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Rahm Emanuel Says Democrats Lost the Plot on Culture, Urges Focus on Schools

The centrist Democrat used a podcast appearance to press his party to refocus on middle-class concerns.

Overview

  • Emanuel, whose comments spread Thursday in clips from the Fifth Column podcast, said Democrats are on the losing side of today’s culture fights.
  • He listed positions he believes alienate voters, including using the term Latinx, calls to defund police, and claims that all police groups are racist.
  • He urged a pivot to classroom results and said about half of students are not reading at grade level as national reading and math scores sit at a 30-year low.
  • He cited Title IX, the federal law that expanded opportunities in women’s sports, and argued policies allowing trans-identifying men in women’s competitions undercut that progress.
  • A co-host said the party can tackle culture and core issues at once, conservative outlets amplified Emanuel’s critique, and the former Obama chief of staff is viewed as a possible 2028 contender.