In light of the recent election, itās clear that the Democratic Party needs a significant leftward shift to better address the needs and concerns of the American people. The partyās centrist approach is increasingly out of touch, limiting its ability to appeal to a broader base and especially to young voters, who are looking for bold and transformative policies. The fact that young men became a substantial part of the conservative voting bloc should be a wake-up callāitās essential that the Democratic Party broadens its appeal by offering real solutions that resonate with this demographic.
Furthermore, one major missed opportunity was the decision to forgo primaries, which could have brought new energy and ideas to the ticket. Joe Bidenās choice to run for a second term, despite earlier implications of a one-term presidency, may have ultimately contributed to the loss by undermining trust in his promises. Had the party explored alternative candidates in a primary process, the outcome could have been vastly different. It is now imperative for the Working Families Party and the Progressive Caucus to push for a stronger, unapologetically progressive agenda within the Democratic Party. The time for centrist compromises has passed, as evidenced by setbacks dating back to Hillary Clintonās 2016 loss, the persistently low approval ratings for Biden since 2022, and Kamala Harrisās recent campaign, which left many progressives feeling alienated. To regain momentum and genuinely connect with the electorate, a clear departure from moderate politics is essential.
Is climate change legislation progressive?
Is student debt relief progressive?
Is UBI progressive?
Biden enacted versions of all of those, and was more pro-union and pro-LGBTQ than Clinton or Obama or Carter.
But youāve kind of proven my point. Progressives wonāt vote for someone who enacts some progressive policies, even if itās more than any other recent president. Progressives demand someone who gives them everything they want.
For years, all Democrats heard from progressives was āNot enough debt reliefā or āYou call that UBI?ā And of course, āHe still hasnāt earned my voteā. On top of that, progressives get very jealous when Democrats also try to please centrists. As though Democrats have to pass a purity test rather than try to maximize their votes.
I do not expect the next Democratic candidate to even bother with student debt relief. I think the lesson that Democrats will learn is that it is almost impossible to āearn the voteā of progressives. They will always give up on you.
Compare the success of progressives to, say, NRA supporters. Have you ever heard an NRA supporter say, āThe GOP still hasnāt earned my voteā?
Inform me on Bidenās support of UBI that you are referencingā¦
Honest question: Do you expect the next Democratic candidate to win?
Bidenās Stimulus Plan Contains an Experiment in Universal Basic Income
I donāt know. It depends on whether Trump screws the pooch for most Americans. I definitely think he will, so I think Democrats have a decent chance to win.
But I think there is a more important question for progressives. Itās easy to criticize and browbeat Democrats, but that doesnāt help pass progressive policy. It actually makes Democrats turn away from progressives and look for easier-to-please voters. And maybe they lose once more, but again: how does that help progressives?
I think progressives could take some hints from their opponents on the right. Anti-abortionists and gun nuts are fanatically loyal to the GOP. There is no question whether they will vote GOP in 2028 or 2032 or 2036.
And they are very patient. Anti-abortionists set Dobbs into motion thirty years ago! They donāt care that Trump used to be pro-choice and didnāt really want condemn abortion this year and has probably paid for an abortion or three. Over time, the GOP has rewarded them more than any other interest group.
In the end, parties reward loyalty. Not threats to stay home on election day.
The one-time $1400 payments following covid and a child tax credit is UBI? Oh, so youāre just being disingenuousā¦
I think what you need to realize is that the Democrats genuinely need progressive votes in order to win, period. You do not have the numbers, otherwise. The progressives do not need Democrats in order to continue losing, they already are losing either way in a first-past-the-post voting system. That is just reality. You can forsake them and instead try to embrace ācentristsā, but youāll just lose, like 2016 and 2024.
Youāre also describing the ācentristsā that Democrats waste their time courtingā¦
Just as I predicted!
The point is that they do not need a progressive candidate to win. Bill Clinton and Obama werenāt progressive, after all.
ā¦well, enjoy losingā¦š
It wasnāt a losing strategy in the past.
The key for Democrats is to realize that āprogressivismā is impossibly broad. So there is no way to deliver on that promise.
However, a candidate who does not identify as āprogressiveā can still deliver specific promises to progressives. Say, a carbon tax and a trans rights law. And thatās it.
For a progressives who care about climate and/or trans rights, that might be enough to vote for the Democrat. Sure, they arenāt promising UBI or student debt relief or housing or a minimum wage hike. Maybe the other things in their platform are aimed at Latinos and liberals.
But if you actually care about trans rights, why not vote for the Democrat who will deliver that instead of the Republican who offers nothing or the Green who canāt deliver anything?
I think there might be enough progressives who really do care about trans rights and/or climate to make up for losing the ones who only care about UBI. And I think Democrats donāt need every last progressive voter to win.
Yep.
You should ask yourself why youāre trying to get away with not delivering things that progressives want, or why youāre trying to deliver just enough things to coax their votes, but nothing more. Like, do you hear yourself?
You think this is actually occurring in real life? Theyāre just not voting. And Republicans vote in enough numbers to beat the Democrat base every single time.
āWe can win without a progressive candidate, but the only Democrat candidate who has won in recent history is Biden, who was actually pretty progressiveā Hmmmmmmmmmmm. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmā¦
I mean if Biden is pretty progressive then Iād argue Obamaās 2008 campaign was too on the same scale, soā¦ seems like the only time Democrats have won since basically the cold war was with progressive candidatesā¦ š¤·
Iām not doing anything. Thatās what I think Democrats should do, if they want to win elections. If Democrats promise too much to progressives, they will inevitably disappoint progressives and lose their support.
Obama did exactly what Iām suggesting.
He campaigned not as a progressive, but as someone who would appeal to centrists and even conservatives in order to bring unity. He made just one major promise to progressives, health care reform. For many of them, that was enough. He delivered, by signing a fairly centrist version without a public option. It was derided at the time by leftists but they got over it.
Then he put most of his energy into futile attempts at bipartisanship, hunting down bin Laden, drone strikes, and trying to ignore another major progressive issue, gay marriage.
He was a huge success! Even today he is widely admired. I think future Democrats will try to emulate him.