A decade of tent-shrinking litmus tests has rightfully led pragmatic Democrats to push back - and many to reject policy questionnaires from activist pressure groups outright. Matthew Yglesias of Slow Boring has proposed that both individual Democratic candidates and the party broadly adopt more specificity: a Commonsense Manifesto for the party, and more ‘schmoderation’ from individual candidates. 

Only two Trump-won districts flipped in the 2024 cycle, and those winners both lead schmoderate caucuses. Rep. Tom Suozzi, who ran 9 points ahead of Kamala Harris in a Trump +5 district, is co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus. Rep. Adam Gray, the only November Red-to-Blue Trump-district flip, is Chair of the Blue Dog PAC after leading the Problem Solvers in the California legislature. In those roles and in their votes, they bring a credible case for differentiated policy specificity back to their cross-pressured voters.

They will discuss how elements of a specific vision can earn Democrats the trust required to win durable majorities, govern effectively, and depolarize our politics.