Eric Michael Garcia

That feels more in line with Trump's idea of a "Donroe Doctrine" and Trump expanding U.S. surpremacy in the Western hemisphere than it is overextending itself abroad. But that's just how I see it.

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Background here: Dan Driscoll is an ally and former Yale Law School classmate of JD Vance. Hegseth and Vance have been in a power struggle on foreign policy lately. Driscoll is the likely replacement for Hegseth should Hegseth be sacked. Also, the Army brass respects Driscoll more.

Vance is decidedly more isolationist wheres Hegseth was far more hawkish on Iran (and elsewhere). The question is whether Vance decides to move on Hegseth after Hegseth struck first. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Hooo boy! Don't get me started on Ralph Norman. He's part of the House Folding Caucus–I mean Freedom Caucus.

The other side is that touching Social Security would be so politically unpopular that he'd absorb all the heat. Otherwise, a (Hypothetical) President Ocasio-Cortez has to eat dirt on it. But yes, the Covid checks prove the opposite.

I get that. The only thing I'd say is that any Democratic fix to lift the payroll cap will immediately get filibustered under a Democratic president.

Maybe a crazy idea, maybe an idea everyone would hate, but maybe one that could work: If Democrats win back the House and Senate, they should absolutely broker a bipartisan deal to prevent Social Security from becoming insolvent. That way, the next Democratic president won't have to deal with it.

Opinion | Bernie Moreno and Elizabeth Warren: Our Plan to Save Social Security (Gift Article)

Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Moreno have a bipartisan bill to lift the Social Security Payroll tax cap. Merits aside, there are plenty of ideas out there to save Social Security before benefits are slashed in 2032. Capping COLAs for wealthy people is another idea. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/o...

Democrats and Republicans have an incentive for Trump to eat it: A President Vance/Rubio or a President /Harris/Beshear/Shapiro/Pritzker/Ossoff/Ocasio-Cortez would need to spend their political capital crafting a fix for Social Security. Everyone will hate it. It will be unpopular, but necessary.

Yeah, that's what I mean. Do it when Trump is on his way out. Otherwise, any president will have to spend the first term coming up with a fix on Social Security before it goes insolvent.