… What are the lessons we should take from the 1992 Clinton campaign and his time in government if we want to help all factions contribute to rebuilding the national Democratic Party? First, you must keep listening to working people and know how difficult it is to stay on course. […] Read more »
The Democrats’ real problems aren’t the ones you’re hearing about
President Biden has lackluster poll numbers, and they seem stuck. Democrats can’t pass much legislation on Capitol Hill. There is wide pessimism within the party about the midterms. So a familiar blame game has begun: Message X, Person Y or Campaign Tactic Z is killing the party. The problem? Virtually […] Read more »
The New Politics of Evasion: How Ignoring Swing Voters Could Reopen the Door for Donald Trump and Threaten American Democracy
In 1989, in the wake of the Democratic Party’s third consecutive presidential defeat, we offered our thoughts for the party’s recovery and renewal. Our diagnosis was blunt. “Too many Americans,” we wrote, “have come to see the party as inattentive to their economic interests, indifferent if not hostile to their […] Read more »
There’s a Reason Trump Loves the Truckers
The truckers’ protest in Ottawa is the latest barrage from the world’s disaffected in the revolt that found expression in the 2016 election of Donald Trump; the 2017 Unite the Right march on Charlottesville, Va.; the rise of QAnon; and the Jan. 6 insurrection in the halls of Congress. One […] Read more »
Democrats, Speak to Working-Class Discontent
… Today, the Democrats’ working-class problem isn’t limited to white workers. The party is also losing support from working-class Blacks and Hispanics—a daunting 12 points off their margin since 2016, according to Ruy Teixeira. Even before last November’s election, commentators and analysts were pointing to the erosion of Democrats’ working-class […] Read more »
Status Anxiety Is Blowing Wind Into Trump’s Sails
What is the role of status discontent in the emergence of right-wing populism? If it does play a key role, does it matter more where someone stands at any given moment or whether someone is moving up the ladder or down? … It is hardly a secret that the white […] Read more »