Extremists Run the Democratic Party

And It’s Costing Them

Senator Barry Goldwater lost the 1964 presidential Election to Lyndon Johnson, who had taken over the presidency after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. The election was not close. Goldwater got only 52 Electoral College votes, and managed to win only five states in the deep South, plus his home state of Arizona. Johnson received 61.1% of the popular vote, which remains the highest popular vote percentage of any candidate since the start of widespread popular elections in 1824.

Historians have debated the reasons for Goldwater’s lopsided defeat. Many have attributed it to limited government views. Some point to one of the most effective advertisements in political history, known as the daisy ad. With this commercial, Johnson attempted to frighten people by implying that Goldwater might get the United States into a nuclear war. It worked.

However, Goldwater’s demise in 1964 may have been at least partially the result of a perception that he was an extremist. He was a limited government conservative. He supported a strong U.S. military. He believed the U.S. needed to take a strong stand against the Soviet Union, which shaped his hawkish approach to the Vietnam War.

Goldwater himself acknowledged that he was no moderate. In one of his more famous quotes he stated, "Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue."

Americans, as a whole, tend not to be overly ideological. Of course, there are a few extremists on both ends of the political spectrum, but the vast majority of Americans are uncomfortable with ideologues. Goldwater’s views were perceived as too extreme. This perception may well have been a large part of the reason he wasn’t able to garner even 40% of the popular vote.

Fast forward to 2024. Democrats have become the Party of extremism, and in November they got Goldwatered. Yes, I know, Trump did not get anything close to 60% of the popular vote. In this day and age that is impossible. It is now a small percentage of the electorate that determines the outcome of elections because so few voters are “swing voters.” By today’s standards, Trump’s victory was decisive. He ran the table on the swing states, and the entire country, including the bluest of blue states, voted more Republican than in 2020. Kamala Harris dramatically underperformed compared to Joe Biden in 2020.

Trump has set the agenda effectively since January 20th. He has emphasized winning issues. Things like men staying out of women’s sports, recognizing two genders, border security, energy independence, support for law enforcement, and cutting government waste are supported by a large majority of the American public. The Democrats are on the wrong side of every one of those issues, and they are outspoken about it.

The Democrats’ problem is not only substantive. They have started acting like petulant children. The behavior of Democrat Members of Congress at the State of the Union Address (yes, I know it was not formally called that) was ridiculous. Rep. Al Green had to be escorted out. Some female Members wore pink to prove . . . I don’t know what. I guess they have rediscovered what a woman is. They held cute little signs that had silly messages like “Musk Steals”, “Save Medicaid”, “Protect Veterans”, or “False.” Is there one person in America other than the hipster himself, Sen. Chuck Schumer, who thought this was clever?

The post-speech polling revealed exactly what you would expect. Trump’s pro-America, substantive speech was well-received, and the Democrats did themselves no favors. Pro-tip for Democrats: It is prudent to acknowledge widows, orphans, and child cancer victims regardless of your party affiliation.

Right now, the Democrats are rudderless on both style and substance. But this can change before the next Election. Two years is an eternity in politics. However, if the Democrats keep behaving like they have for the last several years, it will be a glorious twelve year run of Trump followed by President J.D. Vance.