How to Build a Winning Coalition in Trump’s Broken America

24 snips

Oct 2, 2025

In this engaging discussion, political journalist Jane Coaston and Maurice Mitchell, National Director of the Working Families Party, tackle the challenges posed by America's entrenched two-party system. Coaston shares insights from her libertarian past, while Mitchell underscores the importance of grassroots organizing. They explore the barriers third-party candidates face and the need for collective power to counter autocracy. Listeners will learn actionable steps to support alternative political movements and the significance of inclusive strategies in democracy.

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INSIGHT

How Autocrats Exploit 'Broken' Systems

Authoritarianism often follows a playbook: claim the system is broken and present one leader as the only fix.
Stacey Abrams warns that MAGA reshaped a major party and weaponized institutional breakdown to erode democracy.

ADVICE

Plan For Ballot-Access Hurdles

Third-party candidates face expensive, state-by-state legal and petitioning hurdles to get on ballots.
Maurice Mitchell recommends acknowledging those structural barriers when planning independent or third-party runs.

ANECDOTE

Third-Party Runs Shift Agendas

Jane Coaston cites Ralph Nader (2000) and Bernie Sanders (2016) as third-party/outsider runs that shifted political direction.
Those candidacies drew voters seeking alternatives and altered party agendas even without winning.

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One of authoritarianism’s core tactics is claiming the system is broken beyond repair and only one man can fix it. Enter Donald Trump. He’s reshaped the Republican Party around his insidious MAGA ideology, casting Democrats as enemies bent on destroying the country. For centuries, America’s two-party system has kept Republicans and Democrats locked in battle, with third parties rarely breaking through. But today, to defeat autocracy and its effects, something beyond the binary is required. This week, Stacey is joined by Jane Coaston, host of What a Day at Crooked Media and a former card-carrying libertarian, along with Maurice Mitchell, National Director of the Working Families Party. Together, they unpack the importance of third parties and explore how collective power might be the key to defeating Trump and the Republicans.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Learn & Do More:

Be Curious: For a sharp primer on how America’s unique approach to partisanship has imperiled our democracy, check out Tyranny of the Minority by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.
Solve Problems: Third-party ballot access is ultimately about giving voters more diverse political choices. Ranked choice voting helps elevate voices that reflect the complexity of our communities. Learn more at FairVote.org, and listen to our first episode of Assembly Required where we explored how RCV expands representation.
Do Good: After our taping, the U.S. government may shut down. Millions of Americans—including thousands of federal workers—could be furloughed or lose access to essential services. Instead of calling your representatives, check in on neighbors who may be affected. In times like these, caring for one another is the best way to resist a government that fails to care for its people.

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