AOC says "Woke 1 was crazy" — but is laughing off an era of defunding the police, prison abolition and ideological conformity actually enough? On this episode of "Deseret Voices," McKay Coppins sits down with The Atlantic's Idrees Kahloon to ask why Democrats can't simply wash their hands of Woke 1.0 and what the party's chaotic 2026 primaries reveal about its identity crisis heading into 2028.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

• Why Republicans will never let Democrats "slink away" from woke-era positions

• How DSA candidates in 2026 still endorse prison abolition and resist prosecuting violent crime

• What the horseshoe between far-left and far-right ideas on race actually looked like

• Why wokeness, despite its Marxist roots, had almost no class consciousness — and how that pushed working-class voters rightward

• How Zohran Mamdani pulled off a genuine political reinvention while others couldn't

• The "law of excluded middle" — why genuine liberalism is being crushed between wokeness and the MAGA backlash

• Whether Trump will hold the GOP together or become the Lyndon Johnson of 2028

• Why the moral gains that preceded wokeness are now at risk in the backlash era

“Deseret Voices” is hosted by award-winning journalists McKay Coppins and Jane Clayson Johnson, who go beyond the headlines to explore the stories, people, and ideas shaping our world today. Through thoughtful, in-depth conversations, the “Deseret Voices” podcast brings clarity and common ground to the complex issues defining our time. 

“Deseret Voices” is a Deseret News podcast, produced by Keira Farrimond, Creative Director - Video & Podcasts. 

Episodes of “Deseret Voices” drop weekly wherever you get your podcasts. Follow along and join the conversation on YouTube (@deseretnews), Instagram (@deseretnews), Facebook (@deseretnews) and X (@deseret).