Stephen Beban

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Stephen Beban

Stephen Beban

@StephenBeban

Policy Advisor in NZ; Formerly @FairVote | @WellingtonUni PhD of Pol Sci (on DPR™ electoral system) | I try to be informative ≫ emotive.

Wellington City, New Zealand Katılım Haziran 2016
19 Takip Edilen367 Takipçiler
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Stephen Beban
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban·
Six rules for constructive criticism: 2/2 1. Don’t impugn motives 2. Note common principles 3. Don’t negatively cherry-pick opponent's record 4. Recognize diversity and dissent strengthens the party 5. Practice coalition politics 6. Cut deals if necessary to keep the peace
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Stephen Beban
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban·
“Intimidate anybody who would stop him from carrying out illegal orders... & to reward anybody who does follow them... [#Trump] & his allies are immune from the law, while his enemies can expect to be hounded.” @jonathanchait theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/… x.com/StephenBeban/s…
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban

“[#Trump’s] message to FBI personnel that... they should not touch... his circle of friends... A potentially ruinous development for the #RuleOfLaw... FBI is there to investigate crimes objectively, regardless of who may have committed them.” @shaneharris theatlantic.com/podcasts/archi…

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Stephen Beban
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban·
“#Trump created a $1.776 billion [#SlushFund]... as part of a “settlement” for a bogus lawsuit against the #IRS... Attempting to... replace... rule of law to... whether you have the personal favor of the president.” @zackbeauchamp vox.com/politics/48924… x.com/StephenBeban/s…
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban

“[#Trump] isn’t trying to engineer prosperity for Americans. He’s seeking power for himself... He believes, like Putin, in political control of the economy’s commanding heights—success for those executives & companies who please him, failure for those who don’t.” @jonathanchait

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Stephen Beban
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban·
Flagrant #corruption: “#Trump is negotiating dropping [his #IRS] lawsuit in exchange for... a $1.7 billion fund to compensate allies... Tax dollars to pay off the foot soldiers... who tried to overthrow the US government... on #January6th...” @vermontgmg politicalwire.com/2026/05/15/mor…
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban

The destruction of the East Wing for a gilded ballroom may have resonated with voters more than the shutdown, as a clear symbol of #Trump's self-aggrandizing corruption.

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Geoffrey Skelley
Geoffrey Skelley@geoffreyvs·
It's only going to get worse before it ever gets better. But some set of national standards — perhaps even a constitutional amendment? — might lie somewhere at the end of the redistricting conflict. Someday.
Jessica Riedl 🧀 🇺🇦@JessicaBRiedl

Notable here that there's no attempt at a principled argument about a problematic census, or balancing out another state's gerrymander. Just an open, pure power grab. Hopefully this arms race finally pushes the rational middle to push through a national gerrymandering ban.

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Kevin Pranis
Kevin Pranis@KevinPranis·
Great data center explainer from @EricLevitz at @voxdotcom. Long story short, impacts vary based on local regulation and project specifics. Done right, they can run clean, lower bills, raise tax revenues, and create jobs (not just construction!). Done wrong, not so much. 1/
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Eric Levitz
Eric Levitz@EricLevitz·
Most Americans think a data center would be bad for their towns. Some are wrong. Data centers can absolutely impose harms on localities. But they can also bring rewards. And the cost-to-benefit ratio is positive in some contexts -- at least, by the standards we typically use when judging the desirability of an industrial enterprise. (link below)
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Stephen Beban
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban·
@kkondik @JMilesColeman It seems obvious that this will end with the next Dem trifecta. Either a ban on gerrymandering (with a partisan fairness requirement in redistricting for courts to enforce), or ideally with the Fair Representation Act (with multi-member districts so lines don't matter).
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Stephen Beban
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban·
If Democrats win a trifecta in 2028, they must: • End the filibuster • Expand SCOTUS to 13 • Make D.C. & Puerto Rico states • Require partisan fairness in redistricting / pass Fair Representation Act • Overturn presidential immunity • Codify Justice Department independence
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban

“The costs of opposition are surmountable... Descent into authoritarianism is reversible. Pro-#democracy forces have successfully resisted or reversed backsliding in recent years in Brazil, Poland, Slovakia, South Korea...” @dziblatt @LucanWay @levitsky2 nytimes.com/2025/05/08/opi…

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Stephen Beban retweetledi
Ace
Ace@AceElections·
Here’s a national fair congressional map based on 2024 Presidential Data: 220 R - 215 D. Safe R/D (+20): 130/121; Likely R/D (+10): 41/42; Lean R/D (+5): 23/22; Tilt R/D (+0.1): 26/30. 2020 CVAP: 23 BM/9 BP, 29 HM/7 HP, 2 AM/3 AP. Request zoom-ins. davesredistricting.org/join/96d5b570-…
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Michael Grunwald
Michael Grunwald@MikeGrunwald·
Speaking of which, it's simply untrue that 100 companies are responsible for 71% of all emissions. Exxon sells us gasoline but we're responsible for burning it! This is such a bogus trope: theguardian.com/sustainable-bu…
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Stephen Beban
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban·
@NicholasOKane5 @jbview Yes, by packing it, leading it to constitutional term limits, so no party can obtain an enduring advantage (with rulings accordingly).
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Stephen Beban
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban·
“Best option is to ‘pack’ [#SCOTUS]... Court-packing... creates an obvious arms race: Republicans would retaliate as soon as they had the chance...” @jbview politicalwire.com/2026/05/05/wha… This dynamic would incentivize support for a constitutional amendment for staggered term limits.
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Stephen Beban@StephenBeban

“At the state level, Republicans now engage in court-packing... to move [state supreme] courts to the right... If Republicans in Arizona, Georgia, and Utah can do it, why can’t Democrats do it [to #SCOTUS]... to de-Trumpify the #SupremeCourt.” @imillhiser vox.com/politics/47757…

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Michael Grunwald
Michael Grunwald@MikeGrunwald·
Everyone’s going crazy about high food prices. Here’s my five-point plan to lower them!
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Michael Grunwald
Michael Grunwald@MikeGrunwald·
Low-yield farming isn’t sustainable, because less food per acre means more acres to make the same amount of food. Using fewer chemicals doesn’t help the environment if you sacrifice more of the Amazon and eat more of the earth.
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Michael Grunwald
Michael Grunwald@MikeGrunwald·
RFK's woo-woo nonsense about seed oils and raw milk and glyphosate and fake meat comes from the same bad place as his nonsense about vaccines: The delusion that everything should somehow be "natural." open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark…
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Stephen Beban
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban·
“[#SCOTUS]’s decision in Louisiana v. #Callais... is a cry of devotion to the idea that state lawmakers should be allowed to draw legislative maps that benefit their own political party, and that lock the opposing party out...” @imillhiser #gerrymandering vox.com/politics/48736…
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban

@PoliticsWolf An illegitimate court making unjustifiable decisions that undermine democracy. It is clear now that we need court packing to restore the legitimacy of #SCOTUS, and overturn their judicial activism. x.com/StephenBeban/s…

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Stephen Beban
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban·
“The left’s reverence for activism is a pathology that can enable the movement’s worst ideas and instincts to escape scrutiny... A belief in the immutable righteousness of one’s own side can be a license to abuse power.” @jonathanchait theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/…
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Stephen Beban
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban·
“Any movement that discourages criticism of its most misguided radicals — so long as there are greater evils in this world — is liable to develop profound and persistent delusions... All factions must therefore guard against such tribalism...” @EricLevitz vox.com/politics/48609…
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban

@JoePostingg Aka avoid 'no enemies to the left' - "If you meet any objection to abuses on your own side by changing the subject to the greater evil on the opposing side, then you never have to define what kinds of ideas or behaviors by your allies you won’t accept." nymag.com/intelligencer/…

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Stephen Beban
Stephen Beban@StephenBeban·
“Valid concerns do not justify assassinating [#Trump]... This risk [of political violence] can be mitigated significantly by emphasizing the ability to resolve perceived dangers through peaceful political processes... by voting.” @zackbeauchamp vox.com/politics/48756…
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The Atlantic
The Atlantic@TheAtlantic·
If the Democratic establishment has any hope of holding on to the party, it should end American financial support for Israel—and if it doesn’t, the party will be overrun by a wing with far more radical beliefs, @jonathanchait argues. theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/…
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Keşfet

@jonathanchait @zackbeauchamp @vermontgmg @geoffreyvs @JMilesColeman @EricLevitz @voxdotcom @kkondik