Once upon a time, liberals were champions of democracy. From the early 19th century until the mid-1960s, liberalism was distinguished by a passion for Lincoln’s government of the people, by the people and for the people. Liberals pioneered universal suffrage – extending the franchise in successive stages to poor whites, women and blacks. The Populist movement secured the direct election of Senators, as well as initiative and referendum (allowing voters to bypass their representatives and legislate at the ballot box).Harry Truman, Hubert Humphrey, John F. Kennedy and other liberals of a bygone era weren’t elitists who feared the common man....
