Alex Smith
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apsmith2.bsky.social
Alex Smith
@apsmith2.bsky.social
460 followers 220 following 41 posts
Assistant Professor of Instruction at University of Iowa. Congress, Political Negotiation, & APD.
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Reposted by Alex Smith
apsa.bsky.social
Now Open! Submit papers for the 18th APSA Teaching & Learning Conference, to explore the theme "Building Bridges: Dialogue and Discovery in Political Science."

📍Portland, Oregon | February 5-7

Submit by October 7th!
buff.ly/AOMVnAq #APSATLC
Now Open: Call for Proposals for the 2027 APSA Teaching and Learning Conference (TLC)
Join political science teacher-scholars and students for a unique meeting to promote greater understanding of high-impact practices and innovative methodologies for the political science classroom.
buff.ly
September 17, 2026 at 3:01 PM
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cmewing.bsky.social
Did he...copy the 1948 Schlesinger poll and add in a couple contemporary presidents?
August 28, 2026 at 1:01 AM
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jonathanmladd.com
If you can make words mean whatever you want them to mean, there is no law and no constitution.
politico.com Politico @politico.com · Jul 13
Trump formally notified lawmakers this weekend that the nation is once again at war with Iran, giving his administration another 60-day clock to use the military in the region without congressional approval.
Trump notifies Congress of new war against Iran
President Donald Trump's notification that the U.S. is again at war with Iran gives the administration another 60-day clock for military action.
www.politico.com
July 13, 2026 at 9:05 PM
Reposted by Alex Smith
sjjphd.bsky.social
Just here to post this again like I do every year, not only because Douglass was one of the founding philosophers of American liberty but because I am so moved by the kids

Frederick Douglass’ descendants deliver “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July”
‘What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?’: Descendants Read Frederick Douglass' Speech | NPR
YouTube video by NPR
youtu.be
July 3, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Reposted by Alex Smith
unlawfulentries.bsky.social
Oxford has Migration and the Origins of American Citizenship temporarily discounted if you want to grab it for $20.99 instead of the full price of $29.99.
global.oup.com
July 3, 2026 at 11:20 AM
Reposted by Alex Smith
jessicabriedl.bsky.social
NEW from me. Each year, 100-200 young people message me seeking career advice. So I wrote a guide for younger people seeking a career in the Washington D.C. policy community.

It includes 4 main keys to landing your first DC job or internship, & career advice. www.jessicariedl.blog/p/so-you-wan...
So You Want to Work in Washington D.C.?
Advice for Aspiring Policy Analysts
www.jessicariedl.blog
July 2, 2026 at 8:22 PM
Reposted by Alex Smith
jenvictor.bsky.social
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is what made the US the closest it’s ever come to aspirational democracy. Shelby County v. Holder (2013) undid a major provision of VRA. Today, the Callais decision twists the knife deeper.
stevevladeck.bsky.social Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · Apr 29
Second (and last) #SCOTUS ruling is the big one, Louisiana v. Callais.

For a 6-3 majority (Rs v. Ds), Justice Alito purports to narrow the ability of states to draw majority-minority districts as a remedy for race-based vote dilution, but, per Kagan's dissent, comes pretty close to gutting the VRA:
www.supremecourt.gov
April 29, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Alex Smith
apsmith2.bsky.social
My book From Gridlock to Governance is now available for pre-order in hardcover! If you are interested in how and why policy change occurs or the strategies legislators use in negotiations, you’ll enjoy this book! Use code PALAUT for 20% off.

link.springer.com/book/9783032...
Orange book cover for From Gridlock to Governance by Alex P. Smith
March 26, 2026 at 1:08 PM
apsmith2.bsky.social
My book From Gridlock to Governance is now available for pre-order in hardcover! If you are interested in how and why policy change occurs or the strategies legislators use in negotiations, you’ll enjoy this book! Use code PALAUT for 20% off.

link.springer.com/book/9783032...
Orange book cover for From Gridlock to Governance by Alex P. Smith
March 26, 2026 at 1:08 PM
Reposted by Alex Smith
jandrewsinclair.bsky.social
This is a sign of the complete moral failure of our society. AP report. apnews.com/article/suic...
Detainee says guards bet on suicide Like other detainees, Ramsingh said that between cleanings the rooms, restrooms and showers were often filthy and infested with insects. He said detainees stole others’ food because everyone was hungry due to the small and sometimes inedible meals, which led to fights, and the conditions took a toll on his mental health. At one point he said he overheard a security guard talking about bets made among the staff over which detainee would be next to die by suicide. The guard said he had paid $500 into a pool, with the total pot riding on the outcome. The talk was particularly jarring, he said, because he had contemplated suicide himself.
March 7, 2026 at 10:09 PM
Reposted by Alex Smith
matthewstiegler.bsky.social
Federalist 51: “But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others.”

Behold, the fatal error.
But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department, the necessary constitutional means, and personal motives, to resist encroachments of the others. The provision for defence must in this, as in all other cases, be made commensurate to the danger of attack. Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to controul the abuses of government. But what is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controuls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: You must first enable the government to controul the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to controul itself. A dependence on the people is no doubt the primary controul on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions. This policy of supplying by opposite and rival interests, the defect of better motives, might be traced through the whole system of human affairs, private as well as public. We see it particularly displayed in all the subordinate distributions of power; where the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that each may be a check on the other; that the private interest of every individual, may be a centinel over the public rights. These inventions of prudence cannot be less requisite in the distribution of the supreme powers of the state. But it is not possible to give to each department an equal power of self defence. In republican government the legislative authority, necessarily, predominates. The remedy for this inconveni…
February 28, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Reposted by Alex Smith
www.jrrjokien.com
February 28, 2026 at 4:34 PM
apsmith2.bsky.social
Added a category for 5 tracks:

Singles: Out of the Woods (TV), 22, You Belong with Me
Ballad: All Too Well (10 minute version)
Title track: Fearless
Feature: Exile
Deep Cut: Death by a Thousand Cuts
Opener: Ready for it?
Closer: Long Live
5 track: You’re on Your Own Kid
Wildcard: Marjorie
mikegolicjr.bsky.social Mike Golic Jr @mikegolicjr.bsky.social · Feb 14
friend of mine sent me this "build your ideal Taylor Swift Album" prompt and ngl I cooked.

Singles: Mean, IKYWT, Getaway Car
Ballad: Cardigan
Title Track: Life of a Showgirl
Feature: Everything Has Changed
Deep Cut: Ivy
Opener: Mine
Closer: New Year’s Day
Wildcard: Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve
February 14, 2026 at 9:59 PM
Reposted by Alex Smith
shadowtodd.bsky.social
A Drake has gotten destroyed in consecutive Super Bowls
February 9, 2026 at 2:32 AM
Reposted by Alex Smith
atrupar.com
Jack Smith: "My fear is that we have seen the rule of law function in our country for so long that many of us have come to take it for granted. The rule of law is not self-executing. It depends on our collective commitment to apply it."
January 22, 2026 at 3:33 PM
apsmith2.bsky.social
Northern Lights showing up in Iowa City!
Northern lights appear red and green in night sky Northern lights appear red and green in night sky Northern lights appear green in night sky
November 12, 2025 at 2:46 AM
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cubsbot.bsky.social
REPOST IF YOU'RE READY FOR OCTOBER BASEBALL
September 17, 2025 at 8:05 PM
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poppublicsphere.bsky.social
…. @gbeaumier.bsky.social, @apsmith2.bsky.social & more!
September 7, 2025 at 3:12 PM
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poppublicsphere.bsky.social
¡¡VOLUME 23, ISSUE 3 IS NOW OUT!!

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Featuring work by: @natekelly.bsky.social, @janamorgan.bsky.social, @annkristinkolln.bsky.social, @felixlehmann.bsky.social, @feligsantos.bsky.social, @abenewman.bsky.social & ....,
September 7, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Reposted by Alex Smith
cambup-polsci.cambridge.org
Just in time for #APSA2025!

New issue from @poppublicsphere.bsky.social -

Perspectives on Politics - Special Section: Challenges to Democracy - Volume 23 - Special Issue 3 - September 2025 -

cup.org/3VCgRep

cc @apsa.bsky.social
Cover of the September 2025 issue of Perspectives on Politics by APSA, featuring an Amnesty International installation. The installation includes a large yellow block with a quote about freedom of the press, with a cityscape in the background.
September 7, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Reposted by Alex Smith
sbmitche.bsky.social
@chaselaspisa.bsky.social is an IR scholar who examines how offshore fossil-fuel resources influence when and where maritime conflicts occur. He has two publications, he is teaching his own course, and he was a 24-25 Fulbright Study/Research Grantee to Norway. See chaselaspisa.github.io /4
Chase LaSpisa
chaselaspisa.github.io
September 4, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Reposted by Alex Smith
sbmitche.bsky.social
Semal Gerot is an Americanist who examines how habitual news consumption shapes public opinion & attitudes about misinformation, polarization, & emotional well-being. She is a 2025–26 APSA/NSF DDRIG awardee and she won the UI Outstanding TA Award. See sbgerot.github.io /3
Simal B. Gerot
sbgerot.github.io
September 4, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Reposted by Alex Smith
sbmitche.bsky.social
Alex Bezahler (alexbezahler.weebly.com) is an IR/CP scholar who studies the intersection of resource development (petroleum and water) and national identity. He has 2 solo publications and 1 R&R. He was a 2024-2025 Boren Fellow in Tbilisi, Georgia & he also has a J.D. /2
Alex Bezahler
Alex D. Bezahler
alexbezahler.weebly.com
September 4, 2025 at 11:43 PM
apsmith2.bsky.social
Had no idea I’ve been walking with the Barking Crooner
Side profile of a chocolate Labrador chewing on a bully stick. It looks like he has a cigar.
September 2, 2025 at 11:57 PM