Jon Wiener: From The Nation journal, that is Begin Making Sense. I’m Jon Wiener. Later within the present: why fascists concern lecturers. Randi Weingarten will clarify. However first: some excellent news for Democrats – from all of the current particular elections. John Nichols will report–in a minute.
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We’re informed the Democratic model is in serious trouble, however Democrats have been successful particular elections for the previous few months — a lot of particular elections, all over. For remark, we flip to John Nichols. After all he’s govt editor of The Nation. We reached him right now at house in Madison. John, welcome again.
John Nichols: It’s nice to be with you, Jon.
JW: I wish to discuss three particular elections. Final week, in a particular election to fill a congressional seat in northern Virginia, the Democrat, a man named James Walkinshaw, gained by 50 factors. Now, this can be a blue district. It’s a center class suburban space south of Washington, DC. Nobody is shocked that the Democrat gained. However successful by 50 factors on this district is a shock. Kamala Harris gained this district final 12 months by 34 factors. In order that’s a 15 level achieve for the Democrats in lower than a 12 months.
And that’s not the one one. There’s two others in state senate races. One, in Pennsylvania in March, the Democrats flipped a state senate district in Lancaster County, a district that Trump gained by 15 factors only a 12 months in the past. A Democrat has not represented that district within the state legislature for 136 years.
And some weeks in the past, a Democrat gained an Iowa State Senate seat by practically 10 factors — in a district that Trump had gained by 11. That’s a 21 level swing in the direction of the Democrats simply in lower than a 12 months.
So that is suburban DC, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and Sioux Metropolis, Iowa. Very completely different locations. What do you make of this?
JN: What’s vital is that, for example, in that Virginia district, that was an space the place Republicans used to do fairly nicely and notably the place, whilst not too long ago as 2021, when the Republicans have been doing very nicely in state races in Virginia, that was a spot the place they have been making up some floor. They have been closing the hole. Now the hole is widening out massively. A part of that has to do with the truth that that is suburban Washington. These are individuals who work for a federal authorities that has been below assault by Elon Musk and a number of Republicans. In order that is smart.
But it surely’s just a little extra attention-grabbing in locations like Clinton, Iowa and in industrial areas of Pennsylvania the place we’re seeing seats flip, the place we’re seeing higher margins. And what I feel that tells you is a pair issues. One, there’s frustration with the Trump administration. It’s very actual. It’s very passionate in a number of locations. Quantity two, on the stage of vitality mobilization, simply the will to come back to the polls, all of the pollsters inform us, the Democrats are tremendous excited to come back. That bodes very nicely for the autumn off your elections and votes very nicely for the midterms. And I feel it’s one thing that those that merely take a look at polling information that claims the Democratic Social gathering itself will not be significantly fashionable, miss, as a result of in America, whether or not we prefer it or not, and I occur to favor multi-party politics, however whether or not we prefer it or not in America, you typically have two decisions. And what we’re seeing in these particular elections is given the 2 decisions and given the prospect to ship the messages that they wish to ship, individuals are lining as much as vote for Democrats even when they’re annoyed with a number of the occasion’s nationwide management.
JW: In order that’s some current elections which have already occurred. After all, in simply what– six or eight weeks, w’re going to have the off-year elections of November, 2025. A few of these are fairly essential and vital. New York Metropolis, after all, goes to elect a mayor. And for the way forward for the Democrats, this can be a actually massive one. Zorhan Mamdani has an enormous lead within the race for mayor of New York Metropolis. The New York Occasions most up-to-date ballot has him forward of Andrew Cuomo, 46 to 24.
In Virginia, Democrats are hoping to flip the governorship. Democrat Abigail Spanberger is forward, 49 to 40.
After which the election that a number of us regard as an important of the 12 months: The California referendum on redistricting, which is the Democrat’s response to Trump’s solely approach of sustaining management of the home gerrymandering to create new Republican seats that they’re not going to have the ability to win. In any other case, the referendum in California on redistricting would create 5 new Democratic seats, which matches the 5 created for Republicans in Texas. Either side are spending tens of tens of millions on this race. The ballot that we have now up to now on California redistricting exhibits it nicely forward, 46 to 36. That’s what we find out about polls for elections developing in simply six weeks.
JN: The massive one and the one which I’d level to is that New York mayoral race, as a result of that permits us to go deeper and to investigate a query of the place the Democratic occasion itself ought to go. And bear in mind a couple of minutes in the past we have been referencing the truth that the Democratic occasion doesn’t ballot very nicely. There’s an incredible variety of Individuals who don’t just like the Republicans, however they’re not overly thrilled with the Democrats. And partly that could be a reflection of the truth that Democratic occasion is seen by a number of its base as having been approach too cautious in current elections, not taking the daring stance that may really outline it as a brilliant clear various to Trump and Trumpism, and albeit to neoliberalism, to a number of financial insurance policies which have turn out to be very unpopular.
Zorhan Mamdani in New York has mounted a marketing campaign that can be a problem to each main events. He has the Democratic nomination, however in a way he’s arguing that our politics must be completely different and higher. It must be a politics that displays the calls for of working class individuals that basically reaches out to multiracial multi-ethnic coalitions in ways in which the Democrats have tried to do, however not solely succeeded at, after which frankly may be very blunt a few host of points together with Gaza, together with taxing billionaires, together with the necessity to actually develop the position of presidency in all types of the way. And admittedly, to guard the residents of New York from Trump administration insurance policies, what is usually known as Trump proofing town. And so Mamdani’s working on that.
You had a number of the pundits, a number of the political insiders say, nicely, this can be a catastrophe. Democrats are going to be harmed by this. They’ll lose the mayoralty to an unbiased candidacy maybe out of Andrew Cuomo. And likewise the sign from New York will probably be, oh, the Democrats don’t wish to be like Mamdani, proper? He’s too far out. He’s too no matter. See, then the alternative.
The actual fact of the matter is that as Mamdani has campaigned, he’s expanded his coalition. He’s gotten endorsements from those that didn’t again him within the major. He’s gotten massive endorsements from unions that had backed Cuomo within the major. And what we’re beginning to see throughout the nation is individuals get into races for workplaces in different states, in different contests, and overtly acknowledge that they’re borrowing a web page from Mamdani, that they’re making an attempt to be candidates who converse extra boldly, particularly on financial points, particularly on affordability, and it seems to be working. So I feel that’s one of many the reason why this week we noticed Governor Hochul of New York, who had been proof against endorsing Mamdani, give him really a really heat and enthusiastic endorsement.
JW: After which we have now new polls on presidential approval rankings. It’s all horrible for Trump within the NBC ballot that got here out final week, now extra disapprove than approve of what he’s doing. We name that being underwater within the polls. Even on border safety, which was the one the place he was just a little bit forward. His general favorability rankings have dropped 20 factors since he took workplace. He’s probably the most unpopular president in American historical past. Individuals opposed, just about every part he’s finished, together with most not too long ago. Do you prefer or oppose Trump sending troops to American cities favor 42, oppose 58%. Do you prefer or approve Trump’s tariffs favor 38%. Oppose. 62%. The economist, you go, Paul, from final week. Individuals say an important concern is inflation and costs, 32% approve of what Trump’s been doing. 62% disapprove. We name that 30 factors underwater, 41 factors underwater with unbiased voters. And it’s not simply that each single factor he’s finished since he took workplace has gone instantly destructive. It’s the depth of the opposition. The quantity of people that inform pollsters they’re strongly opposed, that has hit report ranges within the historical past of polling. And Trump is aware of this. He reads these polls and that’s one motive why he’s turn out to be wilder and extra threatening.
JN: whether or not you want Donald Trump or not, you could settle for the truth that in November of final 12 months in a really contentious race, he prevailed and although it was a slender victory, and it’s essential to grasp, it was one of many nearer presidential elections in current historical past. It was nonetheless a real victory that gave him the presidency management of the Home within the Senate. And so I feel they got here in assuming that they’d one thing greater than only a victory. They have been busy claiming a mandate. Now as they’ve finished most of the issues they’ve wished, they’ve discovered they turn out to be dramatically much less fashionable. Trump obtained a powerful vote final fall from individuals who have been simply upset with the place politics have been at and upset with the financial system, upset with a way that issues have been unaffordable, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And so he was given an opportunity, however having been given an opportunity as President, what he has finished has brought on it seems like an incredible variety of Individuals to have purchaser’s regret and to say, look, we don’t like the place this administration’s headed and we don’t approve of it.
And I feel it’s summed up by the large lovely invoice or the large ugly invoice relying in your politics. The Trump administration, which is usually tried to current itself as being completely different from a number of the earlier Republican administrations on this regard, went to the basic place, which is minimize packages for working individuals and shift the cash over to the billionaires, proper? It’s a quite simple mannequin and it’s at all times unpopular, however this one’s dramatically unpopular as a result of in such aggressive methods it went after Medicaid, it went after snap advantages for individuals who want meals. It simply appears so blatantly merciless. And I feel that this has brought on an actual political blowback. And in consequence, you’ve seen Trump and his administration type of desperately searching for to vary the topic to shore up their foundation of help. However in speaking to political analysts on each side, Republicans and Democrats, there’s a sturdy sense that we’re headed towards a midterm election during which this administration might take an actual hit politically. And so I assume that’s in a way why we’re seeing such a churn proper now and such depth, as a result of I can inform you this, I haven’t lined Donald Trump for a very long time. He doesn’t wish to lose.
JW: One last item: the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. After all, we condemn all political violence. Trump and his individuals this week stated they’d go after what they referred to as far left teams that promote violence and terrorism. And JD Vance stated on Monday that two foundations specifically have been going to be focused as a result of they fund the Nation journal. Vance stated throughout a podcast quote, “I learn a narrative in The Nation Journal about my expensive pal Charlie Kirk.” Then he stated, “George Soros’s Open Society Basis funds this journal, as does the Ford Basis and lots of different rich titans of the American progressive motion.” He pointed to an article at thenation.com headlined “Charlie Kirk’s legacy Deserves No Mourning,” by Elizabeth Spiers. However she stated on this piece, “I don’t imagine anybody ought to be murdered due to their views.” She did have a pointy critique of these views. So we wish to discuss this only for a minute. For starters, is Vance right that the Ford Basis and the Open Society Foundations fund The Nation Journal?
JN: The Nation has not acquired cash from Soros that I do know of. There might have been a small grant from Ford to help an internship program —
JW: The Ford cash got here in six years in the past. And I perceive The Nation journal has not acquired any Soros cash within the final 5 years.
JN: Yeah. Yeah, on this case. However first off, I don’t just like the demonization of the foundations. I feel that Open Society and Ford have finished lots to advertise and advance democracy.
JW: Going after Soros and Ford–That is going after the Harvards of the liberal nonprofit world. It’s in keeping with their assault on liberal establishments.
JN: Nicely, certainly, and actually, it’s even said as such. However I used to be after all intrigued by the highlighting of the nation and the notion that the nation, which by the way in which, is primarily funded by a number of retired lecturers and college students and dealing class of us throughout the nation who subscribe to the journal and have helped our subscription and our help base to develop lately. And that’s one thing we’re enthusiastic about. However at a basic level, it was intriguing as a result of the Vice President stated, nicely, right here’s this esteemed journal that revealed issues that have been crucial about Charlie Kirk.
Folks can debate the way you reply to those jarring, horrible moments in our society. I do know that for myself as any person who had met and talked with Charlie Kirk, I do discover it particularly shaking to me that we’ve seen a political assassination, simply because it was horrifying to me a number of months in the past after we noticed the assassination in Minnesota of Melissa Hortman, one of many main legislators in america, in addition to her husband, a political assassination.
All this stuff which were occurring, it tells me that we dwell on this very harmful, very unstable time, and it’s a time after we should be dialing tensions down. And right here we have now the Vice President and Steven Miller and others speaking about focusing on teams they don’t like and issues like that. What I feel is essential to grasp is that this, in our discourse, we will have an sincere discourse the place we essentially disagree and we level out the explanations for our disagreement and in a wholesome society so we will travel, but it surely ought not result in efforts to destroy or hurt or violently assault. These we disagree with.
The Nation’s been round for 160 years. We’ve been learn by individuals within the White Home for many of these 160 years. We now have been criticized by presidents and vice presidents through the years, and we have now criticized them. So long as JD Vance needs to criticize the nation utilizing his First Modification rights, and so long as we will reply to that criticism utilizing our First Modification rights, then I feel issues are good. Proper? That’s appropriately. I don’t thoughts criticism, however what I thoughts is a suggestion that we should discard a sturdy discourse and discard an sincere dialogue as a result of any person doesn’t like what they hear. On the finish of the day, we should always give you the chance, as a rustic to have actual debate, actual discourse, actual expression of First Modification rights, however with an understanding that we do it as Individuals and in our Americanism and in our dedication to this shared dedication to the First Modification, that we come away from it with a option to say, nicely, we’ve said our views. Let’s have an election. Let’s see how issues prove.
JW: So The Nation will proceed to criticize the concepts and actions of the Trump administration, particularly their efforts to intimidate and silence those that converse reality to energy. John Nichols is Govt Editor of the Nation. John, thanks for speaking with us right now.
JN: Thanks, Jon. It’s an important honor to be with you and an important honor to speak about these essential points.
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JW: It has been a tough 12 months for colleges, for youths, and for lecturers, with Trump’s assaults. However in some ways, there’s nothing new about what he’s doing. For 100 years, assaults on colleges and on lecturers have been a trademark of fascist regimes. For that, we flip to Randi Weingarten. She’s president of the AFT, a union of 1.8 million lecturers, healthcare staff and public workers. She began out as a social research trainer at Clara Barton Excessive Faculty in Brooklyn. Now she’s a pacesetter of progressive Democrats nationally, and her new e-book, simply revealed, has the fantastic title, Why Fascists Worry Academics: Public Schooling and the Way forward for Democracy. Randi Weingarten, welcome again.
Randi Weingarten: It’s at all times an honor to be with you, Jon. Thanks.
JW: Trump’s most instant risk to public colleges proper now could be in cities like LA the place ICE has been within the streets and immigrant households have been afraid to ship their children to high school. The primary day of courses in LA Public Colleges, we report our present in LA got here in mid August, and we’ve by no means seen something like the way in which lecturers and neighborhood members ready to guard the youngsters from ice. The technique concerned establishing what they referred to as secure zones, round 100 colleges in Latino neighborhoods the place neighborhood volunteers joined faculty, police and lecturers patrolling on foot round their colleges looking out for ice so colleges may very well be locked down and oldsters may very well be rapidly notified by way of electronic mail and textual content. LA Mayor Karen Bass spoke about how profound this second is in US historical past when the job of the lecturers, the colleges and town, consists of defending children from the federal authorities.
You recognize lots about this.
RW: I feel what they did in LA was actually inspirational, as a result of it exhibits how when neighborhood will get collectively, right here it was the neighborhood of lecturers and oldsters collectively defending our children. It sends not solely an ethical message, but it surely additionally sends a message to these anti-freedom, anti-child forces inside our present authorities that ‘you aren’t welcome right here,’ that we welcome the stranger, that we’re a nation of immigrants, and ‘don’t use our children as pawns’ — in no matter political battle this administration needs to do. And I feel that coming collectively, you noticed that frankly in LA, you’ve seen that in New York, you’ve seen that in Washington dc We had the Secure Passage program. You’ve seen that in Chicago.
Now, we’ve additionally filed a lawsuit that has stated that for years, so long as I can bear in mind, there was a prohibition in opposition to ICE going into delicate areas, church buildings, clearly separation of church and state. Hospitals and colleges. And I begged the president the primary day of his administration when he stripped us of these protections, I begged him to not. I wrote him a letter. I stated, I attempted to make use of what all these different individuals are utilizing, being very good to him and begging. After all they by no means even bothered to reply. And in the end what’s occurred is that individuals throughout America, lecturers, mother and father are principally saying, ‘no, you’ll be able to’t take our children from colleges.’
JW: And I additionally wished to ask you about New York Metropolis politics. After all, there’s an election for mayor developing in November. The lecturers Union of New York Metropolis has been fairly lively there. They, and also you endorsed Mamdani. He gained the first. Let’s discuss Mamdani and the importance of his marketing campaign for lecturers, for youths, for everyone.
RW: The governor of New York really did an excellent essay laying out her causes for endorsing Mr. Mamdani as a result of she laid out a number of of the the reason why, which is what each our native school union and my native house, native UFT, what they each stated, which is what Zorhan is doing, is he’s responding to actual wants of individuals in New York Metropolis. For those who take a look at New York Metropolis, and what he did was he stated, we have now an actual affordability disaster. We will’t afford housing. If you wish to elevate a household in New York Metropolis, transportation is de facto arduous. The buses are too gradual and groceries are too costly and childcare is simply too costly. And so whenever you add all of this up, it’s arduous to boost a household in New York Metropolis anymore. And all these younger individuals wish to be in New York Metropolis now simply bursting with mild. After which sure, after all there are points.
JW: Yeah there are points. After all, the large one, particularly for you and me. is Mamdani and the Jews, New York Metropolis has the most important Jewish inhabitants of any metropolis on the planet outdoors of Israel. Extra Jewish voters I perceive supported Mamdani than another candidate, however he didn’t win a majority within the major of Jewish voters. And there are nonetheless Jewish voters who take into account him an antisemite. What do you say to them? What does he say to them?
RW: It’s frankly extra essential what he says to them than what I say to them. Clearly, I don’t imagine he’s an antisemite that’s primarily based upon what he has stated and what he has finished versus what others have stated about him. Is he very involved about Palestinians and Palestinian life? And is he very upset with what Netanyahu has finished? Sure and sure. However his job in New York Metropolis is to maintain, if he turns into mayor, each particular person in New York Metropolis secure, there’s a number of antisemitism, similar to there’s a number of Islamophobia in New York Metropolis as there’s elsewhere. And it’s his job to maintain individuals secure. And I feel he’s been on the market immediately making that pledge. He’s apologized for calling the New York PD racist.
He’s speaking to Jewish voters, together with making a major change in his stance, understanding that whenever you say “intifada” to a Jew, that might doubtlessly imply political violence or terrorism. And to grasp that and to say not solely that he is not going to use the time period, however he’s urging his supporters to not as a result of he understands the hurt that it does.
All of those are essential steps. Is it sufficient for everybody? No, it’s not sufficient for everybody. And I feel what is going to occur if he wins six months from his time period, beginning when individuals see that he’s the mayor for everybody, that’s what will change hearts and minds.
Very last thing I’ll say is he, as an alternative of ignoring it, as an alternative of claiming, ‘oh, I’ve sufficient votes that I can win regardless,’ he’s actually doing this work — and I respect that.
JW: Now let’s discuss your new e-book, Why Fascists Worry Academics.
RW: There are Pharaohs in every single place, whether or not it was Hitler, whether or not it was others. And a part of our job as faculty lecturers is to be the antidote to fascism, the antidote to authoritarianism. As a result of for lecturers it’s about binding individuals collectively. It’s about making a secure and welcoming atmosphere. It’s about giving children the talents they want so that they thrive. Like crucial pondering, like instructing children not what to assume, however the best way to assume.
JW: You say in your e-book that the core of public schooling is that everybody is embraced and accepted. That’s what you say. Then there’s Trump’s former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo in 2022. He requested, who’s probably the most harmful particular person on the planet? Is it Chairman Kim of North Korea? Is it President Xi of China? He stated no to each of these. Who did Mike Pompeo say was probably the most harmful particular person on the planet?
RW: Me. Me. Why do they do that infinite smear? Why do they demean lecturers? Why is it always, ‘let’s undermine public schooling’ somewhat than help it or repair the issues that ail it. Why defund it as an alternative of trying to help it? Why vouchers somewhat than serving to all children succeed with the help? Why all of this? And the purpose is, I feel that they do that, to do precisely what one other of those conservative activists who I quote within the e-book stated: that to undermine our society — these are his phrases, not mine –They should ‘create common public faculty mistrust.’ And lecturers are the way in which again. They’re the antidote. What they attempt to do is carry individuals collectively, making an attempt to instill company and empowerment for all children.
JW: One in all my favourite subjects in your e-book is the Chicago lecturers strike of 2012, which was a strike not only for increased pay for lecturers, it was for one thing we name the neighborhood faculty mannequin. And right here in LA that was the idea of the LA Academics strike of 2019, a really memorable occasion for these of us who dwell in LA. Please clarify the distinction between a strike for higher pay and a strike for neighborhood colleges.
RW: Many people imagine that we have to use no matter clout we have now in collective bargaining to attempt to make circumstances higher in order that increasingly more children would succeed. And one of many methods of constructing circumstances higher for households, for kids, is in case you wrap companies round a college. You possibly can have a well being middle related to the varsity in a approach that’s geographically shut, or on the faculty itself. You possibly can have issues like eyeglass availability. You possibly can have a meals pantry. You possibly can have grownup ed programs. You possibly can have monetary literacy programs.
And when any person says to me, your position is instructing studying, writing, and arithmetic, I’m like, ‘so how is a traumatized child or a child that doesn’t have sufficient meals in her stomach or a child that wants glasses like I now must learn? Can’t learn the board, the blackboard or the whiteboard. If we don’t do this, how will we serving to all children?’
And so we have now to do greater than instructing studying, writing, and arithmetic. We now have to discover a approach that we stage the taking part in area so that every one children soar.
JW: Very last thing earlier than we allow you to go: I ponder what your ideas are concerning the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
RW: There is no such thing as a place, no place in our society for political violence. Interval. Political violence is a symptom of society crumbling, and we have to condemn it.
The following level I’d make is that this: what’s occurring now, going after people who find themselves commenting about what he stated, and chilling their speech — is incorrect. There’s little or no that Governor Cox and I most likely agree on, however I utterly agree with him on saying about having an off ramp on what social media is doing, that makes it virtually unimaginable, when we have now disagreements about something, to have an actual dialogue. And we’d like as a society to determine the best way to speak to one another, even after we deeply disagree about points.
JW: Randi Weingarten — her new e-book, out this week, has the fantastic title, Why Fascists Worry Academics: Public Schooling and the Way forward for Democracy. Randi, thanks for all of your work — and thanks for speaking with us right now.
RW: Thanks a lot, Jon. I actually respect it.
