Long-time readers of PJ Media know that I am a former Democrat, back from what we now view through the mists of time as an era when people who leaned left were known as “liberals.” Yes, I was raised with all of the accoutrements that came with a Leftist upbringing, but there were plenty of Democrats out there who were not raised with Peter, Paul, and Mary and the notion that the first thing a young man had to do on his 18th birthday was burn his draft card, if he did not register as a conscientious objector.
Mrs. Brown’s parents were Democrats. Her father was a union man who drove a forklift at a tool and die factory in Pittsburgh. He was an avid hunter and a Korean War veteran who worked his entire life to provide for his family. Some years ago, we went back to Pittsburgh to attend her family reunion. She took me to all of her favorite places, which included a stop at Primanti Brothers and Yinzers, a Steelers fan store in the Terminal Strip district. We visited the house where she grew up and her childhood haunts, and we stopped by her father’s old factory.
It wasn’t a factory anymore; that operation was a casualty of the economic woes that hammered the Rust Belt. But there was still some light industry. As we got out of the car, we could smell the creosote in the power poles, the asphalt baking in the sun, and the smell of urban vegetation slowly reasserting itself. And there was the unmistakable scent of machinery and grease. My wife turned to me and said, “That’s what America smells like.” As a writer, I was impressed by her observation. Also, as a writer, I was mad as hell that I didn’t think of it first. But her point was well-taken. That smell is a reminder of the working-class people of all colors who built America.
The Democrat Party was not always a mob of people fixated on racism, white supremacy, antisemitism, socialism, and violent overthrow of the status quo. Sure, those things were in vogue during the ’60s, and the undercurrent of anger has been part and parcel of the Left for years. But there was a time when many Democrats were, in fact, hardworking people who believed that their party was standing for them.
That line of thinking is anachronistic in more ways than one: many of the Left’s leaders have been unmasked as avaricious, attention-seeking power mongers. And the rank and file have been replaced by an increasingly vocal and dangerous mob that only lacks the stereotypical pitchforks and torches because its members have no idea what a hardware store is.
That, of course, has become a problem for those who would like to see the party assume some semblance of sanity, but recognize that the vocal minority may not be a minority anymore.
Take, for example, the recent appearance by Dan Turrentine on Sean Hannity’s show. Turrentine is an ex-Democratic strategist, former lobbyist, and was once a Capitol Hill Chief of Staff. He now hosts TV shows on YouTube. I was surprised at Turrentine’s candid assessment of the Democratic Party. I was equally surprised that Hannity let a guest complete a sentence:
🚨NEW: @danturrentine *RIPS* Dems over “TWO BIG PROBLEMS”🚨
“It’s horrifying that the party just will not come to grips with the depth of its problems and do the things to get out of it.”
“The first is our leadership — such as it is — is terrified of being cancelled.”
“And the… pic.twitter.com/RypaVNwINx
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) August 7, 2025
Chuck Schumer may be a Clinton-era Democrat, but he has also tried to warm up to Zohran Mamdani since he has every reason to be terrified of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. It is common knowledge that the party has no plan, but it would appear that the party leaders plan to remain in power as long as they can.
There may be those who recognize that their party is running out of room on the way to the edge of a cliff, and that it needs to return to its credo of championing the common man. However, they are outmaneuvered by leaders who enjoy power and privilege. And they are quickly becoming surrounded by young voters who embrace socialism without ever having lived under it, demand a new French Revolution while knowing nothing about the Reign of Terror, and shout anti-Jew slogans from behind a keffiyeh without the slightest clue who they are parroting. They want the fun and excitement of chaos without having to clean up after it. And they will be the new face of the party, even if the cooler heads are running scared.
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