New Democrats
19
MENTIONS
6
EPISODES
6
PODCASTS
Search complete. 19 mentions across 6 episodes found for "New Democrats".
Sep 24, 2026
Jason MylesHOST
Left Behind dispels this narrative of the Democratic Party and the political history of the United States since the late 1960s.
Jason MylesHOST
It reveals how Bill Clinton and the New Democrats helped to fundamentally remake many of the priorities and policies of the Democratic Party and liberalism during this period.
Jason MylesHOST
The New Democrats' adoption of market-oriented approaches to address inequality was not a, a defense reaction to the Republicans.
Jason MylesHOST
Rather, it was based on a genuine belief in the power of the market and private sector to achieve traditional liberal ideals of creating equality, individual choice, and help for people in need.
Jason MylesHOST
This approach, and the ideas and policies that flowed from it, propelled the Democratic Party's increased focus on economic growth and the tools of the private sector rather than on direct government assistance and economic redistribution as the main means to address persistent poverty and structural racism.
16 MINS LATER
Jason MylesHOST
And she got fascinated by seeing these loans that were given out to these, these women, um, kinda like what you talk about in Bangladesh in your book.
Jason MylesHOST
Um, she wasn't in Bang- I can't remember where she was.
Jason MylesHOST
Um, but it was, it was kind of fascinating to see someone so taken aback by something that they're like, "You know what? I have to stay here and, and study this microfinance thing." Um, but it's through these, these kinds of loans that people are going to be empowered, and it's also very similar to something that happened before these New Democrats, uh, bust on the scene, and that's Richard Nixon kind of feels like one of the, the, the ways to deal with Black power is to not tamp down the rhetoric, but point it towards capitalism.
Zain VeljiPANELIST
The big issue in Alberta is that this is the metastasization of conservatives that is causing this.
Zain VeljiPANELIST
Yes, the federalist side and the liberals and the New Democrats and the progressives, they can mobilize their people, but the metastasization of people is happening from the conservative area, and that's who's largely been quiet or invisible on this front.
Vassy KapelosHOST
And the same question to you, Tom, in the Quebec context.
Vassy KapelosHOST
Do you anticipate?
Ben WaterhouseHOST
Yeah, I love that.
Ben WaterhouseHOST
So should we go deep on Clinton for a little bit? I mean, there's this question that's kind of embedded, Lily, in a lot of what we've been talking about, about if we accept that Bill Clinton, the human, is a sort of central figure in the New Democrats, and he was deeply involved and a leader in the Democratic Leadership Council in the 80s before he became a national candidate, there's this kind of fascinating historiographical question about How do you understand him as as a leader and what he does to the Democratic Party? And we've in earlier episodes of this podcast, we've talked to other historians who have who have takes on this.
Ben WaterhouseHOST
You know, for example, that, you know, we talked to Margaret O'Mara, who had who worked for the Clinton campaign in 1992 as well.
Ben WaterhouseHOST
And, you know.
Ben WaterhouseHOST
He was shaped by different types of advisors around him.
Ben WaterhouseHOST
He had the Bob Reich kind of people pulling him in one direction, but he also had the Bob Rubin type people ultimately more successfully pulling him in a more neoliberal direction.
Ben WaterhouseHOST
And so I guess one of our questions for you is, you know, Where do you come down on this? Do you think Clinton was kind of always one thing that you mentioned that he was sort of a political professional middle class or working professional managerial class type person? Or do you see him as this sort of moldable Plato figure that shapes? And how does how does the answer to that question shape how we should understand what the New Democrats actually did in the 90s?
Lily GeismerGUEST
Yeah, I think that's a that's a super interesting question.
Lily GeismerGUEST
But another thing that I think is really important, this goes back to unions, too.
Lily GeismerGUEST
And like, I think there's a, you know, I write a lot about how, how anti, like the kind of anti-union dimensions of the New Democrats, but also like big
Lee VinselHOST
unions were super corrupt during the 1980s.
Lily GeismerGUEST
I mean, so it's like what the unions look like in the 70s.
Lily GeismerGUEST
But the kinds of techniques they're using are slightly different.
Ben WaterhouseHOST
Yeah, I love that.
Ben WaterhouseHOST
So should we go deep on Clinton for a little bit? I mean, there's this question that's kind of embedded, Lily, in a lot of what we've been talking about, about if we accept that Bill Clinton, the human, is a sort of central figure in the New Democrats, and he was deeply involved and a leader in the Democratic Leadership Council in the 80s before he became a national candidate, there's this kind of fascinating historiographical question about How do you understand him as as a leader and what he does to the Democratic Party? And we've in earlier episodes of this podcast, we've talked to other historians who have who have takes on this.
Ben WaterhouseHOST
You know, for example, that, you know, we talked to Margaret O'Mara, who had who worked for the Clinton campaign in 1992 as well.
Lily GeismerGUEST
And like, I think there's a you know, I write a lot about how how anti like the kind of anti union dimensions
Lee VinselHOST
of the New Democrats, but also like big unions were super corrupt during the 1920s.
Lily GeismerGUEST
I mean, so it's like what the unions look like in the 70s.
Lily GeismerGUEST
Like it was not our late 60s.
Lily GeismerGUEST
But like the kinds of techniques they're using are slightly different.
Ben WaterhouseHOST
Yeah, I love that.
Ben WaterhouseHOST
So should we go deep on Clinton for a little bit? I mean, there's this question that's kind of embedded, Lily, in a lot of what we've been talking about, about, you know, if we accept that Bill Clinton, the human, is a sort of central figure in the New Democrats, and he was, you know, he was deeply involved and a leader in the Democratic Leadership Council in the 80s before he became a national candidate, you know, there's this kind of fascinating historiographical question about How do you understand him as as a leader and what he does to the Democratic Party? And we've in earlier episodes of this podcast, we've talked to other historians who have who have takes on this.
Ben WaterhouseHOST
You know, for example, that, you know, we talked to Margaret O'Mara, who had who worked for the Clinton campaign in 1992 as well.
Bryan Dean WrightHOST
Governor Gavin Newsom of California raised some eyebrows on PBS over the past week when he was asked about whether there are any real divisions between traditional Democrats like him.
Bryan Dean WrightHOST
and the New Democrats, who identify as socialists or communists.
Bryan Dean WrightHOST
The governor said that, no, not really, perhaps some personality differences, but not on policies.
Bryan Dean WrightHOST
Said the governor, quote, If it's about more money in your pocket or lowering costs, getting money out of the politics that we have, if it's about recognizing that we've got a planet that's getting hotter and we've got to address the issue of climate change or...
6 MINS LATER
Bryan Dean WrightHOST
It is time for revolution.
Bryan Dean WrightHOST
He told that Marxist Democrat audience that, quote, y'all ain't nowhere near ready for a war in the streets, but you better get ready for both kinds of wars, politics and guns, end quote.
Bryan Dean WrightHOST
He later wrapped up by saying that if these new Democrats like AOC and Mamdani drag their feet on this demand for revolution, well, destroy them too.
Bryan Dean WrightHOST
This is a Marxist revolution and blood will run through the streets.