First appearance on FOXFormer Vice President Mike Pence’s conservative think tank points to a major shift to the left over the past few decades.
“Over the past 50 years, the Democratic Party has increasingly abandoned ordinary Americans and aligned itself with the most extreme extremists,” says a new memo from the American Association for the Advancement of Freedom (AAF) released ahead of next week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
“Here is one example of a position Democrats have taken in past platforms that they are now attacking Republicans for sharing many of the same ideas,” the memo said. “With the next convention scheduled for August 2024, there is still time for Democrats to re-emerge as the party of moderates.”
Tim Scott says Americans are ‘smarter’ than Harris on economy amid controversial plan unveiling
Former Vice President Mike Pence’s organization has highlighted the contrast between the Democratic National Committee’s current and past positions. (Getty Images)
The group noted that Pence himself was a Democrat until he changed his party registration in 1983. “President Ronald Reagan was a registered Democrat until 1962,” it added.
The Democratic Party has “arguably” changed more over the years than the Republican Party, said John Shelton, policy director for the AAF, which released a similar memo last month exploring changes to the Republican National Convention platform.
“Their policies were a total repudiation of what the party once was,” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
‘The rent is too expensive’: Rosen criticised for Biden vote and rising housing costs
The group highlighted Democrats’ past positions on some issues to demonstrate their marked shifts. On abortion, Pence’s group recalled Democratic National Convention platforms from the 1980s and 1990s that acknowledged “religious and ethical concerns” about abortion and set a goal of making abortion “rare.”
Homeland Security and FBI investigating intelligence about possible Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to begin in Chicago next week. (Brian Casella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Shelton cited abortion and illegal immigration as the two biggest issues on which the party has shifted course the most.
The AAF memo highlighted the strong language the DNC used in 1996 against illegal immigration, calling it “unacceptable” and “must be stopped.”
‘Pregnant women’: Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown removes ‘woman’ from pregnancy bill
Immigration has become a top issue for voters. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Click here to get the FOX News app
The Democratic National Committee’s platform at the time also stated, “In 1992, our borders practically did not exist. Border security was inadequate and ill-equipped. Drugs flowed freely. Immigrants committed crimes in America and were deported, only to return the next day to commit more crimes.”
The AAF argued that Democrats have “abandoned broad bipartisan consensus on today’s important issues.” The group also criticized media reports that have portrayed Republicans as “extremist” in response to the Democratic Party’s policy shift.
Get the latest 2024 election campaign updates, exclusive interviews and more on Fox News Digital’s Election Hub.
