Third Way Attacks Progressives, Social Democrats, Lies About Medicare-for-All

CNN: All right, new this morning: the Democratic organization Third Way has launched a new platform called "A New Economic Bargain."

The platform consists of 20, quote, "ambitious and ruthlessly pragmatic" ideas to help improve the lives of working Americans, they say.

The policy is broken up into two categories: drive down costs, boost income, wealth, and jobs.

The ideas include a healthcare bill of rights, universal childcare, universal private retirement accounts, and the AI displacement plan.

With us now is Matt Bennett, executive vice president of public affairs and co-founder of Third Way.

Matt, it's always great to see you.

You know, you and I have talked about how more moderate or centrist Democrats—you felt needed to give Democratic voters something to support here, to counter some of the progressive movement on the left here.

To what extent is this platform today that response?

THRID WAY: Well, look, we have just ended the primaries, and now we're on to the general election.

So what this platform is intended to do is provide Democrats something they can run on in '26, they can legislate on in '27 if we win the majority in House and/or Senate, and then they can run and govern on in '28 if we can win a trifecta.

These are the kinds of things that you could actually—each one of these things, all 20 of them—you could actually envision becoming law if we had the right kind of president and a Democratic Congress.

And so we want to provide people with not only ideas that are big and bold and that would fundamentally transform the lives of working Americans, but also could actually happen, and that's the intent here.

CNN: "Could actually happen." You keep on harping on that, or you keep on emphasizing that, I should say.

Matt. So how does that differ—how is that different than some progressives have been running in the primaries up until this point?

THIRD WAY: Well, look, we think—for example, on healthcare—we agree with everybody in the party that the healthcare system is fundamentally broken for too many people.

There's 100 million Americans with medical debt. That is an outrage.

People have no idea what their costs are going to be when they go into the hospital.

They're not sure they can keep their doctors when they change their plans.

All of these things have to be addressed.

Our plan builds on existing law, on the Affordable Care Act, and other aspects of law that can be extended so that we can address all of these problems, rather than trying to, you know, completely throw out the system and start fresh.

The problem with some of the other proposals, including Medicare for All, is it would cost $40 trillion, and we just don't have that kind of money lying around.

Our program does cost money, but it is something within the realm of the possible, and it could provide relief to people immediately.

CNN: I'm checking the calendar. I'm getting verification that today is, in fact, Labor Day, Matt, which traditionally was the launch right to the campaign season.

I don't know if that still holds; we're sort of in the eternal campaign now.

But insofar as traditionally, this would be the day.

Today and tomorrow would be like, "Here we go, here's the sprint to November."

Where do we think—where do you think—things stand right now?

NBC News Survey Monkey just came out with a new poll that has the president's approval rating and their numbers, you know, tying or a little bit below an all-time low.

His numbers on Iran, you know, woefully underwater for him.

Where do you think that leaves things heading into the midterms?

THIRD WAY: Well, look, when the president is that unpopular, that generally means that there is some kind of wave of election coming.

It may not be enormous, it may not be a tsunami, but it's—it's going to be a wave.

I think there is almost no doubt that unless something radical changes between now and Election Day, Democrats will win the House.

And because we have very strong candidates running in very tough places—places that no one thought would be on the map even a year ago, like Iowa and Alaska—I think we have a shot at picking up the Senate as well.

The problem for Republicans is that normally the president gets either too much credit or too much blame for the economy.

In this case, with the war and with tariffs, Trump has intentionally done things that have driven up prices, and voters know that, and they're very angry about it.

And he wants the focus to be on him, for better or worse.

We will see the impact of that.

CNN: Matt Bennett, always great to see you. Happy Labor Day, as they say.

Third Way Attacks Progressives, Medicare-for-All, Social Democrats

Rashid discusses opposition from some Jewish Democrats in Michigan towards candidate Abdul Al-Sayed, highlighted by a letter backing Republican Mike Rogers, spearheaded by AIPAC.

Rashid argues that AIPAC represents a minority view within the Jewish community, which largely supports a two-state solution, and contrasts this with the perceived stances of Al-Sayed and Hailey Stevens on the issue.

Key Points

• Over 400 Jewish Democrats in Michigan reportedly signed a letter endorsing Republican Mike Rogers over Abdul Al-Sayed.

• This letter was spearheaded by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

• The speaker asserts that AIPAC's position on Israel and Palestine is a minority one within the Jewish community, with two-thirds supporting a two-state solution.

• AIPAC has allegedly spent over $30 million against Al-Sayed in the primary.

• The transcript explores the distinction between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, and the connection of Judaism to the land of Israel.

• The speaker suggests Abdul Al-Sayed is more aligned with achieving a two-state solution than Hailey Stevens, citing policy differences and voting records.

• A statement by Jamie Mitzel criticizing Al-Sayed's affiliations and use of his full name is discussed, with the speaker pointing out perceived hypocrisy.

Takeaways

• Despite representing a minority viewpoint, AIPAC is presented as having significant financial influence in political endorsements.

• The debate over a two-state solution and its relationship with anti-Zionism is complex and elicits strong opinions within the Jewish community.

• The speaker advocates for Abdul Al-Sayed as the candidate more likely to advance a two-state solution based on their interpretation of his stance and policy positions.

• Criticism of political candidates can sometimes involve personal attacks or perceived hypocrisy regarding identity and affiliations.

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