Ezra Klein, a New York Times columnist and host of The Ezra Klein Show, discusses the 'Abundance Agenda' he co-authored, which aims to reframe liberalism around a vision of plenty rather than scarcity. He argues that a hopeful, goal-oriented democracy is crucial to counter populist narratives. The conversation touches on the evolving nature of political ideologies and the need to uplift marginalized communities while advocating for systemic change. Klein emphasizes that Democrats must present aspirational narratives to effectively serve the people and reclaim the promise of democracy.
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Goal-Oriented Liberalism
Abundance urges Democrats to be goal-oriented rather than process-oriented and to define the future they want to build.
Ezra Klein argues Democrats must paint clear visions for technologies, housing, and prosperity decades ahead.
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Use Abundance As A Toolkit
Use Abundance as a generative framework, not a narrow instruction manual; apply its tools to local contexts.
Klein encourages varied adoption across countries and levels of government, adapting ideas to different realities.
insights INSIGHT
Liberalism's Confidence Crisis
Liberalism weakened by excessive self-critique, losing confidence to project an inspiring future.
Klein says liberalism must rebuild an ambitious, mission-driven vision to counter nationalism.
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In the Ten Steps to Autocracy, step four is convincing citizens that democracy just isn’t working. If democracy isn’t working, then people will be seduced by populist promises and grievance politics. That’s why Democrats and the rest of us standing up to autocracy must have a positive vision of the future, and a realistic path to get there. One idea that has taken off among those thinking about Democrats’ next act is the “abundance agenda.” Crafted in their co-authored book Abundance, Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson argue for a simple but powerful idea: Democrats need to operate from a place of plenty, not scarcity. Liberalism can’t just protect and preserve, it must build the economy, infrastructure, power and reach. On today’s show, Stacey sits down with Ezra Klein, New York Times columnist, host of his popular eponymous podcast, The Ezra Klein Show, and co-author of Abundance, to ask: Can this vision help us reclaim the promise of democracy and redefine Democrats as the party that actually serves the people? And how can it be used not only to improve Americans’ lives, but also to stop Trump and the Republicans in their tracks?
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: If you want to dig deeper into the Abundance Agenda grab Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s book Abundance—available wherever books are sold. And for smart, trusted takes, I strongly encourage you to listen to The Ezra Klein Show.
SOLVE PROBLEMS: As Ezra said, the hoops we often have to jump through to be heard by people in power favors those who are already powerful. Show up to local meetings where the public has the right to comment on something that’s happening in your community, and advocate for those who can’t be there.
DO GOOD: What is unfolding in D.C. is more than an over-reach. It is yet another example of Step 9 of the 10 steps toward autocracy, which expands the use of military power and creates space for private violence. One of the targets for this occupation and removal are the homeless in Washington. If you want to support those who are pushing back, please consider making a donation to Miriam’s Kitchen, which uses a comprehensive approach to eliminating the housing crisis in Washington – from providing meals and connecting people to social services, to advocating for providing the homeless with permanent, stable housing. Visit miriamskitchen.org.
Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams 