How Democrats' old winning formula might not work anymore
Last weekʼs defeat made Democrats look for answers in their past success stories. The Democratic Leadership Councilʼs 90s strategy shows both benefits and hidden costs of moving to political center
After last weeks shocking election results where Donald Trump beat Kamala Harris both in Electoral College and popular vote Democrats started looking for answers in their partys history
The situation feels similar to what happened about 40 years ago when Ronald Reagan won re-election getting 49 states. Back then a group of forward-thinking Democrats created something new – the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) which changed the partys direction. Al From who worked as House Democratic Caucus director started this project in mid-80s with other smart people like Sam Nunn and Richard Gephardt
The DLC wanted to move away from old-style Democratic ideas; their main point was simple – Democrats need to be more center-focused. They pushed for market-based fixes lower taxes and stronger foreign policy (which made some party members really mad)
Me-too Reaganism would be disastrous
The biggest win for DLC came when Bill Clinton joined them. In late-89 they made him an offer: become chairman get help traveling around USA and maybe become president one day. This deal worked great – Clinton won in 92 and again in 96 using what they called “New Democrat“ ideas
- Lower taxes
- Market solutions
- Strong military
- Individual responsibility
- Work-focused welfare
But the DLCʼs ideas had a dark side: when Clinton signed NAFTA it seemed good for business but hurt working-class Americans badly. Today many of these same workers (including Latino and Black voters) support Trumpʼs coalition
Looking at 2028 Democrats need to think hard about their next moves – copying old DLC tricks might win short-term but could make things worse in the long run
