That’s not what the last 25 years of elections tell us.
When Democrats run on a progressive, or at least apparently progressive platform, they win, even if that’s not how they ultimately govern (Obama 08, 12; Biden 20). Biden’s 2020 platform was a lift and shift of every single one of Bernie’s policy positions: His platform was Biden in name only. Obama’s was also highly progressive. I’d put Gore in here too for a half point, considering that was basically a stolen election (SC decided Floridians voters didn’t matter), and he ran almost competently on climate change; he won the popular vote and the EC, but the SC decided that wasn’t relevant.
When they run center right candidates (Kerry 04, Hillary 16) and platforms, they lose.
Voters who show up and get Democrats elected into office have shown one thing:
Progressive candidates and platforms win you elections.
So this:
Nobody wants a progressive candidate
Is just a demonstrably false statement, easily rebutted by even a cursory glance at history.
They may have governed to the right, but that’s not what got them elected. Both of those candidates campaigned as progressives, or adopted highly progressive platforms.
You know. Campaigning. The part where you get elected?
And the two Democrats who campaigned to the center right, Hillary and Kerry, both lost their elections.
To be clear: We’re talking about campaigning right now, not governance.
Who would be doing what? Biden took his platform far to the left in 2020 and it got him enough of Bernies collation to get him elected. Obama ran on healthcare and holding banks accountable.
And also…
A whole team of people who know far more than you are I,
No they fucking don’t. These are the same consultants that advised Hillary to prop up Trump in the primaries.
The fact is that if you are a Democrat running for President, at least giving lip service to progressive polices gets you elected. There is no requirement you govern that way once elected, but if you don’t at least entertain the Progressive vote as a Democrat, you don’t win the presidency.
Biden has governerned as a regressive chump, but the DNC platform of 2020 was the most progressive platform for any major political party, pretty much since Roosevelt. Biden’s 2020 campaign was one of the most progressive in US history, from a policy perspective.
I mean it got him elected. I’m cynical enough that I want him to do it again. But he’s not going to get elected continuing to spit in the face of progressives.
He tanked the economy and killed over a million with his handling of COVID, the wall didn’t get built, Mexico didn’t pay for any of the repairs that did, Hillary has -34 felonies to her name, his trade war with China didn’t bring back manufacturing, Russia was emboldened by his term, American global superiority was damaged by his garbage foreign policy, fossil fuel usage is continuing to decline in favor of renewables…
I agree with all that. But you and I don’t live in the same world that Republican voters do. They litterally live in a completly different media and ‘story of history’ landscape. You obviously do, and should, despise all of the things that Trump did while he was president. But there is no denying that these were the things that Republican voters wanted him to do. And he gets to blame any failures on Democrats or the deep state or whatever other kookie bullshit they come up with.
You can and should hate the Republican agenda, but you shouldn’t put blinders on to suggest that Trump didn’t pursue it aggressively, and actually accomplish much of it. He got tax cuts for billionaires. He got the Supreme Court, and thus Roe. He at least tried to do almost all of the things he said he would do. You should disagree with all of those things, but you are not a Republican voter. Neither am I. But we should be clear headed about what Republican voters want, especially considering how horrible it all is.
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Paywall removed archive.is/Afxml
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