“They're applauding as federal troops patrol D.C. streets. (With good results as it happens)”
That sure sounds like he is saying the deployment of troops ha had “good results” but maybe I’m wrong. I would hope Corbin Trent would not say something so ridiculous.
Is it even necessary to mention the troops invading blue cities has absolutely zero to do with crime?
Fair comment. I thought the same, but was willing to overlook it given the larger purpose behind the article. My interpretation: MAGA is "applauding as federal troops patrol DC streets." That's a given. The complicated prose is: "(With good results as it happens)". I'm from DC, so maybe I have some helpful perspective. They've indeed arrested over 1,000 people over the last three weeks. That's a fact. Unfortunately, most are brown and black-skinned blue-collar workers (with and without citizenship documentation), homeless, or community members of militarized neighborhoods that are defending each other. The once minority-majority city is largely vacant, eerily quiet, with only whites venturing out into the streets during the day. No doubt the way Trump wants it. And yet, you try to have a conversation with anyone Right-of-Center and they're convinced the streets are safer with armed military personnel on them. Even that Schumercrat, Mayor Bowser, is repeating the hypocrisy (in a shameless effort to get $2B from the Federal government for 'beautifican' projects). Fortunately, there's an effort afoot by Refuse Fascism to occupy and shut down DC. A mass mobilization action starting on November 5 and lasting until the regime falls. Check it here: https://refusefascism.org/category/organizing-toolkits/
Thanks - even 1000 more arrests over 3 weeks after deploying 2000+ troops doesn’t sound like much to me for a city the size of DC. So that could be seen as 2+ troops for a single arrest over that whole time frame?
And, as you say, it’s much worse when looking just a bit more closely at what they are actually doing and who they are targeting.
The point of this entire piece is that there is a revolution happening both politically otherwise. Part of understanding that is realizing reality and then being able to argue against ideas in the face of that reality. The reality is that violent crime is down since the occupation of National Guard troops. That is not something that we get to debate really. So we have to accept that and then have a counter argument. That was the reason for the parenthetical addition.
The point is that the idea that the National Guard troops are there to fight crime is engaging in a false premise from the start. It is patently obvious that Trump is not deploying troops in blue cities because of crime, or immigrant protests, or for any reason other than normalizing military presence in Democratic cities (not coincidentally, run by Black mayors).
By even engaging in that utterly false idea, you are buying right into Trump’s propaganda and conceding ground that it might actually be a good thing and ignoring why they are actually there.
This also ignores so many other aspects (troops picking up trash, centered in high profile , low crime areas, doing terrible damage to local business, cities in red states with far higher crime rates, crime already trending down in DC etc).
Not to mention that, obviously, if anyone floods a city with so much military presence that people are afraid to go out, crime may drop. Hooray. Let’s arrest everyone all the time, then crime really will vanish.
Fair, but it should be noted that crime was down in the city before the military occupation. Yes, it's down even more now that the military has taken over the city. Our counterargument to that half-baked success story is that we've lost some degree of our civil liberties as a result of the occupation. For instance, a protest monitor was arrested by the Guard on Labor Day at Union Station. He was taking a nap, because after all, the Veterans encampment is a 24/7 operation, and no one there is getting a good night's rest. The Guard claimed the monitor had graffitied the monument where he slept with chalk. I didn't see it. These sorts of accusations are all they need to pick citizens up and to be disappeared...and that's exactly what they're doing. It's a mistake for those of us on the Left to be reiterating ANY of their half-baked lies.
Of course a military occupation is likely to reduce crime. I imagine EVERYONE is reluctant to venture out! And yes, big cities (red and blue) do have more crime and I'm sure would benefit from more federal (our tax money) support for appropriate local community policing and social services!
Hi Corbin, Just read this morning on WPR that St. John's Lutheran Church is tearing down their 1906 church in Madison, WI and rebuilding a lower level sanctuary with 10 story structure with 130 housing units, 110 of which have capped rents...available in tier to people making no more than 30, 50 or 60% of the area's median income. They hope to break ground this fall. HOPE.
Okay, I totally agree with you and a plan to move forward by tackling what folks need differently. Here’s the problem: every day I my email and text that are filled with candidates—good ones—from all over the country, National, state and local organizations, news organizations all asking for donations. My husband and I are on a fixed income as well as many other, the paycheck to paycheck folks, the unhoused, the base of the Democratic Party. We write letters and post cards, put up signs, get folks registered to vote, sign up to drive folks to vote go to rallies, but can’t bankroll all the things we need to do. WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM to fight the war chest of the oligarch has. Trump just made 5 billion dollars for goodness sake. It’s hard to believe we can pull off what we need to do to win.
Looking forward to seeing your Contract With America. Recommend you crowd source the review and editing. Many of us have lived experience inside the Federal Civil Service that will help make it successful. This is the lesson from Project 2025 and Trump II - we have to be clear about how to use the levers of power, and what’s standing in the way.
Here is the crux of it. While I agree that the Democratic Party is probably the vehicle which is best suited to effectively address the authoritarian push, voters must establish a red line that can’t be crossed in order to get the eventual supermajorities desired for transformation. And that red line might seem counterintuitive, for it requires the withholding of votes from some, if not many, Democratic Party candidates.
That red line is never voting for any DP candidate who might be in leadership, or in line for leadership, that can be shown, via our limited transparency in campaign contribution data, to be influenced by monied interests, corporate or private.
It’s the only way to remove the rot that prevents the transformation. Vote for socialists like Ware for governor in CA, Sawant for congress in WA, or for Democrats who ‘get it’ like Platner for senate in Maine, or independents like Osborn in NE. Only vote for those who aren’t corporate-owned, and are willing to fight for working people, and maybe the Democratic Party will see the light.
No votes for people like Schumer, or Jeffries, or Biden, or Harris, or any of their protégés who display fealty to large donors at the expense of the 99%. Quit thinking you owe the Democrats your vote, even in the face of GOP lunacy. If you voted for Biden/Harris in the last election, in the face of their corporate-owned campaign, not to mention support for a damn genocide, you are part of the problem here, and just as culpable as the misguided Trump voters in abetting the authoritarian surge.
You really lay out the red line clearly. The idea of withholding votes from corporate-backed candidates feels radical but also powerful. What strikes me is how you connect it to rebuilding trust for working people. I wonder if you’ve seen any local races where this strategy has already made a real impact
Unfortunately, while there is some truth to old adage that all politics is local, and there are many examples of local governments endorsing many progressive policies, until we clear the systemic rot on the federal level, in all three branches, we get nowhere when it comes to fixing what ails us, from wealth inequality to the transition from an endless war economy to climate.
We have to start with building a progressive majority in the federal legislative branch. That means electing as many progressive independents, third-party candidates, and Democrats, and even the rare GOP member willing to sign on to HJR-54, in order to begin to overthrow corporate rule. Neither party is willing, currently, to nominate a presidential candidate willing to side with labor, unequivocally, and use the bully pulpit to that end.
It’s only going to happen one seat at a time. The longer liberals keep looking at this as D vs. R, and always voting for corporate-owned candidates just because of a D beside the name, the longer the rot continues, and grows.
You make a strong point about how deep the systemic rot runs and why it can’t just be solved at the local level. I agree that building a progressive majority in Congress one seat at a time is the only realistic path forward. What I keep wondering though is how to keep ordinary voters engaged in that long, incremental fight when so many people feel disillusioned or burned out. Do you think there are ways to sustain that kind of momentum outside of election cycles?
I hate to come across as a one trick pony, but, imo, the way to keep people engaged in this fight, across multiple election cycles, is raising awareness about HJR-54 (MoveToAmend.org), explaining the critical nature of its passage as the biggest tool in the toolkit to overthrow the corporate coup, which then opens the door to progressive public policy, on every issue people care about. Every potential voter should be aware of HJR-54, actively support those candidates willing to cosponsor, refuse to vote for those who don’t, and begin to build the power of the 99% by making working people understand this can happen.
The 18yo vote amendment took less than a year to ratify. Same with this one, if we can just get it to the floor for a vote. That comes with public pressure on elected officials/candidates; the only way to flip the levers of power in our favor.
Tom, you make a compelling case about HJR-54 being the critical tool to break the corporate stranglehold. History really does show how quickly constitutional amendments can move when there’s broad public will—the 18-year-old vote is a perfect example. I also think about how campaigns like the Civil Rights Act or even marriage equality built momentum over time through consistent grassroots pressure and storytelling. It seems like raising awareness of HJR-54 could follow a similar path if people connect it directly to the everyday struggles they face, like wages, housing, and healthcare. Do you see any current movements or coalitions that are starting to frame it in that way?
I know recreating a government that actually serves the common good is a complex task, particularly for a country that's as large and diverse as ours. I think your Builder's approach is very valid. However, I feel we need a simple guiding principal. I once attended a camp where we only had one rule, and that was "To Be Considerate". It applied to everything and really worked! I would like to see a government devoid of party labels that has only one rule as a guiding principal, and I would suggest that it be some version of "The Golden Rule". Would go a long way toward fostering a government for the common good.
I feel strongly that the focus now should be on getting humanity tuned into the metacrisis. Until people know how we figure to go back to the Stone Age unless we do something to avert that, we’re not going to do anything to mitigate against disaster ahead. How to wise up humanity should be first on our do-do list.
My latest idea for how to get big moves to happen, without any charismatic leader showing the way, is for people like you and me to get into comments on each other, like I’m doing here, to have mini exchanges like this. If something interesting emerged, we could put it in Notes for more of the Substack world to comment on. Get the whole Substack universe buzzing with creative thinking about how to get humanity to turn away from hurting each other and turn toward saving ourselves.
The cost of free speech has priced the bulk of our electorate out of the market. I wouldn't mind seeing lobbying outlawed or severely restricted. It's past time for our legislators to start actually representing their district.
Republicans do a great job of putting thoughts in succinct phrases or terms -- I need the same. Uncomplicate what Democrats stand for and we might do a better job of communicating to the general public. Yes, I enjoy philosophical discussions but we must move past those!!
Very interesting piece, though I find it strange, if not ridiculous, that it never mentions the Clinton Presidency, both the good and the bad and the context in which he was initially elected in 1992.
Like how it possible to write the below paragraph, mention Ross Perot and President Obama and NOT mention President Bill Clinton, who was a very popular Democrat over two terms and did many good things, among some bad, but saw the beginning of the MAGA/wingnut crisis that now engulfs the Republic? How do you expect to be taken seriously with a paragraph like this! America didn't begin in 2008, for god sakes where everything that happened before that can be dismissed as not important to Democrats or can be summarized with a paragraph like this. It leads to false assumptions and bad advice:
"....Reagan promised a revolution—government was the problem, he'd fix it. People believed him. Then came Gingrich's Contract with America. Ross Perot's charts and plain talk. Howard Dean's outsider energy. Obama's hope and change. The Tea Party's rage. Bernie's political revolution. And now Trump—nominated three fucking times......"
Maybe go back and relearn the history of the Clinton Presidency, what it meant, where it succeeded, where it didn't, and get back to us....
You are basically correct. When in a position to win, she commented that "she would not change a thing" if elected. And then she wasn't.
We definitely need a working platform that addresses the needs of the bottom 50% of our Country. Fair Wages that can make America affordable again. Affordable housing. A balanced budget (for those households, and our Government) and a path to paying our debt. Equal rights for women. Responsible gun laws (like re-introducing bans on Weapons of War). Progressive taxes to fund these needs. Universal Health Care to save us all money. Bridges to the few truly inspired Democrats in office now, with a list of those that will sign on to this vision, as well as people committed to replacing the "It Ain't Broke" politicians who have resided over its rot.
I just realized that each of these topics needs a Chapter in US 2026 to discuss the actual problem, actual solutions, and revenue needed to make that happen.
There's one large, hidden factor that I think you might be missing. As someone who has lived in the Bible Belt my whole life, and who just wrote a book about the power of religious propaganda, I feel I need to add some context.
It's not that MAGAs are "so desperate for change that they'll embrace authoritarianism." Sure, some of them might be, but the underlying anger isn't really about economics. They will claim it is, and their propagandists will use that claim as cover, but it's bullshit. If it were really about economics, they would vote for the party offering to raise the minimum wage, eliminate student debt relief, offer cheaper (or even universal) health care, protect unions, etc.
But they never do. Why? Because they have been subjected to DECADES of propaganda, first from their religious leaders, to their AM talk radio hosts, to their favorite podcasters, to Fox News and their local Sinclair-owned TV news. The propaganda paints Democrats as, at best, clueless hippies who just want to take your "hard-earned" tax money and give it to "lazy welfare queens." At worst, and really, at the bottom of nearly all of it, they think Democrats are literally in league with Satan, intent on murdering babies, raping children, and tearing down the country. QAnon is nothing new - it's just a new spin on a lot of old conspiracy theories.
So don't fall for it. MAGAs aren't worried about their Social Security or wages, because if they were, they wouldn't keep voting for politicians who keep slashing them. They aren't embracing authoritarianism out of desperation; they were authoritarians all along.
Absolutely correct. I too live in the fucking Bible belt, and 90% of the population around me would happily hang me from the nearest tree if they knew I was a raging liberal democrat. That's why I'm well armed.
I am convinced that a revived labor movement (infused and united with the cooperative movement) is needed to lead and solidify the rebuilding and revolutionizing of the Democratic Party. This People’s Labor Movement whose determined commitment to transform dysfunctional systems which exact economic servitude to the whims and greed of oligarchs into means to truly serve the needs of the people and repudiate the subordination of labor to capital (of people to profits), must be supported and advanced as the movement coalesces around the liberating democracy of cooperative culture and economics, a movement that respects, honors and embodies our collective selves. This is the movement of solidarity which must TAKE LEAD of the Democratic Party.
Except your trashing of authoritarianism needed a companion bit on Totalitarianism as practiced by Obama, Biden, the blindly obedient Lethargy Media, the Dem led NGOs that practiced apparently legal censorship, the Dem led and IC supported slow motion attempted coup that was Russian Collusion, the rise and fall of the nihilistic DEI noise and of course the sell out to Wall Street in ’08 by all the Pols led by Obama that set the table for the crumbling of the American Dream, and associated slow degradation of the Middle Class.
Like Stalin and Mao before them, noted murderers of millions of their own people , The Thought Police crowd are still out there in the guise of the trans-humanist Tech Bros and the new Gentry, The Billionaire Class.
Can someone explain this sentence to me?
“They're applauding as federal troops patrol D.C. streets. (With good results as it happens)”
That sure sounds like he is saying the deployment of troops ha had “good results” but maybe I’m wrong. I would hope Corbin Trent would not say something so ridiculous.
Is it even necessary to mention the troops invading blue cities has absolutely zero to do with crime?
Fair comment. I thought the same, but was willing to overlook it given the larger purpose behind the article. My interpretation: MAGA is "applauding as federal troops patrol DC streets." That's a given. The complicated prose is: "(With good results as it happens)". I'm from DC, so maybe I have some helpful perspective. They've indeed arrested over 1,000 people over the last three weeks. That's a fact. Unfortunately, most are brown and black-skinned blue-collar workers (with and without citizenship documentation), homeless, or community members of militarized neighborhoods that are defending each other. The once minority-majority city is largely vacant, eerily quiet, with only whites venturing out into the streets during the day. No doubt the way Trump wants it. And yet, you try to have a conversation with anyone Right-of-Center and they're convinced the streets are safer with armed military personnel on them. Even that Schumercrat, Mayor Bowser, is repeating the hypocrisy (in a shameless effort to get $2B from the Federal government for 'beautifican' projects). Fortunately, there's an effort afoot by Refuse Fascism to occupy and shut down DC. A mass mobilization action starting on November 5 and lasting until the regime falls. Check it here: https://refusefascism.org/category/organizing-toolkits/
Thanks - even 1000 more arrests over 3 weeks after deploying 2000+ troops doesn’t sound like much to me for a city the size of DC. So that could be seen as 2+ troops for a single arrest over that whole time frame?
And, as you say, it’s much worse when looking just a bit more closely at what they are actually doing and who they are targeting.
The point of this entire piece is that there is a revolution happening both politically otherwise. Part of understanding that is realizing reality and then being able to argue against ideas in the face of that reality. The reality is that violent crime is down since the occupation of National Guard troops. That is not something that we get to debate really. So we have to accept that and then have a counter argument. That was the reason for the parenthetical addition.
The point is that the idea that the National Guard troops are there to fight crime is engaging in a false premise from the start. It is patently obvious that Trump is not deploying troops in blue cities because of crime, or immigrant protests, or for any reason other than normalizing military presence in Democratic cities (not coincidentally, run by Black mayors).
By even engaging in that utterly false idea, you are buying right into Trump’s propaganda and conceding ground that it might actually be a good thing and ignoring why they are actually there.
This also ignores so many other aspects (troops picking up trash, centered in high profile , low crime areas, doing terrible damage to local business, cities in red states with far higher crime rates, crime already trending down in DC etc).
Not to mention that, obviously, if anyone floods a city with so much military presence that people are afraid to go out, crime may drop. Hooray. Let’s arrest everyone all the time, then crime really will vanish.
Those are “good results”?
Fair, but it should be noted that crime was down in the city before the military occupation. Yes, it's down even more now that the military has taken over the city. Our counterargument to that half-baked success story is that we've lost some degree of our civil liberties as a result of the occupation. For instance, a protest monitor was arrested by the Guard on Labor Day at Union Station. He was taking a nap, because after all, the Veterans encampment is a 24/7 operation, and no one there is getting a good night's rest. The Guard claimed the monitor had graffitied the monument where he slept with chalk. I didn't see it. These sorts of accusations are all they need to pick citizens up and to be disappeared...and that's exactly what they're doing. It's a mistake for those of us on the Left to be reiterating ANY of their half-baked lies.
Of course a military occupation is likely to reduce crime. I imagine EVERYONE is reluctant to venture out! And yes, big cities (red and blue) do have more crime and I'm sure would benefit from more federal (our tax money) support for appropriate local community policing and social services!
Hi Corbin, Just read this morning on WPR that St. John's Lutheran Church is tearing down their 1906 church in Madison, WI and rebuilding a lower level sanctuary with 10 story structure with 130 housing units, 110 of which have capped rents...available in tier to people making no more than 30, 50 or 60% of the area's median income. They hope to break ground this fall. HOPE.
Okay, I totally agree with you and a plan to move forward by tackling what folks need differently. Here’s the problem: every day I my email and text that are filled with candidates—good ones—from all over the country, National, state and local organizations, news organizations all asking for donations. My husband and I are on a fixed income as well as many other, the paycheck to paycheck folks, the unhoused, the base of the Democratic Party. We write letters and post cards, put up signs, get folks registered to vote, sign up to drive folks to vote go to rallies, but can’t bankroll all the things we need to do. WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM to fight the war chest of the oligarch has. Trump just made 5 billion dollars for goodness sake. It’s hard to believe we can pull off what we need to do to win.
Looking forward to seeing your Contract With America. Recommend you crowd source the review and editing. Many of us have lived experience inside the Federal Civil Service that will help make it successful. This is the lesson from Project 2025 and Trump II - we have to be clear about how to use the levers of power, and what’s standing in the way.
Glad to hear you're moving forward with 'The Plan' you outlined last week. How can we help now and down the road?
Here is the crux of it. While I agree that the Democratic Party is probably the vehicle which is best suited to effectively address the authoritarian push, voters must establish a red line that can’t be crossed in order to get the eventual supermajorities desired for transformation. And that red line might seem counterintuitive, for it requires the withholding of votes from some, if not many, Democratic Party candidates.
That red line is never voting for any DP candidate who might be in leadership, or in line for leadership, that can be shown, via our limited transparency in campaign contribution data, to be influenced by monied interests, corporate or private.
It’s the only way to remove the rot that prevents the transformation. Vote for socialists like Ware for governor in CA, Sawant for congress in WA, or for Democrats who ‘get it’ like Platner for senate in Maine, or independents like Osborn in NE. Only vote for those who aren’t corporate-owned, and are willing to fight for working people, and maybe the Democratic Party will see the light.
No votes for people like Schumer, or Jeffries, or Biden, or Harris, or any of their protégés who display fealty to large donors at the expense of the 99%. Quit thinking you owe the Democrats your vote, even in the face of GOP lunacy. If you voted for Biden/Harris in the last election, in the face of their corporate-owned campaign, not to mention support for a damn genocide, you are part of the problem here, and just as culpable as the misguided Trump voters in abetting the authoritarian surge.
You really lay out the red line clearly. The idea of withholding votes from corporate-backed candidates feels radical but also powerful. What strikes me is how you connect it to rebuilding trust for working people. I wonder if you’ve seen any local races where this strategy has already made a real impact
Unfortunately, while there is some truth to old adage that all politics is local, and there are many examples of local governments endorsing many progressive policies, until we clear the systemic rot on the federal level, in all three branches, we get nowhere when it comes to fixing what ails us, from wealth inequality to the transition from an endless war economy to climate.
We have to start with building a progressive majority in the federal legislative branch. That means electing as many progressive independents, third-party candidates, and Democrats, and even the rare GOP member willing to sign on to HJR-54, in order to begin to overthrow corporate rule. Neither party is willing, currently, to nominate a presidential candidate willing to side with labor, unequivocally, and use the bully pulpit to that end.
It’s only going to happen one seat at a time. The longer liberals keep looking at this as D vs. R, and always voting for corporate-owned candidates just because of a D beside the name, the longer the rot continues, and grows.
You make a strong point about how deep the systemic rot runs and why it can’t just be solved at the local level. I agree that building a progressive majority in Congress one seat at a time is the only realistic path forward. What I keep wondering though is how to keep ordinary voters engaged in that long, incremental fight when so many people feel disillusioned or burned out. Do you think there are ways to sustain that kind of momentum outside of election cycles?
I hate to come across as a one trick pony, but, imo, the way to keep people engaged in this fight, across multiple election cycles, is raising awareness about HJR-54 (MoveToAmend.org), explaining the critical nature of its passage as the biggest tool in the toolkit to overthrow the corporate coup, which then opens the door to progressive public policy, on every issue people care about. Every potential voter should be aware of HJR-54, actively support those candidates willing to cosponsor, refuse to vote for those who don’t, and begin to build the power of the 99% by making working people understand this can happen.
The 18yo vote amendment took less than a year to ratify. Same with this one, if we can just get it to the floor for a vote. That comes with public pressure on elected officials/candidates; the only way to flip the levers of power in our favor.
Tom, you make a compelling case about HJR-54 being the critical tool to break the corporate stranglehold. History really does show how quickly constitutional amendments can move when there’s broad public will—the 18-year-old vote is a perfect example. I also think about how campaigns like the Civil Rights Act or even marriage equality built momentum over time through consistent grassroots pressure and storytelling. It seems like raising awareness of HJR-54 could follow a similar path if people connect it directly to the everyday struggles they face, like wages, housing, and healthcare. Do you see any current movements or coalitions that are starting to frame it in that way?
I know recreating a government that actually serves the common good is a complex task, particularly for a country that's as large and diverse as ours. I think your Builder's approach is very valid. However, I feel we need a simple guiding principal. I once attended a camp where we only had one rule, and that was "To Be Considerate". It applied to everything and really worked! I would like to see a government devoid of party labels that has only one rule as a guiding principal, and I would suggest that it be some version of "The Golden Rule". Would go a long way toward fostering a government for the common good.
I feel strongly that the focus now should be on getting humanity tuned into the metacrisis. Until people know how we figure to go back to the Stone Age unless we do something to avert that, we’re not going to do anything to mitigate against disaster ahead. How to wise up humanity should be first on our do-do list.
My latest idea for how to get big moves to happen, without any charismatic leader showing the way, is for people like you and me to get into comments on each other, like I’m doing here, to have mini exchanges like this. If something interesting emerged, we could put it in Notes for more of the Substack world to comment on. Get the whole Substack universe buzzing with creative thinking about how to get humanity to turn away from hurting each other and turn toward saving ourselves.
The cost of free speech has priced the bulk of our electorate out of the market. I wouldn't mind seeing lobbying outlawed or severely restricted. It's past time for our legislators to start actually representing their district.
Republicans do a great job of putting thoughts in succinct phrases or terms -- I need the same. Uncomplicate what Democrats stand for and we might do a better job of communicating to the general public. Yes, I enjoy philosophical discussions but we must move past those!!
Very interesting piece, though I find it strange, if not ridiculous, that it never mentions the Clinton Presidency, both the good and the bad and the context in which he was initially elected in 1992.
Like how it possible to write the below paragraph, mention Ross Perot and President Obama and NOT mention President Bill Clinton, who was a very popular Democrat over two terms and did many good things, among some bad, but saw the beginning of the MAGA/wingnut crisis that now engulfs the Republic? How do you expect to be taken seriously with a paragraph like this! America didn't begin in 2008, for god sakes where everything that happened before that can be dismissed as not important to Democrats or can be summarized with a paragraph like this. It leads to false assumptions and bad advice:
"....Reagan promised a revolution—government was the problem, he'd fix it. People believed him. Then came Gingrich's Contract with America. Ross Perot's charts and plain talk. Howard Dean's outsider energy. Obama's hope and change. The Tea Party's rage. Bernie's political revolution. And now Trump—nominated three fucking times......"
Maybe go back and relearn the history of the Clinton Presidency, what it meant, where it succeeded, where it didn't, and get back to us....
You are basically correct. When in a position to win, she commented that "she would not change a thing" if elected. And then she wasn't.
We definitely need a working platform that addresses the needs of the bottom 50% of our Country. Fair Wages that can make America affordable again. Affordable housing. A balanced budget (for those households, and our Government) and a path to paying our debt. Equal rights for women. Responsible gun laws (like re-introducing bans on Weapons of War). Progressive taxes to fund these needs. Universal Health Care to save us all money. Bridges to the few truly inspired Democrats in office now, with a list of those that will sign on to this vision, as well as people committed to replacing the "It Ain't Broke" politicians who have resided over its rot.
I just realized that each of these topics needs a Chapter in US 2026 to discuss the actual problem, actual solutions, and revenue needed to make that happen.
There's one large, hidden factor that I think you might be missing. As someone who has lived in the Bible Belt my whole life, and who just wrote a book about the power of religious propaganda, I feel I need to add some context.
It's not that MAGAs are "so desperate for change that they'll embrace authoritarianism." Sure, some of them might be, but the underlying anger isn't really about economics. They will claim it is, and their propagandists will use that claim as cover, but it's bullshit. If it were really about economics, they would vote for the party offering to raise the minimum wage, eliminate student debt relief, offer cheaper (or even universal) health care, protect unions, etc.
But they never do. Why? Because they have been subjected to DECADES of propaganda, first from their religious leaders, to their AM talk radio hosts, to their favorite podcasters, to Fox News and their local Sinclair-owned TV news. The propaganda paints Democrats as, at best, clueless hippies who just want to take your "hard-earned" tax money and give it to "lazy welfare queens." At worst, and really, at the bottom of nearly all of it, they think Democrats are literally in league with Satan, intent on murdering babies, raping children, and tearing down the country. QAnon is nothing new - it's just a new spin on a lot of old conspiracy theories.
So don't fall for it. MAGAs aren't worried about their Social Security or wages, because if they were, they wouldn't keep voting for politicians who keep slashing them. They aren't embracing authoritarianism out of desperation; they were authoritarians all along.
Absolutely correct. I too live in the fucking Bible belt, and 90% of the population around me would happily hang me from the nearest tree if they knew I was a raging liberal democrat. That's why I'm well armed.
I am convinced that a revived labor movement (infused and united with the cooperative movement) is needed to lead and solidify the rebuilding and revolutionizing of the Democratic Party. This People’s Labor Movement whose determined commitment to transform dysfunctional systems which exact economic servitude to the whims and greed of oligarchs into means to truly serve the needs of the people and repudiate the subordination of labor to capital (of people to profits), must be supported and advanced as the movement coalesces around the liberating democracy of cooperative culture and economics, a movement that respects, honors and embodies our collective selves. This is the movement of solidarity which must TAKE LEAD of the Democratic Party.
Lovely I agree with every word and concept.
Except your trashing of authoritarianism needed a companion bit on Totalitarianism as practiced by Obama, Biden, the blindly obedient Lethargy Media, the Dem led NGOs that practiced apparently legal censorship, the Dem led and IC supported slow motion attempted coup that was Russian Collusion, the rise and fall of the nihilistic DEI noise and of course the sell out to Wall Street in ’08 by all the Pols led by Obama that set the table for the crumbling of the American Dream, and associated slow degradation of the Middle Class.
Like Stalin and Mao before them, noted murderers of millions of their own people , The Thought Police crowd are still out there in the guise of the trans-humanist Tech Bros and the new Gentry, The Billionaire Class.
Ignore them at your own risk
This is a very powerful message. Does Corbin Trent have an editor?