Derek Thompson

And sometime around the 1960s, 1970s, the character of liberalism changed and the politics of building gave way to a different kind of politics that we think of as the politics of blocking, essentially. You had the rise of environmental laws, which were very important in their age. The 1940s and 1950s were absolutely heinously disgusting. We needed a Clean Air and Water Act.

We needed Need Before It's Time. We needed ways to protect endangered species. But the rules that we wrote in the 1960s to protect the environment have created strictures and rules that keep us from building the things we need in the 2020s, like houses and energy.

We needed Need Before It's Time. We needed ways to protect endangered species. But the rules that we wrote in the 1960s to protect the environment have created strictures and rules that keep us from building the things we need in the 2020s, like houses and energy.

There was also a legal change that we get into in detail in the book, where we made it easier for neighbors to control what could and couldn't be built around them.

There was also a legal change that we get into in detail in the book, where we made it easier for neighbors to control what could and couldn't be built around them.

And when neighbors have the ability to say no to any new development that might have a chance of creating new construction headaches or adding new parking headaches or maybe even reducing the value of their homes, when you give that power at the local level, it has the ability to stop development entirely And that's really what we've seen in so many areas that are governed by liberals.

And when neighbors have the ability to say no to any new development that might have a chance of creating new construction headaches or adding new parking headaches or maybe even reducing the value of their homes, when you give that power at the local level, it has the ability to stop development entirely And that's really what we've seen in so many areas that are governed by liberals.

I mean, the five states with the highest rates of homelessness are all governed by Democrats. There was a study that my colleague Yoni Applebaum talked about in a recent cover story in The Atlantic that found that in the state of California, every single time a city adds 10% vote share of progressives, the number of housing permits declines by 30%.

I mean, the five states with the highest rates of homelessness are all governed by Democrats. There was a study that my colleague Yoni Applebaum talked about in a recent cover story in The Atlantic that found that in the state of California, every single time a city adds 10% vote share of progressives, the number of housing permits declines by 30%.

So as an area becomes more liberal, it permits fewer homes. So I think, as Ezra said, it's so important, I think, to look very clearly in the mirror and say we're at this moment right now where the opposition to Donald Trump needs to be popular and effective.

So as an area becomes more liberal, it permits fewer homes. So I think, as Ezra said, it's so important, I think, to look very clearly in the mirror and say we're at this moment right now where the opposition to Donald Trump needs to be popular and effective.

And right now we have a Democratic Party that is incredibly historically unpopular and also incredibly ineffective in the places that it holds the most power, like New York. and California and Oregon. And so it's really important, I think, not just to have a movement that can criticize Donald Trump effectively, but also have a movement that can say, give us power because we've earned it.

And right now we have a Democratic Party that is incredibly historically unpopular and also incredibly ineffective in the places that it holds the most power, like New York. and California and Oregon. And so it's really important, I think, not just to have a movement that can criticize Donald Trump effectively, but also have a movement that can say, give us power because we've earned it.

Give us power because we deserve it. Give us power because when we have it, we can build the things that are most important, houses, energy, even science and technology.

Give us power because we deserve it. Give us power because when we have it, we can build the things that are most important, houses, energy, even science and technology.

I think the politics of abundance meets this moment somewhat perfectly. I think when you look at the economic agenda of Donald Trump, or maybe let's be more accurately said, the personality of Donald Trump, which is manifesting itself in what appears to be some kind of economic policy, it is just one example of scarcity after another. I mean, this man...

I think the politics of abundance meets this moment somewhat perfectly. I think when you look at the economic agenda of Donald Trump, or maybe let's be more accurately said, the personality of Donald Trump, which is manifesting itself in what appears to be some kind of economic policy, it is just one example of scarcity after another. I mean, this man...

does not believe in the concept of a positive-sum interaction at all. He doesn't believe in the concept of cooperation. I don't think it's any surprise that when you look at his economic agenda, you see him constantly identifying elements of scarcity and then trying to take something else away. He says, we don't have enough manufacturing, so what we need to do is have less trade.

does not believe in the concept of a positive-sum interaction at all. He doesn't believe in the concept of cooperation. I don't think it's any surprise that when you look at his economic agenda, you see him constantly identifying elements of scarcity and then trying to take something else away. He says, we don't have enough manufacturing, so what we need to do is have less trade.

We don't have enough housing, so what we need are fewer immigrants. We don't have enough money. There's really high debts. What we need is less health care for poor people by cutting Medicaid. There's a lot of let's solve this scarcity here by taking away something that America needs. And I think that by juxtaposition, abundance is the exact opposite message. Yes, we don't have enough houses.