Guest Post: An Abundance of Links
on 04.24.25
NickS writes: I don't know how many people at unfogged have read the new book by Ezra Klein /Derek Thompson -- Abundance. I keep wanting to write something about it, but my take is, essentially, that it's worth reading, but I found it frustratingly unambitious -- it seems purely concerned with being "directionally correct" without trying to examine the questions in much depth. I'm sure that was a deliberate tactical decision; the book is intended to spark discussion, and it seems to be working.
Here are a handful of good responses that I've seen.
David Karpf does a good job of highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the book:
Thankfully, there is more to the thesis than that. And the added nuance is important, because an oversimplified version of the Abundance argument can sound a lot like the old corporation-friendly, pro-growth, yes-to-everything critique of environmentalism that I see rebranded as new every five years or so. Klein and Thompson are, I think, making a more interesting argument than many of their predecessors in the lets-just-grow-our-way-to-utopia genre.
I'd go so far as to say that they are taking a swing at articulating a new governing philosophy that might at long last replace the decaying corpse of neoliberalism.
The neoliberal project insists (1) we can grow our way to paradise and (2) governments should stay out of the way and let the magic of the marketplace work out the details.
By contrast, Klein and Thompson are pretty firmly in favor of government intervention and industrial policy. They aren't just saying "growth is good and we should all cheer for developers!" They are instead saying something more along the lines of, if the government thinks something - housing, clean energy, etc - is a priority, then the government should proactively support that goal. Put money behind it. Don't leave everything to the "will of the markets." And, oh yeah, if the government wants to build high-speed rail or housing (etc etc) then the government should get out of its own damn way and make it can actually fulfill those promises.
DSquared has been doing excellent work trying to sketch out some of the difficulties involved. For example:
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Guest Post: Ukraine Thread
on 04.23.25
Chill writes: In my news bubble, if something positive for Ukraine in the war happens, I'll hear it, and if things go bad I won't know. I know about Trump's withdrawal of aid, and I don't hear news from the front so I figure things must be bad. Yesterday, I read Farley over at LGM extensively excerpting Michael Kofman (LGM link, original Kofman is behind a New York Magazine wall). What hit me hardest were Farleys comments at the end where he says Ukraine is drawing dead and will never be able to regain the territory Russia has taken. If true, that's grimmer than I had thought. I still have a lot of questions. In the short term, how long does Ukraine keep fighting? How well can Europe prop them up? Is there a ceasefire? Is there any scenario in which negotiating with Russia makes sense for Ukraine or do they just fight until the last man falls? In the medium-term, if Ukraine loses the war, what does that look like? (Ugh, this is when I think my news bubble keeping the bad stuff from me is good for my mental health). And I guess in the long term, if there's some negotiated piece that leaves Ukraine with some sovereignty, how long until Russia launches a third war of conquest, and what can Europe do to forestall that?
Heebie's take: Yes, how/what?
We were so much older then.
on 04.22.25
I thought it would be fun to see where exactly we were in mid-April in Trump's first term, so I went back to Unfogged 2017, and here's the WTFuckery thread of that week.
Main themes:
- Jeff Sessions is a dipshit. Dahlia Lithwick: "Nobody doubts for even one second that it's 1959 every single day in Sessions' brain. We were warned."
- Trump and Trudeau being nice to each other
- Trump governing like a run-of-the-mill nihilist Republican
- "Several scientists gravely declaring that they don't believe in protesting in support of science is so fucking naïve" and a protest march day for science.
- Comey deemed decisive in tipping the 2016 election.
Clearly I'm very into finding semi-parallel situations lately, and seeing how people are coping.
Things I'm fretting about:
on 04.21.25
1. Trump implementing the Schedule F thing. (Actually, I thought it was already implemented. I assumed that was the pretext for all the mass firings. But it scares me that it's pouring an accelerant on what's already happening.)
2. The birthright case. Would they actually overturn birthright citizenship?! In their heart of hearts, is the Roberts' court aware of their role in our plunge towards facism?!