A 'Society Without Capitalism' | Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

Democratic socialists are having a moment. But can they actually remake the Democratic Party — and the American economy — in their image? My guest today, Bhaskar Sunkara, is longtime democratic socialist, and he makes the case that socialism has a universal appeal that transcends our current politics and will ultimately triumph against capitalism. 00:00 Intro 1:24 The rise of democratic socialism 5:00 Why is this a breakthrough moment for Democratic Socialism? 8:24 Class Realities: The demographics of socialist voters 9:26 The intellectual foundations of the American left 11:02 What socialists want: Affordable housing, Medicare for All 15:55 Socialist housing policy: construction, rent control, public housing 18:17 The socialist approach to AI and technological change 22:16 The case for unions 24:18 Is Democratic Socialism compatible with capitalism? 25:57 Class conflict vs. the identity politics of the wokeness era 29:00 The ideological conflict between Hillary Clinton liberals and the Bernie Sanders left 30:40 This Socialist wants the left to stop hating America 36:38 Why Israel-Palestine and anti-imperialism are central issues for Democratic Socialists 45:51 Luigi Mangione and the illiberal left 50:37 Is Zohran Mamdani a moderate? 51:54 Was Joe Biden's presidency a socialist experiment? 55:42 Raising taxes to expand the welfare state Thoughts? Email us at [email protected]. Read the full transcript here: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/16/op... Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.