Yesterday's elections in KY and VA demonstrated something important.

[MineralMan]

Democrats CAN win in states like those. We need them to win in such states. But, what Democrats win in traditionally red states? Moderate Democrats, that's who. That's a very, very important thing to consider.

The United States of America is not uniformly progressive. While that might come as a shock to some, it is the truth. In order to get progressive things done in the federal government, a majority in both the House AND the Senate are needed, along with a Democratic President. That is going to mean that we have to elect Democrats in some states that are not hotbeds of progressivism, and that we have to elect a President who can win a few key states that have a habit of switching parties in presidential races.

Without control of the Executive Branch and BOTH houses of Congress, passing bills that contain progressive language is impossible. Without a Democratic Senate majority, most progressive legislation will die in that house. Without a Democratic President, progressive bills will not be proposed from the White House. Without a solid Democratic majority in the House, which also requires some members to be elected in states that will not elect a progressive Democrat, progressive legislation may not even be introduced.

All of those things are factors in every presidential election year. All are factors that must be considered by all Democrats. The equation that results in progressive changes is necessarily a balanced equation in this country. Moderate Democrats who can get elected in many of our swing states are required to achieve the majorities we need in Congress. The President, too, must win in those swing states, as we learned, to our regret, in 2016.

We cannot dismiss moderate Democrats across the board. If we do, we will not get any of what we want. This nation is not uniform. It is mixed politically. We cannot forget that, or we risk continuing deadlocks and Republican control that can block progressive measures.

Please, let's think about that during this presidential primary season. We need a nominee who can win against a Republican and who can encourage people in swing states to elect House Members and Senators who share our goals. No Republican shares our goals, so we need to elect Democrats everywhere, not just in progressive states.

Thanks for reading.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

1. EXCELLENT points....

Democrats need to focus on the local issues of their states and Districts to bring voters around. When they make things personal, they will turn out to vote.

As in Kentucky, the more Trump makes this about him, the more energized Democrats must become. The Impeachment inquiry will do its part.

[dsc]

2. VA has become a Democratic bastion

we literally have everything there. The only reason the legislature took so long to go our way was a very effective gerrymander.

[NYC Democrat]

13. Yeah basically, VA is a solid blue state even if not by the biggest margins

But those are constantly growing too. I think the GOP hasn't won a single statewide race there since what 2009? They have a worse track record there this decade than dems in places like Alabama and Kentucky basically.

[Blue_true]

17. What is happening in Virginia is similar to what happened on the West Coast.

A part (or two parts in California's case) got some homegrown new industries (Microsoft, Amazon and a few others in the case of Washington, Hitech expansion from California in the case of Oregon, Silicon Valley and Tech in LA) that grew and spilled over miles. Lots of people came in to work, those parts of the states became the political power bases and were liberal. More immigrants came in from around the world and expanded into more parts of the state, they were welcomed more by democrats, so as those immigrants became citizens and became more successful, they stayed with the party that welcomed them in and gave them opportunity. In Virginia, Northern Virginia became a Tech and business hotbed, that is spreading to other parts of the state now as more areas become better educated, more prosperous and blue.

[CentralMass]

3. A September poll in VA had both Sanders and Warren beating tRump 53% to 38%.

http://www.insidenova.com/news/election/four-democrats-lead-trump-in-early-survey-in-virginia/article_47ed4806-e376-11e9-b8f0-375bb8bf7d9c.html

I couldn't find a poll of the Dem candidates vs tRump in Ky.

[PhoenixDem]

4. That is before Trump and the republicans get to Sanders and Warren. n/t

[PhoenixDem]

5. Center left is where the electorate is K&R n/t

[Bayard]

6. I'd like to see Joe Biden visit KY

Especially since tRump keeps showing up here to fan the flames.

[CousinIT]

7. We NEED moderate AND progressive Dems - strategically in states

who will support them. I HATE so much the warring and fighting between centrists/moderates and progressives. WE CAN'T AFFORD THAT.

We also need moderate and progressive Democratic citizens to GET. OUT. AND. VOTE. - in Y U G E numbers.

When we do that, we WIN.

[MineralMan]

8. Exactly. We need Democratic candidates who are well suited to

the races they are running in the places where they are running. A Democrat who can win in Kentucky would not be a great match for a position in urban Massachusetts. And vice-versa. Winning House and Senate seats, along with state legislative seats, requires candidates who match the politics where they run.

Why we forget that, I will never understand.

As for presidential candidates, they have a very special requirement. They must win enough states to ensure an Electoral College victory. That means they must have broad political views that can resonate throughout the country.

Why we forget that, I will never understand.

[treestar]

11. And heck, most of the "centrists"

would be happy with progressive policies. It's a matter of the voters in general and what they will vote for. We know we got the House because of moderate Democrats. No amount of facts seem to convince some of the progressives that they just aren't going to win with the voters generally, or the independents.

[customerserviceguy]

9. In my observation

the Mason-Dixon line extends just south of Richmond in Virginia, at least the eastern part of Virginia. As for Kentucky, Bevin was as out of the mainstream as Roy Moore was in Alabama. Anybody who would deliberately infect his kids with chicken pox rather than have them vaccinated is an obvious nut job that even a lot of right-wingers would just as soon not align themselves with.

I fear that we will wind up with a Sanders-Warren ticket, and the results will look like McGovern in 1972 or Mondale in 1984.

[treestar]

10. Also a good sign that people are getting sick of Trump

and the Republicans.

[MineralMan]

12. I agree. I'm sure Trump hated that result!

[Gothmog]

14. Biden's statement on Virginia races

Link to tweet

[MineralMan]

15. Yes. Exactly.

[Joe941]

16. What they mean is a wet paper bag would defeat tRump and ...

We dont have to worry about electability. Let us pick who we really want not who we think is electable, because whoever wins the democratic contest will be the next president. That's what this election means.