Scheer Intelligence From New Deal to New Elites: Unpacking the Democratic Party's Betrayal of the Working Class with Lily Geismar
Nov 21, 2025
Join history professor Lily Geismar, an expert on the Democratic Party, as she explores its evolution from New Deal roots to today's elite-centric politics. Geismar discusses how the party's shift away from labor and working-class needs reflects larger issues of elitism and opportunism. She critiques the failures of leaders like Clinton and Obama to prioritize workers' rights, the consequences of deregulation, and the challenges posed by identity politics. Geismar calls for a radical reconstruction of Democratic values to reclaim genuine progressivism.
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Class Realignment of the Democratic Party
- The Democratic Party shifted from a working-class coalition to a professionally educated, suburban-oriented leadership under the 'New Democrats'.
- This realignment prioritized tech, finance, and trade sectors and deprioritized unions and traditional labor interests.
Triangulation Became Policy
- Clinton's triangulation strategy took center stage in the 1990s, blending ideas from the right with Democratic rhetoric.
- Policies like welfare reform signaled a durable move toward moderation and market-oriented solutions.
Personal Memory Of New Deal Promise
- Robert Scheer recounts growing up during the New Deal era where Roosevelt's legacy shaped working-class aspirations.
- He contrasts that with later Democratic turns toward the Cold War, Taft-Hartley attitudes, and distancing from Henry Wallace progressivism.
