Liberalism has been in crisis for the better part of a decade now. The meanings of the 2024 election will be hotly debated, but one thing isn’t up for discussion: It proved that Trumpism isn’t some freakish aberration from hegemonic American liberalism, a kind of once and done roll of the dice on the part of the people. It has gained real traction, in no small part because a decisive number of voters no longer want to buy what American liberals are selling.
This is a major comedown from the “hope and change” aspirations of the Obama years, when many thought the GOP’s 2008 defeat signaled a sea change in the electorate. Unfortunately, many liberals don’t appear interested in learning from the global surge of right populism and anti-elitism. Indeed, plenty seem happy to insist that the problem wasn’t American liberalism but the American people not being good enough to live up to liberal expectations. Until we liberals recognize why we keep failing, we will never stop. Understanding liberalism’s history will clarify the reasons for our present failures.
Liberalism is not one thing but a family of doctrines. All forms of liberalism share certain core principles and attitudes. But just as someone might be a member of your family and still lead you to wonder how you’re related, liberals often disagree vehemently with one another about the right way to interpret and apply the doctrine. But one kind of liberalism beat out the others, and we are suffering the consequences of its ascent and failures.