Micah Sifry

Why govt can't be "run like a business"-"Businesses get to choose their customers, gov has to serve everyone"-Boston CIO @jfh at #cfasummit

We need to repeal the laws that artificially created and continue to sustain a two-party duopoly. The starting point is our own history, writes @DanCantor_. democracyjournal.org/magazine/79/fu…

@geraldposner @buttonslives And I think you’ve become unmoored for saying that “revealing” that ICE watchers have learned how to organize themselves to push back on federal thugs invading their neighborhoods is somehow great investigative journalism. It’s not like ICE watchers are hiding their methods.

@geraldposner @buttonslives No, it’s that she (and you?) don’t understand that no amount of professional organizing can get people to volunteer for this level of activity. This is driven by thousands of individuals choosing to protect their neighbors.

Many reporters instinctively sensed that the Minneapolis protests didn’t just “erupt” — that there was money, structure, and coordination behind them. But instinct isn’t proof. @buttonslives delivers the proof. This is serious, painstaking reporting that replaces hunches with documents, networks, names, funding streams, and strategy. “ICE watch” didn’t arise organically — it was engineered, financed, and exported. This is what real investigative journalism looks like.

🎧 Just dropped: the latest episode of our podcast #ThisOldDemocracy! @Mlsif talks to @AndrewRCraig. Give it a listen now. centerforballotfreedom.org/this-old-democ…

@JamesOKeefeIII So what? No one said that only right wingers were allowed to form organizations. Or does the First Amendment right of free association no longer apply?

Our team went undercover inside the Minnesota mob and was surrounded as agitators admitted what groups they worked with on hidden cameras. An entire network of NGOs, unions, and activist groups including “SEIU”, “Make the Road New York”, and the “Independent Socialist Group” are all behind this chaos.

“An administration official gave away the game to Punchbowl News, admitting that these “de-escalatory measures” are about placating Senate Democrats so they don’t seize this moment to demand restrictions on ICE as part of any government funding package.” newrepublic.com/article/205768…

Our very own Zack Malitz, Managing Director at Swing Left, joined Micah Sifry for a thoughtful conversation about why listening has to come before persuasion—and how Ground Truth is changing how Democrats connect with voters. Give it a read! ⤵️ bit.ly/4jCJV0O

Big thanks to @Mlsif for this thoughtful piece. He clearly lays out why Ground Truth is necessary & what’s innovative about our approach to voter outreach. Proud to be working with Zack Malitz & the @SwingLeft community to bring this program to life 💪 theconnector.substack.com/p/before-we-pe…

🎧 Just dropped: the latest episode of our podcast #ThisOldDemocracy! What's brewing in Michigan? @Mlsif talks to @jefftimmer. Give it a listen now. centerforballotfreedom.org/this-old-democ…

The wait is over — our newest #ThisOldDemocracy podcast episode is live! @Mlsif and @jefftimmer delve into the @GOP. The cancer has metastasized, and it's spread to every cell of what was the Republican Party. centerforballotfreedom.org/this-old-democ…

@jon_m_rob I was trying to be nice.

Gotta figure out a way to add "lesser well-known data analyst (who I've occasionally corresponded with and usually learn from, though not this time)" to my bio

I'm mostly off this hellstie, but @davidshor is a big boy with a lot of influence & his offhanded slam of the field organizing by Obama’s Organizing for America in 2008 is indicative of a much larger problem with how we think about politics: theconnector.substack.com/p/this-shor-sm…

The lead strategists and organizers in MO have done an unbelievable job meeting the moment in extremely difficult and hostile conditions.

@davidshor @lxeagle17 If you only look at vote effects you miss the larger story about organizing for power.

@lxeagle17 One of the only states where Obama improved on his vote share from 2008 to 2012 was Mississippi - that both highlights the dynamics (white turnout fell more than black turnout) and obviously had nothing to do with canvassing

Obama closing OFA after the 2008 is widely seen as a catastrophic decision that caused lasting harm to the party. The reality is that published academic research (and private tests in 2012) suggest that Obama’s 2008 field persuasion program likely cost the campaign votes

@davidshor Among many things, smothering OFA post 08 meant that tens of thousands Obama volunteers who said they wanted to run locally to support his agenda got no support. Huge connection between this and the collapse of Dems in state legislatures during Obama’s time in WH.

Amazing analysis of the @ZohranKMamdani team at this *crucial* juncture, with this post featuring the insights of veteran organizer @marshallganz theconnector.substack.com/p/will-mamdani… @Mlsif

🍳 We’ve been cooking up something good — and it’s finally live. New #ThisOldDemocracy podcast episode available now! Our usual host @Mlsif and your special guest @daschloz engage in how "hollow parties" can potentially be rejuvenated or revived to save American democracy?

Guess what just went live? Our latest #ThisOldDemocracy podcast episode — streaming on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. @Mlsif and @daschloz dive into the structural weaknesses plaguing American politics. centerforballotfreedom.org/this-old-democ…

The fearmongering we have seen from some Jewish institutions and leaders surrounding Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is harmful, overblown, and risks needlessly deepening divisions in the city and in our community. 🧵