What if the way Trump has bent American elites to his will is also the key to beating him?
We talked earlier this afternoon with Ruth Ben-Ghiat — and more than 5,000 readers of The Ink and Lucid — about her new piece about moral collapse under Trump. Ruth writes about how Trump has attacked the idea of America at the level of the human soul, hollowing out not just institutions but people. But that also means an organized opposition can take the moral high ground and remind Americans of what they can be, beyond Trump.
What does — or could — that kind of resistance look like? Can a progressive movement get the fossilized Democratic Party to face a reckoning? Is it time for a leadership fight, even if it seems inconvenient — and could that fight within the Democratic Party help mobilize people against authoritarianism?
More people want to be free than want to be chained. A real opposition has to build solidarity, and bring together a coalition of movement organizations, faith groups, and labor — but it also needs to offer a better vision of life, and of what this country can be.
Share this far and wide. Subscribe to Lucid. And let’s keep going. Let’s keep growing. Thank you one and all.
In the public interest, we are opening this video to all. But we’re also asking candidly that folks support the half dozen or so people who now write for and edit and otherwise support the work of The Ink by becoming a paying subscriber.
Take a moment to support fearless, independent reporting, and to help us keep bringing you conversations like this one. Or give a gift or group subscription.
Stand up for media that bows to no tyrant or billionaire. Join us today. Or give a gift or group subscription.
And a programming note: More Live conversation!
Come back this Thursday, March 20, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern (a half-hour later than usual), when we’ll be joined again by messaging guru Anat Shenker-Osorio, with some of the best insights into our times — and ideas on how you can act. We hope to see you there!
To join and watch, download the Substack app (click on the button below) and turn on notifications — you’ll get an alert that we’re live and you can watch from your iOS or Android mobile device. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to The Ink to access full videos of past conversations and to join the chat during our live events.
Share this post