In the second part of this week's Geopolitics review, Professor Scott Lucas turns our attention to the Democrats and the upcoming US Midterm elections. It quickly becomes clear that the real issue is not a simple battle between "the centre" and "the left" within the party.
Instead, Scott argues that too much commentary gets trapped in lazy labels and misses the more important question: which candidates are actually effective, pragmatic, and able to connect with voters on the issues that matter?
Join the conversation and let us know if you think the Democrats need leadership that can unify the party around issues, not nostalgia, labels, or defensive apologetics and bring all voters together against MAGA's tyranny.
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Timestamps:
(00:00:00) – Preview
(00:02:18) – Reassessing the 2024 election and what Democrats really got wrong with Kamala Harris’ campaign despite Trump’s highly toxic rhetoric
(00:09:39) – Trump’s weak approval now that he has been in power and the importance of actual policies over theatrics for the upcoming elections
(00:10:45) – Pragmatic Democrats to watch at governor and Senate level who succeeded on clear policy platforms, not on “centre vs left” labelling
(00:16:46) – How the media, commentators and analysts are mislabeling the public and distorting the evolving picture of the Democrats
(00:23:25) – Why political analysts must focus on issues, not personalities and guilt-by-association framing that offers zero insights
(00:26:58) – AOC, “woke 2.0,” and the need to reclaim language and true meaning from Trump, the MAGA movement and their client media
(00:30:30) – Should the establishment Democrats transition away from the old guard, such as Biden, Clinton, Obama, Schumer and others?
(00:36:03) – Modern Democrats must prioritise grassroots politics, not old-school politics. Case in point: Zohran Mamdani
(00:40:42) – Scott’s biography writing on Orwell taught him long ago that we are beyond right and left — each label boxes you in!
Episode Notes & Citations:
https://retortmedia.com/podcasts/ceoretort/2026/08/20/scott-lucas-calls-for-the-rise-of-younger-democrats-and-to-get-their-act-together/
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