When did Democrats become the left-of-center American party?

[Person Man]

...I don't really have that much to add to that. However, I do think it is important to understand one basic principle- our condition is not just "the way things are". Sure, things are the way they are, but they are only like that because they became that over time. I mean, people aren't just "fat" because they were born to be fat, but they became fat over time, whether it happen in childhood or after they had children of their own....but I digress. The point I am trying to make is that people weren't just Democrats or Republicans for no reason, however that reason may not have been because they liked (conservative) or didn't like (liberal) the times that they lived in. For example, it could simply be an issue of culture or community psycology. One could even argue that to be a Democrat or a Republican gives certain things meaning.

[Person Man]

Um, a Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald was elected in June 1929; that did not make the Tories the left-of-center party for the rest of the century. It just made sure that the UK government learned toward the fascist side in the 1930s, which had consequences for Spain and elsewhere.

To what, specifically, are you referring to with regard to the Republicans and unions in the 19th century? It sounds interesting. From what I am aware, the labor movement was largely third party during the gilded age, although it did attempt to infiltrate the major parties from time to time.

From what I understand, the Democratic party and its predecessor, the Republican party, have always been to the left of center, and the GOP has always been to the right of center. Yes, for the first century or more of its existence there was a progressive wing within the GOP, however, this was largely a consequence of the fact that the GOP's natural constituency were the rich, bourgeois and these people, by virtue of being educated, tended to exhibit a typical trait of rich, bourgeois and educated people, which is the urge to help improve the disadvantaged and improve society.

I wonder how that entire "Champagne Liberal" started. I mean, does becoming rich make your generous?...and about lower-income Republicans- does being fat and poor mean that you are greedy?

[Person Man]

So, if it is not ideology or class, could it be culture? And if it was culture, how did any of these cultures evolve?

[Person Man]

Another thing that has been stewing in my mind is this Sociological theory of Relative Deprivation. This could explain why so many rural poors are Republican and so many Upper-Middle and Middle-Class urbanites are democrats.

You see, in rural areas, where taxes, wages, land values- and above all- economic competiton are low, it is relatively easy to get a nice apartment on the main drag or a nice colonial a mile or two down the main drag, without much more than a High School education. Making just 35,000 a year as a carpenter, plumber or mechanic, you will be able to get a 3 bedroom home, a used truck and maybe a nice TV, health insurance and a savings account going. If not, your wife, who probably is just a High School graduate, will probably work part time as a receptionist for someone and bring in perhaps another 15,000 a year. In this situation, you have no need for government support, because you don't have to fight for work and everything is cheap. Even if you are poor, if the market ain't broke, don't fix it....and life is good and no one else is flaunting their stuff. You can be a happy yeoman.

On the other hand, if you are a doctor, lawyer or executive making 120,000 in a big city, you probably have massive competition. Your 2500 you can afford a rent only gets you a two bedroom loft, if you are very lucky. You will probably need to get married to someone at least of your station just to afford the 4000 a month you probably need to get a family-size apartment in the middle of town. On top of that, the competition for food and utilities is tense and though you have a new Large Benz in your parking space, you probably have trouble saving money or having health insurance (though your insurance is probably covered by your "lucrative" position). On top of that, you probably have at least 50000 in loans to just have been trained. You feel that you can never get ahead because your supervisor or competitor and his wife makes twice as much as you and your wife do and can afford to have a full-sized, 4-bedroom penthouse on the 8000 (a 2 or 3 million dollar house) they have available for rent and can afford to go out to eat every night and always go to the South Seas or Europe for vacation every other weekend. You are a very succesful man, but you are still struggling to get by and you are constantly reminded how long of a ways you have to go. At this point, you probably believe that you should get help in affording basic neccesities, even if it means that the tax burden will go on you- you need to get your daughter chemo, not a new pair of $500 jogging shoes.

In a nutshell- a working class lifestyle in the country is less difficult than an upper-middle class lifestyle in "town". People could just say that you should move, but then you would lose all of the services you get as well as all the business you produce. It's nuts. I mean, everyone wants freedom and I don't think that people are actively debating whether or not they want a market economy. OTOH, they do debate whether or not the market, as liberal/free as it is, actually causes them to be happy.

[Person Man]

Well...there were a couple of close elections during this time, but most of them weren't. Let's take a look-see through the lense of a 50-50 election.

1920

1932

1944

1956

- The West Coast and South. Wow.

1960

1968

...and this goes on until about 1984 or 1988. Then you start to see our modern map come into place.

[Person Man]

jtlyk, these are the 1980, 1996 and 2008 maps...and a prediction for 2020.
1980

1996

2008

[Person Man]

Heck. It appears that when the Democrats become marginalized again, they may become the party for Middle-Class Westerners with little appeal anywhere else.

[Person Man]

Like I said, politcal affiliation probably has move to do with economic competition than class.