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Primary Concerns Episode 13: The Destruction of the Parties Is Nigh

A #NeverTrump operative and a liberal commentator discuss the futures of the Republican and Democratic parties.

Kena Betancur/Getty Images

Spring primary season has, for all intents and purposes, given way to the fall election, skipping summer altogether. Donald Trump is the lone survivor of the Republican race. Hillary Clinton is trying to run a general election campaign against him, but she can’t dismiss Bernie Sanders just yet. The Vermont senator’s big win in the West Virginia primary this week shows he’s still hoping to transform this election and the Democratic Party.

This week on the show, former Jeb Bush staffer and #NeverTrump operative Tim Miller joins host Brian Beutler to explain what distinguishes Republicans who support Trump from those who, like him, never will.

Then, New York Magazine writer and former New Republic senior editor Jonathan Chait discusses his argument that Trump’s rise should be a cautionary tale for the left. Can liberals learn anything from the GOP’s failure? Is the Sanders movement sowing the seeds of destruction for the Democratic coalition? Is Primary Concerns fatally addicted to hyperbole? Find out on this week’s episode.

Further reading:

  • Jonathan Chait looks at the Democratic Party’s future through the lens of the Republican Trump meltdown, in New York Magazine
  • In the New Republic, Brian Beutler asks: Can Bernie Sanders succeed where other progressive insurgents failed?
  • A handy catalogue of all the haters who now support Trump, from the New Republic