Rahm Emanuel on how the Democrats could blow it in 2028

Looking ahead to 2028, Rahm Emanuel delivers a blunt assessment: “Being Democrats” could be the party’s biggest obstacle. He argues that past Democratic successes—President Kennedy, President Clinton, President Obama—followed a simple pattern: they addressed moral controversies head-on, spoke clearly on middle-class values and economics, and focused on the real concerns of the American people.

Emanuel points to current missteps, including the party’s preoccupation with social issues while 50% of kids cannot read at grade level. “What makes you think fourth grade’s going to get easier after third grade you can’t read?” he asks.

For Emanuel, Democrats must avoid getting trapped in cultural debates and instead “talk about a future we need to build that matters to everybody.” The path to victory isn’t reinventing the playbook—it’s learning from the three most successful Democratic presidents of the modern era.