Twitter in May

I look forward to the day when one of these Twitter roundups doesn't start with election tweets. Though I think there are fewer of them this month.

[Trump] is only saying publicly the things all presidents say privately or to their advisors.
FullNelsonVideo

to which Josh Barro replied:
(1) that's not true, (2) there is value in the decorum of not saying publicly some things one might say privately.

Trump's love of pink marble, his bragging about his IQ and his appeals to voters' racism are all linked. He doesn't think anything is tacky. "I can't do that; it would be embarrassing" is an important impulse for humans to have. Trump doesn't have it.
Josh Barro ‏

Bernie going to [the NBA final] game seven and Hamilton. I'm not saying he's staying in the race to get primo tickets, but I'm not not saying it either.
Matthew Zeitlin

Donald Trump tweeted:
Sorry losers and haters, but my I.Q. is one of the highest - and you all know it! Please don't feel so stupid or insecure, it's not your fault

Josh Barro responded:
Donald Trump is too crass to be president. People are not focused enough on this. Norms of politeness and propriety are important for holding a good society together.

Trump is the last great-white-hope for Americans unable to adapt to political, social, economic, and cultural change. Republicans trying to compare Trump to Reagan so desperately need to believe that - it's kind of sad.
@LizHenderson02

"The Bailey Building and Loan is a bank, and George Bailey works there. He's a sellout!" - Bernie supporters.
Frank Conniff

After vowing to act presidential, Trump rips into judge hearing Trump U case — calls him Mexican though he's from Indiana.
Steven Greenhouse ‏@greenhousenyt

Trump is giving an energy speech tomorrow, so I'm laying down a prediction: it will be standard-issue GOP drill-baby-drill. With maybe some bonus crazy about stealing oil from terrorists.
David Roberts ‏@drvox

Trump says creepy things about Ivanka being hot because, to him, hot is the most valuable thing a woman can be. It's not about wanting to sleep with his daughter. It's about his daughter's worth and, by extension, his own worth.
Olivia Nuzzi

The cover of next week's New Yorker - The Donald: The Great Divider:


Steven Greenhouse ‏@greenhousenyt

Trump week-in-review:
1. Racist delegate
2. New tax plan
3. Psych... keeping tax plan
4. Racist butler
5. Is his own fake spokesperson
Judd Legum

I’ve yet to see an article on why "everyone" thought Trump would lose in which "everyone" is not a male pundit in a small group of rich cities.
Sarah Kendzior

Trump is a sequel, a continuation of a Republican saga that has been unfolding for years. He is not a stand-alone film.
Frank Conniff

On George Zimmerman selling the gun he used to kill Trayvon Martin:

The only reason Trayvon Martin's murderer is still relevant is because we allow him to be. We Love You Trayvon. We fight for you daily. That's it.
The Dream Defenders

The only people worse than George Zimmerman are the people who bid on that gun.
lyz lenz ‏@lyzl

Racists love George Zimmerman because he allows them to vicariously live out their fantasy of getting away with killing a black child.
Stacey Patton

And all of the rest:

there was a whole phase in the ’60s when tv and film executives were like "what would a woman do if she had MAGIC?"
"um housework probably"
Alexandra Petri ‏@petridishes

Many juvenile halls refer to solitary confinement as "restrictive housing". That's like calling water-boarding an "unsolicited bath".
Arash Daneshzadeh

Am I the only person without an opinion on the gorilla or the resulting parenting debate? Never mind, my opinion: The amount of time we spend trashing parents for freak occurrences rather than helping in the everyday is telling
lyz lenz ‏@lyzl

It's worth taking a closer look at the recent study on low-income housing:


Daniel Kay Hertz

Only 2 responses to your claims of extraordinary education outcomes:
1. They will be disproven.
2. If true, they are outliers that mean nothing for policy. Stop it.
Paul Thomas plthomasEdD

GoFundMe makes me sad.
"Pay for unexpected funeral"
"Pay for medical expenses"
"Pay for education"
If government is not for this, what?
Matt Laroche

In high school, we had so many army recruiters. So many young men & women of color had no way out but to serve in the military. Wonder how many classmates lost their lives over the years in these wars. Their families ultimately paying the price. #MemorialDay
Linda Sarsour

If white Americans want to get rid of racism, it is their responsibility to handle it in their communities. That is where it originates.
@Are0h

I've noticed that men who tell women to "smile more" rarely comply when politely asked to "exist less."
Conan O'Brien

REPORT: Only 9 Percent Of Guests Discussing Education On Evening Cable News Were Educators.
Brian Barry ‏@Nunavut_Tweeter

My son's friends--Luka, Franco, Finn, Max, Little--sound like characters in a Hollywood WWII film.
Robert O. Simonson

The right-wing edureformer movement is about fixing bad children, bad schools, bad teachers to keep eyes off of the bad market that sustains privilege.
Paul Thomas ‏@plthomasEdD

Norway - by implementing child friendly street design - has the highest rate of walking to school in the world, and in 2015 had zero deaths.
jennifer keesmaat

The notion that biology dictates ruthless competition and selfishness is a) wrong and b) incredibly harmful to society.
David Roberts

One of my favorite numbers every year: 21% of Harvard seniors will work in consulting next year. 1% want to be in consulting 10 years from now.
Patrick Brennan ‏@ptbrennan11

ENOUGH FUN: Terms of Service:


Ryan Dow

Proposal: a metric that describes a city’s quality of life as inversely proportional to portion of roadway network with more than 3 lanes.
Buffaloman ‏@reubencollins

Hey news folks/colleagues, how ’bout we start saying that cyclists and pedestrians are struck by “drivers” and not “cars”?
Corey Schreppel

The word "empowerment" is always a red flag. You can't "empower" another person. You can stop oppressing them, though.
Carol Black ‏@cblack__

Observation: There's always enough $ to subsidize billionaire sports team owners but never enough $ for safe streets:


Bill Schultheiss ‏@schlthss

Kind of unbelievable that American exceptionalism means military bases all over the world but no universal healthcare for people at home.
Murtaza Hussain ‏@MazMHussain

"Residential segregation is the principal organizational feature of American society." – Nancy Denton & Douglass Massey
Clint Smith ‏@ClintSmithIII

We can't say, "be vulnerable! Take risks!" then turn around and evaluate [students] with a holistic letter grade or standardized test.
Shawna Coppola

War on coal, war on cars -- any disturbance of the status quo looks like a war to those who benefit from it.
David Roberts

Shopping by bike leads to smaller trips, more visits, more spending, than trips by car:


jennifer keesmaat

“Counterempathy” - another result of competition: After competing, we take pleasure from others' pain & vice versa.
Alfie Kohn

Want to find the poorest of the poor in U.S.? Look in our local jails.
Alan Mills

25 hedge fund managers took home $12.94 billion in 2015--equal to what 700,000 full-time fast food workers or 1.4 million part-timers earn.
Steven Greenhouse ‏@greenhousenyt

Scrolling through a 400-page pdf on a tablet, I am reminded of why the codex won out over the roll in Late Antiquity.
Charles West ‏@Pseudo_Isidore

Why does every 4-way stop have to turn into an IQ test?
Böb Jänke ‏@Bob_Janke

I believe that people are far too isolated - shut out of politics, lonely for community. That there lie vats of goodness and public spirit.
Zephyr Teachout

Trying to fix your country is an act of love, not hate. Hatred of country is when you start wars and rob the poor.
Michael Moore ‏@MMFlint

"It's a natural effect: You are open and kind to others, and without even noticing, you are happy.” - Matthieu Ricard
The City Monk ‏@iamthecitymonk

help i've been watching Civil War for 8 hours now
when do iron man and captain america fight
why is there so much plaintive fiddle music
Alexandra Petri ‏@petridishes

ENOUGH FUN: Laser Printer:


Ryan Dow

If you claim someone on your flight is a terrorist, then your name should appear in the news story. After all, you wanted to be the big hero.
Amar Shah ‏@amar47shah

There has to be space in antiracism to talk to and understand people who've been raised like I was. That's a lot different than endorsing [racism].
Linda Tirado ‏@KillerMartinis

Top contractors took in $1,171 for every $1 spent on lobbying/PAC donations since October 2005.
MapLight