Jonathan V. Last

The government becomes the personal business of that state. So you get petty corruption. You get financial corruption. That's stuff like the famous meme coin exploit on the first term, having people put up at Trump properties. And you get all that stuff.

But you get the bigger form of corruption, which is political corruption, which is when you obliterate the distinction between serving the leader and serving the state, and you turn entire engines of government to the advancement of the personal interests of the guy in charge. And of course, we're seeing that in a big way.

But you get the bigger form of corruption, which is political corruption, which is when you obliterate the distinction between serving the leader and serving the state, and you turn entire engines of government to the advancement of the personal interests of the guy in charge. And of course, we're seeing that in a big way.

But you get the bigger form of corruption, which is political corruption, which is when you obliterate the distinction between serving the leader and serving the state, and you turn entire engines of government to the advancement of the personal interests of the guy in charge. And of course, we're seeing that in a big way.

So corruption is not necessarily self-explanatory, but people don't like it. They do understand it. And it turns out that when you look through history and different places and times, what seems to work consistently in taking down a patrimonial regime is targeting its corruption in your messaging. So in the late 19th and early 20th century, that works for the progressives in America.

So corruption is not necessarily self-explanatory, but people don't like it. They do understand it. And it turns out that when you look through history and different places and times, what seems to work consistently in taking down a patrimonial regime is targeting its corruption in your messaging. So in the late 19th and early 20th century, that works for the progressives in America.

So corruption is not necessarily self-explanatory, but people don't like it. They do understand it. And it turns out that when you look through history and different places and times, what seems to work consistently in taking down a patrimonial regime is targeting its corruption in your messaging. So in the late 19th and early 20th century, that works for the progressives in America.

That's how they take down the political machines. They're relentless about the corruption of Tammany Hall and the famous Thomas Nass cartoons and all of those people. This is how, in the modern world, it's how the Ukrainians take down their regime in the Orange Revolution and afterwards. Yushchenko, the guy they overthrew. Yeah.

That's how they take down the political machines. They're relentless about the corruption of Tammany Hall and the famous Thomas Nass cartoons and all of those people. This is how, in the modern world, it's how the Ukrainians take down their regime in the Orange Revolution and afterwards. Yushchenko, the guy they overthrew. Yeah.

That's how they take down the political machines. They're relentless about the corruption of Tammany Hall and the famous Thomas Nass cartoons and all of those people. This is how, in the modern world, it's how the Ukrainians take down their regime in the Orange Revolution and afterwards. Yushchenko, the guy they overthrew. Yeah.

Yeah. They highlight his corruption. This is how the Polish democratic forces kicked out the Law and Justice Party. in 2023, after I think eight or nine years of installing some pretty deep patrimonialist roots, they got kicked out because the opposition nailed them on corruption. This was Navalny's strategy before he was killed. It was Navalny's strategy. That's why Putin had to kill him.

Yeah. They highlight his corruption. This is how the Polish democratic forces kicked out the Law and Justice Party. in 2023, after I think eight or nine years of installing some pretty deep patrimonialist roots, they got kicked out because the opposition nailed them on corruption. This was Navalny's strategy before he was killed. It was Navalny's strategy. That's why Putin had to kill him.

Yeah. They highlight his corruption. This is how the Polish democratic forces kicked out the Law and Justice Party. in 2023, after I think eight or nine years of installing some pretty deep patrimonialist roots, they got kicked out because the opposition nailed them on corruption. This was Navalny's strategy before he was killed. It was Navalny's strategy. That's why Putin had to kill him.

Navalny went big on Putin's corruption. So you can go on and on in this way. I think a seminal campaign And demonstration in America, in the United States, which you may remember, was Newt Gingrich's campaign against House Speaker Jim Wright. This is in the late 80s and early 90s. Your younger audience members won't remember it.

Navalny went big on Putin's corruption. So you can go on and on in this way. I think a seminal campaign And demonstration in America, in the United States, which you may remember, was Newt Gingrich's campaign against House Speaker Jim Wright. This is in the late 80s and early 90s. Your younger audience members won't remember it.

Navalny went big on Putin's corruption. So you can go on and on in this way. I think a seminal campaign And demonstration in America, in the United States, which you may remember, was Newt Gingrich's campaign against House Speaker Jim Wright. This is in the late 80s and early 90s. Your younger audience members won't remember it.

Time is slipping away from me. So the Republicans are in a permanent minority in the House, and a backbencher, a kind of eccentric guy named Newt Gingrich, decides that he's going to take down the Democratic majority by taking down the Speaker of the House. And to do that, he starts launching ethics investigations against House Speaker Jim Wright, who's a Democrat from Texas.

Time is slipping away from me. So the Republicans are in a permanent minority in the House, and a backbencher, a kind of eccentric guy named Newt Gingrich, decides that he's going to take down the Democratic majority by taking down the Speaker of the House. And to do that, he starts launching ethics investigations against House Speaker Jim Wright, who's a Democrat from Texas.

Time is slipping away from me. So the Republicans are in a permanent minority in the House, and a backbencher, a kind of eccentric guy named Newt Gingrich, decides that he's going to take down the Democratic majority by taking down the Speaker of the House. And to do that, he starts launching ethics investigations against House Speaker Jim Wright, who's a Democrat from Texas.

And he begins going on a massive publicity tour, which initially is just basically him, right? He's just some guy. But the theme of the tour and of everything he says, and he talks to media everywhere he can, and he gets on the House floor, and as I said, he launches House ethics probes, is most corrupt speaker ever.