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this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2025
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No one is implying that Republicans are any way the solution.
Centrists assume literally all criticism of their wing of the party comes from their right.
Paradoxically, it might actually be. Progressives might actually have an easier time getting elected as Republicans than Democrats.
Remember, Republicans don't actually have platforms anymore. Their base just views it as a football game; they don't actually believe in anything; they just want to win. They nominate celebrities and whoever can simply channel enough raw energy and emotion.
Progressives could run as Republicans, billing themselves as "Radical Republicans," promising to rekindle the fire of the post-Civil War party. They could say they support strong borders, but flip the table on Republicans by running on a strong social safety net.
Remember, the policies progressives champion are actually quite popular among the working white working class Republican base. They just hate that it's Democrats championing the policies. So if progressives simply run as Republicans instead, well that barrier drops away.
If Republicans don't actually believe in anything anymore, and they only run on grievance and vibes, why not just run progressives as Republicans? Run as a Republican and condemn Democrats as being servants of the wealthy. Do it with an R next to your name, and the Republican base will eat it up. Remember, they don't actually believe in anything. If you can offer them the rage and "winning" that they so desperately want, your actual policies are irrelevant. It's entirely possible for progressives to win running as Republicans. In fact, it's probably easier for progressives to win as Republicans than as Democrats now.
I don’t think progressives would have much success, because I think the Republican political machine would rally to outspend them in the primary, just as the Democratic political machine does.
I hate to break it to you but I've definitely heard that on Lemmy a few times
No you haven't
I think Green Party politician Peter Camejo said it most succinctly: "Democrats are not the answer."
And they aren't. The Democrats have so successfully neutered the left that nobody has any idea what leftist talking points even are. People are so desperate that they voted for Donald fucking Trump. Twice.
The answer is not to embrace Republicans. The answer is to burn the Democratic Party to ashes. They need to go the way of the Whigs. They're simply irredeemable at this point.
If that's not possible, honestly I think progressives would have better luck running as Republicans than Democrats. Republicans don't really have an ideology anymore. They're all just celebrity, vibes, and raw emotion. Maybe progressives should start running as "radical Republicans," declaring that their intention is to resurrect the spirit of the post-Civil War party. That honestly is probably the quickest way we have now of actually getting progressives elected.
One thing about the Republican party is that it's much more vulnerable to outside disruption and takeover. Trump proved that. The Democratic party meanwhile goes to great lengths in its organization and primary structure to prevent outside usurpers from coming in and grabbing the nomination in a big populist wave.