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.
It’s the center. And they do win elections when they go to the center. That’s Bill Clinton won, even Obama had to run on vague “hope”, and that’s how Biden won. Because the left never shows up to vote
Who said I’m centrist? I’m just saying that’s where they find voters and that’s where they win.
May I remind you that Dems have had all 3 of house of representatives, Senate, and presidency for only 4 of the last 24 years? They basically never win.
You can look at this way: When they go left, they lose. Because the left doesn’t show up. So they go center and win occasionally. As in, they win more often when they go center. So the math is clear, go center. You know this, but you want to obfuscate.
When they go left, they lose.
They don’t go left at all. You just blame the left when they go to the right like you want and it fails.
The left “doesn’t show up” when Dems go right BECAUSE THERE’S NO ONE TO VOTE FOR ON THE LEFT. If the Dems would go left, and not ‘tiny little peak out from behind big oil money’ left, but full blown ‘here’s the progressive version of project 2025 and we’re going to FIGHT hard for it, even if it means ditching some of our conservative members’ left, then millennials and zoomers would show up. Millennials and zoomers are overwhelmingly progressive and they show up in greater numbers than any generation before them at their age… and that’s WITHOUT ever having had someone on the left to actually vote for.
Right… They basically never win… So maybe they should try a different strategy because going for the right isn’t working… Clearly they aren’t finding the votes there. Clinton was a different time before millennials and zoomers could vote. Obama got 10 million “extra” people to actually show up and vote… And you know what? They didn’t come from the center.
Except going to the center does win. it’s basically the only wins they get.
Ok history lesson. Let’s just do the whole thing.
After successive loses, Bill Clinton figured out “it’s the economy stupid”. Pretty centrist platform, and he won.
Gore: After the population hopefully warmed up with Bill Clinton, Gore stuck his head left. And bam, he lost the election. Yup, that’s what happened.
So Obama learned from Gore to not stick your head out. He ran on vague “hope” and unity, thinking that after Bush’s disastrous wars that would be enough. Personally I think practically anyone could have won against the GOP after those wars. People really wanted to move on after that.
Might as well round it out. So after the population hopefully warmed up with Obama, Hillary stuck her head a tiny bit left with the Map Room to fight climate change (the supposed big important issue for the left, right?). And bam. she lost the election.
So what did Biden learn from Hilary? Don’t stick your head left. And when running against an incumbent you run from the center. So that’s what he did, and that’s how he won. He’s governing more from the left, but he ran center.
What’s that definition of insanity, doing the same thing twice and expecting different results. That’s basically what you think they’re going to do. Every time they go a bit left they lose, it’d be an act of insanity to go left and expect to win. Different strategy is correct, and that different strategy is to go to the center, which is where they finally win.
Let me try to explain an alternative view of the history you present:
Clinton and Gore were before millennials could vote, let alone zoomers… So yes, maybe back then going center was the correct move. However, both of these generations are overwhelmingly progressive (particularly economically, ie tax the rich out of existence) The first chance millennials really got to vote they showed up for Obama. 10 million “extra” voters that year… They didn’t come from the center full of people who always vote, they came from the young left full of people who had never voted but were excited by Obama’s progressive message… Sadly he was a full of shit shill working for the oligarchy just like the rest of them, but millennials were new and didn’t realize that.
Next, the new generations went all in for Bernie, also far more progressive than most of the DNC, but Clinton2 had rigged the primary. So instead of allowing for someone people were actually excited about, she decided it was her turn and in her hubris and arrogance cost us all 4 years of Trump. Even if she did stick her pinky toe out a little left, she was competing (in the minds of the young progressive generations) with someone who was truly left and was willing to fight the oligarchy. Clinton refused to even acknowledge the distorting role money plays in politics. She and her minions spat in young progressive’s faces in order to chase the right and then were somehow surprised they didn’t show up to vote for her.
Then, Trump was so horrible, that enough people held their noses and voted for Biden. Maybe, some of those people were Republicans who preferred him to Trump, but I’d bet he can thank young people for his win more than Republicans crossing over. And for both Clinton2 and Biden we were told “just vote now and fix the system when we’re safe” and both times it was bullshit. They never intended to fix the system, because the oligarchy likes it the way it is, and they work for the oligarchy.
Now, millennials are all grown up, and zoomers are mostly voting age. They are overwhelmingly progressive and want a candidate who will truly fight the oligarchy, not take bribes from it. And this election they will equal or outnumber the boomers and older generations, but still, the DNC chooses to run to the right… To ignore half the population because they are young, or because most of the DNC is so old they don’t even realize they are outnumbered. A strong anti oligarchy Bernie type candidate would see such overwhelming turnout from the young progressive generations that I honestly believe it could be the end of the 2 oligarchy parties forever. Which is why they’ll push to the right until the very last Boomer dies, and the next generations can replace them with a better system.