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Jon Ossoff and Mark Kelly voted for the Laken Riley Act – which allows ICE to arrest people merely accused of crimes – after pundits said Dems were too soft on immigration. So I question whether they'll have the moral courage to play hardball with a corrupt, right-wing Supreme Court.

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I certainly understand that concern, but electing Joe Biden didn't work either. A moderate white guy might be able to win, but that's not enough to stop MAGA; you need someone with vision and a movement behind them to make the changes necessary to undo Trump's damage & restore faith in government.

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I think Coyote vs. Acme could have a similar trajectory to last year's Naked Gun movie – a summer comedy many people initially write off that is just so good that the spectacular word of mouth convinces people they need to buy tickets and see it.

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Chris Franklin @errant-signal.com · 28/08/2026

Coyote vs. Acme was a really fun movie. Definitely recommend you check it out! It's essentially the modern "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" but in the form of an Erin Brockovich-style legal thriller rather than a noir detective story.

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Reposted by Peter Sterne

"Milo got arrested!" "That's good!" "By an unaccountable secret police force" "That's bad" "He supported them, though, so there's delicious irony at play." "That's good!" "But they came for him because fascist power has reached a point where petty infighting can lead to arrests" "That's bad"

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When centrists oppose El-Sayed because they want to try to keep Dems pro-Israel, or leftists oppose Moskowitz because they don't want him to lead Israel policy, they're not really opposing their own nominees. They're fighting rival parties that they're in coalition with.

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Obviously, every political party functions as a collection of different interests. But the Democratic Party increasingly resembles a parliamentary coalition of rival party-like groups. It's a subtle distinction, but I think it's key to understanding why people reject Vote Blue No Matter Who.

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The key thing to understand about the modern Democratic Party is that it functions less as a political party and more as a coalition of rival political groups, including increasingly well-organized left groups like DSA.

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I think AOC is deeply committed to creating a broad left-liberal popular front for social democracy to stop MAGA fascism. You could call it "Berniecrat-ism." DSA makes up a key pole of that movement & punches well above its weight, but it's not actually a DSA campaign.

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AOC knows she's now leading the national left-populist, youth-focused movement for social democracy that Bernie helped start a decade ago. The only questions are 1) whether a presidential run is the best way to advance the movement and 2) whether she's personally ready run for president.

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#StupidSuez @diplomatofnight.com · 29/08/2026

I think it's pretty undeniable that AOC is laying the groundwork to run for president. That does not mean she will ultimately decide to pull the trigger and run. But she's obviously preparing for the possibility.

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Reposted by Peter Sterne

Across a whopping 19 articles published by the New York Times on Mamdani's views of Israel-Palestine since January 2026, Palestinian New Yorkers are quoted twice, a pathetic 3% of the quotes total. Overall, critics of Mamdani's views on this issue are quoted 2x the amount of times as supporters.

hellgatenyc.com

Mamdani Is Critical of Israel, and the Times Is on It

Who does the Gray Lady quote on this important issue? Plus, more news for your weekend.

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 26/08/2026

AOC apparently forgot to renew her DSA dues in 2019, so she hasn't technically been a member of the socialist group for the past 7 years. She rejoined DSA month and began paying monthly dues that automatically renew. www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...

AOC rejoined DSA this month after 7-year absence

The socialist standard-bearer apparently forgot to renew her annual DSA membership when it expired in 2019.

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Reposted by Peter Sterne

maple cocaine @maplecocaine.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Republican psy-op asks "Is this other fuckin thing a republican psy-op?? Look over there, not at me."

Headline from The Bulwark: Is the DSA a Repiblican Psy-Op?

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 13/08/2026

Do you know when national DSA plans to release the new demographic data?

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 13/08/2026

Third Way, a centrist anti-left think tank, is hiring a "Director of Anti-Extremism" to lead a messaging campaign against the Democratic Socialists of America www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/44...

Third Way is a national think tank and advocacy organization that champions moderate policy and political ideas. Since our founding in 2005, we have served as a critical bulwark against political extremism by advancing values-driven, reform-oriented solutions on the defining issues of our time. Our work is grounded in the mainstream American values of opportunity, freedom, security, and democratic capitalism, and we advocate for the vital center across seven major areas: climate and energy, economy, education, health care, national security, politics, and social policy.

The Director of Anti-Extremism will lead a project to combat the rise of far-left extreme voices and forces, and to mobilize the center left at the national level to fight extreme elements in the places where they are gaining power.

New extreme forces on the far left are on the rise, and they represent a sharp break from a traditional left wing in American politics. Their ideas are not just unwise or unworkable, and their rhetoric is not simply heated. Instead, we are now confronted with a faction that is radical, illiberal, and, in many cases, overtly discriminatory. The rise of these voices in American politics pose distinct dangers for the center left. Where they take power, they govern badly, leaving the working- and middle-class voters for whom they claim to speak worse off and more disillusioned. And they champion politically toxic ideas and offensive rhetoric that can and will be used by the MAGA right to define all of their opponents, including those on the center left.

Most voters still reject the idea and label of socialism. These extreme candidates still lose far more races than they win, and their agenda is broadly unpopular outside of blue bubbles. But the center left must take much more significant action to combat these far-left extreme forces. This position will spearhead that effort.

As the Director of Anti-Extremism, a typical day might include…

Assembling and updating a database of the DSA’s most extreme ideas and statements and a repository of voting records, affiliations, and issue positions to make available to allies and partners;
Leading public opinion research to identify and test the contrasts that move base voters away from these extreme candidates;
Overseeing the development of memos, talking points, rapid response materials, and other products that make the case against these extreme forces in American politics;
Promoting and marketing our research and materials to ensure they reach decisionmakers quickly, repeatedly, and at scale through a coordinated distribution infrastructure;
Recruiting and arming a group of young, diverse spokespeople to fight the DSA from a center-left perspective and assembling a broad coalition of organizational partners to make the case against extremism;
Running an earned media program to create a drumbeat of our message in op-eds, television appearances, podcasts, and traditional and digital media engagement.

Salary Range: $140,000 - $150,000, annually

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DSA national told me that new members who joined in the past year have been 67% white.

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Megan Greenwell @greenwell.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Well, it's written in DSA's constitution that its national leadership has to be racially diverse. www.dsausa.org/about-us/con...

Screenshot of DSA Constitution:

Section 1.
The National Political Committee (NPC) shall be the collective leadership and the highest decision-making body of the organization between meetings of the Convention. It shall meet at least four times a year.

Section 2.
The members of the NPC must be members in good standing of DSA. The NPC shall include two (2) representatives of the Youth Section and twenty-five (25) individuals elected at the national convention. Of the elected members, no more than thirteen (13) shall be cis-gender men and at least eight (8) shall be members who identify as either a nationally marginalized race or ethnicity. In the event that these minority positions are not filled at the Convention, the position(s) shall be filled by the NPC, except that only minority members of DSA may be elected to fill such vacancies.

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Reposted by Peter Sterne

Reporting on what literacy means and why it feels so broken these days made me realize I had far more to say than could be captured in one feature. I’m so, so thrilled to say that now I get to write a whole book about it!

Publishers Marketplace
Deal Report
Category: Non-fiction: General/Other
THE READING MACHINE By Megan Greenwell
Imprint: Dey Street Books
August 10, 2026
Former Deadspin editor-in-chief and author of BAD COMPANY Megan Greenwell's THE READING MACHINE, a narrative investigation into how policy and profit reshaped the relationship between American children and books, changing what literacy is for and leaving millions of students behind in the process, to Libby Burton at Dey Street Books, at auction, by Anna Sproul-Latimer at Neon Literary (NA).
Rights: kent@neonliterary.com

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Here's the full NYC-DSA demographic breakdown. (Members could select multiple races, so total is over 100%) White - 60% Hispanic/Latinx - 14% Jewish - 12% Asian - 10% Black/African descent - 9% South Asian - 5% West Asian/Middle Eastern - 4% Native American/Indigenous - 2% Pacific Islander - <1%

NYC-DSA is 60% white, internal survey says

But the newest members of the Democratic Socialists of America are (slightly) more racially diverse.

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NEW: NYC-DSA is 60% white, 14% Hispanic, 10% Asian and 9% Black, according to internal demographic data. News outlets have routinely suggested that DSA is 85% white, based on a 2021 demographic survey. But new data shows DSA has become more racially diverse, especially in NYC.

NYC-DSA is 60% white, internal survey says

But the newest members of the Democratic Socialists of America are (slightly) more racially diverse.

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 23/07/2026

Reminder: I’ll be on NewsNation at 10:40 p.m. with conservative commentator Katie Pavlich to respond to last night’s special episode on DSA. www.newsnationnow.com/news-nation-...

newsnationnow.com

NewsNation Live

Listen: NewsNation broadcast audio

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 15/07/2026

You might have heard about this weekend's internal fight within DSA over its process to endorse a 2028 presidential candidate. I tried to explain exactly what's happening: www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...

DSA debates how to debate AOC presidential endorsement

Explaining the latest fight roiling the Democratic Socialists of America

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 10/07/2026

I see Elon Musk's attempt to turn X into an AI-based news aggregator are going well.

Screenshot of an inaccurate Grok AI summary on X:

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens drops out of Michigan Senate Democratic primary and endorses Abdul El-Sayed

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens withdrew from the Michigan Senate Democratic primary race and endorsed Abdul El-Sayed. Her campaign had received $40.8 million in ad spending compared to El-Sayed's $3.6 million amid a close contest.

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Reposted by Peter Sterne

OneBGS - Bethesda Game Studios Union @bethesdaunion.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

In what is becoming a stressful annual routine, Microsoft has decided to lay off thousands, including MANY of us at Bethesda Games Studios. With over 10k developers already cut from previous rounds, those at the top have deemed that insufficient in fixing their mistakes.

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 01/07/2026

If you don't think a 16-year age gap between two people who were once a grad student and professor at the same university (though in different schools) might cause some discourse, you have a better opinion of Bluesky than I do.

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 01/07/2026

SCOOP: Darializa Avila Chevalier is dating Mayor Mamdani's top lawyer Ramzi Kassem. The political power couple met 7 years ago while organizing against ICE and quietly began dating in 2023. www.cityandstateny.com/personality/...

Darializa Avila Chevalier is dating Mamdani’s lawyer Ramzi Kassem

The congressional primary winner and the mayor’s top legal adviser have been quietly dating since 2023.

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 30/06/2026

Catch me on WBAI soon talking about last week's DSA primary victories and the NYC budget! Tune in here: wbai.org/listen-live/

wbai.org

WBAI-FM Live Radio Player

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 30/06/2026

Following last week's primary victories, Mayor Mamdani has been hailed as a kingmaker and political boss. But he isn't really building his own political machine. He's working with his comrades in NYC-DSA to build a movement. Welcome to Tammamdani Hall.

The rise of Tammamdani Hall

How Zohran Mamdani (and DSA) built a political machine that just can’t lose.

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Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 30/06/2026

Democratic New York City Council members are meeting right now for a "virtual conference" (i.e. a Zoom call) to discuss the budget. Members were told they're not allowed to record the call and must keep their cameras on for the full duration of the call.

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Reposted by Peter Sterne

Brian Phillips @brianphillips.lol · 21/06/2026

"Welcome to Kansas City, where Ecuador has struggled to score against Curaçao." Meanwhile, across town, Samantha was also struggling with curaçao, and she, too, was trying to score

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Wajahat Ali @wajali.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

And someone like Zohran Mamdani actually goes out of his way to oppose discrimination against Jewish New Yorkers, because the whole point of his political project is to show that antisemitism and anti-Zionism are different – which only works if you oppose antisemitism while preaching anti-Zionism.

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Reposted by Peter Sterne

New Yorkers rejected the racist, Islamophobic attacks on Mamdani and followed it up by rejecting the same attacks against Darializa Avila Chevalier. Bravo!

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Melissa Gira Grant @melissagiragrant.com · 24/06/2026

I keep trying to explain to people that you'd much rather have someone like Hasan Piker, who clearly and publicly opposes antisemitism even if he occasionally says things that cross the line, than the alternative. Because the alternative isn't people supporting Israel. It's Tucker Carlson.

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Reposted by Peter Sterne

also not lost on me that as democratic socialists are winning some elections, a new red scare targeting anarchists, antifascists, and their allies is digging in hard, and today handed down 30, 50, and 100 year prison sentences to activists and organizers

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It is encouraging to see that racist bigotry does not win elections in NYC, even if it sometimes does at the federal level.

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Next year, I will be represented by DSA members (and people I know personally) at every level of government: New York City Council Member Tiffany Cabán, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Assembly Member Diana Moreno, State Senator Aber Kawas and Rep. Claire Valdez.

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