why not take a page from the right’s clearly successful playbook and vote more in local politics and primaries.
I vote in primaries. I also see how, in local races, the party pulls out all the stops to stop progressive challengers to conservative incumbents, an advantage not afforded to progressive incumbents with conservative challengers.
the party pulls out all the stops to stop progressive challengers to conservative incumbents
Progressives have won many local seats in places, so no they are not being stopped. At higher level offices yes of course they struggle to knock out funded, well known incumbents. But it’s the pitiful turnout at these primaries is the real problem. If progressives even marginally increased turnout they’d win a lot more seats.
Like I also don’t get this complaint on some level: Yes they lose to incumbents working against them. The progressive candidates are running against them and trying to take their seat. 90% of the time their rhetoric is antagonistic to the democratic party. Why would they expect a friendly, helping hand from an org they often paint as their opposition?
Progressives have won many local seats in places, so no they are not being stopped.
centrists don’t have to be 100% successful in their efforts to make sure that only republicans and centrists are allowed to run.
At higher level offices yes of course they struggle to knock out funded, well known incumbents.
So how low is the cutoff here? Where’s the line that deliniates “where progressives can win” and “where putting our thumb on the scale against progressives is acceptable”?
But it’s the pitiful turnout at these primaries is the real problem.
Cuellar beat Cisneros by like 500 votes after the party put its full weight behind him. Of course, he was a high enough level to be worth protecting. At the same level, we had Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman, who the party didn’t want to protect because they were progressive incumbents.
Why would they expect a friendly, helping hand from an org they often paint as their opposition?
Because we’ve seen decades of the democratic party offering a friendly helping hand to republicans.
You completely ignored the thrust of my argument. Why should progressives running against democrats while railing against the Democratic Party expect a helping hand from their opponent/the democratic party?
I have worked successful progressive campaigns and let me tell you, that’s not an expectation of winning candidates.
Why should progressives running against democrats while railing against the Democratic Party expect a helping hand from their opponent/the democratic party?
Why should progressives get treated worse by democrats than republicans do? You’re acting like progressives are instigating here.
Where on earth are you getting that idea? They aren’t treated worse because that makes no sense. They are in a primary, they are direct competitors. There are no Republicans in the democratic primaries.
They aren’t treated worse because that makes no sense
The messaging to progressives is “You will shut up and vote as we order you. We will never listen to your concerns and we will blame you for every loss we earn.”
The messaging to republicans is “Ok, who do we have to throw under the bus to get your support, Mr. Cheney, sir?”
Yes, progressives are treated worse. Your gaslighting is predicated on a ridiculous lie and I will not be interacting with someone who insults my intelligence as harshly as you just did.
Where are you getting this information? Where have you seen this? How many campaigns have you worked on? Are you involved in politics yourself?
You’re conflating how they handle general elections/treat progressives, which is piss poor, with how primaries go down. These are two very different discussions even though it may not seem that way.
I vote in primaries. I also see how, in local races, the party pulls out all the stops to stop progressive challengers to conservative incumbents, an advantage not afforded to progressive incumbents with conservative challengers.
Progressives have won many local seats in places, so no they are not being stopped. At higher level offices yes of course they struggle to knock out funded, well known incumbents. But it’s the pitiful turnout at these primaries is the real problem. If progressives even marginally increased turnout they’d win a lot more seats.
Like I also don’t get this complaint on some level: Yes they lose to incumbents working against them. The progressive candidates are running against them and trying to take their seat. 90% of the time their rhetoric is antagonistic to the democratic party. Why would they expect a friendly, helping hand from an org they often paint as their opposition?
centrists don’t have to be 100% successful in their efforts to make sure that only republicans and centrists are allowed to run.
So how low is the cutoff here? Where’s the line that deliniates “where progressives can win” and “where putting our thumb on the scale against progressives is acceptable”?
Cuellar beat Cisneros by like 500 votes after the party put its full weight behind him. Of course, he was a high enough level to be worth protecting. At the same level, we had Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman, who the party didn’t want to protect because they were progressive incumbents.
Because we’ve seen decades of the democratic party offering a friendly helping hand to republicans.
You completely ignored the thrust of my argument. Why should progressives running against democrats while railing against the Democratic Party expect a helping hand from their opponent/the democratic party?
I have worked successful progressive campaigns and let me tell you, that’s not an expectation of winning candidates.
Why should progressives get treated worse by democrats than republicans do? You’re acting like progressives are instigating here.
Where on earth are you getting that idea? They aren’t treated worse because that makes no sense. They are in a primary, they are direct competitors. There are no Republicans in the democratic primaries.
The messaging to progressives is “You will shut up and vote as we order you. We will never listen to your concerns and we will blame you for every loss we earn.”
The messaging to republicans is “Ok, who do we have to throw under the bus to get your support, Mr. Cheney, sir?”
Yes, progressives are treated worse. Your gaslighting is predicated on a ridiculous lie and I will not be interacting with someone who insults my intelligence as harshly as you just did.
Where are you getting this information? Where have you seen this? How many campaigns have you worked on? Are you involved in politics yourself?
You’re conflating how they handle general elections/treat progressives, which is piss poor, with how primaries go down. These are two very different discussions even though it may not seem that way.