Dmitri Melhorn sits outside the mainstream of Democratic thought. Formerly donor advisor to Reid Hoffman, he introduces the concept of war gaming as a tool to explore possible futures in a politically charged environment. With a focus on creating fictional scenarios, he and his colleagues at the Atoll Society aim to help decision-makers better understand the potential ramifications of their choices. Drawing inspiration from Sinclair Lewis’s novel “It Can’t Happen Here,” they have developed three fictional archetypes: the nationalist, the institutionalist, and the capitalist. These teams embody different political ideologies, allowing participants to engage with these perspectives and explore their implications in a simulated 2026 America. The ultimate goal is to win the presidency in 2028 and take power through a peaceful transfer, which the current regime will obviously not want to provide.
This conversation lands somewhere between the game and reality, so it uses the game’s assumptions about the actions that the three groups would take. I don’t think those assumptions are accurate, and you can judge for yourself. Even without accurate assumptions, it’s crucial to think ahead, widening our imagination so we’re no longer shocked by what the MAGA Murder Regime/Epstein Regime does (the bottom is still a long way away).
I don’t know if this game in particular is the way to fully understand our options for regaining power, or if there’s another path to an actionable plan. But the Dems need one, and need to learn to wield power.
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MERCH: I have started a store on bonfire with some initial designs. There’s more to come, but this is a great start.
