Liberals and the Road Ahead

Too many liberals are gloomy these days. True, they have been knocked on their heels by the election of Donald Trump. Also true, since Gallup began such polls in 1992, those who self-identify as liberals have always constituted a smaller share of Americans than those calling themselves conservatives. True as well that they have now lost not only the House, Senate and White House but control of both houses of the legislature in 25 states and governorships in 33. So, rejected and dejected, they have reason to wonder if people no longer resonate with their message. They bemoan the fact that so many people "just don't understand." But they need to get over it - because it is holding them back and they have something important to say to a nation that needs to hear it.

Conservative ascendancy and liberal retreat are neither permanent nor permanently desirable paths for a vibrant America. The same was true in the 1960s, when liberals were celebrating their "permanent majority" and conservatives were fighting not just for the future of the Republican Party but the future of conservatism. This yin and yang of liberalism and conservatism is just another derivative of the federalist vs. anti-federalist argument that dominated the Federal Convention in 1787 and has continued under various labels and parties ever since. America needs this dualism. It is a vaccine against the dangerous extremes of democracy.

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