Republicans are telling Democrats to move right. It's dreadful advice.
For instance, heres former Republican James B. Comey, sharing his political insights about what does and doesnt affect elections:
Democrats, please, please dont lose your minds and rush to the socialist left. This president and his Republican Party are counting on you to do exactly that. Americas great middle wants sensible, balanced, ethical leadership.
James Comey (@Comey) July 22, 2018
Heres Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center, telling liberals that theyll never beat President Trump with a bunch of leftist policy ideas. And its not just Republicans; the group Third Way held a gathering of moderate Democrats so that they could wring their hands about where the party is going. The Democrats, in my opinion, would make a big mistake if they decide to run a base election and just say, Our base is bigger than your base, said former New Orleans mayor and possible presidential candidate Mitch Landrieu.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/07/23/republicans-are-telling-democrats-to-move-right-its-dreadful-advice/?utm_term=.c6a003383486&tid=sm_tw
Raven123
(4,714 posts)EndGOPPropaganda
(1,117 posts)appalachiablue
(41,047 posts)BeyondGeography
(39,278 posts)Trust Buster
(7,299 posts)Vogon_Glory
(9,084 posts)No, those recent former Republicans are giving bad advice. We moved far enough right already. In fact, Id say that much of the Democratic Partys agenda is what used to be called moderate-conservative forty, fifty years ago. I see no reason whatsoever why we should move over into the irresponsible anti-welfare state, anti-Great Society, anti-New Deal psychotic mindset that has taken over the Republican Party.
I know this to be true. I used to be a NixonFord era moderate conservative and bailed when I realized that the Raygun Zanies were firmly in control of the GOP and would continue to be so.
I admit Im more to the right than many DU voters, and that I dont like the thought of writing off potential voters. But after the 2016 election, Ive been convinced that all the reachable Republican moderates have already crossed over the River Jordan and joined Team Donkey. Theres little left among the pachyderms except diminishing returns. Wed do better to start registering and recruiting within traditional Democratic blocs.
ProfessorPlum
(11,252 posts)I totally agree with the article. Also,
Uncle Joe
(58,107 posts)Thanks for the thread demmiblue
rlegro
(338 posts)...apparently never heard of the Overton window. Shifting the window back to the center of American politics from the right, where it resides today, in fact requires a vigorous shift to the left in Democratic politics -- perhaps a series of them, which is how the GOP moved the window into neo-fascist territory in the space of a few decades. More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window
Snellius
(6,881 posts)Their major donors like the Koch brothers must be freaking out over the possibility of democratic socialism, like after WWII when almost every country in the world went socialist in one degree or another. Except the US. Or like Hitler in his rise to power.