I feel you may be thinking that I’m against more progressive policies. Nothing could be further from the truth. I travelled to a neighboring state to campaign for Bernie during the primary where he was up against Biden. What I learned from that primary is that democratic voters are not in fact champing at the bit for more progressive policies. Don’t ask me why not. I believe it’s probably multiple answers. A lot of them are old and still carry the ancient stigma toward socialism. A lot of them are affluent and while they might like to see a kinder world for trans and gay people, are not eager for economic revolution. Some are minorities who don’t necessarily want their race to be spoken to like it’s their main issue, and economically may in fact be entrepreneurial minded and not aspiring to government incentive programs.
I do think that we need to win the voters back and actually have a progressive movement again. We don’t have one now. It’s not just the politicians holding us back from the progressive agenda we truly want. I want it, you want it, but we are not the norm. And as long as we’re fighting for our very lives against fascists, it will never be time to split the left so we can push the tip of the spear further left.
Seems like this is something the democrats really need to put a lot of work into figuring out. But it doesn’t really seem like the mainstream of the DNC is all that interested. It seems like they think they already have it worked out, and that people should just follow along…
Re: “progressive” and “socialism”, sure, I get you. I think that there’s potentially a LOT of scope for simple reframing that would resonate though, like Gary’s Economics’ “tax wealth not work” frame. But I don’t think the DNC would pick that up, because too many of them are wealthy, or mates with wealthy people…
I feel you may be thinking that I’m against more progressive policies. Nothing could be further from the truth. I travelled to a neighboring state to campaign for Bernie during the primary where he was up against Biden. What I learned from that primary is that democratic voters are not in fact champing at the bit for more progressive policies. Don’t ask me why not. I believe it’s probably multiple answers. A lot of them are old and still carry the ancient stigma toward socialism. A lot of them are affluent and while they might like to see a kinder world for trans and gay people, are not eager for economic revolution. Some are minorities who don’t necessarily want their race to be spoken to like it’s their main issue, and economically may in fact be entrepreneurial minded and not aspiring to government incentive programs.
I do think that we need to win the voters back and actually have a progressive movement again. We don’t have one now. It’s not just the politicians holding us back from the progressive agenda we truly want. I want it, you want it, but we are not the norm. And as long as we’re fighting for our very lives against fascists, it will never be time to split the left so we can push the tip of the spear further left.
I don’t like it. That’s just the way it is.
Seems like this is something the democrats really need to put a lot of work into figuring out. But it doesn’t really seem like the mainstream of the DNC is all that interested. It seems like they think they already have it worked out, and that people should just follow along…
Re: “progressive” and “socialism”, sure, I get you. I think that there’s potentially a LOT of scope for simple reframing that would resonate though, like Gary’s Economics’ “tax wealth not work” frame. But I don’t think the DNC would pick that up, because too many of them are wealthy, or mates with wealthy people…