NY Times Op-Ed: The Simple Reason the Left Won't Stop Losing

[honest.abe]

How did the political left squander the opportunity that was the 2020 primary campaign?

The Trump presidency has created tremendous energy among progressives. More than half of Democratic voters now identify as liberal. Most favor “Medicare for all.” A growing number are unhappy with American capitalism.

This year’s campaign offered the prospect of transformational change, with a Democratic nominee who was more liberal than any in more than a half-century. Instead, the nominee now seems likely to be a moderate white grandfather who first ran for president more than 30 years ago and whose campaign promises a return to normalcy.

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The biggest lesson is simply this: The American left doesn’t care enough about winning. It’s an old problem, one that has long undermined left-wing movements in this country. They have often prioritized purity over victory. They wouldn’t necessarily put it these terms, but they have chosen to lose on their terms rather than win with compromise.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/08/opinion/sanders-democratic-primary.html

This is a very good article in my opinion. Sanders and his campaign have focused too much on appealing to the fringe of the Democratic party. In fact so much so, he has probably done more harm than good to the progressive movement.

NOTE: There is a paywall but you might be able to get through it by going incognito. That worked for me.