Progressive Democrats frustrated with 2022 primary losses
NEW YORK (AP) — With less than two months until the midterm elections, progressive Democrats are facing a test of their power.
Their party is heading into the final stretch of the campaign with a robust set of legislative accomplishments that include long-term progressive priorities on issues ranging from prescription drug prices to climate change. But the left has also faced a series of disappointments as Democratic voters from Ohio to Illinois to Texas rejected high-profile progressive challengers to moderates or incumbent members of Congress during the primary season.
The frustration is particularly acute in New York, where Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated one of the highest-ranking congressional Democrats four years ago, injecting fresh energy among the party’s most liberal voters. This year, however, New York City Democrats chose Dan Goldman, a former federal prosecutor who is more of a centrist, over several progressive rivals, including freshman Rep. Mondaire Jones. About 30 miles north in the Hudson River Valley, a powerful establishment candidate, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, defeated a state lawmaker running to his left and backed by Ocasio-Cortez.
Those setbacks have raised fresh questions about the progressive movement’s standing among Democrats. Progressive leaders urge against reading too much into those losses, particularly in New York, where repeated elections this summer after a redistricting battle left some voters disoriented or disengaged.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-health-texas-presidential-new-york-c00a836357679528b21cc6927deb80e9
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Presumably mainstream Democratic voters have the "advantage" of knowing it's not them! This article is encouraging for cohesion against the Republicans in 6 weeks.
progressive government -- that is, it's a giant asset that's supposed to be used by the people to serve their needs as they decide. Certainly our large liberal majority do. But also our conservative Democrats, most of whom are moderate progressive conservatives, if to lesser degree.
Fwiw, analysts say we've moved to doing "our own" thing" more in this era -- when negotiating agreements with Repubs whose priority is destroying us is largely no longer possible. I think that's what happened to the seeming "centrists." No middle ground for them to welcome party reps to. But not because we moved farther left, because we're not meeting Republicans on common ground. It's showing who we are.
But -- sorry, running on and speaking to Progressives here on this thread about Progressives (not progressives): Our belief hasn't changed at all that democratic government should (must!) adequately represent the choices of national majorities, not just our party's majority, while protecting all from both the tyranny of the majority and machinations of minorities. It's a core principle because it HAS to be.
Adhering to our sacred-level duty to protect the principles and practices of democracy, pluralism, and representation misleads some into believing our party's very stable liberal and progressive ideals are less "left" than they are. And allows unprincipled manipulators to misrepresent us as far less than we are.
That's because making it all work usually, achieving progress, even in the best of times requires us to make accommodations to Republicans, and others, on issues we do care about deeply. But...that's democracy in action. Liberal Democrats believe in finding common ground in order to advance our goals.
"Progressives" characteristically prioritize their own strong, and often admirable beliefs and tend to see settling for less as wrong, the more they have to concede the bigger the failure of principle. Even winning most of what they want may be intolerable, refusing and sacrificing all often becomes the preferred and principled course. (Similar to the Freedom Caucus.)
Maybe if Progressives did somehow manage to take over the Democratic Party (not possible, liberals outnumber this actual type many times over), they'd be forced to protect the democratic process and pluralism in our place. But, frankly, I don't think they're suited to that. Psychologists are studying and finding basic mental differences between Progs and Libs. And protecting our democratic institutions, both for and from those whose passionate commitments are to their issues, their ideals, their leaders, their faction, their tribe, is the liberal Democrats' thing because we are suited to it.
