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Article: Question: will the Democratic Party go the way of the Whigs?(two opposing views)
- Article from:
- Insight on the News
- Article date:
- July 31, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Yes. They lack new ideas to replace old, failed ones.
We have seen this before.
The Whigs of the 1840s and 1850s were, like modern Democrats, hopelessly divided over basic human freedoms and the role of the federal government. One faction, the "Cotton Whigs," obstinately supported slavery. The other group, the "Conscience Whigs," committed itself to ending the practice. William Pennington, one of the last leaders of the Whig Party, was the last speaker to lose reelection. It was no coincidence.
With the defeat of Speaker Tom Foley 134 years later, history repeated itself. An unabashed defender of the failed welfare state, Foley shared a ...