I first met Matt Bai, political writer for the New York Times magazine, in Iowa, December 2003. We were following Howard Dean, the presumptive Democratic nominee. What we had in common was a deep affection for Hunter Thompson’s Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ’72, which I carried with me everywhere that year. We didn’t talk much, but since meeting him I’ve followed Matt’s long, insightful articles on the political process. He has a generous affection for his subjects, particularly for the young political activists changing the nature of politics online. But that doesn’t prevent him from saying what he thinks. He’s not afraid to criticize the young idealists, even while wishing them well.

His first book, The Argument, is a compelling account of the birth of the new progressive movement, and the twin engines of that movement—the billionaires and the bloggers. Despite the book’s title, it is not an argument, but rather a story of the new century, a time when the Internet is coming of age and ignored populations are seizing the reins of political power from the people who failed to represent them. What these groups will do with this power, what they believe in, and if they’ll act any differently from those that came before them, are still open questions.

I met Matt on a rainy day in downtown San Francisco. He was on tour promoting his book, and he had cashed in his rewards for an upgrade to a room at the Westin. We talked downstairs, in the lounge.

—Stephen Elliott

I. “THIS ISN’T YOUR FATHER’S ECONOMY,
OR YOUR GRANDFATHER’S ECONOMY,
AND THOSE DAYS AREN’T COMING BACK.”

THE BELIEVER: Can you discuss the argument you’re referring to in the book’s title?

MATT BAI: The Argument refers to two things. It refers to the argument going on between progressive outsiders and Democratic insiders, and it refers to the argument that every great political movement or every great party has to put forth about how they want to change government and change the country. The history of American politics is not the history of the same old government solving new crises at pivotal moments. The history of American politics is about courageous leaders figuring out how to make the government evolve. You don’t face the next era by demanding the government...