Matt Yglesias wrote a piece that basically put Biden’s dilemma like this: Biden should simply say to progressives that his priority is winning in 2024; that in order to do this he has to message more centrist policies (hello record drilling!); that he understands this conflicts with progressive interests, but nevertheless he has put a significant amount of progressive points on the board and would now appreciate their continued support; that progressives certainly have the power to make his re-election more complicated and messy (lots of protesting and party disunity), but doing so only helps Trump, which is much, much worse than Biden necessarily having to pivot to the center.
So, it’s essentially placing a fork in the road. Biden saying he’s going one way and that he hopes progressives will follow, while acknowledging and respecting their power. Tactically, I think this is the best move going forward.
At this point it doesn't even seem like the groups believe their own take on the political viability of moderate policies; their leaders are just too worried about being flanked from the left and losing what power they have to be able to speak cogently.
Trump's so-called moderate abortion position is pure horseshit, given he promised the religious right that he would appoint their kind to the US Supreme Court and the rest of the Federal Judiciary, and his SCOTUS appointees all voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. I heard that Justice Alito wrote in his opinion that there was no history in early America of women being allowed to have abortion. If Justice Alito wrote that, or if he didn't write it, Ben Franklin wrote in his popular book, The Instructor, about herbs made by Mother Nature and/or God, which women commonly used to cause them to miscarry. Apparently it was common practice back then, and had been common practice since antiquity, for women to use Nature's herbs to both prevent and end pregnancy. The Declaration of Independence acknowledges certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Among which leaves the door open to other unalienable rights. Why women, President Biden, the US Department of Justice, the ACLU, etc., have filed a Declaratory Judgment action in the US District Court in Washington D.C., where Roe v. Wade was overturned by religious freaks on the US Supreme Court, baffles this 81-year-old former practicing attorney, who clerked for a US District Judge in Birmingham, Alabama. If Amendment 1 prohibits Congress from passing a law that establishes religion, how can the US Supreme Court make a law that makes religious freaks happy?
Thing is, is anyone buying Trump's "pivot?" It's one thing to say this worked in 2016, when Trump as President was something that existed in the abstract; now, he has an actual record.
I don’t understand how anyone with half a brain could take Trump’s comments on abortion seriously. Ever since 2015 he’s been saying how he’s going to be a “deal maker”, and “bring both sides together” on whatever issue is being discussed. When has he EVER done that? Anytime he inserts himself into a situation chaos ensues and everything goes to hell. Anyone who thinks he can broker some kind of “deal” on abortion or anything else hasn’t been paying attention.
My concern is that right wingers ALWAYS vote no matter what, whereas left wingers are fickle and don't tend to vote as resolutely - Hilary in 2016 is the best example. Hopefully, Trump's awfulness and abortion might be a bulwark against this, but it still makes me nervous.
Has everyone forgotten about Gary Johnson? The bulk of the defections in the 2016 race were not to the left. People also forget the math of defections: One voter you pull away from your main opponent is worth as much as *two* voters lost to a spoiler.
I think that *if* Biden gets reelected whoever comes after will probably have to tack left or risk facing a Ralph Nader figure. But with Trump around the left is a paper tiger. At the moment not even the internet communists and assistant professors of geography are getting enthusiastic about Cornel West.
Ralph Nader was a big problem for Democrats in 2000 and somebody like Cornel West would be a big problem today if the Republicans were about to renominate Mitt Romney instead of Donald Trump.
Good point. It might be riskier for Biden to punch left more than Trump to punch right. But I doubt Trump thinks about that--I think it just happens to work to his advantage. He is probably thinking that it is better for him in the general election to try to moderate his message, and it just so happens the odds work more in his favor.
I miss seeing you post articles multiple times per week! I don’t think the number of articles you post justifies the subscription cost anymore. :-(
When was the last podcast?
Matt Yglesias wrote a piece that basically put Biden’s dilemma like this: Biden should simply say to progressives that his priority is winning in 2024; that in order to do this he has to message more centrist policies (hello record drilling!); that he understands this conflicts with progressive interests, but nevertheless he has put a significant amount of progressive points on the board and would now appreciate their continued support; that progressives certainly have the power to make his re-election more complicated and messy (lots of protesting and party disunity), but doing so only helps Trump, which is much, much worse than Biden necessarily having to pivot to the center.
So, it’s essentially placing a fork in the road. Biden saying he’s going one way and that he hopes progressives will follow, while acknowledging and respecting their power. Tactically, I think this is the best move going forward.
At this point it doesn't even seem like the groups believe their own take on the political viability of moderate policies; their leaders are just too worried about being flanked from the left and losing what power they have to be able to speak cogently.
Trump's so-called moderate abortion position is pure horseshit, given he promised the religious right that he would appoint their kind to the US Supreme Court and the rest of the Federal Judiciary, and his SCOTUS appointees all voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. I heard that Justice Alito wrote in his opinion that there was no history in early America of women being allowed to have abortion. If Justice Alito wrote that, or if he didn't write it, Ben Franklin wrote in his popular book, The Instructor, about herbs made by Mother Nature and/or God, which women commonly used to cause them to miscarry. Apparently it was common practice back then, and had been common practice since antiquity, for women to use Nature's herbs to both prevent and end pregnancy. The Declaration of Independence acknowledges certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Among which leaves the door open to other unalienable rights. Why women, President Biden, the US Department of Justice, the ACLU, etc., have filed a Declaratory Judgment action in the US District Court in Washington D.C., where Roe v. Wade was overturned by religious freaks on the US Supreme Court, baffles this 81-year-old former practicing attorney, who clerked for a US District Judge in Birmingham, Alabama. If Amendment 1 prohibits Congress from passing a law that establishes religion, how can the US Supreme Court make a law that makes religious freaks happy?
Thing is, is anyone buying Trump's "pivot?" It's one thing to say this worked in 2016, when Trump as President was something that existed in the abstract; now, he has an actual record.
I don’t understand how anyone with half a brain could take Trump’s comments on abortion seriously. Ever since 2015 he’s been saying how he’s going to be a “deal maker”, and “bring both sides together” on whatever issue is being discussed. When has he EVER done that? Anytime he inserts himself into a situation chaos ensues and everything goes to hell. Anyone who thinks he can broker some kind of “deal” on abortion or anything else hasn’t been paying attention.
My concern is that right wingers ALWAYS vote no matter what, whereas left wingers are fickle and don't tend to vote as resolutely - Hilary in 2016 is the best example. Hopefully, Trump's awfulness and abortion might be a bulwark against this, but it still makes me nervous.
Has everyone forgotten about Gary Johnson? The bulk of the defections in the 2016 race were not to the left. People also forget the math of defections: One voter you pull away from your main opponent is worth as much as *two* voters lost to a spoiler.
I think that *if* Biden gets reelected whoever comes after will probably have to tack left or risk facing a Ralph Nader figure. But with Trump around the left is a paper tiger. At the moment not even the internet communists and assistant professors of geography are getting enthusiastic about Cornel West.
Maybe, but voters keep picking center left dems
Ralph Nader was a big problem for Democrats in 2000 and somebody like Cornel West would be a big problem today if the Republicans were about to renominate Mitt Romney instead of Donald Trump.
Good point. It might be riskier for Biden to punch left more than Trump to punch right. But I doubt Trump thinks about that--I think it just happens to work to his advantage. He is probably thinking that it is better for him in the general election to try to moderate his message, and it just so happens the odds work more in his favor.