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Rich Beck

@rbeck.bsky.social
1.1K followers 335 following 391 posts

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Reposted by Rich Beck
Robert Evans (the Only Robert Evans) @iwriteok.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
this is not a problem you can fix with calm, reasoned debate. you can't even fix it by improving people's lives with policy. there is no clear, proven, non-violent solution to this issue. finding one is the most significant problem of our age.
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Oliver Willis @owillis.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The biggest democratic/liberal mistake of the last 50+ years has been operating like the right has anything to offer America. It was the fundamental problem with Bill Clinton to Obama and everyone in between
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Oliver Willis @owillis.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The way to deal with the right is simple: out vote them. deprive them of power and influence. do not operate like they have anything to contribute and constantly ridicule their stupidity
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Americans have never been angrier with one another. But polarization is not the disease—it is the response to a revanchist movement seeking to roll back sixty years of social progress. 🆕 by @lilymasonphd.bsky.social muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Lily Mason @lilymasonphd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
My new JOD piece arguing against the “cure polarization” approach to saving democracy.
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Lily Mason @lilymasonphd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
“The current level of political animosity is exactly what one would expect to see if an extremist faction attempted to rescind the hard-earned rights of the vast majority of the country’s citizens… and its pathology is not anger—it is the movement to undermine a generation of rights.”
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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
One of the foremost scholars of polarization in the world is telling us that polarization is the wrong concept to apply to the contemporary United States...so maybe don't do that
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 01/10/2026
I recommend people read this to get a sense of the president's grave cognitive impairment. Trump is either unwilling or unable (or maybe both) to answer the questions he's actually asked, so he just rants and raves while the interviewers do their best to provide structure to his random brain firings
time.com
Read TIME’s ‘What Trump Has Built’ Interview Transcript
The U.S. President discussed the war in Iran, press freedom, AI, and more ahead of the midterm elections.
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Internet Archive @archive.org · 29/09/2026
What's on your bookshelf that the Internet Archive doesn't have? There's an app for that. Scan a book's barcode or ISBN to see whether the Internet Archive needs it for preservation and digitization. Scan your shelves. Save a book. help.archive.org/help/donate-... 🧵
Four "Tools You Can Use" Upload campaign tiles arranged in a 2x2 grid. Top left, a cream and yellow tile with a folder icon reading "Upload" and "Contribute digital materials that you have the right to share." Top right, a cream tile with bold black text: "Upload digital materials to help preserve and share knowledge with people around the world." Bottom left, a cream tile with a screenshot of the Internet Archive's Upload files page, with the "UPLOAD" nav link and "Choose files to upload" button circled in red. Bottom right, a cream tile with bold black text, "Contribute digital materials that you have the right to share," and a small multicolor line-art icon of the Internet Archive's columned building.
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Internet Archive @archive.org · 29/09/2026
Your old books could have another life—not just on your shelf, but in the library. #ToolsYouCanUse
Event flyer for "Democracy's Library: Tools for Participation," with a colorful abstract line drawing of a library building rendered in interlocking yellow, pink, and blue lines at the top, event details — "Wednesday, October 21st, 5pm - 10pm, Internet Archive, 300 Funston Ave., San Francisco" — alongside it, and the title text at the bottom.
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Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 26/09/2026
like I suspect many of you on This Website, I think a core reason why I find Eliezer Yudkowsky and his rationalist and effective altruist satellites so intensely annoying is because I had a VERY similar “being a super weird, pretentious, hyper-literate kid” experience - I just, you know, grew up.
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Liberal Currents @liberalcurrents.com · 25/09/2026
"Today we are surrounded by a million 'mad prophet' Howard Beales now served up customized and personalized to your exact demographic ideological aesthetic micropreference telling us that they don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street."
liberalcurrents.com
“Network” at 50: Now We’re All Mad as Hell
Paddy Chayefsky’s take on television captured the Long 1970s—and anticipated the rise of social media.
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Better Things Are Possible @internethippo.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
What's hard about public policy is weighing the trade offs. For example, something sucks really bad and everyone hates it, but on the other hand several evil trillionaires think it's good. What are you supposed to do in that situation
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Schooley @schooley.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It’s fun to watch Republicans realize Trump is poison but they still have to drink from the cup.
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Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
When historians look back on Trump's foreign policy in a century, I bet these are their verdict on his most famous policies: The support of Russia--the most evil. The pillaging of Venezuela--the most corrupt. The decision to go to war with Iran--the most incompetent.
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Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The abandonment of Taiwan--the most geopolitically catastrophic. The China policy--the most craven. The destruction of US relations with its allies--the most stupid.
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Better Things Are Possible @internethippo.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I know it goes without saying but as the right wing media-political complex runs from Trump we should remember that they played a leading role in--and gleefully profited from--enabling and promoting him. Accomplices trying to get off a sinking ship, trying to salvage what's left of their reputation
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Better Things Are Possible @internethippo.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Humoring conservatives & acting like they make good points over the last 30 years brought us here. You never have to listen to them for the rest of our lives. It's time to treat career arsonists with the contempt they've earned instead of imagining a fake world where they're reasonable interlocutors
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Better Things Are Possible @internethippo.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Former Trump supporter in media and/or politics? Opinion discarded. It's that easy and nothing of value will be lost. You helped create the dumbest stove-touching in living memory. Sit there and shut up while we try to clean up after you
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A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
There's plenty of corruption, crimes against humanity, and downright evil shit to focus on, but every so often it strikes me how thoroughly we USians have been exposed and disgraced on the world stage. A country who can elect such a man—twice!—is not a worthy country. We need radical reformation.
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Corey Atad @coreyatad.com · 22/09/2026
“If you are staring at an example of social disorder or social inefficiency, and the left refuses to explain either why it has happened or how they will fix it, then the right gets to point at someone in the immediate area and say, ‘That’s who did it.’” crazy how much Mamdani speaks my language
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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Things Fall Apart (in the Middle East): The Donald Trump Story talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/thing...
talkingpointsmemo.com
Things Fall Apart (in the Middle East): The Donald Trump Story
One of the key arguments for a great power — other than...
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 18/09/2026
Q: China is one of the most repressive countries for journalists in the world-- TRUMP: Well, I don't know about that. I think we're repressive also
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Patrick Cosmos @veryimportant.lawyer · 20/11/2024
i think the biggest ideological divide in america is between people who think everybody deserves dignity, and people who think dignity is a zero-sum game
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David_j_roth @davidjroth.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The baseline level of Dumb Guy Pretending To Be Even Dumber in our culture is incredibly high at the moment, but this is an all-time performance in that category. Hall of Fame work in any era.
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Rich Beck @rbeck.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I just took action with @theactionnetwork.bsky.social: Join us to Defend Washington!. Take action here: actionnetwork.org/forms/join-u...
actionnetwork.org
Join us to Defend Washington!
MAGA mega-millionaire hedge fund manager Brian Heywood, who moved here from California, has spent millions of his own money to put three harmful initiatives (I-001, I-638, and I-645) on the ballot to ...
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
We gotta seize this dude and all of his enabler’s assets after this. He’s done too much damage. It’s not enough for these people to just sail away from this on a big boat. That’s our boat.
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Honestly just touch the fucking stove already buddy. We’re already boned six ways to Sunday, might as well make it Sunday.
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Rich Beck @rbeck.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I took action with Indivisible. Will you join me? Use this link to sign up: www.mobilize.us/indivisible/...
mobilize.us
Hands Off Our Vote in 2026! · Indivisible
**Hands Off Our Vote** is Indivisible’s national program to ensure all eligible voters get to cast their ballot, every ballot is counted, and the results are honored. **By signing up you’ll become a ...
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Daniel Drezner @dandrezner.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The United States has experienced prior low points when its hard and soft power seemed to be at a low ebb, but it could always count on its structural and network power as a source of strength. No longer. danieldrezner.substack.com/p/the-dollar...
danieldrezner.substack.com
The Dollar Will Be the Last Pillar To Fall
The Trump administration is gutting the pillars of U.S. hegemony one by one.
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Brian Beutler @brianbeutler.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Agree with @dandrezner.bsky.social RE the reasons to suspect this time it's different. substack.com/inbox/post/2...
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Donna Blankinship @dgblankinship.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
While lawyers fight in court to repel the Trump administration’s repeated attacks against vote-by-mail, Washington’s election officials are drawing up contingency plans for the November election. Their main message to Washington’s 5 million registered voters: Don’t worry; we have it handled.
washingtonstatestandard.com
Amid uncertainty about mail-in ballots, WA leaders say they’re ready for what comes next. • Washington State Standard
Washington officials are drawing up contingency plans for the November election amid uncertainty on what might change for mail-in ballots.
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Matthew Sheffield @matthew.flux.community · 08/09/2026
🧵 About 30% of American adults say they are unaffiliated with a religious tradition, but as people are rejecting ancient epistemic systems, many of us are struggling to find meaning from life, to take care of ourselves, and to even have a concept of what selfhood is. That's a problem.
plus.flux.community
Non-religious people still need to think about meaning and selfhood
J. Eric Oliver on knowing yourself without gods
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Jon Bois @jonbois.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
ignore maha at your own peril. every single one of you should always be giving your full attention to every single group of people all of the time
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Robert Evans (the Only Robert Evans) @iwriteok.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I keep seeing AI described as a massive shift in the nature of humanity and our understanding of consciousness But when I look at how good these new models are at hacking, I think oh we've basically just built the computer equivalent of the machine gun.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 02/09/2026
What I need: some 21st century psychedelic rock, preferably instrumental, preferably loud and kinda drony and groovy. Like in the general vicinity of Wooden Shjips? Any suggestions?
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Brian Beutler @brianbeutler.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The Dem message to Trump should be that if he wants ANYTHING from Congress, he’ll have to stop all the flagrant abuses, and that their legislating will be aimed at protecting the public from rogue government. “Common ground” as an opening bid is a terrible posture. www.offmessage.net/p/hakeem-jef...
offmessage.net
We Need To Hear From Jeffries
He needs to be drawing redlines, not signaling compromise. Did he get snookered, or does he really intend to work cooperatively with thieves?
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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
We are witnessing hegemonic suicide on the part of the United States under the Trump administration.
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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
It really is hard to process. Trump is actively and—despite the chaotic vibes—seemingly methodically destroying the entire infrastructure of US power. Thread:
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 23/08/2026
but like, it's not my fault that you have chosen to embrace one of the most dogshit ideas the human mind has ever conjured into being!
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 23/08/2026
these people really want to make "racist" akin to a slur rather than what it is, a straightforward label for a set of beliefs and views. if you don't like the label because you, correctly, associate it with degenerate chuds, then get better beliefs
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 23/08/2026
here is the thing. if you tell me that you believe that race is a biological category and that it is a guide to the objective superiority and inferiority of groups of people, i am not calling you a racist to *insult* you, i am calling you a racist because it best describes your beliefs.
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Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Reporter on Bond Market: The yields have come back up since then. Have you talked to Bessent about another type of intervention.? Trump: The ultimate intervention is our military. And if we have to use that, we will.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 19/08/2026
here's a supercut of Trump just now ranting and raving like a complete lunatic outside the White House on topics including his military ballroom, warm relationship with Kim Jong Un, and how great things are going in Iran
youtube.com
Trump rants and raves like a lunatic
YouTube video by Aaron Rupar
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Brian Beutler @brianbeutler.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
But that made it… not very democratic. The excesses people use to caricature progressives stemmed from the lack of structure, hierarchy, accountability. My proposal: give people hope that things can change by making it possible to change things. www.offmessage.net/p/woke-one-a...
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Brian Beutler @brianbeutler.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
My theory: it wasn’t Weinstein or the George Floyd killing. It was the exposure of a number of towering injustices *and a national majority’s inability to do anything about them via normal democratic processes.* Power flowed to where people could have an impact. www.offmessage.net/p/woke-one-a...
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PBS News @pbsnews.org · 12/08/2026
EXCLUSIVE: Is it Iran's objective to drag out the war until President Donald Trump leaves office? Here's how Commander Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a top advisor to the overall commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, answered special correspondent Reza Sayah's question.
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dr. rich traditions, JD @helldude.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
the reactionaries sort of thought you could just thrust your chest out and slap a bunch of paint and memes on things and recover national pride and a lost era of white male triumph or whatever. how's your national pride now. are you proud yet. are you feeling strong
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