Table Of ContentTHE UNDERDOG IN AMERICAN
POLITICS
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND LIBERAL VALUES
KARL G. TRAUTMAN
The Underdog in American Politics
The Underdog in American
Politics
The Democratic Party and
Liberal Values
Karl G. Trautman
Palgrave
macmillan
THE UNDERDOG IN AMERICAN POLITICS
Copyright © Karl G. Trautman, 2010.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2010 978-0-230-10274-3
All rights reserved.
First published in 2010 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-28715-4 ISBN 978-0-230-10770-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230107700
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Trautman, Karl G., 1960–
The underdog in American politics : the democratic party and liberal
values / Karl G. Trautman.
p. cm.
1. Democratic Party (U.S.)—History. 2. Liberalism—United States—
History. 3. United States—Politics and government. I. Title.
JK2316.T73 2009
324.2736—dc22 2009039553
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: June 2010
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
List of Figures vii
Preface ix
1 Introduction 1
2 Culture and Underdogs: The Endearing Appeal 7
3 The Political Culture and Core Ideals of Democrats 23
4 T he Founders and the Great Commoner: Jefferson,
Jackson, and Bryan 43
5 The Glory Days: FDR to Humphrey 65
6 The 1970s and 1980s: McGovern, Carter,
Hart, and Jackson 93
7 The 1990s to 2004: Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and
Howard Dean 125
8 Barack Obama and the Future of the Democratic Party 165
Notes 203
Index 257
Figures
1.1 The structure, scope, and methodology of the book 3
1.2 I nteraction of analytical methods and definitional
components of the underdog concept 5
2.1 Perceptions of the legitimacy of inequality as it
relates to sports 16
3.1 Liberalism and the underdog concept: Social progress 30
3.2 L iberalism and the underdog concept: Goals,
usual results, and emotions 30
3.3 Sympathy, underdogs, and reform 31
6.1 Sympathy, war, and nationalism 99
6.2 T he transformation of an underdog to an overdog and
the creation of a new underdog 114
6.3 The media and the underdog image 115
7.1 The 2000 presidential vote and underdogs 151
8.1 Small donors and the underdog image 190
Preface
T
hanks go out to many people: my colleagues who read various parts
of my writing over the last several years, Amy Zesbaugh who pro-
vided invaluable assistance in helping the book come to comple-
tion, and my wife Deb for realizing how important this book is to me.
It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when my passion for the underdog
began. The easy explanation is that I am a redhead. I realized very early
on in my life that there was a characteristic I had that I could not hide
from anyone. I understood from a very early age how it felt to be differ-
ent. It seemed to me that I had to try harder than anyone just to be part
of the crowd; or equal. That is the curse. The blessing is much stronger;
I sought out other people who were somehow different and began to
understand what they went through.
The comparatively mild form of discrimination I received when
I was young is actually extraordinarily trivial; it cannot in any way
be equated with the harsh examples that individuals and groups have
experienced in the past (and still feel today). However I still remember
it, or part of me does. The feelings of injustice that it brought forth in
me is one of the links I have with underdogs.
Perhaps it began because of when I grew up; I have vague memories
of underdog struggles from my childhood. They include the 1967 sea-
son of the Boston Red Sox, the Impossible Dream song from the play
Man of La Mancha and the assassination of Bobby Kennedy. What do
all of these have in common? They all involve tremendous struggles of
long shots that, ultimately, come up short.
Wherever it began, I have been rooting for underdogs all my life.
I hope this book helps you understand why.
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
The Intent of the Book
The purpose of this book is to explain and analyze the historical and
ideological links of the Democratic Party to underdogs. It is my hope
that the reader will understand how the concept of the underdog has
shaped, and continues to shape, the politics of Democrats. This book
may be used as a tool to harness the power of the underdog for contin-
ued progressive political change.
Why Underdogs? Why Democrats?
It seems that everyone wants to be seen as the underdog. Romantics, ideal-
ists, and do-gooders are drawn to the defense of them. Individuals who
stand up for them are considered heroic. Organizations that represent them
are acclaimed. Nations that fight for their interests are praised. Culture is
shaped by how underdog stories are incorporated into its fabric.
The underdog has a particular appeal to Americans. American society
is defined and influenced by concerns about equality and fairness. It is
also troubled by discrimination, persecution, and injustice— persistent
reminders that many core American ideals fall short of reality. This
unease is expressed through sympathy and empathy and is often played
out on the stage of American politics.
Moreover, there is a process appeal of underdogs as well; Americans
love a good game. Rooting for the team, person, party, or company that
is perceived to be behind in a contest is exciting. If ideals interrelate
with the contest, all the better: thought and emotion combine to pro-
duce political dramas.
The reader may ask: Why the Democratic Party? I believe, as a party,
it best represents the history, culture, and interests of underdogs in
American politics. The ideology of the majority of Democrats is still
some strand of liberalism, however hidden by employing the linguistic
2 ● The Underdog in American Politics
turn of “progressive.” Liberals have historically fought for the “little
guy” (no sexism intended)—the person who does not have much money,
power, or resources to better his or her lot in life. Democrats have also
stood up for groups that have been historically discriminated against
in law and practice: most notably, the poor, women, racial and ethnic
minorities, gays and the disabled.
While there is a story to be written about the Republican Party and
underdogs, it deserves a distinct focus and comprehensive analysis that
is beyond the scope of this book.
What Is an Underdog?
Even though underdogs have an endearing appeal for so many, the defi-
nition of the word is ambiguous. Webster’s gives three definitions, one
being “a person who is handicapped or at a disadvantage because of
injustice, discrimination, etc.”1 The Scholastic Pocket Dictionary defines
the word as a “person, team, or group that is expected to be the loser in
a game, a race, an election, or other contest.”2
On Wikipedia, there is a section labeled “Sympathy for the Underdog.”
Some of the words in that section capture a core component of the idea:
“a social or ethnic group which suffers from discrimination, persecution
and/or economic disability and which on that base gains the sympathy
of public opinion in its own or other countries.”3 Thus it seems that
almost everyone, or anything, could be considered an underdog at some
point in time.
Some people believe that the term came from nineteenth-century
dog fighting: the winner of the contest was the top dog while the loser
of the contest was the underdog.4 There was even a familiar nineteenth-
century song and poem by David Barker titled “The Under Dog in the
Fight.” Its lyrics describe the sentiment many feel when two partici-
pants with unequal power battle each other:
I know that the world, the great big world,
From the peasant up to the king,
Has a different tale from the tale I tell,
And a different song to sing.
But for me—and I care not a single fig
If they say I am wrong or right wrong,
I shall always go for the weaker dog,
For the under dog in the fight.
I know that the world, that the great big world,
Will never a moment stop.
To see which dog may be in the fault,
Introduction ● 3
But will shout for the dog on top.
But for me I shall never pause to ask
Which dog may be in the right
For my heart will beat, while it beats at all.
For the under dog in the fight.
Perchance what I’ve said I had better not said,
Or ’twere better I had said it incog.
But with my heart and with glass filled up to the brim
Here is luck to the under dog.5
As applied in this book, the general contours of an underdog are as
follows:
1. A paramount concern with equality and fairness.
2. The description of a person, group, or nation that is disadvan-
taged because of injustice, persecution, or discrimination.
3. The description of a person, group, nation, or idea that is expected
to lose.
4. An overriding concern with empathy and sympathy.
These contours are diagrammed on figure 1.1.
Concerned
with Equality
and Fairness
Concerned
Disadvantaged
with Sympathy
by
and
Injustice
Empathy
The
Underdog
Is Expected Disadvantaged
to by
Lose Persecution
Disadvantaged
by
Discrimination
Figure 1.1 The structure, scope, and methodology of the book
