Because this time itтАЩs not just progressives showing up.
I donтАЩt think AOC or Bernie can win a national election (yet), but this need тАЬmoderatesтАЭ have to stifle and dismiss them when they have not been any more successful has got to stop. A healthy democracy needs a range of viewpoints to be respected and represented.
I mean, I agree, they've been the only ones providing the necessary fight, and that's likely not independent from their ideology, as those who are more ideologically further from the center tend to also be temperamentally more combative due to shared traits underlying both. That said, it's very possible (and desirable, as Sarah often discusses) to be moderate and aggressive at the same time, and it is this combo that will win.
I agree itтАЩs possible, but the problem is that it isnтАЩt happening, and there is a reason for that: Imagine Joe Manchin was still in office. Going on an anti-Trump crusade would have killed him in West Virginia.
Now I personally think he should be willing to take the hit in this hypothetical scenario, but thatтАЩs not reality.
There is no one set of policies that make a candidate тАЬmoderate.тАЭ Moderates are moderates because of their eagerness to compromise and work across the aisle. Elissa Slotkin isnтАЩt actually substantially different than AOC, if you were to do a side-by-side of their policy positions. But strategically, she is going for the compromise approach, and itтАЩs the wrong way to go at this time.
I would like to see more moderates wake up and understand whatтАЩs at stake, and that they canтАЩt compromise on fascism, but compromising on fascism is unfortunately exactly what I am seeing from them. Cory Booker was great; I was hoping more moderates would follow his example. But it appears to be a one-off, sadly. I donтАЩt expect moderate Dems to budge until trumps popularity takes a nosedive, which is a shame, because if they were smart they would be CAUSING his popularity to nosedive.
Had he still been in office, the smart play is for him to not be the one that does so. It would be someone for whom going on such a crusade, *while having a reputation for moderate politics*, would not be a net negative. Cory Booker is one example. The problem with Slotkin isn't her policies, but rather her temperament. Same with Gretch - her Pennsylvania counterpart Josh has been showing a stronger temperament, especially in regards to tariffs, while arguably being even closer to the center in terms of policy stances. I'd say when Tim Ryan was in office, he was good at doing both cultural moderation and hard-hitting rhetoric against Vance, which cut the margin down to 5 points despite Ohio being a R+8 state on top of it being the Biden midterm.
That said, there's a big difference between compromising on policy and compromising on fascism. It is not "compromising on fascism" to want a stronger border policy. It is not "compromising on fascism" to take the L on trans women in sports. That's actually democracy, in fact. It's what the people want, by overwhelming margins. What the Dems absolutely cannot compromise on is making sure that everyone knows that Trump is shredding all semblances of the rule of law, arresting people with impunity and putting them in Bukele's CECOT, defying the Supreme Court, abusing his authority as president to institute tariffs that are a direct hit on most Americans' pocketbook, firing federal employees that do critical work, withholding funding for medical research (and frame it as such, not "federal grants to universities"), and believing himself to be king. All of these are unpopular and good opportunities for Dems!
Bernie drew huge crowds in all of his campaign rallies in the 2016 primary, but who ended up winning that primary? (Same goes for 2020, btw.)
Because this time itтАЩs not just progressives showing up.
I donтАЩt think AOC or Bernie can win a national election (yet), but this need тАЬmoderatesтАЭ have to stifle and dismiss them when they have not been any more successful has got to stop. A healthy democracy needs a range of viewpoints to be respected and represented.
I mean, I agree, they've been the only ones providing the necessary fight, and that's likely not independent from their ideology, as those who are more ideologically further from the center tend to also be temperamentally more combative due to shared traits underlying both. That said, it's very possible (and desirable, as Sarah often discusses) to be moderate and aggressive at the same time, and it is this combo that will win.
I agree itтАЩs possible, but the problem is that it isnтАЩt happening, and there is a reason for that: Imagine Joe Manchin was still in office. Going on an anti-Trump crusade would have killed him in West Virginia.
Now I personally think he should be willing to take the hit in this hypothetical scenario, but thatтАЩs not reality.
There is no one set of policies that make a candidate тАЬmoderate.тАЭ Moderates are moderates because of their eagerness to compromise and work across the aisle. Elissa Slotkin isnтАЩt actually substantially different than AOC, if you were to do a side-by-side of their policy positions. But strategically, she is going for the compromise approach, and itтАЩs the wrong way to go at this time.
I would like to see more moderates wake up and understand whatтАЩs at stake, and that they canтАЩt compromise on fascism, but compromising on fascism is unfortunately exactly what I am seeing from them. Cory Booker was great; I was hoping more moderates would follow his example. But it appears to be a one-off, sadly. I donтАЩt expect moderate Dems to budge until trumps popularity takes a nosedive, which is a shame, because if they were smart they would be CAUSING his popularity to nosedive.
Had he still been in office, the smart play is for him to not be the one that does so. It would be someone for whom going on such a crusade, *while having a reputation for moderate politics*, would not be a net negative. Cory Booker is one example. The problem with Slotkin isn't her policies, but rather her temperament. Same with Gretch - her Pennsylvania counterpart Josh has been showing a stronger temperament, especially in regards to tariffs, while arguably being even closer to the center in terms of policy stances. I'd say when Tim Ryan was in office, he was good at doing both cultural moderation and hard-hitting rhetoric against Vance, which cut the margin down to 5 points despite Ohio being a R+8 state on top of it being the Biden midterm.
That said, there's a big difference between compromising on policy and compromising on fascism. It is not "compromising on fascism" to want a stronger border policy. It is not "compromising on fascism" to take the L on trans women in sports. That's actually democracy, in fact. It's what the people want, by overwhelming margins. What the Dems absolutely cannot compromise on is making sure that everyone knows that Trump is shredding all semblances of the rule of law, arresting people with impunity and putting them in Bukele's CECOT, defying the Supreme Court, abusing his authority as president to institute tariffs that are a direct hit on most Americans' pocketbook, firing federal employees that do critical work, withholding funding for medical research (and frame it as such, not "federal grants to universities"), and believing himself to be king. All of these are unpopular and good opportunities for Dems!