The current split within the Democratic Party marks another sign of the changes in the American political structure. These splits were apparent as early as the 1980’s, when it was already apparent that the Civil Rights Revolution was beginning to bear fruit. African Americans were–in part during that decade–beginning to break into the middle class in substantial numbers and breaking the glass ceiling many had experienced in the workplace. The breakthrough was, in fact, not a solution to the economic problems of the greater part of American Blacks, but politically the improvements effectively split the African American vote and changed the base for the Democratic Party.
American in the 1980’s was becoming a nation of ethnic, economic and religious villages. Marketers picked up on these demographic and economic changes quickly and began “target marketing” approaches. Politically however, the major beneficiary of these changes were the conservative movement, which saw in these changes the splintering of the democratic party base and an opportunity to increasingly base their appeals upon fear of change and fear of the new demographics among the well-off.
Today, the Democrats continue to try to patch together a splintering coalition of political interests which no longer are viable. The demographic split between Obama and Clinton supporters is only the most recent example of trying to build a national party upon a demographic which no longer provides a foundation for a national two-party system.
The basis for a single democratic party has not existed since the 1970’s, and it is past time to recognize this and begin planning to move to a multiple party system in the United States. The same can be said of the Republican Party, of course. The growth of the new NeoCon movement into emperialist advertures overseas leaves behind traditional Republican values of small government and balanced budgets and the more liberal party wing headed years before by Rockefeller ande Nixon. And the growing importance of religious fundamentalists and Catholic and anti-Communist hispanic/Cuban voters pull at the party base as well. Signs that the base which propelled the Republican Party into Power in 2000 are also fraying are clear. Probably no more than 30 percent of the American public now are clear supporters of current Republican priorties, but the disarray on the left provides democrats little hope to find a party platform which represents all the various interests aligned against the Right. Both parties are afflicted by the partitioning of the voter marketplace, but the party bosses are fighting to preserve their traditional roles in determining the future of the country and the old ideological divisions.
It is time to begin planning a new multiple party system in the United States, to break up these two aging senex parties, and to replace them with a more vigorous and dynamic party system. The politics of the past no longer work here.
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