The Death of American Liberalism?

One of the most traditionally lefty states in the U.S., Minnesota, is home to some of America’s biggest liberal household names, including Hubert H. Humphrey, Walter Mondale, Paul Wellstone, and Al Franken. And it’s not just the politicians who lean left. In the last 81 years, the electorate has voted for democrats in all but one election: back in 1972 when Nixon won. Only Washington DC has a longer Democratic winning streak.
But more recently, we’ve seen decidedly un-liberal people rising through the political ranks in Minnesota like Michelle Bachman and Tim Pawlenty. Is Minnesota a bellwether of the rest of American liberalism as a whole?
Ralph Brauer, native Minnesotan and author of the “Strange Death of Liberal America,” offers his thoughts.