After the restoration of capitalism in the Warsaw Pact countries, the YCL and the Party experienced a decrease in membership. However, after the contested election of George W. Bush as president of the United States and the escalation of militarism, membership began to rise again. The YCL experienced a rapid growth in membership after the 2008 elections, largely due to the prominent role played by youth in the election of Barack Obama and the fact that his opponents criticized his pro-labor rhetoric as "socialist." Membership continued to grow during Obama's presidency, as increasing numbers of young, left-wing Americans became dissatisfied with that administration's policy decisions.