General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The "extreme left" didn't give us Trump. The path to hell was paved by [View all]pat_k
(9,313 posts)is here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=8749488
The "extreme left" referenced in the post are people who don't vote for Democrats because -- as the poster, Trumpocalypse, puts it -- the Dems don't pass some "purity test." It's a notion that vastly oversimplifies the thinking of the people who sit it out or vote third-party. The assertions the poster makes are firmly grounded in the conventional wisdom that Dems need to go to the 'middle' to win elections.
The way I see it, that "conventional wisdom," is a driving force behind the "don't do anything FOX might vilify" strategy we have seen in action over the last couple decades. (Fear of Republican "backlash" is the reigning champ when it comes to rationalizations for refusing to do that which they know is right. And the leadership does know what the right thing to do is, as Pelosi demonstrated with her "I'd be for Impeachment if I weren't speaker" insanity.)
My view of the breakdown of the electorate is very different, and consequently, I've come to a very different conclusion. I describe my view of the 'breakdown" in this post:
It is not a left/moderate/right "divide." It's more like this:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=2594053