One could write a book (or several dozen) when attempting to define what Liberalism means in America today. However, for the sake of brevity and the purposes of this commentary, perhaps this will suffice: Liberalism is a belief that presupposes government must actively intervene across a broad spectrum of American life in order to protect individuals from harm and promote an array of goals that are believed to ensure societal and economic welfare. Stated thus, this seems like a program that all our citizens could (and probably should) support, so why are Democrats, who largely live on the Liberal side of the political equation, now scratching their heads and wondering why their fortunes are sinking faster than a rock—wrapped in concrete?
The problems Democrats are having selling a Liberal agenda today are largely due to jumping the fence when it comes to “protecting” individuals and “promoting” their goals. Few reasonable people would disagree that an essential function of government is making Americans and American society safer and more prosperous, but choosing who to protect—and how to promote their programs—has alienated Democrats from a substantial portion of voters, which has helped to fuel the current ascendancy of Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
The first problem bedeviling Democrats is their expansive embrace of those whom they believe are oppressed, marginalized—and in need of protection. Unfortunately, opinions vary regarding exactly who in America is marginalized and oppressed, and the protections employed by Democrats often seem to have a sneaky tendency to marginalize and oppress a majority of Americans who haven’t been marginalizing or oppressing anyone—ever.
Much good came from the brave efforts of Democrats who championed civil rights in the 1960’s and 1970’s, and few Americans would want to turn back the clock in this regard. However, many fewer Americans have the same sympathies concerning the rights of career criminals, who also fell under the protection of Democrats at around the same time because, according to “experts” in academia and government, their anti-social behavior was a direct result of our nation’s history of oppressive bigotry. The ensuing decades of Liberal efforts to undermine the authority of our nation’s police and elect criminal-friendly prosecutors have eroded general respect for the law, which is evident everywhere we look. The routine abuse that officers now face in the course of their daily duties is a testament to Liberal efforts to undermine the legitimacy of law enforcement in both principle and practice, which has proven to be unpopular with many voters.
Democrats, who often work from the cock-eyed presumption that accountability for crimes is itself a form of oppression, have raced far ahead of the norms and values of average Americans—and so have, unsurprisingly, lost their favor. This is not a mysterious process, nor is it an outcome that, as many Liberals claim, exposes some deep-seated bigotries still stuck in the core of our nation. Most Americans simply believe safety—for themselves, their families, and communities—is preferable to being robbed, raped, or murdered and so cast their votes accordingly.
Democrats, having moved far to the Left over these many years, have also alienated many moderate voters by abandoning the distinction between promoting their causes and coercing compliance, which has resulted in a habit of censoring rather convincing. Having decided that dissenters who are unsympathetic to “oppressed” illegal immigrants, gender-confused individuals, and climate fear mongers must be silenced because their beliefs are, in theory, a form of violence, the full power of the State has been deployed to cast honest and thoughtful disagreement with Liberal thought as hate speech that must result in both legal and extra-legal punishments ranging from jail or fines to the loss of jobs or expulsion from schools and colleges.
The fury Democrats directed at those who refused to cheerfully comply with their agenda resulted in increasingly oppressive sanctions being imposed upon those whom they deemed oppressors, a sickeningly ironic outcome that undermined the moral authority and the credibility of the Liberal governmental, educational, and media institutions they relied upon to silence critics. The inevitable repudiation of these co-conspirators in suppressing free speech and thought is everywhere we look: the 2024 election results, the mass layoffs at many Leftist media companies, the students and parents pushing back against the cost and craziness of higher education, and (of course) the layoffs of many federal government employees.
It appears that demanding Americans shut up and submit only makes them angry, and the result has been an ugly punch in the face for Liberals who thought grinding our nation under their heel was a winning strategy. The continued popularity of President Trump and efficacy of his policies, which includes punishing those who still seek to censor speech, are driving Liberal Democrats ever crazier. Whether they will decide to crawl back from the precipice of political irrelevance is an open question, but right now it seems a long shot.