Republican realignment near complete, Democrats next

THE EVOLUTION OF THE PARTIES IS BECOMING CLEAR

THEY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME

The evolution of the two party system has been going on for forty years. It seems to progress in a two steps forward 1 step back process that has at times made it appear that there really is no change, but that is just denial by those who believe they can control the future.

The realignment of the Republican party started in 1980 with election of Ronald Reagan, He was not supposed to be the nominee. All the establishment were aligning with George Bush 1. Reagan won with a much more populist message and appealed to working class Americans. He was able to win over blue collar democrat voters. Many believe that his choosing Bush as his vice president allowed his agenda to be undermined, it was not long until many of his allies that he brought with him were forced out and replaced with establishment advisers.  Bush succeeded Reagan by running on the Reagan message, but quickly reneged on his no Tax message and set up the first Gulf War. He was defeated in a three way race between Populist Ross Perot and Bill Clinton. Many of the new Republicans came into the party with Reagan and their influence remained. During this time we saw the dissolution of the Soviet Union, an end to the cold war, which was welcome by some, unwelcome by others and others who saw an opportunity. Some believed as the sole remaining super power, we should use this opportunity to reconfigure the world.

Bill Clinton started to realign the Democrat Party in 1992 by making allies with business, particularly the technology companies. He abandoned workers for new Trade agreements that displaced american workers for huge profits from importing american and international companies. This translated into large campaign contributions and access to the typical benefits of palm greasing found in most foreign deals. He also engaged in the revolution in Yugoslavia. While the Republican establishment had its share of these deals this was a new approach for a Democrat, who usually depended on trade unions and government workers and promises of benefits to the underprivileged for votes. All this morphed into an establishment that was neither democrat or republican but just plain power and money. They could support any candidate of either party, as long as the kept the good times rolling.

While the two parties played on social issues and other wedge issues like gun control and abortion, they kept the same policies when it came to where the money came from.

In fact, you could begin to see actually three factions, the socialist progressives who wanted a socialist country with government control of everything. The more fascist establishment which was allied with business to gain power and wealth. Then the growing faction concerned with constitutional issues, freedom from big government control, individual rights and opportunity.  The democrat establishment usually allied with the progressive socialists. The republican establishment usually sided with the constitutional conservatives. Both sides of the same establishment would have liked to be rid of their allies but they needed them to stay in power. When the Democrats proposed Hillary care and massive new gun control measures, there was the revolt in 1994, that saw the Democrats lose the house and the senate for the first time in over 40 years. Democrats assured control was slipping, little by little.

After Clinton we got Bush 2 , who was sold by the party as much more conservative than his father. Many were skeptical  but held their noses and voted Bush. The establishment was very good at putting up a candidate on each side. They would win no matter who won. Whether Bush/Clinton, or Bush/Gore they would all govern mostly the same. We then had the 911 tragedy, set in motion by the policies of Bush 1. We invaded Afghanistan with some legitimacy, then Iraq, which set up the beginning of the destabilization of the whole middle east, the death of some 800,000 and beginning of the destabilization of Europe. One must wonder was all this just the result of miscalculation or the intended result.

When Barack Obama ran in the 2008 primary, not many believed he had a chance against the establishment Hillary Clinton, and less of a chance of being elected president. Obama was viewed as an outsider by many, he was the anti-establishment candidate. The left wing of the democratic party became the viable grass roots power behind Obama. When the republicans put up John McCain as their nominee, it was another nose holding event, that and the mortgage collapse and McCain lost to the outsider. The outsider against the establishment insider. 

The establishment then ran the foreign policy and actually seemed to lose all restraint, orchestrating U.S. intervention in Libya, Egypt, Israel, Syria, Ukraine and Russia. All the while continuing their love affair with communist China. Obama may have been more of a by-stander to this foreign policy as he seemed focused on racial issues and making race the main issue in his re-election. The establishment were happy to have free reign forming foreign policy and reaping the rewards of their power. Domestic policy under Obama moved the party much more into the Marxist camp. It became the party of social Justice, income inequality and white privilege and moved from a progressive to revolutionary party. This social policy actually led to the democrats losing control of most house legislatures and with the passing of Obamacare and rise of the Tea Party the loss of the house and senate again. The democrats hold on power was no longer a sure thing.

2016, saw Hillary Clinton and the establishment make sure there would not be repeat of the past and rigged the primary to assure Hillary would be the nominee. The activist grass roots were all in for Bernie Sanders and if given the chance could have won the election. 

Of course, the Republicans saw 17 candidates, most all of them some kind of establishment nose holder candidates. The establishment was all in for Bush, but had alternative candidates in Kasich, Rubio and some others they could fashion into their president. It looked like same old, same old, Clinton/ Bush, a winner either way. And then disaster struck, when Donald Trump came down the escalator. First considered a joke, then an inconvenience and then outright fear and outrage. He took off in his quest to win the nomination and was only challenged by Ted Cruz who was not likely to be an acceptable candidate by the establishment. Overcoming every bomb shell news item and assault he not only won the nomination but the presidency, with only grudging support from the republican establishment. Many would have rather had Clinton.

Trump survived four years of daily assaults by the media, establishment insiders and politicians who hoped they could have forced him to quit. He proved to be a real no quit kind of guy.

2020, saw Bernie Sanders take off, leaving the establishment's Joe Biden in the dust. The hysteria grew, Sanders began to be attacked by the media and the establishment who saw they needed to end this now. Biden won one primary in South Carolina and he was quickly declared the choice of the people. The grass roots of the democrat party was again denied their candidate. One must wonder if the results of those primaries were the trial run of what was to come.

The 2020 campaign was overshadowed by the Pandemic, which was of course blamed on Trump.  Biden allowed the media to run his campaign which daily attacked Trump for everything they could find or manufacture. The polls had non campaigning Biden up by 15 points, which seemed to be part of the orchestrated campaign to beat Trump, hoping to limit campaign contributions and support for Trump. Biden never actually took a public position on anything. Trump increased his votes by 11 million, but it seemed that it did not matter, Biden was going to get as many votes as it took to win, no matter what. It is clear to anyone who wants to be objective, that the fix was in by the establishment, that is both democrat and republican to end this at any cost.

The result of this election has solidified the base of the republican party, it will not be overturned by the republican establishment. The democrat base is going to see that they have been betrayed again and their internal struggle is likely to be just beginning. Does the Democrat base really want endless foreign intervention, idle american factories and workers and more promises of socialism without it actually happening, it may take another election cycle for the left wing to realize it has been had. Election reform is needed by both bases if they can expect to have their candidates to ever win again.The establishment may have pulled off one last victory, but as time goes on it will be clear what has happened.

Originally published 12/2/20