Reinhold Ernst is a veteran and advocate of democracy related reforms as a member of Veterans for Political Innovation.
Most Americans and even veterans are unfamiliar with the relatively new organization, Veterans for Political Innovation - VPI for short. There are a lot of organizations out there, so allow me to quickly lay out the basic "five W's."
Why does VPI exist?
"Why?" is the most important question. Our mission is to build and mobilize a community of military veterans to advocate for election innovations that unlock competition, make our politics less toxic and our government more effective. In other words, we realize our beloved republic is struggling to govern effectively, which we believe is largely due to flawed democratic processes. These processes are the collective set of incentives - or disincentives, really - for collaboration, and should put country over party or theatrics.
Who is in VPI?:
VPI is currently a nexus of over 1,500 veterans from all military services. But why veterans exclusively? There are two primary reasons. First, veterans share a common bond, having sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution and we generally are staunch patriots. Our nation's increasing dysfunction uniquely pains us, so VPI is an outlet for veterans to share experiences and ideas on how to enact political innovations that will get our nation back on track. Second and more importantly, veterans as a group are among the most trusted people in American society. Our words and efforts carry significant weight, and VPI sees this moment as not just an opportunity, but as a responsibility to contribute to the national conversation.
What, where and when?:
The good news is that great initiatives are happening in all states and territories, unique to their respective laws and circumstances. VPI simply aims to give energy to those initiatives as opportunities arise. But in a bigger picture, VPI seeks to emphasize open primaries and voting innovations like Instant Runoff Voting, which together amount to a Final Four or Five solution. You may recognize this as something like the "Alaska model." VPI is not wed to one single solution, but we just point to this model as one example of how bold innovations are possible, necessary, and effective.
How do we connect?
If you're a veteran, military family member, or if you know of any veterans who are feeling discouraged about the state of our national political discourse, then we hope you take a few minutes to check out our website and consider shooting us a note. For starters, we have a ton more info right here: https://www.veteransforpoliticalinnovation.org/.
If you'd like to put a toe in the water, click on Menu, then State Leaders and shoot your state leader a note to say hello. If you're ready to jump all-in, then submit a volunteer form. That'll get you set-up for an introductory virtual meeting with one of VPI's founders to talk through all of your thoughts and questions. Onward!
A golden tray sits on the Resolute Desk as President Donald Trump speaks during an announcement on American nuclear innovation in the Oval Office at the White House on July 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Trump is signing multiple executive orders targeting the nuclear energy sector and easing rules for new reactors and nuclear fuel supply chains.
Trump’s hubris rivals the fallen heroes of ancient Greek mythology
In January, the New York Times asked President Donald Trump if there were any limits on his global powers.
“Yeah,” the president responded, “there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
That was eight months ago, but fortunately Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster adaptation of “The Odyssey” has made ancient Greek literature newly relevant. Before that window closes, I’d like to talk about hubris.
Today, the term mostly means excessive pride or arrogance. That’s part of what the Greeks meant by it too, but the meaning was a bit richer and more specific. Hubris was an insolent or outrageous act that offended the gods, often because the transgressor was claiming abilities or authorities that solely belonged to supreme beings.
Nolan renamed and slightly modified the concept of xenia for the film, calling it “Zeus’ law.” In the director’s telling, mortals should follow the rules laid out by the gods, specifically the requirement to treat strangers with respect lest they be gods in disguise.
In a sense, hubris is the opposite, or at least the rejection, of xenia. The hubris of the suitors, and at times Odysseus himself, invites punishment by the gods and their mortal instruments.
Which brings me back to Donald Trump. His claim that there are no constraints on his personal power to dictate events on the global stage was one of the greatest expressions of hubris ever uttered by a political leader.
Trump’s claim was obviously false when he made it.
He vowed that he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours. He’s proved powerless to make that happen. If he had divine powers to work his will, why would he have balked at implementing his tariffs so often that Wall Street adopted the “TACO trade” term for his deals? “TACO” stands for “Trump always chickens out.”
And why would Trump have made so many embarrassing concessions to China — from rescinding tariffs on Chinese goods to allowing them to buy crucial and incredibly valuable computer chips?
But Trump saw his success at capturing Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro as proof of his ability to launch missiles to the same effect as Zeus’ lightning bolts. Trump believed he was the most powerful man who ever lived.
This is no exaggeration. In March, when the Iran invasion seemed successful, Trump gave a document penned by“Presidential Historian David King” to New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan purporting to prove that Trump was “the most powerful person to have EVER walked this planet.” King was, in fact, a businessman and occasional caddy for legendary golfer Gary Player.
King compared Trump favorably to many of history’s most powerful, and often heinous, figures: Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, William the Conqueror, Napoleon Bonaparte, Joseph Stalin, Genghis Khan, Mao Tse Tung, Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin. Many of these men thought they were the most powerful person in the world, too. And many were defeated precisely because they believed it.
At least Napoleon and Hitler had a string of truly impressive victories before they learned the folly of hubris. The limits on Trump’s power have been exposed by far less august forces than the combined might of the allies in World War II or the fearsome Russian winter.
Iran is a comparatively middling power. But the regime’s ability to absorb punishment while imposing its will on the Strait of Hormuz has proved to be a greater constraint on Trump’s power than his morality or mind. We should note that, at least rhetorically, his morality has not proved much of a constraint. He has repeatedly promised to destroy Iranian “civilization” if the regime refuses to capitulate.
But they haven’t — and won’t anytime soon — because the regime’s tolerance for pain far outstrips Trump’s. The combined fear of skyrocketing oil prices, outrage of Gulf state potentates, diminishing weapon supplies and domestic unpopularity is doing the work that international law, congressional oversight and the collective opinion of foreign policy experts can’t or won’t do.
If I considered Trump more heroic than reason and facts could allow, I would say his Sisyphean predicament has the whiff of Greek tragedy to it. Trump is vexed by the fact that the Iranians won’t honor deals or ratify his countless premature claims of victory — giving new meaning to his vow that his presidency would make people tired of winning. It’s almost like they’re out-Trumping Trump.
Things might have gone better if he’d heeded that great Greek tragedian Sophocles: “For Zeus utterly abhors the boasts of a proud tongue.”
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Jonah Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch and the host of The Remnant podcast. His Twitter handle is @JonahDispatch.