Posts by Matt Bernius

Matt Bernius
About Matt Bernius
Matt Bernius is a design researcher working to create more equitable government systems and experiences. Matt's most recent work has been in the civic tech space, working as a researcher and design strategist at Code for America and Measures for Justice. Prior to that he worked at Effective, a UX agency, and also taught at the Rochester Institute of Technology and Cornell. Matt has an MA from the University of Chicago.

With Early Voting Comes Early Claims Of Vote Switching

And the real destruction of mail-in ballots

Why We Can Say Crime Is Down Despite The FBI Upward Revision 2021’s Crime Estimates

Ignorance and motivated reasoning are never a good combination

President Donald J. Trump, joined by Vice President Mike Pence and members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, takes questions from the press at a coronavirus update briefing Saturday, March 14, 2020, in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead) President Donald J. Trump, joined by Vice President Mike Pence and members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, takes questions from the press at a coronavirus update briefing Saturday, March 14, 2020, in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

A Question For Our Anti-Anti-Trump Commenters

What prevents you from affirmatively supporting Trump?

Thoughts Related To Second Trump Assassination Attempt

On security details and conflicting MAGA views about the danger of rhetoric

Another Day, More Trump Racism, More Bomb Threats

And more silence from our MAGA aligned commenters

[Springfield and Dayton police officers outside the City Hall building following an evacuation due to a threat Thursday. Bill Lackey, staff photographer, Springfield News-Sun] [Springfield and Dayton police officers outside the City Hall building following an evacuation due to a threat Thursday. Bill Lackey, staff photographer, Springfield News-Sun]

The Real World Consequences Of Trump’s Racism

Trump’s Anti-Black, Anti-Haitian Propaganda Is Harming Real People

More On MAGA Attacks On Haitian Migrants

Thoughts that didn’t fit in my last post

The Trump Campaign Goes All In On Xenophobia And Racism

Racism this explicit needs to be directly confronted

Xtter Reactions To The Donald’s Bigly Bad Night

Sometimes the bird gives you the bird

The Fox News/Trump Ororboros

To what degree is right wing media shaping Trump’s view of Harris?

Where’s The Line Between Paraphrasing And “Sanewashing?”

Is it the press’s responsibility to turn nonsense into sense?

Meme from the movie Dodgeball saying "That's a Bold Move, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off" Meme from the movie Dodgeball saying "That's a Bold Move, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off"

[Updated] Hunter Biden Attempts A Novel Plea Strategy

I suspect it isn’t going to work

Being A Useful Idiot Pays Well (Allegedly)

Where’s my $400,000 a month contract?

Tucker Carlson Promotes Hitler Apologist

Who did Nazi this coming?

[JD Vance] [JD Vance]

“Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party” VP Candidate Publicly Eats Supporter’s Face

J. D. Vance seems to have a cruel sense of humor and issues with women. Weird!

newspaper newspaper

The Lack Of Economy In Trump’s “Economy” Speech

I love a good data visualization!

[Graph of Monmouth Survey on Enthusiasm for 2024 Presidential Race] [Graph of Monmouth Survey on Enthusiasm for 2024 Presidential Race]

The Problem Of A High Floor & Low Ceiling

A graph that shows why Trump should be concerned

Loose Lips Sink Ships (Or Campaigns)

Trumps undercuts current messaging & brings up past military service controversies

[167th St. Station. James Baldwin Mural. New York, NY by Kathy Drasky] [167th St. Station. James Baldwin Mural. New York, NY by Kathy Drasky]

Once You Start Running On Anger & Outrage It’s Hard To Stop

A reflection the Trump campaign with helpf from James Baldwin

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks to the National Congress of American Indians Annual Conference, Tuesday, October 12, 2021 in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson) Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks to the National Congress of American Indians Annual Conference, Tuesday, October 12, 2021 in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

The Gift Of F.A.I.L.ure

What Trump and many supporters get wrong about Kamala Harris

newspaper newspaper

Softball Questions And The Limits Of Running On Anger

Unpacking J. D. Vance’s bad PR instincts

Update On The Trump/Brown/Helicopter Story

Trump was in an emergency landing in 1990, just with another politician

Is Donald Trump Okay?

That’s not a rhetorical question.

[Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on stage before Senator Amy Klobuchar announces her 2020 presidential bid by Lorie Shaull from Washington, United States [Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on stage before Senator Amy Klobuchar announces her 2020 presidential bid by Lorie Shaull from Washington, United States

[Updated] Reviewing 5 Claims About Tim Walz Military Record

I don’t think its stolen valor, but Walz has played it loose when referring to his service

Trump Campaign’s Alleged Role In The Whisper Campaign Against Shapiro

Stoking anti-Semitism for political gain

Reasons Emerge For Why Josh Shapiro Wasn’t Picked

His Presidential aspirations may have played a big factor

[Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on stage before Senator Amy Klobuchar announces her 2020 presidential bid by Lorie Shaull from Washington, United States [Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on stage before Senator Amy Klobuchar announces her 2020 presidential bid by Lorie Shaull from Washington, United States

[Updated x 3] Picking Walz Is NOT Antisemitism

The anti-DEI party is suddenly really concerned about identity

Help Us Identify Migration Bugs

Help us help you by helping us help you.

OTB Update – Going Temporarily Offline Later Today

Commenting will turn off at 1pm ET today

Trump Lies About Hostage Release Record

Or more charitably, forgets due to cognitive decline

The Blurry Line Between Legitimate PACs And Scams

Spoiler: the same people often work at both

Jimmy Carter Proves The Simpsons Right*

* if you are an African parasite

[JD Vance] [JD Vance]

What Exactly Did The Trump Campaign Vet J.D. Vance For?

It’s not been a great few days for J. D. Vance

lego people crowd lego people crowd

Additional Thoughts On “DEI” In Politics

Facts versus framing, with a little Mandela effect thrown in for good measure.

Some Brief(ish) Thoughts On Kamala Harris’s Potential Running Mates

Taking a closer look at Cooper, Kelly, and Shapiro

[Documents taken in August Mar-A-Lago search] [Documents taken in August Mar-A-Lago search]

Judge Cannon Dismisses Trump’s Classified Document Case

Expect an appeal and a long wait

Airpods Airpods

An Unexpectedly Timely Podcast Recommendation

History rhymes in uncanny ways

Good Advice For A Somber Day

Sometimes all we have is the choice of how we react to events.

What The YSL Trial Chaos Says About Our Criminal Legal Systems

What out of control prosecutors and judges actually look like and why more people should be treated like former President Trump

The free high-resolution photo of desk, black and white, technology, white, money, market, blue, business, black, monochrome, chart, statistic, monitor, bw, bank, display, graph, stock, digital, currency, dollar, trade, information, sell, economy, server, financial, management, data, finance, cost, analysis, profit, investment, exchange, ticker, rate, accounting, funds, earning, trading, forex, personal computer, monochrome photography, index, electronic device, personal computer hardware, electronic instrument, foreign exchange , taken with an unknown camera 03/17 2017 The picture taken with The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required. The free high-resolution photo of desk, black and white, technology, white, money, market, blue, business, black, monochrome, chart, statistic, monitor, bw, bank, display, graph, stock, digital, currency, dollar, trade, information, sell, economy, server, financial, management, data, finance, cost, analysis, profit, investment, exchange, ticker, rate, accounting, funds, earning, trading, forex, personal computer, monochrome photography, index, electronic device, personal computer hardware, electronic instrument, foreign exchange , taken with an unknown camera 03/17 2017 The picture taken with The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required.

Why We Can Say Crime Is Down

A deep dive into why imperfect Criminal Legal System data is still reliable

Sometimes History Rhymes In Ironic Ways

And you might ask yourself: “how did we get here?”

In Honor of Confederate Heritage Month in Mississippi

If only we knew why Mississippi chose to join the Confederacy…

US Capitol Rotunda US Capitol Rotunda

Republicans Are Again Threatening To Remove Their Speaker

It must be another day that ends in a “Y”

US Capitol Rotunda US Capitol Rotunda

MTG Files Motion To Vacate The Speakership

Its like déjà vu all over again.

Decision In Fani Willis Conflict Of Interest Hearing

tl;dr: Either he goes or she (and her office) go

US Capitol Rotunda US Capitol Rotunda

Some Luke Warm Takes On NY3

Yes, every special election is a very special snowflake, but trends do emerge