But many of these mistakes were rooted in political assumptions that had taken root in the Democratic Party long before the Biden administration. As liberal Republicans became Democrats and conservative Democrats became Republicans, there were fewer voters and politicians inside the tent to restrain liberal impulses. AdvertisementEven Sanders, the champion of a class-based politics, felt the tug of a Democratic Party moving away from White working-class voters. That judgment failed to reckon with the difference between the low-turnout universe of a midterm election and the high-turnout one of a presidential election. After losing the 2004 election, many Democrats thought the party would have to move right on social issues.

Source: Washington Post November 17, 2024 13:32 UTC