In recent months, Shadi has drawn a lot of online ire for saying that liberals were needlessly (and harmfully) catastrophizing ahead of the November midterms. We decided to talk to one of Shadi's smartest and most eloquent critics on this count—our friend Damon Linker, a former columnist at The Week and current author of the excellent Substack, Eyes on the Right.

We argue about what's "normal" polarization, and what arguments end up making democracy less workable. Is Shadi really too complacent, or is he just being prudent? Is the Muslim Brotherhood "better" on democracy than the GOP? And why does the center-left have a newfound respect for military and intelligence agencies?

In the full episode (for paying subscribers only) Shadi shares some insights gleaned while attending a far-right birthday party (don't ask). Why does the new generation of young conservatives feel so alienated from American politics, and can their grievances ever be accommodated? What can we learn from populist victories in Israel and Hungary? And can a convincing Ron DeSantis victory be the best thing that could happen to us in 2024?

Required Reading:

- “The ‘Democracy Panic’ of 2022 Was Fully Justified,” by Damon Linker (Eyes on the Right).

- Our first podcast with Damon, “Reassessing the Reactionary Right.”

- Fiona Hill’s podcast with us.

- “General Milley says he wasn’t trying to undermine Trump in China Call,” by Teaganne Finne (NBC News).