Here’s what we have in store this week:
- A new debate about the future of the Democratic party
- A closer look at the ideological divive in America
- Your Sunday roundup of debater editorials
About two years ago, we produced a debate that asked a simple question as to whether the GOP had lost its way. So it seemed about time to ask the same of the Democrats. At its core is a closer look at the rise of the progressive left wing of the party, once relegated to the political fringes, and how it is now exerting itself on the legislative process, and indeed the nation. The primacy of the Bernie Sanders campaigns for president, though unsuccessful, seemed to make way for a new crop of democrats, unmoored from the party’s more moderate ways, and ready to hold up issues like police reform, immigration, and climate change with unflinching, and perhaps uncompromising tones.
It’s a good thing, some argue, who see the party as poised to finally make good on its stated priorities, while also capturing the enthusiasm of the country’s more progressive base. But others disagree, and see compromising and centrist voices as essential to both wining elections and actually governing. The shift, they argue, may lead down a dangerous path.
DEBATING THE DATA
The percentage of Americans who identify as politically liberal has been steadily increasing for decades. Learn more here.
POINT/COUNTERPOINT
Is the Democratic Party Too Far Left?
YES:
“Democrats have adopted hyper left wing policies that are popular among elite highly educated influencers, journalists and activists that are disproportionately on social media, but not popular and not particularly helpful among the broader constituency, much less the American population as a whole.”
Coleman Hughes
Open to Debate
NO:
“The issue is not that the Democrats have gone too far left, we haven’t gone left enough…. There are so many issues that the American people are demanding for us to fight for and figure out.”
Jamaal Bowman
Open to Debate
OPEN TO DEBATE ALUMNI
Points of View
In Israel, democracy still holds
Bret Stephens | March 28, 2023
The New York Times
Watch Bret’s debate on the Trump phenomenon
How big tech’s predatory nature fuels failures like SVB
Roger McNamee | March 29, 2023
The Mercury News
Watch Roger’s debate on social media and democracy
What if the people owned the banks?
Katrina vanden Heuvel | March 28, 2023
The Nation
Watch Katrina’s debate on mainstream media
Hey Uncle Sam, stop paying people for not working
Stephen Moore | March 30, 2023
The Washington Examiner
Watch Stephen’s debate on living in a red state
