The Shifting Political Spectrum
For those who watch politics over time and delve into the history of this Nation it is easy to see the shift of our political spectrum. Even in more recent years when Reagan and then Bush Jr. redefined the Republican party each involved a shift further to the Left.
This is especially important when recalling that the demographic that put both of these presidents over the top in the electoral count were the so-called “moderates” or centrists of the Democrat party. In the case of Reagan this demographic coined the phrase “Reagan Democrats” who were largely responsible for the revitalization of the party. Though, also driven by the utter failure of the Carter administration.
A similar shift occurred with President GW Bush’s “compassionate conservatism” which hindsight reveals is largely a more stern or hawkish re-branding of his fathers politics. Even the Left recognizes this amongst themselves when referring to them as the Neo-Cons who are politically about the equivalent of Bill Clinton’s Corporate Democrat philosophies which the Progressives of today privately sneer at Republican Lite.
I often speak of this shifting spectrum in conversation and the quickest cut to the chase example is that of one who the Democrats idolize to this day JFK. Today JFK would politically be considered a worse Radical-Right-Wing-White-Christian-Hate-Monger than George W. Bush in all things except maybe how poorly he dealt with Cuba. Few quotations illustrate that better than this:
“Every time that we try to lift a problem from our own shoulders, and shift that problem to the hands of the government, to the same extent we are sacrificing the liberties of our people.”
–John F. Kennedy