I think this is more because of a population imbalance. Left voters are not numerous enough to be worth compromising for – on a purely numbers based assessment. The middle is a larger and more reliable voter base.
But, I think that’s going to change over the next few decades. Progressives and further left people are becoming an increasingly important and large voting bloc. Numerically it will soon make sense to compromise leftwards to get more votes than compromising with the center. We’re just not there yet.
I think this is more because of a population imbalance. Left voters are not numerous enough to be worth compromising for – on a purely numbers based assessment.
If they’re a large enough group to blame when ya lose, they’re a large enough group to compromise with.
I don’t disagree there, but that’s also why I don’t believe in blaming the left nor attributing losses to them. It isn’t a large enough group to have that much sway yet.
From a rhetorical perspective I agree – if politicians are willing to blame the left, they should be willing to work with them. Like you say, it’s logically inconsistent to blame them but also think they aren’t worth compromising with.
I also think the “rebelliousness” of leftists is overstated. I firmly believe most of them vote with Democrats so that there is harm reduction. I think a lot of the detractors are just a loud online minority. I strongly suspect for instance the “don’t threaten me with the supreme court” crowd was not even close to most of the progressives who voted in 2016. More Bernie supporters voted for Clinton in 2016 than Clinton supporters for Obama in 2008, on a percentage basis.
More Bernie supporters voted for Clinton in 2016 than Clinton supporters for Obama in 2008, on a percentage basis.
It’s more than that. Clinton supporters started a PAC to get McCain elected when Obama won the nomination. And they’re the same people who keep saying “blue no matter who.”
