Polarization

 It is beyond banal at this point to note that we live in a polarized country in a polarized world. This tends to work both ways, as when one group or issue becomes allied with one side, the other side moves against it. As an example, Netanyahu has tied his political future to Donald Trump, and he has done so at precisely the time when his actions have outraged many liberals. This makes support for Israel a more partisan issue than it has ever been in the past. If/when Democrats regain control of the levers of government, it would not surprise me if military support for a Likud-led Israel evaporates. 

What has been a long standing tradition of cross-party unity foundered on Netanyahu picking a side, and then acting in a way that reinforced that divide. 

Domestically, I think we are beginning to see the same thing with the billionaire class. This story about a tech billionaire who went from being a standard Silicon Valley Democrat to a Trumpist fascist does not seem to be THAT unusual. Because Trump operates under a penumbra of corruption, the idea that the rules are for the little people who can't pay their way out of them is growing. This culture of corruption is highly appealing to Gulf Sheiks and Tech Bros.

What this SHOULD mean is that Democrats need to learn this lesson, too. They have catered to Silicon Valley in order to get large checks for their campaign coffers. Yes, small donors are great, but when a billionaire writes you PAC a massive check, you can relax for a few days before you beat the hustings again. 

For all the talk of the "populist moment" the idea that Donald Trump and Republicans are on the side of the working class is just laughably perverse. The reason they could position themselves there is because Democrats were the party of cultural elites and the power of economic elites seemed less pervasive. Yes, there was the Occupy moment, but that passed. 

Now we have farmers who are going to have to file for bankruptcy because of Trump's trade wars. Now we are paying 50% more for electricity because data centers are sprouting up like spring dandelions. Now we have rural hospitals closing to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.

Democrats have done a great job messaging around the shutdown. Many are linking "tax cuts for billionaires" to the cuts in health insurance benefits. However, for Democrats to really become a majority party in both Houses in 2026, they need to be well-positioned to leverage popular outrage at the very rich. 

Those tech billionaires aren't coming back. They've tasted the honey of corruption and they like it. 

Eat the rich. Break up tech monopolies. Regulate social media. Win fabulous prizes.