Fortune favors the bold.
Whatever you think about Donald Trump, he and his team have a clear set of goals. Project 2025 is audacious and aims to remake the American system into a smaller government with less regulation that favors business, makes foreign policy more transactional, and strips out a series of progressive victories like DEI, trans rights, and more. The goals are big, sweeping and promise to bring a new era to American governance.
What exactly is the alternative?
Ever since Bill Clinton’s election, Democrats have coalesced around a set of hyper-techical, neo-liberal solutions. We’ll give you just enough government – but not too much! – tempered by a series of egghead-driven policies our professors created in our policy think tanks. Think about speeches touting a specific solution and how it would work. Did that capture your imagination?
While Trump/Musk/Vance have been tearing down federal institutions, they’re reminding people that this is exactly part of their original vision. And although some of the finer points of Trump/Musk/Vance policy may be upsetting, like mass layoffs, it’s hard to argue against it without an alternative.
We may be looking at the end of post-Cold War politics, and MAGA is doing a good job of defining its perspective. But at the end of every era usually comes an explosion of alternatives. In the 1930’s, we debated fascism, America first capitalism, and socialism, and ended up with the New Deal, a blend of socialism and capitalism that increasingly went for the latter as the US economy boomed in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Our next major turn, in the late 1970’s, as the New Deal came to an end, brought evangelical conservatism to compete with labor-driven progressivism and a growing libertarian movement. Reagan went with the evangelical conservatives but twelve years later Clinton somehow managed to combine progressives with libertarians to respond with a free-market liberal technocracy. Bush Junior picked up the evangelical conservatives and strapped on a militaristic element after 9/11. Finally, Obama kept Bush’s militarism, but brought back Clinton’s free-market technocrats.
Trump junked everything and seems to have borrowed from 1930’s American first capitalism.
Since the election I’ve been looking hard, but it seems there haven’t been many new ideas floated since Trump won last November. So far the debate seems to be about how much change Trump should be allowed to bring.
If not MAGA, then what are we supposed to build? What problems need to be addressed? What kind of a world do we envision? How are Americans supposed to thrive in that world?
Let’s start coming up with some bold ideas and see what fortune brings us.
I traveled quite a bit this month – I visited three state capitols! Denver, Jefferson City, and Topeka. They were all beautiful, although I have to say I liked Denver the best. Here’s a list of ideas that occupied my brain this month.
Stayin’ Alive: The 1970’s And The Last Days of The Working Class – I can’t remember who recommended this book to me, but thank you! The struggles of white American blue collars in the 1970’s are simply being replayed again today. Young men coming back from war (Vietnam/Iraq) discover the system doesn’t care about them while conservatives encourage their basest fears (Wallace/Trump).
Kansas City, Missouri – I spent two days in Kansas City this week, enduring record low temperatures and blizzard conditions in a city that doesn’t plow its streets very well. And yet, I really liked it. The city has an industrial, Midwest vibe, like Chicago, and has done a great job keeping old stuff that works, while bringing in new. Lots of cool cafes around the city, great BBQ (I had Gates and Arthur Bryant’s), and many great museums. Go visit.
Wired Magazine – Seemingly adrift for years, Wired has dug in hard to cover the tech angle of the DOGE takeover. Backed by real tech know-how, it’s essential reading if you want to know what’s really happening, because the big news outlets miss half the context.
Civilization 7 – I’ve been playing this game since Civ I. Excited by the pre-launch reviews, I bought the newest version before it came out on February 11. I’m sorry to say that so far, I’m disappointed. It’s more complicated, maybe more realistic, harder, but perhaps less interesting? It’s a game, so in my mind it’s supposed to be fun, not a trial. But then people also like to play Euro Truck Simulator 2.
Chicago Auto Show – Last year, it was all about EVs. This year, EVs were there, but off center stage – but neither were the giant gas guzzlers from years past. Even so, the Chicago show disappointed me because ultimately, it’s a marketing show from the already dominant players. (Although the Chevy Equinox was a standout.) Nothing from European brands like Peugeot, or the Euro versions of VW vehicles, which tend to be smaller and more fuel efficient. Also, no Chinese cars. I desperately want to see Chinese EVs up against American offerings. In this case, protectionism is a mixed bag for Americans.
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum – My Kansas City trip included a stop here. It’s small, but incredibly well done. The most impactful part – for me – was an indoor diamond with life-size statues of stars in their positions around the field. They felt very alive to me. Satchel Page was tall!
Kendrick Lamar Halftime Show – This was ART. I’ve watched it twice now and the call for Black liberation against the straightjacket of American conservatism (Sam Jackson doing a great job here) was powerful. “The revolution ‘bout to be televised. You picked the right time, but the wrong guy,” is a line we’ll be living with for a while.
The Beauty of American Volunteerism – As Fred Rogers said, “Look for the helpers.” Jen Wang’s long Bluesky thread about volunteering for her burned down Altadena elementary school and then becoming a leader providing assistance to school families who lost their homes is simultaneously inspiring and heartbreaking.
Snacks and Cereals of 2024 – Back when I Facebooked, I kept a thread, #WouldYouEatThis, of crazy things I found in the grocery store. Cabel Sasser is much more thorough than me. Harissa Heinz sounds great, but Strawberry Shortcake Goldfish do not.
Best Table Tennis of 2024 – Ten amazing minutes of backspin, harder hits than you thought possible, and people playing ten feet behind the table. It really deserves to be an olympic sport.
Nat Bullard’s annual Decarbonization presentation – Bullard is a former climate journalist turned consultant and investor. His annual 200+ slide presentation covers every aspect of climate data you can imagine.
1977 Audience Reaction to Star Wars – I clearly remember seeing Star Wars when it came out. Even at 4 years old, my world was rocked. Someone recorded audio of the audience reaction, and then matched it to the movie’s video. Pure magic.
The Kindness of Strangers – Visiting the capitol in Jefferson City, while my boss and team had gone on to visit the Churchill Museum in Fulton, about 30 minutes away, I’d stayed behind for more meetings. I’d left my bag in the House Speaker’s office and went to collect it. The staffer working the desk asked me where I was headed next, and I said to Fulton. In the middle of this snowstorm, did he think I could get an Uber? “No, but you should stop by Rep. Kent Haden’s office. He’ll drive through Fulton on his way home,” the staffer told me. But I didn’t know Rep. Haden. So the staffer walked me down the hall and introduced me. Rep. Haden wasn’t going home until 6:00 p.m., which was around when my team was planning to leave Fulton. So that wouldn’t work. But two lobbyists were sitting in Rep. Haden’s office. “I’m going through Fulton,” said one. “We’ll be done in a few minutes.” So, I waited, and then Dave Bunge met me in the hallway, and drove me through a snowstorm to Fulton. Thanks Dave!
