This is the Aug. 11, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter.Subscribe hereto get it delivered straight to your inbox every Monday through Friday.

There really is nothing new under the sun.

In 1966, Ronald Reagan had a John Birch problem. William F. Buckley Jr., Reagan, and other conservatives were trying to push the far-right John Birch Society out of the Republican Party — or at least to its fringes.

Reagan’s response was basically this: If somebody votes for me, they’re endorsing what I believe in. It doesn’t mean I’m endorsing what they believe in. I believe what I believe.

Democrats would be wise to remember that lesson today.

Chris Matthews, the former “Hardball” host, and The New York Times’ Elisabeth Bumiller joined “Morning Joe” to discuss how Democrats can keep the party’s far left from defining them.

JS: Chris, how should mainstream Democrats handle the Democratic Socialists of America?

CM: The DSA has done regular Democrats a favor — they’ve listed what they believe in. All you have to do is go out there and say, “Thank you, DSA, for telling us what you believe in. I don’t believe in that stuff.”

JS: AOC says Democrats are a big-tent party. What does that mean for Democrats who don’t share the DSA’s views?

CM: I like AOC, but the problem with the big-tent defense is every Democrat has to defend all of this crazy stuff coming from the left. You’ve got to say, “No, no. I’m not a member of the DSA, and here’s why,” and make it very clear.

They need to say, “I’m a regular Democrat. I’m for labor unions. I’m for opportunity for everybody. I’m for civil rights. But I’m not with this crowd.” 

JS: Elisabeth Bumiller, what did last night’s Wisconsin results tell you about the debate inside the Democratic Party?

EB: The Wisconsin race shows there is a bridge too far. Democratic socialists have had success in New York, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Denver. But in vast swaths of the country, that’s not going to work in a general election. I think we saw that in Wisconsin.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for brevity and clarity.

POLLS OF THE DAY

Natalie Sanders / MS NOW

Trump Attempts Patience

By Jonathan Lemire

President Donald Trump has been repeatedly stymied in his efforts to bring the Iran war to a close. Resuming a limited bombing campaign didn’t get it done. Neither did making apocalyptic threats to wipe out Iran’s entire civilization. Every time Trump touts a possible breakthrough in negotiations, the hard-liners in Tehran seem to delight in changing their terms and yanking away a possible deal. It’s like Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown, except this time, the pigskin is the Strait of Hormuz.

Nothing has worked. So Trump’s new strategy is to try doing nothing and see whether that works. The president is de-emphasizing both diplomacy and military action, and instead placing his faith in economic pressure, in the hope that time can accomplish what force could not. This wait-and-see approach is meant to allow stepped-up financial sanctions and a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports to inflict economic pain. The hope is that a return to this strategy — which was used, in spurts, earlier in the conflict and has been championed by some in the administration all along — will finally force leaders in Tehran to seriously engage in negotiations to open the strait and end the war.

Read more in The Atlantic.

ON THIS DATE

On Aug. 12, 1961, East Germany began erecting the Berlin Wall, sealing off West Berlin from East Germany. 

WHAT THEY SAID

Charlie Sykes on David Crowley’s upset victory in Wisconsin

“Democratic primary voters may be angry, but they’re also focused on electability. It’s one thing to be angry and want dramatic change; it’s another to nominate somebody who might have handed the state over to a MAGA election denier.”

Claire McCaskill on U.S. global leadership 

“There’s no question in the eyes of the world, in the eyes of the folks that don’t love us, that we are weaker. Trump is in a weak position. Our military appears weaker. For a guy who loves strength, this is a nightmare.”

Willie Geist on Politico reporting on vaccine policy 

“The president’s own advisers told him, ‘Walk away from this issue. It’s an 85-15 issue. It’s a political loser. We have a midterm election. Stay away from Bobby Kennedy Jr. He’s a nut.’”

The post How Crowley’s win — and Hong’s loss — define the debate inside the Democratic Party appeared first on MS NOW.

From MS Now.