The one silver lining of our losses in the House...

If we hold the house in two years, it will be because we support the moderates in the House. These are
the vulnerable seats. Go left and lose both the House and the Senate. Most of the country is
more conservative than we here at DU. That is just a fact that we can not change.

If you want Kevin McCarthy to be the next Speaker than give more power to the Justice
Democrats. And in two years, we and they will have none.

There are over 210 Democrats in Congress who aren't Justice Democrats.

The Justice Democrats are from deep blue districts. And even then, one Justice Democrat managed to lose in a district that is +14 D.

The rest of the party cannot and will not bend over backwards to make them happy.

JDs need to assimilate eh? I'd much rather have a strong progressive bloc pull us left than a submissive progressive bloc that allows us to stagnate.

It's an afterthought.

I believe that they represent a lot of people.

There is no progressive position that isn't worth fighting for.

If we don't win, we fight from the sidewalk.

If we win, we fight at the table.

Politics is an art of compromise and arrive at a winning position. Not "my way or highway." The latter will get you a highway every single time.

Elections are about winning and math. Without a win, we have no voice at all, no place at the table. Zip, zilch, nada.

Math is a harsh mistress.

This topic has been beaten to death on here, so people are just dug in…

Something young progressives don't have yet.

I speak from personal experience. When I was younger I demanded change loudly and immediately. As I've aged I take a longer view and see change as gradual, glacial even, but consistent and measurable.

Win small battles that stick. Reframe progressive things as necessary and universal. Ease people into change.

Lightening bolt change, like fad diets are doomed to failure.

Sadly, only after years of hard road miles, does this lesson get learned. No amount of preaching from me or anybody else will teach this. Eventually everybody learns this last, and perhaps most important, life lesson.

and I hope the Justice Democrats (who are currently fundraising against other Democrats, https://www.democraticunderground.com/100214618597) get a clue.

And the winner is a real hard-line religious conservative Trump supporter. And it really sucked. I want to flip that seat back in 2022.

moderates may not be the best overall strategy when confronting a party that's willing to extremes.

sees an opportunity to generate even more adverse branding so we can lose more seats and return to the minority where JD never have to compromise and vote righteously on ever losing vote.

It is far more practical for the moderates in remaining purple districts to vote with the Republicans than for the progressives to do so.

Progressives representing 5% of the majority party rather than 4% is not a silver lining. The only power that they might hold is to kill legislation being proposed by the remainder of the Democratic Party if their demands are not met. How is that a good thing?