Opinion | MAGA Was Built in Decades. What Will Democrats Build Next?


new video loaded: MAGA Was Built in Decades. What Will Democrats Build Next?

transcript

transcript

MAGA Was Built in Decades. What Will Democrats Build Next?

David Brooks, E.J. Dionne Jr. and Robert Siegel convene to discuss the state of America — and debate the best way to revive the country and its politics.

What populism offers people is a culture, a morality, a way of being a picture of masculinity and femininity, a sense of belonging. It is a full-service religion as well as a political ideology. The Democrats don’t have any of that. They have ideas for policies and tax policies. So they might do this on a day-to-day basis. But if you’re the Democrats, you have to think we have to create a counter-movement to what populism has. We need to create a culture, a sense of belonging, a sense of identity, a sense of right and wrong, a sense of masculinity and femininity, all sorts of other issues. And to me, that’s a generational project. Populism didn’t just start yesterday. It goes all the way back to America first. It goes back to the Know Nothing movement. It goes back to writers like Sam Francis and Christopher Lasch. It took decades to create the culture MAGA is. It’s going to take decades for the Democrats to come up with a counterculture, but positioning themselves on the realm of values and ideas and vision is the first task. And what happens in a legislative game, it’s not important. We don’t have decades to protect our constitutional democracy. Of course, liberalism and social democracy have to have a moral story to tell. I think they do have a moral story to tell about how fairness and justice can undermine better lives for people, better family lives. But right now, we are in a crisis. Either you believe we are right now in a crisis or you don’t. I do believe we’re in a crisis, and that requires that you act that way. And then we can in the meantime have these long- term discussions that you want to have. But I don’t think you can just sit there and say nothing’s happening. We’ll think for the long term.

‘The Opinions’

Related Posts

Opinion | In a World That Enabled Epstein, What Makes a Good Man?

I have three boys and I hear this all the time. Like “men are trash, men suck.” Is just like, just in the water. And I think it’s incredibly psychologically…

Opinion | Trump Wants to ‘Take Cuba.’ These Cubans Have Thoughts.

Things in Cuba have gotten really, really bad. I do believe I’ll be having the honor of taking Cuba. The United States has imposed a punishing full trade embargo on…

You Missed

What I Saw Inside an Ebola Ward

What I Saw Inside an Ebola Ward

No deal announced after Trump meeting to make 'final determination' on Iran

  • By admin
  • May 30, 2026
  • 3 views
No deal announced after Trump meeting to make 'final determination' on Iran

Rescuers Free Miner Trapped Inside a Cave in Laos

Rescuers Free Miner Trapped Inside a Cave in Laos

Trump floated the idea of a 15% government stake in a massive railroad merger

Trump floated the idea of a 15% government stake in a massive railroad merger

Star Sightings: Olivia Rodrigo Wears a ‘Saturday Night Live’ Jacket, Emily Ratajkowski Shops in New York City

Star Sightings: Olivia Rodrigo Wears a ‘Saturday Night Live’ Jacket, Emily Ratajkowski Shops in New York City

Eight students arrested in Kenya after suspected deadly school arson attack

  • By admin
  • May 29, 2026
  • 4 views
Eight students arrested in Kenya after suspected deadly school arson attack