These two images are still used to batter Democrats regardless of their personal histories.  One of the great political services that Bill Clinton did for the party was to take  away the club of welfare from the Republican's arsenal.  Despite much whining by the Left Clinton's reforms have eliminated the charge that Democrats are opposed to work and want to take money away for the working class. However, Democrats are still accused of being against the common interest.

Besides Michael Lind's post one of the reasons that led to the above conclusion is the statement I heard over and over after 9/11 "thank goodness George Bush was president."  What did Bush do that was so unusual?  Wouldn't Al Gore have taken out the Taliban, wouldn't any president?  When I would challenge people on their praise of Bush they could conceed that Gore and other Democrats would probably have gone after Bin Laden.  Inevitably that concession would be followed with an "except Jimmy Carter."  That may not be fair but Demcrats are saddled with an imagine of weakness when it comes to protecting America.

In the 1960s the heros of the Democratic Party were Wilson, Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy. Too much is made of the Jefferson-Wilson idealism and not enough of the military strength embedded in the notion.  Wilson went to war to "make the world safe for Democracy."  Roosevelt not only worked to make America the "arsenal for Democracy"but had to overcome Republican isolationism and pro-German if not outright pro-Nazi sympathies often found in the now "Red States."  Truman not only used the atomic bomb, but inuagurated the Cold War and took us into another shooting war in Korea.  John Kennedy said we "would pay any price bear any burden for liberty."

As I understand from many posts here at the Cafe the McGovern-Carter wing of the Party believes that there may be no price worth bearing. Saddem was responsible for the deaths of millions in Iran, Kuwait and Iraq itself. That seems to be of little interest.It is said that America will inevitably blunder abroad.  That America goes to war for oil or corporations.  Most Americans, I believe, not only do not agree with this but resent it. With the attacks of 9/11 a lot of Americans are afraid of this view.

Domestically Roosevelt was not so Progressive as he is now assumed to have been.  However, he created a series of programs that benefitted all Americans in need.  I believe they were some of the first to be available regardless of race.  He also created social insurance programs such as social security.  Succeeding Democratic Presidents worked to expand opportunities for all Americans.

However, sometime in the 1970s Democrats stopped being for programs that benefitted all Americans and started insisting that Blacks and then Hispanics and woman and other groups needed to benefit from programs at the expense, or at least at the apparent expense of Whites.

Nixon's Southern Strategy and Silent Majority tactic was the first effort to exploit the split between Democrats, especially uppermiddle Class Democrats, and working class ethnic voters.  (See E.J. Dionnes' Why Americans Hate Politics)  None of those in the "House of Labor" have addressed the disparity between Union leadership and Reagan Democrats.

Democrats retained controlled Congress for 20 years after Americans became disaffected with the Party.  The difficulty of ousting incumbents disguised the drop of support until Congressional arrogance and the failure to pass Clinton's healthcare reform, who needs Democrats if they can't do anything, led to the Republican takeover.  

The problem of being a Congressional Party is the focus on staying in office and stopping being for anything.  The one thing that none officeholding Democrats agree on, as the Cafe posts almost all show, is that the Party does not stand for anything and it does not fight for anything.  

There was a time when Democrats supported a strong nation that pressed for our interests which was peace and stability and expanded economic growth worldwide and domestically for expanded opportunity for all people. Republicans do not win by large margins but they do control all branches of the Federal Government.  They have gotten their by honing in of the Democrats desire to weaken our military and making amends for past racism, sexism and other isms all at the expense of most Americans.