The thing is progressive policy gets the votes Harris is chasing here too
When Obama flipped red ststaes in 08 it wasn’t because progressives turned out, because progressives always turn out.
He flipped red states by flipping moderate voters with progressive policy.
While moderates have favored the Democratic candidate in each of the past five elections, Barack Obama gained the support of more voters in the ideological “middle” than did either John Kerry or Al Gore before him. He won at least half the votes of independents (52% vs. 49% for Kerry), suburban voters (50% vs. 47% for Kerry), Catholics (54% vs. 47% for Kerry), and other key swing groups in the electorate.
The thing is progressive policy gets the votes Harris is chasing here too
He flipped red states by flipping moderate voters with progressive policy.
I suspect this worked in part because he tailored his policy and his messaging in the battleground states, specifically so his policy would appeal to the swing voters there. (Another part is that progressive policy is just that good, naturally.)
So this may work again for Harris, but the messaging has to be done in a tailored way.
Even if we lose some votes, progressive policy is a net gain.
That’s the fear - that an untailored, or badly or wrongly tailored, policy might cause more damage - a net loss of votes in the battleground states overall, where we can’t really afford that loss.
The thing is progressive policy gets the votes Harris is chasing here too
When Obama flipped red ststaes in 08 it wasn’t because progressives turned out, because progressives always turn out.
He flipped red states by flipping moderate voters with progressive policy.
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2008/11/05/inside-obamas-sweeping-victory/
And that’s even with the PUMA movement Clinton’s campaign started to get Dems to vote for Kerry.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/People_United_Means_Action
Even if we lose some votes, progressive policy is a net gain.
Do they? I thought they were one of the more unreliable demographics.
Nope, feel free to luck up any exit polling
President Bernie Sanders tends to agree with you.
I suspect this worked in part because he tailored his policy and his messaging in the battleground states, specifically so his policy would appeal to the swing voters there. (Another part is that progressive policy is just that good, naturally.)
So this may work again for Harris, but the messaging has to be done in a tailored way.
That’s the fear - that an untailored, or badly or wrongly tailored, policy might cause more damage - a net loss of votes in the battleground states overall, where we can’t really afford that loss.