Evaluate the view that the Democratic Party is dominated by liberals. (30)
The Democratic party is harder to define than the Republican party as there is a bigger spread
of ideas- including democratic socialists (progressives), liberals, moderates and Blue Dogs
(conservatives). There are very few Blue Dogs, however, they can have a huge impact on policy
making, by making them more moderate. The party is mostly composed of liberals and
progressives, meaning that the party is dominated by liberals, however since 1968 they face an
electoral disadvantage (due to the loss of the South); so they have to respond to a more
moderate agenda which is generally set by the GOP. So, the party is dominated by liberals, but
in terms of strategic power and the legislation they pass it is more moderate, due to the
influence of the Blue Dogs.
Liberals are the most dominant section in the party because of prominent leaders such as
Obama and Biden. Obama became the first U.S. president to call for full equality for gay and
LGBT Americans, and revoked a law prohibiting federal aid to family planning organizations that
provide counseling on abortion. Biden’s executive actions show he is a liberal too- on his first
day of presidency he rejoined the Paris climate change agreement, ordered his government to
reallocate resources to promote racial equality, and banned discrimination on the basis of
gender identity or sexual orientation to protect members of the LGBT community. In addition,
Nancy Pelosi has been re-elected as speaker of the House of Representatives, who has long
supported LGBT rights. This is shown by how in 1996, she voted against the Defense of
Marriage Act, which refused to recognise same-sex marriage. However, it depends what is
meant by ‘liberals’, as there are different variations between them- such as differences between
Nancy Pelosi and Obama, shown by when she voted against Obama’s Trade Adjustment
Assistance, a federal aid program to help those who lost their jobs to free trade, as she
disagreed with the free-trade agenda that Obama was pushing. There are also different types of
liberals. Progressives are a subset of liberals who are more democratic socialist, such as Bernie
Sanders. The whole party has moved left due to the rise in influence of progressives, meaning
the definition of ‘liberal’ has changed, however this point isn’t very strong as the party is still
mostly liberal- just slightly more left wing. Overall, the Democratic party is dominated by liberals,
shown by the executive actions taken by Biden and Obama, as well as the re-election of Pelosi
as speaker.
There is evidence that progressives have influence within the party. This part of the party was
boosted in 2016 and 2020, with the well-known candidacy of Bernie Sanders. He was a major
candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016- despite initially low expectations,
his campaign generated significant enthusiasm and funding, carrying him to victory against
Hillary Clinton in the primaries. He also won the primaries in New Hampshire and Iowa in 2020-
2 very important states, as whoever wins these states usually goes on to be president.
However, this point can be seen as insignificant as Sanders still lost the presidential elections in
2016 and 2020, showing that progressives aren't that important. On the other hand, they still
have power within the party, as their influence has driven the party to become more left-wing.
Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) did very well in the 2018 midterm election primaries. She advocates for
progressive policies, including Medicare for All, abolishing ICE, and the ‘Green New Deal’- a
trillion dollar subsidisation of ‘green jobs’ to help the environment. Overall, progressives have
some influence on the Democrat party, shown by how the influence and popularity of Sanders
and AOC have shifted the party more left, however there aren't as many progressives as there
are liberals, and it is clear that they are not as influential in terms of becoming president- shown
by Sanders’ losses in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
The Democratic party is harder to define than the Republican party as there is a bigger spread
of ideas- including democratic socialists (progressives), liberals, moderates and Blue Dogs
(conservatives). There are very few Blue Dogs, however, they can have a huge impact on policy
making, by making them more moderate. The party is mostly composed of liberals and
progressives, meaning that the party is dominated by liberals, however since 1968 they face an
electoral disadvantage (due to the loss of the South); so they have to respond to a more
moderate agenda which is generally set by the GOP. So, the party is dominated by liberals, but
in terms of strategic power and the legislation they pass it is more moderate, due to the
influence of the Blue Dogs.
Liberals are the most dominant section in the party because of prominent leaders such as
Obama and Biden. Obama became the first U.S. president to call for full equality for gay and
LGBT Americans, and revoked a law prohibiting federal aid to family planning organizations that
provide counseling on abortion. Biden’s executive actions show he is a liberal too- on his first
day of presidency he rejoined the Paris climate change agreement, ordered his government to
reallocate resources to promote racial equality, and banned discrimination on the basis of
gender identity or sexual orientation to protect members of the LGBT community. In addition,
Nancy Pelosi has been re-elected as speaker of the House of Representatives, who has long
supported LGBT rights. This is shown by how in 1996, she voted against the Defense of
Marriage Act, which refused to recognise same-sex marriage. However, it depends what is
meant by ‘liberals’, as there are different variations between them- such as differences between
Nancy Pelosi and Obama, shown by when she voted against Obama’s Trade Adjustment
Assistance, a federal aid program to help those who lost their jobs to free trade, as she
disagreed with the free-trade agenda that Obama was pushing. There are also different types of
liberals. Progressives are a subset of liberals who are more democratic socialist, such as Bernie
Sanders. The whole party has moved left due to the rise in influence of progressives, meaning
the definition of ‘liberal’ has changed, however this point isn’t very strong as the party is still
mostly liberal- just slightly more left wing. Overall, the Democratic party is dominated by liberals,
shown by the executive actions taken by Biden and Obama, as well as the re-election of Pelosi
as speaker.
There is evidence that progressives have influence within the party. This part of the party was
boosted in 2016 and 2020, with the well-known candidacy of Bernie Sanders. He was a major
candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016- despite initially low expectations,
his campaign generated significant enthusiasm and funding, carrying him to victory against
Hillary Clinton in the primaries. He also won the primaries in New Hampshire and Iowa in 2020-
2 very important states, as whoever wins these states usually goes on to be president.
However, this point can be seen as insignificant as Sanders still lost the presidential elections in
2016 and 2020, showing that progressives aren't that important. On the other hand, they still
have power within the party, as their influence has driven the party to become more left-wing.
Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) did very well in the 2018 midterm election primaries. She advocates for
progressive policies, including Medicare for All, abolishing ICE, and the ‘Green New Deal’- a
trillion dollar subsidisation of ‘green jobs’ to help the environment. Overall, progressives have
some influence on the Democrat party, shown by how the influence and popularity of Sanders
and AOC have shifted the party more left, however there aren't as many progressives as there
are liberals, and it is clear that they are not as influential in terms of becoming president- shown
by Sanders’ losses in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
