It’s so overwhelming to take in the outstanding writing going on right now. I need to make sure I consistently check in with your work. It’s what we all need right now.
"At the heart of this (MAGA) worldview lies a potent story: America has been stolen...."
What is interesting about MAGA is that it identifies all those that "stole" America from them, except the wealthy. They seem to have gotten a free pass. They are not included in "the elite".
We now have the greatest wealth disparity in the history of this nation, which certainly indicates that many have been left behind in the quest for the American Dream.
In their embrace of Trump, and his obsessive love of all the trappings of wealth, MAGA appears to have missed the point that they have been left behind because the most wealthy have been so entirely successful in accumulating an ever increasing share of everything. Trump included.
The Republican Party has always engaged in a daisy-chain of mutual benefit with the most wealthy Americans. And they have always held out the American Dream to the common man as an example
of what can be achieved by keeping thy nose to the grindstone. "You can become one of us, or at least maybe your children or grandchildren can." Except the opposite has occurred, the American Dream is fading in the rear view mirror as wealth consolidates power.
The unlikely blend of the MAGA ethos amidst the Republican party is one more example of the grand con being orchestrated by Trump. The obvious contradictions are everywhere, but remain oblivious to the mark caught-up in the con.
This must be the goal that keeps Trump interested - to be recognized in history as pulling off the greatest con of all time.
The idea of a "stolen" nation is a commonplace in the fascist playbook (Mussolini's Italy, Hitler's Germany, Orban's Hungary, etc.). What I like to remember is that, the Republican party aside, Trump's MAGA hard-core base appears to be about no more than a third of the US electorate. It's victory is less one of numbers than it is of a particular conjuncture of forces (which includes the GOP since it's "Southern Strategy", it's alliance with right-wing Evangelical religion, the phenomenon of reality TV - i.e. The Apprentice, social media, neoliberal capitalism, etc.). I like James' five points but, while we need to take MAGA a serious phenomena, i think it's good to assess the scale (what population are we actually dealing with?) and complexity (of forces) in mind. Our democracies (both the US and Canada, where I live) have contradictions that are exploitable by organized interests - the US has that absurd fossil of the gentry, the electoral college (as well as gerrymandering and all the other voter suppression techniques and, of course, the legacy of Citizen's United). And Canada has a first-past-the-post parliamentary democracy which allows for a part to form government with between 30 and 40 percent of the popular vote. Kinda nuts!
Have a look at Australia’s system: compulsory preferential (instant runoff) voting conducted by an independent commission. That commission also determines electoral boundaries after extensive public consultation.
James, i've been reading your substack for some weeks now and i've enjoyed it, agree with pretty much all that you write, and appreciate your inclusion of references (most of which I am familiar with - which is reassuring - and many of which I have read).
Now, I agree with the five points you make in this piece - the need for a compelling vision of belonging, purpose, and inclusion; reinvesting in the civic infrastructure for the sake of pluralism; holding accountable MAGA opportunists; resisting the moral erosion of acting and becoming like those we oppose; and thinking long-term. Also, your overall point of this being about "contesting meaning itself" is pretty much my go-to explanation as well.
The obvious "but" is: how? As a community organizer and educator (coming from the world of popular education or Freirian "educacíon popular") I have had much contact with several (most, really) US organizing traditions (i'm in Canada). Most of these traditions have been doing various combinations of what you describe. And they've been doing it for a long while (Highlander in Tennessee being, perhaps, the oldest - having been founded in 1932). There has been much success with this work. And yet here we are (Canada is not that different - certainly not regarding the urgencies that lie before us). I have been doing this work for over 45 years and, while I have resisted (and will continue to resist) demoralization, I can't help but feel that time is running out for the life-saving (civilization-saving?) changes that may already be too late. And yet we need to do everything we can - to our last breath. What absorbs me is assembling that "everything" into something that stands a chance of achieving the five things you describe (and more, of course). And while i am a big fan of "slow and steady wins the race," the accelerating breakdown of our planet's ecology is sobering, to say the least.
I'm also a big fan of words and substacks (i've got one, too) and all the good ideas circulating vigorously all around us. And I admire the advice of so many scholars and activists, yourself included, of course (HCR, Snyder, Graeber (the late) and Wengrow, Arendt to name a few) to take action. I thought i would have a question by the time i'd penned a couple of paragraphs. But I find that I either have too many or what comes to mind is too anemic. So, if only to land these meanderings, what I am working to figure out is: how do we connect all these great ideas with people's actions such that we build something greater than the sum of its parts and that will stand a chance of success sooner rather than later? Feel free to treat this as a rhetorical question but if you've a thought (or if any of your readers have a thought), I'm all ears. Regardless, thanks for your writing!
Thank you for your trenchant analysis and explanation of what we are currently experiencing.
I have been following you daily for several weeks now, and hold you in the same regard as Heather Cox Richardson (for factual recounting) and Steve Schmidt (for Thom Paine worthy polemics).
Thank you for this article and the suggested readings. I feel so helpless right now. I'm reading as much as I can about what has
brought us to this place in history, where such hate, anger, apathy, cynicism, lack of empathy, and lies are seen as virtuous. I'm so sad, but trying to stay hopeful.
Yesterday, 6/18/25, President Barack Obama reminded the audience at The Connecticut Forum in Hartford, CT. of the alternative, more accurate narrative, more truly descriptive of the United States. It was the fact that what makes America exceptional is not that it has the biggest military, not that it has the largest economy but what really makes America exceptional is that it’s the only big country on earth and maybe the only real superpower in history that is made up of people from every corner of the globe. They come here and the glue that holds us together is this experiment called democracy. This idea that we can somehow, despite all our differences, race, religion, cultural preferences, we are bound by an IDEA that we can somehow work together and arrive at the common good. That’s what made America exceptional and I think we have to recover pride in that.
In his piece James Greenberg offers a progressive roadmap for civic engagement, urging listening, empathy, and shared values. But while he waxes poetic about “symbolic power” and “elite resentment,” he completely ignores the most pressing, tangible grievance driving millions of Christian conservatives and MAGA supporters: the collapse of equal justice under law.
This isn’t an oversight. It’s either ignorance or intentional avoidance of hard facts that expose institutional corruption.
Hunter Biden’s laptop: Labeled “Russian disinformation” by intelligence agencies, suppressed by media—later proven authentic.
BLM riots: Over $2 billion in property damage, dozens dead, yet widely described as “mostly peaceful.”
January 6 defendants: Many held in solitary confinement without trial—while leftist extremists are bailed out by nonprofits and never charged.
DOJ & FBI weaponization: Parents at school board meetings labeled as domestic threats, while real criminal conspiracies tied to political elites go uninvestigated.
If Greenberg Believes in Democracy, Why Ignore Lawlessness?
He paints MAGA voters as emotional actors “raging against elites” and grasping for “symbolic power,” but he never confronts their core complaint: That law itself has become political. That justice has become two-tiered. That institutions meant to be blind are now weaponized against dissenters.
This isn’t symbolic. It’s systemic.
Christian Conservatives: Law Is a Moral Mandate
Greenberg’s secular framework misses what many Christian conservatives see clearly: Law is not just a social construct—it is a divine imperative.
“For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.” – Isaiah 33:22
To these Americans, the rule of law isn’t about political preference. It’s about moral order. When powerful figures evade justice while average citizens are crushed by it, they see not just corruption—but rebellion against God’s ordained structure.
This is why many in the MAGA movement view their stance as moral, not just political.
Greenberg’s Silence = Complicity?
By steering the conversation toward “dialogue” without ever addressing selective prosecution, Greenberg trivializes the crisis. He treats symptoms—anger, protest, distrust—without acknowledging the cause: a Republic teetering under the weight of politically driven law enforcement.
What happens when laws are applied by political affiliation, not principle?
What happens when “democracy” is used as a mask for bureaucratic tyranny?
Greenberg never asks. Because he likely knows the answer.
MAGA as Defenders of the Republic
Greenberg frames MAGA supporters as emotional “performers.” In reality, many are:
Demanding equal application of the law
Insisting on government accountability
Defending individual liberties
Calling for a return to constitutional order
This isn’t performance. It’s patriotism.
They see themselves—rightfully—as heirs of the Founding generation, resisting the slow rot of elitism and centralized overreach.
Final Thought: Truth Is Not a Value—It Is a Standard
Greenberg’s piece leans heavily on “values” while dismissing or ignoring the facts that undergird MAGA discontent. But truth, justice, and law aren’t just conservative talking points. They are the non-negotiable foundations of the Republic.
If Greenberg truly wants to engage MAGA voters, he must start with respecting the legitimacy of their grievances.
You don’t heal a fractured nation by gaslighting half of it.
You heal it by restoring the rule of law—for everyone.
Thank you for writing this. I would add Harold Lasswell’s essay titled "The Psychology of Hitlerism" (1933) to your bibliography--easy to find on the intertoobz. Lasswell was a very influential American sociologist who was one of the first to address the emotional impoverishment of the middle class. In short, their lack of a community not based on income or social status puts them in a precarious position. The lower-middle class is especially attracted to fascism because of their own fears of slipping into the working class, secret hatred for following the rules, and see it as an acceptable way to be against capitalism and “the elite". And as you and others have pointed out, violence is an option and becomes an "exit strategy" from the anxieties of middle class life-- the J6ers, for example.
Trump and MAGA take the place of the community that recognizes them for who they are and is willing to blow the mask off the hypocrisy of middle class values that have failed them.
Spot on about civic infrastructure, which Roosevelt and the New Dealers understood as a way to give the middle class community and purpose.
This is the most profound synopsis I have ever read. It literally brings me to my knees. Okay, metaphorically. I want to share this everywhere. Can I ?
If you’re referring to Sarkar’s framework, there’s definitely resonance with what I’m calling for: expanding collective consciousness, grounding action in universalism, and rebuilding social and cultural institutions to reflect deeper human values. That said, my focus is on the lived symbolic and institutional structures shaping MAGA’s appeal—so I’ll think more carefully about how broader humanist frameworks might help connect critique with constructive vision. Appreciate the push.
It’s so overwhelming to take in the outstanding writing going on right now. I need to make sure I consistently check in with your work. It’s what we all need right now.
"At the heart of this (MAGA) worldview lies a potent story: America has been stolen...."
What is interesting about MAGA is that it identifies all those that "stole" America from them, except the wealthy. They seem to have gotten a free pass. They are not included in "the elite".
We now have the greatest wealth disparity in the history of this nation, which certainly indicates that many have been left behind in the quest for the American Dream.
In their embrace of Trump, and his obsessive love of all the trappings of wealth, MAGA appears to have missed the point that they have been left behind because the most wealthy have been so entirely successful in accumulating an ever increasing share of everything. Trump included.
The Republican Party has always engaged in a daisy-chain of mutual benefit with the most wealthy Americans. And they have always held out the American Dream to the common man as an example
of what can be achieved by keeping thy nose to the grindstone. "You can become one of us, or at least maybe your children or grandchildren can." Except the opposite has occurred, the American Dream is fading in the rear view mirror as wealth consolidates power.
The unlikely blend of the MAGA ethos amidst the Republican party is one more example of the grand con being orchestrated by Trump. The obvious contradictions are everywhere, but remain oblivious to the mark caught-up in the con.
This must be the goal that keeps Trump interested - to be recognized in history as pulling off the greatest con of all time.
The idea of a "stolen" nation is a commonplace in the fascist playbook (Mussolini's Italy, Hitler's Germany, Orban's Hungary, etc.). What I like to remember is that, the Republican party aside, Trump's MAGA hard-core base appears to be about no more than a third of the US electorate. It's victory is less one of numbers than it is of a particular conjuncture of forces (which includes the GOP since it's "Southern Strategy", it's alliance with right-wing Evangelical religion, the phenomenon of reality TV - i.e. The Apprentice, social media, neoliberal capitalism, etc.). I like James' five points but, while we need to take MAGA a serious phenomena, i think it's good to assess the scale (what population are we actually dealing with?) and complexity (of forces) in mind. Our democracies (both the US and Canada, where I live) have contradictions that are exploitable by organized interests - the US has that absurd fossil of the gentry, the electoral college (as well as gerrymandering and all the other voter suppression techniques and, of course, the legacy of Citizen's United). And Canada has a first-past-the-post parliamentary democracy which allows for a part to form government with between 30 and 40 percent of the popular vote. Kinda nuts!
I ran across these numbers -
Only 73.6% of US voting age adults were registered to vote in the last presidential election and 65.3% of those voted.
So, 65.3% of 73.6% is 48%.
48% of the voting age population voted.
49.7% of them voted for Trump.
So, 49.7% x 48% = 24% is the percentage of voting age citizens who voted for Trump.
That still leaves about half of Americans who didn't bother to register or vote.
I think it is a fair assumption that those who didn't register or vote are not likely uncounted MAGAs.
This doesn't vary significantly from your estimate of 1/3, but adds some stats.
Yeah, that's a good analysis and, from my very unscientific investigations, seems consistent across various democracies, including Canada.
Have a look at Australia’s system: compulsory preferential (instant runoff) voting conducted by an independent commission. That commission also determines electoral boundaries after extensive public consultation.
https://www.aec.gov.au/
What a great summary. I wish I could get my whole community to attend a seminar led by you.
James, i've been reading your substack for some weeks now and i've enjoyed it, agree with pretty much all that you write, and appreciate your inclusion of references (most of which I am familiar with - which is reassuring - and many of which I have read).
Now, I agree with the five points you make in this piece - the need for a compelling vision of belonging, purpose, and inclusion; reinvesting in the civic infrastructure for the sake of pluralism; holding accountable MAGA opportunists; resisting the moral erosion of acting and becoming like those we oppose; and thinking long-term. Also, your overall point of this being about "contesting meaning itself" is pretty much my go-to explanation as well.
The obvious "but" is: how? As a community organizer and educator (coming from the world of popular education or Freirian "educacíon popular") I have had much contact with several (most, really) US organizing traditions (i'm in Canada). Most of these traditions have been doing various combinations of what you describe. And they've been doing it for a long while (Highlander in Tennessee being, perhaps, the oldest - having been founded in 1932). There has been much success with this work. And yet here we are (Canada is not that different - certainly not regarding the urgencies that lie before us). I have been doing this work for over 45 years and, while I have resisted (and will continue to resist) demoralization, I can't help but feel that time is running out for the life-saving (civilization-saving?) changes that may already be too late. And yet we need to do everything we can - to our last breath. What absorbs me is assembling that "everything" into something that stands a chance of achieving the five things you describe (and more, of course). And while i am a big fan of "slow and steady wins the race," the accelerating breakdown of our planet's ecology is sobering, to say the least.
I'm also a big fan of words and substacks (i've got one, too) and all the good ideas circulating vigorously all around us. And I admire the advice of so many scholars and activists, yourself included, of course (HCR, Snyder, Graeber (the late) and Wengrow, Arendt to name a few) to take action. I thought i would have a question by the time i'd penned a couple of paragraphs. But I find that I either have too many or what comes to mind is too anemic. So, if only to land these meanderings, what I am working to figure out is: how do we connect all these great ideas with people's actions such that we build something greater than the sum of its parts and that will stand a chance of success sooner rather than later? Feel free to treat this as a rhetorical question but if you've a thought (or if any of your readers have a thought), I'm all ears. Regardless, thanks for your writing!
I’m working on essays that will address at least some of the very valid points you’ve raised.
This is the best thing I've read on this topic. The 4th "to do" is everything.
Thank you for your trenchant analysis and explanation of what we are currently experiencing.
I have been following you daily for several weeks now, and hold you in the same regard as Heather Cox Richardson (for factual recounting) and Steve Schmidt (for Thom Paine worthy polemics).
And thank you for your reading lists!
Thanks, James, a very solid, clear assessment of where we stand. Inclusion, so despised now, is an answer.
Thank you for this article and the suggested readings. I feel so helpless right now. I'm reading as much as I can about what has
brought us to this place in history, where such hate, anger, apathy, cynicism, lack of empathy, and lies are seen as virtuous. I'm so sad, but trying to stay hopeful.
Yesterday, 6/18/25, President Barack Obama reminded the audience at The Connecticut Forum in Hartford, CT. of the alternative, more accurate narrative, more truly descriptive of the United States. It was the fact that what makes America exceptional is not that it has the biggest military, not that it has the largest economy but what really makes America exceptional is that it’s the only big country on earth and maybe the only real superpower in history that is made up of people from every corner of the globe. They come here and the glue that holds us together is this experiment called democracy. This idea that we can somehow, despite all our differences, race, religion, cultural preferences, we are bound by an IDEA that we can somehow work together and arrive at the common good. That’s what made America exceptional and I think we have to recover pride in that.
(Lyrics to a tune I wrote 2 years ago):
Chauncey and the MAGA Hat
So glad we got our MAGA hats – to keep out those woke lib rays
That Soros broadcasts to my kids - to groom them to be drag queen gays.
Glad I boosted my testosterone - bought a dose from Limitless Male.
Don’t wanna be no Chauncey Milquetoast - if I ever get sent to jail.
Glad I got AR-15s; my six-year-old’s got a JR, too.
Gonna get a Sig Sauer MCX - in case there’s armor I need to shoot through.
Everyone knows the 2nd Amendment was on the tablets Moses brought back
From God himself - to keep us safe when those colored immigrants attack.
Why can’t America be like it used to be –Christian, Great, white and free?
Trans-Jewish-socialist-commie-globalists are all out to replace me.
I will protect my way of life – even if other folks end up dead.
“God, Guns, Guts and Glory” – (on the Mount, ain’t that what Jesus said?)
Now, my savior says “I am your voice, I am your warrior; your retribution.”
“I am your justice”, “I feel like Elvis” – (how about a Kingly contribution?)
He’s saying what I want to hear; so what if a bit of it ain’t true?
When he tells me to “stand back & stand by”, what else can a patriot do?
So glad I’m asked to “Save America” from that 3rd world tyranny.
I just need to send 47 bucks today - to get a new t-shirt for FREE!
I’m proud to be a part of something that makes me feel so right and strong
Standing with 400 million other guns –
What on earth could possibly go wrong? What could go wrong?
What on earth could possibly go wrong? What could go wrong?
In his piece James Greenberg offers a progressive roadmap for civic engagement, urging listening, empathy, and shared values. But while he waxes poetic about “symbolic power” and “elite resentment,” he completely ignores the most pressing, tangible grievance driving millions of Christian conservatives and MAGA supporters: the collapse of equal justice under law.
This isn’t an oversight. It’s either ignorance or intentional avoidance of hard facts that expose institutional corruption.
The Selective Enforcement of Law: A Brief Ledger
Hillary Clinton’s unsecured email server: 33,000 deleted emails, smashed phones, bleach-bit drives—no indictment.
Hunter Biden’s laptop: Labeled “Russian disinformation” by intelligence agencies, suppressed by media—later proven authentic.
BLM riots: Over $2 billion in property damage, dozens dead, yet widely described as “mostly peaceful.”
January 6 defendants: Many held in solitary confinement without trial—while leftist extremists are bailed out by nonprofits and never charged.
DOJ & FBI weaponization: Parents at school board meetings labeled as domestic threats, while real criminal conspiracies tied to political elites go uninvestigated.
If Greenberg Believes in Democracy, Why Ignore Lawlessness?
He paints MAGA voters as emotional actors “raging against elites” and grasping for “symbolic power,” but he never confronts their core complaint: That law itself has become political. That justice has become two-tiered. That institutions meant to be blind are now weaponized against dissenters.
This isn’t symbolic. It’s systemic.
Christian Conservatives: Law Is a Moral Mandate
Greenberg’s secular framework misses what many Christian conservatives see clearly: Law is not just a social construct—it is a divine imperative.
“For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.” – Isaiah 33:22
To these Americans, the rule of law isn’t about political preference. It’s about moral order. When powerful figures evade justice while average citizens are crushed by it, they see not just corruption—but rebellion against God’s ordained structure.
This is why many in the MAGA movement view their stance as moral, not just political.
Greenberg’s Silence = Complicity?
By steering the conversation toward “dialogue” without ever addressing selective prosecution, Greenberg trivializes the crisis. He treats symptoms—anger, protest, distrust—without acknowledging the cause: a Republic teetering under the weight of politically driven law enforcement.
What happens when laws are applied by political affiliation, not principle?
What happens when “democracy” is used as a mask for bureaucratic tyranny?
Greenberg never asks. Because he likely knows the answer.
MAGA as Defenders of the Republic
Greenberg frames MAGA supporters as emotional “performers.” In reality, many are:
Demanding equal application of the law
Insisting on government accountability
Defending individual liberties
Calling for a return to constitutional order
This isn’t performance. It’s patriotism.
They see themselves—rightfully—as heirs of the Founding generation, resisting the slow rot of elitism and centralized overreach.
Final Thought: Truth Is Not a Value—It Is a Standard
Greenberg’s piece leans heavily on “values” while dismissing or ignoring the facts that undergird MAGA discontent. But truth, justice, and law aren’t just conservative talking points. They are the non-negotiable foundations of the Republic.
If Greenberg truly wants to engage MAGA voters, he must start with respecting the legitimacy of their grievances.
You don’t heal a fractured nation by gaslighting half of it.
You heal it by restoring the rule of law—for everyone.
A nation of laws. Not of men.
Thank you for writing this. I would add Harold Lasswell’s essay titled "The Psychology of Hitlerism" (1933) to your bibliography--easy to find on the intertoobz. Lasswell was a very influential American sociologist who was one of the first to address the emotional impoverishment of the middle class. In short, their lack of a community not based on income or social status puts them in a precarious position. The lower-middle class is especially attracted to fascism because of their own fears of slipping into the working class, secret hatred for following the rules, and see it as an acceptable way to be against capitalism and “the elite". And as you and others have pointed out, violence is an option and becomes an "exit strategy" from the anxieties of middle class life-- the J6ers, for example.
Trump and MAGA take the place of the community that recognizes them for who they are and is willing to blow the mask off the hypocrisy of middle class values that have failed them.
Spot on about civic infrastructure, which Roosevelt and the New Dealers understood as a way to give the middle class community and purpose.
This is the most profound synopsis I have ever read. It literally brings me to my knees. Okay, metaphorically. I want to share this everywhere. Can I ?
Not well integrated. Pls look up Neo-Humanism. Ty.
If you’re referring to Sarkar’s framework, there’s definitely resonance with what I’m calling for: expanding collective consciousness, grounding action in universalism, and rebuilding social and cultural institutions to reflect deeper human values. That said, my focus is on the lived symbolic and institutional structures shaping MAGA’s appeal—so I’ll think more carefully about how broader humanist frameworks might help connect critique with constructive vision. Appreciate the push.
Thank you.
Take 1-4 and provide real world behaviorial issues and solutions.
Thanks for the thoughtful read—and a fair challenge.
1. MAGA thrives on identity—flags, slogans, rituals that offer belonging.
Response: Create spaces where people find purpose without needing enemies. Civic groups, mutual aid, storytelling—all help build inclusive identity.
2. The “stolen America” story spreads through closed media loops.
Response: Local messengers—teachers, pastors, veterans—are key to breaking that echo chamber. National messaging won’t work without local trust.
3. Victimhood has become social currency.
Response: Shift the focus. Lift up those solving problems and building community, not just those performing grievance.
4. Patriotism is often defined by rejecting government.
Response: Reclaim it. Civic action—voting, volunteering, serving—is real patriotism, rooted in care, not contempt.