The Trump/Musk regime is a grotesque blend of authoritarianism and techno-bro chaos, a mutant force that thrives on spectacle, disruption, and brute force.
No, I don’t think another political party is the answer. Parties exist to sustain themselves, not to fix what’s broken. The last thing we need is another brand of the same old power structure.
I see the Opposition as a coalition—messy, dynamic, and hard to pin down. The Democratic Party can be part of it, but it shouldn’t be steering the ship. The real leverage is local and state-level with non-profits and entrepreneurs working with Dems and the judicial system.
I get that this is radical and maybe not the most practical take. But the system is built to absorb and neutralize anything that plays by its rules. So why waste time building a new box when we could be thinking beyond them altogether?
This is one of those rare pieces that doesn’t just talk about power—it understands it. Justin Foster isn’t here to give anyone a warm hug and a reminder to vote harder. He’s spelling out, in brutal clarity, why the opposition keeps losing and what it will take to win.
The breakdown of the three-headed monster, Corporate Feudalism, Christian Nationalism, and Cult Hysteria, is spot on. This is not a “Trump” problem or a “Musk” problem; they are just symptoms. The disease is a system that churns out these would-be emperors like an assembly line.
What This Gets Right:
Power Doesn't Care About Facts or Feelings – Foster nails it. We’ve spent years screaming about hypocrisy, clutching pearls over the latest outrageous tweet, and assuming that “calling out” bad actors will make them crumble. It won’t. Because their strength isn’t built on truth—it’s built on control.
Winning Requires Strategy, Not Moral Superiority – The progressive movement has long assumed that being right is enough. It isn’t. You need to be ruthlessly practical. MLK understood this when he weaponized media attention to force action in Birmingham. This is not a debate—it’s a war of power, and battles are won with precision, not outrage.
The "3D" Framework Makes Sense – Personal resilience, narrative control, and systemic strategy? This is what a blueprint for winning actually looks like. Not just “register to vote” but control the emotional, cultural, and political battlefield.
Where This Needs Work:
The Call to Action Needs Teeth – The principles here are strong, but what’s the immediate step? Who are the operators and organizations that can actually execute this strategy? Who’s funding it? Where does the infrastructure get built?
More Emphasis on Tactical Disruption – We need more examples of how to hijack narratives in real time. Trump and Musk keep people reacting to them. How do we force them onto our battlefield?
The Bottom Line:
This is a call to grow up politically—to stop playing the game by the old, ineffective rules. If the left wants to win, it must be as relentless, calculated, and unshakable as its enemies. This isn’t about “taking the high road”—it’s about winning the damn war.
Very well thought out and written. Kudos. Now if we could distill this into actionable steps and spoon feed it to Democratic leadership we'd be on our way.
They’ve been around a while. I think they were started by a mix of conservative Dems and republican Allan Simpson. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Way?wprov=sfti1. More recently there was a piece that bounced around Substack and Bluesky from their consultants about how Kamala blew it by listening to activists and not being patriotic enough. I totally love this piece, but please take a look at these guys and think about your branding.
Sorry, but Third Way is also the name adopted by a bunch of corporatist dem party influencers (see recent posts about their “retreat”). This doesn’t read like their stuff, so if you’re not part of it you need a new name. If you are, you’re either lying or, wow, things have changed a lot in a week.
Oh my - Justin you are amazing- I’m actually speechless- in part from getting so little sleep lately attempting to get ahead of this dumpster fire!! I’m all burned out…. and feel that if all these points you’ve made had only been partially digested by the democrats a few years back we wouldn’t be here now…
But sadly I’m feeling like it’s all gone so far off the deep end- who can clean up this mess- and who can work to get millions of koolaid drinking citizens to figure this out…..
I’m thinking to print this out and send it to Adam Schiff and Garamendi- my elected “somethings” don’t feel like they represent me or anyone in CA. after last night…is it copy-written?
Justin, do you believe establishing a new political party with the goal of leveraging local, state and regional legislatures to be an option to fight the three headed federal monster?
Hey, Steve
No, I don’t think another political party is the answer. Parties exist to sustain themselves, not to fix what’s broken. The last thing we need is another brand of the same old power structure.
I see the Opposition as a coalition—messy, dynamic, and hard to pin down. The Democratic Party can be part of it, but it shouldn’t be steering the ship. The real leverage is local and state-level with non-profits and entrepreneurs working with Dems and the judicial system.
I get that this is radical and maybe not the most practical take. But the system is built to absorb and neutralize anything that plays by its rules. So why waste time building a new box when we could be thinking beyond them altogether?
Brilliant article! 👍🏻 Power to the People!
This is one of those rare pieces that doesn’t just talk about power—it understands it. Justin Foster isn’t here to give anyone a warm hug and a reminder to vote harder. He’s spelling out, in brutal clarity, why the opposition keeps losing and what it will take to win.
The breakdown of the three-headed monster, Corporate Feudalism, Christian Nationalism, and Cult Hysteria, is spot on. This is not a “Trump” problem or a “Musk” problem; they are just symptoms. The disease is a system that churns out these would-be emperors like an assembly line.
What This Gets Right:
Power Doesn't Care About Facts or Feelings – Foster nails it. We’ve spent years screaming about hypocrisy, clutching pearls over the latest outrageous tweet, and assuming that “calling out” bad actors will make them crumble. It won’t. Because their strength isn’t built on truth—it’s built on control.
Winning Requires Strategy, Not Moral Superiority – The progressive movement has long assumed that being right is enough. It isn’t. You need to be ruthlessly practical. MLK understood this when he weaponized media attention to force action in Birmingham. This is not a debate—it’s a war of power, and battles are won with precision, not outrage.
The "3D" Framework Makes Sense – Personal resilience, narrative control, and systemic strategy? This is what a blueprint for winning actually looks like. Not just “register to vote” but control the emotional, cultural, and political battlefield.
Where This Needs Work:
The Call to Action Needs Teeth – The principles here are strong, but what’s the immediate step? Who are the operators and organizations that can actually execute this strategy? Who’s funding it? Where does the infrastructure get built?
More Emphasis on Tactical Disruption – We need more examples of how to hijack narratives in real time. Trump and Musk keep people reacting to them. How do we force them onto our battlefield?
The Bottom Line:
This is a call to grow up politically—to stop playing the game by the old, ineffective rules. If the left wants to win, it must be as relentless, calculated, and unshakable as its enemies. This isn’t about “taking the high road”—it’s about winning the damn war.
ALSO: https://twvme.substack.com/p/project-2026-a-progressive-counter
Very well thought out and written. Kudos. Now if we could distill this into actionable steps and spoon feed it to Democratic leadership we'd be on our way.
Fantastic read and what an eye opening perspective. Well done!
They’ve been around a while. I think they were started by a mix of conservative Dems and republican Allan Simpson. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Way?wprov=sfti1. More recently there was a piece that bounced around Substack and Bluesky from their consultants about how Kamala blew it by listening to activists and not being patriotic enough. I totally love this piece, but please take a look at these guys and think about your branding.
Sorry, but Third Way is also the name adopted by a bunch of corporatist dem party influencers (see recent posts about their “retreat”). This doesn’t read like their stuff, so if you’re not part of it you need a new name. If you are, you’re either lying or, wow, things have changed a lot in a week.
Never heard of them. Third Way is the name of my Substack, not a business or movement name.
Oh my - Justin you are amazing- I’m actually speechless- in part from getting so little sleep lately attempting to get ahead of this dumpster fire!! I’m all burned out…. and feel that if all these points you’ve made had only been partially digested by the democrats a few years back we wouldn’t be here now…
But sadly I’m feeling like it’s all gone so far off the deep end- who can clean up this mess- and who can work to get millions of koolaid drinking citizens to figure this out…..
I’m thinking to print this out and send it to Adam Schiff and Garamendi- my elected “somethings” don’t feel like they represent me or anyone in CA. after last night…is it copy-written?
But hey- keep up the amazing work..!!
Justin, do you believe establishing a new political party with the goal of leveraging local, state and regional legislatures to be an option to fight the three headed federal monster?