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Candidates should not try to be all things to all people.
Authenticity may not win over every voter, but it’s far more appealing than insincerity. #politics
“When you think of the incentive structure [in #politics] right now to get your name out, it’s about people who want to throw rocks & create controversy… People who work & toil away to pass common sense, good, bipartisan legislation that actually helps people’s lives? That doesn’t get press.” https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/13/gary-peters-senate-map-00183541
- Senator Gary Peters, who isn’t always in the news, but scores as the most effective Senator in Congress https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2023/03/20/center-for-effective-lawmaking-identifies-most-successful-lawmakers-in-117th-congress/
Center for Effective Lawmaking identifies most successful lawmakers in 117th Congress
Reps. Gerald Connolly, D-VA, and Don Bacon, R-NE, and Sens. Gary Peters, D-MI, and John Cornyn, R-TX, top their respective lists of the most effective Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the recently completed 117th Congress (2021–23), according t…Kara Furlong (Vanderbilt University)
April Kirkman, 67, traveled to Plains from California w/her guitar & a song she wrote for the fmr POTUS. The song is titled, “I Wanna Be a Jimmy Carter Kinda Christian.” She said it is meant to praise a past era when #politics & #religion were less divisive.
“Faith, hope, love are what I choose,” the lyrics read. “Yea, yea, a Jimmy Carter kinda Christian. No, no, I ain’t talking ’bout religion. Just wanna walk a mile in those size 11 shoes.”
A team of scientists from the University of Bristol recently released research that pushed the date of our Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) back to about 4.2 billion years ago.
This suggests that the life that is in each of us, and in each of the organisms that make up our very large extended family, runs in an unbroken chain backward for 4.2 billion years.
That’s a pretty considerable investment by the universe in every living thing.
Perhaps we should reflect on that a little more as we continue to muck around on this planet.
It might be time to start fitting in.
#sustainability #philosophy #ClimateChange #biodiversity #nature #politics #economics #religion #Science
Shifting the Paradigm | Aspen Proposal
The Aspen Proposal provides a description of a sustainable human civilization 200 - 500 years in the future. This is a goal that will focus our efforts, allow us to backcast and provide hope for those working for change.Aspen Proposal
Where do your candidates stand on critical science and technology issues?
https://www.scipolnetwork.org/scienceontheballot #science #politics
A teacher, veteran & coach from the Midwest with decades of leadership experience in government.
Governor Tim Walz will be a fantastic VP. #HarrisWalz2024 #politics #Walz
I hear he also likes cats. 🐈
Latest comic: Lowering the temperature
#uspol #cartoon #2024election #authoritarianism #fascism #media #politics
Communicating science | Sheril Kirshenbaum | TEDxCongressAve
Sheril Kirshenbaum is the Director of The Energy Poll at The University of Texas at Austin and the author of two books, Unscientific America (with Chris Moon...YouTube
Financial constraints to living & working in Washington, D.C. likely define & reinforce the community of people able to stay long enough to achieve senior positions, leading to a policy-making community distinct from the American public.
https://sheril.substack.com/p/left-out-of-the-room-where-it-happens #politics
So what? "Misperceptions & blind spots among decision makers may occur, in part, because their lived experiences primarily reflect those from communities with the resources required to maintain influential roles."
Left out of the Room Where it Happens
Barriers to Serving in Senior Congressional Staff Roles May Limit “Representative” Science PolicymakingSheril Kirshenbaum (Unelected Representative)
In My Defense
It’s been a few months since I posted here. In that time, I’ve been able to give several talks about how our “unelected representatives” - the senior staffers shaping policy behind the scenes in Congress - make decisions.Sheril Kirshenbaum (Unelected Representative)
#politics #USPol #MApoli
https://whdh.com/news/healey-pardoning-all-convictions-for-simple-marijuana-possession/
Want to hang out next Thursday night (or Friday depending on where you live)?
I'm joining the one & only @bschillace for a live conversation about #science #politics & culture.
We may discuss why so many people believe things that aren't true. Or explore how we got into this predicament. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieOEPE92MBE
The Pecular Book Club is "a safe haven of nerdery for all peculiar people w bizarre interests." https://brandyschillace.com/peculiar/
Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/live/a3ev1p20acc?si=H8Q35vWytgmC9m9K
This should be fun!
14-MAR: SHERIL KIRSHENBAUM, UNSCIENTIFIC AMERICA
The earth is not flat. Vaccines work and they don’t make you magnetic. Global warming is real. Covid is airborne. But you will hear a great deal to the contr...YouTube
The world's business and finance sectors can do much more to reverse deforestation—here's the data to prove it
Big corporations could drive a worldwide shift towards more sustainable supply chains that limit damage caused by deforestation.Mary Gagen (Phys.org)
By the way, if you enjoy my toots and tools consider dropping me a tip. I'm a starve hacker 😏
I have a personal ko-fi in my boi and linked below 👇🏿
I use this for personal emergencies and to do mutual aid work in my community.
In return, I'll keep the fedi-verse full of posts about local news, breaking politics and nerd shit 🖤
Latest comic on pundits still making excuses for Trump
#fascism #authoritarianism #democracy #journalism #media #insurrection #election #politics #cartoon #comic
A 2023 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 65% of Americans “always or often feel exhausted when thinking about politics.” 63% have low or no confidence in the future of the U.S. political system. And 86% believe “Republicans & Democrats are more focused on fighting each other than on solving problems.”
But are the people within the U.S. government really that bad?
https://sheril.substack.com/p/the-terrible-10-get-the-most-airtime #politics #blog #news
The "Terrible" 10% Get the Most Airtime
Much of what happens on Capitol Hill doesn’t make the news.Sheril Kirshenbaum (Unelected Representative)
Reading an otherwise excellent book, “Polarized America,” published in 2006. But this line strikes me as a bit naive through the lens of December 2023:
“there is simply no question to us that the United States is a far more tolerant place [than] it was fifty years ago.”
The authors couldn’t have imagined what - and who - was coming. #politics
“Following the #science” is not quite as simple or straightforward as it sounds.
https://sheril.substack.com/p/follow-the-science?r=1j872&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web #politics
"Follow the Science?"
Data isn't enough to achieve the best possible evidence-based policy outcomes.Sheril Kirshenbaum (Unelected Representative)
My research focuses on how senior congressional staffers in the U.S. make decisions on #science policy.
For over a year, I’ve been sifting through hours & hours & hours of transcripts from my interviews while analyzing the data & writing.
Now, it's time to begin sharing what I've learned... https://sheril.substack.com/p/lets-begin #politics
Let's Begin.
Within hundreds of pages of text from my interviews with senior congressional staffers are hours of insightful commentary.Sheril Kirshenbaum (Unelected Representative)
A few folks have asked for details on my last post & I realize many may not know I am finishing a Ph.D. related to how Congress makes science-related policy decisions. https://sheril.substack.com/p/a-dissertation-on-democracy
Nearly 20 years ago I worked in the Senate & now my research considers where staffers go for #science information & who they trust. The literature largely focuses on politicians, but staffers are responsible for policies w/o electoral accountability. I'll share more once it's published. #politics
A Dissertation on Democracy
Consider this the Cliffs NotesSheril Kirshenbaum (Unelected Representative)
"Most politicians are honest about not knowing enough science & rely on experts." [Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03706-y]
As someone writing a dissertation on where policymakers seek out information related to #science policy, I wholeheartedly disagree.
Scientists & other experts are not a top source for information. They're not even a 2nd or 3rd source. #politics
‘Politicians don’t understand science’: advisers give evidence at UK COVID inquiry
Patrick Vallance, Chris Witty and others reflect on advising the UK government during the ongoing investigation into the country’s pandemic response.Sanderson, Katharine
This week's comic: The things Mike Johnson has said are so over the top that I thought I might place him in the role of my flaming conservative character (hence the flames, in case anyone was wondering about that). It’s almost impossible to exaggerate this man’s theocratic worldview, so I tried to use actual quotes where I could.
#uspol #politics #cartoon #democracy #authoritarianism #republicans #theocracy #lgbtq
Ben Sargent's latest Loon Star State cartoon, from the July/August 2023 issue of Texas Observer magazine: https://www.texasobserver.org/issues/july-august-2023-abbotts-border-boondoggle/
#TexasNeedsAnObserver! Become a member and get our magazine, six times per year: https://texasobserver.org/join
#politics #news #USpol #Texas #GregAbbott #HB2127 #democracy #journalism #comics
Texas Observer July/August 2023: Abbott's Border Boondoggle
Delger Erdenesanaa looks at how Texas water plans ignore the climate. Justin Miller takes us into the growing problems of Greg Abbott's wall.The Texas Observer
Today is my dissertation proposal defense. That means I'll give a public lecture about my research in front of my committee.
As some folks may know, I'm doing another round of grad school, mid-career, focused on scientific decision making in the U.S. Congress https://sheril.substack.com/p/a-dissertation-on-democracy #science #politics
In terms of PhD-ing, this is kind of like the pregame. I passed my comprehensive exams last year & will officially defend my dissertation & finish this Fall. So here goes...
A Dissertation on Democracy
Consider this the Cliffs NotesSheril Kirshenbaum (Unelected Representative)
Happy #Newstodon Friday, a day to celebrate the journalists and publications on the #Fediverse.
This week, we're highlighting @justinmiller's deep investigation into the #pollution, corruption, and waste surrounding Greg Abbott's ever-growing #border-wall,. This is the cover story to the July/August 2023 magazine issue: https://www.texasobserver.org/abbotts-billion-dollar-barrier/
If you enjoy reading #news on Mastodon, remember to support outlets you love with donations & memberships.
#politics #HumanRights #immigration
Abbott's Billion-Dollar Barrier
Texas’ border wall is rearing its head—concerns about wildlife, public thrift, and property rights notwithstanding.Justin Miller (The Texas Observer)