Can anything be done to turn this country back to the left?

[DevotedDemocrat]

What can be done to stop the 30+ year slow, gradual shift to the far right that American politics has undergone since at least the Reagan years, if not going back to the Nixon years? Can anything be done to curb the nation back toward the left, or at least the center?

[Fritz]

You don't think the recent events regarding gay marriage, legalized marijuana in 2 states, and a Democratic African-American being solidly re-elected President, don't indicate a shift to the left?

[Supersonic]

You don't think the recent events regarding gay marriage, legalized marijuana in 2 states, and a Democratic African-American being solidly re-elected President, don't indicate a shift to the left?

He means economically, I'm guessing.

[tpfkaw]

Oh, look, it's ModerateDemocrat1990!  Good times!

[Blue3]

We are shifting to the left. It's the gerrymandered House and the filibustering Senate that's the problem.

[DevotedDemocrat]

Regardless of who or what I am, can it not be said that politics in this country has slowly drifted to the right since sometime around the mid 1970s? With Clinton greatly helping the GOP achieve it's ends during the 1990s and Obama compromising on so much? And could it not be said that the GOP is the furthest to the right that it's been since the Goldwater nomination in 1964?

I would say that the Ronald Reagan of 1980 would look like a moderate in today's GOP. And what makes it worse is that unlike 1964, the far right actually is influencing politics, not being sidelined and pilloried.

Look at how for example the elimination or at least drastic reduction in the funding of Food Stamps is on the table. In 1993 I think any major legislator calling for an end to Food Stamps would find himself losing in the next election.

Instead of mocking a voice seeking some way to effect true Liberal change, let's work together.

I feel Obama had the greatest opportunity to effect real liberal change in this country of any President since FDR. He had an economic crisis which was and could be successfully laid at the feet of the opposition; If he had done it correctly he could've brought as great and revolutionary change to this country as the New Deal and effectively castrated the far right, made right wing economics the scapegoat for the economic crisis. He gave us a little, but not as much as he could've.

 

[H. Ross Peron]

Economically this country probably did shift to the left somewhat after the Recession, however the rise of Tea Party in the GOP moved the Overton Window back to the right again and farther right than even during the Bush administration. However at the same time in the Democratic Party, I believe there was a somewhat limited (and largely unnoticed) progressive surge in the form of the election of people like Elizabeth Warren, or Bernie Sanders which probably will grow as the Millennials and minorities gain voting power (and as will be seen with for example Schweitzer replacing Baucus)


At the same time however there is a gap between the liberals in the mainstream of the Democratic Party who mostly propose tweaks on economic policy and the progressives who by and large advocate contradictory things (such as advocating a "Green New Deal" to combat global warming while at the same time calling for the elimination of nuclear power) and lack a serious foreign policy view and instead advocate a policy more or less identical to that of Henry Wallace in 1948. That gap in the past were filled by liberals such as Hubert Humphrey, LBJ, Truman, or Scoop Jackson in the past but is by and large empty to-day.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Occupy needs to step it up again.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

We also need to do something about the right-wing media - perhaps America's biggest foe.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

You don't think the recent events regarding gay marriage, legalized marijuana in 2 states, and a Democratic African-American being solidly re-elected President, don't indicate a shift to the left?

That's not moving to the left. If anything it's allowing rightward movement; by the base distracted with gay marriage and abortion, the plutocrats are able to accumulate more wealth and the reforms of the New Deal and Great Society can slowly be chipped away until we've returned to the 1890's. Of course, most of the Democratic political class doesn't care too much about this; they'll posture to win seniors and keep poor minorities in line, but in the end they're part of the ruling class too and have many of the same bosses as the GOP.

Only an uprising from the working class will set this country back on the right track, whether peaceful or violent. Of course much of the working class is politically apathetic or even cheering on their own exploitation (see West Virginia, 2012), so it will take some time before we in America what we're seeing in Brazil or Egypt or Bulgaria (or Syria or Libya).

[rob in cal]

   Demographically  there is much that those on the left can look to for some hope in the future.  The gradual shrinking of the most reliable electoral base of the GOP, the white middle and upper classes as an overall % of the electorate continues on and on.   If the US was politically and demograpically one giant California surely, one would think, that would have to be helpful for many aspects of the left's political agenda.  Couldn't hurt anyway.

[DC Al Fine]

Things are going swimmingly for you socially.

As for economics... try to go monoracial?

[barfbag]

What can be done to stop the 30+ year slow, gradual shift to the far right that American politics has undergone since at least the Reagan years, if not going back to the Nixon years? Can anything be done to curb the nation back toward the left, or at least the center?

Since Nixon, the gun laws have gotten tougher each year, we've legalized abortion, legalized gay marriage, expanded hate crime legislation, affirmative action has grown, many states have legalized gambling, legalized marijuana, and ended the death penalty. Is there any way to turn us back to the right?

[barfbag]

We are shifting to the left. It's the gerrymandered House and the filibustering Senate that's the problem.

See even Democrats agree with me. If you meant economically, I think we're fine where we're at other than our tax brackets being too high and there are several taxes we don't need.

[Cory]

We are shifting to the left. It's the gerrymandered House and the filibustering Senate that's the problem.

This. The American people do seem to be shifting to the left on social and economic issues. It's just the vocal minority of Tea Party types who we hear so much from but we see in the 2012 election just how "dominant" they really are as an electoral force. When Democrats retake the House and hold the Senate and White House you will see action. Just like 2009-2011.

[ElectionsGuy]

You don't think were left enough yet?

[ElectionsGuy]

We are shifting to the left. It's the gerrymandered House and the filibustering Senate that's the problem.

This. The American people do seem to be shifting to the left on social and economic issues. It's just the vocal minority of Tea Party types who we hear so much from but we see in the 2012 election just how "dominant" they really are as an electoral force. When Democrats retake the House and hold the Senate and White House you will see action. Just like 2009-2011.

When will the Dems get the house?

[Bandit3 the Worker]

When will the Dems get the house?

As soon as The Media starts telling the truth about things.

[ElectionsGuy]

When will the Dems get the house?

As soon as The Media starts telling the truth about things.

I don't see that happening. The liberal media reports bad things about republicans and the conservative media reports bad things about democrats. It's just a bunch of name calling from different talk show hosts that don't actually report political news. I'm talking specifically about opinion shows like Hannity, Hardball, The Rachel Maddow Show, etc. 

[Cory]

When will the Dems get the house?

Maybe in 2016 if Hillary wins big enough or the demographics emerge in our favor rapidly. Or maybe 2020 and then do redistricting in Democrats favor and lock the GOP out of the House for at least 6 years.

[barfbag]

When will the Dems get the house?

As soon as The Media starts telling the truth about things.

Stop

[barfbag]

We also need to do something about the right-wing media - perhaps America's biggest foe.

92% voted for Kerry.
88% voted for Clinton.

Yep really right wing. I bet you start whining about Fox for not being far left.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

We also need to do something about the right-wing media - perhaps America's biggest foe.

92% voted for Kerry.
88% voted for Clinton.

Yep really right wing. I bet you start whining about Fox for not being far left.

Most newspapers endorsed the right-wing extremist Bush and even Romney.

[barfbag]

We also need to do something about the right-wing media - perhaps America's biggest foe.

92% voted for Kerry.
88% voted for Clinton.

Yep really right wing. I bet you start whining about Fox for not being far left.

Most newspapers endorsed the right-wing extremist Bush and even Romney.

Whether they did or not, they weren't newspapers anyone reads. The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, and Washington Post have a lot more readers than a small newspaper in a country town. Besides, it's 2013 and no one reads the paper anymore. Mitt Romney was about as liberal as John Edwards when he was governor of Massachusetts so I'm not sure how that would make him extreme right. Anyone can label the other party as extreme too.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Whether they did or not, they weren't newspapers anyone reads.

Maybe that's why nobody reads them!