To win back support, the Democratic candidate must offer a positive and coherent vision centered on care and progressive policies, rather than relying solely on anti-Trump rhetoric.
To win back support, the Democratic candidate must offer a positive and coherent vision centered on care and progressive policies, rather than relying solely on anti-Trump rhetoric.
Funny thing about generations, they tend to change as they age. Will millenials be any different? Time will tell.
They showed up the first time, so year 1 and 2. Then for Obama year 3 and 4 he lost the house of reps. Then again for years 5 and 6 he lost the house of reps. Then he lost both the house of reps and the senate for years 7 and 8. Thanks voters that can’t be assed to show up! So what happened? Left voters never (or rarely if you reallllly need it) show up.
And this was with even more millenials getting the vote throughout Obama’s term. And. They. Didn’t. Show. Up.
So what happens when you don’t have all 3 houses? Congress is what has control, not the president. So Dems have to reach across the aisle. And that’s what they had to do for 6 out of 8 years. Because, wait for it, the left didn’t show up. And you’re amazed that they had to reach across the aisle and nothing much came out of 6 years?
And to further the point, they even shut down the government under obama. Congress has control.
So what did Hillary learn from Obama? She learned that the thanks for the ACA was losing control. Thanks left voters that don’t show up! You think she’s going to run a big left platform after they just lost 6 out of 8 years? The answer is no. She needs all 3 and she knows that. The GOP has now become obstructionist and she needs all 3 to pass anything. So on many items she runs center, but with a itsy bitsy left to the supposed big important issue to the left. Can’t make too much of a stink about it or the right will go full blast on it, but the message to the left was clear. This is the big issue for the left, right? And for the young people, right? And for the future, right? This was the big impact, move the needle issue that intelligent people should have been all for, right? And bam she lost the election. Thanks no vote protesters! (And can’t forget the voters in years 3-8 of Obama that taught her left doesn’t win.)
Two ways you can look at this. 1) He appealed to center voters, and that’s what he got, and that’s why he won. That’s what I think happened. But if you want to run on 2) the left showed up, then hey look what’s possible when the left shows up! But the lesson they learned was they win when they go center.
Now imagine what would happen if that happened every single election, every single midterm. Yeah the whole Dem party could and would move left. That’s what I’m saying.
The only issue is that they have to win first, and then they can go left. They won’t go left just because, out of the blue, for no reason. Because history, as I’ve run through a second time, show the left never shows up.
Fix the system? We all know we can’t fix the electoral college or the senate. Maybe the House of reps, but that’s only 1 of 3 that Dems need.
Great. Vote first, give the Dems consistent and overwhelming victories in presidential and midterms, and then the party will cater to you. Because the history, as gone over twice, shows the left doesn’t show up.
We’ll see if anything changes now that Biden drops out, but when he ran in he was running against the incumbent and when you do that you run center. And then you (usually) have that candidate for 8 years.
As for now, I doubt anyone will take the chance on letting Trump win and democracy ending, so I expect the new nominee will run center. And then maybe Trump will run again in 2028, so guess what you get another center. And then maybe Trump impersonee 2032, so again maybe no chances and center. Etc, etc. These things don’t change nearly as quickly as you want them to. All because, wait for it, left voters never showed up in 2016 (and 2014, and 2012, and 2010). Plenty of millenials and even Gen Z in 2016, and they didn’t show up. That was the trajectory that was decided in 2016, and momentum’s a bitch.
You know what the core of this is? You are relying on, essentially, polling data on what left young people want. And I am relying on who turns out to vote. You can say “we want this” until the cows come home, it does not matter when. voters. don’t. show. up. And you’re not going to win a mexican standoff waiting for a big left platform. They will simply go to the center voter.
Progressives aren’t Democrats. Do people get mad at conservatives for not voting for Democrats? Why would anyone show up to vote when there’s no candidate representing them? They didn’t show up for Obama midterms because Obama turned out to be the same old same and they figured it out quickly. Let alone all the shills that would have been running. Give them someone to vote for and they’ll show up. Continue to go after an ever shrinking center and continue to lose until all the boomers are dead and then it won’t matter anyway.
I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I think we’re just going to end up having to agree to disagree… It would be nice if the boomers came left to start setting up the next generations for success, but whether they do or don’t, they are on their way out, and progressives will inherit the party sooner or later.
If progressives want the government/society/the overton window to progress, then they have to vote for Dems and give them consistent and overwhelming victories. That’s about it.
They didn’t show up for Obama after he passed the most progressive healthcare bill in his first 2 years. Yeah that’s not a thing to be proud of. What did that get them? Drumroll please, it got them 6 years of Obama not being able to do anything else. Way to take anything else progressive Obama may have done and flush it down the toilet! And what else did it get them? Drumroll please, a mostly center Hilary who knew they didn’t show up. And what else did it get them? Trump. Yeah. And what else did it get them? A center Biden. Way to own yourself progressives. Like that the biggest self own in history. And you wonder why the Dems go the center to find votes? lol. This is why I said: If progressives want the government/society/the overton window to progress, then they have to vote for Dems and give them consistent and overwhelming victories.
Agree to disagree? I’m going to take that mean you now understand the history that I laid out and why they keep going to the center to find votes. Because left voters never show up.
You can’t play mexican standoff and expect to win. Dems will just go after voters that actually show up.