Derek Thompson: Democrats Must Change
Derek Thompson, a senior writer at The Atlantic and co-author (with Ezra Klein) of Abundance: The New Politics of Growth, joins this episode of Just Asking Questions to make the case that if Democrats want to win in the future, they must first learn to build. In this conversation, Thompson challenges Democrats to reimagine themselves as the party of pragmatic progress, rather than redistribution.
We wanted to bring Thompson on the show now because the tension inside the Democratic Party is reaching a breaking point. In the wake of disappointing results and growing disillusionment with blue-state governance, a growing chorus—including Thompson—is calling for a course correction. But can Democrats overcome their own internal roadblocks—union entrenchment, environmental regulation gridlock, and NIMBYism—to actually deliver on that promise?
This interview was recorded on April 8, 2025.
Sources Referenced:
- Abundance by Derek Thompson and Ezra Klein
- Then-Gov. Jerry Brown in 2012 pitching California’s Rail Project
- Cities aren’t back – by Jed Kolko – Slow Boring
- Chart: Which US states generate th
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