Democrats Need a Project 2050

For the past several months, various organizations have been busy developing plans for Democrats to run on in the 2028 presidential election. One of the most prominent efforts, Project 2029, is an explicit nod to the conservative movement’s Project 2025, which served as a blueprint for many parts of the Trump Administration’s current agenda.

While some people think these initiatives are a waste of time, I have no objection to them. It’s good to have plans. I worked on a presidential campaign famous for them. Plans can persuade or motivate voters. They can build public momentum for new ideas. They can help focus political debate on substantive questions rather than personality-driven controversies. And if a candidate wins, they can provide a roadmap for governing.

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But I believe Democrats need to look beyond plans alone to try to answer a more fundamental question: what do we want America to look like in 2050 if we win? As someone who spends a lot of time in Democratic policy circles, I think the answer to this question is highly contested and uncertain, even among people who generally agree on what plans to highlight and pursue in 2028. Trying to establish a clear answer to the 2050 question would force the party to think through nearer-term priorities, tradeoffs, and the intended consequences of all their different proposals, and give voters a sense of what their lives could be like if they give Democrats another chance to control Congress and the White House.

You could call this effort Project 2050.

As a starting point, here are seven basic questions Project 2050 could grapple with:

What is the appropriate role for artificial intelligence and social media in American society and our economy?

By 2050, do we want a country where AI performs most tasks, humans interact mostly online via social media, and both work and socializing involve far less in-person interaction than before? If not, what balance do we want to strike between harnessing whatever benefits may exist from social media and AI and protecting human labor and interaction?

What should “working” look like?

What do we think a job looks like in 2050? Is it primarily guiding AI agents? Or is it largely physical labor that can’t be automated? What does it mean for Americans to assert power in the workplace in a world where human labor could more easily be replaced by non-humans?

What constitutes a sustainable fiscal situation?

The federal government runs large deficits today after repeated rounds of tax cuts under Republican presidents. Meanwhile, the United States is getting older, birth rates have fallen, and the ratio of workers to retirees is declining. By 2050, what would we consider a healthy fiscal situation and how could we arrive at it? What obligations should our government have to ensure retirement security, health care, and long-term care? Who should pay more in taxes, and who—if anyone—should pay less?

What is the role of higher education in American life?

As of today, the wage premium for degree holders is shrinking, student debt burdens are growing, and AI may threaten many of the occupations that college graduates have traditionally entered. In 2050, what function should higher education serve? Do we want to reverse the trends of today or recognize instead that four-year college is a worse proposition than it used to be and should largely be replaced by other forms of post-secondary education or training?

What should family policy seek to achieve?

For much of the twentieth century, policymakers largely assumed that family formation would take care of itself. Today, Americans are marrying later, having fewer children, and reporting higher levels of social isolation. By 2050, should America have made it easier to start and raise a family, or is that largely beyond the role of government? If it should be a goal, is the government’s role solely to provide financial support or something beyond that?

What should our multiethnic democracy look like?

Immigration affects economic growth, demographics, culture, national identity, and America’s place in the world. By 2050, what kind of multiethnic society do Democrats want the United States to be? Should America seek a substantially larger population? How should policymakers balance border security, humanitarian obligations, labor market needs, and assimilation?

What is the right role for federal courts?

The modern federal judiciary plays a larger role in shaping public policy than at any point in recent memory. And while courts have played an important role in checking some of Trump’s worst abuses, many Democrats feel they also overstretched repeatedly to strike down Biden-era policies that were perfectly legal.

By 2050, should courts have more or less power than they have today? Which rights should be insulated from majoritarian politics and what decisions should be left solely to elected representatives? How should the courts be reformed—if at all—to remain a check on true abuses while not acting as super-legislatures that can overrule elected representatives at will?

There are many other questions Project 2050 could address. Ultimately, all of these questions point toward two broader ones. By 2050, what kind of society are Democrats trying to build and how do we measure whether we have succeeded? Is success primarily measured by delivering economic growth and stronger incomes or by something else? If we have substantially increased real median household income after government transfers is that a success? What if we have done so but wealth inequality has continued to rise? What if we have done so but child poverty persists or worsens? What if we have slashed poverty, raised median incomes, reduced inequality, and made incredible scientific breakthroughs that have helped Americans live longer and healthier lives, but Americans are still unsatisfied, unfulfilled, and pessimistic like they are today?

Politics inevitably involves debates over programs, budgets, regulations, and legislation. But voters are ultimately deciding something larger. They are deciding what kind of future they want for themselves and their children. Unless Democrats can sort out what future they are selling, all their policy ideas will congeal into a kind of formless mass. So let a thousand flowers bloom when it comes to designing new plans; but let’s also have the debate about our fundamental vision for the future.