Civic Cocktail

After losing both the White House and control of the U.S. Senate, even longtime Republicans are wondering, what's the future of the GOP? Lincoln Project Co-founder Rick Wilson and 2016 GOP nominee for Washington governor Bill Bryant share strong opinions with host Joni Balter on what they see on the road ahead. Wilson says the Republican party is at a juncture, and warned, "they're going to be the Whig Party and die, or they're going to take a very difficult step and say we're not a party about the dear leader." Bryant agrees, saying it's time to move past the Trump era. He says Republicans must "focus on the real reasons we lost and why we're not responding to the needs of people and neighborhoods all around the country." Both guests say the country is in desperate need of a center-right party. Wilson summed it up this way, "offer a vision that is optimistic, prospective, big, inclusive, smart, and forward-looking." This episode of Civic Cocktail is the first in a multi-part series on "The State of Our Democracy."