Democratic Presidents in the Post WWII Era

[kennetha]

Well, let's start with the three most recent Democratic President. They include:

(a) two white Southern Democrats, neither of whom could be called a fire-breathing leftist.

(b) Barack Obama, who despite the fact that leftist swooned over him in the 2008 primaries, was no real lefty, but more of a 'third way-Bill Clinton-style Triangulator dressed in cool, smart black" who actually ran to the right of HRC on many different issues ... except for the fact that he conveniently never had to vote on the Iraq War resolution.

Before that trifecta, when I was barely politically conscious, and many of todays voters weren't even gleams in anybody's eyes, we had an almost extinct type democrat

(c) the Kennedy-Johnson cold warrior internationalist with a left leaning domestic agenda.

Nor can we forget the two Democrats who won the popular vote but lost the EC. They were pretty much in the same center-left/internationalist mold of Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Clinton and Obama.

So this is our pantheon of actual Democratic presidents; Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Clinton, (Gore), Obama, (Clinton).

I mention this pantheon of actual and "would have been if not for the quirks of our electoral system" past democratic presidents because some democrats seem to believe that US politics has undergone such a massive sea change in its politics that the people are ready and eager to elect somebody completely outside of this rough mould.

Could possibly be. This is definitely a changed country. And there is definitely a new array of political contradictions at play in our politics. And politics is definitely about confronting and reconciling the contradictions at play in the here and now. So we shall see. But count me a little bit skeptical, at the very least.

On the other hand, we did sort of kind of elect Trump, who breaks every mould there is — (or at least the Electoral College and Comey and the Russians elected him if not the people)

So perhaps anything is possible.

[JI7]

1. leftists did not swoon over Obama. the so called leftists were for Edwards

[marylandblue]

2. A book called "The Politics that Presidents Make" by Steve Skowornek

argues that certain Presidents at critical times are transformative, they remake their party and the country in their image. The last transformative President was St. Ronnie. The last Democratic transformative President was FDR.

Many who follow this theory believe that the time is right for a new transformative President to emerge from the Democratic Party. Buttigieg is an adherent of this theory.. .

[crazytown]

3. LBJ Civil Rights, Voting Rights, Medicare, Medicaid.

Civil Rights, Voting Rights were 'transformative' in the South! Jim Crow was/is slavery's ghost and the nation's shame.

[marylandblue]

4. There's a lot more to the theory than what I've explained

In terms of the theory, LBJ would be called an affiliated president under the FDR regime, he extended policies that were consistent with ideas first developed by FDR.

If you are curious, read the book. Or just read the many online articles about it and how it applies to today.

[crazytown]

5. FDR has no plans for Civil Rights / Voting rights.

He resisted proposals to deal with the South. LBJ addressing the legacy of slavery was both momentous, and transformed the electoral profile of the Democratic Party. Sorry to be pugnacious on this but it is most these are the most transformative events in history of the Democratic Party since WWII. The red South is the foundation of today’s politics and society.

[marylandblue]

6. FDR also prohibited discrimination in federal employment and Eleanor was a champion of civil rights.

Prohibiting federal employment discrimination was one of the biggest civil rights actions since Reconstruction ended and helped millions of people. Transformation does not mean and cannot mean that you have to rip your party to shreds in order to achieve everything you wish you could. He needed conservative Southern Democrats to enact a liberal program, so his civil rights program was limited.

Being affiliated doesn't mean you don't do anything important.

But LBJ's example shows how doing those things can sow the seeds of destruction of the old regime. LBJ sold out southern conservatives, something FDR wasn't able to do. It caused a fracture in the Democratic coalition that eventually ended it and led to the next transformative President - Reagan. Reagan picked up the Southern Democrats and created a true conservative party, while selling out the liberal Northern Republicans who died out and were replaced with Democrats.

[crazytown]

7. "LBJ sold out southern conservatives"

Got it. End of discussion.

[BannonsLiver]

8. I can feel the OPs antipathy for President Obama from here.

[kennetha]

9. I have no personal antipathy for Obama at all

Don't know where you get that.

[BannonsLiver]

10. From your OP

And the part of it about him that was dripping with contempt.

[kennetha]

11. you confuse contempt for Obama ... of which I have 0

withy my description of leftists who swooned over him in the primary despite the fact that he all but declared himself a third way type. Recall his rejection of the individual mandate and his attacking of it in pretty much the terms the Republicans themselves used.