Zohran Mamdani’s 5 Lessons for the Democrats

Posted on November 7, 2025

Mamdani’s appeal has little to do with just his youthful vibe. It lies in his answer to two questions the party keeps ducking. Can a Democrat hold attention without turning into a caricature? And once attention is captured, can it be used to make politics legible as a system that changes what people pay and how they live? His method blends traditions that rarely coexist: Bernie Sanders’s moral clarity, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s digital and movement cadence, the “abundance” instinct to build and unblock, the grounded competence of effective executives, and the narrative craft of cultural workers who know how to reach an audience. The point is not style for its own sake. It is persuasion as craft — showing that Democrats can hold the stage on the economy again, speak plainly about power, and still mean what they say.

Great article, but I’ll save you a click:

Start with substance. Frame the problem, then propose how to solve it.
With attention through conflict. Redirect towards your values without shying away from the fight.
Let style serve substance. Be earnest, try to win people over.
Meet Culture With Competence and Conviction. Use politics to show moral clarity without being sucked into the culture wars.
Keep the Loop Small Enough to Echo. Stay on message.

A DSA candidate can’t win everywhere, but his strategy can. I hope Dems pick up the right lessons here.

Turning the Battleship Around

Posted on November 5, 2025

Last night’s election results brought something I haven’t felt much of lately: hope. Across the country, Democrats notched big wins at nearly every level. From moderate centrists in swing districts to left-wing candidates like Zohran Mamdani in New York, the results suggest a broad coalition that finally seems to understand what’s at stake and how to win again.

For me, the most heartening thing wasn’t any single race, but the overall story these results tell. It’s proof that a wide tent approach still works. When Democrats focus on the issues that actually affect people – housing, healthcare, reproductive rights, education – and stop letting purity tests dictate who’s “acceptable,” they can appeal to the full spectrum of voters who are tired of chaos and extremism. Even in Georgia, two Democratic commissioners were elected, something that would have seemed improbable a decade ago. And with Prop 50 passing, there’s now a real path for Democrats to take back the House next year. That’s not nothing.

It’s tempting, in moments like this, to get swept up in optimism. After years of bad headlines and creeping authoritarianism, any sign of progress feels like a lifeline. But the truth is that winning elections is only the beginning. Governing effectively, and undoing the damage of the Trump era, is going to take years of unglamorous, detail-oriented work. As Derek Thompson wrote, “turning the tide is different from cleaning up the mess.” And there’s a lot of mess to clean up.

We’re still living in a country where basic democratic norms are under attack, where media outlets thrive on outrage instead of facts, and where trust in institutions is at an all-time low. Even if last night signals a shift in momentum, we’re nowhere near out of the woods. It’s going to take more than one good election cycle to rebuild faith in democracy and create lasting progress. But for now, it’s okay to feel good. It’s okay to take a night to appreciate that people showed up – in red states and blue states alike – and said “enough.” Enough with the cruelty, the lies, the obsession with culture wars over actual governance. Enough with pretending that politics is a sport instead of a system meant to improve lives.

The energy from last night feels different because it was broad, not narrow. The party didn’t just win in deep-blue enclaves; it won across ideological lines. This Jacobin piece on Mamdani’s victory made a point that stuck with me: his win wasn’t in spite of his progressive message, but because he connected that message to material issues people care about. Affordable housing. Tenant rights. Public transit. In other words, things that make people’s lives better. That’s it. That’s the roadmap. Democrats don’t need to reinvent themselves; they just need to remember who they’re supposed to serve.

The Numlock News newsletter summed it up well: this was a night where pragmatism beat panic. Candidates who focused on governing and protecting freedoms, not on scoring ideological points, were rewarded. If that lesson sticks, maybe this is the beginning of a real shift. Of course, there’s still a mountain ahead. Winning elections doesn’t guarantee progress, and the forces that brought us to this moment (media polarization, political apathy, structural inequality, social media and more) aren’t going away overnight. For all we know, the damage is too deep to fully repair.

But it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a political story that made me feel something other than dread. Let’s be honest – things are still on life support. But last night, watching the results roll in, seeing communities stand up and say they’ve had enough of MAGA extremism, it was a small reminder that this country isn’t beyond saving. We just have to keep showing up, keep doing the work, and keep choosing leaders who understand that politics isn’t about ego or purity. It’s about people.

For now, I’ll take the win. It’s nice to see good news for a change.

Texas and Florida Have Become National Models for Using the Police State To Wage Culture War Battles

Posted on October 13, 2025

From C.J. Ciaramella at Reason Magazine:

This phenomenon started in the states, and none have pursued it with more intensity than Florida and Texas, where governors and legislatures have competed to show that they're fighting the hardest against what they call "woke" excess and leftist hegemony. Now this style of governance—using criminal law, mass surveillance, tip lines, and the threat of police violence to wage the culture war—is going national. This doesn't just implicate the freedom of trans people or high schoolers who want to read Toni Morrison; it's a danger to every American who wants to live, work, and travel without being monitored and menaced by the state.

You probably don’t need me to tell you how scary this stuff is if you play it out. For most of my adult life, conservative-leaning folks have told me how important “freedom” is, and slowly but surely we’ve seen what they actually mean by that. Freedom for them to live how they want, and for the rest of us to fall in line.

We’re watching the slow legislation of morality, where lawmakers use “values” as a cover for control. None of it is about protecting anyone – it’s about enforcing a single worldview. What’s worse is that most of these laws don’t even need to hold up in court to do damage. The vagueness is the point. People self-censor, schools and libraries overreact, and the chilling effect spreads quietly and efficiently.

This is not what freedom looks like. And it’s not an accident. We’ve allowed a warped definition of freedom to take hold, one that means “my comfort matters more than your rights.” Whether by design or by ignorance, it’s become the rallying cry of people who have been convinced that equality is an attack on their way of life.

I can’t help but think about how much of this has been fueled by media that profits off fear and outrage.Looking back over the past 25 years, it’s clear that FOX News & social media algorithms will be blamed for whatever state we end up in. They’ve trained people to see enemies around every corner. It’s poisoning our politics and our relationships, and it’s only getting worse because division keeps the clicks coming.

We have to start pushing back. Not in abstract ways or clever tweets, but through the simple blocking and tackling of democracy. Call your representatives – seriously, it’s easy and only takes a few minutes. Vote in local elections. Speak up when you see injustice or when government steps into places it doesn’t belong. Staying quiet because it feels hopeless is exactly what they’re counting on.

If we don’t draw the line now, we may wake up one day in a country that still calls itself free but no longer remembers what that word ever meant.

VW ID.4, 6 Months Later

Posted on October 5, 2025

Back in February I wrote about my growing frustration with Tesla ownership. The Model 3 gave me super fun acceleration but also things like squeaks, cheap materials, a cramped trunk, and the constant feeling that I was driving a rolling advertisement for Elon Musk. Every time I saw the news, I thought about selling what some were already calling a “swasticar.” Eventually, I did. I traded it in for a Volkswagen ID.4, hoping for a more practical car that still happened to be electric.

Six months later, I can say the change has been worth it. The ID.4 feels better made in almost every way. The doors close with a satisfying thud, the seats are comfortable, and the cabin materials feel solid. It is not luxury, but it does not need to be. Most importantly, it is roomy. I can pack up camping gear for Cub and Boy Scout trips with my kids without the frustrating trunk shuffle I had to do with the Tesla. Day-to-day errands are easier too, and that counts for a lot.

The range estimates have also been a pleasant surprise. Tesla’s trip computer always started too high and then walked itself back to reality, which made it hard to trust. The VW learns your driving style and gives you a number that feels accurate from the start. That little bit of honesty makes the car easier to live with.

I also appreciate that the VW feels like a car first and an EV second. Tesla always leaned into its identity as a tech product on wheels, for better and worse. The ID.4 has a driver display with speed, range, and navigation right where you expect it, and a second screen that handles CarPlay and maps. I do not miss the giant tablet-only approach.

That said, the VW is not perfect. The inside door handles sometimes need two pulls to actually open, which gets old quickly – this is something that happened due to a recall handle replacement, and I’m considering going back to the dealer to get worked out. CarPlay can take a minute or two to connect if the car has been sitting for a while, which is a long silence at the start of a drive. And the software that controls scheduled charging almost never works the way it should. I like to charge during off-peak hours, especially in the summer, but the car often ignores the schedule. If I forget to reset it when I get home, I end up paying much higher rates. It feels like I am fighting the software instead of trusting it.

Then there are the smaller annoyances: the car shuts off the moment you stand up from the driver’s seat unless you press a button to keep things running, the range tops out around 240 miles compared to the 350 I used to get, regen braking has to be toggled on every time, and the cameras are lower quality with no side-view support for lane changes. None of these ruin the car, but they remind you this is still an early-generation EV.

Even with the quirks, I am glad I switched. The ID.4 is comfortable, practical, and much less stressful to drive than my Tesla ever was. More importantly, I no longer feel like my car says something about me that I do not want it to say. My plan is to hang onto this one for a few years, then see what the next wave of EVs looks like. I still have my eye on what Rivian and Honda are up to. But for now, sanity restored.

Wind Downs and Ramp Ups

Posted on September 28, 2025

Left to my own devices, my short term memory is a sieve. Without routine, structure, and a trusted system, I’d probably end up in a ditch somewhere wondering why my calendar looked empty while my Slack was on fire.

What saves me isn’t a clever productivity hack or the latest app. It’s the rituals I repeat every day at the edges of work. How I start and how I finish. Those bookends keep me sane.

Why Edges Matter

Cal Newport once wrote about his “work shutdown ritual,” where he ends each day by deliberately closing the loop on everything and saying out loud: schedule shutdown, complete. The phrase doesn’t matter so much as what it represents. It’s a moment of finality, a way to tell your brain the day is over.

That resonated with me. If I don’t start the day intentionally, the day runs me. If I don’t end it cleanly, I keep gnawing on unfinished tasks long after I’ve shut my laptop. My routines are the boundaries that give me the space for deep work in the middle. So, I’ve created a way to help me stay on track with my busy workweeks as an engineering manager.

My Ramp Up

Most mornings begin the same way. Coffee, a deep breath, and about half an hour of getting my bearings. Things is the first stop. Everything I need to remember lives there, from big projects to tiny half-formed reminders. If something enters my head, it goes in the system. No exceptions. After reading Getting Things Done a few decades ago, the idea of a trusted system has always resonated with me, and Things hits the sweet spot of beauty, power and availability for me.

I spend those morning minutes reviewing what’s in front of me, shuffling things around, and deciding on the one to three tasks that matter most that day. That’s the trick. Not ten, not a sprawling list of hopes and dreams. Just the handful of things that will make the day feel like progress if I get them done. I’ll carve out space on my calendar to actually do them, which keeps me from just living in meetings and email. Honestly, there are some days where I’m bursting at the seams with upcoming meetings that I might only have 1 to-do item on the list. The key is about being realistic with yourself so the list remains important.

By the time I’m finished, I know what matters and I can trust that everything else has been captured for later. That trust is what clears my head enough to focus.

My Wind Down

The other side of the day looks similar in spirit, if not in details. I give myself the last thirty minutes to put everything in order. I’ll glance at my remaining tasks and either finish them, move them, or add enough notes so I know where to pick up tomorrow. I’ll close the browser tabs that have multiplied during the day, scan through email and Slack, and leave things in a state where nothing feels half-open. If I close a browser tab that has something key in it, I’ll capture it as a to-do item for the next morning.

I’ve skipped this routine before, and I always pay for it. Instead of resting, I’ll be at dinner remembering some stray Slack message I didn’t respond to, or lying in bed trying to reconstruct what I forgot to capture. My personal belief is simple: when I’m working, I give everything I’ve got. When I’m done, I want to actually enjoy my time off. This system is what makes that possible.

The Payoff

The middle of the day is always messy. That’s just the nature of work, especially knowledge work where you’re responsible for tons of projects and people. But these routines give me bookends I can rely on. A calm, deliberate start and a clean, decisive stop. They keep stress low, protect my focus, and let me walk away confident that I’ve done what matters.

New tariff rules bring ‘maximum chaos’ as surprise charges hit consumers

Posted on September 9, 2025

From NBC News:

Some U.S. shoppers say they are being hit with surprise charges from international shipping carriers as the exemption on import duties for items under $800 expires as a part of President Donald Trump’s tariff push.

Hear me out … it’s almost like this administration is incompetent and doesn’t have our best interests in mind. In a world where one wanted to roll out tariffs to achieve their goals but also manage in a way that doesn’t choke out economic activity, they would likely do so in a staggered way that allowed businesses and consumers to plan both purchasing decisions as well as investment strategy around factory relocations, etc.

I personally have been hit by a number of these types of fees recently and I have zero clue what the real cost will be until a few days before delivery. The things I’m working with are minor consumer purchases. I can only imagine if I were trying to run a business.

Google concedes the open web is in “rapid decline”

Posted on September 8, 2025

From In court filing, Google concedes the open web is in “rapid decline”:

If the increasingly AI-heavy open web isn't worth advertisers' attention, is it really right to claim the web is thriving as Google so often does? Google's filing may simply be admitting to what we all know: the open web is supported by advertising, and ads increasingly can't pay the bills. And is that a thriving web? Not unless you count AI slop.

No matter how Google spins this in a very narrow sense, it’s very concerning to see how quickly AI generated content is drowning out content on the web. Feels like Facebook and other companies integrating AI into their posting tools are only hastening the demise of their platforms.

America Tips Into Fascism

Posted on August 26, 2025

From Garrett Graff at Doomsday Scenario:

I think many Americans wrongly believe there would be one clear unambiguous moment where we go from “democracy” to “authoritarianism.” Instead, this is exactly how it happens — a blurring here, a norm destroyed there, a presidential diktat unchallenged. Then you wake up one morning and our country is different.

It’s easy to imagine fascism as some big, dramatic moment: a coup, a speech, a breaking point. What Garrett Graff argues in this piece is more unsettling. We don’t wake up one morning to a dictatorship. We slide into it bit by bit. Norms get bent, then broken. Power gets consolidated. Institutions get bullied into silence. And by the time you look around, the country doesn’t quite work the way you thought it did.

What makes this feel different now is how normal the abnormal has become. Governors sending troops into opposition-run cities, armored vehicles rolling down D.C. streets, federal agencies harassing critics. It is all happening in plain sight. And many are celebrating the cruelty! Graff’s warning isn’t that fascism is coming someday, it is that it is already here in pieces. And that should alarm everyone, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum. The scary part is how easy it is to stop noticing when each step just feels like the new baseline.

Avoiding Algorithms

Posted on August 26, 2025

It’s wild how in the last 15 years we have given over almost all of our entertainment and information diet over to corporations who use algorithms to ensure we spend more and more of our attention in their sandbox. More often than not, these changes are a net negative. That sounds dramatic, but think about it: how often do you open an app “just to check one thing” and find yourself half an hour later feeling worse than when you started? Hell, how many times do we open said app after a push notification invited us to do so? We get sucked into these systems in ways we don’t intend.

The outcomes aren’t subtle either. People get radicalized, feel depressed, follow rage bait, fight pointless culture wars, and consume an endless feed of vibes-based, samey music and video slop designed to keep us clicking, watching and listening.

This shows up in a ton of places, especially where we are entertained and informed:

Music (endless playlists and “for you” mixes that all sound alike)
News (anger drives clicks, so anger dominates)
Social media (engagement above all else)
Streaming video & YouTube (just one more recommended clip!)
Reddit and forums (dopamine hits from karma and hot takes)

None of these categories are inherently bad. Music streaming is an incredible bargain. YouTube can teach you almost anything. Social networks can connect you with real community. But the defaults are tuned for addiction, not for your well-being.

So how do we stay intentional about what we consume without becoming hermits? A few things I’ve been focusing on lately:

Take back your music. Apps like Albums or Longplay are great for focusing on the music you chose, not whatever the algorithm feeds you. Advanced mode? Buy your music outright and play it on something offline. I’ve legitimately considered tracking down a last-gen iPod Classic — though I do love my Bluetooth headphones too much to go full retro. (Apple bringing back an iPod in the age of streaming is probably a pipe dream, but I’d be first in line.)
Use RSS. It’s still the best way to follow sites, YouTube channels, subreddits, and even individual social accounts without surrendering to a feed. Tools like Reeder or Tapestry can help bring it all together.
Rely on people, for reccomendations. Want a good movie to watch? Services like Letterboxd let you see what your friends enjoyed instead of what Netflix thinks will keep you awake longest.
Avoid algorithm-first social media. Bluesky, Mastodon, Pixelfed — all of these prioritize community and human choice over recommendation engines. Or, if none of it serves you, quit entirely.

For me, the general guiding principle is that I need to pause and ask whether the thing in front of you is content you actually sought out, or “content” being pushed at you by a company whose only metric is time spent in-app.

One last angle that’s not algorithmic but still worth calling out: audiobooks over podcasts. For me, podcasts increasingly feel like junk food – especially in politics- where so much is just topical rage bait. Audiobooks, on the other hand, feel like vegetables: a slower, more nourishing way to spend time listening.

We’re never going to escape algorithms completely. But if we can recognize where they’re shaping our attention and make small choices to push back, we stand a better chance of keeping them from running our lives.