General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why Hasn't The American Left Convinced More Americans To Vote For More Progressive Candidates? [View all]Spike89
(1,569 posts)The first is the biggest and hardest to combat. When it comes to progressive economic issues, the message is, if not counterintuitive, at least somewhat complicated compared to the right wing's simple sloganeering. Taxation is obvious example...teabaggers shout "no more taxes" and progressives shout "tax fairly and spend the money on infrastructure, jobs programs and other areas where it will help all of us". No one likes paying taxes, but progressives know that they are needed to maintain a strong society. It is difficult to make nuanced arguments against slogan chanters.
The second reason is related somewhat, but really is an image problem. Progressives lead with our hearts on social issues and aren't as reactionary as conservatives. We're still associated with the counter-culture in many older people's minds, and in some instances on some issues, even the younger generations. That makes us easy enough targets for simplified attacks--we're "anti-America", anti-religion, soft on crime, etc. Even when we are right and the general population moves toward our views (marriage equality) we win the battle, but still get tarred with the broad brush strokes of being anti-family, immoral, etc. Even among those who agree with most of the Democratic social platform, we're seen as the party/ideology that is more touchy-feely than pragmatic realists.
So, we have the reputation of not being as "practical" as the other side, and when it comes to economics, that is major problem. In a nutshell, we have a more difficult time explaining our economic positions and less reputation as "serious" in the realm of economic theory. The media buys into this, partly because it is in their interest to do so, partly because it all makes for grand theater (which is what they exist for).
One last example of this in action...the "job creators" meme is accepted by virtually everyone on the right, the vast majority of the middle, and possibly even a majority of the left. Business owners DO NOT create jobs. Demand for a business' products or services creates jobs. Demand comes from the people, not business owners. For instance, if Joe Blow opens a tea bagging business, he only hires someone if he absolutely must in order to satisfy his customer base. All corporations (by design) and most businesses have one goal--maximize profit. The only way to do that is to keep costs low and prices high--that means minimum workforce to supply the demand. It isn't rocket science. Businesses are not in the business of creating jobs, they are actually in the business of minimizing the amount of payroll they must pay.