"A Serious Post About The 'Progressive' Approach To Politics"
long post but hopefully we can get a mature discussion on this because im genuinely seeking answers.
ok so bernie surrogate john fetterman is running for senate in my state. same style progressive as sanders. current lieutenant governor. got swept into office during the 2018 dem wave.
he lost his previous run for senate in 2016. so this is his 2nd go at it.
its prolly gonna be a tough midterm for any dem so theyre gonna have to squeeze every vote out of the big tent coalition that they can get.
hes got a glaring vulnerability with black voters. he once chased an innocent unarmed black jogger down with a shotgun and held him hostage until police showed up (he was mayor of that 60% majority black town at the time). he hasnt really offered a full throated apology. in fact...hes just reiterated his excuse that he didnt know the person was black...he never got out of his truck...he never pointed the gun directly at the jogger (the jogger disputes this)...and he never chambered a round to actually shoot the jogger (like that matters). and he essentially blames the jogger for being wrapped head to toe in clothes and a ski mask (in the dead of winter lol).
he also just blew off a forum with black clergy that other candidates attended. this was the night after mlk day btw lol.
hes running on the working class populist angle...criticizing washington dc and the establishment (despite currently holding political office)...is doing sparse campaigning in his states most populous city (philadelphia)...hasnt made many allies among the states dem party...and is shunning appearances with other dems (like biden, the governor, etc). hes betting on voters from his home base around pittsburgh putting him over the top.
big problem tho. his opponent is conor lamb...who is the current congressman for a district around pittsburgh...who is soaking up most of the traditional dem organization endorsements (unions, latino/black groups, etc)...who is endorsed by the philadelphia mayor and doing an appearance with biden soon...and who is steadily eating into fettermans polling lead.
okay.
nina turner is again running for the same congressional district where she blew a *30* point polling lead to lose in a 2021 special election. shes running the same bernie style campaign. alienating a lot of potential dem allies and the people who vote for them. shes 1-2 in elections in ohio and the only race she won she ran unopposed. but shes doing the same thing again.
assuming the goal is to assemble the biggest coalition to win an election...i dont understand this approach anymore. especially after 2020.
i just dont get running in a dem primary but acting like you dont give a shit about core dem constituencies. is adhering to a rigid/restrictive ideology more important than bringing the most voters into the fold?
i mean...even *if* you squeak by with your limited base voters in a divided primary...youre still putting a ceiling on your appeal in the general by not reaching out to the broader dem base.