Is it all worth it?
Reframing the embarrassment in the Oval
There are costs to being involved in politics. To your wallet, brain, career.
Instead of reading this, you could be enjoying a long read about the NBA playoff race (unless you’re a Dallas Mavericks fan).
Instead of contributing to a Democratic candidate, you could be donating to a local school or cause.
Instead of dropping everything to run for office, you could be following your planned career path.
Given those costs, is it worth it to oppose MAGA?
That largely depends on two factors: how bad Trump is, and how much you can do to change it.
If there is a silver lining to the last six weeks, it is knowing that it was worth it on at least one dimension: Trump really is that bad.
Reframe the Oval Embarrassment
I have avoided being gutted by Trump and Elon news since the election. The result didn’t surprise us. Trump and Elon’s actions have been within the bounds of what was expected. The focus has remained on the second question: what can we do about it. And the first thing we’ve written about a bunch - don’t flip out man.
But on a gut level - or whatever physical level nausea comes from - the Zelensky ambush hit different.
That makes it especially worthy of a stoic response. Literally Stoic1, as in the ancient philosophy enjoying a modern resurgence.
The embarrassment in the Oval Office can have another purpose. It can remind us that, yes, it is worth sacrificing to oppose Trump. Sacrificing our reading time, redirecting our financial resources, taking an alternative career path.
It was impossible to predict what Trump would do. It is always tempting to hope GOP Senators will actually take actions aligned with their widely reported views opposing Trump’s worst plans.
But here we are: Hegseth controls history’s biggest armed forces, RFK Jr history’s most influential health agencies, and Tulsi Gabbard the world’s most sensitive secrets.
Trump promised to bring back a strong economy and lower prices. Instead, egg prices are skyrocketing while the Trump administration fails to implement a bird flu plan. The stock market is down since the day Trump won. GDP estimates have been tanking and manufacturing is slowing, with businesses concerned about the uncertainty of tariffs.
Workers are being fired indiscriminately, threatening veterans and Social Security and increasing the risk from natural disasters.
Opposing Trump is the right thing to do. Trump is bad, but it’s increasingly clear he is not invincible. His erratic governance is already driving up his disapproval.
Democrats can take back the House in 2026, and make the changes necessary to put the Senate in play.
What we cannot do is:
Freak Out. Freaking out is what Trump wants. He wants his opposition to be undisciplined, jumping from issue to issue. He wants hysteria that he can play up. Learn more in Check Your Resistance.
Move Left. In 2020, Democrats made the grave error of pushing the party to the left, with candidates embracing positions on immigration and crime that alienated voters in 2024. This time, we need to run on a moderate platform that welcomes voters into the party - not scares them away with extreme positions. Learn more in Low Pressure Resistance.
Lose Focus. Posts like this make me worry Democrats will be pulled in too many directions. Democrats need to focus on the aspects of Trump’s agenda that will alienate swing voters, such as cuts to Medicaid and other healthcare programs, reductions in aid for veterans, and economic concerns like rising egg prices. Learn more in Serenity Now, and in today’s New York Times op-ed from
.
What we can do: support candidates who Win the Middle here. Join us in DC on June 4 for WelcomeFest. And join as a paid subscriber to power this community that wins.
Trump is that bad. And it is in your power to change it, with focus. It’s worth it.
The Liberal Patriot’s
has a series on applying stoic philosophy to political life, from Epictetus to Marcus Aurelius. Losing our sanity or our soul is not going to do anyone much good, and there is plenty of work to be done (as we covered in Not Gonna Flip Out, Man).
Yes—there is no shortage of clarity, which we need to metabolize and USE. I actually liked what Maura Healey said on The Daily: focus on delivering for everyday Americans. Emphasis on DELIVERING. Tangible results, or policies with obvious tangible results as their aim and a plan to implement them (I just finished Jen Pahlka’s “Recoding America” and can’t recommend highly enough in terms of user-directed design and implementation as key to a perception of a government for the good).