Democratic Party's leaderless, 'play dead' mentality

Faiz Shakir — Bernie Sanders' 2020 campaign manager, former DNC chair candidate, and executive director of the progressive media organization More Perfect Union — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a bracingly honest conversation about what's wrong with the Democratic Party and what it would take to fix it. Shakir diagnoses a party that is functionally leaderless, with its top figures stuck in a "play dead" mentality while the Democratic brand polls worse than the Republican brand even as Trump's corruption grows more brazen by the day. He argues that Trump — like Biden before him — is finger-wagging at voters on the economy rather than addressing affordability, and that Democrats are blowing the opportunity to capitalize because they're terrible at picking fights and allergic to friction. Shakir is particularly scathing on the party's relationship with big tech and corporate power: He holds up Bernie Sanders' AI data center moratorium as the kind of fight Democrats should be waging, and Lina Khan's FTC tenure as the model of mission-driven disruption.

The conversation then turns to the future of the party and how to build a lasting majority. Shakir argues that the right candidate could move 7% of the electorate from right to left, that if Sanders were younger he'd likely win in 2028, and that Sanders has more credibility than AOC because he represents a rural state — though he praises both AOC's national appeal and Ro Khanna's political intelligence. He insists Democrats need to fight a class-based economic justice campaign, stop punishing candidates who aren't perfectly aligned on social issues, and recognize that "independent" doesn't mean centrist — younger voters are disillusioned with both parties and hungry for a working-class-first agenda. Shakir offers a detailed vision for DNC reform: fund state parties based on merit and metrics, move Nevada to first on the primary calendar because Vegas politics would orient the party toward working-class concerns, add Michigan and North Carolina to the early window,and invest in sun belt opportunities He closes by noting that James Talarico channeled Bernie's message with a religious-based framing, and that Democratic voters always gravitate toward outsiders — the party just needs to let them run.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Faiz Shakir joins the Chuck ToddCast

01:45 Democratic party seems leaderless

02:15 Would you run again for DNC chair?

03:45 Leaders of the party have a bit of a “play dead” mentality

04:30 Democratic brand is still in worse shape than Republican brand

05:45 Trump having billionaires at inauguration was foreshadowing

06:15 Trump’s corruption is incredibly brazen

07:15 It’s obvious Trump doesn’t care about affordability

08:15 Trump, like Biden, is finger wagging at voters on the economy

09:30 Vance sold himself as an anti-interventionalist populist 

10:15 Vance has had to completely go against his political identity

11:00 Trump’s corruption has totally undermined Vance

12:30 Trump’s argument of "imminent threat” from Iran is nonsense

14:00 Chuck Schumer told his caucus to “suck it up” on crypto 

15:30 The public is far ahead of politicians in being skeptical of AI

16:15 Very little is being offered by AI that would improve lives of working class

17:00 Every candidate in Illinois senate race basically has a big tech sponsor

18:15 Democratic party is terrible at picking fights and don’t like friction

19:00 Bernie Sanders AI data center moratorium reflects the public sentiment

19:45 Democrats are so heady on policy they let their politics suffer

21:00 There’s a movement of independent candidates, but winning matters

21:45 Independents are offering a different, working class first agenda

23:00 Democrats punish candidates who aren’t perfectly aligned on social issues

24:30 Bernie Sanders is stronger candidate in a general election than a primary

25:30 The right candidate could move 7% of the electorate from right to left

27:15 If Sanders were younger and could run in 2028, he’d likely win

28:15 Sanders has more credibility than AOC because he’s from rural state

29:00 Democrats need to fight a class based, economic justice campaign

31:15 How would you make changes at the DNC?

32:30 How should Democrats approach secondary races in MT & NE?

34:00 Younger voters are disillusioned with both parties, are independent minded

34:45 Independent does not mean centrist

35:45 State by state redistricting will eventually need national overhaul

37:30 Democrats “adult in the room” status has helped them in some places

38:45 Democrats have been viewed as the status quo party

39:30 Who is the heir apparent to Bernie?

40:00 Bernie respects the national appeal of AOC

41:45 Ro Khanna is incredibly smart and calculating

42:30 Politics has become an entertainment industry as much as policy

44:15 Voters want a disrupter with goals that are attainable

45:00 Lina Khan had a sense of imagination at the FTC

46:15 Mission driven disruption is associated with the progressive wing

47:15 Gavin Newsom has become the anti-Trump Democratic candidate

48:00 Newsom fighting the wealth tax is probably hurting himself with base

49:00 Rahm Emmanuel will struggle to overcome his political baggage

49:45 Democrats have surrendered on education as a national issue

50:30 Democrats should be offering year round schooling with new curriculum

51:15 Democrats should propose public service jobs with good pay & benefits

53:00 Nevada is the ideal first state for Democratic primary calendar

54:00 Vegas politics would orient Democrats to working class concerns

54:30 Michigan & NC should be in the first four for Democrats

55:45 Iowa & NH were battlegrounds because of first in nation status

58:30 DNC needs to give state parties money based on merit & metrics

59:45 Democrats have to find somewhere in sun belt to invest in

1:01:15 Mississippi could be best value in the south for Dems

1:02:00 Mississippi has a strong labor base to be courted

1:03:15 More debate between Talarico & Crockett would have been good for party

1:03:45 Talarico channeled Bernie’s message with a religious based framing

1:05:15 If Talarico or Platner win senate race, they’re serious 2028 candidates

1:06:30 Democratic voters always like an outsider in their presidential candidates

1:08:00 What is More Perfect Union and where can people find your work?

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