By Hoyt Tuggle | This is in response to Debra Houston. It is history and the current political situation from a different perspective.
Progressivism has been a significant component of the Democratic Party since Woodrow Wilson. This division within the Democratic Party has been pretty much an ongoing battle except for the FDR years. In modern times it surfaced between Jimmy Carter and the Democratic establishment. It accounted for as much of his failures as did anything.
The Reagan Democrats, outside of the South, surfaced in 1980 and 1984, eight years before Clinton was elected president. Clinton was a member of the Democratic Leadership Council, which was formed in 1985 to turn the Democratic Party away from its leftward lean of the 60s, 70s and 80s. He was no progressive as Hillary is now learning to her dismay. Progressive-ism did not grow under Bill Clinton, It actually shrunk. In spite of all the rhetoric to the contrary, the Family Medical Leave Act was probably Clinton’s signature Progressive legislation.
Jobs were lost not because the Democrats lied, they did, but because of productivity and automation. For example, we produce three times as many autos here in the U.S. as we did in the mid 1950s with one third as many workers. Most coal is dug by machines. Those jobs aren’t coming back and they didn’t go overseas.
Hillary is not a progressive. Nothing about her history is progressive. She has been forced to adopt Sanders’ progressive positions in order to keep his followers energized enough to vote in November.
For 24 years Hillary has been like a wall where you throw excrement at it hoping something will stick. Even if it doesn’t stick it leaves a stain. Later people look at the wall and say, “Damn, that’s a crappy wall.”
Her email server at home and the potential for abuse with the Clinton Foundation are legitimate issues to raise. All the rest have been “stains.” Ask Kevin McCarthy why he is not now the Speaker of the House. It is because he admitted that the Select Committee on Benghazi was created to bring down Hillary’s poll numbers. He was proud that it worked.
I do agree with Ms. Houston that The Donald is “jagged around the edges.” The problem with The Donald is that all you have is “edges;” there is no core. He doesn’t know how the FED works, he doesn’t know that we already have a court system in the military, he doesn’t know that Supreme Court Justices don’t sign bills, he doesn’t know that his revised immigration policy is exactly what Obama is doing now. He doesn’t know John McCain is really an American war hero, he doesn’t know a disabled person shouldn’t be mocked; he does know how to give illegal money from a foundation. Maybe he is like a preacher who is always preaching against a particular sin and ends up being exposed for that very sin. Since he cheats on foundation giving, as well as former wives, maybe he thinks all foundations cheat.
Having said all this, elections are no longer about convincing people on the other side to join you. It’s all about turning out your side. Obama did this in 2008 and 2012. We will see who does it best in 2016.
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