When members of the Democratic Party booed the inclusion of God and Jerusalem in their party platform this year, I thought of my parents.
They would have been astounded.
The immigrant family in which I grew up was, in the matter of politics, typical of the Jews of Boston in the 1930s and ’40s. Of the two major parties, the Democrats were in those days the more supportive of Jewish causes.
Indeed, only liberal politicians campaigned in our underprivileged neighborhood. Boston’s Republicans, insofar as we knew them, were remote, wealthy elites (“Boston Brahmins”), some of whose fancy country clubs didn’t accept Jews.
It therefore went without saying that we were Democrats. Like most Jews around the country, being Democrat was part of our identity, as much a feature of our collective personality as our religion.
So why did I leave the party?
My critics nowadays like to claim it’s because I got wealthy or because I didn’t want to pay taxes or because of some other conservative caricature. No, the truth is the Democratic Party has changed in ways that no longer fit with someone of my upbringing.
Conservatism hasn’t moved to the right, as our liberal, and liberal/progressive “friends” would like us to think. Rather, the Democratic party and the GOP itself have moved leftward. Steadily. To the point that the Democratic party is mostly liberal/progressives verging on socialism. And they want everyone to believe that it’s not what it is, so they call it moderation. Perspective. They do not have it.
@johngalt: Hyper-conservatives—ever since the John Birch Society—have claimed that the Left is moving closer to socialism. Your view is just a reflection of an updated Bircher platform—a kind of right-wing-extremism that William F. Buckley (a noted conservative) spoke out against on numerous occasions. If you don’t think the conservative ideology has not moved to the right, compare it with the policy of Eisenhower. A check of history—which you seem to lack— might show you how much your view have been influenced by right-wing ideologues.
@Liberal1 (Objectivity):
Thanks, Lib1. I needed a good laugh today.
I lack historical perspective? That’s what you are saying, correct? Remind us of that the next time a discussion of taxes and tax policy comes up, and you state support for higher taxes. Be sure to mention JFK’s name in there, as well.
You seem to want to perpetuate a myth, Lib1. That is, that the Democratic party has been stable and steadfast in it’s positions over the years and decades, while the GOP has moved towards “extreme”, or “ultra” conservatism during that time. You might want to actually check your history a little closer, Lib1. I’d start with Reagan, who won big over his opponents, suggesting that his positions on issues were much closer to how the average citizen felt about them, and compare those positions to today.
As well, you might want to refrain from using the same faulty suggestions about conservative positions on issues that liberal/progressives love to push these days. Taking into account the actual stated positions reveals that the Democratic party has steadily moved leftward, towards socialism, or rather, that European pseudo-socialism favored by Germany and France. The same one that left Greece staggering, trying to survive. The same one driving Spain and Ireland closer to the brink of collapse.