An interesting conversation. Two observations: The first is that working class needs to be redefined — it must become more inclusive. Anyone, regardless of credentials and occupation who works for someone else is working class in the sense that they exercise little to no control over their working lives. All Americans want a better work-life balance. The challenge for the Democrats is to craft policies that address that central issue and present them in ways that resonate with a range of voters rather than one constituency. If the Democratic Party actually changed to only focused on things that matter to non-college educated Americans, whatever that means, the Party isn’t going to get anywhere. It would be playing the political equivalent of musical chairs. This is what the GOP and Trump have done, though for all the wrong reasons, and as we’ve seen, it works. The second thing is that it may be time to consider forming a third party. I fully appreciate the implications of doing this in what will remain a binary electoral system,but progressives may have no other option and it has worked before. The Peoples’ Party of the 1890s despite its shortcomings, scared the hell out of the Democrats to the point the Party adopted much of its agenda. It is not beyond the pale to note that many Populist ideas were central to the politics of the Progressive era and came to fruition during the New Deal. This may be what we need now. Based on this interview, and what I have read elsewhere, it is unlikely given the sway the big donors have on the Democratic Party that anything fundamental is going to change. After all In the fall of 2020 Joe Biden promised the Party’s fat cats that that would be the case, and despite his achievements, most of which will be swept away or hopelessly compromised, he was right.
Actually focusing on the working class or also non college educated voters is exactly correct. Why? There are many more of them. Politics is about getting votes. Go where the votes are. Democrats used to understand that.
I appreciate your interviews and videos, but for the most part I don't have TIME to watch all of them and the similarly long interviews from other good sites. Is it possible to edit them after posting the long one, as a "best of" the interviews, in shorter chunks? For example, most interviews move from topic to topic. Could there be a series of short ones on each topic, so we can choose which parts are most pressing?
Ok. So here's my initial sense. Building a "working class" party is not attractive, especially to working class people. It's building on the hardships/struggles of this societal position that working class people are dreaming of overcoming. That's what DT sold. The AMERICAN DREAM. We're the place where your dreams can come true. We are Disney, we are stories of making it, hard work pays off... and all that. We need a VISION...
I liked this discussion and also the one with Chris Hayes. Keep putting these out there, Anand! If the people who are paid subscribers are among those who don't have time to listen to a conversation about the need to change and grow the Democratic Party then who is out there to listen? I find words of hope and direction in these conversations which certainly help to alleviate the fears of the current Trump environment. Change is needed and must come if there is to be a reckoning of this party that has lost its way in all ways.
The reality is the DNC is not the dem party. It is a very small org with a very small membership that does little if anything. What we need is a leader of the party (like the UK) and shadow cabinet officials. The DNC is a joke.
An interesting conversation. Two observations: The first is that working class needs to be redefined — it must become more inclusive. Anyone, regardless of credentials and occupation who works for someone else is working class in the sense that they exercise little to no control over their working lives. All Americans want a better work-life balance. The challenge for the Democrats is to craft policies that address that central issue and present them in ways that resonate with a range of voters rather than one constituency. If the Democratic Party actually changed to only focused on things that matter to non-college educated Americans, whatever that means, the Party isn’t going to get anywhere. It would be playing the political equivalent of musical chairs. This is what the GOP and Trump have done, though for all the wrong reasons, and as we’ve seen, it works. The second thing is that it may be time to consider forming a third party. I fully appreciate the implications of doing this in what will remain a binary electoral system,but progressives may have no other option and it has worked before. The Peoples’ Party of the 1890s despite its shortcomings, scared the hell out of the Democrats to the point the Party adopted much of its agenda. It is not beyond the pale to note that many Populist ideas were central to the politics of the Progressive era and came to fruition during the New Deal. This may be what we need now. Based on this interview, and what I have read elsewhere, it is unlikely given the sway the big donors have on the Democratic Party that anything fundamental is going to change. After all In the fall of 2020 Joe Biden promised the Party’s fat cats that that would be the case, and despite his achievements, most of which will be swept away or hopelessly compromised, he was right.
Actually focusing on the working class or also non college educated voters is exactly correct. Why? There are many more of them. Politics is about getting votes. Go where the votes are. Democrats used to understand that.
I appreciate your interviews and videos, but for the most part I don't have TIME to watch all of them and the similarly long interviews from other good sites. Is it possible to edit them after posting the long one, as a "best of" the interviews, in shorter chunks? For example, most interviews move from topic to topic. Could there be a series of short ones on each topic, so we can choose which parts are most pressing?
Agree. Get a transcript. Use AI to get the top takeaways. Easy to do instead of dumping an unedited video.
Thank you, she said as she departed Substack to go clean up the kitchen, which REALLY needs doing.
Ok. So here's my initial sense. Building a "working class" party is not attractive, especially to working class people. It's building on the hardships/struggles of this societal position that working class people are dreaming of overcoming. That's what DT sold. The AMERICAN DREAM. We're the place where your dreams can come true. We are Disney, we are stories of making it, hard work pays off... and all that. We need a VISION...
I liked this discussion and also the one with Chris Hayes. Keep putting these out there, Anand! If the people who are paid subscribers are among those who don't have time to listen to a conversation about the need to change and grow the Democratic Party then who is out there to listen? I find words of hope and direction in these conversations which certainly help to alleviate the fears of the current Trump environment. Change is needed and must come if there is to be a reckoning of this party that has lost its way in all ways.
The reality is the DNC is not the dem party. It is a very small org with a very small membership that does little if anything. What we need is a leader of the party (like the UK) and shadow cabinet officials. The DNC is a joke.
We are tired of the old DNC. We must unify and take action. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/i-will-call-the-dnc-today?r=3m1bs