Political strategist Ben Wikler on how Democrats can regain ground
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What is Ben Wikler’s new book “This Is the Plan” about and why does he think Democrats need a system‑wide strategy?
Hi, I'm Alyssa Nadworney and you're listening to NPR's Book of the Day. Ben Wickler, a Democratic strategist who led his party in the state of Wisconsin, has written a new book called This Is the Plan: How to End America's Meltdown and Save Democracy. Wickler talked about his instructions for organizing the Democrats ahead of the midterms and beyond on all things considered, with guest host Sasha Pfeiffer.
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your podcasts. As the second Trump administration rolls on and Democrats struggle to try to revive their party, one political hand has some advice based on his years of working at the state level.
What we've learned in Wisconsin is that if you build a a movement of thousands and nationally, we'll need millions of people who work on a year-round basis in their own communities, organizing, talking to people, and contesting every level of power that you can unrig a system from the inside. The key is to not think it's about one candidate or one person. It's about the whole system that needs to change.
How does Wikler describe the “Wisconsin model” of building a year‑round grassroots movement?
Ben Wickler was chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin from July twenty nineteen to july twenty twenty five. He has now written a book called This Is the Plan How to End America's Meltdown and Save Democracy. Ben Wickler, thank you for coming on the program.
Great to be with you, Sasha.
So if the ultimate goal is to unrig the system, as you say, the first step at least in your view would be to put Democrats back in power and And you seem to believe that Democrats would do a better job. But you know that many Americans want to blow up the whole system and start over. They want younger candidates, they want third parties, maybe they want European style coalition governments. They feel incredibly disappointed and disenchanted. So what does your your book offer people like that?
Total agreement. I think that the the most important thing to remember here is this this shouldn't be about one party or the other. Right now, as it happens, one of the major political parties has wrapped itself completely around someone who wants to be a dictator. And that's the Republican Party with Donald Trump. On the Democratic side, it is a Big Ten coalition with lots of internal disagreement. And in fact, if there is a Democratic trifect in Washington, D.C., it will certainly include. Independence in the US Senate, as it currently the Democratic caucus currently does. Uh, there are states like Alaska that have multi-party coalitions, independents, Democrats, and some Republicans caucusing together.
Why does Wikler say today’s public discontent goes beyond politics and fuels demand for systemic change?
I think that the future probably does involve people wearing different political jerseys who agree on some fundamental things, the fundamental idea that it should be the people who who decide who the government works for rather than a handful of far-right billionaires, which seems to be how The country operates right now. The level of public discontent across the country is so enormous. And to me, the question is not whether people will get involved enough to fight and win some critical elections in 2026. It's whether they will keep rolling up their sleeves, stay involved, work on school board races and city council races and mayor's races, think about the big picture and how these things interconnect, and then work to ensure that their elected officials take action when they have the chance.
Bring down the partisan temperature, bring down the the level of kind of procedural arms race in this country for the long term.
I I wonder though if that fundamental discontent that I think as you called it is actually a barrier to what you want to accomplish because what Wisconsin did was in twenty twenty. Now, six years later, the Although it's only six years, there's been a massive amount of change to our society, our political system, and a a level of public voter disgust that I wonder if that would no longer make the Wisconsin model replicable at the national level.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is Ben Wikler’s new book “This Is the Plan” about and why does he think Democrats need a system‑wide strategy?
0:02–1:27
2
How does Wikler describe the “Wisconsin model” of building a year‑round grassroots movement?
1:27–2:45
3
Why does Wikler say today’s public discontent goes beyond politics and fuels demand for systemic change?
2:45–4:25
4
What historical progressive reforms in Wisconsin does Wikler cite as proof that a rigged system can be re‑engineered?
4:25–5:13
5
Is it naive to believe ordinary citizens can still reshape democracy after decades of manipulation?
5:13–6:33
6
What concrete actions does Wikler recommend – from school‑board races to voting in every election – to “un‑rig” the system?
6:33–7:58
7
How do moderate Republicans fit into Wikler’s vision for a healthier, less polarized political center?
7:58–9:39
8
What is Wikler’s long‑term hope for 2050, and how does he think today’s activists can make it a reality?
9:39–10:09
Speakers
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