While I agree that the economic argument matters, the comparison to the Soviet collapse misses the world we actually live in. The USSR was a sealed command economy that created its own shortages until the system caved in. The United States in 2025 is nothing like that. Even clumsy or punitive economic policy doesn’t produce the kind of nationwide scarcity that erodes a regime’s legitimacy in one blow. And modern authoritarian movements don’t depend on delivering prosperity in the way the Soviets had to; they thrive on polarisation, identity and grievance, which can keep support intact even when wallets are hurting.
So no, rising prices and broken promises won’t make Trump’s authoritarian project crumble on their own. They’ll weaken him politically, but they won’t undo the institutional capture, media ecosystems and loyalty structures that define contemporary strongman politics. Economic storytelling is useful for winning elections, but defeating authoritarianism now requires more than empty shelves. It needs organised resistance, institutional defence and a public willing to see beyond its own immediate hardship.
Your last ask requires just one first step from citizens: paying attention. I have a dear friend who recently retired and has thrown herself into doing all the things she couldn't do when she was working. But she is unable to bring herself to focus on the news, instead using Facebook and asking me periodically for suggestions about which news to check up on.
It's the same damn news that has been in our faces every day since 2016: one guy is trying to destroy the laws and infrastructure of our democracy while raking in as much cash as possible. Once gone, we'll not recover what took 250 to build--let alone the incredible progress of the past 50 years in health, safety, and yes, equality, from which my friend herself has benefited.
Anyone not paying attention to developments cannot engage in efforts to thwart them, and is creating a heavier lift for the rest of us. I want to shake my friend and tell her this is an all-hand-on-deck moment, but that's not the way to pull someone on board. So, I lead by example, showing her what I do to stay engaged and resist, but not giving her the shortcut of "answers."
Good advice: Lead by example & refrain from volunteering the shortcuts to answers. Unfortunately, there are some people who have malformed opinions because they choose not to be factfinders or truthseekers. Protecting our Constitutional rights takes time & effort. Some people have to experience losses personally before they "get it".
I completely understand your frustration, but at the same time, there may be another dynamic at work, one few of us are familiar with. Many people are finding the current political climate so relentless that their minds simply recoil from the constant demands on their attention. It's a form of cognitive overload, and it can appear as though someone is choosing not to engage when, in fact, they are struggling to manage the volume of information and the emotional cost that comes with it.
Women in your friend’s age group are at heightened risk of this, especially if they carry trauma or have personal stressors in the background, like health concerns. What looks like avoidance can actually be a protective instinct rather than a lack of concern. Understanding that distinction may make it easier to draw your friend back into meaningful engagement without adding to her sense of strain.
I write from my experience of living under Mugabe’s authoritarian rule, and a psychology background, to offer practical guidance for navigating these pressures without disengaging. All of the material I share is free, and your friend would be very welcome to explore it at her own pace. My aim is to help readers stay grounded and attentive without becoming overwhelmed, so that engagement strengthens rather than depletes us.
It’s my understanding of the era (late 1989’s-early 1990’s) that East Germans could see television programs coming from West Germany. Thus, those in the Soviet bloc were not only experiencing the long bread lines and harsh conditions themselves, but many could see that citizens in the West had better lives— further evidence of the lies that their Communist leaders were telling them.
I wish there were a way to attract today’s US rural voters towards positive, realistic images of Democratic cities that would likewise expose the lies spouted on Fox and other right wingnut outlets. It would be additional evidence to compound their rage against trump et al while struggling to pay the bills and get healthcare.
I'm sure that what the author says is true - that the economy may be the salient issue for many voters, particularly those with economic vulnerability. However, it still strikes me as patronizing - let's talk pocketbook and not bother you with hard to understand issues like "democracy".
My experience from working with my local Democratic Party and attending No Kings rallies is that voters who have less means are plenty smart enough to care about the assaults on democracy and if anything, are the ones most on the front lines.
Food prices are rising and if one has to follow a restricted diet it’s even worse. Lying to the American public about making things cheaper when more time is spent picking fights with his enemies and creating false narratives on culture wars doesn’t get the job done to make our lives better. The fewer MAGAs we have the better.
I agree. However, problems appear when transitioning these findings into strategy. We’re not yet to the point where day to day suffering is broad based enough to effect a profound re-evaluation by most Trump supporters. Yes, we can project into the future and say we’re ‘going to see’ major price increases for goods people need and insurance premiums such that insurance becomes unaffordable. But we also have limited time until the midterms and the next national election. Maybe Trump et al will wise up and temporize with remedial action in areas involving tariffs, back off on brutal deportation tactics and provide some help with insurance subsidies etc. The next decision point for progressives (barring unforeseen events like war, assassination etc.) is the looming BUDGET FIGHT in January. Do we fight and hold out as before, but longer, until the suffering reaches an unthinkable level? Or what? How we deal with that inevitable fight will be crucial. But therein lies great danger!
Federal worker household here. We were prepared to hurt for the long haul so that this budget-standoff crap would end once and for all. We were poised to "win" the shutdown. As it dragged into the holidays, people would get pissed at all the needless suffering and breakdown of governmental activity--Trump's team included. We had them stymied.
Then Chuck Schumer let his people cave, throwing under the bus civil servants who had lived through yet another painful shutdown for nothing. We got no concessions. Way to go, Chuck. We are sick of the stress of wondering whether we'll have jobs or be able to pay bills every three months. How I wish January would just never come.
I'm sending good vibes to you and your family! Things everywhere are grim for sure. What's so frustrating in all this is that it wouldn't take much to bring relief to millions of us. Just a touch of good will and humanity on the part of our Republican elected leaders. Trump wouldn't matter that much if the GOP legislators and SCOTUS would just listen to their hearts and consciences.
Thanks so much, and I agree. It wasn't so long ago that we could expect good will and humanity from those we elect to represent us. Then along came the Tea Party and Mitch McConnell, the reactionary members of SCOTUS, Trump and his idiot sons who troll people for a living. None of that has any place in governance.
The economy will always be first and foremost on the minds of voters, and in some ways, the economy misses the point of all the other ills of the Trump admin. Fair enough tho, the economy is one part of the broader picture that we must not ignore. Too often, we seek a solution that boils down to just one thing, but in reality, it's a combination of many things that creates momentum one way or the other.
The current GOP began building its empire during the Gingrich days, when being anti-government became normal, even as one waved the flag and took office. On every level of society, community, county, state, and federal, the right infiltrated everywhere and everything, to putting targets on their oponent's backs to taking guns to school board meetings, normalizing the culture of intimidation. They laid their traps everywhere to co-opt power, and the rest of us did basically nothing out of fear of being seen or noticed, or still had hope for bi-partisanship.
Yes, empty shelves can be a powerful sign and maybe the thing that ousts Trump, but until Americans actually understand why America was born, and how America could be truly great again, the odds aren't very good for saving our democracy.
They remind me of the Orcs of Mordor. They'll even canibalize their own over small disputes, but there are always more to fill in the void, if not from the temples of their kingdoms, they'll be pulled up from the dark depths of the swamps.
I hadn't thought about internal economics in the fall of the USSR. I think they played into Gorbachev's replacement of the gerontocracy at the top level of government, but in terms of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, I place more weight on other factors:
- The Polish Pope (John Paul II)
- Chernobyl and the realization that a nuclear war could not have a winner
- The Afghanistan debacle
- Reagan's re-ignition of the arms race and the realization that the USSR was too economically weak to keep up
Just let me say, all this is true, but a major factor is left unsaid. If Trump and his slimy businessmen oligarchy friends, decide to cut their allies out and bank with Russia, our friends will kick the chair out from under us and call in our bank bonds, our IOUs. It is our soft underbelly and we will all suffer a change, and maybe dramatically. (On a side note not sure, but my guess is Canada pretty much told Trump, play tariffs with us and we will call in your bank notes of which is sizeable. Carney was part of the World Bank. Don't underestimate him)
"Voters can see what’s happening to their wallets."
This is what I've been saying from the begining. FDR commented on "freedom from wont". The East Wing can be demolished, National Guard can prowl the streets, and even some illegal acts can take place - from ICE to blowing up boats and their crews. It's the stretched-to-breaking of the kitchen table economy that will ultimately get peoples' attention and reactions. As the article points out, the chickens are beginning to come home, As Trump's ignoring of this continues, it will be all the worse for him, his administration, and the GOP. It may be our Christmas present.
You’re also missing the fact that Christian Nationalists are in charge and they’ve taught their followers (who are part of a cult—CN is the Protestant version and Opus Dei is the Catholic version) that pain is good, and this is necessary. So there’s a large portion of Trump followers will find it good that the economy is suffering—it shows they’re on track. (Twisted logic yes—but their entire world is twisted which is why they chose Trump as their leader. Russell Vought at OMB is Christian Nationalists and continues to destroy our democracy and the Tech bros are mopping up our data as fast as possible. They know Trump is on his way out and the goal is to get everything done that they can in ways they intend not to be undone. And Vance is CN vis Opus Dei and he’s waiting in the wings.
He raises a good point. It DOES NOT MATTER that Trump is a fascist. Or senile. Or simply "bad at the job" of being President. Those things won't change votes for anyone who understands those issues. 100% of us will either resist it because we hate it or embrace it because we want it. But reminding us about it changes nothing.
For everyone else James Carville's old "It's the economy, stupid!" is still true. And those are the folks we need to swing to our side here. So endless droning about affordability and health care can win the election.
I just hope all candidates can still say "sure I'd support impeaching Trump if specific indictments are provided" then get right back on message about the economy.
Now we Democrats have to deliver on promises of affordability. Not so easy, unless you're going to price controls. Biden was trying with the ramp up of antitrust policy, but these things take time and are not visible to the average voter. We'll see how it works out.
While emphasis on economic issues is very valid, using USSR as an example is terrible. It seems to indicate that people will accept a fascist state as long as there are no lines to buy bread. Also, judging by the $ recently spent on holiday sales it would be difficult to posit that the economy is suffering. And last, but not least, I hope and believe that people understand that we cannot live and vote by bread alone. Freedom and democracy matter. I hope.
This post hit the nail on the head. I wonder if our Founders understood that you can talk about democracy and rights only to someone who has food in their stomach, who knows that they will have food tomorrow as well, and who has a roof over their head. Only when basic needs are met will people have time and energy to think about abstractions like rights and freedom.
Perhaps in hindsight, both Clinton and Harris might have been better off spending more effort on Nancy Pelosi's message about campaigning on "kitchen table" issues, and less time pointing out that Don the Con was just that-- a two-bit con man and wannabe Mussolini. In that same sense, Biden was lucky because the memory of Trump was very fresh, while Clinton had the misfortune of running against an "unknown" Trump, and Harris had the misfortune of being saddled with Biden's unpopularity, combined with people having time to forget how awful Trump was
While I agree that the economic argument matters, the comparison to the Soviet collapse misses the world we actually live in. The USSR was a sealed command economy that created its own shortages until the system caved in. The United States in 2025 is nothing like that. Even clumsy or punitive economic policy doesn’t produce the kind of nationwide scarcity that erodes a regime’s legitimacy in one blow. And modern authoritarian movements don’t depend on delivering prosperity in the way the Soviets had to; they thrive on polarisation, identity and grievance, which can keep support intact even when wallets are hurting.
So no, rising prices and broken promises won’t make Trump’s authoritarian project crumble on their own. They’ll weaken him politically, but they won’t undo the institutional capture, media ecosystems and loyalty structures that define contemporary strongman politics. Economic storytelling is useful for winning elections, but defeating authoritarianism now requires more than empty shelves. It needs organised resistance, institutional defence and a public willing to see beyond its own immediate hardship.
Your last ask requires just one first step from citizens: paying attention. I have a dear friend who recently retired and has thrown herself into doing all the things she couldn't do when she was working. But she is unable to bring herself to focus on the news, instead using Facebook and asking me periodically for suggestions about which news to check up on.
It's the same damn news that has been in our faces every day since 2016: one guy is trying to destroy the laws and infrastructure of our democracy while raking in as much cash as possible. Once gone, we'll not recover what took 250 to build--let alone the incredible progress of the past 50 years in health, safety, and yes, equality, from which my friend herself has benefited.
Anyone not paying attention to developments cannot engage in efforts to thwart them, and is creating a heavier lift for the rest of us. I want to shake my friend and tell her this is an all-hand-on-deck moment, but that's not the way to pull someone on board. So, I lead by example, showing her what I do to stay engaged and resist, but not giving her the shortcut of "answers."
Good advice: Lead by example & refrain from volunteering the shortcuts to answers. Unfortunately, there are some people who have malformed opinions because they choose not to be factfinders or truthseekers. Protecting our Constitutional rights takes time & effort. Some people have to experience losses personally before they "get it".
I completely understand your frustration, but at the same time, there may be another dynamic at work, one few of us are familiar with. Many people are finding the current political climate so relentless that their minds simply recoil from the constant demands on their attention. It's a form of cognitive overload, and it can appear as though someone is choosing not to engage when, in fact, they are struggling to manage the volume of information and the emotional cost that comes with it.
Women in your friend’s age group are at heightened risk of this, especially if they carry trauma or have personal stressors in the background, like health concerns. What looks like avoidance can actually be a protective instinct rather than a lack of concern. Understanding that distinction may make it easier to draw your friend back into meaningful engagement without adding to her sense of strain.
I write from my experience of living under Mugabe’s authoritarian rule, and a psychology background, to offer practical guidance for navigating these pressures without disengaging. All of the material I share is free, and your friend would be very welcome to explore it at her own pace. My aim is to help readers stay grounded and attentive without becoming overwhelmed, so that engagement strengthens rather than depletes us.
It’s my understanding of the era (late 1989’s-early 1990’s) that East Germans could see television programs coming from West Germany. Thus, those in the Soviet bloc were not only experiencing the long bread lines and harsh conditions themselves, but many could see that citizens in the West had better lives— further evidence of the lies that their Communist leaders were telling them.
I wish there were a way to attract today’s US rural voters towards positive, realistic images of Democratic cities that would likewise expose the lies spouted on Fox and other right wingnut outlets. It would be additional evidence to compound their rage against trump et al while struggling to pay the bills and get healthcare.
I'm sure that what the author says is true - that the economy may be the salient issue for many voters, particularly those with economic vulnerability. However, it still strikes me as patronizing - let's talk pocketbook and not bother you with hard to understand issues like "democracy".
My experience from working with my local Democratic Party and attending No Kings rallies is that voters who have less means are plenty smart enough to care about the assaults on democracy and if anything, are the ones most on the front lines.
Food prices are rising and if one has to follow a restricted diet it’s even worse. Lying to the American public about making things cheaper when more time is spent picking fights with his enemies and creating false narratives on culture wars doesn’t get the job done to make our lives better. The fewer MAGAs we have the better.
I agree. However, problems appear when transitioning these findings into strategy. We’re not yet to the point where day to day suffering is broad based enough to effect a profound re-evaluation by most Trump supporters. Yes, we can project into the future and say we’re ‘going to see’ major price increases for goods people need and insurance premiums such that insurance becomes unaffordable. But we also have limited time until the midterms and the next national election. Maybe Trump et al will wise up and temporize with remedial action in areas involving tariffs, back off on brutal deportation tactics and provide some help with insurance subsidies etc. The next decision point for progressives (barring unforeseen events like war, assassination etc.) is the looming BUDGET FIGHT in January. Do we fight and hold out as before, but longer, until the suffering reaches an unthinkable level? Or what? How we deal with that inevitable fight will be crucial. But therein lies great danger!
Federal worker household here. We were prepared to hurt for the long haul so that this budget-standoff crap would end once and for all. We were poised to "win" the shutdown. As it dragged into the holidays, people would get pissed at all the needless suffering and breakdown of governmental activity--Trump's team included. We had them stymied.
Then Chuck Schumer let his people cave, throwing under the bus civil servants who had lived through yet another painful shutdown for nothing. We got no concessions. Way to go, Chuck. We are sick of the stress of wondering whether we'll have jobs or be able to pay bills every three months. How I wish January would just never come.
I'm sending good vibes to you and your family! Things everywhere are grim for sure. What's so frustrating in all this is that it wouldn't take much to bring relief to millions of us. Just a touch of good will and humanity on the part of our Republican elected leaders. Trump wouldn't matter that much if the GOP legislators and SCOTUS would just listen to their hearts and consciences.
Thanks so much, and I agree. It wasn't so long ago that we could expect good will and humanity from those we elect to represent us. Then along came the Tea Party and Mitch McConnell, the reactionary members of SCOTUS, Trump and his idiot sons who troll people for a living. None of that has any place in governance.
Sorry, none of those in charge have a working conscience. They have been indoctrinated to think that empathy is a weakness. 👹
The economy will always be first and foremost on the minds of voters, and in some ways, the economy misses the point of all the other ills of the Trump admin. Fair enough tho, the economy is one part of the broader picture that we must not ignore. Too often, we seek a solution that boils down to just one thing, but in reality, it's a combination of many things that creates momentum one way or the other.
The current GOP began building its empire during the Gingrich days, when being anti-government became normal, even as one waved the flag and took office. On every level of society, community, county, state, and federal, the right infiltrated everywhere and everything, to putting targets on their oponent's backs to taking guns to school board meetings, normalizing the culture of intimidation. They laid their traps everywhere to co-opt power, and the rest of us did basically nothing out of fear of being seen or noticed, or still had hope for bi-partisanship.
Yes, empty shelves can be a powerful sign and maybe the thing that ousts Trump, but until Americans actually understand why America was born, and how America could be truly great again, the odds aren't very good for saving our democracy.
We'll have to add some good and fast acting antintimidation teeth to our laws if we can rum them out, cause they'll be back...
They remind me of the Orcs of Mordor. They'll even canibalize their own over small disputes, but there are always more to fill in the void, if not from the temples of their kingdoms, they'll be pulled up from the dark depths of the swamps.
I hadn't thought about internal economics in the fall of the USSR. I think they played into Gorbachev's replacement of the gerontocracy at the top level of government, but in terms of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, I place more weight on other factors:
- The Polish Pope (John Paul II)
- Chernobyl and the realization that a nuclear war could not have a winner
- The Afghanistan debacle
- Reagan's re-ignition of the arms race and the realization that the USSR was too economically weak to keep up
Just let me say, all this is true, but a major factor is left unsaid. If Trump and his slimy businessmen oligarchy friends, decide to cut their allies out and bank with Russia, our friends will kick the chair out from under us and call in our bank bonds, our IOUs. It is our soft underbelly and we will all suffer a change, and maybe dramatically. (On a side note not sure, but my guess is Canada pretty much told Trump, play tariffs with us and we will call in your bank notes of which is sizeable. Carney was part of the World Bank. Don't underestimate him)
"Voters can see what’s happening to their wallets."
This is what I've been saying from the begining. FDR commented on "freedom from wont". The East Wing can be demolished, National Guard can prowl the streets, and even some illegal acts can take place - from ICE to blowing up boats and their crews. It's the stretched-to-breaking of the kitchen table economy that will ultimately get peoples' attention and reactions. As the article points out, the chickens are beginning to come home, As Trump's ignoring of this continues, it will be all the worse for him, his administration, and the GOP. It may be our Christmas present.
You’re also missing the fact that Christian Nationalists are in charge and they’ve taught their followers (who are part of a cult—CN is the Protestant version and Opus Dei is the Catholic version) that pain is good, and this is necessary. So there’s a large portion of Trump followers will find it good that the economy is suffering—it shows they’re on track. (Twisted logic yes—but their entire world is twisted which is why they chose Trump as their leader. Russell Vought at OMB is Christian Nationalists and continues to destroy our democracy and the Tech bros are mopping up our data as fast as possible. They know Trump is on his way out and the goal is to get everything done that they can in ways they intend not to be undone. And Vance is CN vis Opus Dei and he’s waiting in the wings.
He raises a good point. It DOES NOT MATTER that Trump is a fascist. Or senile. Or simply "bad at the job" of being President. Those things won't change votes for anyone who understands those issues. 100% of us will either resist it because we hate it or embrace it because we want it. But reminding us about it changes nothing.
For everyone else James Carville's old "It's the economy, stupid!" is still true. And those are the folks we need to swing to our side here. So endless droning about affordability and health care can win the election.
I just hope all candidates can still say "sure I'd support impeaching Trump if specific indictments are provided" then get right back on message about the economy.
Now we Democrats have to deliver on promises of affordability. Not so easy, unless you're going to price controls. Biden was trying with the ramp up of antitrust policy, but these things take time and are not visible to the average voter. We'll see how it works out.
While emphasis on economic issues is very valid, using USSR as an example is terrible. It seems to indicate that people will accept a fascist state as long as there are no lines to buy bread. Also, judging by the $ recently spent on holiday sales it would be difficult to posit that the economy is suffering. And last, but not least, I hope and believe that people understand that we cannot live and vote by bread alone. Freedom and democracy matter. I hope.
This post hit the nail on the head. I wonder if our Founders understood that you can talk about democracy and rights only to someone who has food in their stomach, who knows that they will have food tomorrow as well, and who has a roof over their head. Only when basic needs are met will people have time and energy to think about abstractions like rights and freedom.
Perhaps in hindsight, both Clinton and Harris might have been better off spending more effort on Nancy Pelosi's message about campaigning on "kitchen table" issues, and less time pointing out that Don the Con was just that-- a two-bit con man and wannabe Mussolini. In that same sense, Biden was lucky because the memory of Trump was very fresh, while Clinton had the misfortune of running against an "unknown" Trump, and Harris had the misfortune of being saddled with Biden's unpopularity, combined with people having time to forget how awful Trump was
Good title for the Pocket Guide.