In episode 31 of This Time Tomorrow, Omri, Benni and Daniela dig into a question rattling America’s progressive middle: what message do Democrats send when they surrender the government shutdown fight without a real struggle? After years of promises to stand firm for working people, the party’s reflex to cave leaves many wondering what the Democratic leadership is actually willing to risk. Unlike MAGA conservatives, whose unflinching posture is part of their political brand, Democrats project uncertainty, and the consequences are… well, mounting, to say the least.
The conversation then turns to NYC mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, whose grassroots-driven campaign energised thousands of activists and won decisively. And yet, outside progressive circles, Mamdani is very often caricatured as the worst kind of extremist. Daniela unpacks how Mamdani actually campaigned, what made it effective, and what lessons his success offers a party that is struggling to connect with new generations.
Next up: the European Commission’s proposed “Democracy Shield”. And the verdict? Lukewarm… Without clarity on its goals or a serious investment of resources, the shield risks becoming another well-intentioned initiative with no bite. Meanwhile, autocratic actors are spending heavily and strategically. Defending democracy requires a single, well-funded strategy that scales what works instead of scattering money across various projects.
Finally, we zoom out a little and look at EU enlargement, where momentum is building for the first time in a decade. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sped up conversations that once dragged. Montenegro remains the frontrunner, Albania and North Macedonia are steadily advancing, and the broader target appears to be expansion by 2030. But the process mustn’t devolve into an endless technocratic maze while anti-democratic forces attack both the Union and candidate countries. For enlargement to succeed, the EU must make clear that its ambitions are democratic, not imperial, and commit to a process that strengthens, rather than weakens, Europe’s political integrity.
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