Read on Twitter
Mississippi just voted 75% in favor of medical marijuana yesterday, and 77% in favor of ending the state Electoral College.
yet Democrats are still afraid to run on anything other than "law and order! support our cops! jail the looters!"
wild.
yet Democrats are still afraid to run on anything other than "law and order! support our cops! jail the looters!"
wild.
Florida voted for a $15 minimum wage, despite voting for Trump, and Democrats are still afraid of being called "liberal".
New Jersey, home to Chris Christie, legalized recreational marijuana yesterday.
Oregon, home of liberal fascists Ted Wheeler and Kate Brown, legalized shrooms and decriminalized all drugs.
Oregon, home of liberal fascists Ted Wheeler and Kate Brown, legalized shrooms and decriminalized all drugs.
To spell this out for Democratic campaign managers who don't want to do the math: this means that, when given the choice, a significant chunk of GOP voters are voting for leftist policy, for anti-racism, against the carceral state.
There's your "swing voter"! Right there!
There's your "swing voter"! Right there!
Mathematically, this proves that at least *half* of Trump voters in Mississippi voted to *end* an electoral college system created during Reconstruction to dilute "the n***** vote" (that is direct quote from its author).
There's so much talk about "meeting Trump voters where they are", and that always gets translated to "push for center-right policy".
But by their voting choices, "where they are" is apparently leftist, anti-racist policy. They... just don't know it.
But by their voting choices, "where they are" is apparently leftist, anti-racist policy. They... just don't know it.
The fact that Trump voters will vote for anti-racist policy when it's directly on the ballot despite voting for Trump doesn't mean they're not racist.
On the contrary: that apparent contradiction is *direct evidence*of their racism.
On the contrary: that apparent contradiction is *direct evidence*of their racism.
There are a lot of studies about stereotype bias.
A classic experiment: a group of white men, white women, and Asian people are asked math questions. They perform equally, but if asked to read a statement about their identity beforehand, women perform worse and Asians better.
A classic experiment: a group of white men, white women, and Asian people are asked math questions. They perform equally, but if asked to read a statement about their identity beforehand, women perform worse and Asians better.
There are a lot of variations and nuances to these studies, but basically: people perform differently when they're considering themselves and their actions through the lens of structural inequity and privilege.
You can extend this principle towards political beliefs as well.
White people oftentimes support anti-racist policies, *as long as they don't think of them through the lens of race*.
If they do, then they change their minds.
White people oftentimes support anti-racist policies, *as long as they don't think of them through the lens of race*.
If they do, then they change their minds.
Mississippi Trump supporters (61% of votes) are willing to vote to end an Electoral College (78%), abolish the Confederate flag (70%), and scale back the prison-industrial complex (75%)... as long as they don't view it as a "race thing".
Before you get any ideas, this is *not* an argument that Democrats should decenter anti-racism from their discourse, and avoid talking about race.
It's irrefutable proof that the policies themselves are compelling in their own right, and Democrats shouldn't run away from them.
It's irrefutable proof that the policies themselves are compelling in their own right, and Democrats shouldn't run away from them.
Trump voters do support leftist policies, when push comes to shove. They proved that yesterday with their votes. But they don't support the abstract concepts of leftism or anti-racism.
Democrats should be using these popular policies as tools to engage people in anti-racism.
Democrats should be using these popular policies as tools to engage people in anti-racism.
No matter what happens with the election, the core problems are not going to go away unless a lot of people become less racist than they are now.
Democrats need to deprogram racism, and already-popular leftist policies are an obvious tool for initiating that process.
Democrats need to deprogram racism, and already-popular leftist policies are an obvious tool for initiating that process.
leftists are constantly making space for Democrats to move into, and Democrats just hang back timidly, hoping the battles will win themselves
Democrats just underperformed progressive policy on the ballot across the board in multiple states, and somehow their takeaway from all that is "we need to move further to the right" 
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/524503-centrist-democrats-talk-leadership-changes-after-negative-election-results
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/524503-centrist-democrats-talk-leadership-changes-after-negative-election-results
the Democratic party playbook has exactly one strategy: "move to the right". They literally do not know how to do anything else.
No matter what happens, they will find a way to conclude that the lesson to be learned is "we need to move to the right".
No matter what happens, they will find a way to conclude that the lesson to be learned is "we need to move to the right".
Democrats lose in a landslide? "We need to be more moderate to appeal to more people".
Democrats eke out a narrow win? "We need to be more moderate to win by bigger margins".
Democrats win in a landslide? "We need to be more moderate to keep the support of swing voters".
Democrats eke out a narrow win? "We need to be more moderate to win by bigger margins".
Democrats win in a landslide? "We need to be more moderate to keep the support of swing voters".
