The Shining City Goes Dark
Plus: A fake Musk-backed campaign in Wisconsin
“Today the eyes of all people are truly upon us—and our governments, in every branch, at every level, national, state and local, must be as a city upon a hill—constructed and inhabited by men aware of their great trust and their great responsibilities.” — John F. Kennedy, January 9, 1961
“I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.” — Ronald Reagan, January 11, 1989
“How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.” ―William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
How can we make sense of the way the world just changed? “There are decades when nothing happens, and there are weeks when decades happen.” The quote is often misattributed to Vladmir Lenin, but it seems appropriate nevertheless this week. Normally, we scramble to keep up with the flotsam and jetsam of the daily news cycle, but sometimes we need to step back and recognize that the tectonic plates of the world order have just shifted.1
What happened in the Oval Office on Friday was not a random act of boorishness. It marked the end of the post-WWII world. The United States has switched sides. Over the weekend, the leaders of the Free World gathered in London.
We weren’t there.
The world order is being reshaped, but no longer with American leadership.
It’s hard to overstate the magnitude of this break with the past.
Both JFK and Ronald Reagan were inspired by John Winthrop’s vision of “a shining city on a hill.” And for generations, the idea that America was a beacon of freedom animated the American faith. In the Civil War, northern volunteers saw the Union as a “beacon light of liberty & freedom to the human race,” whose destruction would mean that, “all the hope and confidence of the world in the capacity of men for self-government will be lost.”
But — and I apologize for being so dour this early on a Monday — all around the world that light is dimming. The sound we hear is the vast, long, withdrawing roar of America’s retreat —- it’s loss of soft power, hard power, trust, and goodwill.2
Donald Trump and his bearded homunculus, JD Vance, imagine that squandering this legacy will somehow make us Great. But whoever said it (there’s a quote often misattributed to Alexis de Tocqueville)… America’s real greatness has always been bound up with a belief in its goodness.
But what does the world see now?
Now more than ever, it’s important to remember that you are not the crazy ones.
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Elon Does Wisconsin
In the great scheme, this will barely be a footnote. But it’s worth paying attention to what’s happening here in my home state — and the role Elon Musk and his agents are playing here. Once again, Wisconsin is ground zero in the fight for the control of the courts. This spring’s election will determine control of the state’s supreme court, and it is on track to be the most expensive judicial election in history.
The race pits liberal Susan Crawford vs. GOP-backed Brad Schimel. Right now, the Wisconsin court has a 4-3 liberal majority, but if Schimel wins, conservatives will retake the court — with vast implications for abortion, redistricting, and, well, pretty much everything.
Both Musk and Trump are heavily invested in the outcome; and Schimel is openly embracing their support. Via the Wapo: “Schimel said he’s pleased to have Musk’s backing, decried the slew of lawsuits filed against the Trump administration and told supporters he hoped Trump would hold a rally for him soon.”
**
Despite my efforts to opt-out and unsubscribe, I am inundated with text messages from both parties. Last week, I got this one:
The text pretends to support Crawford as a “true progressive champion” and emphasizing her support for “cash bail reform,” “second chances,” and “restorative justice” — issues associated with uber-progressives around the country. At first glance, this looks like Crawford and the progressives backing her are leaning into issues that are politically toxic here in Wisconsin (and elsewhere).3
But, but, but….
The texts are not at all what they seem. The whole thing is actually a fake… just like the sponsoring group: Progress 2028.
It turns out that Progress 2028 is actually a right-wing front group, funded in part by Elon Musk. Flashback: "Progress 2028" may look like a Democratic response to "Project 2025," but it's not - CBS News
According to Virginia State Corporation Commission records shared by OpenSecrets, a conservative nonprofit called Building America's Future registered Progress 2028 on Sept. 23. The website progress2028.com was then registered three days later.
Building America's Future has received millions from conservative supporters, including billionaire Elon Musk, according to The Wall Street Journal, and has promoted Trump campaign material while running ads critical of the Biden administration.
The bogus Crawford texts follow the playbook the group used last year in the presidential race, linking liberal candidates to uber-progressive positions:
The website makes a number of false claims about Harris' positions. It says she would prioritize a nationwide gun buyback program and is committed to banning fracking, which she says she will not do. Its Facebook ads also incorrectly state she "WILL FIGHT TO EXPAND MEDICARE FOR UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS" as well as give them drivers licenses and housing subsidies.
A state Democratic operative told me that he was aware of the fake Musk-backed texts, which he described as “Evil but smart.”
“Susan’s ads,” he wrote, “are full of cops. She’s not running as a softie.”
But if voters believe what they see on social media and on their phones, they might not know that. Which is Musk’s goal after all, isn’t it?
Monday dogs
Tweeted this out six years ago today. Nothing’s changed.
Yascha Mounk makes this point:
At some moments, history moves gradually. Beneath the surface, the tectonic plates are slowly shifting—but to all appearances, the world is largely static.
At other moments, history moves at a dizzying pace. The tectonic plates have built up so much stress that one suddenly gives way, releasing seismic waves that cause a series of massive earthquakes. Everything seems to change all at once.
The remarkable spectacle in the Oval Office on Friday was just the latest indication that this is the kind of moment in which we now find ourselves.
And, yes, I am in one of those moods to re-read “Matthew Arnold’s ‘Dover Beach”.
The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.
Remember this? San Francisco votes overwhelmingly to recall progressive DA Chesa Boudin - CBS News
San Francisco residents voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to recall District Attorney Chesa Boudin, one of the nation's most progressive top prosecutors.
Partial results from the San Francisco Department of Elections on Tuesday night showed the recall measure — also known as Proposition H — had the support of nearly 60% of voters, with 40% voting against it.
Boudin sought to reform the criminal justice system, ending the use of cash bail, stopping the prosecution of minors as adults, and focused on lowering jail populations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hell is empty, all the devils are here.
—Shakespeare
Normally I feast on your thoughts & words. But today, your photos equal the written message. Trump shaking hands with foreign leaders tells us the truth in one shot. Your dog picture feels like balm for the soul. We could use more balm to comfort us these days. Thanks as always.