The Rebels

Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the Struggle for a New American Politics

By: Joshua Green

Narrated by: Philip Hernandez

Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

“One of the best and most readable overviews of the Democrats’ evolution on economic issues over the past half-century.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Fast-paced, sober, yet hopeful . . . Green is a first-rate journalist.”—The Atlantic

One of Politico’s 10 books we’re looking forward to in 2024

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Devil’s Bargain comes the revelatory inside story of the uprising within the Democratic Party, of the economic populists led by Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

In his classic book Devil’s Bargain, Joshua Green chronicled how the forces of economic populism on the right, led by the likes of Steve Bannon, turned Donald Trump into their flawed but powerful vessel. In The Rebels, he gives an epic account of the long struggle that has played out in parallel on the left, told through an intimate reckoning with the careers of the three political figures who have led the charge most prominently. Based on remarkable inside sourcing and razor-sharp analysis, The Rebels uses the grand narrative of a political party undergoing tumult and transformation to tell an even larger story about the fate of America.

For many years, as Green recounts, the Democrats made their bed with Wall Street and big tech, relying on corporate money for electioneering and embracing the worldview that technological and financial innovation and globalization were a powerful net good, a rising tide lifting all boats. Yes, there were howls of pain, but they were written off by most of the elites as the moaning of sore losers mired in the past. There were always some Democratic politicians representing the old labor base who resisted the new dispensation, but these figures never made it very far on a national level. For one thing, they didn’t have the money. But as income inequality ballooned, widening the gulf between the wealthy elite and everyone else, pressures began to build.

With the 2008 crisis, those forces finally erupted into plain sight, turning this book’s protagonists into national icons. At its heart, The Rebels tells the riveting human story of the rise and fight of Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from the financial crisis on, as outrage over the unfairness of the American system formed a flood tide of political revolution. That same tide that would sweep Trump into office was blunted on the left, as the Democratic party found itself riven by culture war issues between its centrists and its progressives. But the winds behind economic populism still howl at gale force. Whether the Democrats can bridge their divisions and home in on a vision that unites the party, and perhaps even the country, in the face of the most violently deranged political landscape since the Civil War will be the ultimate test of the legacies of all three characters.

A masterful account of one of the defining political stories of our age, The Rebels cements Joshua Green’s stature at the first rank of American writers explaining how we’ve arrived at this pass and what lies ahead.

©2024 Joshua Green (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Green’s work is smart, sharp and smoothly written . . . The book offers a valuable recapitulation of the crack-up of the New Deal coalition, the impact of Ronald Reagan’s victories and the continued reverberations of the Great Recession of 2008.” —The Guardian

“A zippy narrative of noble warriors taking on entrenched powers.” —Washington Monthly

“Fast-paced, sober, yet hopeful . . . Green is a first-rate journalist.” —George Packer, The Atlantic

Explaining the populist moment in US politics

This was an excellent, understandable explanation of the rise of “the Rebels” after the time of Jimmy Carter’s presidency.

Captivating story about the evolution of the Democratic Party: From New Deal-to-Wall Street-to-Progressive Populists.

A remarkably written account detailing the machinations within the Democratic Party & key figures at the forefront of returning the Party to its working class ideals and away from the Wall Street embrace that engulfed it since President Carter’s defeat to Reagan. Prior to reading this book, I was unfamiliar with how pivotal a role Senator Warren played in changing the dynamics within the Party & making it more amenable to populist, progressive policies. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is undoubtedly the future vanguard of the movement started by Warren & Sanders, with Millennials and Gen Z ready to follow her lead into a progressive future. I find myself feeling hopeful & optimistic for what’s to come.

A Terrific Work

This does a terrific job telling the story of the modern Democratic Party’s fall to neoliberalism and subsequent progressive uprising in a brilliant fashion; utilizing interweaving narratives, ideas, and presenting this all in a fashion suited to those both familiar and unfamiliar with the basics of the subject matter, all while not talking down to and treating the listener with respect. In all, this is a succinct and fascinating listen on the overview of the modern Democratic left and very much worth the listen.

Insightful, inspiring analysis of the Democratic Party's evolution from 1978 - 2023

This book offers a wonderful, honest historical analysis about the evolution of the Democratic Party's evolution on socio-economix policy from 1978 - the present. The book explains why the Wall Street friendly democrats took over the Democratic Party during the 1980's and 1990's. The book also explains the challenges to this economic agenda from the left after the 2008 financial crisis lead by Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and AOC. The book ends on a hopeful note by explaining how even though none of the progressive candidates won the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination, they have still significantly influenced socio-economic policy during Biden's presidency. The book ends by offering hope that the Democratic Party will begin a new era of socio-economic policy focusing more on lifting all boats instead of just benefiting the welfare of the richest Americans.