End of an Era? Dems’ Unapologetic Return to Big Tent Coalition Building

To echo former First Lady and star orator Michelle Obama, there are a lot of wonderful things making a comeback in the 2024 presidential race: hope, empathy, decency, non-toxic masculinity, patriotism, and joy.

Another one that’s getting less play - but is a critically important piece of both the Kamala Harris campaign strategy and the healthy functioning of our nation - is big tent coalition building.

Barack Obama won in 2008 with a broader coalition than any presidential candidate in recent memory. This was based on an approach formulated originally for MA Governor Deval Patrick by the brilliant political strategist (and wonderful human), the late John Walsh, brought to the national stage by David Plouffe and David Axelrod.?

The basic premise of big tent coalition building is that - unlike corporate objectives and tax cuts, where political giving and policy objectives often align more readily - the political priorities of underrepresented and historically marginalized groups require support beyond the directly affected group in order to drive meaningful progress. The Civil Rights Act, the Medicare and Medicaid Act, and the Affordable Care Act are all examples of Democratic policy achievements that passed through the support of big tent coalitions.?

Since 2008, however, coalition building has fallen a bit out of vogue. As Danielle Allen wrote in a WaPo op-ed , the 2010s brought a with-us-or-against-us approach on both sides of the aisle, which had the benefit of surfacing a number of serious societal ills, but the downside of shrinking the space and tolerance for dialogue, collaboration, and shared goal setting among groups with ideological differences.?

This also made life, vision setting, and messaging more difficult for Democrats, the party that has long relied on coalition building and big tent politics to survive and thrive. Without a full throated embrace of the big tent, progressive messaging has struggled to find its footing over the past decade - relying largely upon warranted, yet fear-based warnings about Trump and the MAGA movement. These tactics have had only mixed success, and have contributed to lackluster energy and passion around candidates like Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden.

Enter the Harris campaign. With an abbreviated timeline and high stakes - and some of the same people who led Obama’s coalition-fueled victory in 2008 - this campaign has returned to an embrace of the big tent coalition. One senses that this is not only a necessity, but also a reflection of Harris’s values and personality, which brings an authenticity needed to change the tide and the narrative on the big tent.

The 2024 DNC highlighted a range of different coalition members - Squad progressives, old school Democratic institutionalists, moderate Republicans, former Trump administration members, union leaders, wealthy business leaders, advocates for both Israel and Gaza, people of all races and backgrounds, and more.

What’s more, some of the most trusted names in Democratic politics have underscored not just the need for - but also the virtue and goodness in - the big tent. ?As former President Obama said in his DNC speech, "Together, Kamala and Tim have kept faith with America’s central story: a story that says, 'We are all created equal.' All of us endowed with certain inalienable rights. That everyone deserves a chance. That even when we don’t agree with each other, we can find a way to live with each other. That’s Kamala’s vision. That’s Tim’s vision. That’s the Democratic Party’s vision. And our job over the next 11 weeks is to convince as many people as possible to vote for that vision." Vice President Harris, Michelle Obama, Pete Buttigieg, Oprah Winfrey, and Tim Walz all echoed similar themes in their remarks.

A return to the embrace of big tent coalition building is not just good for the Democratic Party; it’s also good for the world. We have emerged from the past decade with a keener sense of privilege, bias, and the perspectives of underrepresented voices - but ultimately, we need coalitions if we are to have any hope of addressing systematic issues affecting marginalized groups.?

And let’s be honest - the big tent can be a lot of fun. Look no further than the veritable party that Dems threw in Chicago this week. This diverse and joyful celebration is a reminder of the best of the Democratic Party vision, and the coalition that can come together to make it a reality.?