An oped at the WSJ. I can’t post the whole thing for 30 days, but here are some tidbits and some extra commentary. Incompetent Elites Make Trump Look Appealing His supporters don’t love everything about him but are sick of being disdained and misgoverned.
You almost nailed it, just that Nikki Haley will never do what you suggested and the democrats will never listen. Nikki is backed by the Wall Street donors and her neo-con foreign policy is just proof that she’s using wars for money laundering. The best bet for Republicans right now is to ask Nikki to step down, and to help Trump to get the country back. Trump says stupid things from time to time. But his policies mostly make sense. The democrats will never listen. They are no longer the “liberals” that they call themselves. They’re purely socialists and marxists who enjoy becoming the ruling class in the sacrifice of this country’s future
John Cochrane may be a better sociologist than he is an economist!
Yes, C-19, The Biden laptop, the Russiagate follies, the constant demonizing of Trump supporters and anyone who is not a Boston illiberal.
Add on Harvard. Did Trump ever speak so poorly as to say calling for the genocide of Jews was OK, depending on context? Even the deplorable Trump never sank so low.
Now this:
"The Harvard Kennedy School is set to host a Palestinian professor who called Hamas’ massacre of Israeli civilians a “normal struggle for freedom,” and said she would never forgive Israel’s government for “making us take their children and elderly as hostages.”
Dalal Saeb Iriqat, a professor of diplomacy and conflict resolution at the Arab American University in Ramallah is set to speak at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center as part of its Middle East Dialogues series on March 7, 2024."
Vu de France, Trump n’avait sans doute pas besoin du soutien d’un économiste grincheux. Le vide de compétences politique n’est pas une excuse. La perte d’influence des USA n’est peut-être pas de la responsabilité des politiques. C’est la marche du monde. La lucidité serait de l’admettre. S’en remettre à un imbécile, fauter de mieux, n’est pas une solution.
Outstanding WSJ piece. Ironically though, while voting for Trump might look like the best way to stick it to the elites, in fact it gives the elites exactly what they want: license to justify a permanent state of emergency. Your advice on what Nikki Haley, Trump and Democrats should do is spot on. But voters (on both sides) should also go beyond knee-jerk outrage. Politicians are failing us, but revealed preferences suggest that populism is what voters on both the left and right prefer today.
Hmmm. This article failed to mention some important reasons I supported Trump, while not liking him that much. Deregulation was huge, he retired 14 rules on the Federal Register for every new one added. On trade he was focused on an industrial policy that would restore the U.S. to a producer nation vs. a consumer nation. Wrt National Security, he was reducing our military sprawl while using our power wisely to back down adversaries, for the most part. There was a lot more to it than immigration, although that was crucial because all other politicians lie to me about it and are afraid to say "Deport every single illegal alien on the country". And oh yeah, Mexican immigrants commit much higher rates of rape and sexual assault, Trump was citing data Ann Coulter dug up for her book Adios America. You might want to consider why our govt (fed and states) don't report this data in a way that's readily accessible...
Trump's support is about governing from a classically liberal, nationalist POV. Not a Prog-Marxist autocracy...The choice is clear if one isn't a dopey Leftist.
You say, re fromer President Trump that "[n]obody else in a century and a half has come back from losing an election." While you may mean coming back from being president and losing re-election, if you are talking about just losing a presidential election, I would mention Richard Nixon, who actually knew what he was doing in foreign affairs.
I find it deeply disappointing that John has been sucked into an echo chamber, paralleling Paul Krugman in a number of off-putting ways. Indeed, I stopped reading Paul Krugman after his "evolution" from equal opportunity offender (okay, more or less) into brazenly one-sided tribal mouthpiece, and John seems to be rapidly approaching that same tipping point. An echo chamber must feel nice, and I hope against the odds that I have enough strength to avoid one myself.
As a Trump-agnostic observer from across the pond, it seems to me that his appeal is that he comes across as a combative outsider who refuses to play by the rules of what so many across the Western world increasingly see as a political stacked deck. Secondly the fact that he has triggered Trump Derangement Syndrome in the millions of the Lefty-sheep-dipped graduate class who now control all the levers of power in America (and the Western world as a whole)....this must have enough appeal to compensate for any annoying aspects of his personality.
I am not a fan of Trump the person and also disagree with some of his policies like tariffs. Why do people like him? Because he fights. Because he understands the "elite mindset" and understands how to unravel it. I have been in many social situations where very wealthy people have proposed some sort of policy idea, but of course "not for them for the other people".
Look at the way Trump debates vs the way Romney debated Obama (particularly the Candy Crowley CNN debate where she bailed him out)
I was at a "Debate Party" in 2004. My wife and I were the token Republicans. Everyone else was a Democrat including the Journalism professors from Northwestern. In the elevator on the way out, they looked at me and said, "Wouldn't it be great if only people like us could vote?". I said, "They did that in the Jim Crow South. Is that what you want?"
Because the Democrats and RINOs want to dictate to the masses and use government power to enforce their will, a million conspiracy theories bloom and Trump is able to take advantage of it. When some of them come true, he looks better than he did to his supporters in the first place.
I would love for Trump to be Milei. He is not. However, he is the least worst alternative based on the choices we have right now. The problem with the Democrats is that 30% of their party has embraced socialism and they are so powerful internally the tail wags the dog. On the Republican side, the RINOs are so full of falseness and will as Thomas Sowell said, "Sometimes it looks as if the Democrats are out to win at all costs, while the Republicans are out to compromise at all costs."
I find that the Democrats preach tolerance and acceptance while offering none. Their solutions are centralized bureaucratic solutions. Trump seemingly cuts through a lot of that.
You highlight something important for Haley. We need a politician who wouldn't just stoke animosity against Fauci, but would replace him. One that just doesn't talk about America First, but actually brings troops home (ie, why was the military able to override decisions to bring troops home from the Middle East? Why did we have to wait for Biden to bring the troops home from Afghanistan? )
One of your few fuzzy thinking screeds, John. You need to more clearly articulate what three things Trump got right. Morally deluded state of western politics? That is true of both left and right wing thinking but needs to be fleshed out. Wrong direction of the country? A clearer definition of where you think we’re headed. “They want their country back”? You mean they want to go back to the good old ‘50s when blacks and women knew their place? And I could not understand what your third point was other than incompetence of our major institutions. Remember, John, this institutional incompetence was exposed during the final year of the Trump Administration, the abysmal handling of the Covid crisis. And then came Jan 5th and the Trump inspired insurrection.
True, the looney left is trying to drag us into their vision of heaven by demonizing capitalism. This truly is the road to perdition as west coast cities are painfully learning.
But they can’t be saved from this dreadful delusion by dragging them down Trump’s maniacal rathole.
Cochrane gets Trumpers’ grievances. And he accepts them as legitimate. Necessary but not sufficient.
If Trump’s voters were even marginally rational, Ron DeSantis would now be coasting to the Republican Presidential nomination. Winning elections is only half of politics—the successful politician also has to be able to implement durable change that positively impacts his constituents. Trump is supremely talented, but only as an entertainer and a celebrity.
Trump accomplished almost nothing lasting during his first term. What little survives—judicial appointments and tax reform—was largely the work of the hated Republican “establishment.” But that establishment is gone. Trump “drained the swamp” (at least on his own side of the aisle). His second term agenda is purely personal: staying out of jail and settling scores with enemies.
Irrationally is hardly unique to Trump’s voters. Or Republicans. Or even Americans. But both parties previously insured that effective demagoguery was accompanied by executive talent (cf. FDR, Reagan, Obama). By abandoning our constitutional heritage and radically democratizing our presidential election process, America loses its uniqueness and risks becoming indistinguishable from Argentina.
I have always admired your writings on economics but your WSJ. brings to light your brilliant writing on the political economy as well. You captured the essence of what motivates individuals like me to vote for Trump despite the fact that I think he will be largely ineffective in a second term due to lack of discipline, poor judgement in selecting personnel and implacable foes in the deep state, the mass media, much of corporate America , and of course the elites. He is self destructive in his lack of self awareness. But the current administration must me extirpated from further destroying the foundations of this country
I am a Trump supporter, however, I am not a Republican, instead, when I first voted, I chose Independent as my political stance. There are many reasons I like Trump. Specifically, the Border, two tiered justice, and war avoidance through strength, school choice, belief in our Constitution. I have gone around the Sun 78 times, served as a Captain, in Vietnam, have 40 years experience as an investment advisor. Trumps term in office, was the best economic success, rivaling the old yuppie period. Even then, it had better participation, by all the minorities. No new wars, or dead American service members. Let me tell you, putting soldiers, into body bags isn’t fun. President Trump accomplished this, while being persecuted by the radical left, without cause!
You almost nailed it, just that Nikki Haley will never do what you suggested and the democrats will never listen. Nikki is backed by the Wall Street donors and her neo-con foreign policy is just proof that she’s using wars for money laundering. The best bet for Republicans right now is to ask Nikki to step down, and to help Trump to get the country back. Trump says stupid things from time to time. But his policies mostly make sense. The democrats will never listen. They are no longer the “liberals” that they call themselves. They’re purely socialists and marxists who enjoy becoming the ruling class in the sacrifice of this country’s future
What policies that Trump advocates make sense ?
John Cochrane may be a better sociologist than he is an economist!
Yes, C-19, The Biden laptop, the Russiagate follies, the constant demonizing of Trump supporters and anyone who is not a Boston illiberal.
Add on Harvard. Did Trump ever speak so poorly as to say calling for the genocide of Jews was OK, depending on context? Even the deplorable Trump never sank so low.
Now this:
"The Harvard Kennedy School is set to host a Palestinian professor who called Hamas’ massacre of Israeli civilians a “normal struggle for freedom,” and said she would never forgive Israel’s government for “making us take their children and elderly as hostages.”
Dalal Saeb Iriqat, a professor of diplomacy and conflict resolution at the Arab American University in Ramallah is set to speak at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center as part of its Middle East Dialogues series on March 7, 2024."
And they say Trump is bad?
Vu de France, Trump n’avait sans doute pas besoin du soutien d’un économiste grincheux. Le vide de compétences politique n’est pas une excuse. La perte d’influence des USA n’est peut-être pas de la responsabilité des politiques. C’est la marche du monde. La lucidité serait de l’admettre. S’en remettre à un imbécile, fauter de mieux, n’est pas une solution.
Outstanding WSJ piece. Ironically though, while voting for Trump might look like the best way to stick it to the elites, in fact it gives the elites exactly what they want: license to justify a permanent state of emergency. Your advice on what Nikki Haley, Trump and Democrats should do is spot on. But voters (on both sides) should also go beyond knee-jerk outrage. Politicians are failing us, but revealed preferences suggest that populism is what voters on both the left and right prefer today.
Hmmm. This article failed to mention some important reasons I supported Trump, while not liking him that much. Deregulation was huge, he retired 14 rules on the Federal Register for every new one added. On trade he was focused on an industrial policy that would restore the U.S. to a producer nation vs. a consumer nation. Wrt National Security, he was reducing our military sprawl while using our power wisely to back down adversaries, for the most part. There was a lot more to it than immigration, although that was crucial because all other politicians lie to me about it and are afraid to say "Deport every single illegal alien on the country". And oh yeah, Mexican immigrants commit much higher rates of rape and sexual assault, Trump was citing data Ann Coulter dug up for her book Adios America. You might want to consider why our govt (fed and states) don't report this data in a way that's readily accessible...
Trump's support is about governing from a classically liberal, nationalist POV. Not a Prog-Marxist autocracy...The choice is clear if one isn't a dopey Leftist.
You say, re fromer President Trump that "[n]obody else in a century and a half has come back from losing an election." While you may mean coming back from being president and losing re-election, if you are talking about just losing a presidential election, I would mention Richard Nixon, who actually knew what he was doing in foreign affairs.
I find it deeply disappointing that John has been sucked into an echo chamber, paralleling Paul Krugman in a number of off-putting ways. Indeed, I stopped reading Paul Krugman after his "evolution" from equal opportunity offender (okay, more or less) into brazenly one-sided tribal mouthpiece, and John seems to be rapidly approaching that same tipping point. An echo chamber must feel nice, and I hope against the odds that I have enough strength to avoid one myself.
As a Trump-agnostic observer from across the pond, it seems to me that his appeal is that he comes across as a combative outsider who refuses to play by the rules of what so many across the Western world increasingly see as a political stacked deck. Secondly the fact that he has triggered Trump Derangement Syndrome in the millions of the Lefty-sheep-dipped graduate class who now control all the levers of power in America (and the Western world as a whole)....this must have enough appeal to compensate for any annoying aspects of his personality.
I am not a fan of Trump the person and also disagree with some of his policies like tariffs. Why do people like him? Because he fights. Because he understands the "elite mindset" and understands how to unravel it. I have been in many social situations where very wealthy people have proposed some sort of policy idea, but of course "not for them for the other people".
Look at the way Trump debates vs the way Romney debated Obama (particularly the Candy Crowley CNN debate where she bailed him out)
I was at a "Debate Party" in 2004. My wife and I were the token Republicans. Everyone else was a Democrat including the Journalism professors from Northwestern. In the elevator on the way out, they looked at me and said, "Wouldn't it be great if only people like us could vote?". I said, "They did that in the Jim Crow South. Is that what you want?"
Because the Democrats and RINOs want to dictate to the masses and use government power to enforce their will, a million conspiracy theories bloom and Trump is able to take advantage of it. When some of them come true, he looks better than he did to his supporters in the first place.
I would love for Trump to be Milei. He is not. However, he is the least worst alternative based on the choices we have right now. The problem with the Democrats is that 30% of their party has embraced socialism and they are so powerful internally the tail wags the dog. On the Republican side, the RINOs are so full of falseness and will as Thomas Sowell said, "Sometimes it looks as if the Democrats are out to win at all costs, while the Republicans are out to compromise at all costs."
I find that the Democrats preach tolerance and acceptance while offering none. Their solutions are centralized bureaucratic solutions. Trump seemingly cuts through a lot of that.
You highlight something important for Haley. We need a politician who wouldn't just stoke animosity against Fauci, but would replace him. One that just doesn't talk about America First, but actually brings troops home (ie, why was the military able to override decisions to bring troops home from the Middle East? Why did we have to wait for Biden to bring the troops home from Afghanistan? )
Very apt reference to Robert Caro’s LBJ series. Can’t wait for Vol. 5 covering Viet Nam to be published.
One of your few fuzzy thinking screeds, John. You need to more clearly articulate what three things Trump got right. Morally deluded state of western politics? That is true of both left and right wing thinking but needs to be fleshed out. Wrong direction of the country? A clearer definition of where you think we’re headed. “They want their country back”? You mean they want to go back to the good old ‘50s when blacks and women knew their place? And I could not understand what your third point was other than incompetence of our major institutions. Remember, John, this institutional incompetence was exposed during the final year of the Trump Administration, the abysmal handling of the Covid crisis. And then came Jan 5th and the Trump inspired insurrection.
True, the looney left is trying to drag us into their vision of heaven by demonizing capitalism. This truly is the road to perdition as west coast cities are painfully learning.
But they can’t be saved from this dreadful delusion by dragging them down Trump’s maniacal rathole.
Cochrane gets Trumpers’ grievances. And he accepts them as legitimate. Necessary but not sufficient.
If Trump’s voters were even marginally rational, Ron DeSantis would now be coasting to the Republican Presidential nomination. Winning elections is only half of politics—the successful politician also has to be able to implement durable change that positively impacts his constituents. Trump is supremely talented, but only as an entertainer and a celebrity.
Trump accomplished almost nothing lasting during his first term. What little survives—judicial appointments and tax reform—was largely the work of the hated Republican “establishment.” But that establishment is gone. Trump “drained the swamp” (at least on his own side of the aisle). His second term agenda is purely personal: staying out of jail and settling scores with enemies.
Irrationally is hardly unique to Trump’s voters. Or Republicans. Or even Americans. But both parties previously insured that effective demagoguery was accompanied by executive talent (cf. FDR, Reagan, Obama). By abandoning our constitutional heritage and radically democratizing our presidential election process, America loses its uniqueness and risks becoming indistinguishable from Argentina.
I have always admired your writings on economics but your WSJ. brings to light your brilliant writing on the political economy as well. You captured the essence of what motivates individuals like me to vote for Trump despite the fact that I think he will be largely ineffective in a second term due to lack of discipline, poor judgement in selecting personnel and implacable foes in the deep state, the mass media, much of corporate America , and of course the elites. He is self destructive in his lack of self awareness. But the current administration must me extirpated from further destroying the foundations of this country
I am a Trump supporter, however, I am not a Republican, instead, when I first voted, I chose Independent as my political stance. There are many reasons I like Trump. Specifically, the Border, two tiered justice, and war avoidance through strength, school choice, belief in our Constitution. I have gone around the Sun 78 times, served as a Captain, in Vietnam, have 40 years experience as an investment advisor. Trumps term in office, was the best economic success, rivaling the old yuppie period. Even then, it had better participation, by all the minorities. No new wars, or dead American service members. Let me tell you, putting soldiers, into body bags isn’t fun. President Trump accomplished this, while being persecuted by the radical left, without cause!