Decline of the New Deal Coalition (Essay Sample)

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Decline of the New Deal Coalition
Franklin Roosevelt created the New Deal Coalition - a political coalition in the 1930s. The New Deal coalition brought together voting blocks and interest groups that supported the new-fangled political grouping. Those who were part of the New Deal voted for presidential candidates fronted by the Democrats. Accordingly, the Democratic Party became the majority party throughout the Fifth Party System between 1932 and 1968. Apparently, Democratic candidates won during presidential elections all through that period, losing only in 1952 and 1956 to Dwight Eisenhower. Apart from the Democratic Party loyalists, Roosevelt brought on board different labor unions, big city machines, intellectuals, minorities (ethnic, racial and religious), and white southerners. Incidentally, Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945), Harry S. Truman (1945-1953), John F. Kennedy (1961-1963), Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969), and Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) were all American Presidents during the aforementioned period essentially elected on Democratic Party’s ticket.
The decline of the New Deal coalition has significantly affected the recent developments in American politics. The decline of the political coalition brought to an end Democratic Party’s dominance in American politics. For example, the Republicans have produced a considerable number of presidential candidates who have went ahead to win an election after the New Deal coalition ended in the early 1980s. Almost every Democrat and Republican presidential candidate had equal chance of winning an election between 1980 and 2008. The working class, poor Southerners, and affluent as well as middle class Southern whites left the Democratic Party following successful passage of the Civil Rights Act (1964). Party identification rather than the New Deal became a strong predictor of the actual voting. That is, those who identified with the Republican or Democratic Party voted for their respective party of choice.
Moreover, social and cultural aspects became fundamental to voting and major political decisions in America. In addition, there has been a major shift in terms of composition of working class whites in favor or against the Democratic Party despite being ardent supporters of the party in the New Deal period. More white southerners ended up shifting right in their views thereby showing even much stronger support to the Republicans. Republicans produced more Presidents in America after the decline of the New Deal coalition. For example, Ronald Reagan (1981-1989), George H. W. Bush (1989-1993), and George W. Bush (2001-2009) were all Republican Presidents. On the other hand, only two presidents namely Bill Clinton (1993-2001) and Barrack Obama (2009-present) have so far been elected on Democratic Party’s ticket.
The strength and characteristics of American political parties have changed considerably since the decline of the New Deal coalition. Americans no longer vot...