by Noah Rothman
Republicans are imitating Obama’s approach by needling Democratic voters to the point that they take leave of their senses. And it could backfire.
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Then-President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington, D.C., January 12, 2016.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Republicans with long memories are experiencing some foreboding déjà vu.
The Democratic Party’s loudest, if not most representative, voters are spitting mad. They appear to reserve most of their manic hostility not for their Republican opponents but their fellow Democrats. They demand catharsis from their legislators — grand futile gestures that trade tactical soundness for visceral pique. And they are increasingly succumbing to magical thinking.
About the Author
Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.
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Republicans with long memories are experiencing some foreboding déjà vu.
The Democratic Party’s loudest, if not most representative, voters are spitting mad. They appear to reserve most of their manic hostility not for their Republican opponents but their fellow Democrats. They demand catharsis from their legislators — grand futile gestures that trade tactical soundness for visceral pique. And they are increasingly succumbing to magical thinking.
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About the Author
Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.
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