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The Way Forward
Showing Original Post only (View all)Dems Don't Need To 'Moderate,' They Need To Stop Focus Grouping Themselves Into Oblivion [View all]
(Wonkette)
https://www.wonkette.com/p/dems-dont-need-to-moderate-they-need
This is a fairly clear-eyed diagnosis of the condition of the national dem party. I think the Dems have been using the finger hygrometer to set policy for decades, with the exception of the Biden White House, who seemed unable to build a movement on their enormous liberal accomplishments.
Ever since the first moment I laid eyes on him, I have not been able to stand Gavin Newsom. This was not for lack of trying. I really did try to see the Golden Boy everyone but me seemed to see. I tried it every time I heard some know-it-all on social media or pundit talk about how he was the perfect Democratic presidential candidate due to his good looks and suave demeanor. And when he started his little war on the unhoused, I thought to myself, Yes, sir, I knew your ass all along.
SNIP
At this moment, Democrats and some Never Trump conservatives are doing the thing they always do, which is to hem and haw about how to win over voters in more purple and even red areas. Oh, it is the neverending conundrum! Which group of people do we roll over on? And how hard? How many focus groups can we do? How do we hit that sweet spot of just bland enough so people who arent 100 percent fascist will consider voting for us instead of Republicans?
I am going to be incredibly honest, here. What really hurt Kamala Harris wasnt the they/them ad. The first thing, the most important thing, was that she didnt win the primary. That is not her fault, mind you, its Joe Bidens for not stepping down earlier as many of us were dying for him to do. People already hated the tendency of the Democratic party to always do everything possible to ensure that the person whose turn it is gets to be the nominee. They hated it even more when someone was just appointed as the nominee. People feel that kind of wrongness or unfairness in their bones and its hard to shake.
The other thing is that the woman was focus-grouped to death. Go back and look, she said nothing even marginally spicy throughout the entire campaign, and when she and Tim Walz had an offense move that actually hit calling Republicans, rightfully, weird they were told by the consultants to knock it off and they did. Part of that reluctance to take any particularly strong stance on anything is what resulted in the decision to not let the Uncommitted group of pro-Palestinian delegates give a very lovely planned speech at the DNC. That alone would have done so much to heal a very serious divide on the Left and made a lot of people feel more comfortable voting for her. A lot of people who happen to live in Michigan and Pennsylvania, to boot.
SNIP
At this moment, Democrats and some Never Trump conservatives are doing the thing they always do, which is to hem and haw about how to win over voters in more purple and even red areas. Oh, it is the neverending conundrum! Which group of people do we roll over on? And how hard? How many focus groups can we do? How do we hit that sweet spot of just bland enough so people who arent 100 percent fascist will consider voting for us instead of Republicans?
I am going to be incredibly honest, here. What really hurt Kamala Harris wasnt the they/them ad. The first thing, the most important thing, was that she didnt win the primary. That is not her fault, mind you, its Joe Bidens for not stepping down earlier as many of us were dying for him to do. People already hated the tendency of the Democratic party to always do everything possible to ensure that the person whose turn it is gets to be the nominee. They hated it even more when someone was just appointed as the nominee. People feel that kind of wrongness or unfairness in their bones and its hard to shake.
The other thing is that the woman was focus-grouped to death. Go back and look, she said nothing even marginally spicy throughout the entire campaign, and when she and Tim Walz had an offense move that actually hit calling Republicans, rightfully, weird they were told by the consultants to knock it off and they did. Part of that reluctance to take any particularly strong stance on anything is what resulted in the decision to not let the Uncommitted group of pro-Palestinian delegates give a very lovely planned speech at the DNC. That alone would have done so much to heal a very serious divide on the Left and made a lot of people feel more comfortable voting for her. A lot of people who happen to live in Michigan and Pennsylvania, to boot.
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Dems Don't Need To 'Moderate,' They Need To Stop Focus Grouping Themselves Into Oblivion [View all]
LearnedHand
May 14
OP
I guess I am radical because I still believe in the promise of the Statue of Liberty.
OAITW r.2.0
May 14
#1
"earn back?" Fuck that. We never lost it. We've always been right about the future of this country.
OAITW r.2.0
May 14
#5
You need to dig back into the memory hole. Bush vs Gore for one. Or Orange Shitgibbon vs Clinton.
marble falls
May 18
#19
Check out Greg Palast. He's taken the government's own figures to show Kamala had 3 million more votes than Dumpy.
judesedit
May 15
#13
WTF is with the rehashing the last election? Damn. It's over. Literally over.
live love laugh
May 15
#14