Can a political party be both dominant in national politics, and dead, at the same time?
That’s the question being asked at a free and public Zócalo Public Square event the evening of Aug. 10 at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in Los Angeles. All are welcome at the event, which includes a post-event reception at which beer and wine are served. (You can do that here.) Full disclosure: I’m an editor and California columnist at Zócalo.)
It’s strange to ponder the problems of a political party that controls the White House, 34 governorships, and majorities in the U.S. House, Senate and 32 state legislatures. But these are strange times. The times are angry and polarized The rise of Donald Trump is a big part of the quandary; he’s made his own party the enemy. And he’s flirted with white nationalism in ways that may permanently alienate younger, more diverse generations of Americans.
Is a split coming that will divide the party? And are the Democrats likely to split or die as well?
We’ll have a smart panel that includes the GOP consultant and GrassrootsLab partner Mike Madrid, public affairs strategist Cassandra Pye, and Leslie Graves, the publisher of the indispensable Ballotpedia, who will join the event all the way from Wisconsin. Christina Bellantoni, Los Angeles Times Assistant Managing Editor, Politics, is the moderator.