I chuckled first at Oren's ongoing faux lament over workin stiffs. He's shown himself unserious on their plight by ducking comment on the BBB, the crowning legislative achievement of his "new" right. I'd hide too:)
But I belly laughed when I read the reference to the Aaron Renn piece at the end. I'm used to Don apologists twisting themselves into intellectual pretzels to defend him, but this is absolutely the best. Its amazing:) It's so good I'll merely paste it below, through the looking glass...
"Ordinarily, those running an institution should be seeking to steward its credibility and integrity. … Unlike, say, the generational ownership of the New York Times, Trump’s personal hold on presidential power is fleeting. This produces a different incentive structure.
In this scenario, maybe the most effective way for Trump to make his policy legacy enduring is to degrade the credibility of the United States as a partner. That way even if his opponents win in 2028, other countries will not go back to viewing the US as a trustworthy partner or ally to the same extent and in the same manner they did before."
Let's dub it, the Pariah Strategery!
The frightening thing is, Oren and Aaron are serious. Call me slack jawed...
If true, it makes the "new" right's alienation of the western world even more infuriating. We've chosen to fight everyone at the same time. If China is the issue, you confront their scale by gathering allies to confront them. India is but the latest example. Instead, we're forcing creation of new alliances aimed primarily at circumventing us long term. Of course to Don, long term is one news cycle, and one grift.
It's all topped off by Don's open corruption. Tariffs are but one more arrow in Don's personal wealth creation quiver. The crypto scam alone is mind blowing, how many hundreds of millions does he need to vacuum up before maga stops dutifully lapping it up?
I've admired all the presidents in my lifetime except one. Disagreed with them often, but all were decent human beings who I could reasonably accept as people of character doing their best. Likewise their cabinets. Plenty of mistakes have been made, occasional corruption for sure. But nothing like what we see today. Not remotely close. Which President has directly pocketed billions of dollars in 6 months? Who are the past cabinet members who remotely compare to the rank incompetence of Hegseth, RFK Jr, Patel? A non physician science/vaccine denier as the nations health secretary? How lovely. Headed back to the dark ages. Good thing George Washington mandated the smallpox vaccine for his troops or we might not have won the war...or did George secretly infect unsuspecting troops with bleach, or ivermectin, or hydroxychloroquine...
History shows that periods of economic and social transition are ripe periods for charlatans and hucksters. People want to believe the simplistic, angry, blame soaked demagoguery they sell. Don at heart is just a cheap grifter, he fits the pattern.
The founders knew such hucksters would appear, as they have throughout history. My naïveté was believing that the structure they constructed in response was too strong to be broken. Don is exposing the 2 weaknesses of the structure. One, it depends on the good will and high character of the officer holder. And two, it depends on the willingness of citizens, especially those with large platforms, to show character and speak up.
All thinking people know that what JD, Little Marco, and so many others on the right first said about Don is true. Sadly, with very few exceptions, the elites have all fallen in line, they've made their own deals. I pray JD was wrong, because if he was right we know where this is headed.
The corruption strikes me as the new normal. It’s been a long time since President Truman struggled economically after he left the White House. Politics is a proven path to wealth. DC is no longer a swampy backwater; it’s America’s Versailles.
Alienating the Western world strikes me as essential because so many Western governments are committed to the Pariah Strategy domestically.
Alienating India, on the other hand, strikes me devastating for Western civilization if that alienation is sustained.
We've never remotely seen corruption on this scale. Writing a book, trading on the family name for a board seat, paid speeches, selling bad art, it pales in comparison to this. Credible reporting estimates the family haul at over $3 billion and counting.
Brazil, who we have a trade surplus with, was tariffed because they're prosecuting a former leader for an attempted coup, and it's too close to home for Don. Why would we think that other countries aren't treated so whimsically when Don stands to profit personally. Who thinks the Vietnamese golf course deal is legit?
When the sons of the Vice President & Foreign Minister set up a PE fund, took $ from US adversaries, & invested in high political risk countries subject to policy choices of their fathers, the US set a new bold standard for corruption.
The current President may exceed that standard.
Regardless, the question is one of degree.
Remarkable corruption has been the norm in US politics for some time now.
Perhaps the Democrat party will nominate a squeaky clean corruption fighter who will purge her party of its corruption and then set new standards & rules to eliminate much of the corruption that has made the DC metro so wealthy.
This lifelong Republican, now a former Republican, can't go down the whataboutism route to excuse Don. I'm sickened by the capitulation of elites on the right. JD and Little Marco are perhaps the most visible self-gelders, but there are so many more who have chosen to humiliate themselves publicly. And sadly, the massive corruption, which goes far beyond any former president, is actually one of Don's smaller transgressions. I wish it was only the corruption and the record deficit spending.
His degradation of the rule of law, placing incompetent loyalists in charge of the power ministries, the shredding of our global alliances, attacks on science, the justice system, the media, corporations, the military, and the civil service are far worse. And of course the cruelty and racism, the dehumanization of our neighbors. These are classic traits of the authoritarians from history. I was naive enough to think it couldn't happen here. I thought business/party/think tank elites would speak out. I was wrong.
The response is, sure RFK Jr is a raving lunatic, and Hegseth is a drunken, sexual harassing weekend talk show host, and Don pardoned felons convicted of seditious conspiracy after attacking the bedrock of democracy-free elections, but, Joepa is a socialist...
As we say in flyover country, that dog don't hunt.
"Steaming down this track, it ends one of two ways: either with a politically and economically disastrous bill that weakens the tax code, raises deficits, and frustrates the core of the coalition that elected these folks to power, or in a meltdown of intraparty recrimination. When meltdown of incriminations is your best-case scenario, perhaps time to change course?"
from above 'frustrates the core of the coalition that elected these folks to power'
And I almost forgot. How about that Renn piece Oren endorsed? Oren best be careful, Aaron may outbid him on the obsequiousness meter. They're making Mike Pence (remember him?) look like a renegade.
Yes I read that. It only covered deficit spending, 6 months ago. We now have a piece of enacted legislation. It includes even larger deficits, but also a raft of things unaddressed. We now know the specific Medicaid cuts imposed on their base voters (including their cynical delay to post election), the unfolding ICE disaster etc. Oren can now calculate the extent of wealth transfer from workin stiffs to plutocrats...
Isn't it time to man up and take responsibility? Don is the founder and intellectual lodestar of the "new" right. JD is Oren's bestie. These elites ARE the establishment. They completely dominate the party, and the party controls all three branches of the federal government. Oren has carved out a niche as the guy to retrofit an intellectual framework around Don's broad shouldered leadership... It's the most important legislation the "new" right will produce, economic and otherwise. So, where's the analysis? Alas, like other establishment elites, Oren has turned the page as quickly as possible. No time to comment, they're all too busy workin overtime on their next project on behalf of the workin slobs:)
It's ironic, for all the preening about being the "new" right, when push came to shove it's the same ole gruel, just on steroids. Take from the poor, give to the rich, put it on the credit card.
Perhaps it's time for a new "new" right, one that stands for more than slavish devotion to Don and the establishment.
I know you'll be interested in this interview with Oren, too.
Politico, May 22, 2025 "The Megabill Is a Total Bust, According to the GOP’s Leading Economic Populist" 'Oren Cass says the Republican Party still has a long way to go in achieving its promise under Donald Trump'
Opening grafs: "In an interview with POLITICO Magazine, Cass said there are a handful provisions in the bill that appeal to those trying to move away from Republican economic orthodoxy.
But on the whole, he said, the bill is a messy hodge-podge of conventional conservative priorities that won’t do much to help Trump’s working-class constituencies or the broader public. The centerpiece of the legislation is an extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts, and it will significantly increase the federal deficit even as it includes deep cuts to Medicaid and food stamp programs for low-income Americans.
“[It’s] not something that has an especially coherent logic to it or much prospect of actually accomplishing the things that I think people want,” Cass said.
But despite his disappointment with the bill, Cass defended the notion that, in general, the GOP’s economic agenda is coming to reflect the interests of the party’s increasingly working-class base — even if that transformation is not happening as quickly as Cass would like on Capitol Hill.
“I think the trajectory is the important thing,” he said.
You might be interested in this column Oren wrote back in February. You'll get an idea of how Oren feels about the BBB. The title pretty much says it all. "The Tax Trainwreck Everyone Sees Coming"
Thank you both for this continued effort to push for, and emphasize the critical need for mandatory E-Verify. If Trump team were as vocal about arresting and majorly fining illegal employers, the job magnet would dry up mostly on its own. Arrest and deport, yes, but also jail the hell out of illegal employers. Both of those are what voters want.
And kudos on calling out the downsides of too much legal immigration too! The GDP is no reflection on how many Americans are truly able to pursue the quintessential American Dream. Too many of us in the middle class are locked out of it.
So the Teamsters Union is striking against Mauser Packaging Solutions. And as part of contract negotiations, they’re demanding that the company shall… “agree to invoke private property rights to turn away federal immigration authorities unless those authorities present a signed judicial warrant.”
In an amusing example of the Streisand Effect, the Teamsters have helped Mauser Packaging Solutions jump to the top of the priority list for ICE immigration investigations. I long with nostalgia for the days when unions supported the American worker.
Maybe it was Josh sprinting through the capitol hallways with Don's insurrectionists in hot pursuit, a few hours after his manly fist pump? Or, being the first senator to endorse Don's election lies by announcing his promise (later fulfilled) to vote against certification?
Here's another story that addresses the glaring inequality that now exists in our country, as pointed out in the NY Times article, "Disney and the Decline of America’s Middle Class," that Oren recommends we read.
This is from the conservative Washington Examiner, August 24, 2025 "Conservatives should take the growing wealth gap seriously."
"...the wealth gap between the richest segments of the population and everyone else began to grow. Data from the Federal Reserve shows that in the first quarter of 2025, the wealthiest 20% of the population by income controlled 71% of the nation’s total wealth, which was up from 1990, when the same demographic controlled 60%. The top 1 percent’s share of wealth, specifically, jumped from 16.5% in 1990 to 24% in 2025. The bottom 60%, meanwhile, declined from 23% in 1990 to 15% in 2025."
"But as a matter of social cohesion, if the broader economic outlook sees the rich getting richer while the middle class shrinks, the politics of resentment and envy become appealing, which can, and often will, create the circumstances for upheaval and revolution. Just ask the French in 1789 and the Russians in 1917."
Kinda makes one wonder why the "new" right foisted the BBB on workin stiffs, given its massive wealth transfer to the plutocrats. It will stand as the biggest piece of legislation, economic and otherwise, of Don's second term, hence it is the best reflection we have of what the administration really values. Governing is different than campaigning, you eventually have to lay your cards on the table. To add to the irony, Don continues to vacuum up personal loot from his crypto capers. The WSJ reports this week on his latest $5 billion haul. Top it off with tariffs, another regressive policy, used mainly by Don as a shakedown tool, and it's hard to see how DonOrenomics is ameliorating the wealth gap...but maybe the NFT's, $100,000 watches, God Bless the USA bibles, and gold sneakers Don hawked to his followers will skyrocket in value in future years.
As for globalization, better get used to it. Farmers likewise lamented the Industrial Revolution, but the future just kept unfolding. I doubt the US federal government will repeal globalization, so I'd prefer to dominate the economy of the future, not pine for a return to the one of my youth. The trends of the last 50 years will not be reversed by tariffs. We will continue to manufacture more than ever, by a lot, but employ far fewer workers to do so. Let's look forward, not backward.
Also, the BBB is not a product of the New Right. It is a product of Donald Trump.At least, though, we have some members of the New Right in the administration. I'm eager for JD Vance to become President.
I'm confused. Oren claims to be besties with JD and Little Marco. Meanwhile, JD and Little Marco are on the public record with two opposing views of Don. The first view when they told the truth-cultural heroin, Americas Hitler, etc. The same truth told, on the public record, by Don's top staff from his first term. And the second view, when they capitulated for personal political gain. Then there is poor, poor Josh. Forever to be remembered as their fellow elite weenie sprinting through the Capitol with insurrectionists in hot pursuit, shortly after his manly fist pump in support of them. So, Oren now tells us to "look toward the horizon" represented by these weak, pliable gents who have proven themselves without conviction. Which horizon?
Of course, there is a more fundamental issue than their positions on mere taco tariffs or continued giveaways to fellow establishment elites. JD has publicly admitted he doesn't have the character of Mike Pence, and wouldn't have supported certification of the 2020 election. Josh, Tom, and Little Marco likewise defend their dear leader. Given that Don's attempted coup is the worst act ever committed by a US president, do we need to know more about their collective character?
Which version of JD and Little Marco do you believe? Oren appears to believe version two. I believe version one.
God help us if JD and Little Marco were right the first time.
Don IS the "new" right. Remember, he replaced the old right years ago, and today he controls both the White House and Congress. Congress abdicated responsibility long ago, they do what he commands. Don is the founder of the movement. There is no movement, no JD, no Little Marco without Don. JD would still be his original identity if not for Don changing the party. As for JD, who knows. He's had multiple political identities, religions, and names so I'd wait until he settles on an identity. Have you read his original comments on Don? Americas Hitler, cultural heroin etc? Do you think he was lying then, lying now, or do you buy his story that he had a revelation that Don was the true savior and he had to join up? Has to be one of the three. My money is on door #1, he knew exactly who Don was.
Oren et al have lashed their careers and their long term reputations to Don. Ya can't have it both ways. History shows that the elites that sign up with authoritarians are the hardest to dislodge from their worship because of this investment of status. Once they've made peace with their capitulation, it's very hard to turn back. An average voter, who just wants government to work, is likelier to admit their original concerns proved correct.
This is straight from Oren, in the introduction to the collection of essays he recently published, "The New Conservatives": "Mr. Trump himself represents that movement imperfectly, and most often just by rejecting the old regime...But his manner is not that of a rebuilder.
Look toward the horizon, though, to the next generation of conservatives poised to lead the post-Trump Republican Party, and the signs of a possible sea change are visible. A cadre of young senators, led by Marco Rubio, JD Vance, Josh Hawley, and Tom Cotton, have released a flood of proposals in the past few years for reshaping global trade and confronting China, rebuilding domestic manufacturing...and taxing stock buybacks more aggressively, shifting resources from higher education to noncollege pathways.
I hope you had a chance to read the Politico article I sent you, Politico, May 22, 2025 "The Megabill Is a Total Bust, According to the GOP’s Leading Economic Populist" 'Oren Cass says the Republican Party still has a long way to go in achieving its promise under Donald Trump'
As the title states, Oren isn't a fan of the BBB: "But on the whole, he said, the bill is a messy hodge-podge of conventional conservative priorities that won’t do much to help Trump’s working-class constituencies or the broader public. The centerpiece of the legislation is an extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts, and it will significantly increase the federal deficit even as it includes deep cuts to Medicaid and food stamp programs for low-income Americans.
“[It’s] not something that has an especially coherent logic to it or much prospect of actually accomplishing the things that I think people want,” Cass said.
Oren does see hope in the end of the tunnel, though "But despite his disappointment with the bill, Cass defended the notion that, in general, the GOP’s economic agenda is coming to reflect the interests of the party’s increasingly working-class base — even if that transformation is not happening as quickly as Cass would like on Capitol Hill.
“I think the trajectory is the important thing,” he said.
An appeals court ruled last Friday that Trump didn't have the authority to impose tariffs, that, per the Constitution, Congress has that authority. The court allowed the tariffs to continue for now, though, giving Trump the time to appeal to the Supreme Court.
I strongly support Trump's tariffs, and think he would gain more backing from the American public if he were to issue a rebate from the tariff money the country has collected so far. Money in hand tends to improve a person's attitude.
We need to bring back manufacturing jobs to our country, and tariffs help. What a shame we let them go in the first place.
I read the NY Times article, "Disney and the Decline of America’s Middle Class," recommended by Oren. Incredible that this is how it is now. Of course, people will get upset and feel "inferior" if the rich can bypass all the lines because they have a lot more money, while they're stuck in line for an hour or two (or three). Globalization, the biggest mistake America ever made, contributed a lot to this inequality, too.
Yes concur. We have to do the Sovereign Wealth Fund or China will keep cleaning our clock. The so-called titans of business and industry have done nothing in this regard. The free trade mantra or basically laisse faire economy has not worked well for the majority just as it never did in England where the concept came from back in the early 1800's.
I agree with Senator Warren too. Ban the stock buybacks that was made legal in 1982 under Reagan. Before this change in 1982 it was considered "market manipulation" One of the big reasons companies don't reinvest in themselves and the top C-suits can pay themselves stupid money for what they do.
Your republican party I will join Oren. I'm an independent and definitely not a democrat.
But I am afraid that having a strong large middle class was just an aberration from the depression and WWII events which knocked the elites on their rears for us to have this phenomenon of a large middle class to have occurred. And was the envy of the world.
Are we going back to the way real life was done before this? Most of history has shown that it has always been the haves and have-nots with not much in the middle. The 1940's-1980 was an aberration that probably won't come back unfortunately. Human nature just hasn't shown to be that way.
You never seem to focus much on the writers or dramatists to see what data points they are looking at and the patterns they see. You need to change your glasses and get a different look, just a thought…..
I chuckled first at Oren's ongoing faux lament over workin stiffs. He's shown himself unserious on their plight by ducking comment on the BBB, the crowning legislative achievement of his "new" right. I'd hide too:)
But I belly laughed when I read the reference to the Aaron Renn piece at the end. I'm used to Don apologists twisting themselves into intellectual pretzels to defend him, but this is absolutely the best. Its amazing:) It's so good I'll merely paste it below, through the looking glass...
"Ordinarily, those running an institution should be seeking to steward its credibility and integrity. … Unlike, say, the generational ownership of the New York Times, Trump’s personal hold on presidential power is fleeting. This produces a different incentive structure.
In this scenario, maybe the most effective way for Trump to make his policy legacy enduring is to degrade the credibility of the United States as a partner. That way even if his opponents win in 2028, other countries will not go back to viewing the US as a trustworthy partner or ally to the same extent and in the same manner they did before."
Let's dub it, the Pariah Strategery!
The frightening thing is, Oren and Aaron are serious. Call me slack jawed...
Good luck America.
The reality for those making capacity decisions is that there has existed more uncertainty regarding sourcing in the US than outside it:
US regulators and litigators don’t care much about factories in the PRChina or elsewhere.
The US has been operating a Pariah Strategy towards domestic producers for decades.
If true, it makes the "new" right's alienation of the western world even more infuriating. We've chosen to fight everyone at the same time. If China is the issue, you confront their scale by gathering allies to confront them. India is but the latest example. Instead, we're forcing creation of new alliances aimed primarily at circumventing us long term. Of course to Don, long term is one news cycle, and one grift.
It's all topped off by Don's open corruption. Tariffs are but one more arrow in Don's personal wealth creation quiver. The crypto scam alone is mind blowing, how many hundreds of millions does he need to vacuum up before maga stops dutifully lapping it up?
I've admired all the presidents in my lifetime except one. Disagreed with them often, but all were decent human beings who I could reasonably accept as people of character doing their best. Likewise their cabinets. Plenty of mistakes have been made, occasional corruption for sure. But nothing like what we see today. Not remotely close. Which President has directly pocketed billions of dollars in 6 months? Who are the past cabinet members who remotely compare to the rank incompetence of Hegseth, RFK Jr, Patel? A non physician science/vaccine denier as the nations health secretary? How lovely. Headed back to the dark ages. Good thing George Washington mandated the smallpox vaccine for his troops or we might not have won the war...or did George secretly infect unsuspecting troops with bleach, or ivermectin, or hydroxychloroquine...
History shows that periods of economic and social transition are ripe periods for charlatans and hucksters. People want to believe the simplistic, angry, blame soaked demagoguery they sell. Don at heart is just a cheap grifter, he fits the pattern.
The founders knew such hucksters would appear, as they have throughout history. My naïveté was believing that the structure they constructed in response was too strong to be broken. Don is exposing the 2 weaknesses of the structure. One, it depends on the good will and high character of the officer holder. And two, it depends on the willingness of citizens, especially those with large platforms, to show character and speak up.
All thinking people know that what JD, Little Marco, and so many others on the right first said about Don is true. Sadly, with very few exceptions, the elites have all fallen in line, they've made their own deals. I pray JD was wrong, because if he was right we know where this is headed.
Well said.
The corruption strikes me as the new normal. It’s been a long time since President Truman struggled economically after he left the White House. Politics is a proven path to wealth. DC is no longer a swampy backwater; it’s America’s Versailles.
Alienating the Western world strikes me as essential because so many Western governments are committed to the Pariah Strategy domestically.
Alienating India, on the other hand, strikes me devastating for Western civilization if that alienation is sustained.
We've never remotely seen corruption on this scale. Writing a book, trading on the family name for a board seat, paid speeches, selling bad art, it pales in comparison to this. Credible reporting estimates the family haul at over $3 billion and counting.
Brazil, who we have a trade surplus with, was tariffed because they're prosecuting a former leader for an attempted coup, and it's too close to home for Don. Why would we think that other countries aren't treated so whimsically when Don stands to profit personally. Who thinks the Vietnamese golf course deal is legit?
When the sons of the Vice President & Foreign Minister set up a PE fund, took $ from US adversaries, & invested in high political risk countries subject to policy choices of their fathers, the US set a new bold standard for corruption.
The current President may exceed that standard.
Regardless, the question is one of degree.
Remarkable corruption has been the norm in US politics for some time now.
Perhaps the Democrat party will nominate a squeaky clean corruption fighter who will purge her party of its corruption and then set new standards & rules to eliminate much of the corruption that has made the DC metro so wealthy.
This lifelong Republican, now a former Republican, can't go down the whataboutism route to excuse Don. I'm sickened by the capitulation of elites on the right. JD and Little Marco are perhaps the most visible self-gelders, but there are so many more who have chosen to humiliate themselves publicly. And sadly, the massive corruption, which goes far beyond any former president, is actually one of Don's smaller transgressions. I wish it was only the corruption and the record deficit spending.
His degradation of the rule of law, placing incompetent loyalists in charge of the power ministries, the shredding of our global alliances, attacks on science, the justice system, the media, corporations, the military, and the civil service are far worse. And of course the cruelty and racism, the dehumanization of our neighbors. These are classic traits of the authoritarians from history. I was naive enough to think it couldn't happen here. I thought business/party/think tank elites would speak out. I was wrong.
The response is, sure RFK Jr is a raving lunatic, and Hegseth is a drunken, sexual harassing weekend talk show host, and Don pardoned felons convicted of seditious conspiracy after attacking the bedrock of democracy-free elections, but, Joepa is a socialist...
As we say in flyover country, that dog don't hunt.
"Steaming down this track, it ends one of two ways: either with a politically and economically disastrous bill that weakens the tax code, raises deficits, and frustrates the core of the coalition that elected these folks to power, or in a meltdown of intraparty recrimination. When meltdown of incriminations is your best-case scenario, perhaps time to change course?"
from above 'frustrates the core of the coalition that elected these folks to power'
https://www.commonplace.org/p/the-tax-trainwreck-everyone-sees
And I almost forgot. How about that Renn piece Oren endorsed? Oren best be careful, Aaron may outbid him on the obsequiousness meter. They're making Mike Pence (remember him?) look like a renegade.
Yes I read that. It only covered deficit spending, 6 months ago. We now have a piece of enacted legislation. It includes even larger deficits, but also a raft of things unaddressed. We now know the specific Medicaid cuts imposed on their base voters (including their cynical delay to post election), the unfolding ICE disaster etc. Oren can now calculate the extent of wealth transfer from workin stiffs to plutocrats...
Isn't it time to man up and take responsibility? Don is the founder and intellectual lodestar of the "new" right. JD is Oren's bestie. These elites ARE the establishment. They completely dominate the party, and the party controls all three branches of the federal government. Oren has carved out a niche as the guy to retrofit an intellectual framework around Don's broad shouldered leadership... It's the most important legislation the "new" right will produce, economic and otherwise. So, where's the analysis? Alas, like other establishment elites, Oren has turned the page as quickly as possible. No time to comment, they're all too busy workin overtime on their next project on behalf of the workin slobs:)
It's ironic, for all the preening about being the "new" right, when push came to shove it's the same ole gruel, just on steroids. Take from the poor, give to the rich, put it on the credit card.
Perhaps it's time for a new "new" right, one that stands for more than slavish devotion to Don and the establishment.
I know you'll be interested in this interview with Oren, too.
Politico, May 22, 2025 "The Megabill Is a Total Bust, According to the GOP’s Leading Economic Populist" 'Oren Cass says the Republican Party still has a long way to go in achieving its promise under Donald Trump'
Opening grafs: "In an interview with POLITICO Magazine, Cass said there are a handful provisions in the bill that appeal to those trying to move away from Republican economic orthodoxy.
But on the whole, he said, the bill is a messy hodge-podge of conventional conservative priorities that won’t do much to help Trump’s working-class constituencies or the broader public. The centerpiece of the legislation is an extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts, and it will significantly increase the federal deficit even as it includes deep cuts to Medicaid and food stamp programs for low-income Americans.
“[It’s] not something that has an especially coherent logic to it or much prospect of actually accomplishing the things that I think people want,” Cass said.
But despite his disappointment with the bill, Cass defended the notion that, in general, the GOP’s economic agenda is coming to reflect the interests of the party’s increasingly working-class base — even if that transformation is not happening as quickly as Cass would like on Capitol Hill.
“I think the trajectory is the important thing,” he said.
The interview follows this introduction.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/05/22/trump-gop-house-bill-populism-00365929
You might be interested in this column Oren wrote back in February. You'll get an idea of how Oren feels about the BBB. The title pretty much says it all. "The Tax Trainwreck Everyone Sees Coming"
https://www.commonplace.org/p/the-tax-trainwreck-everyone-sees
Thank you both for this continued effort to push for, and emphasize the critical need for mandatory E-Verify. If Trump team were as vocal about arresting and majorly fining illegal employers, the job magnet would dry up mostly on its own. Arrest and deport, yes, but also jail the hell out of illegal employers. Both of those are what voters want.
And kudos on calling out the downsides of too much legal immigration too! The GDP is no reflection on how many Americans are truly able to pursue the quintessential American Dream. Too many of us in the middle class are locked out of it.
So the Teamsters Union is striking against Mauser Packaging Solutions. And as part of contract negotiations, they’re demanding that the company shall… “agree to invoke private property rights to turn away federal immigration authorities unless those authorities present a signed judicial warrant.”
In an amusing example of the Streisand Effect, the Teamsters have helped Mauser Packaging Solutions jump to the top of the priority list for ICE immigration investigations. I long with nostalgia for the days when unions supported the American worker.
Senior advisor to Josh Hawley? I remember reading about something he once got right, but I can't remember.
Maybe it was Josh sprinting through the capitol hallways with Don's insurrectionists in hot pursuit, a few hours after his manly fist pump? Or, being the first senator to endorse Don's election lies by announcing his promise (later fulfilled) to vote against certification?
Here's another story that addresses the glaring inequality that now exists in our country, as pointed out in the NY Times article, "Disney and the Decline of America’s Middle Class," that Oren recommends we read.
This is from the conservative Washington Examiner, August 24, 2025 "Conservatives should take the growing wealth gap seriously."
"...the wealth gap between the richest segments of the population and everyone else began to grow. Data from the Federal Reserve shows that in the first quarter of 2025, the wealthiest 20% of the population by income controlled 71% of the nation’s total wealth, which was up from 1990, when the same demographic controlled 60%. The top 1 percent’s share of wealth, specifically, jumped from 16.5% in 1990 to 24% in 2025. The bottom 60%, meanwhile, declined from 23% in 1990 to 15% in 2025."
"But as a matter of social cohesion, if the broader economic outlook sees the rich getting richer while the middle class shrinks, the politics of resentment and envy become appealing, which can, and often will, create the circumstances for upheaval and revolution. Just ask the French in 1789 and the Russians in 1917."
Kinda makes one wonder why the "new" right foisted the BBB on workin stiffs, given its massive wealth transfer to the plutocrats. It will stand as the biggest piece of legislation, economic and otherwise, of Don's second term, hence it is the best reflection we have of what the administration really values. Governing is different than campaigning, you eventually have to lay your cards on the table. To add to the irony, Don continues to vacuum up personal loot from his crypto capers. The WSJ reports this week on his latest $5 billion haul. Top it off with tariffs, another regressive policy, used mainly by Don as a shakedown tool, and it's hard to see how DonOrenomics is ameliorating the wealth gap...but maybe the NFT's, $100,000 watches, God Bless the USA bibles, and gold sneakers Don hawked to his followers will skyrocket in value in future years.
As for globalization, better get used to it. Farmers likewise lamented the Industrial Revolution, but the future just kept unfolding. I doubt the US federal government will repeal globalization, so I'd prefer to dominate the economy of the future, not pine for a return to the one of my youth. The trends of the last 50 years will not be reversed by tariffs. We will continue to manufacture more than ever, by a lot, but employ far fewer workers to do so. Let's look forward, not backward.
Also, the BBB is not a product of the New Right. It is a product of Donald Trump.At least, though, we have some members of the New Right in the administration. I'm eager for JD Vance to become President.
I'm confused. Oren claims to be besties with JD and Little Marco. Meanwhile, JD and Little Marco are on the public record with two opposing views of Don. The first view when they told the truth-cultural heroin, Americas Hitler, etc. The same truth told, on the public record, by Don's top staff from his first term. And the second view, when they capitulated for personal political gain. Then there is poor, poor Josh. Forever to be remembered as their fellow elite weenie sprinting through the Capitol with insurrectionists in hot pursuit, shortly after his manly fist pump in support of them. So, Oren now tells us to "look toward the horizon" represented by these weak, pliable gents who have proven themselves without conviction. Which horizon?
Of course, there is a more fundamental issue than their positions on mere taco tariffs or continued giveaways to fellow establishment elites. JD has publicly admitted he doesn't have the character of Mike Pence, and wouldn't have supported certification of the 2020 election. Josh, Tom, and Little Marco likewise defend their dear leader. Given that Don's attempted coup is the worst act ever committed by a US president, do we need to know more about their collective character?
Which version of JD and Little Marco do you believe? Oren appears to believe version two. I believe version one.
God help us if JD and Little Marco were right the first time.
Don IS the "new" right. Remember, he replaced the old right years ago, and today he controls both the White House and Congress. Congress abdicated responsibility long ago, they do what he commands. Don is the founder of the movement. There is no movement, no JD, no Little Marco without Don. JD would still be his original identity if not for Don changing the party. As for JD, who knows. He's had multiple political identities, religions, and names so I'd wait until he settles on an identity. Have you read his original comments on Don? Americas Hitler, cultural heroin etc? Do you think he was lying then, lying now, or do you buy his story that he had a revelation that Don was the true savior and he had to join up? Has to be one of the three. My money is on door #1, he knew exactly who Don was.
Oren et al have lashed their careers and their long term reputations to Don. Ya can't have it both ways. History shows that the elites that sign up with authoritarians are the hardest to dislodge from their worship because of this investment of status. Once they've made peace with their capitulation, it's very hard to turn back. An average voter, who just wants government to work, is likelier to admit their original concerns proved correct.
This is straight from Oren, in the introduction to the collection of essays he recently published, "The New Conservatives": "Mr. Trump himself represents that movement imperfectly, and most often just by rejecting the old regime...But his manner is not that of a rebuilder.
Look toward the horizon, though, to the next generation of conservatives poised to lead the post-Trump Republican Party, and the signs of a possible sea change are visible. A cadre of young senators, led by Marco Rubio, JD Vance, Josh Hawley, and Tom Cotton, have released a flood of proposals in the past few years for reshaping global trade and confronting China, rebuilding domestic manufacturing...and taxing stock buybacks more aggressively, shifting resources from higher education to noncollege pathways.
I hope you had a chance to read the Politico article I sent you, Politico, May 22, 2025 "The Megabill Is a Total Bust, According to the GOP’s Leading Economic Populist" 'Oren Cass says the Republican Party still has a long way to go in achieving its promise under Donald Trump'
As the title states, Oren isn't a fan of the BBB: "But on the whole, he said, the bill is a messy hodge-podge of conventional conservative priorities that won’t do much to help Trump’s working-class constituencies or the broader public. The centerpiece of the legislation is an extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts, and it will significantly increase the federal deficit even as it includes deep cuts to Medicaid and food stamp programs for low-income Americans.
“[It’s] not something that has an especially coherent logic to it or much prospect of actually accomplishing the things that I think people want,” Cass said.
Oren does see hope in the end of the tunnel, though "But despite his disappointment with the bill, Cass defended the notion that, in general, the GOP’s economic agenda is coming to reflect the interests of the party’s increasingly working-class base — even if that transformation is not happening as quickly as Cass would like on Capitol Hill.
“I think the trajectory is the important thing,” he said.
An appeals court ruled last Friday that Trump didn't have the authority to impose tariffs, that, per the Constitution, Congress has that authority. The court allowed the tariffs to continue for now, though, giving Trump the time to appeal to the Supreme Court.
I strongly support Trump's tariffs, and think he would gain more backing from the American public if he were to issue a rebate from the tariff money the country has collected so far. Money in hand tends to improve a person's attitude.
We need to bring back manufacturing jobs to our country, and tariffs help. What a shame we let them go in the first place.
I read the NY Times article, "Disney and the Decline of America’s Middle Class," recommended by Oren. Incredible that this is how it is now. Of course, people will get upset and feel "inferior" if the rich can bypass all the lines because they have a lot more money, while they're stuck in line for an hour or two (or three). Globalization, the biggest mistake America ever made, contributed a lot to this inequality, too.
Yes concur. We have to do the Sovereign Wealth Fund or China will keep cleaning our clock. The so-called titans of business and industry have done nothing in this regard. The free trade mantra or basically laisse faire economy has not worked well for the majority just as it never did in England where the concept came from back in the early 1800's.
I agree with Senator Warren too. Ban the stock buybacks that was made legal in 1982 under Reagan. Before this change in 1982 it was considered "market manipulation" One of the big reasons companies don't reinvest in themselves and the top C-suits can pay themselves stupid money for what they do.
Your republican party I will join Oren. I'm an independent and definitely not a democrat.
But I am afraid that having a strong large middle class was just an aberration from the depression and WWII events which knocked the elites on their rears for us to have this phenomenon of a large middle class to have occurred. And was the envy of the world.
Are we going back to the way real life was done before this? Most of history has shown that it has always been the haves and have-nots with not much in the middle. The 1940's-1980 was an aberration that probably won't come back unfortunately. Human nature just hasn't shown to be that way.
But keep trying. I'm with you brother. Good luck.
You never seem to focus much on the writers or dramatists to see what data points they are looking at and the patterns they see. You need to change your glasses and get a different look, just a thought…..