Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!
Rules:
Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.
Example:
We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.
All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.
That's all the rules!
Civic Links
• Congressional Awards Program
• Library of Congress Legislative Resources
• U.S. House of Representatives
Partnered Communities:
• News
I understand the progressive wing’s frustration with the slow pace of change within the Democratic Party. Unfortunately, such massive shifts in public opinion and policy can take longer than one wishes.
Oh, the public opinion has shifted. Has been shifted for years. It's the party that can't seem to shift.
How'd trying to go after moderates work for Hillary. Secure your base first or they'll stay home on election day.
Progressive voters, moderate donors.
At least, that's the plan.
What happens is you can't appeal to both well.
Let's get oligarchs money out of politics please.
Progressives. Targeting moderates is often viewed as the "mathematically correct" tactic by abstract idiots but doing moderate stuff doesn't yield political wins and leads to apathy.
Democrats have a lot of deactivated voters because of how deeply frustratingly moderate they are that outweigh the centrists they're fighting for - additionally if you start making big policy wins you'll win over all sorts of voters... Just as a fucking reminder Republican voters were more favorable of Sanders than Clinton because he had policy ideas that actually would improve their lives.
American politics is a morass of bullshit - when you offer to cut through that (Obama, Sanders, (bleh) Trump) and deliver real improvements to people's daily lives you win.
The problem isn't even moderates it's the out right conservatives in the DNC. Actual progressives in the party are a dying breed these days with the overwhelming majority being moderates and yet somehow the most conservative members are the ones that keep steering the policy decisions. Kamala is a conservative. Biden is a conservative. Tim Walz is barely a moderate. The DNC of today looks like the RNC of the 90s and that's not a good thing. Even Obama was a moderate and he's the most progressive presidential candidate I've seen the DNC run in at least three decades if not more.
The border "crisis" is the perfect example of this: biden's policy on the Mexican border would make w blush.
Should prioritize progressives, but won't.
It seems to me that most moderates aren’t moderate because they’re passionately committed to a particular set of moderate policies—they’re moderate because they prioritize other qualities (like charisma, enthusiasm, and competence) over ideology. So the most effective way to win them isn’t by adopting a moderate ideology, but by demonstrating you have the non-ideological qualities they actually care about.
We cannot continue to rely on fear to propel turnout. Fear and anxiety lead to paralysis and electoral withdrawal. Arguing “We’re not going to hurt you like they are” is no longer sufficient.
This has been such a massive failure on the Dems part, especially after seeing the excitement that Tim Waltz was able to generate after joining the race. I can't stand to watch a Kamala rally or speech nowadays because it's nothing but Trump fearmongering, and I don't even know which parts are real worries considering the guy couldn't even build a fucking wall.
It even backfires a bit too, because now I think more about how her office is going to come after our civil liberties. Obama created mass surveillance programs and went after whistleblowers, so what is her office inevitably going to do?
I think progressives tend to overestimate their numbers. Maybe Millennials and Gen z are moving the needle a little further to the left, but I don't think it's as much as many progressives want to believe. There are many millions of Americans under 40 who are moderate, center right, or right wing. The US in general is further right than most other democracies, I would say. In fact, I think the US overall is center to center right. For this reason, I think it is generally a losing strategy for the Democrats to prioritize progressive policies, especially in the presidential election.
Most progressives live in deep blue states; states that are going to go for the Democrats regardless. Whereas, the states that matter, the swing states/purple states are much more moderate. Those are the states the Democrats have to focus on, because of how our election system works. For this reason alone, it makes more sense for Democrats to try and court moderates, at least in the presidential election. But, it's probably true of Congress as well. I think moderate candidates do better in most states and congressional districts than progressive candidates.
It brings me no joy saying this. I'm politically left, I would estimate further left than the majority of Americans. I have been advocating for radical changes for years, but it's mostly fallen on deaf ears, and some of my fellow Americans have been aggressively hostile to the ideas I've been advocating for. Americans, generally, like capitalism, they like class hierarchies, and hierarchies in general, because they believe that some people are just inherently superior to others, and that doesn't seem likely to change anytime soon.
Progressives aren't the majority, but there's enough of them that democrats can't win without them.
There's a theory called the Overton Window and Dems moving to the center has shifted this whole country to the right. We lost abortion rights because of it and our election integrity and voter access is at risk because of it.
If you want to look at a winning strategy that directly refutes your point look at FDR.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Franklin_D._Roosevelt,_third_and_fourth_terms
The Overton window is happening because 1/3 of the country doesn't vote. Repubs are still able to take elections despite a majority of Americans opposing their policies. If it were impossible for the further right party to win, both parties would shift left.
Low voter turnout is a voter access and apathy issue. Disenfranchised voters tend to not vote and that's a platform and outreach issue for the DNC. Low voter access is shit that elected dems should put first and foremost in their agenda once elected, but only Abrams and Sanders have talked about election reform since Carter was president.
The apathy is directly tied to the DNC pushing conservative and moderate policies instead of progressive ones. When voters see so little difference between the two parties, where neither party is promising the policies they're looking for, then they see no point in showing up at the polls.
This is my understanding of the problem as well. Moderate dems are selling the party to billionaires
I wish they would prioritize that. It is a bit of a chicken and egg problem currently. Instead we're losing voter protections from a corrupt SCOTUS, so it is becoming harder to vote overall.