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New York Times
2 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
The Democrats' Problems Are Bigger Than You Think
I have a lot of Democratic friends who are extremely disappointed with their party leaders. They tell me that the Democratic Party is currently rudderless, weak, passive, lacking a compelling message. I try to be polite, but I want to tell them: 'The problem is not the party leaders. The problem is you. You don't understand how big a shift we're in the middle of. You think the Democrats can solve their problems with a new message and a new leader. But the Democrats' challenge is that they have to adapt to a new historical era. That's not something done by working politicians who are focused on fund-raising and the next election. That's only accomplished by visionaries and people willing to shift their entire worldview. That's up to you, my friends, not Chuck Schumer.' There have been only a few world-shifting political movements over the past century and a half: the totalitarian movement, which led to communist revolutions in places like Russia and China and fascist coups in places like Germany; the welfare state movement, which led in the U.S. to the New Deal; the liberation movement, which led, from the '60s on, to anti-colonialism, the civil rights movement, feminism and the L.G.B.T.Q. movement; the market liberalism movement, which led to Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and, in their own contexts, Deng Xiaoping and Mikhail Gorbachev; and finally the global populist movement, which has led to Donald Trump, Viktor Orban, Brexit and, in their own contexts, Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. The global populist movement took off sometime in the early 2010s. It was driven by a comprehensive sense of social distrust, a firm conviction that the social systems of society were rigged, corrupted and malevolent. In 2024, I wrote about an Ipsos poll that summarized the populist zeitgeist. Roughly 59 percent of Americans said the country was in decline. Sixty percent agreed 'the system is broken.' Sixty-nine percent agreed the 'political and economic elite don't care about hard-working people.' Sixty-three percent said 'experts in this country don't understand the lives of people like me.' The American results were essentially in line with the results from the 27 other countries around the world that were polled. The Republicans have adjusted to the shift in the zeitgeist more effectively than the Democrats. Trump tells a clear story: The elites are screwing America. He took a free trade party and made it a protectionist party, an internationalist party and made it an isolationist party. Recently, George F. Will compiled a list of all the ways Trump is departing from conservative orthodoxy and behaving and thinking in ways contrary to the ways Republicans behaved in the age of conservative market liberalism. Will's list of Trump pivots is worth quoting in full: '1. Combating the citizenry's false consciousness by permeating society, including cultural institutions, with government, which is politics. 2. Confidence in government's ability to anticipate and control the consequences of broad interventions in modern society's complexities. 3. Using industrial policy to pick economic winners and losers because the future is transparent, so government can know which enterprises should prosper. 4. Central planning of the evolution of the nation's regions and the economy's sectors, especially manufacturing. 5. Melding governing and party-building by constructing coalitions of government-dependent factions, as Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal did with the elderly (Social Security, 1935), labor (the 1935 National Labor Relations Act favoring unions) and farmers (the 1933 Agricultural Adjustment Act). 6. Rejecting conservative growth-oriented tax simplification — lowering rates by eliminating preferences — to use taxes (including tariffs) as tools of social engineering. Bypassing the appropriations process, the tax code can transfer wealth to favored constituencies. 7. Limitless borrowing from future Americans to fund today's Americans' consumption of government goods and services. 8. Presidential supremacy ensured by using executive orders to marginalize Congress. 9. Unfettered majoritarianism, hence opposition to the Senate filibuster.' Trump has taken the atmosphere of alienation, magnified it with his own apocalypticism, and, assaulting institutions across society, has created a revolutionary government. More this term than last, he is shifting the conditions in which we live. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Liberal Lee Jae-myung wins South Korea election and promises unity after turmoil
Liberal opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung was elected president of South Korea on Tuesday, promising to unite the country six months after it was shaken by a surprise attempt to impose martial law. With a clear lead in the 85 per cent of votes counted so far, he told supporters he would also find a way for the country to coexist with North Korea through dialogue and communication. His conservative rival, Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party, conceded the race. Lee's victory stands to usher in a political sea change in Asia's fourth-largest economy, after the backlash against the martial law episode brought down conservative Yoon Suk Yeol. Nearly 80% of South Korea's 44.39 million eligible voters cast their ballots, the highest turnout for a presidential election in the country since 1997, with Lee terming the polls "judgment day" against Yoon's actions and the PPP's failure to distance itself from that decision. A joint exit poll by broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS, which has in previous elections mostly been in line with the final results, put Lee on 51.7% and Kim on 39.3%. The martial law decree and the six months of ensuing turmoil, which saw three different acting presidents and multiple criminal insurrection trials for Yoon and several top officials, marked a stunning political self-destruction for Yoon and effectively handed the presidency to Lee. Yoon was impeached by the Lee-led parliament, then removed from office by a constitutional court less than three years into his five-year term. 'I was here on December 3 after martial was declared and December 14 when Yoon was impeached,' said Choi Mi-jeong, 55, a science teacher who gathered outside parliament to hear Lee speak after the election. 'Now Lee Jae-myung is becoming president. I hope he will become a leader who supports ordinary people, not vested interests, not a small number of riches.' Official results were expected to be certified by the National Election Commission on Wednesday morning after ballots are sorted and counted by machine, then triple-checked by election officials by hand to verify accuracy. The winner must tackle challenges including a society deeply scarred by divisions made more obvious since the attempt at military rule, and an export-heavy economy reeling from unpredictable protectionist moves by the United States, a major trading partner and a security ally. Lee is expected to be more conciliatory toward China and North Korea, but has pledged to continue the Yoon-era engagement with Japan. There were no female candidates running in Tuesday's election for the first time in 18 years. Despite polls showing wide gaps between young men and women, gender equality was not among the key policy issues put forward during this election, a stark contrast from the 2022 vote. 'One thing I am a bit frustrated about with mainstream candidates whether Lee Jae-myung or other conservative candidates is they lack policy on women or minority groups,' said Kwon Seo-hyun, 18, a student.
The Guardian
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Run for Something co-founder: ‘Democrats' reliance on seniority is our downfall'
Amanda Litman spent the past decade building a way for more younger people to run for office. Now, as the Democratic party debates its ageing leaders after the former president's decline led to a bruising loss in 2024, a groundswell of younger Democrats are working to remake the party by challenging incumbents and calling out Democratic leaders who fail to push back against Trump. It's a moment Litman has been waiting for. Litman co-founded Run for Something, an organization that recruits and trains progressives age 40 and under to seek elected office, the day Trump was inaugurated in 2017. Since then, the group has sought to dismantle the gerontocracy, helping to elect more than 1,500 people across 49 states. More than 200,000 people have signed up to explore a run for office, more than 40,000 of whom have signed up since Trump won last November. 'The Democratic party's reliance on seniority is really our downfall,' she told the Guardian. 'Imagine how hard it is to tell your grandparents that it's time for them to stop driving. This is the same: how do you tell someone they're no longer fit to do the thing that they've been doing for decades, but maybe feel called to and derive all their self-esteem and their sense of identity from?' These conversations are 'really hard', but it's vital to have them now, and in the open, because Democrats are seeing the consequences of avoiding the issue for too long, she said. Those younger leaders also have a distaste for institutionsand are more eager to tear it down or propose alternative ways to rebuild the government. Younger leaders are 'very open about what change could look like, and that can be really scary to the people who've been building these institutions for the last 10, 20, 30 years,' Litman said. Three older Democrats have died in office just this year. After the most recent death, Virginia Democrat Gerry Connolly, Litman wrote on social media that 'older Democrats need to retire now and go out on their own terms. Let us celebrate your legacy! Don't let your leadership end in a primary loss or worse, real grief.' Her new book, 'When We're in Charge: The Next Generation's Guide to Leadership,' details how millennials and Gen Z leaders can remake their workplaces and become the kinds of leaders they've always wanted. It's not explicitly about politics, though some people in elected office or other political work are interviewed. 'When we make workplaces better, we give people back their time to do more politics outside of it, like being a better citizen,' she said. 'It's really hard to imagine going to a protest or volunteering for a candidate if you are working around the clock, and you get home from your nine to five and you're just drained. Part of the reason why I want to push this conversation outside of politics is because I think the more we can make work not suck, the better everything else cannot suck too.' She advocates for separating your work from your personhood and bringing your authentic self to work, albeit a modified version she calls 'responsible authenticity'. The same lessons she found across workplaces apply to politicians, she writes and points to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York congresswoman, as someone who strikes the right balance of showing her humanity but maintaining boundaries. 'The members of Congress I spoke to brought up the same kinds of challenges as the lawyers, as the faith leaders, as the business executives and media folks,' she said. 'They all talked about loneliness. They all talked about vulnerability. They talked about the challenges of wanting to be authentic but not wanting to let everyone into all your shit.' As Democrats debate how to rebuild their side of the aisle, Litman expects to see more primaries, something the party has often sought to avoid at the national level, often believing they're a waste of resources. Primaries are more common in the state and local races Run for Something works on, and the group has at times endorsed more than one person in a primary. Primaries are 'clarifying', Litman said. 'Politics, like everything else, is something you get better at with practice. Primaries are how you get better.' Those primaries aren't simply a progressive vs. centrist surge right now, she said. It's more about who is showing they have the fight in them to stand up to the Trump administration, more about who has 'the skills and the stomach'. Beyond primaries, the left should be having open conversations about who needs to retire - Litman said a retirement, with an open race, is much more preferable than unseating an incumbent, which can get messy. 'If we really think that this is a crisis, we need leaders who are going to act like it and be able to communicate that,' she said. 'I'm not sure that Senator [Chuck] Schumer and other older members of Congress are most well-suited to do that. That's not a personal failing. It's just we got to send our best.'
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Which parties are leading hung councils after the local elections?
The local election results earlier this month left 10 councils under no overall control, leading to weeks of uncertainty about their political direction. Now all 10 have confirmed their leadership and executive arrangements after holding annual meetings. Here are the details of the political make-up of each authority and which parties will lead them. – Devon County Council Both the Lib Dems and Reform gained 18 seats at the election, ensuring the former become the biggest party with 27 councillors. The Conservatives lost 32 seats and control of the council, with seven councillors remaining. The Greens were the only other party to make gains as their seats increased from two to six. Lib Dem Julian Brazil was elected leader unchallenged on Thursday. A major challenge for the new leadership will be children's services, with the county's support rated inadequate by Ofsted for the second time in five years earlier this month. Commenting on the issue on Thursday, Mr Brazil said: 'No stone will be unturned or sinew unstrained in order to improve the service that we deliver to some of the most vulnerable children in our communities.' At the same meeting, Reform councillor Michael Fife Cook complained that 'half the council is being ignored' after the Lib Dem cabinet was confirmed. – Gloucestershire County Council The Conservatives had led Gloucestershire County Council since 2001 but lost 20 seats at the election, reducing the Tory group to just six. The Lib Dems gained 11 seats but fell one short of the 28 needed for a majority. The party's group leader Lisa Spivey was elected council leader unchallenged on May 21, becoming the first woman to take on the role. Her nomination was backed by the Greens, which secured the third highest number of seats at the election with nine – a gain of five. Reform became the second largest group with 11 councillors while Labour's seats were reduced from five to one. Speaking at the annual meeting, Ms Spivey said the electorate had delivered 'a clear call for something better – a loud and resounding vote for change'. Addressing new Reform councillors, she acknowledged there would be sharp differences of opinion between the two groups, but added: 'I look forward to working with you to deliver for your communities.' – Hertfordshire County Council Hertfordshire County Council slipped into no overall control for the first time this century, with a collapse in support for the Conservatives indicative of the party's wider electoral woes. Such was its dominance in this part of the South East, the Tories had been the only party to hold a majority in Hertfordshire since the council was established in 1974. With 40 seats needed for a majority, the Lib Dems came closest with 31 due to a gain of eight. The Tories lost more than half of their 46 seats to end the night with 22 councillors, while Reform made the biggest gain by securing 14 seats. Both Labour and the Greens ended up with five seats. Lib Dem Steve Jarvis was elected leader on May 20, with no sign of a formal coalition agreement with other parties. He said his first two priorities were to fix roads and host a summit on plans to improve support for those with special educational needs and disabilities. – Leicestershire County Council A surge in support for Reform in Leicestershire resulted in the party gaining 25 seats – just three short of an overall majority. The Conservatives, who led the council as a majority since 2001, lost 27 seats. This left the party as the second largest group with 15 councillors, followed by the Lib Dems with 11 (+2), Labour with two (-2), the Greens with one (+1) and independents with one (+1). Former Conservative councillor Dan Harrison was elected leader on May 14, having defected to Reform in February. The Conservatives had ruled out forming a coalition with Reform, preferring to provide a 'strong opposition', the BBC reported. – Warwickshire County Council Warwickshire County Council, which has alternated between a Conservative majority and no overall control since it was established in 1974, is now under the leadership of Reform. However, despite securing 23 seats the party fell short of the 29 needed for a majority. The Lib Dems gained nine seats to take its total to 19, while the Conservative vote collapsed to deliver just nine councillors – a loss of 32. The Greens won seven seats with a gain of four. Labour lost three to end with three. Reform's Rob Howard was elected as leader of the county council on May 16 and his cabinet will be announced 'in the coming weeks', the council said. Alternative leadership nominations were made for Liberal Democrat councillor Jerry Roodhouse and Green councillor Jonathan Chilvers. Mr Howard won the support of 28 councillors, while Mr Roodhouse won 15 votes and Mr Chilvers 10, with one abstention. Reform councillor Edward Harris was chosen as the new chairman of the authority and Conservative councillor Dale Keeling elected as vice-chairman. – Worcestershire County Council Reform were just two seats shy of securing the 29 needed for an overall majority after voters turned their backs on the Conservatives en masse, with the party losing 33 councillors – leaving them with 12. The Tories had been in charge of the county since 2001. Reform's Jo Monk was elected the new leader of the council unchallenged on Thursday. The Greens benefited from a five-seat boost to become the third biggest group, ahead of the Lib Dems on six (+2) and Labour on two (-1). – Buckinghamshire Council The Conservatives fell one seat short of retaining overall control of Buckinghamshire council, a unitary authority performing both county and district-level functions created in 2020. The Tories lost 29 seats to leave them with 48 after boundary changes, while the Lib Dems gained 19 to secure 27 and second place. Conservative Steven Broadbent was elected council leader on Thursday after former Tory leader Martin Tett stepped down. Independents are the third largest group with 13 councillors, an increase of six, followed by Labour on four. Reform failed to make the inroads it achieved elsewhere, with the party winning three seats. – Cornwall Council Reform emerged from the election as the biggest party but fell well short of the 44 seats needed to gain overall control. Reform's 28 new councillors put the party ahead of the Lib Dems in second on 26, after a gain of 13. However, the support of independents proved pivotal in the vote for council leader on May 20 as Lib Dem councillor Leigh Frost was elected with 53 votes. There were 25 abstentions. Reform UK had withdrawn from the race after other parties said they would not support them, the BBC reported. Independents maintained their 16 seats and became the third biggest block, while the Conservatives suffered a huge loss of 40 seats, reducing their representation to seven councillors. Labour now have four seats on the council – a reduction of one. – Northumberland County Council The Conservatives narrowly retained its status as the largest group on Northumberland County Council, finishing three seats ahead of Reform, which gained its first 23 councillors. But the Tories failed to win the 36 seats needed for overall control and faced a challenge from Reform for the leadership of the unitary authority. Support from independents, Greens and Liberal Democrats led to Tory leader Glen Sanderson being re-elected as leader ahead of Reform nominee Mark Peart. Labour councillors abstained. The election saw Labour slip from 21 seats to eight while independents, the Lib Dems and the Greens maintained low levels of representation. Speaking at the annual meeting on May 21, Mr Sanderson is reported as saying: 'We will build together to make this continue to be successful. We all share one thing in common, which is to have our residents put a cross in our box to say we put our trust in you to represent us.' – Wiltshire Council During a dramatic annual meeting on May 20, the Liberal Democrats took control of Wiltshire Council – a Conservative stronghold since it became a unitary council in 2009. The Lib Dems gained 16 seats in the election but fell seven short of an overall majority, while the Tories lost 24 to come in second on 37. This set up a head-to-head between Lib Dem Ian Thorn and former council leader Richard Clewer for the leadership. Boosted by support from independents, it was Mr Thorn who prevailed by a margin of five votes. Mr Thorn said there is now an opportunity to encourage parties to work together more, while Mr Clewer said he was 'frustrated' and 'sad' not to continue in the role. Reform is now the third biggest party on the unitary council after winning 10 seats, followed by independents on seven and Labour on one (-2).
Bloomberg
22-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
In Conversation With Yanis Varoufakis
Yanis Varoufakis, Former Finance Minister, Greece discusses fiscal policy and political change in Europe with Bloomberg's Mishal Husain at the 2025 Qatar Economic Forum, Powered by Bloomberg. (Source: Bloomberg)
