So, it's feeling a lot like election season. Progressives are declaring probably futile primary runs against Biden, and the dem establishment sycophants are coming out of the woodwork screeching into the void about how we all gotta rally behind Biden. Even though most people don't really like Biden.
The biggest argument the dems love to use with Biden, and other centrist dems, like Hillary, is that they're "electable." But...then they tell progressives they better show up in the general and support them...or else.
Does anyone else see the problem with this picture?
"Oh, these centrist candidates, they're electable, but you better support them."
Is it possible their electability is contingent on progressives falling in line behind them?
It totally is. These people will push electability arguments while STILL holding a grudge against Jill Stein voters for what happened in 2016.
Here's a hint, if Hillary LOST in 2016 because of a bunch of pissed off Jill Stein voters, then MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, Hillary wasn't actually electable. If that electability is contingent on the same left that Hillary/Biden stans like to crap on and attack, and those guys don't show up, then MAYBE they should rethink their electability strategy.
To put what the democrats do in political science terms, it's "triangulation". It's basically trying to strategically trying to place oneself between the left and the center, in order to win both groups. Of course, this leads to an unstable coalition in which the democrats have to try to keep both the left and the center supporting them. And this is where this strategy completely falls apart. In practice this strategy involves the democrats pandering hard to the center, while also kind of sort of ignoring the left, with the idea that "they're going to support us anyway, where are they going to go?" They fear moderate voters leaving them to vote for republicans more than they fear leftie voters, many of whom are inconsistent and unreliable voters anyway, to defect from them.
So their goal is to run hard to the center to appeal to that centrist group of middle aged suburbanites they've been pandering hard to in recent years, at the expense of younger, more left leaning voters. This means that their outreach to the left often...sucks. As we've seen, it's full of condescension and bullying tactics, and online takes the form of relentlessly trying to bully and gaslight voters into supporting them unquestioningly. It has become taboo to actually expect the democrats to hold any standard of ideological commitment to any ideals, and it has led to an environment where the left is just increasingly alienated.
As we know, in 2016 and 2020, this led me to supporting the greens. In 2024, I'd like to support a third party, but given how complex the political situation is right now, odds are, I'm going to vote for the dems. I can write a short, complementary article on that. That doesn't mean I won't support an insurgent leftie primary challenge though. And I reserve the right to change my vote at any time as the conditions on the ground change. But if there's anything that makes me LESS likely to support the dems, it's the dem apologists. They're so snarky and condescending that honestly, when I listen to them talk, I want to see nothing more but to see them fail. And in an ideal world, I wouldnt vote for them.
Because here's the thing you're teaching them when you vote for them. That this strategy works. You're rewarding them for treating them like garbage, and that's why every election since 2016, and possibly before that as idk, 2012 was an obama reelection year, and i was a republican in 2008, we're having to do the same dance. Because the democrats still expect it to work. They're trying to erode our will and make us give in. I may do so for reasons I outline in a complementary article, but honestly, in an ideal world, I'd NEVER give the current dems the satisfaction of a vote. Because an electoral strategy that amounts to crapping on your base, and then expecting them to show up in november, is not healthy. It's an abusive relationship. And we all know how I support ending all kinds of imbalances in power in relationships.
And this goes back to my main point. If your "electability" argument relies on strongarming those same supporters you're throwing it at into voting for you, then maybe you should rethink your strategy. because if those voters ever wise up and refuse to vote for you, well, so much for electability. The electability strategy is code for "well we cant win without the centrists so we have to kiss up to them and you guys have to take it." Uh...no we don't. You guys are on a plank, sitting over a cliff, with us being the only counterweight. If we were to step off of such plank, down you guys go.
And given I support a human centered governmental system where voters hold politicians accountable, and voters are not beholden to the politicians or the parties, in an ideal world, any candidate or party who tries to bully people into supporting them would be quickly and swiftly punished with entire electoral coalitions just teaching them who is REALLY in charge.
So I would advise anyone pushing electability to stop trying to bully and gaslight progressives. because your electability is contingent on those progressives supporting you, and the rational choice for progressives is to not do so, in order to incentivize you to listen to them better.
If you wanna act so high and mighty, maybe you can go ask your new centrist friends for more votes. Oh wait. yeah. That's what I thought.
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