Chris Murphy

or workers don't get abused in their workplace, then you have to fundamentally unrig the way the government works. So the two are intimately connected. And I would argue, Ross, that there's plenty of examples of elections that actually have turned on the issue of corruption, because it's kind of like a baseline issue.

People don't care about corruption until they are looking in the face of a corrupt elected official. And then really, regardless of your positioning on corruption, economics or immigration or choice or guns, they will vote you out. On this question of how you unrig the economy, I'll just start with this, and I'm sure we'll have a longer discussion about it.

People don't care about corruption until they are looking in the face of a corrupt elected official. And then really, regardless of your positioning on corruption, economics or immigration or choice or guns, they will vote you out. On this question of how you unrig the economy, I'll just start with this, and I'm sure we'll have a longer discussion about it.

Democratic economic policy during the Biden administration, I would argue, was very heavily reliant on subsidy. The child care tax credit, the increased Obamacare subsidies, the forgiveness of student loans, essentially a whole bunch of efforts to write families a check in order to paper over the unfairness of the economy. I don't think that's actually what voters want.

Democratic economic policy during the Biden administration, I would argue, was very heavily reliant on subsidy. The child care tax credit, the increased Obamacare subsidies, the forgiveness of student loans, essentially a whole bunch of efforts to write families a check in order to paper over the unfairness of the economy. I don't think that's actually what voters want.

Those are good economic policies, but they feel unfair. Kind of dirty, kind of lousy to just have to be compensated for the fact that work doesn't pay, which is why that has to be the structure of our efforts to unrig the economy, making work pay. That means a much higher minimum wage. That means much more empowered labor unions.

Those are good economic policies, but they feel unfair. Kind of dirty, kind of lousy to just have to be compensated for the fact that work doesn't pay, which is why that has to be the structure of our efforts to unrig the economy, making work pay. That means a much higher minimum wage. That means much more empowered labor unions.

That means the deconstruction of corporate power so that if you do start up a small bookstore in your community, you don't get squashed out of existence in the first week. You know, a suite and a set of policies that say to families, if you play by the rules, you are going to have a much better shot of getting ahead than you did under the old rules.

That means the deconstruction of corporate power so that if you do start up a small bookstore in your community, you don't get squashed out of existence in the first week. You know, a suite and a set of policies that say to families, if you play by the rules, you are going to have a much better shot of getting ahead than you did under the old rules.

Absolutely. And more than that, I think the fundamental underlying story of American politics today is this realignment that is happening, a new consensus of American voters that is looking for a home. And it is really a question of

Absolutely. And more than that, I think the fundamental underlying story of American politics today is this realignment that is happening, a new consensus of American voters that is looking for a home. And it is really a question of

of whether the Republican Party becomes more sincerely populist and tolerant of more government intervention in the market before the Democratic Party decides to be a big tent in which we allow into the party people who might not agree with us on social and cultural issues or guns and climate, but do believe in things like a higher minimum wage, more empowered labor unions and industrial policy.

of whether the Republican Party becomes more sincerely populist and tolerant of more government intervention in the market before the Democratic Party decides to be a big tent in which we allow into the party people who might not agree with us on social and cultural issues or guns and climate, but do believe in things like a higher minimum wage, more empowered labor unions and industrial policy.

The Republican Party has been recently talking a big game on populism, but has not delivered. And in fact, the way in which Trump is implementing the tariffs seems to be just another nod to sort of former market based neoliberalism in which the companies with the biggest megaphones and the biggest bank accounts get exemptions from the tariffs.

The Republican Party has been recently talking a big game on populism, but has not delivered. And in fact, the way in which Trump is implementing the tariffs seems to be just another nod to sort of former market based neoliberalism in which the companies with the biggest megaphones and the biggest bank accounts get exemptions from the tariffs.

And those without political power are subject to the tariffs. The Democratic Party has a chance to use this fake populism to win over a chunk of his base, but only if we are less judgmental about the differences that may exist inside that tent on really tough issues like gay rights and abortion and guns. And I, you know, Ross, I'm...

And those without political power are subject to the tariffs. The Democratic Party has a chance to use this fake populism to win over a chunk of his base, but only if we are less judgmental about the differences that may exist inside that tent on really tough issues like gay rights and abortion and guns. And I, you know, Ross, I'm...

partially to blame for that judgmentalism, because I think I helped, for instance, frame our litmus test on the issue of guns in a way that probably has been unhelpful to building a broader coalition for the Democratic Party.

partially to blame for that judgmentalism, because I think I helped, for instance, frame our litmus test on the issue of guns in a way that probably has been unhelpful to building a broader coalition for the Democratic Party.

The largest collection of preserved 17th and 18th century houses, I think, in the country.