But as Pete Buttigieg, Francis Fukuyama and others are pointing out, it's not merely a matter of restoring what was lost. Our system of government and social institutions need redesign and modernization to be viable going forward. We need a new generation of string creative leaders to do this.
Any serious reform (or a redesigned system) will almost certainly require constitutional amendments, which are simply never going to happen without, first, the GOP rejoining democracy and sanity. I wish I could offer some hope of that happening, but the trend now is toward a worse, not a better GOP. Short of constitutional amendments, we can expect the SCOTUS majority to play the same role it did early in FDR's new deal -- they will strike down one initiative after another. With this SCOTUS majority, which is utterly corrupt, decisions don't have to be, and surely won't be principled or based on rational readings of the Constitution.
I also have serious doubts about the ability and willingness of the Democrats to do what is necessary. Mr. Bernstein makes a good point in saying that some things will depend on various Democrats not being beholden to special interests and donors. That is a real problem. My hope is that, among others, Fetterman will be replaced in the Senate, where Democrats also desperately need a new leader. Schumer simply isn't up to the task of leading a worthwhile renewal. He's a poor messenger and has no inclination, as far as I can see, to be aggressively forward thinking. He is up for re-election in 2028. Schumer is 74 (75 later this year), so he should (must) retire in 2028. That will be an opening for Democrats to replace him with someone who will be dramatically different. If Schumer chooses to run in 2028, he should face a strong primary opponent. Running for a new six year term when someone is already 79 is ridiculous. However, we've seen numerous politicians in both parties overstay both they welcome and any chance they have of being a net positive. The two most obvious Democratic examples are Biden and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, both of whom allowed their egos to cause tremendous harm to this country. Ending successful careers on such devastating notes should be a cautionary tale for others, but egos are often far more powerful than common sense.
Agree with all you say, e.g., there need to be age limits to holding public office, among other essential reforms. Biden, RBG, Feinstein, McConnell, Thurman... The list is way too long
However, acknowledging the difficulties, nothing changes if we don't make it change. Keeping clear goals and watching for opportunities. And if we've learned anything from the past few decades, when one formulates a vision and repeats something over and over, people absorb it and normalize it for good or ill (lately, it's been mostly for ill--see Project 2025). That's why strong, clear-headed leadership is critical.
I don't despair. It can be done. I may not live to see it, but I'll do what I can in the meantime.
Good question. Ideally, it would be a new system. Practically, we must start with critical reforms, eg election reform, that provide a foundation and the right people for redesign.
It seems to me that the amount of lifting required here is almost too much: we still have Citizens United and a very conservative judicial system. We still have purged voter rolls and compromised systems. And we have now set a new normal…ie, if we want to raise SNAP benefits we will hear the constant drumbeat ‘look at the massive expense! We need to shrink government’. Same in reverse with taxes. Shrink ICE? Welcome back open borders. International relations will take multiple presidential cycles to restore. Trump 1 was thought an anomaly. Trump 2 shows this is who we are. Sorry to be so pessimistic but that’s where I am.
"One of the more interesting, and more hopeful, questions I like to think about is: how long will it take to repair the damage done by the Trump administration?"
If the nation were an automobile involved in hitting the brick wall of a dysfunctional government allowed to deteriorate from delayed maintenance, it would be declared a "total loss" and written off. A majority of Americans (both those who actively voted for him and those who sat it out in despair) wanted to scrap the whole dysfunctional mess, demolishing it and sending to to the scrapheap.
A bold truth: a majority of Americans don't want to "fix" the old system and will punish anyone who attempts to do so. Trump was chosen to be a blunt instrument of destruction, a battering ram unrestrained by compassion or nostalgia for the quaint Renaissance rationality of our Founding Fathers.
There is no "repairing" of the damage this time around. Trump and the Project 2025 fascists have sent shockwaves blasting the very foundation of this nation, and are intent on clearing the path to their brutal authoritarian utopia. The MAGA crowd has driven the clown car of the government into a brick wall, and it will never be the same again.
The Fourth of July celebrates the beginning of the many declarations of intention for this nation. As a nation of immigrants, we are blessed with a broad range of ideas and opportunities to choose as we reimagine ourselves in the 21st century. Germany rose out of the ashes of its Nazi past to become the leading democratic socialist nations in the world. Germans know there is no return to their previous shameful past and actively punish any attempt to do so. There is a lesson to learn there as we mourn this misguided stage in our history and unite to envision a better future. The Republic is dead, long live the Republic...
Well, it could be as simple as adopting a parliamentary system similar to Canada’s. Numerous political parties would allow for more democratic participation and require a coalition to form and maintain a government. Campaigning is limited to just three months and no private or corporate donations are allowed. The countries with the highest level of satisfaction with their government are all parliamentary systems. All I know is that attempting to patch up an 18th-century experiment in forming a representative democracy is not working.
As a Canadian I am of the opinion that our relationship has been irreparably damaged for decades to come. In time, of course, we'll cobble back a working relationship but trust, friendship, loyalty and deep commitment are over. You are the heavily armed, ignorant Nazi fascists next door to us. For me, I will never, ever even travel through the United States nor will I knowingly buy American-made products. You are deplorable like the felon that you chose as your leader.
"The more one learns about the bill, the more it resembles a computer virus embedded in our economy and society, infecting policy in dozens of areas, and such viruses are hard to extract."
So true. A 'Manchurian President' bent on destroying American governance, politics and economy couldn't have done a better job. But the Manchurian candidate won fair and square, and 49.5% of voters helped to elect him! Unless we learn the lessons from this unmitigated disaster, we will be underwriting our own downfall.
However, substantive reform is required to prevent another Trump. Some of those changes include; eliminating corporate political donations, age and term limits for Senators and Representatives, expanding the Supreme Court, ending the filibuster, and on and on. Some of these changes will require Constitutional Amendments - a lengthy and uncertain process, as in the ERA, others such as a far more progressive tax code (including increasing the Capital Gains tax rate) seem to follow overturning Citizens United, and al will take more political courage than either party has shown. Nonetheless, a 'rebuilding democracy' platform may strike a chord in American citizens.
We really need to concentrate on the doable. Unfortunately there are few additional votes to be gathered with a pro-democracy agenda. Dems need to put economic issues front and center, but labeling the Rs as cruel fascists should be a long term program.
This positive perspective is so needed now and in the way too many months of the remaining Trump admin. It’s a great start to a blueprint for the Ds. but as was said here- we need to reimagine a more effective and equitable government. And we need to start now so we’re ready to get moving as soon as we can. I’ve been saying this since DOGE started sledgehammering. There are groups starting to do this kind of thing -somehow we need to get them all together.
Magical Republican thinking says no one needs to pay taxes! And if we can get Jerome Powell to lower the interest rate, no one needs to pay interest!
--2017 tax cut extension for everyone: adds ~$4.2 trillion to deficit
--Tax cuts for those earning less than $1 million (Trump’s proposal): adds $2.6–2.8 trillion to deficit (this means that no cuts to Medicaid would be needed)
--Tax cuts for those earning less than $400,000 (2024 Democratic platform): adds ~$1.8 trillion to deficit
Maybe we should insist on the US government mailing a statement to every US household ever year reminding them what their share of the national debt is, and how much it went up in the past year.
If they can just cut taxes for the rich and grow the deficit and incur no political cost because no one knows the deficit is increasing the debt, that seems like a pretty bad situation.
Modern Monetary Theory proves that everything they say about “The Debt,” Taxes, and Spending are lies that the Rich use to justify Austerity for the rest of us — and it offers an alternative for the future.
But stop buying into the lie about the debt. Modern Monetary Theory proves that everything they say about “The Debt,” Taxes, and Spending are lies that the Rich use to justify Austerity for the rest of us — and it offers an alternative for the future.
Concur with your comments regarding unwinding tariffs, protecting the safety net, and more rational deportation approach and more secure borders. I do believe we need to go much deeper to get back on track to a rational set of goals for the future al la Molly's comments regarding Buttigieg, Fukuyama et al regarding not just returning to the past state of the federal government as of the end of the Biden Administration. We need to create our own version of a project 2029 per suggestion GBuzz's comment below (above -don't know where this comment will land).
This should include a clear path to a balanced budget - including meaningful tax equity (increasing taxes at the upper end of the income distribution) - within within 3-4 years as well as proposals to get the entire government into a 21st Century policy agenda. Part of this could include a clear set of goals and a short concise statement of purpose. As for redesigning our government agencies for the 21st Century we can start with any number of proposals for change including those proposed by CBO and GAO in their annual reports.
While not complete, or perfect, the goals for the Al Gore Reinventing Government of the mid 1990's might be a good takeoff point.
anyway keep up the good work I enjoy your writing!
But as Pete Buttigieg, Francis Fukuyama and others are pointing out, it's not merely a matter of restoring what was lost. Our system of government and social institutions need redesign and modernization to be viable going forward. We need a new generation of string creative leaders to do this.
Any serious reform (or a redesigned system) will almost certainly require constitutional amendments, which are simply never going to happen without, first, the GOP rejoining democracy and sanity. I wish I could offer some hope of that happening, but the trend now is toward a worse, not a better GOP. Short of constitutional amendments, we can expect the SCOTUS majority to play the same role it did early in FDR's new deal -- they will strike down one initiative after another. With this SCOTUS majority, which is utterly corrupt, decisions don't have to be, and surely won't be principled or based on rational readings of the Constitution.
I also have serious doubts about the ability and willingness of the Democrats to do what is necessary. Mr. Bernstein makes a good point in saying that some things will depend on various Democrats not being beholden to special interests and donors. That is a real problem. My hope is that, among others, Fetterman will be replaced in the Senate, where Democrats also desperately need a new leader. Schumer simply isn't up to the task of leading a worthwhile renewal. He's a poor messenger and has no inclination, as far as I can see, to be aggressively forward thinking. He is up for re-election in 2028. Schumer is 74 (75 later this year), so he should (must) retire in 2028. That will be an opening for Democrats to replace him with someone who will be dramatically different. If Schumer chooses to run in 2028, he should face a strong primary opponent. Running for a new six year term when someone is already 79 is ridiculous. However, we've seen numerous politicians in both parties overstay both they welcome and any chance they have of being a net positive. The two most obvious Democratic examples are Biden and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, both of whom allowed their egos to cause tremendous harm to this country. Ending successful careers on such devastating notes should be a cautionary tale for others, but egos are often far more powerful than common sense.
Agree with all you say, e.g., there need to be age limits to holding public office, among other essential reforms. Biden, RBG, Feinstein, McConnell, Thurman... The list is way too long
However, acknowledging the difficulties, nothing changes if we don't make it change. Keeping clear goals and watching for opportunities. And if we've learned anything from the past few decades, when one formulates a vision and repeats something over and over, people absorb it and normalize it for good or ill (lately, it's been mostly for ill--see Project 2025). That's why strong, clear-headed leadership is critical.
I don't despair. It can be done. I may not live to see it, but I'll do what I can in the meantime.
Reform or new system.
Good question. Ideally, it would be a new system. Practically, we must start with critical reforms, eg election reform, that provide a foundation and the right people for redesign.
Exactly!
Yes. Thank you. We'll need lots of this over the next 3 1/2 years.
I believe that the basic truth is that Donald Trump just really, really hates America. He has never been able to get the ‘respect’ he thinks he deserves. He’s not out to make America great again. He’s out to make America grovel at his feet. https://open.substack.com/pub/jonthinks/p/donald-trump-hates-america?r=mrvx1&utm_medium=ios
No argument, but this bill implicates all of the GOP leadership. Trump is an easy face for it, but blame the party, not just him.
Hate takes effort, and Donald Trump is a profoundly lazy man.
He doesn't hate America. He doesn't care about it at all.
The best analogy isn’t to Lyndon Johnson. It’s to the “strongmen” of the 1930s — Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and Franco.
It seems to me that the amount of lifting required here is almost too much: we still have Citizens United and a very conservative judicial system. We still have purged voter rolls and compromised systems. And we have now set a new normal…ie, if we want to raise SNAP benefits we will hear the constant drumbeat ‘look at the massive expense! We need to shrink government’. Same in reverse with taxes. Shrink ICE? Welcome back open borders. International relations will take multiple presidential cycles to restore. Trump 1 was thought an anomaly. Trump 2 shows this is who we are. Sorry to be so pessimistic but that’s where I am.
"One of the more interesting, and more hopeful, questions I like to think about is: how long will it take to repair the damage done by the Trump administration?"
If the nation were an automobile involved in hitting the brick wall of a dysfunctional government allowed to deteriorate from delayed maintenance, it would be declared a "total loss" and written off. A majority of Americans (both those who actively voted for him and those who sat it out in despair) wanted to scrap the whole dysfunctional mess, demolishing it and sending to to the scrapheap.
A bold truth: a majority of Americans don't want to "fix" the old system and will punish anyone who attempts to do so. Trump was chosen to be a blunt instrument of destruction, a battering ram unrestrained by compassion or nostalgia for the quaint Renaissance rationality of our Founding Fathers.
There is no "repairing" of the damage this time around. Trump and the Project 2025 fascists have sent shockwaves blasting the very foundation of this nation, and are intent on clearing the path to their brutal authoritarian utopia. The MAGA crowd has driven the clown car of the government into a brick wall, and it will never be the same again.
The Fourth of July celebrates the beginning of the many declarations of intention for this nation. As a nation of immigrants, we are blessed with a broad range of ideas and opportunities to choose as we reimagine ourselves in the 21st century. Germany rose out of the ashes of its Nazi past to become the leading democratic socialist nations in the world. Germans know there is no return to their previous shameful past and actively punish any attempt to do so. There is a lesson to learn there as we mourn this misguided stage in our history and unite to envision a better future. The Republic is dead, long live the Republic...
Reform or to change COMPLETELY revolution...
Well, it could be as simple as adopting a parliamentary system similar to Canada’s. Numerous political parties would allow for more democratic participation and require a coalition to form and maintain a government. Campaigning is limited to just three months and no private or corporate donations are allowed. The countries with the highest level of satisfaction with their government are all parliamentary systems. All I know is that attempting to patch up an 18th-century experiment in forming a representative democracy is not working.
As a Canadian I am of the opinion that our relationship has been irreparably damaged for decades to come. In time, of course, we'll cobble back a working relationship but trust, friendship, loyalty and deep commitment are over. You are the heavily armed, ignorant Nazi fascists next door to us. For me, I will never, ever even travel through the United States nor will I knowingly buy American-made products. You are deplorable like the felon that you chose as your leader.
"The more one learns about the bill, the more it resembles a computer virus embedded in our economy and society, infecting policy in dozens of areas, and such viruses are hard to extract."
So true. A 'Manchurian President' bent on destroying American governance, politics and economy couldn't have done a better job. But the Manchurian candidate won fair and square, and 49.5% of voters helped to elect him! Unless we learn the lessons from this unmitigated disaster, we will be underwriting our own downfall.
Agreed - there is a lot of undoing to be done.
However, substantive reform is required to prevent another Trump. Some of those changes include; eliminating corporate political donations, age and term limits for Senators and Representatives, expanding the Supreme Court, ending the filibuster, and on and on. Some of these changes will require Constitutional Amendments - a lengthy and uncertain process, as in the ERA, others such as a far more progressive tax code (including increasing the Capital Gains tax rate) seem to follow overturning Citizens United, and al will take more political courage than either party has shown. Nonetheless, a 'rebuilding democracy' platform may strike a chord in American citizens.
We really need to concentrate on the doable. Unfortunately there are few additional votes to be gathered with a pro-democracy agenda. Dems need to put economic issues front and center, but labeling the Rs as cruel fascists should be a long term program.
Thanks for your reply.
This positive perspective is so needed now and in the way too many months of the remaining Trump admin. It’s a great start to a blueprint for the Ds. but as was said here- we need to reimagine a more effective and equitable government. And we need to start now so we’re ready to get moving as soon as we can. I’ve been saying this since DOGE started sledgehammering. There are groups starting to do this kind of thing -somehow we need to get them all together.
Magical Republican thinking says no one needs to pay taxes! And if we can get Jerome Powell to lower the interest rate, no one needs to pay interest!
--2017 tax cut extension for everyone: adds ~$4.2 trillion to deficit
--Tax cuts for those earning less than $1 million (Trump’s proposal): adds $2.6–2.8 trillion to deficit (this means that no cuts to Medicaid would be needed)
--Tax cuts for those earning less than $400,000 (2024 Democratic platform): adds ~$1.8 trillion to deficit
https://kathleenweber.substack.com/p/fffe5a0e-b27c-4d70-84df-ecc6a3c20ff1
Maybe we should insist on the US government mailing a statement to every US household ever year reminding them what their share of the national debt is, and how much it went up in the past year.
If they can just cut taxes for the rich and grow the deficit and incur no political cost because no one knows the deficit is increasing the debt, that seems like a pretty bad situation.
Modern Monetary Theory proves that everything they say about “The Debt,” Taxes, and Spending are lies that the Rich use to justify Austerity for the rest of us — and it offers an alternative for the future.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fLgtyYGArdFKJBoav2ClmrXqcH_GzFfs/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZW1dH7ad7omNjZhdovw-JIlYVYbh9jMG/view?usp=drivesdk
But stop buying into the lie about the debt. Modern Monetary Theory proves that everything they say about “The Debt,” Taxes, and Spending are lies that the Rich use to justify Austerity for the rest of us — and it offers an alternative for the future.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fLgtyYGArdFKJBoav2ClmrXqcH_GzFfs/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZW1dH7ad7omNjZhdovw-JIlYVYbh9jMG/view?usp=drivesdk
Yeah — but the most important thing is to make sure that they suffer.
Thank you for writing out the details. It's a great plan. I hope that progressive democrats can make it happen.
Concur with your comments regarding unwinding tariffs, protecting the safety net, and more rational deportation approach and more secure borders. I do believe we need to go much deeper to get back on track to a rational set of goals for the future al la Molly's comments regarding Buttigieg, Fukuyama et al regarding not just returning to the past state of the federal government as of the end of the Biden Administration. We need to create our own version of a project 2029 per suggestion GBuzz's comment below (above -don't know where this comment will land).
This should include a clear path to a balanced budget - including meaningful tax equity (increasing taxes at the upper end of the income distribution) - within within 3-4 years as well as proposals to get the entire government into a 21st Century policy agenda. Part of this could include a clear set of goals and a short concise statement of purpose. As for redesigning our government agencies for the 21st Century we can start with any number of proposals for change including those proposed by CBO and GAO in their annual reports.
While not complete, or perfect, the goals for the Al Gore Reinventing Government of the mid 1990's might be a good takeoff point.
anyway keep up the good work I enjoy your writing!
I guess my main point is that we should not get down into the weeds until we have a set of goals and a rational plan for addressing the problems.