It's hardly a strawman. Based on nothing but a statement that many Americans who don't buy into Trump's cult are still discontent with the system, you presumed that all of them, or at least a significant majority, are either against your rights, or at least willing to sacrifice them for some unspecified reason.

There is no conflict between being against the mass hording of wealth that plagues this country, and supporting the freedoms of disadvantaged groups. You seem awfully willing to abandon the fight for the economic prosperity for all Americans, not because it helps your minority, but because you get to be smug while society crumbles.

If the message is that people should vote for the lesser of two evils, especially to protect vulnerable classes, I'm right with you. If the message is "shut up about what's wrong with the Democratic party" then you are playing right into Republican strategy.

The Democrats don't want you dead, but they don't really care much if you live or die. The Democratic establishment is consistently the last on board for minority rights. Look at gay marriage for example. It wasn't until the idea became overwhelmingly popular that establishment Democrats came on board. The Defense of Marriage Act and "Don't ask, don't tell" both had overwhelming support from the Democratic establishment. Even then, gay marriage was enacted by the Supreme Court, and the Democrats have made no effort whatsoever to protect it in legislation, just like RvW.

At least the Republicans are honest in a warped way. Democrats hold minority interests hostage to further their own financial interests. They want your neck perpetually on the chopping block because they benefit from your peril. It's a game they play and, one time or another, it will be you that loses.

In 2008, Obama was the dark horse disruptor candidate. He ran on "hope and change", promising to be a disruptor. It was McCain who was the establishment candidate running the milquetoast campaign trying to please everyone.

Of course Obama was elected and immediately started acting like a standard establishment Democrats, fucking over Unions, letting bankers off the hook for breaking the economy, and rebuilding that economy on the backs of the working class. Romney was another milquetoast Republican like McCain, but this time Obama came really close to losing - despite some serious missteps by the Romney campaign. Running for the middle almost lost Obama a second term.

Hillary was, of course, as establishment and milquetoast as candidates come, and look who she lost to. Biden was almost as bad, but he did manage to squeak by with a win, but he beat Trump in swing states by a much smaller margin than Trump beat Hillary. This was with 4 years of Trump and a failed pandemic response still fresh in everyone's minds. Trump was far more responsible for losing that election than Biden was for winning it.

I'm certainly no fan of Hillary, but I think too much is made of the deplorable comment. She should never have made it but, once she did, the bigger mistake was trying to walk it back. That just made her look weak. There is absolutely a large deplorable contingent in Republican politics, and Republicans call Democrats far worse every day.

You can't run a "please everyone" campaign on real policy. Any actual stance on any issue will piss of someone. Democrats who run this way trade off grass roots enthusiasm in exchange for a chance at appealing to Republican voters. They don't lose a lot of Democratic votes directly, but it kneecaps the Democratic ground game. Campaign need volunteers to knock on doors and get people registered. Nobody is excited to volunteer their time for a Democrat that sounds like a Republican or promise to put Republicans in their cabinet. This is even more critical as Republicans step up voter suppression strategies.

I know that Waltz isn't supposed to be front and center, but he brought a lot of really effective strategies that were working great and got pulled by the Democratic consultants.

Harris has declined in popularity with every day that passed after her coronation. She is running a mostly adequate campaign, and trying to please everyone has never been a seriously effective Democratic strategy, especially in the long term.

Harris has her strengths. Very few Democrats would have stood their ground as well as she did in the Fox ambush interview. That's where she really shines, when she can let out that inner prosecutor. Waltz was a great addition, but the campaign hid him away the second Harris took on most of Hillary's campaign advisors.

Just like Biden before her, Harris's greatest advantage is how much Trump is despised outside of his cult. Let's not be deifying her for that.

Or, they might vote Republican. In 2016, Clinton was na clear establishment candidate and Trump was a (fake) populist. Voters who went Green or Libertarian as a vote against the establishment were unlikely to swing to Hillary.

I'm not sure that dynamic still holds now. The MAGA faithful think Trump is a populist, but I don't think anyone else does.

You must have watched a different debate than I did. Despite knowing that every word out of Cruz was a disgusting lie, Cruz kicked his ass through the entire debate. Allred's performance was a textbook example of exactly why establishment Democrats frequently lose what should be easy races.

Cruz might still be hated enough to lose, but not because of that debate. I finished watching the debate and thought "thank God nobody watches Senatorial debates!"

You decline, but at least putting "leftists" in quotes is an improvement.

If you can't be distinguished from the bad faith posts other bots make purporting to be liberals, I guess you'll just save them the trouble of doing it themselves.

Oh, I agree. Every time Hillary pops her head up this is what she does, and Obama is only better because he knows how to be subtle.

On the other hand, right wing trolls are also driving this message, and being even more obnoxious than Hillary.

The pattern through all of modern history is one of liberals failing to address rising fascism because socialism is what scares them more. Then the fascists win, the system implodes because fascists are incompetent, maybe a few million people die, then the liberals return to start the cycle over. It's pathetic that liberals can't stop repeating this tragedy over and over again.

Dude, it was you who claimed I "missed the point" and explained what your point was. Had you not originally buried your point in sarcasm that was indistinguishable from Democratic establishment douchebagery this might have been a very different conversation.

Right wing operatives are trying to drive wedges and your playing right into their strategy. Most of the "undecided" rhetoric comes from or is amplified by right wing bots, as does the worst of the establishment scolding. I'm all for calling out the trolls, as long as your not doing their work by not making it clear who your attacking.

We want the same thing in November, but I don't think your attitude is helping us get there.

I think you nailed it with "leftists". The comment I responded to didn't bother with the quotes.

The whole point of this obvious right wing psy-op is to drive a wedge between liberals and leftists. When liberals don't distinguish between "leftists" and leftists, it plays right into their hands.

These operatives are running a two pronged attack. They aren't just impersonating leftists, they also imitate liberals preaching from their high horses like Hillary Clinton on steroids. Liberals should take care not to do that work for them.

Read your comment that I responded to. There is no indication whatsoever that you aren't among the large contingency that actually thinks these freaks are leftists. When you mimic idiotic Democratic establishment talking points, you will get treated like a Democratic establishment idiot.

Way to fail to make the point.

It's almost like we've seen it before.