Before calling our first guest, we continue our discussion from yesterday. Should the Democrats in 2020 be advocating merely to take the country *back* to “normalcy,” to “stability,” to the day before Trump became president? Or instead should Democrats be trying to move our country in a progressive, *forward* direction toward a better future for *all* Americans including the middle class and working class.
After all, our problems did not begin with the election of Donald Trump. At least since Ronald Reagan, government policies have catered to mega-corporations and have left ordinary Americans with nothing but the “trickle-down” scraps. In between the two Bush presidencies, Bill Clinton led the “New Democratic” retreat to triangulated middle-of-the-road policies. No longer a counterweight to “the party of Wall Street,” the New Democrats have acted more like “Republican-light.” Now that Trump has shown us what happens when we allow the policies of unregulated markets and uncontrolled corporations to continue acting in their own self-interest, don’t we need more people-oriented policies to protect the 99% who work hard and love their families, but don’t have any political or economic power?
Part One:
We speak with Dana Nuccitelli from Yale Climate Connections about the ways in which climate change has influenced (and helped cause) the unprecedented fires in Australia. Global warming impacts the atmosphere and the movement of air patterns over the face of the planet. The effects of climate change not only help cause fires to start, but they also help these fires explode into long-lasting fires covering wide expanses of land.
We were shaken when Dana explained that the process is strikingly similar to those at play in California, and when he warned that we can expect similar bushfires to spread elsewhere too. Hey, maybe we should actually pay attention to the climate change problem!
Part Two:
We talk to Elaine Godfrey, reporter for The Atlantic, about why the left is more energized than ever. Sanders and Warren are drawing large enthusiastic crowds and attracting surprising amounts of small-donor campaign contributions. In contrast, Biden’s crowds are small and he relies almost exclusively on large donations from corporate interests and the wealthiest 1%.
Progressives are warning that Trump could be reelected if the Democrats don’t nominate someone who advocates systemic change. For example, fully 4.4 million people voted for Obama in 2012 but didn’t turn out for Hillary Clinton in 2016. She just didn’t offer enough “big ideas.” Will these folks come out and vote for Biden if he’s the nominee? What about younger voters? If the Democratic nominee doesn’t have a sense of “generational ethics,” then can s/he defeat Trump?
We ask Godfrey how progressive groups are speaking to moderate voters about these concerns. They’re reaching out to moderates and acknowledging their fears (of losing to Trump), but reminding the moderates of the votes which Dems might lose if they nominate Biden or another candidate who only wants to go back to the way things were the day before Trump was elected.
