Why does Chris Williamson think being a moderate Democrat is becoming cool? — Jack Butcher, Shaan Puri and George Mack on Modern Wisdom

Chris Williamson said that mocking the left now reads as out of touch, because critics of wokeness are beating a dead horse while figures such as Zohran Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez get their own memes without being ridiculed. He said this cultural swing means anyone treating a right-wing win in 2028 as certain could face a huge upset.

Williamson compared the shift to the turn away from mid-2010s atheism, with the Latin Mass now drawing new interest.
Another panellist argued it is always cooler to be the counterculture, and the right fractured once it took power.

▸In their words

“I think that there is increasing like cool alpha available in being a moderate Democrat.” Chris Williamson · at 1:47:16 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Modern Wisdom (2026-10-26). Read the whole episode summary →

▸More from this episode

Q1How did Shaan Puri's bettor friend make 1% a day on Polymarket?Q2What do Jack Butcher and George Mack mean by taste and slop?Q3Who is Nigel Richards, the Scrabble champion discussed on Modern Wisdom?Q4How did Sidney Frank create Grey Goose, according to Shaan Puri?Q5What did Shaan Puri say about near-death experiences and seeing your life flash?Q6What is George Mack's test for real product-market fit?Q8Does Chris Williamson think AI makes students learn less?

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