Part One:
We speak with Harold Meyerson, editor-at-large at The American Prospect, about his insights into this, his eleventh, presidential election season. We discuss the changing political landscape and what Democrats or Republicans can expect in terms of support from new alignments of states.
The alignments have changed so much that, in the 2020 election, the two mega-states of the sunbelt were in play — Florida and Texas — as were Georgia and North Carolina.
Meyerson describes the crisis for Republicans, who must decide what their Party now wants to stand for and which voters it can appeal to in order to win elections in the coming years. The changing electorate predates Trump. The Republican base has relied on anti-immigration and anti-civil-rights policies. But this strategy will not necessarily ensure Republican success going forward.
Part Two:
We talk with Bob Hennelly, reporter at salon.com, insider-nj, the Chief-Leader, and @stucknation. It will not be sufficient just to remove Donald Trump from the White House. Our country’s problems, inequalities, corruption, and suffering did not start with Trump. Working people, people of color, women and indigenous people have gotten the short end of the stick (or worse) for much of this country’s history. The 1% — elites, CEOs, the well-connected and well-heeled — have dominated our economy and our political system long before Trump, although the disparities in income and in wealth have skyrocketed in recent years.
All of us who want our country to make progress toward a more fair and more just society must continue paying attention and continue being active. Even a Democratic president can’t do it alone; dealing with a Republican Senate will pose major challenges.
Nor can progressives rely on a Biden administration to propose or vigorously advocate for (and stand firm pursuing) the kind of changes that will be necessary in order to dismantle systemic racism, exploitation of working people, xenophobia, and police suppression.
