Minority/Majority

Minority/Majority

The attempt to fashion a distinct Democratic identity was temporarily halted when Elaine Kamarck and William Galston published a self-serving call for Democrats to move to the “center.” But nearly every Senate Democrat voted for a raise in the minimum wage, a clear move exclusive to the party.

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Permanent Minority.

Clintonites Elaine Kamarck and William Galston published yet another in a series of self-serving reports demanding that Democrats abandon their base, move to the so-called center and appeal to “swing voters.” The move reinforced dishonest stereotypes of the center as being far to the right of where it actually is and served as a stimulus for right-wing publications like the Washington Times to push the Democratic Party to be yet more conservative.

Toward the Majority

. Every Senate Democrat (except two who were absent) voted for Senator Ted Kennedy’s proposal to raise the minimum wage; all but three Republicans voted against it. The unity draws a clear contrast between Democrats and Republicans on this critical economic issue.

We cannot back down

We now confront a second Trump presidency.

There’s not a moment to lose. We must harness our fears, our grief, and yes, our anger, to resist the dangerous policies Donald Trump will unleash on our country. We rededicate ourselves to our role as journalists and writers of principle and conscience.

Today, we also steel ourselves for the fight ahead. It will demand a fearless spirit, an informed mind, wise analysis, and humane resistance. We face the enactment of Project 2025, a far-right supreme court, political authoritarianism, increasing inequality and record homelessness, a looming climate crisis, and conflicts abroad. The Nation will expose and propose, nurture investigative reporting, and stand together as a community to keep hope and possibility alive. The Nation’s work will continue—as it has in good and not-so-good times—to develop alternative ideas and visions, to deepen our mission of truth-telling and deep reporting, and to further solidarity in a nation divided.

Armed with a remarkable 160 years of bold, independent journalism, our mandate today remains the same as when abolitionists first founded The Nation—to uphold the principles of democracy and freedom, serve as a beacon through the darkest days of resistance, and to envision and struggle for a brighter future.

The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

I urge you to stand with The Nation and donate today.

Onwards,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

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