Forging a New Democratic Party: the Politics of the Third Way from Clinton to Obama
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
FORGING A NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY: THE POLITICS OF THE THIRD WAY FROM CLINTON TO OBAMA CURTIS ATKINS A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN POLITICAL SCIENCE YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO May 2015 © Curtis Atkins 2015 ABSTRACT This dissertation analyzes the evolution of the American Democratic Party’s ideological orientation from 1985 to 2014. The central problem is to develop an understanding of how shifts in political-economic context and factional agency combine to produce alterations in the predominant ideology of a U.S. political party. The primary question posed is how the centrist perspective known as the ‘third way’ replaced the left-liberalism of the New Deal and Great Society eras as the guiding public philosophy of the Democratic Party. Whereas many scholars propose that the modern third way revisionism of center-left parties is explained primarily as electoral opportunism or as an adoption of the political logic of the New Right, this study focuses on how changes in political economy (particularly the transition from Keynesianism to neoliberalism) prompted the elaboration of an alternative ideological framework that sought to adapt to new times. In the U.S. case, the primary agent of this process of ideological reorientation was the New Democrat faction, most well-known for its connection to President Bill Clinton. Combining qualitative document analysis and focused interviews with personnel from the think-tanks and policy institutes of the New Democrat faction and its competitors, the dissertation finds that the initiation and maintenance of reorientation is dependent on a faction’s success in elaborating and continually ‘decontesting’ an alternative framework that de-legitimatizes a party’s pre-existing ideological commitments. Adapting Michael Freeden’s approach to the study of ideologies, a conceptual morphology, or map, of third way politics is presented that centers on the particular meanings of opportunity, responsibility, and community elaborated by the New Democrats. These ‘decontested’ concepts signified a commitment to equality of opportunity over egalitarian outcomes, a vision of the welfare state centered on obligation rather than entitlement, and a ii devotion to communitarian rather than class or identity politics. By analyzing the process of continuous decontestation engaged in by this faction, the dissertation argues that the third way not only constitutes a distinct ideological system, but that it has been the predominant policymaking outlook of the Democratic Party for nearly a quarter century – stretching from Clinton to Obama and possibly beyond. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation has been several years in the making and has gone through countless revisions from the proposal stage up to this final product. I owe a great deal to my supervisory committee for sticking with me through this project and generously offering their time and assistance. I express my thanks first of all to my supervisor, Greg Albo. His guidance over the past several years has had an impact on me that is not just academic, but also political and personal. My understanding of political economy, as well as my teaching style, owe a great deal to him. He challenged my thinking but always encouraged me to stick to my values. Dan Cohn provided not only excellent comments and critiques on the dissertation, but also the opportunity to develop as a teacher. Enrolling in his Democratic Administration course exposed me to the study of policy formulation and evaluation in a much deeper way than I had gotten from any of my previous classes. Thanks to his support, I had the chance to teach “Federalism and Public Policy” for three years, during which time I learned a lot about Canadian politics and even more about mentoring my own students. I am indebted to Thomas Klassen for his kind, but relentless prodding since the earliest drafts. He pushed me to devote serious thinking to what my research question really was and what my contributions to the field of political science actually were. He never let me settle for mediocre formulations. Thank you to the other members of my examining committee as well. With her long history of experience in and knowledge of the movements for social change in the United States, Frances Fox Piven brought a critical eye to my dissertation and provided many suggestions that will inevitably strengthen my future academic pursuits. My chair, Leo Panitch, has provided a iv friendly challenge to my political assumptions ever since I arrived at York. Conversations with him are something I continue to value, even when he accuses me of possessing ‘Menshevik’ tendencies. Mark Thomas brought his expertise in labor unions and populism to bear on my conclusions. I have also learned that no graduate student can be successful without the aid and support of the staff that help navigate the intricacies of academia and administration. In this regard, Judy Matadial and Marlene Quesenberry in the Political Science Department and Maria Abbatangelo and Margo Barreto in the School of Public Policy and Administration are deserving of particular mention. My thanks also go to the Tokyo Foundation, which supported my research at both the Master’s and Ph.D. levels with a Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship. Without these awards, I most certainly would not have been able to attend graduate school at York University. Special appreciation, as always, goes to my mother, Nikki. From the years working to provide for me when she was a single mom, to her support when I decided to set out from Arkansas and head north to Canada, she has always given me her uncompromising love and dedication. I still consider myself lucky to be her son. And finally, I express my greatest appreciation to my partner in life, Tan Thiam Chuan. We met just a few weeks before I completed my Master’s degree, so he has been by my side throughout this entire long journey of earning a Ph.D. He supported me emotionally, financially, and in every other way. He put up with boxes of papers and stacks of books cluttering our home for many years, and I hope I can someday repay him for his patient and understanding heart. He pledged to ‘wait for me’ and never failed to be there when my confidence flagged and I needed him most. Thank you, TTC. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... vi LIST OF ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES .............................................................................................. x 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 1 Ideological Struggle in Context .................................................................................................. 3 Assessing the New Democrats and Their Ideas .......................................................................... 5 Parties and Factions .................................................................................................................. 10 Democrats and Social Democrats ............................................................................................. 17 Outline of the Study .................................................................................................................. 24 2. MAPPING THIRD WAY IDEOLOGY ................................................................................... 29 Defining Ideology ..................................................................................................................... 32 Marxist and Functionalist Approaches ..................................................................................... 35 Bridging the Two Perspectives ................................................................................................. 42 Conceptual Morphology and Decontestation ............................................................................ 45 Ideological Morphology – Arranging and Ranking Concepts .................................................. 54 Critiques of the Morphological Approach and Concept Contestability .................................... 57 Mapping the Third Way – Opportunity, Responsibility, Community ...................................... 60 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 71 3. THE WAY WE WERE: THE CENTER-LEFT BEFORE THE THIRD WAY ...................... 73 Democrats ................................................................................................................................. 76 Social Democrats ...................................................................................................................... 87 Convergence I: The Keynesian Consensus ............................................................................... 95 Things Fall Apart: The Neoliberal Challenge ........................................................................