The Argument: Billionaires, Bloggers, and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics

Since before the 2004 election, Democrats have been scrambling to remake their party into … what, exactly? Matt Bai documents the rise of an anti-centrist backlash in both the grassroots and the party’s major funders. Yet the progress of these new progressives is hampered, he believes, by a failure of vision—a lack of an argument as to where this country should go next and how the Democrats would get us there. Can they move beyond visions articulated by presidents 50 to 100 years ago to solve today’s problems? So far, progressives have struggled over whether they can best serve the country by getting a Democrat elected to the White House now or by nurturing a long view. Bai’s report on Dems’ recent efforts—both hits and misses—gives the reader some hope they might do better in the future.