Tequila, Quaaludes, and American Decline
The U.S. chose chaos—again. Frum’s metaphor isn’t a warning. It’s a diagnosis.
“There was an opportunity for the United States to say to the world: We swear to you, we will never, ever, ever mix Tequila and Quaaludes again. But then we did.”
— David Frum
The Messenger Matters — But So Does the Message
Before we get too deep, let’s acknowledge something up front: David Frum is not exactly beloved by the current American right. As a senior editor at The Atlantic and a frequent MSNBC contributor, many conservatives are likely to dismiss him out of hand. But to do so would be a mistake.
Frum isn’t some left-wing activist parachuting in to critique a political movement he never understood. He was a key architect of early 2000s conservatism, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, and someone whose political instincts were shaped by a commitment to American power, free markets, and the Western alliance. He’s not just speaking against Trumpism; he’s mourning what it has done to the ideals he once defended.
And in his recent MSNBC interview, Frum dropped one of the most piercing metaphors I’ve heard about the current political moment—comparing a second Trump presidency to mixing Tequila and Quaaludes again after promising you never would. It’s funny, in a tragic kind of way. And it perfectly captures the recklessness and amnesia baked into our politics.
Fractured Trust Isn’t Easily Repaired
Frum’s deeper point isn’t just about domestic dysfunction. It’s about what happens when the world stops trusting us.
America’s strength on the global stage has never just been about raw power—it’s been about credibility. The trust that allies have in our word, our agreements, our leadership. After the first Trump presidency, there was damage—but also hope. The world wanted to believe it was a one-off, a populist hiccup that could be reversed. But a second round? That signals something different. Not a fluke, but a pattern.
As Frum puts it, even if a future president tries to reverse course, the rest of the world will remember. Allies may think twice before relying on us. NATO countries may choose Swedish or French weaponry over ours—not because it's better, but because it’s less politically volatile. Trade partners may hedge their bets elsewhere. And perhaps most alarmingly, adversaries like Vladimir Putin will have already notched a major strategic win.
Putin’s Long Game Is Working
Let’s not lose sight of this: One of Vladimir Putin’s core objectives has long been to weaken the Western alliance—especially the U.S. role within it. Undermine trust. Sow division. Erode unity. Less than 90 days into the second Trump term, with its tariff chaos, erratic diplomacy, and contempt for traditional alliances, it has already been a dream scenario for the Kremlin.
And the bitter truth is, regardless of what happens prospectively, much of that damage has already been done. The U.S. has shown the world that it can, and might again, abandon its allies, upend norms, and govern by impulse. We’ve shown that populist strongman politics isn't a passing flirtation, but a recurring craving.
What If Free and Fair Elections Aren’t a Given?
Frum drops another line in that clip that deserves more attention than it’s gotten: “Should there be free and fair elections…” suggesting it’s not a forgone conclusion. He says it almost in passing, but it should not be ignored.
This is where we are now—questioning the basic assumption that our electoral process will remain intact. That votes will be counted. That peaceful transitions will be honored. That losing candidates won’t summon mobs or refuse to concede. This is not fringe speculation. It’s a plausible concern shared by former officials, legal scholars, and yes, even center-right figures like Frum.
If we can’t guarantee free and fair elections, then none of this is academic. It’s existential.
The Second Round Always Hits Harder
I wrote, back in 2024, about how America seemed strangely drawn to chaos. The piece was titled, “Ready for the Rollercoaster Again? America’s Strange Relationship with Calm.” We had just begun to steady ourselves after years of turbulence—and yet, something in the national psyche seemed to miss the drama. The outrage. The adrenaline.
Now, we’re back on the rollercoaster. It’s happening. Exactly what myself and many others predicted. The wild swings, the institutional erosion, the sense that nothing is anchored—we feel it every day. At times, it feels less like politics and more like Russian Roulette. And it’s unlikely to end well. Possibly, as Frum suggests, with a recession. But it could be something much worse.
The World Remembers. We Already Forgot.
We once stood at the edge, eyeing the rollercoaster—still dizzy from the last ride, but bored by the calm, tempted by the thrill. Now, we’re not just watching it—we’re strapped in, mid-descent, hands in the air like none of it matters. And it’s only the start.
We swore we’d never mix Tequila and Quaaludes again. But we did.
As Thomas Jefferson once said: “The government you elect is the government you deserve.”