Happy New Year!
Holiday mail from The Argument
Of the pieces we’ve published in the last year, here are the ones that I think are most relevant for the issues I expect will dominate 2026:
The peasant logic of MAGA politics
American politics is increasingly organized around a simple conviction: There’s only so much to go around. Only so many good jobs, decent homes, and slots in the social hierarchy. If someone else starts doing better, that’s a threat—it means someone else (maybe you) is getting screwed.
If someone builds it, will everyone die?
It is tempting when writing a book review to treat the book as a moment for reflection: on the author, the topic, the cultural moment. But when the book in question’s central claim is that we are all going to die horrible deaths if tech companies succeed at their current plans, the only question that matters is whether o…
The unraveling of Trump's 2024 coalition
Donald Trump’s populist appeal broke the Democratic Party last year. It cost them their base and their message, and it shattered their confidence, as the nonwhite voters Democrats had claimed to champion for years comprehensively turned on them.
We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow but in the meantime, we’d love to hear from you in the comments about what you’re enjoying and would like to see more of from The Argument in the new year.
Geronimo!
I've really enjoyed the pieces examining liberalism as an ideology, including Jerusalem's piece about why she's not a centrist and Yglesias' article 'The fox in liberalism's henhouse'. But to truly defend liberalism in this era in which it is in question, I'd like to see The Argument explore and engage with arguments which challenge liberalism, such as the post-liberalism on the right and left. For liberalism to emerge strengthened, liberal advocates must show that they understand the underlying issues that have motivated so many to turn to populist illiberalism, such as backlash to globalisation, mass migration, hyper-individualism, economic inequality and cultural change. Next, liberals need to show that liberalism - and not a post-liberal reconstruction - can offer tangible solutions. I also believe that disregarding heterodox post-liberal thinkers only adds fuel to the argument, as promoted by Patrick Deneen, that liberalism purports to promote pluralism but in reality enforced uniformity and homogeneity.
I’ve really enjoyed year 1 of the Argument and I can’t wait to read more in 2026.
My favorite articles have been about education, my least favorite are probably the polls. They are well done I’m just not as interested in them as the other articles.
In 2026 I think it might be interesting to get more opinions on foreign affairs topics such as Americas relationship with the EU, China, the Ukrainian war, and the Middle East.