Are Democrats the pro-business party now?

Welcome to Radio Free America, Aaron Kleinman’s take on stories that matter in state politics but aren't getting enough attention. 

As America hurtles its way through the affordability crisis, one particularly sticky pain point is electricity prices. If you’re rich, it’s an inconvenience that makes everything more expensive, like experiments to see what happens when you run a humidifier and dehumidifier at the same time. If you’re not, it can make the life-changing difference in the summer as to whether you can afford to keep the air conditioner on.

Based on the laws of supply and demand, an obvious solution to this issue is to build more  generating capacity. And in 2026, that means building renewables, as just 7% of new power plants use fossil fuels. If you want a positive vision of the future, it’s letting the market do its job by building row upon row of solar panels and wind turbines, sending electricity prices down and giving Christopher Nolan places to shoot his next movie.

Virginians got a huge win last week when the legislature passed Senate Bill 347, which would get rid of local regulations that make it harder to build renewable energy sources. One would think that a bill like this would have broad bipartisan appeal. Who doesn’t love deregulation or Christopher Nolan movies these days? But it was passed on a party line vote, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed. Moreover, it stands counter to an alarming trend sweeping the country; Republican-controlled states are considering a slew of bills that would actually make it harder to build renewable energy infrastructure, to the detriment of all except the oil and gas industry.

We’re two months into 2026, and Utah has already passed a bill that’d make it harder to generate renewable energy, with almost every Republican lawmaker in favor and Democrats split. Meanwhile, Indiana, Nebraska, Missouri, Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma and Iowa are considering their own bills. And in each instance, the bill sponsors are Republicans. Notably, all of those states contain significant areas where wind or solar is both cheap to deploy and reliable, so the opposition is motivated by either ideological opposition to renewables or a desire to help out the incumbent carbon-emitting industry.

Two weeks ago, I noted that in 1936, FDR managed to split the Republican/corporate alliance by running on lowering barriers to trade that kept newer businesses from competing with entrenched interests. By passing SB 347, Virginia Democrats are making a similar bet — Virginians get lower prices and more growth when lawmakers make it easier for up-and-coming industries to take on lazy cartels. There’s nothing keeping red state Republicans from doing the same. But as you can see above, the majority of the party has decided to protect the oil and gas industry for some reason. 

As the far right becomes beholden to authoritarian tactics and donor service, there’s an opening for a popular front against them by creating a coalition that includes everyone employed in businesses that actually make things that people need. (They can keep the crypto guys and Grok.) Virginia Democrats are showing the way forward; the question is whether the rest of the party will follow.

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Nick Lutsko is the genius behind I Wanna Be At The RNC, and I would only recommend you watch a video of shirtless RFK Jr. and Kid Rock working out if he were singing a parody song over it. He’s going on tour next month and you should check it out; sadly, his show near me starts at 6 p.m EST. Nick, many of your fans have bedtime responsibilities (see above)!

The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernandez isn’t as good as Slaughterhouse Five (what is??), but her work still reminds me of Vonnegut’s. Both books are about atrocities getting you unstuck in time and how those atrocities get reflected back to you on the screen. It’s the best novel I’ve read all year, check it out.

Last week, I asked you which Far Side cartoon Sting was laughing at, and many of you agreed with me — it was the cowboys. As always, good to check with you guys before making a conclusion.

This week, I figure I’ll do a prediction contest that’ll help me out. That’s my car above; the blizzard did a number on it. Thankfully, we’re going to have above-freezing temperatures for most of the week. My question to you is:

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