• TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    That’s not what the last 25 years of elections tell us.

    When Democrats run on a progressive, or at least apparently progressive platform, they win, even if that’s not how they ultimately govern (Obama 08, 12; Biden 20). Biden’s 2020 platform was a lift and shift of every single one of Bernie’s policy positions: His platform was Biden in name only. Obama’s was also highly progressive. I’d put Gore in here too for a half point, considering that was basically a stolen election (SC decided Floridians voters didn’t matter), and he ran almost competently on climate change; he won the popular vote and the EC, but the SC decided that wasn’t relevant.

    When they run center right candidates (Kerry 04, Hillary 16) and platforms, they lose.

    Voters who show up and get Democrats elected into office have shown one thing:

    Progressive candidates and platforms win you elections.

    So this:

    Nobody wants a progressive candidate

    Is just a demonstrably false statement, easily rebutted by even a cursory glance at history.

    • kitnaht@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      If that were true, they’d be doing it. It’s as simple as that. A whole team of people who know far more than you are I, have decided you are wrong. I’ll just leave it at that. I wholly disagree that Biden or Obamas platforms were progressive at all.

      • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        they’d be doing it

        Who would be doing what? Biden took his platform far to the left in 2020 and it got him enough of Bernies collation to get him elected. Obama ran on healthcare and holding banks accountable.

        And also…

        A whole team of people who know far more than you are I,

        No they fucking don’t. These are the same consultants that advised Hillary to prop up Trump in the primaries.

        The fact is that if you are a Democrat running for President, at least giving lip service to progressive polices gets you elected. There is no requirement you govern that way once elected, but if you don’t at least entertain the Progressive vote as a Democrat, you don’t win the presidency.