This episode of the Ezra Klein podcast was worth listening to twice.
It’s great for a lot of reasons:
- Clear, lucid thinking on a complex set of topics (china, the Trump Admin, policy in general, political courage)
- An example of a thinker/leader with a clear point of view on the future (Friedman)
- An example of a set of policy ideas that are actually long-term, positive, future-facing… but…
- Generated an honest sense of sense of urgency (i.e. if we don’t change our approach, we’re screwed)
But, what caught my ear was a consistent theme: our current leaders aren’t serious about a good outcome with China.
Serious. Are we serious? Are our leaders?
Here’s a long quote that demonstrates the exasperation of two guys who are deep thinkers about how to sustain American power:
I want to go back first to the point we were discussing about just the unseriousness of this administration.
The morning after Trump announced he was putting this massive tariff on China when the markets really melted down, I actually called our editors and said, not the most important story of the day, not the most disturbing story of the day. Please don’t lose sight. Of this story:
On the day before, we learned, or maybe in the same day, that Laura Loomer a conspiracy peddler who believes 9-11 was an inside job, was in the Oval Office , and we have since learned, apparently or reportedly, urged Trump to fire the head of our national security agency and his deputy, two of the most respected intelligence professionals in the world, because they weren’t pro-Trump enough.
Who knows what it was, Ezra? And Trump did that. Fired the head of basically two of our most important cyber warriors, defenders and warriors, widely respected around the world. He did that on the advice of a political witch doctor.
Holy mackerel.
… How can we be a serious country? Talk about things that filter down. That then filters down through the whole bureaucracy. Can I offer up intelligence that Trump will not like? So that’s to me, just we have to get that in there.
How could the president take such critical advice from someone like Loomer? How did she even get in the room where it happens?
And, as a result, what does tell us about what it mean to be “serious”?
What’s the difference between “serious” an unserious people? Between Tom Freidman and Loomer? And, in fiction, between Logan and the rest of the Roy family?
Time to do a little research.