If Harris Loses, Should Democrats Move Right?

[ALiberalModerate]

Let's start with the third paragraph of the article, because I think it is especially telling:

Already, moderates in the party are seeding the narrative that Harris was doomed by the Biden administration’s excessive deference to left-wing interest groups and aversion to orthodox economics.

The Democratic Party is a coalition of moderates and progressives. In contrast, there are no moderates with any power in the Republican Party. In virtually every election cycle, candidates deemed too far left are defeated in their primary by a more moderate candidate. For example, look no further than Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman, both Democrats that lost their primary in very safe Democratic districts. This never happens in the Republican Party. No matter how extreme a Republican is, if they are in a safe district, their only worry is a primary from the right.

Moreover, Republicans have lost the majority of the vote in every election but one in the last 34 years. Senate Democrats in the last 30 years have had cumulatively tens of millions more votes than Senate Republicans. The same is true in the House. By any measure, today's Republican Party is further from the political center than today's Democratic Party.

That all said, the Democrats are terrible at picking battles. For example, a solid majority of Americans are Pro-Choice. On the abortion issue, the Republican Party's position is well outside of the mainstream. However, Democrats constantly get baited into fighting the only ground in the abortion debate where the Republican position has majority support, elective late term abortions. If Democrats simply took the position that they are pro-choice, but are against any elective abortions in the third trimester, they would take away the only issue Republicans have in regards to the abortion debate. Moreover, only a minute percentage of abortions occur in the third trimester, and of those, hardly any are elective.

A majority of Americans are for trans rights. Most people don't believe someone should be discriminated against because they are trans. Yet, Democrats constantly get baited into fighting about M2F trans athletes in varsity sports. That is literally only area of the whole trans debate where Republicans have an advantage. If they simply said, "I think that is something that should left to state sport's boards.", they would be taking the sensible position and taking an issue away from Republicans.

The Republican position on the border is the mainstream position. Democrats need to accept that. People want secure borders, and they want to know who is in the country. They also do not like seeing their cities overwhelmed with illegal migrants.

The Republican position on law enforcement is closer to the mainstream than the Progressive Democrat position on law enforcement. Regardless of who you are, being seen as soft on crime is never popular.

On taxes, healthcare, environmental protection, civil liberties and so on, Americans are closer to the Democratic position than the Republican one. However, its all in the framing. In politics, it doesn't matter if you are right or wrong. What matters is meeting people where they are. A majority of Americans are where 90s era Bill Clinton was in terms of their politics. Socially moderate to liberal, pro-choice (safe, legal and rare), pro-business, fiscally moderate, strong on crime. There is a reason why he left office with the highest approval ratings of any president in the entire post-war era. In the Democratic Party, there are moderate "New Democrats / DLC type Democrats" and "Cultural Left Democrats". The majority of Americans are with the moderate Democrats.

 

[eohrnberger]

Kamala is now against fracking again, among a few other second order flips.

All the 'interim' positions were just so much lip service and not genuine, she's returning to her far left extremist progressive San Fran root.
Go figure.

It's not all that uncommon for Democrat candidates to race to the middle for elections and rule from the left.

In other words is not all that uncommon for Democrats to sell the electorate a bill of goods, once which aren't delivered.
In business, it'd be called false advertising, and would come under legal scrutiny.

 

[eohrnberger]

The Democrat part has moved SO far left in just the last 10 or 15 years as to be unrecognizable.

Good Grief, Obama had to be talked in to supporting something as simple as gay marriage and now we have Transsexualism as the latest rage and Democrats referring to "minor attracted persons" soon to be the newest protected class.

Agreed. Anyone who claims the Democrats have moved to the right is being disingenuous in the extreme.

Almost by definition, liberals are the ones pushing for change while conservatives are merely responding to whatever liberals do. More specifically, progressives have been bragging publicly about pushing the Democratic Party leftward since at least 2004—and they've succeeded.​

Now, I'm personally happy about most of this. But that doesn't blind me to the fact that "personally happy" means nothing in politics. What matters is what the median voter feels, and Democrats have been moving further and further away from the median voter for years:​

Kevin DrumPublished onJuly 3, 2021​

If you hate the culture wars, blame liberals - Kevin Drum

On Thursday I posted a series of charts that all documented a similar theme: Since roughly the year 2000, according to survey data, Democrats have moved significantly to the left on most hot button social issues while Republicans have moved only slightly right. This wasn't meant to be a rigorous...

jabberwocking.com

​

The Democrats, pushed by the progressives, have gone beyond the 'the median voter' as observed by the author.​

 

[eohrnberger]

They are compared to UK political parties.
The Dems are more like the UK Conservative party than they are the Labour party.

This a meaningless observation in relation to US politics.

 

[eohrnberger]

Mayhaps the Democratic Party should examine why the MAGA Party has such a strong following of men at this immediate point. Maybe they should examine it without screaming racism and actually examine it.

It'd be nice if they did and if they even could, but I'm skeptical that they have the ability and that they will.

 

[eohrnberger]

They were banking on his failure. They already knew he was too frail to continue. The public is so gullible to believe it was only because of the debate. This was always their plan. If they were true Democrats who cared about the people, they would have had an open convention.

Agreed.
Instead, what did the Democrat leadership and their MSM propagandists do?
The Dem's and their MSM propaganda organs kept reassuring the electorate that Biden was doing great, lying to them and covering it up, until that was no longer possible.

I don't see how anyone can possibly trust that lot or anything they say, much less lead the country and hold political office.

 

[Peter]

This a meaningless observation in relation to US politics.

It shows how the idea that the dems are massively left wing is a total nonsense.

 

[eohrnberger]

They would have been wiser to try to run him out before the primaries, by way of the 25th amendment if necessary,

however may not have had anyone on the bench any better then Harris.

That says allot right there, and the problem lies at the feet of the Democrat party leadership at the time, which would be Schumer, Pelosi, and a few others.

 

[Revelation]

Agreed.
Instead, what did the Democrat leadership and their MSM propagandists do?
The Dem's and their MSM propaganda organs kept reassuring the electorate that Biden was doing great, lying to them and covering it up, until that was no longer possible.

I don't see how anyone can possibly trust that lot or anything they say, much less lead the country and hold political office.

the Orange guy screwed up.

he should not have debated branden and let him run.

by debating that criminal, he showed how Fat the Lies come out of that Blue dee cee ghetto.

Orange could have won all the marbles and cake walk his way into the white house. wow biggest Error in political history.

LOL, the Blue criminals would have had to create Bigger Lies that even a street blue criminal voter could see thru. well now they have them all hypnotized with kamel and commie tampon. hope they keep the kitchen matches away from tampon.

.

 

[eohrnberger]

I think Harris was always going to be the next plan once they tricked old Biden into stepping down. I think she knew it too. They have to keep the Marxist grift going. This woman deceptively moved to the center only to get votes. She's as far left as her promoters, the people who are really running the WH. I don't think she will win the election because the people can see right through her, but we'll see. I was wrong about who would win both the 2016 and 2020 elections, so I don't exactly have a record of guessing correctly. She may pull this off.

This isn't the first time that Harris had something to do with her boss exiting suddenly with her as the replacement.

 

[OpportunityCost]

And for two, she's an incumbent Vice President of a Presidency with a shaky approval rating, that got switched into the headliner for the POTUS race last-minute (because the Democratic leaders decided to ignore Biden's clear issues for months and months until it was extremely untenable to do so after that debate), and has to both defend her VP incumbency and convince people to elect her to the top office. That's a very difficult game to play, especially with so much voter apathy, and people still struggling with basic necessities, housing, etcetera.

Governess, I think that last sentence is exactly why she is struggling. She is part of the current administration and agrees with most of the policies in place now and where they have led us. She is a vote for the status quo and that is not the direction voters want America to go by an overwhelming majority. 2 examples, center left and center right below:

Two-thirds of voters say the country is on the wrong track ahead of the 2024 election

The latest national NBC News poll finds 65% of voters say the country is on the wrong track, the first time since September 2022 that figure has dipped below 70%.

www.nbcnews.com

Right/wrong track polls - The Hill and DDHQ

Stay updated on whether Americans think the country is headed in the right or wrong track.

elections2024.thehill.com

The question is what is she going to do different? How can the economy both be strong, but people be struggling? There just seems to be an overall manipulation of news and data coming from the government, not to mention pressure-based censorship on social media.

All of it leads to a lack of transparency, lack of accountability and lack of responsibility for policy.

One could argue that Trump was the most accountable and transparent President ever because the bureaucrats and media were all over his ass 24/7. I don't think we can say that about a Democrat in today's environment. Do you think Biden would have been elected without Covid? Because I think that heavily factors in all the purported positives (economy, employment) and current DC environment on transparency. I think Covid acted as a test on social media control and information control and not in a good way.

Anyhow I ranged far afield, I just wanted to give you some reasons, in my opinion, why she is struggling and losing ground to Trump.

 

[HumblePi]

I voted no mostly for the wording. Democrats should move center is the better way of saying it, I think.

They should also move more towards peaceful and tolerant of opposing views, and stop stoking hatred among their supporters by equating everyone who doesn't agree with them to Hitler.

It's a strategy that breeds a very loyal base of lunatics, but you lose the moderates and the independents.

I think the OP meant 'move' as in, pack your suitcase and leave the US.

 

[Luce]

The Democrat part has moved SO far left in just the last 10 or 15 years as to be unrecognizable.

Good Grief, Obama had to be talked in to supporting something as simple as gay marriage and now we have Transsexualism as the latest rage and Democrats referring to "minor attracted persons" soon to be the newest protected class.

Link?

 

[eohrnberger]

No I don't think they should move right thinking about the voter is not the politicians. I think they should focus on the core principles. If they lose it'll be like I think other election and it will be because not enough of the base turned up the vote.

So what they would need to do is get a candidate that the people are enthusiastic about like they did with Barack Obama he was in unstoppable freight train.

Each Democrat presidential candidate tried to reassemble Obama's coalition of interest groups and has failed, rather miserably.
They are all self deluded in their Narcissism in thinking they can do that. That coalition of interest groups is gone, each group having shifted, changed since then.

Look at it from the single in 2008 and in 2012 Republican lost they ran some neocons that tend to be a little more mild and 2016 they won with Donald Trump I'm not sure he appeals to the conservative viewpoint but there is a lot of excitement behind him.

 

[eohrnberger]

It shows how the idea that the dems are massively left wing is a total nonsense.

On the UK political spectrum, that may very well be.
Are those Democrats who are running for US political office running in the UK?

 

[Gatsby]

No.

If Trump loses should the GOP move left? These questions are never asked of the GOP with any degree of sincerity.

Yes, Republicans should also move to the center. Trying to overthrow the government, calling legal immigrants animals, pledging to gut social security, and promising a 20% tariff across the board are quite bad ideas.

Likewise, Democrats should stop playing footsie with left-wing lunatics who want to defund the police; stop talking about "gender identity" and sex changes for minors; and stop hemming and hawing about inflation and the border crisis (which were genuinely quite bad until recently).

Both parties would do a lot better if they just dropped 20% of their most insane and unpopular ideas.

The reality is the Dems needs to adopt a Bernie platform to win

If that were the case then Bernie would be wrapping up his second term as president and there would be 50+ Bernies in the Senate. I honestly don't understand how people can look at a campaign strategy that was already tried, failed badly, and then say "We need more of that." It is self-evident that we don't.

 

[Bum]

If Harris Loses, Should Democrats Move Right?​

Never happen....folks said they would leave the country (even to Pluto) if trump won the first election....no one moved.

 

[CLAX1911]

Each Democrat presidential candidate tried to reassemble Obama's coalition of interest groups and has failed, rather miserably.

Where I think Harris is further left than Obama, I don't think that really comes into the equation what this really says is you can't fake it.

They are all self deluded in their Narcissism in thinking they can do that. That coalition of interest groups is gone, each group having shifted, changed since then.

It's kind of like how all the Republicans after Reagan tried to imitate Reagan. The only one that didn't was Trump.

I mentioned something about this to a Democrat where I said they have to make their own brand and the Democrat totally misinterpreted that probably on purpose.

 

[Winston]

If that were the case then Bernie would be wrapping up his second term as president and there would be 50+ Bernies in the Senate. I honestly don't understand how people can look at a campaign strategy that was already tried, failed badly, and then say "We need more of that." It is self-evident that we don't.

Bernie lost a general election?

 

[Gatsby]

Bernie lost a general election?

If he can't even convince a majority of the more left-wing party to support a socialist platform, how is he ever going to convince a majority of Americans to do so?

And it's not like we need to speculate about this. There are Bernies all across the country who run for Congress. And yet they never seem to get elected outside of Vermont, Massachusetts, Queens, and a few other deep blue places.

 

[Winston]

If he can't even convince a majority of the more left-wing party to support a socialist platform, how is he ever going to convince a majority of Americans to do so?

And it's not like we need to speculate about this. There are Bernies all across the country who run for Congress. And yet they never seem to get elected outside of Vermont, Massachusetts, Queens, and a few other deep blue places.

You can’t compare a house race to a national race. You know how hard it is to get the message out in a house race where no one knows your name and 90% of people don’t care.

Anyway, the Bernie platform is as of yet, untested. I think he certainly would have won in 2016, all the polls showed it. But, Democrats were too scared to go with a bold agenda that mainstream America appreciates. No need to relitigate 2016 anyway, that horse is dead.

 

[GIJane]

I didn't vote, but I honestly don't see a correlation between Harris losing and voters moving right. Why would voters give up their inherent beliefs just because she loses? I'm not moving left if Trump loses.

 

[eohrnberger]

Where I think Harris is further left than Obama,

By all accounts this is accurate.

I don't think that really comes into the equation

I guess we differ on that single point.

what this really says is you can't fake it.

Being genuine is something which can't be faked, and Harris seems to have a problem being perceived as being genuine. Hillary has the same problem.

It's kind of like how all the Republicans after Reagan tried to imitate Reagan. The only one that didn't was Trump.

That fair. Trump is perceived as being genuine, sans anyone afflicted with TDS, they'll never see it while they are only seeing red.
This most recently demonstrated while he was at McDonalds.

I mentioned something about this to a Democrat where I said they have to make their own brand and the Democrat totally misinterpreted that probably on purpose.

Oh well. So it goes.

 

[X Factor]

Yes, if Trump wins all Democrats should, indeed, move.

 

[Jetboogieman]

They should also move more towards peaceful and tolerant of opposing views

Coming from a Trumpist.

This is pretty unreal.