Mark Lilla Talks to David Remnick About Identity Politics and the Democratic Party

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

The New Yorker

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

4.3 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 28 August 2017

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Hostility toward identity politics—nurtured by Steve Bannon and others—helped propel the rise of Donald Trump. But that feeling is not only to be found on the right. The Columbia professor Mark Lilla, a Democrat and a self-described liberal, says very much the same thing: that vocal opposition to racism, and support for gay and transgender rights, have been costing Democrats election after election all over America. In a controversial new book, “The Once and Future Liberal,” Lilla is highly critical of Black Lives Matter, and goes out of his way to antagonize activists on the left, who, he says, are oblivious to electoral reality. But his position, he tells David Remnick, is in the service of effecting liberal change: “We cannot do anything for these groups we care about if we do not hold power—it is just talk. Our rhetoric in campaigning must be focussed on winning so we can help these people. An election is not about self-expression—it’s a contest.”

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Discover Earth's ultimate untamed places with wilderness. With access to 6 million acres of private land
0:07.7	in eight African countries, wilderness offers intimate wildlife encounters and experiences that will
0:13.0	leave you changed forever. The accommodations are luxurious and stay true to the vibrant soul
0:19.8	and spirit of each destination and the trips are
0:23.0	meticulously planned from arrival to departure, making them perfect for a group, family or
0:28.5	solo travellers. Wilderness is among the leaders of conservation hospitality, with more than 60
0:34.5	of the most highly awarded lodges in camps in Africa.
0:43.0	Wilderness is especially excited this year to focus on wellness, providing experiences that immerse you in beautiful places to restore your sense of self through nature.
0:48.1	To learn more and book your own wilderness adventure, go to wilderness destinations.com
0:52.9	slash women who travel.
0:55.7	eBay, it's a place to fall in love with new pre-loved vintage and rare fashion over and over
1:01.6	again. Your favorite designers, expertly authenticated. Yeah, eBay. Things people love.
1:12.1	I'm Dorothy Wickenden. On today's Politics and More podcast, David Remneck talks to Columbia
1:18.1	University professor Mark Lilla. In his new book, Lila argues that a focus on identity
1:23.7	politics is crippling the Democratic Party.
1:29.8	Stephen Bannon is gone from the White House.
1:33.5	But the legacy is clear.
1:34.9	Together with Donald Trump, Bannon made hostility toward identity politics and political
1:39.9	correctness, a pillar of the new Republican Party.
1:43.7	But that view is not only to be found on the
1:45.7	right, Mark Lilla is a Democrat, a self-described liberal and a Columbia professor of the humanities,
1:51.9	who's been saying very much the same thing. As Lilla sees it, activists and identity groups on the
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The New Yorker, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The New Yorker and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.