I come from a family of Democrats. My father, a Teamster, was a Democrat, as was his father, and his father before him. I grew up in the shadow of the failed policies of the Carter administration, which was soon overtaken by a movement not altogether dissimilar to Donald Trump’s. But the Democratic party has evolved even since Carter, and not necessarily in a good way. What happened to the Democratic party? And how did they become so out-of-touch with middle America?
The first Democrat, of course, was Thomas Jefferson. But his Democratic-Republican party looked quite different than the modern party. The Democratic-Republican Party was formed by Jefferson and others who believed in an agrarian-based, decentralized, democratic government. Jefferson and his party would be more aligned with today’s Libertarians than Democrats. The modern Democratic party can be traced back, quite ironically, to the populist Andrew Jackson. Historically, therefore, the Democrats were a mix of classical libertarians and populists. The industrial revolution, though, moved the party to the left.
As America industrialized, workers-rights and social justice became a hallmark of the Democrats. Their devotion to these issues probably saved America during the turbulence of the Great Depression and Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. But one thing is certain, the Democrats that presided over those eras put America first. Franklin D. Roosevelt was a fervent anti-globalist, withdrawing American forces from central America and keeping the United States out of World War Two as long as possible. John F. Kennedy was a firm believer in American exceptionalism, committed deeply to defeating Soviet led communism.
After the presidential terms of progressives Johnson and Carter, Bill Clinton successfully moved the party back to the center. Clinton’s moderate political views and willingness to engage with Republicans led the nation to the longest economic expansion in U.S. history. But the world changed soon after Clinton’s successor, George W. Bush, took office.
After winning a very close election, Bush was confronted with the worst attack on American soil in history. Already in a downturn, the economy collapsed and never recovered during his two terms. As a repudiation to the Bush era, Americans elected Barack Obama and his promise of hope and change.
During his first term, Obama signed more landmark legislation than Johnson did during his Great Society movement. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and Tax Relief, the Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 were all passed by Congress. These acts help stabilize the economy, but a full recovery remained elusive; many Americans never felt the impact. However, it was enough to help Obama defeat Romney during the 2012 election.
Emboldened by Obama’s reelection, the radical-progressives took over. The Democrats evolved into a party of globalists – no longer believing in American exceptionalism like Kennedy. They were unwilling, like Clinton, to work with Republicans for compromise legislation. Instead, they preached tolerance, inclusion, reproductive rights, LGBTQ justice, and gender equality, and eviscerating anyone that disagreed with them. Meanwhile, hard working Americans were suffering – the threat of ISIS continued to grow, Russian forces moved into the Ukraine, the economy sputtered, and the rule of law broke down as police endured brazen attacks and even murders. Bizarrely, as these real hazards were unfolding, Democrats turned their backs on middle America and focused on manufactured issues like bathroom gender rights and safe spaces. The consequences of which culminated during the 2016 elections.
Trump’s victory was not only against Hillary Clinton (herself a symbol of Washingtonian ignorance to the plights of the working class), but also the forces that conspired against middle America. The allure of making America great again was too difficult to ignore. And the truth is, we didn’t leave the Democratic party, the Democratic party left us.
