This is a compendium of the reporting and commentary that best explains the America's political, economic, and social conditions – and, most important, how we can find a way back from the dark days ahead. You will rarely find anything here from the New York Times or Washington Post or any of the other Big Journalism companies that failed us so completely during the 2024 elections and are now sucking up – even more than usual – to Donald Trump, his cult, and corporate oligarchs. My focus will be on smaller, more honorable outlets (and individuals). I hope you'll support them with your attention and your money.
The real headline of this election isn’t about Trump’s victory. It’s about how the Federalist Society coalition of plutocrats and theocrats has all but completed its mission to repeal and replace the 20th Century by judicial fiat. While Trump was almost certainly not the first choice of the FedSoc coalition, his election, along with the incoming Republican Senate, means that Trump will be able to allow Thomas and Alito to strategically retire and install a 6-3 or 7-2 FedSoc majority for decades. And with the opportunity to place 200-plus more judges to the federal bench, we can expect nearly half of the federal judiciary to have been appointed by Trump by the end of his term. (Think Matthew Kacsmaryk and Aileen Cannon.)
A nuanced understanding of what happened in this election isn't a matter of instant analysis, though there is at least some truth to what most of the legion of blame-gamers are saying. But the author of this piece, who has been immersed in politics and is a brilliant writer, has captured central realities. First, Democratic turnout collapsed this year. Second, our political system has already been captured by the "plutocrats and theocrats" who successfully captured America's judiciary – which rules us without even modest constraint much less humility. As Chief Justice John Roberts famously said of the American people and our relationship to the court, "If they do not like what we are doing, it’s more or less just too bad.”
[O]ne area of inquiry is not getting enough attention in our autopsies of the 2024 election: the civic structure of the Democratic Party. How did the way that our party is organized—the way that its members relate to the party, to each other, and to their local communities—affect Tuesday’s result? And how can we improve the flow of attention, money, leadership development, organizing work, and decision-making power to get better results in the future?
Maybe it is too late. Maybe the fascists and their oligarchs, judges, and pushers of piety have taken us down for the count. But we can't just give up. We need ideas for moving forward toward progress in America. You'll find that in this Nation piece, written by a co-founder of a nonprofit working to restore and deepen democratic (small "d") ideals. The focus on local is key. The Democratic Party has been an arrogantly top-down clique for decades and, with a few notable exceptions, has paid scant attention to the patient, relentless strategy that has helped bring total power to the Republicans. By the way, here's a thought experiment I recommend as you read it the article. Substitute "journalism" for "Democratic Party" – and you'll see a recommendation that makes lots of sense for fixing our disastrously flawed news media. I've given up on Big Journalism, where the bosses refuse to recognize their epic flaws, and now believe the only way forward is to rebuild the craft from the grassroots.
Democrats should forget the idea that subscribing to the Times, TheWashington Post, or NPR is a responsible act of supporting journalism. That may have been true once, but no longer. Dems should abandon these publications en masse and instead subscribe to ones not owned by petulant nepo babies or corrupt hyper-billionaires who interfere with their coverage for Trump—like, for instance, this one. Websites, radio stations, podcasts, and so forth ought to be stood up by party members with access to money—the Harris campaign and associated groups, by the way, spent about $5 billion losing this election—particularly if they can replace genuine local news that has been gutted by private equity and Facebook, or if they are centered on subjects typically neglected by liberals like sports or gaming. The core strategy is to set up publications with progressive views but likely to have broader appeal. Honest partisanship should be the standard, rather than a pretend above-it-all “objective journalism” that in practice means bending reality completely beyond recognition to benefit Donald Trump.
This American Prospect commentary goes a bit further than I would advise, but I am (as I've said here before) completely disillusioned – not that I had many illusions left – by what I call Big Journalism. It is run by cowards whose motive is money. There aren't enough honorable billionaires around to fund the journalism we need, especially at the local level, but local is where we have to start.
Damerow added a message to his friends who supported President-elect Donald Trump in last week’s election. “They were comfortable being there because of who you just voted into office. What they had to say made it quite plain. I’m very curious how knowing this makes you feel,” he said, adding thanks to those in the community who have made him feel welcome for over 25 years.
This Michigan Advance article has misguided headline. Calling Nazis "protesters" is just wrong. They are not protesting. They are preening and threatening. They are reminding us that more of the worst people have come out from under their rocks now that a vocal fascist has been elected president. They are cousins to the misogynist slime who are shouting "Your body, my choice" at schoolgirls, and all of the other extremist bullies who feel so empowered today.
Michael Podhorzer
Pete Davis
Ryan Cooper
Jon King
