Part 2/16:
Veteran political analysts, including Washington bureau chief Carl Cannon, reflect on past Democratic electoral defeats, such as Michael Dukakis losing to George H.W. Bush in 1988, and the dominance of Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon in earlier decades. Cannon notes that the so-called "permanent" Republican electoral college advantage has fluctuated, influenced heavily by the candidates Democrats nominate. The current landscape suggests that the party's ideological shift to the left, away from Southern conservatives and moderates, has diminished the party’s electoral versatility. Historically, Southern conservative democrats—often called "yellow dogs"—played a moderating role, but they have largely disappeared, leaving a party primarily driven by progressive voices like Bernie Sanders and AOC.