Can Economic Populism Save the Democratic Party?

Ezra Klein interviews Jared Abbott from the Center for Working-Class Politics about the Democratic Party's declining support among working-class voters. Abbott discusses the "Democratic penalty," where candidates are negatively impacted by the Democratic label in Rust Belt states. The conversation explores whether this is due to cultural issues or a perception that Democrats don't deliver on their promises. They analyze examples of candidates who have overperformed by distancing themselves from the Democratic Party, sometimes aligning with Trump-like positions. Abbott suggests that Democrats need to experiment with different populisms, allow candidates to take pragmatic positions, and focus on pre-distributive policies that emphasize worker empowerment and respect. They also discuss the broader trend of class de-alignment in Western countries and the need for Democrats to build grassroots organizations and recruit more working-class candidates.