We were joined by longtime political strategist and labor leader Michael Podhorzer for a Word on the Street Live conversation unpacking what last week’s election results really tell us about the state of American politics – and what it will take to pull the country out of its democratic crisis.
In a wide-ranging discussion, we explored:
- A new kind of political terrain. Between the Trump Administration’s efforts to undermine elections and the Roberts Court’s rulings dismantling long-standing guardrails, we’re now, as Michael put it, in “brand new territory.”
- Democratic complacency and alienation. Michael called out the Democratic establishment, saying too many voters feel trapped between “a fascist and a Party defending the status quo.”
- Building a broader coalition. To truly win power – and wield it – Democrats need a diverse coalition of candidates who reflect the full range of the party’s voters, not a narrow ideological lane.
After saying goodbye to Michael, we turned to Israel, Palestine and the week’s news on our issues – from Jared Kushner’s visit to the region to continue implementing the 20-point plan, to Trump’s demand that Netanyahu be pardoned to the resignation of Minister Ron Dermer, one of Netanyahu’s closest confidants, to visits by the Syrian and Saudi leaders, to our advocacy work demanding settler terrorists be sanctioned by the US.
All content for J Street Conversations is the property of J Street and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
We were joined by longtime political strategist and labor leader Michael Podhorzer for a Word on the Street Live conversation unpacking what last week’s election results really tell us about the state of American politics – and what it will take to pull the country out of its democratic crisis.
In a wide-ranging discussion, we explored:
- A new kind of political terrain. Between the Trump Administration’s efforts to undermine elections and the Roberts Court’s rulings dismantling long-standing guardrails, we’re now, as Michael put it, in “brand new territory.”
- Democratic complacency and alienation. Michael called out the Democratic establishment, saying too many voters feel trapped between “a fascist and a Party defending the status quo.”
- Building a broader coalition. To truly win power – and wield it – Democrats need a diverse coalition of candidates who reflect the full range of the party’s voters, not a narrow ideological lane.
After saying goodbye to Michael, we turned to Israel, Palestine and the week’s news on our issues – from Jared Kushner’s visit to the region to continue implementing the 20-point plan, to Trump’s demand that Netanyahu be pardoned to the resignation of Minister Ron Dermer, one of Netanyahu’s closest confidants, to visits by the Syrian and Saudi leaders, to our advocacy work demanding settler terrorists be sanctioned by the US.
This week on Word on the Street Live, we unpacked Democrats’ sweeping victories across the country – and what they reveal about the state of the country one year into Trump’s second term.
Then we turned to New York, where Phylisa Wisdom of New York Jewish Agenda joined us to explore Zohran Mamdani’s win in NYC.
We discussed:
What Mayor-elect Mamdani’s victory means for New York’s Jewish community – and why engagement, not fear, must guide our community moving forward.
The ADL’s “Mamdani tracker” – and why, when Jewish institutions fight hate selectively, they risk stoking fear instead of advancing safety for all New Yorkers.
Reflections on Phylisa’s recent trip to Israel/Palestine with J Street – watching Israelis breathe again after the ceasefire and visiting the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair, where Israeli authorities have issued demolition orders.
A thoughtful, grounded conversation about democracy, fear and the work of staying in the fight.
J Street Conversations
We were joined by longtime political strategist and labor leader Michael Podhorzer for a Word on the Street Live conversation unpacking what last week’s election results really tell us about the state of American politics – and what it will take to pull the country out of its democratic crisis.
In a wide-ranging discussion, we explored:
- A new kind of political terrain. Between the Trump Administration’s efforts to undermine elections and the Roberts Court’s rulings dismantling long-standing guardrails, we’re now, as Michael put it, in “brand new territory.”
- Democratic complacency and alienation. Michael called out the Democratic establishment, saying too many voters feel trapped between “a fascist and a Party defending the status quo.”
- Building a broader coalition. To truly win power – and wield it – Democrats need a diverse coalition of candidates who reflect the full range of the party’s voters, not a narrow ideological lane.
After saying goodbye to Michael, we turned to Israel, Palestine and the week’s news on our issues – from Jared Kushner’s visit to the region to continue implementing the 20-point plan, to Trump’s demand that Netanyahu be pardoned to the resignation of Minister Ron Dermer, one of Netanyahu’s closest confidants, to visits by the Syrian and Saudi leaders, to our advocacy work demanding settler terrorists be sanctioned by the US.
