The Realignment 565 | Daniel Squadron: Rebuilding American Liberalism from the States Up
Aug 5, 2025
Daniel Squadron, a former New York legislator and Co-Founder of the States Forum, discusses revitalizing the Democratic Party by focusing on state-level action. He highlights the importance of solid ideas over slogans to build a cohesive political identity. The conversation explores how state legislatures shape policy and argues for centering core American values like democracy and personal freedom. Squadron critiques the Democratic Party's fragmentation and advocates for a unifying ideology to effectively engage with contemporary issues like student debt.
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States Forum Builds Liberalism from States
- The States Forum emphasizes redeveloping American liberalism through state legislatures, focusing on core American values.
- This includes representative democracy, fair markets, effective government, and personal freedom as foundational themes.
Democrats Lack Unified Ideology
- Republican principles form coherent ideological worldviews while Democratic Party focuses on single issues.
- This lack of a unified worldview weakens the left's political branding compared to MAGA conservatism.
Liberalism Is in Wilderness Phase
- The conservative movement took decades to coalesce its ideas and gain clarity through popularizers and political operatives.
- American liberalism is currently in a similar wilderness phase but is evolving through state-level experimentation.
