Bai’s The Argument and Similarities Between the Environmental Movement and Democratic Party

This post comments on The Argument:  Inside the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics, by Matt Bai.  The Argument presents a compelling, though depressing and discouraging case that the Democratic Party comes up short when it comes to providing new ideas to tackle our many, intransigent problems.  The author (who covers national politics for The New York Times Magazine) demonstrates his fundamental understanding of what our founding fathers intended, that the best ideas would emerge from thoughtful discourse and debate of many different ideas.  Right now, we are in need of new ideas and in this, Bai finds the Democrats lacking.  Bai says, “Seventy years ago ... visionary Democrats had distinguished their party with the force of their intellect.  Now the inheritors of that party stood on the threshold of a new economic moment, when the

nation seemed likely to rise or fall on the strength of its intellectual capital, and the only thing that seemed to interest them was the machinery of politics.”

Ultimately, Bai's "Argument" is that the Democrats are not successful because instead of providing true leadership with well-thought out ideas that can solve problems, Democrats are mired in strategizing about winning elections.  Instead of developing solutions, Bai says the Democratic strategy "against" Republicans was that they "were evil, arrogant and corrupt.”  In Bai’s view, this is hardly the stuff to lead the country into the next century.

The book has detailed accounts about billionaires, bloggers and even MoveOn.org.  But Bai does not stray from his fundamental belief, that unlike preceding political movements, the current Democratic Party does not have a good "argument," as did the New Dealers.  His book

challenges the Democrats to come up with one.

To me, Bai’s take on the Democratic Party seems reminiscent of the environmental movement, as many would argue it has struggled due to its definition as a “special interest.”  This topic is well explored by Schellenberger, M. & Nordhaus, T. (2004).  The Death of Environmentalism:  Global Warming Politics in a Post-Environmental World.

The Democratic Party covers so many special interest groups that its vision has become fragmented and disjointed.  In fact in both cases (the environmental movement and the Democratic Party),the way the “problem” has been perceived has led to narrow policy options that, in the end, are not viable and do not propel the Party or the environmental movement forward.

Through this lens , Bai’s argument notwithstanding, a diversity of mid range solutions relatable to many of the fragmented groups within the Democratic Party will likely be more effective than a top down, “silver bullet” approach.