As Democratic leaders and strategists gear up for the 2020 elections, the party stands at a crossroads. For progressive populists, the path forward is clear: Democrats must abandon Wall Street and the 1 percent and get back in touch with the party’s working-class roots by championing a specific set of policies, including Medicare for all, free public college tuition, a guaranteed federal jobs program, and housing as a human right. They say this strategy is key to winning back disillusioned working-class voters and to regaining power in Washington and beyond. But others view this as a dangerous path. They argue that a handful of high-profile progressive wins have been overhyped by the media and, rather than make promises that may be impossible to execute in this political climate, Democrats should champion centrist, economically viable policies that will win elections and solidify the base. How can the Democratic Party, out of power and outnumbered in Washington D.C. and state capitals across the nation, bring itself out of the political wilderness? Does embracing what some would describe as "democratic socialist" polices energize or endanger a fractured party?
Intelligence Squared: Will Progressive Populism Save the Democratic Party? System?
