I recently linked to a column about Ruy Teixeira and John B. Judis’ new book Where Have All the Democrats Gone?. To briefly recap, the book is an appeal to the Democratic party’s leadership to moderate its platform, not only because the authors believe it’s the right policy course, but also because the current course has demonstrably alienated a once reliable bloc of Democratic voters: the white working class.

While my first link on Where Have All the Democrats Gone? was basically a summary of its points, today’s is an examination of them. Recent polls have shown President Biden trailing former President Trump by not-insignificant margins in multiple swing states. Granted, polls are a snapshot of the present, not a predictor of the future. But if the party’s focus doesn’t change, why would its numbers? Waiting for Trump to self-destruct and saying, “I can’t believe I’m losing to this guy,” won’t get the job done. There’s time for the party apparatus to turn this thing around. It just has to be interested.