Two lessons that Democrats constantly forget about American democracy.
1. Americans usually vote for candidates, not issues.
This fact is partly why the left isn't as represented as it could be - it prefers to emphasize issue conversations and de-emphasize the personal qualities of candidates, undermining some natural advantages that could otherwise be decisive.
It's also why moderate Democrats unnecessarily run away from strongly progressive positions: Not because they don't share them, but because they falsely believe it will impact their electability. It doesn't. It doesn't increase the electability of left-wing progressives, and it doesn't decrease the electability of moderates to be associated with progressive issues. Rather, issues derive credibility from their association with strong candidates, not the other way around. When we win, it is not necessarily an endorsement of our issues; when we lose, it is not necessarily a repudiation of our issues. This is basically just a restatement of the Overton Window principle.
2. Never concede or appear to concede enemy propaganda.
If a liar always lied, they wouldn't be dangerous. What makes them destructive is their selective use of truth as a weapon of deceit. The Republican narrative of an unpopular President torpedoing Democratic election chances contained a kernel of fact - that the President's approval ratings are in the minority - to produce a web of heinous fiction. And rather than slice through that web, which would have served both them and the President and the Party, many Democrats simply accepted it and sabotaged themselves by reinforcing an appearance of weakness and discord. They took no responsibility for improving the circumstances and public perception thereof, but simply reacted like prey animals.
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When these two lessons are remembered, we win big. When they are forgotten, we lose big. And when some do and some don't, we end up with mixed results.
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