Writer. Former Democratic Nominee for TX HD-66 Now, I'm just trying to figure out a way forward for our politics, our culture, and our world. https://www.davidcarstens.com & https://carstens.substack.com/https://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lrvlkgslsc2fI've decided to take up streaming! If you happen to like the best sport (soccer/football) and nerdy simulation games, you should tune in and chat with me! I'm happy to talk sports, or politics, or video games, or culture, or life! www.twitch.tv/davidwcarstens https://www.twitch.tv/davidwcarstens18 Jun 2025 17:58 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lrvlkgslsc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lmuote75rc2xThe Digital Millenium Copyright Act is so deeply outdated, ill-constructed, anti-consumer, and anti-creativity.15 Apr 2025 18:18 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lmuote75rc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lh6xfjvmza2qTrading Luka is unhinged. I’m in shock. 02 Feb 2025 11:47 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lh6xfjvmza2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lfihzp6bbz23I do, in fact, dislike social media still. The character limit here is a pain.11 Jan 2025 19:48 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lfihzp6bbz23https://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lffuptnkdl23Everyone trying to fit the fires in California into neat ideological boxes is a fool. Climate change contributes to fires, not refilling the reservoirs was dumb, and yes — the LA Fire Department is overly concerned with liberal political posturing. These are all true. We gotta focus on the fires!10 Jan 2025 18:57 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lffuptnkdl23https://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lfelpoxkdm2xSnow is so much prettier from far away. This is especially true in urban areas.10 Jan 2025 06:43 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lfelpoxkdm2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lf75qhboks2xNow that I'm finally all moved in up here in DC, I imagine I'll be posting a bit more.08 Jan 2025 02:50 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lf75qhboks2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3ldn5x2z5b62eLanguage learning is so difficult— I have this unreasonable disappointment in 4 year old me for not thinking to learn Mandarin while it was easiest.19 Dec 2024 05:41 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3ldn5x2z5b62ehttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lclc55ox522wHonestly, banning cigarettes makes far, far, far more sense than banning cannabis.05 Dec 2024 18:25 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lclc55ox522whttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lclc43dhk22wLook: being against cannabis legalization is silly and morally inconsistent if you are not also in favor of making cigarettes and alcohol illegal. Call me a libertarian or whatever - the government doesn't have a genuine reason to keep people from (knowingly) ingesting (relatively) harmless drugs.05 Dec 2024 18:24 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lclc43dhk22whttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lcjkawayck2jThis isn't just a drug crisis. The drug crisis is a symptom. This is a mental health care crisis. [contains quote post or other embedded content]05 Dec 2024 01:45 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcjkawayck2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lcji6l5klq2mI fear the bots have arrived05 Dec 2024 01:08 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcji6l5klq2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lcj6uch6iw2kYou know what’s funny: I don’t even like politics.04 Dec 2024 22:21 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcj6uch6iw2khttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lcio72ju4s2oFor those that have not seen it: https://carstens.substack.com/p/where-did-all-the-men-go04 Dec 2024 17:23 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcio72ju4s2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lciko5ml4s2sThinking of writing an entire political manifesto, don't test me.04 Dec 2024 16:20 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lciko5ml4s2shttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lcg35obhcs2rYou know what I miss: real internet community on discussion forums. The consolidation of social media into the ~bad platform~ has done a lot of damage here. Maybe Bluesky growing might signal that internet forums can make a return. Maybe I'll make one.03 Dec 2024 16:37 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcg35obhcs2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lcg2kwnqi22rSorry to bring something from the bad site, but here:03 Dec 2024 16:26 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcg2kwnqi22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lcfxgc5jkw2cUh oh! :0 [contains quote post or other embedded content]03 Dec 2024 15:30 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcfxgc5jkw2chttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lceajg7ywi2tI think we need to expect our public figures (politicians, intellectuals, influencers, etc.) to be multifaceted people. No one likes a political robot, and political robots often make bad political decisions. Tweet about a movie or something from time to time.02 Dec 2024 23:08 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lceajg7ywi2thttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lbwti37eym2qGood branding, political and otherwise, is all about repetition, repetition, repetition. The problem is that political solutions and innovation cannot be repetitive. They must be new.27 Nov 2024 15:10 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbwti37eym2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lcdx6yhgks25While running, I recommended this book almost every time I was asked for a book recommend (which was frequent, because of my background in writing). [contains quote post or other embedded content]02 Dec 2024 20:21 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcdx6yhgks25https://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lcdwylct6k25Bluesky's logo is honestly pretty nice. I like it.02 Dec 2024 20:17 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcdwylct6k25https://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lcdvqqmnzk2gBiden shouldn't have pardoned Hunter. I understand why he did. Trump shouldn't have pardoned Charles Kushner. I understand why he did. The problem is the complete lack of checks on the pardoning power. Presidents are only human. We can't expect them to be saints. Design systems around human flaws.02 Dec 2024 19:55 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcdvqqmnzk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lbxtcjwepk2nWe need a national project: something that brings us together, gives us a goal, encourages innovation and free-thinking. The Space Race was that goal for the 20th century. I believe fighting climate change could, and should, be that project for the 21st century.28 Nov 2024 00:39 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbxtcjwepk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lbwti37eym2qGood branding, political and otherwise, is all about repetition, repetition, repetition. The problem is that political solutions and innovation cannot be repetitive. They must be new.27 Nov 2024 15:10 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbwti37eym2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lbskmvxewp2kI think it’s time for me to become an unfiltered hot take machine. 1.) Trump does, in fact, have a fairly strong mandate. Not an Obama mandate by any means; but this election was, in fact, a rejection of the Democratic Party and its agenda.25 Nov 2024 22:21 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbskmvxewp2khttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lbpfg6sfyz2yIf we continue with partisan primaries as the primary selection mechanism for the two main candidates, extremism on both sides will continue to win. We forget just how much *electoral systems* themselves influence policy.24 Nov 2024 16:09 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbpfg6sfyz2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lbkgit7w2b2rI’d appreciate it if y’all went and read my recent Substack — I happen to think I have some pretty good ideas in there: https://open.substack.com/pub/carstens?r=q0udl&utm_medium=ios22 Nov 2024 16:45 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbkgit7w2b2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/davidwcarstens.bsky.social/post/3lbeekrn3u225Oh God — all the libs leaving X has made it far, far worse. Truly, replies have become heinous.20 Nov 2024 06:55 +0000at://did:plc:gd2fbrm4atdcthisis4mh7os/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbeekrn3u225