Out/In: 2025-26

At the risk of sacrilege, I actually think I enjoy doing the annual out/in list more than the New Year's Resolutions (don't worry, they're coming!).

Out                                                                 In

Daddy daycare                                          Daycare

Nobel Peace Prize                                      FIFA Peace Prize

ADL                                                           Nexus

GOP pretends to fight antisemitism          Open GOP antisemitism

SCOTUS balls and strikes                 Not engaged in a legal enterprise

Law and order                                           Pay-to-play pardons

"My daddy was in the Klan"                    "I'm a 'heritage American'"

Border security                                         ICE human trafficking

Price of eggs                                             Price of dolls

Summer in London                                   Summer in Paris

National Guard invasion                          Frog revolution

60 Minutes                                                White House stenography

Wall Street                                                Mamdani

Original public meaning                          Roman law

Elder Scrolls VI                                        Tamriel Rebuilt

Pre-tenure                                                 Tenure(?)

Wishing you a very "in" 2026!

Out/In List: 2024-25

The other Debate Link tradition each year: the out/in list!

Out                                                    In

Biden                                                Trump

Vote Joy                                            Existential dread

DINKing                                           Childcare expenses

Polio vaccines                                   Polio

Justice Thomas                                  Justice Ho

Restore Roe                                       Restore Comstock

Major questions doctrine                  Unitary Executive

Reducing inflation                             Raising tariffs

Vice President Vance                         Co-President Musk

Bluesky is an echo chamber              X's MAGA civil war

Pac-2                                                   Pac-???

Bibi is a goner                                    Bibi somehow survives again

ADL leads the resistance                   ADL leads the acquiescence

Jews blamed for Trump losing          Jews blamed for Trump winning

“Democracy dies in darkness”          "AI bias meters"

Free speech absolutism                      Overturn NY Times v. Sullivan

January 6 was an insurrection            January 6 pardons

“Heterodox” thinkers                         Führerprinzip

Susan Collins’ furrowed brow            Susan Collins doesn't bother

I'd say I hope you're "in", but given the contents of that column that seems mean. So I'll just wish everyone the best of luck next year -- we'll need it.

Out/In List: 2023-24

The other, less old but still venerable Debate Link tradition: The Out/In list!

Out                                                                 In

Black Sea                                       Red Sea

Cornel West, truth-speaker            Cornel West, grifter

Paper mills                                     Chat-GPT

Pack the Israeli Sup. Ct.                 Don't mess with the Israeli Sup. Ct.

Mastodon                                       Blue Sky

Achievement Hunter                      Jet Lag: The Game

Assistant Professor                         Associate Professor

Abraham Accords                          Free Palestine

Elon Musk                                      Sam Altman

Substack                                         Buttondown

Pac-12                                            One Big Mega Conference

Surging Nikki Haley                     Trump wins every primary by 50

Reining in the 9th Circuit              Reining in the 5th Circuit

#BelieveSurvivors                         #NotAllHamasTerrorists

James Corden                                Taylor Tomlinson

Electoral Count Act                       14th Amendment Section 3

Cybertruck                                     Lawsuits about Cybertruck

Learn to code!                                Learn autoworking!

Somali pirates                                Houthi pirates

NFTs                                              Index ETFs

Grindset                                         Collective bargaining agreement

Out/In List: 2022-23 Edition

 It's not as old as the New Year's resolutions, but I do enjoy creating the "Out/In" lists. So here it goes, slightly belated, for 2022-23!

Out                 LASIK Pack the US Supreme Court Scaramucci units Kari Lake is the media's worst nightmare Donald Trump Separation of Powers Attacking trans kids Marvel Universe Wordle Faux-allyship with Jews Joss Whedon Fascism disguised in a sweater vest Chess streamers Minnesota is maybe-competitive? Criminalizing abortion Rising inflation AI driving cars Space Force

In Corneal cross-linking Pack the Israeli Supreme Court Truss units Kari Lake was just a nightmare George Santos 5th Circuit as all three branches in one! Attacking trans kids and adults Extraordinary Vertex Real allyship with faux-Jews Infinite Buffy rewatches Fascism undisguised Chess boxing streamers Minnesota is a Dem trifecta Criminalizing miscarriages (and abortion) Purring economy AI writing law school exams Weather balloons

Out/In: 2021-2022 Edition

It's not quite a tradition, but we have done it at least once before: an out/in list. What is out, and what is in, come the New Year? Read below to find out!

Out Delta Oregon v. Smith Open Hillel Nailing Trump on the insurrection Abortion rights Afghanistan Susan Collins switches parties? Build Back Better (original flavor) Challenging election results Second Reconstruction Cancel culture Blue Virginia Texas is a swing state Trump/Bibi bromance Jewish Institute for Liberal Values "The Supreme Court is not a superlegislature" Ivermectin Timothy Chalamet Steve King Antifa LibDem wave First Amendment Lochnerism Vaccine mandates

In Omicron Sherbert v. Verner Closed Jewish Currents Nailing Trump on racketeering Bounty hunting Ukraine Kyrsten Sinema runs as an independent? Build Back Better (Manchin diet edition) Ignoring election results Second Redemption Book burning blue Virginia New Jersey is a swing state "Fuck him." Some equally annoying astroturf group "The Supreme Court is a super-CDC" Anthrax Pauline Chalamet Paul Gosar Regular fa Prime Minister Keir Starmer Lochnerism Right to die

Out/In: The 2017 Inauguration Edition

Inauguration day is approaching, or as Jill Stein would put it, a day in which nothing important will change in American politics is approaching. Jill (my Jill) and I will be having our own mini-counterinauguration celebration, as our (Muslim) friend's (immigrant) fiancé is returning to the US that same day. Muslims, immigrants, Jews, women -- I feel like there's some symbolism here.

In any event, new beginnings, awful as they are, are also time to experiment. And so I present to you a Debate Link first: An "Out/In" list for the 2017 inauguration!

Out Barack Obama Michelle Obama's speeches Emails! #NeverTrump #JillNotHill "When Putin rears his ugly head......" Brexit Clinton/Sanders Two state solution America won the Cold War Deficit hawks Drain the swamp American exceptionalism "Assange is a hero/traitor!" Wonkism Social science Amateur hackers Professional civil service Abuse of executive power Hope New anti-Semitism Susan Collins Merrick Garland CIA Heartland values Federalism "Trigger warning" College is about encountering challenging ideas A wall Mexico will pay for Neoliberal Obamacare Disney World "Obama forgot Syria!" Oversight Fist bumps Fuck you, 2016!

In Donald Trump Michelle Obama's speeches Intel "Whatever you want, Trump!" By any means necessary "When Putin bats his baby blues......" Calexit Perez/Ellison Bi-national curious "Russia at the buzzer!" Tax cuts Wetlands protection American caudillo "Assange is a traitor/hero!" Populism Gut instinct Professional hacks One dollar salaries Strong leadership Fear Old & new anti-Semitism Ben Sasse Judge Dredd KGB Whitelash Preemption "Don't normalize" College is about left-wing indoctrination A wall taxpayers will pay for Ressentiment Affordable Care Act (Under)Sea World Forgetting Syria Overlook Tiny hands Please don't hurt me, 2017!

Whether you're in or you're out, best of luck this 2017!