The Democrats are in a classic vicious circle. A robust populist politics seems futile since lower income people don't bother to vote. Expanding the electorate by rousing the Democratic base is always somebody else's problem. So Democrats fall back on slogans that are supposed to evoke bolder days, but the slogans ring hollow. In a politics driven by fund-raising, the kingmakers are those who can write big checks or assemble fellow donors, and pollsters who seem expert at manipulating public opinion.
Most critics think the negative ads have crowded out the issues, but they have it backwards.
It's the issue vacuum that generated the negative ads, because there is not much real to debate. Democratic politics becomes a battle for moderate swing voters in an ever more limited electorate. Not surprisingly, the center of gravity keeps shifting to starboard. Given the economic realities, populist politics will someday make a comeback, and with it the Democratic party. Readers may redistribute this article to other individuals for noncommercial use, provided that the text and this notice remain intact.