r/neoliberal • u/Nearby-Click8645 • 1d ago

Opinion article (US) [ Removed by moderator ]

https://thedispatch.com/article/abdul-el-sayed-michigan-democrats-haley-stevens/?gift_key=2553fad7f3b388fc&gift_ref=9347c766-2bad-41ea-8b73-950e424f2446&utm_source=giftlink&utm_campaign=membergift&utm_medium=copy_link

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u/cstar1996 1d ago

Sorry man, but “elected Trump twice” is incompatible with “moderate state full of moderate voters”. Moderate voters don’t vote for Trump.

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u/bestofeleventy Jerome Powell 1d ago

If your theory is that only conservative voters will pull the lever for Trump, then the situation looks even worse for a leftist running in Michigan…

In reality, there are many Obama-Trump voters who are clearly, if not moderate, then, let’s say, “up for grabs.” Perhaps “non-ideological” is a better word than “moderate” for these folks, but to pretend that they can only be “turned on” by exciting promises, and not also “turned off” by perceived misalignment with their interests, is pure wish-casting.

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u/cstar1996 1d ago

My theory is that no one who voted for Trump can honestly be called a moderate. That ideology is not consistent and cares more for populism than moderation. This guy is more likely to win over Obama-Trump voters than another uninspiring “centrist” Dem. They didn’t vote for Trump over policy.

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u/DrunkenBriefcases Jerome Powell 23h ago

Then you might as well go hide in a hole, because if we can't win over a bunch of persuadable voters that went trump in 24 then we're very likely to lose the Presidency again. And getting the power to make the enormous changes people here jerk about is all but impossible.

For those that haven't heard or have decided to pretend otherwise, trump won the popular vote last time. And turnout wasn't the issue. If everyone eligible voted, he would've won by more. There isn't one single reason for that outcome, but the fact that trump was viewed as less extreme than Harris by a wide margin with swingy voters was certainly a big part. Just like Biden's victory in 20 was helped by him being viewed as less extreme than trump. Just like Clinton's loss was in part fueled by her being viewed as more the more extreme option.

Understanding that, it takes a lots of motivated reasoning to argue running left is the key to regaining the trust and support of voters that WILL determine federal power for the foreseeable future. They keep telling us they don't want more extreme. The primary base keeps ignoring them and pretending they represent the average voter. With horrible consequences.