How Cultural Radicalism Upended the Left

In this week’s episode of the TLP Podcast, I’m thrilled to speak with Wall Street Journal writer at large Pamela Paul about her new article on the battles over civic literacy in leading universities and why the Democratic Party struggles to adjust to reality on gender ideology and other matters even as public opinion shifts against them. From campus monoculture to Planned Parenthood’s mission creep and the broader crisis of institutional trust, we unpack how cultural politics has reshaped the center-left—and what it means for 2026 and beyond.

Prior to the Journal, Paul was previously at The New York Times, where she was most recently an opinion columnist and longtime editor of the NYT Book Review. Before joining the Times, she was a contributing writer to Time magazine and a correspondent for The Economist.

Please listen in on a fascinating discussion and subscribe to the podcast if you don’t already.

A transcript of this podcast is available at the top of the post page on our website.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.liberalpatriot.com