The useful veneer of the aging Democrat | Government/Opinion – City-sentinel
President Joe Biden is now 80 years old. He will be 82 when he campaigns for the 2024 presidency and a clearly debilitated 86 should he be elected and fill out his second term. He has been in government for over a half-century.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and current representative from California is 83.
Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the second-ranking Democratic House member behind Pelosi, was House majority leader until early this year. He is 83, and has been an elected official for nearly 60 years.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is 72, with 48 years in elected government.
Democratic luminary and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, Senator Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., is 89, and ailing after 53 years as an elected official.
James Clyburn, D-S.C., is House minority whip and 82.
These are the official faces of the Democratic Party.
They came into power and maturity three decades ago during the Clinton years of 1993-1999.
Decades ago, they sometimes supported strong national defense, secure borders, gas and oil development, fully funding the police, and a few restrictions on partial-birth abortions.
Not now.
Their role has changed from that of liberals of the Clinton era to serving as the thin power-holding veneer that masks the new real Democratic Party.
The party has been changed beyond recognition by Senators Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., the so-called Squad, the Congressional Black Caucus, newly elected senators like the Georgia duo of Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock and Antifa and Black Lives Matter.
Yet Biden and company are still familiar American faces.
Their final role is to acculturate the electorate to the new Democratic Party.
Its radicals are breathing down their necks to get out of the way. Yet for a while longer they still need such an ossified veneer of respectability to ease the transition to what is now essentially a socialist-European green party.
This new Democratic Party believes in defunding the police.
It supports the George-Soros-funded state and city district attorneys.
These prosecutors seek either to release violent criminals without bail or reduce their felonies to misdemeanors.
Critical legal and race theories are their creeds. So they argue that crimes have little to do with individual free will.
Criminals are not deterred by tough enforcement of the laws. Instead, crime reflects arbitrary constructs of a racially oppressive hierarchy.
They believe the woke revolution of using race and gender in lieu of a meritocracy should dominate government and corporate boardrooms.
Racial separation in graduations, dorms, and university programs are needed reparations.
Big Tech is their ally. All the better when it partners with government, especially the FBI and CIA, to suppress misinformation and disinformation.
They believe gender is socially constructed. Thus transitioning biological males can and should compete in womens sports.
They want a Green New Deal right now, one that calls for the abolition of natural gas and oil for electricity generation and transportation.
Abortion is seen as a God-given right even as a baby passes through the birth canal.
Climate change is their religion, trumping any concern for the viability of the middle-class suffering from inflation, high interest rates, and recession.
They want semiautomatic rifles to be banned. Concealed handgun permits should be almost impossible to obtain.
The more voters skip Election Day through mail-in balloting and early voting, the better.
There is no longer dark money, only useful correct money.
The more that Silicon Valley and Wall Street grandees quietly reroute hundreds of millions of dollars into hard-Left PACs and nonpartisan causes, the more the donors should expect lucrative crony-capitalist green deals and government concessions.
Much of the ideology of the new Democratic Party arose in academia, like critical race theory and modern monetary theory. The giveaway word is theory a mask for any absurd doctrine that can be dressed up as a sophisticated new idea.
When Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the new Democratic minority leader in the House or Elizabeth Warren in the Senate advocate these positions, the voters recoil. That pushback is understandable, since almost none of these notions poll above 50 percent.
The role of a calcified Biden, Pelosi, Feinstein, Hoyer, or Clyburn is to reassure voters through their notoriety and apparently staid exteriors that they are hardly the sort to embrace revolution, although that is exactly what they do.
Ol Joe Bidens old guard and the new hard Left play a game of mutual advantage.
The new majority of radical Democrats allows the old fogies to bask in the limelight until they drop exempt from counter-revolutionary criticism or inter-party primary challenges or demands to retire.
In return, the codgers reassure the nation that old faces like theirs cannot possibly be polyester revolutionary socialists despite their role in airbrushing and photoshopping the radical catastrophe unfolding before our eyes.
---------
ABOUT THE WRITER
---------
(Victor Davis Hanson is a distinguished fellow of the Center for American Greatness. He is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and the author of The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won, from Basic Books. You can reach him by e-mailing authorvdh@gmail.com.)
Read more:
The useful veneer of the aging Democrat | Government/Opinion - City-sentinel
- A Trump-voting Nebraska pastor is running for Senate as a Democrat. He insists its in good faith. - Flatwater Free Press - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]
- Outrage grows as Democrat candidate linked to sanctuary policies gains ground in California - Fox Business - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]
- One House Democrat is pressing Commerce on the governments spyware use - CyberScoop - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]
- Silicon Valley sees only one 'sane' Democrat running for governor: a 43-year-old former tech executive - Fortune - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]
- The MAGA and Democrat redistricting fight is at an inflection point - Epicenter NYC - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]
- Democrat Chedrick Greenes win in Michigan state Senate election gives the party another over-performance - CNN - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]
- How billionaires are helping Democrat James Talarico in the U.S. Senate race - Houston Chronicle - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]
- Fetterman should remain a Democrat and get back to what he was elected to do, says Shapiro - PennLive.com - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]
- Senate committee passes congressional redistricting special election bill over Democrat claims of new Jim Crow - 1819 News - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]
- Democrat running for U.S. Senate receives $1 million in donations in campaigns first week - Kansas Reflector - May 5th, 2026 [May 5th, 2026]
- The Democrat Agenda: Undermining Homeland Security, Empowering Threats - House Committee on Appropriations (.gov) - May 5th, 2026 [May 5th, 2026]
- No one thinks a Democrat can win Montanas eastern U.S. House seat except the two Democrats facing off for a chance to try - Montana Free Press - May 5th, 2026 [May 5th, 2026]
- House Democrat seeks answers from USPTO head on Board of Peace trademarks - Reuters - May 5th, 2026 [May 5th, 2026]
- In Mississippi, a Democrat Challenges the Senator Who Blocked His Judgeship - The New York Times - May 5th, 2026 [May 5th, 2026]
- Interview: Democrat party leader talks strategy ahead of primary election - WFYI - May 5th, 2026 [May 5th, 2026]
- Spring Township Democrat running to represent 5th District in Harrisburg - Reading Eagle - May 5th, 2026 [May 5th, 2026]
- He nearly joined Trumps administration. Now hes running for Congress as a Democrat. - The Washington Post - May 5th, 2026 [May 5th, 2026]
- More examples of the Democrat-Abortion axis - Washington Examiner - May 5th, 2026 [May 5th, 2026]
- Big projects coming to TxDOT managed roadways May 4-8 - Herald Democrat - May 5th, 2026 [May 5th, 2026]
- Attorneys general urged to revisit contracts with Shady Eight Democrat-donating firms - Washington Examiner - May 5th, 2026 [May 5th, 2026]
- The Texas Democrat Who Wants to Make Quinceaeras Great Again - The New Yorker - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Progressive Democrat Analilia Mejia wins New Jersey special election for US House - The Guardian - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Democrat Analilia Mejia will win House special election in New Jersey, further narrowing GOP majority - CNN - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Bernie Sanders, AOC-backed Democrat wins key House race as GOP fails to expand fragile majority - Fox News - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Pet of the week: Brie - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- PD Editorial: Mobile response teams are a success. Dont stop funding them. - The Press Democrat - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Lift every voice and sing | Clergy Corner - Daily Democrat - April 19th, 2026 [April 19th, 2026]
- Tallahassee Democrat wins journalism Gold Medal for 6th time in 8 years - Tallahassee Democrat - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Former Chair of PA Democrat Party Makes the Case for More Pipelines - Marcellus Drilling News - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Top Oversight Democrat says Democrats are very open to both Bondi and Blanche depositions - MS NOW - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- GOP Officials Cross Party Lines To Support Democrat Targeted By TMZ - Yahoo - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Could a Democrat really win Marjorie Taylor Greene's conservative district? This retired Army general is trying - PBS - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Ohio Democrat on why it's time to end the Iran war - WBUR - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- This Democrat and Republican Want to Help Americans in Rural Areas Buy Houses - NOTUS News of the United States - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- NBC News | House Democrat to introduce bill to bar Trump's signature from appearing on dollar bills - U.S. Representative Jimmy Gomez (.gov) - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Meet the Democrat who wants to bring a supermajority to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors - NBC 7 San Diego - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Republican-backed ad ties Democrat to Trump during primary race - Yahoo - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- President Trumps Working Families Tax Cuts (Which Every Democrat Opposed) Is Delivering Historic Relief - The White House (.gov) - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Rascals in both parties in full self-preservation mode - The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Dow surges more than 1,100 - The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Trump-Voting Pastor Accused of Running for Senate as a Democrat to Sour Nebraskas Chance of Flipping Blue - People.com - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Could a Democrat really replace Marjorie Taylor Greene? This retired Army general is trying - AP News - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- WisGOP Response to Dismissal of Democrat Redistricting Lawsuit - Urban Milwaukee - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Back to the Future actor Tolkan dies at 94 - The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Call it the $ixth District: Democrat vying for Representative Seth Moultons seat pours $2 million into campaign - The Boston Globe - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Seth Campbell: The reasoning behind a Tennessee Democrat - Main Street Media of Tennessee - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Democrat candidates hope to fill Biggs seat in Congress - yourvalley.net - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- The campus tour of Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and the dead end of pseudo-left politics - World Socialist Web Site - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Can a Democrat Make Headway With Trump? New Yorks Governor Is Trying. - The New York Times - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Meet the Florida Democrat who's now representing Trump's district - CBS News - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Democrat's win in District 87 a message to Trump and GOP | Editorial - Palm Beach Daily News - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- Emotional Woodland shines in Houston - The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- NFL owners have rule alterations to discuss - The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - March 30th, 2026 [March 30th, 2026]
- What to Know About Democrat Emily Gregorys Win in Florida - The New York Times - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- House Democrat accused of misspending covid-19 money could be expelled - The Washington Post - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Upstate businessman is third Democrat to join SC Governors race - FOX Carolina - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, a Democrat widely seen as a likely 2028 presidential candidate, said that he regretted describing Israel as an... - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Democrat Emily Gregory pulls off upset win in Trumps backyard - KATV - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Third Democrat enters SC governors race, saying the state is not ready for population boom - Post and Courier - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Democrat says GOP using shutdown of TSA as 'leverage' - CNN - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Democrat Emily Gregory won a Florida special election, defeating Trump-endorsed Jon Maples in a district with a Republican voter-registration... - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Smith-Allen, Shephard vying for Democratic nomination to succeed Love in Arkansas Senate District 15 - The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- At last, the thaw is here - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Arkansas Democratic Party focused on keeping current seats, then winning flippable ones, chairman says - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- The Lone Democrat Who Voted Against the Bipartisan Housing Bill - Time Magazine - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Retired General Shawn Harris is a Democrat Running for MTG's Seat in Congress - Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- War Stirs Mixed Feelings for the Only Iranian American Democrat in Congress - The New York Times - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Judge partially backs Democrat Kennedy Center trustee in lawsuit over renaming - WBAL News Radio - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Democrat Julie Stauch exits race for Iowa governor after petition issues - KCCI - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Democrat Mark Martinez cant run for Douglas County sheriff, new election commissioner rules - News From The States - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Burlington Democrat Bob Hooper resigns from House committee over sexual harassment allegations - WCAX - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Three Republicans, one Democrat trying to fill vacant state House seat for Baton Rouge area - WBRZ - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Sen Fetterman: Every Democrat has agreed on Irans nuclear ambitions - Fox News - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- TSA rolls out video warning travelers of long wait times, blaming 'Democrat shutdown' - abcnews.com - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Urgent-Tribute to Foreigner Live at the Milton Theater, Milton DE - The Star Democrat - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Baseball: Montgomerys Rabinovitz tournament returns, now in its 30th year - The Press Democrat - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Long-serving Democrat will run for an 18th term in Congress - The Seattle Times - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- This Texas Democrat won a race he thought he dropped out of. Now what? - Austin American-Statesman - March 11th, 2026 [March 11th, 2026]
- Democrat Shawn Harris to face Trump-endorsed Republican Clay Fuller in runoff to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, CNN projects - CNN - March 11th, 2026 [March 11th, 2026]
- BREAKING: NH Democrat Delivers Stunning Flip in GOP Territory, Marking Latest Rebuke to GOP in Special Elections - Democratic Legislative Campaign... - March 11th, 2026 [March 11th, 2026]