There are certainly reasons to run even if you don't expect to win, but doing that instead of working has very limited upsides. And those are generally connected to how popular your campaign is.
A Trump DOJ lawyer trying to primary Omar as a Dem isn't going to be popular.
It's a baffling choice to me in both cases. A super long-shot campaign is not a good substitute for a job. It's unlikely to achieve the candidate's real goals and is a hugely stressful and difficult thing to do. And even if you aren't self-funding, it's a gargantuan thief of time and energy.
I'm running for Congress in a roughly similar situation (although I'm a Dem running in a red district, similarly massively uphill campaign). My primary opponent is herself in a somewhat analogous position; she lost her job to DOGE and picked a congressional campaign as her next project.
Long-term memory is woke
We just wrapped up our big candidate forum at Washington Days in Topeka. Excited to see some of the strongest candidates to come forwards in Kansas in decades.
Stay tuned for video!
#bluewave #colinforkansas #midterm #kansas #politics
I borrowed Mr. Technopants, my son Ox's Lego creation, to help explain how ICE is violating the rights of Americans--and why it's a problem for Americans even if only immigrants were being abused.
youtu.be/5gJRwurl4NI
What problem is Trump's new global 10% tariff meant to solve?
If it's about leverage, ask: How much leverage do you get from a tariff that disappears in 150 days?
If it's onshoring: Who builds new factories based on tariff that disappear before the factory is built?
It's a tax. That's all it is.
Firms are gearing up for the Refund Wars now. We're likely to see billions transferred from government to corporate coffers. And good! The taxes were illegal.
But *consumers* shouldered much of the tariff burden. And won't get those refunds.
A massive wealth transfer from consumers to investors.
I teach business law to business students. I show them this video, and ask which witness listened to his lawyer? Which witness is going to get stabbed by his lawyer?
youtu.be/bqpot5VNobY?...
This is the one and only way anyone should emulate Robin Thicke.
I teach business law to business students. I show them this video, and ask which witness listened to his lawyer? Which witness is going to get stabbed by his lawyer?
youtu.be/bqpot5VNobY?...
This is the one and only way anyone should emulate Robin Thicke.
I've been writing my U.S. Rep, Tracey Mann, every day for 49 days and he has not responded to me about why he doesn't support Uncapping the House. Now, @colinmcroberts.bsky.social, who is running against him in the upcoming midterm election, SUPPORTS UNCAPPING THE HOUSE OH SNAP #projectnocap
An infographic laying out the rationale for uncapping the House of Representatives, increasing the number of districts to bring each representative closer to their constituents.
An interesting reform we're starting to push for is uncapping the House of Representatives, making each district roughly 500k people. (It's about 750k now, with some up to a million.)
Yes it’s Valentine’s Day. But it’s also the chosen birthday of Frederick Douglass who was born in 1818 on a plantation in Talbot County, Maryland. He escaped from slavery & rose to become the most eloquent and forceful voice for the abolition of slavery & for Black voting rights in the U.S.
I made it with Canva, I think that makes it fair game
Getting the word out as a candidate: we can curb ICE violence by amending Section 1983, holding feds to the same standards as local cops.
www.cjonline.com/story/opinio...
CDC tweet with just 100 likes reading, "Framing measles as an American policy failure is inaccurate and misleading. Under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s leadership, the CDC has surged resources, including vaccines and therapeutics, nationwide to support state and local response efforts and contain outbreaks. We are setting the global standard for public health. -Dr. Ralph Abraham, CDC’s Principal Deputy Director"
I don't know that Twitter numbers mean much anymore, but I was sure surprised to see the CDC fall so flat in its defense of RFK.
Some of the replies are blowing up, but not even the MAGA/MAHA dead-enders are enthusiastic about this.
They probably were thinking of Daniel Craig.
Doing a TikTok town hall for my congressional campaign, and I'm pleased to report that the young people are sharp, observant, and unafraid to tell important truths.
Over 1,200 miles in the car this weekend, to and from the far corners of Kansas. Up by 5 and home after midnight, making every hour count: tabling with the party, meeting supporters, lecturing on negotiation strategy, and seeing a bald eagle strike.
God, I love Kansas.
Texas today, Kansas in November! @colinmcroberts.bsky.social
I don't see a First Amendment problem with prohibiting public employees from being paid for their speech, but hopefully @stevesilberman.bsky.social @kenwhite.bsky.social or other lawyers with deeper insight into 1A law can check me if I'm over my skies here.
I ran this question past an investigative reporter whose work I admire, and it turns out this is something journalists have been looking into with little success.
No one seems to know if accounts like @CMDROpAtLargeCA on X are monetized.
Think maybe Congress should make sure they aren't?
Not a ban on engaging, just on accepting payment.
I think a useful policy even if X doesn't pay the obvious offenders, since it would apply to (inter alia) anonymous alt accounts. But I want to figure out what the current practice is.
For context, I'm asking because as a candidate for public office I'm thinking about effective, realistic, beneficial policies. A ban on public employees above a certain level (such as the Hatch line) personally profiting from engagement on social media, for example.
Question for people who know about social media business practices: is X paying public employees for engagement? My understanding is that private shit-stirrers can make significant money for posts that drive engagement. What about Bovino, Hegseth, etc.? Anyone know what X's practices are?
