Democrats were riding a wave of election victories until they surrendered to end the government shutdown on a pinky promise. Still facing the existential threat of Trumpism, their path forward looks uncertain. What could keep the party afloat?
Amanda Litman has ideas. The co-founder of Run for Something, an organization that recruits Millennials and Gen Z to run for local office, joins John Harwood for a live conversation on Substack to discuss what went wrong with the shutdown, how litmus tests are up to primary voters, and why even energetic older progressives like Bernie Sanders need to step aside.
They took audience questions and dug into a wide range of topics, including:
What kind of politician can beat Donald Trump and MAGA
Why the shutdown felt like ‘betrayal’: “This is a messaging failure as much as it is a practical failure.”
Why Bernie Sanders should retire: “There’s only so much room at the top.”
Why ideologies like ‘moderate’ or ‘socialist’ don’t matter
Chuck Schumer’s flip phone
Why you should run for office…
…and much more. Watch the full video above, let us know what you think in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to be notified about our next Substack live.
Paid subscribers can watch the full video above. Free subscribers can watch a 4-minute preview. Consider upgrading to a paid subscription to support the work Zeteo does, and to never hit a paywall again.
Check out more from John Harwood:
