Over the weekend I had the opportunity to speak with Matt Bai at a couple of events at which he spoke about his new book, The Argument, and related topics. Though I haven't been able to read the book yet (between the hundreds of pages of reading for law school and my near-constant perusing of newspapers and blogs I don't have a ton of time to do other reading), I do have a few thoughts that I'd like to lay out that stemmed from the themes I heard.

During his talks and in subsequent conversations, Bai offered the premise that progressives have devoted too much focus on electoral tactics under the misplaced view that presidential elections tend to be decided by narrow margins, as they have been during the last five elections but have not always been in the past. Because of this excessive attention given to tactics, the horserace, and things of the like, not enough thought has been devoted to the broader argument and set of ideas upon which progressives can run and create real change.

Even as someone who does write and obsess about tactics and the horserace, I tend to agree with the general sentiment

There's more...

Has anyone here had a chance to read "The Argument: Billionaires, Bloggers, and the Battle to remake Democratic Politics yet? What did you think?

I am pretty sympathetic to his main point, that the battle-focus of these new political focused groups (like us) has been mostly focused on getting rid of Republicans and stopping Bush, rather than gathering around a progressive agenda to unite the movement. But I also think that it was no small task, and that it took a lot of energy and focus by the bloggers and billionaires, alongside the establishment forces within the Democratic Party, to win back a majority of Congress in such a short time. I would much rather be in this position, with the focus on defeating Republicans and having a foothold in power, than incubate a decade in the political wilderness on ideas for a ideological movement while the country goes to shit.

I believe the partisan focus is correct for our times, that the Republicans have self-destructed and are in denial of how rejected they have become, and that Democrats should remain as united as possible in the face of this opportunity, taking as many congressional seats as possible while winning the presidency in 2008. Then we will have a small historical window of legislative opportunity, for about 4 years. We might not accomplish the progressive agenda of getting out of Iraq, enacting universal healthcare, and embarking on the path to energy independence, but we'll have the historical opportunity.

I see the differences between the two parties as so stark, that an ideological agreement within the party is nearly a given going into the election. Sure, we have Dems that stray off the progressive positioning over certain issues, but the point is that those issues would not come up for a vote under a Democratic trifecta of power-- one where Democrats have a ~40 seat majority in the House and a ~10 seat majority in the Senate under a Democratic president. The times are so partisan, that the public will have to decide which direction that they want to go. Is the priority international militarization or global accord? Is everyone on their own or will there be social security and universal healthcare? Is global warming a hoax or is it time to get off of oil?  The Republicans represent one direction, the Democrats another. That's the argument that's to be decided.

There's more...

In The American Prospect, Ron Brownstein reviews Matt Bai's book on the Democratic Party and the battles ongoing within it - battles on policies and political strategy. Brownstein is a very good reporter and observer, but it seems to me he accepts some conclusions that are faulty. In particular, he often mixes what was (at least I thought it WAS) a good understanding in the Democratic base and the Netroots that policy is beholden to politics. You can't enact a progressive agenda unless you can elect progressive representatives. Brownstein reserves that understanding to the "savvy" like himself:

Bai's plea for a more ambitious, transformative Democratic agenda, also seems disconnected in another key respect. Visionary ideas detached from a strategy to move them into law are like balloons without strings. (As John F. Kennedy once put it when an aide urged him to promote a policy he knew he could not pass through Congress, "That's vanity … not politics.")

I can't imagine there are many thinking persons who care about politics that do not understand this. The Argument, as it were, in the Democratic Party, has been two fold - whether a substantively progressive agenda can be enacted in the United States; and how to get such an agenda enacted. Most in the Netroots (me included) believe that it can but that it must occur through the Democratic Party. That means transforming the Democratic Party - most particularly in its political strategy and style. More.

There's more...

Yesterday (Friday, March 23) at 2:30 PM eastern time, Matt Bai of the New York Times Magazine, Gina Cooper of YearlyKos, and DailyKos front-page writer McJoan were the special guests on Heading Left's Blog Talk Radio show.  Bai and McJoan will moderate "an unprecedented forum featuring potential 2008 presidential candidates during the second annual YearlyKos Convention on August 4th in Chicago." Bai's book, "The Argument: Billionaires, Bloggers, and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics", is scheduled for release in early September 2007. The show was hosted by Nate Wilcox of HeadingLeft and guest co-host Dave Johnson of SeeingtheForest filling in for the vacationing James Boyce.

There's more...

Today (Friday) at 2:30 PM eastern time, Matt Bai of the New York Times Magazine, Gina Cooper of YearlyKos, and DailyKos front-page writer McJoan will be the special guests on Heading Left's Blog Talk Radio show. This should be a very interesting show.

Aside from his upcoming book on Democratic politics, Bai and McJoan will be moderating "an unprecedented forum featuring potential 2008 presidential candidates during the second annual YearlyKos Convention on August 4th in Chicago." Bai's book, "The Argument: Billionaires, Bloggers, and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics", is scheduled for release in early September 2007.

Tune in at 2:30 PM eastern time and feel free to call in at (646) 652-4803 to speak with Matt Bai, McJoan, and Gina Cooper. This should be an exciting show, hosted by Nate Wilcox of HeadingLeft and guest host Dave Johnson of SeeingtheForest filling in for the vacationing James Boyce.

There's more...