564 | Steve Teles: What Democrats Can Learn from the GOP's Trump-Era Upheaval

The Realignment

Technology, News Commentary, National Security, Marshall Kosloff, International Relations, News, Public Policy, Economics, Politics, Saager Enjeti, U.s. Politics, Policy

4.8 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 31 July 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In today's episode of The Realignment, the Niskanen Center's Steve Teles returns for a wide-ranging discussion about the Democratic Party's evolution during the Trump-era and what lessons it can and can't take from the GOP's experience under Trump. Marshall and Steve unpack how Democratic Party factions - from abundance-focused reformers to the new "Common Sense Democrats" - mirror and diverge from the GOP's 2010s-era "Reform Conservative" movement. They explore the challenge of offering new ideas after rejection at the ballot box, the role of candidates like NYC's Zohran Mamdani, and why signaling change requires taking on your own side.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Marsha here, welcome back to the realignment.
0:03.4	Hey, everyone, welcome back to the show.
0:05.4	Quick announcement before we dive into today's conversation.
0:08.5	Today marks the realignments last day at the Foundation for American Innovation.
0:14.5	I've been with FAI, previously Lincoln Network, since January of 2020.
0:20.2	So it's been more than five years and we've been through
0:23.2	so many different changes and experiences not only in our country, but also with just frankly
0:27.0	this show. And I just want to express my deep appreciation to all of the great folks at FAI,
0:32.7	who took the realignment in when it was a small random podcast, trying to navigate the world of the world of DC towards the end of the first Trump presidency.
0:42.2	I've been a media fellow with FAI that entire time, and it's just been a really great experience.
0:47.5	So once again, huge thanks to the folks at FAI and the folks at the Hewell Foundation who funded this podcast's work.
0:54.7	Starting in September, as pretty much known will be shocked to hear, I will be going full-time
1:00.2	at Niskanen starting in September.
1:03.3	The realignment will continue as always, but we're going to switch up the sponsorship
1:06.7	and all of those other great dynamics.
1:08.4	So reach out to me if you have any questions, but the
1:11.4	realignment as a show will continue in all of its glory. Something I always appreciated with FAA is
1:16.5	they let me run this show completely independently. So that tradition will continue.
1:21.1	On to today's conversation that I'm speaking with my now official Niskan and colleague,
1:26.7	Steve Talley's about the Democratic Party, efforts to reform the party, all in the context of the evolving lessons we can take from the conservative movement and Republican Party's lessons during the Trump era, immediately from the loss of Romney onwards.
1:42.4	Huge thank you to FAI for supporting the work of this podcast for the past five years.
1:50.4	Steve, welcome back to the realignment.
	...

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