The most enraging part of all of this was that we were defying expectations as a country and actually making the necessary competitive changes (CHIPS act) to make ourselves competitive against China. Then comes Trump again. If he was trying to destroy our competitiveness, I'm not sure what he would do differently. We have changed, seemingly overnight, from a fairly reliable trading partner to an international pariah. And the corruption is of such a scale that has never been seen in this country- not even close. Will the dollar remain the world's reserve currency? Unlikely. Then our barely manageable federal debt will become unpayable when borrowing costs double. Much worse things are to come.
Trump/MAGA Will Not Allow The Midterms To Be Free And Fair Elections.
Every non-fascist (that is, not Trump/MAGA) must accept and act on the reality of Trump and MAGA exercising authoritarian control of the electoral process, in the 2026 midterms and after, and the Cassandra’s are multiplying fast. Here’s Anne Applebaum on the certainty of Trump/MAGA not accepting or allowing electoral defeat, in the midterms and after:
“...Stacey Abrams...helped me understand that voter suppression isn’t a single thing or a law, but rather a thousand little cuts and changes, maybe designed to discourage just a few voters, but which can make a big difference when elections are as close as ours. Abrams founded Fair Fight, the voting-rights organization...[and the] 10 Steps Campaign. She points out that the arguments we are having about gerrymandering have some new aspects:
'We have never had a president of the United States explicitly state that the line should be redrawn, not based on population, but based on voter outcome. And when you do that, when you decide that the districts are not designed to allow voters to elect their leaders, it is designed to allow leaders to elect their voters—that is a shift of power, and it is exactly what redistricting is designed to preclude.'
This was her conclusion:
'We could win. But we are very, very, very likely to lose if we keep treating this as business as usual. This is not about whether this Democrat wins or that Republican wins. This is about whether democracy wins or authoritarianism wins.'”
Everything’s important right now. But Trump/MAGA will not accept or allow any electoral defeat of any significance, regardless of anything non-fascists want to think or hope for or believe. Trump/MAGA will have to be stopped from using every illegal, amoral, un-democratic, un-Constitutional, blatant power grab authoritarian measure necessary, including but in no way limited to the threat and reality of violence, to refuse and disallow electoral defeat. Say it again: in the 2026 midterms, MAGA is going to have to be stopped from crushing the last vestiges of American democracy. Or to build on Ms. Abrams’ analogy, bleeding democracy out, in full view of this country and the world.
This is it. The 2026 midterms are where American democracy lives or dies. Or, the midterms are where the U.S. either: 1) collapses irrevocably into an extended period of noe-fascist authoritarianism, and all this implies, or, 2) begins the extended and in no way guaranteed process of beating back the same and rebuilding a durable republic.
This is it, folks. If non-fascists don’t organize and mobilize like never before to protect and ensure the outcome of the 2026 midterms, it’s over. Not kinda over, not sorta over. Over. Done. Kaput. This is it, where our country lives or dies. This is it, boys and girls. Say it again: This is it.
After trumps very friendly meeting with the president of Columbia, one has to wonder how big a cut of the illegal drug trade trump extorted for himself
Much useful information - e.g only 40,000 coal jobs comparable with Penn undergrad enrollment!
But like many American pundits, dead wrong about dismissing manufacturing. Its loss was due to flawed policy and plunged millions of workers who had risen to middle class status into hardship.
No other advanced nation fell into the U.S. trap - which indirectly made Trump possible. It’s not just Germany, Japan, and China that have huge trade surpluses with th US. The Scandinavian nations do too while we have staggering deficits.
Excellent again thanks Catherine! The quotes (Le; Griffin) from individuals at both ends of the inexorably rolling juggernaut of tripe that is this administration are a particularly poignant juxtaposition.
useless technicality that adds nothing to the discussion: kawaii is a japanese i-adjective so adding the english -an suffix is redundant... or maybe you're familiar with Kawaiian Pizza Apparel? don't ask...
Trumpie’s fantasy that tariffs will ignite a renaissance of manufacturing is the latest example of the fantasy of both parties that low skilled manufacturing can return to 1950 levels. Give it up people and think hard about the implications of AI for the rest of the workforce.
Ken Griffin is among the largest contributors to the GOP and Trumpie. His tepid interest in corruption is touching since he had spent his entire professional life seeking to put his business beyond regulation. One can only surmise that, since he was shut out of Trumpie’s mutual protection racquet with the Sheiks, his crypto trade has gone sideways.
Gee if T cared about coal, the White House would be powered by it along with all federal buildings and cabinet members would move next door to the plants to live /s
turn off the central air conditioning, install coal cellars and real american ben franklin stoves in all federal buildings... don't forget we can hire children to scuttle coal with pint-sized coal hods... back to the manifest destiny and white-man's burden of the nineteenth century... hurrah!!!
Would love to see people who are standing up highlighted. Ken Griffin being mentioned as a hero is a little icky though - the guy just got done complaining that entrepreneurs couldn't "build their business" under Biden (a time of rapid growth). So maybe just a section for "more of this"?
I’ve always been a globalist free market leaning type, but Trumps tariffs have just solidified my objection to the widespread, flippant use of tariffs. The harm and distortions to people and the economy are unforgivable. The focus on these dying industries are doing more harm overall, than the very little good they do to this shrinking business. Help with the transition to new businesses and industries, move on from the past. Oops, I forgot, these folks want to return to the world of 1825.
Walked away "for months" is rich. Moms-to-be carry for nearly ten. Musk can man up.
The most enraging part of all of this was that we were defying expectations as a country and actually making the necessary competitive changes (CHIPS act) to make ourselves competitive against China. Then comes Trump again. If he was trying to destroy our competitiveness, I'm not sure what he would do differently. We have changed, seemingly overnight, from a fairly reliable trading partner to an international pariah. And the corruption is of such a scale that has never been seen in this country- not even close. Will the dollar remain the world's reserve currency? Unlikely. Then our barely manageable federal debt will become unpayable when borrowing costs double. Much worse things are to come.
Trump/MAGA Will Not Allow The Midterms To Be Free And Fair Elections.
Every non-fascist (that is, not Trump/MAGA) must accept and act on the reality of Trump and MAGA exercising authoritarian control of the electoral process, in the 2026 midterms and after, and the Cassandra’s are multiplying fast. Here’s Anne Applebaum on the certainty of Trump/MAGA not accepting or allowing electoral defeat, in the midterms and after:
https://anneapplebaum.substack.com/p/they-arent-acting-like-they-might
Read it, and read the quotes from Stacy Abrams:
“...Stacey Abrams...helped me understand that voter suppression isn’t a single thing or a law, but rather a thousand little cuts and changes, maybe designed to discourage just a few voters, but which can make a big difference when elections are as close as ours. Abrams founded Fair Fight, the voting-rights organization...[and the] 10 Steps Campaign. She points out that the arguments we are having about gerrymandering have some new aspects:
'We have never had a president of the United States explicitly state that the line should be redrawn, not based on population, but based on voter outcome. And when you do that, when you decide that the districts are not designed to allow voters to elect their leaders, it is designed to allow leaders to elect their voters—that is a shift of power, and it is exactly what redistricting is designed to preclude.'
This was her conclusion:
'We could win. But we are very, very, very likely to lose if we keep treating this as business as usual. This is not about whether this Democrat wins or that Republican wins. This is about whether democracy wins or authoritarianism wins.'”
Everything’s important right now. But Trump/MAGA will not accept or allow any electoral defeat of any significance, regardless of anything non-fascists want to think or hope for or believe. Trump/MAGA will have to be stopped from using every illegal, amoral, un-democratic, un-Constitutional, blatant power grab authoritarian measure necessary, including but in no way limited to the threat and reality of violence, to refuse and disallow electoral defeat. Say it again: in the 2026 midterms, MAGA is going to have to be stopped from crushing the last vestiges of American democracy. Or to build on Ms. Abrams’ analogy, bleeding democracy out, in full view of this country and the world.
This is it. The 2026 midterms are where American democracy lives or dies. Or, the midterms are where the U.S. either: 1) collapses irrevocably into an extended period of noe-fascist authoritarianism, and all this implies, or, 2) begins the extended and in no way guaranteed process of beating back the same and rebuilding a durable republic.
This is it, folks. If non-fascists don’t organize and mobilize like never before to protect and ensure the outcome of the 2026 midterms, it’s over. Not kinda over, not sorta over. Over. Done. Kaput. This is it, where our country lives or dies. This is it, boys and girls. Say it again: This is it.
Catherine, I think you're a great addition to the bulwark team and I love listening and reading you! YAY!
After trumps very friendly meeting with the president of Columbia, one has to wonder how big a cut of the illegal drug trade trump extorted for himself
Much useful information - e.g only 40,000 coal jobs comparable with Penn undergrad enrollment!
But like many American pundits, dead wrong about dismissing manufacturing. Its loss was due to flawed policy and plunged millions of workers who had risen to middle class status into hardship.
No other advanced nation fell into the U.S. trap - which indirectly made Trump possible. It’s not just Germany, Japan, and China that have huge trade surpluses with th US. The Scandinavian nations do too while we have staggering deficits.
Check out the shock book by Dan Wang
Excellent again thanks Catherine! The quotes (Le; Griffin) from individuals at both ends of the inexorably rolling juggernaut of tripe that is this administration are a particularly poignant juxtaposition.
useless technicality that adds nothing to the discussion: kawaii is a japanese i-adjective so adding the english -an suffix is redundant... or maybe you're familiar with Kawaiian Pizza Apparel? don't ask...
Terrific insightful easy to comprehend reporting on an often opaque subject. Bravo to you and to the Bulwark for engaging your talents!
Thanks for the deep research and extremely well written narrative.
Trumpie’s fantasy that tariffs will ignite a renaissance of manufacturing is the latest example of the fantasy of both parties that low skilled manufacturing can return to 1950 levels. Give it up people and think hard about the implications of AI for the rest of the workforce.
Ken Griffin is among the largest contributors to the GOP and Trumpie. His tepid interest in corruption is touching since he had spent his entire professional life seeking to put his business beyond regulation. One can only surmise that, since he was shut out of Trumpie’s mutual protection racquet with the Sheiks, his crypto trade has gone sideways.
Gee if T cared about coal, the White House would be powered by it along with all federal buildings and cabinet members would move next door to the plants to live /s
turn off the central air conditioning, install coal cellars and real american ben franklin stoves in all federal buildings... don't forget we can hire children to scuttle coal with pint-sized coal hods... back to the manifest destiny and white-man's burden of the nineteenth century... hurrah!!!
Yes to Heroes of Democracy. It can give us (me) ideas on how to personally advance democracy.
Would love to see people who are standing up highlighted. Ken Griffin being mentioned as a hero is a little icky though - the guy just got done complaining that entrepreneurs couldn't "build their business" under Biden (a time of rapid growth). So maybe just a section for "more of this"?
I’ve always been a globalist free market leaning type, but Trumps tariffs have just solidified my objection to the widespread, flippant use of tariffs. The harm and distortions to people and the economy are unforgivable. The focus on these dying industries are doing more harm overall, than the very little good they do to this shrinking business. Help with the transition to new businesses and industries, move on from the past. Oops, I forgot, these folks want to return to the world of 1825.
Thank you, Ms. Rampell. djt is, bar no e, the worst president of my lifetime, but he will go down in history as the greatest conman in history.