Michael Magras

That face. #Caturday #Cats #CatsOfMastodon

Good. More of this sort of moral courage, please. #Politics #Democrats #Democracy #US #USpol #AOC #DemocraticSocialism https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/01/us/politics/aoc-congress-israel-military-aid.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XlA.EVz2.zpWfd8kYUbiA&smid=url-share

This line about a right-wing character in Charles Baxter's novel "Blood Test" is as good a description of the MAGA crowd as I've ever read:

"If you were to ask him where Italy is located on the globe, he wouldn't know but would despise you for asking."

#Politics #Democracy #MAGA #US #USpol #Books #Bookstodon

In a world of Met Gala attendees, be a Zohran Mamdani. #Politics #Democrats #Fashion #MetGala #NewYork #NYC #NewYorkCity #Mamdani https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/style/mamdani-skips-met-gala-fashion-workers.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gFA.YvH1.pSrlDsbCC8wU&smid=url-share

My brilliant wife, @dianemagras@mstdn.social, made ratatouille. #Food #France #French #Cuisine #Dinner

As expected, lunkheads are setting off illegal fireworks in a nearby neighborhood here in southern Maine. But fear not: We've retreated to a room in which the air conditioner and the sound of Scottish folk rock drown them out. The choice of non-American music is deliberate. #FourthOfJuly #Scotland #Scottish #Music #FolkRock #US

"Yes, Mamdani won," people say, "but that was in New York. The same thing won't happen anywhere else." Except that Democratic Socialists have also won in Seattle, Philadelphia, and Denver and just might have a chance in Wisconsin. #Politics #Democrats #Democracy #DSA #DemocraticSocialism #Wisconsin #US #USpol https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/francesca-hong-wisconsin-election-socialist-history/

I've lost count of the number of messages I've sent to the Maine Democratic Party over the past year with polite questions about the party platform. Number of times executive director Devon Murphy-Anderson and party chair Charles Dingman have answered me? Zero. I'm a Democratic voter and will remain so, but I keep hearing the same question: "How do Democrats win back disaffected voters?" Just a suggestion, but maybe stop ignoring them. #Politics #Democrats #Democracy #US #USpol #Maine

Every "journalist" who appears at these shindigs should be ashamed of themselves. #Politics #Democracy #Journalism #WHCD #US #USpol https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/25/trump-forced-to-play-good-sport-at-correspondents-dinner-but-it-couldnt-last?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

No one asked me, but if I had to pick one film that defines America, I'd choose "The Night of the Hunter" (1955). A serial killer poses as a preacher in a film about religious hypocrisy and the ease with which malevolent con artists can trick simple, small-town folk. #Film #Cinema #Movies #Culture #Entertainment #FourthOfJuly #America #US https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/movies/what-is-the-definitive-movie-about-america.html?unlocked_article_code=1.u1A.zwxX.0ZIzNbSterGj&smid=url-share

I am here to tell you that a sandwich made with farm-fresh tomatoes and basil on homemade whole-wheat bread with freshly cracked pepper and a thin layer of veganaise made for an outstanding mid-morning snack earlier today. Local Maine farms in summer are a treat. #Farm #Food #Cuisine #Fruit #Vegetables #Sandwich #Maine

And she pointedly did not endorse the alleged progressive who won the Maine Democratic primary last month. She still hasn't endorsed him. I don't blame her. #Politics #Democrats #Democracy #Maine #Senate #AOC #Midterms #US #USpol https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/02/us/politics/ocasio-cortez-endorses-abdul-el-sayed-in-crucial-michigan-senate-race.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ulA.pCDk.yr8iVDE-uHYc&smid=url-share

"He is mentally deranged," says Representative Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ). Some of us have been saying that since 2015. Call your elected officials, and tell them to get this guy out of office. #Politics #Iran #US #USpol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFj-gMZxJgI

"Miss [Christine Blasey] Ford has got a problem, and destroying Judge Kavanaugh's life won't fix her problem."

-- #LindseyGraham

#Politics #US #USpol

"Democratic Socialists may be able to win in places like New York City, but they won't win anywhere else," I hear skeptics say. Don't be too sure of that. #Politics #Democrats #Democracy #DemocraticSocialism #NewYork #US #USpol https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/12/nyregion/dsa-upstate-new-york.html?unlocked_article_code=1.xFA.9mMl.T4QolRTksCP0&smid=url-share

I'm reading a recent biography of Stephen Sondheim. I learned this evening that he loved the singer-songwriter Laura Nyro. According to one colleague, as late as 2005, Sondheim was giving people "his Laura Nyro speech." She had such a beautiful voice. Listen for yourself. An immense talent, gone far too soon. #Music #Culture #Entertainment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQcBLgo34cw&list=RDYQcBLgo34cw&start_radio=1

Everything about this scene is brilliant. Ned Beatty's delivery. Peter Finch's reactions. The framing. The lighting. The script. It's just great. Oh, and Happy Fourth. #Film #Cinema #Movies #Culture #Entertainment #US #FourthOfJuly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOt-G2LVgfI

Let me know when all the jingoistic nonsense is over. #FourthOfJuly

If I lived near Chicago, I'd make a point of visiting the Obama Presidential Center. A nice touch: It opens on Juneteenth 2026. #Politics #Democrats #Democracy #Obama #US #USpol https://www.obama.org/visit/

Mitch McConnell, who, in 2017, led efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACT), which would have eliminated insurance subsidies from millions of Americans, cut taxes for the wealthy, and slashed Medicaid, isn't feeling well. #Politics #US #USpol #MitchMcConnell #ACA #Health #Healthcare #Medicaid https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/paramedics-responded-cardiac-arrest-mcconnells-home-day-hospitalizatio-rcna352660

An expected but still revolting decision. Pardon me for asking, but what is it with the obsession with sports, and who are these cowards who are too afraid and insecure to compete, in sports or anything else, against trans women? #Politics #Sports #Trans #Democracy #US https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/06/30/us/supreme-court-trans-athletes?unlocked_article_code=1.uFA.QRu4.9EVk5XvXu_cO&smid=url-share

"Organizers want this to be the largest protest yet," the article says. "But is hitting a number enough to deliver an effective political movement?" That's been my point from the beginning. Attend rallies every three months or so if it makes you feel good, but promise me you'll do something more substantial in between, from relentlessly contacting legislators to boycotting companies that support this monstrous regime. #Politics #NoKings #Democracy #US #USpol https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/28/us/politics/no-kings-protests-trump-organizers.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WlA.NJGm.GSm53W5vpEZs&smid=url-share

This paragraph from the excellent new novel "Down Time" by Andrew Martin made me smile. (I'm a huge Kubrick fan.) #Movies #Film #Cinema #Books #Bookstodon #Culture #Entertainment #StanleyKubrick

How did I not know about this song until just this minute? Je présente une chanson de Tom Lehrer récemment découverte. (I present a newly discovered song by Tom Lehrer.) #Music #Song #Comedy #Culture #Entertainment #France #TomLehrer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gjxz-7bBbo&list=RD8gjxz-7bBbo&start_radio=1

This, um, seems newsworthy to me. You okay with this, GOP? #Politics #Iran #25thAmendment #US #USpol https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/trump-warns-a-whole-civilization-will-die-tonight-if-a-deal-with-iran-isnt-reached

Please excuse me for pointing this fact out, New York Times, but every older woman you quoted for this article hails from rural Maine, which is where Graham Platner is from. Your thesis may prove to be correct, but this is hardly a representative sample of voters. #Politics #Maine #Midterms #Elections #Democrats #Democracy #Senate #US #USpol https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/us/graham-platner-maine-women-voters.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WVA.YbLH.gBGpH6rY9fZx&smid=url-share

He may be better than Susan Collins, but I feel the same way about this year's Senate election in Maine as I felt 6 years ago when Democratic officials foisted Sara Gideon on us. I deeply resent the arrogance of being told who the alleged progressive is before the election is held, and I resent that, contrary to his claims, he won't answer questions. And if you believe his explanation about his tattoo... #Politics #Democrats #Democracy #Maine #Senate #Midterms #US #USpol https://www.pressherald.com/2026/04/10/some-mainers-planning-to-vote-for-platner-say-theyre-doing-so-reluctantly/

Elie Mystal is always worth reading. #Politics #SupremeCourt #14thAmendment #BirthrightCitizenship #Democracy #US #USpol https://www.thenation.com/article/society/supreme-court-birthright-citizenship/

@tmalesys@wonkodon.com I hope it’s a big, well-behaved crowd. That sends a strong message. I just hope people also do the stuff that doesn’t make the news, like contacting legislators, etc.

Republicans are super big on states' rights, so I'm sure the six conservative justices will side with Mississippi. Because they'd be hypocrites otherwise, right? #Politics #Elections #SupremeCourt #Mississippi #US #USpol #Democracy https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/23/supreme-court-mail-in-ballots-case

As is often the case, The Nation magazine gets it exactly right. #Politics #RobertMueller #US #USpol https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/robert-mueller-liberal-hero-obit/

Democrats are at a huge financial disadvantage in the upcoming U.S. Senate race. Which makes it all the more perplexing that officials in the Maine Democratic Party have ignored every polite message I've sent them over the past year. Every. Single. One.

I hate to tell you this, but Susan Collins's team has answered every email in that time. That's not a reason to support her and the GOP. I'm just saying. #Politics #Democrats #Democracy #Senate #Maine #Midterms #US #USpol https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/25/us/politics/collins-jackson-maine-senate-fundraising.html?unlocked_article_code=1.0VA.HLRx.ncsc-DMAr_Ew&smid=url-share

I like Jesse Eisenberg. He's like Woody Allen, but with sweetness and empathy. This piece didn't go where I thought it would, which is part of what makes it so wonderful. And it references one of my favorite cultural figures. #Humor #Humour #Culture #Entertainment https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/07/27/i-give-my-kid-the-talk

Once again, not a word about gun control in a debate featuring the five Democratic candidates for Maine's next governor. And the questions came from young people. Fascinating. #Politics #Maine #Government #Democrats #Democracy #Midterms #US #USpol https://www.pressherald.com/2026/03/27/democratic-candidates-for-governor-debate-in-forum-by-and-for-young-mainers/