Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 07/10/2026news.gallup.com/poll/715010/...news.gallup.comLife Ratings of Young Adults Down 20 Points Since 2010The percentage of U.S. adults under 30 who are classified as "thriving" in their personal lives is 20 points below the high mark for the group in 2010. 000
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Whatever can be said about the limits of self-reported well-being as an indicator of American life, the generational divide in its trendlines astounds. For all adults under 65, self-reported “thriving” never rebounded to pre-pandemic baseline. For those age 65+, post pandemic represents a peak. 243
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 07/10/2026All the more reason for reorienting towards horizontal cooperation, as @jen-nelles.bsky.social, Jay Rickabaugh, and I argue. washingtonmonthly.com/2025/11/27/t...washingtonmonthly.comTrump’s Washington Is Ghosting States and CitiesStates and cities are being abandoned by DC. Here’s how local leaders are building new alliances to survive Trump’s unpredictable federalism. 072
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Under Trump’s federalism, states unaligned with the White House have options. You can be extorted, invaded, ignored. And if you cooperate to produce produce jobs/investment, you can have the privilege of being denied political credit. 184
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 05/10/2026A few months ago, I wrote about our feeble, brittle laws against propaganda for @donmoyn.bsky.social’s substack. Especially when propaganda is linked to cash, it’s time that we revisit the pathetic quality of what passes for checks against executive overreach: open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...open.substack.comThe Federal Government is Emailing You Campaign Literature – Can Anyone Stop It?Is it legal for Social Security to send you partisan propaganda? In theory, no… 23922
Reposted by Phil RoccoRisa Brooks @risabrooks12.bsky.social · 04/10/2026With Hegseth in the news this week, I’ve noticed him using a particular rhetorical tactic: packaging highly ideological messaging to the military & public w/ (superficially) reasonable & substantive policy proposals. Before I explain what he is up to and why it matters, here are three examples: 723376
Reposted by Phil RoccoDon Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Less than 1% of major party nominees for Congress are working class. It is one of the most fundamental ways that Congress is not representative. And their views, e.g. on unregulated gambling websites, are apt to be different. www.bloomberg.com/features/202...bloomberg.comWhy Working-Class Candidates Are Almost Never on the BallotLess than 1% of major-party candidates competing for a seat in the US Congress have a background in manual trades or service industries. 8777197
Reposted by Phil RoccoState Democracy Research Initiative @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026In the upcoming November election, Wisconsinites will be asked to vote on three proposed amendments to the Wisconsin Constitution. In a series of explainers, we describe the proposals, identify arguments for and against, and assess likely impacts. statedemocracy.law.wisc.edu/our-work/nov... 1/4statedemocracy.law.wisc.eduNovember 2026 Proposed Wisconsin Constitutional AmendmentsIn the upcoming November 2026 election, Wisconsin voters will be asked to vote on three proposed amendments to the Wisconsin Constitution. These… 144
Reposted by Phil RoccoSam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Really important post by @datahistorian.bsky.social about the Trump Administration's threat (once again) to the census. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-2030-c...donmoynihan.substack.comThe 2030 Census is in TroubleTrump wants to add a citizenship question and ban questions on race 1107
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 02/10/2026And, as ever: buy the book: bsky.app/profile/phil... 010
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 02/10/2026ICYMI: my @newrepublic.com column on how states, cities and NGOs can build on their work in the last cycle to save the 2030 Census. 396
Reposted by Phil RoccoGrace Segers @gracesegers.bsky.social · 01/10/2026New SNAP and Medicaid provisions from the OBBBA are taking affect today. Here's what to know: newrepublic.com/article/2157...newrepublic.comTrump’s “Big, Beautiful” Bill Is About to Screw With States’ BudgetsAlready burdened with the need to fulfill strict requirements mandated by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, state governments all across the country are about to face even higher costs. 15139
Reposted by Phil RoccoDan Shafer @danshafer.bsky.social · 01/10/2026"Three billionaires gave more than 90 percent of the money raised by Representative Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee for governor of Wisconsin" Tom Tiffany is the most bought and paid for candidate we've ever seen in Wisconsin. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/01/u...nytimes.com3 Billionaires Have Largely Funded Republican Nominee for Wisconsin Governor (Gift Article)Under its current rules, Wisconsin has not had a race in which a small number of donors have made up such a large share of a campaign’s funding. 7175100
Reposted by Phil RoccoNed Resnikoff @resnikoff.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Incredible chutzpah from a Congress whose one major legislative act was a budget bill that among other things imposed significant new administrative burdens on Medicaid recipients 4436115
Reposted by Phil RoccoPam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026America.gov launched today--a DOGE initiative to use AI to deliver public services. Child lying facedown on a frozen lake as the image accompanying the question: "How can I invest in my child's future" is just incredible. Way to go AI 952513665
Reposted by Phil RoccoBill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 29/09/2026It's a good day to google "Foxconn," "Wisconsin," "Trump," "2018," "13,000 jobs" and "didn't happen, didn't even come close" 15770194
Reposted by Phil RoccoJacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026New from @maschwar.bsky.social Melissa Schwartzberg, in response to Danielle Allen's repeated serious misreading of the moment and of the Trump administration's bad faith with respect to higher education. www.chronicle.com/article/dani...chronicle.comDanielle Allen Is Wrong About TrumpDealmaking under duress is always undemocratic. 12813
Reposted by Phil RoccoScholars Strategy Network @scholars.org · 29/09/2026The Trump administration has proposed excluding noncitizens from the 2030 census count. In this @newrepublic.com op-ed, @philiprocco.bsky.social warns that the change would reshape representation and funding, and argues that states and localities must defend the count.newrepublic.comThe Fight to Save the Census From Trump Starts NowThe administration’s proposed changes to the 2030 census will harm states and cities. Here is how they can fight back. 032
Reposted by Phil RoccoDon Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 26/09/2026A while back @philiprocco.bsky.social wrote about how the Trump administration was already using government resources for propaganda messages in Social Security messaging. Is it illegal? Part of the problem is defining what counts as propaganda... donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-federa...donmoynihan.substack.comThe Federal Government is Emailing You Campaign Literature – Can Anyone Stop It?Is it legal for Social Security to send you partisan propaganda? In theory, no… 4299105
Reposted by Phil RoccoThe New Republic @newrepublic.com · 23/09/2026Litigation may stop this rule. Only states and cities, working with the organizations their residents trust, can make sure the count survives it. trib.al/YnaIlH7trib.alThe Fight to Save the Census From Trump Starts NowThe administration’s proposed changes to the 2030 census will harm states and cities. Here is how they can fight back. 05831
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Still about two weeks to submit comments on this hideous proposed rule: handsoffourcens.ushandsoffourcens.usHands Off Our CensusThe Census Bureau has proposed unprecedented changes to the 2030 Census. Public comment closes October 13, 2026. Here's what's proposed and how to weigh in. 032
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Not @npr.org erasing the history of labor struggle in a segment on the origins of the eight-hour day. 131
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 22/09/2026The 2030 Census is now squarely in the Trump admin's crosshairs. But states, cities, counties, NGOs, and (yes) you can fight back. New from me in @newrepublic.com: newrepublic.com/article/2153...newrepublic.comThe Fight to Save the Census From Trump Starts NowThe administration’s proposed changes to the 2030 census will harm states and cities. Here is how they can fight back. 02915
Reposted by Phil RoccoNorm Charlatan @normcharlatan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026This is a thread about an all-day academic conference of early research findings about the effects of Operation Metro Surge. Kind of harrowing to seeing the damage of the federal government’s combination ethnic cleansing/ideological terror campaign laid out like this. 215155
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Low-hanging fruit in next WI legislative session: a bill to require that the state print and distribute a ballot pamphlet with a plain-language summary of any referenda, along with analysis, pro-cons, supporters/opponents. 351
Reposted by Phil RoccoThe Washington Sun @washingtonsun.com · 15/09/2026Senate Democrats release a report that says immigration officers got little training and “magic” data when looking for noncitizen voters.washingtonsun.comWhistleblower Says DHS’s Hunt for Unlawful Voting May Have Broken State LawsSenate Democrats release a report that says immigration officers got little training and “magic” data when looking for noncitizen voters. 35024
Reposted by Phil RoccoDon Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 14/09/2026The Douthat piece where he talks about the importance of AI closes with a sponsorship notice from a healthcare company using AI to deny claims. 411514407
Reposted by Phil RoccoAaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 12/09/2026Program's up! 30+ teams share evidence abt impacts on health, educ, & econ + community response. Great folks @ziibiing.com @ottergoose.net @aaronrosenthal.bsky.social @chrisuggen.bsky.social @casemcnich.bsky.social @ngraetz.bsky.social @craigstetter.bsky.social docs.google.com/document/u/1... 722162
Reposted by Phil RoccoRick Hasen @rickhasen.bsky.social · 11/09/2026USPS Rejects Florida County’s Mail Ballot Envelope Design over Return Address Being 0.014 of An Inch Too Close electionlawblog.org/2026/usps-re...electionlawblog.orgUSPS Rejects Florida County’s Mail Ballot Envelope Design over Return Address Being 0.014 of An Inch Too Close #ELBA taste of what would happen if the USPS mail ballot rules were in effect: The U.S. Postal Service — which President Donald Trump hopes to deploy to restrict mail voting in the November election — rec... 64131
Reposted by Phil Roccomtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 11/09/2026All I ask is for political journalists to get merely as angry about this as they did when Obama tried to move Fox News's seat to the second row in the WH briefing room. 2877143
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 09/09/2026This is why, as I document in Counting Like a State (University Press of Kansas, 2025), the investments of states, cities, counties, towns, tribes, and NGOs are more essential than ever to confronting the climate of distrust the federal government is now actively involved in creating. 150
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 09/09/20262.) The nakedly illegal residency rule is but half the story. Even if the rule is struck down by a court, Congress, or a subsequent admin, the current policy actions will further chill census participation in communities that are already historically undercounted. 152
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Any story about how the citizenship question got to the Trump administration has to begin and end with Tom Hofeller and redistricting. It has no other purpose than to lock in Republican power. www.commoncause.org/resources/th...commoncause.orgThe Hofeller Files 140
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 09/09/20261.) The story of the residency rule is a gerrymandering story, not an immigration story. The idea has its genesis in redistricting strategists who argued that CVAP-only redistricting would engineer a shift in legislative representation that benefited "Republicans and non-Hispanic whites". 190
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Today, the Trump administration proposed a draft rule (which we've known was coming for months) that, among other things, would take the unprecedented step of excluding a large number of noncitizens from population data in violation of the text of the 14th amendment. Two thoughts on this: 🧵 1179
Reposted by Phil RoccoJournal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law @jhppl.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Finally, book reviews! @philiprocco.bsky.social reviewed "Ripples of Hope in the Mississippi Delta: Charting the Health Equity Policy Agenda" by the late David Kline Jones, which examines the stark disparities that define life in the Mississippi Delta. read.dukeupress.edu/jhppl/articl...read.dukeupress.eduRipples of Hope in the Mississippi Delta: Charting the Health Equity Policy Agenda | Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law | Duke University Press 111
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 03/09/2026If you’re at #APSA26, stop by our Annual Review of American Federalism Roundtable today at 2 pm in the Westin (Parliament). Some excellent work on federal extortion, the federalization of the National Guard, party nationalization, Medicaid retrenchment, and AI policy conflicts. 131
Reposted by Phil RoccoFrank Pasquale @frankpasquale.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Note “the possibility of communities forming compacts that establish minimum terms for data center development, allowing them to prevent firms from playing various jurisdictions against one another in a race to the bottom.” www.thetechbubble.info/p/the-future... 021
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 01/09/2026It would seem that the current infrastructure (decentralized production with centralized harmonization and reporting) would lend itself to exactly what you suggest (as indicated also by present efforts). Sobering though it is to consider, I think we can’t avoid this option now. 000
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 01/09/2026At this point, I am increasingly attracted to the notion of creating a national parastatal organization that follows the data protocols CDC is ignoring here. Not the only agency that relies on state inputs to which this idea might be profitably applied, I’m sad to say. 2152
Reposted by Phil RoccoArrianna Marie Planey, PhD MA @arrianna-planey.bsky.social · 23/08/2026It's really looking like AI-free classrooms will be for students at "elite" or "top" schools. 222872
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Would be curious to see how opinion on “hardball” (bad term) moves when you connect it to material stakes. One of the big failures of the Dem. institutional reform talk imo is that it never articulates what would happen if, say, court reform occurred. Student debt jubilee? Health care? &c 031
Reposted by Phil RoccoPhil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Unlike AI, the benefit-cost ratio for cheese is certainly >1. 061
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Unlike AI, the benefit-cost ratio for cheese is certainly >1. 061
Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 20/08/2026condescending to a Wisconsin audience with a cheese-based analogy is…a choice. 3103