Ezra Klein

Modern parties tend to be given force by a centralizing personality. Donald Trump being a very strong example of that on the right, but Barack Obama was the person who held together the Democratic Party for a long time. In my lifetime, the Democratic Party has never been as internally fragmented and weak, leaderless, rudderless, as it is right now. Now, it won't stay that way.

There's a rhythm to these things. There'll be a midterm. They're probably going to pick up a bunch of seats in the midterm. If that means Hakeem Jeffries becomes speaker after the midterm, he's going to have a much louder voice because he's going to have power. It's going to be a harder road for Schumer to get back to the majority because of the Senate map.

There's a rhythm to these things. There'll be a midterm. They're probably going to pick up a bunch of seats in the midterm. If that means Hakeem Jeffries becomes speaker after the midterm, he's going to have a much louder voice because he's going to have power. It's going to be a harder road for Schumer to get back to the majority because of the Senate map.

There's a rhythm to these things. There'll be a midterm. They're probably going to pick up a bunch of seats in the midterm. If that means Hakeem Jeffries becomes speaker after the midterm, he's going to have a much louder voice because he's going to have power. It's going to be a harder road for Schumer to get back to the majority because of the Senate map.

And then we'll start having a primary on the left. And you'll begin to see voices emerge out of that. But right now, the Democratic Party, it doesn't have points of power. They're simply outside of, you know, at the national level. There is no Democrat who wields control over a branch of government, right? They don't have the Supreme Court. They don't have the House. They don't have the Senate.

And then we'll start having a primary on the left. And you'll begin to see voices emerge out of that. But right now, the Democratic Party, it doesn't have points of power. They're simply outside of, you know, at the national level. There is no Democrat who wields control over a branch of government, right? They don't have the Supreme Court. They don't have the House. They don't have the Senate.

And then we'll start having a primary on the left. And you'll begin to see voices emerge out of that. But right now, the Democratic Party, it doesn't have points of power. They're simply outside of, you know, at the national level. There is no Democrat who wields control over a branch of government, right? They don't have the Supreme Court. They don't have the House. They don't have the Senate.

They don't have the presidency. And they don't have a next in line. So you're looking at an organization without any of the people in a position to structure it. And the head of the DNC, the new head, Ken Martin, doesn't have power in that way. So... it's a, they're pretty fractured.

They don't have the presidency. And they don't have a next in line. So you're looking at an organization without any of the people in a position to structure it. And the head of the DNC, the new head, Ken Martin, doesn't have power in that way. So... it's a, they're pretty fractured.

They don't have the presidency. And they don't have a next in line. So you're looking at an organization without any of the people in a position to structure it. And the head of the DNC, the new head, Ken Martin, doesn't have power in that way. So... it's a, they're pretty fractured.

You should have her on the show.

You should have her on the show.

You should have her on the show.

Have you invited her? Is that what you're saying? Yeah, yeah. We'll see what happens when people get closer to 2028. Sure. Maybe they'll begin taking that kind of risk. I hope so.

Have you invited her? Is that what you're saying? Yeah, yeah. We'll see what happens when people get closer to 2028. Sure. Maybe they'll begin taking that kind of risk. I hope so.

Have you invited her? Is that what you're saying? Yeah, yeah. We'll see what happens when people get closer to 2028. Sure. Maybe they'll begin taking that kind of risk. I hope so.

I don't think it's so bad at generating them. I think that it turned out to be bad at generating them this year. Look, as you mentioned, back in February 2023, somebody came out and said, like, Biden can't run again. This isn't going to work.

I don't think it's so bad at generating them. I think that it turned out to be bad at generating them this year. Look, as you mentioned, back in February 2023, somebody came out and said, like, Biden can't run again. This isn't going to work.

I don't think it's so bad at generating them. I think that it turned out to be bad at generating them this year. Look, as you mentioned, back in February 2023, somebody came out and said, like, Biden can't run again. This isn't going to work.

And my view, and that was really what that set of pieces was about, was about the argument that even though Biden was clearly going to win the primary, there was still time for Democrats to do something the parties had done in the past and have an open convention. Right. And you could structure the lead up to an open convention in a number of different ways, right?