Jon Rauch

open.substack.comopen.substack.com

Review of two books about the crisis of liberal democracy. One of them is a tour de force. (It's not the one by the Nobel Prize winner.) open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...

Just a reminder, while Trump builds his arch...this is the only memorial that Franklin Roosevelt said he wanted.

nytimes.comOpinion | Trump Has Finally Lost the PlotIt is now apparent that many Americans — probably enough Americans — are determined to live within the truth rather than the lie.

19 Sept

Trump's audacious plan to remake civil society has failed. Here's why. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/19/o...

brookings.eduElectability over ideology: Takeaways from the 2026 primaries | BrookingsElaine Kamarck and Jordan Muchnick analyze the 2026 primaries, revealing what candidates addressed—and avoided—ahead of November.

19 Sept

More evidence that the radicalization of the Democratic Party is a myth. Socialists aren't winning and they're mostly not running in primaries in competitive districts. Mainstream candidates dominate. www.brookings.edu/articles/ele...

washingtonpost.comOpinion | Dear universities: Don’t want to be neutral? Admit it.Plenty of schools have their own lenses. No need to hide the ball.

24 Aug

Good idea: universities that want to favor progressive ideologies should just say so. Put it right there in the catalog. Truth in labeling! www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

brookings.eduDemocratic socialist candidates show gains but limited reach in 2026 | BrookingsThis analysis examines the DSA’s high-profile 2026 primary wins and what they reveal about the movement’s influence in the Democratic Party.

22 Aug

That DSA wave you've heard about? Yes in a few high profile races. But the numbers tell a different story. There are few DSA candidates; they usually lose; where they win is mostly in deep blue places. www.brookings.edu/articles/dem...

youtube.comDid MAGA Take the Deal Jesus Refused? | Jonathan RauchYouTube video by Inbound & Agile

17 Aug

How white evangelicals took the deal that Jesus rejected - new podcast conversation with Eric Pratum on MAGA, Christianity, and our imperiled democracy. www.youtube.com/watch?v=B39-...

brinklindsey.substack.comJonathan Rauch on responding to the crisis of liberalismLiberal values and institutions now face aggressive challenges from both right and left extremism, so how should defenders of the embattled liberal center respond?

15 Aug

Are liberals still not reckoning with our failures? Or are we navel-gazing too much? Or maybe...both? Conversation with Brink Lindsey goes deep and runs the gamut. brinklindsey.substack.com/p/jonathan-r...

sacredtension.substack.comQueer, What Art Thou?Why I, too, am gay, not queer.

3 Aug

An important essay by a thirty-something gay kinkster on why he isn't "queer." And why "queer"might not mean what you think...if it means anything at all. sacredtension.substack.com/p/queer-what...

theatlantic.comAnthony Fauci Is Not the Villain in This StoryThe doctor was thrust into his pandemic-leadership role because of Trump’s deadly dereliction of duty.

31 July

David Frum nails it (as usual). "Trump’s record of dishonesty, callousness, and selfishness during the pandemic is a documented reality. The imputations against Fauci are mostly fantasies." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

cnbc.comUN maritime agency opposes Hormuz transit fees after Trump demands protection moneyThe security situation in Hormuz has deteriorated since Iran attacked multiple commercial ships transiting the strait over the past week.

13 July

Isn't there a word for stopping ships on the high seas and demanding money at gunpoint? Isn't that word "piracy"? (Is it really possible we're even having this conversation?) www.cnbc.com/2026/07/13/i...

apnews.comTrump says US will blockade Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and will charge ships for safe passageU.S. President Donald Trump says the United States is “reinstating” a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and will charge other ships for safe passage.

13 July

We're now at war with Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz...something that was not even in question in January. I'm tired of so much winning. apnews.com/article/iran...

hxstem.substack.comPublic Comment on the Office of Management and Budget Proposed Regulation on Federal Financial AssistanceThis is the comment I submitted in response to the OMB call for public comments on the proposed rule on federal financial assistance.

9 July

What's wrong with OMB's new proposed rules for federal science grants? Practically everything, according to Anna Krylov (a brilliant and brave ex-Soviet scientist who knows whereof she speaks). hxstem.substack.com/p/public-com...

theunpopulist.netThere Is No Originalist Rationale for Denying Citizenship to the US BornSo the conservative dissenters on the Supreme Court ditched their own preferred approach in the recent birthright ruling

2 July

SCOTUS's birthright citizenship decision was a closer call than most people realize...and opens the door to future mischief. www.theunpopulist.net/p/there-is-n...

2 July

This is the first and only email I have ever received from the Social Security Administration. I didn't even know they have my email address. Your tax dollars at work!

teachingamericanhistory.orgLetter from George Washington to Catherine Macaulay Graham (1790)“From George Washington to Catharine Sawbridge Macaulay Graham, 9 January 1790,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://teachingamericanhistory.org/zg52. Madam: Your obliging letter, dated in Oct...

2 July

The greatness of George Washington. On the occasion of the 250th, read and weep. teachingamericanhistory.org/document/let...

essays.victormenaldo.comThe Old, Discredited Left in New ClothesAmerica’s democratic socialists aren’t Scandinavian. They’re resurrecting a flawed paradigm buried by stagflation — and the “neoliberalism” they think they’re overthrowing was never really a thing.

29 June

Here's a reality check for Mamdami et al. TL;DR: "Neoliberalism" never happened, Sweden isn't socialist, and economic populism is a stagflationary failure. essays.victormenaldo.com/p/the-old-di...

realclearpolitics.comrealclearpolitics.com

29 June

A shrewd assessment by Peter Berkowitz (Trump 1 State Dept senior official). TL;DR: Tehran took Trump and Vance to the cleaners. www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/202...

apnews.comIran attacks Bahrain and Kuwait following US strikes and threatens to halt talksIran has again launched drone and missile attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait in response to new U.S. airstrikes.

28 June

The same government that the US and Israel went to war to overthrow is now claiming, and effectively controlling, the world's most important waterway. I'm tired of so much winning! apnews.com/article/iran...

open.substack.comThe purpose of NATO is to guard against Russia, not to appease Donald TrumpEnglish original of article published this morning in Italian by La Stampa

27 June

Smart and refreshing: Europe should stop appeasing Trump. He needs NATO more than Europe needs him. open.substack.com/pub/billemmo...

Jon Rauch reposted

Tyler McBrien

@tylermcbrien.com

4 June

NEW: A stunning new project from @lawfaremedia.org's @katherinepomps.bsky.social finds that 97 Jan. 6ers who received clemency for their role in the Capitol riot then got arrested, charged, and/or convicted with subsequent crimes—a number much higher than previously reported.

1 June

Is America about ideals, or identity? Mitt Romney or JD Vance? It's emerging as the great ideological division of the future, especially on the Right. Join me for an exciting conversation @brookings.edu on June 23... www.brookings.edu/events/what-...

washingtonpost.comJudge drops criminal case against Kilmar Abrego García, ruling it vindictiveThe Maryland man was charged with human smuggling after a high-profile legal fight in which courts ruled he had been illegally deported to El Salvador.

22 May

This dismissal for vindictive prosecution is how a judge sounds when he's shouting from the rooftops that an administration is corrupt. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

20 May

This is what friends of law and liberty are projecting on the DOJ's Trump banner right now:

journalofdemocracy.orgDemocracy’s Troubles Should Be No Surprise | Journal of DemocracyDemocracy’s present difficulties were predictable. History and older theories of democratic stability should have prepared us for both democratic backsliding and the vulnerability of Western democracy...

16 May

We should have seen it coming. www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/dem...

15 May

My exchange today with Claude...I'm sorry, this is creepy.

11 May

The Supreme Court is about to give the president authority over the executive branch that's undreamt-of by the founders. www.aei.org/op-eds/a-thr...

aei.orgaei.org

lawfaremedia.orgThe Dangerous Failure to Hold Hamas Accountable for Using Human ShieldsHow international institutions’ silence on Hamas hiding behind civilians incentivizes human shields use, and distorts law and accountability.

7 May

While Israel is spit-roasted for a genocide it didn't commit, crickets about Hamas's use of Gaza's population as human shields. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...

spectator.comTrump is clinging to a mirage in the Middle EastIt seems unlikely that Iran, a past master at conducting negotiations at a glacial pace, will accede to Trump’s wish-list

7 May

Real war...pretend victory. spectator.com/article/trum...

brookings.eduIs ‘consent of the governed' possible amid polarized politics? | BrookingsThe Declaration of Independence declared that legitimate government rests on the “consent of the governed.” Where does the social contract between Americans and government stand today? In this episode...

7 May

The Declaration hinges on "consent of the governed"...but what does it actually mean? And are we losing it? www.brookings.edu/articles/is-...

www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/06/c...

6 May

chicagotribune.comSteve Chapman: What the erasure of Cesar Chavez reveals about American politicsIf Cesar Chavez, now cloaked in disgrace, had his life to do over again, I’m guessing he might become a Republican.

lawfaremedia.orgWhat the Murthy v. Missouri and Daily Wire Consent Decrees Do—and Don’t—EstablishDespite the spin, these consent decrees are negotiated settlements—not court verdicts. They contain no judicial finding or admission that a Biden-era “censorship regime” existed.

5 May

No, there wasn't a global effort by the Biden administration to censor the internet...and two recent consent decrees don't change that fact. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/what...

lawfaremedia.orgIt Is Time to Ban the Sale of Precise GeolocationThe latest edition of the Seriously Risky Business cybersecurity newsletter, now on Lawfare.

17 Apr

Here's an actually solvable, yet important, problem. There's no reason to sell precise geolocation data to consumers. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/it-i...

washingtonpost.comOpinion | Orban’s defeat shows the Achilles’ heel of populist powerFormerly ascendant European right-wing parties are in retreat, a possible omen for Trump’s MAGA movement.

13 Apr

Patrimonialists and authoritarian populists are always corrupt and incompetent...and that's how you defeat them, as Hungary demonstrates again. Orban’s defeat shows the Achilles’ heel of populist power www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

substack.com/@revchrisdav...

13 Apr

substack.comChris Davis (@revchrisdavis)Last night President Trump posted an AI-generated image portraying himself as Jesus Christ. This has sparked outrage from many, and rightfully so. This is on par with King Nebuchadnezzar asking, “Is n...

maxboot.substack.comWhat did Operation Epic Fury actually achieve?A close read of Central Command's dodgy claims suggests this was no victory.

10 Apr

Remember the song-and-dance we got about Vietnam? The White House tallied ordnance dropped and targets hit, as if that was the same as winning. Well...here we go again. maxboot.substack.com/p/what-did-o...

lawfaremedia.orgThe Prosecution of SmartmaticA rare corporate FCPA indictment tests whether courts will more closely interrogate prosecutorial motive.

7 Apr

Though I know we're all out of bandwidth, this is important: Trump's DOJ is vindictively prosecuting Smartmatic as part of its election denial campaign. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...

www.brookings.edu/articles/why...

1 Apr

brookings.eduWhy affordability will be a key issue in the 2026 midterm elections | BrookingsRising costs across major household expenses are making affordability a central issue in the 2026 midterm elections.

maxboot.substack.comWhy Ukraine is even more impressive in personImpressions from a week spent in Kyiv and Kharkiv

1 Apr

On the ground in Kiev and Kharkiv with Max Boot. He finds remarkable resolve and resilience. maxboot.substack.com/p/why-ukrain...

lawfaremedia.orgThe Situation: The Enduring Truths of the Mueller ReportThere are four of them.

24 Mar

The four enduring truths of the Mueller report. They shatter the claim that Russia's involvement in the 2016 election--and Trump's involvement with Russia--are a "hoax." www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...

newbooksnetwork.comUnderstanding Iran Under Attack: A Discussion with Author Vali Nasr - New Books Network

12 Mar

Amid a blizzard of commentary on the war and the situation in Iran, Vali Nasr shares real expertise with Paul Starobin. newbooksnetwork.com/understandin...

open.substack.comRussia Resurrected and Exported a Fascist Ideology to the WestThat the Trump administration is targeting ‘enemies within’ instead of Putin shows how much America has already succumbed to it

8 Mar

Brilliant tour d'horizon of the global twin threats of Putinism and populism from Tom G. Palmer. open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...

lawfaremedia.org“Information Looking for People”A review of Emily Baker-White, “Every Screen on the Planet: The War Over TikTok” (Norton, 2025).

3 Mar

In case you're still using TikTok, here's a reminder that it's a dishonest company with even more dishonest backers. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/info...

Jon Rauch reposted

Shikha Dalmia

@shikhadalmia.bsky.social

23 Feb

One of the frustrations of being an editor/organizer is that I don't get to do my own thinking and work. One of the joys is that I get to platform absolutely first rate conversations by brilliant minds such as this one at LibCon2025. Moderator @jonrauch.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...

open.substack.comWhat Do Liberalism and Religion Owe Each Other?When religion becomes an identity it can't play the vital role of cultivating the virtue and morality necessary for a self-governing people

samharris.orgSam Harris | #458 - The Bulwark Against MAGASam Harris speaks with Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller about Trump and the future of American politics.

Important new concept from @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social: "vice signaling." From her 2/11/2016 interview with Sam Harris... www.samharris.org/podcasts/mak...

View full thread

"Which is why when these text messages come out, and you see people answering with, 'Oh, just put them in the gas chamber.' [For] all these staffers on the Republican side, that vice signaling has become a cultural touchstone of who people are on the right now."

Explains a lot! Thank you, Sarah.

samharris.orgSam Harris | #458 - The Bulwark Against MAGASam Harris speaks with Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller about Trump and the future of American politics.

Important new concept from @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social: "vice signaling." From her 2/11/2016 interview with Sam Harris... www.samharris.org/podcasts/mak...

“Something that is happening culturally on the right is what I would categorize as 'vice signalling.' This starts out as ironic detachment and then grows. There's this line, 'We all wear masks and in time our faces grow to fit them.'...

"That vice signaling is both antidote to virtue signaling, which they see as a hallmark of the left, but it's also like a code that they talk to each other in...