Less than a year ago (though somehow it feels longer), I shared my thoughts on the then-upcoming 2024 election. Perhaps unsurprisingly, posting my concerns on the Internet failed to turn the tide the way I felt it needed to turn. In any case, the past is now past, but we have another election coming up in a few months, so I thought I’d share a few new thoughts.
First of all, while I had hoped at the time that my concerns would prove be unfounded, I feel like things have proceeded in almost exactly the way I feared that they would (though perhaps a little more quickly than even I had expected). The government has been rapidly purged of competent public servants, to make way for incompetent ideologues who have promptly done and said numerous appalling and stupid things. Negative sentiment against minority groups continues to be stoked and exploited (and in increasingly transparent terms). Those in power are nakedly attempting to consolidate their power before they can lose their grip on it, as evidenced by “off-season” gerrymandering and new attacks on voting rights. The threat of violence is inherent in many actions, from pardoning convicted rioters because of their politics to deploying the military as a political prop to renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War. I don’t see how anyone can fail to pick up what the current administration is putting down, and I really fail to see how anyone can find it acceptable.
I’ve been unhappy with American politics before, but this is a whole new level. My concerns are not just philosophical or theoretical; I’m feeling the impacts already and have every reason to believe things will continue to get worse before they get better. Talented international colleagues are losing opportunities to work here on a long-term basis and are generally unwilling to even visit for conferences. The gutting of federal agencies caused the early termination of a grant project that I’ve put a great deal of time and energy into (and harmed lots of other work far more important than mine). The administration’s erratic tariff actions have already cost me a significant amount of money (a new tax, I should point out, for those who hate taxes) and put a cloud of uncertainty over things like the future of crowdfunding projects and the ability to receive international mail (both of which are important to me, given my hobbies). Problems which have been senselessly politicized but which we all should view as potential existential threats – whether it be global warming, the possibility of another pandemic, gun violence, or the consequences of unchecked artificial intelligence development – are being at best ignored and at worst actively accelerated. On the international stage, we are abandoning traditional allies and emboldening traditional foes. This is all very bad, and I frankly cannot think of a single positive thing to offset any of it. I don’t feel that “my side” has lost – I feel like everyone is losing, apart from a handful of corrupt and powerful individuals.
I’m not saying all this to wallow in gloom and doom: this is a call to action. Because the thing is, all is not lost. The 2025 election seems small by comparison to the 2024 one, but it still matters a lot. For example, in my state (Pennsylvania), there is a judicial retention question on the ballot which could be hugely impactful – dropping the current judges could ultimately open the door to Texas-style gerrymandering in the state, which could effectively rob me (and many others in the more liberal-leaning parts of the state) of appropriate representation. I imagine every ballot has something of some relevance, whether it be local offices, ballot questions, or filling off-cycle vacancies. Take a little time: make sure you’re registered to vote, figure out what the issues are, and turn out this year to make your voice heard. Let’s prove that there are still large numbers of Americans who care about what’s happening in this country, and let’s rebuke all of the ultimately self-destructive things that our government has been doing under the present administration.
To some, maybe this sounds like the whining of a “lib” who got “owned.” To others, maybe these words sound hollow because it seems like all is already lost. But whether you think my politics are too strong or too weak, I hope you can agree with my fundamental message: pay attention, understand what you’re voting for, and vote your conscience. I feel that our society is on a very dangerous road, but we haven’t completely fallen into chaos yet. Let’s make this year count and see if we can introduce a little moderation into a system that has become extraordinarily unbalanced.
– Demian Katz, September, 2025
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