The saddest thing is that this is a true assessment of America today. Even with all of this, Democrats are cautioned to just stick to the economy and not be sidetracked by peripheral issues. Unserious and shallow.
JVL, I’m a subscriber to The Bulwark for one year now. A happy subscriber and a particular fan of your contributions. I can’t express the level of nausea your comments about Trump’s Truth Social post about Ron Reiner’s death made me feel. Wrong take, wrong thinking J. This is a thought that comes to my mind more and more as I read your writing recently. This is not a cheap shot. It is a shame because you can be so persuasive. But your recent missives are not.
Leaving a "Like" always seems so inappropriate for a story such as this, but I leave a "heart" because I feel as if I could have written this piece myself, years ago. This is why some people, such as myself, are drawn to your "darkness."
Many of us, including me, are sick and tired and WAY past feeling ready to make changes. Let me know if you former conservatives need some help with the heavy lifting, because I live to change things for the better, and goodness knows, the USA needs a ton of change. Change isn't that hard when you WANT IT, DEEP DOWN IN YOUR SOUL. I would bet on the next generation, including the girl I heard about who has now been through TWO SCHOOL SHOOTINGS (Brown Univ + her high school, I believe), but I don't want to wait. Not to mention, there is absolutely NO REASON WHATSOEVER that USAID is gone in a single POOF! We MUST bring it back quickly, simply and effectively ...
Here’s the problem: Americans as a whole like democracy, rule of law, and the integrity of institutions. But they don’t fully appreciate that we are in a situation now where one party protects these, and one doesn’t. So while you would think January 6 would have made Trump toxic for life, people 1) didn’t really believe Trump and Republicans would really do many of the cartoonishly evil things they said they would do in Project 2025, and 2) they gave priority to short-term concerns like inflation. And the problem will be that even if Democrats take control in 2028 and work to fix as much as much damage from Trump/MAGA as they can, there is zero guarantee that voters won’t turn around in 2032 or 2036 and put another MAGA in the White House with a MAGA majority in Congress to protect them.
We have already been in a situation for years where enforcement of financial, the environment, ando ther things swings like a pendulum depending on whether a Democrat or Republican is President, even though most voters did not give a mandate to change this. Now we risk years of yo-yo-ing between democracy and rule of law on one hand, and autocracy on the other, all determined by the whims of 40,000 voters in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
FWIW: I grew up in Australia. I remember Port Arthur like yesterday. I remember the unifying effect on Australia. I remember marching / protesting for serious gun reforms.
And, as you said, the Prime Minister of the day, about as conservative a politician as they come in Australian politics, pushed it through. It cost him deeply politically with his conservative base. He once even once wore a bullet-proof vest to a speech to his supporters.
I'm glad that The Bulwark is covering the terrorist attack at Bondi, a place I spent many happy days. But something is missing from The Bulwark's coverage, and something in their tone as well.
Such as the failure to mention it was a Muslim Australian immigrant, a father of two, who charged one of the terrorists, disarming him and getting shot multiple times for his trouble, in perhaps the bravest act I have ever witnessed. His act of courage saved who knows how many Jewish lives.
Nor has the fact that those "antisemitic Australians"*, who support the recognition of Palestine, have overwhelmed the blood donation system to save the lives of the dozens of Jews who were shot and are currently fighting for their lives in Australian hospitals. It was "white" Australian surf lifesavers who ran towards the gunfire, who treated the wounded, who covered others to protect them, all while being shot at.
Grim. But obviously not everyone agrees that we should do nothing about guns and that it was okay to get rid of USAID. I do feel there is moral rot and wonder how much blame should placed on those who know better. The messages reinforcing people's desire to let themselves off the hook (coming from conservative media, every online distraction we all have) are stronger than the counteracting idea that struggling to do the right thing as life's #1 fight (which we may get from church, school, family, community organizations, books, some art or digital media). I think we need politicians with the moral clarity of Bernie who aren't afraid to challenge us to do better and to be the best version of ourselves. There has to be something left in each and every one of us that knows right from wrong and we need as many reminders of this as possible.
I've come to realize that of all the destruction of cultural and political norms that Trump and MAGA have wrought, the worst and most lasting of these is the courser, meaner, ruder, and more offensive society we now live in. What happened after Charlie Kirk and Rob Reiner are just two visible national examples. Everybody hates each other, and nobody is afraid to admit it anymore.
I live in a 50-50 Dem-Republican region of a true swing state. Everyday in my daily life I encounter the meanness and coarseness of our new normal. It manifests itself in a lack of patience and abject disrespect. It manifests itself in a complete lack of shame and decorum. You see it in the grocery store, in the Walmart parking lot, in line at the bank, sitting in the stands at a little league baseball game, and, horror of horrors, even at the last bastion of civility and dignity, on the golf course.
In 2025, we had a record number of "discipline and behavior" issues at my club - complete with multi-month suspensions. I heard a year end summary of the professional golf season on the radio, and it ended with discussion of the disgusting behavior of the New York fans at the Ryder Cup. And, all I could think of is, "You think this is new or extraordinary? Welcome to the world we live in everyday. Our collective new normal, where being an asshole is a badge of honor".
And a majority of Americans either like it this way, or think it's just fine.
It has long been obvious that Americans are cold, selfish, gutless, lack empathy and are so self-involved that the blowing apart of little kids in a classroom days before Christmas by a deranged person with a weapon of war was basically dismissed with thoughts and prayers.
Some days I am truly ashamed of this country. There have been more and more of such days.
Well, the NRA is going broke… So, maybe some politicians will now grow enough spine to “Represent Their Constituents” on this issue, now that “the gun lobby” doesn’t have as deep pockets as it did.
1) I’m not sure if “unserious” is the exact word to describe Americans today, but it’s pretty close. It’s more that way too many Americans have simply lost the ability to think critically. They are governed by way too much emotion and way too little logic. That’s why we have so many ridiculous conspiracy theories. And that’s why we have Trump. There’s a reason why his supporters take him “seriously, but not literally”. And that’s because no one can explain what Trump is saying. One day, tariffs are a panacea whose levels are set by a rigorous mathematical formula. The next day, everyone can see that the rigorous mathematical formula is complete nonsense and the numbers were just plucked out of thin air. And the day after that, we’re baling out the farmers.
Look at the people who are “surprised” by Trump’s deportation policies. Were they asleep during the campaign? No, they just decided that Trump didn’t really mean what he said. They “liked” Trump and didn’t want to logically consider the accuracy of the claim that there were millions and millions of violent illegal aliens in this country because that would mean that they might have to “like” Trump less. Or they cry crocodile tears because of some Trump inexcusable tweet (such as the one about the Reiners) because that’s what decent people do – all the while secretly happy that Trump is willing to publicly behave is such outrageous ways as long as he’s “hurting the people that need to be hurt”. Or the “Arab Americans for Trump” organization. Think there’s any serious logical thinking going on there?
Serious people try to make decision based on logic. Unserious people don’t. And that’s why so many people voted for Trump.
2) Given our fetishization with guns, I don’t know how much good gun laws would do here. I’m all in favor of people owing guns for self-protection, hunting, or target shooting. But the idea that we all need guns to protect ourselves when the government comes for us is simply laughable. Too few gun owners recognize that owing a lethal weapon is both a right and a responsibility. And too many seem to think that they’re Jack Bauer who can handle strange noises in the night (without any training, of course). It makes them feel safe (and macho) even if the statistics show just the opposite.
Logically, organizations like the NRA should loudly and proudly promote gun safety courses and safe gun storage. That would be the logical position. Instead they are afraid of the emotional reaction from gun-rights advocates if they seem to be caving to the anti-gun crowd. Apparently, a few extra deaths are worth it to avoid losing members (and money).
“A majority of Americans have decided that active shooter drills and school massacres are an acceptable price for preserving our gun regime.” – and one of those Americans was Charlie Kirk.
3) If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times – Trump doesn’t understand what it means to be President (or he simply doesn’t care). So the Trumplicants will point to some rando guy saying something bad about Kirk to justify Trump’s disgusting tweet about the Reiners as if what some rando guy says carries the same weight as what the President of the United States says.
4) Reading the story of the dismantling of USAID infuriated me. I don’t know what makes a winning political issue, but I would hope that this would be one in 2026 and 2028. Because if the idea that our government would make decisions that would result in the deaths of so many with what seems like almost delight doesn’t politically hurt those who made those decisions, what does that say about us?
The political "justification" I've heard for axing USAID is the "America First" argument that we should only spend money here... not in countries like Sudan.
I've heard the same justification. And I believe it to simply be a smokescreen. They wanted to cut USAID for some reason, and they went looking for a reason to justify an already reached conclusion. Like the rest of DOGE. They claimed they were only doing it to save money and make the government more efficient, but in the end they didn't save squat (USAID didn't cost that much to begin with). It was an ideological purge, nothing more. But USAID was probably the worst part because it really did seem like they just couldn't wait to do it; there was no faux "we really hate to do this but we just have to" justification. They simply didn't care how many people died as a result.
Great overview. And totally with you on #4. That a bunch of punks would destroy the world’s greatest humanitarian organization - and with such glee - is galling beyond belief. And how will we ever hold these horrible people accountable; how to keep them from ever moving again in polite company?
One can hope that such a depraved and selfish response to horrific murders might finally start to move the Trumpy thought-leaders away from their reflexive apologias. Maybe they'll try to save their dignity by saying, "Something has gone wrong with him; he's not the same person I've been supporting."
But he is the same person. Nothing has changed in his sense of right and wrong. The only difference is that he's more disinhibited, so his true ugly self comes though even more unfiltered than before. But the ugliness of soul was never hard to see.
On the other hand, MAGA apologists may go with the "He's authentic!!" defense. I saw a social media post by someone identifying as a pastor who said that Trump is not fake enough to express false sympathy for someone who was harshly critical of him.
Apparently, it doesn't occur to the rev. that Trump's vile statements on the murder are just another manifestation of the evil heart that made Reiner so critical in the first place.
Thank you, JVL, for stating it so bluntly, as it needs to stated over and over until the people in the back get it. As much as the news is so grim these days, and how we can all lose hope given the unseriousness and stupidity in America, I wish you and yours the best of the holiday. May you have some joyful days.
The saddest thing is that this is a true assessment of America today. Even with all of this, Democrats are cautioned to just stick to the economy and not be sidetracked by peripheral issues. Unserious and shallow.
JVL, I’m a subscriber to The Bulwark for one year now. A happy subscriber and a particular fan of your contributions. I can’t express the level of nausea your comments about Trump’s Truth Social post about Ron Reiner’s death made me feel. Wrong take, wrong thinking J. This is a thought that comes to my mind more and more as I read your writing recently. This is not a cheap shot. It is a shame because you can be so persuasive. But your recent missives are not.
Leaving a "Like" always seems so inappropriate for a story such as this, but I leave a "heart" because I feel as if I could have written this piece myself, years ago. This is why some people, such as myself, are drawn to your "darkness."
Many of us, including me, are sick and tired and WAY past feeling ready to make changes. Let me know if you former conservatives need some help with the heavy lifting, because I live to change things for the better, and goodness knows, the USA needs a ton of change. Change isn't that hard when you WANT IT, DEEP DOWN IN YOUR SOUL. I would bet on the next generation, including the girl I heard about who has now been through TWO SCHOOL SHOOTINGS (Brown Univ + her high school, I believe), but I don't want to wait. Not to mention, there is absolutely NO REASON WHATSOEVER that USAID is gone in a single POOF! We MUST bring it back quickly, simply and effectively ...
Here’s the problem: Americans as a whole like democracy, rule of law, and the integrity of institutions. But they don’t fully appreciate that we are in a situation now where one party protects these, and one doesn’t. So while you would think January 6 would have made Trump toxic for life, people 1) didn’t really believe Trump and Republicans would really do many of the cartoonishly evil things they said they would do in Project 2025, and 2) they gave priority to short-term concerns like inflation. And the problem will be that even if Democrats take control in 2028 and work to fix as much as much damage from Trump/MAGA as they can, there is zero guarantee that voters won’t turn around in 2032 or 2036 and put another MAGA in the White House with a MAGA majority in Congress to protect them.
We have already been in a situation for years where enforcement of financial, the environment, ando ther things swings like a pendulum depending on whether a Democrat or Republican is President, even though most voters did not give a mandate to change this. Now we risk years of yo-yo-ing between democracy and rule of law on one hand, and autocracy on the other, all determined by the whims of 40,000 voters in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
FWIW: I grew up in Australia. I remember Port Arthur like yesterday. I remember the unifying effect on Australia. I remember marching / protesting for serious gun reforms.
And, as you said, the Prime Minister of the day, about as conservative a politician as they come in Australian politics, pushed it through. It cost him deeply politically with his conservative base. He once even once wore a bullet-proof vest to a speech to his supporters.
Here's a good primer on what happened:
https://youtu.be/4dVcaWyNN-Q?list=PLpoN8OCX0OoWmJksBx30rDyJEIf1C08iU&t=26
I'm glad that The Bulwark is covering the terrorist attack at Bondi, a place I spent many happy days. But something is missing from The Bulwark's coverage, and something in their tone as well.
Such as the failure to mention it was a Muslim Australian immigrant, a father of two, who charged one of the terrorists, disarming him and getting shot multiple times for his trouble, in perhaps the bravest act I have ever witnessed. His act of courage saved who knows how many Jewish lives.
https://youtube.com/shorts/zNgQHZAc9aY?si=7Uh3UVwV7mhelggd
Nor has the fact that those "antisemitic Australians"*, who support the recognition of Palestine, have overwhelmed the blood donation system to save the lives of the dozens of Jews who were shot and are currently fighting for their lives in Australian hospitals. It was "white" Australian surf lifesavers who ran towards the gunfire, who treated the wounded, who covered others to protect them, all while being shot at.
https://youtu.be/eNFO7oFDlFY?si=q6nhqhLg3zgGAwwu
Please continue to condemn the terrorists, but don't fail to mention the heroes.
* If you want to hear the most disgusting antisemitic tirade, listen to Netanyahu's libel against Australia after the terrorist attack.
Is it too much to say that I hate what this country has become?
Grim. But obviously not everyone agrees that we should do nothing about guns and that it was okay to get rid of USAID. I do feel there is moral rot and wonder how much blame should placed on those who know better. The messages reinforcing people's desire to let themselves off the hook (coming from conservative media, every online distraction we all have) are stronger than the counteracting idea that struggling to do the right thing as life's #1 fight (which we may get from church, school, family, community organizations, books, some art or digital media). I think we need politicians with the moral clarity of Bernie who aren't afraid to challenge us to do better and to be the best version of ourselves. There has to be something left in each and every one of us that knows right from wrong and we need as many reminders of this as possible.
I've come to realize that of all the destruction of cultural and political norms that Trump and MAGA have wrought, the worst and most lasting of these is the courser, meaner, ruder, and more offensive society we now live in. What happened after Charlie Kirk and Rob Reiner are just two visible national examples. Everybody hates each other, and nobody is afraid to admit it anymore.
I live in a 50-50 Dem-Republican region of a true swing state. Everyday in my daily life I encounter the meanness and coarseness of our new normal. It manifests itself in a lack of patience and abject disrespect. It manifests itself in a complete lack of shame and decorum. You see it in the grocery store, in the Walmart parking lot, in line at the bank, sitting in the stands at a little league baseball game, and, horror of horrors, even at the last bastion of civility and dignity, on the golf course.
In 2025, we had a record number of "discipline and behavior" issues at my club - complete with multi-month suspensions. I heard a year end summary of the professional golf season on the radio, and it ended with discussion of the disgusting behavior of the New York fans at the Ryder Cup. And, all I could think of is, "You think this is new or extraordinary? Welcome to the world we live in everyday. Our collective new normal, where being an asshole is a badge of honor".
And a majority of Americans either like it this way, or think it's just fine.
It has long been obvious that Americans are cold, selfish, gutless, lack empathy and are so self-involved that the blowing apart of little kids in a classroom days before Christmas by a deranged person with a weapon of war was basically dismissed with thoughts and prayers.
Some days I am truly ashamed of this country. There have been more and more of such days.
oh dear, not everyone acts in this manner - help us STOP this - it is NOT and will NEVER BE, normal ...
Thank you for your boldness of heart and clarity of words. It keeps me from feeling alone.
Is it ever enough? These supporters...I blame them. I guess it's shame. An inability to admit they were taken. How did we end up here?
Well, the NRA is going broke… So, maybe some politicians will now grow enough spine to “Represent Their Constituents” on this issue, now that “the gun lobby” doesn’t have as deep pockets as it did.
A few comments...
1) I’m not sure if “unserious” is the exact word to describe Americans today, but it’s pretty close. It’s more that way too many Americans have simply lost the ability to think critically. They are governed by way too much emotion and way too little logic. That’s why we have so many ridiculous conspiracy theories. And that’s why we have Trump. There’s a reason why his supporters take him “seriously, but not literally”. And that’s because no one can explain what Trump is saying. One day, tariffs are a panacea whose levels are set by a rigorous mathematical formula. The next day, everyone can see that the rigorous mathematical formula is complete nonsense and the numbers were just plucked out of thin air. And the day after that, we’re baling out the farmers.
Look at the people who are “surprised” by Trump’s deportation policies. Were they asleep during the campaign? No, they just decided that Trump didn’t really mean what he said. They “liked” Trump and didn’t want to logically consider the accuracy of the claim that there were millions and millions of violent illegal aliens in this country because that would mean that they might have to “like” Trump less. Or they cry crocodile tears because of some Trump inexcusable tweet (such as the one about the Reiners) because that’s what decent people do – all the while secretly happy that Trump is willing to publicly behave is such outrageous ways as long as he’s “hurting the people that need to be hurt”. Or the “Arab Americans for Trump” organization. Think there’s any serious logical thinking going on there?
Serious people try to make decision based on logic. Unserious people don’t. And that’s why so many people voted for Trump.
2) Given our fetishization with guns, I don’t know how much good gun laws would do here. I’m all in favor of people owing guns for self-protection, hunting, or target shooting. But the idea that we all need guns to protect ourselves when the government comes for us is simply laughable. Too few gun owners recognize that owing a lethal weapon is both a right and a responsibility. And too many seem to think that they’re Jack Bauer who can handle strange noises in the night (without any training, of course). It makes them feel safe (and macho) even if the statistics show just the opposite.
Logically, organizations like the NRA should loudly and proudly promote gun safety courses and safe gun storage. That would be the logical position. Instead they are afraid of the emotional reaction from gun-rights advocates if they seem to be caving to the anti-gun crowd. Apparently, a few extra deaths are worth it to avoid losing members (and money).
“A majority of Americans have decided that active shooter drills and school massacres are an acceptable price for preserving our gun regime.” – and one of those Americans was Charlie Kirk.
3) If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times – Trump doesn’t understand what it means to be President (or he simply doesn’t care). So the Trumplicants will point to some rando guy saying something bad about Kirk to justify Trump’s disgusting tweet about the Reiners as if what some rando guy says carries the same weight as what the President of the United States says.
4) Reading the story of the dismantling of USAID infuriated me. I don’t know what makes a winning political issue, but I would hope that this would be one in 2026 and 2028. Because if the idea that our government would make decisions that would result in the deaths of so many with what seems like almost delight doesn’t politically hurt those who made those decisions, what does that say about us?
I believe a full-on anti-corruption campaign could be a winning issue. I'd like to see the Dems give it a try in 2026.
The political "justification" I've heard for axing USAID is the "America First" argument that we should only spend money here... not in countries like Sudan.
I've heard the same justification. And I believe it to simply be a smokescreen. They wanted to cut USAID for some reason, and they went looking for a reason to justify an already reached conclusion. Like the rest of DOGE. They claimed they were only doing it to save money and make the government more efficient, but in the end they didn't save squat (USAID didn't cost that much to begin with). It was an ideological purge, nothing more. But USAID was probably the worst part because it really did seem like they just couldn't wait to do it; there was no faux "we really hate to do this but we just have to" justification. They simply didn't care how many people died as a result.
Great overview. And totally with you on #4. That a bunch of punks would destroy the world’s greatest humanitarian organization - and with such glee - is galling beyond belief. And how will we ever hold these horrible people accountable; how to keep them from ever moving again in polite company?
The only one who has Trump Derangement Syndrome is Trump.
Trump is deranged, and if you want to call it a syndrome... fine I'll go along.
That's what I say to myself every time I hear Tim Miller say something about having TDS. THE ONLY PERSON WITH A DERANGEMENT SYNDROME IS TRUMP!!!
Ugh, ty for recognizing this and acknowledging my sanity!!! lol
One can hope that such a depraved and selfish response to horrific murders might finally start to move the Trumpy thought-leaders away from their reflexive apologias. Maybe they'll try to save their dignity by saying, "Something has gone wrong with him; he's not the same person I've been supporting."
But he is the same person. Nothing has changed in his sense of right and wrong. The only difference is that he's more disinhibited, so his true ugly self comes though even more unfiltered than before. But the ugliness of soul was never hard to see.
On the other hand, MAGA apologists may go with the "He's authentic!!" defense. I saw a social media post by someone identifying as a pastor who said that Trump is not fake enough to express false sympathy for someone who was harshly critical of him.
Apparently, it doesn't occur to the rev. that Trump's vile statements on the murder are just another manifestation of the evil heart that made Reiner so critical in the first place.
Thank you, JVL, for stating it so bluntly, as it needs to stated over and over until the people in the back get it. As much as the news is so grim these days, and how we can all lose hope given the unseriousness and stupidity in America, I wish you and yours the best of the holiday. May you have some joyful days.