Noah Smith
· Noahpinion
· August 06, 2026 at 07:14
· ⏱ 12 min read
| Read on Substack ↗
Summary
Noah Smith argues the modern GOP is uniquely dangerous and Democrats are the only rational choice in 2026/2028, but the party's ascendant DSA left limits how much Democratic governance can actually fix. The article contains no actionable trade ideas; its only market-relevant angle is that a future left-influenced Democratic administration could threaten the AI/data-center buildout that Smith calls the economy's biggest tailwind.
•Trump's approval rating has fallen through the supposed 40% floor, per Nate Silver data cited by Smith.
•A Manhattan Institute poll cited in the piece finds 25% of Republicans under 50 self-identify as antisemitic and 31% as racist.
•Smith argues election denial is now a litmus test in the GOP, citing Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany.
•DSA-aligned Francesca Hong, all but certain to be the Democratic nominee for Wisconsin governor, refused to recant a 2020 tweet saying to 'cancel Thanksgiving'; Bernie Sanders said he likely will not endorse her.
•Abdul El-Sayed, a DSA-aligned candidate, won the Michigan Senate primary but with very little working-class support, according to Smith.
•Smith says left-wing Democrats support positions including blaming NATO for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, proposing a 44% cut in property taxes, and halting data-center construction — the latter of which he calls a threat to the economy's biggest tailwind.