About the "Dems need to move further left" theory. [View all]

[DanTex]

Is there any evidence whatsoever that this would actually help win elections? I get that Dems are at their weakest point in many decades, so yes, something has been going wrong. But I see no evidence that "not left enough" has anything to do with it.

First, the Dems have already been moving left. The trajectory from the 90s to today is one of gradually becoming more progressive. There's not much overall correlation between "leftness" and electoral success, and if anything the correlation goes the other way.

Second, the last time the Dems won control of congress (2006), it was not a strategy of running to the left that did it. It was a strategy of running centrists in swing districts, and it worked.

Third, progressive candidates in moderate districts or states don't have a very good track record, including in 2016 (e.g. Feingold, Teachout).



Look, I would love it if the solution to the Dems' electoral problems was simply to surge left, because my views are left of the median Democrat. But I just don't see the logic. And I don't see any evidence. For the most part, I see the argument coming from ardent progressives who make the mistake of overestimating the appeal of their own views -- basically assuming that other people see the world like they do. But this is unfortunately not reality.

And, sure, having a majority that includes centrists does make it trickier to get progressive legislation passed. But it sure beats the crap out of not having a majority at all.