Throughout history, every so often in American politics, the parties shift and evolve and split and reform. From the very beginning, the Federalists and Anti-Federalists had different ideas and agendas. Even though they weren’t true parties, they evolved into the Federalist and Democratic-Republican Parties. Even then, there was not complete agreement when James Monroe, a Federalist, differed with Alexander Hamilton over the forming of a political party.

At times the change resulted from a powerful figure reorganizing around his thoughts, and sometimes it resulted from disagreements in the party over the platform.

In more modern times, William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt fought for control of the Republican Party, Franklin Delano Roosevelt reorganized the Democratic Party into its current identity controlled membership by pulling small factions together with promises of jobs, and Barry Goldwater worked within the Conservative Coalition to bring about change within the Republican Party.

I believe that we may be in a time that we will look back on as the beginning of a change within the Democratic Party. As the primary drags on, it is becoming obvious that the identity politics they have used for so long may be working against them. As high-minded elitists and young impressionable voters swing toward Barack Obama, and the working class and older Democrats stick with Hillary Clinton, it’s becoming clear that there is room for dissension within the party. When Howard Dean is your leader, don’t expect the upper echelon to save the party.

In fact, the very selection of Dean as the party Chairman shows how far left the Democrats are moving, leaving behind the Southern conservatives that have been party faithfuls for many generations. I think it is safe to to say that the party will not split, even if Clinton is handed the nomination at convention, but that this could be the beginning of the end in a few years if the hurt is deep rooted.

This sort of thing should be expected when your party is based on who you are in society and not a set of beliefs and ideas on how to make people, and their lives, better.

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