Democrats: Mission Accomplished, You Lose

The Democratic Party has been the home of the disenfranchised for over 100 years. People coming to this country have found a political home in the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party fought for the rights of minorities to have equal opportunity and access. The wave of Irish and Italian immigration that came to the U.S. in the 1800’s, forced to work in menial dead-end jobs, found a political voice in local government through the Democratic Party.

As the industrial revolution created slave like jobs for subsistence pay, this is the party that fought for the rights of the labor force to organize into unions to represent their interest with management and for workers to have a decent wage and working conditions. The sons and daughters of these immigrants and the unions they belong to became a major component of the Democratic Party.

But with equal access and opportunity and with all those things decent wages could buy, the grandchildren of these immigrants could rise to levels of importance, could realize the American dream of ownership and prosperity. They could accumulate wealth. They could become professionals such as doctors and lawyers. They could become Republicans.

The Democratic Party still stands for the disenfranchised and minority rights: Women’s inalienable rights to her body, nontraditional lifestyles, and environmental responsibility. But, the old base of industrial workers, union members, and farmers with smallholdings, have sided with the Republicans because they feel they have something to lose.

And, they have something to lose because the Democratic Party represented their interest when it was considered just a liberal idea. In the recent election, the Democrats showed how well they have done by losing. Maybe one day when women are in control of their personal domain and a gay union is considered equal to that of a man and woman, Democrats will lose again.