Bennett Gilbert's avatar

Bennett Gilbert

@bennettgilbert.bsky.social

612 followers 757 following 6266 posts

I am a philosopher of history and ethics, at Portland State University. pdx.academia.edu/BennettGilbert.
I post here mostly on politics, history, and philosophy; and things I enjoy because they are important, beautiful, interesting, fun, or dear.

Reposted by Bennett Gilbert

Chris Hayes's avatar Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social
[ View ]

There's a world on the other side of this with a huge, vibrant, unionized and high-paying industrial base remaking the physical world for the post-fossil fuel age. It's already starting and I think even Trump can't *fully* destroy it, but he can slow it down and make us lag wayyy behind.

8 replies 37 reposts 310 likes

Reposted by Bennett Gilbert

Ed's avatar Ed @notdred.bsky.social
[ View ]

I gotta say that people are having a lot of trouble distinguishing cognitive decline (Trump) from age-related changes in expression (Biden). Biden is elderly and talks like it. Trump literally does not have preserved reality-testing

16 replies 110 reposts 497 likes

Reposted by Bennett Gilbert

Moira Donegan's avatar Moira Donegan @moiradonegan.bsky.social
[ View ]

“He took away abortion and he wants to be a dictator” should be plastered on every surface and blaring out of every speaker.

10 replies 237 reposts 882 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

Yes! If you've seen it in a loved one---esp. Lewy Body Dementia---, you know that it's not the case here.

0 replies 0 reposts 6 likes

Reposted by Bennett Gilbert

Gregg Gonsalves's avatar Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social
[ View ]

You know what? Go on about Biden's age and debate performance. Me? I'll focus on the existential threat that Donald Trump and his minions represent. We all have limited time and energy. Do you really want to spend July and August talking about Biden's infirmity? Do you really think this is helping?

2 replies 20 reposts 95 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

Over on Xitter, Musk is demanding the death penalty for everyone who disagrees with him by opposing Mike Johnson's voting bill, the "SAVE" Act. I kid you not.

0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

There's no such thing as an "acting VP." You just made that up.

1 replies 1 reposts 1 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

I just learned that the wonderful Holocaust historian and philosopher of history Alan Confino died two weeks ago. RIP.

1 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

A step toward fascism: "Trump has endorsed a suite of proposals that...pressure officials in major cities to employ more aggressive policing tactics, such as “stop & frisk,” ...; and strengthen legal protection for law-enforcement officers accused of misconduct."
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

0 replies 0 reposts 2 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

Ah, I see. Thank you! I got it from Sleeper himself. I'll re-post.

0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

"The flag may for a time carry with it race supremacism but only blood will perpetuate race domination."---Joseph P. Widney (1907), one of the most prominent American racist theorists, stating something that is true: racism requires violence.

0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

Reading that Jill Biden is stepping in as Evita or that Hunter is taking mtgs when Joe naps does not soothe me. No one voted for them or for nepotism.

1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

We should remember that one reason Brazil elected Bolsonaro is that his opponent, Temer, was in his 80s and appeared feeble.

0 replies 1 reposts 1 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

When neo-liberal technocrats rule, people become deeply disaffected because their policies do not value human well-being. Fascists get their hooks into the electorate, appealing to their resentment and turning it into hatred. Thus the Dem establishment has put the nation into terrible peril.

0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

"In most ways, this tendency of Biden’s has made for a resilient, healthy psyche. Right now it is his psychological prison, a mental habit that might doom American democracy."---Franklin Foer
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

"The GOP is going to try to thread the 2016 electoral needle again. They couldn't care less if their guy is a mentally deranged cretin, as long as he can pull down 271. Dems need ice water in their veins right now, not love for any one candidate."---Tom Nichols

0 replies 1 reposts 3 likes

Reposted by Bennett Gilbert

Daniel Gilmore's avatar Daniel Gilmore @gilmored85.bsky.social
[ View ]

I live in Hell’s Kitchen and the sidewalk expansions on 8th Ave have been an absolute godsend for managing pedestrian traffic. What is it with Eric Adams and his desire to do the most unpopular, counterproductive shit possible?

2 replies 1 reposts 11 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

Yes. Instead of doing so only in the last months of a second term. We need someone in the position you describe right now.

1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Reposted by Bennett Gilbert

Aaron Rupar's avatar Aaron Rupar @atrupar.bsky.social
[ View ]

New in PN: Charlie Sykes on the GOP's Trump cult "A lot of us worried that embracing Trump would corrupt the Republican Party, but I don’t think any of us realized the depths of it. I don’t know how the party comes back from that."

6 replies 14 reposts 73 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

The Dem candidates + supporters have to start calling SCOTUS "the trump Court."

0 replies 0 reposts 3 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

"With 3rd party choices, NYT/@SienaResearch survey shows Biden holding 75% of his 2020 voters & winning just 19% of voters who did not vote in 2020. In the poll, Trump holds 88% of his 2020 voters & wins 1/3 of the new voters."---Ron Brownstein

0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

Reposted by Bennett Gilbert

Your Internet Friend Tom Tomorrow's avatar Your Internet Friend Tom Tomorrow @tomtomorrow.bsky.social
[ View ]

The New York Times Crisis of Confidence: badly shaken in the wake of bad editorial decisions, many are calling for the paper to resign.

20 replies 338 reposts 1500 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

They need a lot of these expensive hours to copy and paste and paste their recommendations that their previous uni client close humanities to their report for the next uni client

0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Reposted by Bennett Gilbert

Erin Bartram's avatar Erin Bartram @erinbartram.bsky.social
[ View ]

maybe we could have a news story about a policy proposal some day. as a treat.

3 replies 26 reposts 166 likes

Reposted by Bennett Gilbert

Kevin Korb's avatar Kevin Korb @kbkorb.bsky.social
[ View ]

Of course, it's possible to prosecute criminal presidents. The first step is to get rid of this deranged Supreme Court.

0 replies 1 reposts 3 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

“SCOTUS is not out of shoes to drop on this issue. When it comes up again—and it almost certainly will—the Court may yet find Trump enjoys absolute immunity for all of his official acts, core and non-core alike.”
www.thebulwark.com/p/prosecute-...

1 replies 1 reposts 6 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

"Under new Court decision conversations with DOJ & president are absolutely immune as core presidential actions. Installing an AG who will announce a bogus fraud investigation? Under the Roberts decision the answer appears to be yes."---Andrew Weissman

1 replies 1 reposts 3 likes

Bennett Gilbert's avatar Bennett Gilbert @bennettgilbert.bsky.social
[ View ]

The GOP courts are already using the loss of the Chevron defense to hamstring efforts to protect our well-being:
"The Biden administration cannot enforce new anti-discrimination rules in health care for transgender Americans, a federal judge in Mississippi has ruled, "
www.cnn.com/2024/07/03/p...

1 replies 2 reposts 2 likes