They support

• Abortion (in campaign ads and fundraising emails)
• Religious freedom (by wagging a finger when Republicans don't and then doing fuck all about it)
• Police reform (by throwing cash at cops for "better training" while refusing to actually change the inherently abusive system)
• Civil rights (sometimes) (when it won't effect the bottom line of their owner donors like AIPAC and the fossil fuel industries
• Drug decriminalization (in theory, but never in practice)

they are trying to encapsulate and entire half of the political spectrum

No. They are trying to be IN CHARGE OF over half of the political spectrum. The only ideologies other than their own (which is center right to right wing) that they ever try to appeal to is the couple dozen "undecided that are almost but not quite Republicans" left in the country.

There's going to be gaps, disagreements between individual party members, and places where one policy or value has to override another.

Nope, there's going to be nothing but neglect and abuse towards anyone to the left of the leadership, which is now to the right of Reagan.

In spite of the name, the Democratic Party is not democratic or even a party. It's a private for-profit corporation controlled by a small group of people who are in turn controlled to varying degrees by rich people, other corporations, and industry lobbying groups.

Nah, your first statement is close, but you miss by a bit:

"The democrats are the liberal party. They [pretend to] support abortion (when trying to get elected), religious freedom (when trying to get elected), police reform (when trying to get elected), civil rights (when trying to get elected), drug decriminalization (when trying to get elected), etc."

When not trying to get elected they don't actually DO anything.

Drug decriminalization was a big deal in the 70's and we are maybe just now kinda getting around to it.

I didn't even call out the shit behavior on civil rights, you did that.

They seem a-ok with police fucking with college kids right now.

They've had 50 years since roe v wade to guarantee the right to abortion, and they didn't.

What DID they do?

Helped give money to people who are already rich through tax breaks. Helped give money to people who are already rich through deregulation they allowed through. Helped give money to people who are already rich through defense contracts. Helped give money to people who are already rich by overthrowing foreign governments with control over resources out oil barrons want.

Id call those "gaps", yeah.

I'm reasonably sure making discussion difficult is the goal. When the right refers to libs, they mean "anything left of me" without ever acknowledging that a significant number of people being referred to are neither progressive lib or left. The American D party is a center right organization, so how do I, as a leftist express "fuck the platform of the 'liberal party' is pushing, they're clearly bought and paid for too, and are serving the bourgeoisie and don't give a fuck about me, but I still have to put the guy in charge back in charge cause the alternative is dictatorship."

Yep, sounds about right.

I vote D because I have no other valid choice. When Obama was in the president seat, he had both houses of congress and only managed to get the aca. Don't get me wrong, telling insurance they have to cover preexisting conditions is a good thing, but only by the standard that we are required to use insurance anyways. We need single payer.

Don't misquote me. I don't think D and R are the same thing. I know that I suffer less under D leadership than R, however, things only actually ever seem to move further right. For example, why are we throwing college kids in jail for stating the obvious: that supporting the massacre of civilians is heinous? I think that D and R are playing the same game, Power, and the little people who aren't rich are the ones paying their dues.