I know you write about the US, but yesterday here in Germany the conservative chancellor hopeful passed, right after an Auschwitz memorial hour in parliament, an anti-immigration law (that violates European treaties and quite possible the constitution) with the votes of the Neo-Nazi party. Today conservative commentators blamed the left for driving the conservatives into the arms of the Neonazis, because we are not quite at the stage of the US where the right wingers are open and proud when it comes to being racist and generally abominable. If they get away with this, they will get away with anything, including a coalition with the neo nazis after the February election. So "do not lose hope and oppose" is not an American message, it is, or at least it should be, a rallying cry for the rest of the world.
I applaud your message. I'd like to ask of everyone who writes to drop the word "conservative" from our political discourse. Conservationists are conservatives. The politicians and their supporters are right-wing extremists or supporters of such and should be properly named.
OK, Anca, I’ll do that if you will drop using the word “progressives”. They aren’t; they are smug, self-centred, pious and entitled people who love to proclaim their virtues and who do not hesitate to cancel anyone who dares to express a contrary opinion. Examples: open borders please (we must express solidarity with ALL the “refugees”); no arms for Ukraine; no re-start of the mothballed nuclear plants; every gender declaration is valid. Time to call spades spades, or even bloody shovels!
The problem with that is that we have any number of people who look at history and say to themselves "well done Adolf, I will certainly learn from that". Forgetting that there are people who are not misinformed or anything, but are evil because they really want to, is one reason opposition here is so feeble. We always assume first they are open to reason and compromise. Compromise has failed to a point where the conservatives now want to burn oil just because Greens and Social Democrats like to breathe oxygen, so clearly this is not working.
My German friends living in London were the first to take in a Ukrainian family when war broke out because ‘we have an obligation to show we have moved beyond our past’. A very different approach to Musk’s ‘no guilt, guys’. I deeply feel for the terrible moral turmoil this is unleashing in Germans who understand the stakes. You are right in saying we must stand together across nations in any way, no matter how small, that we can. This will often mean exchanging our natural reticence to antagonise and being prepared to say ‘that is cruel, wrong and causing our nation immense harm’.
It appears Germany has the same media double standard as the US does. That is a big reason it is so hard for Democrats to fight back. The mainstream media civility police that sees Trump’s bullying of our allies as “muscular” (NYT’s wording) would have trashed Biden for doing anything remotely like that. But then Biden, unlike Trump, was too old, right?
God's speed? We liberals tend to get super politically correct. I don't want to say hope or luck. You are on the right side of history. I am a black American who constantly cites Martin Luther King Jr. I thank you for being on my side. The "Good whites" are the only hope for the world. Nazis and racists are not what has moved the world forward to what we have today. Their hate was never the answer and will never be the answer. So again thank you for standing with me and helping the world to see my humanity.
He warned about how white racism is INCURABLE because nasty low-minded people like you sit up and create one lie after another for hating blacks and a fair society. Ain't got sh*t, white Tr@sh, but you here barking for Elon Musk and his orange Dog?
oh! you rich like Apartheid Elon and you just here slumming? AIN'T GOT SH*T WHITE TR@SH....and let rich white men sucker you by telling you how they hate blacks and you THAT dumb? How's my assumptions doing? White Tr@sh supposed to teach me black history?
Well what do you think. Above I wrote they had passed a law, but that was a glitch in language (my second language, so I hope I am excused). What they passed was a resolution, to pass a series of anti immigration measures, and after all the backlash the actual law fell through today in Parliament. This was not a victory, this was an absolute terrible shit show and has damaged German democracy probably forever, but against all expectations the lefties fought through, so well done there. Now let's see what this means for the election, but it is slightly uplifting.
What is happening in Germany is beyond belief. As sick and disgusting as what is happening in the US is, it seems even more terrifying and despicable to be occurring in Germany. I know Germany has worked to never forget and to educate their people about the horror of what happened in its past.
I just have no words anymore to adequately explain the anguish I feel for the US and Germany and everywhere that has fallen to or is on the road to authoritarianism.
This only happens to us if we allow it. Why aren’t 10 million people in Washington right now shutting this down? Trump will call out the military, people will be shot and he will be laid bare for all to see. We need to force that confrontation now.
Am I willing to get shot? In defense of our Democracy I would give my life to save it. Would you?
A good way to keep active opposition to the Trump policies and plans in front of all Americans is to have an official Democrat chosen to counter each of the Republican cabinet members. Paul Krugman would be an excellent choice for the (anti-) Secretary of the Treasury Department representative. By having a specific Democrat who we could look to for clear opposition alternative plans and counter arguments to what is coming from the Trump administration, we would be able to constantly compare and contrast each issue in real time. Let’s do this, and Dr. Krugman, take on the role for the leader on economic issues now.
Tim Snyder has publically endorsed and encouraged the formation of a "Shadow Cabinet" which he states is a proven strategy with a history of success in other countries. Let's talk it up!
Since tRump 2.0 is dumber, meaner, and even more unhinged, it seems to me a great idea. Counter awful and irrational policies with rational alternatives. I hope the DNC elects a chairman this time who is a really great communicator.
Imo? It's probably cause these individuals would then be in the national limelight and other democrats (read mostly governors and senators) wouldn't get to run for presidency as they would obviously not be a part of the shadow cabinet being busy with their IRL. That and it would reduce the power of the party bosses.
I wonder if it's that the UK (or at least England) is a unitary parliamentary democracy where there is only one important type of election at the national level (MPs) while the US is a federal presidential democracy where there are multiple types of office to be elected (state Representatives, state Senators, Governors, federal Representatives, federal Senators and President)?
Could be an additional reason. The legislative and executive being completely separated in US hurts effective execution of policies and perpetuates a two party system binary which helps no one.
The strict two-party binary in the US isn't just down to being a presidential democracy (Latin America is full of multi-party presidential democracies): it's also down to FPTP as well as the existence of primary elections.
A grievous fault in the American system is the lack of a leader of the opposition, after a defeat and before the next election. The opposition has no focus, and has no time to build party consensus and identity and support. Who is the leader now of the Democrats? There is none. Just 20 or so ambitious (usually) men jockeying and fund-raising for a presidential run four years from now. Policy be damned.
Agreed. But we all have the same objective, overcoming what is unfair. Trump used that because it works. Unfairness has a different meaning to all of us and that’s why works.
Democrats need to make that their sole aim. There are so many instances of injustice and unfairness in America right now. ( Both blacks and whites agree on that.). We need someone like Bernie who tells the truth and doesn’t care about big donors or interest groups. Trump voters think life is very unfair, but don’t know why. They naively believed Trump could help them because his answer was easy to understand. It would be hard to run on income inequality but easy to run on its effects.
Democrats need to become story tellers. Don’t advocate for abortion rights just tell the story of the women who’ve died as the injustice it is. Leave policy details to the wonks. Running on policy is obviously not effective. Winning Democrats have relied on campaigns that call out unfairness for 100 years. We were wrong to forget that.
If anyone feels like it, you can sign this petition to support this great idea and repost the following:
Democrats, we must get louder to respond forcefully to the administration and make them own their unpopular actions. Let's form a Democratic People's Cabinet, our best folks speaking out. Please sign and repost! Over 2.5K signed so far.
I very much support this approach as I’ve seen mentioned in other S/S posts. What I’d like Paul to explain is why D’s are starting massive donation requests in light of this threat? Asking roughly half the 99% Americans who are D’s to fund a fight of the boss billionaires running the show!?!? Really folks? How much of my SS do I give to support D’s trying to save my remaining money for the bosses to take? Doesn’t it boil down to that?
You're sharing Prof. Timothy Snyder's suggestion for a shadow (opposition) cabinet, yes?
If your post is just a coincidental echo of his idea, then I urge you to read his Substack entry about this.
And, fwiw, superb tho Prof K is, he isn't the right person for such a role. For one thing, the cabinet needs to be composed of members of Congress. For another, Prof K's brilliance + tenure at the NYT + Nobel = elite, in the minds of too many Murkans. Finally, the cabinet needs to be composed of people who know how to wield a knife -- impassioned speakers such as Chris Murphy, AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Bernie, E. Warren ... ; that isn't Prof K's style.
Timothy Snyder made essentially the same proposal on his Substack page - except that in his scheme the Shadow Cabinet members would be Democratic politicians, not independent experts, though these would be essential to advise them. Snyder reminds Americans that there is a long tradition in the UK and its former colonies of a recognized "loyal opposition". Reporters love Balance, and the Shadow Cabinet member for say aviation safety would always be ready to give an informed take on events and initiatives by the administration.
I like the idea of "loyal opposition" because it pushes back on the concept of you're with us or against us. There's too much of that on both sides. The loyal opposition needs to go where the other side lives and talk to them.
This is exactly how a Westminster system of government works. The opposition has a shadow cabinet made up of an opposition shadow minister for every cabinet position. So in theory you have the potential for strong consistent articulation of opposing policy and the voting public have a term of government to understand both government and opposition policy in all areas. Fortunately (most of the time) a Westminster government cannot appoint to a ministerial position anyone who is not an elected member of government. So the Pete Hegseth’s of the world can’t be considered, our equivalent would be a Minister of Defence, an elected member of parliament.
So I guess the issue then with a Shadow Cabinet is that is an artifact of parliamentary democracy (especially one like the UK's with two dominant parties) where it wouldn't be obvious how it could be translated to a US-style presidential democracy?
The Democrats could just - call me crazy - decide to function in this way and change their party rules to make it happen. If it’s broken, fix it. Seriously, why not look to other systems of government and take the good stuff and give it a try? Another function of a shadow cabinet (which should be made up of elected officials because this is their job) is that potential leaders make themselves known to the public on matters of agreed national party policy (you do have to have that rather than individuals making it up as they go along) so perhaps you end up with a more efficient and potentially less costly primary process?
This is a good idea. I also think someone ought to start a social media persona that reports on an alternate universe where Harris won the election. The idea would be when tragedies like the LA fires occur, they write a brief story about how the fictional Harris administration would respond with action and compassion, rather than disdain and blame. Or when Trump's actions cause chaos and pain, report on the succes a Harris administration would be having.
I'd like to see Democrats opposition have more emphasis on qualification than character. That Hegseth is a sex pest is par for the course in Trump world. He should be called out for incompetence. It's like making a mid level department store manager the CEO of Walmart. RFK doesn't know the difference between Medicaid and Medicare.
Concur. That said though, a good co-chair for Paul might be AOC. She's quite a scrapper and well in tune with the political sensibilities of our younger voters; all the more important as the next generation takes on the reins more and more, as is inevitable. The seniority rules of the congress need adherence; a thing I understand. However, her brilliance needs recognition and a place for her voice, wit, and growing wisdom and courage. Paul could well use her political suggestions.
Absolutely, but how do we get this before the citizens when the radio stations, tv stations, newspapers and social media have been bought by the other side? When the government is being run by people who accuse the honest media of being the enemy and threaten them? Is substack reaching enough people? (Will it eventually be shutdown in the name of national security as TikTok was threatened).
The other side has two enormous advantages. It owns the media. It isn’t hampered by truth and facts. Oh, one more, it doesn’t care about people, just power and profiteering.
Exactly! How do we flood the media with the messages (truth) that the shadow cabinet would have (hopefully forcibly) when they have been “bought” by Trump by threatening to pull media licenses and essentially taking bribes (settlements) in the process?
Every dog has its day. The script will soon flip again. Once it does, the public and the media will not turn back to him again. This is a foolish but temporary setback.🤞🍀✌️
I am such a fan of "oppose, oppose, oppose." However, I go a little further with "lie, lie, lie" or "liar, liar, liar" when MAGAts try to flood the zone. My inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=movv92UJ36M
"A coward dies a thousand times before his death, but the valiant taste of death but once. It seems to me most strange that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come." William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
More important things are going on now, Democrats and ethical Republicans, than your seat in Congress. Don't be cowards.
With a wannabe dictator in the White House, we need to stop singing (or standing for) The Star Spangled Banner, our national anthem, because we're no longer "free" and a "home of the brave". If anyone asks (and they will) we simply explain that anyone who chooses to kiss Trumps ring (or ass) are cowards, and the freedoms of our democracy for women, minorities, immigrants, and all but angry rich white guy republicons are being stolen in their constant and continuing quest for excessive profit. The cowards are stealing our freedom with their addiction to excessive profit.
"O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave" may once have been who we were, but not any longer and until we restore and perfect our democracy for all.
I get the frustration,symbolic protests only go so far though. The real fight isn’t about standing for the anthem—it’s about standing up for the social contract that is America. I'm not giving up my country for an expat life. Too many have done that as it is. Good riddance, but also eh gad. I don't get it.
Republicans in the Senate and the House are not cowards. They are corrupt. Despite their oath to the Constitution, they cravenly put their personal political (and financial) ambition before their patriotic duty to the nation, including their own constituents. Some may indeed be cowards, but virtually all are corrupt.
Most Democrats aren’t corrupt, they just aren’t built for this moment. They talk about Democracy as a given, it’s not! We can’t depend on them to save us, we’ll have to this ourselves.
Excellent- we might add a touch of George Orwell to go along with the chaos :
“ The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig , and from pig to man again ; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”
I just an ill-informed foreigner, but maybe the opposition need to reclaim the Americana card. Show how Trump is an anti-american traitor who is destroying the constitution and everything which actually made America great. Focus on classical liberal values; freedom, justice and the rule of law which historically united people. Really make America great again, a shining city on a hill where no-one can be illegal. Don't let the MAGA steal the flag, literally and figuratively.
Do we realize our country is being destroyed by a six year old revengeful bully? With every new proclamation, I am amazed how we are all like a frog in a pot of water coming to a boil. I am elderly, but figure I have nothing to lose except the country I love..
Perhaps the opposition needs a unifying symbol to rally around and distinguish themselves from the MAGA ? Something simple but instantly recognisable, which can be used online in text or emoji format but also physically such as embossed on a flag.
Please do something about this fascist concern troll. This person isn't here to argue in good faith or based on facts/evidence; they are here to hit-and-run by "just asking questions lolz" and riling up everybody else communicating and debating substance respectfully. If there are folks here like this who are constantly picking fights with anyone left of Hitler/Musk/Trump, then this place is no better than the Nazi bars of X/Facebook/Parler/"Truth (lol)" Social, and I suspect there are many like me withholding subscription money until we see the commitment to monitoring/moderating obviously shitty fascist commenters. I'll subscribe if this place is free of fascist bullshit like this, but not before, and I suspect there are many others sitting on this fence observing how this shakes out too.
Why can’t we flood the zone with short videos on several subjects- we talk about low information voters - then let’s educate them on why certain things are important and why they matter? Things like separation of powers, need for a federal workforce that is non-partisan, separation of church and state, corporate welfare and control of so many aspects of our daily life. Not bashing the other side but explaining the importance of the Constitution - give them an opportunity and a means to understand instead of the divisive rhetoric that seems to permeate everything. The massive amount of money poured into political campaigns by corporations and the very rich and powerful - we have to counter the endless repetition of propaganda and lies with the truth in simple terms over and over again until it starts to sink in.
We need to spread a tutorial on the Spoils System, the way it was BEFORE we had Civil Service. Trumpery is hot on the trail to revive the Spoils System. There are many good articles; this is the Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoils_system
"In politics and government, a spoils system (also known as a patronage system) is a practice in which a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its supporters, friends (cronyism), and relatives (nepotism) as a reward for working toward victory, and as an incentive to keep working for the party. It contrasts with a merit system, where offices are awarded or promoted on the basis of some measure of merit, independent of political activity.
The term was used particularly in politics of the United States, where the federal government operated on a spoils system until the Pendleton Act was passed in 1883 due to a civil service reform movement. Thereafter the spoils system was largely replaced by nonpartisan merit at the federal level of the United States.
The term was derived from the phrase "to the victor belong the spoils" by New York Senator William L. Marcy,[1][2] referring to the victory of Andrew Jackson in the election of 1828, with the term spoils meaning goods or benefits taken from the loser in a competition, election or military victory.[3]
Similar spoils systems are common in other nations that traditionally have been based on tribal organization or other kinship groups and localism in general."
But von trump apparently won because voters lists have been nicely purged by maga morons and other corrupted trump scions and blind admirers. Oppose and oppose again! Bring these fascists to court.
The issue is not so much that Trump lied. It's that news outlets, NY Times included, presented his lies as fact with little or no analysis. They edited his rambling speeches to make him sound like he had a plan, like he was sane. The so-called liberal media constantly presented him as a legitimate leader, when, in fact, he was and is a childish lunatic.
I do believe that if they had stressed that he had NO economic plan, that he was lying constantly and that his speeches were mostly garbled rambling, more people would have seen what an incompetent fool he is.
Actually, it's not that they presented his lies as fact so much as they presented it as "he said she said", with no analysis whatsoever.
"We're neutral, fair and balanced. We'll just present you with who said what and let you be the judge."
In the meantime, Faux News, Newsmax and Breitbart, not to mention the right wing dominated anti-social media demonized anything and everything that anyone non-MAGA had to say. Even hard right-wingers like Liz Cheney were smeared as "far-left". Bizarre but true.
I don't think so. The low information voters aren't there at those mainstream sites. He said what people wanted to hear, over and over, and they believed him. Think of all the Arab voters who thought he'd be better for the Palestinians.
They will support him for a long time to come because no one likes to feel they were a fool.
Fascist concern troll hit-and-run...block/ignore and stop engaging with this Nazi who isn't here to debate based on facts or substance of Dr Krugman's post
Yes, everyone has an opinion. I'm talking about the news articles. Those written by "journalists". When you hear trump's rambling speeches, with zero explanation of what his economic policy is, you should report that trump has NO economic policy.
Agree 100%. Oppose, Oppose, Oppose . Every system needs a good and vibrant opposition. That opposition will not be dictated to by the admin. It's our sacred duty as citizens in opposition to oppose in every way possible especially to unlawful orders. Do not cooperate. That's what the rank and file Democrats want to see. That our reps will FIGHT for us and US. If it is too hot for anyone they need to stay home.
Mahatma Gandhi coined the slogan "karenge ya marenge" ("do or die") on August 8, 1942" By 1947 the foreign power was OUT!
Professor Krugman: and you didn't even mention the growing bird flu pandemic, which has claimd the lives of many many MANY MILLIONS of lives of domestic poultry (the egg-layers and buffalo wings suppliers), backyard flocks, and wildlife, and least some of which are endangered. nor did you mention the runaway measles epidemic, RSV, nor the re-emerging COVID pandemic, nor the overseas viruses (in Nigeria, for example) that are threatening local, national and global populations of humans and wildlife. with the orange toddler's nominations in place, these growing pandemic problems will only grow worse, but they can, are and WILL threaten global political stability. seriously, we are so screwed.
Wasn't Covid not so much a failure of Trump's United States as a failure of the entire Western World (minus Australia and NZ, which you could class as honorary East Asians) and perhaps Italy most of all?
It won’t come from elected officials. It must be the populace that takes action. Politicians are servants of a cushy class of rich folks who have other agendas.
Top Democrats will seek out the new money that is fueling Trump. They will begin to lecture the party on how we need to become MAGA lite.
Look to Vietnam for a pathway. If we reject this path bodily, the system will have lost the consent of the governed and will change or die. It’s bottom up, NOT top down.
Stop waiting for Oprah, Rachel Maddow or Michelle Obama to save you! Start making their lives uncomfortable and even miserable. Replace them with yourselves.
This. For too long the Dems have been happy to be dragged rightward in the GOP’s wake. All keen to provide quotable soundbites and talk the talk, but failing miserably to walk the walk or take decisive action, less they annoy their corporate masters.
Jeez Louise! Wake me up when MAGA has done more damage to the American people than Clinton’s deregulation of finance and the internet, than the Forever Wars (including the even more bipartisan War on Drugs), or than Obama “saving” the world economy by giving billions to the banks that had just brought it to the brink.
Mr. Krugman, you rock but I suggest you read MUCH more political science, as well as sociology, anthropology, and evolutionary bio/psych — may I recommend Jon Haidt’s “The Righteous Mind”? Talk about expertise! — in order to better understand the world you inhabit.
Donald Trump is a cancer, but like most cancers, he’s the RESULT of decades of shitty living. You can’t be mad at that tumor growing inside you if you’ve fed your body (and soul) nothing but trash for the past quarter century.
I get where you’re coming from but at the end of the day you’re being as tribal as the other side, while convincing yourself you’re on the “right side”, like all Sapiens do, myself included. This is exactly the kinda stuff we must guard against — as “rational” liberals — because it’s what, ultimately, tears countries apart.
You are right. The past decades have shown a rise of the right, with no resistance from the Democrats, like Obama, Biden etc. The huge inequality happened under their watch, and they did absolutely nothing to curb the power of the billionaire oligarchy. Nothing, NOTHING, with change meaningfully until this is addressed, and that will require a revolution in how the state is seen and how it functions, and for whom.
Not sure it’s about right/left anymore, but that’s THE issue: inequality. It’s what breads resentment, which makes authoritarianism attractive to so many.
Take it from someone who grew up in the Land of Inequality, Latin America. The reason this region has been fertile ground for all kinds of “populists”, from both left and right, is that inequality is, quite literally, our “original sin”.
This is the culmination of the "Reagan Revolution".
Somehow, the Reagan campaign hypnotized a large enough chunk of the American voting public to defeat liberalism for decades to come. Of course, the conservative information coup - including the likes of Rush Limbaugh - played a significant role.
True, but the context in which you get the Reagan Revolution was created in a bipartisan fashion, mainly, years of spending on Vietnam (highly inflationary); U.S. support for Israel, among other things that caused the oil embargoes (also, highly inflationary); and changes in how we governed media (ie, human communication), for example, allowing vertical integration of TV/radio stations, eliminating the Fairness Doctrine, etc.
Could we have anticipated those “unintended consequences”? I doubt it, but if hindsight really is 20/20, then let’s make sure we also admit the times “our side” has helped create/worsen these problems.
Btw, this has been one of my favorite finds since joining Substack, and it’s about how our reality truly IS mediated (created, you might say) by the meatsuit we inhabit:
The biggest damage that the Reagan administration did was to eviscerate antitrust enforcement under the influence of Robert Bork: this meant that it became OK for corporations to consolidate without limit and ruthlessly fleece their suppliers and employees, just so long as they offered low prices to consumers.
This likely played a part in making the current shape of the US electoral map, as most firms in the heartland were absorbed into conglomerates that were usually headquartered in coastal blue-state cities.
That was huge and, to my point, instead of reversing it, Clinton put that process into overdrive. For his part, Obama allowed something similar to happen in "tech", when he let, inter alia, Facebook become a monopoly of immeasurable power
That is the answer to all the Democrats problem, but they fail to see it. Bernie told simple truths and millions responded. Many of those supporters voted for Trump.
Hopefully everyone who voted for him suffers significantly in some way. I'm all out of empathy for these people, regardless of whether they voted for him out of stupidity, low information, misogyny, bigotry or grift. #FAFO
I live in flyover country. The “low information voters” here love the guy. I work an election precinct. The low information voters were out in numbers that I had not seen here before. They love the tough talk, they love the thinly veiled racism. They think DEI is the reason they are working dead end jobs for $12 an hour. They want illegal immigrants gone and they think Elon is the best. The Democratic campaign never got out from under the transgender surgery for prisoners idiotic position ( which I received a text about EVERY SINGLE DAY from the GOP). Seriously, this is the political hill you want to die on? And she never addressed illegal immigration. Yes, we know the Republicans killed the bill in the Senate, but Harris did not come out for restrictions on illegal immigrants. And here in my 98% white county, that is bad optics.
Yes, you can't ignore the thinking of the middle of the country, even if they are brainwashed you have to cater to their wants and fears on some level, or a candidate is doomed on a national level. The trick is to find how to cater to them while still being a Dem. Harris kept giving the propagandists red meat. Some liberals think they can force these square pegs into round holes and that because they are right and data is on their side that they will somehow see it and follow along and then wonder why they lose. You have to tame the beast, you can't buck break it.
Learn to be a MAGA Whisperer (Horse Whisperer reference)
It's not about 'catering'—it's about countering. The GOP wins these voters not because they offer solutions but because they flood them with scapegoats: DEI, immigrants, trans people, etc. Meanwhile, their economic policies keep wages low and jobs dead-end. The challenge for Democrats isn't to mimic GOP talking points—it's to cut through the noise and make these voters see who's actually keeping them down instead of letting them blame convenient villains.
Farming has become a big business, seen as an agrarian cowboy occupation. Estate taxes cut to the quick of this conundrum. It's a hard road to see countering that and explain who is keeping who down when you are competing against agro-business and drawing your identity from the bucolic.
You aren't going to be able to counter what they have been fed for decades. They will not be able to accept that they have been lied to that long by so many and no one wants to think they were duped.
You have to somehow show how what they think they want is better aligned with what the Dems have to offer.
Example:
Better vetting for immigrants to keep the bad out and let the good in who can do certain needed work and more immigration courts.
You are never going to convince them of the real stats that show they do not take jobs or take resources or that most are law abiding - but you can offer them more vetting, etc, etc
This way more can apply and immigrate because we need them and the "fearful" can be assured they are being screened. It is all about messaging that has meaning for them, as well.
You can apply similar strategies to most Dem policies to make them right-wing friendly.
You can't put a square peg in a round hole you have to carve out a bit out of both to fit.
This assumes playing into GOP fears is the only way to win. There's common ground, but it's not in catering or centering—especially when 'appeasement' means harming productive, law-abiding immigrants doing work others won't.
Biden deported more migrants than Trump in his first term but focused on efficient enforcement. Using the military triples costs compared to commercial flights, not to mention the dignity factor. The issue isn't just policy—it's how to counter the perception of chaos without reinforcing bad faith narratives.
There's a real danger of military involvement on the border, spreading to communities that need migrant labor or provide sanctuary for moral reasons. That's not an argument or spectrum I want to compromise on. Who do we sell out next?
Democrats need to get back to a winning strategy of countering injustice. We don’t need to run against Trump. We need to run toward fighting injustice (unfairness is the word white people use in place of injustice-they don’t know what that word means. They think they’re the victims.).
Democrats need to tell stories of injustice because it resonates with so many people. Stop advocating for groups, advocate for all. Stop giving right-wing groups talking points. Trump won without giving any details despite the fact it was all written down in the 2025 plan.
I know you write about the US, but yesterday here in Germany the conservative chancellor hopeful passed, right after an Auschwitz memorial hour in parliament, an anti-immigration law (that violates European treaties and quite possible the constitution) with the votes of the Neo-Nazi party. Today conservative commentators blamed the left for driving the conservatives into the arms of the Neonazis, because we are not quite at the stage of the US where the right wingers are open and proud when it comes to being racist and generally abominable. If they get away with this, they will get away with anything, including a coalition with the neo nazis after the February election. So "do not lose hope and oppose" is not an American message, it is, or at least it should be, a rallying cry for the rest of the world.
I applaud your message. I'd like to ask of everyone who writes to drop the word "conservative" from our political discourse. Conservationists are conservatives. The politicians and their supporters are right-wing extremists or supporters of such and should be properly named.
And let's stop calling thd religious zealots who support ump "Christians". They do not follow Christ in any way.
I completely and utterly agree! Thank you !
OK, Anca, I’ll do that if you will drop using the word “progressives”. They aren’t; they are smug, self-centred, pious and entitled people who love to proclaim their virtues and who do not hesitate to cancel anyone who dares to express a contrary opinion. Examples: open borders please (we must express solidarity with ALL the “refugees”); no arms for Ukraine; no re-start of the mothballed nuclear plants; every gender declaration is valid. Time to call spades spades, or even bloody shovels!
I’m sorry… You think it’s Progressives that want to stop helping Ukraine?
Yes, indeed.
We must learn from history, or be doomed to repeat it. We pledge allegiance to the flag, not the fascists!
The problem with that is that we have any number of people who look at history and say to themselves "well done Adolf, I will certainly learn from that". Forgetting that there are people who are not misinformed or anything, but are evil because they really want to, is one reason opposition here is so feeble. We always assume first they are open to reason and compromise. Compromise has failed to a point where the conservatives now want to burn oil just because Greens and Social Democrats like to breathe oxygen, so clearly this is not working.
My German friends living in London were the first to take in a Ukrainian family when war broke out because ‘we have an obligation to show we have moved beyond our past’. A very different approach to Musk’s ‘no guilt, guys’. I deeply feel for the terrible moral turmoil this is unleashing in Germans who understand the stakes. You are right in saying we must stand together across nations in any way, no matter how small, that we can. This will often mean exchanging our natural reticence to antagonise and being prepared to say ‘that is cruel, wrong and causing our nation immense harm’.
Trump is the new Hitler
Holocaust in Gaza? You must be dying for someone to discover a sprawling gas chamber facility overthere and that will make your day. Hollow cause you.
a holocaust is occuring at this very moment and it's happening in your rice-pudding of a brain.
Friedrich Merz has been such a downgrade from Angela Merkel.
Fascist concern troll here, everybody....block and ignore lol
They are everywhere like fleas, flies, ands acne and about as pestilent.
It appears Germany has the same media double standard as the US does. That is a big reason it is so hard for Democrats to fight back. The mainstream media civility police that sees Trump’s bullying of our allies as “muscular” (NYT’s wording) would have trashed Biden for doing anything remotely like that. But then Biden, unlike Trump, was too old, right?
Screeaammmmm.. ugh. Cause he's 2ish years younger at ~80.
God's speed? We liberals tend to get super politically correct. I don't want to say hope or luck. You are on the right side of history. I am a black American who constantly cites Martin Luther King Jr. I thank you for being on my side. The "Good whites" are the only hope for the world. Nazis and racists are not what has moved the world forward to what we have today. Their hate was never the answer and will never be the answer. So again thank you for standing with me and helping the world to see my humanity.
He warned about how white racism is INCURABLE because nasty low-minded people like you sit up and create one lie after another for hating blacks and a fair society. Ain't got sh*t, white Tr@sh, but you here barking for Elon Musk and his orange Dog?
oh! you rich like Apartheid Elon and you just here slumming? AIN'T GOT SH*T WHITE TR@SH....and let rich white men sucker you by telling you how they hate blacks and you THAT dumb? How's my assumptions doing? White Tr@sh supposed to teach me black history?
five words for you GTFOH.
The World must unite and stay united against all fascism and totalitarianism. Nothing else will save us. United we stand or together we will fall.
Well what do you think. Above I wrote they had passed a law, but that was a glitch in language (my second language, so I hope I am excused). What they passed was a resolution, to pass a series of anti immigration measures, and after all the backlash the actual law fell through today in Parliament. This was not a victory, this was an absolute terrible shit show and has damaged German democracy probably forever, but against all expectations the lefties fought through, so well done there. Now let's see what this means for the election, but it is slightly uplifting.
What is happening in Germany is beyond belief. As sick and disgusting as what is happening in the US is, it seems even more terrifying and despicable to be occurring in Germany. I know Germany has worked to never forget and to educate their people about the horror of what happened in its past.
I just have no words anymore to adequately explain the anguish I feel for the US and Germany and everywhere that has fallen to or is on the road to authoritarianism.
This only happens to us if we allow it. Why aren’t 10 million people in Washington right now shutting this down? Trump will call out the military, people will be shot and he will be laid bare for all to see. We need to force that confrontation now.
Am I willing to get shot? In defense of our Democracy I would give my life to save it. Would you?
A good way to keep active opposition to the Trump policies and plans in front of all Americans is to have an official Democrat chosen to counter each of the Republican cabinet members. Paul Krugman would be an excellent choice for the (anti-) Secretary of the Treasury Department representative. By having a specific Democrat who we could look to for clear opposition alternative plans and counter arguments to what is coming from the Trump administration, we would be able to constantly compare and contrast each issue in real time. Let’s do this, and Dr. Krugman, take on the role for the leader on economic issues now.
Tim Snyder has publically endorsed and encouraged the formation of a "Shadow Cabinet" which he states is a proven strategy with a history of success in other countries. Let's talk it up!
We have to do this ourselves. It is just about the least we can do.
Please, oh please!
How is Timothy Snyder a "destroyer of Ukraine"?
The only destroyers of Ukraine are the Russian imperialists.
How the hell would that be Timothy Snyder's fault?
Hate to feed the troll, but ---
FAAHRT
Indeed – why does the US not have a "Shadow Cabinet" as the UK does?
Since tRump 2.0 is dumber, meaner, and even more unhinged, it seems to me a great idea. Counter awful and irrational policies with rational alternatives. I hope the DNC elects a chairman this time who is a really great communicator.
When will you begin thinking?
Oh, they don't? Do they have the concept of official Opposition? With its Leader of the Opposition (LOTO)?
Imo? It's probably cause these individuals would then be in the national limelight and other democrats (read mostly governors and senators) wouldn't get to run for presidency as they would obviously not be a part of the shadow cabinet being busy with their IRL. That and it would reduce the power of the party bosses.
I wonder if it's that the UK (or at least England) is a unitary parliamentary democracy where there is only one important type of election at the national level (MPs) while the US is a federal presidential democracy where there are multiple types of office to be elected (state Representatives, state Senators, Governors, federal Representatives, federal Senators and President)?
Could be an additional reason. The legislative and executive being completely separated in US hurts effective execution of policies and perpetuates a two party system binary which helps no one.
That's by design. The whole idea is to prevent effective execution of policies. Ostensibly to avoid rocking the boat too much.
The strict two-party binary in the US isn't just down to being a presidential democracy (Latin America is full of multi-party presidential democracies): it's also down to FPTP as well as the existence of primary elections.
A grievous fault in the American system is the lack of a leader of the opposition, after a defeat and before the next election. The opposition has no focus, and has no time to build party consensus and identity and support. Who is the leader now of the Democrats? There is none. Just 20 or so ambitious (usually) men jockeying and fund-raising for a presidential run four years from now. Policy be damned.
The election for a new Chairman of the DNC is tomorrow, February 1. Pray 🙏🏼
Prayers are an excuse to do nothing.
Who do we want to win and why?
Actually, the big problem is lack of unity in a "big tent" party.
Agreed. But we all have the same objective, overcoming what is unfair. Trump used that because it works. Unfairness has a different meaning to all of us and that’s why works.
Democrats need to make that their sole aim. There are so many instances of injustice and unfairness in America right now. ( Both blacks and whites agree on that.). We need someone like Bernie who tells the truth and doesn’t care about big donors or interest groups. Trump voters think life is very unfair, but don’t know why. They naively believed Trump could help them because his answer was easy to understand. It would be hard to run on income inequality but easy to run on its effects.
Democrats need to become story tellers. Don’t advocate for abortion rights just tell the story of the women who’ve died as the injustice it is. Leave policy details to the wonks. Running on policy is obviously not effective. Winning Democrats have relied on campaigns that call out unfairness for 100 years. We were wrong to forget that.
Yes, a leader of the opposition would be great! It's not too late to revive the "mini-primary" idea and get one elected in a few weeks!
Yes!
If anyone feels like it, you can sign this petition to support this great idea and repost the following:
Democrats, we must get louder to respond forcefully to the administration and make them own their unpopular actions. Let's form a Democratic People's Cabinet, our best folks speaking out. Please sign and repost! Over 2.5K signed so far.
www.change.org/shadowcabinet
(see https://snyder.substack.com/p/shadow-cabinet)
Just signed. Time to quit talking about it and get on it.
Done
I very much support this approach as I’ve seen mentioned in other S/S posts. What I’d like Paul to explain is why D’s are starting massive donation requests in light of this threat? Asking roughly half the 99% Americans who are D’s to fund a fight of the boss billionaires running the show!?!? Really folks? How much of my SS do I give to support D’s trying to save my remaining money for the bosses to take? Doesn’t it boil down to that?
Timothy Snyder's excellent and actionable idea for an "opposition cabinet": https://snyder.substack.com/p/an-alternative-cabinet
Push HARD for this! Write your elected reps and other Democratic leaders 2 or 3 times/week: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/
This is a clever - very clever - idea. Any way to get traction on it? A letter writing campaign?? Who do I write to??
You're sharing Prof. Timothy Snyder's suggestion for a shadow (opposition) cabinet, yes?
If your post is just a coincidental echo of his idea, then I urge you to read his Substack entry about this.
And, fwiw, superb tho Prof K is, he isn't the right person for such a role. For one thing, the cabinet needs to be composed of members of Congress. For another, Prof K's brilliance + tenure at the NYT + Nobel = elite, in the minds of too many Murkans. Finally, the cabinet needs to be composed of people who know how to wield a knife -- impassioned speakers such as Chris Murphy, AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Bernie, E. Warren ... ; that isn't Prof K's style.
Timothy Snyder made essentially the same proposal on his Substack page - except that in his scheme the Shadow Cabinet members would be Democratic politicians, not independent experts, though these would be essential to advise them. Snyder reminds Americans that there is a long tradition in the UK and its former colonies of a recognized "loyal opposition". Reporters love Balance, and the Shadow Cabinet member for say aviation safety would always be ready to give an informed take on events and initiatives by the administration.
I like the idea of "loyal opposition" because it pushes back on the concept of you're with us or against us. There's too much of that on both sides. The loyal opposition needs to go where the other side lives and talk to them.
Exactly Tim Snyder excellent suggestion
This is exactly how a Westminster system of government works. The opposition has a shadow cabinet made up of an opposition shadow minister for every cabinet position. So in theory you have the potential for strong consistent articulation of opposing policy and the voting public have a term of government to understand both government and opposition policy in all areas. Fortunately (most of the time) a Westminster government cannot appoint to a ministerial position anyone who is not an elected member of government. So the Pete Hegseth’s of the world can’t be considered, our equivalent would be a Minister of Defence, an elected member of parliament.
So I guess the issue then with a Shadow Cabinet is that is an artifact of parliamentary democracy (especially one like the UK's with two dominant parties) where it wouldn't be obvious how it could be translated to a US-style presidential democracy?
The Democrats could just - call me crazy - decide to function in this way and change their party rules to make it happen. If it’s broken, fix it. Seriously, why not look to other systems of government and take the good stuff and give it a try? Another function of a shadow cabinet (which should be made up of elected officials because this is their job) is that potential leaders make themselves known to the public on matters of agreed national party policy (you do have to have that rather than individuals making it up as they go along) so perhaps you end up with a more efficient and potentially less costly primary process?
I heard it needs to be an elected person, not sure why, I would definitely go for Paul Krugman
This is a good idea. I also think someone ought to start a social media persona that reports on an alternate universe where Harris won the election. The idea would be when tragedies like the LA fires occur, they write a brief story about how the fictional Harris administration would respond with action and compassion, rather than disdain and blame. Or when Trump's actions cause chaos and pain, report on the succes a Harris administration would be having.
I'd like to see Democrats opposition have more emphasis on qualification than character. That Hegseth is a sex pest is par for the course in Trump world. He should be called out for incompetence. It's like making a mid level department store manager the CEO of Walmart. RFK doesn't know the difference between Medicaid and Medicare.
Oh, what a cool idea!
Concur. That said though, a good co-chair for Paul might be AOC. She's quite a scrapper and well in tune with the political sensibilities of our younger voters; all the more important as the next generation takes on the reins more and more, as is inevitable. The seniority rules of the congress need adherence; a thing I understand. However, her brilliance needs recognition and a place for her voice, wit, and growing wisdom and courage. Paul could well use her political suggestions.
No one explains it better than the Professor. OPPOSE. OPPOSE, OPPOSE. Thank you sir.
Absolutely, but how do we get this before the citizens when the radio stations, tv stations, newspapers and social media have been bought by the other side? When the government is being run by people who accuse the honest media of being the enemy and threaten them? Is substack reaching enough people? (Will it eventually be shutdown in the name of national security as TikTok was threatened).
The other side has two enormous advantages. It owns the media. It isn’t hampered by truth and facts. Oh, one more, it doesn’t care about people, just power and profiteering.
Exactly! How do we flood the media with the messages (truth) that the shadow cabinet would have (hopefully forcibly) when they have been “bought” by Trump by threatening to pull media licenses and essentially taking bribes (settlements) in the process?
Every dog has its day. The script will soon flip again. Once it does, the public and the media will not turn back to him again. This is a foolish but temporary setback.🤞🍀✌️
I hope you’re right but we can’t wait for that moment, we have to force it now.
I am such a fan of "oppose, oppose, oppose." However, I go a little further with "lie, lie, lie" or "liar, liar, liar" when MAGAts try to flood the zone. My inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=movv92UJ36M
Longtime journalist here. (I was let go a few months ago) This piece has inspired me--to rethink what I say, how I feel, how I write. Thank you
"A coward dies a thousand times before his death, but the valiant taste of death but once. It seems to me most strange that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come." William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
More important things are going on now, Democrats and ethical Republicans, than your seat in Congress. Don't be cowards.
Love the quote. My sentiments exactly.
Don't be cowards.... Amen.
With a wannabe dictator in the White House, we need to stop singing (or standing for) The Star Spangled Banner, our national anthem, because we're no longer "free" and a "home of the brave". If anyone asks (and they will) we simply explain that anyone who chooses to kiss Trumps ring (or ass) are cowards, and the freedoms of our democracy for women, minorities, immigrants, and all but angry rich white guy republicons are being stolen in their constant and continuing quest for excessive profit. The cowards are stealing our freedom with their addiction to excessive profit.
"O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave" may once have been who we were, but not any longer and until we restore and perfect our democracy for all.
Bob,
I get the frustration,symbolic protests only go so far though. The real fight isn’t about standing for the anthem—it’s about standing up for the social contract that is America. I'm not giving up my country for an expat life. Too many have done that as it is. Good riddance, but also eh gad. I don't get it.
Tim
Republicans in the Senate and the House are not cowards. They are corrupt. Despite their oath to the Constitution, they cravenly put their personal political (and financial) ambition before their patriotic duty to the nation, including their own constituents. Some may indeed be cowards, but virtually all are corrupt.
Most Democrats aren’t corrupt, they just aren’t built for this moment. They talk about Democracy as a given, it’s not! We can’t depend on them to save us, we’ll have to this ourselves.
Ethical Republicans? That's oxymoronic! Those guys are required to flush their ethics down the drain as part as part of their initiation ceremony.
Gloria ,
Excellent- we might add a touch of George Orwell to go along with the chaos :
“ The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig , and from pig to man again ; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”
I just an ill-informed foreigner, but maybe the opposition need to reclaim the Americana card. Show how Trump is an anti-american traitor who is destroying the constitution and everything which actually made America great. Focus on classical liberal values; freedom, justice and the rule of law which historically united people. Really make America great again, a shining city on a hill where no-one can be illegal. Don't let the MAGA steal the flag, literally and figuratively.
Do we realize our country is being destroyed by a six year old revengeful bully? With every new proclamation, I am amazed how we are all like a frog in a pot of water coming to a boil. I am elderly, but figure I have nothing to lose except the country I love..
We're trying, we're trying.
Excellent point!!
Running on political ideals is not a winning strategy. Haven’t we just learned that?
I fly a big USA flag in front of my home every day, weather permitting.
Perhaps the opposition needs a unifying symbol to rally around and distinguish themselves from the MAGA ? Something simple but instantly recognisable, which can be used online in text or emoji format but also physically such as embossed on a flag.
Yes. In addition.
We must not yield this symbol to them.
We are Spartacus!
The cat was in the basement. No more lies.
+1000% agree
Mr. Krugman is imploring Democratic Congresspeople to "flood the zone with FACTS"...
Meanwhile, both of my Senators in Michigan are voting FOR the dipshit nominees. Shocking, but unsurprising.
Really?? Holy crap!! WTAF!! Time to make some calls!!
😢😢😢
Please do something about this fascist concern troll. This person isn't here to argue in good faith or based on facts/evidence; they are here to hit-and-run by "just asking questions lolz" and riling up everybody else communicating and debating substance respectfully. If there are folks here like this who are constantly picking fights with anyone left of Hitler/Musk/Trump, then this place is no better than the Nazi bars of X/Facebook/Parler/"Truth (lol)" Social, and I suspect there are many like me withholding subscription money until we see the commitment to monitoring/moderating obviously shitty fascist commenters. I'll subscribe if this place is free of fascist bullshit like this, but not before, and I suspect there are many others sitting on this fence observing how this shakes out too.
Ignore the trolls. Don't feed them.
Democrats hurt themselves in circular firing squads over woke words that much of the American public thought was ridiculous.
oh?, please take a moment and verify, google the voting records.
Look at their votes, fascist liar
Why can’t we flood the zone with short videos on several subjects- we talk about low information voters - then let’s educate them on why certain things are important and why they matter? Things like separation of powers, need for a federal workforce that is non-partisan, separation of church and state, corporate welfare and control of so many aspects of our daily life. Not bashing the other side but explaining the importance of the Constitution - give them an opportunity and a means to understand instead of the divisive rhetoric that seems to permeate everything. The massive amount of money poured into political campaigns by corporations and the very rich and powerful - we have to counter the endless repetition of propaganda and lies with the truth in simple terms over and over again until it starts to sink in.
We need to spread a tutorial on the Spoils System, the way it was BEFORE we had Civil Service. Trumpery is hot on the trail to revive the Spoils System. There are many good articles; this is the Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoils_system
"In politics and government, a spoils system (also known as a patronage system) is a practice in which a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its supporters, friends (cronyism), and relatives (nepotism) as a reward for working toward victory, and as an incentive to keep working for the party. It contrasts with a merit system, where offices are awarded or promoted on the basis of some measure of merit, independent of political activity.
The term was used particularly in politics of the United States, where the federal government operated on a spoils system until the Pendleton Act was passed in 1883 due to a civil service reform movement. Thereafter the spoils system was largely replaced by nonpartisan merit at the federal level of the United States.
The term was derived from the phrase "to the victor belong the spoils" by New York Senator William L. Marcy,[1][2] referring to the victory of Andrew Jackson in the election of 1828, with the term spoils meaning goods or benefits taken from the loser in a competition, election or military victory.[3]
Similar spoils systems are common in other nations that traditionally have been based on tribal organization or other kinship groups and localism in general."
We need entertaining people to crawl into the pit and do verbal battle. Small funny doses of the above.
I think they should be trolls like maga dipshits are, as well.
But von trump apparently won because voters lists have been nicely purged by maga morons and other corrupted trump scions and blind admirers. Oppose and oppose again! Bring these fascists to court.
The issue is not so much that Trump lied. It's that news outlets, NY Times included, presented his lies as fact with little or no analysis. They edited his rambling speeches to make him sound like he had a plan, like he was sane. The so-called liberal media constantly presented him as a legitimate leader, when, in fact, he was and is a childish lunatic.
I do believe that if they had stressed that he had NO economic plan, that he was lying constantly and that his speeches were mostly garbled rambling, more people would have seen what an incompetent fool he is.
Yeah, sanewashing.
Actually, it's not that they presented his lies as fact so much as they presented it as "he said she said", with no analysis whatsoever.
"We're neutral, fair and balanced. We'll just present you with who said what and let you be the judge."
In the meantime, Faux News, Newsmax and Breitbart, not to mention the right wing dominated anti-social media demonized anything and everything that anyone non-MAGA had to say. Even hard right-wingers like Liz Cheney were smeared as "far-left". Bizarre but true.
I don't think so. The low information voters aren't there at those mainstream sites. He said what people wanted to hear, over and over, and they believed him. Think of all the Arab voters who thought he'd be better for the Palestinians.
They will support him for a long time to come because no one likes to feel they were a fool.
Unfortunately the people who need this message don’t read or understand.
Fascist concern troll hit-and-run...block/ignore and stop engaging with this Nazi who isn't here to debate based on facts or substance of Dr Krugman's post
Yes, everyone has an opinion. I'm talking about the news articles. Those written by "journalists". When you hear trump's rambling speeches, with zero explanation of what his economic policy is, you should report that trump has NO economic policy.
Agree 100%. Oppose, Oppose, Oppose . Every system needs a good and vibrant opposition. That opposition will not be dictated to by the admin. It's our sacred duty as citizens in opposition to oppose in every way possible especially to unlawful orders. Do not cooperate. That's what the rank and file Democrats want to see. That our reps will FIGHT for us and US. If it is too hot for anyone they need to stay home.
Mahatma Gandhi coined the slogan "karenge ya marenge" ("do or die") on August 8, 1942" By 1947 the foreign power was OUT!
Well pointed out and well written, sir. That said, I wished the American people had done this eight years ago.
I wish we'd done it forty five years ago.
Professor Krugman: and you didn't even mention the growing bird flu pandemic, which has claimd the lives of many many MANY MILLIONS of lives of domestic poultry (the egg-layers and buffalo wings suppliers), backyard flocks, and wildlife, and least some of which are endangered. nor did you mention the runaway measles epidemic, RSV, nor the re-emerging COVID pandemic, nor the overseas viruses (in Nigeria, for example) that are threatening local, national and global populations of humans and wildlife. with the orange toddler's nominations in place, these growing pandemic problems will only grow worse, but they can, are and WILL threaten global political stability. seriously, we are so screwed.
and damn, but i forgot to mention all the mammals being infected and KILLED by bird flu, and also, the tuberculosis re-emergence amongst humans.
Glad you brought up bird flu. My understanding is it's another pandemic waiting to happen.
His Orange MAGA Majesty is himself a pandemic waiting to happen. A communicable stage IV malignancy.
Wasn't Covid not so much a failure of Trump's United States as a failure of the entire Western World (minus Australia and NZ, which you could class as honorary East Asians) and perhaps Italy most of all?
It won’t come from elected officials. It must be the populace that takes action. Politicians are servants of a cushy class of rich folks who have other agendas.
Top Democrats will seek out the new money that is fueling Trump. They will begin to lecture the party on how we need to become MAGA lite.
Look to Vietnam for a pathway. If we reject this path bodily, the system will have lost the consent of the governed and will change or die. It’s bottom up, NOT top down.
Stop waiting for Oprah, Rachel Maddow or Michelle Obama to save you! Start making their lives uncomfortable and even miserable. Replace them with yourselves.
This. For too long the Dems have been happy to be dragged rightward in the GOP’s wake. All keen to provide quotable soundbites and talk the talk, but failing miserably to walk the walk or take decisive action, less they annoy their corporate masters.
We can’t wait another minute.
Jeez Louise! Wake me up when MAGA has done more damage to the American people than Clinton’s deregulation of finance and the internet, than the Forever Wars (including the even more bipartisan War on Drugs), or than Obama “saving” the world economy by giving billions to the banks that had just brought it to the brink.
Mr. Krugman, you rock but I suggest you read MUCH more political science, as well as sociology, anthropology, and evolutionary bio/psych — may I recommend Jon Haidt’s “The Righteous Mind”? Talk about expertise! — in order to better understand the world you inhabit.
Donald Trump is a cancer, but like most cancers, he’s the RESULT of decades of shitty living. You can’t be mad at that tumor growing inside you if you’ve fed your body (and soul) nothing but trash for the past quarter century.
I get where you’re coming from but at the end of the day you’re being as tribal as the other side, while convincing yourself you’re on the “right side”, like all Sapiens do, myself included. This is exactly the kinda stuff we must guard against — as “rational” liberals — because it’s what, ultimately, tears countries apart.
You are right. The past decades have shown a rise of the right, with no resistance from the Democrats, like Obama, Biden etc. The huge inequality happened under their watch, and they did absolutely nothing to curb the power of the billionaire oligarchy. Nothing, NOTHING, with change meaningfully until this is addressed, and that will require a revolution in how the state is seen and how it functions, and for whom.
Not sure it’s about right/left anymore, but that’s THE issue: inequality. It’s what breads resentment, which makes authoritarianism attractive to so many.
Take it from someone who grew up in the Land of Inequality, Latin America. The reason this region has been fertile ground for all kinds of “populists”, from both left and right, is that inequality is, quite literally, our “original sin”.
This is the culmination of the "Reagan Revolution".
Somehow, the Reagan campaign hypnotized a large enough chunk of the American voting public to defeat liberalism for decades to come. Of course, the conservative information coup - including the likes of Rush Limbaugh - played a significant role.
It boils down to propaganda. Newspeak as it were.
True, but the context in which you get the Reagan Revolution was created in a bipartisan fashion, mainly, years of spending on Vietnam (highly inflationary); U.S. support for Israel, among other things that caused the oil embargoes (also, highly inflationary); and changes in how we governed media (ie, human communication), for example, allowing vertical integration of TV/radio stations, eliminating the Fairness Doctrine, etc.
Could we have anticipated those “unintended consequences”? I doubt it, but if hindsight really is 20/20, then let’s make sure we also admit the times “our side” has helped create/worsen these problems.
Btw, this has been one of my favorite finds since joining Substack, and it’s about how our reality truly IS mediated (created, you might say) by the meatsuit we inhabit:
https://open.substack.com/pub/conspicuouscognition
The biggest damage that the Reagan administration did was to eviscerate antitrust enforcement under the influence of Robert Bork: this meant that it became OK for corporations to consolidate without limit and ruthlessly fleece their suppliers and employees, just so long as they offered low prices to consumers.
This likely played a part in making the current shape of the US electoral map, as most firms in the heartland were absorbed into conglomerates that were usually headquartered in coastal blue-state cities.
That was huge and, to my point, instead of reversing it, Clinton put that process into overdrive. For his part, Obama allowed something similar to happen in "tech", when he let, inter alia, Facebook become a monopoly of immeasurable power
That is the answer to all the Democrats problem, but they fail to see it. Bernie told simple truths and millions responded. Many of those supporters voted for Trump.
I've read today in two different places that people who voted for him are dismayed by the ICE push. That was encouraging.
Hopefully everyone who voted for him suffers significantly in some way. I'm all out of empathy for these people, regardless of whether they voted for him out of stupidity, low information, misogyny, bigotry or grift. #FAFO
Educated voters will feel it on Monday. It won’t be until prices spike that most will see what they’ve done to us.
I live in flyover country. The “low information voters” here love the guy. I work an election precinct. The low information voters were out in numbers that I had not seen here before. They love the tough talk, they love the thinly veiled racism. They think DEI is the reason they are working dead end jobs for $12 an hour. They want illegal immigrants gone and they think Elon is the best. The Democratic campaign never got out from under the transgender surgery for prisoners idiotic position ( which I received a text about EVERY SINGLE DAY from the GOP). Seriously, this is the political hill you want to die on? And she never addressed illegal immigration. Yes, we know the Republicans killed the bill in the Senate, but Harris did not come out for restrictions on illegal immigrants. And here in my 98% white county, that is bad optics.
Yes, you can't ignore the thinking of the middle of the country, even if they are brainwashed you have to cater to their wants and fears on some level, or a candidate is doomed on a national level. The trick is to find how to cater to them while still being a Dem. Harris kept giving the propagandists red meat. Some liberals think they can force these square pegs into round holes and that because they are right and data is on their side that they will somehow see it and follow along and then wonder why they lose. You have to tame the beast, you can't buck break it.
Learn to be a MAGA Whisperer (Horse Whisperer reference)
Hmm... Sharon/Pipand Joe
It's not about 'catering'—it's about countering. The GOP wins these voters not because they offer solutions but because they flood them with scapegoats: DEI, immigrants, trans people, etc. Meanwhile, their economic policies keep wages low and jobs dead-end. The challenge for Democrats isn't to mimic GOP talking points—it's to cut through the noise and make these voters see who's actually keeping them down instead of letting them blame convenient villains.
Farming has become a big business, seen as an agrarian cowboy occupation. Estate taxes cut to the quick of this conundrum. It's a hard road to see countering that and explain who is keeping who down when you are competing against agro-business and drawing your identity from the bucolic.
Tim
You aren't going to be able to counter what they have been fed for decades. They will not be able to accept that they have been lied to that long by so many and no one wants to think they were duped.
You have to somehow show how what they think they want is better aligned with what the Dems have to offer.
Example:
Better vetting for immigrants to keep the bad out and let the good in who can do certain needed work and more immigration courts.
You are never going to convince them of the real stats that show they do not take jobs or take resources or that most are law abiding - but you can offer them more vetting, etc, etc
This way more can apply and immigrate because we need them and the "fearful" can be assured they are being screened. It is all about messaging that has meaning for them, as well.
You can apply similar strategies to most Dem policies to make them right-wing friendly.
You can't put a square peg in a round hole you have to carve out a bit out of both to fit.
P&J,
This assumes playing into GOP fears is the only way to win. There's common ground, but it's not in catering or centering—especially when 'appeasement' means harming productive, law-abiding immigrants doing work others won't.
Biden deported more migrants than Trump in his first term but focused on efficient enforcement. Using the military triples costs compared to commercial flights, not to mention the dignity factor. The issue isn't just policy—it's how to counter the perception of chaos without reinforcing bad faith narratives.
There's a real danger of military involvement on the border, spreading to communities that need migrant labor or provide sanctuary for moral reasons. That's not an argument or spectrum I want to compromise on. Who do we sell out next?
Tim
Not playing in to their fears, simply calming them and reducing their anxiety. Vetting does not harm anyone, so long as it is done quickly.
Democrats need to get back to a winning strategy of countering injustice. We don’t need to run against Trump. We need to run toward fighting injustice (unfairness is the word white people use in place of injustice-they don’t know what that word means. They think they’re the victims.).
Democrats need to tell stories of injustice because it resonates with so many people. Stop advocating for groups, advocate for all. Stop giving right-wing groups talking points. Trump won without giving any details despite the fact it was all written down in the 2025 plan.