Asha, your analysis of MAGA makes perfect sense. It’s a compilation of all of the factions that are destroying our democracy. I’ve been reading about each in isolation, but now, seeing this big picture….it’s…terrifying, but extremely important to understand.
Really appreciate the suggestions of what WE can do in light of this (your suggestions on The Left Hook). Thank you!
Asha’s interview starts 36 minutes into the episode:
With Trump being rightfully in the center of MAGA, I wonder whether these unholy alliances might just collapse without him. It is a cult, after all. Wishful thinking? Thank you for this spot-on analysis. It helps to know where the different factions align and overlap, especially on the international stage. Also, I see this as a desparate attempt to keep an outdated worldview alive, that embraces colonialism, white supremacy, and misogynism. Those who adhere to it are a minority and it frightens them. Which makes them so dangerous. But ultimately: they belong to the trash heap of history.
“…an outdated worldview alive, that embraces colonialism, white supremacy, and misogynism…”
Well said but fomented by nearly a thousand billionaires and a few more thousand mega-millionaires, along with many employers who aspire to join the “upper” class.
The “people” who do the actual work that runs the economy — farmers, skilled trades, laborers, transportation workers, medical workers, etc. — have the “real power” collectively, but they may not know it. They need leaders to guide them and show them the way. The MAGA people are not completely wrong, but they have been following a bad leader Who is playing them as pawns and stooges.
Yes, the MAGA people have valid grievances, but they're a cult and don't see that their beloved leader doesn't care about them and actually hurts them. And yes, the thousands of oligarchs/tech bros are dangerous because money is power, and yet -- their numbers are limited. I also agree that the lack of democratic leaders is deplorable. WHY was/isn't there a democratic Project 2025? Or a powerful reply to the Powell Memo, almost 50 years ago? Instead, Bernie (who many agree could have been our president in 2016) was sabotaged by career Dems, the same who refuse to support Mamdani. But I have the feeling that's shifting, especially since the blue states are flexing their muscles. With LOUD voices, finally. I think that's the way to go.
“WHY was/isn't there a democratic Project 2025? Or a powerful reply to the Powell Memo, almost 50 years ago?”
The answer to those questions is simple. Very few, if any, billionaires have been willing to fund those. The current “system” is what has made the wealth and power of the “elites” possible, and most of them have no desire to disrupt that.
Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were among the wealthiest elites in America. Unlike many other wealthy people FDR new that America was on the verge of a bloody revolution after the Great Depression. He established the New Deal as a compromise with the labor leaders to forestall such a revolution.
The New Deal worked fairly well for most Americans, but Franklin Roosevelt died before he could fully implement it. The DNC ensured that Roosevelt’s successor would not fully implement it. Since Roosevelt, there hasn’t been any real billionaire champion of the working class.
Eleanor Roosevelt was a great humanitarian. Franklin Roosevelt Was a pragmatic leader that knew that the wealthy would be doomed if a revolution should arise.
In America, the extremely wealthy are not really open to any practical discussions or compromise with the working class. The only thing that will convince them to change their outlook is the likelihood of their demise via a bloody revolution. That has been true throughout western history.
Nancy Maclean’s book, “Democracy in Chains” explains the logic behind why the western elites oppose democracy.
Maybe what happened to Charlie Kirk is the beginning of the ‘rat king’ starting to eat itself?! I’d like to hope that’s what is happening since that shot wasn’t a lucky hit but a skilled triggerman…or woman!😉
I think Kirk's murder is a black swan. It's apparently, a serendipitous event for Trump that he will use like Hitler used the Reichstag fire. Trump said, “You know, we kill people, too.” Just saying, the guy is ruthless and he has been following the Nazi playbook to a T. If they drag in some imbecile who makes a full confession like Hitler did, I would be skeptical.
Welp…again he has to be the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral (except his own) and the sheriff in town even when he is president as he has to dip small to announce the killer of Kirk was found.
His malignant narcissism has no bottom or ceiling for that matter.
Happy for the face droop. God is doing his job, just slowly to prepare the world like it took hours for media to tell us Kirk was dead. When we all saw the video, we knew he was gone within a minute.
God is laying the groundwork for us with the orange stain.
Agree. I think you put Trump in the right spot and described it perfectly. His goal is personal, based on money and his own self aggrandizement, so whatever works in that regard is fine with him.
He’s just the front man for all the others seeking domination.
This provides a comprehensive overview of the groups involved. I’d love to hear more about strategies to fight. That may give too much away, though. A plan needs to be fast tracked to combat each agenda item in P25 and all the parties listed. Without it, well…I’m not going there.
Very hard to get everybody hold their ground in a general strike. When one horse runs there is a tendency for all to run. In infantry combat only about 20% ever fired their weapons at the enemy.
It’s definitely a challenge. However, a 20% participation rate would be excellent if done strategically. Even 5% may be enough.
Critical points include all airlines pilots, railway engineers, long haul truckers, dockworkers have the power to stifle all commerce simply by refusing to work.
For example, automakers rely upon railroads and truckers to haul their completed vehicles from their factories. There are very few locations to store 4,000+ new vehicles, daily per plant, for more than a few days. At some point in time, all production must stop due to “constipation” in the flow. Also, if those factories require incoming parts from suppliers, a parts shortage will cripple production.
The total number of transport workers is less than 1% of the US population. The total number of automotive workers is less than 0.3% of the US population.
The total population of all US military and law enforcement personnel is approximately 1% of the US population.
The population number in favor of the poor and working classes is staggering. The elite masters rely upon the ignorance and complacency of the poor and working classes.
Thanks for this analysis Asha.. When reviewing P2025 I believe you should point out the “7 Mountains” theory. This theory, part of the Christian Nationalism ideology, states they want religion, their religion, to dictate all realms of society… our economy and businesses, our educational system, our political system… As I keep reiterating… America is going through a Cultural Revolution… where MAGAs act as Red Guards to reenforce the ideology and Trump as leader as Mao led the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
Mao was a sincere leader, whether we liked his methods or not. Trump is not a sincere leader. The so-called Christian Nationalists are not Christians at all. They are hypocrites.
Similarly, Zionist Jews are not Jews. They too are hypocrites.
The driving forces are so complicated that it is hard for people to follow these different constituencies.
Yarvin’s wacko ideas ( like the techno feudalism you describe) stem from other political thought leaders including the Russian Aleksander Dugin who influenced Steve Bannon and who was himself influenced by Rene Guenon and Carl Schmitt.
I think the tech bros understanding of the potential totally societal disrupting
power of the coming AI revolution is also fueling their agenda. They are funding a lot of this democracy destruction because they see a radical transformation coming in the very near future and like you surmise want to be the ultimate rulers/ controller of all resources.
They are the most scary. The other two groups and Trump seem to be just tools for them to accomplish their goals.
This is a remarkable summary of the anti-democratic and interconnected players behind the dismantling of American democracy and a frightening roadmap of where we already are and are ultimately heading, as any vestige of power the people collectively held is being ripped away by oligarchs and white Christian nationalist anarchists. Trump is simply the stooge and current beneficiary but isn’t calling the shots.
He gets the power, for now, and the ability to stay out of prison while in the White House, and the technofascists and Heritage Foundation call the policy shots.
Happy to see you label Yarvin's, um, ideas as intellectually lazy. Upon first learning of his existence, my image of him is an apostle of old school Dungeons & Dragons of the 70s and 80s when it was still largely regarded as the domain of unsocialized, acne-prone, cracking-voice teenage boys. (Sorry, not sorry to the enthusiasts of the mainstreamed D&D of today.) Yarvin's antipathy toward historically American foundational values isn't indicative of deep thought; rather, it shows him to have avoided, to a fault, any participation in or acceptance of goodness entailed in the notion of the General Welfare. (I might eject bileous spittle after writing this.)
This is an excellent macro and micro overview of what we are experiencing as we watch our democracy being destroyed from within by the fascists. Hopefully information like this, and coming from other great Sub stack newsletters, will help all of us to fight probably the worst moment in our nations history. Thank you Asha for your insight and clarification during these difficult times.
Bravo, Asha! Thank you for the systematic analysis of these lunatic forces doing their utmost to take out country away from us. By "us" I mean those who believe in the Democratic order of American life as messy and inefficient as it can be. But democracy always gives life to hope that no matter how fucked up things become there is always the potential for change and correction. Thanks for your efforts. ---Roland Poche, New Orleans
Asha, your venn diagram is so very helpful! In light of the arrest of extreme RW suspect in Charlie Kirk’s murder, maybe an update, showing where Groypers and Nick Fuentes fit into this universe, if you know. Thanks!
Most people don't recognize what is going on, but a number of writers like Asha Rangappa on Substack and elsewhere are laying it out plainly.
It's worth adding that Jill Lepore and others note that the Technocracy Movement dates back to the 1930s; its founders envisioned a civilization governed by science and technology and run by experts in those fields, removing all need for politicians, including fascists. They would also abolish democratic elections. The movement won thousands of followers and adopted some unnerving authoritarian hallmarks, such as its adherents dressing similarly and greeting each other with a specific salute--think Musk's outstretched arm in the quasi Nazi salute. Musk’s grandfather, Joshua Haldeman, was a technocracy movement devotee who eventually uprooted his family to South Africa. See [Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, September 19, 2023, “The World According to Elon Musk’s Grandfather What happened to antisemitic rants before social media”; Jill Lepore, The New York Times, Apr 4, 2025, “The Failed Ideas that Drive Elon Musk,” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/opinion/elon-musk-doge-technocracy.html]
Asha, your analysis of MAGA makes perfect sense. It’s a compilation of all of the factions that are destroying our democracy. I’ve been reading about each in isolation, but now, seeing this big picture….it’s…terrifying, but extremely important to understand.
Really appreciate the suggestions of what WE can do in light of this (your suggestions on The Left Hook). Thank you!
Asha’s interview starts 36 minutes into the episode:
https://thelefthook.substack.com/p/donald-trumps-cankled-presidency?r=9vmv5&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=audio-player
With Trump being rightfully in the center of MAGA, I wonder whether these unholy alliances might just collapse without him. It is a cult, after all. Wishful thinking? Thank you for this spot-on analysis. It helps to know where the different factions align and overlap, especially on the international stage. Also, I see this as a desparate attempt to keep an outdated worldview alive, that embraces colonialism, white supremacy, and misogynism. Those who adhere to it are a minority and it frightens them. Which makes them so dangerous. But ultimately: they belong to the trash heap of history.
“…an outdated worldview alive, that embraces colonialism, white supremacy, and misogynism…”
Well said but fomented by nearly a thousand billionaires and a few more thousand mega-millionaires, along with many employers who aspire to join the “upper” class.
The “people” who do the actual work that runs the economy — farmers, skilled trades, laborers, transportation workers, medical workers, etc. — have the “real power” collectively, but they may not know it. They need leaders to guide them and show them the way. The MAGA people are not completely wrong, but they have been following a bad leader Who is playing them as pawns and stooges.
Yes, the MAGA people have valid grievances, but they're a cult and don't see that their beloved leader doesn't care about them and actually hurts them. And yes, the thousands of oligarchs/tech bros are dangerous because money is power, and yet -- their numbers are limited. I also agree that the lack of democratic leaders is deplorable. WHY was/isn't there a democratic Project 2025? Or a powerful reply to the Powell Memo, almost 50 years ago? Instead, Bernie (who many agree could have been our president in 2016) was sabotaged by career Dems, the same who refuse to support Mamdani. But I have the feeling that's shifting, especially since the blue states are flexing their muscles. With LOUD voices, finally. I think that's the way to go.
“WHY was/isn't there a democratic Project 2025? Or a powerful reply to the Powell Memo, almost 50 years ago?”
The answer to those questions is simple. Very few, if any, billionaires have been willing to fund those. The current “system” is what has made the wealth and power of the “elites” possible, and most of them have no desire to disrupt that.
Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were among the wealthiest elites in America. Unlike many other wealthy people FDR new that America was on the verge of a bloody revolution after the Great Depression. He established the New Deal as a compromise with the labor leaders to forestall such a revolution.
The New Deal worked fairly well for most Americans, but Franklin Roosevelt died before he could fully implement it. The DNC ensured that Roosevelt’s successor would not fully implement it. Since Roosevelt, there hasn’t been any real billionaire champion of the working class.
Eleanor Roosevelt was a great humanitarian. Franklin Roosevelt Was a pragmatic leader that knew that the wealthy would be doomed if a revolution should arise.
In America, the extremely wealthy are not really open to any practical discussions or compromise with the working class. The only thing that will convince them to change their outlook is the likelihood of their demise via a bloody revolution. That has been true throughout western history.
Nancy Maclean’s book, “Democracy in Chains” explains the logic behind why the western elites oppose democracy.
I'll check out the book, it looks very informative. And the DNC -- I've so had it with them.
Also read “The Lessons of History” by Will and Ariel Durant.
https://ia801701.us.archive.org/6/items/durant-will-the-lessons-of-history_202012/Durant%20Will%20-%20The%20Lessons%20of%20History.pdf
Thanks.
I would laugh my ass off if they all start trying to annihilate each other. Wouldn't that be glories to watch?
Can’t count on that, though.
Maybe what happened to Charlie Kirk is the beginning of the ‘rat king’ starting to eat itself?! I’d like to hope that’s what is happening since that shot wasn’t a lucky hit but a skilled triggerman…or woman!😉
I think Kirk's murder is a black swan. It's apparently, a serendipitous event for Trump that he will use like Hitler used the Reichstag fire. Trump said, “You know, we kill people, too.” Just saying, the guy is ruthless and he has been following the Nazi playbook to a T. If they drag in some imbecile who makes a full confession like Hitler did, I would be skeptical.
Welp…again he has to be the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral (except his own) and the sheriff in town even when he is president as he has to dip small to announce the killer of Kirk was found.
His malignant narcissism has no bottom or ceiling for that matter.
Happy for the face droop. God is doing his job, just slowly to prepare the world like it took hours for media to tell us Kirk was dead. When we all saw the video, we knew he was gone within a minute.
God is laying the groundwork for us with the orange stain.
Agree. I think you put Trump in the right spot and described it perfectly. His goal is personal, based on money and his own self aggrandizement, so whatever works in that regard is fine with him.
He’s just the front man for all the others seeking domination.
This provides a comprehensive overview of the groups involved. I’d love to hear more about strategies to fight. That may give too much away, though. A plan needs to be fast tracked to combat each agenda item in P25 and all the parties listed. Without it, well…I’m not going there.
General strike — strategic and carefully coordinated to break the current system without hurting the poor and middle classes.
All workers must join or form labor unions.
Very hard to get everybody hold their ground in a general strike. When one horse runs there is a tendency for all to run. In infantry combat only about 20% ever fired their weapons at the enemy.
It’s definitely a challenge. However, a 20% participation rate would be excellent if done strategically. Even 5% may be enough.
Critical points include all airlines pilots, railway engineers, long haul truckers, dockworkers have the power to stifle all commerce simply by refusing to work.
For example, automakers rely upon railroads and truckers to haul their completed vehicles from their factories. There are very few locations to store 4,000+ new vehicles, daily per plant, for more than a few days. At some point in time, all production must stop due to “constipation” in the flow. Also, if those factories require incoming parts from suppliers, a parts shortage will cripple production.
The total number of transport workers is less than 1% of the US population. The total number of automotive workers is less than 0.3% of the US population.
The total population of all US military and law enforcement personnel is approximately 1% of the US population.
The population number in favor of the poor and working classes is staggering. The elite masters rely upon the ignorance and complacency of the poor and working classes.
I don't like strikes of this kind. Innocent people will suffer. The ill, the aged and kids are all vulnerable.
As I stated, they must be strategic and carefully coordinated to break the current system without hurting the poor and middle classes.
The alternative is violent revolution with even worse consequences.
Thanks for this analysis Asha.. When reviewing P2025 I believe you should point out the “7 Mountains” theory. This theory, part of the Christian Nationalism ideology, states they want religion, their religion, to dictate all realms of society… our economy and businesses, our educational system, our political system… As I keep reiterating… America is going through a Cultural Revolution… where MAGAs act as Red Guards to reenforce the ideology and Trump as leader as Mao led the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
Mao was a sincere leader, whether we liked his methods or not. Trump is not a sincere leader. The so-called Christian Nationalists are not Christians at all. They are hypocrites.
Similarly, Zionist Jews are not Jews. They too are hypocrites.
Making sense of maga. That’s an oxymoron.
Thanks for the giggle.
Asha what a great overview!
The driving forces are so complicated that it is hard for people to follow these different constituencies.
Yarvin’s wacko ideas ( like the techno feudalism you describe) stem from other political thought leaders including the Russian Aleksander Dugin who influenced Steve Bannon and who was himself influenced by Rene Guenon and Carl Schmitt.
I think the tech bros understanding of the potential totally societal disrupting
power of the coming AI revolution is also fueling their agenda. They are funding a lot of this democracy destruction because they see a radical transformation coming in the very near future and like you surmise want to be the ultimate rulers/ controller of all resources.
They are the most scary. The other two groups and Trump seem to be just tools for them to accomplish their goals.
Your concise assessment is spot on. It’s very appreciated. Keep up the great work.
Thank you Asha. Great writing you’re the best.
This is a remarkable summary of the anti-democratic and interconnected players behind the dismantling of American democracy and a frightening roadmap of where we already are and are ultimately heading, as any vestige of power the people collectively held is being ripped away by oligarchs and white Christian nationalist anarchists. Trump is simply the stooge and current beneficiary but isn’t calling the shots.
He gets the power, for now, and the ability to stay out of prison while in the White House, and the technofascists and Heritage Foundation call the policy shots.
Wow! I feel as though I just took a college level course on the current state of our country's political environment, taught by a brilliant professor!
Happy to see you label Yarvin's, um, ideas as intellectually lazy. Upon first learning of his existence, my image of him is an apostle of old school Dungeons & Dragons of the 70s and 80s when it was still largely regarded as the domain of unsocialized, acne-prone, cracking-voice teenage boys. (Sorry, not sorry to the enthusiasts of the mainstreamed D&D of today.) Yarvin's antipathy toward historically American foundational values isn't indicative of deep thought; rather, it shows him to have avoided, to a fault, any participation in or acceptance of goodness entailed in the notion of the General Welfare. (I might eject bileous spittle after writing this.)
This is an excellent macro and micro overview of what we are experiencing as we watch our democracy being destroyed from within by the fascists. Hopefully information like this, and coming from other great Sub stack newsletters, will help all of us to fight probably the worst moment in our nations history. Thank you Asha for your insight and clarification during these difficult times.
Bravo, Asha! Thank you for the systematic analysis of these lunatic forces doing their utmost to take out country away from us. By "us" I mean those who believe in the Democratic order of American life as messy and inefficient as it can be. But democracy always gives life to hope that no matter how fucked up things become there is always the potential for change and correction. Thanks for your efforts. ---Roland Poche, New Orleans
Best analysis of this mess I have read. Thank you!
Asha, your venn diagram is so very helpful! In light of the arrest of extreme RW suspect in Charlie Kirk’s murder, maybe an update, showing where Groypers and Nick Fuentes fit into this universe, if you know. Thanks!
Thanks -- I am trying to learn more and figure out where to place them
Many thanks for this Maga map.
Most people don't recognize what is going on, but a number of writers like Asha Rangappa on Substack and elsewhere are laying it out plainly.
It's worth adding that Jill Lepore and others note that the Technocracy Movement dates back to the 1930s; its founders envisioned a civilization governed by science and technology and run by experts in those fields, removing all need for politicians, including fascists. They would also abolish democratic elections. The movement won thousands of followers and adopted some unnerving authoritarian hallmarks, such as its adherents dressing similarly and greeting each other with a specific salute--think Musk's outstretched arm in the quasi Nazi salute. Musk’s grandfather, Joshua Haldeman, was a technocracy movement devotee who eventually uprooted his family to South Africa. See [Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, September 19, 2023, “The World According to Elon Musk’s Grandfather What happened to antisemitic rants before social media”; Jill Lepore, The New York Times, Apr 4, 2025, “The Failed Ideas that Drive Elon Musk,” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/opinion/elon-musk-doge-technocracy.html]
Thank you—outstanding and needed explanation. Well done.