The question going forward is whether those attitudes are a forever thing. First, Trump now appears to present only one issue, himself, which he presents as a matter of loyalty. And he aggressively responded to condescension coming from the political/intellectual/media left that was deeply felt by a lot of Americans - a level of response that they had not heard from conventional pols. The constant attacks on Trump from the get-go only reinforced the attitudes of his base. I enjoyed your philosophical discussion as well as the political afterthoughts and forethoughts. In my view, the conventional views about Trump’s emergence are well established and correct: he raised issues (e.g., illegal immigration, trade policy, media bias) that were simmering but not meaningfully addressed by conventional politicians in either party. I suspect the former is more likely, but who knows at this point.ĭoubt is always essential in covering politics: If they decide to sober up, however, and prioritize competence over grievance, humility over zeal, while harnessing some constructive populist energies on immigration, crime, education, and political economy, they could feasibly build a durable governing majority.

If they do, they are destined for more bracing losses for the next few election cycles among the general electorate. I think you and Damon are right: it’s up to right-of-center primary voters to decide whether they want to continue aboard the Crazy Train Express. I always appreciate that you are willing to reassess your priors. A listener “enjoyed your episode with Damon Linker ”: Bush and the One Percent Doctrine, and the sheer careerism of GOP politicians.īrowse the entire Dishcast archive here. DeSantis, the epistemological collapse within our media bubbles, Tea Party hatred of moderate Obama, the growing diversity of GOP voters, our disagreement over the impact of CRT in schools, George W. For two clips of our convo - on the MAGA supporters falling away from Trump, and on the rise of Majorie Taylor Greene - pop over to our YouTube page. You can listen to the episode right away in the audio player above (or on the right side of the player, click “Listen On” to add the Dishcast feed to your favorite podcast app). He’s a friend and a prodigiously productive reporter who truly seems intent in finding out the truth - rather than spinning some ideological tale. Bush, and his new one is Weapons of Mass Delusion: When the Republican Party Lost Its Mind. He is the author of several books, including Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Robert is a writer-at-large for the New York Times Magazine and a contributing writer for National Geographic.

Robert draper new book