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Veteran political journalist Joe Klein unleashed a scathing critique of the Democratic Party, suggesting that its latest Democratic National Committee meeting demonstrates a level of “intellectual corrosion” unprecedented in his decades of observation.

Writing in his “Sanity Clause” Substack newsletter, Klein highlighted the DNC’s elaborate gender-related protocols from their recent gathering as evidence of what he views as the party’s concerning direction.

“Yes, friends, still crazy after all these years…and the encroaching dementia is not benign. Can this party be saved? I have my doubts,” Klein wrote after examining multiple reports detailing the meeting’s intricate gender guidelines.

Klein referenced The Atlantic writer Jonathan Chait’s coverage of the event, which described how “outgoing chair, Jaime Harrison, attempted to explain a point about its rules concerning gender balance for its vice-chair race. ‘The rules specify that when we have a gender-nonbinary candidate or officer, the nonbinary individual is counted as neither male nor female, and the remaining six officers must be gender balanced,’ Harrison announced.”

The former Time magazine writer also drew attention to Wall Street Journal reporter Molly Ball’s account: “Later in the program, an audience member stood up to lament that there was only one at-large seat set aside for a transgender person, and called on the candidates to add another seat and for ‘making sure those appointments reflect the gender and ethnic diversity of the transgender community.'”

Klein, whose anonymous authorship of “Primary Colors” made waves in 1996, expressed his dismay at the party’s current trajectory.

“The intellectual corrosion is comprehensive; it is only matched by the self-righteous arrogance. But what’s the alternative?” he observed. “I’ve been through Dems in Disarray syndrome multiple times in the past: in 1972, in 1980, in 1988, in 2016…but, gotta say, this is the worst I’ve ever seen it.”

The political commentator drew a direct line between the party’s current state and Donald Trump’s political ascendancy, stating that “The Democrats have twice now enabled a World-Historic Demagogue to be elected President of the United States. One wonders if Trump’s reelection will stand with Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon.” He criticized President Biden’s alignment with Bernie Sanders’ progressive agenda, suggesting it allowed “left-nuttiness below the radar throughout the government.”

“Every so often, the nuttiness would surface—as with the chaos at the Southern border—and Biden would do nothing about it,” Klein noted.

Drawing on The Free Press’ Ruy Teixeira’s recommendations, Klein advocated for substantial party reforms, including a more measured approach to Trump criticism and border policy. He suggested that the party requires external pressure from like-minded individuals, similar to the Democratic Leadership Conference’s influence in the early 1990s, backed by significant financial resources and political courage.

However, Klein concluded his analysis on a pessimistic note, acknowledging the unlikely nature of such reforms with the statement, “But, yeah, I’m dreaming….”