It's not exactly a secret that the Democratic Party has clearly moved to the Left over the last generation or two. The only people who appear to disagree with that are the Progressive (Regressive) Left - because, I assume, they merely see the party as coming more in line with their beliefs. As the party becomes less liberal and more leftist authoritarian, they become more comfortable and satisfied.
Unfortunately, many of us who lean Left are watching the party become something with which we can no longer identify, leaving us without a party. And the alternative "major" party has done its own changing, and is currently something that is becoming more and more ugly and vulgar. Personally, I don't think the increasing division is a coincidence as much as it is a reaction.
Interesting cultural & statistical analysis on this by 538: Why The Democrats Have Shifted Left Over The Last 30 Years
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This means that the recent uptick in the share of voters holding liberal beliefs is driven not just by the departure of conservative voters, but also by Democrats themselves becoming more liberal. It is, of course, hard to identify just one reason the Democratic Party has shifted leftward in recent years, but in my conversations with experts, they all pointed to party elites (both politicians and influential liberal voices online). Now, some research has found that cues from the parties and party elites are even shaping voters’ personal beliefs, particularly on issues of race and immigration.
But why have so many Democrats moved to the left on these issues? On the one hand, the fact that race and immigration played such a central role in the 2016 election was certainly a contributing factor. A 2018 study by Peter Enns at Cornell University found that rather than voters choosing a candidate who matched their views on controversies like the Black Lives Matter movement, they actually changed their own views to match those of their preferred candidates. And there is evidence that Trump is continuing to drive some of this — although, perhaps not in the way one might expect. There isn’t evidence, for instance, that his rhetoric has contributed to an uptick in racist and sexist attitudes among white voters; instead, as FiveThirtyEight contributor Matt Grossmann has written, “the evidence shows that liberal-leaning voters moved away from [Trump’s] views faster than conservatives moved toward them.”
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Unfortunately, many of us who lean Left are watching the party become something with which we can no longer identify, leaving us without a party. And the alternative "major" party has done its own changing, and is currently something that is becoming more and more ugly and vulgar. Personally, I don't think the increasing division is a coincidence as much as it is a reaction.
Interesting cultural & statistical analysis on this by 538: Why The Democrats Have Shifted Left Over The Last 30 Years
=====
This means that the recent uptick in the share of voters holding liberal beliefs is driven not just by the departure of conservative voters, but also by Democrats themselves becoming more liberal. It is, of course, hard to identify just one reason the Democratic Party has shifted leftward in recent years, but in my conversations with experts, they all pointed to party elites (both politicians and influential liberal voices online). Now, some research has found that cues from the parties and party elites are even shaping voters’ personal beliefs, particularly on issues of race and immigration.
But why have so many Democrats moved to the left on these issues? On the one hand, the fact that race and immigration played such a central role in the 2016 election was certainly a contributing factor. A 2018 study by Peter Enns at Cornell University found that rather than voters choosing a candidate who matched their views on controversies like the Black Lives Matter movement, they actually changed their own views to match those of their preferred candidates. And there is evidence that Trump is continuing to drive some of this — although, perhaps not in the way one might expect. There isn’t evidence, for instance, that his rhetoric has contributed to an uptick in racist and sexist attitudes among white voters; instead, as FiveThirtyEight contributor Matt Grossmann has written, “the evidence shows that liberal-leaning voters moved away from [Trump’s] views faster than conservatives moved toward them.”
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