From Vox, the Democratic debate over filibuster reform, explained: Nobody runs on Senate procedure, but without changing it, nothing is going to happen. Democratic wins in 2020 won’t change much if Mitch McConnell saves the filibuster. There’s no case for the filibuster in a closed Senate: It’s not just an obstacle to progressive policy — under McConnell’s rules, the filibuster weakens the institution and democracy. Winning the White House won’t fix our democracy. The 2020 Democratic primary debate over reparations, explained. Democrats push to make Washington, D.C., the fifty-first state. Puerto Rico is a 2020 campaign issue, but “just showing up is so 2008”, locals say.
From the Washington Monthly, Nancy LeTourneau on why Americans don’t want politicians to tell them the truth; and Martin Longman on the Sanders and Hickenlooper fallacies. The most unrealistic promise Democrats are making is to restore bipartisanship. Democratic voters should skip the speeches and look at the advisors. The influence of centrist Democrats is fading fast — what does that mean for liberal technocrats? The Democrats must own the center. A new role for Democratic centrists: Helping the Left win. “We are either a team or we’re not”: How much does Nancy Pelosi have to worry about a left-center split? Bernie Sanders-style politics are defining 2020 race, unnerving moderates.
Women running for president is the new normal. The new faces of moral reform: Kirsten Gillibrand’s Presidential campaign contains a theory about the reaction to Trump — that it represents not a leftward shift in American politics but the revelation of a new progressive moral majority. Elizabeth Warren is running for president — the other 2020 Democrats are just jockeying for position. Stacey Abrams, after narrow loss, has some decisions to make (and more). Who is Pete Buttigieg? The South Bend mayor is a Democratic candidate to watch for 2020. Andrew Yang, the 2020 long-shot candidate running on a universal basic income, explained.
From Vanity Fair, a cover story on Beto O’Rourke, as he comes to grips with a presidential run: “I’m just born to do this” (and more). Beto O’Rourke moves toward a 2020 race he could upend, ready or not. No Joe: Andrew Cockburn on Joe Biden’s disastrous legislative legacy. Joe Biden’s poll lead: Does it actually mean anything? The trouble with Biden: Defeating Trump isn’t the same thing as defeating Trumpism.
Trump may have an unlikely re-election ally: The Democratic Party’s crowded field and messy rules could lead to months of infighting and an ugly convention. “I don’t have any clue why they are running”: How the Democrats can stop nuking themselves and start obliterating Trump. Democratic candidates must treat each other as honest opponents, not toxic enemies. The Democrats’ dilemma: What Ilhan Omar and Dean Phillips tell us about the future of the Democratic Party.
