MS NOW’s Morning Joe closed out the week of the aftermath of the victory of far-left Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Senate primary on Friday with an imploration to Democrats, who may have reservations over the rise of democratic socialists and their positions, to still support their candidacies so they can “work together." Host Jonathan Lemire even employed the phrase, “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.”
The segment focused on an article written by The New Republic’s Michael Tomasky titled, “Yes, El-Sayed May Lose. But Democrats Shouldn’t Try to Make It Happen.”
Lemire read from the piece, where, in part, Tomasky said he had his “Own reservations about the left’s renaissance" including policy positions like “defund the police” and "eliminate the border.”
Friday’s Morning Joe featured an article from The New Republic's Michael Tomasky that urged Democrats to support the far-left, even while not agreeing with all policy views.
Host Jonathan Lemire said it was an example of the phrase “Don't let perfect be the enemy of good." pic.twitter.com/V2gyz7rWjR— Nick (@nspin310) August 7, 2026
As the piece continued to be read, it implored Democrats to see the far-left as an ally. Tomasky wrote, “Big-D Democrats shouldn’t come within a mile of some of those national DSA platform positions,” before he talked about how the DSA-aligned candidate would help “reverse the concentration of wealth and political power that has characterized this polity’s last four decades.”
After reading, Lemire jumped in in full agreement and open arms to the far-left, and he said the phrase “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good” was “applicable here.”
He argued not supporting the far-left, and the far-left not supporting “moderates,” especially in the case of attempted unification in Michigan after its primary, only helped Republicans:
But yes, there are some who think ‘Well, you know, the far left doesn't stand for me or the moderates don't stand for me,’ you know, ‘I can't support that.’ The risk of that approach, though, is you're simply empowering Donald Trump and his Republicans.
Tomasky agreed and said, “Well, bingo. I think that’s exactly right, Jonathan.” He then invoked the idea of a “big tent” party and said, “They need to work together. They need to elect Democrats, and they need to just put aside these differences and concentrate on what they agree on.”
MS NOW Capitol Hill reporter Ali Vitali then asked Tomasky what Democrats should do amid the new connections of the party to the DSA. She said, “But I also think they now have a new charge of combating some of the more fringe ideas that are percolating.”
Vitali invoked the issue of “fringe ideas” like “cancel Thanksgiving,” as seen with likely Wisconsin gubernatorial nominee Francesca Hong’s past comments on Thanksgiving and interviews where she had trouble not showing her dislike of the American holiday. Tomasky responded, “Well, you know, they don't want the election to be a referendum on Thanksgiving, obviously. That's number one -- or anything like that. I use that metaphorically.”
He then made this same earlier point about unification of broader party policy: “So, that's how they want to reframe it whenever they get accused of being extremist. They want to say that we're talking about returning economic power to middle and working-class people. That's what they want to say.”
A Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski-less Morning Joe seemed to have made its decision to allow socialism, and many DSA candidates, into the party with open arms.
The transcript is below. Click "expand":
MS NOW’s Morning Joe
August 7, 2026
8:34:52 AM Eastern
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JONATHAN LEMIRE: The New Republic is out with a new piece, conceding that some of the far-left democratic nominees could lose this November, but warns moderate Democrats that they should not actively work to make that happen.
As for Republicans, new reporting this morning from Axios reveals that the GOP are planning to use their first ever midterm convention next month to mount a sweeping, made-for-prime-time case that Democrats have become captive to the party's activist left. You can see how these stories are linked.
So, let's now bring in the two authors of the pieces. Editor of The New Republic, Michael Tomasky, is here, as well as senior political reporter for Axios, Alex Isenstadt. MS NOW’s Ali Vitali, I'm happy to say, still with us as well. My thanks to all of you.
Michael, let's start with your piece and what you warned Democrats not to go against some of their more far-left nominees in the upcoming midterms. You write in part this:
“I have my own reservations about aspects of the left's renaissance. “Defund the police” and “eliminate the border” - And sure, throw in cancel Thanksgiving are disastrous stands for anyone seeking office to take.
Big-D Democrats shouldn’t come within a mile of some of those national DSA platform positions. But overall, far and away, the most important thing politicians can do in this country over the next 10 or 20 years is reverse the concentration of wealth and political power that has characterized this polity’s last four decades, and make working people's lives better and more hopeful.
Any ally in that fight, however they want to fight it (within obvious, lawful and constitutional limits) and under whatever label that should be welcomed.”
So, Michael, I think you're right. I mean, we certainly - the phrase is, you know, “don't let perfect be the enemy of good” is, I think, applicable here.
I think there are a lot of Democrats who, yeah - Michigan's a great case for this. And Stevens is saying all the right things right now, and so is El-Sayed, about bringing the party together. But yes, there are some who think “Well, you know, the far left doesn't stand for me” or “the moderates don't stand for me,” you know, “I can't support that.” The risk of that approach, though, is you're simply empowering Donald Trump and his Republicans.
MICHAEL TOMASKY: Well, bingo. I think that's exactly right, Jonathan. And, you know, what's the point of the midterm elections from the Democrats' perspective? It's to elect more Democrats than Republicans and to recapture the House and recapture the Senate. If you're a moderate Democrat, I understand. You're not crazy about some of Abdul El-Sayed's positions. And by the way, if you're a progressive Democrat, you're not crazy about all the positions of some moderates who won primaries.
But as Haley Stevens just said, it's a big tent party with more than two factions, three or four factions, actually. And if they want to win and take power and try to do something for the American people and do some of the things that I talked about in that one section of the piece, where I think their big job is to reverse the concentration of economic and political power that's gone to the wealthy in this country over the last four decades. They need to work together. They need to elect Democrats, and they need to just put aside these differences and concentrate on what they agree on. I think Haley Stevens gave a great statement.
LEMIRE: Yeah, and certainly the polls suggest they've got the wind at their backs. But never underestimate Democrats. The ability to overthink things, potentially blow it.
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8:39:28 AM Eastern
ALI VITALI: When you say to them, Alex, as I'm sure you do, because these are some of the conversations I have as well with Republican strategists. Okay, it sounds like you're trying to make midterms a referendum on the party that's not in power, which is, of course, typically not how midterms go.
Republicans, in theory, did a lot of legislating this year. Why are they not campaigning on that? And what does it tell you? Or what do they tell you when you say, is it just a referendum on socialism, which is just a small section of the Democratic Party?
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8:40:49 AM Eastern
VITALI: I've spoken to many who feel that they really have the wind at their back at this moment, issues that Trump previously was beating them on the economy, immigration now upside down for him and Republicans. They're hoping to take advantage of that.
But I also think they now have a new charge of combating some of the more fringe ideas that are percolating. You mention in your piece, cancel Thanksgiving, do not come for my stuffing. But that's, of course, a reference to Francesca Hong, who is likely to be the Democratic nominee for governor in battleground Wisconsin, and she is a democratic socialist.
So, what should Democrats be doing, and what are the conversations you're having with them about the ways that they want to be specific about what it means to be a Democrat right now?
TOMASKY: Well, you know, they don't want the election to be a referendum on Thanksgiving, obviously. That's number one - or anything like that. I use that metaphorically.
VITALI: Yeah.
TOMASKY: You know, they want to say that what they really mean here is that they want to take on corporate power. They want to tax the rich. They want to talk about affordability. They want to talk about housing. They want to talk about health care. They want to talk about things like that. That's their positive agenda. That's what they really want to say. So, that's how they want to reframe it whenever they get accused of being extremist. They want to say that we're talking about returning economic power to middle and working-class people. That's what they want to say.
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