Ezra Klein discusses politics, media, and government with policymakers

Guest column by WisPolitics President Jeff Mayers, who moderated a breakfast conversation with Ezra Klein at the Madison Club during Klein’s visit to the La Follette School in April.
Ezra Klein answers questions from guests at the Madison Club.

On April 17, New York Times columnist Ezra Klein spoke with Wisconsin State policymakers as part of his visit to the La Follette School.

In February, New York Times columnist and podcaster Ezra Klein said President Joe Biden should step aside and let someone else be the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee. That hasn’t happened. And now Klein says the odds of a real live nominating convention in Chicago this August are slim and would only happen if there is some kind of major health issue with Biden. The soon-to-be 40-year-old Klein is feeling a little bit better about the 81-year-old Biden but doesn’t sound convinced. “There’s just a tremendous risk in him running,’’ the self-proclaimed progressive said April 17 at the Madison Club as part of a La Follette School breakfast co-hosted by WisPolitics.com. “One bad day on the campaign trail would be really dangerous for the campaign. If you think (Donald) Trump is the level of threat that many say he is, I think it’s a big risk.’’
Jeff Mayers asks Ezra Klein a question while they sit together in the Madison Club

WisPolitics.com President Jeff Mayers (left) asked Klein questions and moderated audience questions from policymakers.

He also worries that:
  • The Mideast conflict is a drag on Biden. “I don’t think there’s a good answer for him. …The best situation for Biden would be for the war to fall in salience.”
  • Trump is appealing to disaffected Dems when he says it’s time for Israel to wrap up the war and for abortion to be left to the states. “He is doing things other Republicans would not do to make it easier for disaffected Democrats to support him, and that should worry Democrats.”
  • Independent and third-party presidential candidates will divert more votes from Biden than Trump.
But he says if Biden wins, it will have a lot to do with the abortion issue. As to Vice President Kamala Harris, Klein calls her a more competent politician than people give her credit for. “My view is that she is currently underestimated. But she has to learn what Biden is good at, which is talking to the parts of the party that she doesn’t have a natural attachment to,’’ he said, adding that U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, has shown the ability to reach into other constituencies. As to Trump, he says the former president has changed.  He points to Trump choosing Mike Pence as his vice president in 2016 as a way to bring Christian conservatives into his base. “Trump is not the senior partner in a coalition government,’’ Klein says of Trump’s process this time. “He is the god king. And the god king chooses who the god king wants.’’

Guests listen to Ezra Klein and Jeff Mayers at the Madison Club.

Klein also talked about his book, “Why We’re Polarized,’’ and the media’s role. “Media is a cause of polarization, but polarization also influences media,’’ he said. He has a new book due out in 2025: “Abundance: What Progress Takes,’’ with Atlantic writer Derek Thompson. A central thesis is that one generation’s solutions become the next generation’s problems. “I’m a liberal and a Californian. You could subtitle this book: ‘What’s wrong with California?’” he said, bemoaning an “ineffectual” government that encourages enforcement of legislation through lawsuits.  “California leads in out-migration because people can’t afford to live there. They haven’t built the things people need to live successful lives – housing, transit, reaching energy goals.” View photos from Ezra Klein’s visit. [uw-reusable-content id=’5470′]