It’s gutting—and deeply humiliating—to hear Canadians booing our national anthem at recent sporting events. But I don’t blame them. Not one bit.
Given the economic, political, and moral wreckage left behind by our twice-elected president, their disgust is understandable. The confusion and contempt from our allies aren’t aimed solely at the man in the Oval Office—they’re aimed at the people who put him there. Twice.
Let’s call it what it is: the United States has betrayed its friends, waged economic war on its own citizens, and devolved into a carnival of cowardice. The respect of our allies? That ship has sailed—and may not return in our lifetimes.
The Republican Party is a gelatinous mass of fear and sycophancy, devoid of courage or principle. The Democratic Party? A staggering monument to incompetence, still fumbling through the aftermath of letting a failed businessman and convicted felon stroll back into power.
And democracy? Please. We are no longer a beacon of anything. The Constitution has become a quaint relic, a yellowing parchment trotted out for ceremonial purposes while those in power treat it like a suggestion menu at a diner they never plan to pay for.
Maybe—just maybe—a sliver of Trump voters feel some remorse. But let’s be clear: 77 million people helped break this country. They owe their children, their neighbors, and the world an apology.
The red MAGA cap is no longer a slogan. It’s a symbol—loud, defiant, and chilling. Our allies don’t see us as brave. They see us as brainwashed. And in the eyes of much of the world, that crimson hat might as well be a swastika.
We have not simply lost our way. We’ve torched the map and handed the match to a mob.
I wish I could have our friends outside the United States read this book so they can understand what is going on inside it. The book is useful for citizens inside the United States but daily events related to DOGE, budget cuts, Elon Musk, court orders being ignored and chaos from Washington DC are front and center in our minds 24 hours daily.
Cooper does a very good of explaining the national crisis affecting the United States and its consequences to the rest of the world. He describes how the government and our political system were intended to work. And he accurately analyzes why they aren’t working. Cooper also tries to be even handed on his criticism of both political parties and their leaders.
This book will be an excellent resource for historians 20 or more years out trying to explain the craziness of our contemporary times and politics. I appreciate that this book was updated to reflect the start of the second Trump Administration.
If I have any reservations about this book, it’s that I feel that Cooper is being a bit more optimistic than I am about this country’s immediate future. Cooper writes “None of these definitions applies to Trump. He doesn’t have absolute power over the whole of government. He’s not even close to that. He remains constitutionally responsible to the people in significant and fundamental ways…The most serious domestic risk America faces with Trump as president isn’t dictatorship. It’s that the military follows his orders to break the law—to go after American citizens, for example. This scenario, however, is unlikely.”
I have the advantage of seeing how things have unfolded with in the Trump administration since the book has been published and the author may want to temper his faith in the power of our Constitution and the rationality of the Trump presidency.
Below are some notes and highlights that will provide the prospective reader of an introduction to the book and topics…
Obama’s presidency deeply unsettled and angered millions of Americans not ready for a Black president. And Trump’s hostility to minorities (sometimes subtle, sometimes overt, always cunning) drives his popularity among many Republicans, particularly in southern states.
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If the President of the United States were ever to punish disfavored speakers like the Harvard faculty, Google’s CEO, or the New York Times’ publisher, the nation would be in peril.
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The root cause of America’s twenty-first-century decline is the combination of (1) tribalism, (2) social media, and (3) a malformed political structure.
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Journalists are now disproportionately focused on writing stories that will go viral on Facebook and Twitter, a very different goal from writing stories that will educate and inform
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Americans focus little on human history, let alone absorb its lessons. And an embarrassing percentage of them don’t understand basic civics.
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Just look at the presidency. Donald Trump is grossly unfit to hold America’s highest office…The House of Representatives, moreover, is throbbing with underqualified mediocrities.
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The remedies are easy to prescribe. Americans must improve civic education in schools; raise awareness about cognitive biases throughout society; spend more time with people from other political tribes; reduce and regulate the use of social media; rework the political structure to foster more political parties and equal representation; double down on free speech; shun politically motivated prosecutions; feverishly guard election integrity; and support a new Republican champion other than Donald Trump.
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While Cooper’s remedies are easier to prescribe, they are impossible to fulfill. God bless the United States…
This is not just a Trump problem; America’s whole reputation is shot. I don’t care if Abraham Lincoln himself walked into the White House in 2029, no foreign leader can responsibly trust a nation that is perpetually four years away from electing another authoritarian nihilist.
It Isn’t Just Trump. America’s Whole Reputation Is Shot. David Brooks NYT 3/13/2025
While many draw comparisons between Hitler and Trump—particularly in how they gained and wielded power—I find the parallels between the German people of the early 1930s and Americans today more compelling.
After World War I, Germany was severely punished. It lost territory, its military was disarmed, and the burden of reparations crippled its economy. By the early 1930s, Germany, like much of the world, was in economic turmoil. Unemployment was rampant, and many were homeless and hungry. The country’s ability to recover was constrained by the strict terms imposed after the war.
In contrast, America in 2024 was not in crisis. The economy was largely stable, with low unemployment and a strong stock market. Inflation and housing affordability were challenges, but interest rate cuts signaled efforts to curb economic strain. Unlike pre-war Germany, the U.S. had not suffered a recent military defeat and remained the dominant global power, respected by allies and feared by adversaries.
Despite this position of strength, over 77 million Americans elected a candidate widely seen as aged, incoherent, and lacking a clear platform—a stark contrast to Germany in the 1930s, where voters turned to a charismatic leader promising national revival. Germany was desperate to rebuild; America was already strong.
From a historical view, which country was most guilty of making the most irrational choice at the time? The German people’s decision turned out to be catastrophic. Will America and Americans avoid the disapprobation of history? Time will tell…
The old Democratic strategy of “when they go low, we go high” is a loser.
While I appreciate its intent, peaceful demonstrations, petitions, and letter writing campaigns are passé and ineffective. The age of civil persuasion is dead.
A new political party (Democratic or other) needs a Machiavellian leader, a bit evil but unlike the Republican version, smart. (Maybe Mark Cuban?)
Now the Republicans are concerned about decorum?! Why didn’t this concern apply during Joe Biden’s State of the Union when Lauren Bobert and Marjorie Taylor Greene acted up like spoiled high school sophomores screeching for attention at a school dance.
Congressman Al Green was the only one Democrat with a backbone? When he was removed, all other Democrats should have walked out too.
Likewise, when the Associated Press was barred from White House press room, other legitimate press and news outlets should have left too.
The biggest slaughter this winter was not the Eagles beating the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, but the political thumping Republicans have handed the Democrats since Inauguration Day.
Joe Biden (or his enablers) and Merrick Garland are hugely responsible for the current political mess. They engaged in pillow throwing while Trump and the GOP went MMA.
The “reporter” who asked Zelensky why he was not wearing a suit to the White House must have received his journalism degree from Trump University.
Death knells have been announced periodically for both parties over the decades. However I hear a rattle anytime a Democrat politician speaks.
Communications from Democratic congressmen and women to constituents about how bad Trump is are useless. We get it. Things are bad and about to get worse. Create a plan or strategy and tell us what you are going to do as a party. How about someone stepping up as an effective opposition leader?
I would not count on midterms or any other future elections to change the political direction. First, not sure that they will take place. And second, very uncertain if they take place, whether the results will be “accurate.”
This book offers an in-depth look at Donald Trump—the businessman, real estate investor, entrepreneur, and brand. Much of the narrative focuses on his struggles to finance buildings, casinos, golf courses, and other projects. Despite his relentless self-promotion, Trump has repeatedly proven to be a poor businessman, often relying on his father, Fred Trump, to bail him out of financial trouble.
As you read, one question becomes unavoidable: Why would anyone choose to partner with Donald Trump? His track record as a business leader is riddled with failure, and those who have worked with him—contractors, lenders, and employees—frequently find themselves shortchanged. Why lend money to someone who appears to lack financial discipline in both his personal and professional life?
A Trump supporter might dismiss this book as misinformation, but the authors had access to extensive financial records, including Trump’s tax returns. Their research is bolstered by interviews with numerous individuals who have firsthand experience dealing with him.
The fact free bubble Fox News created around Donald Trump as president may have felt familiar. He had spent his entire life in a similar bubble, financed by his father. In this comfortable place, he could hide his failures, pay for them with his father’s money, and later a celebrity’s fortune. There would be no metrics measuring his success, just the impression of self created wealth that he willed into existence.From the moment he left his father’s careful planning practices behind, he protected his bubble by waging war on the fact based world that might pop it.
Trump’s failures in the casino industry in Atlantic City are well-documented. His attempt to buy an NFL franchise led instead to the downfall of the USFL. When journalists and analysts challenged his exaggerated business claims, he responded with lawsuits and intimidation tactics.
Perhaps his greatest success—if it can be called that—was The Apprentice, a reality show that portrayed him as a shrewd businessman with exceptional judgment. This carefully crafted image helped convince much of the public that he was a financial genius, a perception that played a crucial role in his 2016 presidential campaign.
The book is 456 pages long and thoroughly researched, with extensive footnotes to support its claims. In fact, published articles by the authors on Trump’s finances earned them a Pulitzer Prize.
I wish I could say this book might change the minds of his staunchest supporters, but realistically, many of them are unlikely to engage with a work of this length and depth.
Epistocracy is a system in which the votes of people who can prove their political knowledge count more than the votes of people who can’t. In other words, it’s a system that privileges the most politically informed citizens.
Given the notable failures of US democracy in the past, few decades, I seek a new political system alternative. Epistocracy appeals to me as it rewards a demonstration of competence in judgment when voting. For example, a voter should have more than a passing knowledge of American history, its political system and the ability to discern facts and truth from disinformation.
I recognize that it would be very hard to implement this type of political system. Two big issues: First, determining what the criteria is for voter competence. Lord knows that the bar would be very low if the Republican Party had any input into this criteria. Second, getting the buy in from the American people that this system is better and would result in better candidates and better results from our elected representatives.
This idea may be a disillusioned man’s dream. But given the sad circumstance of our national Administration, its incompetence and the mediocrity of our elected national representatives, I am a poor man’s “Elon Musk” looking to improve government.
Here is my contribution for a simple introductory test to see if a voter merits competence consideration…
I’m waiting patiently to see this generation’s Edward R. Murrow in media and the press.
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I have already seen this Administration’s Joe McCarthys.
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However there are a few “profiles in courage”…For example, Hagan Scotten told Justice Department officials that he would not be party to a political prosecution (below)….
But any assistant U.S. attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using the prosecutorial power to influence other citizens, much less elected officials, in this way. If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me.
Hagan Scotten, Assistant United States Attorney, Southern District of New York
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When Trump offered the severance package to federal employees, I did not realize that just about all of Congress decided to cash in and abandon their responsibilities too.
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When Associated Press was denied access to the White House press room I was disappointed other media members did not walk out to show their support.
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Just a thought, but a long moratorium on reporting news about this Administration and members would be mentally healthy for this country.
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Appropriate Aphorisms for Our Times
“A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves.”
— Bertrand de Jouvenel
“Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian.”
— Robert Orben
“A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.”
If America is a stock, is it time to dump it and sell?
Like the ouroboros, I believe Big Tech is eating itself alive with its component companies throwing more and more cash at investments in one another that are most likely to generate less and less of a return. Monday’s correction shows that our financial markets — and possibly your retirement portfolio — may be starting to reflect an understanding of this dynamic. New York Times 1/28/25 I Study Financial Markets. The Nvidia Rout Is Only the Start. Mihir A. Desai is a professor at Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School.
If Trump’s all-in-on-fossil-fuels, “drill, baby, drill” rallying cry — at the dawn of this era of artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, batteries and autonomous cars — really becomes our strategy, it will not make America great again. But it will definitely help make China great again. New York Times 1/28/25 Trump Is Going Woke Thomas Friedman
The bond market is telling us something about the dawn of the second Trump presidency, and it’s not pretty….Most of the policies proposed by President Trump, from tariffs to additional fiscal stimulus to deportations that tighten the labor market, are expected to add to inflation. And to the degree they are enacted, they will combine with an inflation rate that has declined rapidly, but which remains above the Federal Reserve’s target and is still higher than it was during most of the decade leading up to the pandemic. Rising long-term rates are bad for businesses and households that need to borrow, since the cost of loans such as mortgages and auto loans are directly linked to 10-year Treasury yields. New York Times 1/29/25 Trump’s Plans Are Already Making Your Life More Expensive Rebecca Patterson (is an economist and market strategist)
I am less agitated by the pardons of two men within the past few weeks than the pardons granted by 77.3 million voters last November.
I have no sympathy for Buyer’s remorse. I note the surprise and consternation as the curtain opened and the opening acts started. The fine print was clear: no returns, no exchanges, and no refunds on this runaway circus of calamity. You bought the ticket, and now you’re strapped in for the whole ghastly ride, derailments and all.
Upset that his hand wasn’t on the Bible during the oath of office? Why bother with a prop for principles he neither understands nor respects!
“We criticized the German people for allowing a Hitler to rise, but in the early 1930s, Germany was reeling from a global economic depression, compounded by severe unemployment and the crushing reparations imposed after World War I. Restricted in rebuilding its military and manufacturing, Germany was a demoralized and defeated nation. In contrast, the United States in 2024 elected Trump amidst economic prosperity, low unemployment, and a position of military and political strength, fully in control of its destiny.”
What would Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Truman, Douglas McArthur, Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite opine if they were at the Inauguration ceremonies last Monday?
I can’t get too excited or surprised about Joe Biden providing a pardon for his son Hunter. What does Joe have to lose? He’s not running for President any more and he certainly does not owe the Democratic party any explanation. ***
As I was reading this essay, I nodded my head as this section captured my attitude about politics, the election and Trump…
Not long after the election, I had a conversation with a relative in which she said, in so many words, that she’d given up. She wasn’t worried for herself and her husband; they would be fine, financially and otherwise, whatever Trump did; they were safe within the bubble of professional-class privilege. Yes, she was sad that her children and grandchildren would inherit a worse world now—less-free, more violent, more subject to the ravages of climate change—than would have been the case, she believed, had Trump lost, but she couldn’t take responsibility for that. If the American people were stupid enough to vote for this guy, then they deserved whatever they got, and she wasn’t going to care anymore. She would look out for her own as best she could, and that’s it.
Biden Gives Up On America Noah Millman
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At my age, I am content to have seen the best of America. I regret that this experience will not be passed down to future generations. ***
Off the top of my head, a partial Cabinet I’d nominate if I was President. Sorry no Fox commentators or former employees.
Attorney General: Lynn Cheney
Secretary of Treasury: Jamie Dimon
Secretary of State: Mitt Romney
Secretary of Defense: Mark Milley
Secretary of Education: Michelle Obama
Administrator of Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Seth Godin
Secretary of Homeland Security: Chris Christie
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Phil Murphy (current NJ governor)
Director of OMB: Pete Buttigieg
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Mark Cuban
Director of National Intelligence: Jethro Gibbs (I’m kidding)
Press Secretary: Kara Swisher
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It somewhat amuses me that fans urge the firing of a football coach, who has an excellent win-loss season record but makes the unforgivable mistake of losing a game to a bitter rival. But yet they will show infinite patience by re-electing politicians of poor performance, character and results. ***
I think as you grow older your Christmas list gets shorter because the things you want can’t be bought.
Esot-eric 