Tinidril

If you don't even know the name of the party, I'm really not optimistic about your insights. The party at large has clearly shifted left, even if the old guard hasn't lost their grip yet. There is a long way to go, and this edgy bullshit is nothing but distraction from the real work.

It's because to them the only thing that mattered was his in-group status. He was a "great Christian", not because he followed Jesus, but simply because he identified as such and did it loudly.

That's why I'm glad to be an old fart. The only thing different for me in 10 years is that I'll give even fewer fucks.

By AOC or Bernie, are you referring to two people that have done a thousand times more to shift the Overton window left than you and a dozen friends will ever achieve?

I just love all the ineffective edgy leftists constantly telling the only people making progress that they're doing it wrong.

A small minority of them is rich. A small minority of them is intelligent. The two don't intersect very often.

Not really.

“Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary” ― Karl Marx

Have no doubt that the branching timeline will end up being worse. Good things can't happen.

He violated MSNBC policy by speaking the truth.

What you are suggesting here is not all that dissimilar to what the Democratic establishment has been trying to do all along. I recognize the populist messaging could make a significant difference, but I don't think that is enough to overcome the fundamental flaw in the strategy. I think that any capitulation to Republican framing just sets up a situation where Republicans look like "Coke Classic" and Democrats are the cheap imitation. Republicans will always be willing to go harder on the populist rhetoric than Democrats, and will therefore always appear more willing to overturn the existing power structures, even resorting to violence when necessisary. (The inaccuracy of this perception is another matter.)

Contrast that with Bernie's approach. He never compromises an inch on his messaging. That's why he is viewed across the political spectrum as the most genuine person in politics. There is no hidden agenda, and that does get recognized. All the socialist edges you might shave off to gain appeal in red districts will backfire, because voters will believe (arguably correctly) that the real agenda is being hidden from them. Their distrust of the establishment will translate into distrust of the revolution.

Take immigration for instance. Democrats dropped all messaging around the value of immigration and the character of immigrants in order to appeal to Republican voters. That solidified Republican framing of the issue, and made Democrats look like they were simply offering half-measures compared to the Republican solution. The did the same thing with Trans rights. They threw trans people under the bus for political expediency, and it just solidified prejudices which led to more support for Republicans. Years ago, they did the same for gay rights.

The thing is that right wing framing is utter and complete bullshit and, at some level, I think right wing voters know it. But, when life seems hopeless, people aren't going to let go of a vision of a better world without something else to grab onto. These people are scared out of their wits, and Democrats are trying to tell them to let go of the life preserver, while offering nothing at all to replace it. I don't think they are unreachable at all (not all of them at least) but I do think they are unreachable through pandering.

I feel more sorry for those kids because they had Charlie Kirk as a father in the first place. I have no sympathy whatsoever for anyone that would marry that asshole.

"Charlie Kirk proven wrong."

This sucks. I don't think he was conscious long enough to know that justice has arrived. Thoughts and prayers asshole.