New Democrats, R.I.P.

Blogger Orrin Judd writes at TCS that the New Democratic Philosophy of Bill Clinton is dead. He notes that Social Security reform, once embraced by the likes of former Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey, is now attacked by Democrats.

Orrin says that George W. Bush's run as a "compassionate conservative" had a more than passing resemblance to Clinton's own "third way" policies, and the co-opting of the Democrats helps explain their current malaise. Similarly, Tony Blair has co-opted the Tories so that, like America's Democrats, they're sidelined by the determined and visionary leadership of the opposition. He says that John Howard of Australia is pursuing a "conservative version of the third way." Their common ground?

In the face of overwhelming evidence that electoral victory is gained by moving toward the center, what have today's Democrats done? Embrace the bitter, loony left, of course, as their petulant treatment of Condoleezza Rice shows. Any party whose public face is Barbara Boxer's, or which casts itself as the reactionary wing of American politics, is sure to lose. Which is why Hillary, a true left-winger if ever there was one, is desperate to be perceived as a natural centrist. But will her compatriots notice?