff Bezos give him $100M?
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
For Louder Days by Yotam Marom is my favorite new book of the year so far. Brave, necessary and ultimately confounding. Must reading for anyone on or near the left and infused or confused by its culture. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...
open.substack.com
Love Is Not Enough: Yotam Marom and the Politics of Powerlessness
A review of his terrific new book For Louder Days.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
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Richard Robbins @richnyc.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Wall Street is occupied! @msifry.bsky.social
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Why the politics of joy has so much more potential than the politics of critique. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...
open.substack.com
Why the Knicks Win Feels So Big
And what the World Cup also teaches us about organizing around joy rather than critique.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Finally!
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
$850 million: locked in concrete and glass. He could have had the same museum and community amenities for half that.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Agreed. Though was there a better option in CA?
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
...along with a ragtag rising resistance to the AI/data center future being imposed on us from above. Good times. Details in my latest Connector. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...
open.substack.com
By the Numbers: A Portrait of Our Times
From the Obamination that is Barack's new edifice to the Trump family's corruption and the costs of the Iran War, data center madness and rising food insecurity among Americans.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
...but instead here we are watching unprecedented corruption and self-dealing, a war that has already cost Americans more than $160 billion, equally gigantic cuts to the social safety net driving up food insecurity (2/3)
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
In some other timeline, the last Democratic president didn't spend the last decade vacuuming up nearly a billion dollars to raise an edifice to himself and instead grassroots groups got the money they needed to do the organizing that could have tipped 2024 the other way (1/3)
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
If Dems emphasized party-building as they do on infighting, they might be in better shape. Or, maybe it's time for a multiparty system because corporate moderates and grassroots progressives simply don’t belong in the same party. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...
open.substack.com
A Tale of Two Summits: WelcomeFest and Netroots Nation
Why Democratic party infighting is endemic AND in the way of the work needed to save democracy.
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Center for Ballot Freedom @centerforballotfreedom.org · 01/06/2026
In the conversation with podcast host @msifry.bsky.social, Heather McGhee connects the dots between the racial politics she chronicled in The Sum of Us and the authoritarian moment we're living through, and she doesn't let the two-party system off the hook. Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK7E...
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Center for Ballot Freedom @centerforballotfreedom.org · 01/06/2026
What gives us hope? Movements that expand democracy instead of shrinking it. We support fusion voting, which gives voters more choices, encourages coalition-building, and creates a politics that’s less polarized and more representative. @msifry.bsky.social theconnector.substack.com/p/what-gives...
theconnector.substack.com
What Gives Us Hope?
Seventeen organizers, politicians, academics and media makers from my "This Old Democracy" on how they are coping with our challenging times.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
I’m traveling overseas this week, so just sharing a super-cut of guests of my “This Old Democracy” podcast explaining how they personally keep up their spirits during these overwhelming times. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...
open.substack.com
What Gives Us Hope?
Seventeen organizers, politicians, academics and media makers from my "This Old Democracy" on how they are coping with our challenging times.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
If fish need to be their own oceanographers, consider this my contribution to mapping what the whole school of Democratic-aligned committees, PACs, orgs and independents is up to right now, through the open porthole view provided by Mobilize. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...
open.substack.com
How the Democratic Party "Blob" Rolls
Exploring thousands of upcoming local events on Mobilize.us to see who is doing what to engage voters, and how, as we approach the midterms and deal with Trump's brazen corruption and authoritarianism
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Meanwhile, in supposedly "blue" Westchester County, NY, this is what our Democratic congressman thinks is a good idea. www.eventbrite.com/e/navigating... Trump is helicoptering into NY this Friday to boost Lawler's campaign. Latimer's office #: (202) 225-2464.
eventbrite.com
Navigating Global Challenges Across the Aisle
Come hear Congressmen George Latimer (Democrat, NY-16) and Mike Lawler (Republican, NY-17) share their views on foreign policy challenges.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Love this whole thread.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Finally some good news!
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
In my latest, I argue against the despair I see rising among pro-democracy activists. The Supreme Court's Callais decision is a disaster, mass movements for change often don't see how they're affecting things until years later. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...
open.substack.com
Unrealistic Cynicism vs Realistic Hope
Taking the long view of how mass movements win, with a big warning from the anti-Vietnam War effort.
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Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 08/05/2026
Hey, friends! Huge news! I'm doing a fun zoom call fundraiser for @chrisrabb.com for Congress with the great voice actor PHIL LAMARR and a bunch of other cool folks! It's SATURDAY at 2 pm ONLINE - donate and get the link here: secure.actblue.com/donate/purpl...
Graphic reading:

Hang out with voice actor legend PHIL LAMARR & comics writer GREG PAK to send CHRIS RABB to the U.S. Congress!

Photo of Phil LaMarr holding a Rabb for Congress sign with a word balloon saying "Online! 2 pm ET, Sat. May 9!" 

Drawing of Greg Pak saying "Also featuring Kate Willet, Andrew Boyd, Deanna Zandt, Zephyr Teachout, Mike Lux, and Micah Sifry!" 

Photo of Chris Rabb pointing at the drawing of Pak with his thumb, saying "And this guy's gonna draw me as a superhero in real time!"

Donate &  get the zoom link at
secure.actblue.com/donate/purplecrayon4rabb
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Really loved this convo for the historical perspective Bob brings, from how he helped write the Community Reinvestment Act of 1975 to how Dems lost their way by embracing neoliberalism instead of becoming better New Dealers. Many “Notes for Next Time,” for which his new book by that title is a must.
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Micah Sifry ❌👑 @msifry.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
It’s time for a fresh approach that will not only free us from the gerrymander wars but also produce fair representation and an end to the artificial binary of the two-party system. Plus, what the #MayDayStrong "structure test" revealed. open.substack.com/pub/theconne...
open.substack.com
Why “vote harder” and other nostrums aren’t an answer for the Callais decision
Plus, a post-mortem on MayDay Strong's "structure test."
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