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The UnPopulist

@theunpopulist.net
9.9K followers 5 following 2.3K posts

Defending liberal democracy against authoritarianism in the U.S. and around the world. www.theunpopulist.net

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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 1h
The image of dominance is not the same as dominance. @jamellebouie.net explains how authoritarian spectacle works—and why puncturing the image matters. From LibCon2026. #LibCon2026
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Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 5h
"If America ends up an autocracy, Trump will not be its culmination but something closer to its forerunner." And the next one probably won't be such an extraordinarily delusional and incompetent buffoon. Disgrace and disincentives on him and his enablers have to be imposed now, while we still can.
theunpopulist.net
America Can Pull Back From the Slippery Slope to Rome
The decline of the rule of law and our republic is not inevitable
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 3h
The U.S. is transporting human beings to countries they have no connection to, some of them literal war zones, often with no notice or chance to object, and then completely washing its hands of them. Linda Chavez on one of the cruelest features of Trump's historically draconian deportation agenda
theunpopulist.net
The Conservative Supreme Court’s Decision Allowing Deportations to Third Countries Should Shock the Conscience of Americans
The fate that likely awaits those deported to South Sudan violates the Constitution’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment
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Shikha Dalmia @shikhadalmia.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
1/ You should check out my sobering and compelling conversation with @radleybalko.bsky.social about ICE and why it must be abolished before its abusive tactics spread to the rest of American law enforcement at @theunpopulist.net . 🧵 open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...
open.substack.com
Abolish ICE Before Its Abusive Tactics Spread to Other Law Enforcement: A Conversation With Radley Balko
The agency has gone rogue and cannot be reformed
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Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Must-read, at @theunpopulist.net: "Abolish ICE Before Its Abusive Tactics Spread to Other Law Enforcement: A Conversation With @radleybalko.bsky.social" (And, yes, redistribute its legitimate functions to other agencies with less toxic cultures.)
theunpopulist.net
Abolish ICE Before Its Abusive Tactics Spread to Other Law Enforcement: A Conversation With Radley Balko
The agency has gone rogue and cannot be reformed
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 29/09/2026
America’s promise has always been unfinished work. Revisit the LibCon2026 opening film: historical voices and struggles for freedom, equality, and national renewal. #LibCon2026
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Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
www.theunpopulist.net/p/justice-ro...
theunpopulist.net
Justice Roberts Subverted the Separation of Powers and Created a Dangerously Unaccountable President
The court's immunity ruling will make it hard to punish Trump for his past lawlessness, while inviting future abuses
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Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Wherein I do the thing and think about Rome. In particular, why the lesser-known decades preceding the terminal crisis of the republic are salient for understanding where we are now. "If America ends up an autocracy, Trump will not be its culmination but something closer to its forerunner."
theunpopulist.net
America Can Pull Back From the Slippery Slope to Rome
The decline of the rule of law and our republic is not inevitable
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Kori Schake @kschake.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
“the question for Americans is not whether Trump is our Caesar. Our bigger concern should be if this is more like our age of Marius and Sulla, the generals and magistrates (Rome had no clean division between the two roles) who inflicted wounds on the republic that proved fatal in the long term.”
theunpopulist.net
America Can Pull Back From the Slippery Slope to Rome
The decline of the rule of law and our republic is not inevitable
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Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
new from @andycraig.bsky.social at @theunpopulist.net www.theunpopulist.net/p/america-ca...
theunpopulist.net
America Can Pull Back From the Slippery Slope to Rome
The decline of the rule of law and our republic is not inevitable
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Shikha Dalmia @shikhadalmia.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
At @theunpopulist.net, @andycraig.bsky.social launches his weekly column, Deep Cuts, with a brilliant piece on the lessons we should take away from Rome's decline and fall.
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Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"Trump [may] belong [to] the era of Marius and Sulla, the men who brought force and corruption into Roman politics on a scale nobody had yet seen...If America ends up an autocracy, Trump will not be its culmination but something closer to its forerunner." open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...
open.substack.com
America Can Pull Back From the Slippery Slope to Rome
The decline of the rule of law and our republic is not inevitable
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 28/09/2026
America Can Pull Back From the Slippery Slope to Rome The decline of the rule of law and our republic is not inevitable By Andy Craig www.theunpopulist.net/p/america-can…
theunpopulist.net
America Can Pull Back From the Slippery Slope to Rome
The decline of the rule of law and our republic is not inevitable
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 28/09/2026
Populism may persist, but its support is not fixed. Craig and Shull discuss why even strongly attached Trump supporters can change their views about presidential abuses of power. Recorded August 2026.
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 27/09/2026
At LibCon2026, Francis Fukuyama argues that federal agencies need room to exercise judgment within the law, with more attention to outcomes and less to procedure.
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Charles Keener @charleskeener.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
www.theunpopulist.net/p/stephen-mi...
theunpopulist.net
Stephen Miller Is Paying Monstrous Dictators to Admit Expelled Immigrants
A Democratic Congress needs to urgently investigate this abuse of taxpayer dollars that were actually meant for refugees
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FunnyTechGuy 💙 @funnytechguy.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Remigration is ethnic cleansing.
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 26/09/2026
The ‘Charming’ MAGA Coalition Backing Vance: A Video Roundup Our late-September collection of clips www.theunpopulist.net/p/the-charmin…
theunpopulist.net
The ‘Charming’ MAGA Coalition Backing Vance: A Video Roundup
Our late-September collection of clips
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 26/09/2026
At LibCon2026, Adam Serwer traces the tension between civic virtue and tyranny in American political culture—and asks why some people resist a strongman while others yield.
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 26/09/2026
Stephen Miller Is Paying Monstrous Dictators to Admit Expelled Immigrants A Democratic Congress needs to urgently investigate this abuse of taxpayer dollars that were actually meant for refugees By Greg Sargent www.theunpopulist.net/p/stephen-mil…
theunpopulist.net
Stephen Miller Is Paying Monstrous Dictators to Admit Expelled Immigrants
A Democratic Congress needs to urgently investigate this abuse of taxpayer dollars that were actually meant for refugees
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Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
At Stephen Miller’s direction, the U.S. “is effectively paying out huge sums of taxpayer money to some really nasty governments in exchange for their acceptance of third-country deportees who, for various reasons, cannot be returned to their countries of origin. It’s really sleazy, ghoulish stuff.”
theunpopulist.net
Stephen Miller Is Paying Monstrous Dictators to Admit Expelled Immigrants
A Democratic Congress needs to urgently investigate this abuse of taxpayer dollars that were actually meant for refugees
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Beingsass @beingsass.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
💯 "So let’s lay down a marker: If Democrats take over the House and/or the Senate, they should make it their business next year to ensure that this agency faces truly withering scrutiny. As many Americans as possible should know what their government is doing in their name."
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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Many thanks to @theunpopulist.net for reposting my piece on Stephen Miller’s Office of Remigration, which really needs more attention. This agency announces right in its name that white nationalism is the basis for US immigration policy: www.theunpopulist.net/p/stephen-mi...
theunpopulist.net
Stephen Miller Is Paying Monstrous Dictators to Admit Expelled Immigrants
A Democratic Congress needs to urgently investigate this abuse of taxpayer dollars that were actually meant for refugees
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 25/09/2026
At LibCon2026, Jan-Werner Müller explains how federalism can give democratic opposition an institutional foothold when national power becomes concentrated.
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 25/09/2026
ICE's lies 🔥 @radleybalko.bsky.social
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Matt McManus @mattpolprof.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
My piece on Hugo Drochon's work on dynamic democracy for @theunpopulist.net
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 25/09/2026
The DSA’s Extreme Platform Is Bad for Liberalism and Democrats Its ‘socialism’ is not a cure for fascism—it’s just another form of authoritarianism By Matt Johnson www.theunpopulist.net/p/the-dsas-ex…
theunpopulist.net
The DSA’s Extreme Platform Is Bad for Liberalism and Democrats
Its ‘socialism’ is not a cure for fascism—it’s just another form of authoritarianism
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 24/09/2026
At LibCon2026, Adam Serwer argues that people who break the law for an administration must face accountability—and that failing to act invites another attempt.
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 24/09/2026
"As a liberal socialist, I find much to admire in Drochon’s retrieval." — @mattpolprof.bsky.social
theunpopulist.net
Can Elite Rule Be Reconciled with Democracy?
A liberal theorist offers an intriguing if imperfect framework for an age-old question
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 24/09/2026
A Scheme to Pack and Unpack the Supreme Court Will Backfire Badly It will sap precious political capital from more worthy reforms and lead to greater political polarization By Gregg Nunziata www.theunpopulist.net/p/a-scheme-to…
theunpopulist.net
A Scheme to Pack and Unpack the Supreme Court Will Backfire Badly
It will sap precious political capital from more worthy reforms and lead to greater political polarization
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 23/09/2026
Renée DiResta explains how longstanding anti-vaccine activists used the COVID pandemic to spread distrust beyond individual vaccines to the medical establishment itself.
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 23/09/2026
We're officially 5 years old! 🎉 🎂 Here's a toast, in video montage form, from our most recent event: LibCon2026.
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Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
We're officially 5 years old! 🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂 In this chaotic media ecosystem, turning 5 is no small thing.
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Shikha Dalmia @shikhadalmia.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
1/ @theunpopulist.net just turned five. We launched to defend liberal democracy from the rising tide of populist authoritarianism. I wish I could report that our relevance had diminished in the 1,826 days since. Alas, we're needed more than ever. 🧵 open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...
open.substack.com
At Five, We Are More Necessary Than We Ever Wanted to Be
On our milestone birthday, we’re doubling down on the fight for liberal democracy
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Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
theunpopulist.net
At Five, We Are More Necessary Than We Ever Wanted to Be
On our milestone birthday, we’re doubling down on the fight for liberal democracy
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PositiveEnerG @positiveenerg.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
open.substack.com/pub/theunpop... @shikhadalmia.bsky.social @theunpopulist.net
open.substack.com
At Five, We Are More Necessary Than We Ever Wanted to Be
On our milestone birthday, we’re doubling down on the fight for liberal democracy
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 22/09/2026
At Five, We Are More Necessary Than We Ever Wanted to Be On our milestone birthday, we’re doubling down on the fight for liberal democracy By @shikhadalmia.bsky.social www.theunpopulist.net/p/at-five-we-…
theunpopulist.net
At Five, We Are More Necessary Than We Ever Wanted to Be
On our milestone birthday, we’re doubling down on the fight for liberal democracy
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 22/09/2026
At LibCon2026, Francis Fukuyama argues that a president who dismisses briefings and expertise risks making major foreign-policy decisions without understanding the consequences.
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Chris Edelson @chrisedelson.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"In Trump’s first term, he reneged on JCPOA & reimposed sanctions, vowing that a policy of “maximum pressure” would force Iran into a “better deal.” trump got this enormous gamble completely wrong & US as well as others pay the price. Haven't seen any front page stories exploring this central point
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 21/09/2026
What do two national surveys reveal about populist attitudes among Trump voters? Craig and Shull discuss declining support for presidential rule-breaking, drawing on a June 2026 survey.
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 21/09/2026
Protecting the Republic When an Angel Isn’t in the Oval Office Restoring presidential restraint to avoid autocracy will be as difficult as necessary post-Trump www.theunpopulist.net/p/protecting-…
theunpopulist.net
Protecting the Republic When an Angel Isn’t in the Oval Office
Restoring presidential restraint to avoid autocracy will be as difficult as necessary post-Trump
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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Trump’s Iran War Is a Rolling Disaster With No End in Sight The conflict is expanding, cutting off more oil supply routes—and the president has no idea what to do except lie In @theunpopulist.net:
theunpopulist.net
Trump’s Iran War Is a Rolling Disaster With No End in Sight
The conflict is expanding, cutting off more oil supply routes—and the president has no idea what to do except lie
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 20/09/2026
What would your ballot look like under proportional representation? Lee Drutman (@leedrutman.bsky.social) explains an open-list system that lets voters choose a party or a candidate. #ElectoralReform
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 19/09/2026
Can Elite Rule Be Reconciled with Democracy? A liberal theorist offers an intriguing if imperfect framework for an age-old question By Matt McManus www.theunpopulist.net/p/can-elite-r…
theunpopulist.net
Can Elite Rule Be Reconciled with Democracy?
A liberal theorist offers an intriguing if imperfect framework for an age-old question
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Matt McManus @mattpolprof.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
My review of @hdrochon.bsky.social's deeply researched and intriguing "Elites and Democracy" for @theunpopulist.net www.theunpopulist.net/p/can-elite-...
theunpopulist.net
Can Elite Rule Be Reconciled with Democracy?
A liberal theorist offers an intriguing if imperfect framework for an age-old question
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Berny Belvedere @bernybelvedere.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
This is a really good essay by @mattpolprof.bsky.social in @theunpopulist.net discussing @hdrochon.bsky.social's recent book and the broader topic of whether and to what extent having an elite ruling classs compromises or distorts the liberal democratic project.
theunpopulist.net
Can Elite Rule Be Reconciled with Democracy?
A liberal theorist offers an intriguing if imperfect framework for an age-old question
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Shikha Dalmia @shikhadalmia.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Vance is so retrograde that his Orban-boosting friend, Rod Drehrer, ended their friendship after Vance refused to condemn white supremacist Groypers. But Vance's tactics have made him the clear favorite among Trump's hardcore populist supporters. @theunpopulist.net open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...
open.substack.com
Vance Has a Solid Lead for the GOP Nomination in Trump’s Hardcore Populist Base, ISMA Survey Finds
He’s castigating Democrats and immigrants in increasingly shrill populist terms—and it’s working
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The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 19/09/2026
Age limits for elected federal office. Fixed Supreme Court terms. Guardrails on presidential pardons. This video essay makes the case for three constitutional reforms to strengthen American self-government.
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Arlene Kirsch ❌👑 Love America peacefully @arliek.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
👇👇👇 Prof. Danielle Allen is one of my heroes.
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Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Vance does best with the most Trumpy authoritarian populists, but he's also ahead overall. I don't see a viable lane for Rubio or whoever else. tbh "incumbent VP loses primary" is the kind of scenario we like to imagine because it's more interesting than the reality that it literally never happens.
theunpopulist.net
Vance Has a Solid Lead for the GOP Nomination in Trump’s Hardcore Populist Base, ISMA Survey Finds
He’s castigating Democrats and immigrants in increasingly shrill populist terms—and it’s working
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