From the New York Times are Michael Barbara. This is the daily today. Warm over the election of Donald Trump inspired dozens of first time candidates to run for Congress. That's why those candidates are now a problem. The democratic party it's Friday June? First. The twenty eight mid term elections season is officially underwear kicked off in Texas Leland better? digging and he's got that story for us tonight, alien and good evening. You leaving the Washington Post Democratic, face an identity crisis that they will have to solve if they won

blue wave to sweep America in twenty eighteen. I think one of the biggest untold stories in Washington. The democratic party is going through its own identity situation, crisis, what but increasingly those same Democrats are voicing concerns that the party hasn't figured out message or a strategy? It's not enough just to be against Donald Trump. The Democrats, need a message and they need to bring something more to the table and not just being the antitrust party. Here's my question: I ask it everyday. What exactly is the parties most I came over to,

this country. When I was a nine year old, I was part of the orphanage lived out of it. Now, during the last days of the false I got, my parents had brought us to an orphanage. They were absolutely convinced that that was the only way that we were going to be able to survive the end of the war and, with my three sub links from the age of ten down to the age of four, we were brought on to one of the last flights out of it now this fight that had orphans as well as handicapped children, always that flight like for you, oh my gosh, you know the flight coming to the: U S was the most Gary and the most painful experience of my life, I've never been on a plane and there I was on this play with a lot of children and with a long flight, and I was away from my parents for the first time. So it was such a scary. Experience

and because of that in one of the american soldiers actually carried me off the plane, and it was this action of this american soldiers really gave me my incredible gratitude to this country He truly was a savior in my mind for someone to care and comfort children. I think that that is the best thing to do in the world and that's when I decided I was going to be a pediatrician tending to gives as that marine did you. Yes, my contract is running for Congress in California, thirty nine district. I thought about running for office the day after the elections

Of November twenty. Sixteen it was such a painful night, my mom, and I and my daughter we were so excited to go and vote for the first female president and the outcome was just so unexpectedly, devastating and painful that I didn't want to get up the next day, but I did I came in and one of the first patients I saw that day, with a five year old with the brain tumor. This is some mom who was a nurse along worker. They didn't have any health insurance and are finally able to get the subsidies to be affordable, correct act as if she was getting her treatment. She had had her surgery. She was doing her chemo and mom. Had this petrified look on her and I looked at her mom, both of us just burst out in tears. I knew that there was gonna, be a constant effort to dismantle the affordable care up and take away health insurance for so

many of the families in my community and other patients that I see- on a daily basis. You I knew that this was going to impact our community tremendously. That's when I really decide to fight soon. You will see that it was your work as a pediatrician, and the fact that President elect from that moment had talked so much about repealing the affordable care act which would affect your patience that ultimately cause you to run for office. Absolutely. It was eight to wreck reaction to the outcome. The twenty sixteen presidential election is hard to imagine a candidate who more fully embodies the backlash against President Trump than Doktor Tran Alex Burns covers national politics. For the times she is an emigrant trees, rough change is woman she's, a person of color trees

self made success. Hurry medicine and she someone who's, not worked in politics before a doctor liken tramp, an Orange County, California, pediatrician, hoping who unseat thirteen term republican congressmen and Royce in the mid term, elections hoaxing her platform on health care. So when the battle for control of Congress Democrats me to pick up twenty three seats nationwide in order to win a majority in the chamber. In California alone, there are seven republican held districts. They Hillary Clinton, carried. Presidential race, that makes it the single most important state on the map. In terms of whether Democrats can build a congressional majority and see the doctor Tran is seeking is one of those that's right. We need a doctor To fix this broken healthcare system could be better than a physician who also is a patient,

freezing single buyer she's like strongly anti policy. She has reservations about raising taxes on businesses in a lot. Waste is a couple bucks to the centres of way for us to contain healthcare costs that would help not just for patients but also All this is what to do the right thing. The third night district is just a quintessential anti trump, historically republican district, its anchored in Orange County. It includes Richard Nixon's birth place. This is a place where, for decades, you're sort of country club Republicans made this a solidly right of centre seat, but President Tromp lost the district handle it. So this seat is held by Republicans, but it sounds like it could go either way. That's right, this industry, in transition. This is one of these areas of the country. The booming supper with growing communities of his band an asian american voters and affluent. Why

to have never been particularly enthralled with President tromp, but even though the district is unfriendly President trump. It is not a liberal area and its really tough to beat I'm a member of Congress, especially incumbent as prominent as Ed Royce he's the chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee. He has deep relationship with the asian american community in his district he's, not a Trump Republican, so this guy is not going to be a pushover, even in a tough blood. Finally Republicans, but if anyone has a shot early on its a candidate who looks exactly like her a lot of people state out, because it was seen as an impossibility but when listening to the children and their families in this district for twenty five years, the same amount of time that our current congressmen has been in Congress, ignoring them, and I saw myself as

The little lady that was going to slay the giant I was getting all the endorsement from women's grew. I was getting on endorsement from the asian american groups and the science groups, and then I was raising money. So It was very, very happy with where the campaign was going. Then it rose societies running for re election California, republican congressmen, Edwards announce he won't single reelection this year is to do so. A shock through both parties, Republicans recounting on him to hold the seed, and suddenly you have a free for all the democratic after news of Royces retirement, the cook political report shifted the race from Lean Republican to lean Democrat. They don't just have one or two credible candidates: underdog raising. Then they have everybody who wants to run for the sudden, open sea, several of the most competitive districts. There are so many democrats on the ballot that there's a chance

Good, all splinter. The vote allow and in California give everybody runs, then that primary gets really located the state has a set of rules where you don't in a democratic primary and a Republican like in most places like in most places Everybody runs in the same primary and the top two finishers, regardless of the party advanced, the general election, Now, suddenly you have half a dozen more Democrats, half a dozen Republicans and if the Democrats carve up their votes to finally, you can have a Republican on our public and general election, so you could end up with a general election in which there are two begins and zero Democrats that's right So what does that mean for doktor tran? means that suddenly she's in the possession of fighting for the support and attention of Democrats who she thought would be with her from the beginning. Democrats in this district now have too much of a good thing. They have

with candidate, all of whom have interesting life stories. An interesting theories of how you win that district competing against each other for the same set of democratic votes and the National Democratic Party decides they ve got to do something To make sure that they do not end up locked out of a general election, so what do they do so, once the dust has settled a little bed? The democratic congressional campaign Committee runs a set of poles in the district. They go to each of the candidates running and ask them to ride up a positive biography about their candidates. Then they go in field? They asked voters who do you like, and they want to see whose story resonates the most in this district. The conclusion that they draw from that pole is that doctor transport did not move enough for them to believe that she could make the general election we gotta call.

From the National Party and we were asked to not continue and the campaign. It was clearly stated that I would be as boiler. If I continue. What did you say when they made this request on the first praise it came up, my mouth was: what gives you the right and then? Secondly, was How dare you, how dare you ask somebody who has been running for more than half but that time, six months somebody who has re sum of money, the only working mom, the only qualified woman, the only doktor. How is it possible that I am not a good candidate but in the end there, but I got a call from congressional members telling me that I should from other raised many of these congressional members were the ones who actually didn t

to me about running I've even had a arm in person visit as far from one of the congressional members than he told me about the day. Instead, the numbers aren't there. You know the data you should not continue. I was respect for what I said I absolutely I'm going to stay and- and I was determined to proven wrong, I'll be right. Back HBO is I'll, be in the dark is in new documentary series based on the late author Michel Mcnamara's investigation of the Golden State killer directed by.

Me winning Director Liz Garb S, it weaves Michel's riding with survivor accounts and rare archival footage to explore the twisted case. Watch new episodes of I'll be gone in the dark Sundays at ten p m on HBO and streaming on each be oh max and subscribe to HBO I'll begun in the dark, companion podcast for in depth conversations after every episode democratic. So I look to regain a majority in the House of Representatives this November and they can take a major step towards doing so. On June. Fifth, one primary voters in California head to the polls, out. Are you surprised that grass can it with no political experience. Basically, he told the National Democrats took off like it I M actually not surprising, as one of the things that striking and in some ways refreshing about this campaign, is that one of the

challenges for national democrats. Is that so many new candidates. These people, who are celebrating as part of a resistance to President tromp have no particular stake in the institutions of the national money that doktor train is not the only political newcomer who isn't worried about what Democrats in Washington will think of her in one There were five years and are not worried about staying on the right side of people who are the traditional power brokers in the party. Can't be controlled in the same way as the national politicians right in many ways they have contempt for the system, basis system as having failed in twenty. Sixteen. They see the Democratic Party as having failed in twenty six p. And part of the reason why they're running in the first place? Is they see the results of the parties? tensions, and I say I can do better than that so about the Democrats, favour choice in this race

to the national parties bowl of the candidates who have a shot at making the general election their best chance is I'm gills has narrowed. Leaders must lead with their actions. As well as the words It's a lesson I learned during my years of service in the name is a form of Republican, who has acknowledged that he voted for John Mccain and two thousand eight over Brok Obama. He has sort of ultimate political Cinderella story of having been. Just a regular guy who didn't even the lottery regularly and then one day about ten tickets, and one of them turned him three, and are so unfortunate struck I know it is my duty to do what was right to help, though who need it most After that happened for him and his wife, they started getting engage in politics. They became a significant political donors to Democrats at that point, including the Obama campaign and twenty twelve, the congressional hispanic caucus than any number of powerful com.

For new Democrats, I'm tired of politicians who sold out especial interest this our government and it needs to work for us that's why I'm running for Congress and I won't take corporate pachmann, I'm guilty snout. This message, because leading by example, is how we fix Washington, Doktor Tran. Why do you say the Democratic Party decided to back Gill Sis narrows over you. The party decided to go with a candidate that has the most money, because I think it is using the same traditional way of assessing success. Over congressional campaign That's what to me. It's sad that the Democratic Party didn't you learn the lessons of between sixteen election. Politics has to be done differently. It cannot be

done in the same traditional ways using the same parameters that we would use to predict outcome will, but wouldn't the national democratic parties say that they are trying to learn the lessons of the twenty sixteen election and one of those lessons is that don't have appealed to a huge swathes of american public and therefore the Democrats may need to run candidates who can appeal to some of those same people. I don't think that's what they're doing. I really believe that the party wants to win so badly that they are picking the easier. The more can be Canada, it's not about my politics. She use right that it's not about applying to Trump voters. The complexity It is that it is about appealing to moderate voters in a district where it is

very, very expensive, to run a political campaign. So this is a district in LOS Angeles media market. One of the most expensive places to advertise in the United States. Full of people who are open, devoting democratic and twenty eighteen, but probably done that a whole lot in the past, so Democrats were looking for a candidate who can raise a ton of money or right themselves it. Act for a ton of money and then go on the air with an argument that can convince those folks, yeah come on in the waters. Fine you can vote democratic fund raising is such a big part of a congressional campaign were told costly teachers stay on the phone and reach out to the donors. Get their money, get the anthem Unreason going the sitting in my garage making those phone calls and after a few rejections, I was just on the ground in tears. Crying and here my mom. She want

into the Koran saw me underground crying and she looked at me and she said. Do you want me to give you a little bit of the pieces of gold that I have kept my escape from Vietnam doing they escape those who had any money would have little piece God hidden all over, to try to get a how the country and then to try to build new lives at here. My elderly mom, telling me her last piece of gold. She would give it to me so that her daughter, a refugee, could be running for Congress and that made me cried even more. I mean I just even louder with my sobbing I poor mom with her last little like a gold was going to help her daughter run for Congress She has struggled to

together the money that her opponents have on the democratic sighed. She is a wealthy candidate, she's put in hundreds of thousands dollars of her own money. Entries also raised a decent that money for the race. Raise more than her most important democratic competitors, but they have not I ve been trying to take other people's money. They have just been writing themselves. Bigger and bigger checks out. An impersonal fortunes so does and maybe right that this is not so much about politics as is about the strength of her candidacy and the strength of her candle. In the eyes, the Democratic Party nationally, as you have enough money to win, and they have concluded that you really doesn't that's So one of the dominant narratives of this campaign is of the Democratic Party, is torn and conflicted about what it should be in a selection. Should it be about liberal policies and identity, or should it be about pursuing the kinds of voters who supported president Trump

And you're saying that this race in California doesn't seem to be about that choice. There is no question getting an enormous political opportunity for Democrats to gain a seat, but I dont know you're going to see the new democratic identity forged in Orange county that may be forged elsewhere. Look. The good NEWS for Democrats is that there is enough political opportunity on the map for them to win control. The house with settling their identity in a monolithic way, the bad as for Democrats, is that they may well come out of this. And doing very well on a case by case basis, but not really resolving their identity crisis at all? In other words, Democrats may, when a majority, but they won't do really clear what that majority stands for absolutely you could have candidates, like doses, narrowed. We're like doktor trans serving alongside Democrats who are gun and pro bore wall and its anyone's guess what that party would actually do it? Power,

When will we have an answer to the question of who the Democrats are more broadly, that question is probably going to have to wait until twenty twenty that another joke until the party decides on a person. And a message in a set of ideas embody a single standard bearer? I think you're going. A lot of sort of all over the map, primary elections and very sort of opportunistic strategic decisions by the National Party about who do we need to recruit to win in front of this very specific set of voter but that's strategy are outlining. I wonder Hoddan Moralising, that must be for all of these candidates, like Doktor Tran, who felt that they were fulfilling the fancy of the party to enter a political life after Election Donald Trump only to be told.

Pragmatic concerns of each individual race mean they nimby running. Look, I think, that's been a really really bracing experience for a whole bunch of the candidates, especially in California, where these just tactical structural, cold political considerations are such a dominant, a priority in democratic politics, this strategy of kicking the identity can down the road. Resolving the question of who the Democrats are at some later point. Is that dangerous, because does it risk making it harder for the Democrats to figure out who they are in an effective way for twenty twenty if they are figuring it out now poor, if no question there are risks involving in pushing that question off, and you don't need to look any further than the House republican Majority to see those risks sort of carried out to full effect publicans ran for years.

A muddled platform of policies with a eclectic group of candidates, united mainly by their distaste for President Obama. Once they got power, they have largely not knowing what to do with it and that could be the democratic future too. Thank you Here's what else you need to know tat. I was I gave twenty thousand dollars of my money. Do I call it friend of mine who was running for the Senate in New York on Thursday President Trump said that he would pardon I gave twenty thousand dollars of my money. Do I call it from mine was running for the Senate in New York on Thursday? President Trump said that he would pardon danish disuse

conservative commentator author and filmmaker who plead guilty in twenty fourteen to making illegal campaign donations. There's a campaign finance limit. I went over it. The law. Do is known for controversial and unsubstantiated claims about Democrats, including, the assertion that liberals or largely responsible for inspiring the September eleventh attacks and that Barack Obama harboured an ant. Colonial agenda aimed at we in the U S Obama, is a dream, a dream from that. That's the sins of colonialism be sat right and America B D sized in a tweet Trump wrote that the Susa who received five year of probation for his illegal donations was quote treated very unfairly by our government.

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in the three years since that's it! I'm Michael Bob! I see you on Monday. Hi, I'm Kristen minds are and I'm the co host of innovation uncovered anew new podcast. The world is changing in real time, often in ways we don't notice and can't predict innovation, and covered explores the breakthroughs that our driving our culture now from how play to what we consume to how we can act. More more what the ideas that are reshaping our reality in extraordinary way as enemies, uncovered is upon cast from invest, go cute, you too, and t brand at the New York Times, listen today in Basque, tributaries ink