RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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August 16, 2026 / 2:25 PM EDT / CBS News
On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, moderated by Ed O'Keefe:
Click here to browse full transcripts from 2026 of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."
ED O'KEEFE: I'm Ed O'Keefe in Washington.
And this week on Face the Nation: Socialism divides the Democratic Party. But are mainstream Democrats coming on board? And is President Trump being too dismissive of voters' concerns over the economy?
With about 11 weeks to go until midterm Election Day, Democrats continue their soul-searching when it comes to picking candidates to face voters in the fall. Will they unite behind this message?
ABDUL EL-SAYED (D-Michigan Senatorial Candidate): Money out of?
ED O'KEEFE: Or will they keep closer to the middle?
Either way, the president has found his rallying cry.
DONALD TRUMP (President of the United States): They want to make us a communist country. They have skipped socialism. The communists want to turn America into a Third World country, into a hellhole of crime and filth.
ED O'KEEFE: But is that message doing enough to address voters' concerns about high inflation and gas prices?
We will hear from Kentucky Governor and potential Democratic 2028 hopeful Andy Beshear. Pennsylvania Democratic Socialist congressional candidate Chris Rabb will also join us.
Plus, insights into how Mr. Trump's agenda is playing in the heartland from Nebraska Republican Congressman Don Bacon.
Good morning, and welcome to Face the Nation. Margaret is out today.
After weeks of high-stakes primaries that pitted moderates versus progressive or socialist-backed Democratic candidates and raised questions about the future direction of the party, we wanted to know what Democrats and voters overall make of the future of the Democratic Party.
We're doing this in part because history would suggest they're set to win back control of at least some part of Congress this fall. And the elections come amid lingering concerns about the way the economy works, as our new CBS News poll shows 60 percent of all Americans say the U.S. economic system is unfair, and 73 percent believe the gap between the richest Americans and the middle class is increasing.
So we begin with Kentucky Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, who joins us from the capital city of Frankfort.
Good morning, Governor. Thank you for being here.
GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR (D-Kentucky): Good morning. Thanks for having me.
So our new CBS News poll out this morning finds 58 percent of Democrats have a positive view of socialism, and just 32 percent have a positive view of capitalism. What do you make of that?
GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR: What I make of it is that people are struggling. They're struggling because the cost of groceries is too high. The cost of gas is too high. It's too hard to see a doctor, and when you do, the cost of that is too high as well.
They're not asking for a lot. They just want to go to work, make a good living, be able to raise their kids, buy a home before they're 40, take their family on the same vacation they went on as kids. And, right now, they're seeing a system that doesn't work for them.
Now, I believe socialism is a failed experiment, but I do believe that we need to get results for the American people. And I think, when you look at Democratic governors, you see those results. I have been proud to create more jobs than any other governor in our history.
The average wage of a new job in Kentucky this year is over $32 an hour. We're building affordable housing in Western Kentucky and in Eastern Kentucky on top of abandoned coal mines with solar panels on the top, so they're affordable to live in too. People just want to see results, want to believe that life can get better.
ED O'KEEFE: The poll also finds rank-and-file Democrats want leaders to be pushing for making big changes, not smaller ones, even if they're easier to do, also says they want to feel like the party is, as you said, fighting for them.
GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR: Yes, I think people…
ED O'KEEFE: Well, what I'm curious about is what – given they're looking for big ideas, what would be your biggest, boldest idea that you're promoting these days?
GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR: Well, I will give you two, because people want you to fix the darn economy, and they want you to fix the darn government.
On the economy, it is time for an aspirational investment in housing that can bring down the cost of – of especially first-time homeownership. People can actually see that progress all over the country. We ought to tie the federal dollars to speed. You've got to break ground, and you've got to do it quickly. Get through the overregulation and the NIMBY-ism.
But I tell you what. People also think this government is broken. So, a fix the darn government constitutional amendment, it is time. It should outlaw partisan redistricting and enshrine part of the Voting Rights Act right there in the Constitution. It should create term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court.
No more gaming those appointments. It should also overturn Citizens United, and I think call for direct elections of the president and the vice president. That could actually make things work, a big idea that would, yes, change government, but in a way enshrined in the constitution where people would know it's going to get better.
ED O'KEEFE: I didn't realize you support abolishing the Electoral College, if you're saying direct election of the president and vice president.
GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR: Yes, I have said it a number of times.
And it's because, in Kentucky, we will never see a candidate for president or vice president unless they're from here. Why? Because people just expect that it'll go one way or the other. It's the idea that someone would get elected not just knowing about seven states, but having to earn votes all over the United States. I certainly think it's time.
ED O'KEEFE: Speaking of presidential candidates from Kentucky, you told o...
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