The progressive movement was crushed and bruised by reality.
Even if Trump doesn’t win in a modern-day landslide, America will still be moving away from the Democratic establishment, the most left-wing of the electorate. Democrats perplexed by Donald Trump’s popularity need a brief history lesson.
Do you remember 2020? Far-left Democrats fought for their party’s presidential nomination, each trying to outdo the other with radical proposals as socialist Bernie Sanders threatened to win. They chose an old man, Joe Biden, to rescue them from an election disaster. But he too quickly gave in to the progressives, embracing positions that would have been unthinkable just a few years earlier.
But something surprising happened. This was no longer just an idea. It became public policy.
great progressive experiment
San Francisco became ground zero, emptying its prisons and tolerating open drug use. Portland has defunded its police. Chicago ditches ShotSpotter technology that helps police respond to shootings. New York and Chicago have declared themselves sanctuary cities. Schools pushed gender ideology beyond parental consent.
The result was truly a disaster. Crime has soared in major cities. Homeless encampments spread like wildfire. Inflation hit a 40-year high. A progressive experiment has run into reality.
Democrats have spent the last few months sprinting from previous positions, from Kamala Harris to other candidates across the country. The left now wants to build Trump’s wall. “Defund the police” has become the new mantra. Kamala owns a Glock! Even California is undoing recent criminal justice “reforms.”
Change was driven not by politicians discovering new truths, but by a well-informed public. Black and Hispanic Democrats are now more likely than white Democrats to favor increased police funding. Even in deep blue cities, voters rejected progressive approaches to crime and public safety.
immigrant? The public has had enough. The foreign-born population has reached record levels, and Democratic mayors who once welcomed immigrants are now begging for federal help.
When Trump began his 2016 presidential campaign and strongly opposed illegal immigration, he was a pariah. He was attacked by Democrats, Republicans, and his eternal opponent, the media. Now his position is mainstream.
On the cultural front, the Democratic Party was on the defensive. In modern times, few political ads have been more transformative than Trump’s attack on Kamala Harris for transgender extremism. Tagline – “Kamala is for them. President Trump is for you.” – Progressives might consider it hate speech, but it resonated with voters.
Corporate America got the message too. Major corporations are backtracking on aggressive social justice commitments. Universities are dropping diversity statement requirements. Progressive rallying cries like Medicare-for-All have all but disappeared from the discourse.
Yes, but…
Here’s a twist that should give conservatives pause. Among 18-25 year olds, liberal views remain dominant. Young PhDs overwhelmingly support firing academics with controversial views. The millennials and Zoomers who will soon control the institution remain committed to progressive ideology.
Will these young true believers eventually be caught up in reality? Or is this just a temporary setback in a longer march?
The progressive movement is not dead. He was just sent to his room to think about what he had done. The question is whether anything has been learned.
This column is published with direct permission from Ken LaCorte.
Ken LaCorte writes about censorship, media malfeasance, uncomfortable questions, and honest insights for people who wonder how the world really works.
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