General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: We're well on our way to a republican president in 2016 [View all]Martin Eden
(12,786 posts)1) Some liberals will refuse to support a centrist Democrat cozy with Wall Street.
2) Voters who often don't bother voting will not be motivated to vote.
Group #2 is orders of magnitude larger. The vast majority of politically engaged liberals (read: progressive DUers) will hold their nose and vote for the centrist Dem because they understand the consequences of R's controlling all 3 branches of government. Some won't, but their numbers are negligible compared to group #2.
Therefore, the solution to winning the presidency in 2016 is to nominate a Democratic standard-bearer who will inspire and motivate people to go to the polls and vote.
If our election strategy is based on scolding liberals to vote for a centrist because the R's are terrible, we're well on our way to a republican president in 2016.
The most significant number in the 2014 midterms was 63.7. That is the percent of eligible voters who did not go to the polls.
Give the people something to vote FOR, if you really want to avoid the catastrophe of a Republican sweep.