A Member of the “Seditious Six” on Reviving the Democratic Party

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

The New Yorker

Politics, Washington, News, Obama, Wnyc, President, Lizza, Barack, Wickenden

4.3 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 16 May 2026

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Washington Roundtable is joined by Representative Jason Crow, of Colorado, an Army Ranger veteran, member of the House Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, and one of the so-called Seditious Six, members of Congress whom Donald Trump threatened to have arrested for recording a video which reminded servicemembers that they are not required to follow illegal orders. Crow is also co-leading the Democratic Party’s effort to recruit and train a new generation of congressional candidates, placing him at the center of an urgent dilemma: how can the Party translate growing anxiety over the economy and the war in Iran into a coherent, winning message? His answer, in part, is to go “hyper-local,” build coalitions, and ignore the noise. “I tell these folks that you’re basically running your campaign like you’re running for mayor of your district,” Crow says. “Ignore Fox News, ignore the cable news networks, ignore the algorithms. You can’t control that, anyhow.”

See the Washington Roundtable live at 92NY on June 4th.

This week’s reading:

“When Trump’s Away,” by Antonia Hitchens
“What the Gerrymandering Wars Mean for the Midterms—and 2028,” by Isaac Chotiner
“Will Donald Trump be Allowed to Destroy His Records?,” by Ruth Marcus
“The Looming Disaster of the Border Wall in Big Bend, Texas,” by Rachel Monroe

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Transcript

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0:29.8	Amelia Island, Florida, invites you to breathe a little deeper and enjoy the luxury of letting go.
0:37.0	Discover the tranquil seaside getaway embraced by salt air, sunshine, and authentic
0:43.1	southern charm.
0:44.8	Find your unwind at amelia island.com.
0:50.6	Evan, I noticed someone took a picture from the state dinner tonight of the playlist, and those spontaneous Chinese officials decided that they should play a rousing chorus of YMCA for Donald Trump.
1:08.1	I'm sure that was spontaneous too, right?
1:09.9	I think it's just a miracle and a sign of
1:12.6	statesmanship that they didn't play Phantom of the Opera on repeat or something. I mean, they could
1:17.2	have gone full cats. I just want to know, when you cover it, do they give you a few leftovers? Have you been
1:25.0	able to try the crispy beef or the duck?
1:28.0	Sounded really intriguing.
1:29.8	This will give you a sense of how much things have changed. So it won't shock you to hear
1:34.6	that now the press corps is so big and we're kept so far from the action that like we have
1:40.4	our own sad buffet while they're eating a big splendid royal buffet.
1:45.6	But in the old days, guys, reporters used to get so close that during Nixon visit in 1972, one of the reporters afterwards went up and grabbed a set of chopsticks from the head table as a souvenir.
1:59.3	The question is what, you know, does Donald Trump come home with on Air Force One?
	...

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