This data indicates Democrats will need to do more than run against Trump if we want to win in 2026. To keep the momentum going, Democrats will have to show working class voters we also know how to govern in the places where we currently hold power.
Browsing: Opinions
Heading into the second week of January, the news cycle has only grown heavier and faster than most of us anticipated. We have witnessed the forcible removal of Venezuela’s dictator under circumstances that appear to violate core principles of international law; the killing of Renée Good, a U.S. citizen, during an ICE operation in Minneapolis, Minnesota; renewed rhetoric suggesting territorial or military escalation involving Greenland; and what increasingly resembles a revolutionary moment taking shape in Iran. All of this unfolds against the backdrop of ongoing conflicts in Sudan and Ukraine, wars that continue to grind on with limited resolution, uneven attention, and devastating human cost.
If You Voted Against The Affordable Care Act Subsidies, Shame On You
When U.S. forces carried out a large-scale military operation in Caracas on January 3, 2026—capturing President Nicolás Maduro and transporting him to New York to face U.S. indictments—Washington framed the moment as resolution. President Donald Trump declared Venezuela’s long crisis effectively over, announcing that the United States would “run” the country for a period of time and openly discussing the reinstallation of U.S. oil interests. The language was casual, almost improvisational, as if Venezuela were an unruly subsidiary finally brought to heel.
This was just before I watched the video of the ICE agent killing Renee Good. Soon enough it was claimed the ICE Agent had to kill Good because she had “weaponized her car” and she was a “domestic terrorist” deserving to die because of turning her car around. Having been fully brainwashed by Justified, I should have admitted it is a paragon of American narrative. I should have been happy. I should have stood up and sang the Star-Spangled Banner while saluting the Flag.
Yet for most Americans, Venezuela is not the issue keeping them up at night. Affordability is. That’s the reality Democrats must stay anchored in. We cannot allow ourselves to be pulled into Trump’s Venezuela trap. Venezuela is a deliberate distraction from the affordability crisis Trump dismisses as a hoax, from his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, and from a parade of scandals that have sent his approval ratings plummeting. He needs Americans focused anywhere but on the issues that actually affect their daily lives.
Political psychosis is not a recognized medical condition. Psychology Today reports that social scientists view it as a societal phenomenon of shared delusions. Furthermore, it describes a sustained detachment from shared reality/norms, marked by irrational behavior, the spread of misinformation, vindictive thinking, and the collapse of effective governance. Today, this condition is most clearly visible in the Republican Congress, where ideology has eclipsed reason, loyalty has displaced law, and constitutional duty traded for political survival.
Late Friday night into early Saturday, I watched the news and scrolled through social media as reports of explosions in Caracas began to spread. I went to sleep unaware of what the morning would bring. Hours later, bleary-eyed and half-blind without my glasses, I woke to headlines announcing that the Trump administration had captured and arrested Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in what it called “Operation Absolute Resolve,” transporting him to New York to face narco-trafficking charges. Maduro’s sudden removal is being celebrated by Venezuelans abroad and met with a mix of relief and unease inside the country. But beyond those reactions lies a far more troubling implication: Venezuela will not be the end.
Indeed, we can’t avoid seeing ourselves. As psychologist John Gartner has pointed out, Trump is not only a malignant narcissist, but — as has been clear in his second term — he’s slithering ever more deeply into dementia. Yet people still support him — enough people to let him win elections. Why?
“Little Black boy,” Williams said, “you were worth it, and you always were. Without any titles, you were enough. You were always enough. You deserve to accept love, and you deserve to be protected.”