Chris Murphy

I think even if you aren't framing that in a specific religious doctrine, you are still speaking to religious voters. So I don't necessarily believe that you have got to talk in the way that you frame it as a mechanism to connect with people who find their interest in policy as directly connected and derivative of their experience in religion.

Well, it's more precise than an oligarchy in which government serves the broad interests of every powerful individual or corporation, right? Oligarchies generally don't serve all rich people. They serve the rich people who pledge political allegiance to the leader.

Well, it's more precise than an oligarchy in which government serves the broad interests of every powerful individual or corporation, right? Oligarchies generally don't serve all rich people. They serve the rich people who pledge political allegiance to the leader.

And there is formed a cabal of a certain set of rich people that get richer and the people who don't pledge allegiance to the leader tend to get less rich over time. That's, I think, what is going on here.

And there is formed a cabal of a certain set of rich people that get richer and the people who don't pledge allegiance to the leader tend to get less rich over time. That's, I think, what is going on here.

If you pay homage to Trump with a donation or a purchase of cryptocurrency or just an agreement to kind of stay silent about his thievery and corruption, then you're going to be in on the oligarchy. But if you don't make that specific pledge, then, yeah, you might end up being on the outside.

If you pay homage to Trump with a donation or a purchase of cryptocurrency or just an agreement to kind of stay silent about his thievery and corruption, then you're going to be in on the oligarchy. But if you don't make that specific pledge, then, yeah, you might end up being on the outside.

That's why the tariffs, you're right, are broadly opposed by the sort of elite economic set because, yeah, they don't feel great about a world in which they are going to have to cut deals with the president in order to be exempt from the tariffs. But if the tariffs stay, then that's exactly what will happen.

That's why the tariffs, you're right, are broadly opposed by the sort of elite economic set because, yeah, they don't feel great about a world in which they are going to have to cut deals with the president in order to be exempt from the tariffs. But if the tariffs stay, then that's exactly what will happen.

If you cut a deal with the president, if you buy his crypto coin or if you pay him off or if you say that your employees will never join the political opposition, then you probably get an exemption and you're probably part of the club. And if you don't do that, then you probably sit on the outside. So, yeah, I think that's generally how oligarchies work.

If you cut a deal with the president, if you buy his crypto coin or if you pay him off or if you say that your employees will never join the political opposition, then you probably get an exemption and you're probably part of the club. And if you don't do that, then you probably sit on the outside. So, yeah, I think that's generally how oligarchies work.

And I think that this is, you know, as the textbooks defines it, a pretty standard attempt at building an oligarchy.

And I think that this is, you know, as the textbooks defines it, a pretty standard attempt at building an oligarchy.

Correct, but in the end, I think you will find that though the broad elite economic interests, the big corporations and CEOs would oppose his policies at the outset, once they are the law, once they are the operating system for the economy and the government, they will all likely fold in.

Correct, but in the end, I think you will find that though the broad elite economic interests, the big corporations and CEOs would oppose his policies at the outset, once they are the law, once they are the operating system for the economy and the government, they will all likely fold in.

I'm not sure that the pharmaceutical companies, you're right, didn't like RFK, but I do not think that they were trying to take down

I'm not sure that the pharmaceutical companies, you're right, didn't like RFK, but I do not think that they were trying to take down

Correct. But again, that is I think that is the classic story of oligarchy is that you are using the levers of power you possess as the executive in order to command loyalty from elite economic actors. And it is in the end, you know, not just a preference for rich people. Right. It is a recognition of how you use elite economic power in order to stay in power economically.

Correct. But again, that is I think that is the classic story of oligarchy is that you are using the levers of power you possess as the executive in order to command loyalty from elite economic actors. And it is in the end, you know, not just a preference for rich people. Right. It is a recognition of how you use elite economic power in order to stay in power economically.

as the leader of a nation or a civilization forever.