Why the f do the Democrats always have to kowtow to Republicans?
What the hell is Merrick Garland doing there in the first place!? Can you imagine any Republican president in recent history hiring a Democratic attorney general? I may have the unpopular opinion that Harris's severe right swing including cozying up to the Chaneys and Goldman Sachs and bragging about her Glock abandon the progressive liberal principles and populism that could have spoken more to what was a populist's election! (Run ons are my jam 😂) The left should offer a left alternative to the right not a right-lite version of itself.
That being said, I think the social dilemma IE social media and foreign influence and social engineering probably would render any of that stuff irrelevant. There's no message Democrats could use versus the gigantor media and propaganda operation of the right. How we are going to figure this one out is beyond me? That's why smart people like you need to be guiding the way! Can't wait to see you and Ruth tearing it up! Happy belated 50th! I think the '50s are the best decade of life... so far for me at least!
That sounds very insightful and true about Garland. Democrats consistently have underestimated Trumps resilience and popularity. They can’t believe that people see him as a legitimate and sympathetic leader. Garmons approach in multiple areas was cautious, slow, and timid which seems to be part of his basic nature. Sometimes this is a virtue, in this situation, not.
Biden’s slow response to the border probably also played a role. And of course if Biden had declared for only one term it would have allowed for a real competitive Democrat primary.
Hi Asha, I wrote this, mainly to sort out my own thoughts on this. Happy to hear criticism. I recognize it doesn't cover a lot of important factors (proclivity to embrace conspiracy thinking, sustained underinvestment in education, American exceptionalism, rise of evangelicism, etc)....
The Spectacle and the Strategy: Why we're not even playing the same 'game' anymore
I've been consuming a flood of US election post-mortems, each trying to explain what went "wrong" - or in some cases, what went "right" - in American politics. To me, most of them largely miss the mark. Yesterday, for example, I listened to Ezra Klein's analysis "What's Next for the Democratic Party" on my flight home from a conference. Like most of Klein's work, it's thoughtful and incisive about campaign mechanics, voter outreach, and coalition-building. But it's fundamentally wrong.
Klein is performing an autopsy on the wrong body.
Over the past 25 years, we haven't just seen a shift in political preferences or media consumption - we've witnessed the complete bifurcation of political reality into two incompatible systems. Klein's analysis is like suggesting better chess moves in a demolition derby - technically correct, but fatally beside the point.
The Two-Game Reality
What we're actually seeing is two entirely different games being played simultaneously:
Game A:
• Evidence-based policy making
• Institutional stability
• Verifiable facts
• Accountability structures
• Complex problem-solving
• Long-term planning
• Multilateral cooperation
• Expert knowledge validation
• Process-based legitimacy
• Systemic solutions
Game B:
• Narrative-based reality creation
• Institutional disruption; chaos as strategy
• Alternative facts
• Accountability evasion
• Simple solutions
• Short-term gains
• Unilateral action
• "Common sense" supremacy
• Power-based legitimacy
• Individual saviors
The Asymmetry of Truth
Here's what makes this so pernicious: Game A requires playing by rules that Game B simply ignores. The asymmetry shows up in three critical ways:
• Speed vs. Accuracy: Lies travel at the speed of light. Truth moves at the speed of verification. The gap between these speeds is where manipulation thrives
• Complexity vs. Simplicity: Real solutions require nuance. Simple narratives require only confidence. Guess which one travels better on social media?
• Accountability vs. Impunity: One side faces fact-checkers. The other side declares fact-checking "fake news." Only Game A has a referee.
The Reality Machines
Marshall McLuhan's "Understanding Media" (1964) surfaced his concept "the medium is the message." Today, that insight has evolved: the medium isn't just the message anymore; it's become the reality-generation machine. Behind this two-game system lies a sophisticated network of forces:
• Media conglomerates profiting from conflict
• Tech platforms amplifying engagement over truth
• Financial interests funding instability
• Foreign actors exploiting divisions
Social media and 24/7 news haven't just changed how we communicate; they've fundamentally altered how we think. Emotional reactions trump rational analysis, spectacle defeats substance, and volume drowns out validity - exactly as McLuhan predicted when he wrote about electronic media's power to reshape human consciousness.
Beyond Postman's Warning
The day after the election, one of my Facebook friends posted "welp, time to reread Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death." While Postman's 1985 work warned that television would transform all serious public discourse into entertainment, even he couldn't have imagined how modest his dystopia would prove to be. He saw a world where entertainment would consume serious discourse, where public affairs would become variety shows. What has emerged is far more profound.
We haven't just turned politics into entertainment – we've created entire parallel universes of "truthiness," each with its own physics of fact, its own rules of causality, its own epistemological foundations. Where Postman saw entertainment drowning truth in irrelevance, we've developed industrial-scale reality manufacturing. We now have crisis as content, outrage as engagement, confusion as strategy, and chaos as a business model.
The Autocratic Opportunity
Ruth Ben-Ghiat's "Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present" (2020) illuminates what happens next. Into this fractured information environment steps the autocrat, offering what Ben-Ghiat identifies as their classic tools:
• Simple answers to complex problems
• Strength instead of systems
• Enemies instead of explanations
• Loyalty instead of truth
It's not that one side "fell for it" – it's that the entire information environment has been optimized for exactly this outcome. As Ben-Ghiat argues, modern autocrats don't just seize power; they inherit systems primed for their messaging.
Lord knows where we go from here (and I say this as an agnostic), but the solution isn't "better messaging" or "stronger arguments." Those are Game A solutions to a Game B world. We're watching the collision of two incompatible systems of reality-creation, funded by interests that profit from the chaos, and enabled by technologies that amplify the worst aspects of human cognition.
I can't like this enough! : ) I only read about a third and skimmed the rest, but your opening analysis is perfectly succinct. Your concluding paragraph sums it up. It is a very simple situation. What game are we playing, and what are the rules? We are dealing with an infantile opponent and fanbase who will only learn the hard way. What can we do other than to hold on and let them, until the pendulum or waves swing back toward reality.
A recommendation for joining what we used to call "affinity groups" - go to a bar/coffee house/venue where there's live music. Listen to the music, tip the band, tip the bartender, dance. If you don't like the music, go somewhere else...if you like the band, get on their mailing list and go to their next gig. How did this work for me: I'm still friends with the people I met this way in 1966.
So glad to get this, Asha. Just finished Jamie Raskin’s book so your take on Garland will be very interesting. Now I’ll watch the video here and perhaps the recommended movie later.
Just caught end of Derek Thompon's interview on Deadline Whitehouse today, he has a new article out in The Atlantic about anti-social trend in America. Reminded me of the excellent Bowling Alone doc Asha referred us to. Found a gift link to article. He has a podcast on it also.
PLEASE…. not just the failure of trump-sucker Garland but there’s a need to disassociate ourselves from the absolutely HORRIBLE and single minded MSNBC and CNN. CNN for the terrible nothingness during the debates… coming up with mind numbing (stupid ass) questions and then letting trump continue his lies for America to watch. ( I did watch for a few minutes before I couldn’t stand it any more) and also @RachaelMaddow and the rest of msnbc crew mentioning the DT 100,000 or more times at least and just for ratings to be sure. JUST EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID to help the fucker get elected in 2016 (something they admitted to doing) but hey, let’s do it again.
I’m glad you’re feeling better from the cough a few weeks back.
I am looking forward to the December 4 Brookings event with you, Ruth, and Norm. Great Triumvirate of Rule of Law, Freedom & Democracy anti-Fascisti intellects!! I’m in yours and Ruth’s substack groups. A flux capacitor would be great. I hear its coming in the future. Can’t wait!! Stay Strong dear Professor. I need you. We need you. At full octave!! Thank you for all your work!!🙏🙏🙏👍👍👍✊✊✊
Without disagreeing with the fact Merrick Garland's indecisiveness may have contributed to this situation, I must disagree that it is all his fault.
Given the voter turnout numbers and the election result, I'd say this one is mostly on the American public. Though the public is often portrayed as victims of government schemes, shadowy forces, or foreign influences, I'd say most of those who stayed home or voted for Trump are big boys and girls. They know what they did.
If there is a place to start looking, I'd say its back several decades and starts with things like education and parenting.
The cruise looks amazing. I've always wanted to see that region of the world and this looks like an exciting opportunity. I'm coming from more a weekend political junkie perspective. The legal side is not my focus. Does this cruise make any sense for someone like me? I enjoy the two of y'alls (Where'd that come from?) podcasts and discussions. I wonder if I'll get lost in the legal weeds?
Happy belated birthday! Thank you again for bringing such clarity to these most important political events of our time. It does seem very clear in hindsight that Garland's inaction has had disastrous consequences for our democracy. It's perhaps immaterial to ask this now but I do wonder if Garland was too scared to act more quickly or if he was paralyzed by overthinking the situation and wanting to seem objective and non-partisan.
Well, have you noticed that Bondi is considering appointing special counsel to "investigate 2020 fraud in the swing states?" At least there is one Republican ready to say "up yours, Cannon."
I have a feeling when Bondi says “swing states” she isn’t thinking of Florida or zinging Cannon much as Cannon has more than earned a good kick in her ass. I think Bondi is planning Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio as she is a true believer in each of the Giuliani brought lawsuits (63 lawsuits) of which Giuliani lost all but one on some off issue.
it wasn’t so much the states, but the idea of having a special prosecutor since it just got ruled unconstitutional by another sycophant.
Many of Giuliani’s suits weren’t actually about fraud, but about some theory involving state election laws. Others were clearly about the rules of evidence, particularly rejecting hearsay and speculation. I’m guessing that the “investigators” that she sends out haven’t really LOOKED at the Giuliani stuff—I suspect that even if acolytes they will be pissed at having to wade through it all again.
..<><>.. it's beautiful day around You Ms.Asha in Madrid.... have all the "birds" gone south for Winter....no, swan, no geese, or ducks frolicking on pond behind You.... are You signaling the "free World 🤔"...Joe is no (lame duck)! disappearing in the bush in (rain forest) turning 81..."VP Ms.Harris" ..gone silent! maybe projecting...*eat Turkey🦃... Hope Ur' 50th birthday celebration 🎉 was much more than a "lil black dress" weekend in Madrid 🍃Ms.Asha you an Your's have a Happy Thanksgiving 🦃 Day!!🕸️ wAc
Why the f do the Democrats always have to kowtow to Republicans?
What the hell is Merrick Garland doing there in the first place!? Can you imagine any Republican president in recent history hiring a Democratic attorney general? I may have the unpopular opinion that Harris's severe right swing including cozying up to the Chaneys and Goldman Sachs and bragging about her Glock abandon the progressive liberal principles and populism that could have spoken more to what was a populist's election! (Run ons are my jam 😂) The left should offer a left alternative to the right not a right-lite version of itself.
That being said, I think the social dilemma IE social media and foreign influence and social engineering probably would render any of that stuff irrelevant. There's no message Democrats could use versus the gigantor media and propaganda operation of the right. How we are going to figure this one out is beyond me? That's why smart people like you need to be guiding the way! Can't wait to see you and Ruth tearing it up! Happy belated 50th! I think the '50s are the best decade of life... so far for me at least!
That sounds very insightful and true about Garland. Democrats consistently have underestimated Trumps resilience and popularity. They can’t believe that people see him as a legitimate and sympathetic leader. Garmons approach in multiple areas was cautious, slow, and timid which seems to be part of his basic nature. Sometimes this is a virtue, in this situation, not.
Biden’s slow response to the border probably also played a role. And of course if Biden had declared for only one term it would have allowed for a real competitive Democrat primary.
What do you think Garland’s enneatype is? Six?
My guess would be phobic 6 with 5 wing
Hi Asha, I wrote this, mainly to sort out my own thoughts on this. Happy to hear criticism. I recognize it doesn't cover a lot of important factors (proclivity to embrace conspiracy thinking, sustained underinvestment in education, American exceptionalism, rise of evangelicism, etc)....
The Spectacle and the Strategy: Why we're not even playing the same 'game' anymore
I've been consuming a flood of US election post-mortems, each trying to explain what went "wrong" - or in some cases, what went "right" - in American politics. To me, most of them largely miss the mark. Yesterday, for example, I listened to Ezra Klein's analysis "What's Next for the Democratic Party" on my flight home from a conference. Like most of Klein's work, it's thoughtful and incisive about campaign mechanics, voter outreach, and coalition-building. But it's fundamentally wrong.
Klein is performing an autopsy on the wrong body.
Over the past 25 years, we haven't just seen a shift in political preferences or media consumption - we've witnessed the complete bifurcation of political reality into two incompatible systems. Klein's analysis is like suggesting better chess moves in a demolition derby - technically correct, but fatally beside the point.
The Two-Game Reality
What we're actually seeing is two entirely different games being played simultaneously:
Game A:
• Evidence-based policy making
• Institutional stability
• Verifiable facts
• Accountability structures
• Complex problem-solving
• Long-term planning
• Multilateral cooperation
• Expert knowledge validation
• Process-based legitimacy
• Systemic solutions
Game B:
• Narrative-based reality creation
• Institutional disruption; chaos as strategy
• Alternative facts
• Accountability evasion
• Simple solutions
• Short-term gains
• Unilateral action
• "Common sense" supremacy
• Power-based legitimacy
• Individual saviors
The Asymmetry of Truth
Here's what makes this so pernicious: Game A requires playing by rules that Game B simply ignores. The asymmetry shows up in three critical ways:
• Speed vs. Accuracy: Lies travel at the speed of light. Truth moves at the speed of verification. The gap between these speeds is where manipulation thrives
• Complexity vs. Simplicity: Real solutions require nuance. Simple narratives require only confidence. Guess which one travels better on social media?
• Accountability vs. Impunity: One side faces fact-checkers. The other side declares fact-checking "fake news." Only Game A has a referee.
The Reality Machines
Marshall McLuhan's "Understanding Media" (1964) surfaced his concept "the medium is the message." Today, that insight has evolved: the medium isn't just the message anymore; it's become the reality-generation machine. Behind this two-game system lies a sophisticated network of forces:
• Media conglomerates profiting from conflict
• Tech platforms amplifying engagement over truth
• Financial interests funding instability
• Foreign actors exploiting divisions
Social media and 24/7 news haven't just changed how we communicate; they've fundamentally altered how we think. Emotional reactions trump rational analysis, spectacle defeats substance, and volume drowns out validity - exactly as McLuhan predicted when he wrote about electronic media's power to reshape human consciousness.
Beyond Postman's Warning
The day after the election, one of my Facebook friends posted "welp, time to reread Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death." While Postman's 1985 work warned that television would transform all serious public discourse into entertainment, even he couldn't have imagined how modest his dystopia would prove to be. He saw a world where entertainment would consume serious discourse, where public affairs would become variety shows. What has emerged is far more profound.
We haven't just turned politics into entertainment – we've created entire parallel universes of "truthiness," each with its own physics of fact, its own rules of causality, its own epistemological foundations. Where Postman saw entertainment drowning truth in irrelevance, we've developed industrial-scale reality manufacturing. We now have crisis as content, outrage as engagement, confusion as strategy, and chaos as a business model.
The Autocratic Opportunity
Ruth Ben-Ghiat's "Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present" (2020) illuminates what happens next. Into this fractured information environment steps the autocrat, offering what Ben-Ghiat identifies as their classic tools:
• Simple answers to complex problems
• Strength instead of systems
• Enemies instead of explanations
• Loyalty instead of truth
It's not that one side "fell for it" – it's that the entire information environment has been optimized for exactly this outcome. As Ben-Ghiat argues, modern autocrats don't just seize power; they inherit systems primed for their messaging.
Lord knows where we go from here (and I say this as an agnostic), but the solution isn't "better messaging" or "stronger arguments." Those are Game A solutions to a Game B world. We're watching the collision of two incompatible systems of reality-creation, funded by interests that profit from the chaos, and enabled by technologies that amplify the worst aspects of human cognition.
I can't like this enough! : ) I only read about a third and skimmed the rest, but your opening analysis is perfectly succinct. Your concluding paragraph sums it up. It is a very simple situation. What game are we playing, and what are the rules? We are dealing with an infantile opponent and fanbase who will only learn the hard way. What can we do other than to hold on and let them, until the pendulum or waves swing back toward reality.
I am totally with you on Garland. I’ve dubbed him “The Soft Traitor” due to his egregious inaction. Almost scandalous.
A recommendation for joining what we used to call "affinity groups" - go to a bar/coffee house/venue where there's live music. Listen to the music, tip the band, tip the bartender, dance. If you don't like the music, go somewhere else...if you like the band, get on their mailing list and go to their next gig. How did this work for me: I'm still friends with the people I met this way in 1966.
So glad to get this, Asha. Just finished Jamie Raskin’s book so your take on Garland will be very interesting. Now I’ll watch the video here and perhaps the recommended movie later.
Just caught end of Derek Thompon's interview on Deadline Whitehouse today, he has a new article out in The Atlantic about anti-social trend in America. Reminded me of the excellent Bowling Alone doc Asha referred us to. Found a gift link to article. He has a podcast on it also.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/02/american-loneliness-personality-politics/681091/?gift=o6MjJQpusU9ebnFuymVdsJfpgYy5vtxo0o8ixXHoDsM&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0FaZtbkN0wOz1zjtYJNQeq?si=7jqBM3QxQbuvwT72J3drqg
Robert Putnam spoke at my university graduation in 2023, and it feels rather prescient now.
Renuka dear;
That cruise to Iceland sounds like disaster.
Wanna be cabin mates?
PLEASE…. not just the failure of trump-sucker Garland but there’s a need to disassociate ourselves from the absolutely HORRIBLE and single minded MSNBC and CNN. CNN for the terrible nothingness during the debates… coming up with mind numbing (stupid ass) questions and then letting trump continue his lies for America to watch. ( I did watch for a few minutes before I couldn’t stand it any more) and also @RachaelMaddow and the rest of msnbc crew mentioning the DT 100,000 or more times at least and just for ratings to be sure. JUST EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID to help the fucker get elected in 2016 (something they admitted to doing) but hey, let’s do it again.
Happy Belated Birthday!!
I’m glad you’re feeling better from the cough a few weeks back.
I am looking forward to the December 4 Brookings event with you, Ruth, and Norm. Great Triumvirate of Rule of Law, Freedom & Democracy anti-Fascisti intellects!! I’m in yours and Ruth’s substack groups. A flux capacitor would be great. I hear its coming in the future. Can’t wait!! Stay Strong dear Professor. I need you. We need you. At full octave!! Thank you for all your work!!🙏🙏🙏👍👍👍✊✊✊
Without disagreeing with the fact Merrick Garland's indecisiveness may have contributed to this situation, I must disagree that it is all his fault.
Given the voter turnout numbers and the election result, I'd say this one is mostly on the American public. Though the public is often portrayed as victims of government schemes, shadowy forces, or foreign influences, I'd say most of those who stayed home or voted for Trump are big boys and girls. They know what they did.
If there is a place to start looking, I'd say its back several decades and starts with things like education and parenting.
The cruise looks amazing. I've always wanted to see that region of the world and this looks like an exciting opportunity. I'm coming from more a weekend political junkie perspective. The legal side is not my focus. Does this cruise make any sense for someone like me? I enjoy the two of y'alls (Where'd that come from?) podcasts and discussions. I wonder if I'll get lost in the legal weeds?
Happy belated birthday! Thank you again for bringing such clarity to these most important political events of our time. It does seem very clear in hindsight that Garland's inaction has had disastrous consequences for our democracy. It's perhaps immaterial to ask this now but I do wonder if Garland was too scared to act more quickly or if he was paralyzed by overthinking the situation and wanting to seem objective and non-partisan.
Well, have you noticed that Bondi is considering appointing special counsel to "investigate 2020 fraud in the swing states?" At least there is one Republican ready to say "up yours, Cannon."
I have a feeling when Bondi says “swing states” she isn’t thinking of Florida or zinging Cannon much as Cannon has more than earned a good kick in her ass. I think Bondi is planning Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio as she is a true believer in each of the Giuliani brought lawsuits (63 lawsuits) of which Giuliani lost all but one on some off issue.
it wasn’t so much the states, but the idea of having a special prosecutor since it just got ruled unconstitutional by another sycophant.
Many of Giuliani’s suits weren’t actually about fraud, but about some theory involving state election laws. Others were clearly about the rules of evidence, particularly rejecting hearsay and speculation. I’m guessing that the “investigators” that she sends out haven’t really LOOKED at the Giuliani stuff—I suspect that even if acolytes they will be pissed at having to wade through it all again.
..<><>.. it's beautiful day around You Ms.Asha in Madrid.... have all the "birds" gone south for Winter....no, swan, no geese, or ducks frolicking on pond behind You.... are You signaling the "free World 🤔"...Joe is no (lame duck)! disappearing in the bush in (rain forest) turning 81..."VP Ms.Harris" ..gone silent! maybe projecting...*eat Turkey🦃... Hope Ur' 50th birthday celebration 🎉 was much more than a "lil black dress" weekend in Madrid 🍃Ms.Asha you an Your's have a Happy Thanksgiving 🦃 Day!!🕸️ wAc
@AshaRangappa
@CrowBwell9