Kevin

Bottom line is the top lesson Democrats should be talking about right now is that when you govern like radical leftists and attempt to run to the center very late in the campaign, that does not work. Sometimes it works for Democrats to govern on the radical left, but they, over many, a long period of months, will move to the center and it works.

Bottom line is the top lesson Democrats should be talking about right now is that when you govern like radical leftists and attempt to run to the center very late in the campaign, that does not work. Sometimes it works for Democrats to govern on the radical left, but they, over many, a long period of months, will move to the center and it works.

In this case, their record prevented that from happening. And the more the vice president tried to present herself as someone in the center, there were two problems that she had. Number one, enough of the American people realized that was a lie.

In this case, their record prevented that from happening. And the more the vice president tried to present herself as someone in the center, there were two problems that she had. Number one, enough of the American people realized that was a lie.

And number two, it actually underscored this persistent concern that they had about her and have about a lot of politicians, especially on the left, which is that they're inauthentic. And so they try to run an inauthentic campaign against whatever you think about Donald Trump, the most authentic man in politics. Right.

And number two, it actually underscored this persistent concern that they had about her and have about a lot of politicians, especially on the left, which is that they're inauthentic. And so they try to run an inauthentic campaign against whatever you think about Donald Trump, the most authentic man in politics. Right.

And so the lesson that they should be drawing, Democrats should be drawing is either run as radical leftists and convince the American people that they are with you, which they are not.

And so the lesson that they should be drawing, Democrats should be drawing is either run as radical leftists and convince the American people that they are with you, which they are not.

or which is what I would recommend they do, be a center left party, be less ridiculous about abortion, be less ridiculous about the power of the state in our lives, be less ridiculous about basically your whole program. But I'm just telling you now, at least spending the daytime many days in Washington, D.C., those aren't the conversations they're having.

or which is what I would recommend they do, be a center left party, be less ridiculous about abortion, be less ridiculous about the power of the state in our lives, be less ridiculous about basically your whole program. But I'm just telling you now, at least spending the daytime many days in Washington, D.C., those aren't the conversations they're having.

And they've actually pushed out very thoughtful folks like Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut. I think I disagree with Senator Murphy on everything, but he had this very thoughtful analysis on X several days ago. And those conversations just are not happening. It's bad for the Democrats, but good for those of us who believe that this commences a generation-long era of conservative policy reform.

And they've actually pushed out very thoughtful folks like Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut. I think I disagree with Senator Murphy on everything, but he had this very thoughtful analysis on X several days ago. And those conversations just are not happening. It's bad for the Democrats, but good for those of us who believe that this commences a generation-long era of conservative policy reform.

I will describe it two ways, and I will, in the second way, acknowledge your point about principles, maybe even versus pragmatism. But the first, and I think arguably more important way, is that the Republican Party is once again a working class, multi-ethnic coalition. And of course, it includes middle class and high net worth people, too.

I will describe it two ways, and I will, in the second way, acknowledge your point about principles, maybe even versus pragmatism. But the first, and I think arguably more important way, is that the Republican Party is once again a working class, multi-ethnic coalition. And of course, it includes middle class and high net worth people, too.

But the reason I say once again is not even to harken back to Reagan or sometime 100 years ago, but to its very roots. You know that I'm a historian and the very roots of the Republican Party, particularly when Abraham Lincoln ran in 1860, certainly had something to do in that election with anti-slavery.

But the reason I say once again is not even to harken back to Reagan or sometime 100 years ago, but to its very roots. You know that I'm a historian and the very roots of the Republican Party, particularly when Abraham Lincoln ran in 1860, certainly had something to do in that election with anti-slavery.

But even more important than that in that election was the sense that the Republican Party stood for the American worker. what Abraham Lincoln termed free labor ideology. It was his way of saying sort of working class, blue collar, middle class, and so on. And that's the most important thing that the Republican Party has become. But it's also important to acknowledge that there is a tension.

But even more important than that in that election was the sense that the Republican Party stood for the American worker. what Abraham Lincoln termed free labor ideology. It was his way of saying sort of working class, blue collar, middle class, and so on. And that's the most important thing that the Republican Party has become. But it's also important to acknowledge that there is a tension.

between principles, which we, by definition, don't have the power to change, at least in a social sense, but in a political sense, Trump and his campaign put an emphasis on pragmatism, that we're going to water down, they are going to water down, the party's position on abortion. They have stopped fighting on marriage.

between principles, which we, by definition, don't have the power to change, at least in a social sense, but in a political sense, Trump and his campaign put an emphasis on pragmatism, that we're going to water down, they are going to water down, the party's position on abortion. They have stopped fighting on marriage.