Should Democrats stick to rhetoric and positions that are popular in swing states such as Georgia and Wisconsin? Ultimately, I think the answer is “no,” but the question is worth exploring. Many in the party blamed the Democrats’ weaker-than-expected results in the 2020 elections on left-wing activists and politicians touting […] Read more »
In Democratic contests, the moderates strike back
When New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shocked the political world by unseating a 10-term incumbent in a Democratic primary in 2018, some analysts believed the victory might foreshadow a party shift to progressivism. But three years later, the evidence for the great turn leftward is scant. In fact, looking at […] Read more »
AP-NORC poll: Democrats optimistic but divided on compromise
Six months into Democrats’ unified control of Washington, most Democrats are on board with President Joe Biden and where he’s trying to take the country — even if they’re divided on how to get there. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds 6 in […] Read more »
The Ideas That Are Reshaping The Democratic Party And America
Many Americans probably don’t know exactly what terms such as anti-racism, “cancel culture,” “racial equity,” “white privilege” and “systemic racism” mean. And it’s likely even fewer could explain such concepts as “woke ideology,” “critical race theory” or “intersectionality.” But these terms are now regularly invoked by activists, pundits and even […] Read more »
Party brand vs personal brand
… In the election aftermath, Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) famously sparred over the party’s direction. Note that Spanberger outperformed Joe Biden in her District by just 1 percentage point, while Ocasio-Cortez ran 1.7 points behind the president. … This is neither to praise, nor condemn, either […] Read more »
What happened to that ‘blue wave’?
… As Americans have polarized, both the Democratic and Republican parties have become ever more central to politics. However, they have simultaneously lost their capacity to organize an effective collective response to social challenges. Democrats in particular have historically paid sporadic and superficial attention to the mechanics of voter engagement […] Read more »