The Bourbon Democrats
The Democratic party came into being under Andrew Jackson, a slave owner. It was a union between the “Bourbon Democrats” and poorer Americans especially rural farmers. Bourbon Democrats were the rich and powerful, who realized that they needed voters to have political power.
For most of the pre Civil War period, the Democratic party’s power base was in the South and its leadership was comprised of powerful wealthy Southerners often with direct or indirect ties to slavery. And so it “protected” the institution of slavery from Republicans, who generally disliked the institution because it was in direct conflict with what Republicans saw as “unalienable rights” given by God… life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Republicans have more or less always been the party of the middle class, it emerged in 1854 to combat the expansion of slavery into American territories and was comprised of “northern Protestants, factory workers, professionals, businessmen, prosperous farmers, and eventually former African American slaves. It emphasis on egalitarian and civil and property rights attracted people like Abraham Lincoln to the party, who went on to be become the first Republican President.
This contrast has largely remained in place for almost 150 years. That is not to suggest that there haven’t been dramatic changes in both parties, but the fundamental organizational structure of the two parties remains largely intact and the underlying attitudes towards government remain largely intact.
For example, after the Civil War the Democratic party remained centered in the South, but overtime Democratic party in the rest of the country grew and their developed tremendous internal conflict between the Bourbon Democrats of the party. Remember the Democratic party is based on “the bargain” that the poor cede power through their votes to the rich in exchange for “stuff”.
In the South, poor whites ceded power to powerful Democrats in exchange for those Democrats “protecting” them from the newly freed slaves. All sorts of laws collectively labeled as “Jim Crow” laws prevented African Americans from securing parity with poor whites. The power of these Bourban Democrats was reinforced by paramilitary organizations like the Klu Klux Klan. To be clear, the Democratic party did not form the KKK, but rather Democratic party leaders founded the KKK.
In the rest of the country, different issues formed the basis for Bourban Democrats to gain the support of the poor. In some parts of the country like the Midwest as an example, it was unionization, but “the bargain” was the same… cede power through their votes to the Bourbon Democrats in exchange for stuff. This explains why throughout history the Democratic party has been so inconsistent in its polices and why there has not been any underlying themes like equal civil rights and property rights, limited government, etc. that unify the party.
What is referred to as identify politics has always been a part of what defines the Democratic party even when groups within the party don’t share common values.
Instead the Democratic party is largely an aggregation of various regional “elitist aristocracies” (the Bourbon Democrats) using “stuff” to buy votes to gain and hold power. So northeastern wealthy Democrats like the Kennedy family may have had nothing in common with their southern Democratic leaders other than the desire to secure and hang on to power.
That is not to say, that there were not many “passionate” Democrats in the Democratic party that embraced the issues the “Bourbon Democrats” were paying lip service to in order to secure power, there were… but it does explain the hypocrisy in the personal behaviors of many “powerful Democrats” towards the things they profess.
Eventually, the regional issues that Bourbon Democrats used to secure power from the poor in their regions simply did not work as a national party. The differences were to great. Seeing they were losing power in the party, the Southern Democrats under George Wallace broke away hoping to create a viable third party. When that failed, they had to figure out what to do. Rejoining the Democrats was not really an option and since the Republicans were more inclined towards limiting Federal government power, the Southern Democrats saw the Republican party as the “lesser of two evils”.
The southern Bourbon Democrats may not have much influence on a “national” policy within the Republican party, but the Republican party was less likely to embrace policies that would interfere with the ability of these old line Bourbon Democrats to “rule” their states. Proof of that is the Republicans have not elected a southern Republican President who traces his roots back to the southern Democratic party ever. The closest they have come is GW Bush, who was for all intents and purposes a “transplant”. In contrast, several Democrats from Bill Clinton to now Joe Biden trace their roots back to the Southern Democrat party.
So as we move to the current day, we find that not much has changed from the Democratic party of Andrew Jackson and much has changed. The Democratic party remains a party dominated by the Bourbon Democrats (defined as the wealthy, the media, academia, and politicians) who collectively pursue power by giving stuff to the poor to buy their votes. The wealthy in the party never give up stuff and become poor, they prefer to give away other people’s stuff.
More evidence of the “power” element of the Democratic party is the longevity of its politicians. The average Democrat has been in power for four more years than his or her Republican counterpart. The Democratic party is all about power. What does it take to get power and keep power. Power represents the keys to elite class status in the Democratic party.
The Republican party has not been about power. Notice, what happens after Republican Presidents finish their term in office… they simply fade away… they served and they retire… but Democratic Presidents continue to seek to retain power in some way… loss of power would mean relegation out of their “elite” status.
The Democratic party is designed to secure power for its leaders to control the country by the Bourbon Democrats of their party… the party talks about breaking down economic barriers even as it works to create them.
Has anyone poor become rich through entitlements? Has any billionaires lost their billions through Democratic policies? Mostly, the middle class, the heart of the Republican party, funds the “stuff” Democrats give away for power. The pattern goes back almost 200 years… no reason to think it is going to change now…
