New Op-Ed on Americans in Denial; Strongmen Reprint; Q&A Tonight, 8-9pmET
And some photos from my trip to San Sebastián, Spain
Welcome back to Lucid, and hello to all new subscribers. Our next Q&A is tonight, May 26, 8-9pmET. Paying subscribers will receive a link to register for the Zoom gathering at 5pmET. If you’d like to join these inspiring conversations and be part of a community that has formed around them, you can upgrade to paid or sign up as a paying subscriber here:
Here is my new MSNBC op-ed on the problem of Americans who are in denial about what could happen if Trump returns to the White House. Spoilers: we are not alone in this syndrome, but we can learn from the past. Please share widely if you can.
I am happy to report that my book, Strongmen, is being reprinted yet again. If you have a copy, I urge you to re-read the parts on Trump’s presidency. I recently re-read it and I saw that many things that stood out to me as I considered Trump from the perspective of a century of authoritarian history are now integral parts of Project 2025 and Trump’s campaign.
A few examples: the desire to lock up and abuse immigrants (in the Violence chapter, read how a doctor reported conditions of crowding in Texas border detention spaces that she classified as torture); in the Greater Nation chapter, the role of Roger Severino, a far-right Catholic, in redefining civil rights as the protection of White Christian rights; and in the Corruption chapter, the employment of family members (now it’s Lara Trump’s turn) and the use of public office for private gain.
I rarely ask my subscribers to buy my book, but with the election coming up, many people who are not part of Lucid have been writing to me saying they have purchased it to give to independent, undecided, or Trump-leaning voters. Seeing Trump and his enablers and followers as part of the flow of history helps people to understand our situation and the stakes of the election in a calmer manner.
If you want to get a copy of the 2021 paperback with its epilogue on January 6 and its worries that Putin would target Alexei Navalny, the book’s page on the site of W.W. Norton has links to all kinds of booksellers.
A few media highlights: Here is my conversation with Jessica Dean on CNN last night about Tucker Carlson’s Russian show, the pro-Putin wing of the GOP, and more.
And on Alito: “Fascism is not a day job” I thought while I was posting on X to explain why he and his wife so boldly flew that insurrectionist flag. I will be developing this idea for Lucid and elsewhere soon.
Before every Q&A I send the link to register to paying subscribers along with a photo. We publish landscapes to help us stay grounded. Thank you to everyone in the Lucid community who has sent me images of your special places. It has become a treasured Lucid feature.
In that spirit, here are a few photos from my time in San Sebastián, Spain. Here I am on an outing with my fiancé Bill, drinking a carrot-apple-orange-ginger juice:
A tranquil little park we came upon unexpectedly:
A beach scene —I love the contrast of the blue sky and the green-blue water:
And here I am with Andra Watkins, a member of the Lucid community and a New York Times bestselling author who publishes her own Substack, How Project 2025 Will Ruin Your Life. I am displaying my amazing talent, well known to my family, for closing my eyes in most photos.
I use the question regarding project 2025 to assess engagement and knowledge of current events. I asked a lot of people in my sphere. I don't think I've had anybody answer in the affirmative! I have a pretty well educated crowd but they're not engaged in politics. The right wing has done a great job in disenfranchising people and turning people off to the news. As if they would get any information about project 2025 from the corporate media outlets. It should be front Page News every single day until the election. It reminds me of what Hannah arendt wrote about regarding the absence of any objective truth. They've thrown into question the idea of an objective reality. So I tell them there are places to get trusted information and that would be you, Ruth and other experts on the subject matter. I try to frame it like they would trust a geologist or something sort of benign like that. Where there's really not much question of who knows the reality. Anyway I ramble. Thanks so much Ruth and everyone in this wonderful community. Enjoy the weekend!
I went to San Sebastián decades ago when I did my junior year in France. I remember so many flower boxes in so many windows.
Another topic: I asked a hard core alt-right person I know, a retired teacher, “What do you think of Project 2025?” “Never heard of it,” she said. “If I sent you a piece about it, written by a history professor who’s not associated with any media company, would you want to read it?” I asked. “No,” she said. “I don’t have time.” She scrolls on Facebook all day long. Ha. Doesn’t have time.
But I realize she’s not in the category of people it’s worth getting into about this.