To quote John Kerry’s infamous gaffe during the 2004 presidential campaign: “I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it.” He was referencing a supplemental appropriation for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. That moment, meant as nuance, instead became symbolic of a much broader pattern in Democratic politics, a trend of shifting positions to suit the political winds of the day.

What was once seen as a singular misstep has become a template. Today, the Democratic Party frequently champions contradictory positions, often within the span of a single election cycle. Here is a short list of positions they were once staunchly for, until they became vocal against them. One thing is certain, if Trump is for it, the Democrats are against it.

1. Tariffs

• Then: Historically, many Democrats supported tariffs to protect American jobs and industry.
• Now: Many oppose tariffs as “economic nationalism,” criticizing policies like Trump’s tariffs on China, despite their role in countering unfair trade practices and protecting domestic manufacturing. (Do I sense a little Trump Derangement Syndrome)?

2. Illegal Immigration

• Then: In 1995, Bill Clinton declared, “All Americans… are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country.”
• Now: Democrats now support sanctuary cities and resist efforts to deport or deter illegal entry, often conflating legal immigration with illegal border crossings. In my opinion, even the Supreme Court got it wrong.

3. Crime

• Then: Joe Biden authored the 1994 Crime Bill, which imposed tougher sentences and expanded law enforcement.
• Now: Democrats advocate for defunding the police and decriminalizing certain offenses, even amid rising crime in major cities across the country.

4. Border Security

• Then: In 2006, Senators Biden, Obama, and Clinton voted for the Secure Fence Act.
• Now: Building a border wall now is considered xenophobic and unnecessary by the Democrats.

5. Same-Sex Marriage

• Then: In 2008, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton publicly opposed same-sex marriage, supporting civil unions instead.
• Now: According to Democrats, any opposition to same-sex marriage is deemed bigoted and outside the bounds of acceptable political discourse.

6. Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

• Then: Democrats used to criticize spending and promised fiscal responsibility.
• Now: Multi-trillion-dollar spending bills are passed with minimal oversight, often packed with non-essential earmarks and subsidies.

7. Law Enforcement

• Then: The left supported community policing and federal grants to hire more officers.
• Now: The “Defund the Police” movement is embraced by Democrats. While January 6^th was the “crime of the century” according to Democrats, looting and burning businesses while resisting and causing violence against police officers was, “mostly peaceful”.

8. War on Drugs

• Then: Democratic leadership supported tough-on-crime measures and anti-drug campaigns.
• Now: Democrats back decriminalization of hard drugs despite evidence of negative public health and safety impacts. Fentanyl coming across our borders and killing 209 Americans every single DAY in 2023 was seemingly tolerated by the Open Border Policy of the O’Biden administration.

9. The Filibuster

• Then: Celebrated as a tool for minority party rights, especially when Republicans held the majority.
• Now: Decried as a relic of Jim Crow when it stands in the way of progressive legislation.

10. Fair Elections

• Then: Democrats demanded secure elections and warned about foreign interference. An example is the 2016 Russian narrative – proven to be a false narrative but continues to this day.
• Now: They dismiss concerns over election integrity and oppose voter ID laws, despite polls showing widespread public support. The party that supposedly is there to protect minorities believes they are not smart enough to get an ID. Weird how everyone needs an ID to drive, get a credit card, fly on an airplane, rent a car, book a hotel, and numerous other instances.

11. Balanced Budgets

• Then: President Clinton once boasted about running a surplus.
• Now: Massive deficit spending is routine, justified by social justice or climate-related goals, despite the last 41 climate predictions never happened. Makes one wonder what the next 41 will be?

12. The Border Wall

• Then: The Secure Fence Act passed with bipartisan support.
• Now: Democrats block funding for physical barriers, dismissing them as ineffective and racist, as illegals pour into the country with nefarious intentions, robbing, raping, and murdering American citizens. Plus, the number of immigrant children who go missing, believed to be nearly 300,000 children. What do you suppose happened to them?

13. The Middle-Class Worker

• Then: Democrats claimed to be the party of the working class.
• Now: Policies often prioritize coastal elites, identity politics, and globalist priorities over blue-collar concerns.

14. Presidential Term Limits

• Then: The two-term limit was a bipartisan principle.
• Now: Democrats have flirted with extending term limits or bypassing democratic norms through judicial or legislative activism, but only when Democrats are in power.

15. Protecting Women and Children

• Then: Feminist movements rallied around protecting women’s spaces and rights.
• Now: Women’s sports and shelters are under threat from radical gender ideology that disregards biological reality. Not only are women at risk of sustaining major injuries in some sports, they are also required to share locker rooms with biological men, regardless that it compromises their privacy, safety, and dignity.

16. Parental Rights

• Then: Parental involvement in education was encouraged.
• Now: Parents who voice concerns at school board meetings have been labeled “domestic threats” by federal authorities and some have been escorted out or arrested for speaking their mind at school board meetings.

17. Saved the Best for Last

• Then: The Democrat party hailed Donald Trump as a hero and even Jesse Jackson once praised Trump for his lifetime of helping black and minority communities.
• Now: Trump is a racist. (This has become the favored mantra of the Democrat party against any conservative they don’t like). The hatred for Trump by the left has been labeled Trump Derangement Syndrome. If Trump cured cancer the left would criticize him for putting doctors out of work.

This list could go on and on. These contradictions are not simply the evolution of ideas or policy refinement. they reflect a deeper issue: a political strategy guided more by polls and power than principle. The Democratic Party’s recent pattern of reversals suggests a troubling lack of ideological consistency.

As voters, we must ask: If a party can be for something before being against it, how can we trust them to govern with conviction?