General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Reminder: HRC lost the Electoral College by less than 100K votes spread over 3 states. [View all]bigtree
(86,013 posts)Last edited Wed May 4, 2022, 12:00 AM - Edit history (4)
...so-called 'moderates' gave Trump the benefit of the doubt in red states and voted for him, not progressives. No amount of revisionist bullshit can change that fact.
Stretching to blame progressives for not making the difference in red states is the height of bullshit. People who regularly bash progressives always claim that there aren't enough progressives in red states to pass progressive legislation.
Now here comes this revisionist nonsense claiming their votes were the ones that make a difference in red states. It's horseshit, right on its face.
Progressives can't get moderates in red states to even acknowledge them. They're regularly put down here at DU for expecting support for progressive initiatives from red state Democrats. But, they're lined up quick enough for bashing when the blame for MODERATES failure to rally starts getting flung around.
The worst part is that progressives in red states are regularly told to eat shit when they ask for what Democrats in blue states take for granted. I'm talking about Democrats who can't find one supporting word for actual progressive candidates and legislators.
What kind of reception did Bernie supporters get from the party? They were told they were asking for too much. Too much healthcare, too much environmental concern, wanted too much free college, wanted too many guns off the street for red state voters.
The response to them was to stifle those needs and fold into an agenda that basically treated their concern like trash to be taken to the curb. Many are still doing that, acting like they're saving Democrats by bashing progressive initiatives at every opportunity in the hope some republican voter will notice and sign on to the party at voting time.
This is just more progressive bashing, and I'm fed up with it. The vast majority of Democratic voters lives in states with progressive leaders. They just do. They're not some anomaly, they're the most faithful voters Democrats have, with black women voting in record numbers in the last election.
Instead of scorn and blame for what red state moderates failed to accomplish with their centrism, progressives in those states should be praised for their steadfastness in the face of such anti-Democratic influences.
But most of what we hear is that we need to appeal to conservative voters in those states, as if individual progressive voters, reviled by both parties in red states, are some anathema to Democrats nationwide for supporting mainstream Democratic policy and initiatives.
It's not just timidity in red states toward progressive ideals, it's betrayal of Democratic principles openly celebrated in blue states where MOST Democratic voters reside. Knuckling progressives under in those red states for essentially supporting Democratic policy, and then blaming them for not rallying to save the moderates who claim they know everything about winning elections in red states, is some supreme bull.
...besides:
"...perhaps the most painful data point for Clinton is this: the Democratic nominee for president never made a single campaign stop during the general election, and largely neglected Pennsylvania and Michigan, too, while Trump canvassed all three states relentlessly. His furious, last-minute blitz throughout the Rust Belt to win white, working-class voters, combined with the lack of resources Clinton invested, essentially handed their combined 46 electoral votes to Trump. Instead, Clinton spent the last few weeks of her campaign expending resources in places like Arizona and Texasstates which went for Trump by huge margins."
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/12/hillary-clinton-margin-loss-votes
...here's what's wack about this progressive bashing. MODERATE DEMOCRATS IN RED STATES (WHO DIDN'T SIT OUT THE ELECTION OVER THEIR HILLARY HATRED) ACTUALLY VOTED FOR TRUMP!
Trumps Stealth Moderates
Hidden supporters those who favored Trump but did not say they would vote for him were more politically moderate than Clinton supporters.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/opinion/did-moderates-help-elect-trump.html
They Voted For Trump, And Then Biden.
https://www.npr.org/2021/09/28/1041082875
Democrats Who Voted For Donald Trump Speak - TIME.com
Voices from Democratic Counties Where Trump Won Big
https://time.com/voices-from-democratic-counties-where-trump-won-big/
They Voted Democratic. Now They Support Trump.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/26/upshot/democratic-trump-voters-2020.html