The Democratic Party's historical evolution reveals a complex alliance between North and South.
Democrats shifted towards advocating for labor rights and using government to address social issues.
Challenges within the Democratic coalition, including tensions over race and ideology, foreshadowed future fractures.
Deep dives
Evolution of the Democratic Party
The history of the Democratic Party is explored, tracing back to its founding in the 1820s. The podcast delves into the party's beginnings, highlighting figures like Martin Van Buren. It also discusses the contradictions and fissures present within the party from its inception, leading up to its evolution over the years.
Democratic Party as the Party of Labor
The episode emphasizes the Democratic Party's transformation into a party that advocates for labor rights and progressively uses government to address social issues. It focuses on key figures like Senator Robert Wagner and Sidney Hillman who played significant roles in advancing labor policies during the New Deal era. The party's alignment with labor movements and the expansion of its progressive agenda are central themes in this segment.
Challenges to the Democratic Coalition
The podcast discusses the challenges faced by the Democratic coalition in the mid-20th century, such as the emergence of Dixiecrats and the Progressive Party. The tensions within the party, particularly regarding race and ideology, are highlighted through historical figures like Strom Thurmond and Henry Wallace. These challenges foreshadow the fractures within the party that would become more pronounced over time.
Diverse Political Beliefs in the Democratic Party
The podcast delves into the varied political beliefs within the Democratic Party, highlighting contrasting figures like George Wallace and Bull Connor. While some Democrats like Wallace balanced their beliefs for political gain, others like Bull Connor staunchly believed in white supremacy. The episode discusses the challenges of maintaining a broad coalition within the party, especially as views on civil rights began to shift. The narrative explores how the party's ability to retain a diverse base became increasingly difficult over time.
Decline of the New Deal Coalition
The podcast analyzes the decline of the New Deal coalition, attributing it to the changing economic landscape and diminishing class consciousness. As the labor force shifted and private sector union membership decreased, the Democratic Party's traditional class-based appeals lost effectiveness. The episode contrasts the party's historic support for working-class initiatives like Social Security with the challenges of articulating a cohesive message in the face of economic transformation. It also touches on the shift towards more conservative policies and the difficulty in rekindling previous class-based rhetoric.
Matt and Sam are joined by Georgetown University historian and co-editor emeritus of Dissent, Michael Kazin, to discuss his new book, What It Took to Win: A History of the Democratic Party. They discuss the origins of the Democratic Party, the alliance between its urban North and segregationist South, the party's turn toward using government to help ordinary people, and the eventual crack-up of the New Deal coalition—and the rise of the right, and the Republican Party, that followed. Why did people whose relative comfort and prosperity had been made possible by policies championed by Democrats turn against them? How did Democrats respond to Ronald Reagan winning 49 states in 1984? Did it have to turn out the way it did?
