We are finally witnessing the decline of corporate Democrats | Robert Reich

Americans are backing progressives not because they want socialism, but because they want candidates who will fight for the working class Most discussions about the Democratic party in this election cycle focus on the remarkable rise of progressive Democrats, such as the Florida state representative Angie Nixon, a democratic socialist who scored an upset win in the Democratic US Senate primary on Tuesday. But an equally big story is the remarkable decline of corporate Democrats. Some Democrats worry about this. My old friend James Carville compares the current wave of progressive primary wins to progressive campaigns in 2016 – especially that of Bernie Sanders – that he believes fractured the Democratic coalition. “Bernie Sanders is the reason that Donald Trump is president,” the Democratic strategist said recently, claiming that Bernie’s primary challenge to Hillary Clinton convinced voters in battleground states that establishment Democrats were no different from establishment Republicans, thereby weakening her prospects in the general election. Even if James is right about 2016 (and I don’t believe he is), his assessment is irrelevant now because we’re at a radically different p