There's a meme that resurfaces on social media from time to time. It says, "If a Democrat from the 1960s were to appear today, he'd be considered a conservative. If a Democrat from today were to be transported to the 1960s, he'd be considered a dangerous lunatic."

Truer words were never spoken. Once upon a time the Democrat party defended blue-collar workers, the poor, and the middle class. Not that long ago BJ Clinton and Hussein Obama spoke about the necessity of securing the border. And very recently a rallying cry on the Left was, "No one is above the law."

Times have changed. Quinnipiac now tells us that the party's approval rating hovers at 19% with 52% of Democrat voters disapproving of their congressional representative’s performance following the drubbing they took last November. Prominent party leaders like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Gavin Newsom are associated with far-left policies that voters feel are out of touch with the electorate.

So where are the party's moderates? Centrist congressional Democrats, sometimes referred to as "Blue Dog Democrats," (BDDs) have historically advocated for fiscal responsibility, moderate social policies, and pragmatic governance. Sadly, their influence is waning.

Since their peak in the 1990s and 2000s, the Blue Dog Coalition has shrunk from 50 House members to 11, with no significant presence in the Senate. With the passage of Obamacare in 2010, many BDDs either lost their seats or were pressured to conform to the progressive wing.

The radical Left members of the party are sidelining BDDs. Social media posts suggest that the BDDs are viewed as "traitors" to the party's progressive agenda, making it politically risky to challenge the leadership. The younger, more radical members of the party demand ideological purity, stifling dissent from the moderates.

There are, however, some BDDs like Senator John Fetterman who have publicly taken stances that diverge from their far-left base. Fetterman, for example, supports Israel and sane border security policies, although this has led to a drop in his approval among Democrats. A Morning Consult poll shows a 33-point drop since late 2024. Some state legislators have resisted their party's more radical policies. They've opposed DEI mandates or supported parental rights, but they are outliers and so lack a national platform to effect party-wide change.

BDDs face pressure to toe the party line in order to maintain support from the DNC and avoid being primaried by progressives. Andrew Cuomo is realizing this after Zohran Mamdani defeated him in the NYC primary. BDDs may be hesitant to speak out until there's more evidence that a moderate stance will resonate with voters. The polls show that Democrat voters are split. Some want the party to double down on far-left policies, while others desire a return to more centrist positions. Some BDDs are focusing on state-level issues, such as opposing Republican redistricting efforts rather than engaging in national ideological debates. This limits their visibility on broader policy issues.

Some BDDs are, however pushing back. There have been state-level Democrats who have resisted far-left policies like DEI and ESG mandates. Fetterman, for example continues to profess moderate positions, suggesting that some Democrats wish to appeal to a broader electorate. Overall however, there is no unified BDD push against the far Left. Judging from social media posts, the BDDs appear to have been silenced or marginalized with the party being increasingly dominated by their Marxist-leaning, far-left base. The party is struggling to find national leaders who can unite or at least bridge the gap between the moderates and the progressives.

The BDDs are reduced to a small coalition with limited national influence. They are not speaking out loudly because of electoral vulnerabilities, pressure from their party, and the lack of strong, cohesive leadership. The Democrat party is fractured and the far-left wing is running things. If the BDDs can capitalize on voter dissatisfaction reflected in the 19% approval rating, they might be able to present a compelling alternative that resonates with their electorate ahead of the midterms.

I don't find this likely. I do think that it's healthy to have a "loyal opposition," a party that presents alternative means of attaining shared goals. At present, however, we appear not to have any shared goals with the Democrats. Their platform does nothing to make America safer, stronger, more prosperous, and more united.

There's a great deal of schadenfreude in watching their party collapse. Let's hope they don't take the whole country down with them.

Image: AT via Magic Studio