The Realignment – Episode 591

Guest: Saikat Chakrabarti
Title: Building a New Consensus – How to Move America from "Failure Mode" to "Mission Mode"
Release Date: January 29, 2026
Host: Marshall Kosloff

Episode Overview

In this episode, Marshall Kosloff sits down with Saikat Chakrabarti, former chief of staff for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, co-author of the Green New Deal, President of the New Consensus think tank, and current congressional candidate (though this appearance is strictly in his think tank capacity). The conversation explores why American politics—across the center, left, and right—struggles to articulate big visions, the limits of political pragmatism and incrementalism, and Chakrabarti's "Mission for America" framework. The discussion also covers the current state of immigration politics, changing relationships between Democrats and the tech community, and the evolving "abundance" movement.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Center vs. Ideology-Driven Politics

• Distinctions Between Spaces (02:04–08:04):
  • Chakrabarti does not strictly separate "center," "left," or "right" but sees a divide between "status quo" defenders and those trying to move the country forward.
  • The center is often focused on messaging, polling, and finding minor tweaks (“making the DMV work better”), while both left and right populist spaces articulate bigger stories and goals.
    • Quote:

      "Often the distinction I’ve seen is between people who are interested in ideas to move the country forward, and those who just think markets alone can drive that."
      — Saikat Chakrabarti [03:30]

• Pragmatism vs Transformation:
  • Marshall and Saikat agree pragmatism is important, but achieving transformative change requires creating political excitement around large-scale projects, not just minor reforms.
    • Quote:

      "The practical way to make the DMV work better in politics…is to create a political moment around a larger project."
      — Saikat Chakrabarti [08:04]

  • Building government capacity and public trust requires working towards a “mission” that inspires talent and political will.

2. The Importance of Story in Politics

• Lack of Narrative in Centrist Spaces (09:08–11:17):
  • The center lacks a core story; instead, it often relies on message testing and reacting to polls.
  • Both left and right movements mobilize around stories:
    • The right: “Bipartisan elites ruined the country since the 1990s.”
    • The left: “Decades of capitalist overreach and financialization have harmed public goods.”
  • Notable moment: As recounted by Marshall, centrist guests at a "Welcome Fest" event rejected the need for a story, prompting contrast with the left/right.
    • Quote:

      "I just saw lots of talk about polls and how do we moderate, how do we win swing districts...I don't really see a story."
      — Marshall Kosloff [09:08]

3. The "Mission for America" Framework

• Three Modes of Governance (11:17–15:20):
  • Mission Mode: The nation sets and organizes around big goals (e.g., WWII mobilization).
  • Management Mode: A focus on maintaining and improving systems after the mission phase ends (postwar era).
  • Decline Mode: Government withdraws to a referee function, leaving outcomes to markets (neoliberalism/Reagan era), leading to stagnation and institutional decay.
    • Quote:

      "We've been in decline for the last 40–50 years…wages stagnate, essentials rise, institutions fail…the adults in the room just fail over and over."
      — Saikat Chakrabarti [13:42]

• Restoring Mission Mode:
  • Marshall and Saikat debate whether public faith in government must precede a new mission, or whether launching a big mission recreates that trust. Saikat argues for the latter, tying it to FDR-style boldness and modern communication.
    • Quote:

      "My view is you gotta get the country into mission mode as the way to restore faith in government."
      — Saikat Chakrabarti [16:55]

4. Immigration, Border Chaos & Political Opportunity

• Public Backlash and Policy Inertia (21:08–26:11):
  • Immigrant-related violence in Minnesota sparks debate and shows both parties lack an affirmative, coherent vision for immigration.
    • Quote:

      "There's massive popular backlash...not just about immigration. People just don't like the idea of state violence."
      — Saikat Chakrabarti [21:08]

  • Despite Trump’s focus, public sentiment is broadly pro-immigration, and the historic U.S. optimism about immigration depended on periods of economic growth.
• Structural and Cultural Challenges:
  • Immigration is a difficult issue due to an activated GOP base, primary system dynamics, and deep cultural values about fairness and rules.
• Reform vs. Abolition of ICE (27:54–33:06):
  • Saikat advocates for abolishing ICE, arguing its culture is beyond reform and a new, humane enforcement structure is needed.
    • Quote:

      "We've basically created...a loyal paramilitary group for Trump. I don't think this agency is reformable…we have to actually abolish this agency, abolish ICE."
      — Saikat Chakrabarti [28:34]

5. Tech Industry, VCs vs. Workers, & Left Realignment

• Center-Left’s Relationship to Tech (33:50–39:40):
  • There is a divide between VC/CEO class (increasingly visible on the right) and tech workers (who remain firmly center-left/progressive).
    • Quote:

      "Tech workers, they...are more open to the much more radical stuff than even I'd say laypeople…they want government to have a say in where technology goes."
      — Saikat Chakrabarti [36:14]

• Policy vs. Cultural Issues:
  • Contrary to Beltway thinking, it’s often social/cultural issues (e.g., opposition to state violence or ICE abuses) that are mobilizing tech workers, not economic policies per se.

6. The Challenge—and Limits—of the “Abundance” Movement

• Abundance’s Cross-Pressures (40:18–42:52):
  • The energy around abundance has splintered; some want more deregulation and market-based solutions (“neoliberalism 2.0"), but Chakrabarti argues true abundance has always come from big, mission-oriented government leadership and institutional reform.
    • Quote:

      "If abundance does just turn into neoliberalism 2.0, it will not actually live up to the vision even set out in the book."
      — Saikat Chakrabarti [41:29]

7. Political Ideology, Long-Term Planning, and the Breakdown of Centrism

• Lack of Long-Term Vision on the Left (45:28–51:31):
  • On the right, “movement” and “ideology” animate sustained campaigns (to undo the New Deal, for example), while the Democratic Party since Reagan has become obsessed with short-term wins and poll-tested messaging.
    • Quote:

      "One of the most amazing and awful things that Reaganism did is it killed liberalism as an ideology, destroyed the Democratic Party's ability to think ideologically."
      — Marshall Kosloff [48:18]

• The Need for a Left Liberal Project:
  • Marshall advocates for a new code or identity—left liberalism—that can serve as the anchor for long-term movement building, contrasting it with the GOP’s ideological consistency.

8. Realignment and Building a New Coalition

• Beyond Buckets, Toward Shared Goals (51:31–54:37):
  • Both agree the realignment is underway, with populist, pro-mission energy recurring on both left and right, even if coded differently.
    • Quote:

      "When I talk, when I listen to Steve Bannon, a lot of the stuff he's talking about is left wing populism mixed in with, you know, extreme racism and anti-immigration sentiment."
      — Saikat Chakrabarti [53:06]

  • The right’s internal contradiction between nationalism and libertarianism makes it hard for them to embrace the scale of state intervention needed.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 03:30 | Saikat Chakrabarti | "Often the distinction I’ve seen is between people who are interested in ideas to move the country forward, and those who just think markets alone can drive that." | | 08:04 | Saikat Chakrabarti | "The practical way to make the DMV work better in politics…is to create a political moment around a larger project." | | 13:42 | Saikat Chakrabarti | "We've been in decline for the last 40–50 years…Wages stagnate, essentials rise, institutions fail…the adults in the room just fail over and over." | | 16:55 | Saikat Chakrabarti | "My view is you gotta get the country into mission mode as the way to restore faith in government." | | 21:08 | Saikat Chakrabarti | "There's massive popular backlash...not just about immigration. People just don't like the idea of state violence." | | 28:34 | Saikat Chakrabarti | "I don't think this agency [ICE] is reformable…we have to actually abolish this agency, abolish ICE." | | 36:14 | Saikat Chakrabarti | "Tech workers…are more open to the much more radical stuff than even I'd say laypeople…they want government to have a say in where technology goes." | | 41:29 | Saikat Chakrabarti | "If abundance does just turn into neoliberalism 2.0, it will not actually live up to the vision even set out in the book." | | 48:18 | Marshall Kosloff | "One of the most amazing and awful things that Reaganism did is it killed liberalism as an ideology, destroyed the Democratic Party's ability to think ideologically." | | 53:06 | Saikat Chakrabarti | "When I talk, when I listen to Steve Bannon, a lot of the stuff he's talking about is left wing populism mixed in with, you know, extreme racism and anti-immigration sentiment." |

Important Segment Timestamps

• Center vs. Left/Right Political Storytelling: 02:04–08:04
• The Need for a Story – and Center Deficits: 09:08–11:17
• Mission, Management, Decline Modes Framework: 11:17–15:20
• Restoring Trust & FDR’s Model of Engagement: 16:55–19:25
• Immigration Politics Post-Minnesota Murders: 21:08–26:11
• ICE, Tech Workers & Cultural Shifts: 27:54–39:40
• State of the Abundance Movement: 40:18–42:52
• Left, Ideology, Long-Term Planning: 45:28–48:18
• Realignment, Brand New Congress, and the “Movement” Frame: 51:31–54:37

Final Thoughts

This conversation is a direct challenge to both the center’s overreliance on short-termism and technocratic fixes and the left’s occasional lack of pragmatic, actionable planning. Saikat Chakrabarti advocates for a revival of “mission mode” politics—large-scale goals backed by real plans, institutions, and leadership—grounded in storytelling, ideology, and direct state involvement. The episode also identifies the failures and divisions within both the abundance movement and the Democratic coalition, the changing tech-labor landscape, and the challenge of building a durable pro-mission American consensus in a time of realignment.

Recommended For: Listeners who want a roadmap for moving American politics and policy beyond technocratic tinkering into an era of deliberate, ideological, mission-driven statecraft—on both the left and center.