Things Fall Apart
On political disarray, historical pivots, and what comes next
The Democratic Party is in disarray, without a true leader — and that may actually be a blessing for now. In truth, their real leader at the moment is Donald Trump — not because they support him, but because their entire focus and strategy depends on him. Without Trump, they would be in serious trouble. There will be time for them to tear themselves apart later if they find it necessary — but for now, President Trump will do.
The Republican Party, meanwhile, has become completely dependent on Donald Trump and MAGA. Without them, there is no meaningful Republican Party. If Trump loses their trust, remains tied to foreign wars, or fails to hear the majority of Americans — those not fixated on immigration or foreign policy, but simply looking for good jobs with good benefits, not tax breaks for the wealthy — it could mark the end of the Republican Party as we know it.
The Democrats have no clear leader. The Republicans have no clear alternative to Trump.
Good. If we survive the 2026 midterms intact, we might finally get a realistic look at modern alternatives for both parties in the 2028 campaign.
As I’ve mentioned before, Elon Musk has the money to form an America Party and get it on every ballot in 2028. And other voices will rise as well. In times like this, they are not “third parties.” They are alternatives. Real ones. That election cycle also gives both of the existing parties time to reform — to re-align with the challenges of the 21st century — or to simply fade and be replaced.
It’s happened before.
In 1858, when Abraham Lincoln debated Stephen Douglas in his campaign for the U.S. Senate, he had only recently left the traditional opposition party of the time — the Whigs — to run as a Republican. He lost that Senate race. Two years later in 1860, he ran for president as a Republican. He won.
That shift — from a dead party to a new presidency — happened in two years. More than a century and a half ago, that was fast…and no TikTok!
There is real hope for a reorganization of American politics — one with new directions designed to meet the needs and the desires of the American people as we face the fourth decade of the 21st century confronting the new President, and not a moment too soon. We know we can do better, and we must. Or we can isolate, stagnate, and degenerate.
As one language site puts it, “Time and tide wait for no man” has been part of the English language for about 800 years. Its meaning:
“The importance of seizing opportunities before they are lost.”
Agreed, but it is not enough.
Politics is only part of the picture. What matters most is how we hold together at the personal level — with our families, our closest friends, and the values that anchor our lives.
I have an approach to share.
Stay tuned.
A note: The phrase “Things fall apart” isn’t just a political metaphor — it’s a literary one that’s stuck with me for decades.
In 1958, the Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe published Things Fall Apart. I finally had a copy — and the time to read it — in the 1970s while working in Accra, Ghana. As Wikipedia puts it:
“His first novel and magnum opus, Things Fall Apart, occupies a pivotal place in African literature and remains the most widely studied, translated, and read African novel.”
All true — but the one thing I will never forget is the impact of those three words. They summed up the novel brilliantly, and they still resonate with me today, decades later, sitting in Panama, watching a troubled world shudder on its axis.
I only wish I could write half as well as Chinua.