Unprecedented for the Democrats?

 

Many conservatives, dismayed by what is happening in the Democratic Party, are warning  that it is an unprecedented shifting of the party to the left. I think they are wrong, not about the shifting but in thinking it is unprecedented.

Bernie Sanders is probably a worse human being than Henry Wallace (who accomplished some useful things before entering politics and finally turned against the communists), but he is no more a friend of and apologist for Soviet communism  that Wallace was in his time in politics, and Wallace made it to vice president. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is nothing new for the Democrats. She is just a more telegenic Bella Abzug.  Karen Bass is probably no bigger a fan of Fidel Castro than was Ron Dellums.   Some of the things McGovern and his people were advocating in 1972 are well to the left of what  the Dems are proposing now, as were many of the plans and actions of the New Dealers.  

 The Democrats have had their leftists for decades, and at various times, as now, the leftists have had significant influence in or even control of the party.  Of course not all Democrats are leftists. Both major parties have a diversity of opinions and ideologies among their members. Sometimes more moderate and less authoritarian people have been in charge, but the leftist authoritarianism has always been present and important in the modern party. It is the main reason Democrats are rarely the lesser evil in elections. It is the reason they are not the lesser evil this year, even against Donald Trump.