Finding Method in the Madness
Written By : Ethan Temple, Men4Choice Fellowship Alumni
2025: The Year That Feels Like A Century
It probably goes without saying that times are incredibly turbulent.
And honestly, I don’t blame you if you tuned out. I would too.
Speaking as someone fresh out of college, trying to navigate the job market, constantly plugged into the news; someone who lives, breathes, and eats politics and government, it is exhausting. But there’s a method to my madness. Allow me to lay it out.
On November 5th, 2024, millions turned out to vote for a President that, in the end, probably did not expect to win. In hindsight, however, the outcome was more likely than one could have realized.
Donald Trump was voted into office for a number of reasons, which fervent supporters and opponents will continue to debate as the fallout continues to unfold over the next four years and many more to come.
But there is one reason I think Donald Trump was able to win over the American electorate for the second time — he catered to the most fundamental desires and fears of the average American. Namely: security.
Financial security.
Cultural security.
National security.
Social Security.
He had an answer for them — even if they don’t hold water under even the slightest scrutiny.
He taps into the fears and worries the American people had about the economy and is now pushing a deeply unpopular tax and spending bill — the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” — that’s poised to do the following:
Gut billions from Medicare and Medicaid
Slash billions from Social Security
Cut food stamps and other social safety programs
Complicate eligibility for Medicaid, food stamps
Ties up no tax on tips, overtime and car loans in layers of red tape
Eliminates clean energy credits that fuel innovation
Makes it harder for working Americans to save
Override states on access to reproductive care
All to fund trillions in unfunded tax cuts that would overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy.
He is wielding the power of the federal government to shut down dissenting views and detain lawful residents and citizens of the country — the defunding of PBS and NPR, threats against universities, and detaining people like activist Mahmoud Khalil in the name of law and order.
He calls for peace in the world, but has elected to strike Iran and engage the United States in a war that nobody wants to be involved in. The War in Ukraine, he said, would end on day 1 of his presidency — it has since gotten worse. The war in Gaza, too, he said would be over upon his inauguration; there is now fear of famine in the enclave.
He claims to be detaining dangerous illegal criminals, when less than 10% of immigrants detained by ICE since the beginning of his term have been convicted of serious crimes. Many are swept up not for murder, violence, or fraud, but for simply not having the right paperwork — arrested suddenly and without due process.
These are not criminals, but rather they are:
Recent graduates (Emerson Colindres)
Spouses (Paola Clouatre)
Parents (Narciso Barranco)
Hard-workers (Francisco Urizar)
Those interviewing for citizenship (Mohsen Mahdawi, Kasper Eriksen)
For them and many, many more, the fear is constant. For even citizens or those with relatives who are here legally, there is always a concern that an unmarked car will take them or their loved ones away. Even if they believed they’ve done everything “the right way.”
He claims to be protecting life when he is gutting childcare programs, targeting public television, ending a special division of the national suicide prevention hotline dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth, and working to restrict reproductive healthcare for women.
But he is only able to do all of this because he won.
For those who count themselves among Democrats, and specifically progressives, myself among them, we must be truthful in our assessment: the message that Trump fielded was a deceptively simple message — and is in fact the same message he pushed when he ran for President in 2016.
Namely: Our government does not work, and I will fix everything for you, the People.
Now, for those constantly tapped into the news, the politics, and public policy, and who ardently oppose Donald Trump it means one thing: he is taking advantage of the chaos for his own personal and political advantage.
But for the working American, those who may only briefly tune in if at all, that message can mean so many different things.
And therein is the method to his madness.
What Makes Trump So Appealing?
Trump’s message is so attractive because it is so simple. It makes the complexities of government, the nuances of policy and consequences of politics, easy to understand for Americans struggling to keep up with their lives, to the point of oversimplification.
Take for example the following:
“Economy’s not working for you? We’ll have China pay tariffs to make us rich.”
(Spoiler: Americans pay those tariffs, not China).
“Your community is struggling to make ends meet? Illegal immigrants are at fault. They commit crimes and leech off your tax dollars”
(Spoiler: immigrants are less likely to cause crime and illegal/undocumented immigrants are not eligible for federal welfare).
“Miss the the good ol’ days?” Blame the “woke” crowd.”
(Spoiler: It is not a crime to be who you are or who you want to love).
You’ve no doubt heard these before, in some variation or another by Trump or a local elected official. And they’re everywhere because they’re easy to disseminate.
Even when much of what Trump says is baseless, it is nevertheless effective. Their rhetoric makes things sound easy. It gives a clear target for people to focus on. It channels fear into anger. And that anger turns into fear — and fear into action. And the results show. Take young men for example, who I will pick on because I myself am a part of that cohort. Young men voted for Trump by 56% in 2024, which is an astonishing statistic, on the surface. They are highly prevalent in conservative circles because they have come to believe in what they promise: that aggressive foreign policy is strength, and that all it takes to succeed in life is “pulling yourself up by the bootstraps.”
It is not policy these voters are responding to per se — they are responding to clarity, identity and strength, all things that guide people through uncertain times.
And between the economic uncertainty and the stresses modern society puts on men in particular and Americans more broadly, can you blame them for entrusting their livelihoods to someone like Trump? Someone who gave a clear, targeted vision for a country still recovering from inflation, and whose society is changing at breakneck pace?
As someone who is a card-carrying member of the Democratic Party (figuratively speaking), I can’t blame people for voting for Trump if they believed they would help their daily lives. I can certainly argue with them, but at day's end, my upbringing led me down a different view of the world, and their world has been built around the promises of Trump.
Yet Another Democratic Postmortem…?
Now this all sounds like an endorsement of Trump, his rhetoric and his policies. It also sounds like I am blaming Trump for everything in the world.
In reality, it’s more complicated than that.
The rhetoric of Trump, at day's end, divides Americans more than it solves anything. His policies, likewise, do little to make tangible progress on the issues. But even the sleaziest businessman can identify what is profitable, and even he cannot control everything— but he will continue to push quack medicine to pursue what he can grab.
Yet, rather than just say he’s selling quack medicine, it must be up to us to offer real medicine that can sell.
Trust in government is at an all-time low — that’s a given. And Democrats, especially, are not trusted by the public. Now, as someone who has been a Democrat for as long as I engaged in politics, the party has so much potential and can form a very powerful message. Yet, for one reason or another, it is just not resonating. Why is that?
Generally, Democrats are seen as the “establishment,” those who will cling to institutions through thick and thin. Yes, institutions are incredibly important and Democrats are right to respect them. I can, in all honesty, consider myself an “institutionalist.” Moreover, Democrats can, and have, achieved significant good in the past twenty years, with the Affordable Care Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, Respect for Marriage Act, CHIPS and Science Act, and, to some extent, the Inflation Reduction Act as major achievements.
However we must be honest with ourselves: many of our institutions are not working as intended, and that shows. Healthcare is unaffordable; access to reproductive care is increasingly limited; housing is unattainable; social services are underutilized and meager; regulations that limit the potential of working and middle America while benefitting those who write them continue to proliferate; a broken immigration system has become a political battleground; and an unfair tax code benefits the super wealthy, just to name a few examples. Our government, at present, fails to serve we, the People, and wasted tax dollars continue to erode the people’s full faith and credit in the government.
And we as Democrats, those who identify as an “institutionalist,” must come to grips with these shortcomings and adapt accordingly. And fast.
After all, the Republicans adapted in the wake of Obama in 2008. And look how much they’ve gained since.
So…what’s my point, exactly? I’ve kept you this long, the punchline has to come soon. Well, let’s return to the young men, real quick.
The Case of Young Men: What Does It Take to Win?
There are reasons why young men are gravitating to the right, to the Donald Trumps and Andrew Tates of the world. Beyond the arrogance and misogyny, they identify the issues with society, in government, and give them answers. They answer what the American Dream fails to. They are crude answers, distorted by resentment and ego, which feed the worst tendencies in some — but they are answers nevertheless. And in an age of distrust and misinformation, they’ll feel as though they are the best they are going to get — and it often invites far worse choices and behaviors.
Democrats, at present, do not have such an answer. So the choice becomes an answer that distorts the world…or no answer at all.
So what does that exactly mean for us on the left, the progressive crowd? There must be something for us to step in with — not merely judgement, but something better. Something more constructive. Something clearer.
Does this mean we need to shift “to the center?” Well, not necessarily. For years, progressive policies have been largely popular, even among conservatives. Just look at minimum wage increases and weed legalization as examples. But something has been missing for some time. Popularity, though, is just a part of it. There’s also the why. Why this? Why vote for us? Why vote for the person and the idea? Then there is the what. What will you do to help me? What will you do to make things different?
It is these questions that separates the Donald Trumps and AOCs from, say, the Jeb Bushes and Kamala Harrises. One group leads to movements. The others lead to safer, but ultimately missed, opportunities.
So, what is the why? What will we do to make things different?
America’s government and society is in a very uncertain place right now. We can all agree to that. Polarization and economic uncertainty has made us more isolated, when we need to be more united. Our government is taking steps to waste what little trust the public has in it, when it needs to be winning that trust back.
America’s problems do not lie with minorities or immigrants or the LGBTQ+ community; our problems are not with women who want the right to decide for themselves what they wish to do with their own bodies; our problems do not lie with vaccines or science. But all of these, and more will certainly be under threat if our government continues to fail to serve we, the People.
So, what should be the method to our (the left’s) madness? I can tell you what it shouldn’t be: it should not just be the “we’re not Donald Trump” brand. Sure it worked in 2018, 2020, and 2022 — but those were all barely successful. Trying to find our “Joe Rogan” too won’t be enough either. No amount of alternate podcasts can pry a devoted fanbase away from their chosen outlets.
Instead, it is incumbent on us to create something new.
It must be something tangible. Something earnest. Something ambitious. Something…personal. Something that tells the American people, young men and beyond, that we are with you, and we have something to guide you to a brighter future. Something truly progressive.
A message that should generate ideas of freedom, justice, and unity, three core values this republic and its society was founded on. A message that brings people of all backgrounds together and builds consensus. A message that can, and should, point towards an ambitious and promising future. Most importantly, however, it must be a message that earns the trust of the American people. Trust is where we on the left struggle with, and accordingly it should be what we must tackle first.
We must craft a message that truly tackles the pains of our ever-changing world, acknowledge that government is not perfect and that it must be changed, but not in the manner the current administration is taking it — for that only leads to further pain, chaos, and uncertainty. A government that does not trust its people’s choices cannot expect trust in kind.
It should say, in as few words: Trust us because we have good ideas, not because we’re not the other folks.
So how should we, the left, do that?
Well, here’s my take. Feel free to critique it.
A New Message for A New American Dream
First, forget “big” government and “small” government. We should be looking for good government.
Now, that’s all well and good. But what is “good government?” you may, very reasonably, ask. While subjective, here’s what I define it as. Good government:
Works from trust and transparency, not fear and force.
Strategically reduces burdensome, prohibitive red tape and builds on more protective, proactive regulation that grow middle America.
Combines fiscal responsibility and transparency with meaningful investment in the American peoples’ healthcare, education, and welfare.
Makes America a true land of opportunity, breaking down barriers that citizens and new immigrants face.
Balances individual autonomy and the common good.
Promotes community through shared responsibility and intentional allyship.
Defends the public interest and resists forces that seek to divide us — internally and externally.
Empowers we, the People, to hold them, the Government, accountable.
So, at the end of the day, what is good government? In short, good government is something to be trusted. It enhances freedom, not limits it. It respects you, the citizen, not coerces you. It is something worth fighting for, not against. It is something that entrusts the people, rather than the few, to lead. And, as with all good things, it is never easy to attain without hard work and responsibility.
The beauty of democracy is that it is built on consensus and respect. My version of good government could be different from yours. And it probably is. And that is ok. At day’s end, we are all Americans. Whether we are born into citizenship or gain it, we all wish to live out the American Dream on our own terms. Having a good government can help with that. With good government comes good times.
And who doesn’t want good times?
At day’s end — it’s simplicity and clarity the people want — and we can deliver that. But rather than just “we,” as in progressives, I mean “we, the People.” It takes more than the youth and college educated people to achieve this vision. It takes people of all backgrounds, classes, genders, communities, and political stripes to make it real. Just ask Zohran Mamdani — he stayed true to his beliefs while cutting across these diverse backgrounds to win the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City.
After all, good government benefits all of us.
What Now?
So how can this be done? What can you do? My advice: start with a good, honest conversation. Talk with your parents. Talk to your friends. Reach out to your teachers, relatives, partners — whoever. And just…talk. Don’t debate them. Don’t argue with them. Listen to them. Understand them. And learn from them. What gets them up in the morning? What is on their mind? What pushes them?
If you feel driven and if you feel passionate about something from those conversations— reach out and connect with local advocacy organizations. Or start one yourself. There are always people who are ready to accept and activate you. Then, when all is said and done, mobilize. Go out there, fight the good fight. Fight your good fight. There’s always a cause worth fighting for, especially in the pursuit of a greater ideal.
For me, that is making government good again — preserving individual autonomy while uplifting the common good.
Make this country worth fighting for. Cut through the noise but understand the realities that make it. And fight to change that reality for the better.
For the sake of the people of today and for generations to come, we must learn, act, and mobilize.
That is the method to this madness — and a way to get out of it.
