# Has a political realignment already taken place? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 5, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588 "2017-09-05T20:00:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/21 "2017-09-05T20:37:58Z")
> [@Reddy\_Mercury](#): > > What cultural and regional issues unite the left? They supported the “water protectors” in Standing Rock. That was a pretty regional issue. ETA: whatever happened to those guys? Did the pipeline get built anyways? ---
**Author:** ![Reddy\_Mercury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@Reddy\_Mercury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reddy_Mercury)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/22 "2017-09-05T20:39:55Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > In terms of priorities, I don’t know that it can be argued that it’s false. What have the Democrats been most focused on lately? Climate change, immigration rights, civil rights for marginalized communities, a less hawkish foreign policy, and they’ve been markedly softening on trade issues. Oh, and they’venk pretty much established themselves as the party of science, which sounds sensible in a vacuum but in historical context is really unusual. And also a sign that the party is run by the intellectual elite, whereas in the 1970s it was run by unions and many quite devout religious figures. Science wasn’t really an issue in itself. > > Like I said, I don’t think there are many actual disagreements on issues between the Democratic elite and the Democratic working class. But there is a big gap in priorities. Climate change comes before jobs, which has caused energy producing states to go deep red and states where a lot of people have college degrees to get bluer. Democrats now don’t want to tax anyone making under $400K per year, which is good for keeping New Yorkers and Californians in the fold but limits their ambitions on social programs. The balance of power seems to have shifted away from the private sector blue collar unions to the yuppies and public sector unions. Today’s Democratic “elite” is 1972’s middle of the road Average Joe. Today’s Averahe Joe Republican is 1972’s George Wallace voter. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/23 "2017-09-05T20:41:24Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Reddy Mercury** : > > That’s potentially a problem for the Democratic Party. The right in all regions is generally united by anti-union, anti-immigrant, pro-Christianity, anti-poor, anti-abortion, and anti-gun control stances. What cultural and regional issues unite the left? Pro-union, pro-immigrant, pro-poor, pro-abortion, and pro-gun control stances, of course. But I’d dispute that the right has any claim on pro-Christianity. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/24 "2017-09-05T20:43:50Z")
> [@Reddy\_Mercury](#): > > That’s potentially a problem for the Democratic Party. The right in all regions is generally united by anti-union, anti-immigrant, pro-Christianity, anti-poor, anti-abortion, and anti-gun control stances. What cultural and regional issues unite the left? Enlightened, modern stances on civil rights, the environment, peace vs. war. I don’t think the right is more united than the left, I think the left faces other challenges: an unreliable voting base, a shrinking budget pie, and most importantly, an inability to communicate with the voters they need to win. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/25 "2017-09-05T20:45:37Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Pro-union, pro-immigrant, pro-poor, pro-abortion, and pro-gun control stances, of course. > > But I’d dispute that the right has any claim on pro-Christianity. Not to litigate that argument again, but the parties are now ideologically seperate on the issue of science vs. religion, and both of them have displayed some hostility to the other. Just let it be acknowledged that the Democrats are perceived to be pro-science, somewhat hostile to religion, and the Republicans pro-religion, somewhat hostile to science. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/26 "2017-09-05T20:46:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > But I’d dispute that the right has any claim on pro-Christianity. Take a look at those exit polls I posted a link to earlier. Why do you think it is that the right consistently wins people who attend church weekly and loses those who never do? Trump overwhelmingly won “White evangelical or white born-again Christians” (81%). He won 58% of “Protestant or other Christian” and 52% of “Catholic” while losing (badly) the following categories: “Jewish” “Something else” and “None”. If the Democrats are actually pro-Christianity, they’re doing a poor job of persuading actual Christians of it. Why do you think that is? ---
**Author:** ![Reddy\_Mercury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@Reddy\_Mercury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reddy_Mercury)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/27 "2017-09-05T20:47:33Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Pro-union, pro-immigrant, pro-poor, pro-abortion, and pro-gun control stances, of course. > > But I’d dispute that the right has any claim on pro-Christianity. But here’s the thing: What have the Democrats done to help unions as of late? I mean in terms of “optics” more than actual policy? Policy without optics is nothing in today’s body politic. Yes, in spirit, the Democratic Party generally support those things, but as far as the “pro-poor” and “pro-union” aspects, what have they done which has made any news? As far as pro-gun control, that is an issue I wish they would drop. They would attract more center-right single issue voters if they dropped gun control. Also, I think people are underestimating just how contemptuous the Bernie and “Establishment” wings are of each other. They would rather bitch about how horrible the other is than work together to get things done. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/28 "2017-09-05T20:49:34Z")
> [@Reddy\_Mercury](#): > > As far as pro-gun control, that is an issue I wish they would drop. They would attract more center-right single issue voters if they dropped gun control. I wish they’d drop it too. I’d love to see the right of the people to keep and bear arms become a bi-partisan issue rather than a deeply partisan one. ---
**Author:** ![Reddy\_Mercury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@Reddy\_Mercury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reddy_Mercury)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/29 "2017-09-05T20:49:39Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Enlightened, modern stances on civil rights, the environment, peace vs. war. I don’t think the right is more united than the left, I think the left faces other challenges: an unreliable voting base, a shrinking budget pie, and most importantly, an inability to communicate with the voters they need to win. I think the biggest problem the Dems have are highly disliked political leaders (such as Schumer and DWS) and an optics problem, where the perception (even among the Left) is that the mainstream party is “out of touch.” Listen to any far-left program like the TYT or Jimmy Dore or SecularTalk. They hate the mainstream Democrats almost as much as the GOP does. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/30 "2017-09-05T20:53:41Z")
The country just elected a billionaire to be president and the Democrats are elitists? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/31 "2017-09-05T20:57:14Z")
> [@Reddy\_Mercury](#): > > I think the biggest problem the Dems have are highly disliked political leaders (such as Schumer and DWS) and an optics problem, where the perception (even among the Left) is that the mainstream party is “out of touch.” > > Listen to any far-left program like the TYT or Jimmy Dore or SecularTalk. They hate the mainstream Democrats almost as much as the GOP does. That’s a symptom of an elitist party though, being seen as out of touch.😃 That used to be the Republicans’ problem, but lately they’ve been seen more as troglodytes, which is pretty much the opposite of elitist. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/32 "2017-09-05T20:58:23Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > The country just elected a billionaire to be president and the Democrats are elitists? Crazy world we live in, ain’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Reddy\_Mercury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@Reddy\_Mercury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reddy_Mercury)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/33 "2017-09-05T20:59:00Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > That’s a symptom of an elitist party though, being seen as out of touch.😃 > > That used to be the Republicans’ problem, but lately they’ve been seen more as troglodytes, which is pretty much the opposite of elitist. Problem is the common man’s a troglodyte. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/34 "2017-09-05T21:01:49Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > The country just elected a billionaire to be president and the Democrats are elitists? OMG, I kept trying to tell people that! It didn’t work though, because I don’t think Americans have ever really seen money as equalling elite status. They see “the elites” as primarily intellectuals who flaunt their superiority over common folk. But still, Trump, a New York billionaire who in the past has seemed more comfortable among the elites than the common man, seems a very poor vessel for that message. I don’t know that we should get too caught up on that though because every election is unique and I’d be willing to bet that the Republicans who try to succeed Trump will probably be of fairly modest means as Presidential candidates go, and probably be much less wealthy than their Democratic opponents. While Democrats love the common man, they’ve also tended to be enamored with charming upper crust aristocrats like Kennedys and Roosevelts, whlie suspicious of down to Earth hicks like Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, turning to them only when desperate for a win. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/35 "2017-09-05T21:02:22Z")
> [@Reddy\_Mercury](#): > > Problem is the common man’s a troglodyte. Reddy Mercury, I’m curious: are you a Democrat, a Republican, or something else? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/36 "2017-09-05T21:04:41Z")
> [@Reddy\_Mercury](#): > > Problem is the common man’s a troglodyte. The common man, like the elite man, is both devil and angel, I think. He’ll respond to whoever appeals to either nature better. Democrats are appealing to altruism that most people just do not have and shouldn’t really even be expected to have unless they are selfless saints who have taken a vow of poverty. Worse, the common man doesn’t see the elite man willing to sacrifice anything at all to achieve social and environmental justice. Apparently, the common man is supposed to make all the sacrifices. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/37 "2017-09-05T21:07:48Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I wish they’d drop it too. I’d love to see the right of the people to keep and bear arms become a bi-partisan issue rather than a deeply partisan one. It is – the disagreement is just about the particulars. Very few on the left want to ban all guns. The Democrats have moved steadily to the right on guns over the past several decades, IMO, to the point that the only real disagreements are about the extent of background checks, the possibility of restrictions on things like magazine sizes, and similar details, rather than whether or not guns, or broad categories of guns, should be heavily restricted. But the NRA and a few other groups have convinced many Americans that there can be no discussion or disagreement even on these kinds of issues. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/38 "2017-09-05T21:14:34Z")
Much like the abortion issue, I think that has to do with suspicion of bad faith. Democrats have their position, but is their position their actual agenda? Going by their history, I don’t think they’ve actually changed. Just made a strategic retreat. As with most issues they lose on, they will try again when they believe the moment is opportune. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/39 "2017-09-05T21:18:03Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Much like the abortion issue, I think that has to do with suspicion of bad faith. Democrats have their position, but is their position their actual agenda? Going by their history, I don’t think they’ve actually changed. Just made a strategic retreat. As with most issues they lose on, they will try again when they believe the moment is opportune. Aspects of the right-wing media (talk radio and evenings on Fox News, in addition to Breitbart and others) have successfully convinced many Americans that Democrats and liberals are inherently dishonest and/or inherently evil. This sucks, and there’s not much Democrats can do about it in the short term aside from continuing to try and advocate for good policies. This exists on the other side too, of course, but IMO (which might well be biased) it’s not nearly as influential, since there’s no caustic liberal mouthpiece with comparable influence to Limbaugh, Hannity, O’Reilly, etc. ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588/40 "2017-09-05T21:22:17Z")
I’m not clear on how the party advocating drastically cutting Medicaid and massively cutting taxes for the very wealthy can be construed as aligning with the common man and not with the elite. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-political-realignment-already-taken-place/795588.md?page=3)