Red Mosquito

It was only four pages back, this isn't a very popular board.

we're all Alex today.

McParadigm wrote:

Pete Buttigieg is a lying MF

McParadigm wrote:

THIS DUDE IS REALLY STARTING TO PISS ME THE FUCK OFF

tragabigzanda wrote:

Boomer in disguise.

Oh my god the moderate candidate said something to try to appeal to voters on the other side! Stop this madness!

durdencommatyler wrote:

McParadigm wrote:

THIS DUDE IS REALLY STARTING TO PISS ME THE FUCK OFF

meatwad wrote:Oh my god the moderate candidate said something to try to appeal to voters on the other side! Stop this madness!

It is impossible to appeal to voters outside your base without lending credibility to harmful misrepresentations of your own party. Everybody knows.

It’s why every Republican presidential candidate in my lifetime has run on “my party hates women, but I can fix it,” instead of focusing their message on personal impact issues like taxes and education.

The only budget surpluses of his lifetime happened under Clinton, but OK.

Really, of the last two Democratic presidents, One balanced the budget and the other brought us out of a recession while simultaneously expanding access to healthcare. But “we are the problem“ is the way to win over voters, I’m sure.

meatwad wrote:Oh my god the moderate candidate said something to try to appeal to voters on the other side! Stop this madness!

I mean, I hear you. But thing is though look at where Pete started. If Kamala is out in part because of a lack of authenticity (perceived or otherwise) then....

McParadigm wrote:The only budget surpluses of his lifetime happened under Clinton, but OK.

Really, of the last two Democratic presidents, One balanced the budget and the other brought us out of a recession while simultaneously expanding access to healthcare. But “we are the problem“ is the way to win over voters, I’m sure.

That tweet quotes him saying that deficits have grown under Republican and shrank under Democratic governments.

4/5 wrote:

McParadigm wrote:The only budget surpluses of his lifetime happened under Clinton, but OK.

Really, of the last two Democratic presidents, One balanced the budget and the other brought us out of a recession while simultaneously expanding access to healthcare. But “we are the problem“ is the way to win over voters, I’m sure.

That tweet quotes him saying that deficits have grown under Republican and shrank under Democratic governments.

If that’s the point he wants to make to voters, then “My party’s not known for worrying about the deficit or the debt too much but it’s time for us to start getting into that,” sure as hell is a lot less clear a promotion of Democrats and a lot less positive a rallying cry than “of the last two Democratic presidents, one balanced the budget and the other brought us out of a recession while simultaneously expanding access to healthcare. Let’s build on that legacy.”

Framing it as a critique of your party in front of voters, and then dropping a line to the press gaggle that your intra-party defenders can quote after the fact, is a pretty transparent move. It’s the kind of thing local candidates in unsafe seats do all the time, because at the local level it works. Press gaggle quotes don’t have the travel velocity or the impact that townhalls or speeches do, so you can be known locally for the carefully phrased, slightly vague criticism...but still have those whispered party affirmation lines protecting you from backlash.

It’s also the kind of thing national candidates almost never do, because at the national level…it doesn’t work. People are far less likely to jump party lines at the national level, and they tend to paint their opinions in broader (blue/red) strokes. Critiques do more to remind people of criticisms they’ve heard about your party than they do to motivate them to get excited about you as a candidate.

Honestly, it’s amazing how little Obama’s approach has resonated among subsequent Democratic candidates.