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Ryan LaRochelle

@rlarochelle

Senior Lecturer at the Cohen Institute for Leadership and Public Service at the University of Maine. Researching and teaching about American political development and political history. Views are mine, not my employer's. https://www.ryanlarochelle.com

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Latest posts by Ryan LaRochelle @rlarochelle

And why does he always speak in the cadence of a complete dork trying to perform slam poetry?

13.03.2026 15:30 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

This all sounds so awesome. What an incredible opportunity for your students!

12.03.2026 23:32 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Nicki Minaj’s social media propped up by thousands of bots, analysis finds An analysis shared with POLITICO reveals the rap sensation’s advocacy for conservative causes has been amplified by an army of bots and coordinated activity.

Have to imagine it's quite widespread www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

12.03.2026 20:51 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I think we all dramatically underestimate how much rage-baiting is done by bot accounts on all platforms.

12.03.2026 20:32 πŸ‘ 10 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

There have been so many opportunities for sane voices in the GOP to break with Trump, the most obvious being right after Jan. 6. But if they don't break with him now, when he is a profoundly unpopular lame duck steering the nation toward a chaotic and destructive future, then there is no hope.

12.03.2026 16:02 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Government run by the smug bros who try to bullshit their way through a class discussion without doing the reading. The US is a profoundly unserious country, and the consequences are disastrous.

12.03.2026 15:46 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
An email screenshot of a shipping notification for the book Migration and the Origins of American Citizenship by Anna Law

An email screenshot of a shipping notification for the book Migration and the Origins of American Citizenship by Anna Law

@unlawfulentries.bsky.social It’s happening!

12.03.2026 11:33 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

These seem like pretty solid questions for high school students, especially in today's day and age.

12.03.2026 01:40 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

Look around. The case for more, not less, liberal arts education is stronger than ever.

11.03.2026 18:58 πŸ‘ 85 πŸ” 24 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

Sure would be nice if the people swearing oaths to the Constitution knew what the document said...

12.03.2026 00:02 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I think 90% of my skeets have typos.

12.03.2026 00:01 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Time to update the ol' CV!

11.03.2026 17:39 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

My general take is that the "perpetual preemption" argument he lays out at the end of the Politics Presidents Make is pretty accurate. In revising that in subsequent editions of Presidential Leadership and Political Time, he has tried to resuscitate the original theory, which no longer holds.

11.03.2026 17:34 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I assigned this during for the class!

11.03.2026 15:52 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

My students and I have lots of thoughts on whether Skowronek's political time framework still applies in contemporary America, but I think his distinction between power and authority remains insightful for all domains of leadership, not merely the presidency.

11.03.2026 15:48 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Opinion | Trump Is the Anti-Trump

I just wrapped up a section on Skowronek's political time framework, and this @jamellebouie.net piece nicely articulates the fundamental distinction between presidential power and presidential authority. All presidents have power, but not all have authority. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/o...

11.03.2026 15:46 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

There was a guy that worked with me at the Yankees, he had NO ARMS. He got more work done than I did! Made more money. Had a wife, a family. Drove a better car than I did!

10.03.2026 01:54 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Example number of infinity of the sheer lack of seriousness of any of these folks.

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/o...

09.03.2026 17:57 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

One of the annoying pro-AI claims is that we in higher ed need to teach students to use AI tools or they will be left behind. Students in the 21st century need a lot of skills to succeed, it's not my responsibility to teach all of them. They can learn AI somewhere else, I'll teach them how to think.

09.03.2026 17:35 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Without discounting the serious threat Trump as an individual presents for American democracy, I think that Congressional Republicans' abdication of their constitutional obligations is the most serious problem in American politics.

09.03.2026 00:42 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

It’s weird to think about how devices and technology have shrunk the world for the youngest adult generation. Part of this is a lack of reading, studying, and interacting beyond devices.

08.03.2026 17:49 πŸ‘ 21 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 0

We have one gas and one electric. I’ll be driving the electric a lot more often!

07.03.2026 01:10 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I cross paths with a philosophy colleague several times a week. He stopped and told me about how the residents of Konigsberg would keep time by tracking Immanuel Kant’s rigid daily schedule, which he compared to our frequent meetings walking to and from class. I guess that makes me Immanuel Kant.

07.03.2026 01:09 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Treating real war like a Call of Duty Twitch stream isn't helping anyone.

04.03.2026 18:14 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

ngl this is probably the most useful thing I've made thus far, a comprehensive feed equivalent of paper-picnic.com

20.02.2026 18:18 πŸ‘ 20 πŸ” 12 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

This is terrific! Thank you!

04.03.2026 16:39 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Talking about "warfighters" and "violence" over and over just shows that you don't know anything beyond your pre-selected talking points.

04.03.2026 16:36 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

One of the things that bothers me so much about contemporary politics is how degraded political discourse has become and how unserious so many leaders are. These decisions are incredibly consequential, yet so many of the folks running the show are just not serious people. Politics is not a game.

04.03.2026 16:35 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I absolutely hate this new development. I just want to read the news. I don't want to see someone reading it to me.

04.03.2026 16:15 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Working on a biography about former SecDef Bill Cohen, and then logging on and seeing this guy really shows how far this nation has fallen in the last three decades.

04.03.2026 13:51 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0