WhatsappThe Democratic Party used to be the reasonable party of the liberals of the world. There were many reasons to be liberal and the liberal movements of the United States have alot to be proud of. The Civil Rights movement, the advancement of women, and the rights of workers are things that we take for granted today. All of these are things that can be ascribed to liberal movements that changed moral wrongs that existed in the United States for more a century and a half.
Until the 1950’s and the 1960’s, black people were second class citizens in the United States. The idea of a black president was such a far-fetched idea as recently as the 1970’s. Yet, by 2012, the United States had a black President. This is due to the liberal-led civil rights movement. The main leaders of this movement were Democrats. Martin Luther King was one of the black leaders. But there were other major leaders. President Truman and President Lyndon Baines Johnson played critical roles. It must be noted that they had to confront major anti-civil rights movements within their own party. But they stood up to the pressures and largely changed the racist norms in the United States.
Today, the Democratic Party barely resembles it’s liberal past. The progressive wing of the party is more illiberal than it is liberal. It does not stand up for the rights of others as much as it stands up to fight against the rights of others. Free Speech is not a central tenet anymore of the Democratic party, but silencing is. Capitalism is no longer something the Democratic party is proud of. Socialism and free handouts for the unfortunate are the ascendant calls within the party. Equality of opportunity has been replaced by calls for equality of outcome. This is not a recipe for a bright future. It is a recipe for an irrelevant party that will sideline themselves from the silent majority within the electorate. Joe Biden may win the nomination. But the soul of the party is being sucked downwards toward socialism. A fundamental change is necessary to return to normalcy.
