The Five Americas of New Politics for the Next Economy

 American political history looks messy up close. Zoom out and a pattern emerges.

From Jefferson to Lincoln, Democrats dominated — organizing the country around land, expanding the nation's territory threefold, building an economy of farmers and settlers. From Lincoln to FDR, Republicans dominated — organizing around capital, building railroads and factories, transforming raw materials into industrial wealth. From FDR to Reagan, Democrats dominated again — organizing around labor, creating full employment, then expanding who got to participate in the economy through education, civil rights, and inclusion.

In each era, one party identified the defining resource of its time, built institutions to unlock it, and governed for a generation.

 

Since Reagan, neither party has dominated. Power has split, and the focus has shifted from material problems - land, capital, labor - to cultural ones. Government has become less the architect of great national projects and more the arena for tribal conflict.

That pattern is not an accident. It is a consequence of how parties – and Americans – have thought about their economy and progress. A fifth America is possible.