Wednesday on the RealClearPolitics podcast, Andrew Walworth, Tom Bevan, and Carl Cannon discuss the rise of democratic socialist candidates after last night’s surprising Colorado primary results — including Melat Kiros’ defeat of longtime Rep. Diana DeGette and Phil Weiser’s victory over Sen. Michael Bennet.
Fred Ryan joins the show to discuss “The Civility Handbook” and whether American politics can ever bring back a culture of respectful disagreement. Plus, they break down new reporting on President Trump’s finances and NPR retracting a false report that Justice Samuel Alito planned to retire.
Listen live weekdays at 11:00 a.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly Channel 111, or on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or other platforms.
Walworth, Cannon, and Bevan discuss last night’s Colorado Democratic primary results, with 29-year-old democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeating longtime Rep. Diana DeGette.
Watch: Melat Kiros Primary Night Victory Speech: “Those In Power Will Tell Me Not To Rock The Boat”
“The Democratic establishment is, I think, absolutely in retreat. They have no idea what to do with these people,” Tom Bevan said. “They have encouraged this younger generation. They’ve encouraged their radicalism, their activism, and now they’re coming for them. And Jeffries is next. And Hakeem Jeffries is next.”
“This is a movement. These aren’t individual people winning these elections based on their charisma,” Carl Cannon added. “This is sweeping the country, all the big cities.”
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08:15 — Do Dems Know What Socialism Is?
Andrew Walworth cites Robert Reich’s argument that voters may not be attracted to democratic socialism as an ideology so much as to young candidates who promise action. The panel argues that comments about abolishing prisons, blaming America for 9/11, and “seizing the means of production” show a more radical worldview than the candidates usually present on the campaign trail.
Robert Reich: Source of Energy for Dems More Exciting Than Socialism
Cannon disagreed: “I don’t think people even knew who these people were. I think it’s that socialism label that is what they have going for them.”
“Kiros herself said in an interview that the fire department is socialism, the roads we drive on are socialism, and I’m just trying to extend socialism to our other universal human rights like education and child care and those kinds of things,” Tom Bevan said. “So she’s just saying, look, we already have socialism in America, and I’m just this innocent, harmless individual who wants to just spread a little bit more of it around.”
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15:23 — Did Bernie Start This?
The panel discusses whether Bernie Sanders created this democratic socialist wave with his 2016 campaign, or if he’s serving as an avatar for trends that have been cultivated for decades in universities.
“It is one of the most interesting things that the populist movement that has risen on the left and the right were led by two of the most unlikely avatars,” Bevan said. “Donald Trump connecting with working-class folks and farmers in Iowa, despite the fact he never put on a flannel shirt… and Bernie Sanders became this hero among the youth movement, despite being an old lefty.”
“I mean, the forces for socialism in this country, especially in the academy, have been at work for years and years and years,” Walworth said. “So I think he’s sort of the avatar of it, but the groundwork for this movement has been laid since the 50s, and it’s been a real enterprise within the academy to move the country this way.”
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18:38 — Living By ‘The Civility Handbook’
Fred Ryan joins the show to discuss “The Civility Handbook,” a free guide from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. He defines civility as honest and respectful engagement, not agreement or compromise for its own sake. Can this attitude survive the modern social media outrage economy and online anonymity?
“The way we define civility is honestly and respectfully engaging with your fellow Americans. It’s not agreeing. It’s not compromising. It’s not settling everything in the middle.”
“Less than a third of Americans feel that our civil discourse is healthy. That’s a serious challenge to our democracy,” he said. “Make sure you have the facts right. Go to trusted sources of information. Don’t get in an argument when you’re basing your position on things that aren’t true.”
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36:47 — New Report On Trump’s Finances
The panel discusses an Office of Government Ethics report showing Trump made billions off cryptocurrency investments in 2025, and whether the appearance of conflict of interest could be fueling the rise of socialism— even if legally defensible.
Associated Press: Trump Filing Shows He Took in About $1.2 Billion From Crypto Businesses Last Year
“The conservatives had a phrase when Joe Biden was president: the Biden crime family,” Cannon recalled. “What Trump and his sons are doing, I’ve said this before, they make Hunter Biden look like a hubcap thief.”
“I just wish he would stop,” Cannon said. “How much money do you need? … George Washington would be appalled.”
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44:59 — NPR Retracts Alito Retirement Report
The episode ends with comments about NPR retracting Nina Totenberg’s false report that Justice Samuel Alito was retiring. Cannon credits her for giving a real apology but says NPR editors also have questions to answer, while Bevan calls the mistake inexcusable given the magnitude of the story.
Watch: “I Am So, So Sorry,” NPR Reporter Explains SCOTUS Retirement Error
“It was a real apology, unlike a typical Washington apology,” Cannon said.
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