Derek Thompson

$42 billion, therefore, dies upon contact with planet Earth. That's not government achieving its goals. And a doge that we were sort of, you know, duumbrates of in this parallel universe is one that would try very clearly to, A, articulate a goal. What are we trying to do here? We're trying to build rural broadband. Why?

Because we think connectivity is incredibly important to the economy of the future. It helps people's health. It helps the economy of rural areas. Let's build rural broadband. Two, what are the roadblocks? What are the bottlenecks? What's hard about taking a pot of money that exists in Washington and actually creating broadband networks in rural Kentucky?

Because we think connectivity is incredibly important to the economy of the future. It helps people's health. It helps the economy of rural areas. Let's build rural broadband. Two, what are the roadblocks? What are the bottlenecks? What's hard about taking a pot of money that exists in Washington and actually creating broadband networks in rural Kentucky?

Because we think connectivity is incredibly important to the economy of the future. It helps people's health. It helps the economy of rural areas. Let's build rural broadband. Two, what are the roadblocks? What are the bottlenecks? What's hard about taking a pot of money that exists in Washington and actually creating broadband networks in rural Kentucky?

Let's understand what those roadblocks are so that we can do two things. We can take away the things that need to be taken away to accelerate the program. And maybe we can add new policies that will accelerate the spending because bottom line, we want to make a difference in the world. That's a world where government is, to borrow Ezra's language, deregulated itself.

Let's understand what those roadblocks are so that we can do two things. We can take away the things that need to be taken away to accelerate the program. And maybe we can add new policies that will accelerate the spending because bottom line, we want to make a difference in the world. That's a world where government is, to borrow Ezra's language, deregulated itself.

Let's understand what those roadblocks are so that we can do two things. We can take away the things that need to be taken away to accelerate the program. And maybe we can add new policies that will accelerate the spending because bottom line, we want to make a difference in the world. That's a world where government is, to borrow Ezra's language, deregulated itself.

It's easier for the government to achieve its goals. I think that it's really important at the level of sort of a principle here.

It's easier for the government to achieve its goals. I think that it's really important at the level of sort of a principle here.

It's easier for the government to achieve its goals. I think that it's really important at the level of sort of a principle here.

that liberals fall out of love with this procedural fetish that has dominated the left over the last half century and fall back in love with outcomes, to be ruthlessly obsessed with how liberalism has failed and how these kinds of failures aren't just technocratic stories to tell in a podcast.

that liberals fall out of love with this procedural fetish that has dominated the left over the last half century and fall back in love with outcomes, to be ruthlessly obsessed with how liberalism has failed and how these kinds of failures aren't just technocratic stories to tell in a podcast.

that liberals fall out of love with this procedural fetish that has dominated the left over the last half century and fall back in love with outcomes, to be ruthlessly obsessed with how liberalism has failed and how these kinds of failures aren't just technocratic stories to tell in a podcast.

I think this is fundamental to why Democrats are losing the communications war in an era of anti-establishment and anti-institution. We find ourselves in the reflexive position of having all the cranks, so to speak, having left the Democratic Party, and we're the ones who defend all institutions. We're the ones who defend the establishments. We're the ones saying government can only do good.

I think this is fundamental to why Democrats are losing the communications war in an era of anti-establishment and anti-institution. We find ourselves in the reflexive position of having all the cranks, so to speak, having left the Democratic Party, and we're the ones who defend all institutions. We're the ones who defend the establishments. We're the ones saying government can only do good.

I think this is fundamental to why Democrats are losing the communications war in an era of anti-establishment and anti-institution. We find ourselves in the reflexive position of having all the cranks, so to speak, having left the Democratic Party, and we're the ones who defend all institutions. We're the ones who defend the establishments. We're the ones saying government can only do good.

But as a result, we lose the ability to talk to people about how government fails. and how they can see that failure and how sometimes they're literally leaving cities and states run by Democrats because that failure is so effing obvious to them. So this isn't just about the BEAD program. It's not just about 14-step programs. It's not just about rural broadband.

But as a result, we lose the ability to talk to people about how government fails. and how they can see that failure and how sometimes they're literally leaving cities and states run by Democrats because that failure is so effing obvious to them. So this isn't just about the BEAD program. It's not just about 14-step programs. It's not just about rural broadband.

But as a result, we lose the ability to talk to people about how government fails. and how they can see that failure and how sometimes they're literally leaving cities and states run by Democrats because that failure is so effing obvious to them. So this isn't just about the BEAD program. It's not just about 14-step programs. It's not just about rural broadband.

It really is about a higher level principle of political communication. How do you develop a liberalism that in an age of anti-establishment anger both reflects that anger and channels it for proactive purposes by not just doing destruction, destruction, but creative destruction.