PRE-ELECTION SPECIAL EPISODE!
Opposition to Donald Trump has been a unifying force for Democrats. Progressive and moderate factions of the party set aside their differences during the race, but what happens if Joe Biden wins? How do Democrats maintain cohesion when progressives are gaining strength and formerly Republican college-educated whites stream into the party? What happens to a post-Trump GOP? Does it continue to hang together or split up into rival factions vying for control of the party?
Steven Teles, a Johns Hopkins political scientist and Niskanen senior fellow, argues we're heading for a de-polarizing era of party factionalization. In this episode we talk about Teles' essay in National Affairs, "The Future is Faction" and the final chapter of his new book "Never Trump: The Revolt of the Conservative Elites" (both with co-author Robert Saldin), both of which analyze the prospects of intra-party division, weakening control by leadership, and the renewed possibility of bipartisan coalitions and moderation in policymaking.
"The Future is Faction" by Steven Teles and Robert Saldin, National Affairs
Never Trump: Revolt of the Conservative Elites by Steven Teles and Robert Saldin
Host: Will Wilkinson (@willwilkinson)
Audio engineer: Ray Ingegneri
Music: Dig Deep by RW Smith
Model Citizen is a production of the Niskanen Center (@niskanencenter)
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Will Party Unity Break Down After Trump?