Jan 19, 2017
The Democratic Party may be in a “crisis,” many argue, and not only
because of a Donald Trump presidency but also due to continued
Republican control of Congress. Given these challenges, will the
Democrats be able to rebuild their strength? In episode #27 of
Politics & Polls, professsors Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang interview
leading political scientist Theda Skocpol about her recent article
in Vox: “A Guide to Rebuilding the Democratic Party from the Ground
Up.” In the piece, Skocpol outlines how the Democratic Party can be
rebuilt from the ground up, beginning at the state and local
levels. Skocpol’s work covers an unusually broad spectrum of topics
including comparative politics and American politics. In
particular, her research focuses on U.S. social policy and civic
engagement in American democracy, including changes since the
1960s. She has recently launched new projects on the
transformations of U.S. federal policies in the Obama era. Her
books and articles have been widely cited in political science
literature and have won numerous awards.