EUROPE-IS-US

  “How to Communicate in a Democracy Under Stress: A Strategy for Institutional Democrats” This fifth article is written for all Americans who believe in democratic institutions , and especially for the Democratic Party , which—by circumstance rather than choice—now carries a disproportionate share of responsibility for protecting the constitutional framework. In earlier posts, we traced: the historical roots of the Old Conservative coalition [1] the four structural paths that the American right may follow [2] the pivotal importance of the 2026 midterms [3] and the institutional “dikes of democracy” that must be reinforced [4] This final installment asks a more practical question: How should institutional democrats communicate—in a fractured, polarized, high-risk environment—to protect American democracy through 2026–2028? The answer requires learning from other democracies, understanding which groups must be reached, and knowing when to use reason and when to use...

  A Call to America’s Institutional Democrats: Reinforcing the Dikes of Democracy Before 2028 This article is addressed directly to  all Americans who believe in the country’s constitutional framework , and especially to  the Democratic Party , which now carries a disproportionate responsibility for protecting that framework during a period of historic strain. This responsibility is not ideological. It is institutional. The United States today is navigating forces described in earlier articles: the long arc of Old Conservatism [1], the four possible futures now available to the American right [2], and the structural turning point represented by the 2026 midterms [3]. Those dynamics leave one unavoidable conclusion: In this moment, if the goal is a stable “America for All,” then institutional democrats—above all the Democratic Party—must act as the chief stewards of democratic integrity. This is not because Democrats are morally superior, or uniquely vi...

      Before the Next Turning Point: How the 2026 Midterms Could Recast America’s Politi cal Future The United States is approaching a political inflection point. While many focus on the 2028 presidential race as the decisive event, the 2026 midterms may quietly determine the structural direction of American politics for the next decade . This is because 2026 sits at the intersection of: a fractured Republican coalition, an evolving Democratic coalition, concentrated elite influence, demographic and cultural realignment, and institutions still strained by the last decade. The outcome will not just shift congressional seats—it will shape the strategic terrain on which the Four Paths (outlined in Blog 2) become more or less viable. This article explains how. 1. Why 2026 Matters Far More Than a Typical Midterm In normal midterms, the president’s party tends to lose seats and the opposition gains momentum. But 2026 breaks that pattern becau...

What the DOGE Program Really Brought America A Political and Practical Audit of Claims, Realities & Consequences Introduction Few federal experiments in recent American politics were launched with as much flair—and ended with as little ceremony—as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) . Heralded by the Trump Administration as the long-awaited solution to Washington’s bloated bureaucracy, DOGE was framed as both a managerial revolution and an ideological crusade. Now that the administration has formally shut it down, the question becomes unavoidable: What did DOGE actually deliver, and what did it merely perform? To answer that, we must examine DOGE as a policy tool, a political project, and a governance experiment—measured not by slogans, but by evidence. {Supported by ChatGPT} 1. What the DOGE Program Claimed to Be 1.1 Goals and Targets (as officially marketed) DOGE promised to: Reduce federal staffing and eliminate “redundant” roles...

  In my earlier article, “The Long Shadow of Old Conservatism: A Historical Narrative of American Tension” [ https://europe-is-us.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-long-shadow-of-old-conservatism.html],   we traced how a cultural bloc—what we’ve called Old Conservatism — showed itself persistently historically at odds with the Constitution’s universal ideals .  We saw how this tradition, rooted in the experiences and self-understandings of earlier European-descended Americans, exerted outsize influence long after demographic and cultural winds shifted in the last 50 years.. But that narrative left a cliff-hanger: Old Conservatism has backed itself into an increasingly exclusive, polarised stance, yet no longer commands sustainable majorities to protect that stance. Which raises the question: What now? What happens when a historically confident majority becomes an anxious, defensive minority—yet still wields powerful institutional leverage? What do comparable historical...