In an era where President Donald Trump has leveraged state power to intimidate critics across academia, media, and politics, the timing of Thomas Chatterton Williams’s new book, ‘Summer of Our Discontent,’ has drawn criticism.
Some argue that Williams’s focus on left-wing illiberalism comes at an inappropriate moment, contending that he undermines Democratic critiques of the current administration’s authoritarian tendencies.
Liberal critics have dismissed the work in prominent outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and New York magazine.
However, Williams’s insights could not be more timely.
His book underscores the perplexing reality that many Americans increasingly disdain Democrats more than President Trump, a sentiment reflected in a November 2024 survey identifying that 58 percent of working-class Americans believe Democrats have drifted “too far left.
image source from：washingtonmonthly
