Today's guests are Republican pollster Patrick Ruffini, author of Party of the People: Inside the Multiracial Populist Coalition Remaking the GOP, and American Enterprise Institute fellow Ruy Teixeira, coauthor most recently of Where Have All the Democrats Gone? The Soul of the Party in the Age of Extremes.
Reason's Nick Gillespie talks with them about the presidential election, how the working class has become the most important—yet most neglected—part of the electorate, and whether libertarians have anyone to root for in national politics.
0:00- Ad: St. John's College
1:17- Introduction
2:05- Can Kamala Harris win back the working class?
8:55- Party identification is tanking
11:25-- Elite progressive fixations are alienating the working class
15:50- Black & Latino voters are more moderate
17:33- Trump & populism have transformed the GOP
25:05- The Green New Deal was terrible politics
26:23- Does anyone care about overspending anymore?
30:56- The future of unionization
35:49- Populism's appeal to younger voters
39:06- Ad: ZBiotics
40:52- Are we seeing generational realignments?
46:05- Everyone got richer in the last 30 years
47:39- The 'truly disadvantaged' has no real advocates
51:28- Why is neither party working to win big?
55:13- Why has immigration become such a flashpoint?
1:02:49- Why do both parties indulge their nutty fringes?
1:08:17- What about libertarians?
1:18:48- Who will win the 2024 elections?
1:22:00- Are protectionism & heavy spending the new way for both parties?
1:24:09- Have people stopped caring about COVID?
Today's sponsors:
- St. John's College. Explore 3,000 years of human thought on campuses in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and in Annapolis, Maryland. From the Greek philosophers who are the wellspring of democratic ideals to America's founding fathers to contemporary critics who question everything: Each is welcome at St. John's College. In-person and online Master's degree courses are offered, too.
- ZBiotics. ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic Drink is the world's first genetically engineered probiotic. It was invented by Ph.D. scientists to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Make ZBiotics your first drink of the night, drink responsibly, and you'll feel your best tomorrow. Get 15 percent off by going to ZBiotics/TRI and using the code TRI at checkout.
- The Reason Speakeasy. The Reason Speakeasy is a monthly unscripted discussion in midtown New York City that doubles as a live taping of The Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie. The next one is on Thursday, October 24, and features the Stony Brook sociologist Musa al-Gharbi, whose new book is We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite. Tickets are $15 and include beer, wine, soft drinks, and light food. For more information and to buy tickets, go here. To watch or listen to past Speakeasys, go here.
