Honestly with Bari Weiss

Where Have All the Democrats Gone?

Nov 29, 2023

Political analysts Ruy Teixeira and John Judis delve into the Democratic Party's seismic transformation, discussing their book, "Where Have All the Democrats Gone?" They explore how kitchen table issues have been sidestepped for elite topics like identity politics and climate change. The duo highlights the disconnect with working-class voters and the influence of big money in creating a "shadow party." They advocate for a refocus on economic concerns to reconnect with disillusioned constituents ahead of the 2024 elections.

44:50

Episode guests

Ruy Teixeira

John B. Judis

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

The Democratic Party has shifted its focus from traditional kitchen table issues to more elitist topics like identity politics and climate change, which has resulted in many working class voters, including ethnic minorities, leaving the party.

The influence of cultural radicalism within the Democratic Party has alienated certain segments of voters, as the party's embrace of ideologies like anti-racism and identity politics has not aligned with the concerns and beliefs of the majority of working class Americans.

Deep dives

Working class voters leaving the Democratic Party

Many working class voters, including ethnic minorities, have been leaving the Democratic Party due to shifts in the party's priorities. The party has been focusing more on cultural issues like identity politics and climate change, often overshadowing traditional kitchen table issues like the economy and public safety. This departure of working class voters, including Latinos who increasingly reject the Democratic Party, has been attributed to a perception that the party has gone too extreme to the left. Voters express a need for the party to get back to basics and prioritize core economic issues and the safety and well-being of their local communities.

Intro

2min

Navigating the Democratic Disconnect: A Call to Economic Roots

3min

Shifts in Party Dynamics and Voter Sentiment

22min

Navigating Political Strategies in the Wake of Wokeness

5min

Navigating Ideological Complexities

10min

The Complexity of America's Racial Narrative

4min

In the past few decades, the Democratic Party has undergone a seismic shift. Kitchen table issues like the economy and public safety have been overshadowed by more elitist topics like identity politics, gender ideology, defunding the police, climate change, and the vaguely defined yet rigidly enforced ideology of anti-racism, which sees white supremacy as the force behind every institution in America.

But while activists, lobbyists, and pundits were busy reshaping the Democratic Party, ordinary voters—including the working class, middle-class families, and ethnic minorities—were simply leaving. All of which has stranded a large group of Americans on an island, voters in the center of nowhere.

Two people who have spent years thinking about how the Democratic Party lost its vision are our guests today, political analysts Ruy Teixeira and John Judis. Their new book, Where Have All the Democrats Gone?, offers up a map to help us understand how liberals lost their way. On today’s episode, guest-hosted by Michael Moynihan, Teixeira and Judis trace the influence of big money forces behind what they call the Democrats’ “shadow party,” and offer a path forward away from the radical cultural issues embraced by party elites and back to core economic issues that matter to the working class, a group that Democrats need to win back if they want to win in 2024.

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Honestly with Bari Weiss

Where Have All the Democrats Gone?

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Working class voters leaving the Democratic Party

The impact of cultural radicalism on the Democratic Party

The challenges of maintaining a diverse coalition

The influence of foundations and institutions

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts