The One Thing Democrats Can Control — and How They Should Do It

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

New York Times Opinion

New York Times, Journalism, News, Society & Culture, Ross Douthat

4.0 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 30 November 2022

⏱️ 33 minutes

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Summary

Are the Democrats, finally, in array? They’ve just had the best midterms by a sitting president’s party in about 20 years, and passed significant legislation in 2022. And now House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is stepping down after nearly two decades as leader, without the specter of intraparty battles. So what comes next for Dems, and what should the party’s future strategy be? Today on “The Argument,” Jane is joined by two writers with close eyes on the Democratic Party. Bhaskar Sunkara is the founding editor of Jacobin and the president of The Nation magazine. Michelle Cottle is a member of the editorial board of The New York Times. They assess the place progressivism has in the Democratic Party, what the incoming generational shift in leadership will bring and how Democrats must win. (A full transcript of the episode will be available midday on the Times website.)

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's the argument. I'm Jane Kirsten.
0:05.6	Since the midterms, I've been thinking a lot about the future of the Democratic Party.
0:13.3	Democrats just had the best midterms by a president's party in about 20 years.
0:18.4	And the results have re-open the debate about who or what wins elections, and whether
0:23.6	progressives or centrists are the future of the party.
0:27.4	After all, the progressive caucus is now at over 100 members.
0:31.1	But it was moderate Democrats who, by and large, prevented the party from losing the house
0:35.2	by a large margin.
0:36.8	So depending on who you ask, both could be correct.
0:41.6	And to top it all off, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is stepping down after nearly two decades
0:45.8	as later.
0:46.8	It feels like we're at a defining moment for the Democratic Party.
0:51.4	My guess today both follow the Democratic Party closely and have their own opinions on
0:55.4	why Dems win or lose, and when voters actually won't.
0:59.5	Basker Sincara is the founding editor of Jacobin, a socialist magazine, and president of
1:04.5	the nation magazine.
1:06.2	And of course, Michelle Coddles, a member of the Times editorial board, focusing on politics.
1:15.7	Basker, Michelle, good to see you.
1:17.5	Hi Jane, it's great to be here.
1:19.1	Thanks for having me.
1:20.6	And since we are discussing the Democrats, can I get you to just self-identify
1:25.3	do you think of yourself as being a Democrat or member of the Democratic Party?
	...

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