Sciolistic and Treadless: The Democrats’ Rough 2026

American Greatness ^ | 30 August 2026 | Roger Kimball

[Rummyfan]

Suffering from an acute, and possibly terminal, case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, the Democrats have been assiduous in shredding their credibility since the 2024 election.

So how is it going? In the Republic, I mean. Pretty well, I’d say. President Trump just announced the Mother of All Oil Deals with Venezuela, the country he liberated from its narco Chinese puppet Nicolás Maduro at the beginning of 2026. (Was it only at the beginning of January 2026 that President Trump extracted Maduro and his wife from their heavily guarded palace? Yes. Time flies when you are having a good time.) “BREAKING NEWS,” the president reported on social media,

The United States of America has just entered into an Agreement with the Country of Venezuela on, THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY! At my direction, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, working closely with Highly Respected Interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, and, through a partnership with private business, have secured majority U.S. control of more than 65 BILLION BARRELS of proven Oil Reserves in Venezuela, at no cost to the American Taxpayer. This Historic Transaction MORE THAN DOUBLES American Oil Reserves, greatly increases our Oil Supply, and will substantially lower Gas Prices for all Americans, long into the future, while helping to continue to set Venezuela on a course toward Tremendous Success and Great Prosperity. This Transaction will greatly strengthen the already growing relationship between Venezuela and the United States! Thank you for your attention to this groundbreaking matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

This is good—nay, great, which is to say GREAT—news for America and ordinary Americans (if any Americans can be said to be “ordinary”). It is bad news for Democrats. Why? Hearken to what President Trump said. The deal not only “greatly increases our Oil Supply,”

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TOPICS: Miscellaneous; Politics; Society
KEYWORDS:

[sauropod]

B kmk

[Eli Kopter]

Kimball is saying that the Democratic Party is intellectually superficial and politically failing to gain momentum. From Gemini: “Sciolistic” (Superficial Knowledge): Derived from sciolism—defined as displaying a pretentious attitude of knowledge or superficial scholarship. Kimball uses this to describe his political opponents (notably referencing figures like Elizabeth Warren) as posing with intellectual authority while lacking actual substance or understanding of real-world mechanics (like economic policy or global energy markets). “Treadless” (Lacking Traction): A metaphor drawn from a worn-down tire with no tread. Kimball means that the Democrats are “spinning out” whenever they encounter reality—they cannot gain traction, hold political leverage, or mount an effective narrative against current Republican achievements. “