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RandySF

(57,581 posts)
Sun Jun 7, 2020, 05:08 PM Jun 2020

Progressives steamrolled across the Senate map

If Democrats win back the Senate this fall, don't expect a rush to pass the Green New Deal or Medicare for All.

The left wing has been wiped out in Senate primaries or failed to recruit at all in states across the map this year, leaving a slate of centrist candidates more in the ideological mold of Joe Biden than Bernie Sanders. Liberal insurgents on the ballot over the coming weeks in states like Kentucky and Colorado aren't favored to fare any better, failing to gain significant traction thus far against more moderate favorites.

A Senate shutout would be an embarrassment for the progressive movement, which a few months ago looked ascendant. If Biden wins the presidency, and Democrats take back the Senate, it would likely result in a more incremental approach to legislating despite Biden's public overtures to the left since he clinched the Democratic nomination.

The failure of left-wing candidates in their primaries has prompted soul-searching among many progressive leaders who now believe that they neglected the task of organizing and building a downballot bench as they were caught in the thrall of Sanders’ candidacy. It is also a victory for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who recruited most of the primary victors, viewing them as more likely to win general elections.


https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/07/senate-progressives-election-297332

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Progressives steamrolled across the Senate map (Original Post) RandySF Jun 2020 OP
Steamrolled? ProfessorGAC Jun 2020 #1
They lost most of their primaries in 2018, too (only 7 of 79 JD endorsed "progressives" won) George II Jun 2020 #4
I'm Aware ProfessorGAC Jun 2020 #7
Far Left Candidates Have Zero Chance of Winning a Senate Election Indykatie Jun 2020 #10
What the hell is wrong with 90% tax on rich people? PTWB Jun 2020 #11
Good One! ProfessorGAC Jun 2020 #12
There have always been loopholes. PTWB Jun 2020 #13
I Edited My Post ProfessorGAC Jun 2020 #14
Politico once again stirring the pot Miguelito Loveless Jun 2020 #2
Replay of 2018, which was a replay of . . . empedocles Jun 2020 #3
Politics of this kind of "progressive" isn't appealing to 90% of the country, including Democrats. George II Jun 2020 #5
Bullshit edhopper Jun 2020 #6
Yes, and it's almost as important to win the Senate LuvNewcastle Jun 2020 #8
You are right. What is ironic is that by any stand what some classify as "centrist" are really still_one Jun 2020 #9
For decades I was called a leftwinger, now all of a sudden I'm a "centrist"? George II Jun 2020 #15
I know. Amazing still_one Jun 2020 #16
Same here calguy Jun 2020 #19
Not the majority zak247 Jun 2020 #17
Presidency is the most important zak247 Jun 2020 #18
At this point, I don't care bottomofthehill Jun 2020 #20
As long as we have a Democratic Majority I'll be ecstatic. ooky Jun 2020 #21
America is a free-market economy DenverJared Jun 2020 #22

ProfessorGAC

(64,413 posts)
1. Steamrolled?
Sun Jun 7, 2020, 05:16 PM
Jun 2020

No they just lost some primaries in a year where pragmatism outweighs wish lists.
Given the Floyd events, social justice reform, repairing foreign relations, and realignment of fiscal policy are three issues people can get behind.
Free college, 90% taxes on rich people (not the best idea anyway), & free health care have to wait, as sad as that may be.
Stop the bleeding.
Progressives weren't marginalized or steamrolled. They just lost this time. No more should be read into it.

ProfessorGAC

(64,413 posts)
7. I'm Aware
Sun Jun 7, 2020, 06:02 PM
Jun 2020

But who was president then, too.
The goal has to be narrower. Vote Rs out.
Grander ideas have to take a pause to undo the damage extant.
True in 2018, true now.
Besides, in all those numbers, how many winners were incumbents? Incumbents win the preponderance of primaries, no matter the left/right positioning of the challengers.
The fact that they lost big in primaries might be tautological.

Indykatie

(3,691 posts)
10. Far Left Candidates Have Zero Chance of Winning a Senate Election
Sun Jun 7, 2020, 06:21 PM
Jun 2020

The far left candidate running against Amy McGrath in the Dem primary in KY has no chance of beating McConnell. As long as they are purists they will continue to fail to attract broader support.

 

PTWB

(4,131 posts)
11. What the hell is wrong with 90% tax on rich people?
Sun Jun 7, 2020, 06:28 PM
Jun 2020

When we had our strongest middle class the tax rate was 92% on the richest folks.

Income inequality and the disparity between the lowest paid and highest paid workers is outrageous. There are several ways to solve that but properly taxing the ultra-rich is one of those ways.

I'm of the mind that under no circumstances should the highest paid worker in an organization earn more than 10 times what the lowest paid worker earns. That means a CEO who wants to earn 1 million a year is going to have to pay the janitor 100k. And that is a GOOD THING!

ProfessorGAC

(64,413 posts)
12. Good One!
Sun Jun 7, 2020, 06:35 PM
Jun 2020

You do know that for those 9 years, 6 people paid 90%. SIX!
The tax code was so loaded with exemptions, shelters and loopholes, the effective upper rate was a bit over 45%.
JFK lowered the top rate, but eliminated so many shelters and loopholes that the effective maximum rate went to just under 48%. Revenues went up from that.
So, 90% yielded 45, and 50% yield 48.
Your economic impact conclusions are based upon events that didn't occur.
Now, as to direct income disparity, we completely agree.
At the time you described CEOs on average made 13-30x the median employee. The range of averages was based on differences in industries.
Today it's 90 to 300. There's no good reason for that.
But, marginal tax rates and balancing income ranges is comparing elephants and volcanoes. They are completely unrelated. There is no valid econometric model that compared the 2, for good reason.

 

PTWB

(4,131 posts)
13. There have always been loopholes.
Sun Jun 7, 2020, 06:37 PM
Jun 2020

Do you think we should address the disparity of wealth between the richest and the poorest? If you do, how do you think we should go about doing that?

ProfessorGAC

(64,413 posts)
14. I Edited My Post
Sun Jun 7, 2020, 06:42 PM
Jun 2020

Go back to it. We do agree on that greatly.
As to always been loopholes.
Not like that, there hasn't.
Loopholes that halve the effective rate on direct compensation? Never been anything close to that period.

edhopper

(33,164 posts)
6. Bullshit
Sun Jun 7, 2020, 05:57 PM
Jun 2020

In the contests we need to win to take the Senate from the GOP, we need centrists that can get swing voters.

Let's worry about what they don't do after we win the Senate.

LuvNewcastle

(16,820 posts)
8. Yes, and it's almost as important to win the Senate
Sun Jun 7, 2020, 06:10 PM
Jun 2020

as it is to win the presidency. Biden will need a Democratic Senate to get his agenda passed along with confirmations of judges. Even if Trump is reelected, he'll be hamstrung by a Democratic Senate. We need moderate Democrats to get those moderate Republican and independent voters. They're a must-have if we're going to undo the damage of the last 3.5 years.

still_one

(91,937 posts)
9. You are right. What is ironic is that by any stand what some classify as "centrist" are really
Sun Jun 7, 2020, 06:20 PM
Jun 2020

progressive

Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, Worker’s Rights, Environmental Rights, the Supreme Court, etc. etc. etc.

I find it interesting how “centrist” has been redefined

It reminds me how in a similar way the media was re-characterized as the “liberal” media

calguy

(5,222 posts)
19. Same here
Sun Jun 7, 2020, 07:27 PM
Jun 2020

I'm proud of the gains we've made since the 60's. We didn't get all we wanted, we lost some of what we gained. That's how it always goes. We have a better county now than we did in the early 60's because we wanted change and we fought for it.
I'm proud of today's young progressives for wanting more of what we wanted back then. My hope is that they keep fighting long enough to realize their dreams. When they get to be our age they'll be called the centrists, as it should be. Each successive generation should want a better world than the one they grew up in.

 

zak247

(251 posts)
17. Not the majority
Sun Jun 7, 2020, 07:07 PM
Jun 2020

Solid doctrinaire progressivism is confined to a few localized places in the country.

I’ve been trying to tell them they aren’t really a majority in the Dem party let alone the country.

Particularly the Dem electorate is trying NOT to be too radical in fear that that can help Trump.

America is just NOT a majority progressive country yet. This is proof of that and if the voters don’t want it then it shouldn’t be forced on them.

I like progressives who are also practical politically like Noam Chomsky. Not those like Susan Sarandon, an elitist who wants to torture people into radicalism for their own good.

 

zak247

(251 posts)
18. Presidency is the most important
Sun Jun 7, 2020, 07:15 PM
Jun 2020

Because of the SCOTUS. It's amazing the GOP voters understood the reality of the fact that another GOP president in 2016 would make the SCOTUS into a right-wing mob.

That alone should have had Dems and progressives fired up to elect Hillary just to save the supreme court.

It might literally( And I feel this from the bottom of my heart) if Trump's wins that will destroy this country and well have a supreme court almost like the klan.

I never understood how so-called progressives never understand that or just forget about it.

bottomofthehill

(8,261 posts)
20. At this point, I don't care
Sun Jun 7, 2020, 07:48 PM
Jun 2020

As long as they vote for a democratic leader of the senate I could give two shits less.

 

DenverJared

(457 posts)
22. America is a free-market economy
Sun Jun 7, 2020, 09:08 PM
Jun 2020

and most Democrats are centrists. Trying to move them to the fringe was doomed to a failure.

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