Inside the Dems’ Identity Crisis, and Scott Jennings on Trump, Vance, and Filling KY’s Senate Seat

Next Up with Mark Halperin · Oct 16, 2025 · 1h 7m

Mark Halperin opens today’s show with his new reported monologue on the Democrats’ identity crisis — a deep dive into how the party has built its identity around resistance, and why that playbook has failed in the view of many Democrats. For years now, anti-Trump applause lines have filled the space where ideas used to live, creating a cycle of outrage that thrilled MSNBC panels but alienated voters looking for solutions. Now, as the country shifts and Republicans confidently seize the momentum, Democrats face a defining question: if they’re not just the opposition, what are they?

Then, CNN’s…