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Rakeen Mabud

@rmabud.bsky.social
442 followers 183 following 20 posts

Political economist and public policy strategist. Senior Fellow, Climate and Community Institute, Associate Fellow, Common Wealth. Formerly: Groundwork Collaborative, Time's Up, Roosevelt Institute, U.S. Treasury Department

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Reposted by Rakeen Mabud
Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
NEW: If you live in the US, your electricity might cost an additional $376/year by 2030. Why? Utilities are passing on $1.4 trillion in costs—largely to deal with AI expansion and climate disasters—to customers over the next five years. stopgreedbuildgreen.climateandcommunity.org/posts/the-bl...
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Climate and Community Institute @cplusc.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Join us at Climate Week NYC on Sept 23rd for a panel on how to strategically advance a climate agenda that meets the current political moment and truly works for working people: www.eventbrite.com/e/from-crisi...
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LPE Blog @lpeblog.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The brilliant @rmabud.bsky.social explained why affordability politics needs a power analysis.
lpeproject.org
Affordability Politics Needs a Power Analysis
A renewed focus on the cost of living crisis is a welcome and potentially unifying frame for the political left. Yet unless we confront the Trump administration's consolidated economic, cultural…
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Very excited for this new essay at "Can We Still Govern?": The key claim is that planning for a progressive future cannot just focus on new policies. It also has to include - to start with - political power. What does a power-shifting perspective look like? 🧵 donmoynihan.substack.com/p/rebuilding...
donmoynihan.substack.com
Rebuilding Democracy Requires Rebalancing Power
What does a power-shifting agenda look like?
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Alex Hertel-Fernandez @awhf.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Trump, his family, and his administration has been unprecedentedly corrupt. 2028 candidates should respond by pledging to return the money to the American people as a corruption rebate. Sabeel Rahman, Jamie Keene, Rakeen Mabud, and I flesh out the idea for @bharatramamurti.bsky.social's Substack.
bharatramamurti.substack.com
Guest Post: Americans Are Owed a Trump Corruption Rebate
In his second term, President Trump has illegally accepted a $400 million Boeing 747 from the government of Qatar.
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Common Wealth @cmmonwealth.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Today we launch a special collaborative briefing with Forces of Production, introducing an approach to policy — The Productive State — governing the supply side. 🧵 🖊️ @atwilliams.bsky.social @brusselermel.bsky.social www.common-wealth.org/publications...
common-wealth.org
The Productive State: On Governing the Supply Side
To produce a better life for all, policymakers will need to take a Productive State approach to governing the supply side.
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alex williams @atwilliams.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
hello all!! Big Drop Today we are launching a manifesto for our framework for the next US supply-side economic consensus -- The Productive State -- at Forces of Production www.forcesofproduction.com/p/the-produc...
forcesofproduction.com
The Productive State
On Governing The Supply Side
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Zeteo @zeteo.com · 30/06/2026
3 Tech Giants Driving the AI Data Center Boom Avoided $50 Billion in Taxes Last Year A new report from @cplusc.bsky.social reveals how the Trump administration is actively facilitating the data center contagion sweeping the nation. @premthakker.bsky.social breaks it down: zeteo.com/p/50-billion...
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Aubrey Gilleran @aubreygilleran.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
But with Slaughter, a president could fire every agency head or commission member and then fire every replacement who refuses to be anything other than a complete stooge. The Senate’s vetting process means nothing. 2/2
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Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
There's no sugar-coating Slaughter. It's an enormously important ruling (far more important than the other three decisions #SCOTUS handed down today). It's a huge win for Trump/the executive. And it's going to have massive ramifications for the functioning of the government long after Trump is gone.
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Adam Bonin @adambonin.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
The TL;DR, as always, is this: SCOTUS will allow Donald Trump to wreck separation of powers and the rule of law, but they draw the line at wrecking capitalism.
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James Brandt @jamesbrandt.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
One of the many reasons it is idiotic for Democrats to merely play defense on immigration.
Similarly, the cultural narratives that Trump has propagandized—the vilification and dehumanization of immigrants and trans people, the shunning of childless women, the idea that Black public officials are all unqualified—stand as a significant barrier to delivering an affordability agenda. After all, if whole swathes of our population are understood to be underdeserving, it will be harder to generate the political will for investing public resources in public goods and more universalistic approaches.
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LPE Blog @lpeblog.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Today, @rmabud.bsky.social argues that while the current focus on costs of living represents an essential reorientation from the left, an affordability frame that fails to confront the Trump administration’s bureaucratic and cultural power grab is bound to fail.
lpeproject.org
Affordability Politics Needs a Power Analysis
A renewed focus on the cost of living crisis is a welcome and potentially unifying frame for the political left. Yet unless we confront the Trump administration's consolidated economic, cultural…
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Rakeen Mabud @rmabud.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Honored to be in @lpeproject.bsky.social about the need for a power analysis in affordability politics. Narrow technocratic or deregulatory "affordability" misses the point: affordability is about confronting power dynamics at the core of the cost of living crisis. lpeproject.org/blog/afforda...
lpeproject.org
Affordability Politics Needs a Power Analysis
A renewed focus on the cost of living crisis is a welcome and potentially unifying frame for the political left. Yet unless we confront the Trump administration's consolidated economic, cultural…
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David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Lawyers for GEO Group, which operates the Delaney Hall ICE prison in New Jersey, argued in a recent court filing that the company is exempt from legal action because it is subject to government oversight—a function the Trump administration has largely destroyed. @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social reports.
prospect.org
ICE Profiteer Claims It Cannot Be Sued - The American Prospect
Delaney Hall operator GEO Group believes it has qualified immunity.
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Common Wealth @cmmonwealth.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
American life is defined by instability — economic precarity, civic insecurity and institutional distrust. This instability is not accidental but rather engineered to concentrate power at the top. 🧵 What have these crises produced and how can democracy can fight back? shorturl.at/dDtKc
shorturl.at
Breaking the Cycle: Addressing Instability and Building Better Institutions in an Anti-Institutionalist Moment
The economic instability pervading American life is being exploited by an authoritarian coalition. A pro-democracy agenda must reduce market dependence for life's essentials and rebuild state capacity...
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John Kostyack @kostyack.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
If you're not already pissed about data centers, check out these latest figures on how Big Tech is forcing struggling ratepayers in PJM to cover its costs: in the last two PJM capacity auctions, it increased customers’ bills by $13.8B. More increases are coming unless policy changes.
bloomberg.com
Data Centers Drive 76% Rise in Power Bills on Largest US Grid
Power prices on the largest electric grid in the US jumped 76% in the first quarter due to rampant demand from data centers, adding to pressure on its operator to alleviate the strain on consumers.
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alex williams @atwilliams.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
new from me at FORCES OF PRODUCTION! a short history of the transition from goods to services alongside some recent discussion from @rajakorman.bsky.social and @conorsen.bsky.social on What Is Going On With Healthcare www.forcesofproduction.com/p/services-o...
forcesofproduction.com
Services on the Supply Side
Looking away from Manufacturing for a moment
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Lenore Palladino @lenorepalladino.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
great job alert ⬇️⬇️⬇️
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Rakeen Mabud @rmabud.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
For more, read @karlsson-kris.bsky.social's new brief with @cplusc.bsky.social: stopgreedbuildgreen.climateandcommunity.org/posts/trade-...
stopgreedbuildgreen.climateandcommunity.org
Are There Trade-offs Between Decarbonization in the Power Sector and Affordability?
Affordability and climate action are often pitted against one another, but public ownership and market controls can secure energy price stability and bring down the cost of living.
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Rakeen Mabud @rmabud.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Brilliance in @jacobinmagazin.bsky.social from @cplusc.bsky.social's @pmbigger.bsky.social and @karlsson-kris.bsky.social jacobin.com/2026/05/just...
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Rakeen Mabud @rmabud.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Speaking from experience, working with the CCI team is a dream. They are ambitious, fun, creative, collaborative, and set a high standard for success. If this sounds like the kind of team you like to work with, apply to be their inaugural political director!👇
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Patrick Bigger @pmbigger.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Today @theguardian.com has a big profile on @cplusc.bsky.social and our Stop Greed, Build Green working class climate agenda. The piece does a great job of capturing where we've been, what we're trying to accomplish, and why green economic populism beats fossil fueled fascism.
theguardian.com
As household bills soar, is it time for a ‘working-class climate agenda’?
Proposal from group that worked with AOC and Bernie Sanders seeks to counter claim that climate policy is politically toxic
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Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Cannot stress enough that what's happening now and will accelerate over next few weeks is a big spike in fuel costs paid for by every American that will flow *directly* into insane, unprecedented profits for American oil companies. They're going to be the big winners of this.
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Common Wealth @cmmonwealth.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
“According to the Common Wealth think tank, around a quarter of every energy bill is taken in profit across the industry. One pound in every four that households spend keeping the lights on and the heating running flows out as profit, not as energy.” www.lbc.co.uk/article/bp-r...
lbc.co.uk
BP’s record profits come at a human cost | LBC
When conflict drives up the price of oil and gas, energy companies profit and households pay, writes Simon Francis
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chuckmertz.bsky.social @chuckmertz.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Tuesday, @rmabud.bsky.social and @brusselermel.bsky.social co-authors of the @cmmonwealth.bsky.social essay, “The Power Grab: The Authoritarian Coalition’s Strategy of Power Consolidation." www.patreon.com/posts/this-w... Live at 10AM at thisishell.com and podcast shortly after.
patreon.com
This Week in Hell! Authoritarianism and Revolution | This Is Hell!
This Week in Hell! Authoritarianism and Revolution by This Is Hell! on Patreon. Join This Is Hell!'s community for exclusive content and updates.
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Rakeen Mabud @rmabud.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/24/u...
media.tenor.com
a black and white photo of two men standing next to each other with the words `` i 'm shocked . ''
ALT: a black and white photo of two men standing next to each other with the words `` i 'm shocked . ''
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 17/04/2026
thanks again joe manchin!
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Lenore Palladino @lenorepalladino.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
feels almost quaint to post about how much the big banks are spending juicing their stock prices with major spending on stock buybacks $33 billion *in one quarter* giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
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Rakeen Mabud @rmabud.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
The affordability and climate crises are inseparable. @cplusc.bsky.social's new strategy to put the working class in charge of climate & economic transformation is an essential intervention to build towards the economy we need and deserve. Honored to get to work on this with the CCI team.
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isaac @sevier.io · 09/04/2026
One of the best things i've read this year is from @rmabud.bsky.social and @brusselermel.bsky.social. "Without understanding how the pro-authoritarian coalition has used three interlocking levers to consolidate power, it will be impossible to build something better."
common-wealth.org
The Power Grab: The Authoritarian Coalition’s Strategy of Power Consolidation
The authoritarian coalition is using three interlocking levers of power to consolidate control: political and institutional control, cultural and narrative power, and economic power.
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Common Wealth @cmmonwealth.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
“An authoritarian coalition is embarking on a power grab unprecedented in recent US history ... each of [Trump’s] policy moves isn't simply about the policy itself, but about the consolidation of power as a whole” 🖋️ @rmabud.bsky.social @brusselermel.bsky.social www.common-wealth.org/publications...
common-wealth.org
The Power Grab: The Authoritarian Coalition’s Strategy of Power Consolidation
The authoritarian coalition is using three interlocking levers of power to consolidate control: political and institutional control, cultural and narrative power, and economic power.
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Chad Loder @chadloder.dev · 07/04/2026
Mamdani is not just filling the potholes with the crew. He's creating a visual and personal reminder of the dignity inherent in all of these anonymous government jobs.
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David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
We've collectively ignored the damage to the health system from the twin blows of Medicaid cuts & the expiration of ACA subsidies. But more than 800 US health facilities have either closed entirely, cut services, or are at risk, & we're just at the beginning. @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social reports.
prospect.org
GOP War on Health Care Destroying Hospitals at Home and Abroad - The American Prospect
More than 800 health care facilities are at risk or have already closed since Republicans severely cut funding last year. The worst is still ahead.
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LPE Blog @lpeblog.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Over at @cmmonwealth.bsky.social, @rmabud.bsky.social and @brusselermel.bsky.social have a new report on The Power Grab: The Authoritarian Coalition’s Strategy of Power Consolidation.
common-wealth.org
The Power Grab: The Authoritarian Coalition’s Strategy of Power Consolidation
The authoritarian coalition is using three interlocking levers of power to consolidate control: political and institutional control, cultural and narrative power, and economic power.
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Rakeen Mabud @rmabud.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Grateful to @cmmonwealth.bsky.social for the opportunity to write this piece. We argue that Trump is engaged in a project of power consolidation in the presidency, executive branch, and the politically aligned oligarchs & corporations already dominating our economy and democracy. shorturl.at/pr2cK
common-wealth.org
The Power Grab: The Authoritarian Coalition’s Strategy of Power Consolidation
The authoritarian coalition is using three interlocking levers of power to consolidate control: political and institutional control, cultural and narrative power, and economic power.
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Common Wealth @cmmonwealth.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
“The authoritarian coalition has consolidated power through the assertion that the country belongs to them. The path forward is to remind them that it belongs to all of us.” Read our new briefing by @rmabud.bsky.social and @brusselermel.bsky.social at our website. 👇 shorturl.at/H0f6v
shorturl.at
The Power Grab: The Authoritarian Coalition’s Strategy of Power Consolidation
The authoritarian coaltion is using three interlocking levers of power to consolidate control: political and institutional control, cultural and narrative power, and economic power.
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Rakeen Mabud @rmabud.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
"Even as the federal government dismantles environmental regulations & guts clean energy investments, cities can still be sites of innovation when it comes to green, permanently affordable housing."@ruthygourevitch.bsky.social & Batul Hassan in @jacobinmag.bsky.social jacobin.com/2026/03/mamd...
jacobin.com
Zohran Mamdani Wants to Build Housing. He Should Build Green.
After his White House meeting last week, Zohran Mamdani has a tentative plan to build 12,000 units of affordable housing in Queens. It’s a chance to tackle the climate and affordability crises simulta...
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
A folk logic about it is starting to develop. People may not understand the monopolies and geopolitics of renewable energy at a gradual level. But they can see data centers, hear data centers, and read their electric bill statements. They are angry.
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Every stage of this process - his arrest, spending a year in jail, being dumped on the streets to die - would be deeply shameful in a society that actually valued human life.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20/02/2026
Trump's Friday morning so far: -- extremely disappointing 4th quarter GDP number -- inflation report hotter than expected -- Supreme Court strikes down tariffs
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 17/02/2026
i think jesse jackson was one of the most important american political figures of the post-war era and i think that his 1984 and 1988 campaigns for the democratic nomination still have a great deal to teach about forging a path to a more egalitarian world. RIP.
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Rakeen Mabud @rmabud.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
hell yes.
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Bilal Baydoun @bilalb.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
What we’re witnessing at the Washington Post is the folly of entrusting self-interested billionaires with any democratic institution, especially a free and independent press. We need to a) permanently bury the myth of billionaire saviors and b) build a world-class public media system.
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Derek B. Johnson @derekbjohnson.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Great piece from @tressiemcphd.bsky.social that lays out how America's historical inability to implement baseline digital privacy protections is crashing headlong into our current authoritarian moment, provciding the Trump administration a fertile ground of public and private data on Americans.
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Rakeen Mabud @rmabud.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
"The fastest way to depolarize climate is to simply talk about who’s paying and who’s profiting.People disagree about a lot of things, but they do understand being ripped off.” Smart insight from Cassidy DiPaola in this piece by @dharna.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
From rent to utility bills: the politicians and advocates making climate policy part of the affordability agenda
As the Trump administration derides climate policy as a ‘scam’, emissions-cutting measures are gaining popularity
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Janelle Jones @janellecj.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
So, to sum up, measures of underemp & Black unemp were still flashing danger, at the end of the (meh labor market) year & should be watched in 2026. Workers at the margins - people of color, involuntary part time, discouraged-are the groups who feel a downturn first, feel it longest, & recover last.
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Manisha Sunil @manishasunil.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Remember how this admin gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? Yeah, now it’s that much easier for their corporate pals squeeze every last penny out of your paycheck. Glad folks like @katiejwells.bsky.social are helping shine a light on this insanity ⬇️
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Rakeen Mabud @rmabud.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Great piece from @hshierholz.bsky.social "Making life more affordable means not just lowering prices where possible and necessary, but also raising wages." www.ms.now/opinion/infl...
ms.now
Opinion | Everyone is talking about affordability – and making the same mistake
"As lawmakers grapple with the cost of living, they need to remind Americans – again and again – that pay is a policy choice," Heidi Shierholz writes.
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Read this as an American woman and then go break something.
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