May 11—In an interview with New York Times columnist Ross Douthat (not a favorite of TSD, and ignore his column's title), Democratic Senator from Connecticut Chris Murphy shares his thoughts on how the Democratic Party might dig itself out of its current hole and challenge the "five-alarm fire" presented by the co-opting of our democracy by a cabal bent on turning the nation into an elective dictatorship. Getting less strident on divisive culture-war issues, getting the money out of politics and "de-rigging" an economy set up to make the rich richer while everyone else is lucky to run in place, are among his salient suggestions.

November 23—TSD hates to admit it, but incoming U.S. president Donald Trump's threats of ending free trade with Mexico are already bringing about action from newly elected Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum to exclude Chinese-made parts used in Mexican manufactures exported to the United States. Democrats, take heed: actions and policies designed to directly support the American worker are winning those workers' votes.

November 15—In this discussion with the New York Times' Ezra Klein, columnist and author Michael Lind describes the overweening influence of NGOs, institutions and, most importantly, the wealthy donors who fund them, on setting both policy priorities and the terms of political discourse in the Democratic Party. The recent election results highlight the dangers in allowing a small set of wealthy Americans, unanswerable to any kind of electorate, to possess such outsized influence on the Party's priorities and messaging. In a related article, former chief of staff to Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, Adam Jentleson, asks the vital question: When Will Democrats Learn to Say No? so that they might built the kinds of supermajorities needed to build a truly social democratic America.

October 21—With manufacturing jobs at a fraction of their 20th century peaks, one of the largest contingents of blue-collar workers now staff the giant warehouses from which companies like Walmart and Amazon distribute goods to American consumers. This New York Times article looks at a group that has yet to learn to flex its potential political muscle.

October 19—The Social Democrat has been reporting on the serious housing crisis facing U.S. workers, with home prices up 50 percent in five years and rents up 35 percent in the same period. This AP article looks at how this breakdown of social democracy is affecting voters in Arizona who are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.

October 24—Working class men once constituted the Democratic Party's core constituency. These voters now favor Donald Trump by large margins. In this article on Social Europe, editor-at-large of The American Prospect, Harold Meyerson looks at the factors that are driving working men toward the Republican Party and Donald Trump, among them the loss of good union jobs to globalization, the predominance of more traditionally female-friendly jobs in the evolving American economy and fears of loss of status.

October 11—Whenever social democrats talk of raising taxes on the wealthy, conservative "thinkers' rush forward to claim that asking more from the well-off will simply result in "wealth-flight": that is, that the rich will flee the country, taking their wealth with them. In this piece, Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee first examines the premise that a nation's most fortunate citizens will flee if their taxes are increased (and finds it wanting); and offers a solution for the small proportion who do: the "exit tax."

October 4—The Democratic Party has allowed itself to be back-footed on crime, as Party extremists spew such nonsense as abolishing police departments, and as lax crime enforcement by "progressive" DAs has led to unprecedented levels of shoplifting, carjacking and other criminal behavior. AP News takes a look at the voter backlash this ill-considered approach has spawned in California.

September 29—With purchase costs up 50 percent in five years, and rents up 35 percent, the rapidly escalating cost of housing is perhaps the major social-democracy issue facing the United States. The U.S. is not alone, with other major industrial nations facing the same affordability pressure on working families. In this Guardian piece, Phineas Harper argues that simply increasing the supply of housing (by easing regulation or direct government subvention) will not by itself solve the social democratic imperative of decent housing for all working people.

August 16—Are you one of those people who appreciates those rare urban spaces that are aesthetically pleasing, environmentally friendly and, perhaps above all, safe and welcoming for pedestrians? Barcelona's "superblock" concept might be the thing for you. The city plans to implement these islands of pedestrian-friendly, green space on a broad scale, with 500 planned throughout the city.

August 16—Britain recently elected a social democratic Labour Party government for the first time since 2014. This Guardian piece examines Labour's commitment to using government to boost investment while also upskilling the workforce, an approach also favored by the Biden administration.

August 10—The Covid-19 pandemic and government response to the crisis induced Inflation at levels not seen for decades. Though inflation has nearly returned to "normal" levels, the 20 or more percent increase in prices of major consumer goods since 2020 is a major factor in this year's elections, topping many voters' lists of concerns. In a talk to the Economic Policy Institute Joel Bernstein, White House Council of Economic Policy chairman, discusses what he and other economists are learning from the nation's "round trip" to hyper-inflation and back.

August 6—In this New York Times guest essay Boston University prof Victor Kumar argues that the U.S. should be taking active measures to counter population decline and the many problems created by an aging population. Immigration alone, Kumar writes, will not solve the problem; he advocates for such family-friendly politices as paid family leave, affordable childcare and tax subsidies for parents with children.

August 6—"Block tariff" energy pricing, already in use among half the world's households, is a simple yet brilliant solution to pushing the green transition while maintaining a focus on social justice. Under the system, the first block of energy, calculated to meet basic needs, is either free or very cheap. As a household uses energy beyond basic needs, the per-unit pricing increases, both discouraging non-essential energy consumption and forcing those who use excessive energy—chiefly the wealthy—to pay the environmental cost.

July 20—America's broken political system is frequently laid at the feet of the Internet and its bunkered echo chambers. While this analysis certainly contains a large dose of truth, two current Washington Post columns, one from well-known columnist Fareed Zakaria and another from Harvard scholar Danielle Allen, look at the effect of a different culprit—our system of primary elections—in promoting extreme views and discouraging constructive dialogue.