In American politics, Conservative Democrat is a term referring to a member of the Democratic Party who holds some conservative political views. The Federal Government of the United States was established by the United States politics is dominated by the two major parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... Conservatism is a philosophy defined by Edmund Burke as a disposition to preserve, and an ability to improve.[1] The term derives from conserve; from Latin conservare, to keep, guard, observe. ...

Conservative Democrats of the twenty-first century are similar to their "progressive" Republican counterparts, in that both became political minorities after their respective political parties underwent a major political realignment starting in 1964. Prior to 1964, both parties had their liberal, moderate, and conservative wings, each of them equally influential in both parties. During this period, conservative Democrats formed the Democratic half of the Conservative Coalition. After 1964, the conservative wing assumed a greater presence in the Republican Party, although it did not become the mainstay of the party until the nomination of Ronald Reagan in 1980. The Democratic Party, on the other hand, has included both liberal and middle-of-the-road wings. This political realignment was mostly complete by 1980. After 1980, the Republicans became a staunchly conservative party, while the Democrats came to include both conservatives, such as Bill Clinton and Joseph Lieberman, and more liberal leaders, such as Edward M. Kennedy and Albert Gore. A long-standing piece of political humor holds that if a liberal Republican saw someone drowning 100 feet off shore, he'd throw them a 75-foot rope and say he had met the victim more than half way.. (20th century - 21st century - 22nd century - other centuries) Definition In calendars based on the Christian Era or Common Era, such as the Gregorian calendar, the 21st century is the current century, as of this writing, lasting from 2001-2100. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... This article discusses liberalism as a major political ideology as it developed and stands currently. ... In politics and religion, a moderate is an individual who holds an intermediate position between two extreme or radical viewpoints. ... The Conservative coalition was a coalition in American politics bringing together Republicans (most of whom were conservatives) and the minority of conservative Democrats, most of them from the South. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ...

Since 1994, conservative Democrats have been organized in the U.S. House of Representatives as the Blue Dog Democrats. Another coalition of moderate Democrats within the United States Senate is the Democratic Leadership Council, which promotes centrist political views but is sometimes also referred to as being conservative. Bill Clinton was a prominent product of the Democratic Leadership Council and went on to two terms as a largely conservative president. The House of Representatives is the larger of two houses that make up the U.S. Congress, the other being the United States Senate. ... Blue Dog Democrats are social and economic conservatives and moderates in the United States Democratic Party. ... Seal of the Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... The Democratic Leadership Council is a non-profit corporation[1] that argues that the United States Democratic Party should shift away from traditionally populist positions. ... In politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes. ...

History

Conservative views and factions within the Democratic Party have a long history, and still exert an influence on the party today:

1800-1860: From Jefferson to Jackson to the Civil War

The election of Thomas Jefferson in 1800 marked the first electoral victory of the Democratic-Republican Party over the Federalist Party. Jefferson ran on a platform in support of small landholders and decentralized government, against the Federalist platform which supported a coalition of big business and big government. The Federalist Party disappeared shortly after. Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 N.S. – July 4, 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–1809), principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential founders of the United States. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... The Democratic-Republican party was a United States political party, which evolved early in the history of the United States. ... The label Federalist refers to two major groups in the history of the United States of America: (1. ...

Andrew Jackson marked the beginning of the Democratic Party as we know it today. The Democratic-Republican Party split during the Jackson administration, with the opposition to Jackson becoming the short-lived National Republican Party and later the United States Whig Party; Jackson's supporters dropped the "Republican" part of the name and became the Democratic Party. Andrew Jackson is notable as the first U.S. President to be elected from the frontier rather than from the East Coast. Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh President of the United States (1829-1837), first governor of Florida (1821), general of the Battle of New Orleans (1815), a founder of the Democratic Party, and the eponym of the era of Jacksonian democracy. ... -1... The United States Whig Party was a political party of the United States. ... On the theory of the meaning of the frontier see Frontier Thesis. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ...

The Democratic Party split along regional lines for the first time in 1860, over slavery. This split between southern and northern factions led to a brand new party, the Republican Party (created in 1854 from the remnants of the by-then-defunct Whig Party and the American Party) and its candidate Abraham Lincoln being elected. The American Civil War followed shortly thereafter. Presidential electoral votes by state. ... It has been suggested that Chattel slavery be merged into this article or section. ... The Know-Nothing movement was a nativist American political movement of the 1850s. ... Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed the Rail Splitter, Honest Abe and the Great Emancipator, was the 16th President of the United States (1861 to 1865), and the first president from the Republican Party. ... Combatants Union (remaining U.S. states) Confederate States of America Commanders Abraham Lincoln† Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties KIA: 110,000 Total dead: 360,000 Wounded: 275,200 KIA: 94,000 Total dead: 258,000 Wounded: 137,000+  The...

1876-1932: The 'Solid South'

See main article: Solid South. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Southern strategy. ...

The phrase "Solid South" describes the reliable electoral support of the U.S. Southern states for Democratic Party candidates for almost a century after the Reconstruction era. Except for 1928, when Catholic candidate Al Smith ran on the Democratic ticket, Democrats won heavily in the South in every Presidential election from 1876 until 1948 (and even in 1928, the divided South provided most of Smith's electoral votes). The Democratic dominance originated in many Southerners' animosity towards the Republican Party's role in the Civil War and the Reconstruction. Reconstruction-era military districts in the South For other uses, see Reconstruction (disambiguation). ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Al Smith waves to crowds, 1928 Alfred Emanuel Al Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was Governor of New York, a leading Catholic, and Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ...

1874-1896: The rise of agrarian populism

The United States Populist Party, United States Greenback Party, and the Agrarianism movement are often cited as the first truly left-wing political movements within the United States. Nonetheless, while they emphasized economic issues that were radical by the political standards of the time, they are relatively conservative by today's standards. Historian Richard Hofstadter has taken the view that the Populist and Agrarian movements were essentially right-wing and reactionary movements, left-wing economic issues notwithstanding. Hofstadter's views are not universally shared among historians. The Populist Party was a short-lived political party in late 19th century in the United States. ... The Greenback Party (Greenback-Labor Party) was an American political party that was active between 1874 and 1884. ... Agrarianism is a social and political philosophy. ... In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms which refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially in the American sense of the word), or with opposition... Richard Hofstadter (August 6, 1916 - October 24, 1970) was a noted American historian and was the Dewitt Clinton Professor of American History at Columbia University. ... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... Reactionary (or reactionist) is a political epithet typically applied to conservatism. ...

Because of the political dominance of one party or the other in many states, the real political races during this period would often be within the party primary. Indeed, in many southern states, there was hardly any Republican Party at all, and the serious candidates of both the conservative and liberal kind were all Democrats. For example, in the southern states the race might be between a populist left-wing Democrat and a conservative Democrat in the primary, while in regions of the country such as the Midwest or New England in which the Republican Party was dominant, the race might be decided in the primary between a progressive Republican and a conservative Republican. The Midwest is a common name for a region of the United States of America. ... The states of New England are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. ...

In 1896, William Jennings Bryan won the Democratic Party nomination by adopting many of the Populist Party's proposals as his own. Presidential electoral votes by state. ... William Jennings Bryan, 1907 William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, statesman, and politician. ...

1932-1948: FDR and the New Deal coalition

See main article: New Deal coalition. The New Deal coalition was the poop alignment of interest groups and voting blocs who supported the New Deal and voted for United States Democratic Party presidential candidates from 1932 until approximately 1966, and which made the Democratic Party the majority party during that time. ...

The 1932 election brought about a major realignment in political party affiliation, and is widely considered to be a realigning election. Franklin D. Roosevelt was able to forge a coalition of labor unions, liberals, African Americans, and southern whites. These disparate voting blocs together formed a majority of voters and handed the Democratic Party seven victories out of nine presidential elections, as well as control of both houses of Congress during much of this time. In many ways, it was the American civil rights movement that ultimately heralded the demise of the coalition. Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Realigning election or critical election or realignment are terms from political history and political science. ... FDR redirects here. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The civil rights movement in the United States has been a long, primarily nonviolent struggle to bring full civil rights and equality under the law to all citizens of United States. ...

Roosevelt's successful program for alleviating the Great Depression, collectively known as the New Deal, emphasized only economic issues, and thus was compatible with the views of those who supported the New Deal programs but were otherwise conservative. This included the Southern Democrats, who were an important part of FDR's New Deal coalition. The Great Depression was a worldwide economic downturn, starting in 1929 and lasting through most of the 1930s. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: New Deal The New Deal is the name given to the series of programs implemented between 1933-37 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt with the goal of relief, recovery and reform of the United States economy during the Great Depression. ... Southern Democrats are members of the U.S. Democratic Party who reside in the U.S. South. ...

Political anomalies during the Great Depression

See main articles: Share Our Wealth, Charles Coughlin, Francis Townsend, EPIC movement, and Critics of the New Deal. Share Our Wealth was a movement begun during the Great Depression by Huey Long, governor and later senator from Louisiana. ... Charles Coughlin Father Charles Edward Coughlin (October 25, 1891 – October 27, 1979) was a Canadian-born Roman Catholic priest from Royal Oak, Michigans Shrine of the Little Flower Catholic Church, and one of the first evangelists to preach to a widespread listening audience over the medium of radio during... Dr. Francis Everett Townsend (January 13, 1867–September 1, 1960) was an American physician who was best known for his revolving old-age pension proposal during the Great Depression. ... Short for End Poverty in California, EPIC was an effort for then well-known muckraking writer and former Socialist Upton Sinclair to implement Socialist reforms through Californias Democratic Party during the Great Depression by recruiting supporters into the party and then securing that partys nomination for Governor of... During his presidency from 1933 to 1945, Franklin D. Roosevelt established a series of programs which he called the New Deal. ...

During the Roosevelt administration, several radical populist proposals which went beyond what Roosevelt was willing to advocate gained in popularity. It is notable that all four of the main promoters of these proposals, Charles Coughlin, Huey Long, Francis Townsend, and Upton Sinclair, were originally strong New Deal supporters but turned against Roosevelt because they believed the New Deal programs didn't go far enough. Like the New Deal programs, these populist proposals were based entirely on single economic reforms, but did not take a position on any other issue and were therefore compatible with those holding otherwise conservative views. Some historians today believe that the primary base of support for the proposals of Coughlin, Long, Townsend, and Sinclair was conservative middle class whites who saw their economic status slipping away during the Depression. Populism is a political ideology or rhetorical style that holds that the common person is oppressed by the elite in society, which exists only to serve its own interests, and therefore, the instruments of the State need to be grasped from this self-serving elite and instead used for the... Huey Long Huey Pierce Long (August 30, 1893 – September 10, 1935) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... Upton Beall Sinclair (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was a prolific American author who wrote over 90 books in many genres, often advocating socialist views, and achieved considerable popularity in the first half of the twentieth century. ... The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ...

A different source of conservative Democratic dissent against the New Deal came from a group of journalists who considered themselves classical liberals and Democrats of the old school, and were opposed to big government programs on principle; these included Albert Jay Nock and John T. Flynn, whose views later became influential in the libertarian movement. Liberalism is a political current embracing several historical and present-day ideologies that claim defense of individual liberty as the purpose of government. ... Albert Jay Nock (October 13, 1870 or 1872 - August 19, 1945) was an influential American libertarian author, educational theorist, and social critic of the early and middle 20th century. ... John Thomas Flynn (1882-1964) originally gained fame in Washington, D.C. for his writings in the New Republic, where he wrote articles defending socialist positions. ... See also Libertarianism and Libertarian Party Libertarian,is a term for person who has made a conscious and principled commitment, evidenced by a statement or Pledge, to forswear violating others rights and usually living in voluntary communities: thus in law no longer subject to government supervision. ...

1946-1964: The Vital Center and the End of Ideology

Following World War II, a political position took hold within both major parties in which centrism was held to be the ideal political orientation, allowing for moderate liberal and conservative wings in both parties, but not for ultraliberal or ultraconservative wings. Rigid ideology was held to be bad; ideologies even further left or right than those were extremism and outside of the realm of acceptable social discourse. Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... Extremism is a term used to describe either ideas or actions thought by critics to be unwarranted or at least beyond what is acceptable in a civilised society. ...

This position is closely associated with authors such as Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. (The Vital Center), Daniel Bell (The End of Ideology), Eric Hoffer (The True Believer), and Richard Hofstadter. While not a conservative ideology per se within the Democratic Party, this viewpoint was a centrist ideology which held the party back from adopting positions considered "too liberal" during the postwar period. Leftist critics argue that this viewpoint incorrectly or unfairly lumped in movements for social justice on the left with extremism of the right as both being equally extreme, and reinforced the rise of McCarthyism during the Cold War. Arthur Meier Schlesinger, Jr. ... Daniel Bell Daniel Bell (born 10 May 1919) is a sociologist and professor emeritus at Harvard University. ... Eric Hoffer (July 25, 1902 – May 21, 1983) was an American social writer. ... Social justice is a philosophical definition of justice, that is, giving individuals or groups their due within society as a whole. ... Joseph Raymond McCarthy McCarthyism took place during a period of intense suspicion in the United States primarily from 1950 to 1954, when the U.S. government was actively countering alleged American Communist Party subversion, its leadership, and others suspected of being Communists or Communist sympathizers. ... The Cold War (Russian: Холодная война , Kholodna-ya voina) was the protracted geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle that emerged after World War II between the global superpowers of the Soviet Union and the United States, supported by their alliance partners. ...

Conversely, it also held the party to increasing commitment to ending segregationism and Jim Crow, and disengaging itself from its segregationist wing, held to be too far right for the new centrist consensus. This led to a conservative backlash by southern Democrats during the same period:

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1948-1968: Segregationist backlash

See main articles: Dixiecrat, T. Coleman Andrews, Harry F. Byrd, George Wallace, and American Independent Party. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Thomas Coleman Andrews (February 19, 1899 - October 15, 1983) was an accountant and a candidate for President of the United States. ... Harry Flood Byrd, Sr. ... Governor George Wallace (in front of door) standing defiantly against desegregation while being confronted by Deputy U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach at the University of Alabama. ... American Independent Party is a United States American political party. ...

The proclamation by President Harry Truman and Senator Hubert Humphrey of support for a Negro civil rights plank in the Democratic Party platform of 1948 led to a walkout of thirty-five delegates from Mississippi and Alabama. These southern delegations nominated their own "States Rights Democratic Party" (aka Dixiecrat) nominees with Democratic Senator Strom Thurmond leading the ticket (Thurmond would later switch parties in 1964 to the Republicans). The Dixiecrats held their convention in Birmingham, Alabama, where they nominated Thurmond for president and Fielding L. Wright, governor of Mississippi, for vice president. Dixiecrat leaders worked to have Thurmond-Wright declared the "official" Democratic Party ticket in Southern states. They succeeded only in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina; in other states, they were forced to run as a third-party ticket. For the victim of Mt. ... Hubert Horatio Humphrey II (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was the 38th Vice President of the United States, serving under President Lyndon Johnson. ... Negro means black in the Spanish, Portuguese and ancient Italian languages, being derived from the Latin word niger of the same meaning. ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Official language(s) English Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 32nd 125,443 km² 275 km 545 km 3 30°13N to 35°N 88°7W to 91°41W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 31st 2,697,243 23. ... Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area  Ranked 30th  - Total 52,423 sq. ... James Strom Thurmond (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to April 1956 and November 1956 to 1964 as a Democrat and from 1964 to 2003 as a Republican. ... Nickname: The Magic City, Pittsburgh of the South, BHam Official website: http://www. ... Fielding Lewis Wright (May 16, 1895 – May 4, 1956) was a Democratic politician who served as Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi from 1944 to 1946, then as Governor after the incumbent, Thomas L. Bailey, died in office in 1946. ... Official language(s) English and French Capital Largest city Baton Rouge New Orleans at last census; probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq. ... Official language(s) English Capital Largest city Columbia Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq. ...

Similar breakaway Southern Democratic candidates running on states rights and segregationist platforms would continue in 1956 (T. Coleman Andrews), and 1960 (Harry F. Byrd). None would be as successful as the American Independent Party (AIP) campaign of George Wallace, the Democratic governor of Alabama, in 1968. Wallace had briefly mounted a run in the Democratic primaries of 1964 against Lyndon Johnson, but dropped out of the race early. In 1968, he formed the new American Independent Party and received 13.5% of the popular vote and 46 electoral votes, carrying several southern states. The AIP would run Presidential candidates in several other elections including other conservative Southern Democrats (Lester Maddox in 1976 and John Rarick in 1980), but none of them did nearly as well as Wallace. The AIP was upstaged by the newly-adopted Southern Strategy of the Republican Party after 1968. The Republicans sought to exploit the racial divisions that the Democratic party leadership had left behind. In American politics and constitutional law, states rights are guaranteed by the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, (i. ... Racial segregation is a kind of formalized or institutionalized discrimination on the basis of race, characterized by the races separation from each other. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area  Ranked 30th  - Total 52,423 sq. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908–January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was an American politician. ... Lester Garfield Maddox (September 30, 1915–June 25, 2003) was an American Democratic Party politician who was governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1967 to 1971. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... John Richard Rarick (born January 29, 1924 in Waterford, Indiana)) is a lawyer, former Congressman, and former Presidential candidate. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... In American politics, the Southern strategy refers to the focus of the Republican party on winning U.S. Presidential elections by securing the electoral votes of the U.S. Southern states, supposedly by making racial appeals to southerners. ...

1976-1980: Jimmy Carter

See main article: Jimmy Carter For the submarine, see USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23). ...

When Carter entered the Democratic Party Presidential primaries in 1976, he at first was considered to have little chance against nationally better-known politicians. However, the Watergate scandal was still fresh in the voters' minds, and so his position as an outsider distant from Washington, DC became an asset. He ran an effective campaign, did well in debates, and won his party's nomination and then the election, receiving 50.1% of the popular vote. The centerpiece of his campaign platform was government reorganization. Carter was the first candidate from the Deep South to be elected president since Reconstruction. Presidential electoral votes by state. ... The Watergate building. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United...

Jimmy Carter was a born-again Christian and a member of the Southern Baptist Convention. While the Republican Party began to pursue a strategy of wooing born-again Christians as a voting bloc after 1980, led by activists Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, in 1976 the evangelical Christian vote went largely to Carter. Carter combined conservative fiscal policies, conservative social views, with more moderate views on peace and ecology, making for a rare combination in the history of American Presidents. Born again is a term used originally and mainly in Christianity, where it is associated with salvation, conversion and spiritual rebirth. ... The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a United States-based cooperative ministry agency serving Baptist churches around the world. ... Jerry Lamon Falwell (born on August 11, 1933, Lynchburg, Virginia) is a Fundamentalist Baptist pastor, televangelist, and conservative activist from the United States. ... American religious broadcaster Pat Robertson Marion Gordon Pat Robertson (born March 22, 1930) is an influential televangelist from the United States. ... Evangelicalism, in a strictly lexical, but rarely used sense, refers to all things that are implied in belief that Jesus is the savior. ... Widely-recognized peace symbol Peace is commonly understood to mean the Other definitions include freedom from disputes, harmonious relations and the absence of mental stress or anxiety, as the meaning of the word changes with context. ... The word ecology is often used in common parlance as a synonym for the natural environment or environmentalism. ...

Carter's electoral sweep of the southern states in 1976 (except Virginia) was the first time a Democrat (excluding the third-party campaigns of George Wallace and Harry Byrd) had swept the South since 1956, and would not be repeated again. In 1992 and 1996, Bill Clinton would win some southern states, but otherwise the South turned solidly Republican after 1976. Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... William Jefferson Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ...

1980-1988: The Boll Weevils of the Reagan era

See main article: Boll weevil (politics). Boll weevils was an American political term used in the mid- and late-20th century to describe conservative Southern Democrats. ...

After 1968, with desegregation a settled issue, the Republican Party began a strategy of trying to win conservative Southerners away from the Democrats and into the Republican Party. Nonetheless, a bloc of conservative Democrats, mostly Southerners, remained in the United States Congress throughout the 1970s and 1980s. These included Democratic House members as conservative as Larry McDonald, who was also a leader in the John Birch Society. During the administration of Ronald Reagan, the term "boll weevils" was applied to this bloc of conservative Democrats, who consistently voted in favor of tax cuts, increases in military spending, and deregulation favored by the Reagan administration. Desegregation is the process of ending racial segregation, most commonly used in reference to the United States. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... MacGyver - 1980s hero The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... Lawrence Patton Larry McDonald (April 1, 1935 - September 1, 1983) was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the seventh congressional district of Georgia. ... The John Birch Society (JBS) is a conservative, Americanist organization founded in 1958 to fight what it saw as growing threats to the Constitution of the United States, especially communist infiltration, and to promote the free-enterprise system. ... Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975). ...

"Boll weevils" was sometimes used as a political epithet by Democratic Party leaders, implying that the boll weevils were unreliable on key votes or not team players. Most of the boll weevils eventually retired from office, or in the case of some such as Senators Phil Gramm and Richard Shelby, switched parties and joined the Republicans. Since 1988 the term "boll weevils" has fallen out of favor. William Philip Phil Gramm (born July 8, 1942, in Fort Benning, Georgia) served as a Democratic Congressman (1978-1983), a Republican Congressman (1983-1985) and a Republican Senator from Texas (1985-2002). ... Richard Craig Dick Shelby (born May 6, 1934) is an American politician. ...

Political anomalies during the 1980s and 1990s

In 1980, a political unknown named Lyndon LaRouche entered the New Hampshire Democratic Primary and polled 2% of the vote, coming in fourth place. He and his political movement were largely ignored until 1984, when he became something of a curiosity by paying for half-hour political ads proclaiming Walter Mondale a Soviet agent, and 1986, when two followers of his won upset victories in Democratic primaries for statewide races in Illinois. After the media began to pay attention, LaRouche was promptly labeled an ultraconservative Democrat by some, and a nut by others, primarily due to the overlap of some of his views with those of the Reagan administration. Others disputed the label and noted LaRouche's background as a Marxist/Trotskyist during the 1960s, the cultish nature of his movement, conspiracism in his analysis, and alliances with the anti-Semitic Willis Carto. After a closer look it appeared that LaRouche was anything but a conservative Democrat, and the media began to refer to him as a radical and an extremist rather than a conservative. Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Defunct California Proposition 64 North American Labour Party Party for the Commonwealth of Canada Parti pour la république du Canada U.S. Labor Party Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. ... Official language(s) English Capital Largest city Concord Manchester Area  Ranked 46th  - Total 9,359 sq. ... The LaRouche Movement is an international political and cultural movement which promotes Lyndon LaRouche and his ideas including a number of conspiracy theories. ... Walter Frederick Fritz Mondale (born January 5, 1928) is an American politician and member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. ... State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Soviet republics Area  - Total  - % water 1st before collapse 22,402,200 km² Approx. ... Official language(s) English Capital Largest city Springfield Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq. ... Conservatism is any of several historically-related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ... Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... In religion and sociology, a cult is a cohesive group of people (often a relatively small and recently founded religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Conspiracy theory. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Willis Allison Carto (born July 17, 1926 in Indiana) is a longtime figure on the far right wing of American politics. ...

The brief rise and terminal fall of LaRouche aside, some Democratic leaders during the 1980s did turn toward conservative views, albeit very different from the previous incarnations of southern Democrats. In 1988, Joe Lieberman defeated Republican U.S. Senate incumbent Lowell Weicker of Connecticut by running to the right of Weicker and receiving the endorsements of the Moral Majority and the National Rifle Association. Colorado governor Richard Lamm and former Minnesota Senator and Presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy both took up immigration reduction as an issue. Lamm wrote a fictional novel, 1988, about a third party Presidential candidate and former Democrat running as a "progressive conservative," and Lamm himself would go on to unsuccessfully seek the nomination of the Reform Party in 1996. McCarthy began to give speeches in the late 1980s naming the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Federal Election Commission as the three biggest threats to liberty in the United States. Joseph Isadore Lieberman, (born February 24, 1942) is a Democratic U.S. senator from Connecticut, best known as Al Gores running mate on the Democratic ticket in 2000. ... Lowell Palmer Weicker, Jr. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The term Moral Majority signifies the concept that there are often informal subgroups within many larger nations which pursues a strict moral agenda, usually based upon a deep belief in a religion, such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism,which is embedded to some extent within the national culture. ... This article concerns the National Rifle Association of the USA. For the UK organisation, see National Rifle Association, UK The National Rifle Association, or NRA, is a 501(c)(4) group for the protection of gun rights in the United States, established in New York in 1871 as the American... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  - Total   - Width   - Length    - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 8th 104,185 sq mi  269 837 km² 280 miles  451 km 380 miles  612 km 0. ... Richard Douglas Dick Lamm (born 1935 in Madison, Wisconsin) is an American politician and lawyer. ... Official language(s) None Capital Largest city Saint Paul Minneapolis Area  - Total   - Width   - Length    - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 12th 87,014 sq mi  225,365 km² 250 miles  400 km 400 miles  645 km 8. ... Eugene Joseph Gene McCarthy (March 29, 1916 – December 10, 2005) was an American politician and a longtime member of the U.S. Congress. ... Immigration reduction refers to movements active within the United States that advocate a reduction in the amount of immigration allowed into the United States or other countries. ... The Reform Party of the United States of America (abbreviated Reform Party USA or RPUSA) is a political party in the United States, founded by Ross Perot in 1995 under the belief that Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics--as being corrupt and unable to deal with vital... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Seal of the Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the United States government agency that collects taxes and enforces the tax laws. ... The FCCs official seal. ... The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency created in 1975 by Congress to administer and enforce campaign finance legislation in the United States. ...

Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., known during the 1950s and 1960s as a champion of "Vital Center" ideology and the policies of Presidents Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy, wrote a 1992 book, The Disuniting of America critical of multiculturalism. Jerry Brown, meanwhile, would adopt the flat tax as a core issue during the 1992 Democratic primaries. Bill Clinton, the winner of the 1992 Democratic nomination, ran as a New Democrat and a member of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council, distancing himself from the party's liberal wing. The 1950s were a decade that spanned the years 1950 through 1959. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to as John F. Kennedy, JFK or Jack Kennedy, was the 35th President of the United States. ... Multiculturalism is a public policy approach for managing cultural diversity in a multiethnic society, officially stressing mutual respect and tolerance for cultural differences within a countrys borders. ... Edmund Gerald Jerry Brown, Jr. ... A flat tax, also called a proportional tax, is a system that taxes all entities in a class (typically either citizens or corporations) at the same rate (as a proportion on income), as opposed to a graduated, or progressive, scheme. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... William Jefferson Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... For the Canadian New Democratic Party, see New Democratic Party. ...

Conservative Democrats today

The Blue Dog Coalition and the DLC

See main articles: Blue Dog Democrats, New Democrats. Blue Dog Democrats are social and economic conservatives and moderates in the United States Democratic Party. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ...

In 1994, conservative Democrats within the U.S. House of Representatives organized themselves into the Blue Dog Democrats, in response to the Republican victories at the polls that November. The explanation was that the Blue Dogs felt the party had moved so far left that it had "choked them blue." The name is a reference to an earlier term, Yellow dog Democrat (typically, a southerner who would vote for a Democrat even if a "yellow dog" were the Democratic candidate) and also to the "blue dog" paintings of a Louisiana artist. Blue Dog Democrats are social and economic conservatives and moderates in the United States Democratic Party. ... Yellow Dog Democrats are voters in the southern region of the United States who consistently vote for Democratic candidates in the late 19th and early 21st centuries because of lingering resentment against the Republicans dating back to the Civil War and Reconstruction period. ... Official language(s) English and French Capital Largest city Baton Rouge New Orleans at last census; probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq. ...

Neither the Blue Dog Coalition nor the Democratic Leadership Council are considered as conservative as the earlier Dixiecrat and Boll Weevil incarnations of conservative Democrats.

Single-issue caucuses

The Democratic Party has a number of single-issue caucuses within the party which promote a conservative position on the issues in question although they support a liberal view on other issues compatible with the Democratic platform. These include Democrats for Life (anti-abortion), the Democratic Freedom Caucus (libertarianism), and Amendment II Democrats (pro-gun rights) [1]. Single-issue politics involves political campaigning or political support based on one essential policy area or idea. ... Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) is an advocacy group in the United States attempting to reshape the political left, primarily the Democratic Party, into taking a pro-life position opposing the unrestricted legality of abortion and, to a lesser extent, capital punishment and euthanasia. ... The Democratic Freedom Caucus (DFC) is a small caucus within the United States Democratic Party which seeks to help the Democratic Party rediscover its Jeffersonian roots, of individual liberty, constitutional democracy, civil liberties, and opposition to corporate welfare and special interests. ... The phrase Gun politics refers to the views of different people within a particular country as to what degree of control (increased gun rights vs. ...

Zell Miller

U.S. Senator Zell Miller, a Democrat from Georgia, became increasingly critical of his party after September 11, 2001, citing disagreements with the presence of anti-war views within the party. His voting record underwent a rightward drift during this period on all issues and after 2002, Miller voted consistently with the Republicans in the Senate. Zell Bryan Miller (born February 24, 1932) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. ... The World Trade Center on fire The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. ... Anti war protest in Melbourne, Australia, 2003 Anti_war is a name that is widely adopted by any social movement or person that seeks to end or oppose a future or current war. ...

This culminated in Miller giving a speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention endorsing George W. Bush and denouncing his own party. Zell Miller is the author of the book A National Party No More which outlines his views. Many Democrats have disavowed his antics. 2004 Republican National Convention Logo President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney accepted their partys nomination to run for second terms. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States and a former governor of Texas. ... A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat (ISBN 0974537616) is a book by Georgia politician Zell Miller, speaking out against what he sees as the increased liberalism of his own Democratic Party. ...

Differing views of conservative Democrats

Some see conservative Democrats as usually centrist, moderate, and considered a bit more reasonable than the die-hard partisan politicians who often enter into the legislative fray. Conservative Democrats believe in social programs (e.g., Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid). Some want all Americans to have health care coverage and guaranteed pensions, and are vehemently opposed to the idea of privatizing any of these institutions. They are usually religious and almost always Christian. Their ideas about marriage, abortion, and, to an extent, the death penalty, are sometimes more compatible with the Republican way of thinking. Many of them support stem cell research but oppose abortion, a view that has led some to call them hypocrites who hold double standards. In politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes. ... Social Security in the United States is a social insurance program funded through a dedicated payroll tax. ... Medicare is a health insurance program for the elderly and disabled in the USA. It was first passed on July 30, 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson as amendments to Social Security legislation. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ. ... Marriage is a relationship between individuals which often forms the foundation of a family. ... Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty, is the judicially ordered execution of a prisoner as a punishment for a serious crime, often called a capital offense or a capital crime. ... Mouse embryonic stem cells. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ...

This viewpoint is supported by the Pew Research Center and their study "Beyond Red Vs. Blue" [2]. This study identifies Conservative Democrats as one of three core Democratic Party constituencies (the other two being Liberals and Disadvantaged Democrats). Conservative Democrats are distinguishable by liberal views on economic issues (a populist orientation setting them apart from conservative Republicans and explaining their continued allegiance to the Democratic Party), with their conservatism being on other issues: The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the USA and the world. ...

"Religious orientation and conservative views set this group apart from other Democratic-leaning groups on many social and political issues. Conservative Democrats' views are moderate with respect to key policy issues such as foreign policy, regulation of the environment and the role of government in providing a social safety net...Less extreme on moral beliefs than core Republican groups, but most oppose gay marriage and the acceptance of homosexuality, and support a more active role for government in protecting morality. No more conservative than the national average on other social issues such as abortion and stem-cell research. Most oppose the war in Iraq, but views of America's overall foreign policy are mixed..."

According to the Pew Research Center study, Conservative Democrats are 15% of registered voters in the U.S., voted for Kerry over Bush by a 65%-14% margin in 2004, and were identified in past Pew Research Center studies as New Dealers rather than Conservative Democrats, making this group of voters the ideological heirs to FDR's New Deal coalition and the "Vital Center" ideology of the 1950s.

The term Democrats In Name Only has been applied to conservative Democrats by some on the left wing of the party. RINO stands for Republican In Name Only, a disparaging term for a member of the United States Republican Party whose words and actions are thought to be too fiscally or socially liberal. ...

Conservative endorsements of Democratic candidates

During the 2004 election, several high-profile conservative writers endorsed the Presidential campaign of John Kerry, arguing that the Bush Administration was pursuing policies which were anything but conservative. Among the most notable of these endorsements came from Andrew Sullivan and Paul Craig Roberts, while a series of editorials in Pat Buchanan's American Conservative magazine made a conservative case for several candidates, including both Kerry and Ralph Nader, but stopped short of an actual endorsement. Presidential election results map. ... John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Paul Craig Roberts is a former Senior Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, a former assistant secretary of the treasury in the Reagan Administration and a prolific and popular journalist. ... Patrick Joseph Buchanan (born November 2, 1938) is an American author, syndicated columnist, and television commentator. ... Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (born February 27, 1934) is an American attorney and political activist. ...

Hillary Clinton's purported positioning herself as a conservative

Some claim that "The Media" have raised the possibility that Hillary Clinton, by giving speeches in which she said she wants to see the number of US abortions reduced and have better enforcement of US immigration laws, was trying to portray herself as a conservative Democrat so as to prepare for a 2008 presidential campaign. However there appears to be little factual basis for such a claim. Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947), was First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001, as the wife of President Bill Clinton. ...

References

• American Conservative magazine, November 8, 2004 [3]
• Bell, Daniel: The End of Ideology (ISBN 0674004264)
• Brinkley, Alan: Voices of Protest: Huey Long, Father Coughlin, & the Great Depression (ISBN 0394716280)
• Carter, Dan: The Politics of Rage: George Wallace, the Origins of the New Conservatism, and the Transformation of American Politics (ISBN 0807125970)
• Frederickson, Kari: The Dixiecrat Revolt and the End of the Solid South (ISBN 0807849103)
• Hofstadter, Richard: The Age of Reform (ISBN 0394700953)
• Hofstadter, Richard: The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made It (ISBN 0679723153)
• McCarthy, Eugene: A Colony of the World: The United States Today (ISBN 0781802369)
• Miller, Zell: A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat (ISBN 0974537616)
• Perlstein, Rick: Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus (ISBN 0809028581)
• Pew Research Center study, "Beyond Red Vs. Blue" [4]
• Schlesinger, Arthur: The Disuniting of America (ISBN 0393318540)
• Schlesinger, Arthur: The Vital Center (ISBN 0306803232)

External links

• Blue Dog Blog
• Yahoo! Blue Dog Democrats group
• New Democrats Online
• Illinois Democrats conservative Democrats page (unofficial site)
• Right Democrat: a blog for conservative Democrats