July 17, 2007 05:37 PM UTC

Can National Dems Rekindle the Populist Wildfire In the West?

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• by: davidsirota

A week ago, I wrote about how the jobs/outsourcing/globalization issue is starting to hit the Rocky Mountain region in a way that could allow it to become a central political issue much the same way it has become one in the Midwest. And now, thanks to a new crop of Democratic populists, it seems the national Democratic Party is getting the message.

Check out Virginia Sen. Jim Webb’s (D) comments today, and look at how Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (D) is “retooling” his campaign to focus more on economic issues, according to the Washington Post. This is the result of years of political pressure emanating up from a nation struggling with increasing economic insecurity and sick of bought-off politicians doing Big Money’s bidding.

This region wasn’t a hotbed of iconic Democratic firebrands like Mike Mansfield, Lee Metcalf, Pat Williams, Cecil Andrus, Mo Udall and Frank Church for nothing. And it wasn’t just a coincidence that the rise of the Wall Street/Rubin wing of the Democratic Party happened at the same time the Democratic Party out here faltered. Now it looks like the center of the Democratic Party is swinging back to its populist roots – that is, away from Washington’s faux center, and back to the actual center of American public opinion on major economic issues. I’d say this bodes well for Democrats, especially out here in the traditionally populist Mountain West.